"I didn’t know it would end like this," Sandy whispered, trembling under Rolly's piercing gaze.

welcome to the cheating Secrets Channel I hate Mondays thought Sergeant Roland Martin as his cell phone rang in his pocket he hadn't even had a chance to take a bite of the first of the three chocolate cake Donuts he had bought during his first coffee break of the week when that damn phone rang seriously did someone for God's sake die as it turned out someone had there's a body at 1492 Summer Avenue Raleigh Lieutenant Steve Gray said dryly the dispatcher called a unit to check out an open front door and when the patrolman went inside

he found a dead body you might want to finish those donuts I know you have them because the guy was a rookie and it was his first corpse he ended up making a mess all over the damn carpet right next to and down the hallway when he tried to run out the door to avoid contaminating the crime scene twice oh and also on the porch the kid made a bigger mess than the damn killer thanks for the warning Lieutenant Ry said with disgust lesle Bingham who had been listening to the conversation stuffed half of a

Boston cream dut into her mouth for the thousandth time Raley noted how much his partner resembled his wife's younger sister we're done here and I wouldn't bother finishing the rest drop the pastries and I'll grab the coffee meet me in the car and I'll fill you in on the details two patrol cars with their headlights on were parked outside the house when the two homicide detectives arrived one of the four patrolmen was was half sitting in the passenger seat of one of the cars his face buried in a vomit bag tell that damn guy he'll

owe me for dry cleaning if I get my clothes messed up with his puke raly said to the second patrolman standing nearby carefully stepping over a pile of vomit on the porch Raley and Bingham cautiously entered the house and headed towards the bedroom where the body was found inside the bedroom two more patrolmen were holding handkerchiefs to their noses to block out the inch coming from the vomit the victim is Leonard mallister a 28-year-old unmarried artist who has lived in this house for about 2 years after moving here from Portland Oregon one shot to the

back of the head looks like a0 22 caliber fired at close range probably by someone the victim knew and trusted reported the senior patrol officer at the scene Sergeant Bill Ford an experienced cop who knew his job Raleigh thought it doesn't look like anything was taken his wallet was on the dresser the TV is intact and nothing seems to be missing and now if you don't mind we're going to step outside for some fresh air call us if you need anything else Raley nodded and Bill Ford along with the remaining officer quickly stepped out the

door Bingham began photographing the crime scene while Raley wandered around the house he was somewhat surprised to find two types of shampoo and two types of conditioner in the shower one set for men and one for women in fact he absent noted that one one of the shampoo and conditioner sets was the same brand his wife used definitely a woman stayed here from time to time he shouted to Bingham when as a result of further searches a woman's comb and a bottle of perfume were found in the bathroom cabinet probably an older woman judging by

the perfume I buy this for Sandy and the girl in the store told me that almost no one under 40 buys it he removed some light colored hairs from the brush and placed them in a plastic bag for DNA analysis he put the brush in another bag so the lab could check for fingerprints Ry had worked on this job for 22 years and was good at what he did his instincts led him back to the bedroom where he began checking various drawers in the closet he noted that one of the drawers contained some women's underwear

and in the closet there were several pieces of women's clothing enough for a few days of changing outfits there was an ugly yellow tracksuit resembling That Hideous banana color his wife used to wear around the house before she finally got rid of it to end her husband's displeasure Raley Stood Still for about a minute and realized he had stopped breathing when he looked at the track suit he reached into the closet took the suit off the hanger and examined it carefully when Bingham interrupted his thoughts whoever she is she doesn't have very good taste lesie

remarked yeah whoever came up with this should be punished Raley quickly joke to hide his thoughts Ry put the suit back in the closet noticing that it was the same size his wife wor he felt the hairs on his arms stand on end maybe you should step outside for a few minutes Raley you look as pale as a ghost Bingham said yeah good idea I'll be back in 5 minutes carefully watching where he stepped righ walked out onto the street his mind racing in 18 different directions at once he was certain that what he had

seen in the house was the end of his 27-year marriage though he thought clearly enough to first check the fingerprints he would take something of sy's from home and give it to the fingerprint Specialists he would do this before the end of his shift 27 years gone in the blink of an eye Ry thought to himself damn you love her she obviously didn't love him or if she did it wasn't very devotedly he felt a wave of nausea rising from the depths of his stomach he bent over and vomited the remnants of last night's dinner

