Illusion of Luck (20 page)

“
Sorry,” said Greg. A
client? Is that what they call them these days?

Greg and Sandy looked to each other for
direction. But before either of them could say anything, Rebecca
got out of the car and ran at Door 110. Sandy jumped out of the
way. She burst the door open, and then turned on the light. Greg
and Sandy followed her in.

They looked around for clues that Larry and
Cynthia had been there. Nothing had been left behind.

Greg walked over the bed and bent down to
smell the bedspread.

Sandy cringed. “What are you doing,
Man?”

“
Cynthia was here. I can
smell her perfume.” He felt the bed. “It’s still warm.”

“
Well, at least we know
she’s still alive,” said Rebecca.

“
Yeah, but we don’t know
where they went,” said Sandy.

“
Let’s go back to The
Woodlands,” said Rebecca. “Hopefully, he’s taking her to the
apartment.”

Greg had tried not to think about how
frightened Cynthia must be. Because when he did, it made him sick
to his stomach. Cynthia was his wife. It was his job to protect
her. He was a total failure as a husband.

Chapter
26

Rebecca got out of the car to check Larry’s
apartment. In two minutes she was back. “They’re not here. He
probably saw the broken window and took off. If he even came back
here at all.”

“
Great,” said Greg. “If he knows
we’re on to him, he’ll be more careful. And we may never find
him.”

“
Yeah. But I don’t think he’s been
back. Why don’t you and Sandy stay here and watch for him while I
drive to the coffee shop and check his web page.”

“
Okay.”

Greg and Sandy got out of the car and sat on the
curb at the back of the parking lot.

Rebecca drove to the nearby coffee shop, bought a
cup of coffee, and powered up her laptop. She was excited to see
that Larry had posted a new chapter. Funny that he would take the
time to write at 11:00 PM while on the run, she thought.

In previous chapters, Larry’s alter ego, Barry
Undermine, had accurately described what Larry had been doing or
was planning to do. But this time he had fictionalized. He told
about meeting a beautiful woman in a motel while having his redhead
in the next room. That much was true.

But then he went on to detail the woman’s insatiable
appetite for sex. And he painted himself as one of those shirtless
hunks you see on the cover of a romance novel. But, in spite of his
considerable strength and endurance, he could barely keep up with
her. She told him she didn’t know what had come over her. Never
before had her passion been so…voracious.

Rebecca had to admit it—Larry was a talented
liar.

He talked about how he had succeeded in making his
redhead jealous. And now he would take her home and she would be
eager to help him reenact their first night together.

Rebecca wondered what
home
he was referring
to. And what would they be reenacting? Sex in the back seat of his
car? Probably just more fiction, she thought.

Time for further research on Larry. Was it possible
that Larry and Cynthia grew up in the same town? She remembered
Greg saying Cynthia’s mom, Beverly, had recently moved in with her
daughter. He hoped it would work with the three of them living in
the same house. Beverly had moved from Marshall.

She called Greg’s cell. “Hey, Greg. Did Cynthia grow
up in Marshall?”

“
Yeah. Why?”

“
What’s her maiden name?”

“
Sonora.”

“
Thanks.”

“
Wait. Why are you asking this
stuff?”

“
Just a hunch. I’ll tell you later.
Bye.”

She googled ‘Cynthia Sonora Marshall Texas’ and all
she got was the wedding announcement in the Marshall News
Messenger. So, she decided to search the paper’s archives.

She got several hits having to do with Cynthia’s
work at the bank and one announcing the marriage to her first
husband. Then she spotted a very old article featuring the high
school cheerleading squad. Cute picture, she thought. Wonder if
Greg’s seen this?

Rebecca searched the archives for ‘Larry Luzor,’ and
was shocked by what she found. Larry was the hero of a big
football game. The clock had run out when he made the
game-winning catch in the end zone.

Unbelievable, thought Rebecca. He didn’t seem like
the type. She read further.

