taillight of the Victoria shattering it. He looked around and felt safe nobody saw him so he walked over to the left side of the Victoria. He smacked the left rear taillight of the Victoria shattering it.
He walked over to his squad car, got behind the wheel, started it up, and pulled out into the street.
Jimmy drove away down the street and was a little satisfied with his piece of revenge, but he still had thoughts of killing her.
Ten minutes had passed and Fran left Woolworth’s. She got in her Victoria and started up the engine.
She pulled the car out onto the street and was heading over to Alice’s house to break the news to her.
Alice drove down Main Street with a huge smile. She couldn’t wait to become Ralph’s wife.
She drove past Maple Avenue and didn’t notice the squad car parked along that street.
Fran drove a little farther down the street when all of a sudden she saw a flashing red light reflecting off her front windshield and in her rear view mirror. “Fuck!” she said then pulled over to the curb and placed the car in park.
She sat with her arms crossed and looked pissed.
She heard footsteps of someone approaching her door from the opened window. She looked and saw Jimmy standing by the door with a ticket pad in hand.
“Ma-am,” said Jimmy playing the police cop role. “The reason I pulled you over is that both of your rear taillights are busted out.”
“What?” said Fran disbelieving Jimmy’s story. “No way deputy.”
“You’re welcome to get out and look for yourself.”
Fran opened up her car door, got out and rushed over to the rear of her car.
She saw that both taillights were busted out. “How the fuck did that happen?” she asked.
“Well, maybe you backed into something and didn’t realize it.”
“No way.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to write you a ticket,” said Jimmy then he removed his pen from his shirt pocket and started to write out a ticket.
Fran walked back over and got back inside her car. She closed her door and was fuming mad. But she knew she would have to accept the ticket and had her suspicions with how those taillights got busted.
After a few seconds of waiting, Jimmy walked back over to her door. He handed her the ticket then walked away with a smirk and got back inside his car.
Fran started up her engine and pulled out onto the street.
Jimmy sat in his squad car for a few seconds and felt like he had some power being a police officer. He loved that feeling.
He started up his engine and made a U-turn in the street.
He drove off to eat dinner.
Two days had passed and Jimmy just finished his night shift. He knew that Fran would be married in a few days and he still had some deep-seated hatred for her. After all, she spurned his love and made him look like a fool down at the lake.
Jimmy drove away from the station in his Ford Coupe.
The town was quiet and void of anybody on the streets. The folk of Boldger were great for staying home at night and not wonder around the streets causing problems.
But instead of heading home he decided to make a pit stop.
Jimmy parked down on Watson Avenue where Fran lived. He parked two houses down the street from her house.
He got out of his car and rushed down the street and headed over to Fran’s house.
He stopped by her house, looked the area over and sensed nobody was watching him.
He rushed through her front yard, down the left side of her house and to the backyard.
After he felt he was safe from observing eyes so he walked over to Fran’s bedroom window.
He saw that her window was opened to allow the cool night air to keep her cool while she slept.
Jimmy peeked in the window and saw Fran asleep on the top of her covers in her white nightgown. He wanted her in the worst way and hated the fact that she wouldn’t return his love. For a split second, he felt like climbing through her window and strangling her in her sleep.
He
Antony Beevor, Artemis Cooper
Mark Reinfeld, Jennifer Murray