“Ready to go?” Noelle asked as she was braiding her hair.
“In just a sec,” Lorella replied. She didn’t want to seem in too much of a hurry to leave or nervous in any way that might cast suspicion on herself. She secured the end of her long braid with a pink elastic and followed Noelle out to the SUV.
It was a week before Christmas and Lorella wondered if Trevor and Shayla had left for Nevada yet. She silently prayed that her brother would be home once they got into town. She would have to run elsewhere if he weren’t. She would get to the police somehow. Okay, so Noelle was one of their own, but not quite, because they were not going to Bonanza. Noelle was a total stranger to the Klamath Falls police.
Noelle maneuvered the SUV down the mountain and headed south. They didn’t talk much throughout the nearly hour-long drive, though Lorella was aware of Noelle’s frequent glances in her direction.
Could she know what I’m up to? she wondered.
“Just where are we going anyway?” Lorella asked, deciding that maybe some conversation would ease the tension.
“Well, I thought you’d want to get out, so I decided we’d eat at that Chinese place you like, then we can do a little shopping.”
“What kind of shopping?”
“Any kind you want,” said Noelle. “That store in the center of town would be a good place to go since they’ve got a good variety of things, including groceries. What’s the name of that perfume you said you’ve been wanting, Angel?”
“Yeah, something like that. It’s a little pricey, though.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be my treat.”
The Chinese restaurant wasn’t near where Trevor was living, so Lorella would have to come up with a plan for how to get there.
They pulled into the restaurant parking lot and Noelle parked in a spot between a van and an old, beat-up car. She turned the engine off and faced Lorella. “So.”
“So?” Lorella asked curiously.
“I’m not going to get any trouble from you, am I?”
Although Lorella sensed that Noelle had been referring to her trying to break away, she said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to argue with you or embarrass you in any way.”
Noelle studied her intently, still seeming to sense that she was plotting against her. Lorella made herself meet Noelle’s gaze and hoped her true intentions weren’t somehow readable.
The restaurant wasn’t too crowded because it was between the lunch and dinner hours, so if there was any good to the moment, it was that Lorella could enjoy her egg foo young and pork fried rice in peace. They had been served by a tall, very thin and bubbly brunette who had no qualms about letting Lorella know that she liked her. She didn’t say so much in words, but she didn’t have to. It was obvious by the way she smiled at her flirtatiously every time she walked by and the glances she’d cast in her direction, which she stole every chance she got. If Noelle had caught on, she didn’t show it. It was also obvious that the waitress was on drugs. No one was that hyper. Lorella wondered why all she ever got were losers while the good ones died.
When Lorella finished eating and Noelle finished her burger and fries, Noelle studied the bill, then placed a handful of change on the table by the condiments. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to pee really quickly.” Casting a look of suspicion and warning which Lorella tried to ignore, Noelle left the table.
The waitress saw this and wasted no time in approaching the table. “Hey, honey, anything else I can get for you?”
“No, thanks,” Lorella said politely as she scooped up some of the change and slid out of the booth. The waitress was in her way. “Sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry here. Noelle will return from the bathroom to pay the bill in a few minutes.”
The waitress frowned curiously and took a step back. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, fine.” Lorella wasted no more time or words. She began to run. A Chinese woman she assumed was the restaurant’s owner, eyed her as she scurried out into the biting cold. She raced up the street in search of a payphone along the way. She didn’t see any. It was so cold out that Lorella could already feel her cheeks turning numb.
Glad she had gotten to know the bus schedules and routes before moving in with Noelle, she ran towards a bus stop a block up the street. She knew the bus that stopped there would take her up to Shasta Way. She had only been to Trevor and Shayla’s house once since Trevor had moved in with Shayla, but she remembered where on the long road it was located. Noelle had taken her there a few months ago and had seemed bored and even unhappy about the idea. Noelle was so sick with jealousy that she hated to share her attention with anyone else, even for just a few hours.
The time. She wished she knew the time so she could know when the bus was to arrive. She couldn’t just stand out in plain view waiting and make it easy for Noelle to drive by and grab her, flashing her badge at any onlookers who may question her actions and abuse her authority as she no doubt had many times in the past.
She turned towards a woman who had just exited a bookstore. “Excuse me, ma’am. Would you happen to have the time?” Lorella asked, keeping an eye on the bus stop in case the bus snuck up on her.
“Sorry, I’m afraid I don’t. I know it’s got to be close to 2:00 by now.”
“Okay, thank you,” Lorella said, knowing the bus was due at the top of every hour. The question was how many more minutes she had to play sitting duck.
She stepped back into the sunken doorway of a gift shop, hoping she would be less visible to anyone driving by. Every minute she waited seemed like an eternity.
