“Yeah, maybe so, but it still sucks.”
“Oh well, at least you’re here. I’m going to get in my pajamas, then fix myself a drink. Have you ever had a snakebite?”
Bonnie scoffs. “You know I don’t do wilderness shit. So no, I’ve never been bitten by a snake.”
“No!” Wendy says, laughing. “It’s a drink. Want to try one?”
“Oh. Why the hell not?”
“Great. Let me get comfortable, and then I’ll make us both one.”
Wendy changes clothes. She mixes up the shots and hands Bonnie one. “Enjoy! You have to drink it all at once.”
“What is it?” Bonnie asks, sniffing the shot.
“I’ll tell you after you drink it. The bartender made it for me, and it’s not bad. Cheers.”
“Cheers.” They down the shots, and Bonnie nods approval. “You’re right. It’s not bad. So what’s in it?”
“Canadian whiskey and lime juice.”
“Huh. Can we have another?” Bonnie asks, grinning.
Wendy makes another for them, and Bonnie makes a face. “OK, we should slow down. I just finished a bottle of your cabernet, so I’m feeling it pretty well.”
Wendy grins. “OK, but after one more.”
They enjoy the third snakebite, and then they sit and talk on the sofa for a while.
Finally, Bonnie says, “I need to go to bed. Are we still going shopping tomorrow?”
“Of course we are. I promised I’d go, and after the looks I got tonight, I’m actually looking forward to it. And you have to show me how to do my makeup like that, too. That was impressive.”
“I will, but we need to get you a few things first.”
“It’s a deal. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
Wendy sits in the living room, replaying every detail of the night in her mind. While she’s analyzing herself, she notices that the thrill of killing is becoming addicting. She recognizes it’s the pure sense of power and control over another human being’s life she finds arousing and wonders if it will turn into a more intense satisfaction. To start with, she’d thought she had an enormous adrenaline rush because of the sound of the gun, but now she recognizes it wasn’t the gunshot. The sound of Arnold’s body hitting the floor is what truly excited her and gave her the rush.
Wendy checks on Bonnie to make sure she’s asleep. Then she puts a small amount of lantern oil in an empty coffee can, goes out onto the deck, soaks the gloves, monofilament, and makeup wipe in the oil, and lights it. She watches, mesmerized, as the incriminating evidence is completely consumed in the fire. When it burns out, she rinses the ashes down the garbage disposal, cleans out the inside of the coffee can, and crushes it in the trash compactor.
Taking the bag out of the trash compactor, she drops it down the garbage chute for the complex and then relaxes, knowing any evidence connecting her to Arnold Davis’ murder has now been destroyed. She knows there is a slight possibility they might find her fingerprints on the bathroom medicine cabinet from when she stole Arnold’s Xanax.
She decides, if questioned, her answer will be that she was in the home because Nancy asked her to pick up the makeup kit. Now that she has her story straight in her mind, she decides to head off to bed, feeling a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, knowing she has performed a necessary public service and act of mercy on Nancy Davis’ behalf.
CHAPTER 14
TIT FOR TAT
The next morning, Wendy wakes to find Bonnie drinking coffee in the kitchen. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“I slept great. I really am sorry your date didn’t work out.”
“I’m not sure I am, because it meant I got to spend time with you last night and, quite frankly, I was feeling guilty for leaving you home so I could go on a date after giving you grief about not spending more time with me during our last visit. Everything works out like it’s supposed to.”
“I guess,” Bonnie says, shrugging.
“So where are you taking me shopping?”
“Well, I thought we would hit Beauty Boutique Clothing in the Gaslamp Quarter, because I know the owner and can get huge discounts there,” Bonnie says, winking. “Then we’ll hit Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s at Fashion Valley for makeup and application lessons and end up at a designer shoe warehouse here in La Jolla. After that, we can grab a bite to eat and decide where we go from there.”
“Geez, you don’t think all that is enough for one day?” Wendy asks, taking a big drink of her coffee.
