Page 70 of Red Snow
I’M A PATIENTman. When you’ve been through as much as I have, patience is easy. So, I haven’t minded waiting tonight. It’ll all be worth it in the end, and that’s all I’m thinking about as the time ticks by, as it tends to do. Time is the only thing you can count on in life, and time has done me the favor of passing quickly while waiting outside of Granger’s apartment. An hour has gone by since I got here, but watching Granger’s mystery woman strut down the stairs to her car makes it all worthwhile. I didn’t give up. I didn’t get tired and quit. This is what happens when you hunker down and stay in it for the long haul. Mother would be proud.
She looks a little different from when she went in. Her hair is messier, and she’s walking funny. I know what that means, and it makes me hate her for nothing more than being with the man who disrespected Mother. If she’s willing to be with a man like him, she’s worthy of death. As far as I’m concerned, by doing perverted things in his apartment, she has earned every bit of the torture I have planned for her. I think about that as I watch her carefully descend the steps, being cautious not to slip on the ice forming there. She climbs in her car and wastes no time backing out of the parking space and pulling out onto the street.
I’m sure she thinks everything in her life is normal, so she has no reason to suspect Mother’s car behind her. I make sure not tail her too closely though. I’d hate to raise her suspicion unnecessarily and ruin my plans, so I keep my distance.
A few quick turns here and there, a few stoplights and stop signs, and a left turn into a residential area brings us to the woman’s home. I don’t know if she owns it or if she’s renting, but the place looks pretty good. I wonder what she does for a living that she can afford a nice place like this. Even in the dark, I can see her driveway and walkways have been shoveled, the brick is dark, and the horseshoe driveway is wide and lined with what is probably a decent garden in the summer. It’s pretty nice, and she fits the scenery. She’s a business woman who’s also elegant, just like this house. She looks like the kind of woman you’d take to meet your parents. She’ll meet my mother.
She parks in the driveway and gets out quickly, trying to avoid staying too long in the cold. She starts to run to the front door, so I have to think of something fast, before she gets in and I lose my opportunity. So, I stomp on the gas, letting the car surge forward before slamming on my brakes. I can hear the tires sliding over the ice, and I turn the steering wheel just enough to make sure the car shifts slightly to the right, hitting her mailbox perfectly, destroying it and doing a little damage to Mother’s Toyota. I think she’d understand.
The woman hears the commotion and reverses direction. She jogs towards me just as I pump my brakes and bring my car to a complete stop. I shake my head a little, putting on a show for her. She needs to think I did all of this by accident. Outside of my window, I can hear her trying to speak to me.
“Oh my god, are you okay?” she asks. I nod to her through the window before getting out of my car and walking to her.
“Damn. I can’t believe that just happened,” I say, doing a great job of acting. I’m normal. “I’m so sorry I hit your mailbox. Look at that, it’s wrecked.”
“It’s fine,” she replies. “I can get the mailbox fixed. As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”
Well look at that, she’s a nice person. It doesn’t matter, though. She’s still a companion of Granger, and that’s a goddamn death sentence in my book.
The two of us stand next to each other looking down at my car, which really isn’t damaged badly. I’m just putting on the act like I’m shaken up by losing control of the car, and she’s eating it up.
“How do we do this?” I ask her, sounding as sincere as possible. I’m normal. “Do we call the police, or do I just buy you another mailbox?”
“Umm, I don’t think we need to call the police or anything,” she replies. “Let me take down your information, and we can just work this out between us. I’m not looking to get you in trouble over an honest mistake.”
“Wow, that’s very kind,” I tell her as I take a step to get closer to her. I’m within arm’s reach now, but she doesn’t seem to have noticed. “You’re really nice. More people should be like you. What’s your name, by the way?”
“Oh, I’m Brandi,” she answers, and my eyes bulge all on their own.
Her name starts with a B. Brandi. Beverly. Mother. Brenda. Britney. Brandi. Beverly.
“Are you okay?” I hear her ask, breaking my trance. She looks a little afraid now.
“Your name’s Brandi?” I ask, making sure I heard her right.
“Yeah,” she replies, still looking at me like she can see my thoughts in a bubble over my head, and she doesn’t like what she’s seeing.
“Brandi. Wow,” I say, turning my body towards her. “That makes this even sweeter, you filthy slut.”
“What the fuck? Excuse me?” she replies. She goes to take a step back, but it’s too late. Before she can blink again, I’m already on her.
I reach out and grab Brandi by the arm, pulling her towards me. She tries to let out a shriek, but before it can leave her lips, I use my free hand to punch her in the face. Her head rocks backwards, but I don’t let her fall. I grab her by the back of her head and take a step towards my car, slamming her forehead on the roof of Mother’s Toyota. I feel her body go limp in my arms.
While I hold her, I do a quick survey of the street to make sure nobody is around. All is quiet. All is dark. I open the passenger door of Mother’s car and push her limp body in. As I walk to the driver’s side, I think about Granger. He disrespected Mother, now he’s in for a rude awakening.
Are you ready to see your true self, Granger?
I’m ready to show him who he really is, and Ms. Brandi is going to help me.
