"The other short term is exciting." Kevin reached and got a swig of beer. "A small house on a dead-end street, in an out of the way place, but pretty close to campus."
Kaley's brows knitted slightly. "Mom's so pumped we're living in the Zelman home with her our first year of college."
Kevin leaned over with the beer. "Just a taste."
Kaley gave him a tender stroke on the back as she sipped a slight sip.
Kevin took the beer from Kaley's lips and looked at her when he stood up. "We are living at home, but it makes sense to have a small place in case we're stuck late at school, or—"
"Stuck late at school?" Kami shook her head with the big cigar in her mouth. She looked at Kaley and at Kevin before she revealed her concern. "I worked my ass off to get caught up and into that stupid college." Her brows went higher up her forehead as she shook her head. "More studying with more babies will kick my ass. Hard."
"It won't be hard." Kaley pointed to herself and Kevin. "And you have us." She pointed both hands at Kevin. "And I think you didn't hear his 'or' on the end of that."
"The first 'or' is the obvious 'or' that we won't have to worry about if we have a place for just the three of us. Think on it." Kevin grinned.
A sly grin slipped onto Kami's face. "I think that 'or' means one sister won't have to be standing guard at the bedroom door—" She looked at her expecting older sister expectantly.
Kaley shifted the unlit cigar in her mouth to wait for Kevin's undivided attention. "While the other sister lets her guard down."
"And gets to get down," Kami said with her girlish giggle.
After they laughed about that, they all thought about that with pleasant smiles at the pleasure that would bring.
"There is one more selling point that's better than the oversized lot in an older area where the teardown surge is already surging." Kevin smiled at that teaser to tease them for a few moments. "In case a killing opportunity comes our way."
Kami smiled a sweet smile until her brows went up again.
"What?" Kevin hid his pleasure at reading that on her beautiful face.
"I think I'll see a killing opportunity every time some slutty college girl sluts herself up to you." Kami's face reddened at the sight of what she saw in her mind.
"Are you kidding, I'm worried shitless about that happening to you." He pointed at Kaley after he pointed at Kami. "And you."
Kaley laughed. "Guys, we're not going anywhere ... And were not letting anyone in."
Kevin wanted to believe that so badly, but there was something he had to say. "Look, you two are both smart. Both beautiful. Both normal. I want you to leave with someone. If you find the right someone."
"Shut the fuck up!" Kaley smiled after she delivered that angrily.
Kevin snorted into laughter along with Kami.
"Pissed-off pregnant lady. Works every time." Kaley pretended her thumb and finger was a pistol and she was blowing the smoke off the barrel after an expert shot.
Kevin sat down and propped his legs up on the table.
Kaley's brows went up as she pointed to the old broken intercom that had been silent for a while. "They can't be saying nothing for this long. Not with Mom in the room."
That brought some laughter.
Kevin explained, "You heard it in the upstairs hall, but maybe there's no intercom in the baby room."
Kaley was already leaning over and digging in her purse. She sat the listening device for a baby monitor on the table and pushed the button.
Kate's voice whispered softly, "Don't say anything to Kaley about the baby unless she brings it up." There was a pause after that, and her next whisper was even softer, "I think Kami's pregnant too."
Kevin thought the concern that sent Kami's brows up was funny, but he kept his face blank.
Kate whispered with a little more volume and excitement, "Both my girls have been such good mothers. I'm not mad, worried, or anything about the teen pregnancies. Not anything, but happy. Does that make me a bad mother?"
"No, Honey," Beth's sweet voice whispered.
"No way," Taylor tried to whisper.
There was quiet after that as Karey made a little sleeping sound.
"And Kevin's as good a father as the girls are good mothers, " Frank said.
Kaley leaned over and pushed the button to shut the device down. "You are a great father."
"You are," Kami seconded.
Kevin took that praise. It felt good to get that praise. He sat up straight and spoke straight from the heart. "Short term, we get through college. Fast. Kaley goes to law school. Kami does acting and whatever—"
"Journalism," Kami said quickly.
