Bed Of Lies

by King, Dean

  “How can I, knowing what I know about me. How can I ask him to accept my past? I can’t even get over it.”

  “If he’s anything like you say he is, then he might be willing to help you through this. That’s what love is about. You help each other. Please darling, if he asks tell him you’ll think about it, don’t turn him down flat out.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “I know,” Miranda said firmly. “If he asks, if you feel you can’t say yes, then tell him you’ll think about it.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Nina murmured. “But I really don’t think he’ll ask.”

  “Try to be positive,”

  “All this bad stuff started happening when I changed my look you know.”

  “That's the only time you notice it,” she insisted, “Bad things happen all the time, to everyone. Do you think I did something wrong and God punished me by taking my husband?”

  Her eyes wide Nina shook her head, “No I don't, not you, not that you’re infallible, it’s just that you seem…well,” her shoulders slumped and a far away look came into her eyes. “But I'm different, all my life I’ve been told how different I am. I was born of sin and I'll be punished all my life for it. Until now, I’d managed to stay low key, but then I fell in love and so far my whole life has changed.”

  “Nina, no, don't think like that.”

  She gave a weak laugh, “Why do you think I adopted my children? I did it because that's the only way I'll ever be loved. Children will love you no matter what else happens in this world. It’s the only way I thought I’d ever have a family.”

  “Nina, I think God has such big plans for you. Oh, darling, please you just have to give yourself time. Things will all work out I promise you they will.”

  She nodded, her eyes clouded, and her lips tight, “That call was rather urgent, he said he’s being transferred.” The distress in her eyes was plain to see.

  Miranda bit the inside of her cheek. You’ll pay for this one, son, she promised. Then she forced a smile that she didn't feel. “Honey, you'll be just fine.” Nina was shaking her head. “Now, now listen to me, you've been dating this man for just a few months, and if you two are as madly in love as you say, I think he should’ve popped the question by now.”

  Nina looked away. “I haven't been honest with you...”

  Miranda's heart skipped. “What is it honey?”

  “I told you he loved me. That he had said the words.” Her cheeks flushed darkly, “I lied, he doesn't love me. He has never said it.”

  Miranda lifted her hand, gently she brushed away a last tear from Nina's cheek. “So why are you doing this? Why are you still seeing him?”

  “Because I love him,” she said on a shuddering breath. “I love him so much, and sometimes I really think he loves me.”

  “Oh honey, I'm sorry,” Miranda clutched Nina's hands in hers caressing the cold skin.

  She sniffled, “I won’t be able to make it tonight, but I'd like to have a rain check.”

  Miranda clenched her teeth. I’ll wring his neck when I see him again. She vowed silently. “I’ll tell you what, why don’t you let Beth and the boys come over to my place? I need the company. My boys have forsaken me once again.”

  “Oh, now here I am doing the same thing,” Nina cried.

  “No, no, sweets don't worry about it. I can keep an eye on the kids while you're away.” Miranda offered. She prayed Rafe would hold true to Nina. The only thing that helped her sleep at night was the fact that Rafe wasn't entirely like Frank.

  *****

  “Ouch! Will you two shut up?” Beth screeched, and then grabbed her leg in pain, her eyes followed the football as it rolled off her bed and to the floor. “You two little brats!” She screamed at the giggling boys as they ran from her room and down the hall. She jumped up from her bed and ran down the hall hot on the twins heels. She caught Danny by his arm and gave him a little shake. “What are you doing?” She yelled, into his face. “I’m trying to watch my show and you two are killing me.”

  “We’re just playin’!” Danny tried to yank free but Beth’s grip was fierce. “You’re no fun!”

  “Where’s Sam?” She looked around and saw Sam coming back up the stairs with his golden head bowed. “You two better stop right it now! All this noise is unnecessary, and stop throwing things at me.”

  “You’re not our mama,” Sam shouted. “Let him go.”

  “Sam, don’t you make me call mama and tell her,” Beth threatened.

