Under the Moonlight collection

by MaryAnn Kempher

  ***

  Katherine spent the next few hours folding laundry while watching reruns of Scrubs and Friends. Just for something to do, she decided to go to the grocery store. Walking down the frozen-foods aisle, she decided that Scott couldn’t be too sick for ice cream. She’d just drop some off at his place. She congratulated herself on being such a good friend, though in truth she wanted to see if there were any signs that Verna had been there.

  Katherine debated which flavor was best - fudge brownie or peanut butter and chocolate. She didn’t notice the man approaching until he nudged her with his shoulder. Standing there, looking like he’d just come from a construction site, in worn jeans and a university of Reno football jersey, was Jack.

  “That stuff will kill you,” he said.

  “Sure,” answered Katherine, “but what a way to go, right?”

  She looked into Jack’s shopping cart, then into hers.

  “How sad are we?” she said. “Our carts scream single. You know how they put together paper bags full of food for the needy and sell them at the register? Why can’t they do that for single people? Save us some time.”

  Jack laughed. “Sure, they could mark the bags men or women. The men’s would have my stuff: TV dinners, cola, a six pack of beer, and a half gallon of milk.” He looked at Katherine’s items. “The women’s bag could hold diet TV dinners, diet cola, and ice cream, apparently not diet.”

  “Hey, at least it’s low fat.”

  Katherine’s eyes followed Jack’s hand as he ran it roughly through his hair. He kept it short, and she wondered if he’d ever been in the military. After years of short hair, most men - even after years of civilian life - find it hard to allow it to grow out. She was just about to ask, but he spoke first. “I haven’t seen your sister around much, has she left?”

  “No, just busy I guess. She has a new job at the hospital. Well, I’d better get going.”

  Jack gave Katherine a look, up and down; smiling he said, “Nice to see you.”

  Katherine just laughed and shook her head.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Jack held two bags of groceries in one hand while unlocking his apartment door with the other. He used the back of his foot to slam the door shut, then took the bags to the kitchen, quickly putting everything away. He cursed under his breath as white foam spilled onto the counter when he opened a beer.

  It was unusual for him to be at his own apartment at this time of day - usually he was still at work, but the opportunity to pick up some food had presented itself, and a man had to eat. He disliked food shopping. There was something about shopping just for himself that made him feel lonely. He sat on his couch, eating a pre-made sandwich he’d bought. He looked over at a photo next to the television. Three women, all blonde, tanned and beautiful, and there he was in the middle, eating up the attention. But that was another life; a great life, but of no interest to him anymore. Everything gets old eventually, even paradise.

  He thought about the O’Brian sisters: two completely different-looking women. Katherine had the girl-next-door meets athlete look, while Amy reminded him of a porcelain doll, so thin and pale. In contrast to her fragile look, she presented a tough exterior to the world, which Jack suspected was just a front. Standing, he glanced at the revolver on the kitchen table; he’d been a sniper while in the Army, was certified as a marksman, and could hit a target from half a mile away. A skill that might soon come in handy.

  Chapter Forty

  As Katherine turned down Scott’s block to drop off his ice cream, she saw him standing outside with a man. There was no mistaking Scott, because of his height. He gave the man a hug. Katherine slowed her car down, not wanting to drive up until whatever was happening was finished.

  What the heck? I thought you were sick, buddy.

  The man got into a car and left. Katherine no longer felt like stopping by. She drove home.

  Instead of going up, she sat out front on the stairs. They were cold and hard, but she didn’t mind. It was nice out. The sky was powder blue and decorated with cotton candy clouds that stretched across the sky. The city had planted cherry trees along her street, and their tiny buds were starting to open. All in all, an idyllic day, so why did she feel so bummed?

  She looked at her groceries and thought she’d better get the ice cream upstairs before it started to melt, but still she didn’t go in. She remembered the conversation she’d overheard, and now he was lying about being sick, and then standing in front of his apartment, talking with the same man she’d seen him with at the mall. Katherine couldn’t help smiling. Knowing how insecure Verna was when it came to herself, she wondered how she’d feel if she knew that her biggest competition might actually be a man.

  Chapter Forty-One

  With January came Martin Luther King Day. Katherine was ecstatic.

  Yeah, three-day weekend! she thought.

  She called Scott at work, half expecting him not to answer.

  “Ha ha,” she said when he did.

  “Must be nice, but some of us have to keep society rolling along.”

  “Can you come over later? My computer isn’t working. Maybe you could take a look at it?”

  Scott thought it over. Verna wouldn’t like it. So I won’t tell her. “Sure, okay. Hey, I got an e-mail with my final grade. Now we can see which one of us is smarter.”

  “Oh, there’s a brain-teaser. My heart is all aflutter with worry.”

  “This abuse from someone who wants her computer fixed. I’ll see you around seven.”

  ***

  Scott got home from work at around five o’clock. Shortly after, Verna arrived. So much for secrecy. She’d brought Chinese take-out and wasn’t happy to learn he wouldn’t be spending the whole evening with her.

  “What the hell, Scott?” she yelled. “What is so great about that woman?”

