Murfey's Law Page 11

  ‘It is absolutely divine.’ Mrs Peters walked around the bed. ‘And the floors are all original I take it?’

  ‘Yes. The floors throughout the house are all the original boards. I'm told this is quite a rare feature as most homes through the nineteen eighties would have either covered them with tiles or worse still gaudy floral carpet.’ Lori was so pleased she had paid the Valuer at the bank to conduct a full home report and not just provide her with a number. She'd memorised as many aspects of it as she could, the fee she had paid was already proving well worth it.

  Leaving the couple to explore to the bathroom and the second bedroom alone, Lori re-plumped the pillows and covers on her bed. As she turned to once again go back downstairs she noticed, through the window, Casper still at the bottom of the garden. He was no longer facing out to sea and now appeared to be holding a heated discussion with someone on his mobile phone. His face contorted with anger and his free arm gesticulated violently. Maybe someone had missed a barnacle when they were cleaning his yacht; you couldn't wear all white and not own a boat Lori decided.

  ‘Ah! There you are Lori,’ Casper rasped when she walked back through the kitchen and into the shop. The tan on his flawless cheekbones was now tinted rosy red. ‘I'm afraid I need to leave, sort some...umm, urgent family business out, but first I need to know, you will have dinner with me tonight, ok.’

  Was that a question? Confused, Lori wasn't sure how to respond and so without thinking she just nodded.

  Behind Casper, she could see Jenny frowning at her.

  ‘Great, well I'll pick you up at eight sharp. Wear something... nice.’ He cast his eyes over her twenty dollar superstore dress then kissed her on both cheeks and turned to leave.

  He didn't get very far.

  ‘Who's fucking yellow Lamborghini is blocking the road?’ Zeb snarled as he burst through the front door wearing just his board shorts.

  Casper seemed at first to recoil in shock, but then rose up a little on his toes and puffed out his chest. He spat back, ‘That would be my fucking Giallo Lamborghini, but it is most certainly NOT blocking the road.’

  ‘Ah ok, my mistake.’ Zeb shot Jenny a grin. She seemed to be relishing the show. ‘It must be someone else's Giallo Lamborghini that the Emergency Services are trying to push out of the way with their Crimson fire truck then.’

  He stepped out of the way as Casper shot outside.

  Jenny sniggered and went back to offering drinks to the few groups of people who had witnessed the commotion. Her placatory measures didn't work and Lori watched thunderstruck as half a dozen people sidled out the front door. When the shop was empty Lori turned on Zeb.

  ‘What the hell do you think you are doing?’

  ‘Your selfish wants and needs do not come before the safety of the community Lorikeet.’ Zeb put his hands on his hips making the veins in his biceps stand out.

  Lori flared her nostrils involuntarily.

  ‘Is there a fire?’ She questioned.

  ‘No, but that's not the point.’ Zeb raised his eyebrows in defiance.

  ‘Is the fire truck even trying to get through?’

  The corner of Zeb's mouth twitched. ‘No, but again that's not the point. Jenny's place could burst into flames at any moment with all that baking she's been doing for you.’

  ‘Don't you drag me into this Zebediah!’ Jenny called from the back room.

  The sound of squealing tyres indicated Casper wasn't game to come back and take Zeb on. Lori couldn't be sure he would even return for their dinner date tonight. She sighed in complete frustration and rubbed her hands over her face, pulling her hair back off her shoulders.

  ‘Listen, while I'm here I want to remind you about tomorrow morning, about your dad,’ Zeb dropped his voice and his hands, and walked over to where Lori stood.

  Up close, she could see his stitches had now been removed, the wound looked a little better and the bruising had begun to fade. He must be on his way out for his first surf since the incident with the drink-driver.

  ‘I don't want to be involved Zeb, I told you that before.’

  ‘That as it may be Lori, it'd still be remiss of me not to make one last attempt at making sure you don't do something you may later regret.’ He made it sound like he was reading her her rights.

  ‘Well, I appreciate your concern,’ Lori snorted with sarcasm, fixing him with a scowl, ‘but the answer is still no. Thank you.’

