“Because…I don’t.” She smiled.
“Oh. I see. You want to go together. Okay.”
It seemed like a good time for Ed to tell Angie how he really felt about her. How he wanted to take her into his arms. How he wanted to marry her.
But, no, he thought, not while he was wearing greasy work clothes.
Ed was almost always wearing greasy work clothes.
**********
“Sondra,” Val called out. “There’s someone here to see you.”
“Who is it?”
“What did you say your name was?”
“Mitch,” said the young man.
“It’s Mitch,” she yelled.
Sondra didn’t know any Mitch.
When she reached the front door, Val gave her a look that said, don’t invite him in.
“Hello, Sondra,” said Mitch.
“Do I know you?”
“No. But I know you. And we need to talk.”
Sondra wanted to tell the punk to get lost. But she was curious. She opened the screen door and walked out onto the porch. “What’s this about?”
Mitch stepped closer to her and whispered, “I live across the street from Jason.”
She gave him a blank stare.
“You know—Jason. The man you killed in Houston.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never killed anybody.”
“I saw you come home with him Friday night. Then, a little later, I saw you leave.”
“That wasn’t me.”
“And then, on Saturday night, some of his friends showed up at his house for their poker game. But he didn’t answer the door. And they couldn’t reach him by phone. Yet his car was in the driveway. So, they called the police.”
“Well, that’s a shame. But it has nothing to do with me.”
“Look,” he said, grinning slyly, “I know it was you. I overheard one of the men saying that Jason had planned to go by Joe’s Bar on the way home from work Friday night. So, I went to the bar and asked a few questions. Joe, himself, told me that you performed there on Friday night, and that you left with Jason.”
“Oh—that Jason. Yeah, I remember him now. He seemed pretty depressed. But I didn’t go home with him. We just walked out of the bar together. Then we went our separate ways.”
Now Mitch didn’t look as confident.
“So, what were you going to do?” said Sondra. “Why didn’t you report me to the police?”
“Well, I…”
“You were planning to blackmail me, weren’t you?”
Mitch stammered.
“How old are you?” She asked the question as though she were a schoolteacher talking to a third grader.
“Twenty,” he answered dutifully.
Sondra smiled. “Well, you’re a good-looking 20 year-old.”
“Thanks.” He nearly blushed. He had not anticipated this kind of attention from the hot blonde.
“You want to go get a cup of coffee or something?”
“Sure.”
“Where’s your car?”
“Repossessed. I took the bus.”
“You live you with your parents, don’t you?”
He hesitated. “Yeah.”
“No problem. We’ll take my car.”
**********
“Yeah, you’re right, Sondra.” Mitch laughed. “This tequila is much better than coffee.” He stumbled across the uneven parking lot, kicking a few loose shells, nearly falling down.
In Southeast Texas, shell is often used for driveways and parking lots, as a less expensive alternative to asphalt or concrete.
He stared into the darkness. It was nearly midnight. “Where is the boat? I can’t see any boats.”
“That’s because you don’t have the flashlight. Come over here,” said Sondra. “And keep your voice down.”
“Why? There’s nobody around here… Is this the one? It doesn’t even have a motor.”
“We don’t need a motor. We’ve got paddles. See?”
“Aw, man. I don’t want to paddle. I just want to drink some more of this stuff.” He held up the bottle of tequila. “And make sweet, hot love to you, Baby.”
“I’ll do the paddling. Get in.”
“And I’ll do the making…I mean the loving…I mean, yeah, I’ll get in.” He nearly lost his balance before sitting down. “I’m ready to shove off, Captain.” He saluted her forcefully, accidentally poking himself in the eye with a finger.
“Are you sure you’re seaworthy?”
He obviously was not.
“Sir, yes, Sir. I am, Sir.” He saluted again.
As she rowed the little boat out into Sabine River, Mitch continued to guzzle the alcohol.
Finally Sondra pulled the paddles into the boat.
