May 8th Belonging

I looked over the prompts included with the link to Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the word Belonging jumped out at me.  In preparing for today's writing prompt, I made a trip to a park not too far from my home.  The park is known for its burial mounds and is next door to a cemetery.  Don't ask me why, but every time I park in the spot where I went today, I get some really interesting characters.  Let me know what you think.  This is an excerpt from a work in progress.

     Lexy watched.  It was something she was good at.  Something she’d been doing all of her life.  She didn’t seem to be aware of the fact that the waitress had returned with her order, or that she’d hovered as if waiting to see if anything else was needed.  All of Lexy’s focus was on the family across the room.  The way they moved, spoke, even how they looked at each other.  As she watched, each detail was ingrained into her eidetic memory.

     They were an ordinary family, and from the weeks she’d spent watching them, she knew that they had two dogs, a pit bull named Roxy and a Rottweiler named Midge.  The boy, Cameron, was eleven.  She’d had the most time to study him because for the past month she’d been filling in for his history teacher who had suddenly taken ill.  A smile graced Lexy’s face as she thought about the last meal the woman had eaten.  There was no way that Mrs. Harrington would ever be found.  After all, why would they even look with her calling in sick every day?

     The nineteen-year-old daughter, Debbie, was another matter entirely.  Lexy’s eyes hardened as she remembered the snide remarks that the girl had made the first time she’d given Cameron a ride home.  Debbie had commented that she looked like an eighties reject and wondered why the school would hire someone so poorly suited to dealing with the public.

     “Excuse me, is there something wrong with your food?  I noticed that you haven’t touched it.”
     Lexy’s gaze went to the waitress and she forced herself to smile.  “No.  I just got lost in my thoughts.  Thank you, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

     “Okay.  Just give a holler if you need anything else.”

     Lexy hooded her eyes.  “Don’t worry, I will.”

     Feeling eyes on her, she picked up her fork and absently started eating as he gaze kept going back to the family that she was watching.  The mother looked like an older version of the daughter.  The classic beautiful blonde cheerleader type.  Dismissing her, Lexy turned her attention to the father.

     David Pettigrew looked every bit as fit as he’d been in high school.  From the many conversations she’d had with Cameron, Lexy knew that he was something of a football hero.  And when his cheerleader girlfriend got pregnant, he’d done the honorable thing and married her.  Until two weeks ago, he’d been faithful to his wife.

     Lexy’s eyes gleamed as she thought about how that change had come about.  She’d taken Cameron home that day.  It was unseasonably hot and she’d felt like she had been melting in the polyester suit she’d donned earlier that day.  David had just stopped home to pick up some plans that he’d needed for construction his company was doing on the downtown area.  Debbie had come into the room and made a rude comment about how Lexy was dressed and David had grounded her to her room.  He’d apologized for his daughter and Lexy had blown it off like it hadn’t cut to her very soul.

     When she had gotten into her car, she decided that today was the day to put her plan into motion.  She had gotten back out of the car and lifted the hood.  A quick glance had told her she needed to hurry because David had found his plans and was at the door getting ready to step out of the house.  She slipped the chip out and broke off one of the prongs that would render it useless to the vehicle, and then returned it.

     A deep voice from behind her asked, “Car trouble?” 

     She turned, her cheeks flushed from being so close to him.  “It won’t start.”

     “Would you like me to take a look?”

     Lexy forced a worried look on her face.  “I wouldn’t want you to be late.”

     David grinned before winking at her.  “Shh!  Don’t tell anyone but the plans were just a ruse.  Deidre’s mother is coming for dinner tonight and this was stage one of my getting out of being here for it.”

     She grinned.  “I’ll keep your secret safe.”

     It hadn’t taken David long to find the problem that she had engineered.  “It doesn’t look like this car is going anywhere.  How about if I give you a ride home and we can have the car towed to the shop?”

     “That would be wonderful, but I wouldn’t want to put you out.”

     “No trouble.  Come on.”

     Lexy had made sure that her skirt rode up on her leg, they were one of her best features and she knew how to show them off. 

     David’s eyes had seemed fixated on them and every so often she’d caught his glance had settled on her breasts.

     When they’d reached her house, she’d invited him in for a drink.  The minute his cheeks had flushed, she’d known she had him.

