“I’m fine, really,” he insisted, sitting anyway. “And the question isn’t what she’s doing, it’s whose room is she in?”
Her head throbbed, and she desperately wanted to lie back down, but this juicy bit of gossip was too much to pass up. “Really?” she asked, unable to hide her giddy inquisitiveness. She knew it wasn’t the appropriate response because clearly Mark was troubled, yet she hadn’t been able to corral it in time. Anyway, she saw him like three times a year. What happened in his life, whatever bad things there were, had no bearing on her world whatsoever. He wasn’t her friend. He was Jenn’s, and even then, that was tenuous at best. She wasn’t even entirely sure how he and Terri were part of the group.
She seemed to remember Jenn saying that Wade had introduced them last year.
Was that right? It was too damn early to process such things.
Mark dropped his blank stare to the floor. “She’s in Wade’s room. Obviously doing what two people do. It’s been going on for a while now.”
“You mean, like, tonight? I didn’t know old guys could last that long.”
“I don’t mean that. Probably since last summer when he installed the curtain rods in our master bedroom. I’ve suspected it, but we’ve been fighting so much lately, I think she’s stopped caring.”
Erica couldn’t help herself. She chuckled. Curtain rods. It seemed like such a ridiculous thing. Plus, there had to be a joke in there about carpets matching drapes and something to do with rods (snicker).
“Are you laughing? You’re laughing. I’m dying over here.” Mark whimpered around the words. “It’s not funny.”
“I know. That was mean.” She put her hand on his thigh. Nothing sexual, just reassuring. “Look, I’m probably not the best one for advice. I mean, shit, I don’t know if I’ll ever get married and have kids. And ruin this body? Are you kidding me? But, seriously, Mark. You’re a good-looking guy, and she’s—well, Terri is Terri. I say you can do better. I say let him have her. Go out, live your life. Get a tan, buy a hot, cherry red, convertible sports car, and find some sexy little vixen like me. You want to make her jealous? Get back at her? That’s how you get back at her.”
Erica was proud of herself. That sounded like perfectly solid guidance.
Mark said, “Some sexy little vixen like you?”
“Well, yeah,” she muttered. “Not me. Can’t shit where you eat, can you?”
He leaned in. “What if we just—”
She shoved her palm against his puckered lips. “Ew, Mark, no. Gross.”
“Sorry. I’m so sorry.” He scooted back on the bed, hands unsure of themselves. He looked past Erica’s shoulder and said, “See? I told you she wouldn’t go for it.”
Erica jumped when she felt the soft hand over her mouth. The long nails dug into her cheek. She tried to scream, but her captor squeezed harder. She felt the knife’s blade against the side of her neck.
“Shut up or I’ll kill you now.”
Terri’s voice.
“And what do you mean, ‘Terri is Terri,’ huh? That’s insulting.”
Mark stood and thrust a finger at his wife. “I told you, you’ve gone too far this time. This is not a game you should be playing. Not here. Not on a yacht. I told you she wouldn’t do it. I said so earlier. I said she wouldn’t be into it.”
The hand tightened once more, fingernails digging deeper. “That’s too bad, isn’t it? I thought for sure the little harlot would spread her legs for anything with a pulse. We don’t like rejection, do we, Mark?”
“No, but…”
Erica felt the blade scrape slowly down her skin. Terri caressed Erica’s areolas with it, dragging it around them in lazy circles, teasing her nipples, then slipping it down her stomach. Erica couldn’t see it, her eyes fixed on the ceiling overhead, but the blade felt small, maybe the size of a pocketknife. Terri held the flat side against Erica’s skin, between her legs.
Terri whispered into her ear, “You disgust me, you know that? Your money, your tan, your body. You take and you take and you make fun of my poor little husband over there when all he wanted was some comforting. You couldn’t be kind enough to put that dainty little mouth of yours around that teensy-weensy green bean he’s got dangling with those berries. All you had to do was say yes, and this would—”
“For the love of—just get it over with,” Mark said, marching over. He snatched the knife from Terri’s hand and in one quick motion, his arm was up and the sharp edge slid across Erica’s throat. He angled his body to the side, managing to avoid the aftereffects.
She fell forward, gagging softly. The last thing she heard was Terri and Mark, arguing again.
Terri said, “It was my turn, you jerk.”
“Shut up. Help me get her robe off.”
“Relax. We’ve got it all figured out, babe. A yacht? You can’t make this stuff up. Don’t you understand how awesome this is?”
“You went too far, and it’s too close to home.”
“We’re good. We’re so good. They all saw Jenn. Alex was the last one to see her alive. They practically handed it to us. This is the best one yet, honey.”
***
Wade rolled onto his side, a blissful smile resting on his lips. “You know how much I hate boats, but isn’t it amazing? I can’t believe I actually have service out here. Maybe all these electronics down in the hull are acting like an antenna, but I’ve heard people say you can get service twenty-five miles out on a crystal clear night. Who knows. Did I mention how much I hate boats? I have to be quiet, though. If Jenn finds out I brought my phone, she’ll kill me. I couldn’t imagine going a whole weekend without talking to you.”
“Same here, sweetie, but you know I have to ask. You’ll remember to delete the record of this call when you’re done, won’t you?”
“Of course. I always do.”
“And do you still have me listed as Linda in your phone?”
Wade huffed, exasperated. “How many times do I have to tell you? Yes, I have you listed as Linda on this stupid phone, Robert. Nothing is going to hurt your candidacy in any way. As far as anyone knows, I’m just your contractor.”
Wade closed his eyes. Maybe the weekend wouldn’t be so bad after all.
###
Dear Reader,
Thanks so much for spending your valuable time reading The Starboard Knife. I know how busy life can get and it means a lot to me that you chose to spend a couple of hours with this novella. If you’d like to read more of my fiction, visit my author page on Amazon where you’ll find a variety of mystery and thrillers similar to this one.
To stay up to date on my new fiction releases, get free stuff, and be first in line to learn about discounts on my current works, don’t forget to sign up for The Lindsey Novel-Dispatch. You can skip back to the front of the book to get a refresher on the details and join the thousands of readers who receive my occasional, spam-free emails.
Finally, if you enjoyed The Starboard Knife, please consider leaving an honest review on Amazon. It doesn’t have to be much—even a couple of sentences can help sway a future reader’s opinion. You can help make a difference, because word-of-mouth is one of the most important forms of advertising for an indie author.
Thanks again!
EL
August 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
PART FOUR
PART FIVE
PART SIX
PART SEVEN
PART EIGHT
PART NINE
PART TEN
REWIND
ALSO BY
DEAR READER