The buyer needed a few days to accumulate the cash so Steve would meet with him three days from now and complete the deal. I didn’t really like waiting but there wasn’t much that could be done. We agreed to meet in two days and discuss the details of trading our assets for his cash. Up to now, the buyer did not know anything about me other than my working with Steve as an accomplice and I wanted to keep it that way There was no reason for him to see me or vice versa and that would exclude another person from ever identifying my face. While Steve took care of business, I could be waiting nearby in case something went wrong and would show no hesitation to shoot. All I had to do now was relax and since there was nothing else to be done for a few days until the exchange, I might try a little socializing at a nearby tavern that featured live music and most likely attracted young single people. Getting out would serve as a pleasant distraction from the current situation and I might even meet a nice looking girl who was willing to have a casual fling. The more I thought about it, the more going out appealed to me and after taking a shower, dressed in some of my newest clothes. Looking in the mirror gave me a feeling of confidence that women would find me attractive and gravitate in my direction. At ten, I left the apartment and drove to the tavern where the music was already loud and in full swing. The place was pretty full and young people in all types of dress were drinking and dancing as if this was a party that had started hours ago.
I hadn’t been in this situation for awhile and felt a little intimidated at first but after noticing that several of the women gave me admiring glances, it only seemed to be a matter of time before one of them approached me. I was standing at the bar drinking a beer and facing the dance floor to let anyone interested know that they could saunter over and talk. If no one did, then I would have to make the first move and ask someone to dance but it would be better for my ego if they sought me out. I hadn’t been standing there for five minutes when a cute young thing walked up and started talking to me. Her name was Laura and the dress she wore revealed a very fine looking shape that piqued my interest. We went through the usual banter for a few minutes that consisted of names, where are you from, what do you do, have you been here before and so on before it was obvious that there was interest on both sides. We danced a few times and then sat at a table in the rear where talking and listening were less likely to be drowned out by the music. Laura worked in a hospital as a receptionist and lived a few miles away in a two bedroom apartment with a roommate. She didn’t often go out but her friend convinced her to come to the tavern and have a little fun. I told her that this was my first outing in some time and that I had recently broken off with a long time companion. There was not a lot more for me to say because I normally don’t like disclosing information about my personal life but she seemed interested in hearing anything about me. We sat there for hours before another woman came by and said she was leaving and asked Laura if she was ready to go? I assumed that the girl was her roommate and thought that enough had been accomplished tonight. I took Laura’s number and promised to call soon and was somewhat surprised as she clasped my hands before saying goodbye. Her friends name was Edythe and for some reason, she had a smug look that did not sit well with me. However, I acted cordially and bid them both good night.
While lying in bed, I took stock of my accomplishments over the last few hours and felt very proud of myself for the ease in which a new woman was acquired. It was much easier than I ever thought it would be and it made me more cognizant of the fact that today’s females were as aggressive as men when it came to socializing. I thought that their forwardness was a good thing except when a woman tried to dominate my life. I could only tolerate so much free spiritedness and expected any close companion to act in a subordinate manner. I always believed that the man was the head of the house and while a woman could offer suggestions, her main job was taking care of domestic duties regardless of whether she worked outside the home or not. I didn’t really want to spend much time thinking about this matter since no future relationships would go that far. I had no intention of letting a woman live with me at least for the next twenty years. Maybe when I’m approaching fifty, a change in my attitude will occur but until then, my life will be conducted as a single man. The next evening I phoned Laura and had to be content with leaving a message asking her to return the call. About twenty minutes later the phone rang and it was her saying how glad she was that I called. After boring me with details of what she did during the day, I asked if we could go out for a drink and some conversation this evening and received a very pleasant yes response. I would pick her up in an hour and go somewhere nearby since she couldn’t stay out very late due to having a very early wake up call. I preened myself and put on another new outfit that gave me cause to admire my reflection in the mirror before setting out for the first date in months.
