Wicked Obsessions

by Marilyn Campbell

  "Selena, I'm exhausted," Teri pleaded, but closed the door anyway. Weariness did not prevent her from noticing how distraught Selena suddenly was as she strode to the window and peered out through the drapes. There was something very unsettling about how quickly Selena's moods seemed to be changing all the time. Had she always been like that? Teri didn't think so. She yawned in spite of the troubling thought.

  "Good," Selena said, turning back from the window. "He's gone. You're going to have to insist he immediately make other arrangements for processing his film."

  Teri was caught unawares by the demand. "Why would I do that?"

  "I don't expect you to understand. You're just so innocent of the ways of men. But that's why you have to be extra careful now that Rico's gone."

  Teri guessed what Selena was getting at, but didn't want to jump to any conclusions. "I'm not that innocent. I lived with Rico for quite a long time."

  "And that man was recently murdered. The police may still suspect you of having something to do with it. You must make sure you're not compromised in any way."

  "Compromised? Selena, I think I'm too tired to follow this tonight—"

  "Yes, compromised—put in a position where it looks like you had a reason to kill your husband. You may not realize it yet, but Drew is intending to compromise you."

  Teri might have laughed at the phrase, except that Selena's eyes had narrowed to glittering slits in her pale face. It put Teri on guard. "Drew is a gentleman. He—"

  "Drew is a pig," Selena spat. "Just like every other man." She moved closer to Teri with each vindictive word, completely ignoring Teri's protests about Drew. "He wants to use you for his own needs, regardless of what danger it might put you in. Then, when he's tired of you, he'll betray you. I won't let that happen to you again."

  For each advancing step of Selena's, Teri took a step backward, away from Selena's irrational anger. Teri could only imagine that the girl had been badly hurt by a man and now believed every man was rotten, but that didn't give her the right to insult Drew.

  Although she didn't get the impression Selena would listen to her, she had to try. "You're wrong about Drew. Not all men are bad, any more than all women are good. And Drew knows about Kidder's charges. I told him. Even though Captain Hart seems convinced the mob was behind both Rico's and the detective's murders, Drew wouldn't do anything to bring suspicion back to me."

  Selena's chest rose and fell sharply several times, making Teri think she was struggling to get herself under control. Teri hoped she would do it quickly. Selena's strange behavior was beginning to frighten her. As abruptly as Selena's fury had appeared it vanished, and the friend Teri thought she knew became solicitous once again.

  "I'm sorry. I see I've upset you, and that's the last thing I wanted to do." Selena's eyes were back to normal and filled with concern. "I only wanted to warn you about him. He may not have done anything yet, but I saw the way he looked at you all day today, and it's only a matter of time before he starts tricking you into doing what he wants. The only way to prevent it is to send him away... now. Before it's too late for either of you."

  Teri realized that although Selena had softened her voice and her words, she was still insisting she break off any relationship with Drew. What Teri couldn't understand was why the warning sounded like it carried a threat along with it. Surely Selena's jealousy wasn't that extreme. Nevertheless, Teri knew the time had come to start severing their friendship.

  Reaching out to touch Selena's hand, she tried to reassure her, without lying. "I'll think about what you said, and I'll be careful with Drew. Now, I really need to get to bed."

  Selena allowed herself to be led to the door before saying what else was on her mind. "I've been giving some thought to moving out of Manhattan. I spend a lot of time commuting between there and here. With you being alone now, I was wondering if you'd like a roommate."

  It took Teri a moment to realize what Selena was suggesting, and then only incredible restraint kept her from revealing her instantaneous, horrified reaction.

  Selena was encouraged by Teri's silence. "You know, I have money. I'd help with the expenses, and I could do things around the house, so you'd be free to paint. It would be good for both of us to have the company."

  Teri knew this was not an issue she could let hang between them, even if it hurt Selena's sensitive feelings. A break in their relationship had to start here and now. "I don't think it would be a good idea, Selena. You know what they say about familiarity breeding contempt. I'm afraid our friendship would suffer if we spent every day under the same roof." When she saw the pout forming, she went a little further. "Please understand, it's not you. I don't want to share my life with anyone at the moment. I need some space, and time alone." Although Teri knew that wasn't entirely true, Selena seemed satisfied.

