Chapter 6-Charleston, SC

Gabe was still admiring the picture of Lacy and her dad when she walked into the living room. She stood silently in the doorway watching him gaze at the picture. She wondered if he was some sort of detective/private investigator the Grossman's had hired to snoop around her place.

Maybe it wasn't a coincidence Rob had shown up. Maybe he had come to warn her that his dad was sending someone to investigate her. She had plenty of skeletons in the closet, but none anyone knew about. Her conscience wasn't as spotless as her record.

"Your tea is served," Lacy crooned in an even thicker southern accent than she really had.

"Why, thank you ma'am," Gabe replied, playing along and taking the tea from her hand. "Is this a picture of you and your father?"

"Yeah, it was taken when I was about 8. It's one of the few pictures I have of he and I. I hate that I lost him when I was 16."

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

"You couldn't have known. It's old news now," Lacy felt her body tense.

"What happened?"

"Car accident. Anyway, what brings you into Charleston this late? And, seriously, why not get a hotel? You don't look like your suffering from lack of funds."

"Honestly? Promise you won't call the cops?"

"Um, no. Not gonna promise that, because I don't know what you're gonna tell me."

"Okaaay, I'll be honest anyway. I just like the thrill of breaking into people's houses and seeing how other people live."

"Seriously? You're kidding right? That's lame."

Gabe put the picture down and brushed by Lacy and flopped down on the couch. "Look I am really tired. So, are you going to let my 'lame' ass stay here for the night, call the cops, or shoot me? We can go over the particulars later. I'd be happy to tell you all about me in the a.m., but for now, I'd really like to get some sleep."

Lacy stared at Gabe, burning a hole right through to the back of his skull. She was trying to figure this guy out. He didn't seem to be lying to her, but she still had a suspicious feeling about him. Could she trust him to be in her house by himself?

"Tell you what, instead of sleeping on the couch, why don't you sleep with me in my bed?"

"Haha, I've heard of fast, but this is ridiculous!"

"Not like that, moron. I just don't trust you. If you're in bed with me then I know where you are at all times."

"What if I sneak off without you hearing me?"

"Oh, that won't happen." Lacy pulled her .22 caliber pistol from her garter and pointed right between Gabe's eyes. "Why don't we take a walk upstairs?"

Gabe did as he was told. He stood up slowly and made his way out of the living room and down the main hallway towards the back of the house. There was no way he was going to die tonight at the hands of someone as beautiful as Lacy. Normally, he could smooth talk any girl he wanted; except this time he knew there was no way out.

As they climbed the hardwood staircase up to the second floor, Lacy stuck the gun right in the soft spot of his shoulder blade. Gabe knew she was serious about him doing what she said.

"Sit on the bed and slide back to the headboard."

Gabe did as he was told, but he watched Lacy very intently trying to figure out her next move. When he noticed the slats in the headboard, he knew what was coming next. Handcuffs.

Lacy pulled out a set of stainless steel handcuffs and locked Gabe's wrist in on cuff and one of the slats in the other. There was no way out of this predicament.

"Now, to tuck you in," smirked Lacy.

"I think I am already tucked in, thanks."

"Well, get some rest and we will finish this discussion in the morning."

Sitting there in amazement of the turn of events this night had taken, Gabe watched as Lacy slid seductively out of her robe and into the bed, pulling the covers right under her chin.

"Night, John Boy," Lacy said in her "fake" southern accent.

"Night?" Gabe muttered, not quite sure this was really happening.

Within minutes Lacy was fast asleep and Gabe tried to slide down into the bed so he could sleep without sitting up. Unbelievable! I can't believe I'm handcuffed to a bed with a beautiful girl, but nothing's gonna happen. What the hell have I walked into?

While trying to rationalize his situation, Gabe slipped off into a deep slumber.

Chapter 5-The Battery/Charleston

It was about three in the morning when Gabe finally made it into Charleston. The smell of the air was invigorating. Luckily, it was cool enough outside that he had the windows down and the moon roof open; his stereo was still blasting music and he was still singing along. Any other time of day during the summer there would've been no way to roll down the windows. The humidity and heat mad Gabe sweat like a stuck pig on a barbecue pit.

