Joe felt his eyes suddenly become tight. They felt filthy. Then, abruptly, something dangerous and inhuman swirled through his body. Yes, he did feel shame at times for some of the choices he had made in life, but he had very few regrets. He had no apologies to make for the life he had chosen to live. It was the way he was, and he had been happy for the most part doing things his way. He would never change.
So in regards to little Susy Edwards, fate had thrown her into his path. He wasn’t crazy about the idea of killing her, but hey, life was a bitch. That was one of his mottos. Come tomorrow night, he would sneak through the back door of the Edwards’ home, and with knife firmly entrenched in his hand, he would be waiting.
Those eyes of Joe’s turned yet more filthy. He felt like swine that much more inside. Tomorrow night, he would become just that. Once little Susy Edwards arrived home, Joe would emerge from the darkness like a murderous fiend. Then, little Susy Edwards, sweet as she was –would die.
Chapter Thirteen
Tori stood at the doorway to her daddy’s house. The door was open. It was getting dark outside. She was on her way out. She would have left by now, except that she was just so flabbergasted by what she saw. She had been here over an hour, and this was the third such scene she had witnessed. She stood there almost limp in the shoulders, clutching her purse by its strap at her side. Her mouth was open a bit. That must have been some religious vision, she thought, in regards to Ava.
There Ava was, knelt down, hugging and kissing on a totally bewildered Susy. Jimmy stood a few feet away, arms folded, bristling with anger. He disappeared from the room. Henry rushed into the room, and as he rushed back out, he gave his oldest daughter a beaming look of satisfaction – an ‘I told you so’ type of expression. It was the second time he had done it.
Ava complimented Susy on some chore she had performed earlier in the day. She was simply the kindest child alive, the apple of Ava’s eye.
“I’m so sorry you can’t come with us,” Ava said to Susy. “But what you’re doing is a lot more important.”
“Yeah. I can go next time.”
“You bet you will.”
Ava gave Susy a big kiss on the cheek, and then she stood. She looked to Tori and smiled. Tori looked back in surprise. It was just so hard to believe, what had gotten into this woman lately. Ava left the room.
“Henry, hurry up, Honey,” Tori heard her say, as Ava walked down the hallway towards the kitchen.
“You’re going to make us miss the start of the first movie.”
“I’m hurrying, Dear,” came Henry’s voice from somewhere in the kitchen. “I’m sorry I overslept.”
Something else was said by Ava about him not needing to take a nap, but Tori turned her attention to her baby sister. Susy stared back at her for a few seconds, and then she ran over to her. She hugged her sister’s waist.
“I love you, Tori,” she said, looking up anxiously at her big sister. Tori was always glad to hear those words, but she didn’t understand where they came from at this particular moment.
“I love you too, Sweetie. Is anything wrong?”
“Why’s she doing it? Why’s she acting like this?”
“I don’t know. Maybe . . . Maybe it’s like everything she said.”
“You think she means it?”
“Well, I certainly hope so.”
“It’s something about the way she looks at me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, when she sent me to the carport a few minutes ago to get that bag out of the truck.”
“So, what about it?”
“I don’t know. She just looked at me so funny.”
“Oh, it’s probably just your imagination, Susy.”
Tori had to admit to herself, she was puzzled by Ava’s sudden change, but it did appear to be sincere.
“You’re worrying over nothing,” she said.
Susy lay her head against Tori’s stomach.
“I hope you’re right. I love you, Tori.”
This time, the statement sort of annoyed Tori. It seemed to sound as if there were some kind of finality to it.
“Okay, Susy, I get your point. We love each other.”
An instant or so later, a car horn blew from outside. Tori turned around, and Susy freed herself. Tori looked out the door, and a Toyota SUV was at the street, in front of the driveway.
“It’s Mrs. Parker,” said Susy.
“It’s time for me to go too,” Tori answered.
Ava rushed back into the room.
“Is that your ride?” she asked Susy.
“Yeah.”
She went to the child again and knelt down.
