Oh God it was delicious! At the first touch of my lips on her wrist, of my tongue greedily lapping up her blood, Rosa had gone quiet, wide-eyed and dazed - like the druggies you see in their heroin haze, slack-lipped on the metro steps. I slurped noisily, and she moaned.
Oh this was so GOOD! I was about to latch on and really suck up that juice, when a hand gripped the back of my neck and lifted me off Rosa, as easily as you'd lift a kitten from a bowl of milk.
I, however, am not a kitten. I turned hands crisped and extended into claws, mouth wide open, lips pulled back from my bloodied teeth...I caught a fleeting glimpse of myself in the mirror, swollen-eyed and raging in Donnie's hands. "NO!" I was screaming, the taut wiry tendons standing out like guy-ropes on my neck.
Donnie's voice was low and calm. "No, Greta, stop." He shook me gently. "Stop." Geeky, spindly Donnie had a remarkable strength in those thin hands. "This is not who you are. Stop."
I dangled from his hands limply. I raised my head and faced myself over his shoulder in that hall-mirror. The sassy, sexy woman who'd come down the stairs was gone. I looked like a harridan.
The blood was smeared down my cheeks and across my incisors like cheap lipstick, my eyes were bulgy and bloodshot, veiled by some monstrous lust. My hair straggled in a tangled sweaty dark veil, strands sticking to the blood drying on my cheeks. Thankfully, I noticed in passing, not a drop of blood spoiled my pristine white shirt. I had not spilled a drop. Waste not, want not, Mom always said.
Donnie saw the blood-madness recede and gently lowered me to my feet. "Donnie.." I whispered, but he had turned away, was leaning down to examine Rosa's wrists.
I saw his nostrils flare, and his lips tighten, but he spoke to her softly. "It's alright..." He looked over at me."What is her name?"
"Rosa..."
"Rosa, you will be alright." He spoke without turning his head."Get me some towels please, Greta. Then call an ambulance."
I nodded numbly and walked to the linen cupboard in the downstairs bathroom. Towels were stacked there, neat as you please. Mute evidence of my barren life. Who else had time to color code towels?
I hesitated a second. Top of the pile was this really delicious set of deep-pile Egyptian cotton towels that I had paid the earth for... I pulled three towels from further down. Discount-store stuff in a deep red that would not show the stains.
I hurried back and found Donnie French-kissing Rosa. KISSING?
"What are you doing," I screeched, "Are you some kind of perverted freak?" Donnie straightened up and stared at me coldly.
"I'm cleaning up your mess, Greta. Now she won't remember what happened here...What you were doing." He took the towels from my hands and gently guided Rosa towards the kitchen."Now, call 112 and go wash your face before they get here."
Suitably chastened I did so. I dialed the number and a calm female voice answered. "Please send an ambulance..." I rattled off my address.
"Tell me Ma'am, is someone hurt?"
"My sister, Rosa, tried to kill herself."
The calm voice asked for details, and told me "Help is on the way! We are also alerting the Police."
Police? Ah...A suicide attempt. Damn. A rape, a murder, and an attempted suicide at the same address in 78 hours. And if Rosa blabbed about Frank, the Police might take a second look at his death. I would now have MOTIVE, and I certainly had opportunity.
I went into the bathroom and carefully washed my face. I brushed my teeth and combed back my sweat-damp hair. My eyes were still odd in some way I couldn't define, but since I'd just had my baby-sister bleed all over my gardenias and my entrance, that was understandable.
I was composed, and silently composing a suitable greeting when I heard Donnie open the front door.
I came out and stood by as two men with a stretcher jogged into my kitchen. I heard one of them say to Rosa: "Whot now, luv? Whot yu go and do this for? Pretty thing like yu! Yu goin to be just fine, yu are!" The voice was kindly. cheerful. Rosa mumbled some unintelligible reply in a groggy voice.
"Yu take any pills, luv? Yu tell ol'Barney here, Dunna be ashamed. I know yu in pain."
Rosa sobbed something snottily, and the men emerged with her. Then the Police arrived. Double damn!
One of them had been present at Frank's murder scene as a first responder. Oh, this was just perfect...
Glancing down I noticed some blood I'd missed crusted deep in the creases of the knuckles of my right thumb. Unthinking I stuck it in my mouth and sucked at it. Yum.
Donnie started talking to the Police.
"I came to pick up Mrs. Valginsky - it was her husband's funeral today - and just as we were leaving this lady arrived...Mrs. Valginsky's sister."
The Policeman nodded and jotted things down. He looked up at me. "My condolences Ma'am." I nodded and tried to look as mournful as possible with my thumb stuck in my mouth.
"Who are you, sir?"
Donnie fished out his wallet and handed it over for the second officer to peruse.
"I'm Mrs. Valginsky's sponsor..." He nodded meaningfully, "Hard day, lots of stressors, I was escorting her to a meeting." The two men looked over at me again, then back at Donnie.
"All right then, we will take it up with Mrs...?" They looked expectantly at me.
I dragged that delicious thumb reluctantly out of my mouth. "Schultz, Rosa Schultz." I squeaked.
Wonderful. From ravening monster to a thumb-sucking alcoholic dweeb.