“Come here, Baby. I’ve got a big surprise for you,” he said.
“Oh, really,” she said playfully, as she approached him. But instead of sitting in front of him, she slipped past him and sat down behind him, facing his back.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m about to make your dreams come true,” she said.
“Yahoo!”
“Shush!”
He lowered his voice. “Wow. The sound really echoes out here, echoes out here, doesn’t it?”
She reached around from behind him, and unbuckled his belt.
“Okay. I like it so far.”
Sondra took the empty bottle out of his right hand, and set it down. Then she gently pulled both of his hands around to his back. He could feel her inner thighs with his fingertips.
“Very nice,” he said.
He couldn’t tell exactly what she was doing with his belt, but suddenly he realized that his hands were tied together. He could no longer touch her legs. “Hey, why did you do that?”
“Be patient.” She began to massage his chest with both hands. He seemed to forget that his hands were tied.
She worked her fingers downward and unbuttoned his jeans. Then she unzipped them.
“Oh, Baby.” He was hyperventilating with excitement.
“Now, stand up—very carefully, so I can pull your pants down.”
But he did not follow her instructions. He jumped up, immediately losing his balance.
All it took was the slight nudge of her left elbow to send him overboard.
“Help! I can’t swim—my hands are tied!”
“Maybe this will help.” She picked up the tequila bottle and threw it at him. When it hit his skull, it cracked. Not the bottle—the skull.
His cries for help ended abruptly, and he disappeared into the dark water.
Lucky throw, she thought.
7 - WAITING FOR LOVE
There was a soft knock at Greg and Cynthia’s bedroom door.
They froze in place, moving only their eyes—to check the glowing numbers on the alarm clock. It was nearly 1:00 AM.
“How late do we have to wait to make sure we don’t get interrupted?” whispered Greg in frustration.
“I’m sorry,” whispered Cynthia.
Greg rolled to the side, and Cynthia got up, slipped on her robe, and went to the door.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Honey,” said Beverly, “but I’m having trouble going to sleep. Do you have any more of those over-the-counter sleeping pills?”
“I think so, Mom. Just a second.”
Cynthia went into the bathroom, and checked the medicine cabinet. She found the bottle of pills, and took it to her mother. “Hope this helps.”
“I’m sure it will. Sorry I woke you up.”
“It’s okay, Mom.” Cynthia closed the door, and took off her robe. She slid between the sheets, and snuggled her naked body up against Greg’s. “I’m sorry, Sweetie.”
“Baby, you know I love your mom, but—“
“—I know. It really spoils the mood when she does that.”
“It’s not just when she comes to the door. It’s knowing that she could knock at any moment. And as much as you turn me on,
it really…”
Cynthia had begun to nibble on his ear.
Greg forced himself to continue. “We’ve got to do something about this…”
Cynthia slung her leg across him, and got on top. Then she gave him a hot, moist kiss.
His senses were overwhelmed by her mouth, her hands, her smooth warm body. He didn’t even care that she had purposely derailed his train of thought.
She whispered into his ear, “I want to have your baby, Greg.”
“I know. I want to give you a baby. But, take it easy—you’re about to make me—“
“—it’s okay. It’s late. Let it go.”
Oh, God, thought Greg. What did I ever do to deserve this amazing woman?
**********
Billy-Eye checked his watch again. It was after 6:00. Why did they have to be late every morning? Especially this morning.
Craig and Lenny walked into The Biscuit with their heads held low. They knew they were going to be chewed out again.
Judy saw them coming in late, as usual, and shook her head, but didn’t say a word.
When Billy-Eye looked up and saw his sons standing there at his booth, he jumped up.
Lenny thought the old man was going to pull a Moe, and slam their two heads together, like Curly and Larry. They deserved it—they were his stooges. Why couldn’t they ever learn to be on time?
But instead, he grabbed one in each arm and bear-hugged the breath out of them.