“You have a good meeting now. And you do have your house key, right?”
Susy reached in her pocket. “Uh huh.”
“Now when you get home, you rush right inside this house, Young Lady. And you lock yourself in real good. It’ll be late before we all get back.”
“I will.”
“I know you will. You’re such a good little girl.” She gave Susy one final kiss. “Bye-Bye, Sweetheart.”
“You don’t kiss me like that,” fussed Jimmy. He stood at the hallway entrance, still bristling.
“You be quiet,” Ava retorted back, as she stood and turned.
“I don’t like this. I don’t like this one little bit, Mommy.”
“Jimmy, be quiet. If you want Susy’s treatment, then stop being so lazy. And start making
straight A’s instead of F’s.”
The boy pouted fiercely.
Ava turned back to Tori. “If you’re on your way out, I’ll see you later.” She put on a very pleasant smile.
Tori nodded. Ava then walked to the stairway and hurried on up them. Jimmy stared at Susy with pure venom. Tori couldn’t help but feel a strong twinge of satisfaction at seeing the jealousy that was obviously eating the boy alive. He was such a brat.
“Come on, Susy, let’s go. I’ll walk you to the car.”
They headed out the door.
“And don’t come back,” Jimmy shouted. “I hope you die, Susy. I hope you die.”
Tori just threw her arm around the child, and she closed the door behind them.
“What a disturbed ingrate,” Tori mumbled.
They walked across the yard to the SUV and stopped at the passenger side. The window was open, and Tori greeted Mrs. Parker, a middle-aged black woman. Susy hugged Tori one more time. Tori was bewildered by Susy’s behavior. It seemed as though Ava’s treatment of her had made her jumpy. The child seemed to be more focused on fearing that Ava’s good treatment would end, rather than her just going on and enjoying it. Tori knew that the sudden change was indeed mysterious, but still, she didn’t like the idea that Susy wasn’t feeling any better about things. And in fact, she might have been getting worse. The two would have to talk.
“Love you,” Susy said yet once more, this time tersely.
She turned and quickly got inside the car. Mrs. Parker waved at Tori, and then the car drove away. As it moved further and further down the street, Tori felt sort of empty. Susy wasn’t satisfied, therefore, neither was she. There was no reason to feel that way, she figured. Ava had turned into a nice person. She now treated her baby sister the way she had always wanted her to be treated. That was great. It was fantastic even. Things were looking up.
Suddenly, a coldness swept through Tori’s being.
. . . Things were looking up? Or were they . . .
It had turned dark. Ava sat in the car beside Henry; Jimmy was in the back. The car was parked in the driveway, but Henry had just started up, and he was preparing to back out.
“Wait,” said Ava. “I forgot my lighter.”
“I knew it. I knew you’d forget something,” Henry said playfully.
“I won’t be but a second.” Ava pinched his cheek. “You’re such a cutie, you know that.”
Henry grinned widely. Ava knew that her new treatment of Susy had caused him to light up. She hoped he h
ad enjoyed it while it lasted. Ava looked in the backseat at Jimmy. He still pouted.
“Stop being such a sourface,” she said.
Ava got on out of the car, thinking – not much longer to suffer my little boy. She hurried across the grass and up the steps. She had her purse in her hand, and she reached in and took out her key. She let herself inside the house. Ava turned on the den light. She rushed on through the den, down the hall, and into the kitchen. She went to the kitchen door leading out to the carport. It was locked, as she knew it would be.
Ava didn’t know why, but as if she might be getting watched, she looked suspiciously around the room. After a couple of seconds, though, she realized she was being silly. She turned back to the door. She twisted the knob a little, and it clicked – unlocking. Ava stared down at the knob for several seconds, knowing what that click represented. There would be chaos for a while, and lots of misery, but in the long run, she was sure it would be for the best. She left the kitchen and turned out the light as she did so.
When she got back into the den, she stopped at the television. On top of it were framed photos of Susy and Jimmy. Ava looked at the photo of the smiling, innocent-looking girl. Susy was eight in the photo.
