“I didn’t get much sleep last night. Been thinking a lot about Dad.” She paused. “Belinda…I was thinking—maybe we should try and get that headstone for his grave.”
“Are you serious, Rachelle? Do you really have money to throw away on a headstone right now? You can’t even afford a sensible hairstylist!”
“I’m very serious,” Rachelle replied. “I don’t think Dad’s at rest.”
“Why would you say a thing like that?” Belinda scowled.
Rachelle hesitated for a moment. “I swear I heard his voice last night.”
Her sister laughed. “Whatever you heard, it surely wasn’t Dad’s voice. He’s dead—remember?”
Rachelle was quiet.
“Anyway, you and Toby can do whatever you want, but I’m not investing in any headstone any time soon.”
“But Mom got hers right after she was buried. It’s only fair for us to get Dad his.”
“You sound stupid!” Belinda snapped. “Mom’s different—you know that.”
“Different how? They’re both our parents. You’re not making sense, Belinda. If anyone can afford to buy that headstone outright, it’s you and John. We shouldn’t even be debating this right now.”
“Well, you sound just like Toby! Maybe something on him lately has been rubbing off on you. Anyway, I gotta go. You want me to swing by for you later so we can grab some cocktails before dinner?”
Rachelle suddenly heard her son’s admonitions from the night before. “I’ve got so much to do around the house today,” she replied, “so I’ll pass.” Although she didn’t intend to avoid her sister at all costs, she felt she needed a break to get her thoughts together.
“Have it your way. I’ll call Marva. I’m sure she’ll be ready to go when I’m done at Cindy’s,” Belinda said.
“Okay. Talk to you later.”
Belinda pulled up in front of the little pink parlor with the well-manicured lawn shortly after eleven o’clock. One other car, besides Cindy’s was in the yard that morning.
“How are you, miss lady!” Cindy smiled when Belinda stepped inside.
“I’m super!” Belinda replied. “Glad to see your chair is empty.”
“Well, your appointment is for eleven and I try to keep things flowing so my customers wouldn’t have to be waiting. You know that!”
“Sure.”
“Come on over.” She gestured with her hand.
Belinda strolled past Cindy’s assistant, Wanda, who was taking care of the only other customer in the parlor.
“Miss Reed…” Wanda hailed.
“Wanda…” Belinda kept her focus straight ahead at Cindy.
Cindy was a happy-go-lucky sort of lady who often chose to see the best in people and ignore the glaring signs that spelled trouble. Wanda was quite the opposite. She didn’t like Belinda and made that clear to her boss, particularly since Belinda demonstrated whenever she did show up there that she hardly thought Wanda was worthy of a simple greeting. For the sake of her job, Wanda kept things professional, but was guilty of wishing, on more than a few occasions, that the floor would open up and swallow the pompous woman.
“How’s that sister of yours?” Cindy asked Belinda after she was comfortably seated.
“Same as usual. I try to train her to be more like me, but I’m beginning to think she’s absolutely hopeless right now.”
Cindy chuckled, and Wanda, outside of Belinda’s view, rolled her eyes.
Cindy placed a clean, white towel across Belinda’s shoulders. “You really think so?”
“Yep. She’s getting nowhere in life. All she does is obsess over that grown boy of hers and caters to his every need. Ridiculous!”
“Maybe she needs companionship—you know—like a boyfriend.”
“She doesn’t need a man!” Belinda frowned.
“Why not?”
“She’s got me to hang out with.”
“But it’s not the same, B.” Cindy released her hair from the hairpin and fluffed it with both hands.
“Well, I don’t agree, especially since I’ve had my share of them. Truly, they’re only good for one thing and that’s not the thing you’re probably thinking about!”
“What is it, then?” Cindy asked.
“It’s the money. Without it, they’re useless, don’t you think?”
“Noooo…I wouldn’t agree. I wouldn’t trade my Charlie for the world and he’s no way near rich.”
