The dread she had felt earlier during their stroll of the grounds now returned and she reminded herself not to do anything that might encourage him. Otherwise, she would find herself in an embarrassing and awkward position. She didn’t love Jerry Rankin and never would, in spite of her impulsive urge to be held in his arms a moment ago. This was a physical thing, she told herself, not an emotional one. Jerry wanted more than that-she was almost certain of it now.
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, tuning in on the low hum of the motor and gushing jets of water pulsating against her body. Perhaps, she thought, she was making a mountain out of a molehill. Maybe Jerry wasn’t quite as head over heels as she thought he was. Maybe she was reading more into this than there actually was. Whatever the case, she decided it would be best to tell Jerry it was time to head back soon; she needed some time to think all of this through.
She suddenly felt his hands on her shoulders, jerking her from her thoughts. She opened her eyes and saw Jerry standing over her, his expression intense, almost frightening. His eyes were fixed on hers.
“You startled me,” she said nervously.
Jerry smiled, but not in a friendly manner. His lips were twisted in a sort of uncomfortable smirk, conveying a forced self-confidence. His grip on her was a little too firm.
“Let’s do it, Ann,” he declared.
“Do what?” she replied suspiciously.
“Get naked.”
His voice seemed different somehow. Not quite as articulate and with a slight hillbilly twang.
“No, Jerry! What’s wrong with you?” Ann sputtered, her heart racing in her chest.
The intensity in his face waned somewhat. He blinked a couple of times as if to force himself to maintain his composure.
“There’s nothing wrong with me, Ann. I just want to make love to you.”
Ann felt his grip on her tighten as he spoke. “You’re hurting me, Jerry!”
She grasped his arms and tried to push him away. He didn’t budge.
“ Let go of me!” Ann cried.
“I can’t, Ann. Not now.”
Ann was almost as angry as she was terrified.
“Jerry, I don’t know what your problem is but I want you to let go of me and take me home now! Do you hear me?”
He bent down and tried to kiss her. Ann pulled away.
“No!”
“Please, Ann,” Jerry pleaded. “Don’t turn me down-I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
Ann gaped at him in utter shock. “Are you threatening me, Jerry?”
His eyes were now as cold as steel. “Let’s just say that I’m giving you an alternative. We either do it by the book or we do it another way…”
Ann struggled to free herself but was powerless against Jerry’s strength. The room suddenly seemed to be closing in on her as the cold hard fact sunk in that Jerry Rankin was going to rape her, right there and now. It was like a nightmare but too real to be a nightmare. How in God’s name was this happening?
Jerry wrapped his sinewy arms around her and started unfastening her bikini top. His face wore a cool, calculating reserve as he spoke.
“Don’t fight it, Ann. You will enjoy this.”
Ann squirmed and managed to slip thorough his arms. Her head went underwater and in seconds she surfaced on the other side of the hot tub. In a flash, Rankin waded over in two strides and grabbed her by the ankle as she attempted to climb out.
“Please, Ann! Don’t try anything like that again. Do you understand?” he snapped, his face taut with rage.
Before Ann could respond, he said, “I don’t understand you women. I’m especially disappointed in you, Ann. Why are you fighting it? Take a look at me, Ann. Take a good look! I’m not some ugly asshole with shit for brains, now am I? I’m a hunk, for chrissakes! And a hunk with brains, no less! We are supposed to be fucking right now and you’re going to fucking enjoy it! And afterwards, you’re going to gaze lovingly into my eyes and tell me that you want to spend the rest of your life with me because I’m everything that you’ve ever dreamed of. The book, Ann! You’re not following the goddamn script! Get with the program-we’ve made it this far-don’t fucking let me down now!”
Ann was utterly speechless. Her head was spinning wildly. She couldn’t feel anything for a moment-she was absolutely numb and thunderstruck at the same time.
“What are you talking about, Jerry?” she finally managed to say.
He let out a laugh-a sinister guffaw. “That stupid fucking romance novel you’ve been reading for the past three weeks! A Second Chance for Madeline. I planted it in your house. I knew that you’d read it of course-my only concern was whether or not you would question where it came from and how it got there. A calculated risk, you might say. But my hunch was right. You assumed that it was Amy’s book and you never even asked her about it. Another good hunch on my part. You can’t even communicate with your own daughter because you’re afraid of upsetting the spoiled brat! You’re just as stupid and naive as every other wench in this world, Ann. Had me fooled, I can sure tell you that! And to think of all I’ve done for you, just to win your heart and jump your bones. Jesus, what does it take for a guy to get laid in this life?”
Ann’s heart was palpitating as she stood there facing him, her wrists being nearly crushed by his vise-like grip. Her body trembled in the chilly air of the solarium as she attempted to rationalize what Jerry Rankin was saying.
He had planted that book. She had assumed that it was Amy’s book. She had read the book and related so well with the character in the story and had been amazed at how similar the story line followed her relationship with Jerry Rankin…
He had planted that book, knowing somehow that she would read it… Then he had proceeded to play her like a fiddle-right into his trap!
