Player Haters (20 page)

I drove past Wil’s house and circled the block for the fifth time, admiring the flowers and shrubs along his well-manicured lawn. It’s amazing the things you miss at night that seem almost impossible to miss during the day. I must have driven past Wil’s house a thousand times before, wishing it were me in there with him instead of Diane, but not once did I ever notice how beautiful his landscaping was. It was something I was gonna have to keep up after Diane was gone and I moved in.

I parked my car on a side street about two blocks away, then started walking toward the house. I was carrying a box of my sister’s brownies with me. When I got to the front door I opened my pocketbook and slipped on a pair of black gloves to match my black and white outfit before ringing the bell. Diane answered the door a few seconds later wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

“Yes?” She stuck her head out the screen door, staring at me as if she wasn’t quite sure if she knew me or not. I was so dressed up she probably thought I was a Jehovah’s Witness.

“Hi, Diane. Remember me? I’m Maxine, from Wil’s office.” She stared a little a harder and her eyes shifted evilly. I’m sure she must have thought I was over there to finish what we’d started at the party.

“Wil’s not here. He’s at work,” she told me in a curt tone, turning toward her house.

“I know. I didn’t come here to see Wil. I came here to talk to you, woman to woman, about him.”

“Look, I don’t have time for this. My phone is ringing.” She pulled the door closed.

“Let it ring. I think we need to get everything out in the open about your husband and me! That is, if you can handle it.”

I think my suggestive words threw her for a loop because her reply, although positive, was less than confident. “I can handle it.” She sighed, opening the door.

“Good, can I come in? I promise it’ll be brief and you’ll never see me again.”

She pushed the door open and I stepped into the house just as the phone stopped ringing.

“This is a lovely place you have here. I plan on having a place just like it, real soon.”

Just as soon as your ass is buried and gone,
I thought to myself as I followed her down the hallway.

She walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, gesturing to a chair across from her. I ignored her and set the box of brownies on the table. She glanced at it, but it didn’t seem to interest her.

“What do you have to say about Wil?” she questioned.

I walked around the table slowly, admiring the kitchen before taking the seat directly in front of her. “This is a beautiful kitchen. I always wanted a large eat-in kitchen. Although I’d probably change the color of the curtains.” I smirked.

“Look, are you here to write an article for
Good Housekeeping
or are you here to talk about my husband? ’Cause I have to pick up my kids from day care—” I cut her off with a smirk.

“Please, you don’t have to pick up them kids until two o’clock,” I quickly retorted.

Diane’s expression was priceless. She looked like someone had smacked the shit out of her. “How did you know what time I pick up my kids?”

“Wil told me.” I chuckled. “He tells me everything, you know. Including the fact that your ass is frigid and you’re not giving him any.”

She was so shocked by my comment her mouth was wide enough to catch flies. When she gained her composure she pointed at the door. “I think you should leave.”

I smiled. “I thought we were gonna talk.”

“This conversation is over.” She started to stand.

“It’s not over until I say it’s over. Now sit down, Diane,” I demanded.

“Who the fuck you think you talking to? This is my house.” She balled up her fist, glaring at me.

“Not for long,” I snapped.

She looked like she was about to jump across the table and beat my ass but she stopped abruptly when I pulled a handgun out of my bag and pointed it at her chest.

“Now I think I told you to sit down, didn’t I? That is, unless you want me to blow your ass away. Then who’s gonna pick up those kids at two?” I shook my head. “Not me. I’m supposed to be at work at one.”

“Don’t you hurt my babies.” She slowly sat down, keeping her eyes on the gun.

“Hurt them? You disappoint me, Diane. I would never hurt them. Matter of fact, I brought these brownies for them.” I opened the box of brownies with my free hand, taking one out and biting into it. “Have one?” I smirked as I told her, “You know, your girl Jeanie loved these brownies. I guess you could even say they were the death of her.”

“You’re one crazy bitch,” Diane said, trying to sound brave even though fear was all over her face.

I laughed and pointed the gun at her head. “Crazy? You know, that’s the same thing Jeanie said right before she took her last breath.”

“Jeanie? Jeanie’s death was accidental.” She sounded like she was still hoping that was true.

I laughed again. “Accidentally on purpose.” She didn’t reply so I continued. “Did you know Jeanie was allergic to sesame seeds? I did. That’s why I had my sister use sesame seed oil instead of vegetable oil in her brownies. You should have seen Jeanie’s face when I told her.” I took another bite of my brownie. “You have any allergies, Diane?” She didn’t answer so I waved the gun at her. “I asked you a question.”

“No. I don’t have allergies.”

“Neither do I.” I finished off the brownie. “You sure you don’t want one?”