This reporter has never witnessed a luckier
catch. Larry Luzor, who had previously seen virtually no playing
time this year, was wide open in the end zone. Yet the quarterback
hesitated to pass him the ball. But just as he was about to be
sacked, he fired the ball to Larry, who inexplicably bowed his head
at the last second, causing the ball to hit his helmet and ricochet
into the air.

When the football came down, Larry fumbled
around with it for a second before he tripped and fell down.
Honestly, I don’t think he ever had possession. But the ref called
it good, and now the locals are calling Larry a hero.

I prefer to call him ‘Lucky Larry.’

Rebecca grabbed her laptop, hurried to the car, and
drove away. She called Greg’s cell. “I’m coming to pick y’all
up.”

“
Why? What did you find
out?”

“
They went to the same high
school.”

“
Who?”

“
Cynthia and Larry.”

“
You’re kidding. He grew up in
Marshall?”

“
Yeah, and I’m pretty sure that’s
where they’re headed right now.”

“
Why do you think that?”

“
See the headlights coming toward
you? That’s me. I’ll explain on the way.”

**********

“
Very sexy. But it still doesn’t
look like a cheerleader’s outfit,” said Larry. “We need some kind
of little skirt to go over it.”

Larry looked around for assistance. “This Wal-Mart
needs to hire more people.”

“
It’s two o’clock in the morning,”
said Cynthia. She was glad nobody else was there to see her
standing in the aisle, modeling the skimpy ensemble he had put
together.

He rummaged through the racks. “Here’s something.”
He held out a mini-skirt. “Try it on.”

She started to walk toward the dressing room.

“
No. Just put it on right
here.”

Cynthia pulled the short skirt up under the longer
one she was wearing.

He lifted the outer skirt to take a peek. “Perfect.
Now go change so we can get out of here.”

Larry picked up the heavy duty work flashlights and
batteries he had already selected. Finally, he would get to enjoy
the special night he had always dreamed of.

**********

Crow should have been sleepy. He was an ‘early to
bed, early to rise’ kind of guy. In the grocery business, you
had
to be. But he couldn’t stop looking at her face. He
was sitting on Chaucey’s couch. She was lying across it, wrapped in
the afghan, with her head resting in his lap.

In the one year Crow had known her, she had become
so important to him. Oxygen, water, food, and Chaucey—in that
order. And the first three wouldn’t matter if he ever lost the
fourth.

He wanted to bend down and kiss her, but he
couldn’t. It would not be right to take advantage of her while she
was sleeping, he thought. So, he would just go on admiring her
pretty face. Occasionally he glanced at the rest of her body. But
he would not ogle her.

He wished he could track down Barry Undermine and
teach him a lesson he’d never forget.

His eyes made another quick pass from her head to
her toes and back, but this time he lingered a little too long at
the lovely twin bumps.

“
Hey there,” said Chaucey in a soft,
hoarse voice.

“
Hi.” His face turned bright
red.

She smiled. “What time is it?”

He checked his watch. “2:20.”

“
Aren’t you sleepy?”

“
No, not really.”

She sat up. “Well, you need to go to bed. Don’t you
have to get up early for work?”

“
No. I’m off tomorrow.”

“
Well, you still need to get some
sleep. So, go on home. I’m fine now.”

“
Okay.” He got up and walked to the
door. “Aren’t you worried about this?”

Her door had suffered major damage when he had
knocked it down earlier. There was no way to reattach it to the
door frame—much less lock it.

“
Well…”

“
Come over and sleep in my bed. I’ll
sleep on the couch. I don’t want you staying here with no
door.”

Chaucey thought about it for a second. “Thanks. I’ll
do that.”

“
And don’t worry—I won’t bother
you.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “I know.” She put
her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

It was the first time he’d ever felt that she fully
understood how much he cared for her.

