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MURDER MYSTERY | CONTEMPORARY | FETISH

The Handyman Affair — Part 4

Detectives questions the handyman

Detective Trevor Dixon investigates the murder of an erotic writer. The body of Helen Henderson was found nude and bound hand and foot. After he questions the husband, he turns to a new suspect.

Read this standalone tale or catch up on the story here:

[embed]List: The Handyman Affair | Curated by S M Revolinski | Medium The Handyman Affair · When Detective Trevor Dixon began the investigating into the murder of erotic writer Helen…medium.com

Trevor opened the door and entered the locksmith office in a strip mall on West Colonial Drive. Ed followed.

“Can I help you?” asked a man in his late twenties. His blonde hair was artistically tussled with a wavy curls. He stood from a desk where he had been studying some papers and walked behind a short counter. Atop the glass counter were a cash register and credit card machine. Otherwise, the counter served as a display case for different locks and security system components. He was clean-shaven. His arms were thick with muscles which strained the sleeves of his short-sleeve knit shirt. He was a head shorter than Trevor, perhaps only five-foot, nine-inches tall. The short stature accentuated his muscle-man appearance.

Trevor envisioned the man had perfect six-pack abs and would be at home on the beach surrounded by bikini-clad co-eds. His hands would have no difficulty choking the life out of someone.

Trevor opened his wallet to expose his badge and ID card. Ed did likewise.

“We’d like to ask about Bill Henderson. We are gathering some background information about him and were told you two are friends,” Trevor asked, as he put the wallet back in his pocket.

The man frowned. “I don’t know who told you that. The name doesn’t ring a bell.”

Ed asked, “You are Rocky Courtland, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but, uh, I don’t know the guy.”

“This guy.” Trevor placed a six by nine inch copy of Henderson’s driver’s license photo on the glass counter. “You don’t know him?”

Rocky looked down at the picture. “Oh, him, I know who he is, but we’re not friends.”

Ed asked, “So, can you tell us how it is that you do know him?”

Rocky looked up and locked eyes with Ed. “What’s this about?”

“Nothing much,” Trevor answered, maintaining their alternating style of questioning. “Just routine.” Trevor smiled, noticing a light sheen of sweat developing on Rocky’s brow.

“I used to work as a handyman for an apartment complex off Winter Garden-Vineland Road. He was one of the residents. I fixed stuff in his apartment a time or two. I saw him here and there around the complex. I never had a conversation with him.”

Ed said, “Hmm, that coffee smells good. Mind if I help myself to some?”

“No, go ahead.”

It was a cheap coffeemaker, not one of the Keurig style coffee machines which were popular in businesses. Trevor waited until Ed returned with two cups.

“Did you want one, Mr. Courtland?”

“No thanks.”

“Nice place you have here,” Ed continued, glancing around.

Before Rocky could say anything, Trevor asked, “When did you start working for the apartment complex? When did you open your own place?”

Rocky swallowed. “I had a shop a few years ago, but when the economy shutdown during the Covid virus thing, I had to close up. I went to work for the apartments a couple of years ago. Now that things are getting back to normal, I reopened my shop.”

“I see,” Ed said. “You did locksmith work for the apartments?” Rocky nodded. “So, you had a master key which opened all of the apartments?”

“There was one to check out, but I didn’t routinely carry it around.”

Trevor changed the subject. “So, I guess you must know Helen too.” He placed a photo of Mrs. Henderson atop that of her husband.

Rocky stared at it. “I think you should tell me what this is about.”

Ed said, “So, you must know her quite well, eh?”

“Do I need a lawyer? Why are you asking me about her?”

“Do you need a lawyer?” Trevor echoed the question. “Why would you ask that? Have you done something wrong? Are you trying to hide something? Lawyers are for people with something to hide.”

Rocky swallowed, but said nothing.

Ed asked, “Rocky, may I call you Rocky, when was the last time you saw Helen?”

Rocky shrugged. “A week or ten days ago. In the grocery store.”

“What did you talk about?” Ed continued, breaking their pattern.

“Nothing. Just two shopping carts passing in the produce section.” Rocky turned his attention to Trevor. “We just said Hi, and moved on.”

“So, then…” Trevor leaned down, placing his palms on the counter. With their faces on the same level, he stared straight into Rocky’s ice-blue eyes. “So, then, when was the last time you had sex with Mrs. Henderson?”

Rocky stepped back.

Ed said, “Don’t bother to deny it. We’ve found your prints all over their apartment. Your semen is on the bed, the sex toys, the couch, even the dining table.” This was a lie. They had found DNA in these locations, but the lab had not identified their owner. “She’s a good looking woman, and it looks like you had quite a good time for a long while.”

Trevor said, “I bet she’s really good in bed… and on the table. When was the last time you had her?”

“Uh, uh, I guess two months ago, more or less.” Rocky swallowed hard. “Why?”

Ed smiled. “There, there, Rocky, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Now tell us about the first time. The truth will set you free. How did your affair begin?”

