All The Dead Girls

by Tim Kizer

  He concluded that, for strategic reasons, it was better not to let Don know who had picked up the phone.

  As Richard marched to the stairs, he burst out laughing. He laughed so hard his eyes filled with tears. He was in an excellent mood. You see, he had just come up with a way to catch the elusive Don.

  CHAPTER 7

  1.

  The plan was simple. It was reasonable to assume that her lover, burning with lust and passion, would soon get tired of waiting for Mary to show up at his place or call him. Most men found it hard to go without sex for more than a week. He would want to contact her himself. He must have already tried her cellphone. Chances were he wouldn’t come to her house to inquire about her whereabouts. But he would call her landline. Well, he had just done it. And he wouldn't stop calling until he spoke to her. That played into Richard's hands, and soon you’d see how.

  What would they talk about if Mary were alive and could answer the phone? He believed that they would discuss when and where they would meet. Their rendezvous could be anywhere: a park, a mall, a cafe, a movie theater, or even a library. If he knew where these criminals were going to meet, he could track Don down and take care of him. He was unable to do it at the moment because Mary wasn’t here to pick up the phone.

  Luckily, there was a way around this problem.

  When you talk on the phone, you can’t see the face of the person on the other end of the line, can you? You can only hear that person’s voice. It was this limitation that would allow Richard to lure Don out of his lair and harpoon him.

  All he had to do to trick Don was have a woman pick up the phone when Don called next time, and pose as Mary. Mary was the only woman who lived in this house, so Don would assume that he was talking to her.

  The problem was, it might take him a while to find someone who could perfectly imitate Mary’s voice. He couldn’t afford to wait; he had to act fast.

  Come to think of it, it didn’t have to be a perfect imitation. When a person had a cold, his or her voice changed dramatically. Oftentimes, it became unrecognizable. This meant that virtually any woman could play Mary’s role in his scheme.

  Excited by the fact that he had found a solution—and it hadn’t taken him long to do it—Richard opened Don's picture on his laptop and said with a smile, "Well, buddy, I guess I got you."

  Now he had to find a woman who would agree to stay at his place for a few days and talk to Don, pretending to be Mary.

  Cherchez la femme—look for the woman, as the French say.

  Okay, he’d think about it later. Let his subconscious mind mull it over for a while. Hopefully, he would figure this out by the end of the day.

  On the way to the bedroom, he caught himself thinking that the house needed some cleaning. He had lived less than a week without Mary, and his place had already begun to look untidy. Shame on him.

  2.

  After he took a shower, Richard spent some time figuring out where he could find a woman that would help him implement his plan. He started by formulating his requirements. He needed a woman who: a) would agree to stay at his place for a several days, b) would not ask questions, and c) would keep her mouth shut after they were finished.

  Why would she do it? How could he motivate her to do it?

  The answer was obvious: money. He would pay her.

  And what kind of women were ready to do almost anything for money?

  There probably were a lot of women like that, but he was going to go for the sure thing: the women who sold their bodies professionally. Yes, he would hire a prostitute.

  Richard had no experience doing business with hookers, but he knew where he could easily find one—Craigslist.

  He would use a computer in a library to perform the search for a prostitute. He didn’t want the police to find out that he was looking for a hooker while his wife was missing. He would use a disposable cellphone to communicate with candidates.

  He fell asleep thinking about his plan.

  3.

  “Okay, baby, I’m outside,” the prostitute said. “Turn on your headlights.”

  Richard carried out the prostitute’s request.

  “I see you.” She waved to him and started toward his car.

  Richard hung up and put the disposable cellphone, which he had purchased in the morning, in his pants pocket. When the prostitute opened the passenger door and stuck her head inside the car, he said, “Susie?”

  “Yes, I’m Susie. So you want to have some fun?"

  "Get in." He patted the front passenger seat with his hand.

  Their eyes met. Susie arched her eyebrows. Perhaps she thought that arched brows made her look seductive, and there probably were people who agreed with her on this, but Richard wasn’t one of them.

  Richard stared silently at the woman for several seconds, deciding if she was fit for the job, then nodded and said, "Get in, we need to talk."

  He was pleased to find that she looked exactly like her photos in the Craigslist ad. She was kind of cute.

  The prostitute frowned.

  Could she be part of a police sting operation? It was possible, but he should be okay as long as he avoided saying anything that could be construed as solicitation of sex.

  "I don’t have time for talking, baby," Susie said. Judging by her somewhat husky voice, she either smoked a lot or drank like a fish. "I have to work. If you want to have fun, I’m all yours. I’ll rock your world, baby. I’m not a clock watcher. We can do it in my room, or we can go to your place if you want."

  Richard shook his head. "I just want to talk to you. Don't worry, I'll pay for your time." He withdrew his wallet. "It will only take fifteen minutes."

  The hooker straightened herself up and looked around, her fingers drumming on the roof of the car.

  “Fifteen minutes, huh?” she said. “It’ll cost you forty bucks, baby.”

  “Forty? Okay.” Richard extracted two twenty-dollar bills from his wallet and waved them in the air. “Here’s your forty dollars.”

