Page 4 of Montana Delta Rescue
Marilyn had always enjoyed Italian food. Her girlfriends had set her birthday party up at Santoro’s, which was known as one of the best Italian places in town. The evening had been one of the most memorable of her life. Everything had been perfect.
Tony was in the restaurant that night, checking on things. He’d seen her and come over to wish her a happy birthday. Then he’d sent two of the best dishes of the house to her, with his compliments, along with a good bottle of wine.
Tony could be averygenerous man and was quite charming. By the end of the evening, when he’d asked for her phone number, she’d happily written it down for him and hoped he would call her.
He called the next day and she’d said yes to their first date. Now, sixteen months later, she stayed over at his house more often than she stayed at her apartment. She’d become spoiled, swimming in his private pool every day, enjoying fine meals with good wine, some that he cooked for her and some prepared by his chef, and she received flowers out of the blue, just because he felt like spoiling her.
He treats me like a princess. But this is no fairy tale. We won’t ever have a happy ever after.
Witnessing the murder of the short nervous man shook her. He’d had good reason to be nervous. It felt surreal what she’d witnessed, but she knew it for fact.
They were cold blooded killers and had shown no emotion over what they’d done.
Today she’d gone to the hair salon because she’d soon be trying out for a new role in a movie and the role was for a blonde woman. Marilyn had needed a touchup of color in her soft blonde hair.
The other day Tony had said, “Hey baby, can’t you go blonder?”
Today at the salon she’d decided to surprise him and do just that. Now she didn’t care what he thought of her hair. Hair was the last thing she was concerned about.
My God, they just murdered a man. Tony acted as if it were nothing. He pulled off the shirt I gave him, treated it like a rag and handed it off. As if what had just happened to that man was no big deal and he just wanted the mess cleaned up. The shirt meant nothing to him, even though he initially acted like he was touched I’d bought it for him. I can’t ever trust what he says or how he acts any more. Not after this. I have to get away from him!
She drove like her life depended on it and looked into her rearview mirror imagining any moment Tony’s car would come up behind her. She would be a dead woman. As the numbness of the shock started to wear off, panic ran through her full blown and she hit the gas harder.
“I can’t ever go back there,” she cried out loud as tears started rolling down her face. “I can’t ever see Tony again!”
Chapter 2
In one moment,Marilyn’s entire life had changed. Though she was an actress, in her real life she was always genuine with people. Now she couldn’t be. Not with Tony. Everything about her and Tony had to end. She wished she could end it right now. But would that be safe?
She felt sick to her stomach.
Who was that poor man they’d just killed? Did he have a family? What will they do with his body?
She doubted either of the men would be calling the police. She wanted to call the police herself but couldn’t. Tony would find out. Then she’d be in danger. She couldn’t tell anyone. She was afraid to find out what would happen to her if he did.
Out of habit, in her panic, she’d taken the route home and now noticed she was only two blocks away from her apartment.
Home.
I’ll go home and act like that’s where I’ve been since I got my hair done. I’ll bake something. Dark chocolate brownies with fudge icing. The apartment will smell good and my neighbor Mr. Avery will notice and ask if I made extra for him. That will give me a witness to my being at home, baking. I’ll say I came home from my hair appointment, took a nap and then got up to make the brownies. Tony knows I love to bake.
Baking was her go to when she was stressed. Making sweet treats for other people helped her feel more in control of her world, and satisfied her need to help others.
Tonight, she needed chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Forget all the weight watching, the salads, the swimming and lifting and scale watching.
Desperate times called for chocolate.
The first thing she did when she got to her apartment was to unlock the door, step inside and double lock it behind her. First the deadbolt and then the lock below. Then she kicked off her shoes and ran to her computer, turning it on.
Using her phone cable to connect to her computer, she copied all the pics from her phone to her computer. Then she hit the delete button repeatedly on her phone pics until all the photos on her phone were gone. She could delete the ones taken at Tony’s house off of her computer and keep her other photos.
But what if he finds out I was there? And knows I saw what they did? What if he tells Cleo to kill me too? I’d want everyone to know why he killed me. I’d want the police to get these pictures.
Her mail stood piled up on a table near the door, reminding her that she still needed to sort through it. Seeing the stack of mail gave her the idea of mailing the murder pictures to someone.
But where and to who?
Quickly she ran through a mental list of all her friends.
