Mysteries and Suspense Short Stories Collection by Tamikio L. Reardon (that summer book TXT) 📖

it was number 9 and I noticed the cashier at the register. I could not take my eyes off of her. She was very beautiful and very neatly dressed. Marley’s was very crowded as well as the mall and it was hard for me to maintain direct eye contact with her. I felt I had to meet her today before I left the mall.

After picking up the pretzel and coke I decided to visit the bookstore at the end of the mall going towards the exit. Maybe I would get a very good book tonight to read and relax. As I headed for the bookstore I saw the beautiful cashier heading to beverage stand perhaps to get a coke or maybe even a diet coke as well. She stood about 5 feet 7 inches, long creamy white legs, red silky hair middle back length and kind of smooth chubby finger with purple nail polish on them. She was wearing a black skirt a little above the knee length and white blouse with her name on a name tag that read “Lucy”. I stood in front of the bookstore and watched her as she purchased….ah yes a diet coke. As she turned to walk away from the stand she headed toward the bookstore. I began to panic in alarm and retreated back into the bookstore isle 10. I pretended to be interested in looking at a book as she sleekly made her way down isle 7 I watched in anticipation with a big smile on my face.

 

I placed the book back on the shelf and started towards isle 7 on the opposite side of where she was standing. She was standing in the middle of the isle looking through a magazine. I stood two racks away pretending to look through a magazine as well. I glanced at her sideways …..” this looks like a nice magazine but I don’t want to waste my time spending money on it if it is not interested….” She looked up at me from the magazine and smiled. I went back to pretending to read the magazine a little hurt because she didn’t respond. “Well I have read it I have just about every magazine in this isle” I looked up from my magazine shocked with a light cough….” Oh really? You must be a magazine fan?” “Yes I am pretty much I’m not really into books that much unless it’s a trashy novel”. She looked at me blushed and laughed. I was nervous and laughed too dripping with perspiration I could have flooded the whole

22.

bookstore. I finally extended my hand “Robert Clampton and yours?” She extended her hand as well “Lucy, Lucille Lovely”. “Nice to meet you Lucy, if you don’t mind me calling you that?” “No not at all”. “So you work in Marley’s right?” “Yes I am a cashier I have been working at the department for 8 years now.” “Really? This is my first time ever seeing you in the store I noticed you as I was leaving the store.”” I have been there maybe we just have missed each other I see you all the time in the store.” I don’t know how this is possible I have never seen her in the store and I have been going to Marley’s over fifteen years plus. Well it’s a very big store that is constantly crowded its possible for us to have missed each other quite a bit. “Well I must be heading back to work my break is up now it was nice meeting you Robert.” As she turned to leave I grabbed her by the shoulder she turned startled and I dropped my hand from her shoulder. “Sorry I didn’t mean to startle you it’s just that I can’t let you get away this time without asking for your number?” she smiled and began to call out the number I wrote it down on a torn piece of magazine. I will definitely call her later.

 

I had to make some other stops before I headed home it was around 8pm as I pulled up in the drive way of my condo and into my two car garage. I owned both a truck and a car and rarely used the truck unless I had something heavy to pick up. I could not wait to get into the house to call Lucy I had been thinking of her all day. I entered the house with my bags from the department store got undressed and comfortable with a glass of red wine and relaxed into my recliner. I picked up my home phone and began to dial Lucy she should have been home from work by now. My figures were trembling as I dialed her number slick with sweat. I must get myself together before I talk to her or I will sound like a total idiot. It ranged on the other end five times with no pick up. Maybe she had not made it home I will give her about another hour I don’t want to call her too late. It was now 9:30 and I could not go to bed without specking to Lucy on the phone that night. I called her number again…….this time it said the number is not in service.

