HIS OBSESSION-To Load

by Beck, J. L.

  “Oh, God. You’re so lucky you weren’t killed. I thought you were gone,” I sobbed.

  “Yeah, I got lucky. I was wearing my seat belt which is responsible for my bruised ribs, but it could have been so much worse. The bigger question is are you ok?”

  “What? Oh, yeah. I’m fine,” I said wiping tears from my face and trying to smile. The last thing in the world I wanted was to cause Tony grief while he was laid up in the hospital.

  “You are such a liar,” Tony said. “You seriously look like you are about to fall over.”

  “Yeah, it’s just a panic attack. It will pass.”

  “Ah, baby. I’m so sorry. I would have called you, but I was unconscious at the scene and I really just woke up about ten minutes ago.”

  “What did the doctor say about your injuries?”

  “I have a pretty severe concussion, and they want to keep me overnight just in case. It’s typical with an injury like this if you lose consciousness. And I was out for a while. I guess I kept waking up and passing out again. I have the world’s worst headache as you can imagine, and of course the rest of me is in a bit of a shambles.”

  Tony smiled weakly. He was trying to be strong but I could tell he was really in a lot of pain. Even though he might have been hopped up on painkillers. I could have used some painkillers right about then. Or maybe just a fifth of vodka. Straight. Or maybe a splash of lime.

  “I hate to see you this upset,” Tony said rubbing my head with his good arm.

  “Don’t worry about me,” I said. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a panic attack and it’s already getting better. I used to get them all the time when I was a kid.”

  “Wow, you didn’t tell me that.”

  “You never asked me,” I joked.

  I was starting to breathe easier and the nausea that was pounding in the pit of my guts was lessening. I just wanted to sleep now. I was exhausted. It had been the most mind bending, soul crushing day in history.

  “What would make your brakes give out like that?” I asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

  “I’m not sure,” Tony replied. “I just had my car tuned up a month ago. They checked the brakes, tires, and everything.”

  ***

  “Well, you look like you are on the mend,” I said with a smile at Tony. He was ambling out of the bathroom with a sleepy look on his face. Even with so many injuries to his beautiful body, he still looked fantastic. Wearing only a tank top with a pair of tight, bike shorts he was the spitting image of a model out of a magazine, especially because he was still a bit damp after his shower, which I’d offered to help him with due to his current impairments.

  He promptly refused.

  Tony was pretty macho about not being waited on. I had to respect it. Of course his shower did take ham almost a half hour.

  I grabbed a couple plates and a few sets of silverware before opening the oven to check on the drumsticks I was baking. I’d offered to come over to Tony’s and cook him a great dinner instead of going out somewhere. I figured that Tony didn’t feel much like going anywhere with his current condition, even though he never would have complained and I honestly thought it would be a lot of fun to show off my cooking skills for him and cook him something that wasn’t a pastry.

  “Ah, that looks good,” Tony said. “I could smell it in the bathroom the whole time I was showering and now I am starving.”

  Tony sat down at the table while I grabbed a few beers from the fridge. I’d thought about opening a bottle of wine but I really just felt like drinking several beers instead. Tony loved his beer. And he had reawakened my own love for it.

  I turned off the oven and pulled the drumsticks out. They were getting nice and crispy on the outside. Perfect. I still remembered my grandmother’s old recipe. I then turned off the pot of boiling potatoes, grabbed some milk from the fridge, and began to whip them into mashed potatoes. They were going to be amazing. I myself hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was nearing six in the evening.

  I’d just placed everything on the table and we were sitting down to it when the knock on the door came.

  Tony and I both looked at each other inquisitively.

  “Are you expecting someone?” I asked.

  “No,” he replied. “Probably some damn salesman.”

  “On a Sunday evening?” I asked.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me,” Tony said getting up to answer the knock.

  “It’s ok, I can get it,” I offered. I tried to shut off the mother instinct in me, but it wouldn’t listen. I knew it was driving Tony nuts, but he’d quit offering to correct me. Now he just ignored it good naturedly.

  Tony opened the door.

  We were both shocked to see the Sheriff standing there.

  “Sherriff,” I said getting up from my food and sauntering over towards the door. I braced myself for the possibility of bad news. God, now what? What else could go wrong?

  “Good evening, Mr. Morris. Hi there, Mia.”

  “Well, I guess I finally get to meet the Sheriff of my new town,” Tony said with a smile.

  “Arthur Bailey,” Sherriff Bailey said extending his hand.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you Sheriff,” Tony said. “What can I do for you? We were just sitting down to dinner if you’d like to join us. There is more than enough.”

  “No, thank you, Mr. Morris,” The Sheriff said.

  “Tony, please.”

  “Alright, Tony. The reason I’m here is about the accident you were involved in the other night.”

  “Oh, well please come in,” Tony said stepping back to allow Sheriff Bailey to enter the living room.

  “Thanks,” the Sheriff said removing his hat.

  “So, what about the accident?” I asked. I was damn curious what the Sheriff had to tell us.

