“Don’t take too long, ‘cause we got business to work out.”
“What the hell kind of business?”
“What the hell kind you think? You females are so stupid. You think I turned my back on my brother just to help you?”
“You want money.”
“You damn right. A lot of it.”
Ava felt fury rising up inside of her. For a second, she considered picking up her revolver. But she knew she couldn’t do that. Oh, but it was so tempting.
“You’re wasting your time. I don’t have any money.”
“Don’t lie to me, female. Before Joe mentioned it in the papers, he told me all about how you got some money stashed away at home. And how you been skimmin’ off church money too. You doin’ a good job hidin’ it, but I know you got seven thousand dollars from the church.”
Ava knew he was telling the truth. Only, it was eleven thousand. Ava had the money in cash hidden in the house. Ava always believed that eventually she would accomplish her goals of wealth. But just in case things didn’t work out, she also believed in putting away some nest-egg money for her future.
“Joe is wrong. And he can’t prove a thing about the money.”
“I ain’t gonna argue with ya. I need this money. You want me to send a copy of that disk to the police or not? I can do it without gettin’ in no trouble.”
Ava watched him with near-blinding hatred. She felt her eyes blazing with outrage.
“I’m not giving you all my money.”
“You gotta give what I want. ‘Cause you don’t wanna go to prison. We gotta work out an arrangement here. You might even have to give me some of that money that’s bein’ raised for little Susy.”
“You disgusting faggot.” Ava banged the desk. “How can I steal off that money without making somebody suspicious?”
“That’s . . . That’s gotta be your problem.”
Ava could see that this nervous little wimp was enjoying this. It made her want to tear him apart even more.
“My boyfriend loves money,” Robbie went on. “I gotta keep him satisfied.”
“If you think you’re gonna spend the rest of your life draining me for money to feed your faggotry, you got another thought coming.”
Ava threw her left hand on the desk near the gun. It twitched several times, as if it wanted to pick the gun up. For the first time, she saw some serious fear rise in Robbie.
“Like . . . Like, I said, we gotta work out an arrangement. I . . . just want my fair share.”
“You bastard. I’m gonna watch this disk. You better hope it’s bad enough for blackmail, because if it isn’t, I’m gonna find you and I’m gonna kick your ass.”
“It’s bad. Believe me. It’s real bad.”
“I want you to get the hell out of here. You leave me a damn number so I can call you. I’ll do that after I see the disk.”
“Don’t take too long. Or I’m gonna have to come see you again.”
“You asshole. It was a risk for you to even come here. What if somebody saw you? I can’t have people thinking I’m consorting with my stepchild’s attempted murderer’s brother.”
“Well I gotta see ya. We can’t make out the plans otherwise.”
“I’ll contact you. I’ll decide the meeting places.”
"Don't know 'bout that. That might leave me kinda vulnerable."
“You idiot – think. I can’t do a damn thing to you as long as somebody else has a copy of
that disk.”
Oh, but Ava wanted to rip that man to shreds. He fiendishly put a huge grin on his face at that last statement.
“Well . . . Okay,” said Robbie. “I can leave for now. But I got a plan worked out. We gotta talk about it.”
Robbie reached to the desk and grabbed up a pen and notepad. He wrote down his phone number.
“I live by myself. You can call most any time after four. I’m back from work by then.”
He stood and handed Ava the note. She wouldn’t take it. She only stared viciously at him.
You just don’t know who you’re dealing with, buddy-boy, she thought deviously. You’ve got me by the throat right now, but if you screw up just once – your faggot ass is mine.
Looking into Ava’s eyes made Robbie a bit more uncomfortable. Ava never would take the note, so he put it down on the desk.
“You . . . You call me real soon now,” he said.
Those cold eyes were getting to Robbie. He stumbled backwards into the chair. He almost fell, but regained his balance. He walked rather quickly to the door. He opened it and stopped. He took one last look back at Ava. A little pale, his expression practically told her: Damn, you are dangerous. He then departed.
