Web of Lies

A FRUSTRATED WIFE...

I'M NOT GONNA SUGARCOAT IT.

IT WAS JUST SEX TALK.

IS THIS WHAT YOU DO ALL DAY LONG?

AN AMBITIOUS, ANGRY HUSBAND...

I'M GETTING READY TO DEFEND MYSELF AT THIS POINT.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

AND A TWISTED ONLINE STALKER.

IT HAS TO END.

I FELT THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING GONNA HAPPEN.

MY GOD!

...LEAD TO A TOXIC MIX

OF SECRETS, LIES AND VIOLENCE.

I'M TERRIFIED. ISN'T THAT ENOUGH?

SOMEBODY IN MY FAMILY WAS IN DANGER,

AND I WASN'T SURE WHY.

LESLIE.

IT HAS TORN MY LIFE APART.

IN LEAFY, SMALL-TOWN ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OHIO

LIVES THE LONG FAMILY.

TO THEIR NEIGHBORS, THEY APPEAR TO BE THE PERFECT FAMILY.

TODAY IS LESLIE LONG'S 37TH BIRTHDAY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARLING.

LESLIE IS A DEVOTED STAY-AT-HOME MOM,

WHILE BRIAN IS A HARD-WORKING DAD

WITH A HANDSOME SALARY.

OPEN IT UP.

MY GOODNESS.

CAN WE AFFORD THIS?

YEAH, CLOSED SOME BIG DEALS AT WORK.

LESLIE AND I STARTED DATING IN COLLEGE

IN MID-1989

AND GOT MARRIED IN OCTOBER OF '90.

I WAS IN LOVE WITH HER AND SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH ME.

- HOW'S IT LOOK? - IT LOOKS GREAT.

BRIAN AND LESLIE WORK HARD

TO BUILD A COMFORTABLE LIFE

AND RAISE THEIR TWO YOUNG CHILDREN,

COURTNEY AND TYLER, IN A LOVING HOME.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

WE WERE A HAPPY FAMILY

LIVING IN A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD TO BRING UP CHILDREN.

WOW, IS THAT REAL DIAMONDS?

IT IS. ISN'T IT PRETTY?

THEY WERE A HAPPY COUPLE.

THEY WOULD HUG AND KISS GOOD-BYE.

EVERYTHING SEEMED LIKE IT WAS NORMAL.

MY PARENTS AND MY SISTER AND I GENERALLY HAD A --

A PRETTY NORMAL LIFE.

IT WAS MOSTLY A HAPPY FAMILY.

ALL RIGHT, WELL I GOT GET FLYING HERE.

JEFF WANTS ME DOWN AT THE OFFICE EARLY.

- SO... - REALLY?

- YEAH, HAVE A GREAT DAY. - ON A SUNDAY?

LESLIE MISSES SPENDING TIME WITH BRIAN.

HE WORKS LONG HOURS,

AND THESE DAYS, SEES LESS AND LESS OF HIS FAMILY.

I'M IN INDUSTRIAL SALES.

AND I -- I COULD BE ON THE ROAD FOR 10 OR 12 HOURS.

ALTHOUGH LESLIE DOESN'T NEED TO WORK,

SHE FEELS AIMLESS WITH ONLY KIDS

AND DOMESTIC CHORES TO FILL HER DAY.

YEAH, I'LL BE HOME SOON.

I NEVER REALLY SAW MY DAD MUCH WHEN I WAS LITTLE.

- BYE, EVERYONE! - HE JUST SEEMED

LIKE HE WAS ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING FOR WORK.

I MISS DADDY.

ALL RIGHT.

"SESAME," "MICKEY," "ARTHUR," "THOMAS"?

MICKEY.

YEAH...

BRIAN NEVER SEEMS TO HAVE TIME

TO TALK TO LESLIE,

LET ALONE EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING AT WORK.

DON'T KNOW, HE NEVER TELLS ME.

I THINK HE'S FORGOTTEN...

FEELING SIDELINED BY BRIAN, LESLIE

DECIDES SHE WANTS TO START HER OWN BUSINESS

FROM HOME SELLING CHILDREN'S BOOKS.

SHE HAD A BACHELOR'S IN BUSINESS,

AND THEN SHE WENT ON TO GET HER MBA.

SHE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE NEXT THING

THAT WAS GONNA MAKE HER RICH.

LESLIE TURNS TO THE ONLINE WORLD

SEEKING INVESTORS AND LIKE-MINDED ENTREPRENEURS.

SHE QUICKLY STARTS MAKING FRIENDS AND MEETING

POTENTIAL BUSINESS PARTNERS.

MY MOM ALWAYS SEEMED LIKE SHE HAD SOMETHING GOING ON.

SHE HAD HOME-BASED BUSINESSES THAT SHE WOULD START.

IN 2003, GOING ONLINE

IS A NEW AND EXCITING WAY OF MEETING PEOPLE.

SHE SPENT A LOT OF HER FREE TIME ON HER COMPUTER.

SHE ALMOST SEEMED TO BE ENGROSSED BY IT.

ONE ONLINE VOICE IN PARTICULAR,

JJ01, IS EAGER TO HELP OUT.

JJ THINKS LESLIE HAS GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS

AND UNDERSTANDS HER AMBITIONS.

I THINK THAT SHE WAS FRUSTRATED WITH HER LIFE,

AND I THINK THAT CENTERED

AROUND HER BEING HOME WITH THE KIDS ALL DAY.