"I'm already putting other deals together." Kevin looked off and stroked his neck. "One could set us up. For a long time." He liked how confident they looked about that happening. "Once our careers are on track, maybe down the line, if we're all still together—"
"Cut the 'if' crap, Brother." Kaley arched a brow to punctuate that.
"We have another batch of babies." Kevin shut his mouth. That was his plan. The real plan. The plan every other plan led to.
"Another batch or two," Kaley said.
"Or, three," Kami said.
Kevin hopped up and got between them and felt a kind of superhuman strength as he pulled them in their chairs to him. "That's my plan."
"And if we get the urge?" Kaley asked timidly, but honestly.
"I think now that we have kids, we have to stop killing." Kami looked as disappointed as the others, but she tried to put a better look on her face as she modified that, "Not mercy killing."
Kaley nodded and looked thoughtful. "That helped. That poor girl."
Kevin nodded as he thought of the woman they helped die. She was wasting away, day by day, anyway, but it seemed so cruel she had to endure that cruelty daily. He felt the mercy of that mercy killing as he added his thought, "I don't ever feel much, but seeing those pictures of her ballet dancing and seeing her looking like that in that bed—" He thought of how that hard memory stuck with him. He thought it was odd because he saw much more gruesome images when he and his sisters killed, but they didn't come back like that one did. He reasoned it was because of what they discussed before. That young ballet dancer didn't deserve the hand she was dealt. The others deserved the death blows he and his deadly sisters dealt them. That made him smile.
Kami smiled back because she was in on it.
Kevin waited until Kaley was looking at her hand. "Now there is one deserving killing we could do."
Kaley looked up and looked intrigued. "I'm listening."
Kevin nodded to Kami.
Kami spread out her hand as she spoke. "A certain detective forced into retirement. Drank up the little money he had."
Kevin couldn't stop grinning. "After his life came crashing down on him, he ended up crashing in a trashy apartment downtown."
"Guys—" Kaley pointed to her stomach.
Kami leaned over and rubbed the stomach. "We don't want to piss off the pissed-off pregnant lady, so we'll do the luring, the binding—"
"While the pregnant pretty does the torturing and killing?" Kaley smiled a beautiful smile when they nodded. She patted her own girth from the growth of the small human. "Well, little girl, the doctor said I should get a little exercise in." She looked at Kevin. "When?"
"Anytime, from around six to nine at night," Kevin said, "I have his drinking schedule and that's when he double-times it."
"During the day, he has to stay a little sober to pick up cans and bottles—" Kami grinned an evil grin that still looked pretty on her. "Or beg for charity."
Kaley tried to push her chair back.
Kevin got behind it and pulled her back. He helped her out of the chair and had to keep from laughing to do it. He felt her touch to the side of his face before the kiss on the lips.
"Tell the stupid McConnells they can keep Karey for the night," Kaley said to Kevin.
Kami pulled Kevin when his embrace with Kale
y ended. "Tell Mom to do what she wants with Frank—"
"I think with Uncle Frank, she 'wants' lately," Kaley said.
"Really?" Kevin was surprised to hear that, but he knew the source and didn't doubt that. He looked back at Kami.
"And tell her we want to party kid-style before the baby comes." Kami mimicked Kevin's handsome man brow flash he was getting better at before she pulled him in for a sensual kiss on the lips.
Kevin walked briskly, but he let his ability to focus on his hearing do some intense focusing and the soft exchange he heard made him smile before he delivered the news that would make more people smile like that.
"We're so lucky," Kami whispered.
"So damn lucky, Kaley whispered.
****
The apartment they assumed the formerly successful detective was squatting in was as squalid as you could imagine. Kevin thought it was funny that the 'torture' Kaley wanted to inflict on Detective Willard was telling how they committed all the crimes in great detail.
Bill Willard was apparently sober after hearing the sobering details that were narrated by pregnant Kaley over his bound and gagged body on a smelly single bed mattress.
