Soul Sucker
Blind Date

John Miller’s POV

Train, Manhattan to Newark

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

“You mean they freakin’ disappeared without a trace?” My boss leaned forward in his chair and turned to look at me.

“That’s exactly what I mean, Terry, and it’s not just us. I asked around with the other investigators and found two more cases in 2016 and 2008. Newly purchased multi-million dollar life insurance policies, the husband dies within a few months, and within a year? The woman disappears without a trace.”

“People don’t just disappear, John. You know that. There’s always something.”

“It’s more than that. If you dig into her background before the marriage, there’s no depth to it. I think the bride disappears so easily because she never existed in the first place. At least, not in the name they used to marry the guy.”

“What do you mean?”

I laid it out. “These people had driver’s licenses. Passports. Degrees. Homes. Bank accounts. All the documents needed to marry the guy, and they look legitimate. But there’s nothing if you look for evidence of their college life. No sports teams. No Facebook or Instagram posts that tag them. No sorority sisters or photographs from their college days. I called some of Jordyn’s professors and those of the case from San Francisco five years ago. Both students were online only, never met in person with the professors, and never sought additional instruction on video. They are ghosts.”

“They were real enough to fall in love and get married,” Terry objected.

“I’m just saying that it’s more likely the person was an alias than a real person,” I replied. “And whoever did it spent a lot of time and money to build up the persona. The birth certificates and Social Security numbers look legit.”

He was skeptical. “People assume identities from other people all the time. Keep looking and you’ll probably replace a death certificate from someone who died soon after.”

“Trust me, Terry. I looked for that.”

He leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes for a moment to think about it. “Could it be Witness Protection? Or could they be working for the Government in some capacity? They’d have the ability to gin up a history like that.”

I shook my head. “If Jordyn is in Witsec, why have such a public wedding and funeral? Her face is all over the papers in Indianapolis. A decent facial recognition program would figure it out. No, if they were hiding for another reason, there would be no press and no photographs.”

“And Jordyn’s background is just as thin?”

“Yes.”

“Could she be the same person from one of the other cases?”

“No way. That was the first thing I thought of. Jordyn is only twenty-five years old. She couldn’t be involved in cases older than seven years. I ran all the wives through a facial recognition comparison, and they aren’t the same.”

“Plastic surgery?”

“It can’t change certain characteristics of the software, and it can’t make your four inches taller or shorter. The only thing I am certain of is that they aren’t the same women.”

“There has to be some connection between these women. If it isn’t the women, it’s someone helping the women.”

“What do you want me to do, boss?”

He thought about it for a minute. “Turn over the information from the previous cases to the FBI and IRS. Identity fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion are all in play. They’ve got the resources to pull the strings on the identities. We’ll need the IRS and their forensic accountants to trace the money back to the owners. If we can get a conviction, we can sue to get the policy benefit returned. That’s the only interest I have in the older cases. Once we settle, it is very difficult to open them up again.”

“I can do that tomorrow.”

“I have some contacts in the local FBI, but you’ll need to walk it into the IRS. Good luck with that.”

Yeah, that would be fun. Paperwork, waiting in government offices, and convincing agents that a crime was committed requiring them to investigate. “What about Jordyn Carter?”

“Keep digging. Put a private investigator on her and see what turns up. From what you told me, she’s already liquidating. I don’t want her to get the ten million and disappear into thin air.”

“Got it,” I replied. I had a lot of work to do, and not much time to do it. “I should probably go home and get some rest so I can get started early in the morning.”

“Yeah, nah,” he said as he elbowed me. “If you think I’m letting you out of Cathy’s big plan for a work-related task, you’re crazy. You’re going to have a good time tonight or else.”

“Or else what?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Sure, I do.”

He got this uncomfortable look before responding. “The Wrath of Cath is something to behold, remember?”

“The last time she blew up at me I was a drunk bastard,” I replied. “I deserved it.”