"Now this is where I should be. Forget New York, this is 'my kinda town,'" he half sung half said to himself.

As he drove down the battery he was admiring, actually sizing up, all the houses he passed. He needed to find a place to hunker down for the night and a motel just wouldn't cut it. Having been a master thief for this long, it was easy for him to pick out what houses were simply asleep and what houses were empty.

The old colonial style houses made Gabe think about living in the times in which these houses were built. Life would've been much different and he wondered whether he would have been born into the good life, or if he would still be a thief like he was now. Not that it really mattered, but a different time and a different upbringing and maybe his life would've turned out differently.

These old houses sure are something. Hmmmm, that one on the right up ahead looks like a good pad to crash at for the night.

As Gabe pulled into the driveway he killed the lights to his Lexus. Before breaking into a house he had to make sure his hunch about no one being home was right. Again he had a checklist to go over:

1) Do a lap around the house and peer in windows to see how "lived" in the house looks.
2) Check the mailbox for mail which hadn't been picked up.
3) If possible look in the garage and see if there are any cars inside. (This rule was beginning to deteriorate a lot since garages had now been built with no windows.)
4) See if automatic flood lights come on.

Gabe went through his checklist and there was mail in the mailbox which looked like a week's worth. The house had automatic timers on certain lights in the house and it appeared lived in, but not for a while. There were no cars in the garage. Since this was an older house the garage doors still had windows. However, there were no automatic flood lights which worried him.

Ah, three out of four ain't bad. Now let's see if this house has an alarm system.

Kneeling down to get a better look at the lock, Gabe pulled out his phone for some extra light. He then took out a bobby pin and began twisting it around in the lock. Within minutes he had picked the deadbolt and the door lock to the front door of the house.

Easy, peasy, fresh and squeezey. This is just too easy.

He walked back to his car and pulled out a duffel bag with some clothes and shaving kit in it. He was prepared for a one night stay at whoever's house this was. As he walked back up to the door, he slowly turned the handle just in case he was wrong about the house being empty. There had only been a few times when he'd had to make a run for it because he was wrong.

As he entered the house, he could smell a distinctive polished wood smell and a hint of peroxide in the air.

Smart people. They know how to clean without that bleach smell. Ugh. Wait what is that scent smells like....

Gabe turned to quietly push the door shut and to lock it back. He kept the doorknob turned as he closed the door and released it when it was shut all the way. He then turned the lock on the door and turned the lock in the deadbolt. CLACK!

Dammit!

The noise reverberated down the hallway and there even seemed to be a slight echo. Gabe turned around a was staring straight into the barrel of a shotgun.

"Motherfucker! Whoa! Hold on there a minute!"

Gabe's eyes tried to focus past the end of the shotgun to see who was holding it. In the darkness his eyes adjusted to see a beautiful woman about his age on the other end of the gun.

"Hey, hey now. I know this looks bad, but I can explain."

"You know what? I am really tired of explanations from men this evening. I honestly ought to just blow your brains out right here and not worry another thing about it."

"Um, well, I really don't have an answer for that. I would really prefer you not do that, but if you feel that strongly about it..."

"Oh, shut up. What the hell are you breaking into my house for? And why all the snooping around before you did it?"

"Wait, you saw me snooping around? How come I didn't see you?"

"Cause I'm just as stealthy as you are. And do you really think those door locks would be that easy to pick?"

"What? Are you saying you unlocked the door for me?"

"Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner. I was actually curious as to why you were breaking into my house. So, you're not a rapist and you don't look like you're going to steal anything....and what's with the duffel bag? Planning on staying?"

"Uh, actually, yeah I was planning on that. Staying that is. Could you maybe lower the gun if we're gonna stand here and talk? It's making me a little nervous. I promise I'm not gonna hurt you. I really was just looking for a place to crash for the night."

