A Moment in Time (37 page)

The parking lot out behind the bar was dark,
the only light coming from distant streetlamps. The roar of the
dance music playing on the bar's powerful stereo system was reduced
to a muffled bass beat out here, momentarily amplified when a
parting customer flung open the door and came out the back way.

Inside the car, the three people sat deeply
engrossed in discussion, their conversation abruptly ceasing
altogether when the occasional patron passed close by.

"You're crazy," the huge bulk in the front
seat said in a quiet but intense voice. He stared straight ahead,
as if he wasn't addressing the two people in the backseat, as if
they didn't even exist. The light outside reflected off the smooth
back of his shaved head.

"No, I'm not crazy," the female in the
backseat said. "It's a cinch. When you shoot him up with the
painkiller, you give him too much, then the poor guy falls down the
stairs or something. It's simple."

"You mean I throw him down the steps," the
giant said.

"Exactly," the woman replied. "Make sure his
neck is broken or something. I'll give you fifty grand."

"Oh, Jesus," the man in the backseat said,
almost under his breath. "I don't believe I'm hearing this."

The woman turned to him, her eyes glittering
angrily. "You have a better idea?" she said. "Maybe you want to do
it for fifty grand? Is that it? What if I give you a gun? I've got
one at the house, you know. I brought it with me. Will you go in
there and do it? Earn your keep?"

"Shit." The man sighed, turning away from her
and staring out the window, his face almost pressed up against the
glass. "You've had too much to drink. You don't mean what you're
saying."

"Yes, I do," the woman said. "I mean every
word. I'll pay fifty grand up front, then fifty when it's done. I'd
do it myself except I'd be suspect number one, and I'd have hell
even getting in there."

"I'd be number one," the bulk in the front
seat said. "I'm there nearly twenty-four hours a day, and I'm in
the will."

"That's crap," the woman said. "Make it look
like an accident, like I said. Tell the cops how he shoots himself
up sometimes. Wanders around the house at night. Just make sure
he's dead, then go on out to your cottage and go to bed. Those
stupid fools the Reinhardts wouldn't know any different. Besides,
everybody knows you've been totally devoted to him for years."

"One major problem," the giant retorted.

"What?" the woman asked.

"Since he's been seeing that vet, he's quit
shooting up, unless he's doing it himself."

"That doesn't matter," the woman said, "he's
got needle marks on his ass, right?"

The bulk nodded.

"So who's to know he quit?" she asked.

"You make it sound so easy," the man in the
backseat said.

"It is," she said. "So why don't you give it
a try if he won't? He could get you inside and back out again
without any problem." She looked toward the front. "Right?"

The bulk nodded again. "I could do it."

"No way," the man in the backseat said. "No
fucking way. I'm not going to have anything to do with this."

"Not even for me?" the woman asked, thrusting
a clenched fist against her breast.

"No," the man said.

"And a hundred grand all your own?" she said
tauntingly.

The man shook his black curls. "No," he said.
"Don't ask me again. That's final. No!"

She looked toward the front again. "You've
got to do it then," she said to the hulking presence at the
steering wheel. "You've got to!"

The bulk sighed, then said, "I'll have to
think about it. Think about how to do it. Maybe."

Tiffani frowned. "Why were you so late
anyway, Teddy?"

"I just had a bunch of business stuff to do,"
he replied. He put the silver straw up his nose, then bent over the
line of cocaine she'd cut for him, and took a snort up one nostril,
then repeated the process with the other. He sniffed several times,
making certain he'd gotten it all up into his nose, then looked at
her and smiled. "Forgive me?"

"I forgive you," she said. "How can I be mad
at a man with such good nose candy?" She giggled. She felt great.
They'd already snorted several lines, made love, and had a long
talk about something Teddy wanted her to help him with.
Imagine
, she thought.
Me, poor little Tiffani being able
to help the rich Mr. de Mornay.
Only she wasn't so sure she
wanted to get involved with this little project.
I've got to
make sure there's plenty in this for me
, she decided.

"What're you thinking about?" Teddy asked
her, putting a finger under her chin and turning her face to him.
"You look like you're in another world, Tiff."