Ava hastily jumped up. Using both arms, she quickly swiped everything on the desk down to the floor. Paper, pencils, folders, the gun, the adding machine, all hit the floor and went in different directions. Ava was so angry, she could have ripped Satan’s very balls out.
“Goddammit!” she screamed. Nothing more could come out. She was too steamed to even think right now. She stood there, arms folded, head bowed, and skin crawling.
As Tori sat there listening to the man, as much as she was repulsed by him, she still couldn’t help but believe that he told the truth. Occasionally, she would look at the police officer who sat beside her in order to gauge his reaction. She didn’t get much. It appeared to her that most everybody believed Joe Riley was lying about Ava. However, there was something about Riley’s eyes, and there was something about his tone, that convinced her more and more by the second that he wasn’t.
As Riley sat there in the bed, he used his hands. He also used expressions. He used everything at his disposal to try and convince her that he told the truth.
“I swear to you, Miss Edwards,” he said determinedly. “Ava was behind all of this. She hates your baby sister. She wanted her dead, so that she could get her hands on the girl’s trust money.”
“Why would your brother lie about the disk, Riley? Does he hate you?”
“We had problems when we were kids, because I couldn’t stand his being a fag. But we got over that. I came to accept it years ago. That had stopped being an issue a long time ago.”
Tori just watched him, leaning towards him telling the truth, but at the same time still carrying a decent amount of skepticism.
“Maybe it’s possible,” Riley continued, “that he’s been carrying something against me all these years, and I didn’t realize it. I used to beat his ass for being a fag.”
“He actually has a disk with Ava working out the details of my sister’s murder?”
“On a stack of bibles, it’s the truth. That woman can’t walk away clean from this, when I got to spend the rest of my days in prison. I wouldn’t have even done it, if it hadn’t been for her.”
“Stack of bibles? You? Riley . . . You disgust me so much. Do you know how hard it is for me to be in this room with you, knowing what you did to my sister? Knowing that she might die because of you?”
“I know you want to tear me apart. If I were you, I’d want it too. But don’t you see, the fact I was so willing to talk to you, shows sincerity. What have I got to gain from it now?”
“Nothing, ‘cause you’re a kook,” said the young officer.
“Why don’t you shut the hell up?” barked Joe. “I’m talking to this lady, not you.”
The officer leaned forward in his seat and pointed a finger at Joe.
“You better watch your mouth, sucker. I’ll shove your teeth all the way back into that pea brain of yours.”
“I’m just trying to get some justice here. Ava Edwards is just as much scum as I am. I know I’m a piece of shit, but so is she.”
Joe Riley’s eyes watered a little.
“I just want somebody to believe me. I’m telling the truth. Honest to God, I am.”
Joe’s tone pleaded to the officer. Tori observed him very closely. At seeing Joe’s eyes water, she felt something move in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t
know what it was, it was just a strange sensation. Joe looked back to her.
“Please believe me, Miss Edwards, I ain’t lying about this.”
“I really don’t want to believe this, Riley. I don’t know if I can.”
“But you got to. Why’s it so hard? You and Ava don’t even like each other.”
A tear ran from Joe’s eyes.
“You know she hated the kid. You know she did.”
But was Ava capable of such cruelty? Tori thought. Could even she be such a demon? But then, what about Ava’s sudden change of heart towards Susy, just a couple of weeks before the attack? What about her nervousness on the night of the attack? And what about the way she put the cigarettes away?
“Don’t let that woman get away with this,” Joe implored. More tears ran from his eyes.
“Cut it out, Riley,” said the officer. “You just breaking my heart.”
“I ain’t lying, I tell you. If the kid dies, Ava Edwards is as much a murderer as I am.”
The tears caused even more stirring inside of Tori’s stomach. She didn’t want to believe Ava’s involvement, because she didn’t know what she would do to the woman, if Ava was indeed behind Susy’s attack. Still, reality was trying its best to set in. Whether she wanted to believe it or not, it was becoming more and more apparent to her, that this man was being truthful.