  Scott was getting angry. He’d been more than understanding when it came to her insecurities about Katherine, but she was getting carried away. “Verna, we haven’t been dating that long. I like you, I do, but don’t think you can dictate who I spend my time with.”

  “Fine,” Verna said as she hurled a quart of sweet-and-sour chicken at Scott’s head and walked out.

  ***

  Katherine held the phone against her shoulder as she dried dishes.

  “Hey, I can’t come over,” said Scott.

  “Why not?”

  Scott was too embarrassed to mention the pineapple that soaked his hair, so he just said, “Ah, Verna has something she wants me to do.”

  “Oh, does she? And God forbid you tell her you’d promised to fix my computer. I swear, Scott, I think you’re afraid of that woman.”

  “I am not afraid of Verna. She’s kind of my girlfriend, remember?”

  “That doesn’t mean you have to be at her beck and call. You and I were friends before you met her. How about a little loyalty to me?”

  This was the wrong thing to say to Scott. Kimy had said more or less the same thing when he’d broken off their engagement. His feelings of anger and hurt at having been replaced so quickly, even if he was the one who’d broken off the engagement, were now misdirected at Katherine.

  “Loyalty? What about you? Since you’ve started seeing Michael I hardly see you. It didn’t take long for you to forget any loyalty to me. I’m surprised you remember my name.”

  “Oh come on, exaggerate much?”

  “Look, you have a boyfriend and I have a girlfriend. Maybe it’s time to…”

  “Time to what Scott? What, you don’t want to be friends with me anymore? Just like that. Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised. You are a man, after all, and all women know that when things aren’t going smoothly and super easy, most men bail.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to be friends anymore. I just don’t think that we should expect the same easy access to each other that we had. My first loyalty should be to Verna, and yours should be to Michael.”

  Katherine knew he was right, but that
didn’t mean she had to like it. Maybe she and Scott hadn’t known each very long, but she’d grown to depend on his friendship.

  “Ok, you’re right. Don’t worry about the computer. I’ll take it somewhere. I’m gonna go.”

  “Don’t hang up mad.”

  “I’m not mad, I’m just aware.”

  Before Scott could answer, she hung up.

  Scott stared at the phone for a second before setting it down. Man, I sure do have a way with women.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The cab dropped Amy off at the side of the building as she’d requested. It was just across the street from where Katherine worked, and even though she was on the tenth floor, Amy wanted to make sure she wasn’t seen going in. The office she entered was small, quiet, and thankfully empty. As soon as she’d found out, she’d vowed to fight it. It was taking longer than she’d been told, but she was still grateful and relieved that the worst of the process was over. Now she just needed to tell Katherine. She wondered if Katherine would be angry. That was hard to guess. If the roles had been reversed, she would have been furious.

  The man she’d come to see stood and shook her hand, then directed her to a chair in front of his desk. He must have noticed the odd look she was giving him because he said, looking down at his outfit, “Please excuse the way I’m dressed - you’re my last appointment and I’m playing racquetball with a friend.”

  He opened a large folder which contained a lot of paperwork.

  “Things are looking promising,” he said.

  Amy visibly relaxed.

  “You seem surprised.”

  “I was worried about coming to Reno,” she said.” I thought seeing someone who wasn’t thoroughly familiar with my case might be a mistake. But since you have all the paperwork, well… I’m relieved to hear you say that.”

  “Come back to see me in a few weeks. I don’t think it’s premature to tell you that you have a very good chance of beating this.”

  “Thank you.” Amy left the building feeling better than she’d felt in a long time.

  ***

  When Katherine first woke up on Saturday, she was feeling a little depressed. Right away, she started thinking about Scott and whether or not they could remain friends. But when she remembered her plans for the day, her mood lifted. She was going to a new mall - super-exciting because it was modeled after Macy’s in New York and had seven floors. There was even an observation deck. When she arrived, the first thing she did was take the elevator to the top.

  It was a cold day, though beautiful, so she wasn’t surprised that only a few other people rode up with her to enjoy the view. She walked around, peeking over the side at the people below. She thought how spectacular it must be up there at night. After a few more minutes she left, deciding to take the stairs.

  She’d walked down three flights when she heard a door slam above. She cringed as the sound of feet hitting the metal stairs echoed off the walls and grew louder the closer they came. In a matter of seconds, she was faced with another masked man, scarier than the one she’d encountered in her apartment, because this one wore a diabolical clown mask, complete with garish makeup and a pointy-toothed smile. At first she thought it was a joke, some stupid teenager trying to be funny, but then he pushed her against the wall and held a knife to her throat.

  Katherine held her hands up defensively. “What do you want?”

  He raised the knife.

  Katherine screamed, “Help!” as she shoved the man as hard as she could and tried to run down the stairs, but he took them three at a time and grabbed her by the hair, jerking her backward. Tears were streaming down her face.

  “Let me go, let me go!”

  He pushed her down and she hit her head on a stair. She watched, dazed, as he raised his knife once more, but then a door slammed below. She could hear footsteps running up the stairs. The man looked over his shoulder.

