by Donald Wells
As we slid into the booth across from them, Felicia sent me a wide smile.
“Hello Johnny, congratulations on your engine.”
“Thank you…” I said. I then looked around the bar. “Hey Thorne, where are your goons? I thought you said that next time you’d bring four.”
Felicia looked at David, and then at me.
“What’s this about?”
“Your husband visited me the other day with bruisers in tow.”
“What happened?”
“The hospital released one that day, the other one needed surgery.”
“Always the fucking hero, huh Faron?”
“I don’t know Thorne, it’s better than being Dressy Bessy.”
He said, “What the hell does that me—” and then he got it, or at least he suspected that I knew. I saw something flash in his eyes then, that was more wariness than hatred. He looked over at Tori.
“I’m actually here to speak to you.”
“About what?” Tori said.
“You met with my wife yesterday, why?”
“None of your damn business,”
“You do realize that they’ve slept together? That your goddamn boyfriend here fucked my wife?”
“No, he didn’t. He told me he didn’t and I believed him.”
Thorne tossed the photos of Felicia and I kissing onto the table. I wondered if he carried them with him everywhere he went, the way people carry around pictures of their kids.
Tori picked them up and studied them. “This isn’t sex, it’s a kiss.”
Thorne snatched the photos from her. “Must everything be spelled out for you? You fucking blonde cunt.”
Tori sprang back in her seat as if Thorne had struck her.
I snapped my fingers in front of Thorne’s eyes to get his attention.
“Insult her again and I’ll beat the pretty off your pretty boy face. Do we understand each other?”
He didn’t answer; instead, he turned to Felicia, his features a mask of distress.
“You want to leave me, don’t you? Now that Faron has money, you think that you can just walk away from me. But I won’t let that happen, I swear I won’t let that happen.”
“David, Johnny is with Tori now. He and I are over.”
Thorne ran a hand through his hair in agitation.
“Tell her you fucked him, tell her the truth.”
“Nothing happened, I swear. We kissed goodbye and then I went back to Janey’s house for a while, and then I came home.”
Tori spoke up, as she glared at Thorne.
“John arrived at my apartment in Philly only a half hour behind me. If they ‘fucked’ as you say, then it must have been a quick one, and believe me, John likes to take his time.”
Thorne glared back at Tori as if she were an insect.
She kept at him.
“Have you ever been to Philly Mr. Thorne?”
“Yes, of course,”
“Recently?”
Beneath the table, I gave Tori’s hand a squeeze. Don’t tip him off that the police are on to him.
“I was there the other night, to see a play.”
“A murder mystery?” Tori said.
I squeezed harder.
“In fact, it was.” Thorne said, and then he stared at both of us with a question in his eyes.
Felicia touched Thorne’s arm.
“David, why don’t we leave Johnny and Tori alone, as you can see, nothing happened between us.”
“I still want to know what you two talked about yesterday.”
“I told you, I was just reassuring Tori that Johnny and I are over.”
“Bullshit! Look at the two of you. If Ms. Jameson and I weren’t here you’d be under the table by now, fucking like pigs.”
I stood up.
“Okay, I think I’ve had enough, we’re out of here. Thorne, I’ve got three words for you. Leave me alone! And Felicia, I got three for you too. Leave him alone! Why the hell are you still with this guy?”
Thorne smiled up at me. “It just kills you that I have her and you don’t, doesn’t it?”
“You’re half right.” I said.
“Which half?”
I said, “You figure it out.” and hustled Tori out of the bar and toward the elevators.
She looked furious.
“That bastard really killed Marta, didn’t he?”
“I don’t know honey, he’s warped, but that warped? God only knows.”
When Thorne and Felicia walked out of the bar, Tori was facing the elevators and didn’t see them.
As Felicia walked by, she gazed at me while mouthing the words, “I love you.” and then she and Thorne were gone.
I let out a moan.
Tori stared at me, perplexed. “What was that for?”
“Nothing, absolutely nothing,”
“Those pictures of his, they were actually far less than I’d imagined; it really did look as if you were just kissing her goodbye.”
“That’s all it was, a goodbye kiss.”
Now, if only my heart and soul could follow my lips example.
39
Tori and I stood on the grounds of the Castle Estate, and watched the workmen create our future home.
Fredrick Castle, owner of a lumber mill, founded the town in 1849 and his son Howard built the estate in 1911.
Martin Castle, the last of his line, died in 1998 and bequeathed the Castle Estate to the town of Castle Ridge.
The town used part of the grounds every year for an annual picnic, but other than that, the land sat unused, and the home, once a showplace, had been deteriorating from neglect.
Ms. Lee hired a construction firm to evaluate the viability of rehabilitating the home and the word came back good. The twelve-bedroom mansion’s structure was sounder than most new dwellings, and with maintenance, would probably stand for another century.
Tori loved the look of the place, the round marble columns, the high ceilings and the filigree on the iron gates, all surrounded by rolling hills atop a high ridge, thus the origin of the town’s name, Castle Ridge.
