Intrigue (Stories of Suspense)

by Aaron Patterson

  “Man, you are going down. Fifty grand is in the bag baby.” Bill was grinning ear to ear as he rode the elevator down to the lobby of his building.

  “Not so fast, you know the rules, this coffee thing doesn’t count. You have to take her out to a movie and dinner. No little coffee meetings or quick dates.” Andrew’s voice was short; he was pissed even though he was pretending it was not bothering him.

  “Yeah, yeah. This is the meet and greet. She just wants to make sure I am not a creep. You are just mad that in the first week, I got a date. Admit it; you didn’t think I could do it.”

  “You haven’t done anything yet. Believe me, once she sees your ugly mug she will head for the hills.”

  “Whatever. You better start writing that check.” Bill walked out into the warm fall sunshine and turned down the street. He had a lot of time to walk to the coffee shop but decided to ride his new bike. Craigslist was turning out to be his new best friend. So far, he picked up a bike, a new DVD player and almost bought a dog.

  Andrew hung up on him and Bill laughed. “Sore loser.” They had been friends for a long time and Bill knew that Andrew had a temper. It was not the loud, in-your-face kind of thing, but that slow burn, the one you had to look out for. They did not see eye to eye on much, but somehow they had stayed friends over the years.

  Bill called Dan and filled him in. Dan was overjoyed and said, “Now, remember that I have to witness this real date. So let me know when and where, so I can get a spot before you get there.”

  “Okay, I’ll call you in a bit. I am meeting her in a few minutes. Wish me luck.”

  “Good luck. Go get ‘em, tiger.”

  Bill parked his bike, a Schwinn black on black, and went into the small coffee shop and found a table in the back corner. He waited to order so he could look good by buying her a coffee. It was more natural to offer as he got his own. Most women nowadays didn’t like men buying them stuff; it hurt their pride or something.

  Bill looked at his phone and checked the time. When he looked up, he saw her walk in the door. It was a moment; sun on her back, hair aglow, and legs up to her neck. Bill felt his pulse race and felt heat crawl up his chest and face.

  She stopped and turned, scanning the room… for him. When she saw him, her eyes literally lit up. Bill felt like a million bucks. She saw him and seemed pleased. Not freaked out, but pleased.

  Bill stood up and reached out his hand, which she bypassed. Taking him into her arms, she pulled him close and embraced him in a full on hug. Bill couldn’t believe his luck. Here was this hot girl, and she was a hugger. Right on!

  He returned the embrace, and she said in a voice that would melt the hardest heart. “Oh, I am so glad to meet you, Bill.” When she said his name, it came out in a low tone, almost a whisper. “I can’t believe it, you are normal looking. I mean, not in a bad way, but you are not old and fat.”

  Bill smiled and stood there like an idiot.

  “I have met so many creepy guys, you have no idea. Craigslist is full of scammers and creeps. One time this guy had a picture, and it was of him in high school. He was like fifty and balding. I mean, are you serious?” She talked so fast, but that was okay. The more she talked, the less he had to.

  “Shall we get a coffee? What kind do you like? I’ll buy. I hate it when guys buy me stuff. I am a woman, and I can do anything a man can do.” She scowled and looked at him with a spark of heat that sent chills up his spine.

  “Sure, no problem. I’ll have a coconut latte.” Bill was beginning to see what this girl’s problem was. He had this theory that women that couldn’t find love and reached the age of, say 25 or so, had some glaring thing that was the Thing.

  “No way! I love coconut! I mean, I have to have it on everything, pizza, soda, coffee, cereal, and anything I can find that is made with coconut, I just have to have. Wow, we are so alike. I think we are going to have a wonderful future.” Amy right… yeah, her name was Amy something. He couldn’t remember her last name, not that it mattered.

  “Cool.” Bill said as he made a mental note of the exit. She was beautiful; he gave her that, but man, take a breath. He remembered a Bob and Tom spoof song called “She’s Talking Again.” He snickered under his breath.

