With Cruel Intent

by Dennis Larsen

  “Felix, you ever think about anything but women?” Iggy asked.

  Felix looked up thinking, “Uh, no.”

  Jeremy was finally able to get Felix back on topic, and once convinced he understood the plan as well as he and Ignatius, they concluded their meeting with no intention of ever meeting again. Any further contact or correspondence would be done through the online sources, and under new user names, which they would need to create. Jeremy had gone to the trouble of assigning the names, logins and the other information his conspirators would need to complete the online task and prepare for the next round of communications, as needed.

  The three agreed that their plans should move ahead as previously discussed and each went their separate way. Iggy to work, Jeremy back to Washington D.C. and Felix Unger -- his parents, being fans of the popular television show, could not think of a more appropriate name -- was excited about his prospects at Caroline's Bed and Breakfast, so off he drove.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  Blanche had a hard time focusing on anything related to the library Friday morning. Her thought drifted and meandered between her impending date with Seymour and the quasi date, hastily arranged, with Jasper for the following evening, or was it a date with Jasper and Rufus, she wasn't quite sure. Thankfully, the decisions on this particular morning, or any morning for that matter, did not dictate life or death, just the ability to find a book, when shelved out of place, or a late fee charged to the wrong account. The librarian had just managed to complete her morning’s work when Marcus wandered through the main foyer on his way to the second floor.

  “You’re looking lovely, as per usual, Blanche,” he said, giving her a friendly smile.

  “Why thank you my good man,” she retorted, with an English accent.

  He could see from her evident glow and demeanor that something was up. “So what’s the deal?”

  “What do you mean, what’s the deal? I’m just working my little keister off trying to keep this place in tip top shape,” again with the accent.

  “Oh, I think there’s more to it than that. You seem, I don’t know, kinda bubbly,” he said, for lack of a better word.

  “Is that a compliment, or bubbly, as in bubble headed beach blonde?” she jokingly replied.

  “Both,” he laughed. “No really, you got something going on today?”

  “Am I really that easy to read. After all you’ve only known me a short while?”

  “I don’t know, you do kinda wear your emotions on your sleeve. But that’s not a bad thing,” he said, as an afterthought.

  “If you must know, I have a date tonight that I’m really looking forward to. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a date.”

  “Can I ask who with? Do I know him?”

  “I think you know him alright, but you must promise me that you won't say anything to Mrs. Anderson, she will likely frown on me dating a coworker,” Blanche said more quietly, looking to make sure they could not be overheard.

  “For goodness sake Blanche, don’t tell me you’re going out with Jared, he’s still in high school. Ester will have a conniption and what will his parents say?” he carried on, not giving Blanche a chance to stop him, even though he could see her waving her arms in an attempt to slow him down. “I’ve seen him ogling you and I should have put a stop to it right from the start, but I never dreamed you would agree to dating him. Doesn’t sound like a very good idea to me, nope, no siree,” he finally stopped.

  “Marcus, I’m not that stupid. It’s not Jared, it’s Seymour,” she whispered.

  “Oh, oh, that’s better. Ain’t he still a little young for you?” he questioned. “Now you just tell me if I'm overstepping my bounds.”

  “It’s okay, I don’t mind you being interested, and after all you are sort of my adopted father, apparently. I have been a bit hesitant to encourage Seymour, but he’s just so sweet and I think he likes me for me, and not the other,” she said, looking down at her protruding chest. “Actually looks me in the eyes when we talk, I kind of like that.”

  “He’s one hell of a lucky guy, either way, and he’s a good boy to boot.” He reached for Blanche, giving her a hug, and patted her gently on the back.

  “Thanks Marcus, your approval is important to me for some crazy reason.”

  They chatted about a number of things before Blanche asked, “So what are you up to this morning?”

  “I’ve got to check all the safety issues throughout the library today. County safety inspectors are coming the middle of next week. You know, to certify the fire extinguishers, make sure we have the proper signs, that kind of stuff. Has to be done every year so I just double check everything before they show up,” he explained.

