Compulsion

by Terri Breneman

  “I guess that’s it for tonight, ladies,” Vicky said. “Are you all still going to the range tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely,” Patty said. “If you’re still up for it, Toni.”

  “Sure. Let’s meet there at ten. Is that okay with everyone? And Jessie, you’re welcome to come along. We’re going to try out my new gun.”

  “Okay. That sounds like fun and I could always use the practice.”

  After everyone had left, Toni plopped back on the couch. “I’m beat tonight, hon. How about we just veg a bit and watch a movie or something.”

  “Perfect. I’ll start some laundry and then be right there. Do you have anything upstairs in the hamper?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure I do. Want me to go?”

  “No. You stay right there and I’ll take care of it. Do you want something to drink?” Boggs asked.

  “A soda would be nice.” She stretched out on the couch with Mr. Rupert curled up next to her. She was feeling exhausted from both the aftereffects of the drug and the stress of what was happening. The throbbing in her head was getting worse. She glanced at her watch and calculated that it had been at least two hours since she’d had any wine. “Hey, hon? Could you bring me a pain pill? The bottle’s in the kitchen.”

  Boggs was in the kitchen headed toward the small laundry room. “How long since you had wine? I don’t want that to mix.”

  “Two hours, hon. I checked.”

  “Okay.” She brought the medicine out and then checked under the bandage. “It’s a little puffy still and starting to turn a lovely shade of purple.”

  Toni swallowed the pill with a swig of soda. “Thanks. I like to be fashionable, so purple is good.” She rolled her eyes.

  “How about some popcorn? I know we ate a huge amount of Chinese food, but I’m hungry again.”

  “That sounds good to me.” Toni started to get up, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

  “Let me take care of things tonight, babe. I’ll throw in the laundry and make the popcorn. Do you want plain, butter or Parmesan cheese?”

  “Mmm. Parmesan sounds yummy.”

  “Be ready in a minute, babe. You just stay there with Mr. Rupert and surf the channels. See if you can find something for us to watch. I kind of like being home with you on a Friday night.”

  Even though Toni’s head was pounding, her heart was filled with love for Boggs. She couldn’t believe that in two weeks they’d be in their new home together and starting their new life. If they could just figure out who this crazy obsessive person was, things would be absolutely wonderful.

  Chapter 22

  The woman was sipping her Famous Grouse when she first saw Toni Friday evening. Most of the time it had been that huge cat staring at her. She gasped when she saw Toni standing there in just her bra and panties. She’d felt her heart begin to race and she’d quickly run her fingers through her hair fives times, then three more. She was rewarded by having Toni sit down in front of her laptop, even though she was now wearing clothes. The bandage on her forehead made her cringe. The vision of Toni lasted only a couple minutes, but it had been worth the wait. When she heard her tell the cat they were having Chinese food, she picked up her phone and ordered some for herself. It was almost like they were having dinner together.

  After eating at her desk, she continued to have the window on her screen open in the corner. She checked her bank balance and then her stocks. She was playing a game of solitaire over an hour later when she heard voices. She immediately maximized the screen and saw another woman in Toni’s bedroom. She was much younger than Toni and was getting clothing out of a drawer. This is who she’s sleeping with? This child?

  She leaned in closer when she heard a phone ring. She listened closely as the girl made a date with someone named Helen for tomorrow. They would meet at the girl’s apartment, but tonight she’d be going to the Cat’s Meow, driving a white Toyota Celica, not her own car. What? This girl was going to live with Toni yet she’d made a date for tomorrow? What a bitch. She could hardly contain her rage. When the webcam went silent she fixed herself another drink, her hands shaking. After centering it carefully on the thick square coaster, she slowly stirred the Scotch with her left index finger three times, then tapped it twice on the rim. After licking the amber liquid from her finger, she took a long swallow. She sighed deeply, set her drink down and began pacing, trying to decide what she wanted to do. She’d made five passes across her study, but it wasn’t helping. She went to the small sink in the bar and began scrubbing her hands while counting to thirty. She rinsed, dried and began again, this time with hotter water. She scrubbed with her apple-scented antibacterial soap again and again until she felt the tension begin to leave her body. By the time she was done, she’d made a decision.