“We’ll just have to see how we do getting you outfitted. After all, dear, your wardrobe needs significant work.”
Wendy pouts slightly. “But I like being comfortable and not having to spend hours to get ready to go out.”
“That’s precisely why you’re single. No self-respecting guy wants to be seen with a ragamuffin chick. Besides, you’re hot, and I’m going to show you how to flaunt what you’ve got. Then we’ll see how your life changes. Well, at least your love life.”
“Seriously, Bonnie. I can get laid if I really want to.”
“Oh yeah? How did that work out for you last night?” Bonnie says amiably.
“You may have a point there, but I wasn’t really sure I wanted sex last night.”
“The point, my dear, is you didn’t get a chance to decide, now did you?”
Wendy sticks her tongue out at Bonnie. “Shut up.”
“We have come full circle on that ragamuffin point, and this isn’t going to happen to you again if I have anything to say about it!”
“OK, OK. Let me take a shower, and let’s get this over with because you won’t stop until we do.”
“Make it quick. We have a lot to accomplish. Oh, hell, what am I saying? You’re going to put your hair in a ponytail, throw on some jeans and a T-shirt, and you’ll be ready before I am.”
“Pretty much.”
“Oh, dear God,” Bonnie mutters, crossing herself.
Wendy heads off to take her shower, and Bonnie calls Jessica to tell her she’s taking Wendy to her San Diego branch.
Jessica laughs. “Say no more. I’ll call the store and make sure you guys get my best consultant. I’ll tell them you’re my special guests.”
“Thanks, Jess. I’ve got to go. Talk soon!”
When they arrive at Beauty Boutique Clothing, they are met at the door by a well-dressed woman. “Hello. You must be Wendy and Bonnie Stevens. We are so glad you came. My name is Lora, and I will be assisting you with all your needs today.”
Wendy shoots Bonnie a look. “What the hell?”
“All I did was let Jessica know we were coming to the store. What she did after that I have no idea.” Bonnie looks at Lora. “Thank you, Lora. Wendy here needs an entire wardrobe, from casual business attire to formal wear. Price is no hindrance.”
Lora smiles. “Perfect. Let’s start with casual wear and progress up to formal wear.”
“Perfect,” Bonnie says, grinning at Wendy, and they follow Lora farther into the store.
Wendy whispers, “How long is this going to take?”
“As long as necessary, dear.”
Wendy sighs as Bonnie tells Lora that Wendy needs absolutely everything, except jeans and T-shirts. “She has plenty of those. I want her to have at least seven outfits for each category to start with. After today, I’d like you to call her monthly and make sure she buys one more of each per month.”
“I understand, Mrs. Stevens.”
Wendy just rolls her eyes at Lora and Bonnie.
“Trust me,” Bonnie states.
Lora is terrific at her job, and over the next few hours, she lays out a complete wardrobe for Wendy. The designs look fabulous on her, and Lora has the seamstress make the minor adjustments as necessary to some of the choices to ensure the garments are perfect for Wendy’s body.
“The alterations will be done in two days, and I will have them delivered to Wendy’s penthouse.”
At the counter, Wendy watches Lora packaging the rest of the clothing, wondering how much all this is going to cost her. Instead of ringing up the total, Lora hands her the wrapped garments.
Wendy asks, “How much?”
Lora smiles. “Ms. Silva has instructed me not to charge you for the outfits and to tell you they are a gift from her because you forced her to face her feelings. She said you would know what that meant.”
Wendy raises her eyebrows. “Thank you for all your help,” she says, deciding to call Jessica and thank her personally later.
“Of course, Ms. Stevens. Have a lovely rest of your day.”
Bonnie and Wendy spend the rest of the day in a flurry of shopping activity. By the time they decide to stop and eat a late lunch on the San Diego Harbor, Wendy is somewhat cranky. She plops down at the table. “God, I hate shopping.”
