The Secret Garden of Martha Grim
by Richard A. Lopez
(c) 1992
Page 25

Willie pulled up to the house fifteen minutes after leaving Rudy at the crash site. He had to be quick, he didn't know where Ann was or if he'd run into her. If he did, he wasn't sure what was going to happen, or what he was going to do. She was either going to go along with his plan, or maybe he'd just take her out of the picture all together. He didn't know what that Grim bitch did with em, but he knew she did something with the sheriff. That was his ace in the hole. He knew her little secret and that was going the get him the big secret he had been wanting all this time. If Ann had to be lost in the bargain, hey, that's life.
He shifted Tommy down onto the seat, out of view. The kid was still out. He had a lump on his head the size of a walnut, but far as Willie could tell, it didn't look like anything was broken, and there were no cuts to speak of. Must have just knock himself silly, Willie thought. Well better for me. I know that Martha did something with the Sheriff, and if that's her thing, fine, so now I got something to trade with.

He got out and went into the house from the back way. He didn't even bother to call for Ann. He figured if she's not within earshot, then she's not here, and that was good, he didn't need the hassle. Running upstairs, he went straight to their room and the trunk at the foot of the bed. Opening it, he began to rumage through it, tossing things out that were most certainly in the way, until he found what he was looking for, and pulled it out of the trunk. Taking his sought after prize, he strode out of the room and back down stairs. This was his insurance, just in case Ms. Grim decided she didn't want to accept his proposition, or tried anything stupid.

There was nothing that .45 caliber slug couldn't change. That was the only piece of information that his old man had past on that he had deemed worth holding on to.

He strode out of the house, a man with a purpose. A twisted, self-centered purpose that would serve only on master, and had no room for
anyone else.
Including a divorced woman and her overly curious brat of ten year old son.
Getting back into the truck, package in hand, he shifted Tommy up so that he could get in, and shut the door. Starting up the truck and backing out of the driveway, he gave just a casual glance back over his shoulder and saw her, she was deep in the back of the garage, but he could just make out her silhouette. He raised Tommy's head just a bit, just to that the top of his head could be seen over the dash, "Yeah, that oughta bring you out from your hiding spot." he muttered to himself as he backed into the street an drove toward the Grim house.
Pulling up to her driveway, he pushed the buzzer and waited for her to answer. Looking out the corner of his eye, he could see Ann at the end of her driveway, looking. "Yeah watch, bitch, watch as I give your little brat up as bait."
The gate buzzed open.
"What the hell is this?" Willie said aloud, "just what the hell do you got up your sleeve, lady?"
Willie drove the truck forward through the gates as they opened wider. As he did, he cast a sideways look, and saw Ann running down the street, toward him. Running? Hell she was sprinting, but he was already through the gates and heading up the winding driveway as the gates closed behind him.
With Ann grabbing at them and screaming at him to come back...