  Zeb took an in-breath as though he wanted to say something, then stopped himself.

  ‘Now if you don't mind, I need to go and see if there is anyone left that you didn't scare away.’

  As she pushed past him Lori thought how ironic it was that he smelt of salt and sand, mixed with a hint of surfboard wax. He was like the antithesis of Casper. He probably didn't even own a bottle of aftershave. It certainly didn't look like he'd been near a razor in days.

  By Seven o'clock Lori was a bundle of nerves.

  Dressing, and undressing three times she eventually resorted to a video chat with Sara just so that she could get a definitive decision about what to wear.

  Sara had warned Lori to be careful, and had told her that just because she was desperate to sell the place it didn't make it alright to pimp herself out.

  Lori had laughed so extravagantly that she had burst out of her pastel yellow chiffon dress with its teeny tiny spaghetti straps and had to make an emergency dash next door to Jenny's to borrow a sewing kit.

  With only fifteen minutes to spare, she had repaired it as best she could. On detailed scrutiny Casper may see her sloppy workmanship but as she wasn't even sure he'd show up after Zeb's little display this morning Lori didn't let it worry her too much.

  Returning the needle and thread to Jenny, dropping Bob off for his sleepover at the same time, Lori got back to the shop and went to check on her makeup one more time. Not particularly skilled in this department Lori had chosen just to go for smoky eyes and had followed an online video tutorial.

  Although she hadn't achieved the exact same results as the teenager with thousands of subscribers Lori was happy that she hadn't made herself look like a panda. Even Sara and her brutal honesty had been impressed when she'd seen it.

  There was a knock on the door. Lifting the ankle length layers of the dress so that she wouldn't trip over she skipped down the stairs.

  ‘Good evening Lori.’ Casper flashed his dazzling smile as she opened the door.

  He looked incredible. Dressed in a slim-fitting navy suit and white shirt with no tie he held out his arm for her to take.

  It only took them forty minutes to do the hour's drive to Fisherman's Bay.

  Outside the waterfront restaurant Casper stopped the car and waited for the valet to open his door. Not sure how to even open her side, there didn't seem to be a handle anywhere, Lori waited for her host to swing the door open and help extricate her from the vice-like grip of the white leather seat.

  Twinkly fairy lights lit the short boardwalk out onto the covered pier where they were seated in an intimate corner with the best view of the boats.

  ‘You hardly said a word the whole journey Casper, is everything alright?’ Lori asked.

  ‘Just business Lori, you wouldn't understand,’ he quickly rephrased his words, ‘I mean you wouldn't understand the complexities of the particular business situation I'm dealing with at the moment. I mean, I'm struggling with it myself.’

  ‘I see, well I don't see but, oh, you know what I mean,’ Lori laughed. Her nerves of earlier hadn't really subsided.

  Casper laughed too. ‘How about we don't talk business. Let's just eat, and enjoy each other's company.’

  Business was what Lori had thought they were here to discuss. Clearly she'd misread the invitation. Perhaps Sara was right? Perhaps she was so desperate she had inadvertently given him the wrong idea.

  She really needed to relax.

  Casper must have thought the same, as he beckoned the wine waiter over with a subtle nod of his head.

  �
��So tell me again, what was it you said you did in the UK?’ Casper asked as he poured Lori a huge glass of white wine.

  ‘Personal Assistant.’ Lori took a larger than necessary sip.

  ‘Ah yes, that's right. And how did you find that? Being at someone's beck and call all day.’

  It seemed a strange question to ask. ‘Well, being a PA isn't about being at someone's beck and call per se, I saw myself more as an equal, someone that could be relied upon and trusted. To be supported by and bounce ideas off.’

  ‘An equal?’ he creased his brow, cloaking the intensity of his eyes.

  Lori took another swig of her glass. ‘Yes, an equal. Don't you have an assistant?’

  He laughed, ‘I do, of course. But Jacinthe is more for show, to impress clients and run errands, you know?’

  No, she didn't know. Lori had taken enormous pride in being at the very top of her game. She worked as many hours as Max did and knew everything about the business that he did. The only difference between them was that Max made the very final decision on matters. That and their salaries were polar opposites.

