The_Amazing_Mr._Howard (26 page)

“What now?” she asked, hands on her hips.

He opened the harness. “Put this on.”

“I’ll need your help.”

His neck tingled and the feeling spread across his shoulders. “Here,” he said, pressing the harness against her belly. “Hold it for me.”

Soft warm hands brushed over his as she held the harness. He moved behind her. Five moles on her right shoulder formed a ragged question mark. What was there to question? Everything about her felt so right. He couldn’t wait to be inside her. His hands trembled as he fastened the hooks.

“Does it fit all right? Is it comfortable?” He stood before her. The harness pushed her breasts up and tiny purple veins around her nipples swelled with blood. His hands thrust forward and seized her breasts. He squeezed and released her skin, over and over, a muted coo escaping her throat. He took a breast in his mouth, tongue dancing about her firm nipple. Her cooing became a moan. Tiny fingers weaved into his hair. She yanked back his head.

“Get out of your clothes and show me how this thing works.”

He was Superman getting ready to fuck Lois Lane, his clothes flying off as fast as he could remove them. Her left eyebrow arched at the sight of his erect penis. “What?” he asked, sensing disappointment in her eyes.

“Nothing,” she said. “We can make this work.” She climbed onto the bed and tugged on the rope attached to the pulley. “Want to hook me up, lover boy?”

He joined her on the bed, a shiver racing through him as his penis brushed against her thigh. After attaching the harness to the hook on the rope, he brought his mouth to hers. She pushed him away. “Don’t.”

Head down, he scooted away from her. For the second time, heat spread through his cheeks.

“Maybe later,” she said, brushing a hand over his arm. “What’s next?”

He grabbed a handle at the end of the rope and pulled hard.

“Whoa!” she squealed, her body lifting off the bed. He moved the handle from side to side and she flew like an acrobat across the big top. Willard stretched out on the bed, tugging on the rope to make her soar above him. Her stubby arms and legs clawed at the air. He slapped her on the hip, which sent her spinning. “I’m gonna be sick,” she said.

Sitting up, he put out an arm to stop her. They came face to face and she pressed her hands against his cheeks and kissed him. A mischievous grin appeared on her lips. “What else can you do with this thing?”

He lay back down and wiggled around until their hips aligned. Taking his erect penis in his left hand, he positioned it for entry, while his right hand lowered her body over him. She spread her legs and he brought her down on top of him. It took several tries for everything to mesh, but once he figured out where to guide her, he slid inside her easily. He used the rope to lift and lower her, up and down, up and down, like a carousel horse riding a pole. Her mouth hung open as she groaned. His left hand flattened against her lower back to keep her in position, while his right worked the rope to move her. Up and down, up and down, in and out, in and out, her body was trembling and his penis throbbed with the arrival of new blood. A deep ache formed in his right forearm and bicep. He sweated heavily, the bed beneath him wet and cool. Still, he pulled on the rope, blinding hot pain spreading across his brain. And then he came. Tension fled tired muscles and his body relaxed. He let the slack out of the rope slowly. She settled against him, a smile on her bright red lips, sweat glistening on her brow.

“Wow. That was better than I expected.”

“I told you,” he said, feeling proud. She leaned forward to rest her head against his stomach. He raised his chin to look down at her. The sight of her small lumpy body repulsed him, as if she had suddenly transformed into a hideous beast. Everything felt out of kilter. He closed his eyes and gnashed his teeth to fight off the negative feeling taking root in his brain.

“I can’t wait to try it again,” she said, the fingers on her right hand probing his chest.

He continued to clench his teeth as her creepy crawler fingers moved over him. His breathing became rapid. The world closed in around him and he was buried by it.

“Are you all right?”

He forced himself to nod. “Yeah, just give me a minute.” Three quick breaths. Eyes open, he stared at her oversized head, like a jack-o-lantern smiling at the person who carved it. He had in fact created her from the depths of his desire, from the part of him that lived in the shadowed corridors of a dream. He was Frankenstein; only Frankenstein didn’t screw his monster. “I’m feeling better, thanks.”

She pushed onto her elbows to stare into his eyes. “For a second there, I thought you were having a heart attack. I know I’m a good fuck, but come on.”