  “Two coconut lattes, and can you make them with extra cream and heat to 140 just after you pour the shots in? Oh and don’t put a lid on them. I like to see that nice leaf you guys make on top. You do make a leaf or something, don’t you? I won’t buy a coffee unless it is made with care, and that shows you care if you will take the time to make that fancy leaf.”

  The man standing behind the counter just nodded with his mouth hanging open. He was a zit-faced kid just out of high school and was not prepared for a woman like Amy. Bill just smiled and went to sit down. Amy rushed over and took his hand.

  “You are so cute!” Her eyes lit up, and she scooted her chair closer to his. She put her hand on his leg and Bill, for once, started to feel uncomfortable. “I just love your hair. So where are you going to take me on our date? I think I want to go out with you.”

  This was the moment Bill thought to himself, get out now buddy, but he said, instead, “How about Friday night, the Cheesecake Factory? Seven-ish?”

  “I love that place! How did you know?” She searched his face and grew serious.

  “I just guessed.”

  “You are a good guesser. You can pick me up at my place.” She gave him the address, and for the next two hours, she talked and talked, and he drank his coffee and hoped that the fifty grand was worth this.

  STAGE THREE: THE DATE

  Dan picked Bill up in front of his apartment at six on Friday night. Bill dressed in jeans and a button up long sleeve shirt. He combed his hair for once, and because he didn’t have a car that was running at the moment, Dan offered to drive.

  “You can drop me off at the Cheesecake place and I will find a table in the back. You go pick her up and do your thing. This is it man… Money, money, money!”

  “I know, the first thing I’m going to buy is a car. This sucks not having a ride.” Bill checked his breath and double-checked the time. She lived down the road from the mall, so he would have plenty of time.

  “Alright, you have to take her to a movie afterward. I’ll get a cab. Which one are you going to?”

  “Edwards 21. I think we are seeing that chick flick.”

  “Which one?”

  “I don’t know, the one that just came out with Jennifer Love.”

  “Oh man, come on… not her.”

  “I know… but she picked, and let me tell you, it is better just to let her talk- butt in and you might lose your tongue. I’ve never met anyone so yakky.”

  “Aw, you’ll be fine. Just nod and grunt. Besides, she is hot.”

  “Yeah, at least there is that.” Bill saw the Boise Towne Square Mall come into view, and Dan pulled off the freeway and down the ramp onto Milwaukee Street. After he dropped Dan off, he slid over into the driver’s seat and plugged in Amy’s address into the GPS on his smart phone.

  He found her small house easily enough, and she was waiting out on the front porch. Amy was dressed in a silver dress that hugged her body just right, and she had a small clutch in her hand. She smiled and waved when she saw him pull up. “Bill, hi! You are right on time. I love a man who is punctual. And I like you, Bill. You are my man.”

  Bill laughed and went around the car to open the door for her, but she slapped his hand. “I can open my own door, thank you very much.” Her eyes flashed and Bill felt a tinge of fear creep up. She looked at him with a scowl and a deep underlying hatred.

  “Bill, you know how I feel about that kind of thing. Are you saying I am weak and need a man to open doors for me? Do I need a man to work or eat? I am a strong woman, and I do not need a man to put me down like that!”

  Bill stepped back a step and almost fell over as his heel hit the curb. He righted himself and said. “No, I am sorry.”

  “You should be. This is not good Bill
; this kind of mistreatment may be the end of us.”

  Us? There is no us. This is the first date, and going the way it is, I am wondering if the fifty grand is worth putting up with your sorry… Amy slid into the passenger seat and slammed the door. Bill broke from his thoughts and walked over to his side. He drove toward the mall, and she resumed her blather as if nothing had ever happened.

  This girl is nuts, Bill thought to himself, like missing some of the floors in her hotel, not all there, loony tunes. He was glad all he had to do was make it through this one night and it would be over. He knew how to put off a girl. Stop calling, pull out and disappear, and soon she would forget he ever existed.

  “I put your phone number into my phone, and it is number one on my speed dial. You are one lucky man, Bill.” She looked at Bill with an expectant face.