I was discovering I was a talented thespian indeed!
Except that I WAS a monster AND a thumb-sucking-dweeb...
MC
Oh this was so GOOD! I was about to latch on and really suck up that juice, when a hand gripped the back of my neck and lifted me off Rosa, as easily as you'd lift a kitten from a bowl of milk.
I, however, am not a kitten. I turned hands crisped and extended into claws, mouth wide open, lips pulled back from my bloodied teeth...I caught a fleeting glimpse of myself in the mirror, swollen-eyed and raging in Donnie's hands. "NO!" I was screaming, the taut wiry tendons standing out like guy-ropes on my neck.
Donnie's voice was low and calm. "No, Greta, stop." He shook me gently. "Stop." Geeky, spindly Donnie had a remarkable strength in those thin hands. "This is not who you are. Stop."
I dangled from his hands limply. I raised my head and faced myself over his shoulder in that hall-mirror. The sassy, sexy woman who'd come down the stairs was gone. I looked like a harridan.
The blood was smeared down my cheeks and across my incisors like cheap lipstick, my eyes were bulgy and bloodshot, veiled by some monstrous lust. My hair straggled in a tangled sweaty dark veil, strands sticking to the blood drying on my cheeks. Thankfully, I noticed in passing, not a drop of blood spoiled my pristine white shirt. I had not spilled a drop. Waste not, want not, Mom always said.
Donnie saw the blood-madness recede and gently lowered me to my feet. "Donnie.." I whispered, but he had turned away, was leaning down to examine Rosa's wrists.
I saw his nostrils flare, and his lips tighten, but he spoke to her softly. "It's alright..." He looked over at me."What is her name?"
"Rosa..."
"Rosa, you will be alright." He spoke without turning his head."Get me some towels please, Greta. Then call an ambulance."
I nodded numbly and walked to the linen cupboard in the downstairs bathroom. Towels were stacked there, neat as you please. Mute evidence of my barren life. Who else had time to color code towels?
I hesitated a second. Top of the pile was this really delicious set of deep-pile Egyptian cotton towels that I had paid the earth for... I pulled three towels from further down. Discount-store stuff in a deep red that would not show the stains.
I hurried back and found Donnie French-kissing Rosa. KISSING?
"What are you doing," I screeched, "Are you some kind of perverted freak?" Donnie straightened up and stared at me coldly.
"I'm cleaning up your mess, Greta. Now she won't remember what happened here...What you were doing." He took the towels from my hands and gently guided Rosa towards the kitchen."Now, call 112 and go wash your face before they get here."
Suitably chastened I did so. I dialed the number and a calm female voice answered. "Please send an ambulance..." I rattled off my address.
"Tell me Ma'am, is someone hurt?"
"My sister, Rosa, tried to kill herself."
The calm voice asked for details, and told me "Help is on the way! We are also alerting the Police."
Police? Ah...A suicide attempt. Damn. A rape, a murder, and an attempted suicide at the same address in 78 hours. And if Rosa blabbed about Frank, the Police might take a second look at his death. I would now have MOTIVE, and I certainly had opportunity.
I went into the bathroom and carefully washed my face. I brushed my teeth and combed back my sweat-damp hair. My eyes were still odd in some way I couldn't define, but since I'd just had my baby-sister bleed all over my gardenias and my entrance, that was understandable.
I was composed, and silently composing a suitable greeting when I heard Donnie open the front door.
I came out and stood by as two men with a stretcher jogged into my kitchen. I heard one of them say to Rosa: "Whot now, luv? Whot yu go and do this for? Pretty thing like yu! Yu goin to be just fine, yu are!" The voice was kindly. cheerful. Rosa mumbled some unintelligible reply in a groggy voice.
"Yu take any pills, luv? Yu tell ol'Barney here, Dunna be ashamed. I know yu in pain."
Rosa sobbed something snottily, and the men emerged with her. Then the Police arrived. Double damn!
One of them had been present at Frank's murder scene as a first responder. Oh, this was just perfect...
Glancing down I noticed some blood I'd missed crusted deep in the creases of the knuckles of my right thumb. Unthinking I stuck it in my mouth and sucked at it. Yum.
Donnie started talking to the Police.
"I came to pick up Mrs. Valginsky - it was her husband's funeral today - and just as we were leaving this lady arrived...Mrs. Valginsky's sister."
The Policeman nodded and jotted things down. He looked up at me. "My condolences Ma'am." I nodded and tried to look as mournful as possible with my thumb stuck in my mouth.
"Who are you, sir?"
Donnie fished out his wallet and handed it over for the second officer to peruse.
"I'm Mrs. Valginsky's sponsor..." He nodded meaningfully, "Hard day, lots of stressors, I was escorting her to a meeting." The two men looked over at me again, then back at Donnie.
"All right then, we will take it up with Mrs...?" They looked expectantly at me.
I dragged that delicious thumb reluctantly out of my mouth. "Schultz, Rosa Schultz." I squeaked.
Wonderful. From ravening monster to a thumb-sucking alcoholic dweeb.
I was discovering I was a talented thespian indeed!
Except that I WAS a monster AND a thumb-sucking-dweeb...
MC
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