EPISODE #5

“Well…” He shifted his foot nervously.
“Yeah…”
Austin and Laurie stood outside the movie theater. “I um… had a good time.”
“So did I.”
“It was a. good movie.”
“Yeah.” As if either one of them had paid any attention to the movie.
“I have work in an hour so I guess I should get ready or something…”
“I’ll drive you.”
“Okay, thanks.”
She unlocked her black sedan and they got into the car. She smiled at him and started the car. “First day of the new job… that’s got to be pretty exciting.”
“Yeah… I’m a little nervous.”
She patted him on his leg, “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“I hope so.”
Too bad he worked with Mia. If he didn’t have to see her at work everyday she could easily erase her from his memory. She wanted Austin and she intended to have him. She smiled at him again. “If you ever need a ride to work just let me know…”
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Mia Brooks left her last class of the day. Now off to work. Since she was the only worker at Heaven’s Hideaway, the store was only open when her classes were over. It pretty much killed morning business on the weekdays. She walked into her dorm room. One flashed on the answering machine. She pressed the play button, it was Phyllis.
“Darling it’s Phyllis. There’s been a family crisis so I won’t be around for the next few days. When it’s payday I’ll have Victoria drop off your check. Goodbye.”
“I wonder what could be wrong.” She hoped it was nothing too serious. She changed out of her casual school attire and put on a black dress with red rose buds all over it. She combed her hair and started her walk to work.
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“Sorry I’m late.” Sarah stood before Kate dressed in a red lace-tied sleeveless shirt and a khaki skirt.
“Only an hour and a half… I can tell you have you father’s sense of time.”
“I really am sorry. I hope you ordered your food already.”
“Of course. I was starving.”
Sarah sat at the seat across from Inspector Weiss. A waitress came up to the table. “I see your guest finally came.”
“Oh yes.”
“What will you have?”
“Hmm… Chili cheeseburger, french fries, and a salad.”
“Anything to drink?”
“Sweet tea.” The waitress wrote down the order and walked away. She put her purse on the chair to her left.
“I can see you also have your father’s sense of taste. I would never have thought you ate like that. You’re so skinny. You have amazing genetics. Women all over the world would kill for that.”
Sarah smiled. “Guess I got lucky.”
“Sarah I’m not one to beat around the bush. Let’s get straight down to business. What was that woman talking about last night?”
“What woman?”
“The woman that was screaming about you lying and that you hired, well after that you cut her off.”
She nervously shifted in her seat. “She’s my brother’s fiancée.”
“Okay…”
“We had a little... tiff a few hours before. Obviously she hadn’t gotten over it yet and was willing to say anything to stir up more trouble. She’s been under a lot of stress lately. She wasn’t thinking clearly, that’s all.”
“Indeed..”
“But no worries everything is fine between us now.”
“That is good.”
“Yes.”
Kate looked at her watch. “Thank you for your time and your statement Miss Robinson. It is greatly appreciated. You probably have saved a lot of lives.”
“When will Tho-- I mean the man be caught?”
“Whenever he is found or turns himself in.”
“The sooner the better.”
“Yes. Enjoy your chili cheeseburger and tell your father I said hello.”
“I will.”
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“I’m taking my lunch break okay April?”
April stood at a nurse’s station writing on a patient’s chart. “Okay. Be back in an hour. Bring me something back something okay?”
“No problem.”
“Thanks.”
He walked down the hallway. He was grateful April gave him long lunch breaks. They often came in handy we he wanted to rush home to see Simone. He left the hospital got in his car and drove towards downtown. He figured Simone would still be upset by her encounter with his sister. He turned left leading to Heaven’s Hideaway. It might be owned by a Slater but Simone loved the clothes there, so did most women in Heaven Beach. He parked the car and walked into the store. “Excuse me.”
Mia turned around, her mouth dropped as she grasped the counter. Oh my God. Oh my God.
Austin looked at her strangely. “Mia are you okay?”
She panted, “huh? What?”
“Is something wrong?”
“I-It’s him…”
“Who?”
“The man at the counter. Oh my God it’s him!” She whispered excitedly.
“Who is that?”
“He’s only the most gorgeous guy in Heaven Beach. It’s Noah, Robinson.”
“…Okay.”
“Of course you wouldn’t understand. Um, continue folding those shirts the way I told you to.” She said in a dazed voice as she sauntered over to the register. “Y-Yes? Can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m looking for a present.”
“What kind?”
“I was thinking a dress.”
“Well we have plenty of those. Want me to help you f-find one?”
“Yes, please.”
