“Because when I got home, this little sweetie was underneath the swing all alone and terrified. I came downstairs to find a box when the power went kaput.”
“Isn’t it too young to be away from its mother?” Charmee peered closer, guessing the kitten’s age at maybe four weeks.
The question made Sam’s mouth go dry. “Yes. I think I buried its mother in my backyard last night. I can’t say with 100% certainty, yet I’m damn-near positive it was Richard who disemboweled the poor thing, leaving the bloodied corpse on the back porch as some macabre warning.”
“Warning? What makes you think a dead cat’s a warning?” Suzy asked.
“Weird texts from random blocked numbers popping up on my phone, alluding to strange things.”
“Me, too!” Charmee and Suzy replied in unison.
Sam’s mouth went dry. “What do they say?”
“I can’t remember…” Suzy stopped in mid-sentence as a text popped up on the screen.
Charmee’s phone buzzed inside her purse.
Suzy clicked on the message. “Weird. It says Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy family time.”
“Mine says the same.” Charmee deleted the text.
Sam contemplated heading upstairs to check her phone yet didn’t. Her gut told her she received the exact same message. “Not ten minutes after getting rid of the remains of the cat, one popped up asking me if I enjoyed burying a dead pussy and more would follow. Soon.”
“I got the same thing this morning! I assumed it was sent to the wrong number and deleted it.” A cold chill made Suzy shudder.
Charmee’s gaze bounced between daughters. “Same here.”
All three women exchanged glances. None of them said a word for a full minute.
Charmee didn’t like the look of fear behind Samantha’s eyes or the tightness around the corners of her mouth. Brushing her hair back, she noted the scar in Samantha’s hairline. How she missed it before made her feel a surge of remorse. She should have paid more attention to her child. Sam had done a fine job of hiding it, so the fault didn’t rest entirely on Charmee’s shoulders.
She witnessed Samantha display many emotions before such as worry, stress, anger, irritation, exhaustion, and fright, but nothing close to what shone back from her child’s nervous gaze.
Charmee broke the silence. “Wee Thing, right?” Moving closer, she put a hand on each side of Samantha’s face then glanced down at the cat.
Samantha nodded.
“Okay. Wee Thing’s mom may be gone, but yours isn’t. I’m right here, Samantha Marie. You two girls are my reasons for living. Allow me to clear the air by apologizing for contacting Richard. I had no idea he is such a monster. If I had any inkling, I would have never, ever done so. I hope you believe that.”
“I do.”
“Good. We aren’t going anywhere until you tell us what’s been going on the last several years. I want to know about the bruises, scar, and why in the world you believe Richard is capable of such a disturbing act. Suzanne and I will stay all night if necessary. Talk to me.”
“Talk to us,” Suzy added.
Maybe it was the storm; maybe it was the way sister and mother looked at her with imploring eyes, or the warmth of her mother’s hands pressed against her cheeks. Maybe it was the feel of Wee Thing’s body snuggled against her chest, desperate to feel loved and safe. Maybe it was the weight on her shoulders she carried far too long alone. The guilt from assuming she handled the issues on her own and now, the possibility her loved ones might be in danger. The fear of losing their love and trust once she revealed her shameful secrets was a heavy burden to bear alone; the constant flame of worry burning inside her mind. Perhaps it was the combination of all those things.
Tears welled up in Sam’s eyes, unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of such compassion from the woman who was more stoic and standoffish than she had ever been.
Pulling away from her mother’s touch, she nodded toward the waiting area. “Fine. But I’m warning you, what I share will make the storm outside look like a bright, sunny day. Suzy, flash the light over to storage cabinets on your left. If I’m going to reveal my deepest, darkest secrets, we’re all going to need a drink. Several.”
“No alcohol. Not until you finish speaking. My instincts tell me we’re all going to need full clarity. Spill now and drink later.”
Sam blew out a huff of air. She planned on telling them anyway yet wanted to wait until Saturday to gather up the mental courage to do so. Walking over to the sitting area, she took the first chair, curling her trembling legs underneath her, waiting until sister and mother were situated before starting. Suzy set her cell on the table between them, letting the light from the device cast eerie shadows across the room.