  “Shit,” he muttered.

  The last thing Katherine saw was his steel-toed boot; it grazed her head as he rushed up the stairs.

  ***

  “You’re a lucky woman,” said a man's voice.

  Katherine had been dozing. She sat up and looked around the hospital room to find the face that went with the voice. It belonged to Detective Nolan.

  “I’m here about what happened to you today.”

  “Why am I here?”

  “You were unconscious; you were brought here just to be on the safe side. I was hoping you might be able to give me a description of the man. Anything you might remember - hair color, distinguishing marks, anything.

  “No. He was wearing a mask. I didn’t really notice his hair color. Dark, I guess.”

  “Ms. O'Brian, I want you to know we’re still working the case you were involved with in November.”

  “I’ve been watching the news and reading the papers online, hoping to see something about her murderer being caught. Has he?”

  Detective Nolan looked uncomfortable.

  “No.” he answered.

  “Do you think the guy who attacked me in the stairwell is her killer?”

  “We can’t rule out the possibility. I can tell you the department has quite a few officers working that case. If you remember anything about your attacker, any detail, even if you think it’s unimportant, please call me. Or if you have any questions or concerns, Ms. O'Brian, don’t hesitate to call.”

  As soon as the detective left, Amy came in and rushed to Katherine’s side. “Are you okay? Of course you’re not okay. I’m sorry.” She leaned over and hugged her.

  Katherine knew it was pure good luck that had landed her in this hospital bed instead of downstairs in the morgue. She returned Amy’s hug, and they held each other while Katherine cried softly. After a few minutes she pulled away, using the back of her hand to rub her eyes.

  “I’m fine. Shaken up, of course, a little bruised, but otherwise fine.”

  “They’re going to keep you overnight. I’m going to stay here with you. Maybe they’ll let me bring in some takeout.”

  “You don’t have to do that, but Chinese would be nice.”

  Amy came back an hour later and set a bag filled with white quart-size cartons on the bed. Shrimp fried rice, shrimp lo mein, and shrimp egg foo young. “Hope you like shrimp.”

  They both smiled. She’d bought all of Katherine’s favorites.

  “There’s something I want to tell you,” said Amy.

  Katherine set her food down.

  “I knew I had to come home to try to repair our relationship. I didn’t think it would be easy, and I was willing for it to take as long as it took, but after what happened to you, it’s obvious life is uncertain. I need to explain why I didn’t come home when Dad died.”

  For the first time, Katherine noticed the lines on Amy’s forehead. She was only 30, but she seemed so - Katherine struggled for the right word - so tired.

  “The day you called me about Ray, the phone was ringing as I unlocked the door. I almost didn’t answer it. When you told me what happened, I knew you needed to talk, I wanted to be there for you, but I couldn’t. I was too distracted to give you the attention you needed. It all happened very quickly, with very little time to process everything.” She took a deep breath and exhaled through pursed lips, as though forcing herself to go on. “When you called about Ray, I’d just come home from the doctor’s office. A few weeks earlier I’d found a lump near my right breast. The doctor called me in to discuss the results of the biopsy, which should have been my first clue that something bad was about to happen. It was cancer. I needed to have surgery right away.”

  Katherine’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God, Amy, how could you keep this to yourself?”

  “On the day you called to tell me about Dad, I was literally getting prepped for surgery. That’s how fast things moved. I couldn’t afford to think about Dad. I had months of recovery ahead of me. For a while it was difficult to get out of bed. I was sick and so weak.”

  “I would have flown out
to you, Amy. I would have taken care of you,” said Katherine, her voice breaking as she struggled to speak through tears.

  Amy put her hand on Katherine’s. “I knew what you were dealing with here. I couldn’t add to your grief. I thought it was better for you to think I was a heartless bitch than to have you endure my problems on top of everything else. But I’ve beat it. I’m mostly better now. Still weak, sure, but better. I wanted to tell you, but you were so angry with me. After the attack, I thought, ‘What if something happened to you?’ I’d be devastated, but it would be all the worse if I thought you died thinking so little of me.”

  Amy sat forward and took Katherine in her arms. They hugged and cried and spent the rest of the evening talking about their parents, sharing stories, and reliving happy memories. Katherine felt as if a weight she hadn’t even known was there was being lifted from her heart.

  ***

  Early Sunday morning, Amy brought Katherine home. They sat on the couch and leaned back, relaxed.

  “So, I couldn’t help but notice you’ve bought a new bed and a dresser and nightstands,” Katherine said without looking at Amy. “Is there something you wanna tell me, Amy?”

  Amy smiled as she looked at the ceiling. “Oh, you saw those?”

  “Yep, sure did.”

  “I sorta gave up my place in Seattle.”

  Now Katherine was smiling, and feeling happy. “I thought you probably had, otherwise why would you get a job here? Any idea where you might be living?”

  “I was kind of hoping my favorite little sister would let me live with her.”

  “You mean your only little sister?”

  “That’d be the one.”

  Katherine sat up, Amy turned her head towards her. They smiled at each other.

  “Well, you’re definitely an improvement over my last roommate.”