ROMANTIC SUSPENSE : DEATH WHISPERED SOFTLY

by Oliver Anderson

  Steve felt broken. He desperately wanted to become successful, and acquire the wealth and esteem that would help him get away, once and for all, from the wretched world of his past, and the stench of his prison cell—which tormented his mind relentlessly!

  He was weary of them all, and ironically this beautiful kind girl, who seemed to wield a magnetic attraction, was now standing between him and his future. He had to make a decision—the most difficult decision of his life.

  In these moments of strife and indecision, Steve gripped the brandy glass hard, managed to keep his face expressionless, and thought feverishly what to do. “Should I just take off from here, without harming this beautiful, innocent girl, take a flight and get the hell out of New York, and bid good bye to my future? Or should I put my emotions and sentiments behind me and just complete the task for which I have come. After all, I don’t even know her…Dang this girl!”

  His mind was spinning. He didn’t bargain for this to happen, it was making the choice more and more difficult for Steve, and even as he hesitated, the vibration of the cell phone in his pocket jolted him. Startled, he fished his cell out of his pocket. He had received a message…It was Ricardo’s text.

  “What the hell are you doing Steve? Finish the job and get out of there, I’m a sitting duck out here!”

  Ricardo’s message shook Steve out of his indecision and hesitation and he turned his cell off, placed it back in his pocket. “The bastard is fearful I may chicken out” Steve said half aloud, even as a scornful smile came to his lips. “He knows that I am behind the scheduled plan and he knows that I am hesitating. Each minute that passes makes the plan more vulnerable of going awry, and the dude is mad at me for putting us in a precarious situation. Delaying this even a second more can be perilous” Steve cogitated. With considerable effort he managed to look into the direction of Grace. He was relieved to find she was not watching him anymore. She had gone back to playing her piano, her thoughts focused on the music.

  He knew that the longer he delayed, the higher the chances that she and the waiter would become suspicious. He had to pull himself together and focus on the job he had come to do!

  “Are you alright?” Grace Kingsbury’s soft voice startled Steve and snapped him out of the bout of hectic thinking. He found Grace looking worriedly at him.

  “I… I am alright; just have a bad habit of getting lost into thoughts Ma’am’ Steve said and smiled his boyish smile.

  Oh, Thank goodness, I became worried that you were not feeling well or something, even more worried that it was perhaps my brandy that made you feel unwell! Grace smiled at Steve.

  “Nothing of the sort; your brandy is simply the best I’ve ever had. Actually I am surprised, that with me around there is so much of it still left in that bottle!

  Grace Kingsbury laughed at Steve’s statement. And for the first time since he had entered the café, she looked straight into his eyes.

  Steve was surprised to see that her face, which earlier on was a reflection of pathos and loneliness, had magically transformed into a bright happier face of a joyful person... with feelings in her heart? Could it possibly be?

  “Damn! Could this beautiful girl be falling for me?” he wondered uneasily as he met the probing gaze of Grace Kingsbury. For a brief moment of time, their gazes were locked, without saying a word they seemed to connect. It was a weird moment.

  She was staring affectionately into the eyes of a man who she did not know was in this café with the definite purpose of assassinating her. And yet they couldn’t stop staring at each other.

  Steve was the first to look away. Looking away from Grace Kingsbury was like pulling himself loose from a vice-like grip, and Steve found himself struggling to breathe.

  This was no time or place to fall in love, he reminded himself sharply. And the moment had arrived— the moment of decision, which would change the course of his life forever, was here! Yet he was plagued by hesitancy. What should I do! He thought feverishly. Should I kill this beautiful girl, who obviously likes me, and is so totally innocent? Or should I ditch this grisly, diabolical plan and just run the hell out of here and disappear? He discovered that his conscience was fighting hard to dissuade him from doing this ghastly act of murdering a soul, so blameless and so innocent.

