by SUE FINEMAN
“Luke has something in the works.”
Charley said, “Well, hey! If you need some help...”
Laura smiled. “Charley, you’ll be the first one I call. Thanks for helping today.”
“I won’t ever shop at Windsor Floors again,” muttered Margaret Shaeffer.
A few people started to laugh and the tension eased. “Since I managed to ruin your breakfast, there’s no charge today.”
“Ruined?” said Charley. “Hell, I can’t remember havin’ so much fun. Haven’t threatened a peace officer since I was a kid.”
The remaining tension evaporated in their laughter, and they all paid for breakfast.
Until Queenie died, Laura didn’t realize how many friends she had in Kingston. She didn’t have much money, but today she felt like the richest person in town.
<>
Later that evening, Barbara sat in the living room at the ranch listening to Laura tell her and Luke what happened in the café that morning.
“I didn’t mean to spoil your plans, but I couldn’t stand to have Bobby Wharton in the café looking at me as if I wasn’t wearing any clothes.”
“Of course you couldn’t,” said Barbara. She knew how hard that must have been for Laura. “Good thing Jay was there.”
“If he and Charley and Marv and the others hadn’t stood up for me, I don’t know what I would have done.”
Barbara had given a lot of thought about what to do to Earl besides ruin his business. She wanted him to be humiliated beyond anything he could imagine and she knew just how to do it.
She told Luke and Laura about her plan to embarrass Earl, and Laura laughed so hard, tears streamed down her face. Luke didn’t look so happy, but this little scam was for the women Earl had brutalized. Barbara had held her hate for Earl inside her for far too long. Seeing Laura’s sweet bruised face made her realize that they had to do something to keep Earl from hurting another woman like he’d hurt them. She didn’t have the courage to do something like this before, but she did now. She wanted to get him where he lived, to humiliate him in public.
“Are you sure this will work, Mom?” asked Luke.
“I don’t know why not. What do you think, Laura?”
“I love it. His high-powered friends won’t have anything to do with him when we get finished with him.”
Luke asked, “Is that what Jay was doing with those video cameras at the motel?”
“You didn’t think we were going to do this and not get it on film, did you?” said Barbara.
Laura and Luke gazed at each other and smiled. Barbara wondered what was going on. “What are you two up to?”
“Nothing,” said Luke. “You and Jay can do it all by yourselves.”
She jumped to her feet and gathered the empty glasses from the coffee table. “Are you trying to set us up together?”
Laura smiled. “Don’t you like Jay?”
“Of course I do, but...”
“But what? He needs a good woman to make him behave himself. He needs a wife.”
“A wife?” Surely they were kidding.
Luke followed her to the kitchen. “Don’t fight it, Mom. Laura is determined to find Jay a wife.”
“For God’s sake, Luke. I barely know the man.”
Laura stood in the doorway behind them. “I’d think about marrying him myself if I was twenty years older.”
This was ridiculous. Jay had a certain charm, but he wasn’t the kind of man she’d ever pictured herself with. Besides, she’d been married and hated it. She stabbed her finger at them. “You two keep your noses out of my love life.”
“C’mon, Mom. All we did was introduce you.”
“The rest is up to you and Jay,” said Laura. “If you don’t want him, I’ll find someone who does.”
Without thinking, Barbara said, “Don’t get in a hurry about that, now.”
Luke fell against the cabinet laughing, and Barbara groaned. She’d walked right into that one.
“He’s lonesome,” said Laura.
So was she, and she liked Jay’s upbeat personality, but marriage? No way! Barbara rinsed the glasses and put them in the dishwasher.
Barbara changed the subject back to Earl. “Let’s take care of Earl next week.”
She’d have to shop for the right outfit to wear, including a mask of some kind. Her picture had been in the newspaper and on television a few times after she won the lottery, and she didn’t want to take the chance of Earl recognizing her.
Luke started talking about business. “Laura, we’ll have to shut down for a few days while they work on the parking lot, and the roofers are supposed to come at the end of the month. I’ll try to schedule it all at the same time, so we won’t have to close too long.”
Laura looked stricken. “Close?”
“It’s okay, Laura,” said Barbara. “You can close for a week or so. You don’t want your customers listening to that noise, and the whole area’s gonna stink when they redo that parking lot. You have all the right ingredients for a very successful business, young lady. With a little addition, you could double your business and make that buffet really pay off. Remember, you’re going to lose space when that special table goes in.”
Cocking her head, Laura asked, “What special table?”
“The one I ordered,” said Luke.
Laura’s jaw dropped. “You did that without talking to me first?”
“Judy said that’s what you wanted.”
“But I thought we’d see how it worked out first.”
Sensing an argument brewing, Barbara herded Luke and Laura back to the living room. “Honey, that Sunday brunch fills up the place. You can do that every day, but you have to keep the food the right temperature. You need that table.”
Laura sighed, then nodded. “You’re right.”
“I think we should go ahead with plans for that addition,” said Luke. “We don’t have to build it right away, but we can get the plans drawn up and the material on order.”