She watched in disgust, but also with anxiety, as Joe Riley bawled his eyes out. He dropped his head to the pillow and just cried away. What indeed did he have to gain by lying, Tori realized with a feeling that was approaching finality. Why would he go to all of this trouble? How could he cry so distressedly and not be truthful? He would have to be one hell of an actor, but for what reason?
No, there was something to this man’s demeanor. He was not acting. His body was being riddled with regret and guilt. He knew that he was a doomed man. He felt like a fool. He at least wanted the small satisfaction of knowing that the other fool would go down with him. Tori believed that she could read people pretty well. Riley was a man in pain. He was a dirty bastard, and he was probably a great liar – when he had to be. This time, however, he didn’t have to be.
“Somebody please believe me,” Joe said to no one in particular. He was just desperate for
some semblance of satisfaction.
“You’re a fool if you don’t go after Ava,” he said angrily to Tori, tears still rolling from his bloodshot eyes. “She’s gonna get away with killing your sister. Your baby sister. Your ten-year-old sister. She’s probably gonna die, and she didn’t even have a chance to live.”
Anger. Deep, hate-ridden anger. That was all Tori could feel at the moment. Joe Riley had hit a cord. The combination of his desperate actions, his pleadful eyes, and those last words, finally got to her. It hit Tori like a Mack truck. There was no reason to question it anymore. It was as plain to her now as that sniveling fool who lay before her. How could she have even doubted it in the first place?
The brute had done it. She had paid this man to try and kill her sister. She had very possibly robbed Susy of what had been an extremely promising life – a life that had had such a great future before it. Now, just like Riley had said, it had probably been cut short before it had even had a chance.
Oh my goodness, Tori thought menacingly. What am I going to do? How long will it take for me to get to Ava Edwards? How long will it take for me to tear her head from her shoulders? Too long. I can’t waste any more time. I won’t waste any more time.
Gradually, Tori stood. Goosebumps ran up and down her body. She began to shiver somewhat. She kept her eyes planted on Joe Riley, looking at him as though she wanted to kill him. Riley saw something in Tori’s eyes. The hopeless expression on his face suddenly shifted to one of hope.
“You’re . . . You’re starting to believe me, ain’t you? You’re starting to see I’m telling the truth. I can tell it in your face.”
“You can’t tell nothing, Riley,” said the officer. “Why don’t you cut out this bull?”
“She’s believing me, I tell you.” Joe kept his gaze on Tori, as she did him.
“That’s right,” he said. “Go after her. Go after the bitch. Tear her apart. Give her what she deserves. She killed your sister. She killed your sister.”
Joe tried to rub it in, to make sure that Tori would have no more doubts.
“Your sister’s gonna die because of her. Because of Ava Edwards. Go kill the murderer.”
“Shut up, Riley,” the cop ordered.
Tori didn’t say a word. She stepped up to the bed. Trying to control the shivering, she could do nothing but continue to look deep into the eyes of Joe Riley. She still hoped to see something that would tell her that the man was lying, but the deeper she looked, the more she knew he was telling the truth. And the more she knew it, the more she was forced to realize that she was on the verge of doing something very dangerous.
“I know you hate me,” said Joe. “I want you to hate me. I deserve to be hated. But I ain’t lying to you.”
Tori still couldn’t bring herself to say a word. She was still trying to digest how she was going to handle all of this.
“Look, lady,” said Joe. “I know I ain’t got no right to ask you to forgive me. I ain’t gonna even try. But I . . . I at least want to say this . . . I am sorry. I really am. I regret what I did to your sister, and not just because my life’s over. I really am sorry I hurt her.”
Still trying to control her shakes, and not doing a good job of it, Tori realized that she could only do one thing in regards to Joe’s apology. First, she looked at the officer, who looked back to her with a touch of worry. She could tell that he was bothered by the perilous expression on her face. Tori couldn’t have cared less. She returned her gaze to Joe Riley.