  “Well, we’ve just received the full report back about the investigation at the scene. Now, you said your brakes just failed and went completely out when you approached that intersection.”

  “That’s right,” Tony replied. “I couldn’t explain it, but it was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced.”

  “I can imagine,” Sherriff Bailey said. “Well, according to the report your brake lines were cut.”

  “What do you mean cut? By what?” Tony asked.

  “The cut was clean, so it was most likely done by some sort of cutting tool.”

  “You’re saying that somebody cut my brake lines?” Tony asked.

  “Jesus…” I muttered in shocked disbelief. Someone had tried to murder Tony.

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” Tony said.

  “Well, it doesn’t, especially with you being the new guy in town. But have you made any enemies recently? Anyone who would want to harm you?” Sheriff asked.

  Jake.

  The name lit up in my mind.

  No… no… he couldn’t… Jake was not a murderer.

  Tony gazed over at me slowly locking eyes with me. He was telepathically saying the same thing, as if asking permission from me to give the Sheriff Jake’s name.

  I looked down and nodded at him.

  I couldn’t believe it. There was no way.

  Tony spoke slowly.

  “Well, I did have a fistfight with Jake Mathews just right before the accident.”

  Tony told the Sherriff all about the incident and also about the bowling alley and basically how Jake had been threatened by our relationship, determined to make sure we broke up.

  “Ok,” Sheriff replied. “Well, is this the only person you can think of who would have motive to try to harm you?”

  Tony thought a moment and nodded.

  “Yeah, I haven’t had any problems with anyone else. I hardly know anyone else. I barely know Jake.”

  The Sheriff asked a few more basic questions and then left saying he would let us know.

  I was sitting in the kitchen looking down at my food, my appetite completely gone. I felt like I’d been kicked in the stomach and thrown to the floor. />
  Tony didn’t say anything as he sat down.

  I tried to stifle it but my sobs were inevitable.

  “I can’t believe it,” I said.

  “I know,” Tony said. “I mean, we don’t know for sure, so let’s not go jumping to conclusions, ok?”

  “Ok,” I mumbled.

  “Come on, eat up. No sense starving yourself,” Tony said.

  I nodded in agreement picking up my fork and picking at my food.

  I tried to remain present and enjoy our romantic dinner together that I’d planned for, but my mind was a thousand miles away.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jake

  I threw a shirt into my suitcase and zipped it up angrily almost breaking the damned zipper as it caught part way on a piece of clothing. With a grunt, I cleared the jam and finished closing the zipper. There I was all packed up and ready to get the fuck out of this shit hole.

  I glanced over my shoulder to see Mia’s parents lingering in the hallway, a look of disgust and total disappointment plastered on their faces. They thought I was guilty as sin and nothing I said or did was going to change that. Well, that was just fine with me. I didn’t need them. I didn’t need anybody.

  I was actually planning on moving into my own place pretty soon anyway. Being a lodger like this was starting to genuinely cramp my style. Hell, I had to screw Sofia at her place, which meant that I had to deal with the awkwardness and often inconvenience of dragging my tired ass out of her warm bed and hopping in my truck to drive back to Mia’s parents place so I could get some damn sleep. Now, I could just tell her to get the hell out.

  I had a few leads on apartments I was checking out and my dad told me I could stay in my old bedroom until I got my own place. I was damned determined that this would not last longer than a week. God, I was moving back in with my dad. Even short term this was the last place in the world I wanted to be. We’d spend all day together at the hardware store and then I had to see him at night too. Hell, we’d probably end up killing each other.

  I picked up my suitcase and my jacket with a huff. I wanted Mia’s parents to know just how unhappy about this situation I was. It wasn’t right what they were doing and I think deep down they knew that, but they felt that it was the responsible thing they were supposed to do or something. Fuck them.

  Walking right past them I didn’t say one word or even acknowledge their presence as I left their house and threw my things in my truck. All they received from me, and they should have felt blessed to receive this in my opinion, was a nasty look as I hopped into my truck, fired up the engine, and drove off down the road. That was that.

  It was all over that bastard Tony Morris. God, that guy had become the bane of my existence.

  The Sheriff had shown up at my house a few days before asking me all sorts of questions about Tony and how I knew him, etc. I answered the best I could and was truthful. Then of course, it came out about my fight with him and the way I’d behaved in Mia’s bakery the other day. I was hardly sure how to even talk about that. It was so stupid, but I was just at my wit’s end when it came to Mia and I could hardly see straight anymore. I’d let my emotions get the better of me and I’d had a bit of an epic meltdown. That was all there was to it and I just couldn’t apologize any more about it.

  Even though I desperately wanted to talk to Mia and tell her how sorry I was. I decided right now I would give her some space and let her digest in her head all of the things we’d talked about. It seemed like the smart decision.

  After a few minutes of polite conversation, the Sheriff starts asking me about a car accident ol’ Tony had. I’d heard about it the day after it happened from Donovan and a few other people. It was a small town and word quickly got around. It was a damn shame and I was glad the guy hadn’t been killed. I may have hated his guts but I didn’t wish death on no man.