  "I understand, but I'd still like us to spend more time together. Just so I know you're doing all right."

  Teri was careful not to make another promise she couldn't keep, since that was apparently what had set Selena off that morning. "Let's see how my work goes on this new series. You know that once I get started on something I forget about everybody and everything except my painting."

  Selena smiled and nodded, accepting the explanation. "You're right. I know how you are. And that's even more reason for you to keep Drew out of your life. He'll soon become a distraction if you don't stop him. You may not want to get involved, but he's a charming man. And that's the worst kind of pig there is."

  So, Teri thought after Selena finally departed, the girl once fell in love with a charming man, and he betrayed her. Not an uncommon occurrence, but Selena's hostile comments seemed too vehement—as if it happened only yesterday. Teri was fairly certain Selena would have confided in her if she'd been seeing a man, and never in the year they'd worked together had Selena even mentioned having a date. Teri hadn't given that much thought before, but combined with the way Selena had just blown up about Drew, she realized there was a reason for Selena's lack of social engagements that went far beyond her being shy.

  If her own life was not on such shaky ground at the moment, she might have found the energy to help Selena through her problems. As it was, it took everything she possessed to work through her own.

  Drew had used the word "smothered" when they had talked about how Selena occasionally made her feel. At that time Teri had thought the description was somewhat harsh. For whatever reason, in the short time since, Teri wasn't sure if the word was harsh enough. "Strangling" seemed to better define the way she'd felt in the last ten minutes—as if Selena's hands were choking her.

  Teri's breath caught short as the image of Selena doing her hair came to mind, and again she felt the scarlet fingernails pressed against her throat. She exhaled, trying to banish the memory, but her heart was racing, and her mind was calling up other disturbing thoughts. Coincidences.

  Selena offering to seduce Rico. A blonde pubic hair on his dead body.

  Selena wearing a red wig or disappearing into a bathroom whenever the detective was around. Her playing dumb in front of him.

  Selena knowing so much about odd things, like being prepared with two Vicks hankies at the morgue, and knowing how to make tears flow when there weren't any.

  Selena's hearing about Kidder's murder even before the police verified it.

  Selena's peculiar, almost pleased, responses to both Rico's and Kidder's deaths.

  Selena's automatic assumption that the murders were connected.

  Selena's use of the word "permanently".

  Coincidences. They had to be. If it hadn't been for Selena's hateful comments about Drew and the strange gleam in her eyes, Teri would never have stopped to tally them all. But tonight Selena's behavior bordered on unstable, and it made Teri think back to all the times in recent weeks that Selena had unnerved her in some way.

  Teri shook herself. Her imagination was running amok. One thing she was certain of, however—she had to break Selena's dependence on her before the girl
had her going completely crazy.

  Chapter 17

  "And to think, all these years, I thought coffee was the best way to start a day," Drew said with a chuckle, then kissed the corners of Teri's smile.

  "Let's not forget, you've also given me an excellent reason not to make my bed right after waking up." She shifted in his arms and smirked when his body responded to her movement. "I was sort of hoping you'd be the responsible one and insist we get to work sometime before noon."

  "I'm makin' up for yesterday," he said with another laugh, but stopped short of kissing her when he saw the change in her expression. "What?"

  "Oh, it's nothing—really. I'm just afraid Selena's problems are a lot worse than I thought." He stilled his hands, waiting to hear more. "She stayed a while after you left last night. I know this sounds crazy, but she wanted to warn me about you. Said you were going to compromise me, of all things. I think she's really jealous of you."

  He eased away from her a bit. "Do you think you were mistaken—about her not wantin' you physically? I mean, she's as big, and probably as strong, as a man. Maybe the sexy exterior is a false front, no pun intended."

