Authors: Terri Reid
“Hey, you’ve barely touched your hamburger and fries,”
Bradley said to Clarissa, as they sat in a booth at one of her favorite fast-food
restaurants.
“Something wrong?”
Grabbing several fries and stuffing them into her mouth, she
shook her head. “No,” she muttered.
“Good. I’m glad because I really want our date to be special,”
he said. “Do you know this was Mary’s idea? She thought it would be great for
us to spend some time together.”
Clarissa sighed and bit another French fry.
Really?
I am going to have to listen to him talk
about Mary all night.
She thought
about it for a moment.
Maybe this is my chance to set things
straight.
“She just thought of it because she
doesn’t want to spend time with me,” she said. “She really hates me.”
Bradley put his own hamburger down on the plate and shook
his head. “She does not hate you,” he insisted. “I don’t know where you got
such an idea.”
Shrugging, Clarissa picked up her own burger and took a
bite. “I can just tell,” she said. “I think it would be much better if you
weren’t married to her.”
“What?” Bradley exclaimed, trying to remain calm. “Mary and
I are not going to get a divorce.”
Clarissa dropped her hamburger and looked up at Bradley.
“But what if you found out she really did hate me?” she demanded. “What if you
found out she’s only nice to me when you’re around? What would you do then?”
“If I found out those things,” he said calmly. “And I don’t
believe for one minute they are true. But, if in some weird universe that were
true, then I would insist we all go to family counseling so we could work
things out.”
She exhaled angrily.
Didn’t
he get it?
“What if she didn’t want to go to family counseling?” she
asked. “What if she thought that was a stupid idea?”
“Mary wouldn’t think it was a stupid idea,” he said. “She
loves me and she loves you.
So she would
put effort into making our new family work.”
“But, what if she didn’t want to be married to you anymore?”
she insisted. “What if she didn’t want to be my mom?
What if she didn’t want any obligations?”
Bradley sat back against the booth and folded his arms over
his chest. “Clarissa, you are my daughter. I searched for you for eight years.
Mary not only helped me find you, she also helped us capture the man who killed
your mother and was trying to take you,” he said. “She has done nothing but
love
you and treat you like her daughter.
She has done nothing but try her best to be
your mother. I don’t understand why you are trying to make all of this so
difficult.”
Clarissa allowed tears to pool in her eyes and watched with
guilty pleasure as Bradley’s stern demeanor melted. “Clarissa, sweetheart, I
just want you to understand…”
“If she hated me, who would you choose?” she asked
tearfully.
“What?”
“If Mary said it’s either me or her; which would you
choose?”
“She’s not…”
“Which?” she demanded.
“Well, since you are a little girl and you are my daughter
and my responsibility, I suppose I would have to choose you,” he said. “But
that’s just not going to happen.”
Picking up a napkin, Clarissa dabbed it delicately against
her eyes, just like she saw them do on television. “Thank you, Dad,” she said
sweetly. “I feel much better now.”
“Hey, sweetheart, how are you feeling?” Ray said softly to
the little girl who lay sleeping on the bed in his basement. “Guess what? We’re
going for a little ride.”
He unstrapped the heavy band that held the girl to the bed, lifted
her lethargic body into his arms and carried her up the stairs into his living
room. “I really meant to keep you longer,” he said. “But I find it is necessary
for you to graduate much sooner than I had anticipated.”
She groaned softly and tried to struggle. “Oh, thank you,”
he said. “I almost forgot.”
He placed her on a recliner covered in plastic and shoved it
back, so she was nearly lying flat. She tried to move, tried to scream, but the
drug kept her just under the surface.
Her mind was screaming, but her body would not respond.
“Hey, baby, I love that look of horror in your eyes,” he
said. “And if we had more time I’d take one more go at you. But, we got someone
we’ve got to meet.”
He grabbed a handful of hair, yanked her head back and then
forced the vile-tasting liquid down her throat. “This should do it, baby,” he
said. “This should make you close your eyes and go to sleep forever.”
After stuffing the empty bottle in his pocket, he picked her
up, flung her over his shoulder and carried her out to the garage. “Sorry, the
trunk’s not too comfortable,” he said. “But don’t worry; it’s going to be a
short ride.”