“It’s like something out of the old south.” Tori said.
I nodded. “Yeah, but it’s being rebuilt by the nouveau riche.”
The previous few weeks had been some of the busiest of my life. After returning from New York, Tori and I had not only begun planning our wedding, but were also setting the foundations for a corporation, Faron Engines.
Ms. Lee was a godsend in helping me to navigate among the bureaucracies of both corporate America and small town government.
I not only wanted to acquire the Castle Estate from the town, but I was also in the process of building a parts factory on the property my grandfather had left me on County Road.
Both of those goals required wading through more red tape than I had the patience for, but Ms. Lee made the process look easy and in less than a month both projects were under way.
The house would be completed in a matter of months, as I threw wads of my newly acquired wealth at an eager contractor, but the factory would be a slower process.
Plant production probably wouldn’t start for another year or more, since the Faron Engines Corporation was still in its infancy.
* * *
Tori pointed to an ancient tree, which sat fifty yards from the south side of the house.
“That tree is huge; it’s probably older than the house.”
“It is.”
She took my hand. “Let’s go take a look at it.”
I hesitated. “Um, there’s something you should know about that tree.”
“What? Why the look, is it haunted?”
I sighed. “In a way, yeah.”
Tori headed for the tree. “Now you’ve got me curious.”
When we reached the tree, Tori ran her hands over the various carvings.
“My God, there are so many names.”
The tree was a jumble of heart-shaped carvings, all filled with the names or initials of lo
vers.
The bottom ten feet of the trunk was so densely carved that only a scarce bit of bark remained. Higher up, were newer and more easily read names, and higher still, at the very top of the trunk, directly below the tangle of multitudinous branches, was carved the largest and most easily read heart.
Tori recited it with a resigned tone in her voice.
“JOHNNY AND FELICIA—FOREVER,”
“I was eighteen when I climbed up there and carved that, seems a lifetime ago.”
Tori squinted. “What’s that in the middle of your heart… a clock face?”
“Yeah, it was sort of a private joke.”
Tori stared into my eyes. “Call one of the workmen over here and have them sand it off.”
I blinked rapidly in surprise. “It bothers you that much?”
“Will you do it?”
I didn’t answer. I simply turned and called over the general contractor, but, before the man could take three steps, Tori waved him off.
“I was only kidding John. I don’t need you to erase your past to have a future with me.”
“You weren’t kidding me. You were testing me.”
She nodded. “Yes I was; I’m sorry.”
I kissed her. “You’re my future, my wife.”
“And Felicia, what is she to you now?”
“She’s part of my past, a big part, but she’s behind me.”
“She’s not behind you yet, not until this Thorne business is settled. I know you’re worried about her. What does Bill say? Do they know if he’s the one they’re looking for yet?”
“Bill hasn’t said much at all, but I’m meeting him for lunch, so maybe I’ll learn something then.”
“What happens if Thorne goes to prison?”
I shrugged. “Then, Felicia can get on with her life, find someone else, and maybe have children.”
“And does that bother you?”
“All I’ve ever wanted was for her to be happy.”
Tori gave me a kiss.
“What’s that for?”
“For being a good man, I know she broke your heart when she cheated on you; a lot of men would be bitter, you’re not.”
I kissed her back. “I was rescued by an angel in the depths of my despair.”
“I was no angel; I was just hot for you.”
“And now?”
Tori smiled and made a sizzling sound. “Ssssssssss,”
I glanced back at the house. “I wonder if any of the bedrooms are inhabitable yet?”
* * *
Bill and I met at the diner and were waited on by Janey.
“Hi guys!”
“How’s married life?” I asked.
“You’ll soon find out. Tori tells me that you’ve set a date.”
“Yes we have, three of them so far, when Tori finally settles on one, we’ll send you an invitation.”
Janey nodded. “I was the same way; you just want everything to be perfect, you know?”
“I know.”
“So, what can I get you guys?”
We drank coffee while we waited for our food to arrive.
Bill looked tired; he’d been dividing his time between Castle Ridge and New York.
“What’s the progress on the PLATINUM case?”
“Thorne is not our only suspect anymore. He had a classmate at Hobbes by the name of Jerold Rainer. We now believe that Rainer was our rapist, while Thorne committed the murders.”
I leaned back in my seat. “I’ve met Jerry, and so have you. He’s the one that filmed me hitting Thorne outside the bar years ago. You know, the fact that there are two of them would make sense. The victims in this area were all raped first and then killed, yet, while Thorne traveled in Europe and Asia, he was alone, without his buddy Rainer, so no rapes. What about all the missing women? What’s the theory there?”
Bill let loose a sigh. “No theories, just suppositions. We’ve followed Thorne for over a month now and all we know for sure is that he visits Rainer frequently in Manhattan. Rainer owns a townhouse on the upper east side.”
“I see in the paper where another woman went missing. How could that happen if you were following them?”
“She disappeared right under our noses. We have film of Thorne dressed like a woman and talking to a hitchhiker, the woman gets in his Hummer, or at least we think she got in, but when we had him pulled over the woman was gone.”
