Remember Me (13 page)

In a panic, the squirming PI began babbling in a hoarse voice he didn’t recognize himself. “Wait,
WAIT!
Look, I’ll tell you anything you want to know! Doc Parker came to me wanting forged documents, he wanted the whole nine yards. Fake ids, a birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, and phony court papers proving she was an orphan. Like I said, he paid me well, and I really needed the money!”
Raidon watched with grim amusement as the bumbling fool pulled a bottle of vodka out of the top drawer of his desk. Not bothering to look for a clean glass in the filthy office, the man turned the bottle up, guzzling it like iced tea on a July afternoon. Pressing his advantage, he said, “Buddy, I suggest you tell the police the truth when they come to question you. Think really hard about what I said.”
Nodding in mute silence, he watched as Raidon got off the desk and left without another word. When he heard the door to the receptionist’s office close, he scurried out of his office frantically and locked it.
Hurrying back to his office, he snatched his cell phone off the desk, dialed a number with trembling fingers, and waited anxiously.
              
*****************************************************
“What do you want?” Martina hissed into the phone receiver, angered that the low-life private eye had interrupted her playtime with her new toy. The escort service she used had found a near dead-ringer for Granger, not as good as the real thing of course, but he would do in a pinch. She was also paying him a good bit extra for things that she knew Granger would never do. Her plan, when she finally landed the man of her dreams, was to train him in the arts of her particular tastes. She knew from sleeping with him before that even though he had a dominant personality, he was gentle in bed, no doubt because of that goody two-shoes bitch Cassandra.
“We’ve got trouble.” Buddy’s worried voice answered. “Granger’s own private investigator just paid me a visit. He knows all about the identification I had done for you and Doctor Parker. He said the cops are involved now, and they’re coming to see me. Listen, I know this guy Raidon, and he doesn’t play around. He’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done, and he’s one persistent, determined son-of-a-bitch. Heh, he was shot a few years back, and the bastard crawled damn near six miles to get to help.”
“
Hold on a minute…" she replied, then rudely shoved the dark haired stud-for-hire off her.
Looking at him for a moment, she thought,
What’s the use? He looks like Granger, but it’s just not the same. I won’t be happy with anyone but the genuine article.
Sitting up suddenly, she snatched her purse off the large ornate dresser, and pulled out several hundred-dollar bills. Tossing them in his general direction, she snapped, “Here, just go, I’m not in the mood anymore.”
Snatching the bills up off the bed hastily, the young man was actually relieved. The woman was too much into pain. The escort agency had warned him that she was freaky, but that had been an understatement, she was straight-up sick. And she had kept calling him Granger, begging him to do things he had only ever read about. When he had gathered all the cash, he made a quick beeline to the bathroom, in a hurry to get dressed and leave before she changed her mind. He wondered how he was going to explain the deep scratches on his arm to his girlfriend. And even if he got away with a white lie such as,
‘the cat did it‘
, it would never explain the huge bite mark on his left buttock. She knew nothing about him working as an escort, he had taken the job only because she was going to school full time, they had a baby together they had to take care of, and his job as a waiter just wasn’t paying all the bills.
When the bathroom door closed Martina turned her attention back to the phone. “Listen, I want you to leave town, now!” she hissed.
His voice, clearly desperate, answered, “Look, if I’m going to have to leave behind my business and my contacts, I’ll need compensation! Tell you what, I’ll leave town and forget everything you and the good doctor had me to do, for thirty thousand.
I think that’s fair, after all, don’t you think Mr. Mortensen would pay handsomely for the information in my possession?" he asked.
“Bullshit, I know what this scumbag is up to. He’s all but blackmailing me outright, and even if I pay, he’ll still sell what he knows to Granger, just to cover his own sorry ass…
she thought.
“But since I like you,” he pressed on, “ I’m willing to make sure he never finds out what I did, including helping your cousin get the woman out of the country.”