“What?” said Craig, confused.
“You’re alive!” said Billy-Eye.
“Well…yeah,” said Craig.
“Come on,” said Billy-Eye. “Sit down. Let’s have a great big breakfast together.”
“Okay,” said Lenny. Bring on the food.
“What’s going on?” said Craig.
Billy-Eye’s chin quivered slightly as he spoke. He was still not over the thought that one of his sons had been taken from him. “A guy dropped in for some biscuits a few minutes ago, and was saying that his brother-in-law went out early this morning for some fishing, and found a body.”
“Where?”
“The Sabine River.”
“A dead body?” said Lenny.
Craig sneered at his brother. “Well, it wouldn’t be much of a story if the man was alive, now would it, Lenny?”
“So, I was worried about you boys,” said Billy-Eye. “I assumed y’all were asleep in your rooms when I left the house this morning. But then I started wondering.”
“Was it anybody we know?” said Lenny.
Craig punched him in the arm. “Daddy just said he thought it might be one of us. He doesn’t know who it was.”
Lenny rubbed his arm. “Oh.”
Judy brought them each a cup of coffee, and took their breakfast orders.
“Okay, now let’s get down to business,” said Billy-Eye. “Have you got the band auditions all lined up?”
“Yes, Sir,” said Craig. “We’ve got eleven bands.”
“So, you’ll do the whole thing on Friday night?”
“Yes, Sir. The first band will start at 6:30, and the last one will finish just before midnight. Then I will decide on the winner and make the announcement.”
“No, Sir,” said Billy-Eye. “I will decide the winner.”
No, thought Craig. What if he doesn’t pick Cindy’s group? Then Craig would never get into her pants. “I thought you were going to leave that up to me.”
“I was,” said Billy-Eye. “But then I started thinking about how easily you’re influenced. I won’t stand for any favoritism. We want the best band.”
Craig scowled at his brother. “Lenny—you rat! You told him, didn’t you?”
“Told me what?” said Billy-Eye.
“Nothing,” said Craig.
“Good. Then it’s understood. You boys will have everything in tip-top shape by the time I get there at around 5:30.”
“Yes, Sir,” they said in unison.
Craig stomped on Lenny’s foot.
Lenny grimaced, but said nothing.
“So, who’s this girl, Craig?” Billy-Eye took a sip of his coffee.
“Which one?”
Billy-Eye chuckled. His pulsating belly made the booth table shake, spilling a little of Craig’s coffee.
Craig picked up his cup and wiped the sides and bottom with his napkin. “Her name is Cindy. She’s the drummer in an all-girl band.”
“Blonde, right?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Okay. Now I know who will not win.”
“Daddy!”
Billy-Eye laughed so hard that he began to cough. Finally, he regained control. “I’m kidding. The best band will win—even if it ends up being Cindy’s band. I want what’s best for the business. We’re gonna be paying a lot of money for that band. And we’ll be depending on them to develop a following, so we can sell T-shirts and posters and all kinds of souvenirs.” He took another sip from his cup. “We’re gonna make a fortune, Boys.”
**********
“Well, I thought you were gonna just sleep all day,” said Val sarcastically. She was in her recliner, sipping one last cup of coffee before driving over to Wal-Mart to work her shift. Her favorite game show, The Price Is Right, came on at 10:00 AM, fifteen minutes before she had to leave for work.
“I needed the rest. We’ve got a long practice session today.”
“Where are y’all practicing?”
“Right here in the living room.”
“No, you’re not!”
“Why not? We won’t hurt anything. And we’ll be done before you get home.”
“You’ll play too loud, and make my neighbors mad.”
“Val, I promise—we’ll hold it down.”
“And I don’t want any guys using my bathroom. They pee all over the floor.”
“There are no guys, Mother. It’s an all-girl band.”
Val knew she would regret what she was about to say. “Alright. But you’d better take care of my house and my things.”
“I will.”
