Chapter 12

Barbara was a whirlwind for the following week. She couldn't have enough work to do. Her follow-ups on leads to Ron Pratt were all dead ends. Al had gone to Buffalo and Syracuse to see if Ron had gone to either location. None of his contacts had turned up anything either. Her father had pushed his men to cover the city yet nothing had happened. Nobody had seen or heard from him since his attack on Ken. She had even contacted Ken's parents to tell them to be cautious of strangers. Her father had contacted the sheriff's department in Ken's county to alert them. Ten days of work on the set and off. She knew her lines almost as well as her mother did. She had watched her deliver her lines in a couple of scenes. She was impressed. Her practice scenes had been less than great but the director had not expected her to be great. Yet he told her she had promise to becoming great. Maybe she would have tried harder if she really wanted to be an actress. Maybe that was what prompted Hal to visit her a few days later.

"Look Barbara, you know the lines. I know you can deliver them better than you do. Also, remember I promised to help you with the kissing? Well it certainly needs it. When you kissed Peter on the stage I thought you were kissing a mop. Your face had no expression on it at all! Your body language said, "This guy is not for me." It should have said, "Ready or not! Or Take me I'm yours."

"Hal! That was the day after Ken got stabbed! Maybe I wasn't ready for the acting yet."

"Sure, Barbara, but who is kidding whom here? Let's see if you can do it now. If you have another performance like that – even your mother will say something."

"Yeah, I guess I better try. O. K. Let's practice this scene."

"That one? No, no sister, you could do that one without trying. This is the one that you need to put over to the audience. This is the kiss. And see here, Peter holds you so the audience has a chance to see your side and back. You have to press into his kiss and show them that you care."

"I guess you're right. You are the assistant director."

"True and Fred would be here himself if he had the time. So pucker up and let's look at the mirrors."

Maybe it was the mirrors. Maybe it was the lack of a man's touch for a week. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe she was tired. Maybe her defenses were down. Whatever the reason, Hal's kiss began slowly but rapidly found a responsive switch in her body. Her eyes caught the mirror several times. She couldn't believe how sensuous her own body appeared pressed against Hal. Then she felt him press his manhood against her.

Suddenly the scene wasn't important anymore. He could feel her body melt into his. Hal found his hand roaming down her back. He molded his fingers around the dress-covered rump of the stand-in for the leading lady. It was her daughter no less that he found so willing. It became a slow strip down for both of them. Never did their lips seem to part. Yet their clothes fell in a heap n the floor next to the couch. Where his hands had felt a dress covered rump before now they stretched across a naked one. His fingers dipped into her and she responded by stroking him. Her nipples were so hard when he touched them. He stroked his penis along her wetness. Her eyes were so wide open in astonishment as he melted into her in one stroke. She passed out with her first orgasm. Hal was surprised also that he had gotten so far. He had hoped as he had before Ken had gotten stabbed. Now he bent her body over the end of the couch. Hal began to pump into her passed out body. He would have preferred her to be awake yet he couldn't stop himself right now. He looked at her and wondered as he pumped how young was she? Just as he was about to have his 'little death' he had his big one. He was bent over slightly and not really listening to what was going on about him. The coroner told them much later that he died within seconds of the knife thrust.

Barbara awoke with the feeling that a heavy body was on her. Then she remembered Hal and what they had been doing. She was very embarrassed at what had happened. Yet when she stood to talk to Hal she was surprised that he fell over at her feet. She knelt down and almost screamed when she saw the blood. Carefully she rose and gathered her things. She had touched him and felt how cool he was. She looked at the clock and realized she had passed out for over an hour. Quickly she dressed and left the room. She didn't see anyone around and went to her room to think.

That she felt guilty and worthless was an understatement. Yes she had to pick herself up and report it to the police. Yet she would pretend that she found his body. She couldn't hurt Ken. She did still love him. She would just have to try harder. It was this thought that propelled her forward to the door of Hal's room. She expected to see his body fallen on the floor. It wasn't there. That and the rug that the body had been on were missing. Now she was in a quandary. Should she report it? Did she actually see Hal dead? Maybe she had been mistaken. That's what she hoped had happened as she meandered back to her room.

Hal's disappearance went unnoticed for a full day. It was the police that really noticed. Then everybody wondered what happened to him. Barbara found out that Hal wasn't just an assistant director. He had another more important thing he was doing for the government. Her father discounted the possibility that he had left on his own. Barbara, once she heard that, told him, in a sanitized version, that she had found him hurt but his body had disappeared when she went back to him. She thought he had just left. Now she wondered if he wasn't dead. At least that part was true.

Her father could tell something was bothering Barbara but he didn't know what. That she wasn't telling him the entire truth he understood. He just hoped he knew his daughter well enough that she wasn't holding back something important. Yet what she had told him was bad enough. Hal was missing and he had to be presumed dead. Also the knife attack might mean that Ron was behind it not someone else. Steven shook his head. He had never understood women very well. He hoped he could do better, especially with his ex-wife. He had been dating her lately and he had come to the conclusion that he wanted more. Yet he didn't want to push her. Also he didn't want to lose her again no matter what. He had a hard time telling himself but he thought he would not do anything if she had a 'fling or two'. He sighed, 'Women!'

Ken was feeling better and better. He had gotten out of bed and slowly walked around town. He had bumped into some old friends of his. It was fun seeing them again and they told him how worried they had been when they heard that he had been stabbed.

Cornelia lay back and felt Steven enter her. Her tears came gushing out as he slid into her. Her memories of their wonderful first union came back to her with each thrust. She just received the papers that day notifying her that her divorce was final. As she released her control to him, she felt their minds meld again in harmony. Now it was more than memories, it was love. With love came commitment. With their love came the need to have another child from him. She had already planned on it whether he wanted it or not. Tonight she hoped to get pregnant. If her feelings were any indication then this union would bear fruit in nine months.

Steven knew that all of his fears were meaningless. They would make it this time. He hadn't brought up the topic of children but he could hope. Right now he needed to finish what was started but he wanted it to last forever. He felt like he was ten years younger as he kissed her again.

Barbara had never seen her mother look so vibrant and full of life. She laughed at almost any silly joke or hugged her over nothing at all. Frankly she needed every hug and any laughs that came around. She felt lousy. She knew she looked like she weighed 400 pounds at least. Her only consolation was when her 'friend' came. She had felt like she didn't want it to come. Yet she also thought that she was too young and she had more to do before motherhood claimed her time. Also was the stark fact that it was possible that if she had gotten 'preggie' it might not have been Ken's. For that she was grateful. She didn't want a sense of guilt to hit her every time she looked at one of her children. Next time it would be Ken's and no other possible man. In the meantime she applied her tampon as directed. It was the first time she had used this product since she had no membrane to protect. Her mother had told her that it was a more useful product for the stage. There wouldn't be the telltale bulge.

For the next two weeks it was easy for Barbara to be assertive and not be tempted again. Confidence in her began to build and her acting became better. Now she was like her mother. She didn't blow a line. Her most difficult problem was situational. For example, where is the best location for the delivery of certain lines? Usually there were several scenes where it was vital to the action of the play to be at a certain spot on the stage. The director and writer were together often trying to figure out positions. This theater like most others had dead spots. It was important to never be in one of those areas. The director had them outlined in red chalk.

Hal had been an important part of the company. Yet everything still seemed to keep moving and the final dress rehearsal was nearing. One month can be a long time or a short time. It was very short for all those concerned in the play. The pace of things picked up and another guy had been hired to do odd chores.