  So, imagine my surprise when the Sheriff point blank asked me if I had anything to do with cutting Tony’s brake lines and trying to murder him. I was floored. The Sheriff was all business, finished with his questioning, and left Mia’s parents, after letting me know if any new information came forward concerning me they’d let me know. In other words, if they found out I’d had anything to do with this I was going to prison for a very long time. And I could sense that the ol’ Sheriff Bailey was itching for it. He’d never liked me. Mostly because he’d been forced to play second fiddle on the high school football team behind my dad when they were seventeen.

  That was all it took for Mia’s parents and most of the town probably to deem me guilty as sin. They promptly demanded that I move out of their house. I didn’t even try to put up any resistance. If they were going to be that easily swayed then they could piss off.

  As I drove across town to Sofia’s place I thought more about it and realized that Mia’s folks were probably acting in their daughter and granddaughter’s best interest more than out of any contempt for me. They’d always liked me, but until my name was cleared of this mess the tension between everybody including Mia would have been rather unbearable.

  Plus, on the chance I was guilty allowing me to continue living there would have put Mia and Lola in danger.

  It was fine. I was over it.

  “You know the offer still stands if you want to move in with me,” Sofia said when I arrived at her place. I planned to spend the day there and then take my stuff to my dad’s place that night. Anything I could do to not have to deal with seeing him on my day off I was glad to do it. But moving in with Sofia would have been even worse. If I’d had to deal with that lame brain constantly, I probably would have been guilty of at least one murder.

  “No, thanks,” I said. “You know I like having my space.”

  “How are you having space if you’re living with your dad?” Sofia asked pointing towards the elephant in the room.

  “Just forget it,” I said. “Besides I’m looking for my own place. I’ve got enough saved now for the first and last month plus security deposit , utilities, etc.”

  “It just seems like a silly waste of money to me,” Sofia whined.

  “Enough already,” I said. “I don’t want to talk anymore about it. Hell, I might even be going to jail if that shit head Sheriff finds some way to pin this Tony shit on me.”

  Sofia laughed. “You didn’t do it. There is no way they can nail you for it.”

  “Thanks,” I said. I appreciated her confidence in me.

  “It’s really too bad he didn’t die,” Sofia said.

  I looked over at her to see if she was remotely kidding. She didn’t seem to be. What the hell?

  “Ok… you hardly know the guy. Why would you want him dead?” I asked.

  Sofia shrugged. “I don’t care, really.”

  It was an odd thing to say but I decided to drop it.

  Sofia had that look in her eyes again, like she wanted to go for a nice roll in the hay.

  She was motioning for me to come closer. I ignored her.

  “Come on…” she pleaded.

  “I’m not in the mood,” I said.

  “Why not?” Sofia snapped.

  I ignored her questioning. Didn’t she realize I had a lot of things on my mind?

  “Are you still thinking about that bitch Mia? Don’t you ever think of anything else?”

  I glared at Sofia. Something about the love of my life’s name on the lips of this bitch pissed me off.

  “Shut up,” I said.

  “I’m tired of having this conversation,” Sofia said. “I swear, how long are you going to let her keep dragging you down like this? I bet she is going to use this Tony thing as an excuse to hate you.”

  “I don’t know; I haven’t talked to her, but she probably does think I had something to do with this. Hell, everybody knows I had the motive. I might actually go to jail for this. Even if I don’t I’ll be run out of town. The hardware store will probably go down the tubes at the very least. No one wants to do business with a murderer.”

  “True… and you do
have all those tools at your disposal…” Sofia said.

  “Thank you captain obvious,” I said.

  I threw my stuff down in the living room angrily. I was getting sick and tired of her shit.

  “When are you going to realize that I’m the only one who really loves you?” Sofia asked.

  I sighed heavily. It was pretty sad that right about now that was probably the truth. Maybe I should have stopped fighting it. But I didn’t love Sofia. Hell, I barely even liked the girl. She was the most annoying person I’d ever come across and half the time I felt like throwing her off a building.

  But she was there. And she was a great lay. Plus she did worship me which was always great for a morale booster.

  “I have to go,” I said.

  “Go? Where?”

  “I need to get some things done at the hardware store,” I said.

  “What? It’s your day off, right? I’m sure your dad has everything under control.”

  “Yeah, right. You don’t know my dad or how nervous it makes me when I leave him to the store unattended for a day,” I said.

  Truthfully, I didn’t have much to do at the hardware store. But I didn’t feel like being around Sofia. With all the crap on my mind about Mia and added to this the fact I was probably going to be charged with attempted murder soon, I really just wanted some time to myself. Hell, I might go out to the tracks and hang out by myself like I did in high school when I wanted to just get away from things.

  “Dammit,” Sofia said. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”

  I laughed. “I think you have that backwards, darlin’,” I said. “It’s me who puts up with you have the time.”

  “You are such a bastard,” Sophia huffed. “What does she have that I don’t?”

  I looked at Sofia for a moment and then said, “I don’t have time for a list that long.”

  Sofia’s eyes widened like saucers. She stood up and in one swift movement slapped me hard across the face.