  ‘Shall we order?’ Lori decided to avoid his last question.

  By the time they had finished their main course Lori had begun to feel distinctly tipsy. Drunk even. Half way through her pan seared Snapper with Mango and Chilli Salsa she had realised Casper wasn't drinking. After his first glass on their arrival he had switched to water. Lori had been so intent on acting gracious despite her growing disliking of him that she hadn't stopped him when he'd ordered her a second bottle. The more she drank, the easier it was to withstand his increasingly misogynist remarks.

  Conversation over dessert had now moved solely onto him and his various business conquests. He droned on and on about overseas investments and something about money laundering. Money laundering? Excellent, the wine had now gone to her ears and somewhere between them and her brain, her head was altering the conversation to make it more interesting.

  ‘Ha ha ha!’ She had no idea what she was laughing at but as Casper appeared to be laughing at something he'd said, she thought she'd join in.

  ‘I said, I think it's time we left.’ He squeezed her hand and leant forward across the table, purring at her, ‘I want take you home.’

  Lori laughed again.

  The journey back seemed to go even quicker than the drive down. Warm and cocooned in Casper's car Lori closed her eyes and enjoyed the rocking as he took the winding road back to Murfey's Beach at break-neck speed. His left hand moved on and off, from gear-stick to Lori's knee and back again. The speed of the car pushed her deeper and deeper into the seat.

  The full effect of two bottles of expensive wine, and a potent digestif was making Lori powerless to stop Casper's hand as it began pushing up the fabric of her dress. Somewhere deep inside her brain she was screaming stop, but she couldn't even form her words properly and her limbs felt disconnected from her body.

  The car came to a stop.

  Opening the passenger side door Casper unbuckled Lori's seatbelt and pulled her from her seat. He leant her against the door and grabbed her little purse from the foot well. Tucking it under one arm he manoeuvred Lori away from the door and closed it automatically with the key as they walked, Lori very unsteadily, down the grass and onto the beach.

  ‘Oooh schand!’ Lori could feel the soft cushion of it squeeze between her toes. Her dress tugged gently as it draped along the ground. ‘Where are my schooes?’

  ‘In the back of the car somewhere, you threw them behind you,’ Casper spoke in hushed tones.

  ‘I love the schea,’ Lori murmured. She could feel the salty breeze on her face and Casper's vice like grip around her waist, marching her somewhere. She couldn't tell where she was, but it looked familiar.

  ‘Mmm me too,’ he growled into her neck as they walked side by side, pressed hard against each other.

  Once on the wet sand just above the water's edge Casper turned Lori left and walked her towards the rocks at the end of the beach. The water lapped at her dress pulling it downward even harder.

  ‘Ooops!’ She grabbed at the bust just as one of her hastily repaired straps pinged undone.

  ‘Don't worry about that.’ Casper snatched Lori's hand away from her chest and kissed it.

  Lori tried to recoil but he pulled her arm harder, spinning her round to face him. With both hands gripping the tops of her arms so tightly it hurt Casper lunged forward and kissed her hard. His tongue forced her lips apart and explored her mouth crudely.

  Unable to balance Lori toppled backwards, Casper fell with her, landing heavily on top. His mouth still pressed hard against hers, his arms pinning her to the wet sand.

  ‘Oww! Caschper, I'm flattered but thisch is all moving a little fasht for me,’ Lori just managed to form a full sentence as he came up for air.

  ‘Do you want to sell your little shit-hole or not?’ He snarled into her ear as one hand began jabbing around the fly of his trousers.

  Lori tried to push him off with her free hand, she kicked and squirmed but as her brain woke a little from the fug of drunkenness her body simply wouldn't. Her arms and legs felt as heavy as lead weights. Writhing just made matters worse as her dress began to ride up her thighs.

  ‘No,’ Lori screamed into his face, persisting with wriggling her legs up and down as best she could, trying to push him off.

  For someone his build he had incredible strength. His hand grabbed at her thigh and digging his fingers into it pushed it to the side pinning it with his knee.