But why? Just so he could rape her? But he hadn’t wanted to rape her at first. He had wanted to simply make love to her-to have her willingly and consensually make love to him. ‘By the book,’ as he’d put it.
Or, the alternative…
In fact, he had wanted everything to be “by the book.” and it had been just that, so far.
Until now.
Jesus! she thought in horror as it suddenly sunk in: Jerry Rankin had set her up from the very beginning! The ‘chance meeting’ at the supermarket hadn’t been a chance meeting at all. Instead, it had been carefully planned out and meticulously executed…
He’d left a six-pack of Coke at the checkout counter knowing full well that she was going to rush out into the parking lot to give it to him! Or, he had at least taken a ‘calculated hunch’ that she would.
“You know, I can read your mind, Ann,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “Right now, you’re trying to sort out everything and you’re slowly but surely discovering that you’ve more or less been had. And right now, you’re no doubt probably wondering how I could possibly know so much about you. Like, how did I know that you would pick up that book and start reading it, for example? I’ll be modest and admit that I didn’t know for sure that you would. But had you not chosen to read that steamy little romance novel, I would have merely executed an alternate plan instead. You see, there’s always a back-up plan, Ann. It’s absolutely vital in this business. It can make the difference between life and death, in fact.
“The irony of all of this is that it didn’t have to end this way. We could have moved on to greener pastures by now instead of standing here freezing in this goddamn hot tub, which, by the way, I installed solely for your enjoyment. We could be submerged in this wonderful hot water right now humping away. But I’m no fool, Ann. I’ve finally come to grips with reality. You’ve already told yourself quite some time ago that you don’t want me. I wasn’t sure of it until today, though. You’ve eluded yourself into thinking that you’re too goddamn good for me, just as all the others have. I thought you’d understand me, Ann, but you don’t. You, like all the others, wouldn’t know a good thing if it bit you on the ass.”
He let go
of Ann’s wrists and stood back from her, flexing his muscles and taking on a bodybuilding pose.
“Look at me, Ann. Check out this bod. Not an ounce of fat, just pure muscle of steel. It’s taken me fifteen years to get my body in this shape! Fifteen years of working out tirelessly, methodically, and sticking to a proper diet. What woman wouldn’t dream of being screwed by a man with a powerful body like mine? Not too many is my guess.”
Jerry stepped forward and brought his face a few inches from Ann’s. “And this mug, Ann. Check it out! A pretty damn handsome bloke, eh? Forty years old and hardly a wrinkle! A great head of hair, too. What bitch could possibly resist me, once they’ve examined the merchandise? What the fuck more could they want?
“But there you stand, plain as day, telling me that I’m not quite up to your specs. Are you trying to convince me that Sam Middleton is some kind of prize? Ha! That skinny twerp sure ain’t getting any offers from Chippendale’s, now is he? Yet you still want the son of a bitch, don’t you? You miss the motherfucker; I can tell by the way you talk to your buddy Karen on the phone all the time. Judas Priest, Ann, you’re fucking blind as a bat!”
The mention of Sam’s name made Ann tense up even more as something suddenly dawned on her.
“You’ve never even seen my ex-husband before-how do you know what Sam looks like? And how… How the hell do you know what I’ve spoken to Karen about?”
Rankin chuckled vacantly. “There’s a lot about me that you don’t know, Ann. I’m pretty amazing, though, aren’t I? Christ, I know more about you than you know about yourself! Makes me almost godlike, doesn’t it? Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”
Ann’s mind was a whirr as she thought back. Had she ever shown a picture of Sam to Jerry? No, she had not. The only photo she had was the family portrait in her bedroom. Had Jerry been up there? No, he most certainly had not.
And what about Karen? He had never met her-he doesn’t know her from the man in the moon. Yet…
“Think, Ann! Think! How could I know so much about you when I’ve only just met you a few weeks ago? Could it be that the man you’re seeing isn’t quite who he appears to be? Could it be that perhaps Jerry Rankin, real estate broker, is really somebody else? A master of surveillance-a master spy? And could it possibly be that he went into your house while you were away, gathering vital information and tapping your phone, listening in on your conversations? And spied on you through your windows while you were innocently going about your business? I mean, how else could I have known all the juicy things that you and your buddy Karen have chatted about? Including yours truly, of course. And how about that tart, Shelley Hatcher, whose been fucking your beloved Sam blind? You’d still choose him over me even after he’s been screwing around with someone else-even after he never learned his lesson the first time around. I just can’t figure you women out!”
Ann felt as though she was going to faint.
All of a sudden, Jerry grabbed her and began shaking her mercilessly, his face contorted in a maniacal fit of rage.
“I went to all of this time and trouble for you, you bitch! And what do I get in return? Another turndown! You’re a big fucking disappointment, Ann!”
Ann cried out in agony as she felt his hands digging into her flesh.
“Please, Jerry…”
“ Please fucking what? Please let go of me? Please take me home? Why, bitch? Why should I do anything else for you? What have you done for me to deserve any mercy? I’ve done everything for you-all of this-but you haven’t given me one goddamn thing in return!”
