The Girl in White Pajamas Read online

  After thinking for a moment, Isabella said, “Yes, we were. We were there and we talked to…what was his name Da-dee?”

  “Matt. Matt MacDonald.”

  “Just like McDonald’s. He laughed and Da-dee said we had to go to Da-dee’s work. Jesus and Ken and I were kick boxing. Do you want to see me kick box?”

  “Sure. After dinner,” Bailey said with no enthusiasm and an ashen-colored face.

  After the meal, Isabella concentrated as she bent her elbows and put her small fists in the air on either side of her face. She did some jabs then did kicks with each leg as she spun in a full circle. When her face was red from exertion, Bailey stood up and clapped. “That was great!” Before Isabella could protest, Bailey added, “Bath time.”

  Disappointed that her performance had been cut short, Isabella said, “I want Da-dee to give me a bath.”

  Bailey nodded and walked to her computer. After Isabella had been bathed, bid good-night by her mother and read a story, Bogie walked back down to the kitchen. As he started to clean up, he realized that Kim had found her way to the back yard while he was upstairs. She returned while he was loading the dishwasher and headed straight for her room. ‘We should all have a job like yours,’ Bogie thought as he continued to shut his mouth.

  As Bailey sat at her computer, she hoped Bogie would start checking doors and windows, but he didn’t. Instead, he walked into the dining room and sat down at the table. Bailey turned around, and they stared at each other until he said, “We need to talk.”

  Bogie motioned for her to leave the computer desk and chair in the corner and sit at the table.

  “I really have a lot of work—”

  “You have no work to do. You know it, and I know it.”

  “You’ve been snooping—”

  “This isn’t about ‘snooping’ it’s about lying and deceiving.”

  Bailey got up and went to a chair across from him at the table. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Bud.”

  Her face lost all color. “What about Bud?”

  “You tell me.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”

  “Were you involved with him?”

  Elbows on the table, she held her hands on either side of her head. “Yes. For a short time.”

  “When?”

  “Two...three months ago. I saw him a few times. It was a mistake. I ended it.”

  “Why?”

  “I was lonely. He was good-looking, charming.”

  “I didn’t ask why you fucked him. I asked why you broke it off.”

  Bailey’s nostrils flared. “Don’t you talk to me like that! I’m sure you were celibate the past four years!”

  “No, as a matter of fact, I wasn’t; but we’re talking about you…now. Why’d you break it off?”

  “He was pushy, controlling. Once he started slapping me.” She pushed a tear off her cheek. “I called the Weston Police.”

  “When was that?”

  “I don’t know, sometime in March.”

  “Did they come here?” Bogie asked.

  “Yes, but Jack and George heard me scream and came through the cellar. They made him leave. When the cops got here, I told them it was a misunderstanding and the party involved was gone. I didn’t want to file a complaint. They weren’t happy about that but left when I wouldn’t give them a name.”

  “So you never told them it was a cop who was slapping you around?”

  She shook her head. “Then I started getting phone calls, hang ups, and Fluffy was killed. I thought it was Bud.”

  “Did you call the cops?”

  “No. I had no proof it was him, and it turned out it wasn’t. He was dead, and the calls kept coming and then my car—”

  “Why’d you lie to me?” Bogie demanded.

  She glared at him. “I didn’t lie to you. I asked you for protection because someone was trying to kill me.”

  “And you didn’t think I needed to know anything else?”

  She shook her head.

  “Four years ago, you ripped me a new one telling me what a devious liar I was because I didn’t tell you something. And now you sit here and tell me you did the same thing to me, and I should just shake it off. Is that right?”

  “This is different.”

  “How?”

  “You treated me like a whore! You let me believe you were really married, that you were cheating on your wife. But the whole marriage was a fake. You never told me until they were dead! That child wasn’t even yours!”

  “I told you why I did it. I did it for the money so we’d have something for our future.”

  “You hated your father yet you made a deal with him to marry his girlfriend who was having his kid so she could stay in this country?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was it worth it?”

  “Certainly not for the kid,” Bogie said softly. “She got killed.”

  “You could have told me. I would have understood.”

  “Sure! You hadn’t talked to me for a year, and when I told you I was married, you punched me in the mouth and didn’t talk to me for another year. I’m sure you would have understood!”

  “I offered myself to you, and you rejected me!”

  “I didn’t reject you; I said you were too young.”

  “But she wasn’t?”

  “We’re waaay off point now. Let’s get back to you and Bud.”

  “He was a mistake—a bad mistake.”

  “And now he’s dead.”

  She looked at him with shock. “And you think I—I swear to God I didn’t kill your brother, and Jack didn’t kill your brother. I don’t know who killed your brother!”

  She pushed the chair back, got up from the table, walked over to the computer and shut it off without logging out. As she ran up the stairs, Bogie stared at the wall. Yes, she was a liar; but no, she didn’t kill Bud.

  Having the good sense to stay out of the line of fire, Ken Nguyen, who was the perimeter guard that night, opened the cellar door and saluted Bogie. “Permission to come aboard.”