onto the ground I've never seen you do that before for Raleigh but I don't blame you that was pretty disgusting lesie said approaching righ was embarrassed by the vomiting even if it wasn't for the reason Bingham thought he couldn't bring himself to tell her about it right now even though they talked about almost everything that happened in their lives as he had expected Raley got the answer he didn't want before the end of his shift he knew he had to recuse himself from the case and went to see his Commander I have a big problem

lieutenant Ry said as he entered the Commander's office it seems my dear wife has been cheating on me with the Dead Guy for quite some time long enough for her to have some clothes and other belongings at his house Gray's head snapped up from the papers he was reviewing as if on a spring and he stared at his subordinate MTH Agape even though raly had anticipated this reaction he still blushed deeply I compared the fingerprints on the comb I found at his house with those on some of sy's things from home bingo she had clothes

and other stuff there damn I never had the slightest clue I guess tonight I'll find out how long this crap has been going on I'm sorry Ry truly Grace said do you think she killed the guy the ballistics test might not be done until tomorrow Bill Ford said he thinks it's a0 22 caliber does Sandy have a 0 22 damn she does I'll find it and bring it in later if it turns out to be that 22 you guys can bring read a little easier Raleigh said do I think she killed the guy if you'd

asked me yesterday I would have said there's no way she could kill anyone but I also would have said there's no way she could ever cheat on me obviously I'm a complete idiot boss you know we have to bring her in for questioning do you want me to send a couple of uniformed officers to your house or will you bring her in yourself I think it would be better if I do it boss although it might take me a little time we need to talk about a few things Ry said Sandy was surprised when she

pulled into the driveway and saw her husband's car already there this was a rare occurrence and usually only happened if she was running late at her job as a real estate agent she found her husband sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee what a nice surprise you're home early for a change Sandy said as she walked through the kitchen let me put on a pair of sweat pants and I'll start making dinner did you love him Sandy did you love Leonard mallister Ry asked his voice barely louder than a whisper Sandy stopped

dead in her tracks her shoulders visibly tensing she felt as though her husband had just struck her from behind her first instinct was to run but her feet seemed glued to the floor it took her a few seconds to turn and face Ry though she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye a she rasped her soprano voice suddenly sounding like gravel I guess I develop feelings for him I'm sorry Raleigh her eyes filled with tears as they met his gaze she could see the terrible pain in the eyes of the man who had

exchanged wedding vows with her 27 years ago she walked over on shaky legs and sat down at the table next to her husband how long has this crap been going on he hissed about 2 years I showed him a few houses when he moved here and we just kind of hit it off it just happened she replied two damn years it just happened he repeated quietly like you were showing him a house all your clothes fell off and you tripped and landed on his damn tool because that's totally believable the woman began to study the

wooden surface of the table intently her husband had never spoken to her like this before she wanted to cry but she was suddenly afraid of how he might react we would meet sometimes during the day sometimes in the evening when you were working late his schedule was pretty flexible and you know most of my hour are flexible she explained his schedule isn't so flexible anymore Sandy he's in the mor now with a bullet hole in the back of his head and you're a number one suspect Ry had to reach out and grab his wife's hand

to keep her from falling off the chair onto the floor when her eyes rolled back and she lost Consciousness he lifted her from the chair and carried her to the sofa in the living room Sandy came to sobbing while Raley stood nearby he noted that the fainting seemed real enough but so did her act of being a loving wife for the past 2 years while she was sleeping with another man you know I didn't kill him you know I couldn't do something like that don't you Raleigh she pleaded until this morning I would have agreed

but if you could cheat on me with another man for 2 years I think you were capable of much more a lot more he replied right now I don't trust you at all the tears flowed even harder Ry snorted growing angrier by the minute he had so many questions he almost didn't know where to begin when was the last time you saw that jerk Sandy he growled are you going to interrogate me as a suspect in our own home she squeaked uncertainly at this point yes because I'm not going to look like a completely clueless

fool when we get to the station now answer my damn question you wret she recoiled again at his harsh words we we were together Friday night while you were at work but he was very much alive when I left around 11 why would I kill him why did you cheat she winced but didn't answer as the seconds ticked by Ry realized she probably thought it was more of a rhetorical question no I'm serious s why did you cheat I I'm not entirely sure why Raleigh the kids were gone you were working crazy hours I started

to feel like I was getting old one day he came to the office looking for Real Estate he was handsome and charming and he started flirting I should have put an end to it but maybe I was so flattered that a man only slightly older than our children wanted me we had several lunches and dinners and also looked at houses and when we found the house that suited and we celebrated in the bedroom deep down I knew it was wrong but somehow it felt so right it was almost as if it was separate from you