"Oh, I don't know, Teddy," she replied,
shaking her long, copious curls. "I just. . . well, I mean, your
idea sounds too dangerous to me. I don't even know my way around
Stonelair except in the stable complex. It's, like, I drive there,
park, go inside to the stable office and work, and that's it.
Besides, that creep Santo's always there, and you never know when
old man Reinhardt's going to come wandering in."

Teddy took a sip of the wine he'd brought
over to Tiffani's, then set the glass down. "The stable complex
would be enough for right now," he said, looking at Tiffani.

She stared back at him. "The stable?" she
said quizzically. "But why the stable?"

He had to tell Tiffani that he was planning a
surprise for Wyn Conrad and Valerie, but he didn't want her to know
exactly what he had in mind. He'd have to keep her in the dark to
some extent, or he'd never get her cooperation. Tiffani may have
the hots for him, he realized, but he had the feeling that she'd
only stick her neck out so far.

"Because," he finally said, "what I want to
do can be done in the stables when nobody else is around." He slid
a hand across her naked breasts, then ran his fingers up and down
her torso gently, finally maneuvering it down between her thighs,
where it rested on her warm mound.

He could feel the new line of coke kicking
in, and he felt powerful, indestructible. "You don't have to worry
about a thing, Tiff," he said. "It's a piece of cake. And I'll take
good care of you for helping out."

"Hmmmm," Tiffani moaned. "You feel so
good."

"You'll help me, won't you, Tiff?" he asked,
leaning over and licking at a nipple with his tongue. "Please,
Tiff."

"Ahhhhh, Teddy," she moaned.

His fingers began to work between her ample
thighs, delving into her wetness, while his tongue flicked out at
her nipples between words. "Please, Tiff," he said. "For me."

"But-but I don't know what you want me to do,
Teddy," she said in a gasp. Her body began to quiver with delight,
and she didn't want him to stop. Ever.

"It's no big deal," he said, momentarily
taking his mouth off a nipple. "Nobody'll get hurt."

"You-you sure?"

"I'm sure," he said, removing his hand and
sitting up.

"Oh, no, Teddy," she immediately complained.
"That felt so good."

He got on his knees between her legs and
spread them wide apart with his hands. "It's going to feel even
better, Tiff," he said. "I want you to feel better than you ever
have." His head plunged between her thighs, and his tongue replaced
his fingers there.

Tiffany began to roll her head from side to
side, moaning loudly, her legs alternately stiffening and spasming,
her hands pushing down on the back of his head. "Ohhhh, Teddddy,"
she cried. "You-you're going to make me—"

His tongue plunged into her relentlessly.
Then he suddenly withdrew and sat up again.

"Nooooo, Teddy," Tiffani groaned. "That was
so—"

Paying no attention to her complaints, Teddy
grabbed her knees with his hands, spread them wide and, without any
further preamble, he plunged into her hard, up to the hilt of his
fully engorged manhood.

Tiffani gasped and nearly levitated off the
bed before she began to spasm again and again, her cries of
pleasure and flowing juices driving him ever harder and faster,
until he was bucking like a cowboy, and with a roar like a bull and
a final plunge he exploded inside of her, his entire body jerking
wildly.

He collapsed atop her, and the two of them
lay spent, exhausted for the moment. It was a long time before
Teddy rolled off her, pulling her with him so that he stayed inside
her. He stroked her damp hair and looked into her eyes. "You'll do
it," he whispered. "Won't you, Tiff? For me? Please?"

She nodded slowly. "If you promise me
nobody'll get hurt," she said.

"You bet," Teddy said, grinning.
Nobody
will get hurt, you stupid bitch
, he thought,
but that
doesn't mean nothing will
. "Nobody'll get hurt, I promise."

She smiled. "And you promise we'll keep doing
this, Teddy."

"Believe me, baby, I want to do this as much
as you do," he said.
At least until something better comes
along
, he thought. She was already getting tiresome, he'd
decided. It was time to move on soon, explore new territory.