"You know there are plenty of hotels in this city, right? I mean it is a tourist destination, all though I wish it wasn't."

"Yeah, not big on hotels. Too much money, especially this time of year. It's like price gouging. By the way, my name's Gabe. Now could you lower the shotgun?"

"Hmmm, we seem to be of like minds about the whole tourist thing. My name's Lacy and this house has been in my family since before the Civil War, so sorry if I'm a little overprotective of it. Plus, living by myself I can't be too careful. Why don't you come on in and make yourself comfortable on the sofa. I'm gonna go get something to drink. Care for anything?"

"So, southern hospitality does still exist? Sure, a drink sounds great. Do you have any tea?"

"Sweet or unsweet?"

"Pshhhh, sweet of course. Are you kidding me? Only Yankees drink unsweetened tea."

"Mmmmm, a man after my own heart. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right in."

Gabe made his way down the hallway and walked into the spacious living room. The room was dark, so he cut on a small lamp at the end of the sofa and noticed a picture on the fireplace. He walked over and picked up the picture. In the picture was a man in his mid thirties and a little girl of about 10 years old with features he recognized as Lacy.

Lacy walked into the kitchen and began going through the refrigerator just as she had done earlier. She felt as if she was having a weird sense of deja vu. However, this time it felt a tad bit different. This Gabe guy, even though he had just broken into her house, didn't have the kind of arrogance Rob seemed to have, and he acted as if he was from the South as well, even though his accent wasn't very thick.

Thinking about all of these things, she absentmindedly poured the two glasses of sweet tea and rested the shotgun against the kitchen counters. However, as she made her way back into the living room, she undid her robe ever so slightly just so she could have easier access to the pistol she had tucked next to her right thigh in a garter.

Chapter 4-Charlotte, NC

The large two story colonial brick house was shrouded in darkness. There was but one dim light moving in the upstairs master bedroom. From the street side of the house, no one could see the light, Gabe was sure of it. However, if a person was standing in the woods behind the house they might cause trouble.

Ha, that'll never happen. The only people who would be in those woods this time of night would be teenagers. Plus, they'd be so drunk or high they'd never go to the cops.

Dressing the part of a TV thief, with the black knit cap, the all black shirt, pants, and shoes, and even the black gloves, he knew even if people did see him, they'd never be able to identify him.

Gabe Grace knew how to pick the perfect houses to rob; he'd been doing this for 10 years now and had come up with a few rules:

1) Make sure you know the people aren't going to be home.
2) Stake the place out so you know where the valuables are kept.
3) If possible, get the floor plans of the house.
4) Know exactly what you're going for when you get in the house. This makes your job quicker and easier.
5) Most important of all: Know the people you're robbing. Personally, if possible!

Gabe had known the Harrisons for about six months. That's how long it usually took to get know a family before he could rob them. The good thing was they were away for a nice three week vacation in Bermuda and had asked him to look after their house while they were gone.

The flashlight shown on the far wall near the spacious walk in closet. Beside the door was a large vanity where Misty Harrison always did her make up and pampering before going anywhere, even downstairs. In the vanity, on the left hand side was a large door with a key hole. Before the Harrisons left Gabe had taken Misty's necklace out for a little duplication. The gold key which hung from the gold rope chain was not just the key to her husband's heart, but the key to this vanity as well.

Gold would have been too expensive to make the key in, but Gabe knew a guy who could fashion it out of bronze. It was a perfect duplicate and Misty never even missed the necklace. Unfortunately, there was one thing Gabe didn't count on.

He had never witnessed Misty or her husband Mark open the vanity. The only way he knew about the key and what was in the vanity was because Misty had gotten a little drunk at the Providence Country Club New Year's party and began talking about all the jewelry she could have worn for the 1920's themed event which was stored in her house. Mark had shushed her before she could divulge the value, but Gabe knew it had to be a lot for Mark to shush her.

Once the vanity was unlocked, Gabe realized this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. There was a small safe inside the vanity.