He ceased shaking her and looked away for a moment. Then he stared at Ann, his expression softer, feigning compassion. “I’m sorry, Ann. I really need to get a handle on this temper of mine. I get a bit irrational when I get angry and then I start making mistakes. That’s not acceptable. Especially in the spy gig. Do forgive me, please.”
Ann was trembling. She forgot the excruciating pain in her shoulders while she struggled to figure out how she was going to get away from this raging lunatic. She realized that she was totally at his mercy, no matter what, and that her only chance for survival, if only for a few minutes, was to keep silent and do whatever he demanded. She simply had no choice.
He brought his hands down and clasped onto hers, smiled like a lover getting ready to propose. “Why, you’re freezing cold, Ann. Let’s get in the water,” he said gently.
Ann forced a nod, lowered herself down into the steaming, churning water along with Jerry. The warmth seeped into her skin and had a graciously sobering effect.
“There now, that’s better,” he breathed softly. Gazing into her eyes, he said, “Do you know how many times I’ve longed for this moment, Ann? To be with you like this, holding your hands? Countless. It means a lot more to me than you could ever imagine. A long time ago, I dreamt of a moment just like this, to be with a beautiful woman, intimately, enjoying her beauty, the softness of her skin and knowing that she wanted me as much as I wanted her. Do you know what I mean?”
Ann nodded.
“But I never had much luck making that dream materialize. Women have never been able to understand me for some reason. But you, Ann, you seemed different ever since the first time I ever laid eyes on you. Yes, I admit it now. I lied about my once having a wife. I was trying to make you feel sorry for me. Do you forgive me?”
Ann nodded again.
“A guy gets lonely sometimes. He needs a release, a break from all of the frustration. That’s what this is all about, Ann. I need a release. A little female accompaniment that’s not forced-voluntary. I really don’t want to hurt you. I just want you to play along-to let me realize that dream. If only for just a few moments. Do you think you could do that for me, Ann?”
Although her head was reeling, Ann managed to appear relatively calm. What was her alternative, she thought, if she didn’t play along?
She stared into his eyes and pretended that Jerry Rankin was still the tall, dark stranger she had thought him to be.
“Yes, I can,” she replied.
His eyes lit up. He looked like an adolescent who had just gotten the go-ahead to kiss his first girl ever. He let go of her hands and reached around her back. Ann clenched her teeth as she felt him unfasten her top then watched hopelessly as it fell into the swirling water.
He smiled nervously again, like a schoolboy who had just scored his first adolescent victory. Ann was immediately reminded of the first and only awkward kiss he had given her on their date that Friday night.
He brought his hands around and gingerly cupped her breasts. Even in the weak light, Ann could see the tiny beads of sweat forming on his brow as he merely stood there for a full minute, fondling. Ann had the impulse to run but thought better of it. She would have to wait.
“God, they’re so soft! And firm!” he gasped, nearly choking on his own words. “Please stand up, Ann. I want to see them.”
It was difficult to compose herself as she stood up. Jerry removed his hands from her breasts and stared at them in utter fascination-as if he’d never seen a woman’s breasts before. Ann was so taken aback by his childish behavior that she nearly broke out laughing. He was just like a little kid in a candy shop.
Ann ever so subtly began inching her way slowly toward the other side of the tub, praying that he wouldn’t notice. He grasped her breasts again, brought his head down and kissed one of her nipples, as one would approach a spoonful of hot soup.
“I’m getting really excited here, Ann,” he murmured gutturally. “I never knew it could be this good.”
Ann took a gamble. “Are you ready to make love to me, Jerry?”
He paused and thought for a moment.
“God, I don’t know! I don’t know if I can wait any longer. It’s so different- you’re so different! I’m so used to women whining at me, ‘Don’t do that to me, please!’ And fighting me off. Jesus, Ann, I don’t know how much more of this I can take! I think I’m going to pop my fucking cork! We’re fucking made for each ot
her, don’t you think?”
Jerry had grasped her breasts again and hadn’t noticed that Ann had ever so gradually led them to the other side of the tub. Ann stared down at him, in awe and contempt, Jerry Rankin’s eyes gaping at her boobs as if he were examining a rare archaeological find.
He suddenly whisked one of his hands away and crammed it down into his trunks. He was playing with himself! He glimpsed at Ann with a hideous, apologetic smirk just as Ann snatched up the wine glass and smacked it into his cheek with all the force she could muster.
For a split second, Jerry Rankin merely stared at her dumbfounded, not certain of what had just happened. Blood gushed out from a deep gash near his temple and streamed down his right cheek. Ann sprang up and out of the water. She instantly realized in horror that her only escape was back through the house-there were no exits to the outside.
“Come back here, you fucking bitch!” she heard him scream as she bounded across the solarium to the door and bolted into the house. She spotted the front door and made a beeline for it, the living room carpet feeling soft and warm beneath her bare feet. When she reached the door she turned the knob and pulled but the door wouldn’t budge. In a hysterical panic, she fumbled with the latch, unlocked it and pulled again. The door refused to move. Ann could hear Jerry cursing at her and the sound of splashing water as he climbed out of the tub just as she spotted the keyhole for the deadbolt. He had locked the door from the inside and taken the key!
The May Day Murders Page 28