“How is that possible? Did he shove her from the Hummer?”
“It was a rainy night, the car’s got tinted windows… and the angle was bad. It looks like she opened the door to get in, but maybe she just walked away. Either way, it was a major blunder on our part. Thorne now knows he’s being watched, and he’s probably warned Rainer too.”
Janey arrived with our food.
“Here you go, oh and Johnny, I saw you being interviewed on TV last night, it’s so weird watching someone you grew up with become famous.”
“And yet it hasn’t changed me, here I sit in your humble establishment.”
“I expect a kickass tip too.”
“You got it.” I said. Then, Janey told us to holler if we wanted anything, and went to wait on another table.
“Bill, is Felicia in danger?”
“I’d be lying if I said no, but I’ve checked and there seems to be no history of domestic violence between them.”
“Arrest him. Arrest Thorne and Rainer and search their homes.”
“It’s not that easy. Both of these men are extremely rich, both very smart. Thorne may be another Ted Bundy, but he’s Ted Bundy with eighty million dollars at his disposal, that buys a lot of legal firepower… it also buys access. Garner believes that Thorne may now have a spy on the Task Force.”
“Jesus, then he may know everything that’s going on.”
“Yes, including the fact that you’re the one that led us to him. But we’ll get him, it may take time to build a case, but we’ll get him.”
“And in the meantime Felicia just goes on living with a madman, huh?”
Bill put down his fork and glared at me.
“Hey, you’re not the only one that’s worried about her. I’ve known that girl longer than you have and it breaks my heart that she’s with that psycho, but what can we do? It’s her choice. I warned you a long time ago that she had baggage, that growing up in that house, with domestic violence, well, maybe it’s warped her. Maybe on some level she really does love Thorne; after all, she’s staying with him for some reason.”
“I can’t let anything happen to her Bill, and I swear, if I knew for certain that he had tried to kill Tori… I’d kill the son of a bitch, I swear I would.”
“Stay out of this John. I want you to promise me you’ll stay away from Thorne and let us handle it.”
“I will, I promise, but make sure you get him, and soon.”
Bill stared at me a moment longer, and then decided to change the subject.
“How’s the house coming along?”
“Great, Tori’s got the whole thing under control; it should be ready by the time we’re married.”
“I sold mine you know; right now I’m staying with my brother.”
“What are you going to do when the PLATINUM case is over?”
He shrugged. “Come back to town, I’m still on the force here.”
“How would you like to be Faron Engines head of security? Believe me; it comes with a huge bump in pay and a great incentive package.”
He grinned at me. “Are you offering me a job?”
“I need people around me I can trust. Who do I trust more than you?”
“Thank you for the offer Mr. Faron, I’ll think about it.”
We sat quietly for a few moments while we finished our meal, and then Bill asked me a question.
“This job offer, would I be working with Ms. Lee by any chance?”
“Like two peas in a pod.”
Bill sighed. “Now that woman has one nice incentive package.”
I laughed. �
�I’m glad to see that you’ve noticed, you know, for a while there, Tori and I were worried about you.”
“I miss Cindy like the dickens, but I can’t imagine being alone the rest of my life.”
“What if Ms. Lee turns out not to be Miss Right?”
“Miss Right? John I’ve been alone for nearly a year, I’m not looking for Miss Right; I’m looking for Miss Right Damn Now.”
I laughed again and then waved Janey over for the check.
40
Tori and I were back in New York, she, to find a wedding dress, and I, to be interviewed and photographed for the cover of a weekly news magazine.
While Tori shopped and had lunch with Carol, her friend and former assistant, Ms. Lee and I met with one of the leading photographers in the world, for a publicity campaign that Universal Motors had cooked up.
The publisher had a real-sized model made of my engine and painted with a map of the globe. They then had me stand atop my spherical creation while wearing a suit and smiling. They took numerous other photos but assured me that the globe shot would most likely make the cover.
The interview and photo shoot were over earlier than expected and so I asked Ms. Lee if she’d care to join me for lunch.
“Oh, I’m sorry but I already have plans, your friend Bill Healy, he’s in the city and he’s taking me to lunch today.”
“That’s nice; you know I’ve asked him to be our head of security.”
“Yes, we had a pleasant conversation while I explained what his duties would be if he took the job.”
“Well then, I guess I’m on my own. I’ll see you back in Castle Ridge tomorrow Ms. Lee.”
“Goodbye John, tell Tori I said hello.”
I said, “Will do,” as I enjoyed watching her walk away. I then checked the time and saw that I still had hours to kill until Tori’s expected return from shopping. As I was strolling past a newsstand, a headline caught my attention.
POLICE ARE CLOSE TO NABBING PLATINUM
I wondered if the headline was true. Something was up. Bill had been summoned to New York rather suddenly, while only revealing that there had been a development concerning Rainer, Thorne’s assumed accomplice.
Once back in my hotel room, I began to pace. Lately, I had been quietly going out of my mind with worry for Felicia.