Lethal Liaisons (Willful Women Assassins Series)

by Smith, Randall S.

  Nearly a month had passed when the sisters were invited to join Carlton's family, the Vanderfleets, for their Thanksgiving dinner. Karlee had commented to her sister that his family was basically a bunch of snobby, stuffed shirts that needed to be loosened up somehow. Carlton's cousins Randolph and Janine would be there, too. They were brother and sister. Karlee and Kristie had purchased similar new outfits for the occasion. An hour of smalltalk in the family library preceded the big meal, with various hors d'oeuvres and ice water with lemon slices being served.

  The sisters learned that Carlton had earned his law degree at Harvard, Randolph had attended Yale, and that Janine had gotten a business degree at Radcliff. Randolph was quiet, but intense and had a short, well-trimmed beard. He was President of his father's import-export business. Janine, in her mid-thirties, was a financier who brokered deals and found places to invest for a cadre of wealthy people. She had a background with New York investment houses, had spent time in London working her way up the corporate ladder, and had flown in from New York City to spend the holidays with family. Her appearance was tall and leggy, with dark black hair and bright blue eyes.

  The butler rang a little dinner bell and everyone adjourned to the spacious dining room. A life-size portrait of grandpa Vanderfleet hung noticeably on the wall behind Carlton's father as he prepared to carve-up the big bird. Carlton and Karlee sat together on one side of the table; Randolph and Kristie sat together opposite them.

  “So tell us a little bit about you, Kristie,” requested Mrs. Vanderfleet.

  “Oh, I do some modeling and acting, ma'am.”

  “That's nice, dear,” she replied in an aloof manner.

  “I have a regular role on one of the TV sitcoms.”

  “Well, we don't watch that sort of amusement, dear. It's strictly educational programs in our household. If it's not a show from which we can better ourselves, we don't bother with it,” claimed the matronly hostess. Then she added, “Please remove your elbows from the table, Randolph.”

  As she continued speaking and as her husband carved, the waitstaff began serving drinks. Instead of the conventional white wine being served with the holiday turkey, the family partook solely of martinis, with no other choices offered. The unusual tradition made it instantly obvious to the sisters why no cocktails had been served earlier. Kristie looked over at her sister as if to say, 'Oh this should get interesting'. Karlee returned a smirk of agreement.

  Taking her first sip, Kris looked over at her neighbor and asked, “So Randolph, may I call you Randy?”

  “No,” he brusquely replied.

  She returned to her cocktail, ignoring the perceived slight.

  “Please ignore my rude cousin,” said Carlton. “They don't teach proper etiquette at Yale.”

  Then Janine chimed in, “Actually, I blame his personality on PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He hasn't been the same since getting back from Afghanistan. You'll probably get to like him once you know him, assuming you ever do.”

  “Well, thank you for serving, Randolph,” Kris said patronizingly.

  “He was in black-ops there,” his sister added. “He never talks about it though.”

  “That's enough, sis. I'd rather hear about the young lady's experiences as a model and an actress.”

  As everyone busily devoured the turkey, the conversation droned on, and the martinis were repeatedly refilled. Randolph reminded Kris of Dan, the young man with whom she had once auditioned, and the drinks soon had her imaging him naked just as Dan had been. The sisters once again exchanged glances, and because each knew how the other thought, Kris knew Karlee felt it time to loosen things up a bit. She leaned closer to Randolph and spoke quietly into his ear.

  “May I tell you a secret, good sir?”

  “Sure, Kris, I'm good at keeping secrets.”

  She slurred her words a bit as she said, “My sister isn't wearing any paannteees.”

  Startled by such a revelation, he asked “Why ever not, dear girl?”

  “Carlton told her that since it's Thanksgiving and since they have a lot to be thankful for, he wants to express his appreciation later tonight. She wants him to do that by enjoying the special taste of her extraordinary dessert, and doesn't want anything getting in the way. For her, it's the price of admission, if you know what I mean.”

