Unknown - Driving Daisy Crazy

"Okay, okay, okay! You've convinced me you're the woman for the job.

"We missed you for breakfast, though."

"So did the plants-almost."

"Still, I like to have my people at table with me in the morning.

"My gosh, I've gotta get suited up and go into my office in town today.

"Pretty shortly, in fact.

‘And I won't be back until very late.

"So, except for right here and now, I'm not gonna be able to be with you at all today." Secretly, she is relieved.

Her pussy does not feel up to a sudden urge on his part today-for whatever reason.

She'll put a little Vaseline on her lower lips and give them a rest.

She'll get to bed early tonight and get a decent night's sleep.

Even though she has no positive evidence to support her having gotten anything else last night.

"Cranston will be here today.

"If you need to be taken anywhere, he can drive you in the Continental or whatever."

"I don't think I'll be going anywhere, but that's good to know."

Good to know, too, that creepy Eric will not be around today.

Cranston, at least, looks like a normal person.

Maybe, she could even tell him about-never mind.

She misses that part most about back home, having someone she could confide in, best friends (Daisy was very popular, had more than one) to whom she could tell anything.

And she remembers, smiling faintly at the thought, that one of their favorite pastimes was in fact telling each other their dreams.

And this one would make her the star dreamer of all time, she thinks.

Even though there would be a lot of interruptions, giggles in the telling, hers and theirs.

And that would be good, would take away the power, the danger of it.

If you tell somebody a dream, then it can't hurt you by coming true.

Grandma told her that once.

Randy Buck, stuffing papers into a briefcase, looks up, noticing her still there.

"I have nothing further for you at the moment, Daisy. Don't let me keep you."

"What? Oh! Sorry, guess I was sittin' here daydreaming."

"Wanna watch out for that, Daisy. Some dreams can be real killers."

"Check it out," Vanessa says. Cynthia does, squinting intently at the photograph.

"Looks like the girl knows what she's doing, garden-wise," Cynthia concurs, pointing to the muslin gauze covering the tomato stakes.

"Maybe it's the real thing, after all," Nancy observes.

"As far as the girl is concerned, I'm sure that's true," Cynthia says.

"But then, she's not the problem, remember?"

"Right," Vanessa confirms.

"She's merely the victim.

"And, unless I miss my guess, the first of many, at that.

"But we still have to play the waiting game.

"We move too soon, and even the girl would be hard put not to believe we're a trio of loonies, until it's too late."

"Delicate damn situation," Cynthia agrees.

"There's absolutely nothing until there's something, at which time we have to move like greased lightning."

"Greased lightning," Nancy says, "that's us."

"Your confidence is indeed reassuring," Cynthia says.

"I was being sarcastic."

"So noted.

"Now, then. Going back to the overall views, notice something else, anyone?

"It has to do with wheels, hint, hint."

"Eric," Vanessa says.

"He doesn't put the limo away in the garage."

"That's right!

"Weather's been dry for so long that he keeps it right at the portico, ready to move at a snap of Buck's fingers."

"Good man, Eric:" Nancy puts in.

"Good chauffeur? Yes, I suppose he is, at that," Cynthia agrees.

"Point is, we can tell if Buck is there or not merely by watching the spot in front of the portico, since he doesn't make a move without his beloved Eric."

"Right now, for example-by the way, is the chopper up, Vanessa!"

"Absolutely.

"I can patch through, if you wish."

"I wish."

Vanessa picks up the phone and is soon in contact.

"I have the chopper, Cynthia."

"Is it or isn't it?"

Vanessa speaks into the phone.

"Gone.

"Girl's working on God's little acre, but no limo in the driveway.

"Anything else?"

"Not at the moment."

Vanessa talks into the phone briefly and disconnects.

"What are we doing?" Vanessa asks, puzzled.

"Well, let us reason together," Cynthia begins.

"First, we have Randy's next victim, the farm girl garden person, the first of many, as Vanessa so aptly put it, in a program we are powerless to stop because, until it actually gets started, there is nothing to stop.

"Our action? Surveillance.

"The girl's in the garden, working, therefore she is not yet a wisp of smoke above the Estate's incinerator.

"Problem.

"The garden isn't big enough to keep the girl working out there, morning and afternoon, very much longer.

"She could, of course, pass her days beside the pool, sunning her buns to a rich, golden brown, but we can't count on it.

"If she disappears into the great indoors, we don't know what is happening, especially dangerous when the limo continues to occupy home port.

"Then, there is the matter of the nights, Buck's fave time of day.

"What if Randy suddenly tires of the build-up, the anticipation?"

"What if he has a bad day at the office and decides that right now would be an excellent time to take it out on somebody?

"Who is to say that he and his merry men won't suddenly decide not to wait for that special occasion to have their little party?

"Right now, we're gambling with that girl's life because we have no choice.

"Right now, it seems, not a safe but a relatively safe thing to do.

"The garden is looking more and more like serious dirt every day and very real progress is being made.

"That fits in with Buck's personality.

"This particular joke is a shaggy dog story and the longer he drags it out, the funnier it will be when he gets to the punch line.

"Another factor to consider, his brothers in the creephood, Cranston and Eric.

"So far, as you know, Randy has gotten into the girl at least once, possibly more.

"This means that he's getting kicks out of her, they're not.

"This too could be part of the.plan, part of the thrill, that added little zing they're getting, knowing that the big romance is building up as another part of the joke, to make it all the more delicious when they pull the rug out from underneath her.

"Be that as it may, suffice it to say that Randy's two playmates are temporarily out of it, as far as we know.

"Very temporarily.

"Patience is a virtue and these guys ain't got none.

"Virtues, that is.

"Which means that he can't string them along for very long before one of them-Cranston, probably, him being so good at making his case with Buck and all decides they're tired of waiting for the big yuk and can we have it now, to which he will doubtless reply sure why not anything for my ass hole buddies and like that."

"I still don't see what all that has to do with our knowing that Randy is downtown and on the job."

"Ah, but it has everything to do with it, Vanessa!

"Randy is downtown and so am I.

"Old enemies, old friends, all the same thing on the social calendar.

"We do not ignore one another here in the world of oxygen and sunlight.

"At night, in the dark, on paper, even, we plot one another's destruction.

"Face to face? Another matter entirely, my dears, don't you see?"

"Keep going, you're doing great-I guess."

"Marvel Industries and Buck Enterprises.

"Two gigantic, non-competitive endeavors whose chief executives know each other-better, perhaps, then either of us would like.

"Be that as it may, what do we mutually acquainted chief executives do when we're in town at the same time?"