  “Tell her what?” Danny challenged. “All we did was play. You keep watching TV and talking on the phone. There’s nothing to do. We can’t even go outside.”

  Beth sighed and rolled her eyes. “Look,” she said. “It’s nearly twelve. How about I fix you guys some lunch?”

  “I want chips,” Sam offered as he hurried back down the stairs.

  “And I want some too,” Danny followed his brother when Beth let him go.

  “Alright, but you two better behave or I’ll have to put you in time out.”

  “Be quiet, skinny,” Danny laughed.

  “You have to catch us first.” Sam chuckled.

  “Oh,” Beth raised a dark brow. “You think I can’t?”

  “I know you can’t.” Danny yelled and stuck his tongue out at her. “You’re nothing but a silly girl who yaps on the phone too much.”

  Beth went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I guess this silly girl will be fixing her own lunch. And you two very fast little boys will just have to sit and watch me eat.”

  Danny looked at Sam, then both stared at Beth as she busily hummed and removed food from the refrigerator.

  “I’m really hungry Danny,” Sam whispered. “If we say sorry she might make us something to eat.”

  “I’m not sorry.” Danny snapped. “She don’t know nothing. We can make our own lunch.”

  Sam nodded and they both headed into the kitchen. But all too soon they realized there was nothing that they wanted to eat in there. They would have to cook something and they didn’t know how to cook. But Beth did. The boys looked at each other and nodded, then went to where Beth sat talking on the telephone and stirring a pot of something that smelled really good.

  “We’re sorry,” they said simultaneously, and bowed their heads for a second.

  Beth stopped talking and looked at them. “No you’re not,” she yelled. “You two little brats. If you were mine I would’ve skinned you by now.”

  “But we are sorry, Bethy.” Sam whispered.

  Her eyes narrowed. “You may be sorry but that little devil beside you isn’t.”

  “Yes I am!” Danny bellowed.

  “I can see it in your eyes, you are about as sorry as the sun is black. And until you can convince me that you mean it, I’m not making you two anything.” She turned and went back to her conversation.

  The boys looked at each other and walked out the back door. They took a seat on the back step of the screen enclosed porch and thought about their dilemma. Suddenly Sam smiled.

  “I’ve got a idea,” he jumped up. “Come on.”

  TWELEVE

  A few minutes later the back door swung open and both boys ran into the room. They stopped in front of Beth and thrust out their fists. “We are sorry, please take our apology.”

  Beth stared at the red and yellow rose each boy held. She put the receiver down and reached for them. “Come here you little stinkers.” She hugged them tight and they returned her hug. She leaned back to look at them. “I’m here to protect you. I need you to listen to me at all times, don’t ever talk back like you did. It’s very disrespectful and it hurts my feelings.”

  Sam laid his head on her shoulder. “We love you Bethy.”

  “Yeah we do,” Danny chimed in. “Now can we go to the store and buy some chips?”

  Beth shook her head. “Mama said we shouldn’t leave the house.”

  “But it’s good exercise, and by the time we get back we’ll be so tired that we won’t both
er you again while you are on the phone.” Danny reasoned.

  Beth was thoughtful. “I am kinda tired of being cooped up in here.” She smiled. “Okay, one quick trip won’t hurt.”

  “Alright!” Both boys yelled.

  “Go put on your shoes. Hurry, we have to be back here before mama.”

  They walked through the forest that surrounded their house. It was pleasant, relaxing with the warm sun touching them through the big trees. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the birds were out and singing. Beth adjusted her portable compact disc player and turned up the volume. She didn’t use the headphones on her ears, but rather, hung it around her neck so she could hear the music and the boys at the same time. She hummed and her eyes scanned the trees nearby. This was a shortcut through the bush that surrounded their home. She could hear the boys up ahead, splashing in the small creek they had to cross and, just as she suspected, they were muddy by the time she caught up to them.

  “I told you two not to get dirty,” she yelled.

