It's Bliss (31 page)

Will Bliss got up, pulled his daughter, his only child, to her feet, and put his arms around her. “My baby girl, I’m happy for you too.”

Henry, who had been sitting there with his mouth open, taking it all in, slapped his knee and laughed. “By jigger! You didn’t scare him away after all.”

Friday night, Lora stretched and yawned. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was nine forty-five. Putting away her studies, she was just about to get ready for bed when the phone rang, jarring the silence. She sighed in exasperation.

Since she had moved in, the phone had rung incessantly, and all the calls were from boys wanting to talk to Billie! She thought she had informed the last of them of Billie’s move.

“
Hello?”

“
Hello, Lora?” a male voice said. Surprised that it was for her, she didn’t immediately respond.

“
Lora?” the voice repeated.

“
Yes, this is Lora.”

“
This is Roy Fawkes.”

“
Oh, hello, Roy.”

“
I know it’s late, but I was wondering if I could come over and take you out for an ice cream cone?”

“
I was just going to get ready for bed.”

“
But it’s Friday night, Lora.”

“
I get sleepy on Friday nights, just like I get sleepy on other nights, Roy. I don’t want an ice cream cone tonight, but thanks anyway.”

“
Well, then, can I come over for just a few minutes and visit? I won’t stay long.”

“
Why?”

He laughed. “Because I like you and I want to get to know you better.”

Lora hesitated. She didn’t know Roy very well and didn’t feel inclined to know him any better.

Sensing the hesitation, he persisted. “Ah, Lora, just for a few minutes.”

“
Oh, all right, but just for a few minutes.” She hung up the phone, feeling vaguely uneasy.

She met Roy in one of her classes at the beginning of the term, and one day last week he walked her to her car. The next day, he asked her out, but she turned him down, telling him she was too busy trying to move to her new apartment. He had asked her where that was and she told him. Now she was sorry she had. She had dated a lot in high school and a few times in college.

It only took a few times to become disillusioned in the college boys, and she didn’t expect to feel any differently about Roy Fawkes.

Ten minutes later, the door bell rang, and Lora invited Roy in. He looked around approvingly.

“
Nice apartment you have here.”

“
Thank you. Have a seat, Roy.”

He grinned. “Thanks, Lora,” he said sitting in the chair.

Lora sat down on the couch. They visited about the class they had together, and other campus activities. Then Roy turned the conversation on himself, bragging about his grades, how he was going to law school next year, and how a law firm was already begging him to join them when he was through.

Finally, Lora yawned. “Well, Roy, you said you were only going to stay a few minutes and it has already been a half hour. I want to go to bed now.”

He got up from his chair and sat down beside her on the couch. “Go ahead. How about my staying the night?” he said, slipping his arm around her waist.

Lora stood up, incensed. “You leave right now, Roy Fawkes!”

“
Ah, come on, baby,” he said, pulling her back down, “just one little night?”

“
No! Take your hands off me!” she exclaimed, frantically trying to fend him off.

“
Just a kiss or two, then.”

“
No!”

“
Come on, Lora,” he demanded, his hands holding her tighter. The phone rang.

“
I have to answer that, Roy,” she stated, grateful for the reprieve.

“
Let it ring.”

“
No, it might be my mother and she’ll worry.”

“
So? Let her worry.”

“
She’ll come right over if I don’t answer, Roy,” Lora said, beginning to feel frightened.

“
All right, I’ll let you go long enough for you to tell her goodnight, but make it quick.”

She jumped up and grabbed the phone. “Hello?”

“
Lora,” her mother whined, “I’ve been waiting for your call all day. Why haven’t you phoned?”

“
Oh, hello, Officer Bates,” Lora said loudly.

“
Officer Bates? What are you talking about, Lora, this is your mother.”

“
You want to come over and ask me some more questions? Now? All right. Good- bye.”

Roy gaped at her. “That was a cop?”

“
Yes.”

“
He’s coming over to ask you some questions?”

She nodded.

“
Why?”

“
I don’t know for sure. I, uh, was involved in an incident. He may have more questions about it. I think it would be best if you leave right now.”

Roy stared at her, not knowing whether to believe her or not.

An enticing idea came to Lora. “On second thought, Roy, the officer won’t stay long. Why don’t you hide in the bushes across from this window where you can sit down and watch. You can wait until he leaves.” Trying to hide her uneasiness with a seductive look, she continued, “I really would like to get to know you better, if you agree to take things a little slower.”

Roy’s eyes lit up.”All right! Where did you say?”

Lora pointed out the location, carefully going over the directions.

Roy ran out the door and scrambled into the bushes.

-

“
Hey, Arly!” Sergeant Olsen hollered, “Wait up. There was a hysterical woman on the phone wanting to talk to you.”

Arly was tired. He was just getting ready to go home, but walked over to Doug Olsen’s desk. “Did you get her name?”

The sergeant grinned. “Her name is Ella Lemmon. Any relation to that girl you rescued from the ants?” He noted that Arly’s face came alive at the mention of the name, a far cry from the exhaustion and irritation he had seen there a moment ago.

“
What did she say, Doug?”

“
As far as I could make out, it sounded like she wanted you to go over to her daughter’s apartment, that something was wrong.”

“
Am I off duty?”

“
Not any longer, Arly. Get your butt over there,” he ordered through his grin.

-

Lora watched the bushes nervously, hoping that her plan worked. “Hang on, Roy, he should be here any minute,” she yelled from the doorway.

“
Okay, but it better be soon, I’m getting tired of this.”