“Of course you do. It’s because you never do it. Now that your wardrobe is somewhat acceptable, you’ll just have to do a little at a time to keep up on it. It’ll be more manageable and much less overwhelming, I promise.”
“Thank you for all your help. I really do appreciate it, even if I’m a grump. Bonnie, you know I love you, right?”
Bonnie smiles, nodding. “You’re welcome. I love you, too.”
They enjoy a wonderful lunch with light conversation and a beautiful view. When they return to the penthouse, Bonnie cleans out Wendy’s closet, replacing the old with the new, and Wendy phones Jessica.
“I hear you found some great stuff today, and you look awesome, according to Lora,” Jess says.
“Yes, I did, and thank you so much for your kindness. Lora is wonderful and so patient. Believe me, I’m not an easy person to work with when it comes to shopping.”
“She said you were a lot of fun, and she enjoyed it.”
Wendy rolls her eyes. “Whatever. She definitely lied. You really didn’t need to do this for me.”
“It’s just my way of saying thank you for all you have done for me. I’m not sure Sean and I would be together if it weren’t for you.”
“Oh, please. You and Sean are destined to be together. I just gave it a nudge.”
“Well, thank you for that.”
“No worries. I’m glad it’s working out for you guys.”
“It definitely is. When is Bonnie coming back to San Francisco?”
“I don’t know,” Wendy replies. “Hold on.”
As she relays the message, she finds out Bonnie intends to head home sooner than expected. She glares at her, and Bonnie says, “You have to get back to your clients, and I have a life, too.”
Wendy returns to Jessica. “Well, Bonnie is leaving the day after tomorrow, so I’m going to take her out to dinner at one of my favorite dives here in Spring Valley. She’s going to have to go slumming with me tonight. She’ll have to wear jeans and a T-shirt, which seems fair, since she made me buy fashionable clothing.”
“Sounds reasonable to me. It’ll be good for her,” Jess says, with a laugh.
“I think so. It’s an eclectic diner. No fancy wines, just beer.”
Bonnie interrupts. “I have jeans but no T-shirts, so that could be an issue.”
Wendy waves at Bonnie to be quiet as she says good-bye to Jessica, then turns to her. “I got your back in that department.”
“Honey, my chest is way bigger than yours. Those T-shirts are not going to fit me.”
“Where we’re going, a tight T-shirt on a big-breasted woman will truly be appreciated. Especially if you go braless.” She gives Bonnie a wink and pulls out a shirt.
“Oh, my God. I haven’t done anything like that in years.”
“You’ll rock it, I’m sure,” Wendy says, tossing the shirt to her.
She looks at it and shrugs. “All right, whatever.”
“You’ll love the food, and it’s just a great place to relax and listen to unique musicians. It may not be high class, but it’ll be fun.”
“Whatever you say.”
They get to the dive, and Bonnie finds it to be totally enjoyable. The food is incredible, and she loves the attention she gets from the male servers and other men in the place.
A few beers in, Bonnie asks about Wendy’s schedule the next day.
“Well, I have to go to the office early for an eight o’clock counseling session and then stop at the hospital to visit my other client. I’ll be there probably until eleven thirty. After that, I’ve cleared my day. I’ll come back to the condo to have lunch with you, and we can lie in the sun and relax until we go to dinner around six. When are you planning to leave for the airport?”
“How about ten o’clock?”
“OK, no problem, but I hate to see you go so soon.”
“I know, dear, but duty calls. Charlotte Evans has some things she wants to run by me.”
“I guess you got your point across in Brazil.”
“We’ll see, but I think I probably did,” Bonnie says with a smile.
After they return home, they spend the rest of the evening relaxing, drinking incredible California wines, and watching a chick flick.
CHAPTER 15
HOUSEKEEPING
Wendy meets with her client, Tina Gould from Oceanside, at eight the next morning.
“Good morning, Tina. Let’s get started. What’s going on?” Wendy asks as Tina takes a seat on the couch.