  “It was his fault,” Sam pointed at Danny. “He pushed me in. I had to get him back.”

  “Just for that you two will have to wait outside the store. You know Mr. Prather doesn’t like his store messed up.”

  “But we won’t be able to pick out what we want.” Danny whined.

  “You should have thought of that.”

  They made it to the store in brooding silence. “Okay stay here.” Beth warned. She ducked into the store but returned seconds later. “You are lucky. Mr. Prather isn’t here. Come in, but don’t touch anything.”

  They hurried inside and grabbed what they wanted, making all kinds of noise. Beth stood in front of the refrigerated sodas when she felt someone staring at her. She lifted her head just in time to see a tall blond man turn away and begin fussing with his newspaper. She went back to trying to choose a soda, all the while very conscious of the man peeping at her. Her heart gave an unpleasant jump. Something wasn’t right. She looked around the store but the man was already gone. Quickly Beth gathered the boys, paid, and left the store. She decided to stick to the main roads just in case.

  They’d walked barely a quarter of a mile when they came across a van with its flashers on. Beth was uneasy, and made the twins cross the street despite their protests.

  Suddenly the mysterious man from the store appeared. Beth stiffened. His smile was ugly and his face was littered with red bumpy marks.

  “Hi,” he said, in a pleasant tone. “I wonder if you can help me...”

  Beth pushed the boys to keep them walking, trying to ignore the stranger.

  “Listen,” he said as he walked towards them. “I don’t know what’s wrong but if you have a cell phone I can pay you for letting me use it.”

  “You have a phone,” Danny said. “Aren’t you going to help him?”

  Beth had always been told to do the Christian thing. Help people whenever you can. She was told to be God’s helping hand, but she knew she must protect the boys. But what kind of example would she be to them if she left the poor man out here without trying to help? She swallowed hard and pushed aside her misgivings then walked towards the man. He met her halfway, smiling the whole while.

  “It’s so rare that you find anyone as nice as you.” He praised her, and she still wanted to ease away from him. When they were within a few feet of the open van door Beth, felt the man’s arm snake around her waist and begin pulling her into the darkness of the van.

  She screamed loud, and fought him with all her strength, but all she could think about was the boys. “Ruuuuun!” she screamed at them, “Runnnnn!” as she wrestled with her attacker.

  “Now I got you!” the man yelled. “She’ll do whatever we say now that we have you.”

  “Let go!” Beth screamed, for bloody murder. “Let me goooo!” Her nails turned to claws as she tried to rake at his face. She then bared her teeth and suddenly the man cried out in agony. She was free. Small hands grabbed at her legs and pulled her out of the van and to the ground. The gravel at the curb hurt, biting into her cheek and her palm as she lay stunned.

  “Get up Bethy!” Sam screamed and grabbed her hand. “Get up!”

  She looked up to see Danny slamming the van door shut, the man was still inside.

  “We gotta go!” Danny yelled. He grabbed her other hand and Beth pulled herself to her feet. Then they were off running through the woods. Suddenly they heard. “Stop! Stop or I’ll shoot!”

  But they didn’t stop, even as gun shots rang out around them, they ran hard until they were home. They stumbled into the house and slammed the door.

  “Lock all the doors and windows and meet me upstairs.” Beth wheezed, trying hard to catch her breath. They locked everything in record time and barreled up the stairs. Everyone jumped in Beth’s bed where they stayed cuddled together in fright. Beth looked the boys over to make sure they were unhurt and a small scream escaped her lips when she looked at Danny’s arm. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her. “What happened?” She cried, franticly searching for any wounds and finding none. “Did you get hurt Danny?”

  “No,” Sam said, trying to pull her away from Danny. “He’s okay.”

  “Yeah I’m fine, It’s that man’s blood.”

  Beth looked from one to the other, then asked. “Exactly what did you do to get him to let me go?”

  “I bit him.” Sam said and puffed out his thin chest. “And he screamed like a girl.”