  Teri shook her head. "I still don't think that's it. Her attention toward me is adoring, childlike. She only touches me occasionally—and then it's on the hand or arm—and has never attempted to give me even a friendly kiss, or hug the way other women or men do."

  "Then maybe she's simply worried about you. As a carin' friend. Even you and I thought it was a bad idea for us to get involved." Her narrowed brows made him explain. "Past tense. And we were wrong. Seducin' you was the best idea I've had in years." For that, he received a kiss. "But I can see why she's concerned. You're very vulnerable right now."

  "I don't think concerned covers it. She was... I don't know, almost fanatical. It was kind of scary."

  "Well, I wouldn't worry too much. She'll come around in time, I'm sure, when she realizes I'm not goin' to break your heart."

  Teri smiled, feeling much better for his reassurances. She'd probably been so tired last night, she wasn't thinking clearly. She kissed him again, with purpose this time. "Thank you." To his unspoken question, she replied, "For promising not to break my heart."

  Slanting his mouth over hers, he sealed the promise the best way he could, then whispered, "I know it's way too soon but I need to say this. I love you, Teri. You've filled a place in my heart that's been empty for a long, long time."

  She smiled softly. "You're right. It's really way too soon. And it doesn't matter. I love you too, and I was positive I could never love anyone again."

  * * *

  Teri and Drew spent the rest of the day looking for more interesting faces. As they rode in the car they touched constantly. In public, however, they reminded each other that there was still a small possibility that another detective could have taken Kidder's place, following them unseen, waiting to accuse them of being long-time, plotting lovers. Neither believed it, but it didn't hurt to be cautious, and they knew once they were back in the studio working that evening, all restraints would be removed.

  Only after Teri watched Drew leave did she check her home voice mail.

  Her sister-in-law had called about something of Rico's that she wanted. Teri sighed. She was glad she had already sorted through everything. Tomorrow she would deliver the boxes of Rico's possessions to his sister and let the family squabble over them. They had never wanted any part of her while Rico was alive, and as soon as she performed this last ritual, she could put that part of her life completely behind her.

  Since that meant a trip to New Jersey, she decided to make a day of it and visit her grandmother at the nursing home in Camden as well. Drew had two assignments that he expected would keep him busy most of the day, so the timing seemed perfect.

  There were two more messages on the machine—both from Selena. In spite of Drew's certainty that Selena would eventually come around, Teri intended to stick with the decision to start backing away from her. Instead of returning the calls, she went to bed.

  The ringing of the phone interrupted a pleasant dream. Teri strained her sleep-blurred eyes to focus on the illuminated numbers of her alarm clock—1:00. Assuming it must be an emergency at that hour, Teri lifted the telephone receiver before it went to voice mail.

  "H'lo?" Teri crackled, then cleared her hoarse throat.

  "Teri? Is that you?" questioned a shrill female voice laced with panic, but still recognizable.

  "Selena? What's wrong?"

  "Nothing's wrong with me. What's wrong with you? I left messages twice and you didn't call back, and now you sound horrible. Are you sick?"

  Teri took a deep breath before answering. "I sound horrible because I was sound asleep. Selena, it's one o'clock in the morning. I heard your messages, but it was late and I thought it would be better to call you tomorrow."

  "Are you alone?"

  "What? Of course I'm alone."

  "Good. As long as everything's all right, I'll talk to you tomorrow. I can't wait to hear all about how your project is coming along."

  Teri was baffled. Selena's voice had gone from nearly hysterical to whining to cheerful in a matter of seconds. "Yes. Fine. Whatever. Good night, Selena."

  It was some time before Teri was able to fall back to sleep, and then the dreams were disturbing, though she couldn't remember any of them when she woke.

  As she got ready for her day, she thought she'd have to tell Drew how right he was the previous morning. Having him for breakfast was a lot better than coffee and toast. After making calls to her sister-in-law and the nursing home, she loaded up her car and headed off to do her duty.

  The sun was shining, the traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike was light, and rock-and-roll music reverberated through her car. It was going to be another good day, in spite of the fact that she was on her way to Rico's sister's apartment in Newark.