  Jan answered on the third ring.

  “I need you to do something tonight,” she announced.

  “Sure, boss. What do you need?”

  “I want you to torch a car and maybe hurt a girl. She’s driving a white Toyota Celica and will be at the Cat’s Meow tonight. She’s young, about five foot eight, I’d guess, and lean. She’s got short dark brown hair with that messy style.”

  “Do you know her name?”

  “No. She’s Toni’s girlfriend and she’s cheating on her. Call me when you finish, okay?”

  “No problem.”

  * * *

  Jan sat in her recliner and sipped at her rum and Coke. Even though she was a little worried about her boss’s continued obsession with Toni Barston, she was thrilled at the collateral jobs she’d gotten. She was trying to decide on her best options. She knew that the Cat’s Meow had no cameras in the parking lot, so she’d just need to be careful and not let anyone see her. She decided that she’d drive her throwaway car, as she referred to it, a junker that she’d bought last year and couldn’t be traced to her. She kept it in a garage in the alley, two doors down from her house. The license plates were expired and she’d used brown paint to make them look dirty, obscuring the sticker. She thought that was pretty clever.

  At around ten thirty, Jan walked to her little garage and unlocked her 1990 Honda Civic. It started with no problem. She grabbed a full gas can and a can of spray paint and headed to the bar. Luckily there was only one white Celica in the parking lot and she parked in one of only two spots open, two spaces down. She lit a cigarette and watched. Nothing seemed unusual or out of place. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hurt the girl tonight. She had no real idea what she looked like and it was too risky inside a crowded bar. The car would have to be it for now, assuming it was the right one. She got out with the spray paint in hand. In less than a minute, she’d spray-painted the word cheater on the pavement next to the white car. She was humming as she worked and slid back in her car.

  She smoked another cigarette and waited. A few people drove by the bar and several parked on the street. She waited about ten more minutes and casually got out, this time with her gas can. It took her only another minute or so to completely soak the car. She returned to her own car and sat another few minutes, waiting for the gas to seep in a bit further. She lit another cigarette and backed out of her spot. As she drove past the white car, she took another drag and flicked the cigarette out the window. It landed on the trunk and almost immediately flames rose and the smell of burning gasoline reached her nose. She pulled out of the parking lot with the sight of fire in her rearview mirror.

  Jessie had been in the Cat’s Meow only about twenty minutes and hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. She spotted Johnnie sitting at the bar smoking a cigarette, chatting with several people. Just then she got up and made her way toward Jessie, bumping her slightly as she passed and whispering, “Outside.”

  Jessie waited a couple minutes, wondering what was up, then went outside. Her car was in flames and she held back a gasp.

  Johnnie was waiting for her. “Just act like it’s your car, but don’t freak out too much. The police and fire department are on the way. Give them the ID I gave yo
u. Take a cab home when you’re done. I’ll be there.”

  Jessie nodded and on shaky legs went toward the car. The fire truck had just pulled up and within five minutes the fire was out. The cars on either side were damaged, but the white car was burnt to a crisp. She saw the word cheater on the asphalt and quickly snapped a picture with her phone.

  By the time she’d given her information to the police, there was a crowd of people outside, huddled in groups of three or four. Some were beginning to go back in and others were trying to see who owned the car. Many were pointing at the spray-painted word and Jessie imagined they were all grateful it wasn’t their car. When everything was done, she called a cab and went home.

  Johnnie was smoking a cigarette and leaning against the doorway of the four-family flat when she walked up. Once inside, she allowed herself to relax.

  “What do you think that was about?” she asked Johnnie as she headed toward the fridge.

