Read The Good Neighbor Online

Authors: Kimberly A Bettes

Tags: #thriller, #suspense, #mystery, #suspicion, #serial killer, #neighbors, #killer, #pageturner, #neighborhood, #neighbor from hell, #kimberly a bettes

The Good Neighbor (6 page)

BOOK: The Good Neighbor
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I could see in his eyes that he wanted to
kiss me. I noticed his hesitation when we parted, as if he wasn’t
sure if he should or not. I desperately wanted him to. When I’d
seen that he wasn’t going to, I’d been unable to resist the urge to
somehow kiss him. I was afraid that maybe I’d misread him and he
didn’t want to kiss me at all, so I went for another peck on the
cheek. It would do for now.

I fell asleep wondering what it would be like
to have him kiss me.

I awoke a while later to the sound of someone
pounding on my front door. I kicked off the blankets, dashed
downstairs and threw open the door, unable to imagine who this
could be.

“What the hell are you doing pounding on my
door like that so early in the morning?” I asked, infuriated. The
sun was just high enough to lighten the sky. My best guess was it
was about five o’clock. If he woke my kids, I’d kick his ass.

The man standing before me now, clearly
intoxicated, was a stranger to me. He was short, stocky, unshaven,
and he smelled like cigarettes and alcohol.

He swayed backwards, but jerked himself
forward to prevent falling. To keep himself steady, he put one hand
on the door jam. He looked me up and down, smiling broadly. I felt
violated.

Suddenly aware that I wasn’t dressed to
receive company, I crossed my arms over my chest. I wore a camisole
top and a pair of panties, but I still felt naked. It was surely
the way he looked at me as if I were. From the look on his face,
you’d think I was standing there naked, possibly even jumping up
and down.

“Well?” I asked again, angrier.

In a rough voice, he said, “I wanted to come
over and introduce myself. I’m your neighbor, Bernie.” He held out
his hand for me to shake. It was impossible not to notice the dirt
under his fingernails. The tip of each one was dark black. When I
didn’t respond, he continued. “I thought maybe you’d like to come
over sometime and we could...do something.” The way he was looking
at me, made me sick. His eyes, already glassy from the liquor, were
more so now, probably from his disgusting lust. I wasn’t positive,
but I swear I saw his tongue flicker across his lips.

“That’s never going to happen. I don’t want
you to come back over here, Bernie. Goodbye.” I tried to shut the
door, but Bernie threw his foot in the way. A well-worn, scuffed
black cowboy boot jutted through the crack in the door. Had I been
faster, I might’ve gotten it shut before he had time to react and
keep it from closing.

“Just come over once. If you don’t like it,
which I’m sure you will, you don’t have to come back. Promise.” His
words were slurring and he was gently swaying back and forth. Had
he not kept one hand on the door jam, he surely would’ve
fallen.

I was getting ready to throw open the door
and shove Bernie down my front steps, but before I could, Owen was
there.

“Bernie, you need to go home,” Owen said. His
voice was so much deeper and more masculine than Bernie’s, yet it
was also smoother and easier on the ears. “If she doesn’t want you
here, you need to leave. And unless she invites you over, you don’t
need to come back, Bernie. Understand?”

Bernie only grunted and stumbled his way
across the porch, nearly fell down the steps, and finally made it
into his yard. He mumbled the whole way, but I couldn’t make it
out.

Owen turned to me. “Are you okay?” I could
see the worry in his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine. A few minutes more and I
don’t know if would’ve been able to say the same thing, though.
Thanks for showing up so fast.” It was nice to have someone look
after me. For so long, I’d only been able to depend upon
myself.

“My pleasure. I couldn’t sleep so I got up
early today, fortunately.”

“Want to come in?” I asked, hoping he’d say
yes.

 

 

 

9 Owen

I stepped into Carla’s house, trying not to
notice her lack of clothes. It required will power I didn’t think I
possessed. Luckily, she rushed upstairs to get dressed. After
watching her ascend the stairs, wishing things I probably
shouldn’t, I sighed deeply. It was a cold reminder of how long it
had been for me. Not just sexually, but since I’d even seen a woman
that close to being naked. I felt guilty for having any type of
sexual thoughts about her. I didn’t want to ruin our chances of a
great relationship by being a pervert. That would be stupid.