  A short time later, as she attempted to parallel park in a tight space near the apartment building, Teri was startled by a white Cadillac speeding around her. She had no time to think about that, though, because half of Rico's family was waiting for her, or rather, they were waiting for the boxes she had in the car. Teri didn't expect a warm welcome or an invitation to stay for lunch, and they didn't surprise her with either one.

  Teri might have forgotten about the car she had seen, except that at one point on her drive south to the nursing home, she looked into her rearview mirror before changing lanes and spotted what looked like the same white Cadillac a few cars back. From then on, she kept checking to see if it was there. The windows of that car were tinted and there was nothing unusual about the car that would identify it positively, but she had the strangest feeling that it was Selena's.

  When the Cadillac followed her off the turnpike, she began to worry. It continued to hang back a few cars, which made her worry that much more. Either someone was tailing her, or she was definitely becoming paranoid. She told herself it had to be the latter as she drove into the parking lot of the nursing home and the white car continued on past.

  The aides at the home had used Teri's warning phone call to good advantage. Her grandmother had been bathed and dressed and brought outside in a wheelchair. They had even applied a hint of lipstick and blush to get her ready for the visit. The preparation served to arouse Teri's grandmother to a state of awareness, so that by the time Teri kissed her on the cheek, she recognized her granddaughter, for a change.

  "How pretty you look, Grams. Have you got a hot date for dinner?"

  Grams smiled. Either they had forgotten to put her teeth in or it was just too much bother. "There's a couple of men around here that keep pestering me, but I told them they're too old. I'm waiting for a handsome, young Italian boy like you have. How is Ricky?"

  Teri gave her grandmother points for getting his name almost right. "He's fine. He had to work today, but told me to give you a hug and kiss from him." Grams showed her gums again. On the few occasions he had visited the older woman, Rico had always flirted
with her like she was a young girl, since he saw how much it tickled her. For that kindness, Teri had forgiven many of the wrongs he had done.

  It was unnecessary to tell her grandmother about Rico's death. Alzheimer's disease kept her mind clouded most of the time, but even in her clearer moments, she found talk about anyone's death depressing. Considering the fact that her grandmother seldom remembered that her own daughter was dead, Teri was certain Grams would also forget anything she told her about Rico. Better to pretend he was still alive.

  Teri stayed until after dinner. She kept up the conversation, even when Grams got confused, or she just held her hand whenever the elderly woman dozed for a few minutes. And, as she did after every visit, she promised Grams and herself that she would make the trip more often. Maybe without Rico's demands on every second of her free time, she'd be able to keep that promise now.

  Minutes after she got back on the turnpike, she glanced in her rearview mirror. The last rays of the day's sun glaring in her left eye made her squint, but they didn't blind her to the sight of a white car a ways behind her. There were a lot of white cars in New Jersey, she told herself. She sped up, passing several cars by weaving from one lane to the next. It was worth a bit of risky driving to see the white car follow suit, as if it was attempting to keep the distance between them the same.

  Teri slowed down to a snail's pace, letting the same cars she'd just passed go ahead of her. She ignored the drivers' honking and obscene gestures, and kept one eye on the white car, which had also slowed down. Her maneuver had brought it closer and for a split second there was enough of an opening for her to confirm it was a Cadillac and looked like the same model as Selena had.

  She was almost certain it had been the same car all day. Could another police detective be following her as Kidder had? If that was the case, she doubted the officer would be driving a Cadillac.

  Suddenly she thought of stories she had heard of women driving alone on a highway and being followed and forced off the road, then victimized or killed. Despite the air conditioner she began to perspire as she tried to think of what to do. If that was Selena following her all day, as she'd first thought, then the girl had truly gone off the deep end. If it was a stranger, she needed to seek safety, not let the person follow her home. Dear God, she prayed, don't let him know where I live. Thoughts of Rico and Detective Kidder and the Irish mob ricocheted around her brain. What if they were after her now? One of the mob could certainly afford a Cadillac... but she always imagined bad guys drove black cars.