“I already have, at least in my mind,” he informed her.
“Oh, you have, have you? And? Did you like what you saw? I mean, in your mind of course,” she asked him.
“As stunning and as breathtaking as you truly are. Words will never capture the visions of you in my mind,” he told her.
“That is so sweet. Thank you for being a true gentleman, sir. This lady does appreciate how you treat her—like a lady should be treated. I love the way you love me,” she told him.
“You’re welcome, but I have to warn you. I might not be able to control myself forever. After all, you are a woman and I am a man, and while the temptations are growing greater by the moment, I can’t promise you anything other than the fact that I do really love you, and I’ll never hurt you,” he told her.
She pulled away from him slightly and stared into his eyes. “Michael my dear, are you telling me that someday, without warning you might just throw me to the ground and make me yours? Is that what you’re saying?” she asked.
“Well, you wanted the truth, right? So the true thing to say right now would have to be yes, one of these days, I might just throw you to the ground and make love to you,” he told her.
“Wow, I truly believe you when you say it that way. So let me get this right. You’ll throw me to the ground, and I suppose that you’ll remove all of my clothes and then make mad, passionate love to me, did I get this right? That is what you’re saying, right?” she asked him.
“Yes, my dear Katie, that’s exactly what I said,” he answered,
“Good. So some day in the future, I’ll be expecting it then. And fair warning to you, my dear sir, don’t disappoint me by making me wait until I’m an old lady,” she told him as she hugged him again.
“Well, I can surely promise you that I won’t be doing that, but I’d best be going, or someday might be sooner than either of us expected. I’ll see you after work tomorrow,” he told her as he gave her a fast peck on her wanting lips and turned and headed out of the gate. She just stood there watching as the man of her dreams slowly walked away.
Then she yelled to him. “I love you! And that wouldn’t be a bad thing, would it?”
But he didn’t answer her. “God, that man just sets my soul on fire. Thank you, dear Lord!” she said out loud to herself before she turned and headed back to the house.
He thought about her all the way home. Nothing would ever keep him and her apart. Or so he thought.
But as he was thinking about their future together, Susie was setting her plan into action that she hoped would break Mike and Katie up. Jealousy has a way of turning even the nicest people against each other, and Susie wasn’t even nice to start with.
Susie’s Dirty Little Scheme
Susie at one time might have been a really nice girl to be friends with. But not now, especially since Katie wore that goddamn ring. And as long as it remained on her finger, the rules no longer applied. Not that she ever followed them anyway, but certainly not now.
Susie walked up to the front door of Rick’s house and rang the bell. To her surprise, Rick answered the door. “Hey Susie what’s up?” he asked her.
“Nothing, I just thought that I would stop by to see what you’re up to. Can you come outside so we can talk?” she asked.
“I reckon so, but dinner will be ready soon, so it can’t be for long,” he told her.
So Susie and Rick sat down next to each other on the porch steps.
“So what’s on your mind, Susie?” he asked.
“But, Rick, whatever do ya mean? Can’t a friend just stop by and visit a friend without having an ulterior motive?” she answered.
“Well, yeah, sure they can, but I’ve lived here in this house for going on twenty-two years, and all of a sudden you want to stop by. So again I’ll ask ya, what’s up?” he asked again.
“Really, I guess I never had a reason before, is all,” she told him.
“So what’s your reason now? Just what is it that you want from me?” he asked.
“Well, okay, you’ve got me. I actually came here to ask for your help,” she finally confessed.
“My help? With what, may I ask?” he asked her.
“You know that shack out behind the Old Miller Pond. Well, I found a box, and it’s really heavy. I don’t know what’s in it, but I can’t lift it. So I need your help. So will you help me?” she asked.
“What kind of box?” he asked
“It’s like a chest or a steamer trunk. So will you help me?” she pleaded.
“You just want me to help you lift it, right?” he pressed her for more information.
“Yeah, but if it’s valuable, we can split it right down the middle, you know fifty-fifty,” she said as she tried to lure him into her trap.
“Naw, you can keep whatever is in it all for yourself. I’ll just help you lift it, okay? But I can’t do it until tomorrow after work, okay?” he told her.
“I knew you wouldn’t let me down. So what time do you get off work?” she asked.
“Around four or five usually,” he told her.
“Great! So why don’t we meet there at about five or so, okay?” she suggested.
“Sure, I can do that, so I’ll meet you there around five, and all I’m going to do is help you lift this thing, right?” he asked her again.
“Yeah, just help me lift it. That’s all,” she told him.
“Okay then, I’ll see you tomorrow, but I have to go. I think dinner is ready, so I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
“Oh, Rick, you’re the greatest friend ever. Thanks!” she said as she kissed him on the cheek, and she turned to walk away. But she suddenly turned and spun around to face him. “Hey, since we don’t know what’s in this thing, I think it might be a good idea to keep this just between us, okay? I wouldn’t want anyone cutting in on us, okay?” she asked.
“Yeah sure, whatever. It will be our little secret,” he told her.
As she walked away from the porch, Susie had a very evil grin on her face. In a voice only loud enough for her to hear she spoke just one word, “Sucker.”
