Unfinished Business - Barbara Seranella by Barbara Seranella

Author:Barbara Seranella
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2011-07-14T21:29:19.753739+00:00

Chapter 14

Munch reached for the receiver, her heart beating so hard it hurt. Before she picked up the phone, she flicked on the tape recorder.

"Hello?"

"Couldn't sleep either?" the caller's mechanical voice asked.

"What do you want?"

"I never meant to hurt her," the voice said.

"You mean Robin." she asked. "Or Diane?"

"Diane? Don't go putting ideas in her head."

She remembered how St. John had coached her not to be confrontational. They wanted her to develop a level of intimacy, let him do the talking.

"So you mean Robin. You didn't want to hurt Robin."

"I love her. I know this sounds crazy. I'm not saying I understand it myself."

"Were you the one at the school?" she asked.

"I don't mind her having friends," he said. "But I can't have her being poisoned against me, not before I get a chance to win her over. Haven't you ever been so drawn to someone that you would do anything to be with them?"

"I understand irresistible urges," she said.

"Of course. Like so many of these girls, you were a drug addict. It's probably very similar."

She felt a little trill of fear in her stomach. "How did you know that?"

"You don't consider it a big secret, do you?"

She saw her opening then. "It's not something I'm proud of. I don't deny it. I don't pretend it didn't happen."

"Have you told Garret everything? Does he know about the drugs? How you would do anything and I mean anything to get a fix?"

The implied threat of his words triggered her anger. "What is this? You think you have something on me? You think you can blackmail me?"

"So you don't care who knows?"

She realized she was quickly losing control of the conversation. "How is it that you know so much about me?"

"I've made it my business to know. You should be flattered."

"Then you should also know I sponsor other addicts and alcoholics. And the thing is, I've never talked to anyone yet who didn't have a logical reason for what they did. You're obviously a smart guy, to know all you do about electricity and telephones. Can you help me understand what you want?"

"I want the normal things."

"Meaning what?" she asked. "Normal is such a relative term."

He answered with one of those odd chipmunk-sounding noises that she interpreted as laughter. Encouraged, she pressed on. "Can I ask you one thing? Why Robin?"

"She's the one. We have a connection. Her and I. I felt it the first time we met. I know her and I got off to a rocky start."

"That's what you call it?" she asked, unable to contain her incredulity "If you truly cared for her, you'd leave her alone now. She doesn't want to see you anymore. You left scars on her body. She's completely traumatized. How can you call that love?"

"Why are you putting yourself in the middle of this?" he asked, his volume rising. "It's not as if you wanted me."

"I didn't?" she asked. Her stomach turned queasy There was also a ringing in her ears. For a long moment all she could do was watch the tape recorder spools turn.

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