I said, “Have a nice evening, Sheriff.”
The last bite of cheesecake was a waste. I didn’t touch it. I paid the waitress, waited for my change, and I left out of there.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
I didn’t feel like going back home. I went by Tanie’s house. Her car was parked out front in the normal spot. It didn’t look like she had any visitors, which was good. I hated to think I was getting in the way of her company. I knocked on the door, and Tanie opened it wide enough to let me in.
She said, “I was going to call you.”
“I called you earlier.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I was at my brother’s house yesterday and this morning. I was babysitting again.”
“Well, that’s nice you spent time with your family.”
“Yes, it was.” Tanie went to the third bedroom where her computer was, and I followed. “I’m on the internet right now looking for a hotel this weekend.”
What was the internet anyway? My experience on the internet was nonexistent. I had no clue how it worked and what it was for? For her to tell me she went on the internet might as well be telling me she went to France or China. I asked out of curiosity, “How do you find a hotel?”
“I did a search.”
“How do you search on the internet?” It wasn’t making much sense, but I was trying to understand.
“You type in what you’re looking for in a search engine on the internet. It might be a name of a place or a person, and you’ll get a list of websites that might have your answer and you might also get a list that doesn’t have anything to do with what you’re looking for. It’s just a matter of picking what you want from the list.”
“Can you show me?” I asked.
The screen had a picture of her niece on it, and when she touched the semi round plastic thing beside the keyboard, the picture disappeared and a flower background appeared. I started asking questions, and she gave me answers like mouse, screensaver, monitor, and icons. She might as well been talking Chinese because I didn’t understand why all that stuff was labeled such names. But I wasn’t going to question why because I’m sure I would just be more confused.
Tanie pointed to the computer screen and she typed in ‘Colum, Alabama’, and a small map popped up on the screen along with a list of websites.
I asked Tanie, “Can you type in Alex Westing Atlanta, Georgia?”
Tanie rolled her eyes.
“Can you just type it in, please, without the attitude?”
She did. Nothing with his name came up, but a whole list of strange things were listed. But one thing that did look promising was in bold letters and underlined. It read ‘Westing Car Factory’. I pointed to it, and Tanie moved the arrow over and clicked on it. The Westing Car Factory’s website had a lot going on. The lettering was in all different colors and sizes, and in the center of all that was a picture of all kinds of cars flashing. Tanie clicked on something, and a picture of the sale staff appeared, and Alex was in the picture! He was wearing a suit and tie, and he was standing with a crowd of 15 people. I smiled staring at his face.
I asked, “Is the address for that car dealership on the website?”
“I’ll scroll down to the bottom.” Tanie found the address at the very bottom of the page, and I wanted a piece of paper and a pen. She told me she would print the page.
I nearly ripped the paper out of the printer before it was finished. Tanie was laughing and said, “You act like you’re going there right now. Slow down, girl.”
“I got a car. I can go right now.”
“No, no, we’ll go to Atlanta tomorrow instead of Friday. You can go see him then. We’ll go first thing in the morning.”
I wanted to go right then and there, but Tanie was right. What was I going to do when I got up there? I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t have a plan on how I was going to approach Alex. I said, “I guess that’ll work. It’ll give me a chance to pack.” I laughed at that statement. I remarked aloud, “I don’t even have luggage.”
“How about you and me go shopping? I think this is perfect, Angela. We’ll go shopping in Montgomery or Atlanta or both, and you can buy whatever you want.”
“I haven’t been shopping in a long time.”
“So, when you see Alex, you’ll be dressed in nice new clothes and he’ll see what he’s been missing.”
I threatened, “He’s going to know exactly what he missed the moment he sees me.”
Tanie’s eye brows lifted.
“You think I shouldn’t go and see him, huh?”
She answered, “I think you should absolutely see him again, and I think you need to let him know that he didn’t get away with his game.”
“I wish I could see him now. He has pissed me off, Tanie.”
“It’s probably a good thing you can’t see him now. You might lose your mind or something.”
“Yea, I guess so.” I laughed, not that it was funny.
“Why don’t you go home and get some rest? We are going to have some fun tomorrow. I’ll pick you up around 10 in the morning. Is that good for you?”
“Yea, it’s fine. I got nothing but time.” I said with a little happiness in my voice.
I walked out of her apartment. I wanted the next day to come like now. I was ready to see Alex Westing. I couldn’t wait to find him! I could not wait to see his reaction!
THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2009
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Going out of town again and I loved it. We were on our way to Montgomery to do some shopping, and then to Atlanta. Tanie was in a good mood, and I was, too. We stopped for breakfast, and I ate myself silly. The food was delicious.
After a quick trip to a mall in Montgomery, we drove to Atlanta. It took forever to get there. But when we did, the mall made the trip worth it. There were stores of all kinds. There were shoe stores, jewelry stores, toy stores, and department stores. I wanted to go to the shoe store, first. I picked out all kinds of high heel shoes and sandals, and I tried them all on. In the end I only bought two pair of shoes. It was so much fun. I LOVE SHOES!