  A look of astonishment slowly evolved on Randolph's face as her comment began to sink in. Both girls looked on at him with eager anticipation for the response. They could tell he was getting some mental images in his mind as his staid grimace turned into a broad grin. When Karlee winked at him from across the table, the broad grin became boisterous laughter.

  “What's so funny, nephew?” inquired the aging Mrs.Vanderfleet.

  “Nothing in particular, Aunt Bea. These martinis simply have me feeling giddy.”

  Randolph now leaned closer to Kris and asked, “Why not just use edible panties?”

  Although it wasn't true, she whispered back, “Oh, that's what I'm wearing. Ya know, my sister is more of a taker than a giver when it comes to things like that. I'm more of a giver. Do you like that, Randy? Er, I mean Randolph. I wonder if Aunt Bea is, too. I do love that name. Let's ask her.”

  He discretely muffled her inquiry.

  Once the dinner ended, everyone moved into the parlor. Mr. Vanderfleet offered the gentlemen cigars, but he was the only one to light up. Coffee was served to alleviate some of the group's drunkenness. Karlee and Carlton sat together on a sofa near the fireplace; Randolph became more attentive to Kris and joined her on the loveseat. The others wandered about the room chatting.

  “From what your sister said, it sounds like you had some intense experiences overseas,” Kris remarked, probing for more information.

  “I don't usually like to discuss it, but I was the best sharpshooter over there,” he bragged.

  “Really? I've been thinking about getting a rifle. Maybe you can help me find one that's right for me.”

  “What do you want to use it for? There are different types for different uses. Most of what I know is about sniper weaponry. I can hit a target from a mile away!” He looked at her for some sort of approving acknowledgment.

  “That is impressive! So can you teach me to be a good sniper?” she asked, implying it to be a jest. What she really had in the back of her mind was one day doing the same sort of thing.

  Janine came over and asked if she might join the couple for a moment. They squeezed her in on the loveseat.

  “We haven't really had any time to chat, Kris, but living in Manhattan, I'm familiar with your show and its producers.”

  “You are? Do you handle their investments? That is so cool.”

  “Actually I'm an Independent Contractor. I do jobs for corporations, individuals, and sometimes for the government, too. You'd be surprised at the variety of contacts one gets in my line of work.”

  As Kris looked into Janine's bright blue eyes, she sensed a level of intensity higher than Randolph's. She was prone to judging people by their eyes. Randolph's were unreadable; hers had a look of innocence-lost. It spooked her a little.

  “I've followed your career, Kris, and am hoping that the next time you're in Manhattan, we can do lunch.”

  “Gee, that would be great.”

  “Besides your producers, I also know some bigger ones. Maybe I can help you out. My friends would be impressed seeing me with a celebrity.”

  “I doubt your friends need any impressing, Janine, but that sounds fun.”

  The evening soon came to its conclusion, Carlton had gotten his just desserts, and the girls returned to their respective hi-rise condos.

  As the next few months passed, Kris and Randolph spent an increasing amount of time together. Unlike her sister, she found her affair to be one fueled by more consuming emotion. She experienced her first orgasm. It turned out that Randolph rode a Harley on the weekends, and one time they even had sex on it. One afternoon they had been out for a
ride in the country and stopped by to visit Karlee on the way back. They found her front door wide open and Karlee inside in tears.

  “Oh my God, sis! What happened?!”

  “Someone ransacked my condo. I feel so violated.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, and nothing seems to be missing. The police are on their way over.”

  “I haven't mentioned it to anyone yet, but I've had the feeling I've been followed the last few days,” Kris revealed to them both.

  “Oh geez, hon, you don't suppose that...,” she stopped short of saying anything more in front of Randolph. “You'd better go check on your place!”

  It was soon discovered that both condos had been broken into. The girls spent that night with a mutual friend and compared notes when they were alone.

