Then my friend's stunned voice came through. "You're better at this than I am, and I'm the actual investigator. You figured out your husband's cheating from a few strands of dog hair?"
"Divorce isn't something to take lightly. You two have been together seven years. Don't do anything rash!"
I gripped the phone so hard my knuckles ached. My voice came out dry and raw.
"Elmer is a germaphobe. He's never liked animals. He was attacked by a dog when he was little, and whenever we're out walking and a dog comes near, he goes out of his way to avoid it."
I paused. The anger I'd been holding back bled through. "But over the past two months, I've found dog hair on him more than once. The most likely explanation is that his little mistress has a dog, and it gets on him when they're together."
My friend went quiet for a long moment. When she finally spoke, her teeth were practically grinding. "That freeloading piece of garbage. And to think I actually believed he was a decent guy. What a wolf in sheep's clothing!"
"Don't worry, babe. I'm tracking down that shameless homewrecker right now."
Half an hour later, she sent me a message.