“What did he do to you, baby?” Charmee whispered.
Closing her eyes as a tidal wave of memories burst from the mental dam erected to keep them hidden, Sam cleared her throat. “Please understand I’m only able to share some things. Others will require I break the agreement I made Richard sign the day I quit. I’ll do my best to share what I’m able without crossing the legal line. And neither of you, under any circumstances, can discuss what I’m about to say with anyone. I mean it. Not a soul. Promise?”
Charmee and Suzy exchanged worried glances.
Suzy realized her mother was about to protest, so she held up a silencing hand. “Yes, we promise.”
“I need to hear the same from you, Mom.”
“Promise. The secret stays inside this old building like I’m sure others have over the years. I swear.”
“Thank you.” Sam’s vocal cords locked up. It took several attempts to get her voice to work. “I was such a fool to get involved with Richard. For several years, we maintained a professional relationship. Both of us were busy; me with learning the ropes and trying to prove myself, and him with running the firm. He was never inappropriate with me or anyone else at the office. Ever. I didn’t have a clue he was interested in me until Big Sam died, and at first, I chalked it up to feeling sorry for me.”
“When he came to the funeral, he was so attentive, so caring,” Charmee added. “He didn’t leave your side the entire time. You leaned on him for support after the casket was lowered and you fell apart. I recall thinking he was the kind of man I wanted you to marry—a man with the heart of a protective lion and soul of a gentle lamb.”
“I hate to admit it, yet I did too.” Suzy took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “But only at first. When he consumed all your time and you continued to make excuses about missing family events or even stopping by for dinner, I knew something was wrong. To be honest, I was mad at you for a while, thinking you blew us off. I mean, we all hurt after Big Sam died—we needed each other, yet you seemed to turn a blind eye. Mean of me to say I know and I’m sorry, but sometimes the truth hurts.”
Nodding once, Sam swallowed the lump in her throat. “Don’t be sorry. You’re right—I did use the new relationship as an excuse to bury the emotional pain of losing Big Sam. The day he passed, I found out I was up to make partner. We all loved him, but it’s no secret I was a daddy’s girl. More than anything else in the world, I wanted Big Sam to be proud of me. Knowing he wouldn’t see me rise to new career heights, plus never being able to talk to him again or walk me down the aisle…”
Sam stopped, forcing the tears back down her throat.
“Crying is allowed and welcomed, Samantha. At one time or another, we all shed tears of sorrow.” Charmee scrounged for a tissue inside her bag. She handed a wad over to Sam, who wiped her nose and eyes.
“I didn’t handle his death well. I hit the bottle. Hard. You both know I’m fond of wine, but I switched to bourbon. A lot of bourbon. I fell right into Richard’s trap. God, he was so suave—so fucking charming! Subtle, patient, and doting to the precipice of servitude. During the first year while I sank deeper and deeper into depression, he became my rock. He held my hair when puking; hugged me close while sobbing; cleaned my filthy house and stepped
in several times to handle cases when I was too hungover to think straight. All the praise, the ego-stroking, the constant reassurances I was a good person and even better attorney, hooked me. I lapped the attention up like a parched cactus in the desert.
“No one at work knew we were seeing each other, then or now. Richard made sure we kept it under wraps. He loved to say it was our secret. I hate to admit it but keeping the relationship between us was sort of exciting. After the first year, things started to change when my drinking decreased. The less I drank, the more I noticed things I missed before.”
“Like what?” Charmee prodded.
“We ate foods he liked; dined at restaurants he picked. We watched movies and television shows of his choosing, not mine. Once, I came home and the closet and dresser drawers in my apartment were filled with new clothes. Everything from bras, panties, socks, dresses, skirts, shirts, pants, shoes, you name it.”
“Now I know why you suddenly went from wearing boring black and brown attorney duds to the sexy suits!”