“Okay.” Things were changing so quickly Laura always felt one step behind. She’d never dreamed that business at Queenie’s could be so good. If not for Luke’s corporation and the money he’d pumped into her business, they wouldn’t be doing this well. If he wanted to close for a few days, she wouldn’t argue.
Luke paced to the window and back. “Jay’s talking about adding some covered parking for the apartments, one space for each apartment.”
“The way you keep adding things, this is going to cost more than the property’s worth.”
“I don’t think so. You’ll be bringing in a lot more money this way. Five people have already put deposits on the new apartments, and Jay plans to stay. That’s six. Meg wants one. That’s seven. Rusty and Morris’s apartment makes eight. You can’t count on them paying, but they have to live somewhere.”
“I don’t care, Luke. Rusty works for his rent, and so can Morris. He already does a few things for me, like sweep up and keep the laundry room clean. He washed the windows for Dad, and he loves flowers, so we’ll let him take care of the landscaping after it goes in.” Rusty and Morris had lived at the motel for years, and they were proud of being able to earn their rent.
“Speaking of your father, I offered him a job managing the apartments.”
“He told me.” She sat on the sofa. “You don’t think I can manage the apartments and the café by myself?”
He sat beside her. “Sure you could, but I thought you might like him and Florence to come back. He needs a steady income, and he’s not earning anything there. If he agrees to come back, we’ll see about adding more apartments or something behind the motel. The land goes way back, so we may as well use it.”
“Dad talked about putting in a trailer park or campground for the snowbirds back there at one time, but Queenie wouldn’t let him. She wouldn’t let him do anything.” That was part of the reason for Dad’s bitterness. He’d watched the motel fall into disrepair, and there was nothing he could do about it because Queenie
owned the property. He couldn’t do anything without her approval.
“I was thinking about something more permanent, like duplexes big enough for families with kids.”
Barbara sat on the arm of the sofa. “Sounds like a good idea. I never planned for our corporation to get involved with apartments, but why not, as long as our partners manage them.”
Laura turned to Barbara. “Would you mind if I ask Florence to help with this thing we have planned for Earl? She’s the one who asked him to give me a special deal on flooring for the café, and she feels bad about what happened.”
“Of course not,” said Barbara. “Why would you even ask?”
“She was a prostitute, and—”
Barbara flapped her hand. “So was Meg, years ago. She’s my best friend now.”
Laura gaped. “Sweet little Meg?”
“Florence can help me pick out an outfit to wear that night.”
Barbara was rewarded by Laura’s warm smile. Nice girl, so much better suited for Luke than the other young women he’d been dating. Most of them paid too much attention to the lottery money, but not Laura. She didn’t spend a nickel of Luke’s money except on business, and then only what she thought was necessary. She was hard-working, conscientious, reliable, and pleasant to be around. Laura liked Luke for himself and not because he could get his hands on a great deal of money.
<>
Laura made her first call to Earl the next day. Luke listened in on the extension. “Earl, please take the lien off my property. I’ll pay the money. I wasn’t trying to cheat you out of what I owe you.”
“You know what I want.”
“Can you give me a few more days?”
“If I don’t hear from you by mid-week, I’ll be over, and this time, you’re gonna put out, you little bitch.”
She hung up the phone, her hands shaking. “I’ve never hated anyone like this, not even Queenie. She never hit me but her words stung like a slap in the face.”
“Not even a spanking when you were little?”
“No.”
Earl would do more than spank her if he got her alone again.
<>
Florence stood on the dock watching people fishing out on the lake. Not a single one of those people had bought bait or rented a boat from them. She dumped the dead bait off the end of the dock and watched the fish snatch it up. A big fish from down deep came up quickly, but it wasn’t a fish. It was an alligator. Its mouth opened and a whole bunch of little fish disappeared.
Here she stood in her bare feet, afraid to move, while mosquitoes swarmed around her and the swamp chickens chattered. The alligator disappeared under the water. It was a small one, not more than five feet or so, but there were plenty of them in the lake. The dog down the way always barked at the gators when they got close. Last night he barked, there was a loud splash, and the dog let out a yelp. The water thrashed and she knew the dog would never bark again. Bruce slept through it, but she cried the rest of the night. She didn’t want to live another day in this godawful place.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Bruce called, “Florence, Laura’s on the phone.”
The alligator surfaced. “Get outta here, you nasty creature. My baby is on the phone.” She threw the plastic bait container at the gator and ran inside as the plastic snapped in the gator’s mouth.
Oh, yes, they had to get out of this place.
<>
Friday afternoon, Florence drove into the parking lot at the café. Laura ran out to give her a big hug. “I’m so glad to see you.” In the beginning, Laura didn’t think she’d ever feel close to her natural mother, but every time they spoke on the phone, Florence gave her much needed words of encouragement, and she always said she loved her. It felt good to have a parent show her some affection. Dad was always there for her, but he didn’t show her any affection.
“How’s Dad?”
“He’s doin’ just fine, now we got somebody interested in the property.”
Laura gave her a tour of the new apartments and helped her settle into one of the finished units, the one with Dad’s old furniture.
The apartments were nearly finished inside except for the manager’s apartment. Rusty and Morris had moved into their apartment, and Meg would move in next week.