“Yeah, well, now she’s got her minions to help out. Mini-me’s, all of them!”

“You poor guy,” I told him. “You could have stopped after two instead of trying for the softball team.”

“Cathy is devout Irish Catholic, so that’s a non-starter. So is saying ‘no’ when she wants sex. I’m only so strong, you know.”

“It works for you. Now, what can you tell me about my blind date?”

He let out a breath. “Mary is a member of our church and is a real estate agent in town. Widowed, lost her husband in Afghanistan six years ago. He was a helicopter pilot, and his bird was shot down over Kandahar.” Jesus. “It was right after we moved here, and it hit her hard. I think Cathy is pushing her back into the dating pool before she gets too old. She has one daughter who is about ten now.”

“Terry, I’m not interested in dating, much less marriage and an instant family.”

“It’s one evening, John. Relax, have fun, and be polite. It doesn’t have to work like Cathy hopes it will.” I nodded at that. “Of course, if it does, I won’t complain. We could hang out on the train rides into town.”

“I’ll be nice,” I told him. We arrived at his house at 6:30. Cathy fussed over me before sending me to the guest room to change. She was wearing a suit and a coverup, and I came out wearing board shorts and a UFC T-shirt. Terry changed and got the grill going. “Thanks for having me over,” I said as we returned to the kitchen.

“I’m just glad Terry was able to get you to come without needing my more creative threats,” Cathy said with a laugh. “Our fourth will be here any minute. Here.” She handed me a tray of marinated and seasoned stakes. “Take these out to Terry, but tell him not to put them on until Mary arrives. I don’t know how she likes hers cooked.”

“Sure thing.” I walked out of the kitchen and through the sliding door in the back of the dining room. He had a nice setup out back; the pool had a waterslide for the kids, and a small hot tub near the main bedroom door. He had a 70” television mounted under the eaves, with a Plexiglas panel to protect it from rain and snow. The speakers were off, and the pregame show for the Red Sox was on. The pool took up their entire backyard.

Terry set the tray down and handed me a diet coke. Although they liked beer and wine, they never drank around me after the struggles I’d had.

The ladies came out shortly after I sat at the outdoor dining table. I looked up as my blind date approached.

Mary was attractive, with shoulder-length red hair, striking green eyes, and long legs. I stood up for the introductions. She had a confident handshake, but I could tell she was as relieved as I was that the blind date wasn’t some troll. She had a beautiful smile despite how nervous she was.

I didn’t come with any expectations beyond tonight, so I took the lead on the conversation early on while Terry grilled and Cathy prepared the rest of the meal. She’d had her arm twisted to come here just like me. “I understand she wants me to date again, but I’m not sure I’m ready,” she confided. “I have enough stress in my life raising Heather on my own. I don’t want to bring a man into my life and then have him break up with me six months later.”

“I’m safe, then,” I said. “How much did Cathy tell you about me?”

“She said you were retired Boston Police and worked with her husband, and she’s known you since your college days.”

“Yeah, she skipped a lot. I was married once, and it didn’t go well. She didn’t like how being a cop came first, and the divorce was contentious. Things spiraled down from there, and I ended up drunk and angry at the world. I might have ended it all if not for those two. They staged an intervention, got me into treatment, and helped me put my life back together.”

“You’re sober now?”

“Six years. It wasn’t easy, but I’m getting by each day. Like you, I don’t want a relationship because I don’t think I can go through that again.”

She raised her glass of lemonade to me. “I guess we can both enjoy the night without worries of further entanglements?”

“Absolutely,” I said as I clinked my aluminum to her plastic. “I feel sorry for you. Growing up a Mets fan? That’s child abuse in some states.”

“And I wasn’t born in time for the ’69 Miracle Mets,” she replied. “Three World Series since then, and only disappointment. Eventually, God will hear our prayers.”