and me and in a way it stayed that way and you know he was a young guy so most of the time we could do it twice every time we got together together for a few hours enough where's your 22 caliber baby he asked hely it's where I always keep it on the top shelf of my closet under a couple of scarves you know that she rasped sit down I'll get it Raleigh said getting to his feet he returned a minute later with a gun wrapped in a plastic bag she looked surprised what are you

she began before he interrupted this gun was fired recently what the hell he shouted her mouth opened but she couldn't speak get in the car Sandy it's time to go call Bob leecher on the way there Sandy sat in the passenger seat while Raleigh drove to the police station she could feel the waves of anger radiating from him you have clothes and toiletries at his place Raleigh hissed about 10 minutes into the silence were you planning to leave me for him damn it you decorated his kitchen and living room just like ours I never really

thought about that honestly she said quietly the rest of the drive was silent when Raleigh turned off the engine he looked at his wife again one more thing I need to know baby were there others she couldn't utter a word but she shook her head Raleigh LED his wife to the commander then walked away wait were you going Raleigh she asked he's now removed from the case Sandy you're a suspect so he can't be involved said Lieutenant gray but you know me Steve you know I'm not a killer she pleaded with her husband's boss who

was also an old friend I'm sorry Sandy call your lawyer right now then detectives Paulson and zamb bro will take you in for questioning they won't ask you anything until your lawyer arrives gray said Raleigh accounted for his time over the entire weekend including a few hours on Sunday afternoon when he was watching baseball with gray and two other officers at Gray's house at that time Sandy was showing a house out of town the detectives questioning Sandy soon discovered that her last statement was false Sandy had waited for 2 hours for the people who had

scheduled the viewing to arrive but all she got was 2 hours of reading the Sunday newspaper in her car sipping coffee by the time she returned home Raleigh was at Gray's house watching baseball so she couldn't account for about 4 hours so you don't have an alibi for Sunday zamb brano said did you at least mention this to your husband she looked indignant but shook her head unfortunately for Sandy the quick work in the lab worked against her the bullet retriev from the victim matched sy's gun exactly and it was determined that Leonard died on

Sunday afternoon precisely during the time when she had no alibi by noon on Tuesday she had gone from Simply being held in custody to being arrested Raleigh's life went from good to terrible in less than 48 hours although he didn't want to do it he decided that he needed to tell his children what had happened both seemed upset that their mother had cheated on him but neither believed that she could actually kill her lover they were also Disturbed that Raleigh wasn't 100% convinced that she wasn't a murderer Dad it's Mom you know better than anyone

that she couldn't kill someone said the Elder 24-year-old Jack don't be Petty dad his 21-year-old daughter Ellie a graduate of Ohio State University scolded him sure it's awful that she cheated on you but you can't really think Mom could kill someone Raleigh felt betrayed by his children's casual attitude toward their mother's 2-year Affair Raleigh knew that legally he couldn't prevent his wife from returning to their home after she posted bail but while she was in jail he moved all her clothes to the guest room he briefly considered moving to the guest room himself but decided

to stay in his own bed and make his cheating wife sleep elsewhere you're the one who had an affair so I'm staying in my bed he said irritably when she began to argue with his decision the couple lived separately in the same house barely speaking and not sharing meals sy's attempts to apologize were largely ignored I'm sorry for everything Raleigh really I still love you I still have feelings for you Sandy said one day you're only sorry that I found out Raleigh replied you slept with him for 2 years you deceived me and lied to

me for 2 years for God's sake you fell in love with this guy how can you possibly care about me feel sorry for hurting me maybe I was an ignorant gullible fool but I've pulled my head out of the sand you can't do what you did to me and still tell me you have feelings for me maybe pity at best I have no idea if you killed him but you certainly killed me you adulteress at sy's request the children came home for a couple of weeks they were shocked by their father's cold treatment of their

mother dad mom is going to be tried for murder and all you can think about is that she cheated on you Ellie said sharply I think you should put the affair aside until the trial is over and then worry about your marriage she might end up in prison for a long time Dad doesn't it bother any of you that the guy she cheated with is the one who got killed I can't just ignore that she cheated on me for 2 years kept clothes at place and she loved him and it really looks like she killed

him a Lover's Coral I don't know but her problem with him is also her problem with me am I supposed to blindly support her after she's had an affair for the past 2 years damn if he hadn't been killed she probably would have left me for him eventually and we're not even talking about the cost of a murder trial at least that will reduce the amount I'll have to split with her in the divorce the cost of a lawyer god dad who knew you were such such a selfish Pig Jack yelled at him it's not