Laura lived in a two story apartment building that was not too different than mine and she was waiting at the door when I walked up the stairs. She was casually dressed and looked real cute to me. We drove to a nearby restaurant bar that she had been to before and sat at a secluded table. It was her first date in some time and had not found it easy to start a social life again since her divorce eight months ago. She had no problem talking about it and let me know that the marriage had lasted three years before the exes’ alcoholism had become severe enough to end it. I suppose that living with an alcoholic would be a miserable experience and let her know that drinking was a low priority for me. Laura liked hearing that and warmed up even more toward me. I made up a story about my shattered romance and how the woman left me for someone who seemed more successful. I could see that Laura ate that tale up and knew that she was going to be a willing sex partner although in her mind, it was probably not for the short term. The next time we were together, I would have sex with her and after a few more times, probably dump her before she got tiresome to me. The trouble with all of the women that I meet has to do with their inability to enjoy life at the moment instead of looking ahead to a future commitment. I saw little need for someone to live with me and eventually become a pain in the ass due to their quirks that stopped being so cute after awhile. If Laura was hurt by what I intended to do with her, it was too bad. She had to learn how life really was at some point in her life.
I put Laura in the back of my mind and concentrated on tonight’s business of trading goods for cash. Steve should be calling soon and giving me the details of how our transaction would occur. The diamonds were in my bag and I was most eager to get this matter out of the way so that a semblance of normality could emerge again. The day was spent relaxing at the pool and watching all the girls in their little swim suits. It made me realize that I hadn’t had sex in about a week and should call Laura about getting together tomorrow. I’ll see if she could be convinced to come here and spend the night but should things not work out voluntarily, a little force should accomplish the goal. When I returned to my place, the message light was blinking and it was from Steve saying he would come by about nine tonight to go over every detail with me. That was the news that was most important and I sensed my body going into hyper activity as my mind once again returned to the thought of all that money coming my way. There was not much to do until he came by so I spent the rest of the afternoon watching mindless television shows that broadcast stations seemed to think were really good. I sometimes wondered about the kind of mediocre writers who spent time creating these shows and how they could live with themselves. Well, it’s not my problem and I wouldn’t be wasting my time much longer watching the boob tube.
Steve showed up promptly and we got down to business at once. He agreed with my idea of not being involved in the dealings and simply waiting outside in case of trouble. The buyer was meeting him in a building located on the outskirts of downtown and was scheduled to show up alone. The money and the diamonds would be shown and the exchange made without a discussion. Once completed, Steve would return to the car and we would make our way back to my apartment where the cash would be s
plit up. That seemed about as easy a plan as one could think of and shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to finalize. I congratulated Steve on his handling of the settlement and proceeded to get ready by checking to see that my pistol was loaded. Everything was set to occur at ten so we didn’t have to leave for several minutes and had a short time to relax with a mixed drink. I could tell that Steve’s nerves were tense by the way he spoke and acted and hoped that the drink would calm him down. He should have no problem acting normal for the ten minutes or so it would take to get through the trade. I engaged him in some irrelevant banter for a few minutes as a way of lightening his mood and then it was time to go. We were now headed for the biggest payday of my life and I wanted nothing to go wrong with finishing up this entire matter.
I parked a few spaces from the building entrance in a very dark area so no one could possibly see my face and watched Steve disappear through the door with the bag of diamonds. In ten minutes, I should see him coming out with a case full of money and kept looking at my watch with an impatient attitude that was not normal to my usual behavior. When ten minutes went by and I didn’t see him emerge, a slightly queasy feeling went through me but when twenty minutes passed, the feeling became extremely uncomfortable and sitting in the car became very difficult to do. I decided to take a look inside the door and unlatched the safety of my pistol just in case I needed to use it. It was very dark inside the hallway, and as I walked further in nothing could be heard nor seen. I really didn’t want to call out Steve’s name but continued inching forward until the rear door was in front of me. I had walked through the entire ground floor and made no contact. If Steve had been bushwhacked, then where was his body? I was holding the pistol in front of me and trying all the doors that led to offices but they were locked. After a few more minutes of wandering about, I called out Steve’s name but no reply came back to me. Something had gone terribly wrong and all I could do was sit in the car for a short time and then go back to my apartment and see if a message was on my machine.