A good fuck? Ha, I’d rather stick my dick in a toaster and watch it fry than fuck you again.
“Yeah, you’re something special.”

She smiled at his words.

“My daddy used to say I was special.” She rested her head on his stomach and sighed. “He said I was his little princess.”

Little all right, not sure about the princess part.

“Daddy worked as a clown for the Magnus Brothers Circus.”

What a surprise.

“Mama was part of the horse act. Sometimes she joined the clowns. Circus life was fun when I was young. I’d go and visit The Amazing Armando in his trailer. He swallowed swords and breathed fire. Armando used to poke marshmallows on a stick and breathe fire to roast them for me.”

I’ll bet he poked more than marshmallows.

She sighed again. “As I got older, the circus became boring. I’d stare at the kids in the crowd and wanted to be like them, with a regular home, and friends who weren’t adults. Daddy and Mama tried to give me a normal life, but there’s nothing normal about a circus. I was the typical teenager, rebellious as hell. I discovered at thirteen I could make more money in a week giving blow jobs than my parents earned in a month. I really earned big bucks when I let men screw me. Why do guys find dwarfs so attractive?”

I’m not the one to be asking that question.

“When Daddy found out about my evil ways, he beat me real good in the name of Jesus, so I ran away on my sixteenth birthday. Seemed like the thing to do at the time. Life on the road for a runaway dwarf ain’t easy. I learned to use my condition to my advantage, like I had at the circus. It hurts to be laughed at. I mean, I have feelings too, they’re just inside a really small body. I fell in love with the same boys the normal girls liked, only, I didn’t have a chance in Hell of them falling in love with me. Oh, they loved banging me just fine, or tossing me to their drunken friends like I was a beach ball. But that was all I was good for. A dwarf’s life is lonely. Even if we hook up with other dwarfs, there seems to be something missing. It’s as if God wanted us punished for some unaccountable sin.”

She pulled at his chest hairs. “I considered being a nun, but I like sex too much. Maybe that’s my sin. Anyway, I took some classes at the community college, learned how to use a computer. Things are a little better now. I met a dwarf who says he loves me. Larry is all right, I suppose, but he’s not very exciting. He’s one hundred percent dwarf if you know what I mean. So, I posted my ad on the swinger’s website looking for adventure, and boy, did I ever find it with you. This crazy thing of yours is kind of fun.” She pulled one of his hairs hard.

“Ouch, that hurt.”

“Sorry,” she said, letting go. “Had to make sure you were still alive. You sure are a quiet one. Here, I’ve gone and told you my life story, and I don’t know anything about you.”

His entire body tensed. “What did you say?”

Her eyebrows pushed inward to form a V. “I said I’ve told you my life story, but I don’t know anything about you.”

He grabbed her waist and tossed her aside. “Son of a bitch.”

“Hey,” she said, pushing onto her knees. “What was that for?”

Willard rolled off the bed and stood. “He keeps them for a week before killing them in order to get information.”

“What are you talking about?”

He pounded a fist against his forehead. “Mr. Howard. He kidnaps the girls and holds them at his house because he needs time to learn about their lives. He needs to know everything about them in order to make us think he’s a real psychic. He could lead us to their bodies, but not to a killer, because he is the killer.”

“Are you some kind of cop?”

He climbed onto the bed and clutched her shoulders, squeezing so hard, she winced. “The forensic entomologist said she’d been dead three weeks. I never could figure out why he kept her alive for a week until now. I know your life story because you’re here to tell me. I know about life in the circus and how you gave men blow jobs, and took a beating for Christ. Son of a bitch, I can’t believe I didn’t see it until now, and the sad part is no one will listen to me.”

He released his hold and massaged his brow. “The bastard is going to kill again unless someone stops him, and with his history of assisting us, he knows he’ll never get arrested. There must be some way to prove he killed Stephanie Coldstone. I have to think.”

“While you’re thinking, would you mind unhooking me? It’s time for me to go.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” he said and went to work unfastening the harness. He quickly popped open the hooks. She took a deep breath when the harness came off.

