Under the Moonlight collection

by MaryAnn Kempher

  ***

  Ray paced back and forth in front of Katherine. Now that he was face to face with her, his resolve was faltering. He might look different, but she didn’t. She was still the beautiful young woman he’d married. More than once he’d tried to kiss or fondle her, and each time she’d pushed him away. She tried not to show how repulsed she was, but he could tell, and he was both angry and hurt.

  Katherine watched his face. He hadn’t said much since they’d come into the living room. He just swigged from a bottle of what looked like rum.

  Hopefully, he’ll pass out.

  Katherine cracked her knuckles, a nervous habit she’d been trying hard to get over. She looked at the windows, wondering if anyone would hear her if she screamed. She started to get up, but though Ray looked preoccupied, he was as alert as ever, and she sat back down.

  He walked to the pantry, where he’d placed a bag on the floor. When he turned around, he was holding a gun. Katherine gasped. She slid back into the corner of the couch.

  “What’s that for, Ray? Won’t a gun be too noisy?” She hoped to appeal to his practical side, or at least to stall until she could think of a way to get out of this with all her body parts still intact. Ray grabbed a kitchen chair and sat in front of her.

  “If anyone knows about guns, it’s me, Katherine. My hobby has brought me into contact with some pretty disreputable individuals. This gun has a silencer. Nobody will hear.”

  The phone rang again. It was Scott, urging her to call him. He sounded different from usual. Ray stood and began pacing again. Katherine wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye. The thought of not seeing Scott again made her hiccup from the effort of holding back the rest of her tears. She’d never been good at hiding her thoughts or feelings. When she was embarrassed, she blushed. When she was nervous, her hands sweat.

  “You’d better hope he doesn’t come here,” said Ray. “I'll have no problem shooting him if he does. Ya know, I’ve been watching you for a while now, and I gotta tell ya’ - on more than one occasion, I’ve wanted to smack that lovesick look off his face.”

  Katherine didn’t take anything Ray said seriously. By this point he was drunk, and she knew that anything he said was probably a figment of his imagination. She prayed Scott didn’t show up; she didn’t want him to get hurt, too. His last call sounded as if it might have been made while he was driving.

  Panic was threatening her ability to keep herself together. She knew she couldn’t sit and wait until he worked up the nerve to shoot. She stood up slowly, and Ray eyed her like a cat watching a mouse. His demeanor had changed quickly. He no longer appeared unsure. He’d stopped pacing and now seemed calm. If he’d been debating with himself, the debate was over. She tried to walk between him and the couch, but he held his arm out.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

  “I need to use the bathroom,” she answered with more defiance than she felt.

  “Sure you do. Go ahead, but don’t keep me waiting long. I’m on a tight schedule, you know.”

  As Katherine inched her way past him, there was a heavy knock at the door. Ray put his fingers to his lips.

  “Shhh. Whoever it is, they’ll go away if you ignore them. I had planned on only one murder tonight, but I’m flexible.”

  “Katherine,” Scott said through the door.

  “Open up. I know you’re home. Your car is parked out front. Come on, let me in. I have something I need to show you.”

  “Make him go away, Katherine. Be convincing or else.”

  Katherine walked to the door. “Scott, could you come back tomorrow? I'm not feeling well. I think I ate too many cookies.”

  “You made cookies and didn’t tell me?” He sounded genuinely disappointed.

  “Yes, I did. I ate a lot of sugar cookies.”

  “Well, so what? Come on, let me in.”

  Katherine swallowed hard and tried to keep her voice casual. “No, come over tomorrow.”

  “Fine, I’ll go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Scott.”

  Tears streamed down her face. She looked at the clock on her cable box - eleven thirty. All she could think about were things he’d said and looks he’d given her. So much time wasted. Where had it all gone? She could finally admit to herself that she was madly, crazily in love with Scott. He’d been the best friend she’d ever had, and he might have been so much more. Now he’d never know how she felt. Now they’d never know how much they’d missed.

