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 (9 page)

BOOK: The Good Neighbor
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Once I’d drained the life out of those
thoughts, I thought again of Owen. I couldn’t help but notice that
every thought I had of him came with a smile. The two were
synonymous. And that wasn’t such a bad thing.

I made sandwiches for lunch, and the kids and
I had a picnic in the back yard. We spread an old blanket on the
ground under a large oak tree. We ate and talked there in the
shade. I took it all in, memorizing the moment. Their laughter,
their smiles, and the funny faces they made. They were so special
to me.

I threw my head back to laugh at something
Ethan said, and that’s when I saw him. Or at least I thought I saw
him.

Bernie was peeking through the curtains at
us. I swear he was.

I stopped laughing immediately and
concentrated, trying to make him out better in the shadows. I
wanted to be sure. Of course, even if he was looking out the window
at us, what could I do about it? Go over and tell him he couldn’t
look through his own windows? That was crazy.

I couldn’t be sure now if he was there or it
was all shadows. I pushed it out of my mind before the kids noticed
my apprehension. I went back to enjoying the picnic, back to
waiting for Owen.

 

 

 

18 Bernie

I absolutely couldn’t wait to sink my teeth
into the broad next door. I watched her sitting in her back yard
with her brats. It looked like they were having a picnic. I looked
at the clock. It wouldn’t be long now until I had a little picnic
of my own.

I wondered what it would be like, doing her.
I pegged her for a screamer and moaner, and if that was true, it
was going to be a hoot and a holler tonight. I felt the bulge
growing in my underwear and decided to stop thinking of her for a
while. If I wasn’t careful, there wouldn’t be anything to give to
her later.

I smelled my armpits. They stunk. I didn’t
care, but I thought she’d like it better if I didn’t smell so much
like a skunk.

I went to the bathroom, thinking about how
this was going to go down. Sitting on the toilet taking a dump, I
thought of what I’d wear. I didn’t have anything decent. I never
needed anything decent. I never really went anywhere except the
bar. And I had bar clothes. That was my least-stained jeans, a
black button-down shirt that had faded to a dark grey, and scuffed
cowboy boots. Surely, that’d be good enough for her. Besides, I
wasn’t going to wear clothes for long.

I didn’t waste time wiping or flushing. I
jumped in the shower. I remembered a time when there wasn’t mold
and mildew growing in the shower. It was in that other lifetime of
mine.

I never used wash rags. I just scrubbed with
the cracked bar of soap, making sure to give my love nub a good
scrubbing. I used the same soap to wash my hair. I grabbed a stiff
towel off the floor and dried myself with it. Long ago, I would’ve
used a fresh towel. It would’ve smelled clean and been soft on my
skin. That was so long ago, I could barely remember what it had
smelled and felt like. I didn’t care about those things anymore. I
didn’t care about anything anymore.

I wiped some of the dust off the mirror to
better see my reflection. I turned my face left and right,
inspecting it. I could’ve stood to shave, but I didn’t feel like
it. The only problem from not shaving would be the chafing of her
neck and thighs. I didn’t figure she’d mind too much and I didn’t
care at all. I slapped on some after-shave anyway. I rolled on what
little deodorant I had left, not even picking the hairs off it. Who
cared?

I sat on the edge of the bathtub and spread
my legs. This was going to hurt. I used both hands, one on each
side, and squeezed the boil on the inner thigh of my right leg. It
hurt like hell, but it had to be done. I didn’t want to have to
worry about it later.

When the boil popped open, I cussed more than
a little. I grabbed the towel from the floor that I’d dried with
and wiped the blood and pus on it, then threw the towel back on the
floor. It felt better already.

I went to the bedroom to dress. As I walked
past a full-length mirror in my bedroom, I noticed my boner. It
surprised me. I hadn’t even been thinking of the broad. If I didn’t
get her soon, I’d have to take matters into my own hands.

I admired myself in my reflection for a
while. I couldn’t see anything about what I saw that she wouldn’t
like. It was going to be a hell of a night.

I dressed in my bar clothes and went
downstairs. I still had plenty of time before it was time to go
next door. I went into the kitchen and rounded up some food. I was
going to need my strength later. I hoped the can of vegetable soup
I ate straight from the can would give me the strength I needed. If
not, the three beers I washed it down with would.