“See you later, Kid. Been nice knowing you.” She started to walk away, but she stopped. She looked at the photo again. “Naw, I take that back. It hasn’t been.”
Ava looked inside her purse to make sure her lighter really was in there, as she had always thought it had been. The silver square box was there, along with a pack of cigarettes. Ava hit the lights, went on out the door, and locked it from the outside with the key. Afterwards, she rushed back across the grass and to the car. She nervously stumbled, but she kept her footing.
“I’m ready to go,” she said, getting inside the car. “Let’s hit the Drive-In, my boy,” she said to Henry.
“You got it, Babycakes.”
“Let’s really enjoy ourselves, Henry. One of the last Drive-Ins in the country, and it’s shutting down next week. Let’s send it out with a bang.”
“As long as I’m with you, I’ll enjoy anything.”
Ava didn’t reply. She did, however, reach into her purse for the pack of cigarettes.
Henry started up the car again; he began backing out of the driveway. Ava took out a cigarette. She lit it and started puffing on it. What a night this would be, she thought morbidly. Oh what a night.
Chapter Fourteen
He felt like a monster creeping along in the darkness, and in fact, he knew that’s what he was actually. He carried at his side, a plastic bag with clothing. It was pitch-black in the alley that led to the back of the Edwards’ house. Joe wondered if he might not get attacked himself in such darkness. However, he figured the darkness was for the best. There was a tall picket fence that separated the neighbors’ home from the Edwards’. No one would be able to see him walking along there, especially at night. Joe’s eyes adjusted somewhat, and he was able to make out the cinder-block wall that enclosed the carport. He was almost there.
When he reached the carport, he scratched his face. The beard itched. He touched his long-haired wig. He turned the corner, and there was Henry’s old truck. The get-away vehicle, Joe thought with some sort of perverse relief. He walked very carefully. He knew the two steps leading up to the door were nearby. He didn’t want to trip and fall. When he reached the steps, he stepped onto the top one. He stopped. He reached into his pocket and took out a set of gloves. He put them on. He firmly wiped his hand across the bag where he had carried it, as to eliminate any prints. He then felt his back pocket, of which there was a bulge. His switchblade. It was still securely there.
Joe thought about Ava, who had ordered him to use a huge Chef’s knife. She had wanted him to put little Susy through as much pain as possible. He hadn’t argued with her; he knew how stubborn she could be. But he had decided to take some mercy on the kid; a switchblade would definitely do the job. Plus, it would also be easier to conceal.
Joe turned the knob and opened the door. He went inside the house, quickly shutting the door behind him. He reached into his other pocket and took out his pen light. He flicked it on.
So, he thought somewhat nervously. He was inside. In a half hour or so, he would do the deed. "Make sure you get the throat," Ava had told him. "Go for the jugular."
“Joe Riley,” he mumbled to himself, “what a despicable human being you have turned into.”
He walked to the kitchen table, where Ava’s purse rested. He pulled out a chair and dropped the bag in it. In a minute or two, he would pull out the kitchen drawers and make the mess that Ava had demanded. Currently, though, he was having somewhat of a guilt attack.
“Anyway, Kid,” he said, “you can look down on me from Heaven one day, and you can laugh at me burning in Hell. Me and Ava . . . Shit, it’s a rotten world, anyway. I’m doing you a favor.”
He dropped his head a bit shamefully. But in spite of the shame, when the prey came through the front door, he would pounce. He would attack . . . He would kill.
As Susy rode along on the passenger’s side of Mrs. Parker’s SUV, she stared out the open window in thought. The meeting had gone well and she felt good. There was even a slight grin on her face. Doing things to help the needy had always appealed to her, and the excitement of getting everything set up for the visit to the Senior Citizens’ Home had energized her. When she got home, she would go straight to bed, so that she could be fresh and ready in the morning.
Susy in fact, felt so good, that she was even considering changing her thoughts on Ava. She was starting to wonder, why question the good behavior? Just sit back and enjoy it. Was it so impossible to think that the woman could change? There was no law against it. The thought made Susy’s grin grow just a little.