He took her in his arms and kissed her
passionately, his tongue plunging between her lips, his cock
stirring to life again inside of her. Tiffani responded
immediately, grinding herself against him and moaning with
pleasure.

Teddy's going to be mine
, she thought.
All mine, and nobody else's. I just know it. I'm going to be the
rich Mrs. Teddy de Mornay
.

It was late at night, but the shadowy figure
didn't want to get too close to the house because the dogs might
get alarmed. It wasn't necessary anyway. Not with such great
binoculars. The lovey-dovey couple was sprawled out on a big
Chesterfield couch in the library with the lights on. It was as if
nothing or nobody in the world could harm them.

Ha!

While they made love to one another in that
magnificent room, they were in a world of their own, protected from
prying eyes.

Or so they thought
.

They'd undressed one another, taking their
precious time, seeming to savor every single minute of it. Tenderly
caressing each other, running hands all over each other, nibbling,
licking, and kissing.

How sweet and gentle they were.

Then, rutting like animals, devouring one
another like starved, lovesick dogs. Moaning and groaning in
ecstasy, no doubt, while they pawed and clawed at each other in a
frenzy of carnal delight. Then resting, breathless, but unable to
keep their hands off of each other after their great mutual and
explosive climax. In sync, those two. Whispering sweet nothings to
each other for sure, yapping about how great it was, and oh, yeah,
professing their undying love.

We'll see about that.

Then going at it again. Like a horse at stud
and a mare that had never had it before. Disgusting, really.

They're nothing but animals. Dirty, filthy
animals.

A shudder went through the watching figure.
And me? I've got nothing. Never had anything or anybody. Not
like them. But I'm going to have to fix that one way or the other.
I'll have to fix them.

Chapter Twenty-five

Colette awoke to sunlight streaming through
her bedroom windows.
It's late
, she thought idly, sitting up
in bed and rubbing her eyes. She looked over at the clock on the
draped table at her bedside.
My goodness, ten o'clock
. Puff
Puppy stirred at her feet, and she leaned down to pet him.

"Good morning, Puff Puppy," she said. "Your
mummy overslept, and you didn't wake me, you naughty boy."

She slid her legs over the side of the bed
and into damask-patterned silk slippers, then stood up, shrugged
into a silk robe, and went into her bathroom. She quickly performed
her morning ritual, gave her hair a few strokes with a brush, and
dismissed her appearance in the mirror with one lifted eyebrow.
"Later, alligator," she said to her reflection. "Yes, I'll fix you
up later."

She snapped off the light and made her way to
the kitchen, Puff Puppy following slowly along behind her. She
opened the kitchen door, padded out onto the screened-in porch, and
opened the screen door for Puff Puppy. "There, darling," she cooed.
"Do your business for Mummy. I'll have your breakfast waiting when
you get back."

She watched as Puff Puppy went out into the
garden, sniffing here and there, and headed for one of his favorite
spots. It was a patch of ferns that hid him entirely from sight,
giving him a sense of privacy, she supposed.
He's awfully
sluggish this morning
, she thought.
I wonder if something's
wrong with him. He doesn't seem himself. I'll have to watch
him
, she decided,
and if he continues behaving this way,
I'll have to make an appointment with Val.

Forgetting her promise to herself not to let
Puff Puppy out of her sight, she returned to the kitchen and filled
his water bowl with fresh water, then filled his food bowl with a
mixture of dry food and leftover bits of chicken she'd deboned for
him. That done, she ground coffee beans and filled the coffeemaker
with water and aromatic coffee.

She heard Puff Puppy at the screen door and
padded back out onto the porch and let him in. "Were you
successful, darling?" she asked the quiet and still sluggish
dog.

Puff Puppy made a beeline for his bed in the
kitchen. He slumped down and immediately closed his eyes.

"Oh, dear me," Colette said worriedly. "If
you're not yourself by noontime, I'm calling Val."

She poured herself a cup of the freshly
brewed coffee, then mixed in a tiny spoonful of sugar substitute
and a generous portion of nonfat milk.

Coffee cup in hand, she walked over to
Hayden's big