"Shit! What the hell? They aren't this careful with anything. Dammit!"

As much as this frustrated him it was really of no consequence because he was a master safe cracker. He pulled out a stethoscope from his bag and listened very carefully to the click inside the combination style safe. Within moments it was open.

"Hello nurse! Come to poppa."

The jewels inside the safe had to have been from the late 1800's or early 1900's and there were a ton. Ruby necklaces, emerald rings, more gold than he needed.

There must be about two million dollars worth of gold in this safe, he thought.

Knowing how devastated Misty would be at losing her priceless family heirlooms, and the fact they would get all of it back from the insurance company, Gabe only took half of what he saw. One million he knew would be enough to last him for at least a couple of years. He had been doing this long enough to know not to go through money like a hurricane. Spend it nice a slow and act like you don't have a dime, that was his motto.

Of course, as much as he loved Charlotte, his hometown, he knew he had to get away for a while.

Luckily, he had already planned ahead. Two days ago he had called the Harrison's to let them know his grandfather was sick and he was going to have to make a quick trip up to West Virginia. He would leave their house key in the house, go out the garage, and set the alarm system from the keypad beside the garage. The Harrison's wouldn't think a thing of it.

The only thing left to do was to trash the bedroom, do some damage in the living room, and tear up some stuff in Mark's office. He had to make this look like a real break in. Then he had to actually break a door and set off the alarm, and make a clean getaway. He knew the police would take at least five minutes to get to the house. By then he would be on his way down I-77 South.

Once he was outside on the back deck, he kicked in the wood and glass door, shattering the glass and busting the frame of the door. The alarm system went wild. The noise was unbearable. Running to his car out front, one nobody in the neighborhood had seen before, he saw neighbors lights come on, dogs barking, and heard police sirens beginning to wail in the distance.

Jumping into his Lexus hybrid, he pushed the start button and put the car into gear in one swift motion. The car tore out of the neighborhood and was on I-485 just as the police were pulling off of the interstate belt loop which ran around Charlotte.

Easy as pie. I love my life. Now for a nice relaxing ride down to Charleston.

Feeling as though his life was about to change for a reason he couldn't figure out, Gabe clicked on the radio. One of his all-time favorite songs was blasting out of the speakers and he truly felt, on this night, that he was the "King of the Road."

Chapter 3-Atlantic Ocean/Charleston Harbor

Lacy was exhausted from rowing by the time she reached the docks. She looked and felt as if she had really just survived a brutal shark attack.

Slowly climbing out of the boat, she began limping to her car. She fumbled around for her keys and finally opened the car door. With her cell phone she made the all important call to the police.

As soon as she hung up the phone, she sauntered around to the back of the car and popped the trunk. She had to make sure there was no blood, hair, or anything else which could incriminate her as the killer of Rob Grossman.

Of course there was nothing for her to be concerned about. The triple wrapping of Rob's body in garbage bags had been enough. The police would never suspect Lacy of anything.

It helped her cas that the sheriff was coming out to meet her. Sheriff Watson had always helped Lacy through difficult times. He was a good friend of her father's and was like a second dad to her. The only disagreement they had ever had was about her father's "accident."

The sirens and blue lights approaching Lacy lit up the night sky and danced off the water bringing Lacy back to the present. She had to collect herself, or did she?

Maybe looking a little lost would help my case.

She had been daydreaming about her father's funeral. It was amazing how many people had actually shown up to say goodbye to her daddy. In her mind, she could see the faces of everyone as if it had happened yesterday. She still had a lot of good business relationships with some of those people. Of course, there were those there that day who she couldn't stand. How could they, the low life backstabbers, show up at her father's funeral? Fortunately, one of those people would be completely devoured by sharks.

Sheriff Watson's car was the first to pull up. The car had barely come to a complete stop when he jumped out of it, jogging up to Lacy.

Watson was a round man, but funny and as laid back a person as you would ever want to meet. He grew up in the low country of South Carolina with Lacy's father, but he never outgrew his southern charm like her father had. Watson had gone off to Furman, while her daddy went to Clemson.