  Susie cracked a smile at the sight of the money and then got in the car. “What’s your name again, baby? I forgot.”

  “Jack.”

  “Where are we going to talk? In your car?"

  “Yes.” Richard switched on the ignition and pulled away from the curb.

  "Where are we going, baby?" Susie asked.

  Richard left her question unanswered. After driving two blocks north, he parked in front of a closed hair salon. Now he was sure that Susie wasn’t a police decoy: the cops wouldn’t waste their time on a guy who only wanted to chat.

  “You have to pay me first,” Susie said when Richard turned off the engine.

  “All right.” Richard handed the cash. “Here’s the deal, Susie. I need a house-sitter for my place. Is it something you’d be interested in?”

  “House-sitter? Why are you asking me?”

  “Why not?”

  Now he should decide how much he would pay Susie. It appeared that the prostitute’s best days were far behind her, which meant that she should be flexible on the price. Richard estimated that she averaged about two clients a day.

  Let’s start at a hundred dollars a day and see what she says, Richard thought.

  “What will I have to do?” Susie sounded intrigued.

  “Stay inside twenty four hours a day, maybe answer a few phone calls."

  “I can’t go outside at all?”

  “No.”

  “What about food?”

  “I’ll be bringing you food. And I’ll pay for it, too. Do you use drugs?”

  “No.”

  “Are you telling the truth?”

  “Of course I am.”

  “You don’t even do pot?”

  “No, no pot, honey.”

  “Okay.”

  Susie furrowed her forehead. “So we’re not going to fuck?”

  Richard shook his head. “Just sit on the couch and watch TV all day.”

  “How long do you want me to stay at your place?” />
  “A few days. Maybe a week.”

  “So all I have to do is live in your house? Did I get you right, honey?"

  “Yes.”

  “Are there spy cams in your house? Is that what it’s about?” A mischievous smile appeared on the hooker’s lips.

  “No spy cams. It has nothing to do with porn or sex.”

  Susie sighed thoughtfully. “I must say it’s an interesting proposition.”

  “Are you in or not? I don’t have all night.”

  Richard did not mind Susie asking questions because, after all, it was an unusual situation: a low-rent prostitute was not a typical candidate for a house-sitting position. However, he believed that he had provided the hooker with all the information necessary to make an informed decision.

  “How much are you going to pay me?”

  “How about a hundred dollars a day?”

  Susie made a wry face. “A hundred bucks? Come on, Jack. You’ve got to make it worth my while. I’ll have to give up my regular job for this. I’m going to lose a lot of money.”

  “Okay, let’s negotiate. Give me your number.”

  “Three hundred.”

  “A hundred and thirty. And keep in mind that your meals are on me.”

  “Well, that’s worth about thirty bucks a day." Susie paused to think. “Two fifty.”

  Two hundred and fifty dollars a day was within Richard’s acceptable price range, but the entrepreneur in him wanted to keep bargaining.

  “Two hundred and not a penny more," he said.

  Susie turned her face to the window and a few moments later said, “All right. But you must know that I’m picky when it comes to food. I’m watching my figure."

  “Do you have small children?” Richard started the engine.

  “No. Why?”

  “I’m just checking if there’s anything that can distract you.”

  The car began to pick up speed.

  “When do I start?”

  “Right now.”

  “What about my clothes? I can’t wear the same clothes for a week.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “You’re going to buy me new clothes?” Susie opened her purse and produced a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

  “We’ll see.”

  Susie tapped a cigarette out of the pack, stuck it in her mouth, and then lit it.

  “Do you have a driver’s license with you?” Richard asked.

  The prostitute blew a stream of smoke toward the windshield, and replied, “No. What do you need it for?”

  “Just in case.”

  “You don’t trust me, baby?” Susie took another drag on the cigarette.

  Grimacing, Richard said, “Can you put it out, please? I don’t like it when people smoke in my car.”

  Susie gave him a long look. “Can I smoke at your place?”

  “Yes. You can smoke at my place.”

  “Okay.” Susie flicked the cigarette out the window.

  “What’s your last name?”

  "I don't tell strangers my last name."

  “I’m not a stranger anymore, am I?”

  “I’ll tell you later, when we get to your house.”

  "Okay."

  Well, he had taken the first step. Now he had to explain to the hooker what he wanted her to do. Fortunately, the task was simple, even a child could perform it.

  He must keep in mind that people like her were dangerous. She was amoral. She would lie, cheat, and kill for money.

  They arrived at Richard’s house at ten minutes to eleven.

  "You have a nice place, honey," the hooker remarked when they entered the living room. "By the way, you can touch my boobs or ass for thirty bucks." She giggled. "You're going to love it, honey. And I could give you a blowjob for forty."

  "Have a seat, please." Richard pointed at an armchair.

  He was struck by Susie's stupidity: she seriously thought that a man like him would want to have sex with her!

  He noticed slight crow’s feet around her eyes and wondered if the hooker had taken her wrinkles into consideration when setting her rates.

  Susie smoothed her hair with her hands and eased onto the sofa.

  "It’s a really nice neighborhood,” she said. "Clean and quiet. No bums. You should see the morons that live on my block. There’s not one decent person there."