“Of-of course.” She smiled and turned back around. She made a happy face at Austin and walked around the corner. “Any type of dress you’re looking for?”
“Something nice… elegant… sleek… sexy. Those are a few things that come to mind.”
“Follow me.” She seductively walked towards a rack before reaching it she tripped on her own feet and fell face flat to the ground. “Oh shit…” she muttered.
Noah rushed over to help her up. “Are you okay?”
“Ow…”
He helped her sit up. “What hurts?”
“My um… ankle. Serves me right for wearing these heels.”
He gently lifted her leg and put his other hand on her ankle.
Oh my God. Oh my God.
“Tell me when hurts okay?”
“Uh… yeah.”
He put pressure on a spot on her ankle.
“Ow!” She kicked her leg up.
“Hmm… that’s what I thought.” He scooped her up in his arms.
Oh my God please don’t make me have a heart attack, she silently prayed.
He walked up to the counter and sat her up on it. “Don’t move.”
“Do you have ice?” He asked Austin. “And a first aid kit?”
“Uh…”
“He just started working here today. Look underneath the curtain below me. There’s a first aid kit there.”
He pulled out the first aid kit and got a bandage. “You’ve got a sprained ankle. It should be fine tomorrow I just want to wrap it up.” He wrapped the bandage around her ankle. “Ice it when you get the chance and don’t wear those heels anymore, doctor’s order.” He smiled.
Oh my… He just smiled that killer smile, her heart melted. “Y-Yes…”
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“Where’s your secretary?”
“I sent on her some errands. She won’t be back for at least two hours.”
Claire lightly laughed, “I knew you couldn’t resist me.”
“You said you just wanted to see me.”
She pressed her body up against his, “I changed my mind.”
“We’re…”
“Over? Give it a rest Kyle.”
“I’m with…”
“April? Please. She’s too good and pure for you. You were always a sucker for the bad girls. You can’t say no to me Kyle. You can’t resist me.” She began pulling off his tie. She was on a power trip she knew men couldn’t resist her. His tie was off now for his suit coat…
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Felicia walked into city hall. Another encounter with Kyle was needed. She had to make it clear to him that he would not get rid of her easily.
“Excuse me. The district attorney is not seeing anyone right now.”
“You think I care?” She walked down the hallway and made a left. She was about to open the door when she heard…
“Oh Kyle!”
“What is going on in there?” She bent down and peeked through the bottom window that had no blinds. “Oh my God… he’s in there… and that’s not April… Ah hah! This is perfect.” She ran down the hall and out of the door. “Camera. Camera.” She looked left and right. “Dammit I need a camera!” A fat male tourist was taking a picture of his also overweight wife holding an ice cream cone in front of the police station. “Stupid tourist.” She ran up to the man. “Hi… I need that.” She snatched the camera and ran back to city hall. How perfect it was even a Polaroid. “Today is your lucky day Felicia…”
“Miss! You can’t go in there!” The front desk secretary screeched.
Felicia ran down the hallway again. She walked up to the door. One. Two. Three. She slung the door open and took a picture. “I always heard a picture was worth a thousand words.”
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Mia was still in her dream state over Noah. Now would not be the best time to ask her to go on a date with him.
“Um, are all the shirts folded?”
“Yes.”
She looked at her watch, “good timing.”
“Mia um… after work would you like to go to dinner with me?” There he had said it.
“Sure, I’d love to. We’ll go to this great restaurant a few stores down they have three tables on the outside of the restaurant and they’re on these little porches. It’s a two story restaurant. Downstairs is the bar, it’s a really nice place. If there’s one left we’ll have dinner together on one of those porches.”
“Okay, sure.” That was easy enough…
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Kyle pushed Claire off the desk. “Felicia!”
She fanned the picture, “let’s hope this is a good one.” She looked around on the floor, clothes were everywhere. “On your dead secretary’s desk Kyle? Have you no shame?” She picked up his pants and threw them at him. “Why don’t you get dressed?” She looked at the developed picture, “oh yes it turned out beautifully.”
“W-What do you want?”
“I think April would love to see this.”
“No!”
“Ah… I’ve found out how to use this. Yes, April would love to see this photo. I might go down to the hospital now and show it to her.”
“What do you want?”
“Oh you know what I want Kyle...”
