It was his sister who had showed him the ad for the motel. He had never been to the Coulson area, but she had and she believed it would be perfect for her brother and nephews. He had a little inheritance money from his parent’s estate, which enabled him to purchase the motel. It would serve as both income property and home for his family.
Located on the end of Main Street in the original section of downtown Coulson, the motel was walking distance to most of the shops, stores, and restaurants in that section of town.
Since moving to Coulson during the summer, he had worked primarily on the living quarters he shared with his sons. It included a small living room, kitchen, two large bedrooms, one bathroom, and a connecting office where hotel guests could register. A long counter separated the living quarters from the office, enabling him to be with his sons at night while taking care of guests if necessary.
He intended to start renovating the hotel rooms—all twenty of them—by November. Over the summer, he had managed to rent the rooms to vacationing fishermen and hunters, who weren’t put off by the primitive quarters. He was still getting fishermen on the weekends, but it was typically dead during the week.
Wally Keller was surprised when the well-dressed man walked into his office asking to rent a room for an indefinite amount of time. “How long did you say you want a room for?” Wally wondered if he had heard the man correctly.
“A month, maybe longer.”
Wally eyed the stranger. He could use the business, but the man didn’t look like one of his typical guests. When the stranger had first walked in the office door, Wally thought he was going to ask for directions. He looked like a man dressed for a night on the town—just not this town.
“So what brings you to Coulson?” Wally asked as he opened the reservation book.
“I’m checking into a couple of business opportunities in the area. I’ve been staying with my sister up at Clement Falls, and it’s starting to get cold up there. I’m not a fan of the snow.”
“I understand it can snow up in Clement Falls in November. But they say our winters in Coulson are mild. Even sunny. Hope that’s true.”
“So, you’re new in town?”
“I just bought this place—this past June. It’s my first season. But I’ll warn you, the rooms are a little primitive. I would love your business, but I’m not sure you’ll be happy here. Would you like to check out the room before you register?”
“No, that’s fine. Your rates look reasonable, and I might be around here for a while before I get things settled. No reason to spend a fortune when I don’t intend to spend much time in the room. I’d like the one on the end—room ten, if it’s free.”
“Sure. Can I have your name, please.”
“Marino. Anthony Marino.”
The first thing Antony did when he entered the small motel room was to open the window and let in the fresh air. He doubted the room had been rented for a while, because it smelled musty. He wasn’t surprised to find it clean, despite its need for a facelift. The guy at the liquor store told him Cliffwood Motel was run down but clean.
He chose this room because of its location to the street, and the private walkway that led to its door. One could inconspicuously gain access to the walkway by ducking through the trees behind the public restrooms on Main Street. When the time came for Vera Coulson to meet him at the motel, she could park her car by any of the shops on Main Street, and simply walk to the restrooms—and disappear.
Anthony noticed the intriguing access the previous week when taking his sister shopping in the center of town. He went to use the restroom and while coming out of the building heard what sounded like children playing. He wondered briefly if there was some school in the area. Stepping closer to the trees behind the restrooms, he pushed the limbs to one side to have a look. It appeared to be the back of a motel. A long concrete walkway ran along the building. On the far end of the walkway, two boys were tossing a football back and forth. They were the apparent source of the noise. The door closest to him wore a faded number 10. When driving down Main Street later that afternoon, he noticed the street curved to the left. Instead of going north, he was now going west. Cliffwood Motel faced this section of Main Street.
Already thinking of getting out of Clement Falls, he had asked the guy at a liquor store he frequented about the motel. It wasn’t until his encounter with Vera did he give the motel another thought.
Tossing his keys on the dresser, he flopped down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. His hands, their fingers laced together, pillowed the back of his head. Without sitting up, he kicked off his shoes and shoved them off the bed using one foot. They fell with a loud thud to the wood floor.
If things worked out as planned, he should be able to get out of Coulson before spring. Perhaps going back to Long Island wasn’t a good idea but maybe L.A. or Chicago. Until last night, the thought of being stuck in the area for even another week seemed intolerable, yet now he had a new diversion to keep him interested.
He had checked around. The Coulson’s had money all right. It seemed they were fairly clean, but the old man may have done some business with the moonshiners back during prohibition. But hell, who hadn’t? Kennedy was running for president and his old man was nothing but a moonshiner himself. Of course, running for office wasn’t the same as actually getting elected. He didn’t care what his sister Gina thought; there was no way some Irish-Catholic boy had a chance to get into the White House.
From what he had learned, old man Coulson and his son thought they were some big shots in this little shit resort town. Big fish, little pond, he thought. Men like that imagined they had power, but Anthony knew they were too afraid to grasp real power. Vera Coulson was the reigning princess. It would be fun to fuck the princess of Coulson.
It was obvious to him she wasn’t getting what she needed at home. She hadn’t even put up a fuss when he had kissed her. Remembering the priceless expression on her face stroked his ego. He was fairly confident she was still thinking of him—maybe even fantasizing about him. It gave him a heady rush of power. Smiling, he moved his hands from behind his head and unbuttoned his slacks. Shifting on the bed to get comfortable and to loosen the fit of his pants, he pulled the zipper down. Shoving his right hand down the front of his slacks, he took hold of his already growing erection.