  Bogie smiled. “I’m going to bed. Thanks for entertaining Isabella this afternoon. Now she thinks she’s Bruce Lee.”

  “She’s going to be a man killer!”

  “Just like her mother!” Bogie muttered.

  ****

  They lay side by side in the dark until Bailey said, “You think I’m a whore.” When Bogie didn’t answer, she said, “I’m not. I’m not a whore!” She turned and faced the wall. The bed shook gently as she cried.

  Bogie reached over to touch her, and she moved away. He rolled over on his side and kissed her shoulder.

  “I’m not a whore,” she cried shakily.

  “Listen, Richard Nixon, I know you’re not!”

  “What?”

  “You know, ‘I’m not a crook’.”

  She elbowed him and moved to the edge of the bed. He sat up and looked over. “About another half inch and you’ll be on the floor.”

  “Just go back to your side and leave me alone.”

  After a long silence, Bogie said, “I don’t think you’re a whore, I never thought that. I’ve done plenty of things in my life that I’m not too proud of, so I’m not in a good position to judge you. We weren’t together. We made no promises and had no commitments. You were free to…”

  She sniffled. “Just like you. I know you had somebody.”

  Surprised she knew, he said, “Yes, I had a companion.”

  “Like a paid companion?”

  Bogie laughed. “No, somebody I escorted to dinners, functions. Amanda called her ‘a friend with benefits’.”

  “Oh! She was okay with that?”

  “Sure, until she decided it was time to ‘bring our relationship up to the next level’.”

  “And you said?”

>   “No, thanks!”

  “Why?”

  “I didn’t love her. I like her, but that’s it.”

  “Where is she now?”

  “In her house in Palm Beach. She lives near me.”

  “That must be awkward! A sad, old woman rejected by you!”

  “She’s not old. Where the hell’d you get that idea?”

  “I don’t know. I just thought Florida…old people…”

  “She’s four years older than me, but I don’t think she’s ready for the glue factory. But then again, since you think I’m an old man, you must consider her a relic.”

  “Stop it already! I shouldn’t have written those things. I’m truly sorry. I didn’t mean…”

  “Then why did you write them?”

  “I was hurt—and so angry with you. I was pregnant and wanted to get married, and you were telling me to wait a year.”

  “You never told me you were pregnant.”

  “I didn’t want you to marry me just because I was pregnant. I wanted you to marry me because–because you loved me.”

  “I did. I wanted to give us a year.”

  “Why? Were you so worried about what people would say?”

  Bogie laughed. “I never did and never will give a rat’s ass what people say.”

  “Then why?”

  “I wanted to find a property in a warm climate—a fixer-upper—and get at least a part of it livable so we could move in. As far as computer work, I could do that anywhere. But you needed some experience. I figured that after a year, you’d know whether you wanted to work for somebody else or have your own practice.”

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me this?”

  “Why didn’t you ever ask?”

  “I thought you’d come back,” she said softly. “I thought you would read the letter and come back and tell me I was wrong.”

  “That was impossible! Mandie gave me the letter on the plane like you asked her to. I read it and had a heart attack.”

  She gasped. “Oh, my God! I didn’t know!”

  “That was the easy part. We were already descending into Palm Beach so there was an ambulance waiting. Poor kid, she was hysterical!”

  “Oh, good God! I’m so sorry. I guess she really hates me now.”

  “Yes, she does. Anyway, while I was in the hospital, I was told my arteries were clogged and my heart was turning to shit. I had to recuperate for a month and then go in for open heart surgery. It was a real bad time. If it hadn’t been for Rose and Annie, I don’t know what I would have done. It was an experience I don’t want to live through again.”

  Bailey lay next to him crying. She turned to face him and moved her hand over the slight scar on his chest. “I’m so sorry. I never knew. I thought you didn’t love…”

  Bogie turned onto his side and held her close. “I thought you were smarter than that.”

  50 TRUTH IN COUPLING

  Florida

  Amanda sat alone on the large leather sofa watching the flat screen TV. The electric shades were closed, cutting off outsiders’ view of the swimming pool, but also the activities of anyone in the lobby. She heard the knock on the glass door and ignored it. When the knock was louder, she called out, “What do you want?”

  Randy answered, “I want to talk to you.”

  “Go away! I don’t feel like talking tonight.”

  “Open the door, Mandie!”

  “No.”

  “If you don’t open the door, I’ll break the glass. Then your father will be really pissed at both of us. Plus the alarms will go off, and the cops will come.”

  Amanda got off the couch, walked over to the security panel, punched in the code and unlocked the door. “What?”

  Randy stood there with that crooked smile and laughing eyes. He walked in, closed the door and held her. “I’ve missed you so much!” he said into her hair.

  She pushed his chest. “Then why didn’t you answer my text messages.”

  “I’ve been working double shifts. When I wasn’t working, I was sleeping.” As she continued to stare at him, he sighed. “And maybe I thought we should just take a breather.”

  “From what?” Amanda asked.

  When he shrugged, she asked again. “From what!?”