“Thanks for whatever,” she said, gathering her clothes. “Maybe we can get… no, I don’t think so.” When dressed, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

He gestured toward the door with his chin. “Bye.”

She huffed and stomped from the room. The front door slammed and he stretched out on the damp bed. The shadow of the rope swayed across the ceiling like a cobra responding to the hypnotic call of a snake charmer’s pungi.

Fucking a dwarf, I must be out of my mind. Next time, I’ll do Siamese twins. Can Siamese twins even fuck? I guess it depends on where they’re attached. But first, I’ve got to do something about Mr. Howard. Maybe, I’ll drive a wooden stake through the bastard’s heart. Then I can find those twins.

***

It was nearly five o ‘clock when he arrived home to a dark house. After unlocking the front door, he poked his head inside and gave a hearty, “Hello, anyone home?”

No response.

“Where are those little shits?” he said, walking to the kitchen. He prepared a turkey sandwich, grabbed a bag of chips, a diet soda, and headed to his office. Inside, he sat the plate on his desk, an uneasy feeling in his gut as he pondered the silent house. Dave and Margo hadn’t made plans to visit friends and it wasn’t like them to go behind his back on anything. He left the office and walked down the hallway to check their rooms. Empty. “This is so weird,” he said, returning to the office.

As he ate the sandwich, he mused over Mr. Howard. There must be a way to prove the son of a bitch killed Stephanie Coldstone.

How?

He needed evidence. Of course he needed evidence.

Stupid.

But where to find it? The professor’s house? That’s where he would have held Stephanie. That’s where he drew her blood. There had to be something. Bodily fluids? The needle he used on her arm? Wait a minute, he took her necklace. Yes, that’s what he would find if he could get inside Mr. Howard’s mansion. Wouldn’t work though. No judge was going to give him a search warrant based on a hunch.

Damn.

To put Mr. Howard out of his mind, he remembered his encounter with the dwarf. Time had softened his opinion of her and her lumpy little body. Truth was she could ride his cock anytime she wanted. Not that she would want to after the way he treated her. He went on the swinger’s website and stared at her profile for a long time. What was her name? He never bothered asking. He had a mind to email her an apology. Beg her to give him another chance. Or should he…?

Wait, what was this, real Siamese twins, and they were from Siam no less. Glory to God and praise Jesus. He’d hit the jackpot. Two heads, one body. Perfect for what he needed. Maybe he could build a bigger harness. Shit, he’d need to really work out to hoist their weight. To hell with that, he’d be happy just to tag em on the bed. Talk about multiple orgasms. He went to work typing a message. Halfway through, the phone rang.

“How could you?” a tearful voice asked.

“Doris?”

“Hell yes it’s me. Who where you expecting?”

“Obviously, not you,” he said.

“Why didn’t you come to see me?”

He groaned, already tired of this conversation. “I saw you last night.”

“Why didn’t you come today? Don’t you care about me?”

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“Now don’t take on like that, Doris. It can’t be good for your heart. Truth is I had to work today.”

“On Saturday?”

“Yeah, important case.”

The sound of her sniffling came through the receiver. “You shouldn’t beat Margo.”

He pushed forward in the chair. “Who told you that?”

“Who do you think?”

“The kids came to see you? I told them to wait, the little brats.”

“They were concerned about their mama.”

“Yeah, right. They’re just pissed because I told ’em to go on a diet. Fat little monsters. You want ’em to end up in the hospital like you? Can’t you see what you’re doing to them with all the sweets and junk food? Jesus Christ, Doris, can’t you see what you were doing to yourself? Don’t tell me you couldn’t see your reflection in the mirror, or are you too damn embarrassed to look at yourself?”

“Dad, stop being so mean!”

A low growl escaped his throat. “Get off the phone, Margo.”

“Why wouldn’t you bring us to see Mom?”

“Put your mother back on the line or I’m going to whip your butt so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a week.”

“Dad says he’s going to beat me again,” Margo said, her voice distant.

“Hand me that phone,” Doris said. “Don’t you dare talk to our daughter that way. Now she’s crying again.”

“Good. I meant every word I said.” He looked at the clock. “I’ll be at the hospital in twenty minutes to pick up the kids. Tell them to be waiting at the entrance.”