Covering her up with an old blanket, he slammed the trunk
down and smiled. “You are about to meet your superintendent,” he said. “Please
remember that’s he’s a doctor, so be impressed.”
He turned away from the car and looked around the garage,
tapping his forefinger on his chin.
“How to do it?
How
to do it?” he mused as he studied the boxes on the shelves.
He walked forward, pulled out a small box and opened
it.
Inside was a dangerous looking
hunting knife.
He studied it for a
moment and then shook his head.
“Too messy.”
Sliding the box back in place, he pulled out a bin filled
with chemicals for the garden. “This could work,” he said. “But men don’t
generally poison themselves.”
Finally he pulled out an old cardboard box. He lifted the
top and inside was an assortment of rope. The largest was a coil of thick
manila rope about twenty feet long. He lifted the rope, testing the feel in his
hand. “Yes, this could do the trick,” he decided, stroking his hand along the
rough surface.
“Neat and believable.”
He threw the rope into the back of his car and then went
back into his house.
Jogging back down
to the basement, he opened the door to a small bathroom and entered the
room.
Over the sink was an old medicine
cabinet with a mirror whose silver was beginning to wear, creating black spots
across the front.
The cabinet itself was
rusted and looked unused. Ray opened the door to reveal a shiny stainless steel
interior that was not only refrigerated, but also had an inside light. On small
glass shelves were a variety of small vials.
Sorting through the vials, he finally picked the one he was looking for.
He stuffed the vial in his pocket, opened a drawer in the vanity below the
mirror and retrieved a hypodermic needle. “I hope the doctor doesn’t mind mixed
drinks,” he said with a short laugh.
Whistling to himself, he hurried to the garage, backed the
car out and drove casually down the driveway to the street.
As the gates slowly opened, a neighbor walked
by with her dog. Ray rolled down the window and waved to the woman. “Lovely
day,
isn’t it?” he questioned.
“Oh, yes, spring is in the air,” she agreed. “Will you be
planting any more of your lovely pine trees soon?”
Shaking his head, his smile was a bit sad. “I had plans for
a new one,” he said. “But it seems I might have to delay things until later on
in the year.”
“Oh, well, that’s such a shame,” she said. “I do hope your
plans for the next one work out.”
Ray smiled at her. “Thank you, so do I.”
He pulled out to the street, closed the gates behind him and
drove through town to the address Nick had given him.
As promised, the garage door was open and Ray
drove right into the garage and turned his car off.
He slipped on a pair of transparent latex
gloves before leaving the car,
then
he walked over to
the remote on the wall and pressed the button to close the large garage door.
“Let the games begin,” he whispered to himself as he turned the knob to let
himself into the house.
Soft music was already playing in the background as Mary lit
the scented candles she had placed around the room. She inhaled the patchouli,
lavender and jasmine scent and hoped, as the salesclerk at the candle store promised,
they would infuse sensuality into the air.
She grinned as the promised scenario played
out in her mind
. Bradley wanders into the
room, exhausted from his work day and the date with Clarissa. He looks at her,
an apology on his lips; he is just too tired tonight. Then, suddenly, he sniffs
the air and then, after a moment, sniffs it again. Inhaling deeply, filling his
lungs with the perfume from the candles, his eyes widen at first and then lower
seductively as his demeanor turns predatory. He is the wolf and she is his mate.
He rushes across the room and pulls her into his arms.
“I don’t know what’s come over me, Mary,” he
whispers, “but suddenly I’m infused with passion.”
Rolling her eyes and laughing out loud,
Mary was a little startled when the bedroom door opened and Bradley walked in.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
Walking over to him, she wound her arms around his neck and reached
up for a soft kiss. “Oh, nothing,” she said, slipping her arms down and
loosening his tie. “How was your date?”
He sighed and held her for a moment. “It was…interesting,”
he said, bending down and kissing her neck. “I’m afraid her head is filled with
all kinds of strange ideas.”
She arched her head back, enjoying his caresses. “We’ll just
have to be patient with her,” she said, as she closed her eyes in pleasure.
“Her little world has been turned around so many times. It’s not surprising
she’s confused.”
He continued to nibble on her neck, working his way down to
her collarbone, when he stopped. “Mary,” he asked. “What’s that weird smell?”
