Sweethearts More Suspicious Of Cheating On Valentine's Day

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Tuesday isn't just the day for lovebirds to celebrate; it's also the busiest day of the year for private investigators hired by suspicious sweethearts.

Private investigators usually use their cars to do surveillance so that when cheaters are checking out their secret lovers, investigators are checking them out too.

"How's your sex life?" private investigator Lou Mercado asks a client on the phone. "So you think he's cheating on you?"

Valentine's Day is here and business is booming.

"And how long do you think this has been going on?" asks Lou?

This is a day for lovers and cheaters.

"Not coming home after work? Hiding his cell phone?" asks Lou.

Husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends and wives have a little something on the side.

"It's not always the man. We have females who are just as promiscuous as the men are so it's kind of 50-50," said Lou.

Once on the case, Lou videotapes the cheating suspect's every move.

"We're pretty sneaky so we very, very rarely get caught," said Lou.

"And we're trying to take care of all the love going on out there," said Tom Hargrove at Madison Avenue Florist.

Madison Avenue Florists in Sacramento is a busy shop this week. Cheaters come here too.

"But if they're buying for someone else, their secret stays with us," said Tom at Madison Avenue Florist.

"We're sworn to secrecy," said Maxine Schutz at Madison Avenue Florist.

They call it "florist-client privilege."

"The husband will come in three to four to five days earlier and purchase the flowers for the secret lover and come back in four or five days and buy for his wife," said Maxine.

Lou says there are three signs your lover may be cheating this Valentine's Day.

They hide their cell phone so you don't know who's been calling. If it's a guy, they shave even on weekends. And there's not much action at home.

"They're having intercourse or getting that attention somewhere else," said Lou.

If the cheater is caught and they end up in divorce court, videotape doesn't lie.

"They had no idea they were being followed. They had no idea somebody was taking videotape of them," said Lou.

Right when we were interviewing Lou, he got a call from a potential client.

The cost for a private investigator is $80-$125 an hour.