Rocky cleared his throat and began his tale.

“I don’t remember the date, but is was June two years ago. I did the routine stuff — ”

“Like what?” Trevor asked.

“We always did things like replacing outdoor light bulbs early in the morning. We didn’t start with the resident’s needs until ten o’clock. This was partly to keep from waking anyone up, but mostly to allow them to get off to work and vacate their premises.

“Thus, it was 10:20 when I entered the Henderson apartment. I knocked on the door twice, loudly said, ‘Maintenance’. When there was no answer, I unlocked the door. The apartment was silent. ‘Maintenance’, I said again. When there was no response, I entered and closed the door.”

“Was the apartment empty” Ed asked.

“No, Mrs. Henderson was on the floor doing yoga. She was wearing headphones; thus, she had not heard me.”

“But, you stayed to watch?” Trevor asked.

“My first notion was to quietly back out and return later. However, she’s a fit woman and the scene was captivating. Before I could duck out, she spotted my reflection in the dark TV screen. When she turned, I told her I was there to fix her toilet.”

“Did you bang her before or after you fixed it? Was this a service you provide for all of the residents?” Ed asked.

Rocky ignored the question, and said, “While I was fix’n it, she was real friendly — touching me. She was flashing me, ya know how women do, yeah”

“Yeah,” Trevor answered. “So, this began you affair. I bet she liked to do all kinds of kinky stuff with bondage and sex toys.”

Rocky nodded.

Ed said, “Tell us, exactly what kinky stuff.”

“You know. She liked to pretend to be a schoolgirl being punished by the principal, or using her charms to get a better grade from her professor. She liked bondage. She was both a top and a bottom. That is, she liked being a dominatrix.”

“Is it still going on?” Ed asked and then carried his cup to the coffee urn for a refill.

“No, it ended two months ago.”

Ed returned, and asked, “How did it end? What made her mad? Why did she toss you out?”

Rocky answered, “It was nothing like that. The frequency of our encounters slowly decreased, and eventually came to a stop. I had quit the handyman job at the apartment complex and opened this place, so I only went to her when she called me. This did mean that we had long afternoons to spend together; however, eventually she simply stopped calling.”

“There was no animosity?” Trevor asked.

Rocky shook his head. “Now, I think you owe me an explanation. What is this about?”

“In a minute,” Ed said. “First, tell us more about the last time you saw her. You said it was in the grocery store.”

“Yes. There’s nothing to tell. We just crossed paths in the produce section and spoke briefly. The affair was long over.”

Trevor asked, “You didn’t ask, or even hint, that you wanted to get back together?”

“No. She always knew her own mind. If she wanted me, she knew she could call. I would have come running, but there was no point in acting like a jilted schoolboy. Besides, I’m not lacking for girlfriends.” Rocky smiled. “Anyway, she was quick to mention she was seeing someone else.”

“Who?” Ed asked.

Rocky shrugged his shoulders and gazed at the ceiling. “Uh, Andy… yes, that was his name. She didn’t give a last name. She only said she was with a guy named Andy now.” Rocky frowned and sighed. “I still feel so sorry for her husband. He simply has no clue…”

“Okay,” Trevor said. “Then tell me where you were two days ago, that is, Tuesday.”

“Why?”

Ed smirked. “Just tell us.”

“Uh, I was installing locks in a new apartment complex in Kissimmee.” Rocky turned to Trevor. “It was an all day job.”

“Sure,” Ed responded. He placed the tip of his pen on the page of his notebook. “Can you give me the details? Who can verify this?”

Rocky sorted through a stack of papers and passed the work order to Ed, who copied the information.

“You say you were there all day?” Trevor repeated.

“Yes, now why are you giving me the third degree? What has happened?”

Trevor sighed and told the young man about the murder of Helen Henderson.

“Oh my God!” Rocky stumbled backward and looked to be collapsing into a chair, but there was no chair. He caught himself with a hand on the counter. “You can’t possibly think I did that. I adored her. I think I may have been in love with her.”

Ed said, “We’ll check out your alibi.” He tapped the notebook.

Trevor didn’t think Rocky was the murderer; however, they needed to follow procedure and properly clear him. “Don’t even think about leaving town without talking to us first,” Trevor said, and handed Rocky a business card. Standing in the office doorway, he added, “Let me ask you one more question.” He waited for Rocky’s eyes to lock onto his. “Did she ever ask you to perform erotic asphyxiation?”

“What?”

“Did she ask you to, uh, pretend to choke her during sex. It’s called erotic asphyxiation and they say it increases the intensity of orgasms. Did she?”

“No. She liked some quasi, pretend rough sex, like being forced to, uh, you know… while being tied to the bed.”

“Rape fantasy?” Ed asked.

“Yeah, but nothing like choking or anything really rough.”

… Continue reading with **Part 5: Detectives have all the answers**

Copyright ©2026 by S. M. Revolinski All Rights Reserved

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