about the money it's about everything the Betrayal the lies the deceit her sex the fact that she slept with another man for 2 years because he said sweet things to her when she felt old and vulnerable my words didn't mean a damn thing to her but this young bastard talks nicely to her and she sleeps with him for two damn years God Raleigh said a few days later things kept getting worse for Sandy hson and Zam bro discovered that Leonard had apparently taken on two more lovers after he started seeing Sandy this gave her a

strong motive for murder though both detectives had to admit that she seemed devastated when they told her about their findings he he wouldn't have done that to me she murmured quietly in response her eyes filling with tears he loved me he told me that many times I told him I loved him Raleigh sank into despair when he heard her reaction to this latest news Paulson said to Raleigh this guy must have been really good really smooth it was almost like he had three separate lives none of the women knew about the others he started sleeping

correction having sex with Sandy about 2 years ago added 25-year-old Cara Carter about 14 months ago and 32-year-old Donna Fisher about 8 months ago they're both pretty little things too sorry about that Raleigh Raleigh knew that pson and Zambrano were good detectives probably the best in the department after him and lesle he knew that if there were any evidence to be found Paulson and Zambrano would find it which they did the next day after conducting a more thorough canvasing of the neighborhood they spoke with a nosy resident and got additional information Helen abery told the

detectives that over the past two years she had seen Leonard's girlfriend at his house dozens of times she was of average height with shoulder-length blonde hair a seductive figure and was pretty as far as Helen could tell from Three Doors Down the last time Helen saw her at Leonard's house was on Sunday afternoon right after lunch the two detectives knew Raley's wife Helen aby's description of Leonard's girlfriend matched her perfectly the new information was that she had been at his house on Sunday afternoon which coincided with the time of the murder although Raleigh was suspended

and not involved in the investigation gray included him in Paulson and zamb bro's briefings out of courtesy Raleigh sat almost Frozen as the pair recounted what Helen ABY had told them damn he whispered when they finished their report she had motive means and opportunity the other three men in the room quietly nodded in agreement even though I had doubts about whether she was really capable of killing someone this looks really bad gentlemen he said during another interrogation Sandy again denied seeing Leonard on Sunday afternoon I told you I was waiting for L for a showing

they never showed up I sat in my car and read for 2 hours before leaving she insisted angrily then how is it that one of Mr Leonard's neighbors saw you at his house on Sunday afternoon shortly afternoon she's mistaken I wasn't there she knows exactly what you look like having seen you over the last 2 years she picked your photo out of a lineup zamano said no no no this can't be happening Sandy Reed Sandy was terrified when she returned home her lawyer had explained to her what a murder conviction would mean and unless the

police suddenly found something that pointed to someone else seriously Raleigh I didn't kill that two-faced jerk she wailed I didn't know he was cheating on me you know I couldn't kill she suddenly stopped ranting realizing that she had been doing the same thing recently it was obvious that Raleigh no longer trusted her she understood that she no longer deserved his trust Raleigh didn't miss the fact that her assessment of Leonard had shifted from love to something much less when she learned that she was just one of several lovers the artist had love can be so

fleeting he thought to himself Raleigh and Sandy had been living like strangers for several months cooking their own meals doing their own laundry and rarely communicating even when the children visited Raleigh mostly kept to himself it didn't take a genius to realize that R's relationship with his children had deteriorated almost to the breaking point as they continued to insist that he needed to accept their mother's infidelity and unconditionally support her during the trial I hope neither of you ever has to experience this kind of heartbreak Ry told the children during one argument I gave her

everything for 27 years at some point my love wasn't enough for her and she found someone else but apparently couldn't figure out how to tell me or get rid of me the wheels of Justice turned slowly and it was about 9 months before sy's murder trial began but it took only 5 days for the jury to return a guilty verdict SNY sobbed uncontrollably in the courtroom several Rose behind her Raleigh sat and passively it had been a lifetime since they both said I do in a small Church in front of about 100 people what went

wrong he thought to himself I thought we grow old together rocking our grandchildren maybe even great grandchildren on our knees did I ever really know her Sandy was the sweetest girl he had ever noticed when one Saturday after a night of heavy drinking in his senior year of college he spotted her in the greasy spoon Taco Diner it was the kind of place you'd go to shake off a brutal hangover the next morning she had long blonde hair and her tight jeans really accentuated her figure given that his vision was a bit blurry from all

