Killer Smile Read Free

relieved to hear that it was her boss on the phone. Actually she had
never
been relieved to hear that her boss was on the phone, but that didn’t mean she wanted her dead.
    “I’m at home, safe and sound.”
    “Is Premenstrual Tom there?”
    “Of course not. Thanks for worrying about me, though. Remind me at evaluation time.” Bennie laughed again, and Mary guessed she’d enjoyed the ACLU dinner, evidently celebrating her First Amendment right to chocolate martinis.
    “Bennie, I think you should be taking this more seriously.”
    “Relax, child. There’s nothing to worry about with him. He’s all talk.”
    “How do you know he’s all talk? You don’t know that.”
    “I know that.”
    “A hundred percent?” Mary didn’t add that she was a little worried for herself, too. Or that Premenstrual Tom had called her a name that hurt her feelings when he threatened to kill her. “He’s such a creep!”
    “Absolutely, he is. It’s a given that he’s a creep, but that doesn’t end the inquiry.”
    Almost convinced, Mary flopped down on her couch, flicked on the glazed lamp on the end table, and kicked off her pumps. The shoes went skidding across the nubby Berber, and the left one landed heel-up near the front door. She glanced idly in its direction, then frowned. A skinny strip of light shone from the threshold underneath her front door. Had she not closed the front door behind her?
    “Trust me, child,” Bennie was saying. “I defended murder cases forever. There’s the creeps you worry about and the creeps you don’t. I’ll tell you which is which.”
    Mary watched her door. Was it open? Where were her house keys? Her hand was empty, she didn’t have them. She must have left them in the front door!
    “The creeps you worry about are the ones who
don’t
threaten you first. Believe me,
they’re
the dangerous ones. They’re the ones who don’t broadcast it, or give any warning at all.”
    Mary’s front door edged open. She went rigid. Was it a breeze? Or was someone out there?
Opening her front door?
    “The dangerous ones, the truly murderous ones, lie in wait. And then, when the moment’s right, they
strike
.”
    “Yikes!” Mary blurted out, dropping the phone and bolting for the door. She darted across the room, wrenched her keys from the lock, and slammed the door shut with both hands.
Good. Yes. Phew.
She laughed with giddy relief. She twisted the deadbolt knob to lock the door and inserted the brass chain for the slide lock. Then she turned to go back to the phone, which was when she saw it.
    A shadow of a man, flitting past the shutters that covered her front window.
    Mary froze. Then he was gone. She listened. She didn’t hear the sound of footsteps, but then again, the walls of her house were too thick. Maybe she should open the door and see?
    OF COURSE NOT! ARE YOU NUTS?
She hurried back to the phone and couldn’t hide her panic.
    “Bennie,” she said, out of breath. “The weirdest thing just happened! A man just ran past my front window!”
    “What did he look like?”
    “Like a shadow!”
    “Stay calm. Was there anybody out there when you came in?”
    “No.”
    “And you said you just got in.”
    “Right.”
    Bennie chuckled. “Then there’s nobody out there now.”
    “But I saw him!”
    “A shadow. A shadow’s not a man, DiNunzio.”
    “What if it was Premenstrual Tom? He looked up where you live, he could have looked up where I live. He’s not
incapable
.”
    “Oh, he gave you the ‘incapable’ speech, too.” Bennie laughed. “You’re getting carried away. It’s nighttime, there are shadows. You’re a little spooked is all.”
    A little?
    “Now, are you okay or do I have to come over there?”
    No!
“Yes!”
    “Good, go to bed. I’ll deal with our new best friend in the morning. Leave it to me, and thanks again for the call. Good night, kiddo.”
    “Good night,” Mary said, but she hung up worried. Had she seen a man at the window? Had he opened the