  “Well, don’t let me hold you up any longer, get to work and I’ll do the same,” she said, returning to her desk.

  The attractive young librarian would have been less excited about her day had she known that at the same moment she was discussing her date that two men, Marcus would have been much less approving of, were thinking of Blanche in much more lewd ways.

  * * *

  Lester sat at his plywood desk, his feet pushed against the edge, the chair tipped back on two legs, as he lustfully turned the pages of his newly pilfered book. The thoughts of a naughty librarian stirring his imagination, he looked up from the book long enough to refresh his memory, by looking at the pictures of Blanche pinned to the wall. “Oh yeah babe, won’t be long and you’ll have a real man. The Lester Train is on the tracks and headed your way,” he said, returning his attention to the book before him.

  * * *

  Felix pulled his black Lincoln Town car into the lone parking spot behind Caroline’s and exited the vehicle, a single bag in his hand. He entered through the rear door, off of the kitchen; scarcely making a sound, but no one appeared to be home. Setting the bag at the bottom of the stairs, he hollered, “Anybody here, Caroline you around?”

  “Quit yer yelling, I’m a comin', I’m a comin',” Caroline said, scooting down the upper hallway where she’d been doing some cleaning.

  “Ms. Carmichael, pleasure to see you again,” he said, turning on the charm.

  “Well, I never expected to see your handsome face here this morning,” she said, walking down the stairs and extending her hand.

  “Got some work to finish up here in Valdosta over the next couple days and missed your home cooking so much, thought I’d see if you could give me a room.”

  “Oh I think I can arrange something fer ya. How long will you be staying and do you want the main floor or the second?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure how long, maybe up to a week. Is that librarian still staying here? You know, the good lookin’ one?” he inquired.

  “That would be Miss Delaney, oh yeah, she’s still with us. You got your eye on her do you?”

  “I wouldn’t mind sharing a bathroom with her again. Of course, if that's okay with you?” he said, with a wink.

  “Don’t make no never mind to me who shares what, long as I get paid,” she quipped, motioning for him to pick up his bag and follow her. “The room you were in before is now occupied, some accountant staying in there, but you can have the one that the newlyweds were in, just changed the sheets and cleaned it up fer ya.”

  “I’m much obliged. When do I get some of that special fruit salad of yours?” he said, lightly tapping her on the bottom as she turned to walk out of the room.

  “You devil, teasing an old lady when all you're really after is her fruit salad,” she said, shaking her large, round bottom at him. “Dinner is at 6:30 sharp. See you then.”

  * * *

  The remainder of the librarian's day passed as most did, kids and adults coming and going from the library. Blanche had instituted a new afternoon reading program for preschool aged children that she was very much enjoying. Throughout the week when she had a few spare minutes, she would browse the children’s section, looking for books that might entertain the little ones, then on Friday afterno
on at 3:00 p.m. parents were invited to bring their children for a reading of these selected books. The first couple of weeks the attendance had been limited but today she had to ask Mr. Marcus to bring in additional chairs for the adults and mats for the children. She enjoyed looking out at the smiling, beaming little faces that were just now learning to have a love of literature.

  Today she had chosen, ‘The Marvelous Mind of Marlin Marsh’ written by H. Broby. She held the book so the children could see the colorful illustrations as she read each page, exaggerating the key words, and changing her voice to the delight of the children. A sense of accomplishment and joy filled her heart as the young parents thanked her at the end of the session. Telling her how much their children were enjoying these special Friday afternoons. Blanche couldn’t help but wonder if one day she’d have a chance to share her love of books with her own small children.

  As she was cleaning up the area, she noted that Marcus was hauling a ladder up the stairs, again heading to the second floor. “Now what are you up to?” she asked.

  “Oh some knucklehead has tampered with the alarm on the fire exit door and I’ve got to see if I can fix it before next week. Always gotta be some idiot making more work for me,” he grunted.