“Well, you remember my husband, Harder? He’s back to using heroin, but now he’s mixing it with cocaine. It’s called a speedball. When he was just shooting up heroin, he was always mellow, but recently with the speedballs, he’s getting angry and agitated, and he breaks into fits of rage. I’m afraid he’s going to get violent.”
“I see. Can you tell me what sets him off?”
Tina sighs. “Most of the time it’s my fault. He’s going through our funds so quickly, and when I talk to him about the costs, he blows up, telling me he’s an addict and can’t help himself.”
Wendy nods. “What about inpatient treatment?”
“We can’t afford the cost. Harder isn’t breaking the law—at least not aside from the drugs—because I make decent money, so he always gets the money out of our accounts and buys what he needs, rather than stealing.”
“Have you thought about closing your current accounts and not letting him have access to the new ones?”
“Yeah, I could do that, but I’m afraid that would really send him into a rage, and I’d be setting him up to start committing crimes.”
“First of all, you wouldn’t be setting him up. If he started stealing or something, it would be his choice. I was thinking that maybe if he got arrested, we might be able to get him the help he needs without costing you an arm and a leg.”
Tina shakes her head. “He’s a good man. It’s just…after he hurt his back at work he got addicted to the pain-killers. His disability doesn’t help. He can’t work anymore, and that’s all he knows how to do.”
“He can always get some vocational training, but he has to stop using first.”
“I know. I think he’s just depressed, and I know he needs help, but he doesn’t want to get it. The thing that scares me the most is that I see the same behavior patterns developing that I experienced with my previous husband. He used to beat the hell out of me, and I don’t think I could bear to go through that again. We have been able to keep his life insurance policy in place, but the funds are dwindling, and I’m afraid we are going to lose the house soon.” She sniffles, and Wendy hands her a box of tissues.
“How long can you hold on to everything before you’re out of money?”
“Three or four more months. Maybe five if I cut way back.”
“Do you want me to stop by and see if I can get him to agree to some type of drug trea
tment program?”
“You can try, but I don’t think he is ready to quit.”
“OK, I’ll stop by later today and see if I can talk to him. Do you think he’ll talk to me at the house?”
Tina nods. “Yeah, he’ll be polite and listen, but if he tells you he wants to think about it, he’ll never speak with you again, so you’ve got one chance to convince him he needs help.”
“Before I attempt to speak with him, I need to know if you think my stopping by the house will prompt a violent reaction against you for seeking counseling.”
“At this point, I just don’t know, but I don’t think so. He knew I had an appointment with you today. Last I knew, he was out of cocaine, but I think he still has some heroin left, so now will be a good time to speak with him, for both of us. He’ll be pretty mellow.”
“Well, I have an appointment at nine thirty this morning that will probably take a couple of hours. If he is going to be home this afternoon, I can go by while you’re at work. Say maybe one thirty or two?”
“That will work perfectly, but can you call me after you leave, so I can judge whether I should work a little later tonight?”
“Yeah, I’ll call your cell phone and let you know how it goes right after I’m finished.”
Tina thanks her for all her help and time and leaves the office. Wendy closes her office and drives to the hospital to see Nancy.
When Wendy walks into room 523, Nancy is looking a little bit better, but not much. The makeup is covering many of the smaller bruises, and some of the swelling in her face has diminished. Nancy is genuinely happy to have Wendy visiting.
“How are you doing?”
“As well as can be expected. I haven’t heard from Arnold at all.”
Wendy looks confused. “Is that unusual?”
“Well, a bit. I didn’t expect to hear from him the day it happened, but it’s been two days, and usually by now he’s sent flowers or something,” Nancy says, struggling to open a pudding cup.
Wendy nods and opens the pudding for her. “Well, things come up. I’m sure Arnold will make some type of grand gesture soon.”
Unmerited Favor: The Compassion and Peril of Mercy ( Un missable Series Book 2) Page 14