Nodding at Suzy’s comment, Sam shivered at the memory of the intrusion into her personal space. “I should have broken the relationship off with the prick that day, then I wouldn’t be in the current cluster-fuck. Remember the weekend he took me to Dallas to watch the Cowboys?”
“That was what, two years ago? A few weeks before Pop passed on?” Charmee asked.
“Yes. He paid for a full day at a beautiful spa. He told me his little ‘broken eagle’ needed to rejuvenate her wings.”
“Broken eagle?”
“I know Suzy. Weird. He called me the stupid nickname all the fucking time. He said I had been a strong creature but let life break me, and it was his job to mend me back to full strength. I remember thinking it was sweet until I realized he wanted to mold me into his slave. The day in Dallas ended with a full makeover and over a thousand dollars’ worth of cosmetics he picked out and paid for in advance. When I got back to our room, all the makeup I brought with me was gone. He threw it out.”
“Oh, Sam. How creepy! What a control freak!”
“And then some, sis. Behavior like Richard’s is made to seem sexy and seductive in books and movies. The weird thing is that at first, it was sort of tantalizing in a sick, twisted way, which is why I stayed. It had shades of being, for lack of a better term, erotic. However, reality is a different scenario. I saw the signs yet ignored them. Between losing Big Sam and Pop, I was a screwed-up mess for almost three years, which is all on me. By the time I realized I was in trouble, it was too late. Richard is more than a clingy sex freak—he’s dangerous. After an eye-opening interaction the morning of New Years’ Eve…”
“He hit you, didn’t he?” Suzy pressed.
“Yes, that night, er, well, morning was the first time. The second was the next week after.”
“Motherfucker!”
“Suzanne! Language!” Charmee forced her voice to remain steady. Fury raced through her mind, imagining all sorts of ways to make the man pay for laying hands on her child. “Why didn’t you go to the police?” “Or come to us? And what do you mean by an ‘eye-opening interaction?’”
Casting her gaze to Wee Thing sleeping in the crook her arm, Sam sighed. The answer would send the conversation over into territory she didn’t wish to discuss.
She had to be careful what she revealed. “I, well, recall two Christmas’ ago when I said I was ill and didn’t want to spread my germs to the rest of the family and stayed home?”
Charmee and Suzy both nodded in solemn agreement.
“Partial truth. I was sick and couldn’t keep anything down, not even ice chips. You know the stomach bug from hell? Richard had plans for New Years’—big plans I was not aware of at the time. When I woke up the morning of New Years’ Eve, I was exhausted, so I asked him if we could stay home for the night and do whatever he had planned the next weekend. He responded by grabbing me around the neck, slamming me against the wall. My temper got the best of me and I didn’t even think of the consequences of fighting back. Somehow, I managed to jab my thumb into his eye, yet it didn’t help because he knocked me out.”
Charmee couldn’t contain her anger. She burst from the chair. “He did what?”
“Well, technically, my head slamming into the wall knocked me out. He backhanded me.”
“Samantha Marie! I realize you’re trying to inject some humor into the situation, yet this isn’t a laughing matter!”
“Laugh or cry right, Mom?” Sam shot her a feeble glance, motioning for her to sit down. “When I woke up, he was holding me like I am Wee Thing. He cradled me while rocking back and forth, whispering apologetic words, swearing he never meant to hurt me but I overstepped my bounds by acting like a man and shouldn’t be surprised he treated me like one. I was scared, embarrassed, and unsure what to do next. He knew it. He fucking sensed it, which is why he worked from home the entire week, with me right by his side.”
“Fucking Neanderthal!” Suzy sneered. “He kept you hidden long enough to let the bruises heal.”
“Yes. However, I did manage to sneak into the bathroom the second night when he went to sleep after having one too many glasses of wine. I snapped several pictures on my cell of my black eye and bruises. I uploaded them to the cloud then deleted them off my phone, in case he poked around while I slept. The second he left for work on day seven, I bolted. I went to the police, intent on filing a report. I tried to retrieve the images from the cloud…”
“They were gone?” Suzy interrupted.