  “Yes, I agree, you are a wonderful woman.” He could feel his gut ball up again and he hated lying to her like this, but a dare was a dare. She had to know that men did things like this and some things were just guy things. He wondered how he was going to get rid of her. He could tell she was making up her mind about him. Maybe he could be a jerk or a slob and fart all the time to try to scare her off.

  They had dinner, and Bill tossed a look over to Dan as Amy talked up a storm. He rolled his eyes and Dan smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He was hiding behind a large plant and had a huge plate of food in front of him. He watched, and after dinner, went to the movie theater.

  Amy held Bill’s hand and batted her eyes at him all night. He felt like he was in prison and she was the guard. Lock down, baby. Bill sucked it up though the movie and faked a stomachache.

  “Oh, baby, are you feeling like poopoo? I am sorry; can I do anything for you? My mom used to rub my tummy. Do you want me to rub your tummy?”

  They were walking from the movie theater, and Bill held his gut and bent over just enough to make it look convincing. “No, I’ll be okay. I just need to get home and sleep it off. Must have been something I ate.”

  She helped him to the car and he drove her home. On the way there, she told him about all the times she had been sick, from throw up stories to the chicken pox. He now really did feel sick. It was almost over. One more thing, and the deal would be done. The rules stated he kiss her and get a second date. He looked over at her and parked the car at the curb.

  The house was dark, and a single bulb lit the tiny porch in a yellow hue. He got out, and she rushed around to him and took his hand and led him up to the porch. “I really had a good time, Bill. Did you? Even with your little tummy ache, did you have fun with me?” The look in her eyes made Bill want to run as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

  “I did. We should do it again sometime.” There it was, the dealmaker. The second date.

  “I would love that. How about tomorrow night?” Man, she didn’t mess around. He chewed his lower lip and nodded.

  “Sounds great. Same time and place?” Now he really was going to be sick. No matter; he would just not show up and that would be the end of it. He would party and gloat to Andrew; it was so worth it now that it was over. Andrew would be pissed.

  “Yes,” The short answer brought Bill back into the moment. She was looking at him as if she were a starving child and he was a big juicy steak. Without warning, she grabbed his face and kissed him. It was warm and wet and forceful. She was gripping his face so hard that it hurt. He kissed her back and then pulled away.

  She was out of breath with a look of lust in her eyes. Bill smiled and said. “That was… nice.”

  “I love you, Bill, oh, I just love you so much!” She said the words with so much conviction that Bill thought that she really believed that she did love him. But that was crazy- way too soon, and they just had a date, nothing special.

  “Okay,” He didn’t know what to do. Turning, he left without looking back. He was filled with relief as he drove away. Taking one last look in his rearview mirror, he saw her waving at him from the porch. The glow of the little bulb made her look like an imp, skinny and kind of scary. He shivered and called Dan.

  STAGE FOUR: THE BREAK-UP

  The next day, Bill picked up his check from Andrew, and Dan met him to make sure everything ended well. Andrew opened the door to his huge home in the Two Rivers subdivision in Eagle. It was the small town just outside of Boise where all the people with money lived.

  Sitting in the driveway was a red, tricked out Dodge Charger. Bill looked in the window and tried not to drool. Inside, the black leather seats seemed to call out to him. He could imagine punching the pedal to the floor and feeling the power push him back in the seat. Maybe he would buy one like it with his cash.

  “Yo Drew!” Dan was so excited. He seemed to be more excited than Bill did. “So you lost man. I knew my boy Bill would pull through.”

  “Shut up, Dan. You owe me three hundred for your part.” Dan’s face fell, and he stuttered.

  “Hey… I… didn’t really offer, I mean,”

  “You opened your big mouth, now pay up.” Andrew was in a foul mood, and as he handed Bill the check, he glared at him behind mirrored sunglasses. “Good job, you did it in one week flat.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Dan, you can get me next time I see you. I mean it, three hundred.”

  Dan sulked, “Fine.”

  “So, you want to come over tonight for my big party?” Bill asked Andrew.

