Bobbye Terry

[B][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] A serial short story for your reading pleasure-Part 1[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I’ve heard about getting caught with your pants down, but this was not what I’d expected. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]It all started out quite normally when my friend Mara and I pulled into a rest stop just outside Goochland, Virginia. She’d kidded me about stopping there and reminded me of the latest rash of thefts that’d been occurring on Interstates 95 and 64. How some of the victims had been tied up in the restroom and worse. I’d retaliated with reminders that they’d all occurred at dusk or after dark, while this was just past high noon. Not to mention the police were now patrolling regularly. Besides, facts were facts. I had to go, so I left her in the car, all windows up and locks down.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] Minutes later, there I was, Carol Frazier, my jeans around my knees, when I heard the ladies’ room door slam open. Someone was pushed inside and collided with the wall, her sharp exhale audible as the wind was knocked from her.[/FONT][/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] “Tom, don’t you dare make a threat like that again! And don’t you dare touch me one more time.” Her last words were spoken in a low, rough whisper as her footsteps shuffled closer to the stalls.[/FONT][/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] “I’ll do whatever I damned want to,” Tom growled. “Especially after what I caught you doing. Turning me into to those men will not only get me killed but leave me penniless. Face it, Charlotte, you didn’t even care if you got me killed. I’m gonna make sure you don’t do that to anyone again.”[/FONT][/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] At his last words, I eased my legs as far away from the door of the stall as possible and took a deep breath to keep from hyperventilating. Thank God I’d had the peace of mind to take the last stall at the back of the room and right next to the window. Far enough away not to be noticed and close enough to the outside to scream for help if necessary. [/FONT][/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] “Where did you get that?” she asked, her voice wavering with fear.[/FONT][/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] “My line of work gives me access to the best,” he answered. “Those guys make sure I’m well-equipped. This beauty’s top of the line, complete with silencer.”[/FONT][/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] I heard Charlotte gasp, followed by a low sob. Then there was a whooshing noise like the rush of air from a blowgun. Afterwards I heard a dull thud. Peering through the crack in the stall door, I saw the edge of her body crumpled on the floor. Tom laughed. [I]Cold bastard![/I] I strained to see what he looked like, but all I could see of him was the tip of a loafer, nothing more. Then he began to drag her across the bathroom floor. The outside door banged open, then shut, and the dragging noise ceased.[/FONT][/SIZE]
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[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][B]To be continued . . .[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]