Lacy knew he would do all he could to help her in this, another terrible situation.

"Lacy, my goodness gracious child, why do you keep goin' out and findin' trouble?"

"I don't," stammered Lacy, physically upset. "Trouble just seems to find me like a black cat creeping 'round the front porch."

She broke down and fell into the sheriff's arms. He embraced her and pulled her close to him, just like he would have if she were his own daughter. She felt safe and secure around him, like the world couldn't touch her.

There were times growing up when she wished Sheriff Watson had been her father, but then she would realize the life she wanted wouldn't have been available to her if he had been. Being pregnant right out of high school, which could have been a possibility, was not in her dreams. So she had to settle for Watson being her godfather. Of course, she still cared deeply for him.

However, it didn't matter how much she loved hime for always being there, there were certain things about which she didn't mind lying to him. At times, she thought he knew everything she had done in her life, and he was letting her get away with it because of who she was, and who her father was.

That isn't the case and you know it. He doesn't suspect you of a thing. You're this dainty, precious child to him. You can get away with murder around him.

Lacy began to tell Sheriff Watson what had happened, and he looked at her with those understanding brown, doe eyes. She felt certain he would believe every aspect of her story.

Chapter 2-Charleston, SC/Middle of the Atlantic

Lacy turned on the ignition in her car and pulled out of the driveway. As she proceeded up the battery and over to the marina where her fleet of shrimp boats sat, she admired the view of the lights shimmering out in Charleston Harbor. The harbor looked peaceful and calm in the humid night air. She felt at peace as she pulled her car into the marina and drove down toward the docks.

She had practically grown up on these docks; her dad had taken her on the boats since she was just a baby. She maneuvered her car right down beside one of the boats. She pressed the trunk button, got out of the car, and went to fetch what was waiting inside.

Rob's body had not shifted very much on the way down to the docks. She was thankful for this, because he was still right next to the ledge of the car. He had been a bitch to load into the car, hopefully getting him out would be a lot easier.

She started with his shoulders and grabbed some of the plastic from the garbage bags he was still wrapped up in. His upper body was much heavier than his lower body so dragging his feet was going to be much easier. She was glad she was still taking "Pumping Iron" classes at the Y.
She finally got his body out of the car and drug it onto the first boat, "The Gogetter." Lacy flopped Rob's corpse down onto the deck; she then went into the cabin and started the engine.

What a beautiful night for a sail. I hope the sharks are hungry.

As she eased the boat out of the dock, she remembered something her mom had told her just days before she passed away.

"Lacy, you're going to run this business someday for your father. Just make sure no man ever hurts you or takes advantage of you. If they try, you just kill them with your good looks and southern charm."

That's exactly what Lacy did. She was a killer southern belle.

The boat was cruising at about seven knots on its way out into the Atlantic. She walked out on the deck and pulled part of Rob's body out of the trash bags in which she had wrapped him up. She rolled the body over to the edge of the boat and let the blood from his head fall in the water. The blood began dripping steadily from the hole between Rob's eyes.

Soon this water will be swimming with sharks.

Lacy went back into the cabin and brought the boat to a halt. She took some pieces of shrimp which had been left on the boat and started tossing them into the water.

This chum should attract the sharks even more.

Within ten minutes, sharks were circling around the boat, especially near the spot where Rob's head was still gushing blood. His hands had already been nibbled on by the beasts as they were skimming along the surface of the water. She uncovered the rest of his body and dumped him into the middle of the shark infested ocean.

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Lacy lowered the emergency row boat into the water and climbed in. She pushed away from the shrimp boat and began rowing ashore. Now she was bleeding badly. Her legs were gnashed and gnawed from what appeared to be shark bites.

As she crawled into the row boat she had let the sharks nibble at her legs. Luckily, the smaller sharks had arrived first, and there was no way they could have done too much damage. Her legs looked as if she had shaved with a jagged edge razor. She knew this was going to suffice for her scheme.