“They don’t have to be rich; just well-off, although rich is ideal.”
“You’re a piece of work, B. I can see you’re quite content being on your own.”
“Shouldn’t I be? I can’t be happier with anyone more than I can be with myself!”
Cindy had a hearty laugh.
Two hours later, Belinda walked out of the parlor with a new hairdo and confidence to match. She pressed the handheld remote and headed over to her vehicle.
“Time to change this old car,” she muttered on the way.
She’d purchased the BMW brand new off the lot three years earlier and knew Rachelle just loved riding in it, compared to her own ten-year-old buggy.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, opened the car door and sat behind the wheel, simultaneously resting her purse on the passenger seat. Life for Belinda couldn’t get any better and to compliment her upbeat mood, she decided she’d listen to some rock music during the drive over to her friend, Marva’s house. After starting the car, she reached forward to switch on the radio, when she thought she saw something move on the floorboard of the front passenger side. Tilting her head, she zoomed in on the floor and spotted a long, gray snake slithering forward from under the seat. Then, her peripheral vision immediately caught something in the seat next to her—another snake, almost identical, was crawling over her purse. With her heart pounding and a shrilling scream stuck inside her throat, without a moment to spare, she yanked open the car door and got out, slamming it shut behind her. It was then that the scream finally escaped and, in a flash, Cindy and Wanda appeared in the doorway of the parlor.
“What’s the matter?” Cindy was concerned.
“Snakes! Snakes are in my car!” Belinda was standing a good ten feet away from her car.
“What?” Cindy’s eyes widened with shock.
“I found snakes in my frigging car!” she repeated.
Cindy hurried over to her. “How did they get in there?” she asked.
“How the hell am I supposed to know? I just want them out!”
Wanda was now standing on the front steps looking out at Belinda with a subtle smile on her face. She always wanted to see the overgrown baby suffer.
“Wanda! Go get Jimmy from the back!” Cindy exclaimed. “He’ll get them out.”
“Your maintenance guy?” Belinda asked Cindy.
“Yeah. He’s not scared of anything. Bravest man I know—even braver than Charlie.”
Jimmy arrived in the parking lot shortly thereafter with a white bucket in one hand and a long tree limb in the other.
“I hear there’s snakes in your car, lady,” he said to Belinda.
Jimmy was a slim, straggly-haired man in his early fifties, the sight of which would make some people cringe with distrust, particularly if he appeared from out of nowhere on a dark, deserted road. Yet, he was the typical example of why one should never judge a book by its cover. Though he could pass for being homeless, the man had amassed a decent fortune through hard work on a miniscule salary over the course of three decades. He’d been working for Cindy for the past five years after retiring from a government department as a maintenance worker.
“Yeah! They’re in there!” Belinda pointed, rather annoyingly.
“Well, let’s go get ‘em out then!”
“Let’s?” Belinda gave him a menacing stare.
He backed off towards the car. “I meant me.”
He peered through the driver’s side window first, then moved over to the back door.
“Wow! You surely have a whole community of sn
akes in there!”
“You call two a community?” Belinda scoffed.
With his head pressed against the window, Jimmy said, “I ain’t no mathematician, but I know how to count. You’ve got at least a dozen slitherers in here. Come see for yourself.”
Alarmed, Belinda glanced at Cindy, while Wanda continued observing from the front of the parlor.
“Are you kidding me?” Belinda asked.
Cindy walked over to the car and looked through the window next to where Jimmy was.
“He’s not kidding, B,” she said. “They’re crawling all over your car, even the back seat.”
Belinda suddenly felt faint; her heart beating wildly.
She went over and looked through the front window. “My God!” she whispered.
“Anyway, ladies. Now that you’ve seen what we’re working with, let me get these good ole boys outta here and back into the bushes where they belong.”
