Joe closed the door. He stretched and yawned.
“I just got up. You know that, don’t you?”
“You sleep too late. Anyhow, come here and sit down.” She lightly patted the seat beside her. “We’ve got something very important to discuss.”
Joe was puzzled. He walked to the couch and dropped down.
“You’ve got that look in your eyes,” he said. “I’ve always considered it a dangerous look.”
“I thought about something last night. I thought about it long and hard, and got virtually no sleep.”
“You do look kind of tired.”
“I need your help, Joe. If you don’t help me, I’ll find somebody who will.”
“You know I can’t deny you nothing. With the kind of head you give, how can any man deny you?”
“I’m glad you see things that way. I’m tired, Joe. I’m tired of being small-time. I have a way to get some money, and that money can springboard me to riches. And of course, I’d take you there with me.”
Joe smiled. “Just what are you up to, Pretty Lady?”
“Murder – plain and simple.”
Joe’s eyes popped. He didn’t say a word.
“I need money,” Ava continued, “and there’s somebody blocking the way. I want that somebody removed.”
It took Joe a few moments, but with Ava staring coldly into his eyes, he was finally able to find his tongue. Still, he was rather pale.
“You want to kill somebody? Who?”
“I don’t want to kill somebody. I want somebody else to do it for me.”
“You want to hire somebody for a murder? Who in the world would you hire?”
“You told me not real long ago, that if the price was right, you could kill anybody . . . Even a child.”
Joe turned even more pale. Shock seemed to attack his face. He knew his eyes had to be screaming at Ava – you are one cold woman.”
“You were serious about that?” he asked.
“Weren’t you?”
Joe thought for a second. He ran his hand across his cheek. As he looked at Ava, the color slowly began to creep back into his face. A sinister expression also began to overtake that face.
“Well, yeah, I guess I was,” he responded. “I guess I didn’t think you were.”
“Oh, Joe, my boy,” Ava cynically patted him on the shoulder. “You must not know me nearly as well as you think.”
“ . . . This child. It’s the stepkid, ain’t it?”
“You got it, Buddy. Are you interested?”
“Well, I guess I am. Or I could be. It all depends on how it’s done, and especially, the price.”
Ava edged up against him. She affectionately took hold of his arm.
“Five grand sound good? Preliminary figure, of course."
"Sounds damn good – especially at preliminary."
"I knew I could count on you, Joe. You know what it takes to get ahead in this world.”
“Oh really? That’s why I don’t have a steady job and live in this dump.”
“You just needed the right person to come along and guide you. And guess what, Mister, you just found her.”
Joe smirked, still trying to let it all sink in.
“That money,” Ava went on, “that Trust Fund of Susy Edwards’. It’s gonna be mine. It’s gonna be my ticket to the top.”
“I assume you have a plan.”
“I’m working on one. It’s not all etched out yet, but believe me, it’ll be perfect. I’ll fill you in on it. However, first things first.”
She wrapped her arms around Joe, and she planted a long, juicy kiss on his lips. When the two separated, Ava could tell, this man was absolutely amazed at how brutal she could be. But then, she thought, if he was willing to go along with it, he was no saint himself.
Tori nearly chased behind her father, who was already late for work, as he had told her twice. As he prepared to leave, she made matters worse by basically getting on his nerves. Tori didn’t care; she planned to get her point across to him.
They left the kitchen and walked into the den, Tori fussing at him all the way. Henry went to the recliner and picked up his jacket.
“Why won’t you listen to me?” Tori complained.
“Because what you’re saying is nonsense.”
“Susy is your daughter. Can’t you give her some attention?”
“I give her attention. But I won’t dignify those kinds of accusations, Tori. There’s no way in hell Ava would ever hurt Susy.”
“I’m not saying she’ll hurt her. I’m saying you ought to do more to comfort your child. You ought to ease her feelings.”
“What am I supposed to do? You want me to tell her that the big, bad stepmother won’t chop her head off? That sounds kind of ridiculous.”
“Daddy, just take Susy a little more seriously. Let her know that she’s well protected; she has nothing to worry about.”
“She knows that already.”
“Would it hurt you to sit her down and tell her that, rather than act like it’s all a silly game. It’s not a game to her. I took it too lightly, and she got mad.”
“Well she shouldn’t have. If I went to Ava with something like this, it would just make matters worse. I think things are getting better between them.”
“Oh, get real. Who are you kidding? I tried to comfort Susy last night, but my head was hurting, and I didn’t make much progress. She needs to hear it from you.”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“Listen to me. She lives here. She needs to know that Ava won’t hurt her, when they’re both here alone.”
“That’s just too ridiculous to even consider, Tori.”
“Is it going to kill you to just humor her? And Ava doesn’t have to know about it. Just give your kid some peace-of-mind, Daddy. Do that much for her; you don’t do much else.”
Henry looked at her with a scowl. Tori had hit a nerve, but again, she didn’t care. Henry then looked at his watch.
“I’ve got to go,” he said.
Henry threw on his jacket. He then picked up his lunch pale, which had been on the table beside the recliner.