The shrimp boat's motor had been made to look like it wouldn't work. Lacy had taken out the starting mechanism and placed it in Rob's pants. Her plan was coming together perfectly. It would look as if Rob had taken her out on one of her shrimp boars, tried to do some business with her, and made the motor stop working so they were stranded. That's when Rob had suggested they go skinny dipping in the ocean. Then the sharks had shown up and Rob had sacrificed himself to save Lacy.

She knew her plan would work. It had to. Her plans had always worked, always. There was not one thing she had ever failed to do when she put her mind to it, and this was definitely not going to be an exception.

Chapter 1-Charleston, SC

Lacy Davis loved the warm, humid summers of Charleston, South Carolina; she always had and always would. The only thing that bugged her in the summer were all the damned tourists, especially the Yankee tourists who over ran her city and complained about how hot it was. She never understood why people would go on vacation somewhere they know it's going to be hot, and then complain the whole time.

If ya can't stand the heat, get out of the South, she would always think to herself.

The six o'clock summer sun was beating down on the red Mercedes convertible as it motored down the Battery at 45 miles an hour. Lacy could feel people staring at her because she was going so fast in this little, crowded downtown area of Charleston. She was headed home from a long day's work and couldn't wait to get into her old colonial style house right off the Battery. Her feet were killing her and she just wanted to take off her shoes and relax for a little while.

As she pulled up to her large, white columned house, Lacy took in a deep breath. This house had been in her family since before the Civil War, and she knew what a sense of pride it gave her.

In her rearview mirror Lacy noticed an old man and his wife were walking their dog. The Boston Terrier seemd to be more or less walking them. The dog pulled and tugged at the leash it was on as the old man and woman walked slowly down the sidewalk. Lacy could overhear their conversation and decided to have some fun.

"Harold, when we get home we need to...."

As Lacy slowly eased her long legs out of the car, Harold, the old man, began to ignore everything else his wife had to say. Lacy knew he had caught a glimpse of her beautiful legs coming out of the Mercedes. Slowly she extended her legs out of the car; stretching them as far as she could, making her short skirt rise slightly higher as she rose from her car. The black skirt and white blouse accented her beautifully tanned skin, and her long flowing brown hair. Lacy knew this man had to be twice her age, if not older. She could tell he was mesmerized by the sight of her.

The southern charm in her swagger had worked once again. Over the little bit of traffic passing by her home she could hear the wife and husband begin to argue over his oggling of her.

"Harold? Harold, are you listening to me?"

"Yes, dear. I'll take care of that when we get back home."
"Take care of what? You don't even know what you're agreeing to. Quit staring and wipe that droll off of your mouth!"

"What are you talking about? I was just in a daze."

"Yeah, staring at that young girl!"

"What, I can't look anymore?"

As the old couple passed on bye, continuing their bickering, Lacy reached back in her car for her belongings. She couldn't help but smirk about the effect she had on men; she used it to her advantage as much as possible. She was a shrewd business woman and she knew how to get her way.

Walking up the steps to her front door she began fumbling with her keys. The wind blew stiffly across the harbor and up her front porch causing her long brown hair to blow into her face and frustrate her.

"Damn it! Where is the fucking house key? Ahh, I can't see anything. I need to get this mess cut. Shit! Finally, there it is."

She put the key into the lock and turned it. There was something wrong, she could sense it. As she opened the door slowly and walked down the hard wood hallway, she smelled a strange scent in the air. She stepped into the first room on the left which she used as a business/computer room.

Sniffing the air like a dog looking for a place to do its business, she smelled the scent of cologne which a college boyfriend of hers had worn. She meandered back down the hallway into the spacious living room in the middle of the house. When she turned the corner she saw the back of a man's head sitting on the couch. His dark black hair was freshly cut and styled. She recognized who it was instantly.

"Rob," she said, "how nice of you to drop by so unexpectedly."

"Lacy?" Rob asked in his New York accent. " I didn't think you was eva going to get home. I've been waitin' here for an hour."