  “No idea right now. The agents in the van didn’t see anyone.” She sat down in a recliner in the living room and accepted Jessie’s offer of a beer. “It may have just been a mistake and there’s some angry woman out there whose ex-girlfriend drives a white Celica. But it looked like the same kind of torch as Toni’s car and I really don’t believe in coincidences. I called Vicky to let her know. Who besides us knew you’d be at the Cat’s Meow tonight?”

  Jessie felt herself stiffen as she thought back over the last twenty-four hours. “The only person I told was Helen, but I’m sure she didn’t do that. She’s not like that, really.”

  “I know,” Johnnie said gently. “But just to make sure I checked and she was on a call at that time. She didn’t do it.”

  Jessie let out a sigh of relief.

  “Are you sure you didn’t tell anyone else? Maybe just in passing?”

  Jessie thought again, feeling like she’d made a huge mistake and let everyone down. But she knew she hadn’t told a soul besides Helen. Hell, she didn’t even know anyone else well enough to tell them anything. “I swear, Johnnie. I didn’t tell anyone else.” Her voice caught in her throat.

  “Okay, I believe you. But maybe someone overheard you. Where were you when you told Helen?”

  “I was on the phone. She called me when I was upstairs with Toni when I got soda on my pants.”

  “What cell phone did she call you on?”

  “My real phone, not the one you gave me to use at the bars.”

  “Okay. Don’t worry about this. You didn’t do anything wrong. This is either a huge coincidence or we’ve got a real smart crazy person working here. Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow at the range.”

  They finished their beer and Johnnie went home, leaving Jessie to wonder if she’d still have a job in the morning.

  * * *

  The boss hung up her phone and grinned. Even though Jan hadn’t hurt the girl, the added bonus of spray-painting cheater was wonderful. She fixed herself another drink and stared at the window that showed her Toni’s darkened and quiet bedroom.

  Toni and Boggs were watching a movie when they got the call from Johnnie. Relieved that Jessie hadn’t been hurt, Toni tried to play off what this meant. She snuggled closer to Boggs and held Mr. Rupert tightly on her lap. She allowed Boggs to move away only long enough to double-check the alarm. Even though Boggs did her best to reassure her that she was safe, her sleep was infrequent and restless the entire night.

  Chapter 23

  Despite the car fire the night before, they agreed to meet at the firing range at ten o’clock as planned and talk about their strategy afterward. They took turns trying Toni’s new gun and there was no question that Toni could outshoot them all. She tried Johnnie’s gun and then fired Boggs’s a few times. It didn’t seem to matter what she was shooting, she always hit dead center. After about an hour, they put away their weapons and met in the parking lot.

  “Why don’t we go out for breakfast?” Johnnie said.

  “Wouldn’t you rather talk somewhere more private?” Boggs asked.

  “Well, I don’t know if Toni’s place is safe,” Johnnie replied.

  Toni felt her whole body go rigid. “What do you mean?” she asked quietly, gripping Boggs’s arm.

  “I’m sure everything’s okay, but let’s just go to Aunt Hattie’s. She’s got great food and I’m sure it won’t be crowded this time of day.”

  Toni nodded. Aunt Hattie’s was a hole-in-the-wall kind of place inside an old warehouse. If you didn’t know exactly where it was, you’d miss it for sure. The only sign was tiny and made of wood, barely discernible from the building itself. They arrived in several cars and made their way inside. It was actually quite quaint with about twenty tables, each with its own candle and mismatched silverware. The same waitress who had waited on Toni every time she’d been there led them to a large table in the back. There were only two other people in the place.

  “Would you ladies like breakfast or lunch?”

  After everyone agreed on breakfast food, the waitress gave them menus and asked who wanted coffee. They all did and she left to get the pot.

  “You can stop drooling, Jessie,” Vicky snickered.

  Jessie blushed and quickly looked down at her menu.

  The waitress usually wore a flannel shirt that looked like it had been shrunk in the dryer. It stuck to her like Saran Wrap and was usually unbuttoned dangerously low. Today she had on that same type of shirt, only the sleeves had been cut off at the shoulders. Apparently this was her summer look. She returned a minute later with a steaming pot of fresh coffee and filled their mismatched cups. After taking their orders, she gave Jessie a wink and sashayed away. Vicky giggled again.