The following day at work, Rick didn’t say anything to Mike about Susie’s weird request. After all, he had promised not to tell anyone. And besides, Mike was far too busy yapping about Katie this or Katie that. Especially at lunchtime, the subject of conversation was all about Katie and the wild party that they were throwing for Melissa. So Rick kept to his promise and didn’t say a word.
But after work, Rick did tell Mike that he had an errand to run, and he would catch up with him and Katie later at the soda fountain.
“Great, we’ll see you there,” Mike told him.
Rick didn’t waste any time getting to that old shack behind Miller’s pond. But when he got there, Susie was nowhere to be found. He tried calling her name but never got a response.
Where in the hell is she? he said to himself. So he started looking around the place. Now, what everyone called a shack was actually an abandoned two-bedroom house. Weeds had long ago taken up residence along with a few dozen spiders and snakes. As Rick slowly made his way through the overgrowth, his eyes caught what appeared to be a person’s leg. “Susie? Is that you?” he called out. But there was no response. But as he got closer, he knew that it was in fact Susie. At first, he just stared at her lifeless body lying there on the dirty floor. He could see that her dress was torn and that there was a small trickle of blood running down from the corner of her mouth.
“Oh my dear god!” he said as he bent down over her body. But as he tried to roll her onto her back, Rick got the first clue that everything wasn’t what it appeared. “Susie, can you hear me?” he asked her.
Suddenly, her eyes threw open, and her left hand came down across his right cheek, leaving four very deep nail marks down his right cheek. Caught totally off guard, Rick lost his balance and fell backward into the wall. He was totally stunned as he placed his hand across his cheek. He wasn’t one bit surprised to find that it was covered with bloo
d.
“What in the world is wrong with you?” he yelled at her.
“With me? You just tried to rape me!” she yelled back.
“You’re crazy, you sick bitch!” he yelled back.
“Yeah, we’ll see who the cops believe when they see my dress and those very incriminating scratch marks across your face,” she told him.
“You are crazy, so why are you doing this?” he asked.
“Well, because you’re going to help me get rid of Katie, or I’ll turn you into the cops,” she told him.
You are crazy. I won’t do it. You can go hell,” he told her.
“Yeah maybe, but you can go to prison. Do you know what they do to a rapist in prison, Rick? Well, do ya? They rape them, Rick, that is, if they don’t kill ya first,” she told him.
“You’re going to blackmail me with that if I don’t help you break Katie and Rick up?” he asked her.
“I didn’t say anything about breaking them up. I said you’re going to help me get rid of her once and for all,” she told him again.
“And what do you mean by getting rid of her exactly?” he asked her even though he knew exactly what she meant.
“I think it’s time for little Ms. Goody Two-Shoes to have an accident,” she told him.
“My god, you are sick! What do you think will happen then? Do you really think Mike will fall in love with you? He hates you just about as much as I do right about now,” he told her.
“So what’s it going to be there, Rick? Do you help me, or do you get raped in prison? The choice is all yours,” she told him.
“Well, as I see it there is only one choice to make,” he told her.
“And what would that be, my dear Rick?” she asked.
“Go call the cops bitch, and while you’re on the way, there’s one more thing for you to do,” he told her.
“And what would that be?” she asked
“Go screw yourself!” he told her as he got up and staggered out of the house.
Okay, Susie, Rick is a much better friend than I gave him credit for, so on to plan B. I’ll just have to deal with Katie myself, she told herself as she sat there on the dirty floor and readjusted her dress. “Damn it!”
Rick walked into the soda fountain while holding a paper towel over his face. As he sat down across from Mike and Katie, it was Katie that asked him first. “My god, Rick, what happened to your face?” she asked.
And with that, Mike looked up at Rick.
Rick slowly spelled out everything that had happened from the start to the very bloody end.
“Susie did that because I’m with Katie?” Mike asked.
“Yeah, and to make it worse, I don’t know if she still intends on calling the cops or not. Hell, I might even get arrested before this day is done,” Rick explained.
“That does it! If the bitch wants a fight, I reckon she’s got one coming,” Katie told them.
“No, you’re not. You heard what he said. She wants you to have an accident. That means she plans on killing you, so you stay away from her. Do you hear me?” he asked her.
“Are you telling me what I can do and what I can’t?” she asked.
“I promised your daddy that I would protect you, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. So, yes, sweetheart, I am telling you what you can’t do,” he told her in a very harsh and firm voice. And Katie knew that he meant it, so she decided not to question him any further.
“So what do we do now? Do I go to the cops and explain everything before she does or what?” Rick asked.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. If you go to the cops, then they’ll question her, and what is she going to say? I don’t think she’s going to admit that she set you up. No, she’ll go ahead with her claim of attempted rape, and with those marks on your face; they’ll have to arrest you. So I think it might be wise to let it ride itself out and see what she does. But I do think it would be wise to have a talk with somebody of authority, like maybe Father Mathews. Someone would, if required, testify on your behalf. And I think I’m going to pay a visit myself to Susie’s dad after work tomorrow. Him and I have dealt with Susie and her stupid stunts before. So he knows all about her and her crap,” Mike told them. “This time Susie has gone way too far.”