  ***

  Scott got into the jeep. He looked up at Katherine’s window.

  I can't believe she made cookies and didn’t want me to come in. Well, at least I know she’s all right. Wouldn’t have been much help if she hadn’t been, stuck behind that damn accident for nearly two damn hours.

  ***

  “You did very well, Katherine,” said Ray as he pulled her close. He guided her to the couch and had her lie down. He started to unbuckle his pants. “Like it or not, I’m gonna have to fuck you at least one last time.”

  She started to get off the couch, but he pushed her back down.

  “Fine, if that’s how it’s going to be,” he said, raising his gun. “Goodbye, Katherine.”

  A loud crack and a sound like that of a heavy box being dropped made Ray turn around. Katherine’s door was open and splintered in two, and Scott lunged at Ray, knocking him off balance. The gun fell to the floor.

  Katherine thought about running for the door and calling for help, but she was frozen in place. Scott punched Ray; he looked momentarily dazed, but then he tackled Scott and the two of them fell to the floor. As big as he was, Ray was bigger. But Scott jumped back up, fists ready. Ray lurched to his feet and they circled each other. Ray looked at the gun on the floor; so did Scott. He tried to keep himself between it and Ray. Katherine jumped up from the couch and tried to get to the front door, but Ray was in her way. Behind him, Jack appeared in the doorway. He aimed his gun at Ray.

  “Stop or I’ll shoot!” yelled Jack.

  Katherine felt like history was repeating itself. Is this really happening, again?

  Scott was momentarily distracted; Ray rushed toward him and grabbed his gun from the floor. He pointed it at Katherine. “You stop or I’ll shoot her.”

  The room was silent as Jack and Ray watched each other.

  “Jack, I don’t understand,” Katherine said, obviously not thinking straight. “How did you know I was in trouble?”

  “Kind of not the time, Katherine,” Jack said through clenched teeth.

  Scott had been standing bent over, hands on his knees, tired from the struggle, but instead of straightening up, he lunged like a ram into Ray. In real life, gunshots are louder than they are in the movies. Ray had clearly lied about his gun having a silencer, and when two deafening shots rang out, Katherine screamed. Jack had shot Ray; he grabbed at his chest and stumbled backward, finally falling onto the bag of garbage. She had a thought that almost made her laugh: Time to take out the trash. But then she saw Scott lying at Jack’s feet, and in a split-second her world collapsed. She ran to him and cradled his head in her lap.

  “Scott!” she cried, nearly hysterical.

  But he was silent. And still. A red stain covered the front of his shirt. When he’d tackled Ray, Ray’s gun had gone off. Jack pushed her aside.

  How can Scott be gone? Scott wasn’t supposed to die. He didn't even know I loved him. How could he die without giving me a chance to tell him?

  Loud, choking sobs escaped Katherine’s lips as she watched Jack try to save Scott’s life. Jack stepped into the hallway, she assumed to call for back-up and an ambulance. Katherine thought of all the wasted opportunities. She pictured Scott stealing her food while she pretended not to notice. She thought of the time she’d asked him if he’d come to her funeral and he’d asked, “Will there be food there?” The thought that she’d be attending his funeral made it difficult to breathe.

  Soon, her tears dwindled and she sat staring at Sco
tt’s lifeless body. Could I have done anything differently? She wished it had been her who’d been shot. Scott didn’t deserve what had happened to him- it should have been her. She felt as if a heavy weight sat on her chest. Scott’s face was white. Was it her imagination or did he feel cold? How do I notify his family? How can I tell his mother he died trying to save me? Thinking of Scott’s mother brought the tears surging back. The pain was so intense that she was sure it would kill her, and she almost hoped it would. She placed her hand on her chest, forcing breath into her lungs. She knew why she’d kept him at a distance, but now her reasoning seemed unforgivably stupid.

