Chapter 10

There weren’t enough Kleenex tissues in Claudia’s office to dry up her tears, so she resorted to using bathroom tissue to absorb her grief. She called Kim and Tracy to break the terrible news to them, that Dan had been arrested for the robbery and assault of the Lockport senior. They vowed some sort of revenge on Dan for hurting their girl. They said they’d meet her later at her apartment to console her and plan revenge against him.

Claudia tried her best to do her daily business, but she’d constantly be thinking of Dan, how she’d fallen in love with him, then been betrayed by him, and cry again. She tried to put on a brave face when customers came in to do business. “My allergies are acting up,” was the excuse she used for her red eyes and sniffles.

“Notable Mystery Novelist Arrested for Robbery and Assaulting Lockport Senior,” were the headlines in bold print for her next edition.

“Daniel Davenport, 34, of Miami, Florida, an award-winning murder mystery novelist, has been arrested for the robbery and assault of 87 year old Angela Wilson, of Lockport, New York.” Her leading paragraph stated. Claudia broke into tears again. Damp tissues were reused.

Her hatred for Dan festered over the afternoon hours. “How could I have been so foolish? Damn you, Dan Davenport! I should have called the police when Jimmy told me about the news story. Why do I have such rotten luck picking the wrong men to fall in love with?” She cursed herself for falling in love with him so easily. She looked at the pictures and video of them with Brian and Laurie, thinking of what might have been in their future.

Claudia rechecked empty boxes for any tissues remaining as 5 o’clock closing time came. She gathered the things she needed to interview the police chief, and then she’d come back, write her story, and call the newspapers.

“I’m sure the New York papers will run my story about Dan robbing the old woman, and maybe all won’t be lost if I can get some freelance work out of them,” she said to an empty room.

Dan had never been in trouble with the law before and felt very uncomfortable being questioned by the police. He’d studied them closely numerous times in the past to ensure accuracy for his books, and now he was the suspect in a vicious crime.

He knew from research how the line of questioning should go and kept his lawyer in mind, should he need to call him. Over and over, he had to repeat his statement, with the police trying to find cracks in his story and charge their suspect. While he was being questioned, his room at Aunt Katherine’s Bed and Breakfast was being searched, and evidence was being collected.

He kept remembering the shocked look on Claudia’s face when she saw him. He was more worried about her than himself. What would she think of him?

The front door to Claudia’s office creaked, announcing another customer. “I’ll be with you in a moment,” she said, not looking up.

She finished her last article’s lines, trying to hide her sniffles. The person’s frame cast a shadow over her desk. Claudia looked up to see Dan standing in front of her. Her eyes had puffed up and reddened from constant tears. He didn’t know that his actions had dealt a fatal blow to her relationship with him. She furrowed her brow in anger.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here after what you did!” She glared, getting up from her chair.

As she came around her desk to him, her eyes locked on his for a much different reason. Her eyes, red from constant crying, were on fire with rage. They seared her hatred into him.

“I’m surprised the police have let you out of jail so fast. But I guess being a big shot celebrity writer does have its perks, for you can make bail so quick!” She snapped.

“Bail was set at 250,000 dollars,” he stated.

“It must be nice to have that kind of pocket change available at the snap of your fingers!” Her eyes branded her hatred deeper into him.

Dan’s heart sank seeing Claudia’s eyes so red, so full of sadness and hatred towards him. She finally unleashed her pent-up frustration on him. She raised her right hand, slapping him hard across his left cheek. He was startled by her sudden fury. She started pounding on his chest, and he didn’t stop her.

“How could you do this to me, to us? How could you have hurt that poor old woman and robbed her? I hope you rot in prison! I thought I’d finally, finally, found happiness and found the man I could love and who would love me and want to spend the rest of my life with! I had bared my heart and soul to you; I was in love with you!” She exclaimed, pausing for a breath.

“I’m in love with you too, Claudia.”

“A lot of good that will do me with you in prison! I don’t date convicts!” She began to pound his chest again. “I gave you everything, all of me to you!” Dan didn’t retaliate, letting Claudia vent her frustrations against him.

“You fucking bastard! I hate you! I fucking hate you!! I gave you my heart and my love, and I let you fuck me too, even though the sex was fantastic! Plus I told you my deepest personal secrets and fantasies that no man ever knew before!” She remembered.

“And then we swapped partners with Brian and Laurie for sex and acted like we were a real couple.”

“We are a real couple,” he agreed.

“Oh no, we’re not a couple anymore!” She continued her verbal assault on Dan.