     A clattering brought her back to the present and she looked over to the table she’d been watching.  Deidre was berating their hapless waitress and David’s eyes looked away, as if he were wishing he could be anywhere else.  She knew the second his gaze widened in startled surprise that he’d seen her.  She smiled, lifting her fingers slightly and waggling them in a wave.

     He blushed before hurriedly looking back to his family. 

     Suddenly, she felt hostile eyes on her and turned to see Debbie glaring at her.  Forcing a smile to her lips, she nodded as if nothing were wrong. 

     Debbie touched her mother’s arm and when the older woman looked at her, she nodded in Lexy’s direction. 

     Deidre glared at her.

     Lexy placed her hand over her stomach, wondering why the two women were so hostile.  There was no way they could know she was having an affair with David…she stilled as some of the things that had been happening the past week seemed to come together.  Her eyes narrowed as she came to the conclusion that the two probably did know about the affair.

     Lexy took out her phone and pretended an interest she didn’t have as she finished the meal she lost interest in the minute it was ordered.  She forced herself not to look over at them as they gathered up their things and prepared to leave.  Once they’d walked out the door, she took a sigh of relief, but it was premature.

     A shadow fell over her causing her to look up.  Debbie was standing there with a glare on her face.  “I know what happened, and I’m telling you to leave my father alone or you’ll regret it.”

     Lexy feigned innocence.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

     Debbie grabbed the nearly full glass of wine from the table and threw it at Lexy.  “I’m warning you…”

     It was all Lexy could do to keep herself from reacting in the way that she wanted. 

     The owner rushed over and took Debbie’s arm.  “You need to go home and calm down.  You don’t want people hearing you talk crazy like this.”

    Debbie pulled her arm out of his grasp.  “I don’t care who hears me.  If the bitch doesn’t stay away from my father, I’m going to make sure she regrets the day she ever came to this town.”

     Lexy hooded her eyes so the others wouldn’t see the excitement she was unable to bank down.  She reached for her purse, making sure that to the onlooker it would look as if she were deathly afraid of the young woman.  She pulled out a twenty and laid it on the table and then stood, making sure that her chair fell over.  The clash drawing the other diner’s in her direction.

     She pinched herself as hard as she could in order to bring tears to her eyes.  She knew how to make her lips quiver and had studied the mannerisms she needed to play the part she wanted to convey to all of those watching.  “She’s insane.  I don’t even know what she’s talking about.  Please keep her away from me.  She’s been stalking me and I don’t know why.”

     Covering her eyes, she let the sobs loose, knowing to the onlookers, she would appear to be the injured party.

     Debbie took a step toward her but was stopped by another man.  Lexy listened as the man told Debbie to leave or she would be arrested.  The excitement she’d felt before was nothing compared to what she was feeling now. 

     A warm hand descended on her shoulder and she jumped.  She needed to make this look good.

     “You’re safe, ma’am.  She’s gone.”

     Lexy lifted tear-stained eyes.  “Thank you.”

     The man was in his mid-fifties and had cop written all over him.  “I’m Detective Trace Vickers.  I’ll write this up so that if she gives you problems again, there will be a paper trail.”

     She smiled wanly, “Thank you so much.  I really don’t understand this fixation she has with me.”

     He smiled.  “Would you like me to walk you to your car?”

     “Would you?  That would be so nice of you.”

     Lexy let Detective Vickers put his arm around her as the exited the restaurant.  They had only gone a few steps when Debbie flew at her in a rage.  Detective Vickers soon had her handcuffed and he called for a patrol car to come and pick Debbie up. 

     The patrol car was there in less than five minutes and in that time, Lexy had given Vickers everything she wanted him to know.  Once she was in her car, she schooled herself to stay in character as she cautiously pulled out into traffic.

     When she got to her house, Lexy saw that David’s car was parked in the drive. She pressed the door opener and drove into the garage.  By the time she’d exited her car, David was standing there waiting for her.

     She moved toward him, expecting him to take her in his arms like he had the last few times they’d been together. 

     Instead, he took a step back, his face solemn as he said, “We have to talk.”

     White-hot fury raced through her, but she couldn’t let on.  Instead, she lowered her head as if she was ashamed of the way she’d acted.

     “Please, Lexy, don’t do that.  You aren’t the one who’s in the wrong here.  All of this is on me.  You were just so fresh and vibrant, and after nearly twenty years of marriage, that was something I desperately needed.”