  Finally, she began to feel numb, and she welcomed the feeling - or lack thereof. Anything had to be better than her current misery. She looked over her shoulder at Ray, who was still lying near the couch. She had loved him once, but now her heart could grieve for only one man. Katherine felt as if she were floating; everything had taken on a surreal quality. Maybe this was a dream. She heard voices, but they seemed muffled, as if she were underwater, and then it was dark. She’d fainted.

  Ahh, much better. Wonderful, peaceful sleep. When she awoke, she’d be in her bed. She’d stretch and then replay the awful nightmare she’d had.

  “Katherine, wake up,” someone said. “He’s going to be okay.”

  She allowed reality back in reluctantly. Her legs felt weak as she knelt by Scott and saw that color was returning to his face. Tears streamed down her face.

  “Hey, you’re gonna drown me down here,” said Scott softly. “Why all the tears? Who died?”

  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and covered his face with kisses.

  “Hey, hey, what’s all this smooching about?” he whispered.

  “Oh, Scott, don’t ever scare me like that again.”

  Scott saw a tenderness in her eyes he’d never seen before and had hardly allowed himself to hope for. Had he been wrong about her feelings for him?

  “How come you came back to the apartment?” she asked.

  “Sugar cookies, of course.”

  “So you did get my hint?”

  “What hint? I thought something kinky was going on here and I wanted my share.”

  “Seriously?”

  “No, of course not. I remembered you telling me that sugar cookie is your kinky-sex safe word.”

  Katherine laughed. She leaned down and softly kissed his lips, and he returned the kiss.

  “Hey,” he said in mock reproach, “I thought you only wanted to be friends.”

  Katherine smiled and tilted her head. “Isn’t that how all great romances start?”

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  First Christian heard sirens, growing louder and louder, then he saw the swirling lights of three police cruisers speeding up the block. They screeched to a stop right behind him. Christian looked in his rearview mirror. In hindsight, he would recall what he did next as the dumbest thing he’d ever done in his life. Instead of remaining calm, he’d panicked, thinking She must have seen through her window and somehow recognized me! He had no way of knowing the police were there to arrest Ray. He put his car into drive and burned rubber in an effort to put as much distance between him and the police as possible. But when a car screeches off at a very high speed, just as police arrive, it’s likely to raise eyebrows.

  The flashing lights grew nearer as one of the police cruisers followed. Christian’s heart sank as he pulled over. Detective Nolan walked to the driver’s window, while Detective Spencer walked to the passenger side. Nolan showed him his badge.

  “Sir, I pulled you over because you were driving erratically. Have you been drinking?”

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  One week later, after visiting Scott in the hospital, Katherine sat across from Jack. He’d invited her to coffee, glad to have good news to share.

  “First things first,” he said. “We have the guy responsible for the murder of Ms. Churchill.”

  “Really? Are you sure?”

  “Yes. We actually caught him the night your ex-husband attacked you, but I couldn’t say anything until blood tests came back. It’s lucky for you we caught him when we did.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because he was right outside your apartment.”

  Katherine was too stunned to speak.

  “When the police arrived that night, he got spooked and took off like a bat out of hell. He got pulled over and arrested for drunk driving, of all things. First break we’d gotten. Anyways, his car was searched, and there was blood in his trunk. He was arrested and fingerprinted. We already know the blood matches Ms. Churchill’s and we’re sure his finger-prints will match those found at her house. You might need to come down and look at a line-up. With an eyewitness and prints, there’s no way he’ll walk.”

  “I’ll come down if you want, but I won’t be able to identify anybody. I didn’t see him up close, not very well anyway.”

  “Your testimony might not be necessary. That’s up to the lawyers. So, Katherine, now that I’m no longer officially watching out for you…”

  Gone was the law-enforcement professional. The sexy and shameless flirt had returned. She was surprised, after seeing how upset she’d been over Scott, that Jack still thought he had even a remote chance with her. On the other hand, he was handsome, nice, and had helped save her life. How could she say no?

  “Look Jack, you’re a great guy, but I already have someone special in my life.”

  Jack looked confused, then smiled.