“You look beautiful when you swear and talk dirty, just like last night,” he said.

“Why don’t you go and rot your life away in prison! Get the fuck out of here and out of my life!” She screamed, losing strength in her thumps on his chest.

Dan’s next statement to her fell on deaf ears as she continued yelling. “I don’t care what you said. Go, and get the fuck out of here!” She pointed to the door, then broke down in tears once more.

“Will you let me explain what happened?” He pleaded.

“What, explain how you’ve ruined my life? No, I don’t want to hear any of your excuses! I’m through with you, Dan! Get the fuck out of my life!” She vented, pointing to the door again, turning her back to him.

He could see her body heave from crying. Dan had been verbally beaten by a vindictive Claudia. He sadly relented, tears pooling in his eyes, and walked dejectedly to the door. The door opened partway, and he paused. He was mad that she didn’t give him the chance to plead his case and returned for another round of verbal abuse.

She came up to him and asked, “Are you fucking deaf as well as a woman beater?” She drew back her right arm to strike him once more. Dan grabbed Claudia’s wrist firmly but gently, stopping her next strike against him.

“Will you listen to me? You are going to listen to me, Claudia, whether you like it or not! If I ever meant anything to you, let me explain, and then I’ll go and leave you alone, forever.”

Her chest rose and fell with heavy breathing, as if in a marathon. She paused, allowing him the opportunity to confess to his crimes.

“Claudia, I have fallen in love with you, and I’d never, ever, do anything to hurt you.” She relaxed her arm, and he let it go. “You’ve let your journalistic mind be guided by your heart. A good reporter should get all the facts first before jumping to conclusions, no matter how convincing they might seem.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you honestly think it was me who robbed and beat the old woman?”

“I’ve had my suspicions on and off. Your injuries, your description, and the vehicle damage match the police report on the news. Besides, I saw you arrested in handcuffs and being taken to the police station.”

“Claudia, it wasn’t me; I didn’t rob that old woman,” he stated defiantly.

“What?” She replied, exhausted.

“I’m telling you the honest truth. I swear by the love I have here inside me for you!” He emphasized, beating his chest. His lower lips and chin quivered with raw emotions. “I did not, I repeat, I did not rob the woman from Lockport!” Dejected and with tears flowing from the loss of the love of his life, Dan returned to the door.

“I’ll leave you alone now, as you wanted,” he said, a tear trickling down his cheek. He turned the doorknob, opening the door.

“Dan, wait a minute. Please don’t go!” She hurried to him, stopping the door from opening any wider. “Please, tell me again what you just said.” She wasn’t quite sure what she heard or whether she should believe him.

Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. In a moment of weakness for his suffering, her right thumb wiped away tears from his face. “I did not hurt that old woman from Lockport. I’ve never met her before in my life. I wouldn’t even recognize her if I walked past her on the street.”

“But, but?” She stammered, dumbfounded. Her eyes darted rapidly across his face.

“If you don’t believe me and trust in me, then call the police chief and ask him yourself,” he said, pointing to her phone.

“But what about your damaged SUV and the war medals in your room, the scratches on your arm, and the cut on your hand, plus being arrested?” She questioned, a flicker of hope in her heart. She gently took the doorknob from his grasp and closed the door.

“What are the odds that two men would be dressed in blue shirts and blue jeans and both driving blue General Motors SUVs, though he had a Chevrolet. I guess from a distance, it could be mistaken for my Cadillac. And what are the odds for us to be on the same road in opposite directions at the same time?”

“Remember I told you I was run off the road by another vehicle? It turns out that it was the guy who did rob the woman. And I did get these scratches from falling down into the ditch in the rain. That’s how I got my clothes so muddy. And the war medals you saw belonged to my great-grandfather from WW1, my grandfather from WW2, and my uncle from the Vietnam War. The bottom edge of each medal has their service number and the last name of Davenport engraved on it. I’m going back to Albany to donate the family medals to the State War Museum.”

“Why did you hide your Cadillac in the rear parking lot at Aunt Katherine’s?”

“Claudia, it’s a Cadillac. No one drives a Caddy damaged like that. I felt embarrassed to drive such a beautiful set of wheels that was smashed up, so I parked it out of sight.”

“But what about the book I saw on your bed, ‘101 Ways to Commit Murder?’”

Dan began to laugh. “That’s a book about comedian Steve Cameron. The title refers to him killing the audience with his jokes.”

