Valentine’s Day!

Why? Well, it’s a day for lovers and sometimes the lover is not the spouse.

A Private Investigator (PI) will tell you that of all the days in the year, this one is guaranteed to flush out any husband’s illicit relationship.

Think about it. Who wants to be left out when expressions of love abound? Nobody, and certainly not a mistress.

So, it’s a tough day for a cheating husband. He needs to pay enough attention to his wife as to not alert her of his affair, and at the same time satisfy his mistress. He’d probably like to clone himself!

He has to buy two sets of flowers and chocolates and then figure out how to divvy up the day. Should it be lunch with the mistress and dinner with the wife? Or, would it be best to have an early dinner with the mistress and a late one with the wife? Would a discreet phone call to the mistress be enough or would she expect more?

Whatever he decides, he will do something. And when he does, there could be a PI waiting in the proverbial bush.

Suspicious wives usually want to know the truth and hiring a PI is an investment in their sanity. Typical charges range from $150 to $500 per hour plus expenses. PIs use video recorders, GPS tracking, video and audio recorders, and a host of other technologies to capture evidence of cheating. A reputable company investigates within local and state laws and their services are discrete and confidential.

You could learn a thing or two from a PI’s experience. While you may not want to follow your husband around, signs of cheating could be as obvious as a red flashing light. Arm yourself with a little patience and keep your eyes and ears open for unusual behavior.

Five top signs of cheating on Valentine’s Day

1. Excuses to get away – he makes vague excuses to be away from you; has time unaccounted for; has scheduled unnecessary time away
2. Secret Communications – he takes or makes clandestine phone calls; sends and receives text messages but avoids talking about them; accesses his computer at odd times
3. Paper Trail – he has receipts for questionable purchases (gift items you did not receive, restaurant and hotel bills) or for duplicate or more costly purchases (remember, often a cheating husband will send out two orders of flowers)
4. Unexplained Items – he has new stuff and offers weak stories about where it came from (popular items are stuffed toys, cologne, wallets, key chains or other trinkets, or even expensive jewelry and clothing)
5. Uncomfortable Body Language – he has a hard time looking you in the eyes; he talks faster and at a different pitch; he seems to want to get away; he seems more stressed (watch for anything that doesn’t match his normal behaviour)

Valentine’s Day. Time for love. Time for romance.

Time to find out for sure who’s sharing it with whom.