“Yes. God, I was furious and terrified at the same time. I left without meeting with anyone. I raced back to Hot Springs. On the way, I threw up twice. It hit me then, so I…uh…”
Suzy gasped. Leaving her spot on the chair, she knelt in front of her sister. “You were pregnant?”
Sam nodded before bursting into tears. “I freaked out…went straight to a clinic. I…didn’t want…his child. I got rid of it that day. I went home…destroyed…I couldn’t believe…I was on the freaking pill! He came by after work…let himself in with a key…one I never gave him. I told him I needed time to think over things before committing any further to the relationship. He didn’t like that, or the fact I went to the police. At all.”
“My baby.” Charmee joined Suzy at Sam’s feet. “I’m so sorry. How in the hell did he know you went to the police if you didn’t file a report?”
“Friends in high places, I bet,” Suzy offered.
Sam wiped the tears from her cheeks, wrestling to keep the rest of the horrid tale from spewing out of her mouth. She had no choice but to leave the remainder of the story locked deep inside her soul. If she dared broach the subject about Richard attempting to gain control again by paying off her student debt, promoting her to partner, proposing while she was nearly unconscious on the bathroom floor, surrounded by blood from the beating he gave her, they might faint.
Or worse.
Sam forced a smile. “I can’t say any more or I’ll break the agreement. You know I stayed with the asshole another year. The reasons why don’t matter at this point. What matters is I broke free, or so I thought. God, I was such a fool! I hoped it was over. I mean, not a peep from him since the day I quit…”
“Until I invited him to the open house—I gave the monster permission to enter.”
“Mom, don’t. Yes, I was angry before at your meddling, but like you said earlier, you didn’t know the real man behind Richard’s fake mask. Now that you do, I hope you understand why I was angry and haven’t spoken much to you since the party.”
“I don’t know what to say, baby girl. Sorry is so trite.”
“Sam, go to the police and file a report for the abuse. You may not have pictures but at least get it on record,” Suzy pleaded. “You’re right—he’s not finished. He’s crossed over the line from creepy, cruel bastard to a fucking stalker—he’s toying with you. With us. It has to be him sending the texts. Oh, crap! I hope the kids, Reed or Nana aren’t getting the same ones.”
“Na
na hasn’t mentioned anything to me.”
“Reed gets spam shit all the time, emails and texts, and deletes them. I’ll need to check the kids’ phones on Saturday and then we’re all getting new numbers. We need to do something before he takes it to the level of killer.”
“No, Suzy. I can’t. If I do, it will stir up more trouble. I told you I wanted this between us and you both agreed. I’m being vigilant about my safety. Kip’s coming Saturday to fix the lights, and I’ll have him install motion detectors and cameras outside. Several hand guns are stashed around the house, one in the Tahoe, and of course, one on me. I can’t share anything else. I told you the basics so you each can take precautions. I may be reading too much into the incident with the cat and the texts, buy hey, better armed and ready than helpless and trapped. Right?”
The power kicked back on. All three women breathed a sigh of relief. Charmee studied Samantha’s face, sensing there would be no more revelations—at least not to her or Suzy. Though she still looked frightened, the tension in her jaw and the steely, defiant gaze spoke volumes.
Reaching behind her to the chair, Charmee grabbed her purse. While unzipping the bag she smiled. In a discreet holster nestled inside was a loaded gun. “Armed and fabulous baby girl.”
“You’re carrying?”
“Yes, Suzanne. Now, since we’re revealing hidden things tonight, I have something to share. I’m seeing someone. He taught me how to shoot and feel comfortable around a weapon. I’m living alone now and worth a lot of money, which means I’m a prime target for lowlife thugs.”
“I can’t believe you’re carrying a gun and dating! Holy hell. I need a drink.”
“Enough with the theatrics, Suzanne. The fact I’m dating isn’t the issue here. What’s going on with your sister is, and I’m about to put a stop to it.”
Sam’s jaw gaped open when her mother produced her cell from the bag. “Mom…I…whoa. Put the phone down. I told you what I said doesn’t leave this room! I don’t want anyone to know, not even the police. Richard has connections!”
Fatal Agreements Page 9