  As Steve struggled with his thoughts and conscience, he realized Grace Kingsbury was still looking at him. She had now completely stopped playing the piano. There was a twinkle in those violet eyes, as they looked deep into his soul and he knew this woman was falling for him. The way she was regarding him, and the way a twinkle had returned to her eyes told him plenty. “Oh god what should I do now” he cried out inwardly. But he knew he was way too committed now to back out; he should have done that before hearing Ricardo’s wretched plan! “I lose everyone I love, and when I finally find someone I would like to get to know and possibly spend my entire life with, and who also seems to like me, I am compelled to murder that very person! I must certainly be the most unlucky, as well as the most wretched man on earth” he thought bitterly. “And if I don’t kill her, I would have to go back to the wretched and insufferable world of gangs and prisons!”

  With these conflicting thoughts ravaging his mind and soul, Steve made his decision. He would go ahead with what he had come to this café for; and with an excruciating effort, let his hand dip into his pocket where he felt the cold steel of the fully loaded gun Ricardo had given him. As he was about to pull out his gun, his soul completely crushed, he suddenly remembered that before shooting the girl, he had to command her to hand over her rings. His attention now drifted to her rings—and there they were a beautiful diamond ring on the middle finger of her left hand and a colossal emerald on the index finger of her right hand. To carry Ricardo’s plan out successfully Steve recalled he had to make this look like a robbery that went horribly wrong; and to make it look like a one he had to whip out his gun and demand the Kingsbury girl to hand over her rings and purse.

  It was now or never! And he spurred himself to whip out his gun and bark the orders to take her rings off. And once the rings were off he would have to blast the face off this beautiful girl sitting right in front of him, smiling at him with unconcealed affection. He suddenly found his task was excruciatingly painful. With a crushed heart, he put his hand in his pocket. He knew that in a few moments from now he would be a murderer.

  As Steve fought hard with his conscience, which was now screaming at him not to do this horrific act, he braced himself, positioning to whip the gun out of his pocket. He decided he would not look at Grace directly, for he knew that if he looked at her he would falter and not be able to go through with it.

  Steve gripped the gun so hard in his pocket that his knuckles turned white with the effort. As he was about to draw the gun out of his pocket, his heart sick with guilt and burden, he suddenly saw, through the corner of his eyes, a pair of blinding lights speeding towards the café. A car was charging at a high speed towards the café! The huge window pane of glass was all that stood between the tearing car and the café, where Grace Kingsbury sat serenely playing the piano—totally oblivious to the grave peril that threatened to consume her existence.

  Chapter Xlll

  Steve knew instantly that Grace Kingsbury’s life was in deep peril—not just from him but from this car which was hurtling at the café at top speed!

  And in the moment of crisis, he made a split-second decision; he lunged at Grace with all his might! In a flash his hands were around her, and together they went down, rolling on the floor, and a fraction of a second later, even as they were still rolling on the floor, there was a deafening crash, glass splinters flying all over, in the café!

  The car had crashed at great speed through the glass window of the café. It proceeded to smash the piano Grace Kingsbury had been playing seconds before, and then careened into the far end of the Café, coming to an abrupt halt with a loud thud. The ear-piercing crash was followed by a deathly silence.

  Steve was the fir
st to regain mindfulness. He lay dazed on the floor, too stunned to comprehend anything. The shock of the dramatic incidents that occurred in the past few minutes were too overbearing for him! Even as he struggled to absorb all that had happened, he heard Grace moaning in a soft husky voice “Are you ok? Are you ok?”

  As things came into focus, he discovered Grace Kingsbury was lying on top of him, staring at him with wide terrified eyes. But before Steve could respond, he saw her eyes close and she appeared to drift in a deep sleep. For a horrible moment, a thoroughly dazed Steve, thought she was dead! With a trembling hand he placed his fingers under her nose, expecting the worst!

  But there was life; he felt Grace Kingsbury’s warm breath striking his fingers. She was alive! She is breathing! She is breathing! He yelled in the devastated café!

  The fall seemed to have knocked her unconscious, but otherwise she seemed completely unharmed by what had just happened. “She is alive! I did not kill her! I did not kill her!” he screamed inwardly in joy and relief.