the alcohol he knew he needed to get closer to see if she was as beautiful as he thought wow you're really gorgeous Raleigh said boldly eyeing the woman from head to toe excuse me Sandy Nesbit said turning to face the obviously intoxicated young man the three other women with her also turned toward the man but none of them looked very happy oh damn did I say that out loud the young man asked with a sheepish drunken grin the girl to the right of the Goddess stepped forward and raised her hand threateningly how about you leave

before I kick you so hard in one place that all your kids will be disabled she snapped at him because I told the truth about your friend oh wait she's your girlfriend I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you Raleigh said swaying what no she's not my girlfriend but she is my friend and you're just being a rude drunk now get out of here one of the guys who had come with Raleigh approached at that moment having heard the exchange I'm sorry is Raleigh bothering you whatever he said he regrets it he's had a bit

more to drink than usual the friend said wait a minute I'm not that drunk righ insisted but she is really beautiful Ry pointed at the blonde his friend looked at her then nodded in agreement yes she is but it's time for us to go he said I'll go but I need to get your phone number Raleigh said to the blonde the blonde woman studied the young man he was over 6 ft tall appeared fit and handsome with bright blue eyes she hesitated for a moment then told Raleigh to extend his hand she took a pen

from her purse and wrote her phone number on his palm I'm never going to wash this hand again he mumbled well at least not until you call her first his friend added sany wasn't sure if Raleigh would even remember talking to her so she was a bit surprised when he called her the next day although he hadn't made much of an impression on her the previous night she remembered that he seemed infatuated with her in his drunken State the night before she had admitted to her friends that she found him attractive and honestly what girl

can resist a cute guy who's willing to make a fool of himself to impress her she agreed to go on a date the following Friday night they became intimate on their fourth date they got married about a year later like any couple they had their ups and downs but Raleigh never suspected that his wife was unhappy with him or their marriage he wouldn't have been happy if she had said she wanted a divorce but at least it wouldn't have been betrayal and she wouldn't have had to cheat on him for two years Raleigh thought still

he knew Sandy better than anyone in the world and deep down he had a nagging doubt that this woman could have killed someone however his doubts didn't matter the evidence pointed to Sandy after what she had done to him over the past two years he decided that he wouldn't lose a minute of sleep worrying about what might happen to her as far as Leonard was concerned Karma did exist he smirked to himself Raleigh was reinstated to field Duty after his wife's trial and he and lesie were partnered again about a year later they were sitting

in a diner during their lunch break Raleigh watched lesie nibble on a bun and for the thousandth time noticed how much she resembled the woman who had become his ex-wife four months ago why did you kill him Les Raleigh said slightly louder than a whisper Leslie didn't miss a beat in her chewing she had figured it was only a matter of time before Raleigh would figure it out and she wouldn't disrespect him by pretending to be clueless I was only going to hurt him a little but then he started talking and saying all kinds of

crap about you I gave him a chance to take a shot at you verbally so I took the second shot literally Raleigh decided they needed to finish this conversation in the privacy of his car he waited about 30 seconds before lesie began her voice slightly trembling I found out that Sandy was cheating on you about 2 months before I broke up with him lesie said I was debating whether or not to tell you I knew it wouldn't be good for you or for him so I finally decided to confront that bastard myself I was just

going to try to scare him into ending it with her but he didn't take the hint then he started mocking you he said that he and Sandy laughed all the time about her idiot husband he said he wasn't afraid of you and had no intention of stopping so I shot him just like that I used the spare key to your house that you gave me years ago to get sy's gun for the hiding spot you told me about I really didn't plan on killing that jerk but I wasn't going to use my own gun if

it came to that so was it you or someone you know who arranged The Sunday House showing for Sandy that fell through Raleigh asked she nodded and gave him a sideways smile can I tell you something else lesie asked it was Raley's turn to nod I love you Raleigh I have for several years but I never intended to act on it until your foolish wife messed up now well I'd like to be considered a candidate for the open spot in your bed in your heart she said Raleigh looked surprised you know for a smart guy

you're really oblivious Raleigh they both sat silently in the car for about a minute what now Raleigh are you going to take me in a custody or should I turn myself into the police Ry paused so let me see if I got the fact straight he finally said the man who seduced my wife is dead my ex-wife the cheater is in prison for life and the woman who loves me is sitting in the seat next to me I'm satisfied with how things are let's just keep this between you and me lesie beamed at Raleigh he

smiled back at her started the car and they drove off thank you for listening Until the End see you in the next episode of cheating Secrets take take care of yourself and your loved ones goodbye