Chapter 8
Eddie LaRose was seated at a bar on lower Kansas avenue. It was close to eight p.m. He had spent three sex-filled mornings and nights with Frieta Ingram, and he now felt that the girl was a raging beast and he didn't think he could possibly extinguish her sexual-greediness. Frieta was an uncivilized nymphomaniac, boldly engrossed with a female madness which he had never found in a girl before.
As he nursed a rum and soda, he thought about Alice. She was very sexed, but not half as desperate as her young daughter. The first night Frieta had been warm, but the next morning she had thrown herself at him with a crazed velocity which had sapped the strength from his body as if he was helpless. He had left during the day, for fear the old woman across the hallway would come in on them, but he had returned during the night to taste Frieta again and again. She never seemed to be satisfied. Her hunger for passion was insatiable.
Each morning he had phoned the Muzzo Hotel to inquire about Alice, mostly to make sure she was still there, and whether she was alive or dead. Each time he had called the old hotel clerk had informed him that she was there, drunk in the room. The third morning which was Friday, she had checked out. Alice would be back at the apartment that particular night and he dare not show up to be with Frieta, even though his lust was greatly overwhelming enough.
The tavern was very crowded, but Eddie was too pre occupied with his own thoughts to notice the other drinkers around him. Some way he must ehminate Alice for good. It was impossible for Frieta to tell her about their affair, and Alice would probably want to murder him for his disloyalty. Whatever, he must face the consequences. He could not possibly lose Frieta, now, knowing her for what she was. She was a man's delight, his greatest desire. She was a jewel in her sexual desires.
That particular morning he had driven Frieta out in the country, along a deserted road, near the Kaw River. They had talked about plans to elope, but Frieta did not feel entirely certain that she wanted to do it immediately. She had to tell Alice how she felt about herself, so her mother would understand. Never before had she realized that she possessed such a morbid sickness until she had given herself to Eddie. Still she had always sex gratified herself into heated passions beyond her own uncivil senses. Frieta felt frightened for herself, but it was such a sweet nervousness when she was with a man. If she fell so easily for Eddie, she would fall easily enough for other boys and men, until she would find herself in a low state which she could never endure.
Eddie finished his drink and left the tavern. Once he was in the Ford, he drove along slowly on Kansas Avenue, until he had reached the apartment. He thought about going to his own room on Eighteenth for once and going to bed, but he had a taste for love again. Frieta stirred his soul. And then he felt that he might as well face Alice and get everything over with. Frieta had been deeply distressed about her mother, all the three days which she had been at the hotel. She had tried to coax it out of Eddie which hotel she was in, and even threatened to phone the police if he didn't tell her, but he had not told her, and warned her that if she told the police he would be forced to reveal the entire love affair to Alice when she sobered.
Eddie parked the Ford a block from the girl's apartment, climbed out and walked back towards the entrance. He had a sharp-bladed hunting knife which he carried in the right side door pocket, but he didn't imagine he'd need it at this particular moment. After all, Alice might not be as angry at him as he had assumed. He didn't imagine she had enough sense to get angry at him, she was so greatly impassioned for his love. She had told him in bed that she would die if he ever quit her. She obviously meant it or she wouldn't have said it.
A light mist fell, but there was the threat of rain as usual in June.
Eddie turned into the lower hallway, heard the door whining shut behind him. He tossed a cigarette against the hallway floor and mounted the stairs very carefully and patiently.
When he reached the door, he started to knock, but the impulse was too strong to use his door key. So he extracted his door key and opened the door and entered the room.
The radio played softly. A table lamp glowed on top of the T. V., other than that every other room was dark.
Alice was asleep on the divan, outstretched in maroon robe. Her thighs showed where it parted. Two pillows were propped behind her head, and she looked very tired and pale in the face. Her arms were dangling to the sides, the right arm hanging over the divan upon the floor. She snored slightly, unconscious of his presence.
Eddie imagined Frieta wasn't there, and recalled her telling him that she was going to a movie which she had been waiting to see when it came to the Avenue.
He stalked over near Alice, paused patiently to light a cigarette. Smoke seeped from his nostrils as he inhaled the cigarette. He had plenty of time. There was no need to become impatient. He did not think Alice could hurt him. She was much too timid looking to even put up a fight. Even his dirty deed did not bother his conscience. He never worried about his misdeeds. Whatever he did he figured it was to his own interest, and certainly his trick on Alice was. He would repeat it any time in order to be with Frieta. He did not think he even wanted to marry Frieta. He might use her as long as he could, and then discard her. Or wait and make her hustle for him. She was wanting very madly, and rich gentlemen would pay highly to bed such a young hot beauty as Frieta.