I sat on the couch and watched TV, trying not
to think of how close I was to getting the broad next door. I
wondered if she was thinking about me as much as I was thinking
about her. Had she showered? Did she shave down there? I was sure
she did. She looked like the type.

Adjusting my jeans, I reminded myself to stop
thinking about that. I had to save it.

I glanced at the clock. I still had a few
hours. Time was going to drag by.

Maybe since I already had my bar clothes on,
it wouldn’t hurt to go to the bar. But what if I got lucky? Would I
still be able to do the broad? I glanced at my bulge and figured I
probably could. But did I want to chance it? What if I was wrong?
I’d hate to waste it on some other bimbo.

I didn’t need the bar. I had beer in the
fridge. I fetched one and drank it. I went back for another, and
guzzled it. I made another trip to the kitchen and grabbed two
more. I had one of them down before I made it back to the couch. I
made one last trip, grabbing only one beer this time. I stood at
the fridge, door open, and gulped it down.

Belching loudly, I walked back to the living
room and sat on the couch. I sighed and leaned my head back. I
watched a cockroach crawl across the ceiling.

Maybe I’d take a little nap. After all, I was
going to need my strength.

 

 

 

19 Jill

I lay on the couch in the fetal position. I
wanted to catch Andy on his way to work. I still didn’t feel well
at all. But I needed to talk to him.

I’d made his dinner and packed his lunch, as
usual. I didn’t put as much effort into it as I usually did,
though. I didn’t have the energy. His lunch was merely a sandwich,
and his dinner was leftover meat loaf from yesterday. I knew he
wouldn’t mind, as meat loaf was his favorite.

He’d fallen asleep before I made it home from
the doctor. I didn’t want to wake him. I watched him sleeping for a
few minutes, and I’d considered crawling into bed beside him and
nestling myself into his warm arms. I had even taken a step toward
the bed. I didn’t act on it, though. He needed his rest.

I made a mental note to tease him about
cuddling with my pillow and went to the couch to sleep. I never
slept during the day, but I was sick and drained of my strength. I
would’ve slept in the guest bedroom, but I didn’t want to miss him
on his way out.

I adjusted the cold, wet wash cloth on my
forehead and tried to find sleep.

 

 

 

20 Owen

I woke at dusk. My internal clock was
completely out of whack. I was confused as to what time it was, or
even what day. Then, I remembered chasing Jenson with Andy
earlier.

I also remembered Carla.

I rushed to shower and dress, not wanting to
keep her waiting. Or me, for that matter. I couldn’t wait to see
her. It felt like it had been forever, though I’d just been at her
house last night.

I thought about grabbing a bite to eat, but I
figured she’d have dinner waiting. Of course, if they had already
eaten, I’d get pretty hungry.

I grabbed a granola bar and gobbled it down,
followed by a glass of milk. That would hold me if I needed it to,
and it wouldn’t make me full if she’d made dinner. That was
middle-of-the-road food. I was covered either way.

I locked the door behind me and headed to
Carla’s in the dark.

On the way, I thought about how I was going
to get my sleep back on schedule. I was fully rested now, and I’d
never be able to sleep tonight. I guessed I’d probably be up when
Andy got home in the morning and we’d go to bed at the same time.
This meant that I’d sleep all day and be up all night tomorrow
night too. This had to stop now before it went on so long it was
impossible to fix. I marveled at Andy’s ability to work swing
shift. I don’t know how he did it.

I walked past Bernie’s house slowly. There
was a flicker through the window, which was unmistakable. He was
watching television. It was odd for Bernie to be home and not at
the bar.

I saw his shadow fall across the curtains. He
was in there, all right. Maybe he was sick. It would serve him
right for scaring the hell out of Carla like that.

I realized my fists were clenched as I
thought of him. I forced them to relax, and I kept walking, putting
Bernie as far out of my mind as I could. I didn’t want to think
about him now. All I wanted to think about was Carla.

Oscar was lying on her porch, as if he
belonged to her. He was probably happier at her house than any
other on the street. She had kids. What dog didn’t like kids? I
patted his head and scratched behind his ears, offering him a few
‘good boys’.

