disbelief.
The gunshot woke Amanda with a start. She was faced away
from the door, so when Martin groaned and slumped onto her, she was still
groggy and didn’t understand.
“Martin?” she grumbled, and pushed on his chest to roll him
off. Then she drew a hand away, saw the blood and screamed.
“Jesus Christ!” Robbie shouted.
Amanda jerked her head around and froze. She stared at
Robbie, at the gun, at Morgan, her mouth wide in shock. Martin struggled to
rise, and lurched again toward the drawer. Morgan yanked the gun out of
Robbie’s hand and fired again. Amanda’s piercing scream wailed like a siren.
With quick strides, Morgan crossed the room to the bed.
“Shut up!” She pressed the plastic-covered gun against
Amanda’s temple.
“No!” Robbie shrieked. “What are you doing? You said the gun
wasn’t loaded.”
“Well, it’s a damn good thing it was. Did you see that prick
dive? He was going for a gun.” Morgan yanked open the bedside drawer and then
nodded like she’d known all along. “He’d have shot us both, no questions
asked.”
Robbie began to tremble. “I don’t think…”
“What did you think he was looking for?” Morgan snapped.
“Condoms? He was feeling frisky and wanted to fuck your mother?”
Robert’s thoughts seemed to crackle and spark, as though his
mind could not compute what was happening.
Robbie stood nearby, quaking, blubbering, “Don’t, Morgan.
Don’t.”
Amanda sobbed and Morgan shouted at both of them to shut up.
She pushed Martin’s limp body away, then dragged Amanda out of the bed by her
hair. She was naked, too. Robbie turned away.
“Congratulations, Robbie!” Robert yelled. “You happy now?”
Using the gun, Morgan pointed at a robe tossed on a chair.
“Put that on,” she snarled at Amanda before turning to
Robbie. “Get it together, you dumb shit. You just caught your mom fucking the
dickhead that was going to send you to rehab.”
“I know.” Robbie wailed. Then using the heels of his hands,
he wiped away the tears in his eyes. He turned on Amanda. “How could you? With
Martin of all people? Jesus, Mother.”
Amanda was too afraid to speak. All she could do was clutch
the robe tightly to her waist. Blood from Martin soaked through the silk.
“Your husband’s attorney.” Morgan clicked her tongue.
“That’s like fucking his business partner. Or his brother.”
“Did Dad know you were cheating on him?” Robbie asked. “Is
that why he cut us off?”
“That’s probably why he wants to come back,” Morgan fueled
Robbie’s indignation. “He’s hoping his next wife won’t be a fucking whore.”
Amanda’s tousled hair swung from side to side as she shook
her head, her face contort with anguish. And the longer she remained silent,
the bolder Robbie grew.
“Were you fucking Martin to get more of Dad’s estate?”
Robbie hesitated, as though an idea was fighting its way to the surface. “Wait
a minute. He was going to get the will thrown out, but you weren’t going to
tell me. You were going to keep it all for yourself.”
“You bitch!” Morgan tossed in.
Amanda’s voice was low and raspy. “That’s not true, Robbie.”
“Get over to that safe and open it up,” Robbie yelled.
“Right now.”
Morgan waved the gun for emphasis.
After one last glance back at Martin’s lifeless body on the
bed, Amanda stumbled to the armoire, and the safe. She opened the double doors
of the cabinet with trembling fingers.
Robert remembered when she’d insisted on cutting away the
back of the armoire so the wall safe would open just above a shelf. That way,
Amanda could spread out all her pretty baubles before choosing what she wanted
to wear. She’d had halogen lights added so she could see the stones true colors
before deciding.
For the first time in years, the shelves were cleared. And
when Amanda pulled the handle on the safe, Robert could see all the velvet
trays and flannel drawstring bags tossed haphazardly inside, no
The gunshot woke Amanda with a start. She was faced away
from the door, so when Martin groaned and slumped onto her, she was still
groggy and didn’t understand.
“Martin?” she grumbled, and pushed on his chest to roll him
off. Then she drew a hand away, saw the blood and screamed.
“Jesus Christ!” Robbie shouted.
Amanda jerked her head around and froze. She stared at
Robbie, at the gun, at Morgan, her mouth wide in shock. Martin struggled to
rise, and lurched again toward the drawer. Morgan yanked the gun out of
Robbie’s hand and fired again. Amanda’s piercing scream wailed like a siren.
With quick strides, Morgan crossed the room to the bed.
“Shut up!” She pressed the plastic-covered gun against
Amanda’s temple.
“No!” Robbie shrieked. “What are you doing? You said the gun
wasn’t loaded.”
“Well, it’s a damn good thing it was. Did you see that prick
dive? He was going for a gun.” Morgan yanked open the bedside drawer and then
nodded like she’d known all along. “He’d have shot us both, no questions
asked.”
Robbie began to tremble. “I don’t think…”
“What did you think he was looking for?” Morgan snapped.
“Condoms? He was feeling frisky and wanted to fuck your mother?”
Robert’s thoughts seemed to crackle and spark, as though his
mind could not compute what was happening.
Robbie stood nearby, quaking, blubbering, “Don’t, Morgan.
Don’t.”
Amanda sobbed and Morgan shouted at both of them to shut up.
She pushed Martin’s limp body away, then dragged Amanda out of the bed by her
hair. She was naked, too. Robbie turned away.
“Congratulations, Robbie!” Robert yelled. “You happy now?”
Using the gun, Morgan pointed at a robe tossed on a chair.
“Put that on,” she snarled at Amanda before turning to
Robbie. “Get it together, you dumb shit. You just caught your mom fucking the
dickhead that was going to send you to rehab.”
“I know.” Robbie wailed. Then using the heels of his hands,
he wiped away the tears in his eyes. He turned on Amanda. “How could you? With
Martin of all people? Jesus, Mother.”
Amanda was too afraid to speak. All she could do was clutch
the robe tightly to her waist. Blood from Martin soaked through the silk.
“Your husband’s attorney.” Morgan clicked her tongue.
“That’s like fucking his business partner. Or his brother.”
“Did Dad know you were cheating on him?” Robbie asked. “Is
that why he cut us off?”
“That’s probably why he wants to come back,” Morgan fueled
Robbie’s indignation. “He’s hoping his next wife won’t be a fucking whore.”
Amanda’s tousled hair swung from side to side as she shook
her head, her face contort with anguish. And the longer she remained silent,
the bolder Robbie grew.
“Were you fucking Martin to get more of Dad’s estate?”
Robbie hesitated, as though an idea was fighting its way to the surface. “Wait
a minute. He was going to get the will thrown out, but you weren’t going to
tell me. You were going to keep it all for yourself.”
“You bitch!” Morgan tossed in.
Amanda’s voice was low and raspy. “That’s not true, Robbie.”
“Get over to that safe and open it up,” Robbie yelled.
“Right now.”
Morgan waved the gun for emphasis.
After one last glance back at Martin’s lifeless body on the
bed, Amanda stumbled to the armoire, and the safe. She opened the double doors
of the cabinet with trembling fingers.
Robert remembered when she’d insisted on cutting away the
back of the armoire so the wall safe would open just above a shelf. That way,
Amanda could spread out all her pretty baubles before choosing what she wanted
to wear. She’d had halogen lights added so she could see the stones true colors
before deciding.
For the first time in years, the shelves were cleared. And
when Amanda pulled the handle on the safe, Robert could see all the velvet
trays and flannel drawstring bags tossed haphazardly inside, no
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