     Lexy made her voice sound hesitant as she asked, “So you were just using me?”

     “No!”  His head hung down.  “Not intentionally.  Deidre found out about us and she’s livid.  If I agree not to see you again, she’ll forget about the whole thing.  I’m sorry, but I have to think about Cameron.”

     “Debbie attacked me outside the restaurant.”

     David’s hand ran through his hair as he let out a disgusted sigh.  “I’ve made such a mess out of all of our lives.  I’m sorry.”  He backed away.  “I need to go to her.”

     Lexy watched as he got in his car and drove away.  Her head lifted and she turned to go in the house as the garage door closed.  Setting her purse on the kitchen counter as she passed through on her way to the bedroom, she let the anger surface as she plotted her next move.

     She stopped as she stepped into her bedroom.  Flipping the light on, she scanned the pictures on the wall.  She stepped forward and one by one she took each photo down and put it in the box marked fragile.  When the last picture was in the box, she placed it on the dresser and then moved through the house to the office she’d set up.  She booted up the computer and printed up another picture that she would need to add with the others.  She lifted the photo and held it at eye level. 

     Smiling, her voice changed to an exact replica of Deidre’s as she said, “Why no, David, I don’t mind at all.  Lexy is very important to our family.  She belongs with us.”

     Lexy smiled, “Why, thank you, Mrs. Pettigrew.  That’s very sweet of you.”

     “I always wanted another daughter.  You’ll fit in to our family beautifully.  Maybe you can teach Debbie some manners.”

     “I’ll do my best.”

     Carrying the photo back to her bedroom, she placed it in the box with the others.  As if on auto-pilot, she walked through the house and picked up all of the items that had special meaning to her.  When she reached the kitchen, she grabbed her bag and made her way back out to the garage.  She put the box in the trunk and grabbed the leather gloves that she kept there as well as the hammer.  There was a bag as well and she set that on the floor of the car on the driver’s side before making her way back in the house. 

     She took out Vicker’s card to call him. 

     “Detective Vickers.”

     “Hello…this is…Lexy Southern.  I…I’m sorry to bother you, but I saw someone outside and I just wanted to make sure that Miss Pettigrew was still at the police station.”

     There was a hesitation on the other end before Vickers said, “I’m sorry, but Miss Pettigrew left ten minutes ago with her mother and lawyer.”

     “Oh no!  Well…she couldn’t have gotten here in ten minutes, could she?”

     What’s your address?” 

      “Thirteen oh seven Milburn Way.”

     There was another pause before the detective said, “I’m sending a car your way.  Is there a safe place in the house?”

      “I…I don’t know.”  Lexi moved to the side window and used the meat-mallet from the butcher lock to break the window.  She screamed into the phone and dropped it, smashing it to pieces.  She went to the hall closet and grabbed the body that had been waiting for just such a moment and let it fall beside the phone. 

      Going over to the broken window, she dropped the hammer on the other side so that it would be found.  She glanced at her watch and knew that she had exactly two minutes to get set the scene and drive away or she risked being caught. 

     Working as fast as she possibly could, she placed the accelerant-soaked material and then turned the gas stove on.  She moved to the garage and quickly changed into her disguise.  She put everything in the trunk and got into the car.  She was cutting it close when she hit the button for the garage door and she waited till it had just cleared the car before she barreled out of the garage and squealed the tires as she did a one eighty and sped away.

     In the few seconds that the car was turning, she saw Debbie sneaking up to the house.  Lexy smiled as she realized that the other woman was going to the exact window that had been broken.  A smug smile filled her face as she pressed the button that would blow everything sky high.  As she sped away, she caught a glimpse of Debbie being tossed in the air from the blast.

     Lexy slowed down so that she wouldn’t draw attention to herself.  She had her next location already set up.  Pulling into a motel, she got her key from the manager before parking in back.  She grabbed her bag from the back and made her way to her room.  Sitting down on the bed, she pulled the list from her bag.  There were several names on the paper, eight of which had been marked off.  She had a week to make sure that the Pettigrew’s were taken care of before she started her new job as nanny to the Wilson’s.  George and Irene Wilson had just given birth to a son they’d named Peter.  They were listed below the Pettigrews. 

     She pulled her legs up so she could wrap her arms around them and rested her chin in her knees.  Her voice was whisper soft as she said, “I will belong.”