Authors: Carlie Sexton
***
The early afternoon sun shone through the terrace doors lighting up the great room with a candescent glow. It was already 2 o’clock. Kate was utterly exhausted from sharing all that had happened to her and all of the unbelievable sex over the last two days. She stared at herself in the mirror in the downstairs bathroom. Somehow, the past two days had changed her. She felt different about herself and her life. Being with Neil had sparked feelings that she didn’t know existed. She wrapped her arms around herself momentarily, feeling giddy that she had met such an incredible man. So far, she loved everything about him.
Was she in love with him? It sure felt like it.
This thought sent shivers throughout her body. She had been in love before with David. But it was a love that had simmered over time. What was happening with Neil had nothing to do with simmering. It was a blazing inferno. Its heat and intensity had consumed her, making her surrender to him.
“I heated up the leftovers from last night. I thought we could eat and then go for a walk around town,” he called out from the kitchen.
“That sounds great.”
“So, have you told Dr. Cox about meeting me?”
“Not yet. My appointments are on Tuesdays, so I haven’t seen him since we met. I’m sure he will be very interested to know all about you,” she said, poking his rock-hard abs as she came out of the bathroom. She feigned a broken finger and they both laughed.
They went to eat lunch at the kitchen island. “Mm. This is just as good as last night,” she said.
***
Neil was still waiting for the report when he drove Kate back to her car. It was now 7 p.m. and they had spent the afternoon and early evening walking around La Jolla. It had been a spectacular day.
He had called Jack to find out what was taking so long, but Jack had been tied up with another case the firm was working on. He promised to have the information for Neil within 24 hours.
Neil kissed Kate goodnight at her car and they went their separate ways. She was relieved that the day had turned out so great even after sharing the details of her painful past.
She managed to get through the door of her apartment without seeing Roger. She was relieved to not have to answer his questions. She spent the rest of the evening preparing for class.
Chapter 13
Roger decided that tonight was the night to end things with Rose. He was hoping for a simple break-up, but he was prepared to have things end another way if necessary. His duffle bag was tucked away in the trunk of his car. It contained everything that he needed.
He met her for dinner up in North County at an out-of-the-way restaurant. He already had a table for them when she arrived. She came in and greeted him with a kiss.
“I went ahead and ordered spaghetti for us. It should be coming right out.”
“You’re always so thoughtful. This is such a cute place. Thanks for coming up this way to see me. With the girls being sick, it’s been hard for me to get away,” she said making a sad face.
“Oh, no problem. Your daughters have to come first. Family is very important,” he said, setting the stage for what he wanted to tell her.
“I’m glad that you feel that way because I have something to tell you.”
Roger didn’t like the sound of that. He just sat there, staring at her, waiting for her to continue speaking.
“Well, I guess I’ll just come right out with it. I’m pregnant!” she said with a sparkle in her eyes. “I took a test earlier today and it was positive.”
Roger’s fists clenched beneath the table. He could feel his blood began to boil. Breaking up wasn’t going to happen. Having a kid with her wasn’t an option either. If Rose wasn’t Catholic, he would have suggested an abortion. But he knew that she would never agree to it.
What the fuck?
He wasn’t expecting this when he drove up here to end things with her. Now she was telling him that she was pregnant with his child. He knew that he needed to stay controlled if he was going to lure her to the motel he had picked out just in case he needed it.
A moment passed, but it seemed like ten. “Roger, would you please say something?” Rose pleaded.
“I’m just a little shocked. I thought that you were on the pill. How did this happen?” he asked with a restrained voice.
“No birth control is 100 percent,” she said with a wry smile.
Roger didn’t say anything. Now plan B would begin. His mind flashed to his trusty duffle bag in the car with all of his supplies. All he had to do was get her to go to the motel with him willingly and then he could end this once and for all. She would be easy.
“I’m sorry, Rose. This just caught me off guard. It’s great news. I love being a dad and with Jacob in Germany with his mother, I’ve really missed being one.”
