The Secret Garden of Martha Grim
by Richard A. Lopez
Page 24

Ann was in the garage when she heard Willie's truck come up the driveway. She put the box of rat poison back on the shelf, and hid back in the corner, out of view from the wide opened garage door. God if he found her in here among his stuff, he'd be suspicious, and she would try to lie, but she couldn't lie to him, never could. Then who knows what would happen. Why was she so afraid of him, this was her house, dammit! She took it from John, and this ass was not going to run her out of it, he wa...she looked around, Willie's tools were everywhere. His boxes and bags of feed, and grass. Machines in various state of repair. His clothes and junk all over the house. Who was she kidding, he had already moved in and her just about out. Well no, dammit, she was not going to sit by while he took her house and went after that Grim bitch!
All this time he just wanted to have his cake and eat it too. Only thing was, Ann was just a slice of the cake, the bigger portion was Grim.
All this talk about her so-called secret. Growing things when other people were having problems...how he would be rich. Yeah, how he would be rich. Never how they would be rich, always him. God! How stupid could she be? She let this man into her life, her home..Her marriage, that was already over, she knew that, but he was taking everything else. And where was Tommy? Sure he was a pain in the ass, but he was her pain in the ass, and her way of making sure that the money from John kept coming.
"oh my god!" she thought, "what if Willie did something to him?" Thoughts were racing through her mind as she watched Willie stop the truck and rush into the house, he seemed frantic. He didn't even call out for her. Rising, she moved to the opposite side of the garage, where she could not be seen from the end of driveway, and waited. She didn't have to wait long.
Willie came running out of the kitchen door carrying a red velvet bag, about the size of a small radio, like something you would carry a shaving kit in. Or a gun.
Willie kept a gun in red velvet bag, just like that one. Was he going to get rid of it? Did he need money that bad? Or was it something else..was he going to use it?
Was he going to use it on John? Was he going to use on Martha?
Was he going to use it on me?
Her questions were answered as Willie jumped back in his truck, she saw him adjust something in the seat beside him. She saw a shock of blond hair, a mass of cowlicks.

Tommy!

That bastard had Tommy in the truck! And from the look of things, he didn't look like he was conscious. Oh God, he hurt Tommy, and now he was driving somewhere with a gun. She was putting things together in her mind. Tommy saw something, Saw Willie do something, and now Willie was going to get rid of him! Oh no..
Odd time for the maternal instinct to kick in, Ann dear, but he's still your kid, no one was going to do this to him.
Ann stepped out from her hiding spot, and ran quickly to the garage opening, but Willie was already pulling out of the drive and into the street.

Going towards the Grim house.

Ann was running now. What was he planning on doing, trading her son for that so-called secret? That sick bastard!
She reached the end of the driveway just in time to see the truck pull up to Martha's driveway, and Willie reach out to ring her bell.
Noticing very few, if any cars on the street, most people were at work, or in town, she did notice one thing that made her breath catch in her throat....
Tommy's bike was in the middle of the street.
And then she was running....
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