  “Any news about last night?” Toni asked.

  “The crime lab guys think it’s the same guy as your car, although that’s just a hunch. No hard evidence.” Vicky sipped her coffee.

  “And I’m thinking maybe your place is bugged,” Johnnie added, lighting a cigarette.

  “If that’s true, then whoever it is must know everything that we’ve been saying so far.” Toni was beginning to panic. The thought of someone hearing her inside her own home was almost too much to bear. She felt almost naked. That and the fact that someone had given her a date rape drug made her skin crawl.

  Boggs put her arm around the back of Toni’s chair and lightly rubbed her shoulder. “We’ll figure this out, babe. I’ll call Aunt Francie and see if we can get the closing date moved up. It’s not like we’re waiting on anything. The place is empty.” She pulled out her cell phone and made the call as the waitress brought their food. After disconnecting, Boggs took a sip of coffee. “She said she’d call the owner and see what she could do.”

  They each dug into their breakfast, which was far more than one person could possibly eat. They’d each gotten some type of omelet that came with hash browns, bacon, biscuits, fruit and orange juice. Toni was about a third of the way through her cheese and mushroom omelet when something dawned on her. “Hey, why would this person torch Jessie’s car and write cheater? I’m with Boggs. If they wanted to take something away from me, wouldn’t it make more sense to torch Boggs’s car?”

  “That’s true,” Vicky admitted. “Tell us exactly what you said to Helen,” she instructed Jessie.

  “Well, she told me to be careful and then I asked her over for dinner tonight.” Jessie blushed slightly.

  “No, silly. About the car.” Vicky was smiling.

  “She asked me where I was going and I said the Cat’s Meow. Then she asked if I was driving my car so she’d know not to give me a ticket and I told her I was driving a white Toyota Celica.”

  “That’s it,” Toni exclaimed. It made sense now. “Whoever is listening in is hearing only what’s said in my bedroom.”

  “Well, I bet that’s interesting,” Vicky raised an eyebrow.

  Toni felt her face get hot. “Because otherwise,” she continued, ignoring Vicky’s remark, “they’d know I was with Boggs. Whoever heard this thought that I was seeing Je
ssie and then she made a date with another woman. That’s where the cheater part comes in. It’s the only thing that makes sense, don’t you think?” She took another bite of her omelet.

  “That makes me feel both better and worse,” Boggs said as she dug into her hash browns. “But it does make more sense. So, what do we do, sweep the room for bugs?”

  “Or maybe we could use that against them,” Vicky said, “If they don’t know we’re on to them, then maybe we could have Toni say she’s going to be somewhere alone and see who shows up.”

  “Hey, I don’t think we should use Toni as bait,” Boggs argued. “This is way too dangerous.”

  Toni actually thought it was a good idea but held her tongue.

  “But we’d be right there,” Johnnie said. “I think it might work.”

  Boggs’s phone rang. “Aunt Francie,” she mouthed. After two minutes she disconnected and was grinning. “She said we can close on Monday at nine thirty in the morning. She’s going to call the movers for us and see if we can get them to change the date and take care of the utilities.” She pulled out some papers from her wallet. I’m going to call the furniture people real quick and see if I can change them.” After several calls she took another bite of hash browns. “Well, the bedroom set can’t come until Tuesday, but the mattress and living room stuff is all set for Monday afternoon. If nothing else, we can at least stay there Monday night.”

  “This is just all too weird,” Toni said. “Shit. I’ve got a preliminary hearing at nine on Monday.” She looked at Boggs, not sure what she should do.

  “Do you have anything else in court on Monday?” Boggs asked.

  Toni racked her brain. Prelim. Shit. What else? She couldn’t think straight. “I don’t think so, but I’d have to look.” She felt incompetent, not knowing her schedule.