A few minutes later, she returned, dressed in
jeans and a t-shirt. Still sexy as hell.

“So I see you’ve met Bernie,” I said
jokingly. “What’d you think?”

“Nice guy,” she said sarcastically. “Hope he
visits more often.”

She plopped down on the couch and patted the
cushion beside her. Obediently, I sat next to her.

“Do you want coffee or anything? I know it’s
early.”

I declined the coffee. Apparently neither of
us required caffeine in the morning to get going. We talked about
that for a while, and then the subject returned to Bernie. I
promised to do all I could to make sure Bernie didn’t bother her
anymore. That seemed to make her happy, so I added ‘unless you want
him to visit’, which made her laugh. She had a beautiful smile and
a warm laugh. I couldn’t get enough of either.

Before I really knew what was happening, she
moved around until her head was resting on my shoulder. She eased
her hand into mine and left it there. She asked if it bothered me,
as if that were even possible. I loved it. I didn’t tell her that,
though. I just told her I didn’t mind. I couldn’t have her knowing
how much I craved the feel of her skin on mine. At least not
yet.

I spent most of the day at her place. We
talked, we played with the kids, we finished unpacking. It was a
great day. In the evening, I found it difficult to leave. I wanted
to stay, to curl up on the couch – or bed – with her and share
everything.

But all things must end. I made sure the
windows and doors were locked before I left. We programmed my phone
number into her phone, so the push of one button would summon me.
Neither of us trusted Bernie. Neither of us really had a reason not
to, but we’d both picked up on the same vibe and it wasn’t a
trustworthy one. I let her know that if she needed me for any
reason, I could be here in seconds.

I walked home slowly, taking note of Bernie’s
place. Sure, I’d seen it a million times, but I’d never really
looked at it before. But I did now, as I walked slowly passed his
house, never taking my eyes off his residence. I didn’t even watch
where I was walking. It was a good thing there were no open
manholes, or I would’ve been a goner.

His grass was higher than it should be and
had a few beer cans strewn about. His older model car sat in the
driveway as unmaintained as ever. I’m not sure it had any hubcaps
at all. Rust had begun showing in spots, and the back door on the
driver’s side was missing the handle. In his drunken state, he’d
parked it in a sloppy manner. Seeing it parked that way and knowing
it was because he was drunk reminded me of the way he acted at
Carla’s. I was furious with him.

Bernie’s house was exactly the kind of house
I pictured someone like him occupying. Shabby, unkempt. Judging
from the outside, I could only guess the inside to be filthy.
Bernie did nothing to make anyone think otherwise. He was a
slovenly person. He was disgusting by nature. Both his personal
hygiene and his social etiquette left a lot to be desired. I could
smell the filth from the sidewalk.

I’d never paid this much attention to Bernie
before. I wasn’t sure why I was now, other than the vile way he’d
treated Carla earlier. He’d lived on this street longer than I had,
and I’d only talked to him once, back when Holly and I were moving
in. I knew from just the one time talking to him that I didn’t like
him. I’d never been able to put my finger on the reason, but I just
knew there something about him I didn’t like. Holly hadn’t liked
him, either. She said he gave her the creeps. It was the way he
looked at her when she was outside that made her feel that way. I
never knew what had done it for me.

I only knew two things. One, he physically
repulsed me.

And two, he wanted Carla.

 

 

 

10 Andy

“Andy, what are you doing?” Jill asked.

Without moving from my position at the
window, I said, “Nothing.”

“You’ve been standing there for like ten
minutes. What’re you looking at?” She walked over and stood beside
me, craning her neck to see around me.

“Owen. He’s just standing there, in front of
Bernie’s house.”

“For ten minutes?” Jill asked, as if I’d been
standing over here, peeking through the curtains for nothing.

“Yes, dear, ten minutes. He’s just standing
there. Staring.” Though Jill had already lost interest and walked
away, I had not. I couldn’t figure out what he was doing. It was
creepy. It looked like something out of a horror movie. A man,
standing perfectly still under the pale streetlamp light, staring
at the front of someone’s house.

Creepy.

“What do you think he’s doing out there,
Andy?” Jill was feigning interest, I could tell. She was flipping
through a magazine, only humoring me with her questions. Without
looking at her, I knew the expression she had on her face. Her
eyebrows were raised, the corners of her mouth tight. I also knew
that she hadn’t even looked up from the magazine as she’d asked
about Owen. I knew her like the back of my hand.