“Rick, you might want to go see a doctor too. Those look pretty deep,” Katie told him.
“Yeah, I already figured I would do that. But, Katie, you watch your back. This girl is one hundred percent psycho,” Rick warned her.
“I will, Rick. And I’m so sorry that she decided to bring you into all of this,” she told him.
“No need to apologize, Katie, it wasn’t none of your doing. If it wasn’t you, then it would have been some other girl instead of you,” Rick replied.
“Okay, I’m going to handle this once and for all,” Mike said.
“And just how do you plan on doing that, may I ask?” Katie asked.
“Well, you’re right. Rick does need to go to the hospital, but we’re making a quick stop on the way there,” Mike replied.
“A quick stop? Where?” Rick asked.
“We’re going to see Susie’s dad. Him and I have been dealing with Susie’s crap for years, but he needs to see what his daughter has done,” he told them.
“But what can he do? Apparently, his daughter has gone off the deep end. She’s way past any point of normal intervention guidelines,” Katie added.
“Well, maybe, but I’m pretty sure that he’ll handle her once and for all. You don’t know him like I do. And the best part is Susie doesn’t either. So how did you get here, Rick? Where’s your car?” he asked.
“Outside. Where’s yours?” Rick answered.
“Mine is at home like always. Give me your keys. I’ll drive,” Mike told them as he stood up. But Katie and Rick just sat there. “Let’s go, guys, I want to try and beat Susie to her house.”
As they all climbed into Rick’s car, Katie asked, “Do you think her daddy can stop her and these stupid games? I mean, really? The girl definitely needs some medical help. You know, like a shrink.”
“Oh yeah, because of reasons that I can’t go into right now, he has too. Don’t worry, he’ll handle it. Trust me,” Mike said as pulled Rick’s Chevy away from the curb.
The drive to Susie’s took less than ten minutes. As they walked up to the front door, Mike told them, “Let me do the talking, okay?” The other two both agreed. Mike rang the bell. Susie’s dad answered the door.
“Hey there, Mike, what a pleasant surprise. Come on in,” he told them as he opened the screen door to let them in.
He watched as they all came in past him. Then he saw Rick’s face. “My God, son, what happened to your face? You look like you tangled up with one nasty bobcat,” he told him.
“He did, a bobcat named Susie,” Mike told him.
“My Susie did that? Are you sure?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah, we’re sure,” Mike replied.
“Well, Susie isn’t here right now, but I expect her anytime. Let’s get something on that,” he told them as he yelled for his wife to come downstairs. “So tell me what happened and how my Susie is involved.”
Rick started to tell him the story, but he stopped him. “I’m sorry, son, but let’s have Mike tell me. I need you to hold still while I work on these gashes. Okay?” he told him.
Rick agreed. Just then, Susie’s mom came down the stairs.
“Oh, Mary, good, we’re going to need some hot water, some clean rags, and bandages and get me that ointment that the doctor gave me a few months back. Would you do that, dear?” he asked her.
“Sure, what happened? You tangle with a mountain lion or something?” she asked.
“Yeah, or something. Would you get me what I asked for, please?” he pleaded with her. “What happened, Mike?” he asked. Mike waited for her to leave. Then he started telling him everything that had transpired over the past few days, including Susie’s run-in with Katie at the soda fountain. But when he got to the par
t about the shack at Miller’s pond, he made sure not to leave out any of the details. And he never stopped even when Susie’s mom had returned with the items that her husband had asked for. She had the right to know too, and Mike made sure not to leave anything out. When he finished, he could tell that they believed every word Mike had told them. He could see it in their eyes.
“So where is Susie at right now?” Mike asked him.
“Well, I thought that she was going to Rick’s. I mean, she told me that you two had a date or something. But I guess that was a lie too, wasn’t it?” he asked.
“No, I guess that part of it was the truth. But you can see what she called a date and what she is capable of, can’t you?” Mike asked him.
“I’m so sorry to all of you. This should have never have happened. So what can we do now, you know, to try and fix this mess?” he asked.
“Well, first off, you can reassure Rick here that he isn’t going to jail, and I need your word that nothing—and I mean nothing—is going to happen to Katie here,” Mike told him.
“Oh, I can promise you all that this will stop right here, right now. And nobody is going to jail even though I think it might help a certain person who isn’t here right now. And to you—you must be Katie—I give you my word that no harm will come to you. I’m so sorry for all of this,” he proclaimed.
“It’s not your fault. You had no way of knowing,” Katie told him.
“Yeah, I did. This has been going on for years. I should have stopped it back when it first started. But I didn’t. God, please forgive me. And, son, I’ll handle any medical expense over all of this, okay?”
Just then, the back door to the kitchen opened, and you could hear her. “Daddy? Where are you, Daddy?” Susie yelled.
Everyone looked to see what he was going to do.
“I’m in the living room, dear,” he yelled back to her.
You could hear her moaning and crying, tryin’ to play the part of the helpless victim. But that all changed the second she walked into the living room and found out that they had some unexpected guests, some very much unexpected guests.
Hearts of Grey Page 7