I rang the bell and the door was immediately
jerked open. It was almost as if ringing the bell opened the
door.

Carla was excited to see me, I could tell. It
was in her eyes, in her smile, and in the way she looked at me. The
look on her face matched how I felt. It wasn’t a big surprise when
she bounced forward and threw her arms up around my neck. Without
hesitation, I put my arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.
It felt right, like that’s what we were supposed to do.

It had been so long since I’d hugged anyone.
I’d hugged Holly. Once she was gone, Jill had hugged me a few
times, and even Andy had given me one or two hugs. But those were
sympathy hugs, and they didn’t count.

Though it only lasted a few seconds, the way
Carla hugged me told me several things. First, it let me know she
wanted the hug, because she initiated it. Then, it told me she felt
safe enough and comfortable enough with me to be this close. Next,
it allowed me to see that she was as eager for me to be here as I
was. I didn’t have to feel like I was pushing myself on her by
coming over any more. I knew now that she wanted me here. No more
worrying that I was acting like Bernie. She wanted me.

I loved the way it felt to have her in my
arms, pulled against me where I could protect her and keep her
safe. I closed my eyes, memorizing the softness of her skin and the
smell of her hair.

She closed the door behind me and led me into
the dining room. She apologized for the kids having already eaten.
They had been too hungry to wait for me, but she’d waited. We sat
at the table and ate, mostly in silence. She kept smiling at me and
that more than made up for the lack of conversation. It did puzzle
me that she wasn’t saying much, but when I looked at her, I saw she
was deep in thought. I matched her silence, not wanting to disturb
her.

When we were finished with the pork chops and
had the dishwasher loaded, she took my hand in hers and led me into
the living room where Ethan and Shelby were sitting on the floor
playing a board game. We sat on the couch, watching.

It would be a lie to say I didn’t like the
way her hand felt, still nestled in mine, or the way her skirt
pulled up just enough to show more of her thigh, or better yet, the
way the heat of her thigh felt against mine. Even through my jeans,
her warmth was unavoidable. I couldn’t ignore it. But I had to try.
The kids were only a few feet from us.

After an hour or so, the kids reminded Carla
of her promise to let them watch a movie. She made them each a bowl
of popcorn and a pallet on the floor. She and I remained on the
couch. The movie started and the kids’ attention turned completely
to the screen.

Carla reclaimed her place beside me on the
couch. I could feel her eyes on me throughout most of the animated
film, but I didn’t mind. The kids fell asleep during the movie, but
we left them where they were until it was over. Then, I carried
them upstairs, one at a time. Carla tucked them in and kissed them
goodnight. I waited in the doorway, watching her be a mother.

When she finished, we went down to the
kitchen where she poured us each a glass of wine. I could feel her
eyes following my every move. We drank the first glass of wine in
the kitchen, and the second in the living room, sitting on the
couch.

“It’s getting pretty late. I better let you
get to bed,” I said, standing and walking to the door.

She followed me. “Owen, you don’t have to
go.”

I turned to her, my hand on the door knob. I
was going to tell her that she needed her rest and I didn’t want to
keep her up and I didn’t want to overstay my welcome and she’d been
more than nice enough...but I didn’t say anything. Before I had a
chance to speak, she planted her lips firmly against mine. She held
my face in place with a hand on each cheek, as if she was afraid
I’d pull away.

Surprising me even further was the way she
was kissing me. It wasn’t just a peck. She parted her lips and
filled my mouth with her tongue. Although I was taken aback by her
boldness, I didn’t hesitate to respond appropriately. I kissed her
just as passionately, if not more so, than she kissed me.

We stood there for a while, kissing each
other intensely. I didn’t want to stop. Ever. I could tell she felt
the same way. It was more than the way she was kissing me. It was
the fact that she’d wanted to kiss me so badly, she’d put herself
out there and made the first move. It was the way she wound her
fists in my hair and pulled slightly, just enough to drive me wild.
It was also the way she pressed herself to me tighter, as if no
matter how close we were together, it wasn’t close enough.

BOOK: The Good Neighbor
4.78Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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