BUT I THOUGHT I WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING

AND I JUST PUT MY HEAD DOWN

AND PLOWED THROUGH FOR MY FAMILY.

WHY ARE YOU GUYS IN YOUR PAJAMAS?

GO GET CHANGED.

LESLIE'S ONLINE DISTRACTIONS

BEGIN TO AFFECT HER HOME LIFE.

- HI. - HI!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

I DID NOTICE A CHANGE.

I WOULD COME HOME FROM WORK

AND THE KIDS' TOYS WOULD ALL BE OUT.

THERE WOULD BE DISHES IN THE SINK

AND I BEGAN TO WONDER, "WHAT IS SHE DOING ALL DAY

THAT THE HOUSE LOOKS LIKE THIS WHEN I COME HOME?"

KIND OF A MESS IN HERE. WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

WELL, I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO COOK ANYTHING, YET.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, I'LL JUST MICROWAVE SOMETHING.

I DID ASK HER, YOU KNOW,

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE COMPUTER ALL THE TIME?"

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S EITHER THIS BUSINESS

OR THAT BUSINESS.

SHE WAS ON THE INTERNET ALL DAY LONG, OBVIOUSLY,

BECAUSE NOTHING GOT DONE AT THE HOUSE.

OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, LESLIE

IS COMPLETELY SEDUCED BY HER ONLINE WORLD.

AS SOON AS SHE WAVES GOOD-BYE TO BRIAN

AND DROPS TYLER OFF AT SCHOOL,

SHE'S RIGHT BACK ONLINE WITH JJ.

"ARTHUR," "DORA," "CLIFFORD"?

HERE, YOU DO IT, NO GROWN-UP STUFF, OKAY?

LESLIE'S ONLINE CHATS GET MORE PERSONAL.

JJ GIVES LESLIE THE KIND OF ADULT ATTENTION

SHE'S BEEN CRAVING.

FAMILY LIFE BEGINS TO TAKE A BACK SEAT

TO HER ONLINE RELATIONSHIP.

I ALMOST FELT LIKE THERE WERE THINGS

GOING ON IN HER LIFE THAT SHE WASN'T TELLING US.

ONE DAY, WHILE BRIAN IS AWAY ON BUSINESS, LESLIE

TAKES COURTNEY AND TYLER OUT ON A MYSTERY ERRAND.

- WHERE ARE WE GOING? - I DON'T KNOW.

THE CHILDREN ARE WORRIED.

I SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER HER NOT REALLY TELLING ME

WHERE THEY WERE GONNA GO.

WE'RE JUST GOING TO SEE ONE OF MOMMY'S FRIENDS.

WHO?

I DON'T KNOW.

SHE TOLD US THAT IT WAS AN OLD FRIEND

FROM, I -- I THINK, COLLEGE,

BUT SHE WAS BEING VERY VAGUE.

EVENTUALLY, THEY STOP AT A DINER.

HEY! I'M MEETING SOMEONE.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT LESLIE HAS MET HER ONLINE PAL, JJ,

IN THE FLESH.

I REMEMBER BEING INTRODUCED TO HIM.

- YOU'RE TYLER? - YEAH.

I DIDN'T REALLY THINK ANYTHING OF IT AT THE TIME.

COURTNEY, YOU LIKE JELLY BEANS, TOO?

OKAY. YOU GUYS CAN CALL ME JJ.

HE SEEMED REALLY NICE.

BUT SOMETHING WAS ODD BECAUSE I HAD BEEN TOLD

THAT IT WAS ONE OF MY MOM'S FRIENDS,

BUT I HAD NEVER MET HIM BEFORE.

THEY GAVE ME A BUNCH OF QUARTERS

TO GO IN THE ARCADE AND PLAY.

HAVE FUN!

HAVE FUN.

HEY.

I'LL JUST SIT DOWN.

SHE SEEMED TO BE VERY CLOSE TO THIS GUY

FOR SOMEBODY WHO WAS ONLY A FRIEND FROM COLLEGE.

AND IT JUST SEEMED SUSPICIOUS.

HE SEEMS NICE.

I DON'T KNOW.

AND TO LESLIE, JJ

SEEMS EVER NICER IN PERSON THAN ON THE INTERNET.

AND SHE CAN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THAT HE'S HANDSOME.

I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO SEE

WHAT WAS GOING ON BETWEEN THEM

BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS RIGHT.

JJ IS VERY INTERESTED

IN HOW MUCH MONEY LESLIE'S HUSBAND EARNS,

BUT LESLIE KNOWS VERY LITTLE.

HE'S WORKING. HE'S AWAY ON BUSINESS.

- DOES HE MAKE A LOT OF MONEY? - WE DO OKAY.

DO YOU THINK MOMMY LIKES HIM?

IT LOOKS LIKE IT.

I DON'T LIKE HIM.

WHEN BRIAN RETURNS HOME

FROM HIS BUSINESS TRIP,

LESLIE'S SECRET ONLINE LIFE FINALLY CATCHES UP WITH HER.

SORRY ABOUT ALL THE MICROWAVE DINNERS.

I'VE BEEN SO BUSY TODAY RUNNING AROUND.

SHE HAD FORGOTTEN TO CLOSE OUT OF HER E-MAIL.

AND SHE WAS E-MAILING BACK AND FORTH WITH A GUY,

AND I SAW IT.

WHAT IS THIS?

KIDS, GO TO YOUR ROOM, PLEASE. NOW.

THEY WERE DIRTY TALKING TO EACH OTHER, BASICALLY.

I MEAN, I'M NOT GONNA SUGARCOAT IT.