“Why are you doing this? Jeanie didn’t do anything to you. Neither did I.”

“You mean you haven’t figured it out yet?” I was enjoying the look on Diane’s face as she sat there trembling. “I’m doing it because I’m in love with Wil and he’s not gonna be mine until you’re gone. What do you think, I just go around killing people?”

There was a knock on the door and she moved like she wanted to answer it.

“You expecting company?” I lifted the gun to her head.

“No.”

“Good. It’s probably just some Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

When the knocking stopped I waited a few minutes, then gestured for Diane to get up.

“Where are we going?”

“Upstairs.”

She gave me a puzzled look. “Why?”

“You’ll see.” When we got to the top of the stairs I ushered her into the master bedroom. I’d never been in her house, but I knew where it was from sitting across the street staring at their window late at night, hoping to get a glimpse of Wil. Their bedroom was pretty. A combination of pastel paints and flowered wallpaper. I was impressed by the way the curtains and bedspreads matched the wallpaper. But the most impressive thing of all was the king-size bed. God, the things Wil and me were going to do on that bed. Just the thought of it made me wanna smack Diane for having the opportunity to do it first. But I regained my composure, remembering that she was about to get hers in just a few minutes.

“In the bathroom,” I ordered, directing her with the gun. She did as she was told and I relished in the power I held over her. “Did you take a bath today?” I lifted the gun.

“No. I—” I stopped her in mid sentence.

“Don’t make no excuses. I thought I smelled something funky. You know you nasty. Run some bath water.”

“Are you serious?” She snapped, obviously forgetting who was in charge.

“Did I stutter?” I lifted the gun again.

She bent down and turned the water on, then looked up at me.

“What’s wrong? You don’t put bubbles in your bath?” She shook her head, but reached for the bubble bath on the tub’s rim and poured it in. When the tub was filled I leaned against the sink and told her, “Get your clothes off.”

“For what?” she asked defiantly. “What are you gonna do, drown me in the tub?”

“I’m gonna blow your ass away right now if you don’t get them fucking clothes off.”

“You’re never gonna get away with this,” she told me as she slowly unbuckled her jeans. “You realize that, don’t you? Do you really think Wil’s gonna wanna be with a woman who killed his wife?”

“Why not? All I gotta do is make it look like an accident. Like I did Philip’s wife and your girl Jeanie. Now stop stalling and get your fucking clothes off.”

I watched her painstakingly take off her clothes until she was completely naked. “Now get in the tub,” I ordered. She gave me this look that made me think she was going to do something stupid. I raised the gun to her head and smirked. “I guess you don’t want an open casket.” She didn’t reply. She just stepped in the tub. “Now sit down.”

This time she did as she was told and I sat on the toilet seat to give Diane her last rites.

“You know, I mentioned to Wil one time that I love to sit in a warm bubble bath and listen to R. Kelly.” I smiled at the thought. “You know what he said to me? He said, ‘Diane loves to listen to music in the tub, too.’” I nodded my head before I continued. “Yep, he said you have a clock radio that you keep right on a shelf above the toilet.” I stood up for a second and took the radio off the shelf. I held it in one hand. The gun, pointed at Diane, was in my other hand. “Is this it?”

“Yeah.”

“You already have it tuned into KISS.” I flipped it on and Luther Vandross’s “There’s Nothing Better Than Love” came out of the small speaker. “Oh, I love this song.” I started to sway back and forth, then dropped the radio on the bathroom rug.

“Oops!” I picked up the radio, making a face. “My God, I almost dropped this in the tub. You know, you should really buy a new clock radio, preferably a battery-operated one. This plug-in one is real dangerous, especially near a bathtub. You could have one hell of an accident in here if this thing falls in the tub with you.”

Fear sparked in Diane’s eyes as I dangled the radio over her bath water.

“Any last words? Maybe something I can tell your kids?”

“Yeah,” she answered, then stopped when we both heard a sound downstairs. I thought I heard Wil’s voice calling for her, but I didn’t know how that could be possible. He was supposed to be at work now. This plan was supposed to be foolproof.

Diane looked toward the door and my eyes followed her gaze. Within seconds I heard water splashing. I turned back to Diane but before I could react, she was halfway out the tub and on top of me, trying to wrestle the gun from my hand.

“Oh, my God, Wil. Wil! Help me! Please, help me!” She was screaming for her husband.

“Get off me, you bitch!” I screamed as we wrestled to the bathroom floor. The radio fell out of my hands, but I managed to keep hold of the gun. I had no idea where the radio went, but I couldn’t worry about that now. We tousled back and forth and I had to give her credit. She was a lot stronger than I thought. But not quite strong enough. Somehow I pulled the gun free and pointed it at her. “Back up, bitch!” She did and we both stood up just as Wil entered the bathroom doorway.