  “Is it still safe, I mean the door?” she asked.

  “Shouldn’t be used at all except for a fire, but the door still works, just has an alarm that sounds when you open the door, but that’s not working till I can see what’s wrong with it.”

  “Let me know if you’re able to fix it, otherwise, I’ll need to speak with Ester about it, okay?”

  “Sure, I’ll see what I can do.”

  Six o’clock rolled around much more quickly than Blanche had expected. Marcus had stopped by the desk shortly before going home for the day, informing her that the alarm was not repairable, and he’d have to order a new one the beginning of next week, but he’d put a sign by the door indicating that it was not to be used except in the case of an emergency. The door led to a small landing on the exterior of the building, with a slide type shoot that extended to the ground below, specifically designed for fire escapes only.

  The evening dinner guests were already seated around the table when Blanche walked in the door from work. She tried to slip by without being noticed so she could get to her room and prepare for her evening with Seymour, but she heard Caroline call from the dining room.

  “Blanche, that you dear?’ her voice echoed through the empty foyer.

  “Yes Caroline, I’m just hurrying up to my room, going out tonight and need to get ready,” she called back, still moving to the stairs.

  “Come here for a minute will you, someone here that would like to say hello. We’ll make it quick.”

  The annoyed young woman moved to the dining area, leaned in and said, “Hello everyone, sorry to be interrupting your dinner. What was that you were saying Ms. Carmichael?” Then just as the words left her mouth she saw him sitting among the other guests, 'Clueless Wonder'. “You have got to be kidding me,” she thought.

  “Mr. Unger has returned for another few days and he wanted to say hello,” Caroline said, awaiting the response from Blanche, as was Mrs. Muir.

  “We thought you’d be anxious to say hello as well,” Mrs. Muir included trying not to snicker.

  “Miss Delaney," he said, lifting his hand to wave slightly.

  "Hello again," Blanche managed, without being rude.

  "I hope you don’t mind sharing the same floor and bathroom again, even appears we’ll be sharing a wall, hope you don’t mind. I was wondering if we could start off, this time around, on better footing,” Felix said, trying to win her over.

  “I guess I don’t mind sharing the bathroom, but could we have a more workable arrangement this time. Would be nice if we could have a compromise,” she said, trying to stand up for herself.

  “Sure, whatever you want, you name the time you need the facilities in the morning and I’ll work around your schedule. How would that be?” he said.

  “Uh, I would appreciate that and thank you. Let’s say I start at 6:00 and I shouldn’t be longer than 20 minutes. That okay?” He wanted something and she knew it.

  “Perfect, then we can have breakfast together at 7:00. You’re headed out tonight?” he probed.

  “Yeah, going out with a friend from work, so better get ready. Have a good evening everyone,” she said, as she pulled away from the door jam and hustled up the stairs to the safety of her room.

  “That guy just makes me feel like I need to shower,” she thought, as she touched up her makeup, brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her hair. She was uncertain of what she should wear so she left her work attire on, didn’t want to make too bold of a statement on their first real date. She sat on the bed and waited for Seymour to arrive, the words of both Marcus and Mrs. Wood played through her mind, bothering her, “Was nine years too many? Was she robbing the cradle?”

  She weighed the answers until she could hear Caroline shouting from down the stairs, “Blanche! Miss Delaney, your young friend is here,” heavy emphasis on the ‘young’ or at least her ears heard it that way.

  Blanche took one last look at herself in the mirror, quickly ran her tongue over her teeth, and smiled at the image looking back at her. For one of the few times in her life she was quite satisfied with who was looking back, a more self assured, happy version of Blanche D. Delaney, librarian, daughter and now hot, older girlfriend.