  “I wasn’t actually talking about you.”

  “Oh jeez, I’m so embarrassed.” she said, looking away.

  Jack laughed. “Don’t be. Anyway, I was wondering if you thought your sister might go out with me.”

  “Amy? Oh yeah, I think she’d go out with you.”

  Jack smiled broadly. “Great. I’ll give her a call.”

  “I assume you have our number.”

  “No, but I can get it off your rental agreement.”

  Katherine smiled and they said their goodbyes.

  ***

  Amy was sitting on her bed watching television. She yelled, “I’m in here!” when she heard the front door shut. Katherine came in and sat down.

  “Guess who I just ran into?” said Katherine.

  “Who?”

  “Jack, and he had great news. They caught the guy who killed Jeanette Churchill.”

  “Really?” said Amy. “Thank God.”

  “Oh, and he asked about you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, he wanted to know if I thought you’d go out with him if he asked.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I said yes.”

  Amy groaned, then said, “Man, when it rains it pours. One minute I got no man, now I have two. Not that I’m complaining, but I kinda like Jason, and I’m not sure if I want to try to juggle two guys.”

  “Is that his name? Jason?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I should have such problems.”

  “What are you talking about? After what happened, you and Scott should be riding off into the sunset.”

  Katherine smiled. “I hope so. He gets discharged from the hospital tomorrow. The bullet hit his shoulder, but the doctor said it’s healing very nicely. We haven’t really talked about what happened - I mean, the kiss. But I think there’s definitely something there and I think he feels that way too.”

  “Finally,” said Amy.

  “So, tell me about Jason. Ya know, Scott has a friend named Jason.”

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  The next day, Scott was discharged from the hospital. Katherine drove him to her place. The plan was for him to sleep on her couch for a couple of days, just until they were sure he’d recovered. That was her understanding at least. They hadn’t talked about it, but they knew a radical change in their relationship had occurred. Scott had turned down the job offer. Both were ready to risk their hearts again.

  When they arrived at her apartment
, she told him to lie on the couch while she got sheets and a pillow from her bedroom closet. When she turned around, she was surprised to see Scott standing behind her. He silently led her to the bed, and their eyes met. There was no question of permission - it was understood. Slowly, he unbuttoned her blouse.

  She wore a lacy white bra, and he left it on but leaned in and softly kissed her breasts. He turned his attention to her skirt, unzipping it as slowly as he’d unbuttoned her blouse. He’d waited so long for this moment that he wanted to savor every second. Her skirt slid to the floor, and she lay on the bed, sinking into the white down comforter.

  Scott watched as she pulled her long dark hair out from under her neck, causing it to cascade over the pillow. Gently he pulled off her sheer black pantyhose. Now, only her bra and panties remained, and she waited silently. He held himself up, his body barely above hers. Her body throbbed, but Scott wouldn’t be rushed.

  He softly kissed her earlobe and then traveled down her neck. Unexpectedly, he yanked her bra up off her breasts, and she gasped. He raised her arms above her head and held her hands there while using his other hand to hold her breast as he licked and sucked on her nipple, almost roughly.

  He slid her panties down one hip and then the other and then pulled them off with one yank. His eyes traveled over her body. He leaned down and softly kissed her mound and then spread her legs. Katherine moaned as his tongue gently flicked and teased. She pulled his face tight and shuddered for a moment.

  She hadn’t even noticed that he’d undressed, but she could feel him between her legs as he hovered over her. She ached for him so much. When she felt his hardness, she arched her body. She wrapped her legs around his back and pulled him deep inside. Scott’s thrusts started slowly and soon became deeper and faster. Katherine clutched the bedspread until she moaned and shivered, but he didn’t stop. She placed her legs over his shoulders and met his thrusts with her own, and then he, too, climaxed like he never had before. They lay together sweaty and breathing heavily until Scott propped himself on his elbow. He looked into Katherine’s eyes and then at her full red lips. She smiled at the devilish look he gave her. The night was young, and no way were they done.