The Beginning Read online

  “But, I still don’t understand what that has to do with it?” I said trying to sound like a dumb blonde.

  “He takes lots of pills for it. In fact he takes some pretty heavy duty sleeping pills.”

  “No, I don’t understand. What’s that got to do with it?” I asked.

  “Oh, I thought you were smart.”

  “Ok, let me think.”

  I closed my eyes and pretended to think. I made sure I listened for any movement. If he moved I was opening my eyes quickly. I wasn’t going to be his next victim.

  I opened my eyes and said, “Oh, so he was asleep when she was killed?”

  “Not just asleep, out cold. Just like every night of that loser’s life.”

  “So, he couldn’t have killed her. So I wonder who did. I mean it had to be someone pretty smart. Maybe it was that security guard from the mall.”

  “Julio? He’s not smart enough to find his way out of a paper bag.”

  “Then, I don’t understand. There’s no one left. Who killed her? I had to be someone pretty smart.”

  “I did, you stupid bitch.”

  “No,” I said trying to sound shocked. I had a confession, but I needed more. “You said you loved her. People don’t kill people they love.”

  “Wow, your husband was a cop? You know nothing,” he said.

  “We lived in a one stop light town. And I was only allowed out of the house when he said so.” That was a lie, but it helped fuel his fire.

  “People kill the ones they love all the time. Yes, I loved Barbara. But she was going to go back to Adolf. She’d spent all my money. She thought he was getting a lot of money from the sale and she wanted it.”

  “Is that why you were trying you stop him from selling the park? You knew she would come to claim her share?”

  “Yes. And she did come. She even asked me to arrange for her to meet Adolf. She asked me,” he repeated.

  “Did you? I mean you’re such a nice man,” I lied.

  “I’m not that nice. I told her when and where to meet Adolf. But I met her instead. I talked to her, I begged her to come back to me. I told her I would give her anything she wanted, anything.” He paused and caught his breath. “But all she wanted was money. And she knew I had none left because she spent it all.”

  I kept silent and hoped he would keep going. So far the plan was working.

  “She laughed at me,” he said. “She told me I couldn’t have her. Nobody tells me what I can’t have. Not my parents and not Barbara.”

  “You’re parents?” I asked. Was I about to get another confession?

  “Sure, they told me that I couldn’t have a Johnny Spaceman play set. They said I had to earn it. I was eight years old, what was I supposed to do, go get a job.”

  “Oh, you poor baby.” I was trying to speak to the child now, not the man. “Of course they should have given you the toy. I’m sure you deserved it.”

  “I did. And it wasn’t just a toy! It was a Johnny Spaceman play set!” he said pounding his fist on the desk.

  “And you should have had it.”

  Yes, I deserved it. I deserved whatever I wanted. But they said no. So I killed them. Killed them with the bat that Daddy kept by the bed for protection. For protection.” He started to laugh one of those maniacal sort of laughs.

  I was starting to wonder if I should leave before he completely lost it. I was getting scared. But on the other hand, he still didn’t tell me how he killed Barbara. Besides, I still had my safeguard going.

  “But you didn’t use a bat on Barbara,” I said.

  “No, how could I?”

  “Then I don’t understand what happened?”

  “She laughed at me. She turned her back on me. She walked away from me! From me!”

  “And then what?”

  “And then I hit her!” he pounded his fist on the desk and stood up. “I picked up the damn golden shovel and I hit her. She fell like a sack of potatoes. So I hit her again and again. I wanted her face gone so no one would recognize her, so no man would ever see her pretty face again. How was I supposed to know that her fingerprints were in the system?”

  He stopped and looked at me. “And now you know everything. Damn it, I have to kill you too.”

  “Oh, how inconvenient for you.” Ooops, I may have sounded sarcastic there.

  “It is an inconvenience. But, it won’t be that hard. You’re smaller than Barbara was.”

  “I thought I was her same size?” I said, trying to think of a diversion so I could get out the door.

  “What?”

  “You said I would fit her clothes and was her same size. Well, am I or am I not?”

  “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  “Make up your mind.” I had him confused, this was good. Thinking clearly is bad.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does to me.”

  “Nothing matters now, except how I should kill you?”

  “Don’t you have a gun?” Please say no. Please say no.

  “Not here. At the house, though.”

  He got up and grabbed me by the arm. I held on to my purse, couldn’t let it drop to the floor.

  “Ouch, you’re hurting me,” I yelled much louder than necessary.

  “I sent my secretary on an errand when you showed up. She’s not back yet or she’d let me know. So, she won’t hear you. Nobody will hear you.”

  “Oh, good.”

  “What do you mean good?”

  “Well, she won’t hear you scream when I do this…”

  Using the quick, swift self-defense movements Frank taught me I poked Adolf in the eyes. When he let go of my arm I kicked him in the knee.

  He fell to the floor screaming, “What the hell!”

  I quickly reached down and rolled him over on to his stomach. I grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back, sitting beside him, not on top of him. I wasn’t getting thrown off.

  “Not all women are helpless idiots, you know,” I said.

  That’s when Marlowe and one of his officers finally burst in to the room. The officer cuffed George and I got up from the floor.

  “I feel so undignified,” I said.

  “You’re stupid is what you are,” Marlowe said. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I’m stupid! I caught the killer. I knew you never would”

  “You could have gotten killed!”

  “But I didn’t,” I was yelling at him now.

  “But you could have been,” he repeated.