Kevin handed Kaley the odd instrument he found in a kitchen drawer.
"I'm surprised you don't know what that is, Brother." Kami pointed.
Kaley held it up close to the horrified eyes of the former detective. "It's an ice pick for breaking up ice."
Kevin placed it then. "They used to use that for primitive lobotomies."
Kaley grinned at that little hint she gave tapping into his wealth of knowledge. "For?"
"Allegedly insane people, but sometimes for women who were judged hysterical," Kevin answered.
Kami patted Kaley on the back. "It's a good thing women like us weren't around back then when men treated women like shit."
"Amen, Sister." Kaley got to the side of Bill's head and put the point to his temple on that side.
Kevin saw there was a little slack, so he went to the other side and used his strong gloved hands to hold the head in place.
Kami got at the end of the bed and held Bill's bound legs down just in case.
Kevin was curious and knew Kaley wouldn't mind the interrupting line of questioning. She was his sister he loved more than a sister. She answered everything he asked. "Why the brain?"
"As an admirer of men with brains, Brother, I have to admit Detective Bill Willard had brains." Kaley looked at his forehead like she was seeing his brain and admiring.
"You said you admired my brain, Sis. Is this how I'm going to go?" He thought he might be putting a smirk on when she looked at him. That's what he was shooting for.
"Assuming you piss me off enough—" Kaley shrugged. "Probably."
They laughed at that.
Kevin felt Kami looking at him. He took a wild guess. "How are you going to do me in?"
"Too many possibilities." Kami had to pause to giggle. "But, I'll let you know."
Another round of laughter followed.
Kevin held the man's head down and watched Kaley push the ice pick slowly into his temple. He marveled at how deftly she did that. Like a skilled surgeon. He watched the bizarre reactions of the man that probably weren't so bizarre considering what was happening to him. The most interesting part was watching Detective Bill's face as the handle of the pick was worked to move the shaft inside his head. He watched Kaley after that, as she slowly extracted and slowly inserted the oversized needle before she cranked the handle to stir the brains up again. She was doing something she enjoyed, and it made her happy. He realized he might never feel a feeling like that, but the feeling he got from giving her that feeling, made him feel more than he'd felt before.
Once it was obvious the man was dead, they looked at each other.
That peaceful moment of satisfaction was disrupted by the sound of a person being flung against the wall, somewhere down the hallway in another rundown apartment that was likely being squatted in.
"Get the fuck out!" the sound of a drunk and violent man carried the distance through the thin walls.
Kaley looked at her siblings. "If you two do the heavy lifting, I'm up for a two-for-one."
They all smiled and nodded and went about getting another kill to complement the kill they already killed.
****
The three close Rileys ended up at the diner again. Clara showed up and apologized to Kevin first, "You know I'm always all about you honey."
"She can be your favorite tonight, Clara." Kevin turned and smiled at Kaley. "She deserves it."
"Yes, she does." Clara winked at Kaley. "What'll you have, Honey?"
"Double cheese-burger, no onions. Lots of pickles—" Kaley seemed to be thinking on it.
Kami looked at Clara. "Just bring a plate of pickles."
"I'll have the same," Kevin said.
"Me too," Kami said.
Clara gave Kevin the sweet pats a sweet grandmother would give before she left.
"Guys?" Kaley was instantly emotional with watery eyes and a few tears rolling. "Are you doing that, so your food won't make me nauseous?"
Kevin thought it was so interesting to watch what the hormones were doing to the emotions of his less emotional sister. He knew he should be sensitive, but he thought being truthful would be more fun. "Hell, no. Not nauseous. Jealous."
Kami giggled before she helped him out. "You do have so much food envy. I thought you were going to jump me for my ice cream last night."
They waited until Kaley admitted to that with a robust laugh.
Clara brought them an assortment of milkshakes without asking.
Kevin took the one vanilla shake but handed it to Kaley when he saw her looking at it jealously.