“Weird smell?” she murmured, still caught in the spell of
his kisses.
He lifted his head and sniffed, then, after a moment,
sniffed again. “Yeah, it kind of smells like mold.”
Her passion banked, Mary looked up at him in disbelief.
“Really?
Mold?” she asked. “That’s what you get from that
scent?”
He sniffed again. “Yeah, mold and…funky perfume.”
She stepped out of his arms and placed her hands on her
hips. “It was supposed to infuse the room with sensuality.”
Looking down at Mary dressed in black lace and satin, her
hair down around her shoulders, her ivory skin soft and scented, and her hands
on her hips in a stance of aggravation, Bradley decided he had never seen
anything as sexy. He slowly took a step forward, placed his hands on her waist
and deliberately pulled her against him.
Bending his head, he whispered softly into her ear, “You infuse this
room with sensuality. I don’t need anything else.”
“Good answer,” she stammered, and leaned against him as her
knees turned to water.
He continued to kiss her, nibbling on the sensitive areas
around her neck, earlobe and collarbone. She moaned softly and he covered her
mouth with his lips, taking them both even deeper into the passionate spell he was
weaving.
She felt his arms slip around her and suddenly she was
weightless, moving across the room in his arms. She felt the cool smoothness of
their sheets underneath her heated back as she sunk into the mattress with
Bradley above her. This was perfect. This was what she had been waiting for.
This was…
“Daddy!”
The scream seemed to erupt from right outside their door.
“What the hell?” Bradley grumbled, rolling off Mary and
walking across the room to the door.
He cracked the door open a few inches, angling his body so
Mary was hidden from view. “What’s wrong, Clarissa?” he asked the child
standing right outside his bedroom.
“I had a bad dream,” she said, a slight smile on her face.
Bradley stared at his daughter, noting the wide-eyed face,
the perfectly brushed hair and the unrumpled pajamas. She had not been asleep
at all.
She was purposely trying to
interrupt any private time he and Mary wanted to enjoy. “Go to bed, Clarissa,”
he said pointedly.
“Now.”
Her smile dropped. “But…but I was scared,” she stammered.
“Go to bed,” he repeated.
“But there were monsters,” she pleaded, “and they were in my
closet.”
“Mike,” Bradley shouted.
Mike immediately appeared next to Clarissa. “Hey, what’s
up?” he asked, shooting Bradley a grin.
“Clarissa thinks there are monsters in her room,” he said.
“So I was wondering if you would mind keeping her company until she falls
asleep.” He glared at Clarissa.
“Really asleep.”
“But I don’t want Mike,” she pleaded. “I want you.”
“Sorry, Clarissa,” he said. “But right now Mary and I are
having private time and we don’t want to be disturbed, at all.
Mike will be there to help you and protect
you.”
“But…but…but,” she stammered.
“Now, Clarissa,” he said impatiently. “Go to bed.”
Closing the door sharply, he leaned back against it and
looked at Mary.
She was huddled under
the covers, her back against the pillows, waiting for him.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“She just lied to me,” he said, running his hand through his
hair. “I thought, you know, that maybe all of this was just a misunderstanding.
But she lied, she didn’t have a nightmare. She hadn’t been asleep.
She purposely wanted to pull me away from
you.”
Pushing the covers aside, Mary walked over to him and
wrapped her arms around his waist. “She’s just figuring things out, testing her
limits and generally being an eight year old,” Mary said. “The most important
thing is that we show her that we are united and she can’t break us apart. And
we show her that we love her.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he bent down and placed a kiss
on the top of her head. “You’re right,” he said. “Thanks for being so patient
with the situation.”
She lifted her head and met his eyes. “Hey, she’s my
daughter too,” she said adamantly.
She means it
, he
thought, as love and gratitude filled his heart.
Even after all of this, she still considers Clarissa to be her daughter
too.
He began to bend down and kiss her, but stopped halfway and
sniffed.
“Bradley?” she asked.
“
Shhhhh
,” he said and then he
sniffed the air again.
He turned back to look at her, his eyes lowering slightly
and a predatory gleam to his smile. “You know, this stuff must grow on you,” he
said softly, as he swung her up in his arms. “I suddenly feel quite infused
with passion.”