by Mary Monroe
“You picked the wrong trick tonight, bitch!” I screeched as I straddled her. She gave me a surprised look, but didn’t say a word, scream, or even struggle. It seemed as if she’d been expecting me to kill her.
When she stopped breathing, I dragged her limp body out of the car and dropped her to the ground like a sack of garbage. She landed facedown, so I squatted and turned her onto her back. This made it easy for me to slide my hand down into her bra and retrieve my five hundred bucks. I chuckled when I saw that the little whore had stuffed her bra with tissue paper and a small change purse. It contained a set of keys, a tube of lipstick, her ID, a wad of hundred-dollar bills, and an unopened package of condoms. More trophies to add to the collection I stored in my attic. Just thinking about my treasure trove excited me. I had collected enough goodies to have a pretty good yard sale someday. The thought of that made me chuckle again.
Hyeon’s cash, a total of $1,800, was exactly enough to pay off what I still owed on the engagement and wedding rings I’d purchased for Sylvia. The only other items I decided to take were her keys and the lipstick. I wiped my fingerprints off everything else I had touched with the sleeve of my shirt and left those things on the ground next to her.
The sky, which reminded me of a black blanket I once owned, looked almost close enough to touch. There was a full moon, and it looked downright eerie, but that didn’t bother me. I didn’t believe any of the hogwash I’d heard about how a full moon impacted some people’s actions and made them do crazy shit. I was just as likely to kill a woman on a night during a half moon as I was when there was a full moon. I had done so several times already.
A creature started howling, and I got spooked. I couldn’t see it, but I could tell that it was too close for comfort. I had to haul ass before I became its victim. I shuddered when I thought of how ironic it would be if a coyote or a wolf took me out.
I gazed in the opposite direction toward the desert, which was not too far away. It was no secret that it contained the remains of a lot of bodies, but I was not familiar with the desert, and I didn’t have a shovel to dig a grave for Hyeon, so she was already in her final resting place. The ground was littered with half a dozen empty beer bottles and a few other pieces of debris, but there was nothing I could use to hide the dead girl’s body. Then I remembered she had removed her skirt and panties inside the car. I retrieved both and dropped them on top of her stomach. I was about to leave when I noticed sand and a few leaves on both legs of my pants. I brushed myself off, looked around to make sure I was not leaving behind any evidence, and then I jumped back into the car and sped off.
It was an uncomfortable ride back to the Strip. I made a couple of wrong turns and the drive took longer than it should have, so I didn’t bother to stop in the casino and do any gambling. Tonight’s kill had been too quick and easy, so there had not been enough of a thrill to satisfy me. I scolded myself for not choosing one of the other whores, a bigger bitch who might have put up a good fight. I had learned to take the good with the bad. I would make sure that the next woman would be more of a challenge.
When I finally made it back to my hotel room, Sylvia greeted me with a toothy grin. Before I could even close the door, she shot across the floor and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“All right, all right,” I said, as I kicked the door shut. “How much did you lose?”
“I haven’t been out of this room. I’m just so happy to see you. Did you win a jackpot?”
“Ha! I wish!” I complained as we strolled hand in hand toward the bed. “I might go back down later tonight when it’s not as crowded. I might even try my luck at another casino.”
“Guess what?” Sylvia didn’t give me time to respond. “I had a false alarm.”
“A false alarm about what?”
“When my stomach churns the way it was doing earlier, it usually means my period is about to start. This time it didn’t mean that. I should be good to go for at least another three or four days.” She winked and began to take off the baby blue negligee I’d given her for Christmas last year.
I looked into Sylvia’s eyes and gently pushed her down on the bed. I was still disappointed that Hyeon had been such an easy and quick kill, so I was hyped up. Downright antsy was one way to describe how I felt. I couldn’t believe how high my energy level was. I felt like a dude half my age. I had to find a way to release that energy. I still hadn’t decided on a date for Lola’s execution. In the meantime, I had to kill again, and soon.