  ‘I schaid NO!’ Lori screamed again.

  With one more push Casper flew up into the air and was thrown onto his back and into the sand a few feet to her side.

  It wasn't Lori that had done it.

  Standing over Casper, his feet either side of him was Zeb. Jonah stepped forward and knelt down beside Lori.

  ‘You ok?’ Jonah took her gently by the arm.

  Lori was dazed and felt a wave of nausea rush over her as he sat her carefully up. Her hand flew to her mouth, not to be sick, but because she tasted blood.

  To her side Casper shrieked and lashed out at Zeb as he pulled him up by his jacket to a standing position, his arms swinging uncoordinatedly in the direction of Zeb's face. He obviously wasn't a natural fighter.

  Gripping one hand onto Casper's shirt collar, keeping him at arm's length Zeb spoke strictly, ‘Sir, I advise you to calm down.’

  He didn't listen. The shrieking continued and his arms kept swinging.

  Letting go of the collar with his left hand, Zeb pushed Casper back a few steps and turned to glance at Lori. His eyes locked on to the blood dripping from her lip for a split second before turning back to Casper and punching him cleanly on the jaw with one almighty THUMP!

  Lori didn't recall much after the punch. She was vaguely aware of someone taking her home and tenderly cleaning up her cut lip. How she got undressed and into bed with her hair tied back and a 'just in case' bucket on the floor beside her, was anyone's guess.

  Chapter Eleven

  Just after sunrise Jenny opened the front door to the shop letting Bob back inside. He'd had an unusually restless night, pacing back and forth, his claws clicking on the kitchen tiles. Several times she'd had to get up and soothe him, encouraging him away from the door where he'd lay whining. He had spent plenty of nights at Jenny's in the past, particularly when Jack had been unwell, but he had never fussed. Looking at him now though, he seemed fine, and so she put it down to just a little too many cupcake crumbs at yesterday’s open home.

  The little sparkly silver purse Jenny had helped Lori pick out last night lay discarded on the desk under the kitchen window. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping beauty, she gave Bob his breakfast and left again, latching the door behind her. She'd come back in a couple of hours for a cup of tea and the gossip.

  Something about Casper had bothered Jenny, but it wasn't her place to say anything. Lori was old enough to make her own, potentially wrong, decisions about men and, she suppo
sed, the shop too, even if the right decisions were staring her in the face.

  As the door clicked shut Bob left what remained in his bowl and crept up the stairs.

  Warm doggy breath tickled Lori's face.

  Despite being wide awake for the last hour she kept her eyes firmly shut. A single tear escaped from under her lashes and rolled across the bridge of her nose, down her cheek and soaked into the pillow where her head lay heavy and aching.

  Bob leapt deftly onto the bed and curled up in the crook of Lori's arm. Pushing his cold nose into her hand he heaved a great sigh.

  ‘I really messed up Bob,’ Lori croaked, pressing her face into his coat.

  Her lip stung, a painful reminder to herself, and if the Twitchers Club got a hold of it, the entire village, of what a complete idiot she'd been. Although her memory of the evening was patchy, the little bits she could recall caused her insides to roil and her face to burn with shame. Another tear escaped and followed the little wet pathway that had been left by its predecessor.

  She needed to get up and take something for her head which, like her stomach, was pounding out its own punishment and so she slowly opened her eyes.

  Morning light filled the room with a warm glow and as Lori unfurled her arms from around Bob and sat upright her gaze fell immediately upon the now ruined lemon dress. It was hanging neatly over the back of the chair in the corner of the room. She was still wearing the white lacy g-string and strapless bra that she’d had on last night, but had absolutely no idea though, how she’d changed from the dress, ripped and covered in sand, into one of her favourite vests.

  ‘Oh shit.’ Lori’s hands gripped the bed covers as the room rocked and swirled.

  Swinging her legs around and off the edge of the bed she took several long deep calming breaths. Like a badge of accomplishment she found a tiny scrap of pleasure in seeing the bucket beside her feet remained clean. It was the only piece of her dignity still intact.