A man was approaching the shop, but just as she was going to ask him for the time, she saw the bus stop down the street. It picked up a handicapped person. “Come on, come on, hurry!” Lorella muttered to herself.
Finally, the door to the bus closed and the vehicle headed for her stop. When the bus stopped in front of her, she had to wait for those who were getting off to exit the bus. Another thing that seemed to take forever.
Ten minutes later, she was running up Trevor’s driveway. She couldn’t see if anyone was home because of the windowless garage door. She rang the doorbell and knocked hard on the door as well, then was almost dizzy with relief when Shayla opened the door.
“Lorella!” Shayla exclaimed with shock. “What’s wrong? Where’s Noelle?”
“Hopefully, nowhere close. Is Trevor here?” Lorella replied out of breath.
“Sure. He’s in the bathroom shaving.” Shayla closed and locked the door, then motioned for Lorella to follow her down the hall toward the bathroom. “You know, we’ve been worried about you. We’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”
“Yes, I know.”
They approached the open bathroom door where Trevor, dressed in just pants and an undershirt, was shaving. He saw them and rinsed his razor, then said his sister’s name with just as much surprise as his new wife had.
“Thank God you’re here!” Lorella said with fear evident in her voice.
Trevor put his razor down and turned to face his sister. “What’s wrong, sis?”
“She’s completely insane!” Lorella replied, still with the shrilly voice. She then explained the situation to them as they made their way into the living room. Trevor and his wife sat on the couch while Lorella paced back and forth, distraught.
“We thought something was up,” Trevor told her, not at all surprised by the story. “And we were seriously contemplating going up to check on you as we plan to start the drive home tomorrow.”
“Well, you can definitely count me in on that one!” Lorella said, nervously glancing out the front window. “I don’t even care if I never get my stuff back that’s in that cold, cramped, and miserable cabin. Didn’t have much anyway. She hid my laptop away from me, and not only has she been slapping me around, but I think she may’ve killed someone.”
Trevor and Shayla exchanged quick glances, then they turned to gaze at her intently.
Lorella now filled them in on Denise and the guy who went missing. “I don’t think I’m safe here,” she said in the end. “I’d hate to see you two be put in any danger on account of me. I should hide out somewhere till we can get out of here tomorrow.”
“But where?” asked Shayla.
“How about your folks’ place?” Trevor suggested.
“Uh-uh,” Lorella said with a shake of her head. “She’s a cop. She could find out who your parents are and where they live. Then if she found that I was with them, who knows what she’d do? I need you guys to put me up in a motel overnight.”
“But she could find that out, too,” said Shayla.
“Not if we book her under a bogus name,” said Trevor. “This doesn’t mean she might not tell the manager she was on official business and flash your photo to them, so you’ve got to make sure you don’t open the door to anyone other than us. Not even the housekeeper.”
“You got it,” said Lorella. “I hate to put you out like this, but can we get going soon?”
“Sure thing,” Trevor said, rising from his seat on the couch.
A few minutes later, they were on the road, headed for a cheap motel down by where Trevor used to live.
And Noelle was following in the distance.
Hours had passed since she had been dropped off in the old, dumpy and smelly motel room, but Lorella still couldn’t manage to relax. She kept pacing the room’s short length. It didn’t matter if she didn’t get any sleep. She’d sleep on the way back home with Trevor and Shayla alternately doing the driving. They were to leave at 6 AM. This was just 15 hours away, yet it seemed like days to Lorella.
She took a shower as the sun began to set, though she had to redress in the same clothes she’d worn all day. Afterward, she turned on the TV and tried to lose herself in an old comedy. Yet as the minutes passed, she’d realized she hadn’t taken in anything she saw or heard. She simply stared blindly at the screen and thought of Noelle. It was sad that she had to lose someone so good-looking, yet she knew she couldn’t return to her being as selfish, jealous and violent as she was, and maybe even deadly as well. When the thought of the relationship not working out depressed her, she would remind herself that she was going home. Home where it was nice and warm. She missed her parents and her best friend a lot more than she would ever miss a bitch like Noelle.
When it was close to midnight, she finished off the last of the sandwich and chips they’d gotten for her before checking her into the motel so she wouldn’t go hungry all night. She went and got a drink of water from the bathroom. The tap water wasn’t very cold. She remembered seeing an ice machine outside at the end of the strip of rooms. It was about four rooms away. Did she dare run out and grab some ice? She argued back and forth with herself, first telling herself it was silly to take foolish chances just for some ice, then telling herself that Noelle would’ve shown up by now if she knew where she was. She decided it would be safe, though she turned off the light before going outside. Then she crept up to the window and gently parted the drapes. She saw nothing suspicious in the dimly lit parking lot.
