Evil in Paradise. R. B. Conroy

later, Ed braked hard and ducked into a short dark tunnel that took him under the road to the other side of Buena Vista. He climbed the steep hill on the far side of the tunnel and gunned it down the wide asphalt cart path toward Lake Sumter Landing.

      Minutes later, Ed eased off the accelerator as he approached the next tunnel that would take him under Stillwater Trail and back to Buena Vista Drive. As usual, he was taken aback by the beautiful landscaping that surrounded the area at the Stillwater exit, one of the main entryways into Lake Sumter Landing. As he slowed down, Ed could hear “Old Time Rock and Roll,” one of his favorite rock tunes, blasting out from the center of Lake Sumter. Ed decided at the last second to take a right at the end of the tunnel and make a run through the town square, instead of going home. His favorite group “Rocky and the Rollers” was playing tonight. He thought it might be fun to stop and take in a few tunes. His excitement grew as he turned onto Stillwater and drove toward the bright lights and hard hitting sounds of the busy town square.

      Lake Sumter Landing was composed of dozens of shops and restaurants, along with a movie theater showing the latest releases, and several popular drinking establishments. In the center of the square was a large gazebo that was surrounded by an ample dance area. A different band performed in the gazebo each night, filling the air with the pounding sounds of rock and roll music. When they first moved to The Villages, Ed and Cathy would go dancing at Lake Sumter almost every evening, and Ed loved it. Just like in athletics, Ed was smooth and graceful on the dance floor, but those were the old days before tennis. Tonight, as he approached the square; Ed would be alone-alone with the memories of better days.

       3

      “Great volley, partner!”

      “Thank you, Mrs. Roberts.”

      “Eric, my dear, will you please stop with that “Mrs. Roberts” stuff?”

      “Okay, thank you, Cathy.”

      “Much better.”

      Cathy stood, hands on hips, while her partner bent over to fasten down an errant shoe lace. Her new tennis partner, Eric Lowe, had joined her a few weeks ago when her longtime partner and family friend, John Waring, was forced to undergo major hip surgery. The doctor said Waring would be out of action for about six months followed by several months of rehab. At first she missed Waring. Together, they had won two Villages Doubles Championships. But lately, she was beginning to really enjoy her new partner. He was funny and good looking, and unlike the seventy year old Waring, the new guy was very muscular with a handsome face and dark, curly, hair. Cathy found him very attractive. Eric was a former lift-truck driver from Texas and he was twelve years her junior. And, best of all, he was single, recently divorced from his third wife.

      Not a philanderer in the true sense of the word, Cathy was becoming more and more disenchanted with her husband, Ed. They had been married for forty-seven years, and she would quickly tell anyone who would listen what a bore he was. Less than faithful, she had found herself in bed with other men more than once during their long marriage. A master of deceit, she had managed to keep her extracurricular activities a secret from her family and close friends. With hubby Ed providing most of the assets in their relationship, she knew she had to be careful with her indiscretions, lest he find out and play hardball with her money supply.

      Her lust for Eric was growing with each match together. She found him disturbingly attractive and he was really starting to turn her on. She had to figure a way to get her exciting new partner in bed without anyone knowing.

      Still bent over and tying his shoes, Cathy leaned over and laid her hand gently on Eric’s back. She whispered in his ear, “One more point and we close them out. Looks like we’ll get to Cody’s a little earlier tonight.”

      A grinning Eric stood and looked directly into Cathy’s stunning blue eyes, “Sounds good to me. Your serve.” When he handed her the ball, he cupped his hand around hers and gave it a little squeeze. With her face slightly flushed from the intimate exchange with the handsome Mr. Lowe, Cathy walked back to the serving area and prepared to serve for the game and set. She tossed the ball in the air, took a mighty swing and sent a devastating serve darting over the net. The other team hardly had time to react as the ball bounced harmlessly off of their opponent’s racket and ricocheted to the side of the court.

      Cathy hurriedly joined Eric at the net for the customary handshake. After a couple of minutes of small talk with their playing partners, Cathy and Eric went their separate ways-Cathy in her car and Eric in his Jeep.

      * * * * * *

      Cathy’s heart was fluttering as she exited onto Morse Boulevard for the short drive to Lake Sumter Landing and Cody’s Original Roadhouse. She was hoping that this would be the night. She wanted desperately to go home and freshen up a little, but that was out of the question. Luckily, it had been a very short match, and she had hardly worked up a sweat. Having showered just before the match, she felt fresh enough for any close encounters that might occur.

      * * * * * *

      Eric decided to stop by Sweetbay Supermarket on the way to Cody’s and grab a roll of breath mints. The onions on his noonday sub were still hanging around. He was certain a wad of breath mints, along with a few beers at Cody’s, would take care of that.

      Eric was somewhat befuddled by his attractive tennis partner. When they joined forces a few weeks ago, she seemed to start flirting with him right away. She certainly had all the trappings of wealth-a lavish home in Bridgeport at Lake Miona, a new Lexus convertible and some very expensive looking and exotic jewelry. But, it was obvious that something was missing in her life. No stranger to extra-marital affairs, Eric could sense when a woman was on the prowl. Not lacking in self-confidence when it came to the opposite sex, Eric knew that his handsome good looks and charming personality made him almost irresistible to older ladies looking for a good time outside of marriage. Fate seemed to be pushing these two ignoble souls together like a steamroller toward hot asphalt. He smiled, fleeting thoughts of the two of them in bed together danced through his mind.

      * * * * * *

      Cathy pulled to a stop in a parking spot in the large public parking area just across from Cody’s. She opened her compact and toyed with the front of her hair and then carefully applied some fresh lipstick. Everything seemed to be right. Eric had been more playful than usual this evening and their short match had barely tested the energy levels of the two well-conditioned athletes. It was time to come up with a plan.

      First, where to go? Since her husband Ed was quite the homebody, she had decided that her house was out of the question. Even if Ed wasn’t at home, he could pop in at any time and that would be a disaster. Eric’s place was also out of the question since he lived right across the street from Cathy’s friends, Barb and Tom Johnson. She had to find a place for her wayward deeds, and she had to come up with a place where they would not be noticed.

      She and Ed had some friends, Jim and Barb Smith, who lived in the Village of Duval near the south end of The Villages. Their friends were both still heavily involved in their careers up north and could only make it down to their Florida home a few times a year. To save them money, the Roberts had volunteered to check on their house now and then. That meant going into the Smith’s house a couple of times a month to check things out and be sure that everything was okay and in operating condition. The friends had given them a remote to the garage for easy entry into the house. It would be the perfect place for a secret tryst with another man. She and Eric could pull into the garage, put the door down before any of the neighbors had time to notice, have some fun, and then leave quietly with no one the wiser, particularly her husband, Ed.

      Cathy dropped the compact back in her small sport purse, straightened her earrings and climbed out of her Lexus. She bumped the door shut with her firm backside and started her strut toward Cody’s. She felt very vampy at times like this. She was thin and attractive and she made a nice picture with her long, slender legs, protruding nicely from under her short, tennis skirt. She had a very sensual way of walking, something she had worked on over the years. She