Belinda quickly returned to her previous spot and Cindy joined her. Jimmy put his bucket down near the tire and opened the back door. He then reached inside with his tree branch and calmly extracted the snakes one by one, dropping them into the bucket. Belinda inwardly squirmed at the sight of the reptiles and even turned away for a while as Jimmy proceeded.
“These boys are harmless, little lady,” he said as he peeked under the seats to ensure he’d gotten all out.
“What do you mean by harmless?” Belinda said, looking his way again.
“These are hognose snakes, if I’m lookin’ right. They wouldn’t have done nothin’ to you other than give you a good scare by just being themselves.” He grinned.
“What’s so funny?” She glared at him.
“You must’ve really pissed someone off for them to put snakes in your car. You’re lucky they didn’t choose a rattler or some other kind that wouldda done you in nice and good.”
He shut the car doors, picked up the bucket full of snakes and headed to the backyard.
“You sure you got them all out?” Belinda hollered.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have closed your car doors, lady.”
“Thank you, Jimmy!” Cindy called out behind him.
Continuing on, he raised his left hand. “Welcome!”
Wanda shook her head.
“Are you okay?” Cindy rested her hand on Belinda’s arm.
“No! I’m not okay!”
“Maybe you should call someone to come meet you…”
“No, I can drive. I hate to go back inside that car, but I can.”
“I hope you find out who did this, B. It’s a terrible thing they’ve done. You could’ve ended up in an accident if you didn’t spot them before you drove off,” Cindy said.
Belinda sighed heavily. “I have no idea who would be stupid enough to do this. I… I thought I locked my car.”
Cindy gave her a reprimanding look. “We all know you hardly ever lock your car in the daytime, B. You were easy prey.”
“I’d better go now; I’ll see you later, Cindy.” She headed for the car, when suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. “Wait! Get Jimmy back here!”
“What’s the matter?” Cindy asked.
“He didn’t check the bloody trunk!”
Cindy sighed. “I’ll go check. I’m sure he’s still getting rid of those snakes out back.”
They both walked over to the car and opening the driver’s door, Belinda looked inside to see if the coast was clear, then reluctantly reached on the side of the driver’s seat and popped the trunk. As Cindy carefully checked the trunk for any signs of snakes, Belinda stooped down and peered underneath the seats and even inspected the glove and armrest compartments. The car’s engine was still running.
“Nothing’s back here!” Cindy cried.
Belinda breathed a sigh of relief and sat behind the steering wheel.
“You’re all set now?” Cindy approached the driver’s side door.
“Yeah. Thanks, Cindy.”
“Okay. Drive safely then and please be careful out there. Remember to lock your doors whenever you leave the car again.”
“I will.” Belinda shut the door, reversed out of the parking spot, then pulled off.
7
_________________
Belinda was furious as she drove. “Would you believe someone put about a dozen snakes in my car!” she yelled into her cell phone.
“Are you freaking serious!” John replied. He was speaking with his sister from the comfort of his large, exquisite downtown office. “Who did that to you?”
“I don’t know!” She raised both hands, momentarily forgetting about the steering wheel.
“They must really hate your guts!” He chuckled.
“This isn’t funny, John! If I’d pulled off not knowing those snakes were in my car, I’d probably be in the morgue right now.”
His laughter died off.
“That’s terrible, Belinda. You’d better learn to keep your car doors locked from now on. I don’t know why you’re too lazy to do it anyway. For goodness’ sake, it’s just a click of the remote or a simple turn of the key.”
“It has nothing to do with laziness, John,” she rebutted. “I just never felt I’d be out of the car long enough for anyone to have a chance to steal anything, and furthermore, I never leave my purse in the car.”
“We went over this before, Belinda. Good crooks can nab a car stereo in under three minutes flat.”
“Yeah, I hear you. Anyway, gotta go. I’m headed over to Marva’s place now. I need a stiff drink.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
They hung up.