“We’re completely re-doing the manager’s apartment, but I’m not sure what Luke has in mind, except the apartment will be bigger. I haven’t seen the plans yet.”
They were inspecting the kitchen when Florence turned to Laura. “Honey, I’m so sorry ’bout what Earl did to you.”
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know what he’d do.” Laura showed her the bathroom and walk-in closet. “Florence, how did you know Earl before? Was he a good friend?”
“He and Hank was buddies.”
Laura had to make herself breathe evenly. She didn’t want Florence to know she’d been snooping. “Who is Hank?”
“My husband. He died, drowned in the river.” Florence immediately changed the subject. “Why don’t you show me what you’ve done in the café?”
“You won’t recognize it.”
They walked over and Florence oohed and aahed over the new look of the café. “I love it! It’s just as cute as can be.”
Laura introduced Florence and Judy and told Florence about the new all-you-can-eat buffet. “We already do a Sunday brunch, and that works pretty well.”
“Purty well, hell,” said Judy. “This place is packed on Sundays.”
“Judy thinks we can serve more people with the buffet,” said Laura. “It’s hard to cook and watch the front at the same time, so one person can’t handle it all now anyway.”
“Queenie didn’t have no problems with that, did she?”
“She only had two or three customers at a time, if that. We have twelve regulars, people who are here nearly every morning for breakfast, others who always come for lunch, and whole families that come in at least once a week for dinner. Sunday morning after church lets out, the place fills up.”
Florence giggled. “I wonder if Queenie’s got room to turn over in that coffin. She’d hate this. In a few short months you’ve done what she couldn’t do in twenty years.”
Laura’s throat was too full to speak. Her mother was proud of her. Queenie had given her constant criticism, and Florence beamed with pride.
<>
Monday morning Laura called Earl again. “I have a friend who said she’d pay my installment this week.”
“I don’t want any damn friend. It’s your debt. You pay it.”
“If you don’t like her, I’ll pay you, too.”
“When?”
“Tonight around nine, at the motel, room five. It’s right in front. My friend’s name is Priscilla.”
“She a hooker?”
“Just someone who owes me a big favor. That’s why she’s doing this. You won’t hurt her, will you? You said before if I’d cooperate, you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“I won’t hurt her as long as she does what I want,” said Earl.
What were they doing? She understood Barbara’s desire to get revenge, but this was dangerous. Someone could get hurt.
Chapter Fourteen
Barbara and Florence went shopping Monday morning. The outfit Florence suggested would keep Earl’s eyes on Barbara’s body instead of her face, but just in case, they chose a little mask, a big blond wig, and a cute little head piece that matched the black leather outfit.
Barbara picked up a short black whip.
“Good idea,” said Florence. “Do you smoke?”
“Not now, but I did at one time. Why?”
“How ’bout a cigar? Wavin’ that thing around might keep him back a step or two.”
After a stop at the shoe store, they returned to the motel to have dinner at the café and get ready for Earl.
The café was closed that day, and Judy had gone to visit her daughter in Ft. Lauderdale. The others involved in the scam were there – Barbara and Jay, Luk
e and Laura, Florence, and Meg. Jay had the cameras rigged, and Barbara had her outfit and props ready.
Barbara could almost taste the excitement in the air. The thought of seeing Earl again turned her stomach, but she was determined to make it work. He deserved to be humiliated, and if she could coax a confession out of him and they got it on camera, they’d have him right where they wanted him.
<>
Laura and Florence helped Barbara get ready that night. She was dressed in black leather shorts and a matching vest. The vest had a zipper in front and was so tight, her breasts bulged out the top. The zipper was down just far enough to give Earl an eyeful. Her shorts were cut low on top and high on the bottom, leaving little to the imagination. She put on her Dolly Parton wig and added three pairs of false eyelashes. The little black leather mask went on next.
Barbara looked in the mirror and adjusted the vest. “Not bad for forty-three, huh?”
“Not bad for any age,” said Laura. Barbara was a fine looking woman with a dynamite figure. She didn’t look old enough to be Luke’s mother, especially dressed in that outfit.
“Don’t forget this.” Florence handed her the headpiece and helped her fasten it in place. When they finished, all Laura could see of the headpiece were the two little black horns sticking out of the bushy blond wig.
“I always wondered what I’d look like with big hair,” Barbara muttered, fluffing the curls with her fingers.
Luke and Jay walked in, and Jay’s mouth dropped open. He couldn’t take his eyes off Barbara.
Luke squirmed with discomfort. “Nobody’s mother should look like that.”
Jay walked around Barbara, looking her over from head to toe. “She don’t look like nobody’s mama in that little thing.” He shook his hand. “Ooh, baby, you’re hot!”
“Stop drooling, Jay,” said Laura. “You can play when this is finished.”
Barbara pointed to the little walkie-talkie Jay held. “What’s that for?”
“Meg’s watchin’ for Earl. She’ll let us know when he gets here. Sure you’re ready for this?”
“I’m ready. Don’t worry and don’t fuss. I’ll be fine.” She snapped her whip.