“I don’t think it works that way.” We enjoyed a meal as the summer day cooled off, then used the pool and hot tub while watching the game. Mary was a lot of fun, and there was some chemistry there.

Around the seventh inning, Terry went inside and didn’t return. A half-inning later, Cathy exited the hot tub and whispered something in Mary’s ear. My date blushed and looked down as she walked away. “Let me guess,” I said. “She’s heading to bed, but we can stay out here as long as we like.”

“It was more like, ‘We’ll give you some privacy so you guys can have some fun.’” She slid next to me, her hand moving down my thigh. “I am having fun tonight. I like you despite my desire to see the matchmaker fail.”

“So am I. You’re a good woman, Mary. Too good for me.”

She leaned in and kissed me. I deepened the kiss as she crawled into my lap. A minute later, I came up for air, moaning as her bikini-clad hips rubbed against my length. “I’m so damn horny right now,” she told me. “It’s been a long drought, and I need you to break it for me.”

“I’m not your Mister Right. I don’t know if I ever will be.”

“It’s been over six years, John. Six lonely years. I need this, and I think you want it.”

I moved my hands up her side, moving around to the back to untie the string on her bikini top. She pulled it off and tossed it to the side of the tub as she leaned back. The cool breeze caused them to harden into points, which I attacked with my tongue and lips. She moaned in pleasure as I teased them, and she wiggled in my lap as I untied her bottoms as well. “Lie back,” I told her, tossing her bikini bottoms next to the top.

She barely held back a scream when my tongue met her swollen sex. I couldn’t make up for six years of celibacy, but I gave it a shot. I brought her off three times in ten minutes, the last time causing her to scream into a towel to keep from waking the neighbors. She was still quivering as I pulled her back to my lap. “My God, you’re good,” she whispered into my ear. Her lips were planted on top of my hard cock, only a little nylon in the way. “Do you have protection?”

“No. I didn’t expect this to happen.”

“Next time, bring some along.” She slid down my body, kneeling in front of me as she grabbed the bottom of my suit. I raised my hips and let her pull the trunks down. “Your turn. Sit on the edge for me.”

I sat up with my cock bouncing in her face. She grabbed it with one hand, staring at it as she moved closer. “Very nice. It’s bigger around than the only other one I’ve seen. I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

She did more than just fine. Attitude and enthusiasm are more important than technique. I gave her encouraging moans and asked her to do things she probably hadn’t done with her husband. Through it all, she maintained eye contact and tried her best to make it enjoyable. It was a far better experience than the girls just trying to get it over with.

“I’m almost there,” I told her when I felt my balls begin to tighten. She backed off and stroked me with her hand, watching as the milky strands shot out to cover her neck and boobs. She was watching it drip down as I slid back next to her. “Thank you for that,” I told her.

“I enjoyed it,” she replied. She rinsed off my seed and climbed back on my lap. “It’s getting late. I have to get home and pay the babysitter.”

“Can I see you again?”

“I’d like that. Cathy can give you my number.” She stood up, her body tempting me for more. “Stay here. If you followed me inside, I don’t know if I could resist another round.”

I watched her pull her bikini bottoms up over her taut ass. She worked out, that was certain. “If I followed you inside, I definitely couldn’t resist you.”

She finished dressing and toweling off, then pulled on her denim shorts and T-shirt. She leaned over and kissed me. “Thank you, John.”

“Have a good evening, Mary.”

I watched her walk away, then heard her car start. I got out of the tub and used the outdoor shower to rinse, then wrapped a towel around my waist. I went back into the dark house, making my way to the guest bedroom. “Break her heart and I’ll neuter you,” Cathy said from the kitchen.

I turned to look at her. “She’ll realize I’m not good enough and break it off herself,” I replied. “She’s too good for me.”

“Quit selling yourself short, John. You’re a good man who has been through a lot. Let that stuff go and start living again.”

“Yes, Mom.” I closed the bedroom door and was asleep minutes later. The train leaves early, after all.