“You should have seen the looks on the police detectives’ faces when I was being interviewed and another police officer showed up with a second suspect, except, he had the medals and jewellery belonging to the woman from Lockport. The bottom edge of the medals was engraved with the family’s last name, Wilson, her husband’s. Then they examined the medals I had and saw my last name, Davenport.”

“What helped to save me were my tattoos and the fact that Mrs. Wilson recognized me from a TV interview compared to a photo of the real robber. He didn’t have any tattoos on his arms like I do,” Dan chuckled, pointing to his eagle and parrot. “Also, they couldn’t match any of my fingerprints to those found in the farm house.” Dan cupped Claudia’s face in his hands and rubbed her tears away with his thumbs.

“Like I said before, I’d never, ever do anything to hurt you. I may not be going to jail anymore, but I sure wouldn’t mind being imprisoned by your heart.” He kissed her lips, then her eyes. “I love you, Claudia, and need you in my life!”

Claudia’s eyes raced over his face, making her dizzy. What had he just told her? She was spellbound, beyond expression. Instantly, the giant glacier of ice surrounding her cold, cold heart melted away.

“Oh, Dan, Daniel, my love, I’m so sorry, so very sorry I ever doubted you, so sorry I hit you!” She confessed, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Claudia kissed his face and lips repeatedly; tears of sadness were replaced by tears of joy. “I love you, Dan! I love you, I love you!” She freely admitted it again. In that instant, she completely gave her heart, body, and soul back to him.

“And I love you too, Claudia,” he replied, taking her in his arms and letting out a deep, deep sigh of relief. She felt light as a feather as he lifted her off the floor. Tears ran down his face too, and Claudia lovingly kissed them away.

“I love you so much! I apologize for ever doubting you; please forgive me.” She repeated, her eyes darting over his face.

“Seeing things from your perspective, I don’t blame you for doubting me. I completely forgive you. And I love you too!” Dan realized that he had finally found his ‘Happily Ever After.’

They kissed and hugged, holding each other tightly. She took his right hand from her back and placed it on her left breast. “Daniel, please take me home and give me a good, loving fuck!”

“I will, my love,” he replied, kissing away her now happy tears.

“I just have a few more things to do first,” she said, kissing him.

“Believe it or not, the reason I thought I was being stopped by the police was because the sticker had expired on my license plate. I thought, boy the police around here sure take their work seriously enough to pull their guns on me for just an expired registration.”

“And now I have someone to blame my accident on and have filed a police report. I called my insurance company about my damaged SUV, and they suggested I have it repaired here. They’ll fly me home and back when it’s ready. Realizing their mistake, the police were eager to help me get my vehicle registration taken care of. It’ll be legal to drive again in a few days.”

“I guess you had better rewrite your front page headline,” Dan said, motioning to her computer screen. “Claudia, if you suspected that I was the one who robbed the woman, why didn’t you just ask me?”

“Maybe I was afraid what your answer might be, that if it were true, that you might hurt me also. I was already falling in love with you and didn’t want anything to ruin it.”

“Believe me, if I had robbed the old woman, I definitely wouldn’t still be around here! I’d be long gone, damaged SUV or not!”

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you,” she repeated, once again.

“Apology accepted; next time you wonder something about me, just ask.”

“I will,” she smiled. She let out a big sigh of relief, knowing that her Dan was a good man after all.

“Part of being a good journalist when conducting an interview is not being afraid to ask the tough questions,” he said.

She thought for a moment, then looked him in the eye. Okay, here’s a question, straight and to the point. I live here, and you don’t. Am I just having a long weekend fling with you, or do we actually have a chance at something more?”

“Now that’s direct and to the point. But you get to stay, and I have to leave. No, Claudia, you are definitely not a weekend fling to me. We’ve only known each other for four days now, but to me, it feels more like four months. I know we barely know each other and it would be improbable to pin a lifetime on just one weekend together, but I do love you, and although this isn’t a marriage proposal just yet, I want to spend my lifetime getting to know you and being with you.”

She hugged him tight around the neck and said, “And I love you too, Dan, and want to spend my lifetime with you too.”

“When do you have to fly home?” She had to know.

“On Thursday, I have bills to pay, interviews to give, and a lot of work to do on my books. My agent told me I’m to be arm candy for actress Heather Brewer a week from this Friday. We’re going to attend a charity auction in New York City. After I’m done, I can come and stay the weekend, if you’ll have me.”

“If I’ll have you, damn right I’ll have you!” She hugged him. “Heather Brewer, hmmm, she’s very attractive, very sexy. Are you going to try and fuck her?”