  The relief and realization that Grace Kingsbury was alive and unhurt and that he had not killed her and that he was not a murderer, was too overpowering for Steve. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, and the utter relief that he had not killed her, Steve couldn’t help but close his wearied and heavy eyes and allowed himself to drift off.

  Steve woke after what felt like an eternity but was merely moments. As he tried to remember the whole incident, he realized that Grace was still lying on top of him, her soft blond-brown hair on his face. The fragrance and warmth of her body permeated Steve’s senses and at that moment he knew he was falling in love with Grace Kingsbury.

  Lying in the rubble of the devastated café, he felt at peace with the world—for the first time in his life, since his parents had passed away twenty years back.

  And he was in no hurry to get up. The sensation of Grace’s warm body against his was an incredible feeling. It was something he had never experienced before. He wanted to be with this girl. He wanted to protect her, love her, make her happy and laugh. His thoughts were suddenly consumed by her and he was shocked by the realization that he wanted to spend all his life with her. He knew at that moment he was hopelessly in love with this gorgeous girl, who lay unconscious on him. And he was in absolutely no hurry to get up or wakeup Grace! He placed his arm around an unconscious Grace, as if wanting to protect her from any other harm. The person lying unconscious in his arms was somehow the most precious part of his life now.

  He was content to just lie there and savor the moments of love and serenity amidst all the chaos, the glass, and the mangled mess that the crashing car had made inside the café. As he looked at her angelic face with unrestrained affection, a shocking revelation came to him and he realized that ironically he had saved the life of the person he had come to kill! Had he not lunged and toppled Grace Kingsbury and rolled with her out of the way, she would have surely been crushed to death by the marauding car.

  Steve also realized that there was no one in the store. The waiter was nowhere to be seen! He was obviously safe and had probably fled from the café. But who was the driver of the car? Was he badly hurt in the accident? Steve wanted to find out, so he gently lifted the unconscious Grace and placed her gently on the carpet, limping towards the side of the car which lay in a heap of an entangled mess at the far end of the room. Although no bones were broken he did feel stiff and sore from the fall. The hood of the car was completely crushed and the windshield had completely shattered, prompting Steve to wonder if the driver of the car had perished in the accident.

  And he was curious to find out who the guy was who had crashed into this café and saved his life! “He must be badly hurt. I must help him!

  Steve gingerly made his way over to the wrecked car at the far end of the room. He went around the car to the driver’s side and wrenched opened the door.

  What he saw totally dumbfounded him. It wasn’t a man who was in the car. It was a woman, an old lady, probably in her late seventies or early eighties, sitting at the wheel, looking dazed, but otherwise quite unhurt by the misadventure. Although she was conscious she was too shocked to say anything. Steve also noticed she was trembling. She was still wearing the seatbelt and it was probably the seatbelt which had saved her life!

  The lady just stared at Steve in shock, and finally when she could comprehend what had happened, she managed to utter a weak “Hello”.

  Steve could smell whisky on her breath and he suddenly grinned at the old dazed woman. A wave of emotion went through Steve as he regarded the terrified lady who was obviously sick with guilt. He addressed her in an emotionally charged voice “Lady, you don’t have the remotest idea what you have done, do you? You have saved so many lives tonight. You are the hero of the evening, do you realize that!” so saying Steve took the old frail and shaking woman in his arms and hugged her hard, fighting to ward off tears.

  This frail and terrified woman was suddenly his angel who had come to rescue him. While holding her close he was reminded of his mother, how he felt in her arms. She was at that moment the mother who he had missed hugging for most of his life. This slender elderly petrified woman, reeking of all the alcohol she had consumed earlier on, was at this moment the most beautiful person in the world to Steve. She was his angel and she had saved his life from utter catastrophe. She could scarcely comprehend much of what was happening, or what Steve was saying and just stood there, gaping at him. She was totally clueless why this man was thanking her when she had just created havoc in this café!