Then we went to a department store and I bought some new underwear and bras because I really, really needed them. I left the apartment without packing anything, and I had to get all new underclothes. I bought some comfortable clothes that were on sale, and I bought some party clothes, too. I bought some make-up for myself and some perfume. I never knew shopping was this exciting.
When Tanie and I finished browsing through the mall and buying whatever made us happy, we packed our bags in the car and headed for the hotel. Tanie picked out a nice hotel with a view of the bypass and the skyscrapers. I thought the trees in Colum touched the sky. Those skyscrapers surpassed touching the sky. They seemed to hold it up. I was amazed. I’ve never been to Atlanta, and this place was a whole other world. It was faster than Memphis. The buildings were taller. I could live in Atlanta.
We brought all of our bags to our hotel room, and we unpacked everything and ooh and awed over the clothes we bought. I can see myself shopping all the time. Having all kinds of clothes and shoes to wear, and I can never have enough.
I was the first to take a shower. When I got out, I put on one of the new shorts I bought and a cute pink top. I looked in the full length mirror at myself, and for the first time, I felt like I was about something. I was wearing my own clothes that I bought for myself. These weren’t the clothes I borrowed from Tanie. They were mine. I asked Tanie to put on my makeup for me. She was always good at applying make-up. Tanie always looked so natural.
We sat down facing one another in front of the huge, beautiful vanity mirror that was in the bathroom. Tanie pulled the plastic off from the mascara, the foundation, lipstick and the blush before placing each one on the counter. She asked me as I applied a cream on my face, “So, what are you going to say when you see Alex today?”
I had no idea, now that she asked me. I shrugged my shoulders and answered, “I don’t know.”
“What if he starts sweet talking you and star
ts giving excuses as to why he hasn’t called? What are you going to say?”
“It’s not going to work, not after the news I got yesterday. Even though, it has nothing to do with him.”
“What news?” Tanie started applying the base gently on my face. I closed my eyes as the small wedge went across my skin. The make-up felt kind of heavy, like a second skin, and I really didn’t like it. But I wanted to look good.
“The Sheriff told me that Josh Westing hit Andrea.”
Tanie stopped, stunned by the news. “You’re shitting me!”
“I kid you not.”
“I bet that’s why he hasn’t called.”
“That’s bull, Tanie, and I’m not accepting that excuse. He made a promise to me, and he fucking broke it. It didn’t matter if Josh hit her with a car or tickled her with a feather. Alex still wasn’t going to come back for me. That whole family is a bunch of assholes, and I hate them all.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I guess I’ll know when I see him.” I took in a deep breath and exhaled. “Finish what you’re doing. I have a date tonight.”
“Angela,” Tanie set the wedge down and said, “Since you mentioned Andrea, I wanted to talk to you about her...and Olivia.”
“Why you want to talk about them?”
Tanie was using a little sponge tip to swipe the dark eye shadow. She continued, “You haven’t told Olivia about Andrea, and that’s not good.”
“I haven’t spoken to Olivia really since she left town.”
“So, when are you going to tell her?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have her phone number.”
“Close your eyes.” Tanie remarked. She applied the eye shadow gently over my eyelids. She continued once she was finished. “She’s not going to be happy with you when she finds out, Angela. How long has it been since Andrea passed?”
“I don’t remember when she passed, Tanie.”
“I believe it’s been a week already, Angela.”
“It hasn’t been that long.” I was trying to remember the day I came home and found all those people on my porch. I was beginning to get nervous. Has it really been almost a week? I said trying to down play the seriousness, “I wouldn’t be able to get in touch with Olivia anyway. She’s been on vacation with her dad.”
“Who do you know that might have her number? Andrea might have it in her room back at your apartment. What about Olivia’s friends?”
“I cleaned out Andrea’s room. There isn’t anything left in there, and Olivia only had one friend that I knew of.” I stated. My worry was growing.
What was I thinking? She probably will not forgive me, especially when she finds out there wasn’t a funeral. It won’t even matter that I couldn’t afford it and the fact that Andrea didn’t have life insurance. She’s going to still blame me for it all. I said, “You know, I talked to Helen, and she has Olivia’s phone number. I didn’t even think to ask for it.”
“Well, you should call her now. Do you think Helen has told her already?”
“No, I asked her not to. You know what, Tanie; I’m just going to wait until I get back to Colum on Sunday. If I get her number and call her now, she’ll be back in Colum by tomorrow morning. And I’ll be here instead, and you know, that’ll be another problem.”
“Well, don’t wait much longer than that.” Tanie handed me the lipstick, and I put it on myself. Tanie remarked, “You have to deal with this. If you don’t tell Olivia, this will change everything between you two. You think it was bad when you caught her in bed with Jason, it’ll be ten times worse when she finds out Andrea is dead and you did nothing about it.”
I sighed, knowing full well she was right. “I’ll call her the moment I get back.”
“I’ll remind you. This is a serious deal, Angela.”
“You don’t have to remind me. I’ll do what I say.”