With murder in her eyes, she sat in silence for a moment, trying to figure out what to do.
“Alright," she answered slowly and deliberately.
“Give me two days, then come to Brett’s house, about this same time, we’ll take care of you. Just lay low for two days, if you disappear right away it will just bring more suspicion down on you.”
“Till then…” he answered nervously, then the connection was broken.
Placing her phone back on the dresser, she watched as the young man emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, glanced at her nervously, nodded, and left. When she heard the
front door close she sighed and mumbled, “Granger, my love, I’ll get rid of that bitch, so we can finally be together. I know you want me, I KNOW it.”
Getting up from the bed wearily, she grabbed her plush robe from the foot of the bed, slipped it on, then went into her study, which contained a large, well-stocked bar. Pouring herself a stiff belt of brandy, she tossed it back in two gulps, grimacing as her vision blurred momentarily. Pouring another, she sat down on the cushioned stool and began twirling the liquid in her tumbler absent mindedly, thinking back to the first time she had ever laid eyes on the bitch that had seduced and stolen Granger from her:
Pinewood Country Club: Six years earlier
“Martina, I thought you would be chasing after Granger. Didn’t he just return from California?” Sandy Weaver drawled at her with a dreadful, supposed proper southern accent, a weak attempt to hide her backwoods beginnings. Around Sandy sat several more young women, all waiting for an answer.
She could barely maintain her composure as she glared at the bottle- blond. She hated the woman, she was trash that would have been her domestic help if not for the fact her father had hit it big in the scrap metal business. She had no class, and not an ounce of breeding. The only reason she was allowed to mingle with her betters was that her father paid well for their membership in the club, and that had in return allowed her to get her trashy hooks into and marry a wealthy, older doctor.
She looked around the table, and knew in her heart that every last one of them were just waiting for their chance to get at Granger. Even the married ones she believed would leave their husbands for him. A few had already tried, but in the end she always won. Everyone knew that he was hers! After all, his mother approved of their union.
Tipping her head up and looking down her long nose at them, she said, “I’m sure he’ll be here any moment, he knows I would be here. He’ll be coming for me.” Giving them a smug smile, she bragged, “After all, he can’t get enough of me.” She knew this was a lie, the truth was he had actually been avoiding her like the plague lately, but she had to save face somehow. They all nodded in agreement, but something wasn’t right. Some were actually snickering at her, while others nervously glanced at the entrance.
“HMMMM….seems like he got enough of you alright, and got him another little honey now."
Sandy smirked as she nodded towards the entrance.
Turning, her eyes widened in shock, and she blinked several times, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. Standing in the doorway was Granger, looking like he was ready for a GQ photo-shoot. He was dressed to the nines, sporting a dark suit, wearing a crisp white shirt, no tie. At the moment he was chatting it up with the mayor, which was nothing new, someone was always wanting to talk to him, ask for favors, know his secrets. But what WAS
unusual was the breath-takingly beautiful black woman he had his arm wrapped around possessively.
Feeling a sudden, sharp pain in her abdomen, she put a shaking hand on her stomach, hoping she wouldn’t embarrass herself by losing her partially digested lunch. Aware that everyone at the table was now staring at her, she took several deep breaths and hoped she could maintain her outward cool. Inwardly, she was fuming.
“Very nice! They make a very erotic looking couple, wouldn’t you say Martina?” Sandy mocked, with a look on her face that told the world she was enjoying every moment of Martina’s discomfort.
Eyes instantly blazing with fury, she turned to the little tart and snarled, “There’s nothing erotic about her! It’s nothing, she’s probably just a friend of the family. Besides, what could she possibly offer him when he has me?”
“Well, from the looks of it, you’re yesterday’s news, darlin’! Look at the way he’s snuggling up to her. Whatever you were giving him, must not have been all that good.” her nemesis teased, causing the others to giggle nervously, something they had never dared to do before.
