Chapter 15

They made it back to the theater Monday morning ready to go. Her mother was already there and they began to rehearse almost immediately. Then the police arrived. Hal's body had been found. He had been murdered. The entire theater was turned upside down. No one knew why. It appeared they hadn't found what they were looking for so the theater was given back to them late in the afternoon.

It was a bit somber but someone decided to hold some type of 'Irish' funeral. Somehow Cornelia was able to leave early during the party. Everybody was smoking and drinking. Dancing, laughing, and much talking had the group in a better mood. Soon the air was blue with smoke. Ken and Barbara had been together for most of the party. Yet nature called for both of them. A quick drink and gab fest with the girls found the two of them separated. Ken found himself with the director's wife, Rachel and the producer's wife, Gertrude. The two of them had crowded him and teased him about everything it seemed. Meanwhile, Barbara was with Willy, Peter and Roger on the other side of the room. Someone started the reefers but no one stopped them. Both Ken and Barbara had tried smoking. Sometimes they got some imported cigarettes to smoke that were different. Neither knew what they were smoking now.

Ken didn't notice the change immediately. However Gertrude and Rachel became funnier and funnier. Then came some kisses. He felt a little dizzy and wanted to sit down. Gertrude led him to a couch in the producer's office. There was still some music but it wasn't nearly as loud. He still had his funny looking cigarette and that was all he had.

Barbara was instantly relieved when Peter left the party. Willy left soon after. She understood that he was following Peter. Roger stayed with her and they even danced. It was about then that she felt dizzy. He courteously led her to the director's office. There was a nice sofa. It just seemed natural that she kissed him as a reward. Then she realized that she didn't have a stitch of clothes on. Neither did Roger. It just flowed from there with not a bit of romance or love or lust, just a female and a male human that had sex on a sofa.

Then Fred the director was there. He was next. Then the writer Whitman C. Danfield himself was there. Writers do try to be different and he wanted to try another entrance. It wasn't as pleasurable for Barbara. Her butt began to ache. She was relieved when he stopped. Then Peter was there but he was with Willy. She was confused with this happening. Both of them entered her at the same time, one in one end and the other in her nether end. It was a party and she was the prize.

Ken had a party of his own. Gertrude introduced him to oral sex while Rachel used him the old fashioned way. Then they switched. He nailed Patricia next. Then Katherine showed up.

How Ken and Barbara ended up in each other's arms neither knew. When they did wake up, Ken found out he still had some energy left. Barbara found out that sex wasn't enough without love. Even drugged she felt the difference. Now with Ken she had a fuller more complete feeling than any of the more experienced lovers. Their 'errors in judgement' seemed like a dream, a bad dream, to both of them. Neither said a thing about it to the other.

Barbara wanted out of this play. Her feelings about working with her mother had changed again. She wouldn't trust herself and she wouldn't trust any of the others. Ken was the only one for her. If Willy asked her for anything she'd kill him first.

Willy had used her again. She didn't know it but he had been the one that had set it all up. Willy had instigated all the party, booze, dope and sex. He had gotten closer to Peter. Willy hadn't told Barbara but the note she had copied had been important. His boss had taped Peter and the diplomat's wife. She had told him that she could get the positions of half of the Polish armies. Peter had the audacity to ask for more. The thing of it was she got him more!

He had discovered that the wife had been from a prominent German family whose lands and wealth had been threatened by the very diplomat she had married. It had been after the Great War when some of Germany had been used to remake Poland. Her arranged matrimony had secured her entire family's wealth and land. Yet she hated her husband. He had used her like a party favor. Anyone with power had gotten some action. Willy had heard similar stories of European intrigue. What bothered him was he was using women in the same way in the good old U.S. of A.

The director's wife had been part of the bait for Peter. Peter had wanted to get something going with her for a long time. Willy knew that Fred and Rachel had known about Peter's home wrecking penchant. There had been rumors. What he hadn't bothered to tell Rachel was Peter liked to get the women in 'trouble'. The night of the party Peter had even showed Willy his secret weapon. His fingernails were kept long for a purpose. It was much easier for him to reach into the 'victim' and scrape off the surface of a diaphragm than to get the woman to remove it. Sometimes he said he was actually able to lift and move it off of the cervix without the woman suspecting a thing.

After the party Willy had looked at himself in the mirror and knew he had just found the gutter. He was going to let his fingernails grow longer too. He liked Patricia but he wanted to do Barbara the most.

Barbara put her diaphragm in each morning. She didn't care if Ken was with her but she didn't want anyone else to father her children. Of course Ken knew nothing about it. Also it had been over a month since the last time she had – erred. The play had gotten off to a rousing start. Her mother had reestablished herself as Broadway's greatest actress. Even Peter had high accolades. Every night was standing room only and she got to act during Saturday afternoon matinees. Her reviews weren't quite as spectacular as her mother's but one critic had said she was just as good but different.

Ken hadn't been quite as good as his wife. He had to go over to the adman's office every week with updated material. He found out that his one time with the secretary had been 'fruitful' as she put it. Far from blaming him or pushing him for more she kept telling him that she would reward him in the future. The mystery was answered one day when she introduced him to a nice looking blond girl. She appeared to be around thirty. Her name was Shirley. She wanted a baby desperately. It was his job to give her one. She was married already and loved her husband but not having a baby was eating him up. If the truth were told it was making her a shrew too.