“Ava will be back soon,” he said. “Please leave. The way you two fight lately, I don’t want to come home and find my home completely destroyed.”
Henry headed for the door.
“Daddy, you look here.” Tori stood where she was, but she angrily pointed a finger at her father.
“If just in case, we’re both wrong, and Ava does end up hurting Susy in some way – I swear, I’ll never forgive you. I’ll absolutely hate you until the day you die. You got that?”
Henry stopped at the door. He turned around, and he took a deep sigh.
“Alright, alright. I’ll talk to Susy. It doesn’t make sense, but I’ll try and comfort her the best way I can. Will that be okay?”
“Thank you, for small favors I have to beg for. If only you could show such stubbornness against Ava.”
“May I go to work now?”
“Go. Go.”
She motioned her hand for him to leave.
“Please, if you are here when Ava comes, don’t tear my house down.”
Henry gratefully departed. Afterwards, Tori just stood there, her hands on her hips. She would indeed leave. Her head was starting to hurt. She didn’t want to confront Ava in the midst of a migraine; she might go wild and kill her. Or either, she might end up being too weak and end up getting killed. She wouldn’t give Ava the satisfaction. She headed back to the kitchen, where her purse and jacket were at.
Chapter Ten
Tori heard Simone say the words again, and it was starting to annoy her.
“Not all preachers are bad,” said Simone.
“I know that. You’ve made your point already.”
The two ladies were on the balcony of Simone’s patio. Her apartment building overlooked a small lake, behind which were a cluster of trees. Tori and Simone sat in wicker chairs. It was a breezy day.
“I
’m just telling you that Ava is phony as hell,” said Tori.
“I know she’s a phony. But I’ve got to admit, I’ve been to a couple of her services, and she’s exceptional. She almost made me change my opinion of her. I thought for a while she was for real.”
“That witch will never be for real.”
“Despite the fact she’s a crook, doesn’t mean that what she says is false. What she preaches is true, even if she herself doesn’t follow it.”
“Still, there’s something wrong about it coming out of the mouth of somebody like her.”
“It still doesn’t change the fact that what she says is true. I’ve actually been moved enough by some of the things she’s said, to make some changes in my own life.”
“It’s hard for you to believe something, when the person telling you doesn’t believe it.”
“Your belief in God shouldn’t come from somebody else. It should come from you. If a person preaches from the Bible, and you believe the Bible, it’s the truth – despite the words coming from a phony.”
“You sound like you’re trying to become a fan of hers,” Tori said the words somewhat sarcastically. “You’re not thinking of becoming a member of her congregation, are you?”
“Of course not. It’s just that sometimes, you seem like you’re letting Ava cause you to doubt your beliefs, and you shouldn’t let that happen.”
“Well, she’s not a strong representative of the religious community, though you couldn’t convince most people of that.”
“Just don’t let her destroy your faith. For preachers, I think she’s an exception, not a rule.”
“Well, whatever. Anyway, let’s stop talking about that bag. It just gets me steamed. And speaking of faith, let’s discuss yours – in another capacity.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not still thinking of leaving me, are you? You know, our little discussion last week? You’ve got to have faith in us, Sister.”
“Naw. That’s pretty much over. That was sort of sparked by my brother. The Harvard grad.”
“I kind of thought so.”
“Actually, it's not really him. He's cool. It's my parents – always throwing in my face about how he’s a highly-paid investment banker on Wall Street. I love them, but sometimes, they can really make me sick.”
“You’re not a loser. We do decent business.”
“I know. But they can make me feel like a loser at times. They say, ‘You have a Stanford engineering degree.’ You’re underachieving.”
“That’s bull. Besides, I don’t think you’re cut out for the nine-to-five world anyway. You’re like me. You crave adventure.”
“You may have a good point there.”
“You can’t leave me, Simone. Edwards and Hunt Ltd. will be big one day. Your twenty-five percent partnership will blossom. Just give it time. Then, you can make your parents proud as hell.”
“Well, I certainly hope so.”
Tori wished her problems with Susy could be straightened out so easily. As for Simone, she was like a sister to her. Tori didn’t know what she’d do without that support. Between Ava, Susy, and Henry, she was starting to feel a little old. But at least she still had Simone as solid as ever.
Henry was still sure that talking to Susy was completely unnecessary, but he did love his child, and if talking would ease her mind, then he would do so. He sat downstairs in the den in the recliner. Susy had not long ago come inside the house from visiting with a friend. She had gone upstairs to put up her coat. Henry had told her to come back downstairs so that he could talk to her.
Henry was nervous as to what he would say. Then, to make matters worse, it was dark outside, and he noticed car headlights pass by the side den window. He knew that the car was going around to the back to park in the carport. It was Ava.
Henry was well aware that there was no way he would be able to have this talk with Ava around. He got up, preparing to go upstairs to Susy. However, Susy came rushing back down into the room. She looked anxious, wondering what her father wanted to talk to her about.
“I’m ready, Daddy,” she said. “What did I do now?”
“You? You haven’t done a thing. Your sister just wanted me to talk to you about something.”
“What?”
“Let’s go upstairs to your room. Okay?”