"Now darlin', you know I have a business to run."

"Yeah, I know, that's why I'm here."
"Not again," Lacy expoused in a huff. "Rob, how many times do I have to tell you and your dad that I am not going to sell my company to y'all? This business is my life, just like it was my dad's. I promised him I would keep it going, and that's exactly what I intend to do. I am not going to let other investors come in and try and tell me what I need to do."

Lacy was irritated that Rob was in her house. She knew Lucille. her family's housekeeper, had let him in because of who he was. He had been Lacy's longtime college boyfriend until she realized he was just trying to get into her pants for her father's business. She knew his dad wanted to buy out Lacy's business because of competition. However, Lacy wasn't stupid, Clemson had taught her well; pleasure and business never mixed well.

Pleasure was something of which Rob and Lacy had had a lot. Their sex life had been incredible and Lacy still pined for Rob at times, but she knew she couldn't let her guard down for a minute around him.

"Rob, I'm parched. I'm gonna go to the kitchen and get some sweet tea. Do you want anything?"

"Sure, I'll have a glass of tea with ya. Do you have any unsweetened?"

"Not sure." Ugh! How could anyone drink unsweetened iced tea? Lacy thought to herself.

As she went to the kitchen she found a note on the fridge:

Lacy,

Sorry to have to let him in, but I figured you wouldn't mind. I made some fresh tea and put it in the fridge. There is also some unsweetened teac in there as well, for your Yankee friend. I'll see you tomorrow.

It was signed by Lucille. She always thinks of everything. I wouldn't know what to do without her!

Lacy went to the cabinets and pulled down two glassed and filled them with ice. After pouring the tea, she began walking back into the den. As she walked, Lacy began to devise a plan.

"Here you go. One glass of unsweetened iced tea. Blah!!"

"Thanks, Lace. It's been a long time."

"Not long enough. I thought you would have quit trying to get me to sell this business by now. But, I guess I should've known better. You never did give up that easily."

"Not when it's something I want real bad."

Lacy walked across the room to her stereo and pushed the power button. The music blasted out of the speakers. Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" filled the silence. Lacy adjusted the volume a bit so she wouldn't have to yell at Rob. As she made her way over in front of the fireplace, she began softly swaying to the music. Once she was in front of the mantle she turned and faced Rob again.

"Damn, you still look good," admired Rob from in front of the couch.

"So, you like what you see? I've tried to keep in shape since college, but it is a bitch."

"Well, I'm here to tell ya, ya've done a fine, I mean, an F-I-N-E, fine job."

Lacy started unbuttoning a couple of buttons on her blouse. Well, if he wants a show, I'll give him a show. She began gyrating slowly to the music and turned around away from Rob and gripped the mantle in front of her.

Rob relaxed and fell softly onto the couch. He had seen this show before, but it had been a while. As he sunk into the couch, his mouth almost dropped at what he was seeing. He was beginning to think this was his lucky day.

Boy George was crooning, "Do you really wanna hurt me/ Do you really wanna make me cry..."

Lacy reached up on the mantle, still shaking her ass for Rob, and slipped her hand behind a picture frame of her and her parents, which was taken when she was about ten. She felt something cold and metallic behind the frame. She slipped her hands on it and spun around quickly.

A silent puff of air was heard. Then the chaos and madness began. Rob felt a warm sensation coming from his pants, but he also felt excruciating pain.

"Oh, my God! You fucking bitch! I'm gonna kill...."

Another puff of air as Rob was screaming in pain. A hole appeared in the middle of Rob's forehead and blood began oozing out of it. Rob fell silent. The chaos was over almost as soon as it began.

Lacy ran to the kitchen and grabbed a whole container of garbage bags. The blood would soon be soaked through to the cushion of the couch and she couldn't have that. She could wash the fabric, but she couldn't wash the cushion.

She pulled off ten bags and laid them on the floor. Then she rolled Rob off the couch and onto the bags. Slowly she began wrapping him up in the trash bags.