  “Nope, he screamed when I stuck him with my knife.” Danny crowed. “It was so cool. Blood went everywhere.”

  “You stabbed him?” Beth asked slowly.

  “I did, you remember the knife I found when we went riding our bikes?”

  Beth nodded. “The one Mama told you to throw away?”

  “Betcha glad I didn’t listen.”

  “You boys did great, but I told you to run, I specifically remember telling you this morning if I told you to do something you were to do it.”

  “We love you Bethy,” Sam said quietly. “Without you we don’t have a family.”

  “Yeah, we couldn’t let him take you, he’d just send you back once he knew how mean you are.”

  Beth sniffled, and grabbed the two of them. “I love you too, thank you for doing what you did.”

  They got back on the bed and sat huddled together as they talked. After a long while, Beth grabbed her cell phone.

  Danny knocked it from her hands. “What are you doing?” he cried.

  “I have to call mama, we have to tell her what happened.”

  “We can’t tell her, we’ll get in trouble for leaving the house.”

  “But we could’ve been killed.” Beth said. “That man wanted to kidnap me. He shot at us. I have to tell mama.”

  “If you tell her, she’ll be so mad you won’t get you a sixteen party.”

  “He’s right,” Sam said soberly. “And she won’t buy you a car.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Beth sniffled, her eyes shifting with uncertainty. “I don’t deserve those things anyway. I almost got us killed. If it weren’t for you two, we might all be dead right now.”

  “If you tell her we’ll be stuck here the whole summer. Don’t do it, Beth, think of us. Don’t be selfish. It won’t happen again. I’m sure that guy is just some crazy and he’s long gone.” Danny said.

  “I don’t know, Danny. Mama should know...”

  “Why worry her for nothing?” Sam chimed in.

  “I guess you’re right.” Beth said, not totally convinced.

  “So,” Sam said. “We keep this to ourselves?”

  “Our secret.” The three agreed.

  *****

  “Mr. Montoya.”

  Rafe nodded to Hank, the other private detective he’d hired, as he let him into his apartment. “Come in.” He stepped aside as Hank came in. “What is it? Did something happen?”

  “Yes.” Hank handed Rafe the report of what had transpired earlier that day.

  Rafe scanned the papers and
swore under his breath. “What the hell? Are the children alright? Did you catch the guy? And does Nina know?”

  “No, sir, I don’t think the kids told her. When she came home from work, she went about things as if nothing had happened. As for the children, they seemed alright, just scared as hell. You should have seen the fight they put up. I’d hate to go up against the three of them in any kind of brawl. There was blood all over the ground where the van had been.”

  “Whose blood? Did someone get shot?”

  “Not that I know of, I shot at the van as it took off, but one of those boys had a knife. He got almost inside the van, I think he stabbed that guy to get him to let go of his sister.”

  “Geez,” Rafe sucked in his breath and shook his head. “What about the abductor? Did you get a good look at him?”

  “Only that he was tall, thin, and blond. That’s all I could make out. The van had no license plates. I order him to stop. I was so angry I wanted to kill him, but he took off too fast. I had to hurry and follow the children to make sure they made it home safely.”

  “What the hell is going on?” He said, more to himself then Hank. “Nina is just a woman with children…” He paused and looked at Hank. “Do you think it could be the children’s father? Maybe he wants to take them without her consent?”

  Hank gave a thoughtful nod, “It’s quiet possible. I’ve seen it before. But they didn’t seem to recognize him.”

  “It’s the only thing I can think of. It does fit, but why wouldn’t she tell me who he was? Unless there’s something going on that she hasn’t shared with me.”

  “That’s possible, too.” Hank added. “You know women. They’re not always open about their lives.”

  “Yeah,” Rafe nodded. “But you’ve seen Nina. If you knew her like I do, you’d know she could never be dishonest. She would never hide anything from me.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “As sure as I can be.”

  “Then all we have to work with is the assumption that he’s the father of these kids. If she doesn’t know he’s trying to take them, she can’t protect herself.”