He would seduce her first; make her feel special. Women liked that, especially when their men were ignoring them. He wouldn’t be surprised if her husband had something on the side. Hell, he would be surprised if he didn’t.
After he reeled her in, Anthony wanted her lust, not her love. He also wanted her fear. Lust and fear, not love and fear, he thought. A woman in love was unpredictable, the love was her driving force, and that held no interest for him. But lust and fear, those were two powerful driving forces he could manipulate. When he was finished with Vera Coulson, she would be the addict and he the heroin.
Chapter 6
Sitting on the small patch of grass, Alexandra leaned against the tree while enjoying the shade it provided. Chaotic playground sounds—laughter, shouts, childish voices, and an occasional teacher’s whistle—seemed more distant than they actually were. Absently tugging individual blades of grass from the dirt, it didn’t occur to her that she was damaging the lawn. Instead, she was too busy thinking about Halloween costumes.
Katie wanted to be a princess, but Alexandra wanted to be a gypsy. If she were a gypsy, her mom would have to get her a tambourine. Alex liked the jingly sound of a tambourine. But Mom always wanted the sisters to have matching costumes. Alex didn’t think it was fair. Tommy always got to be what he wanted. This year he was going to be a pirate. She knew it was just because he wanted to swing around a sword. Boys were dopy.
“You’re gonna get in trouble.” A boy’s voice broke her concentration. Alex looked up. Jimmy Keller stood over her. Wearing a wrinkled, button-down, green-plaid shirt and jeans, he was one of the chubbier first graders. Not quite as tall as Alexandra, he had brownish-re
d hair and a spattering of freckles across his friendly face. Some of the other kids teased him about his weight, but Alex didn’t. She stopped tugging at the blades of grass and frowned.
“Why?” Alex wore one of the new school dresses her mother had purchased at the end of summer. Red and green plaid, with a white Peter Pan collar, it was one of her favorites. The dark fabric concealed any grass stains she might get from sitting on the lawn. Unfortunately, her white socks did not fare as well nor did her new pair of shoes, which were covered with scuffmarks due to her habit of rubbing them together while she sat on the ground.
“You’re pulling up the grass. Teachers don’t like that.” Jimmy sat down next to her and looked toward the dodge ball circle, where a spirited game was taking place. One of the players was Jimmy’s older brother, Ryan. Another was Russell Coulson, but Alexandra didn’t know either boy. Unlike her little sister, Katie, she hadn’t gotten a good look at Russell when he had visited her house.
“Why aren’t you playing?” Alex asked, nodding to the game of dodge ball taking place.
Jimmy shrugged then asked Alex the same question.
“Maybe if I was a boy.”
“But girls are playing.” Jimmy watched the game as they talked.
“If I was a boy, I could wear Levi’s instead of a dress. Then I’d play.” Girls had to wear dresses to school and Alex didn’t like the stinging slap of the dodge ball as it hit her bare legs.
“Oh,” Jimmy said, not really understanding what she meant.
“What are you going to be for Halloween?” she asked.
“A cowboy. Do they have a very good Halloween here?”
“I don’t know. Don’t you know?”
“We just moved here over the summer,” Jimmy told her.
“Us too. Do you like it?”
“It’s okay. We get to see our dad more, which is cool,” Jimmy said.
“What about your mom? My mom works next door at the high school.”
“My mom died when I was little.”
Alex turned her head, looking from the dodge ball game to Jimmy. She had never known anyone who didn’t have a mother.
“You don’t have a mom?” Alex couldn’t believe it.
“No. Not anymore.”
“Do you miss her?” Alex asked.
“I guess. It’s hard for me to remember sometimes. But Ryan tells me about her.”
“Who’s Ryan?”
“My older brother. See, that’s him playing dodge ball. The one in the red shirt.”
Alex looked and wrinkled her nose. The boy appeared to be about her brother’s size. She thought her older brother was dopy. Of course, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t sock a person who said something mean about him.
“So, why do you get to see your dad more now?” Alex was fascinated with this boy, who had no mother.
“We bought a motel in town. We get to live there. But we have to fix it up. He lets Ryan and me help on weekends. It’s my job to pick up all the nails.”
“Pick them up from where?”
“From the floor. Lots of nails on the floor when you’re building stuff. Doesn’t your dad build stuff?”
“No. My dad works with numbers.”
“Numbers?” Jimmy scrunched up his nose.
“He’s a count-aunt.”
“What’s that?”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know. He works at the kitchen table with lots of papers. We’re not allowed to touch them. Katie spilled a glass of milk on them and got in big trouble last week.”
“Katie?”
“My sister. She’s just a little kid, in kindergarten.”
“You have any brothers?”
“Yeah, a dopy brother in the third grade. He thinks he’s so much smarter than me. But he’s not.”
“My brother’s in the third grade too. But he’s really smart. Sometimes he lets me hang out with him.”
Alex wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I don’t like Tommy touching my toys. Once he cut my favorite doll’s hair.”
Jimmy laughed. Alex scowled at him and then gave him a good punch in the arm.