Relief spread across Rose’s face. “I’m so glad to hear that. I was concerned for a minute that you didn’t want the baby and might ask me to have an abortion,” she said, now able to relax.
“Don’t worry. Everything is going to be all right. I’m going to take care of you and the baby. Why don’t we take our dinner to go and celebrate at that motel around the corner?”
“That sounds perfect,” she purred.
***
Roger pulled up to the hotel. Rose had followed him in her car. “Wait here and I’ll get us a room. He asked for a room for one and paid the guy at the front desk with cash. He couldn’t risk using his credit card. That was traceable. He already had the syringe in his pocket. He was prepared for the worst. He went out and pointed to the room that he and Rose were going to stay in. He unlocked the door and motioned for her to enter first. He pulled out the drug-filled syringe as Rose was inspecting the room. He stuck it into her neck just as she was about to turn around and face him. He saw her bewildered face as she lost control of her body, slumping into his arms, her eyes locked on his.
“I’m sorry, but it had to be this way.” Within seconds, she was paralyzed. “I don’t want to be married and I don’t want to have another child. I was planning on being a good guy and just breaking up with you, but you’ve given me no choice. This is entirely your fault. Why did you have to make everything so complicated by getting pregnant? Damn it, Rose.” He carried her motionless body into the bathroom and placed her in the bathtub. He was a master at not leaving evidence behind. It’s what had kept him out of prison all these years.
He went back to the car and got out his duffle bag. He needed the contents to finish the job he had started. He turned on the air-conditioner and the TV. He didn’t want to take a chance of anyone hearing him. He took the duffle bag into the bathroom and began emptying its contents.
***
Unable to move or speak, Rose could only watch in terror as he readied the bathroom for his grizzly task. He took out sheets of plastic and began taping them to the walls, floor to ceiling. It was a small space, so it didn’t take long. He put a plastic shower curtain on the floor and removed his leather case. When he opened it, she saw his tools. He had an assortment of knives. Tears ran down her face as fear struck her heart.
Why was he doing this to her? He had said that he loved her. Had it all been an act? Her mind turned to her beautiful girls. She wouldn’t get to see them grow up, get married, or have children of their own. Would they end up finding out that she was murdered or would she just be a missing person like Rick? How would they overcome losing their mother? She was going to die at the hands of the man she loved and had wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The only other man she had loved had beaten her on a regular basis. She thought that Roger was safe. He had never laid a hand on her. How could she be so wrong?
Dear God, please watch over and protect my daughters. Don’t let them grow up to be abused and hurt like I have been. Help them to make better choices.
***
Roger didn’t want to inflict any pain upon her. He sat on the edge of the tub and stroked her hair tenderly for a moment.
“Rose, this isn’t going to hurt,” he said, and then he slit her throat. “Good bye, Rose.”
He pushed her eyelids down with his hand. He couldn’t stand to look into her eyes. He hadn’t wanted to kill Rose. She was different than the others. This kill was bittersweet. She had given him no choice. There was no way that Kate would get involved with him if Rose was carrying his child. He knew that Kate had integrity. She also liked Rose.
Seconds later, Rose was gone, all of the life drained from her body. Now he could begin dismantling her with his bone saw. He would take her body out in trash bags during the middle of the night when no one would see him. He had bleach to clean the bathtub so that nothing was left behind. This was the easy part of his plan. The only down side was that he wasn’t going to be home to see what Kate was doing or if she was home at all.
Chapter 14
It was early Tuesday morning. Kate had to face Mark today. She had managed to sneak into her own apartment last night, somehow avoiding Roger. He must actually work sometimes. She was still feeling uneasy about their exchange of text messages. She resented that he was trying to make her accountable to him. She was going to have to let him know in a nice but firm manner that she didn’t answer to him. She would have to think carefully about how to handle him.
She left her apartment hastily, practically running down the stairs. Just as she rounded the corner at the bottom, he opened his door. He didn’t see her. She breathed a sigh of relief and scurried to her car.
