A Tale from the Hills (26 page)

The closer that William tried to get to Mona, the more distance he tried to maintain from her husband. He even asked his closest supervisor for a transfer from one section of the dock to another, specifically for the purpose. The supervisor refused his strange request.

William was sure that all that he had to do to win Mona’s heart was to see her as often as he could. He would deal with her husband in another way if he had to, but he resolved that one way or the other, she would be his own very soon. Patience was not his strongest virtue however. He ate at the cafe’ every morning. He would have eaten supper there too but the cafe’ closed at five p.m. Mona was never there in late afternoons anyway. She only worked the breakfast and lunch shifts. William found out that bit of information from another waitress. He was sure that Mona would get suspicious if he asked her too many questions. After thinking and dreaming about her for weeks, hedecided to set a plan into motion to have her all of the time.

***********

On that particular Friday morning William ate at the cafe’ as usual. Not so much because of hunger, because he was much too excited to even be hungry. He simply wanted to make sure that Mona was working. He kept his conversation with her short and sweet. She noticed that he was acting somewhat distracted. She thought that he certainly had other things on his mind besides eating. He left the cafe’ without saying his usual goodbye, and she remembered that he had never done that before. She brushed the thought from her mind before he had gotten out of sight of the cafe’.

He was whistling an unrecognizable tune as he walked up on the docks. Jack was already there having one last cigarette before the morning whistle blew that signaled the time for a shift change. Everything had geared up to be a typical work day.

Just before lunch William began complaining about terrible stomach cramps. The supervisor finally gave him his paycheck and told him to go home for the rest of the day.

Since it was Friday anyway, and probably by Monday he would be well again. If the supervisor had only known how good that he really felt, he would have never let him leave his job.

As soon as he cleared the docks, William headed in the direction of the cafe’. But not to eat this time, he was going to wait across the street until Mona got off from work. There was an overgrown vacant lot that would make a perfect place to be inconspicuous for as long as it took for her to leave work. He had always been very good at sneaking around, obviously a trait that he inherited from his daddy. He was sure that he would be able to follow her without her knowledge, and once he found out where she lived, he would be able to go straight into the next phase of his diabolical plan. By the time that all of his phases were complete, she would be his forever, either willingly or unwillingly. The choice would of course be hers to make. Her options after that initial choice would then be his. He wanted her to be with him, and only him. If she was not willing to be his, then hers would be the next dead body that would be found floating in the ocean.

At a few minutes past two p.m., Mona left the cafe’. William’s eyes lit up when he saw her beautiful dark hair. He longed to run his fingers through it and kiss the back of her long slender neck. He was lost in the fantasy of being with her. She was almost out of sight by the time that his mind came back into focus. He came out of the thick brush of the vacant lot practically in a run. He hoped that no one at the cafe’ saw him, because he might have a hard time explaining his bizarre behavior.

She was easy to spot once he was back on the street. Her white uniform practically glowed in the afternoon sun. She moved among the people on the street as gracefully as a dancer. He thought that she even looked out of place among the dock workers and city dwellers that she had to mingle with each day. She belonged in an elegant setting far from the seamy, dirty part of the city. She belonged with him. He knew deep inside that she wanted the same things that he wanted. She was simply waiting for him to come and sweep her off of her feet.

She stepped inside a neighborhood market and she was in there for about ten minutes, maybe even a little longer. William figured that she was buying groceries for her evening meal. But when she left the store she was carrying a much bigger bag than she would need for one meal for two people. There had to be at least a week’s worth of groceries in that bag. He wanted to take that heavy bag from her delicate arms and carry it for her, but that was completely out of the question. She continued to walk for another fifteen minutes before she finally came to a residential neighborhood. He watched her go to the front door of a small weather boarded house that was not much bigger than the little shack where he grew up. Of course her house was in much better shape than the little house on Jewel Ridge Mountain.

She sat the bag down on the stoop and was rummaging through her handbag for a key to the door, when suddenly the door opened and two small boys and an old lady appeared.

My God, he thought, how many people live in that tiny house? He had assumed all along that Mona and Jack were alone in Wilmington. Seeing the rest of her family was like a bad dream come to life. Now he would have to completely change his plans. But after a few depressing moments he changed his mind again. He still loved her and he did not care if she had ten kids. He was not going to change his plans because of them. After he and his Mona were long gone, Jack and the old lady could take care of the kids.

*********

All weekend William drilled over his plans. He replayed the scenario over and over in his mind until he was sure that nothing could go wrong. He stayed in his room to avoid any distractions. He always kept plenty of snack food on hand in his room, but by Sunday afternoon his supply had dwindled away. Since he had convinced himself that his plans were foolproof, he decided to get some fresh air and a hot meal. He got dressed, combed his hair, and headed for the boardwalk.

There were vendors scattered all along the boardwalk and piers on the weekends. Warm weather brought them out by the scores. William had his choices from a variety of exotic foods and fresh seafood. He dined on boiled shrimp and fried potatoes while he dangled his feet off the pier. He was very close to the spot where two of his victims lost their lives, but that bit of trivia meant nothing at all to him. Those men’s lives were no more important to him than the lives of the shrimp that he was eating. He rationalized that all things were placed upon the earth to be used one way or the other. The strongest always survived and the weak should be used to enrich the lives of the strong. He knew that he was strong and that he would survive and prosper.