  “Do you think it could have anything to do with all that money?” Kris asked.

  “What else could it be? What are the odds we'd both have break-ins the same day? It's a good thing the money is in a safe place.”

  A concerned Randolph had related the story to his sister Janine. She was more connected than even he had realized and shared some tidbits of information. On their next date, he asked Kris a few probing questions.

  “Carlton bragged to me that he was handling the estate settlement for one of the big politicians. I'm guessing that Karlee did some legwork on that. Did your sister take you with her?”

  “We do lots of stuff together,” she answered evasively.

  “I'm going to connect some dots here, sweetheart, and leap to the conclusion that you two took something that maybe you shouldn't have.”

  She showed a look of confusion.

  “That night at dinner you asked if I could keep a secret. Can you keep one, Kris?”

  “Yes, you're scaring me, Ran.”

  “My sister told you she does contract work. She gets lots of unusual requests by referral because she is so good at what she does. These aren't written contracts as most are not of a legal nature, if you know what I mean. Sometimes the job is in New York, sometimes London, sometimes Chicago.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “Something has just come to her attention about you guys.”

  “I'm having trouble understanding what I'm hearing, Randolph.”

  “I'm just suggesting that you and your sister go into hiding for awhile is all.”

  “So Janine is with the m-o-b?!”

  “She has lots of 'friends'. This time it's your Lieutenant Governor, not the m-o-b.”

  “Oh shit! Your frigging sister has contract hits on me and my sister?!”

  “I didn't say that, but now you can see why such information must be protected. And you're right, but she's agreed to decline the contract because of our situation. When she does, someone else will take it. The order is for extraction of information and two kills.”

  Kris immediately picked up the phone and updated Karlee.

  “So it's not a mob contract, it's that crooked Lieutenant Governor Wallace?” Karlee asked, needing to make sure she had all the details correct.

  “Yeah, and if we don't do something about it, it's just a matter of time until that really deep shit hits the fan, sis.”

  “Okay, Kris, let me take care of things. I'll call you in the morning.”

  Karlee got her Glock pistol and a recently acquired silencer, and then departed for Springfield, the state Capitol. She had never fired at anything more than a paper target, but no one messed with her and her sister and got away with it. She assumed that the two politicians had been in cahoots and hoped resolving the issue with this character would keep them out of harm's way.

  It wasn't difficult for the determined young woman to find his impressive residence in the darkness. She had parked her black convertible a safe distance away, worn latex gloves to ensure no retrievable DNA or fingerprints, worn a hood to conceal her face from any surveillance cameras, and even wiped finger prints from her ammunition. There was an armed guard outside. He was smoking a cigarette when she came up from behind and took him out with a choke hold. There had been a struggle, but her previous fighting experience proved most useful. The doors were all locked, so she covered an obscured window with masking tape and then tapped it repeatedly with the butt of her weapon until it quietly shattered. She slipped in and found the wicked fellow asleep.

  “Oh, Mr. Wallace, you have company, sir,” she announced as she connected the silencer, turned on the bedroom light and took aim.

  The man groggily opened his eyes. “Who's there?”

  “Someone who has brought you a surprise!” Pfft Pfft. She fired twice. His wife had slept through it all. Karlee hesitated as she realized the woman probably knew too much and presented a risk. With a sense of regret, she fired off two more rounds. Pfft Pfft. She had now crossed another line, and another door would be opening in her life.

  Randolph's phone rang as he and Kristie cuddled on his sofa back in Chicago.

  “Where are the sisters?” inquired his sister Janine.

  “Kris is here with me; Karlee is probably at home.”

  “I doubt it. Turn on your TV!”

  He put the phone on speaker mode, picked up the remote, and the large screen came to life. There in living color was a video of the Lieutenant Governor being assassinated! He had had a low-quality security system, so the image was unclear. It had also picked up the killer's voice, but again not clearly. The security guard had regained consciousness shortly after Karlee's departure, and the police and FBI were promptly on the scene.