We rushed into the house and I called out Diane’s name as I quickly searched the first floor. I was positive she was home because her car was in the driveway and her keys and purse were both on the living room sofa. I was just praying that she was in the backyard working on her flowers, or upstairs taking a nap.

“Wil,” Keisha called from the kitchen. When I entered she was holding a box of brownies. “Maxine was here. I gave her this box of brownies this morning.”

“Shit,” I cursed. I was truly afraid for my wife’s life for the first time. “Where could they be? I didn’t see Maxine’s car outside.”

“Did you check upstairs?”

“Diane,” I yelled even louder than before in frustration.

“Wil! Help me! Please, help me!” I heard my panicked wife scream from upstairs.

“They’re up there.” I tossed my cell phone to Keisha and said, “Call the cops.” Then I ran to the stairs and up them as fast as I could.

When I reached the top of the stairs, my heart was almost beating out of my chest.
Okay, Wil, what are you gonna do when you find them? Keisha said Maxine has a gun.
I heard the commotion in my bedroom and rushed in without hesitation. I found them both in the bathroom and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Maxine was dressed like she was going to church, or maybe a funeral. She had a gun in her hand and it was pointed at Diane, who was naked as the day she was born and obviously scared. And she wasn’t the only one.

“Wil,” Diane called out in fear.

“It’s all right, Di.” I tried to give her a reassuring look. “Maxine? What are you doing? Put that gun down.”

“Wil?” She actually smiled at me. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at work.”

“I came to stop you from doing something stupid. Now, please, put down that gun before you hurt someone,” I told her calmly, extending my hand.

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. Now give me the gun,” I said sternly.

“No, I can’t!” she snapped, lifting the gun to Diane’s head until I pulled back my arm. “Don’t you understand, Wil? I’m doing this for you. For us. With her out the way, me, you, and the kids can be happy. Now I want you to leave. This has to look like an accident.” Damn, she really was delusional.
God dammit, Keisha, where the hell are the cops?
I wondered as I tried to keep myself from panicking.

“I’m not leaving, Maxine. I can’t let you do this. This is not Diane’s fault.”

“Yes, it is!” she screamed.

“No, it isn’t. It’s my fault. Diane doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

“No, Wil. It’s not your fault. It’s her fault! It’s all her fault! You’d be with me if it wasn’t for her.” Her face was screwed up with anger, but tears were welling in her eyes.

“No, I wouldn’t, Maxine.”

“Yes, you would! And stop calling me Maxine!” She turned the gun toward me and I froze. “Now I don’t wanna hear anything else negative about our relationship, Wil. Do you understand me?” I hesitated and she lifted the gun.

“Do what she says, Wil. She’s already killed Jeanie.”

“Shut up, Diane.” She turned the gun back on my wife.

“Oh, my God. You killed Jeanie?” I couldn’t imagine what she’d done to Jeanie, but right now my only concern was for my wife.

“Yeah, she was getting in the way. She didn’t want us to be together,” Mimi said in a flat, cold voice.

“So you killed her? That woman gave you a job, Mimi. We wouldn’t have even met if it wasn’t for her.”

I don’t think she’d ever thought of it that way, because her expression momentarily changed to one of confusion. “Don’t be mad with me, Wil.” She almost sounded like a child. “It was an accident.”

“No, it wasn’t.” I lost my cool. “You killed her. Keisha’s right. You’re fucking crazy. You should be in a mental institution.”

“No, I shouldn’t!” she exploded. “I’m not fucking crazy! Do you hear me, Wil? I’m not crazy! Now take that back! Take it back, now, or so help me God I will shoot you right where you stand.” She pointed the gun at me and pulled back the hammer. Once I heard the click, I froze up, closing my eyes as I waited for the impact of the bullet. But the bullet never came.

“Leave him alone you crazy bitch!” Diane screamed.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Diane grab Mimi by the hair and pull her backwards into the tub. The gun went off, but the bullet missed me completely. I tried to grab Diane and pull her away from Mimi and that gun, but there was no need. Mimi was in the tub shaking uncontrollably. Then I heard a loud pop and all the lights went out. Only the sunlight illuminated the room. In the tub I could see Mimi’s body, limp and still. I took a cautious step toward her and realized what had happened. Diane’s clock radio was in the tub along with Mimi. She’d been killed pretty quickly.

“Is she? Is she dead?” Diane whimpered.

“Yeah, I think so,” I replied, pulling my wife into my arms.

“That’s what she wanted to do to me,” she cried. I held her tighter and felt her shuddering with fear.

“I know, baby, but she can’t hurt anyone anymore.”