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Victoria sat in the living room. A single table lamp was on. Nicholas was with Faye now and Phyllis and her grandmother had gone to bed. She had tried to sleep but it was no use. She couldn’t sleep with her rapist in town. How did he get here? Why was he here? So many questions ran through her head. A tree branch tapped the window next to her, she jumped. How could she go on like this? Jumping at every noise, at every shadow. Seven years he had haunted her. She thought she would have forgotten it all by now. He still disturbed her dreams nightly. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in years. She was so scared that he would one day come back… and now he was right here in the city she lived in. Lurking in the shadows somewhere watching her. She just wanted peace from him… for good.
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“You did well today ya know?”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m really not. Phyllis will be pleased I hired such a good worker.” She winked at him.
Austin and Mia sat out on one of the porches she had mentioned. There was an amazing view of the ocean.
“Beautiful view. The ocean is so calm, almost like a lake.”
“Yes… a very beautiful view.” Austin was looking straight at Mia as she looked out to sea.
“Especially the moon reflecting off of it. It’s very…”
“Romantic?”
“Hmm? Well… I guess it is romantic. I was going to say soothing actually.”
“Oh…”
Mia glanced at the people eating on the next porch over. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“Look.”
Austin turned around and saw Noah Robinson having dinner with a woman.
“Who is that woman with him?” Mia asked.
“This was a great idea Noah.”
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He gazed at his fiancée. “Yes it was.”
“Anything exciting happen at work?”
“Funny you should ask. You wouldn’t believe who I got at a patient today.”
“Who?”
“Faye Abbot. Victoria Slater’s aunt.”
“That’s awful. What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s in a coma. Apparently she was attacked at a club. The man hit her in the head. It doesn’t look good.”
“Poor thing…”
“I know it’s rough on me.”
“I was talking about Faye.”
“Oh yeah...”
“Did the family give you any trouble?”
“Anna was in there when I checked on her with April. She gave me a little bit of trouble but we came to an agreement.”
“That’s good.”
“Maybe it’s his sister or something…”
“No that’s not Sarah.”
Austin turned back around. “I’m sure it’s no big deal.”
“Move your head.” The woman with Noah was scratching the back of her head with her left hand. Mia gasped.
“What now?”
“Is that an engagement ring?”
Austin looked at the woman’s hand. “I think it is…”
“He’s engaged!? Since when?” She jolted back to a normal position. “He saw me…”
“Ha. Look who it is. Hey, how are you?” Noah called out to Mia.
“I’m… fine.”
“Is your ankle okay?”
“Oh yes its perfect. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’m being horribly rude but I don’t think I caught your name.”
“It’s Mia.”
“Mia I’d like you to meet my fiancée, Simone Taylor.”
“Hi.” Mia tried not to sound disgusted.
“Nice to meet you Mia.”
“Same here… this is Austin.”
Noah and Simone nodded. “Nice seeing you again.” Noah said, ending the brief conversation.
“No big deal my ass. I can’t believe it. When did he get engaged? No one told me…”
“I don’t know. I just moved here.”
Mia tapped her fingers on the table. “This is not good... I should have made my move a long time ago instead of admiring him from afar. Maybe this would have turned out completely different…” She sighed. Maybe she should move on, besides Noah was a little out of her league. She looked at the handsome young man in front of her. Austin certainly was cute and he was really sweet and definitely not out of her league. “I should just move on.”
“If that’s the way you feel.”
“The old saying is right, there are plenty of fish in the sea.”
Laurie walked down the sidewalk. Everything had gone perfect today. She could tell Austin was falling for her. Soon Mia would be a forgotten memory.
“Yes there are…”
“And there’s a pretty good looking fish right in front of me…”
“Was that some weird kind of compliment?” He smirked.
Mia leaned across the table. “Yes it was.” She gently kissed him on the lips.
Laurie continued her stroll down the sidewalk. She looked across the street at one of her favorite restaurants. She loved the porches where you could eat out on. Maybe she and Austin could go there sometime after he got off work. Her eyes caught one couple kissing on the porch. “How nice…” She looked at little closer. Oh hell no… She ran across the street and stood in front of the two story porch where Austin and Mia were sitting. “Hey!” They didn’t pay any attention to her. She glanced at her purse and without a second thought slung it at the kissing couple. “Stop that!” She scampered into the restaurant, up the stairs and out on to the porch where Mia and Austin were sitting. “What the hell do you think you are doing Austin?”
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Victoria heard a noise outside the front door. She slowly got up and crept over to the door. What if someone’s out there? She picked up a letter opened on a nearby table and continued her advancement towards the door. She unbolted the lock and opened the door quickly, jabbing the letter opener into the air. Nothing was around except a single white carnation on the porch railing with a picture taped to it. She grabbed the flower and looked at the picture. It was a picture of her with two black X’s on her eyes. She dropped the picture and screamed.