Nelson DeMille - Spencerville

"You know who?"

"No."

Cliff stood and put his hand on the refrigerator door before she could shut it. "I need a beer." He took a can out, and she closed the door.

He stood looking at her a few seconds, then asked again, "You don't know who?"

She made a decision and said, "Oh, you mean Keith Landry."

"You know who the hell I mean."

"I heard he was back."

"I'm sure you did. I am sure you did. What else did you hear?"

"Nothing. Do you want dessert?"

"I ain't had dinner. Why do I want dessert?"

"Are you going out for dinner?"

"Don't fuck with me, lady. I'm talkin' to you."

"I'm listening, Cliff. Keith Landry is back in town. So what? Is there anything more?"

"Well, now, that's the question."

"What do you mean?"

"Jesus Christ, you fuckin' women know how to jerk a guy off, don't you?"

"What do you want me to say, Cliff? He's back in town. I heard it, you heard it. Why are you so angry at me?"

They looked at each other, and of course they both knew exactly why Cliff Baxter was angry. He asked her, "Why didn't you tell me he was back?"

"It never crossed my mind."

"You're full of shit."

"Don't speak to me that way." She felt a real anger rise up in her which overcame her fear. She raised her voice and said, "You may not speak to me that way. I'm leaving." She threw her glass in the sink and turned toward the door.

He grabbed her shoulder, spun her around, and held her arms. "You're not goin' nowhere."

"Stop it! Stop this! Let me go!"

He took his hands off her and backed away. "Okay... I'm sorry. Okay, just calm down. Here, sit down. I just want to talk to you."

She didn't trust him at all, but, reluctantly, she sat.

He sat across from her and played with his beer can. Finally, he said, "Well... you know how I am. I just get real jealous sometimes. And I got to thinking about your old boyfriend back in town, and I find out he's single, and I guess I just got myself worked up. Now, you should be happy that I care so much about you. Right?"

She thought of several sarcastic replies, any one of which would send him off the deep end. She said, "I understand. But I really don't want to talk about this. There's nothing to talk about."

"Well, but you can see how this is going to bother me."

"It shouldn't."

"Why not? You mean a man who was fucking my wife is now livin' down the road, and that shouldn't bother me?"

"Cliff... look, whatever I say is going to get you angry. If I say I don't care if he's down the road, you'll take it wrong, if I say it bothers me that he's here, you'll take it..."

Baxter slammed the table and the dishes, and Annie jumped. He said, "You fucked the guy for six fucking years. And all you got to say is I shouldn't be fucking pissed off that he's down the road. What if one of my old girlfriends was down the road? How'd you like that?"

She wanted to remind him that he'd sometimes point out his old girlfriends to her and that all she felt was pity for them. Instead, she said, "I guess that would really bother me."

"You're fucking right it would!"

"Please don't shout. I know you're angry, but..."

"Hey, you remember Cindy North? I fucked her for a year right before I started seeing you. What if she moved in next door and she was single? Would that piss you off?"

"Of course."

"Yeah. So I'm not supposed to be pissed off?"

"I didn't say that. Just don't be angry at me. I didn't do anything."

"But maybe you'd like to."

"Cliff, don't say that."

"You remember the good times with him, don't you?"

"I don't remember any of it. It was over twenty years ago." He seemed almost surprised, she thought, that it was that many years. He said, "But when you heard he was back, you got to thinkin' about those rolls in the hay. Where'd you fuck him? In the barn? You go down on him in your car?"

She stood, and he reached across the table, grabbed her belt, and pulled her down in the seat.

Annie was frightened, but not for herself. She could handle him, but she had to warn Keith that Cliff was getting himself worked up. She took a deep breath and said, "Cliff, sweetheart, I know you're angry, but there's no one in the world for me except you."

He seemed to calm down, but clearly he was still seething. "There damn well better not be."

"There isn't. I know you love me, and that's why you're angry. I'm very flattered." She knew she should quit while she was ahead, but she hated him so much, she couldn't resist lighting his short fuse again. She said, "I don't want you thinking about what Keith and I did for six years."

He looked at her but said nothing.

She added, "We were just young high school and college kids, and we just did what everyone was doing then. You should be happy I only did it with him and not..."

"Shut up!"

"Sorry."

"Shut up."

She hung her head and stared at her plate trying to suppress a smile.

A minute went by, then Cliff said, "I don't want you talking to him or about him."

"I won't."

"Has he called you?"

She shook her head. "Why would he?.."

"You tried to call him?"

"Not in a million years."

"Yeah? So you two ain't spoken since he's been back?"

Again, she made a decision, got up, and stood behind his chair. She said, "Cliff, I can't lie to you... I ran into him on the street."

He didn't say anything.

She continued, "I was with Charlene Helms, old Mrs. Whitney, and Pastor Schenk's wife, Marge. I just left the post office and ran into him. I didn't even recognize him, and when he started talking, I didn't even know who it was. You know, when people think you know who they are, and they start jabbering. It happens to you all the time. Then I realized who it was, and I just said, 'You have a nice day, Mr. Landry.' Then I walked off with the girls."

She kept her hands on his shoulders and, though she couldn't see his face, she could feel his muscles tense up. She added, "It really slipped my mind, Cliff, and when I remembered to mention it to you, you weren't around. I knew you might get angry, but I thought you should know I ran into him. But I guess I was a little scared to mention it, so maybe I buried it in my mind. I figured he was just visiting, and that was the end of it." She said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'll never speak to him again. I swear."

He sat motionless for a full minute, then said, "You won't be able to."

She felt her heart skip a beat and couldn't speak. Finally, she knew she had to say something, but she couldn't ask the obvious question. She said, "I won't."

"You can't, you won't. I ran the son-of-a-bitch out of town."

"Oh..."

He stood and faced her, and he smiled. "I stopped by his place this morning. That surprise you?"

"No."

"I told him to get the fuck out of town. He said he'd be gone in a week."

"A week?.."

"Yeah. He's a fucking pussy, if you care to know."

"I don't care."

"He fucking begged me to let him stay a few more days. I gave him six days. I also gave him a shot in the gut, and he folded like a leaf. You shoulda seen that. He just went down like a log and laid there while I poured shit all over him. He wouldn't even defend himself. Hell, I offered to take off my gun and badge if he wanted to duke it out, but he was so scared he nearly pissed his pants. I can't believe you went out with this pussy."

Annie bit her lip to keep it from trembling, but a tear ran down her cheek.

"Hey, you crying?"

"No..." She wiped her face. "I'm just upset... that you had to do that."

"Upset? What the fuck is upset? You pissed at me?"

"No."

"Jesus Christ, I don't get you. You cryin' because I decked him?"

"No. Women get upset when their husbands do something dangerous."