“He’s probably on his way back from
Carla’s.”

“You know, you sound a little jealous about
that.”

She was right. I had said that with more
venom than I’d intended. I couldn’t help it. I’d spoken before I’d
had a chance to construct my words properly.

“I am jealous.”

Jill gasped.

“Not of Carla, babe. Of Owen.”

Jill gasped twice. “Andy, I had no idea. I
think we need to talk,” she kidded, as though I’d meant I had a
thing for Owen.

“Funny, babe.” I let the curtains fall closed
and walked away from the window. “It’s just that since he’s been
seeing her, I never get to see him. It’s been a couple of days
since we’ve talked. Did you know that?”

Her jaw fell open. In an overly sarcastic
tone, she said, “I’ll alert the media. This can’t continue to go
on.” She jumped from her chair and ran for the phone. Before she
got to it, I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down on to my
lap in the chair she’d just emptied.

“You know what I mean. We talk every day.
It’s weird not talking to him. I miss him.”

Jill stared lovingly into my eyes and said,
“Suck it up. You still have me.” She kissed me on the cheek quickly
and got up from my lap.

“That’s part of the problem, babe. Who do you
think I bitch about you to?” I said jokingly as I assumed my
position at the window. “Hmm. He’s gone now.” I scanned the street,
but didn’t see him.

I kissed Jill goodbye and headed out a little
earlier than usual. I was hoping to catch Owen on the porch. I
wasn’t kidding about missing him. He was my best friend. I enjoyed
his company. I liked the way we teased each other. It made life
easier to deal with and it made the days go faster.

Sure enough, he was sitting on his porch.
Nothing unusual about that. It was unusual, however, for him to be
staring at Bernie’s house. I watched him for a moment, realizing he
had no idea I was outside. I turned and looked at Bernie’s house,
but saw nothing out of the ordinary, if you can call Bernie’s house
ordinary. I looked back at Owen, but his look hadn’t changed. He
was glaring. I’d thought for a second that maybe he was looking at
Carla’s house, but when I saw the glare, I knew that wasn’t the
case.

I had to know.

I walked over as usual and took the chair
beside Owen.

“Hey, Andy.” He sounded no different.

“What’s up?”

“Not much.”

I sensed he didn’t want to talk much, but I
did.

“So, have you been learning anything about
Jenson? Ready to follow him yet?” I laughed a little to try to
lighten the mood, but I knew it had sounded as fake as it felt.

“I have a few j’s on my calendar. Haven’t
seen him much the past couple days. I’ve been busy.” Whatever it
was about Bernie’s house that held his attention let go, and he
returned to normal Owen.

I decided to prod a bit. “What’s going on
with you and Bernie?”

“He was over at Carla’s at five this morning
beating on her door. She tried to close it on him, but he wasn’t
going to leave.”

“You were out here that early?” It wasn’t
like Owen to be up so early. He’d always preferred to stay up late
and sleep late.

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep.”

“Good thing, I guess. If you weren’t out
here, who knows, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, who knows.”

I was just about to change the subject when
Jenson’s porch light came on and his front door opened.

Owen and I looked at each other, then quickly
back at Jenson’s house.

“Surely not...” I said.

We watched as Jenson brought out a trash bag.
This time, it was white, and he was carrying it as if it weighed
nothing. He carried it to the end of his sidewalk, put it in his
trashcan, and went back inside.

We sat in silence long after he’d closed the
door and extinguished the porch light.

Finally, I said, “What do you suppose is in
that bag?”

Owen, not skipping a beat, said, “Trash.”

Growing excited, I said, “Let’s go look.”

Owen looked at me, puzzled. “You want to go
dig through an old man’s trash? I don’t think Jill gives you enough
chores to keep you busy.”

“You know you want to just as much as I do.
I’m more curious now than ever. Aren’t you?”

After a brief hesitation, Owen agreed.

“Alright. We’ll wait a while, and then we’ll
go. We don’t want to be seen digging through the trash.” I sat
back, clasping my hands across my torso, elbows on the arms of the
chair. I crossed my feet, settling in for the wait.

BOOK: The Good Neighbor
9.07Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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