**********

It was nearly 4:00 AM on Monday morning, and they
were thirty miles from Marshall. Larry had taken Highway 59 all the
way from Sugar Land.

Good, he thought. There was enough nighttime
remaining for the reenactment. The memories were so clear.

Cynthia was on the sideline in her cheerleader
suit, jumping around with the other girls on the red gravel running
track. Her little skirt flipped up every time she jumped. Her legs
and arms glistened with sweet perspiration in the bright
lights.

Longview’s defense foolishly ignored Larry,
allowing him to run right past them. He was wide open, in the
center of the end zone. The home crowd held their breath as the
quarterback released the ball just before being tackled. And, in a
moment of glory that would be remembered by Marshallites forever,
Lawrence Igby Luzor caught the pass and won the game!

The bleachers erupted in cheers, whistles, and
screams. The mass of people flowed out onto the field like hot
lava. Larry was surrounded by his new fans.

It was an amazing night. And it had been
perfect—almost. Now he would replay that night with his own
alternate ending.

As soon as he made the winning catch, everybody in
the stands would cheer, but stay in their places. Cynthia would run
out to him with a big smile on her face and jump into his arms. He
would throw off his helmet and give her a long, wet kiss. Then she
would lie down on the grass, flip up her skirt and wink at him.

The 9,000 people in attendance would continue to
whistle and cheer as he and Cynthia rocked and rolled all over the
field. Then Cynthia would jump up and proclaim him the greatest
lover in the world.

He had now accepted the reality that he could never
make Cynthia love him. But he could make her
pretend
to
love him at least once. At least tonight.

Chapter
27

Cynthia changed clothes in the car while
Larry stood a few yards away. She was surprised he hadn’t insisted
on watching.

He pointed one of the heavy duty flashlights
toward her as she got out of the Jaguar.

“
Very nice,” he
said.

“
What are we doing here,
Larry?”

“
We’re going to relive the
night of the game.”

Yes,
the
game, she thought. It was
the
only
memorable football game for Larry.

He led her down the running track to the
ten-yard line.

“
Okay, you’ll be right here
doing your cheers.” Larry dug the back end of the heavy duty
flashlight into the ground until the beam was directed at
her.

“
It’s been 12 years since
high school. I don’t remember any of the cheers.”

“
I don’t believe you, but I
figured you’d say that. So, I brought this.”

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket
and unfolded it. “Here you go.”

She read over the two cheers.

Cheer No. 1:

Okay, let’s go. (clap hands & stomp
feet)
Okay, let’s go. (clap hands & stomp feet)
We are the Mavericks
We’re in control. (clap hands & stomp feet)
Okay, let’s go. (clap hands & stomp feet)
Okay, let’s go. (clap hands & stomp feet)
The mighty Marshall Mavericks
Will put on a show. (clap hands & stomp feet)
Gooooooooooooo Mavs! (stomp feet like crazy)

Cheer No. 2:

We’re gonna crank you,
We’re gonna spank you.
Look out now, (clap, clap)
Look out now. (clap, clap)
We’re gonna flip you,
We’re gonna rip you.
Look out now, (clap, clap)
Look out now. (clap, clap)
(clap, clap, clap, clap, clap)
When your head is getting’ starry
You’ll be thinkin’ that you’re sorry
That you e- (clap) ven (clap) came. (clap, clap, clap)
You’ll be runnin’ home to mommie,
Go to bed in your pajamies to forget (clap) this (clap) game.
(clap, clap, clap)

“
We never did this second
one,” she said.

“
I wrote that one myself.
So, I’ll be on the field, and after you’ve done the two cheers I
will reenact the famous catch that won the game.”

He’s completely lost it, thought
Cynthia.

“
Then my fans will go crazy
in the stands. And you’ll run out on the field and jump into my
arms and kiss me. Then you’ll get down on the ground and invite me
to have sex with you.”

“
What? No, I
won’t.”

“
And we’ll do it over and
over again—until I’m worn out.”