John* and Isabel* had been married for ten years and shared two children.
They had the perfect marriage, or so it seemed.
John’s suspicion began when he noticed slight changes to Isabel’s behaviour. She started dressing differently and was taking longer to get ready for work in the morning.
He casually asked her about it. She was going for a promotion and wanted to impress, she said.
It was a simple explanation. But it gave John a gut feeling there was more to it. John and Isabel shared everything. Her career ambitions seemed like something they would have discussed for hours at the dinner table, rather than only getting a brief mention after the plan was in motion.
And after the conversation, John couldn’t help over-analysing every move Isabel made. His anxiety levels were off the charts.
He started thinking back to his wife’s work Christmas party and a conversation he had with one of her co-workers, Jacques*. He remembered Jacques knew an awful lot about Isabel, and he also found out that they have lunch together most days. He didn’t overthink it at the time, but anxiously re-analysing it, he thought that Jacques might have had a crush on Isabel.
He started thinking that he acted on his feelings, and Isabel may be having an affair with Jacques.
And although still a gut feeling, the stress of thinking about it was getting to him.
“She would never do that.”
He shared his concerns with friends and family members who knew his wife well. None of them could believe what they were hearing. After all, Isabel was loyal, charming and would do anything for John and their children. Everyone John confided in said he was crazy even to think she would go behind his back to do anything, let alone have an affair.
John was embarrassed. He began to think that maybe there was something wrong with him for suspecting. He certainly didn’t want to confront Isabel about it, fearing she would think it was him projecting.
So he tried to let it go. That was until, while helping his daughter look for her missing school bag, he made an odd discovery in the back of Isabel’s car: A gym bag. Isabel didn’t go to the gym, or if she did, this was the first John heard about it.
He struggled to sleep for the next few nights, tossing and turning whilst multiple scenarios played out in his head. For his sanity, he had to find out what was going on.
So he called us.
The Investigation
Given the startling discovery in Isabel’s car and much of John’s anxieties stemming from what she was doing at work, we started there.
Isabel worked at an office in the CBD and drove there every day, but where she parked was anyone’s guess. It was one of thousands parked in the City, and would be impossible to find without narrowing our search first.
So we asked John some questions about Isabel.
John knew Isabel was not the type to park further away from her office to save money. She was used to all the comforts of life and was willing to pay for it. That narrowed the search down as we got on the ground.
We searched every car park in the area. We quickly found Isabel’s car parked at the top level of a multi-story car park. We set up some cameras and waited to see what came next. Sure enough, the cameras captured Isabel going into her car with a man. It wasn’t Jaques, but an older man – Believed to be her manager. John felt a sense of validation when he saw the footage. I could tell that, more than anything, he was relieved to have an answer. He even joked that “she might not have been lying about chasing a promotion after all”.
But that wasn’t all. Isabel also got into her car alone and drove off hours before she was supposed to finish work. We followed her to a home. Sure enough, it turned out to be where Jaques lived.
Do you suspect something untoward is going on?
Hiring a private investigator is a significant step. As such, we advise everyone to keep detailed records of any suspicious activity they would like us to investigate. The more diligent you are, the quicker and easier we can help you get the answers you need.
If you would like a free consultation to see how we can help you get to the bottom of it, get in contact with us today and get the answers you deserve.
If you or anyone you know needs support, there is help available. You can contact Lifeline 24/7 by phone on 13 11 14, Lifeline by SMS on 0477 13 11 14 (12pm to midnight) or the Suicide Call-back Service 24/7 on 1300 659 467. In an emergency, always call 000.