  “Oh my God, that's my sister!” shouted Kris. “Even with her voice muffled, I can still recognize it, and that's the way she moves her body!”

  “Well, whatever you do, don't call her cell phone. It would ping the nearest tower and leave proof of her whereabouts. I wouldn't be surprised if the FBI checks those records for all inbound and outbound calls from out-of-town numbers at least an hour either side of the killing,” said Janine. “Give me her number. You have mine, so have her call me as soon as you hear from her!”

  Kristie and Randolph were waiting at Karlee's condo when she returned home.

  “Sis, are you okay?” Kris asked as she hugged her.

  “I've never been better. Why are you guys here?”

  “We saw you on TV. You were awesome!” she declared with enthusiastic admiration.

  “What do you mean? I haven't been anywhere.”

  “It's us, sis, your family. You don't need to lie. Besides, I'd recognize your body language and voice anywhere, even if it's too poor of a quality for anybody else.” She switched on the TV so Karlee could see for herself on the next broadcast.

  Karlee looked over at Randolph, not yet comfortable thinking of him as family.

  “Janine wants you to call her,” he said.

  “Why? I don't have anything to talk with her about,” she replied with a tone of hostility. Karlee was playing it cool, as if nothing had happened and as if there were nothing to discuss with anyone.

  “How did it feel, sis? Pumping those bullets into that sucker must have been orgasmic! Was it, huh, was it?”

  Try as she might, Karlee could no longer conceal the hint of a wry grin.

  “Oh, I knew it!” shouted the younger Kris, jumping excitedly around the room.

  Soon the replay of the security tape appeared on the TV. Kris watched Karlee's eyes as they remained intently glued to the screen.

  Karlee's phone rang early the next morning. She hadn't felt inclined to make the requested call to Randolph's sister. It was Janine on the phone.

  “I see you took my warning to heart. I must admit, it was totally unexpected,” said Janine.

  “I don't know what you're talking about.”

  “No need to play coy with me, honey. I know Randolph gave you some idea of what I really do, and we four all know it was you on that video. For a rookie, it was a nice job. The fact that you're playing it the way you are is i
mpressive, too. Next time, don't turn on a light, take night vision goggles if you need to. Next time, don't talk, just shoot.”

  “I still don't know what you're talking about, Janine.”

  “Dear, I don't want to incriminate you. I want to hire you! I get more work than I can handle now, and want to subcontract some of it and have someone for backup at times that I can trust. I figure that with your sister and my brother practically walking down the aisle together, we're almost like family.”

  “Really? Well, I neither confirm nor deny anything. What kind of money are we talking about?”

  Meanwhile, back at Randolph's place, he and Kris are lying in bed contemplating the upcoming day.

  “Are we going to start my sniper lessons today?” she asked.

  “What makes you think you want to be a sniper, hon?”

  “First of all, I know what I don't want to be, and that's a housewife who does cleaning, laundry and cooking. Your sister has nefarious connections, you have a black-ops background, and my very own sister was seen on national TV assassinating a prominent politician. What's a girl to do? I want you to help me choose a rifle. Where's yours?”

  “I don't have one anymore. What exactly are you planning on doing with it?”

  “That's my business, not yours.”

  “If you're going to be my wife, it is.”

  “Is that a proposal?”

  “No.”

  As they cuddled together, she slid her hand down across his stomach, looked to see how his eyes responded, then slid it lower, down between his legs. Getting the expected response, she asked, “Why not?” She began kissing and licking his neck as she awaited his response to the question, then inched her kisses down across his stomach, following the path her hand had taken. Suddenly she paused, looked up at him and asked, “Why did you just say that? As long as I've known you, you've never once mentioned the word wife.” The intimate moment turned into one of mild confrontation.

  “Do we have to talk about this now?”