Were the ants still there? she wondered, more nervous now.

The phone rang. “Hello?”

“
Lora! Are you all right?” screeched her mother. “I called the police station and asked someone to send Officer Bates over there immediately.”

“
Oh, thank you, officer!” she said loudly. She hung up the phone and ran back to the open door. “That was the police station, Roy. They said Officer Bates would be here any moment.”

“
Well, I’m getting darn tired in here. You better make it worth my time!”

he yelled.

Lora cringed inside at all the lies she had told tonight, but cringed even more over Roy Fawkes.

“
OW! What the hell. There are ants in here!” He started out of the bushes just as the headlights of a car drove up and parked behind his car. He jumped back in, swearing under his breath.

Arly quickly got out of the car and ran up to the door, which was now closed. He banged and it opened immediately. “What is—”

He stopped short when he saw Lora back away from the open door, her finger to her mouth. He stepped in quickly and closed the door. “What’s the matter, Miss Lemmon?”

“
There’s a man in the bushes standing in the ant pile.”

“
Why, for Pete’s sake?”

“
Because I told him to go there. He’ll try to get out. Open the door quick and look,” she said hurriedly.

Arly did as she said. He saw a pant leg quickly disappear back into the bushes.

Officer Bates left the door open and turned back to Lora, mouthing, “What do you want me to do?”

Lora went over to the desk and wrote, “Let him stay in there a while longer. He deserves it!”

Arly grinned and stood in the doorway pretending to talk to Lora. “What did he do?” he whispered.

She whispered back, “He was forcing his attentions on me.” She noticed, with great satisfaction, that Officer Bate’s face turned grim with anger.

Arly formulated a plan in his head, allowing enough time for the ants to do a thorough job. Presently, he heard profanity come from the bushes.

“
Goodbye, Miss Lemmon,” he said loudly, then in a whisper, added, “Lock your door.” Arly ran down the steps and over to his car. He backed out quickly. Parking across the street a few doors away, he turned off his lights.

Soon Lora heard Roy try the knob on her door. He banged on it loudly.

“
Let me in, Lora! I’m being eaten alive by ants!” he yelled. He tried to open the door again. When there was no response, he swore. “Lora, I have ants inside my clothes! I need to take them off, quick! It’s your fault, Lora, so let me in!” The door remained closed. As angry as he was, Roy couldn’t wait a second longer; he had to get home. He ran to his car, jumping up and down and cursing loudly, then got in and started the car. Backing out of the driveway like a maniac, he turned, burning rubber as he drove up the street.

Making a U-turn, Arly followed him. Presently, the guy began weaving just as Lora had. He was going to enjoy this, he thought, a grim smile on his face. The car ahead turned right and Arly followed, turning on his lights and siren.

Startled, and stinging from a score of bites, Roy almost lost control. His car swerved to the left, then to the right. Finally managing to pull his car over, he jumped out, squirming, brushing, jumping up and down, and muttering under his breath.

Arly walked up to him slowly. “May I see your license, sir?”

Roy pulled out his wallet as quickly as he could and handed it to the officer, who took his time studying it.

“
I need to give you a breath test. You were driving very erratically.”

“
No, Officer! I’m not drunk. I have ants all over me and even inside my clothes,” he stated frantically, squirming and digging at himself. “I’ve to get home and take my clothes off!”

“
Well, now, that’s a new one,” Arly slowly drawled, “and I thought I’d heard them all.”

“
Please, Officer! I’m being eaten alive!”

“
And just where would you have gotten ants all over yourself?” he asked, sounding suspicious.

“
In, uh, in a yard.”

“
A likely story, Mr. Fawkes. Ants are dormant at night.”

“
But, officer, I disturbed their mound. Please, Officer,” he whined, still pulling at his clothes.

“
No matter, you were speeding and weaving all over the road. I’m going to give you a ticket.”

“
Okay, but hurry, Officer.”

Arly took his time writing out the ticket; all the while Roy Fawkes squirmed, and cussed under his breath.

“
Watch your language, Mr. Fawkes, or I’ll take you in for being disrespectful to an officer of the law. Oh, by the way, what were you doing in that yard?”

“
I was visiting my girlfriend.”

“
May I have her name?”

“
Why?”

“
Answer the question.”

“
Lora Lemmon.”

“
Oh? Miss Lemmon is a friend of mine.”

“
Are you the officer who was just over there?”

“
Why, yes. Where were you?”

“
I was in, uh, the bushes.”

“
What were you doing, spying on Miss Lemmon?”

“
No, no! Please, Officer, let me go—”

“
If I ever catch you over there again, I’ll find a reason to arrest you, Mr. Fawkes. This whole thing sounds very suspicious.”

“
I promise I won’t, Officer. Just let me go home.”

“
Are you sure?”

“
Yes, yes!”

“
You promise to not have anything to do with her anytime, anywhere?”

“
I promise!”

“
All right, but you better keep that promise.”

“
I will. I will!”

“
I think I’ll follow you home, so you won’t be tempted to speed like you were before.”

-

Immediately after Officer Bates left, Lora called her mother. “Hello, Ma.”

“
Lora! Are you all right?”

“
I’m fine, Ma. Thanks to you for being so sharp and calling Officer Bates.”

“
He got there then? Good! What happened Lora?”

Lora related the whole story, carefully omitting the incident of the ants.

She hadn’t told her mother where the ants were, and she had made the decision not to. How could she make her mother comprehend why she did what she did when she herself didn’t fully understand?