I removed my clothes, climbed on top of Sylvia, and pried her legs open with mine. I plunged into her so hard, she whimpered and her entire body shuddered. “Calvin, take it easy,” she managed, tapping the side of my arm.
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t realize how turned on I was,” I panted. I had not made love with so much vigor since my last romp with Lola. I closed my eyes and imagined she was the one I was with. One of the things I planned to do just before I killed her was fuck the hell out of her.
Chapter 13
Joan
IT WAS FIVE P.M. WHEN I GOT BACK HOME FROM MY DATE WITH JOHN. I had a feeling Reed was going to get all up in my face, but I was ready for him. I knew he was pissed off because I hadn’t responded to any of his messages and had changed my plans without letting him know. I was just as pissed off about him making plans for me to cook dinner and entertain the Weinsteins without checking with me first. Now that I’d had most of the day to think about it, the full impact had sunk in, so I had a chip on my shoulder when I opened the door to our luxurious eighth-floor condo. I took a deep breath and strutted into our living room.
Reed’s reaction surprised me. “Good news,” he greeted with a toothy smile.
He’d caught me off guard and I didn’t know what to think. “What’s the good news?” I set the shopping bags I had picked up from Lola on the coffee table and casually walked toward the couch, where he sat with his legs crossed.
“It’ll be just us tonight,” he announced. “And I’m glad. We don’t spend enough quality time alone, but I’m going to make sure we do in the future.”
“Oh,” I said, stifling a groan. “What about the Weinsteins? Did they cancel on us?”
Reed shook his head. “They had to take a rain check. There were some serious complications with one of Mitch’s patients so he had to rush over to the hospital and sort that out. Poor Mitch. I’ll bet he curses the day he chose to practice gynecology. The female body is as volatile as a land mine. Anyway, I suggested that we all get together in a couple of days, but Meg is having her nose done on Monday, so we’ll have to wait until she’s healed. I hope you’re not too disappointed.”
Disappointed? Not hardly. I couldn’t think of anything more exasperating than entertaining Reed’s dull friends, especially Mitch and Meg Weinstein. I tolerated them and Reed’s other friends because it was one of the few things I did that made him happy. “I’m not disappointed.” I sighed with relief and sat down next to him. “Where’s Junior?”
“He decided to visit your mother for the rest of the weekend. I made sure he’d finished his homework. I gave him an advance on his allowance—plus a little extra—and told him he could spend it on anything he wants as long as it’s okay with his grandmother.”
“Well, I hope he cleaned his room before he left.” I looked around, frowning at the numerous medical magazines and newspapers scattered all over the floor and the black glass coffee table.
“He did that too, and I didn’t even have to tell him. I’m going to order some takeout so you don’t have to cook this evening.”
I held my breath because I knew he would eventually bring up my not being where I told him I’d be today. I was anxious to address the subject so we could get it over with. We didn’t speak for about half a minute. The silence was so awkward, I was glad when Reed finally spoke again.
“How was Liza Mae?” he asked, caressing the side of my arm.
“She’s fine,” I said quickly with my heart beating about a mile a minute. “
Today is the anniversary of her accident, so she was really depressed. Her nurse had planned to take her to the park and then out to lunch this afternoon, but when the nurse had to postpone her visit, Liza Mae called—”
Reed held up his hand and interrupted me. “I know. Lola told me you went to that woman’s house.”
“I should have called to let you know I’d changed my plans, and I’m sorry I didn’t. Then Elbert invited us to have lunch with him. Lola went for it and I would have, but I knew he really wanted to be alone with her. I was glad Liza Mae called when she did.” I stopped talking because Reed looked like he wanted to say something. When he didn’t, I continued. “I went to her house right away. After I gave her a sponge bath, I fixed her a snack. After that, she started dropping hints about all the other things that needed to be done. I swear to God, taking care of an invalid is so much hard work. I don’t know how that nurse does it. Since I only do it every now and then, I really shouldn’t be complaining.” I couldn’t ignore the skeptical look on Reed’s face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you leaving something out?”