  The scene that awaited her at the bottom of the stairs both startled and delighted her. Seymour stood near the last step, looking upward, awaiting his date. Mrs. Muir and Caroline stood a few steps behind him looking the scene over, wanting to see the reaction on Blanche’s face when she saw the handsome Seymour. The young man, an ear-to-ear smile on his face, held a beautiful bouquet, vibrant yellow and orange flowers interspersed with pale pink roses, tightly clutched in his right hand, and a delicate corsage, matching the arrangement in his left.

  When he saw his date his face lit up as if it were Christmas morning, “I couldn’t decide which would be more appropriate for a first date, so I got both. Hope it’s okay.”

  “It’s more than okay,” Blanche said, one hand brought to her neck, the other to a cheek.

  “They call this arrangement ‘Autumn Beauty’, kind of reminded me of you and your hair, so I’m glad you like it,” he said, still glowing, but lost in the beauty that was her.

  Seymour stood in a suit that was slightly too small for him, a matching tie that was poorly tied, and a pair of shoes that were a bit outdated, but looked like they’d only been worn a few times. He was remarkably handsome tonight, the dimple in his left cheek made her heart skip a beat.

  “I feel a little under-dressed. Should I go change into something more formal?” she hesitated, coming all the way to the bottom of the stairs where Seymour and the old hens were clustered.

  “No, no, you look amazing. Don’t change a thing. I just wanted to make a good impression so I pulled out this old thing. Fits a little small but my mom thought I looked good enough, so here I am,” he said, not taking his eyes off Blanche.

  “Are you sure? Would only take me a minute. Really, is this okay?” she said, motioning to the cotton shirt and dark slacks that hugged her curves.

  “If you were wearing a torn t-shirt and ragged jeans you’d still look just as beautiful, so I’d say we’re good to go.”

  “Hope you’re a better student than liar,” she said, finally meeting him on the bottom step. Standing on the lowest step they were about the same height, she put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him to her, planting a soft, gentle kiss on his lips, to the surprise of both ladies.

  “Thank you for the flowers, can’t remember the last time somebody brought me flowers. Caroline would you please put these in some water for me until I get back?” she asked, taking the bouquet from Seymour’s hand and giving them to the nosey landlord. “Seymour, I’d like you to meet Mrs. Muir and the owner of this fine establishment, Ms. Caroli
ne Carmichael.” Pleasantries were exchanged as the older ladies made a fuss over the flowers and the young couple.

  “I think this is supposed to pin on your shirt or something,” he said, holding up the dainty little corsage.

  “It’s just so beautiful, Seymour. Would you pin it on me? It’s too awkward to do on myself,” she said, moving toward him and pulling her hair away from the area above her left breast to give him a better shot.

  He held the flowers in his left, angling in for just the right location and directed, holding the long, thick pin with the other. Seymour had never pinned a corsage before, so he felt somewhat out of place, especially with the older women watching. He made several attempts, his fingers lightly touching the top of her breast and bra, causing him to pull back and come at it from a different direction.

  After about the sixth try Mrs. Muir piped up, “My heavens this is painful, give me that.” And she took the corsage and pin from Seymour as he backed away giving her room. With a swift and adept couple of movements the corsage sat beautifully pinned atop Blanche’s chest.

  “Doesn’t she just look stunning, the way that flower highlights her hair?” Caroline said.

  “Yes, she sure does,” Seymour was quick to answer.

  With the awkwardness behind them, they headed for the door, “Thanks ladies.”

  “You’re welcome, have fun tonight,” Mrs. Muir said.

  “Have her home early young man,” the stricter Caroline chimed in.

  “Don’t wait up for me,” Blanche said, over her shoulder with a careful wink and nod in their direction.

  “Seymour, you didn’t have to buy me flowers, I know things are tight for you and your family.”

  “I’ll just go without lunch for a few days,” he joked.

  “Well it was very sweet of you, thanks again.”

  “It was my pleasure, was worth it just to see the look on your face. I’ll have that etched on my mind for awhile,” he said, pulling the door open of the 1996 Ford Pickup. “Hope you don’t mind, my mom’s car is in the shop and it was either the work truck or my old motorcycle.”