Kami took his straw out, put it in her chocolate shake glass, and slid that to the center, so they could share. That went on for a sip each when she responded to her sister's look. "Are you seriously jealous of our one shake when you have two?"
"Both kinds?" Kevin added.
That got them laughing again.
Kaley settled back in the booth.
Kevin pushed the table as far as it would go toward Kami.
"I can't stop thinking about all the future thinking you've been doing Kevin." Kaley gave Kevin an adoring look.
Kevin put his arm around Kaley. "I think if we work smart, our smarts will get us enough money to—" He thought about the things they could do.
"Screw off?" Kami said.
Kevin nodded before he looked serious. "And do the things in life we really want to do."
"Not just killing," Kaley said like a statement and not a question.
"Killing." Kevin retained the serious look. "Mercy killing, opportunity killing, well-planned and executed killing." He stroked his strong chin and thought strongly. "That's something we have to do." He didn't bother to think much on how to describe it. "Like taking a dump."
Kami giggled. "I think the analogy of craving a certain food not all the time, but sometimes, still fits better." She stroked down her long slender neck slowly with a single slender finger and watched him watching that.
Kevin had to think of how sensual that looked. He looked around to see if other men were looking at that. That made him think of being jealous. He left that thought when he saw he was the only man noticing and enjoying that. "You're right. But all those needs, and urges are—" He sat up when he thought of a better way to put it. "Remember the needs-ranking stuff we discussed?"
"Yes—" Kaley had to stretch before she could finish. "Satisfying the base needs first. Food, shelter. Staying safe. Once the basics are satisfied, finding satisfaction for yourself."
Kevin smiled with appreciation of her take on the prior conversation.
Kami gave what she took from the discussion. "Realizing potential." She smiled the sweet version of her pretty smile. "I call it dream-reaching. I have big dreams." She looked like she was looking ahead at the realization of those big dreams.
"I know you do." Kevin h
oped his look at Kami looked as supportive as he wanted it to be.
"Being an artist." Kami smiled at that. "I think ... Down the line ... I want to act." She monitored their faces closely and had a little worry line etched. Like she worried they would make fun of that or tell her she couldn't do that.
"I already told you I thought you'd be awesome at acting." Kevin grinned. "And I wasn't saying that in that bathroom just to get some bathroom action."
They had a good laugh over that.
After the laughter died down, Kaley smiled lovingly at Kami, and spoke convincingly, "I think you can study acting if you want to, but you don't need to."
"And you?" Kevin asked Kaley.
Kaley thought on that. "I want to raise these kids—" She smiled a coy smile at Kevin. "And any more kids we have well." She grinned. "Screw that. I want to raise the crap out of those little Rileys."
Kevin laughed along with them at that. "You and Kami are great mothers. You'll only get greater." He let them both bask in the glow of that praise before he looked at Kaley. "Whatever you want to do. I want you to do it. I know you can do anything you set your mind to." He knew he had to look honest because he honestly believed that. "What do you want to do? Really want to do?"
Kaley looked like she was thinking so hard. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked a little frustrated. "Like I said, be a good mother." She got a hard thinking look, but a thought took it away as quickly as it came. "Be a good wife." The anger hit her face quickly. "Though society is still so Goddamn backwards I can't do it up all nice and legal." She looked straight into Kevin's eyes and her anger melted away as she summed it up, "My dream is to be the best wife and mother, I can be. To my family."
Kevin saw Kami raise her hand.
"I want that one too," Kami said.
"Me too." Kevin thought he noticed his questioning put some pressure on Kaley. He didn't mean for that to happen. "I don't know the one thing in life I want to do the most." He chuckled. "I've been down more Asperger's rabbit holes than there are—" He laughed. "Rabbit holes." He enjoyed them laughing at that. "But, I've never felt something that strong. Never felt that one thing that would fill me up like they say fulfillment does." He looked at Kaley and thought she might look less frustrated over the question that pressured her. "So, in other words, I don't have a fucking clue."
The Killing Rileys- First Love, First Kills Page 20