“It’s about Ava, ain’t it?”
“We’ll discuss it upstairs.”
A moment later, Henry heard Ava’s voice call from way in the back of the kitchen. The door from the carport led into the kitchen.
“Henry? I bought a few things at the store. I need you to help me and Jimmy get them out of the car.”
“We’ll still talk,” Henry said to Susy. “Why don’t you help me with the bags?”
He left the room and walked down the hallway and into the kitchen. Susy followed behind him. They both arrived in the kitchen at about the same time. Ava stood there at the open door. The carport light was on outside. Jimmy came into the kitchen carrying a small bag.
Ava’s face suddenly lit up.
“Susy, honey, you came to help? That’s so nice of you.”
Henry was a bit surprised at the response. He looked down at his daughter. Susy was also surprised.
“You’re such a sweet little girl. Maybe I need to think about that a little bit more.”
More surprise came from Henry. He couldn’t help but notice Jimmy, who stood beside his mother, still holding the bag. He too was surprised.
Ava lightly slapped him on the shoulder.
“What’s wrong with you, boy? Why didn’t you get a heavier bag? You want to leave all the heavy ones for Susy? Don’t be so lazy.”
Jimmy couldn’t help it. His mouth fell open. Ava grabbed the bag from Jimmy’s hands, and she walked to the table and set it down.
“Now you go back to the car, young man, and this time you grab a couple of heavy bags.”
Jimmy wouldn’t move, but not out of anger. He was just in shock.
“Move,” Ava snapped.
The boy jumped a little, but he did as he was told. Ava turned her attention back on Susy.
“Now that I think about it, you don’t even need to help, Susy. You’re a little girl. You and me will just let the men handle those big, old bags. Okay?”
Ava put on the biggest, brightest smile. Henry didn’t know where the behavior had come from, but it forced him also to put on a smile. Again, he looked to his daughter. Susy’s eyes were big. She had a perplexed, completely dumbfounded look on her face.
Ava walked over to Susy. She knelt down.
“Know what, Sweetheart,” she said softly, “things are going to be a lot different around here from now on. I promise you that.”
Susy just could not let out a word.
“You’re a sweet girl, and you’re going to get treated accordingly from now on.”
Ava put her arms around Susy and squeezed her with a hug. Susy looked up at her daddy, her expression saying: What’s going on here?
Henry simply grinned wider. He knew that he had been right. There was no way that Ava would hurt his daughter. All of a sudden, he felt there was no need for that talk he had planned with Susy. The whole idea of Ava doing anything bad to his little girl had been ridiculous. How silly Tori had been. He didn’t know what had gotten into Ava, but he sure hoped it would continue. He knew that it would certainly make his life a lot easier. He sighed with relief, and simply smiled at his puzzled daughter, enjoying the moment.
Chapter Eleven
Joe entered into the den of his apartment. He had just come out of his bedroom. He stopped just inside the doorway. He stood there and stared at his brother Robbie, who sat on the couch in thought. Robbie looked somewhat tense. His legs were crossed. He was a puny guy. He was around six feet, and he weighed no more than one hundred forty pounds. His skin was very pale. His brown hair was going thin on top. His face was freckled and quite thin. He noticed that Joe stood there watching him.
“Somethin’ wrong?” he asked in a high-pitched voice, also revealing yellow, rotting teeth.
“I was about to ask you that,” said Joe. “You look scared. You ain’t gonna chicken out, are you?”
“’Course not. I’m lookin’ forward to gettin’ the heifer.”
Joe slowly walked over to the couch and sat down. Actually, Joe didn’t really think his brother was chickening out. He figured it was a question he had probably asked out of his own nervousness. He knew, that although Robbie looked wimpy, he could be a decently tough cookie when he had to be.
“You know,” Joe said prudently, “we ain’t trying to get her. I just want to make sure I have some insurance.”
“You’ll get it. I’ll do a real good job.”
“You’re the photographer. You know how to handle all that shit. So I’m leaving all the expertise up to you.”
“She won’t notice a thing. That little hole you cut out the bedroom door, the lense’ll be able to shoot through it, and she won’t even notice it’s there.”
“You sure the camera’s got sound too?”
“Definitely. I might not get much photo work, but I keep up on the latest ‘quipment.” He motioned towards the bedroom. “In that room there, is one of the best video cameras on the market. I got my friend Buzzy to steal it for me almost a year ago. ‘Course, it cost me a little somethin’.”
Robbie smiled sinisterly. Joe only looked away uncomfortably. He never liked discussing that aspect of his brother’s life. That was the biggest reason why they had had problems over the years, though they currently got along.
“But I enjoyed myself too,” Robbie said, gently punching his brother on the shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah.” Joe shrugged off the comments. “Just make sure nothing goes wrong.”
“It won’t. I promise. You know, this is one cold female to kill a ten-year-old kid.”
“I know. It’s been over two weeks since she came to me with the idea. I’m still kind of stunned over it.”
“You shouldn’t be. Women are capable of anything.”
“Well, this one especially is. And I don’t trust her one bit. If I get caught, this tape is gonna be my insurance that her ass goes down with me.”
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