Belinda called Rachelle next and told her what had happened. The entire drive, she kept glancing to the right in case another reptile appeared from out of nowhere.
* * * *
John took the last sip of his now lukewarm coffee, picked up his presentation folder and headed for the conference room. Tomorrow would be a big day for Trudant Consulting Services since Stanley Lee, CEO of the largest truck manufacturing company in the region was going to personally show up for the highly anticipated presentation. Lee’s acceptance of the proposal would increase Trudant’s financial standing by a cool 3.8 million dollars over the course of the ensuing six months and simultaneously, John would land a substantial bonus for making it all happen. He was the firm’s golden boy, having secured many lucrative deals within the past twelve years of him being a leading financial and marketing analyst. Closing Lee’s deal would better position him on easy street—a prospect which managed to keep him up until early hours of the morning working out the details.
John was about to unveil the finished product to Trudant’s managing director, Allen Nolan, and four other partners before the big meeting scheduled for the following morning. Everything had to be just right since Lee was one of their biggest clients.
John grinned to himself as his mind flashed on the story Belinda had told him. “Snakes! Someone must really hate her guts; that’s for sure.” He made a left at the end of the corridor into the conference room.
* * * *
9:45 PM…
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Rachelle swallowed a blue sleeping pill with a tall glass of water. Her eyes heavy, lack of sleep from the night before had begun to take its toll on her.
She heard the TV in Steve’s room and assumed her son was still awake. She’d felt on edge all that day and knew she had to get some sleep if she was going to be able to function the next day. There was still so much to do. She’d taken a three-week vacation, intending to clear out of the apartment and move back home to her parents’ house before she was due back to work. However, she was beginning to wonder if making the transition was what she really wanted to do, after all.
She tucked back a strand of hair from her face and slowly shook her head. In her mind, the reflection looking back at her in the mirror was nothing more than the shell of a hopeless, needy woman who felt she must pretend with almost everyone simply because she was afraid t
hat being real would not be good enough for them—at least for those she held in high regard. Maybe Belinda was right, she thought. Rachelle was aware of how badly her sister talked about her to everyone they knew; not doing it just behind her back, but right in front of her. Belinda didn’t care and although Rachelle hated her for it, at the same time, she felt she needed her sister in order to feel like she wasn’t completely worthless. In her view, Belinda was a resounding success; in a nutshell—everything she wished she was, particularly since she had lots of cash and so many things Rachelle didn’t have. It didn’t matter how Belinda got them. Just hanging around her made Rachelle feel like she counted for something, even if it was nothing much.
She shut the door of the medicine cabinet and walked across the hallway toward her bedroom. Just before arriving at the door, she heard the pitter-patter of feet, like that of a little child, then seconds later, a hearty giggle.
“Who’s there?” She peered down the hallway.
Following the sound, Rachelle advanced toward the living room and flipped on the light switch. Her eyes worriedly scanned the room, but she saw no one. Determined to find whomever was in her home, she checked the kitchen, even the lower cabinets since they were large enough to fit a small child. She looked around the dining room and checked the locks on the front and side doors. Everything was intact. Suddenly, there was silence, other than the sound emanating from Steve’s TV.
“Maybe it was all the TV.” She tried to convince herself. Massaging the nape of her neck, she switched off all the lights and headed back to her room.
Inside the bedroom felt unusually cold and Rachelle pulled the covers over her chest. The effect of the sleeping pill was finally setting in and she welcomed the thought of drifting into a deep, restful sleep.
Minutes later, Steve turned off his television and the apartment stood in complete silence.
Three hours later…
A shrilling scream pierced the darkness which caused Steve to spring up out of bed and run to his mother’s room. Flipping on the light, he was startled to find her sitting up in bed with eyes as wide as golf balls. She looked like she’d literally seen a ghost. Her face was so pale it appeared as if every drop of blood had been drained out of it. Without a second thought, he hurried over to her.
Headstone: The Curse Page 4