“Oww!” Jimmy grabbed his injured limb and gave it a rub.
The recess bell rang. Jimmy and Alex jumped up and raced toward the classrooms with the rest of the students on the playground.
Standing on Main Street’s sidewalk scrutinizing the window display, Vera longed for civilization. Harrison insisted she buy her clothes locally—support the local merchants, he said. The dresses in Mabel’s weren’t exactly horrid, but they were last year’s fashions. Of course, she doubted if anyone in Coulson would notice.
“That black one was made for you,” a male’s voice interrupted her thoughts. Vera turned abruptly to the sound of the voice. It was him, the man who had kissed her at Clement Falls.
“You,” she said, unable to mask her surprise.
“Guilty,” he said with a chuckle, then stepped closer. Standing next to her, he looked in the store window, his attention focused on the little black dress hanging on a mannequin. “I’d love to see you in it.”
“What are you doing here?” She turned to look in the window, not wanting to draw attention to the fact she was standing on Main Street talking to a strange man.
“After meeting you, I decided to get off that damn mountain and rent a room in town.”
“After meeting me? What do I have to do with it?” She glanced askance at Anthony Marino, then quickly moved her gaze back to the window display.
“There was nothing in Clement Falls that caught my interest. And then I met you.” He continued to look in the store window.
“You don’t even know me, Mr. Marino.”
“I know I’d like to get to know you better. I’m glad you remembered my name. But please, call me Anthony. I hope you also remembered our kiss,” his said silkily.
“Are you following me?” she asked in a whisper.
“Does the thought frighten you?”
“A little,” she confessed.
“I’d like you to be a little afraid of me.”
She turned to look at him. “Are you a dangerous man, Mr. Marino? Do I need to tell my husband about you?”
“I hope you don’t tell him. It might make it more difficult to convince you to become my lover.”
“You’re quite bold, aren’t you, Mr. Marino?”
“So I’ve been told.”
“And a little ambiguous.”
“How so, pretty lady?”
“I’m not sure if you wish to proposition me or frighten me.”
“Why can’t it be both?”
“You don’t make any sense.”
He leaned closer and whispered, “It’s the sex.”
Vera frowned in confusion.
“The sex, pretty lady. You’ll find it more intense, more passionate if you have a healthy dose of fear. It’s the unknown, the uncertainty you’ll find addictive."
“I have no death wish.” Vera turned abruptly and faced the window again. Anthony laughed at her response.
“Oh, trust me, Princess; I’ve no intention of hurting you in that way. A little rough sex perhaps but nothing lethal. I’ve always taken good care of my toys. Rarely break them.”
“Do you have any idea who I am?” Vera was both outraged and titillated at his words.
“Yes. You’re the princess of Coulson, and you live in an ivory tower. I imagine you lead a very mundane life despite your husband’s money. If you belonged to me—even temporarily—I wouldn’t be satisfied putting you on some display shelf, where I simply looked and didn’t touch. I’d be impatient to take you off the shelf, unwrap the package, and play with my favorite toy.”
“I’m not a toy,” Vera snapped.
“I’d like to make you mine. We’d have fun, Vera. I promise. I’ll show you a good time and when I have to leave in a few months, you can go back to your boring life, but at least you can remember what it was like to live life to the fullest for a short time.”
“T
his is crazy talk. I need to go.” Vera started to turn and walk away. Anthony reached out and took hold of her wrist. Instead of pulling away, she looked down at the hand that held her.
“Wait, walk with me for a second, I want to show you something. I promise; I won’t hurt you. I don’t want you if you aren’t willing.” He released his hold.
Against her better judgment, Vera followed Anthony down the sidewalk. They paused at the walkway leading to the restrooms.
“If you decide to take me up on my offer, just park your car along Main Street. Walk to the restrooms, and you can enter the back of the Cliffwood Motels through the trees. My room is number ten. It will be open. You’re always welcome.”
Without another word, he turned and walked in the opposite direction. Silently, Vera stood on the sidewalk watching him get into a car and drive away. Nervously, she glanced up and down the street, to see if anyone had seen her talking to Anthony Marino. There were less than a half dozen people on Main Street, and all were some distance away, and none seemed particularly interested in whom she had been talking with.
Instead of returning to her car or Mabel’s Dress Boutique, Vera turned down the walkway leading to the restrooms. After using the facilities, she walked back outside and glanced at the rear of the building. Curious, she looked around to make sure she was alone, and then she walked toward the trees.
Pulling the branches to the side, she peeked through the limbs and looked at the back of the Cliffwood Motel. Hearing something, she glanced behind her. While looking at the building housing the restrooms, a hand reached between the trees and grabbed hold of her wrist. Before she knew what happened, she was yanked between the tree limbs and found herself standing on the sidewalk near room ten, with Anthony Marino.
“I didn’t imagine you’d come so soon!” he said with a laugh.
“You scared me!” she snapped, brushing leaves from her sleeve.
“Sorry, love, I was just happy you came.”
“I didn’t come for you!” she insisted. “I had to use the restroom, and I was just curious to see. I never looked back here before.”
Coulson's Crucible Page 4