“Just what are you thinking about?” Susy heard Mrs. Parker ask.
“Huh? Oh, nothing much.”
Mrs. Parker had a dark complexion and closely-cut hair. Her face was very round.
“Nothing, certainly has a pleasant grin on your face.”
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“So am I, Dearest. So am I.”
Mrs. Parker made a left turn onto Fumer Road. She drove slowly down the street, headed for Susy’s home. As they got closer to the house, Susy noticed how dark it looked. It always looked dark at night, but somehow, it seemed darker than usual. Susy knew that one of the two pole lights at the street had begun to dim in recent days, so she figured that was the problem.
Mrs. Parker arrived at the house and drove into the driveway.
“Well, here we are, Hon,” she said.
“Remember, be here seven-thirty sharp.”
“Yes, ma’am, Lieutenant.” She gave a quick salute.
“I like your enthusiasm, Susy. We need more kids like you in the club.”
Susy blushed. “Ah. Whatever.”
She reached over and hugged Mrs. Parker, who threw an arm around her.
“See ya in the morning,” Susy said.
“You sure will. Bye, Susy.”
Susy got out of the car. She ran down the short walkway to the steps, pulling her key out of her pants pocket as she ran. She hurried up the steps and onto the porch. She unlocked the door, went inside, and turned on the light. Afterwards, she turned and watched as the car backed out of the driveway, and then headed down the street. Susy closed the door and twisted the knob to the right, locking it. She headed for the stairway, but stopped. She looked at the clock on the coffee table; it read 10:45 P.M. It would still be a couple hours before they’d return home from the Drive-In, she thought.
Again, she started for the stairway, but she had barely taken two steps before she heard a noise. It was an extremely loud noise. Susy whisked around. She saw the lamp table beside the couch get knocked to the floor, with the lamp thumping to the floor beside it.
However, what was even more shocking was the tall man who had stumbled over it. He had come from behind the couch. Susy thought her eyes w
ould blow out of her head. She thought her heart would fall out of her chest. She felt a terror rip through her body such as had never ripped before.
The huge bearded man, dressed in black army boots, black jeans, and black T-shirt, regained his balance. He held something thin, silver, and narrow in his right hand. He flicked a lever on it, and a sharp, shiny blade sprung out. Susy was almost paralyzed with fear. Her mouth dropped open. The man hurried for her.
“Oh my God!” Susy screamed. “Eeeeh!!!”
Susy knew she couldn’t make it back to the door. She turned and ran for the stairway. But she heard those boots close in on her fast. By the time she reached the first stair, his large hand had grabbed her left shoulder. She saw his other hand swing around to her right cheek, the knife just inches from her eye. Susy was stunned to disbelief. She could do but one thing.
“Eeeeh!!!” at the very top of her lungs. “Eeeeh!!!”
It was a festival of old movies. Currently on screen was Top Gun, which starred Tom Cruise. Henry was relaxed back on the driver’s side. He had his hands locked behind his head. There were a number of other cars in the parking lot, though not many.
Henry looked into the rearview mirror, where he saw Jimmy. He was leaned against the door, stuffing popcorn from a large box into his mouth. He looked quite bored. Henry knew that this wasn’t his cup of tea, but Ava had made him come, anyway. The thought tantalized Henry, that his wife was getting tougher with her brat, and nicer with Susy. Get used to it, kid, things are gonna be a lot different around here. Henry smiled at the reality.
The night for the most part had gone well. Ava had seemed to tense up a little, almost from the time they had left the house. But she was acting alright overall. However, there had been a problem, and it annoyed Henry, though he didn’t dare complain about it. The cigarette smoke. The windows in the car were down, in order to allow for speakers to be attached to the car doors for sound. But in spite of the air helping to clear out the car somewhat, there was still way too much smoke floating around. But if Ava wanted to smoke, then so be it. Far be it for him to complain and cause a good night to be ruined by her anger.
Princess Reigns Page 9