We had also crossed over the divide that separates friendly acquaintances from friends. Laura had told me who her hairdresser was—Maurice at the Lyon’s Mane—and I had given her the name of a holistic veterinarian, my gynecologist, and my dentist.
Women need other women as friends. To giggle at dumb things one minute and go deep into our most secret selves the next. Laura and I had that kind of connection, the kind that allows you to explore any idea without worrying that you’ll be judged.
We carried our dinner to the living room, a surprisingly impersonal room with oversized white ceramic tile on the floors and louvered shades covering the windows. The furniture was the sell-by-the-roomful type that landlords put in seasonal rentals. No rugs to break the white monotony of the tile. No family heirlooms. No lovingly collected flea-market finds. No photographs, no magazines, no collectibles. The only personal touch was an African violet in a white porcelain pot under a window. I knew that barren look. It was a lot like my own place.
We ate sitting on the floor around the coffee table. Leo lay between us, blissfully resting his head on Laura’s bare foot, his long tail stretched out for somebody to trip over.
I confessed that my favorite singer of all time was Patsy Cline, and Laura said hers was Roy Orbison, which we both thought was an amazing coincidence because anybody who’s ever given it any thought knows that Patsy and Roy must have come from the same soul. We also agreed that k.d. lang is most likely Patsy Cline reincarnated, and neither of us was embarrassed to say it.
Something thumped outside the window, and Leo jerked upright with his ears pointed toward the sound. Laura went still, with her fork poised in midair.
I said, “It was just a squirrel or something.”
She shook her head as if she were mentally lecturing herself.
“I never know whether Leo’s heard a serial killer or whether he just gets a kick out of scaring me.” Leo lay back down with his tail draped across her lap. She pushed it aside and said, “You know, moving here has brought me the first sense of peace I’ve ever had.”
There was a curious blend of innocence and world-weary wisdom in the way she said it.
I said, “I’ve never lived anyplace else.”
She grinned. “I know. You put on a tough front, but deep down you’re just a sweet southern girl who’s never seen the ugly side of life.”
I bristled. “I am not sweet, and I’ve seen plenty of ugly.”
She laughed. “Sweetie, what you’ve seen is chicken feed.”
The landline phone in the kitchen rang, and an impersonal robotic voice announced, “Call from Number Available.”
Laura went still, her jade eyes wary. After a few more announcements, the answering machine switched on. An unctuous male voice spoke loudly enough for us to hear every word.
“Please pick up, Laura. I know you’re home. Please don’t reject me this way.”
Laura scrambled to her feet to race to the phone, but she got there too late to keep me from hearing him. “I’m outside your house. Please open the door to me, Laura. That’s all I ask.”
Laura snagged the phone from its cradle, her own voice sharp. “You have to stop this! I swear to God, if you don’t leave me alone I’ll have you arrested for stalking me.”
Leo had sat up again with his ears pointed forward. He and I sat frozen in place.
Laura listened a moment and said, “No! I have company now. Please, please, please go away, and don’t call me again.”
Another pause and then her voice became almost amused. “You misunderstood. I appreciated your help, but that’s all. Now leave me alone.”
I heard the phone slam into its holder, and she stomped back to the living room with her lips tightened. “So help me, if that man calls again I’m going to report him to the police.”
She sat down on the floor again. Beside her, Leo remained at attention.
“Who is he?”
She sighed. “Right after I moved here I twisted my knee running. It swelled pretty bad, so I went to the emergency room to see if it was something serious. This jerk was there, and he must have got my number from the woman at the desk. He calls every day begging to see me. He’s a nut.”
I’m not exactly an eyesore, but I’ll never cause people to go all goggly the minute they see me. I wondered what it was like for Laura to know she had that effect.
Rapping sounded at the front door, and we all swiveled our heads. Through the glass panels we could see the shadowy outline of a large man.
Laura made a fist and shook it toward the door. “Go away!”
The knocking continued, but Laura didn’t go to the door.
Outside, the man shouted, “This is quite unacceptable, Laura! Unacceptable and unfair!”
After a while, the figure disappeared. Leo stretched himself beside Laura’s feet, and Laura’s body relaxed.
Even moderately beautiful women attract men whose fantasies can cause them to go to nutty extremes. A woman as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as Laura probably attracted them by the dozen.
I said, “Has he come here before like that? Demanding to see you?”
“No, he’s never gone that far before.”
I was tempted to warn her that her front door would be a snap for anybody wanting to break in, but I didn’t want to add to her fears. Besides, any door can be opened by somebody really determined.
I said, “If he does it again, you really should call the police.”
“I know. It’s just that I’d thought I’d left all that behind. Being afraid, threatening to call the police. I hate it.”
She leaned to pour the last of the wine in our glasses.
“I was in an abusive relationship,” she said. “Very abusive. I’m not over it yet.”
“Ah, so that’s what it was.”
“You knew?”
“I knew you were recovering from something. I recognized the signs.”
“Like what?”
I gestured around the impersonal room. “This place, for one thing. I know it’s not your home. Are you hiding from your ex?”
She looked alarmed. “You’re very perceptive. He’s not exactly my ex yet, I’ve just filed for divorce. He’s a very powerful orthopedic surgeon in Dallas. You may have heard of him. He’s Dr. Reginald Halston. The Dr. Reginald Halston. Before he went to medical school, he was a linebacker for the SMU Mustangs. He’s big. Really big.”
I could have sworn I’d heard her call him Martin, and I wasn’t sure if she meant he was big in size or just big in fame, but I didn’t press the point. Plenty of people are known professionally by one name but their families and close friends call them something else. Laura’s eyes had widened with awe when she said the name, so he must have been a big deal in Dallas. I said I’d never heard of him, and she looked faintly disappointed.
In a rush, she said, “I was his receptionist for a year before he asked me out. He’d been married twice before, and he has children. He never sees them, but I always knew they were there, waiting in the wings for me to fall on my face. His first wives were college-educated and from rich families. Not like me. I guess I fell in love, but I’m not sure. I have to admit I liked the idea of marrying a rich doctor. And to his credit, I have to say he was never cheap. I could buy anything I wanted, and I did.”
She drained her wineglass and ran the tip of her tongue around her lips to get the last drop.
I said, “I’m guessing there was another side to him, right?”
“At night, he would lie in bed and throw scalpels at the ceiling. They never stuck, just fell back down, and he would laugh at me for being afraid one would hit me. He carved my stomach with his scalpels too. He almost killed me several times. One time he choked me until I blacked out and my eyes were red for days from broken blood vessels, but he wouldn’t let me go to the hospital. He’s so big and strong, I was terrified of him.”