Humiliated, she bolted from her chair, then slowly made her towards Granger, stalking him like a jungle cat. As she grew closer she listened carefully as the portly mayor spoke, trying to figure out who the woman was.
“Mr. Mortensen, I’ve got to admit the lady has some interesting ideas on how much the city and schools can save if we put recycling bins in the schools. All we have to do is put collection bins out, that the state will provide for free, and come up with some public advertising campaign encouraging children and parents to donate.
Why, that money could very well pay for repairs that are sorely needed at Bullet Park." the Mayor smiled as brightly as a man on his wedding night.
“Yes, and if you push the recycling program in town as well, you could triple that amount, especially if you and the city
council
would require the recycling of cans, bottles, and plastic.” the black woman smiled up at the Mayor. “I would be happy to help, free of charge of course, if you give forty percent to the community center, and the summer programs we have for children.”
“All right, miss, I’m sold.” he beamed. “Of course we’ll have to run this through the proper channels, but since it’ll be putting money in the city’s pocket, I don’t think there will be a problem. Call me next week, and you and I will work out a plan to present this to them, and the school board.” Handing her a business card, he bid them both a good evening and left.
She ground her teeth as she got a closer look at the woman. Her tightly curled dark hair was done in a puffy afro, and bound by a black hair band, showing all her dark, delicate
features. She was wearing an expensive black designer dress that clung to her body, showing off her full breasts and curvy figure. Despite her instant dislike for the woman, she had to agree, she did look
sexy. ‘Jealousy
burned within her as Granger pulled the woman closer. She had never seen him this affectionate, especially in public. He looked down at the woman, smiled, and said, “Aren’t you glad you came with me? I told you, we’re not as different as you think.”
It took every resource at her command, but she finally managed a smile, stepped forward, and said sweetly, “Granger, darling! Where have you been? How naughty of you to keep me waiting.” To her satisfaction, the smile instantly vanished from the woman’s face, and she took a step back.
Ignoring the frown on his own face, she stepped forward to kiss him. A wave of disappointment and anger washed over her when he held her at arms length and said politely, “Hello, Martina, how are you?”
Not willing concede defeat, she smiled again. Reaching out, she placed her hand over his heart. “Better, much much better, now that you’re home, with me, where you belong.” she purred as she cut her eyes at the dark beauty, who suddenly turned as if to walk away.
Reaching out quickly, Granger took her hand and gently pulled her back beside him. “Martina Shepherd, I would like to introduce you to my…..to Cassandra Ames.”
She nodded coolly as they silently appraised one another, as only women can.
“Well, you must excuse us, we have plans for the evening.” he said as he put his arm around her shoulder again.
“Will I see you tomorrow? Your mother asked me over for dinner.” she replied desperately, not caring if it sounded like she was begging. “You know how close your mother and I are. Why, she considers me her daughter.”
Chuckling, he said, “Well, in that case I guess it’s fortunate for both of us that we’ve never dated, that would make us guilty of incest now, wouldn’t it?”
She felt her face redden in embarrassment as the young black woman quickly looked away and put a hand to her mouth, as if to stifle a giggle.
Her eyes drifted downward as she saw his hand move and came around to rest on the woman’s hip. She looked up at him and the look he was giving the woman, and she knew the look, it was an intimate one that was usually only shared by lovers. Without even looking at her, he murmured, “You have a wonderful time with my mother, but this lovely young lady has agreed to accompany me out of town. Goodnight.”
Turning, they both made their way to the door slowly, and she nearly screamed in frustration and rage when the woman casually rested her head on his strong arm.
‘How
could he go out of town with her!
How could he flaunt her….
HERE
…in front of all my friends!’ she thought, completely enraged.
Turning to go back to her table and undesired dinner companions, she stopped dead in her tracks as she saw that every last one of them were snickering and casting furtive glances in her direction. All of them except Sandy, who was laughing openly.