She turned the light back on, took the flimsy plastic ice bucket and opened the motel door. Her eyes did a quick scan of the area. There was a thick stand of trees across the parking lot that was a bit menacing, but the weather was so cold. Who would want to stand out lurking about in it? Then she spotted an SUV that looked similar to Noelle’s parked down by the other end of the row of rooms, opposite the ice machine.
Oh, stop it! she scolded silently. Millions of people have SUVs like Noelle’s, and Noelle wouldn’t just sit in it and freeze her ass off if she knew where I was. She’d bust in here after me.
She ran fast to the machine. She placed the bucket under the spout and pushed the button to release the ice. It only spat out a few small pieces. Just as she was realizing that the machine was empty, one strong arm suddenly pinned her arms to her sides, causing her to drop the bucket, while another covered her mouth.
“Not a word or you’re dead!” Noelle hissed in her ear.
Lorella struggled as she was lifted off the ground, legs kicking wildly and hating herself for being so stupid. Unable to scream or use her arms, she kicked her legs back behind her as hard as she could. At first, it seemed useless, but then she got Noelle square on the kneecap. Noelle uttered a small cry and momentarily loosened her grip on her. Lorella used this opportunity to kick at Noelle again. Noelle fought to keep her balance as Lorella kicked at her and screamed. She was surprised that her screams didn’t draw attention. Noelle began to shout as well, and as she lunged forward towards Lorella, she slipped on a piece of ice.
Lorella knew she couldn’t get into her room and lock the door behind her before she was grabbed again. Instead, she ran out of the dark and nearly deserted parking lot and up the street Trevor’s old house was on. She screamed for help as she ran by the old, closely set houses, though no one came outside to see what was going on. Not even from the houses that were still lit up.
She could now hear footsteps running behind her. Lorella pumped her legs as fast as she could. She hit the beat-up sidewalk that ran the length of the bridge, which crossed over the canal. She could see a large rock in a poorly lit area not far ahead. Out of breath and unable to run any further, she swooped to pick it up. She spun around and found Noelle had come to a stop too, a few feet from where she stood panting and gasping for air. Noelle was struggling to breathe as well. Their breaths appeared smoky in the cold air. Noelle fell back upon the canal’s cement railing as she continued to recover from the mad dash she’d made, presenting Lorella with an opportunity that would probably either save her life or get her killed. She had no choice, though. She had to take a chance.
“You know, Noelle, they weren’t kidding when they said that life was about taking chances.”
Noelle looked at her, confused, still breathing hard. “What the hell are you talking about, you fucking crazy bitch?”
Lorella whipped the rock with all her might at Noelle’s head. It was the perfect shot, nailing her hard on the temple. Noelle pitched backward and toppled over the rail. Since it was winter, the canal had been drained, so she didn’t have 10 feet of water to cushion her fall. Instead, she would have a 15 to 20-foot drop to a rocky dirt floor. Though Lorella couldn’t see her, she heard Noelle’s body hit the ground below with a hard thud.
Just then, Lorella also heard sirens wailing in the distance, hoping they were heading her way. She got her wish a moment later when a squad car loomed into view just down the street. Lorella stepped a few feet into the street and waved her arms.
Lorella stared at the treetops as she lay on the back seat of Trevor’s large truck. She sat up and looked out the back window, half expecting to see Noelle’s SUV close behind. Instead, she noted that the tarp that covered their suitcases was still secured nicely.
“Everything okay back there, sis?” asked Trevor.
Lorella glanced towards the driver’s seat. “Everything’s fine. Just a little spooked still.”
“That’s understandable,” said Shayla from the passenger seat. “Give it time.”
“Just be glad it’s over,” Trevor added.
“Is it?” Lorella asked skeptically.
“Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Need I remind you that they never found her body?”
“So what? You’re going to be many miles away. She’s not going to bother to come after you, being so far away. Besides, every cop in Oregon is on the lookout for her. Not just because of suspicion of murdering others, but because of what she attempted to do to you. That bitch may’ve been mean, but she wasn’t stupid. This means she’d really have to be asking for it if she had the gall to try and come after you.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Lorella said with a sigh, realizing that her brother did have a point. Why go so far out of her way to finish what she started with her when there were other fish in the sea close by to torture?
She relaxed and enjoyed the scenery as the land turned from green and hilly to brown and flat. The barren, open land with its rocky mountains off in the distance never looked so good to her as it did then.
The trip ran smoothly enough and two days later, as the threesome had agreed, they surprised Mr. and Mrs. Taylor just before lunchtime, who weren’t expecting Lorella to be tagging along.
“Oh, my goodness!” exclaimed Lorella’s mother. “We had no idea you were coming, too.”
Lorella grinned broadly and allowed her folks to embrace her. “Well, things didn’t work out with Noelle, so here I am. Back for good.”