  Even as Steve stood hugging the lady, his angel, he heard the siren of an approaching cop car and he knew that help was on the way. He knew at that instant that this same siren would have scared the hell out of him had this lady not crashed into the café. She had changed his fate, with her car! Had it not been for her unforeseen trials, he would have by now become a murderer, dodging and hiding, on the run from the law forever! Steve held the trembling lady’s face in his hands and said in a voice choked with emotion “Lady …I’m indebted to you, you are my friend for life! What is your name? He asked, Ruth she responded softly, well Ruth, ask me for anything and I will do it for you... I mean it. Ask for my life, and I will even give that to you!” He had barely finished his sentence when he saw two tough looking cops enter the store through the big hole made by the car.

  CHAPTER XlV

  The cops had come along with the ambulance and both the old lady and Grace were taken to the hospital. Grace, as Steve had thought, had not sustained any serious injury; but she had suffered a minor concussion from the fall she had taken when Steve had dived, to get her out of harm’s way.

  The doctors had decided to keep her in the hospital and under observation for a week just to be sure everything was okay. Steve on the other hand had received minor cuts and bruises mostly on his arms from the glass splinters. That aside he was fine and the doctors released him after treating him for his injuries.

  The police officers had later asked him what had happened. Steve told them about how the car had crashed into the café while he was talking to Grace Kingsbury, and how he had leaped at the last second and taken Ms. Kingsbury out of the perilous course of the car. He had been careful to take his gloves off before the cops could talk to him. But he could do nothing about the gun which was in the pocket of his trousers. Although his hoodie’s jacket covered the bulge of the gun Steve was worried what the cops would think if they noticed the dude found in the smashed café had a loaded gun in his pocket! But he need not have worried. Steve was relieved, and even amused to discover that the two officers were regarding him as a hero who had risked his life to save the life of another.

  He wondered how they would have reacted if he told them the truth—that he had come to murder Ms. Kingsbury and the only reason he didn’t do it was because the old lady had crashed her car into the café at the very last moment.

  But now his secret was safe, unbeknownst to the cops that the crash had prevented him from carrying out his deadly
plan.

  The officers thanked Steve for helping Ms. Kingsbury and the old lady, and for telling them all he knew, and informed him that he wouldn’t be needed for anything else. Steve couldn’t believe his good fortune. He had miraculously got out of this mess. He couldn’t believe he was free!

  It was now two days, since that event-filled evening. Was it destiny? Or was it something far greater than destiny? Could it be what his parents relentlessly spoke about … God?

  He wondered if God had anything to do with this, for the coincidence was too huge to ignore. How could the old lady have crashed her car at the very last second unless a much higher and greater power was directing her? Could it be true that the God his parents spoke so devotedly about was actually involved here? These thoughts made him uneasy.

  His mind also kept wandering back to Grace Kingsbury. He wondered how she felt. He had learned from the hospital authorities that Grace would be in the hospital, under observation, for the next few days. This was not bad news for Steve, for he would get ample opportunities to see Grace. And the thought of seeing her brought considerable excitement and joy to him.

  Steve had spent a peaceful night at a new hotel. Since he didn’t want to see or meet Riccardo yet, he had purposely checked out of the shabby little hotel he was staying earlier on, and checked into a much better hotel in a different part of the city—as soon as the hospital authorities had let him go. He still had Ricardo’s thirty thousand with him and could afford a good hotel now.

  Immediately after Steve had checked into the new hotel at eight in the morning, he had hit the sack and fallen asleep almost instantly; and he slept like he had never slept before in his life, peacefully. Ever since he had met Ricardo, Steve was not able to sleep well; he had not had one good single night’s sleep. The tormenting thought and guilt of murdering an innocent girl would continually gnaw him, robbing him of peaceful sleep. But now by a sheer quirk of fate, he was not a murderer. He was a free man, and he still had a lifetime ahead of him. He wondered how he could have made such a rash, crazy, stupid decision of committing murder. “Damn it! What was I thinking? Had the old lady, Ruth not crashed her car at that very last moment, he would have surely murdered…” Steve was surprised to discover that he couldn’t now even bear the thought of any harm coming to Grace Kingsbury.