She brought as much of it up from her throat as she could, along with bringing up her right hand. Then, with all the force that she could muster, and with her anger blazing, she let them both fly – the water like a torrential rain, the fist like a Mike Tyson punch. The hot spit splattered all over Joe Riley’s face, some of it rolling off his lips. The punch bounced off his right cheek, leaving a deeply red spot. Joe's head snapped backward. The policeman beamed.
Joe had closed his eyes upon impact. He turned even redder, with embarrassment. He opened his eyes. He and Tori stared at each other.
“ . . . I deserved that,” he said solemnly. “I deserve a lot more.”
Tori turned. She walked to the door and opened it. As she was about to go through it, Riley’s words pierced into her.
“But I am telling the truth about Ava. Don’t let her get away with this.”
Tori stopped. She hated accepting Riley’s words, but she knew she had to do so. Now, she was determined to act upon them. Resolutely, she left that deplorable room.
Chapter Twenty-One
She thought she was such hot stuff, he thought with a sneer. She always dressed so sleazy, with her short, tight black skirt, and her black fishnet stockings. Her T-shirt was way too tight, and it was tied up above her bellybutton. They’re all a bunch of whores, concluded Robbie, as he stood in his doorway staring at Christy. She talked, and at times, flirted with two men at the top of the stairway. She prostituted herself much of the time, but as far as Robbie was concerned, she was only acting in a manner in which all women acted.
Robbie couldn’t stand Christy, even more so than other women. Now and then, she would take a glance at him, and the look on her face showed that of a smirk. It made Robbie sizzle inside. He almost felt as if he could wring her neck.
Rumors abounded that the love of Robbie’s life, Matt, at times had a weakness for the opposite sex. He was mostly homosexual, but every once in a while, he would dabble in bisexuality. Despite that flaw, Robbie always forgave him. However, his hatred for the women whom Matt cheated with grew at times to an intensity, that made Robbie almost want to burst with rage. He felt that he could deal with Matt’s cheating with other men better than he could with other women. What in th
e world did Matt see in those disgusting creatures? The thought nearly made Robbie want to puke.
Christy was the latest rumor that had been linked to Matt. Robbie hated her guts. She didn’t even look all that good, with her dirty blonde hair, thick eye shadow, and pale skin. She reminded him of a ghoul.
Christy giggled out real loud, as the two men left her and headed down the stairs, one patting her on the butt as he departed. Christy put her hands on her hips and decided to traipse on over to Robbie. Robbie thought briefly of going inside his apartment and slamming the door, but he changed his mind. That smirk on her face showed that she wanted a conflict. He would never run from a conflict with one of them.
“Well, if it ain’t old fag boy,” Christy said, arriving at Robbie.
“And if it ain’t the old whore,” Robbie retorted.
“When’s the last time you had a dick up your ass, fag boy?”
“Few nights ago, and proud of it. When’s the last time you had one up yours?”
“I don’t take it that way. You see, my anatomy gives me other options.”
“And you use that option to the fullest, don’t you?”
“When I feel like it, especially when it’s your friend. What’s his name . . . Uhh, Matt, that’s it, ain’t it?”
Robbie didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. All he did was seethe.
“Did you know he was just a short ways down the hallway last night – in my room? I bet he didn’t tell you about that, did he? He’s been visiting me quite a bit lately.”
“You . . . You better stay the hell away from Matt, you slut.”
“But I like him. He’s so good, that sometimes, I don’t even charge him. You know, there might be hope for him yet. He can enjoy pussy so good, that he might just leave you fags alone forever.”
“I’m warning you, Christy, you better leave Matt alone.”
“And what are you gonna do, if I don’t? You ain’t a real man, you can’t beat my ass.”
“Don’t you be too sure about that.”
“You a loser, just like your damn brother. I don’t know who’s worse, the child-killer, or the greased asshole.”
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