My machine was clear and now I was starting to think that Steve double crossed me and took off with all the stones. I was trying not to be negative but the choices were limited and feeling a little desperate, tried his phone but no one answered. It was now about eleven and the only other idea that came to me was driving to his apartment and inquiring about his whereabouts. It was not a very good option but it was better to go there than merely do nothing. I drove to where he lived and spoke to the manager who informed me that Steve had moved two days ago and had not left a forwarding address. I was astonished by this news and had to start believing that he had been planning this thievery for some time in order to keep everything for himself. I immediately had thoughts of killing him many times over but nothing could happen until he was located and there lie the rub. The guy could have completed the transaction and taken off with a bag full of money for any place in the country. Since I didn’t know the buyer, if he ever existed, it would be very hard for me to trace his route and there was no telling where the man went. What a turn of events, here was a guy I trusted and what did it get me? Why did I make this same mistake again when it would have been much easier to listen to my thoughts and avoid this ridiculous concept implying that cohorts will always play straight with you and do the right thing.
I could feel my mood spiraling downward after this unexpected turn of events and felt that my life had turned out to be a complete failure. The only thought that kept my head above water was one of vengeance against Steve and that act was going to be very difficult to accomplish. The only way I could possibly find him was through tracing the diamonds but experienced help would be needed to accomplish that. The only person who could possibly assist me was Bart. He might know someone who was familiar with the fencing of precious stones but I would have to disclose all the facts to him as well as provide a substantial amount of money for his services. It didn’t matter to me because if Bart got half the proceeds, I wouldn’t be out anything and the chance of getting to Steve was a priority. The next morning I phoned Bart and asked him to meet me for lunch at our usual restaurant for a discussion of some very important matters. Knowing Bart and the way he ran through money, he probably thought I had a job planned that could earn him a tidy pile of cash. We met at one in the afternoon and sat in a secluded booth far removed from other customers. I started out by telling him about the diamond caper and the large haul that we made. Bart’s eyes were open very wide as the dollar amount of the stones was disclosed and then his jaw dropped when told about the ensuing details of that eventful evening. He didn’t ask why I had chosen another person for an accomplice but was very interested in knowing what his share would be if the diamonds or cash was recovered.
I said that he could realize as much as twenty five to thirty thousand dollars for helping me and that all it would take was for him to talk to some people who might have knowledge of very recent large diamond transactions. Of course, there was no way to tell if the diamonds actually changed hands or if Steve still had them but eventually, they would have to be fenced and that information would surface. I told Bart that it was important that Steve’s location was known since a score was going to be settled and he knew what those words meant. Bart said he would get right on this matter and left the restaurant with a contented look on his face. I was not certain that Bart could be trusted when a large sum of money was involved but there was nothing else to do at this time but see what he could come up with. I had taken a big risk in stealing the stones and didn’t want to come up empty handed for my effort but if that’s the way it ended, then so be it. If the only benefit I gained from this bleak experience was killing Steve, then at least some satisfaction would be realized. If I could recoup some of the money and also eliminate him, then that would make my day. Right now, everything was in Bart’s hands and all I could do was bide my time until some good news was received. In the meantime, I would try to relax and get my mind on other matters such as Laura who was probably eagerly waiting for my call. I was certain that a sexual interlude would take some of the stress from me and help with sleeping.