I blinked and remained silent.
“Joan, where else did you go today?”
“What? Didn’t I just tell you?”
He shook his head. “Why don’t you just give it all up? I already know more than you think.”
I blinked some more. “Are you accusing me of something?”
“The only thing I’m accusing you of is not telling me the whole truth about where you went today. I want you to fill in the blanks.”
“I am not going to sit here and listen to any more of your bullshit!” I attempted to rise, but Reed grabbed my arm and pulled me back down.
“Joan, I know where you went today and why.”
I froze. “Huh?” was all I could say. “How did you find out?”
He laughed, and that scared me. I knew he had a few loose screws rolling around in his head, so nothing he said or did surprised me anymore. “Never mind how I found out. No matter what you do, at the end of the day, I forgive you, baby.” The more he talked, the more he confused me. “Life is too short and I am not going to let the little things bother me too much. After I left Lola’s house, I paid your mother a visit. I know exactly what you’ve been up to.”
I was speechless. I sat stock-still because I had no idea where Reed was going with this conversation.
“Your sister broke down and told me that last Saturday and the Saturday before that, you took her, your mother, and your cousin, Too Sweet, on a shopping spree. You’ve burned through thousands of dollars this month buying things for your family.”
All I could do was stare at Reed’s face and wonder when and if he was going to bring up my visit to John’s hotel room.
“Besides Junior, your sister was the only other one in the house when I got there. Elaine wouldn’t admit it, but I know you were not with Liza Mae as long as you want me to believe. I know that Elbert picked up Lola from her house, and you were not with her. Maybe you caught up with her later and spent a few minutes with her. Who knows? I do know that for the time you were MIA, you were with someone else.” If he knew I’d been with another man he sure was confronting me in a roundabout way.
“Is that what you think?”
“It’s not what I think, it’s what I know.”
“Well, if you know so much, you must know who I was with!”
Reed nodded and pursed his lips. He turned his head to the side and peered at me from the corner of his eye. “After you and Lola parted—if you were actually with her in the first place—you couldn’t have spent much time with Liza Mae, so you went shopping with somebody else.” He gave me the kind of look I used to get from Mama and Elmo during my teens when they caught me in a lie. “Honey, you know I don’t care how much you spend on your family, so there is no reason for you to hide it from me when you go overboard. You spent most of today at the mall with some of your relatives spending my, excuse me, our money on them, right?”
“Uh, maybe I did . . .”
“I wish you hadn’t lied about it. I’m the one person you should always be honest with. And by the way, I tried to get an address for that Liza Mae woman from Lola, but all she did was beat around the bush.”
“Why do you need Liza Mae’s address?”
“Joan, I know where every one of your other friends live. Don’t you think it’s strange that I don’t know where Liza Mae lives after all this time? I’ve never even seen her in the flesh, nor have I ever spoken to her. I’ve left her numerous voice mail messages in the past couple of years and she’s never returned a single one.” Reed laughed and rubbed the side of his head. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear she didn’t even exist.”
My mouth dropped open. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!” I hissed. “I have no reason to make up stories about people who don’t exist. And if I did, I wouldn’t choose an invalid. Why don’t I invite her to have dinner with us? I can pick her up and bring her here.” Lola’s outlandish suggestion that we hire a woman to pose as Liza Mae didn’t seem so outlandish now. I was willing to do whatever it took to keep the wool over Reed’s suspicious eyes. “How soon do you want to meet her?”
“Pffft!” Reed dismissed my bluff with a dismissive wave. I was glad, because if Lola and I needed to revise our ruse it would require time, careful planning, and some new lies. “I’m sure she’s a nice lady and we should have her over for lunch or dinner, but I’m in no hurry to meet her. Let’s stop talking about her for now.” He leered at me in a way that made me feel naked. “I can think of something a lot more fun for us to do. . . .” He winked and slid his tongue across his bottom lip. I gulped and moaned under my breath when he poked my crotch with his fingers. “You’re looking mighty sexy in those skinny jeans, baby.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, and stood up.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he snickered.