“If anything goes wrong—“
“—it won’t.
**********
Cindy Banya arrived early, and quickly set up her drums, and began to warm up.
E. Z. Bender was next. She unpacked her guitar, fired up her amp, and began to work on a few riffs.
Sondra had stepped into the kitchen for a drink of water when Cindy and E. Z. suddenly went silent. She popped her head into the living room to find out why.
Boomer Hertz was standing in the doorway with her bass amp in one hand and her guitar in the other. Cindy and E. Z. were just staring at her.
Cindy was confused. Sondra had said this would be an all-girl band. Who was this guy in the sleeveless muscle shirt, with long, frizzy brown hair?
The 32-year-old had a stocky build. Her arms bulged, but her chest didn’t. She was clearly not somebody you wanted to mess with.
“Hey, Boomer,” said Sondra. “Glad you could make it.”
“Yeah, well this had better be worth the trouble,” said Boomer.
Or what? wondered Cindy. She was afraid of the answer.
Boomer sat down her amp, and plugged it into an outlet. She popped the latches on her guitar case as though she were a mechanic opening a monster-sized toolbox. Then she whipped her bass out of its case, and strapped it on like King Arthur’s Excalibur.
E. Z. wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that the she-man had cut a few people down to size with the thing.
Sondra picked up her guitar. “Let’s warm up with Wilson Phillips’ Impulsive.”
By the end of the song, all four of the women were smiling inside, and thinking the exact same thing: We’re gonna blow ‘em away.
8 - OPENING NIGHT
“Looks good, Boys.” Billy-Eye knew he had been taking a big chance leaving the final details for his sons to handle. He had not even visited the place all week. It was Friday, 5:30 PM—thirty minutes before the grand opening of Billy-Eye’s Arcade and Dance Barn.
>
The arcade room had been arranged nicely—although not the way Billy-Eye would have done it. But still, it was good. The two popcorn machines were ready to go. High school aged workers were ready to hand out bags of the stuff. The first group in the competition was warming up on the bandstand. A stand-alone blackboard to the right side of the drums had the name of the band written across it in white chalk: The Triangulators. Each band would be responsible for putting their name on that board.
“Glad you like it, Daddy.” Craig beamed. Finally, he had done something right.
“So, what do you think? Will we have a full house tonight?” said Billy-Eye.
“Sure,” said Lenny with a naïve smile.
“Hopefully,” said Craig. “They get in free, get to hear eleven bands, and get all the free popcorn and coke they want. I’m sure the kids have heard our radio ad.”
“Maybe we should have made the games free too,” said Lenny.
“Hey, we can’t give everything away,” said Billy-Eye. “We’re only charging a quarter for the games as it is.” He walked back out into the main hall. “Is the refrigerator all stocked up?”
“Yes, Sir,” said Craig. “It’s loaded with frozen pizzas, hot dogs, and condiments. And we’ve got plenty of hot dogs buns and candy.”
“And the soda fountains?”
“Ready to go.”
“And I see you got the ice machine set up.” Billy-Eye smiled. “Great. I’m proud of you boys.”
At 5:50, two of their female employees unlocked the main door and walked out. There was a line of about 150 kids waiting to get in. The two girls each had a bag full of red plastic cups, printed with the Billy-Eye’s Arcade and Dance Barn logo.
“What’s your name?”
“Cassandra Smith,” said the first girl in line.
The employee wrote the girl’s name on a cup with a magic marker, and handed it to her. “Hang onto your cup if you want free soft drinks. If you lose it, you’ll have to pay a dollar to get a new one.”
Cassandra looked at the cup. With the cool logo, it was a free soft drink cup and a souvenir. “Okay, thanks. Are y’all about to open the doors?”
“In about ten minutes.”
**********
“Hey, where are you guys going?” Craig rushed around to the front of the group of fifteen or so kids who were heading for the door.
Greg Tenorly Suspense Series Boxed Set Page 63