  “What party?”

  “My victory party. Going to be a good time. Got like thirty people coming over.”

  “In your little place?” Andrew looked from Bill to Dan’s face and said. “Just have it here. I can call some of my friends and we can make it a night to remember.”

  “Sure, that would be great. Are you sure you are okay? I mean, I did win fair and square.”

  Andrew smiled and took off his sunglasses. He had styled dark hair and a thick jaw. “Yeah, I am just a sore loser, you did good man. Besides, what is 50k to me?”

  “Thanks man.” Bill shook Andrew’s hand and turned to Dan. “You ready?”

  “Yup, let’s roll.”

  ***

  Bill received 354 more spam emails, so he closed out his ad and spent the time to block all the emails one at a time. He also got ten emails from Amy and fifty-five text messages. He did not respond to any of them, and he blocked her email address.

  He logged on to Facebook and had a friend request from her in his folder, so he ignored it and blocked her there as well. On Twitter, she was already following him so he was screwed there. She posted a few messages to his Twitter account so he blocked her again. He felt good after he cleaned up his Mac, but still wondered how long it would take to get rid of her.

  Bill Googled Amy and found that she was nowhere online, and her Facebook page only had three friends. Her Twitter had no followers and was opened yesterday. He thought about what that meant for a few minutes and typed in her address. The names that came up as the owners were Bud and Julie Armstrong. Not any relation to Amy, as far as he knew.

  Weird. It was as if she did not exist. Everything was new or just opened. He reverse searched her cell number but nothing came back. Did she use a fake name like he was told to use? Maybe she was scared to go on Craigslist and was using a fake name to protect herself.

  At ten to six, Amy sent him a text.

  Can’t wait to see you my love, we have a beautiful future in front of us.

  He didn’t respond. However, he had to admit to himself that he was starting to worry. This girl was a little unstable and obsessive, not to mention she was a ghost.

  But this was not a problem. He wanted her to disappear, so that would work out just fine. He had a party to go to, and he was going to celebrate because he was fifty grand richer, and it felt great. He was young, and this was the time to live for the now. Bill locked the front door and took the elevator to the lobby. Dan was waiting for him with a huge grin on his face.

  “This is going to be a night, man.”

  THE PARTY
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  Bill felt that same familiar knot ball up in his stomach as Dan drove up the long drive to Andrew’s house, if you could call ten-thousand square feet a house. Both sides of the wide turnaround and the drive were lined with cars and trucks, and people were streaming into the lit up building where the thumping of loud music could be felt as Dan pulled in behind a yellow Hummer.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Bill was more than a little ticked. This was supposed to be a small party with some friends, not a block party. “He always has to outplay everyone; can’t he for once just do something normal?”

  “Nah, he has the bucks and likes to flaunt it. Besides, we are celebrating, so what’s the worry?” Dan did not seem to get the point. This was his party, and he didn’t want to blow all his hard earned cash on one party.

  “Well, I’m not paying for it. Dang, he will spend fifty grand just on beer.”

  Dan huffed and locked the car and they walked the rest of the way up the drive and forced their way into the house. The place was packed, and that was saying something. A huge entryway opened up to a ballroom where strobe lights were flashing and a DJ was spinning music in the back of the room. Bodies moved on the floor in some sort of weird motion that reminded Bill of what his stomach must be doing.

  “Bill! Dan!” Andrew materialized out of the crowd and smiled as he handed them each a cold beer. “You made it. I thought, for a minute, you might miss your own party. And don’t worry, I got it; I can see that look in your eyes. Relax, and try to enjoy yourself.”

  Andrew wore a smooth black button-up shirt that looked like silk with faded jeans and flip-flops. Bill looked down at his own shirt and felt embarrassed. He didn’t dress up and was wearing a Bob Marley t-shirt and blue jeans. Dan, well, Dan was Dan - white t-shirt and cargo pants.

  “This party rocks man!” Dan yelled over the thumping of the music. Andrew grinned wide and worked his way into the ballroom.