After he ate he wandered around the piers and the boardwalk for the rest of the afternoon. It was starting to get dark by the time that he realized that he was almost to the other side of the city. He had never been that far away from the boarding house since he had been in Wilmington. He was looking at a whole different side of the busy city that he had called his home for many months. He got an overwhelming urge for a beer. He walked at least two more blocks before he saw the welcoming sign of a tavern. Secure in the knowledge that he was in possession of a great equalizer in his boot, he stepped through the open doorway of the
GRAND ILLUSIONS BAR.

He was greeted by one of the largest women that he had ever seen. With a hairdo that reminded him of a fancy umbrella, she must have been at least six feet tall. She made him feel welcome as she led him to the bar. Counting the huge woman, the bored looking bartender, and himself, there were eight people in the small and dimly lit establishment.

“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked.

He was moving a dry cloth over the surface of thebar in a manner that suggested to William that he hated his job.

“A beer please.” William replied.

The bartender tossed the cloth into the corner and filled a glass mug from the tap. He sat the mug in front of William and held his hand out.

“Two bits please.”

“Thanks.” William said and handed him the exact change.

Without giving the man time to make another comment, William picked up the beer and walked to the far corner of the small room. He thought that if he gave the impression that he wanted to be left alone, no one would try to bother him. His idea worked because no one even came close to his table. He drank the beer quickly and motioned to the bartender for another. Since the bar was not busy, the bartender brought the beer over to him. William paid him for the beer, plus an extra two bits as a tip.

“Thanks man.” the bartender said.

William did not bother to reply.

He drank the second beer more slowly than the first. He did not want to get intoxicated and he had a tendency to feel the effects of alcohol more easily than most people. He did not want the beer to dull his senses especially in an unfamiliar place. He could not afford to have anything interfere with his plans with Mona, and in the past he had some rather distracting experiences in bars such as this one. By the time that he had finished his second beer, the bar had almost filled up.

Although all of the faces were unfamiliar to him, several of the men had characteristics similar to Drew and the merchant marine. They smiled much too much, and acted much too friendly for their own good, or anyone elses for that matter. A lot of people called them deviants or perverts. He knew how to deal with them, and in fact he loved dealing with them. He decided to have one more beer before he left for the boarding house.

By that time the bar was too crowded to get thebartender’s attention. He decided just to get the beer himself. Several of the men watched him as he approached the bar from his table in the corner. He could tell by the look in their eyes that they were interested in him. He pretended not to notice. After he got his beer he made his way back to his corner seat. He could feel their eyes burning into him as he walked passed them. He almost thought about returning their looks, but a fleeting thought about Mona replaced his naughty idea. He did not want to start something that his gun would not have time to finish.

He must have drank the beer too fast because when he moved his head, he could feel the effects of the alcohol. His eyes seemed to move slower than his face. He realized that he was under the influence. He was in a strange bar, in an unfamiliar part of the city, and he was under the influence of alcohol. He felt like kicking his own ass. He took comfort in the fact that it was still relatively early. He could afford to stay just where he was until the effects began to wear off, and still be back at the boarding house before it was very late. It was a simple solution to his problem, so he decided to stay put.

Everything would have been fine if he would have been left alone. But as soon as one of his admirers realized that he was tipsy, he jumped at the chance to make a move on the handsome drunk. He walked over to William’s table in the corner.

“Can I sit down?” the stranger asked.

“Its a free country.” William answered.

He was thinking about his plans with Mona, and he did not want any trouble if he could avoid it.

“How about another beer?” the man asked after he pulled his chair much too close to William.

“No thanks.”

“Ah, come on. Its still early.”

“I know, but I have had my limit.”

“Just one more.” the man insisted. “I’ll see to it that you get home in one piece.”

William knew exactly which piece of him that the man wanted.

“No thanks anyway.” he replied.

The stranger would not take no for an answer. He motioned toward the bar and one of his comrades brought two beers over to the table.

“Here you go man. Enjoy yourself. You only live once you know.”

“Oh yes, I know that even more than most.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.” the mansaid.

“You just might be getting more than you bargained for.” William said with a morbid hint in his voice.

He had more or less already decided what he was going to do with the insistent stranger.

“I’m counting on it.” the man said and winked.

William sobered up quickly when the stranger put his hand high up on his thigh. Now the man had gone too far. Although William pretended not to mind, he was seething inside. He made up his mind in that instant that the pervert was going to die for his aggression and transgression. He pretended to sip from his beer while he figured out his next move. He knew that if the man moved his hand one inch higher up his leg, that he was going to shoot him right there on the spot, witnesses or not.

Finally William said, “I need to be going. I have to go to work in the morning.”

“Are you sure that you can’t stay for a little while longer. The show is about to start.” the soon to be dead man said.

“What show is that?” William asked.

“Female impersonators from New York are here for one show only at eleven.”

“You stay, I have to go.” William replied.

He knew that the dandy wanted him more than seeing a bunch of drag queens parading around on stage. William never wanted to see another drag show. The ones that he had dealt with in Wilkesboro had almost cost him his life. He lost a good friend at the hands of drag queens.

The stranger put on a gallant act.

“Oh no, I’ll go with you. I promised remember.”

William tried to act surprised. The man said his goodbyes to his friends and he and William left the bar together. William tried to act disoriented.

“And where do you live handsome?” the man asked.

“On the other side of Wilmington.”

“Shouldn’t we get a taxi?” the man asked. “By the way what’s your name?”

“William.”

“I’m Louis.”

“Nice to meet you Louis.” William lied.

They walked about three blocks before a taxi driver spotted them.

“Where to guys?” the driver asked as he pulled up along side.

Louis looked at his supposed one night stand.

“The ship yard.” said William.

“That’s way over on the other side of town. That will cost you a buck fifty from here.”