By that time Shirley had taken his pants down. He knew he should back away and say thank you but he was married. But he found himself trying to fulfill her dreams. After Shirley it was two others whose names he didn't remember. Not that they weren't nice girls. No, they were quite pretty and in need. So far Shirley hadn't gotten her 'friend' and neither had the others. He wanted to get away from this play. It had gotten him married to a wonderful girl but it had twisted him up so he didn't feel right. Also it looked like he had inseminated at least five women so far, maybe six and he hadn't even done the one he loved!

Ron had been away from the city. He had found a job and had earned a few bucks. He knew he had to lie low when he nailed that Hal, the assistant director. He tried to throw them off. He hid the body but he knew it wouldn't stay hidden forever.

He had gone back to the city and had tailed Barbara and the jerk she loved to his folk's place. Then there was a miracle. There was a girl who could have been Barbara's twin sister! Only she was married to some hick that looked a little like Barbara's Ken. It had taken him a little time to plan this one out.

Ken got a call from his parents. They didn't talk very much on the phone. It was expensive compared to sending a letter. But this was a special case. His best friend Jack was missing. April was very upset especially since the state police weren't doing anything much about it. Once Barbara heard about it she insisted that both of them go to April. A cab, train and cab again found them at Jack and April's home.

Before the door was fully open April jumped into Barbara's embrace. She cried for ten minutes before Barbara could calm her down.

"He's never, ever gone off before. It's so not like Jack. Something's wrong Barb, I know he would never leave us. His baby is due soon and we-"

She started to cry again.

Ken decided to tell her what the two of them had planned. They had already begun the search. Al had a couple of part time operatives he contacted. They were going to find out what Jack's work mates knew and try to track down his movements for that day. Barbara had contacted her father and asked him to get as much as he could from the state police. Barbara told April that she was going to go over her home inside and outside to see if there were any clues. Then Ken would look from a man's perspective. The fact that something was being done helped relax April. Barbara walked April over to the sofa and had Ken guide her down. Now with April seated and held by Ken, Barbara went from the living room up to Jack and April's room.

As she suspected nothing had been touched for a while. It was neater than she and Ken kept their place but of course both of them worked. Jack's personal stuff was still in the bathroom. They had already transformed a spare room into a nursery. An older crib was there. They even had an old clothes dresser that had some baby clothes in it. An old cedar chest was nearby stuffed with many knit woolies. She picked up a small knitted pair of winter mittens.

'Oh my god these are so sweet! I wonder who originally knit these. Maybe her grandmother or her mother-in-law did them. Oh, look at this winter snowsuit! It's beautiful and so small! I bet April can't wait for the baby to be born!' she thought.

Barbara discovered that her own reactions left her legs a little shaky. If Ken had been right there the two of them would have been coupled with one intent on Barbara's mind, making a baby.

She sighed and shook her head. She had to snap out of this daydream and get back to the investigation. She didn't turn up anything else in the home. So she began to look outside for any clues.

Almost immediately she saw what she knew was a clue. Two black almost parallel lines went from the middle of their front concrete walk to the green lawn. There the two lines continued as trails across the lawn through the wooden gateway to their back yard. Barbara was very careful not to disturb the surrounding area. Every few feet she looked up. She had sensed that this case was not going to have a happy ending.

The trail led her through a back gate into a brush-covered lot. Barbara pulled a small caliber automatic from her purse. Ken would have been surprised to see that she could fit something that big in it. Nonetheless she was prepared for an attacker if there was one.

She found Jack about ten feet in from the back gate. She knew who it was even after two days in the summer heat. His throat had been slashed open. He had died on that spot. It looked like the murderer had then sliced him up. Jack's male appendage had been cut off and stuffed in his mouth. It took great effort for her to move away before she allowed herself to throw up in the brush.

She was upset with herself and the situation she was in as she stumbled back to the house. She didn't want to face April right away. It would be tough enough to tell Ken. Then she would have to call the state police. After that she would call Al and her father. She was able to compose herself by the time she reached the front door.

April was asleep on Ken's shoulder. Barbara's relief was very noticeable to Ken. Also noticeable was the gun in her hand. He could see that her mascara had run and she hadn't been able to clean the mess from the tops of her shoes. He carefully placed April down on the sofa and covered her with a thin blanket.

He stood and faced Barbara. Barbara stepped into his arms and began to sob. He hated to see women cry. It was worse when it was his wife and he didn't know why she was crying. He smelled something odd. Barbara had thrown up and it wasn't tears of happiness flowing out of her. It took a few seconds then he almost knew what was bothering her. Jack must have been out there, dead. He didn't want to believe it but he couldn't fathom another reason for her actions. She seemed to be trying to talk to him and couldn't get the words out. So he tried to help her.

"Whoa, stop trying to talk love. I think I know sweetheart. Is it about Jack?"

She nodded her head yes while she continued to sob.

"Is he dead?"

She nodded her head yes again.

"He was murdered wasn't he?"

She nodded her head again.

"Jesus, it was Ron wasn't it?"

She nodded and looked up into his eyes. It looked like she was pleading for his forgiveness.

"Darling, it isn't your fault! He's the one that kills people. I imagine since April looks like you, he felt compelled to kill Jack. But I think we have to protect April too now. I wouldn't be surprised that he's out there right now wondering if he can get at her soon."