  “Well…I thought we were always honest with each other,” Randy said with hesitation.

  “So did I,” Amanda said. “And what changed your mind?” she asked as she walked to the couch and sat down.

  Randy followed her and took a seat on the opposite couch. He sat studying her large brown eyes and full lips. “I told you that I went with this girl in Dayton and broke up with her when I found out she lied to me.”

  Amanda nodded.

  “I have this thing about a couple being totally honest,” Randy said.

  Irritated, Amanda said, “You know, you can get to the point any day now!”

  “You told me the first time you ever had sex was when you were sixteen. Then you told your aunt that you screwed somebody for the answers to a test when you were fourteen. I know you were just a kid and had been through a lot, but you could have told me the truth.”

  Amanda studied him as her breathing got heavier. “I never lied to you. That’s the trouble with listening to gossip. You only hear part of a story.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You could have asked me.” She pulled at the ring on the third finger of her left hand with the thumb and index finger of her right hand. Just as the ring came off her finger, David Letterman announced, “We have a treat for you tonight. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros singing ‘Here’ from their latest album.” As their favorite group started to sing and play, Amanda held out the ring, blinded by the tears streaming down her face. Rather than taking the ring, Randy grabbed her and held her so close she couldn’t move. As the group performed with fiddles, accordions, tambourines and a guitar, the young couple was locked together. When the song finished, Randy held her tight. “I love you, Mandie. I love you with all my heart. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

  Amanda sobbed. Randy pulled off his yellow polo shirt and wiped her tears and had her blow her nose. When she was finally only sniffling, he said, “I love you” and kissed her hard and deep.

  As they started undressing each other while they kissed, Randy said, “You want to take a shower?” He smiled as Amanda covered her face with both hands.

  “You know, I was never so embarrassed in my life,” she said.

  Randy laughed. “You! You should have seen my father! I don’t think he’ll ever get over it! You’re beautiful, he’s old and fat! I swear to God, I couldn’t stop laughing when I found out. I had tears coming down my face. The only thing that stopped me was watching him getting more ticked off by the second. He told me he’d shoot me if I didn’t stop. That did it!”

  51 PLANTING IDEAS

  Boston

  Three men and a woman sat around a table covered with dried coffee ring stains and sticky Pepsi spills. The plain-faced woman ran her hands through her short, gray hair and stared at Matt MacDonald. “And what do you have to support your theory?”asked Debbie Mauser.

  “I haven’t got the evidence yet, but I know for sure it’s her and her brother. We could probably bring in the other fag, too,” Matt answered. “What we need is a search warrant!”

  Mauser glared at him. “We have nothing to take to a judge! We’ll just go in and tell him that MacDonald’s got a feeling. We’re not playing fuck’n Jeopardy, MacDonald! You don’t get to have a theory until you have some evidence. So far there’s not a shred of evidence tying them to the murder. Two attorneys and a fag?! I guess you didn’t get the memo on being politically correct. Unless you know something you’re not sharing with the rest of us, you’ve got shit!” Without another word Debbie Mauser stood up, pushed her chair back and left the room.

  “Cunt!” MacDonald muttered after she was gone.

&nb
sp; *****

  Weston, Massachusetts

  Bogie and Isabella stood over the spot that was Fluffy’s grave. The potted plant was dead, but they had a flat of six different colored tulips. Bogie set the flowers on the ground then asked Isabella, “Are you sure George has the shovel?”

  Isabella nodded. “Kim and I saw him carrying it out of the cellar yesterday. I waved to him from the window.”

  “Where did he take it?” Bogie asked.

  Isabella pointed to the side of the carriage house. “He walked over there with it. Then I couldn’t see him anymore.”

  Bogie took her hand. “Let’s go see if George still has it.”

  After knocking on the small carriage house door twice, it was opened by George who looked like he had been sleeping. His long dark hair was strewn around his face. “Sorry to bother you,” Bogie said. “I just wondered if you still had the shovel.”

  The small amount of coloring in George’s face disappeared. He held onto the door jam. Bogie reached for him. “Are you all right?”

  George nodded. “I just got a bit dizzy. I think I left the shovel out back. I’ll get it for you.”

  “Don’t bother, just tell me where it is. Go sit down!” Bogie insisted.

  Isabella took George’s hand. “I’ll sit with you Uncle George. Call me when we’re going to plant the flowers,” she instructed her father.

  Bogie grinned as he went around the back of the carriage house. He thought, ‘Typical woman! Call me when I can supervise.’

  After he dug six holes and discarded the dead plant, Bogie called Isabella to the gravesite. Pointing to each hole, Isabella told her father which color tulip should be planted. When the flowers were in place, she turned to George and Bogie. “Aren’t we going to say something?”

  Each man mumbled, “Rest in peace, Fluffy.”

  Disappointed, Isabella recited:

  The Owl and the Pussycat

  Went to sea,

  In a beautiful pea-green boat,

  They took some honey,

  And plenty of money,

  Wrapped up in a five pound note.

  And hand in hand,