“I’m going to put away all the new stuff I bought today.”
“No, you’re not. Bring your cute little ass here,” Reed ordered. Before I could resist, he grabbed my arm, pulled me back to the couch, and started unzipping my jeans.
Chapter 14
Lola
EVEN WITH ALL THE MEN ON MY ROSTER NOW, MY LIFE HAD BECOME routine. It was nine p.m. Saturday night and I was doing what I normally did when I didn’t have a date or something else on my agenda. I was in my bedroom stretched out in my bed with a copy of Brides magazine in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. Because I had eaten such a huge burger at Denny’s for lunch, along with a banana split for dessert, I was still too full to eat the dinner Bertha had prepared. If she hadn’t cooked chitlins again—the second time in five days—I probably would have scarfed down something just to keep her happy. She loved to cook and watch people eat whatever she’d prepared. Other than those two activities and church, she still clung to me like I was some kind of security blanket. I was determined to wean her as soon as I could.
I was about to open my second bag of potato chips when a call from Joan came in five minutes before ten p.m. “You still awake?” she asked dumbly.
“No, I’m talking to you in my sleep,” I snapped.
“I’m at the drugstore down the street from your house. We ran out of Tylenol again. Can I come over for a few minutes?”
“Sure. Is everything all right?” We hadn’t spoken since Joan had called me from the hotel several hours ago. I had left her a voice mail message and sent a text since then. I was surprised that she was just now getting back to me.
“I guess. Where’s the family from hell?”
“Bertha’s varicose veins were bothering her so she went to bed early, and Libby and her crew are downstairs watching TV.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes.”
When I heard Joan’s car pull up, I opened my door and stood in the doorway until she entered the house and stomped up to my room. �
�Libby didn’t even speak when Jeffrey let me in,” she complained.
“So what else is new?” I groaned. I closed my door, and she shot across the floor and plopped down on my bed and crossed her legs. She immediately started looking around the room. “How come you never have anything in here to drink when I come over?”
I sat down in the chair in front of the desk facing my bed. “I had a couple of wine coolers a little while ago. I would have saved you one if you’d let me know you were coming.”
Joan blew out some air and gave me a sorry look. “I guess you’re waiting to hear what happened when I got home this evening.”
I nodded. “How did dinner go with the Weinsteins?”
“They had to cancel. Something about Mitch having to go to the hospital to check on one of his patients.” Joan shook her head and gave me a weary look. “Girl, you wouldn’t believe what Reed put me through a few hours ago. We had sex on our living room floor. It was as lame as always.”
“I’m sure it’s the same old story, so skip over it and tell me everything else.”
She exhaled and uncrossed her legs. “After he left your house, he went over to Mama’s. To make a long story short, he thought I was out shopping with some of my relatives spending money on them. He laughed and basically told me he didn’t care about that, but he cared about me lying to him. That clueless asshole had no idea where I really was!” An extremely smug look crossed Joan’s face. Each time she pulled the wool over Reed’s eyes, it inflated her ego even more. “Anyway, he got real nosy about Liza Mae. He fussed about her never returning his calls and her being the only one of my friends he’s never met. For a minute, I thought he was going to force me to take him to her house today. I dodged that bullet when I offered to have her join us for dinner one day.”
“Hmmm.” I folded my arms and gave Joan a thoughtful look. “It sounds like our Liza Mae ruse is getting too risky for us to keep using without providing any evidence that she even exists. The last time I told Bertha I was going to visit her, she wanted to go with me so she could pray with her and offer to be of some assistance herself. Bertha is deathly afraid of cats, so when I told her that Liza Mae owns eight, she changed her tune. But Libby has been making noise about meeting her too. Do you want me to talk to that woman I mentioned about her posing as Liza Mae? I’m sure she’d do it for a couple hundred bucks. She’s so down on her luck, she eats some of her meals at a soup kitchen and the Rescue Mission. She could use the money, and I know she’d enjoy a nice free steak and lobster dinner with you and Reed.”