This is going to get old fast.
It irritated her to have to flee her apartment like a criminal on the run, but she wasn’t in the mood to deal with him. She wasn’t going to be so lucky when she saw Mark.
She arrived at her first class with just a minute to spare. She had hid in the ladies room and waited so that she could avoid Mark. She felt like a coward. Again, behaving like a wanted criminal. When did life get so complicated?
Mark’s eyes were glued to her as she entered the classroom and took a seat. She didn’t make eye contact with him, but she could feel his eyes searing a hole right through her. She had resigned herself to not participate in any discussion that might take place in class. She just wanted to blend in and not draw any attention to herself.
The lecture was about effective and appropriate communication.
How apropos?
Mark raised his hand to ask a question.
“Yes, Mark,” George said.
“George, I tried to warn a friend of mine that her new boyfriend wasn’t any good for her, but she didn’t listen. I couldn’t get through to her. What should I have done differently?” he asked staring right at her.
“Well, you haven’t given me much to go on, but was your communication appropriate at the time?” George inquired.
“No, I don’t think that it was,” he responded, still looking at her. She looked back at him and gave him small smile. He mouthed “I’m sorry” to her. She nodded in acceptance. Relief spread across her body. They weren’t going to have a confrontation after all.
After class, he made his way over to her. “I still think it’s a bad idea for you to go out with him. He’s just going to hurt you.”
“Like you just hurt Melanie?” she said in her snarkiest tone. “Mark, it’s up to me who I go out with. Last time I checked, I didn’t hire you to manage my personal life. I can take care of myself.”
She turned and walked away.
Who does he think he is?
At the end of their last class, Mark followed Kate to the parking area. She didn’t even notice, her thoughts were fixed on Neil.
A few minutes later, she pulled into her parking space at the apartment complex. She hadn’t been looking forward to the possibility of seeing Roger, but his car was gone. This was good. She could enter her apartment and not feel anxiety over it.
Then she noticed Mark get out of his car. He was walking toward her. She got out of her car with a clear frown on her face.
“What are you doing here, Mark?” she demanded with a gruff voice.
“I followed you so we could talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about. I’m with Neil and there is nothing you can do about it.”
“Please just hear me out and then I’ll leave you alone.”
As those words left his mouth, Roger pulled up and parked.
This is a nightmare!
She couldn’t believe this. Roger got out of his car.
“Kate, I’m glad to see you,” he said. “I was so worried about you last night. Who’s this?”
“Roger, this is Mark. Mark, Roger,” she said. “We were just going up to my place to talk. See you later, Roger.” She hoped he would finally take the hint.
“Kate, I need to talk you. It’s really important,” Roger said forcefully.
“We’ll have to talk later, Roger,” she said, her tone insistent.
All three of them walked up the stairs. Roger went into his apartment and Kate and Mark went into hers.
Roger grabbed the duffle bag that he had used last night from his bedroom closet and then returned to the front door. He stood at the door watching through his peephole. He wanted to see when Mark left so he could follow him and eliminate his competition. This must be the guy that she was seeing. No one was going to come between him and Kate. She was his.
Before Mark could say anything, Kate began talking. “Mark, I appreciate that you think you need to protect me, but Neil is not going to hurt me. We are in a relationship. He cares about me and wants to be with me. You are going to have to accept that you are wrong about him this time. He did tell me about his behavior with other women. But he doesn’t just see me as another woman to fool. I believe him and I want him as much as he wants me. Plus, there are so many beautiful girls at school who would love to go out with you. This just isn’t going to happen between us.”
Mark let her words sink in. “We’ll see,” he said coldly. “Don’t blame me when you have a broken heart. I tried to warn you.”
She opened her front door. “Thanks for the warning, Mark. I need you to go now. I have an appointment.”
Mark walked past her without saying a word. She closed the door behind him and he headed down the stairs.