 

I woke up the next morning with no plans for the day as I had the day off of work. I dialed Lucy’s number again and got the same message saying her number was not in service. I guess she has given me the wrong number to brush me off my heart begun to ache just thinking about it. I would get dressed and go to Marley’s to see if I could find her. It was around 10am when I left my home this time taking my truck I figured I would go shopping again today for something larger. Marley’s was not that crowded today for a Saturday everyone had done their shopping for the weekend probably broke by now. All the cash registers were full today at the checkout lines and there was no sign of Lucy. There

 

 

 

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was a man putting a display of mannequins in the department store window. There were five mannequins in the window well at least five spots but there was a mannequin missing in the middle. I guess they had to dress her and bring her out later. I got into the line of the cashier who had the fewer customers and approached her nervously. “Hello can you tell me if Lucy is working today?” The cashier looked at me strangely and said “Lucy?” “Yes Lucy, Lucy Lovely she is a cashier here in the department store is she off today or on break?” “The woman looked at me again with a slight smile on her face “There is no one who works here by that name”. “ Are you sure?” “Yes sir I am positive.”

Later on that night I could not sleep and did not sleep very well at all. I could not get Lucy off of my mind and could not understand why she lied to me. If she was not interested she could have told me so. Woman never I could understand them which are why I stayed single after my wife died five years ago. The next day which was Sunday I had to go back to the department store and find Lucy I would not let this rest without at least knowing why she had lied to me. The department store was even emptier and I knew I could get some answer as to how to find Lucy. Today there only three cash registers open with only three cashier none of them was Lucy. I see finally they had the fifth middle mannequin put up in the middle all wearing the new designer clothing the store had just came up with a week ago. I noticed the mannequin in the middle had on the same skirt and blouse Lucy was wearing Friday afternoon that must be the new line of clothing in the department store this week. I got a second glance at the mannequin in the middle and something else I noticed about her….she had the same purple nail polish on her hand that Lucy had worn Friday also. By her working as a cashier in the store she got discounts on all the new brand of clothing that came in every week. Again I went to another register that was less crowed as they all were of course for a Sunday. I asked a different cashier about Lucy. “Hi can you tell if a Lucy Lovely is working today or is she off for the day.” “The cashier gave me the same look and said there is no one named Lucy Lovely that works here.”” I began to get real irritated with the same kind of news it seems Lucy has gone through a great deal to avoid me. First she gives me a wrong number then she has co workers lying about her whereabouts I guess will have to leave it alone.

 

I got back into my truck too disturbed to continue my shopping as I drove out of the parking lot I pulled in front of the department store window to the stop light. I guess I will take this way home today. As I sat at the red light waiting for it turn green I glanced at the window of Marley’s department with a gasping shock…..finally I had found Lucy….Lucy was the mannequin in the middle of Marley’s department store wearing the brand name clothing for the week in the store called “Lucy Lovely”.

 

1/9/2015

 

 

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The House at the End of the Block: Ghost Territory

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25.

The House at the End of the Block

Chapter 1

By Tamikio L. Reardon

 

Walking home from work I always seem to notice the lonely house at the end of LongRidge st. I just moved here about two weeks ago and had not met any neighbors yet. My next door neighbor stay out of town on business very often I haven’t got to met him either. As I passed the house, there was a pair of long woman’s fingers with bright red nail polish pulling back the grey dingy blinds on the window. I began to slowly pass the walk way as I have not seen any activity around the house since I moved here. The fingers quickly retreated back into the house and I never got to see the face of the woman who was in the window.

 

It was late October afternoon, fall has just begun to set in and it was getting dark as I quickly approached the front steps of my small brick house. It was warm inside my home I could not wait to get out of my clothes and into a pair of cozy slippers and house robe. I had the day off of work tomorrow maybe I would go out and do some shopping at the mall in the shopping outlet around the corner. The wind whistled and howled outside the living room window making it rattle. Tonight would be a good night to watch a horror movie with a small plate of snacks. Meanwhile, undressing in my bedroom to get into my robe and slippers a pair of bright headlights shined through my bedroom window. It was my next door neighbor coming in from out of town from his business trip. It is not too late I will go over and introduce myself before he leaves out of town again.

My next door neighbor was just getting out of his car when I approached the front door and stepped out on to my porch. He looked up and smiled getting his briefcase out of the back seat of his car. “Hello my name Gilbert Sheldon and I just moved here about two weeks ago.” “Ah well hello my name is Gary