“Things didn’t work out?” asked her father.
Lorella shook her head. “She went a little loony on me.” She and Trevor filled them in on what had happened.
“Oh, dear God, you must’ve been terrified! Why didn’t you tell us about what was going on, sweetheart?” her mom asked.
“I didn’t want to worry you. Then, when I did try to tell you so you could get plane tickets up to me, she took my laptop from me and hid it away. I haven’t been able to work or anything.”
“Well, you know your old room is always available to you. That’s why we keep such a big house even though you and your brother are all grown up; for emergencies like this.”
“Thanks so much, Mom,” Lorella said, hugging the plump woman again.
“It’s no bother. Then just as soon as you get on your feet again, you can get an apartment or maybe even rent a little house somewhere. Shalinda’s going to be wonderfully surprised to see you.”
“Yeah, I thought it’d be cool to shock her with my unexpected presence as well. I know she gets off work in a few hours. I was thinking that after we have a chance to chat some more, I’d go over there and let her find me waiting for her outside her door.”
“She’d love it,” her mother agreed.
After the suitcases were brought in, which had mostly Trevor and Shayla’s belongings in them, the family gathered around the dining table for a feast that consisted of all kinds of goodies like homemade baked cookies, pies, donuts and more. Lorella reached for a handful of chocolate-covered almonds.
They talked about things like the weather, work, friends and other family members. When it was just after 2:30, Lorella announced that she was going to walk over to Shalinda’s apartment.
“You sure you don’t want a lift?” her father offered.
“No thanks, Dad. It’s just a few blocks away. Besides, it’ll be so nice to walk outdoors in just a light jacket. No gloves, hats, scarves, or freezing my little tail off while slipping and sliding on ice!”
“I’ll drink to that!” Shayla said, raising her coffee mug to her lips. She then turned to Trevor and asked, “Want to move back here?”
Everyone laughed, then Lorella was on her way to spend the rest of the day with her friend. They hung out at the complex’s heated pool and Jacuzzi as Lorella filled her in on the horrors she had gone through with Noelle.
“God,” Shalinda said as she leaned against the side wall of the near-deserted pool. “What a nightmare!”
“Tell me about it,” Lorella said with emphasis. “The good ones die and the rest are crazy. At least the ones I get are.”
“Oh, come on. You can have a million people.”
“Yeah, guys. Or chicks that are ugly, if not on drugs.”
Shalinda studied her friend’s somber expression and said, “Hey, cheer up, buddy. You’ll get your sane Miss Right that’ll outlive you by years.”
“You think so?”
“I don’t see why not. It’s just a matter of time.”
“For now, I’m going to take the time to get over the hell that bitch put me through and to finish getting over Madison, though I doubt I’ll ever get over my Maddie completely.”
“Maybe not, but this Noelle character sure sounds like one worth getting over that should be easy enough to do.”
Lorella pulled herself up to sit by the pool’s edge with her feet dangling in the water.
“What’s your next plan?” Shalinda asked.
Lorella looked down at her friend, still standing by the pool’s side, and said, “I get a new laptop, get some money coming in, then I either move in with you or get a place of my own.”
Shalinda looked thoughtful a moment, then said, “I sure could use a roommate to share the expenses that go with living in a nicer, bigger, quieter place, and it wouldn’t take much.”
They smiled at each other, and Lorella already felt like most of her old life was slowly returning. She felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. It was good to be home and around those she loved.
Once her suit was dry and darkness began to descend upon them, Lorella slipped her pink terry cover-up over her suit, along with a light jacket, and headed home.
Six weeks had passed since her return to Nevada, and Lorella was falling back into a comfortable routine. This time, however, it was in a warm place with her best friend.
It was early Monday morning. Shalinda was at work at the local department store where she worked in the layaway and exchange department. Lorella was just booting up her new laptop, awaiting what orders for drop-shipment she may have, when she spotted an email from Noelle. Assuming it was a mean joke Trevor was playing on her, she opened it anyway. The message simply told her to look out on her back patio.
She rose on trembling legs. “This is some sick joke Trevor’s playing,” she muttered to herself. “I’ll get him for this! Doesn’t that boy have anything better to do anyway?”
She yanked the vertical blinds back that spanned across the sliding glass door to the patio. Once she stepped out onto the patio, she spotted her old laptop sitting on the white plastic table that was out there. Her heart took off on a run as she reached with shaky fingers to snatch up the piece of paper that was sitting on top of it. The note instructed her to check out the new file on her desktop.
Taking the laptop inside and firing it up, she clicked a file titled Payback.
Lorella gasped as she viewed the picture. In the picture, Noelle was grinning as she stood over the bloody bodies of both her parents.
Lorella then let out a shrill scream that seemed to go on forever until all went blissfully black.
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