I phoned Laura that afternoon and just as expected, she had been waiting for my call and quickly accepted my invitation to dine out. I called for her about six and we went to a Thai restaurant close to my apartment. She was all bubbly and excited to be with me but tempered my pleasure by recounting her boring workday. I was so focused on having sex that it didn’t matter what she said as long as we ended up in bed later. I didn’t have much to tell so she dominated the conversation while the food came and went. Afterwards, I asked her if she would like to see my apartment and expected a very eager response but that was not the case. First she said that her roommate was expecting her to help with apartment cleaning, followed by another excuse about not knowing me very long. I was really annoyed at this turn of events and asked her once again. I don’t know what kind of expression she saw on my face but it could have looked like our last supper. Laura said that she could come in for a short time but I had to promise to take her home within a half hour. I didn’t like the idea of someone setting limits but the thought of getting her into the apartment over ruled my annoyance at her attitude. We went to the apartment and I showed all the rooms very quickly before sitting down on the couch and beckoning her to join me. I could see that she was having a hard time in deciding what to do next but sat on the edge of the cushion as if to rise up at once. I put my arm on her shoulder and started pulling toward me but could feel a resistance to my movement. I asked what was wrong and she said that things were moving too fast. Now, I could feel a flash of heat through my body at how this woman had led me on and then abruptly quit. I put my other arm on her other shoulder and used a forceful motion to bring her close. Her eyes were wild as I forced our faces together for a kiss but before our lips touched, she started telling me to stop at once. I just lost it, slapped her across the face and then clasped our bodies together very tightly until she started screaming.
The scream
ing brought me to my senses and I let her go while hoping that no one heard the noise and called police. Laura was out of that seat in a second and demanded that I take her home. I really didn’t want to ride in a car with her so I called a taxi service and waited outside with her for a few minutes until the cab came. I paid the driver, turned around and never looked back as the car left. I was so mad that steam seemed to come out of my ears. The nerve that bitch had by teasing me and then not coming across after giving out signals that she wanted sex as much as I did. It seemed that nothing was going right in my life at this time and I had better get control or things would get worse. I had wasted several nights in pursuing her and ended up with zilch. I decided to keep away from women for awhile and concentrate of recouping my property. I would call Bart tomorrow and see how much progress he had made in finding Steve and the diamonds and if the answer was none, then start putting a little more pressure on him. I had to reverse this run of bad luck raining down on me and the best way to do it was by focusing on the most important matters and ignoring the minor ones. A few hours later, Bart called and said that his uncle, who had often been known to dabble in stolen goods, was looking into a rumor about a possible large scale diamond sale and had heard that the goods were handled by one person. That could be Steve and I strongly encouraged Bart to keep in close touch with the uncle and to let me know of any new developments. I knew how badly Bart wanted his cut and it seemed like a sure bet that he would continue his snooping.
I was getting very bored just sitting in the apartment and waiting for the phone to ring but didn’t want to go out and risk missing an important call. Bart probably promised to give his uncle some money if he found out when the trade was to be made and I only hoped that we were zeroing in on the right person. Nothing else happened that day but on the next morning, a call from Bart provided information about a possible diamonds for cash transaction occurring in the evening at a building not far from where the last deal was supposed to happen. I asked him to meet me there a little before the time of the exchange and to bring a gun in case we met up with some resistance. I really didn’t know if Bart had a piece but he must have owned one since he agreed to bring it along. He agreed to come to my place about eight thirty and we would drive to the location in one car. I sat on pins and needles for several hours until Bart showed up and we were able to discuss a strategy for obtaining either the goods or the money. If there was a buyer and he wanted the stones, than the money would be given to us otherwise we would take the diamonds and fence them at a later date. In any event, Steve was mine to deal with and I wasn’t going to show any leniency to a rat who thought he could steal the rewards of my intensive brilliant effort. We headed downtown and parked about thirty feet from the building entrance where I could watch all who entered the door. About forty minutes later, a figure approached the front of the building and as he walked under the light for only an instant, I could make out the face of Steve. Ah, sweet vengeance was going to be mine tonight and all I had to do was wait for a few minutes for the deal to begin before barging in and extracting my satisfaction.
I, Psychopath Page 27