She put on my mascara carefully, and she sat back in her chair to give me a final look over. Tanie commented, “You look beautiful.”
“Really,” I turned to see myself in the mirror. My skin was smoother; a softer brown like it was painted on. I touched my cheek softly.
Tanie said. “He’s going to see your pretty face and your new look, and he’s going to make all kinds of excuses. You’re going to accept them and forgive him.”
“He will not get off that easy.”
“Okay, we shall see.”
I looked at myself in the mirror one last time, smiled and winked at myself. Tanie and I began giggling. Wearing make-up was weird, but it sure made me feel like a princess. I turned to Tanie and asked, “Do you know how to get to his job?”
“I know where the street is. It’s just a matter of driving it until we see the dealership.”
“Well, I’m ready to go.”
I was set on finding this man tonight, and I wasn’t going to give up until I did. He was going to answer for all of his lies.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Oh my goodness, I was itching at the bit to see him. She couldn’t drive fast enough in my opinion. She made a few turns in and out of the main roads, and the traffic, there was so much of it. If I had to drive up here on my own, I don’t know if I could make it. People were zooming pass like we were standing still, but it didn’t bother Tanie one bit. She was mindfully driving, which was out of character for her, but within a few minutes we were pulling into the dealership.
I was thinking I would see Alex the moment we pulled in, but we were only greeted by high flying balloons and line after line of cars. The building was white, tall, and had glass all around the front of it. No one was outside, but I could see people moving inside the dealership. I got out of the car when Tanie parked, and I went inside slowly walking around looking for Alex. I was looking for his blue eyes, his perfect smile. I thought I smelled his cologne, but it was a fleeting past moment that awakened in my brain. He wasn’t there. I looked all around the dealership. I was approached a couple of times and asked if I needed help, but I turned them away. I didn’t want to seem desperate even though I was every bit of the word. I went back to Tanie’s car.
She asked in a nonchalant manner, “Did you see him?”
“No.”
Tanie nodded and leaned back in her seat. She closed her eyes. I’m glad she realized we weren’t going anywhere until I spoke to him. This was so important to me. My heart was beating so fast, and the minutes did not pass fast enough. I began shifting in my seat, looking around for his truck. Every time I heard a car drive into the dealership, I turned my attention to that car or that truck.
Tanie saw him before I did. I thought she was napping, but she wasn’t. She tapped me gently on the shoulder and pointed over to the other side of the parking lot. Alex was in a suit, looking really nice, but he was with a girl. They were holding hands. It was the same girl at the fair. I could feel the heat on my ears and my face.
I closed my eyes, just to get my bearing, to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind. I opened my eyes again, and they were standing beside a car. I guess it was her car. They gave each other a kiss. They were into each other. They were in love. He looked into her eyes, touched her arm gently. I couldn’t breathe. I was choking. This had to be a nightmare!
Tanie watched them as intently as I did. My head was swimming. He was a liar. He was a straight liar, and I fell for it. I really thought Alex loved me. I saw the difference in the way he treated her compared to the way he treated me. Alex was showing her affection in public in front of his coworkers and his friends. Alex never gave me affection in front of others. We always stayed away from the Colum natives, always hiding in his house where no one could see us. I felt like an absolute fool.
“That’s the girl from the fairgrounds, the same girl that Sherrie brought over that night.” I was so upset. I wanted to put my hands around his throat and choke the shit out of him. My emotions were burning within me.
“OH GOD! I’m so stupid, Tanie.”
“No, Angela, he’s stupid.”
I looked back over to where they were, and I saw Alex driving off. He was following her. Now, where did his truck come from? Where was it parked? I never saw it. I said, “Tanie! Follow them! I want to see where he’s going! Hurry up start the car!”
Tanie franticly started the car, and we were following them. I had become insanely angry, to the point where my head was hurting. He should have just left me alone. I should have never taken the sweet tea he gave me. I should have told him no every time he asked me out. I wanted Tanie to get closer, but she waved me off telling me to calm down.
Eventually, we pulled into an apartment complex. Alex parked his truck next to her car. They walked hand in hand into the hallway and up two flights of stairs. They went into the first apartment on the right near the front of the apartment building, right where I could see them.
I had to think. What was I going to do? Do I confront him now? Do I wait?
Tanie remarked, “Angela, I know you are very pissed off right now, and I know you want to go confront him, but...”
“What! Say it Tanie! No more speeches or advice, just say it!”
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. I threw up my hands. “Okay. Can you wait?”
“I can go back to the hotel, and you can drive back here yourself. I’m sure you want to deal with him on your own anyway.”
“I don’t know my way back here from the hotel.”
Tanie pointed to a tall building up the street, and it was our hotel.
I had to ask. “What are the odds of our hotel being this close to where he lives?”
“He probably lives here because it is so close to the dealership where he works, and I got the closest hotel to the dealership. The advantages of using the internet, Angela. You should try it sometimes.” Tanie answered.
“Whatever.”
“It’s not hard for you to drive back here. The hotel is barely five minutes up the road.”
The Ex Killer Series Page 27