“I hadn’t even thought of that. Besides, there will be photographers everywhere. Not much time for any privacy. I believe she is freshly divorced, and I don’t want to be her new boy toy. Besides, I’d feel as if I were cheating on you behind your back.”

“How often do you get the chance to fuck a well-known Hollywood actress?”

“Never, since I was divorced from one,” he joked.

“I say if you get the chance, go for it and fuck her. Just remember to take some dirty pictures to show me,” she joked.

“Are you sure?”

“I love you, Dan, and I now know you are my man. Go ahead and stir up some Hollywood shit,” she grinned.

“I was thinking that when my Caddy is repaired, it’s just going to sit at the body shop until I return. Why don’t you pick it up when it’s repaired and drive it until I come back?”

“Oh, Dan, I can do that; it’s way too expensive for me to drive.”

“It’s paid for and insured. Claudia, I have nothing against your car. Toyota makes a good basic automobile, but your Echo had its better days many years ago.”

“I can’t afford a new car.”

“You must do a fair amount of driving doing business for your newsletter.”

“Quite a lot; it has no air conditioning, and the winters are rough on it.”

“Then as a favour to me and to us, you should drive a vehicle that is newer, safer, and more dependable, please drive my Cadillac.”

“What will you drive?” She asked.

“I’ll rent a car back home through my insurance until the Caddy is fixed. Then we can use the Caddy when I visit you here.”

“You want me to keep using it?”

“Yes, I do. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about the condition of your car. I can afford to buy another one.”

“Wow, I have no idea how much writing books pays.”

“I own a fairly decent condo in Miami, take a few vacations, like to play a lousy game of golf, and have my mom stay with me several times a year, especially during the winter. I live a pretty simple and boring life. We could plan a trip soon from here to Toronto so you could meet my mom. I know she’s just going to love you!” He praised.

“I would like to meet her.”

“I’m not into fancy yachts or art collecting. I have been single for two years now and haven’t had any reason to spend very much money. I don’t want you to feel that I’m buying your love with the Caddy. I’d sooner donate it all to charity than lose you.”

“I had mentioned to Kim that money isn’t everything in a relationship. She said she wouldn’t mind being rich and miserable.”

“I’ve been rich and miserable before, and believe me, it isn’t very much fun. It just means you can break more expensive objects than other people when you fight. I’m a pretty simple guy who happens to get paid very well for what he does for a living. Richness to me is having the love of a good woman and a family, not necessarily the size of your bank account.”

“I’m not sure I should know how much money you have. I don’t want you to see me as a gold digger.”

“We fell in love without money being an issue. But a lot of money or the lack of it can become a bigger issue for many couples. Like I said, I’m a fairly simple guy and don’t even realize or hardly ever think that I have close to ten million dollars in cash and investments in the bank.”

“Holy shit Dan, ten million dollars? You wouldn’t know with the way you act, so normal like.”

“And I’d prefer to keep it like that, as normal as possible. Money can be such a touchy subject, and I don’t want it to get in the way of us.”

“Enough talk about money. We’ve got some great makeup sex to have!” Claudia said, changing the subject. She kissed and hugged him close.

“Do you take any summer vacations?” He asked.

“Usually the middle two weeks in August.”

“Will you come and stay with me, at least for a week?”

“Visit you in Miami? I’ve never been to Florida in my life!”

“Then imagine all the sexy fun we could have. I imagine you’d have a killer body in a skimpy bikini. We’d visit Disneyworld, the Epcot Center, go swimming, go on day cruises, have romantic dinners by the water, and do plenty of fucking,” he listed.

“Okay, okay, you’ve convinced me. I’d love to visit and stay with you, Dan.” She hugged and kissed him again.

Claudia went to the waste paper basket and bent over. Dan smiled, viewing her perfect ass. She reached her hand down and returned to him. She took his right hand and uncurled it, then placed a silver key on his palm.

“What’s this?”

“I threw this in the garbage when I was angry at you. It’s a key to my apartment. No more staying at Aunt Katherine’s,” she smiled.

“No more banging the headboard at your aunt’s place?” He joked, and Claudia laughed.

“That’s hard to do with you living so far away. Maybe we’ll get a room from her a few times and let her hear the headboard bang the wall, so she knows how much we love to fuck,” she said.

“You want me to move in with you?”

“Yes. When you can visit me, you live in my apartment and sleep in my bed; it’s your home away from home,” she explained, placing her arms around his neck.