  Richard went to the kitchen and returned with two bottles of beer. When Susie saw the bottles, she exclaimed, "Honey, you read my mind! I love beer.”

  After Richard handed her a bottle, the prostitute said, “Do you perchance have something stronger? Just don't get me drunk, okay?" She giggled again.

  Richard sat down on the sofa, took a sip of beer, and asked, "So what’s your last name?"

  “Smith.” Susie grinned, which Richard interpreted as a sign that she was lying.

  “Susie Smith. Okay.” Richard crossed his legs. "I like this name. My name’s Alex." He picked up the remote control and switched on the TV.

  "I’m going to call you honey. Would you mind if I called you honey? Some guys don’t like it when I call them that."

  "It’s all right. You can call me whatever you want."

  His eyes fixed on the hooker, he swung his foot back and forth. He liked Susie. She didn't ask a lot of questions, she was behaving herself, and she seemed to be willing to do virtually anything for money. In addition, she was a fun person.

  While Susie looked around the room, Richard took off his shirt, baring his torso.

  "Remember, honey, thirty bucks to touch," Susie said. "You have some nice muscles on you. Do you know actor Jason Statham?”

  “I’ve seen his movies.”

  “You have his body. Do you work out?”

  Even though Richard realized that Susie’s flattery couldn’t have been sincere, it still made him warm inside.

  “Every now and then,” Richard replied.

  “I like your tan.” Susie cupped her breasts and squeezed them lightly. “My titties are very soft. Do you want to play with them?" She pulled up her blouse, apparently planning to take it off.

  "Stop it, Susie." Richard raised his hand. "I don’t want to play with your titties. Why don’t you tell me how old you are?"

  "Twenty nine.”

  “More like thirty nine.”

  Her eyes fixed on Richard, Susie cocked her head, and said, “If you know everything, why do you ask?”

  “I’m just curious.”

  “How old are you? You must be forty five."

  "I'm thirty eight.”

  "If you say so.” Susie’s lips stretched in a thin smile.

  Richard took a swallow of beer from the bottle, and said, “Let me repeat, Susie: you’re not allowed to go outside. Even for a minute. Is it clear?”

  Susie nodded. "Yes, honey. I love staying inside, don't you worry about it.”

  "You’re not allowed to invite other people to my house. And you can’t talk to my neighbors.”

  “Okay.” Susie grabbed the cable box remote control and began flipping channels.

  “Don’t open the blinds. Just stay away from the windows altogether.”

  “All right. I understand. You don’t want your neighbors to see me here.”

  “That’s right. I hope it doesn’t hurt your feelings.” Richard chuckled. “You are allowed to answer phone calls."

  “Are you sure?” Susie gave him a curious look.

  “I’ll tell you which calls you can answer later.”

  Susie rose from the armchair and sat down next to Richard on the sofa.

  "One more thing: I’ll be here to make sure that you follow my instructions,” Richard said.

  “I thought you were going to stay someplace else.”

  “I never said I was.”

  “Then why do you need a house-sitter?”

  “I like company.”

  Susie licked her lips and ran her hand across her chest. "Are you married, honey?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where i
s she now? On vacation?” Susie began drumming her fingers on her thigh. Richard had a feeling that the prostitute was trying to flirt with him. “Or maybe you got separated?"

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you work independently?”

  “You want to know if I have a pimp?” Susie chuckled. “No, I don’t have a pimp. I don’t like being exploited.”

  Richard considered asking the prostitute who handled her delinquent customers but in the end chose not to raise the subject.

  A playful smile lit up Susie’s face. She opened her mouth and flickered her tongue.

  "Stop it,” Richard said. “I need you to take it seriously.”

  "Honey, I'm a free woman. Maybe I should go to your wife and tell her what a great husband she’s got?"

  Judging by the mischievous look in her eyes, the hooker was joking.

  "Knock it off, Susie."

  "By the way, where’s my money? I want four hundred right now.”

  “Four hundred?”

  “For today and tomorrow. I think it’s fair.”

  Richard agreed with her.

  “Okay.” He pulled out his wallet, opened it, and took out twenty twenty-dollar bills.

  Susie held out her palm. “You’re the best, honey."

  Richard handed her the cash.

  "Nice doing business with you, honey.” Susie put the money in her purse.

  "You’re not going to steal anything from me, are you?"

  "What? Do I look like a thief? I've never stolen anything in my life. Everyone will tell you that Susie is an honest girl."

  Richard peered into her eyes. It was hard to tell if she was telling the truth, but it didn’t really matter: nothing she could steal from his house was important or valuable enough for him to care about.

  "The phone is your first priority,” he said. “You have to pick it up as soon as it rings. You have to answer all calls except those from these two numbers." Richard gave Susie a notebook sheet with Bob’s and Bob’s girlfriend’s cellphone numbers.

  "Sure, honey. I can do that."

  "Listen very carefully, Susie." Richard placed his hand on hers so she would realize the importance of what he was about to say.

  "I'm all ears."

  "A man is going to call here. He's name is Don. He’s an acquaintance of mine."