  “But I wasn’t,” I repeated.

  “But you could have been. And then where would I be.”

  “You have all of the confession. Frankie and I were recording it. You knew that. In fact you were supposed to be listening. You would have been just fine.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Well, what the hell did you mean?” I was confused now. What was he talking about?

  “I meant I don’t want to go a day without seeing you.”

  “What?” Was he crazy? What did he just say? And why was my heart pounding.

  “I, well, I…”

  “What, Marlowe? I don’t understand.”

  “Oh, hell.”

  With that he pulled me to him and kissed me.

  At first I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to fight back, push him away. But, as much as I hated to admit it, being held by him felt good. I gave in and wrapped my arms around him. What a day!

  Chapter 18: What Next?

  I opened my eyes and looked around my hotel room. I was feeling really good. The sun was shining. George was in jail. I guess my showing up at his office dressed like Barbara set off something in him. Funny how she and I had a similar outfit. I’ll have to burn mine now.

  On the plus side, Adolf had been released. The park’s reputation was saved. The sale of the house could go through. And Marlowe had kissed me.

  “Oh, my God!” I said, sitting up in bed. “What have I done?”

  There was a
knock at my door. “Mom, you ok?” Frankie yelled.

  Not what I wanted right now. I was having a crisis. I got up and answered the door.

  “Yeah, I guess I was just having a flashback from yesterday,” I said trying to not hint at the reason I yelled.

  “You mean when Marlowe kissed you?” He smiled at me.

  I pulled him inside and closed the door. I plopped down on my bed. “How did you know?” I said looking at the ceiling to avoid looking at him.

  “I was listening, remember? I helped you set up the recording by carrying Dad’s phone in your purse?”

  “Damn,” was all I could say.

  I looked at Frankie. “Did you tell Dad why we borrowed his phone?”

  “No, he never would have agreed. So, you gunna go out with him?”

  I looked at him in surprise, “Dad?”

  “No, Mom, Marlowe.”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t dated since high school. “

  “Yeah, and even then only Dad.”

  I looked at Frankie. “That’s right, only Dad. Until yesterday he was also the only man I’d ever even kissed.”

  “Do you need some dating tips?”

  I threw a pillow at him. He ducked, and luckily I didn’t break anything.

  “Seriously,” he said, “try it. Give Marlowe a chance. Get to know the guy. I’ll even chaperone if you want.”

  “Yeah, that would be great. Take my son on a date with me. Like I couldn’t find a babysitter.”

  “Ok, so I won’t go. But give the guy a chance. It’s time. I know you haven’t been divorced all that long, but I have a feeling that you have pretty much been single for years.”

  I just looked at him. He was right. Frank and I stayed married years longer than we should have.

  “I don’t have time. I’m opening a renovated theme park, buying a house, and converting the main house to a hotel and restaurant. “

  “That’s a lot,” Frankie said.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “So having a good guy in your life would help ease the strain.”

  “Or add to it,” I pointed out. “Frankie, the man makes me mad. I don’t even like him.”

  “You make each other mad because you’re attracted to each other and neither one of you knows how to handle it.”

  “I don’t know if I’m ready. I don’t know that I want to get involved with anyone yet. Or ever.”

  “So take it slow. But go out on a date if he asks you. You just might have fun.”

  “Or I might hate it.”

  “Mom, stop being so negative. My Mom is not negative.”

  “Ok, I’ll go out if he asks me.”

  “Or, you could ask him. I mean this isn’t the 1950’s.”

  “I’m not asking him. What if he says no? What if he says yes?”

  “Mom, go out with him and find out. I feel like I’m the parent and you’re the kid.”

  Wow, I was just thinking the same thing.

  I gave in. “Ok, I’ll go out with him. But not to the buffet restaurant.”

  We both nodded in agreement and laughed.

  “And what about you?” I asked him. “Are you staying or are you going?”

  “I think I’m staying,” he said.

  “Good. I get the downstairs. You can have the upstairs.”

  “I have to buy all new furniture. Maybe Pete will pack up my things for me.”

  “The house is already furnished. You can decide what you want to keep.”

  “From what I’ve seen of the house, there’s probably nothing I want to keep.”

  “Ok, that’s your choice. But I do have one condition.”

  He looked at me with squinty eyes. “What?”

  “No more living on ramen noodles and mac and cheese. You need to learn to cook. You need to eat healthier.”

  “Now that will be an adventure.”

  “I would say that we both have a universe full of adventures to look forward to.”

  One last thing, Please, DO review this book on Amazon.com. Did you like it? Didn’t you like it? Why or why not? I simply cannot grow as an author without your feedback.

  Thank you.

  Tina Anne

  About the Author

  Tina Anne lives in Central Florida with her husband Gary, daughter Alicia, and 15 pound cat Olaf. She also has two adult daughters and four grand children. The family is a big fan of theme parks and visits them as often as possible. In addition, both Tina and her husband have worked at various theme parks over the years.

  Tina has taken two of her loves, mysteries and theme parks and combined them to create the mystery series Theme Park Mysteries. The series take place in a fictional theme park, in a fictional city in Florida.

  You can visit Tina on line at:

  https://www.facebook.com/ThemeParkMysteries

  https://www.amazon.com/author/tinaanne

  http://themeparkmysteries.bravesites.com/

  Other books by the author available on Kindle:

  What to Know, How to Behave, and How to Have Fun at a Theme Park