His presence obviously awakened Alice from her deep slumber. She rolled to one side and her eyes popped open as though her inner conscience warned her of his presence.
With a sudden movement she was seated upright, a hateful frown upon her brow, darkening her complexion. Her eyes were mean and spiteful, loathing the sight of him.
"Eddie!" she scowled. "You bastard....you rotten dog!" Her bottom Up twisted into a loathful snarl. "You get outa here!"
He perched one hip upon the table, smoking calmly, hardly moved by her wrathfulness. In fact he smiled down at her as though he knew she was joking. Certainly she didn't mean it. Any girl would be upset and cross if she felt she had been made a fool of.
"Calm down, babe," he said smoothly. "Don't flip your lid, see."
Their eyes met. This moment he was staring harder at her. The grin had left his face. He could see the terrible threat looming in her hateful eyes. No longer did he feel that she was joking. This dame meant business. She was definitely full of murder. Her features were frustrated, bitterly enraged.
Alice removed the engagement ring from her finger. She took careful aim to hurl it into his face. The ring struck his bottom lip and bounced off to the floor. It rolled underneath the table and he made no effort to retrieve it.
"Take your goddamn ring and beat it!" she snarled again, even more adamantly. "We're through. I never want to see the sight of you again. So there!"
Eddie felt that he would have something to say about the viciousness of her tongue. He wasn't near finished with matters yet.
He leaned and mashed out the cigarette in an ashtray on the table. Then he stood and took a few steps in her direction. Before her, he grabbed her by the shoulders and braced her up to him and quickly kissed her lips.
She brutally shoved him away, her right hand darting forward. Before he was completely out of her reach, she made a savage lunge for his face. Her long nails lashed down the center of his face, his eyes, nose and mouth the target. There was great power behind the gesture. Enough power to rip the skin of the forehead and bring blood from his nose and lips.
With a snarlish cry of rage, Eddie stepped back out of her range. He felt the pain, but he had to be certain. Both hands felt on his forehead, his nose and lips. As he drew his hand away, he saw the blood upon his fingers. He cursed, then lunged forward at her.
"Yuh bitch!" he snarled. "You whorin' bitch....HI teach yuh somethin'."
He swung a hard right fist to her head, knocking her back upon the divan. There was no pity in the punch. He meant to knock her out, despite how cruel he had treated her all along.
Blood gushed from Alice's nose, and her lips were cut as she fell dazed and stunned. She gritted her teeth, however, and held on to her senses, for she felt that this bastard was out to destroy her once and for all.
She saw him coming towards her again, perhaps to deal more punishment to her already impotent body. As he made a motion to reach for her hair, she flung her body into his legs and he went flying over her and landed on his head upon the floor. She had surprised him, caught him entirely off guard.
As Eddie scrambled to rise, Alice made a lunge for a heavy ashtray upon the table. As she contacted it, she i wheeled and hurled it at the man. Eddie rose just in time to catch the heavy crockery against his left cheek. The ashtray struck him solidly, and knocked him sideways into a flawful crouch. A deep gash was cut, and blood poured down his cheek to the floor.
Meanwhile, Alice, gasping breathlessly, wheeled, and made a dash towards her bedroom where she kept a revolver in her bottom dresser drawer.
Eddie sensed that she kept a gun in the room, and he had to stop her before she got her hands on it. By now he was well assured that Alice was not joking.
She had hardly reached the door, when he made a dive for her legs. He tackled her just outside the bedroom door, and she twisted her body round, scratching and beating at his face, her blows not the least ineffective. He caught her hair, jerked her head towards him and smashed her in the face.
Alice screamed. Then she shouted for Gladys. She realized she was no match for such a huge and powerful brute.
Yet she was not potentially feeble. Powerful fingers caught his coat, yanked it over his head, ripped his shirt and he was suddenly blinded. Then she tried to rise, but he caught her legs, ripping off her smock, tearing away her slip and brassiere. Blood gushed from a hideous cut in Eddie's left cheek, where her claws had gouged into his flesh.
Alice managed to tear herself free once more. Though dazed and fighting for breath, she reached her feet. Her eyes set on a table lamp upon the television. It was burning along with the ceiling light. She jerked it from the cord. The lamp went out. Alice wheeled with wild hair, flushed bloody face, and hurled the lamp upon Eddie's head. The glass broke and dispersed about upon his shoulders and body.
"You ain't gonna kill me!" she cried. "Gladys!"
Again she staggered towards the bedroom door, hoping that the lamp would hare knocked him cold. But it hadn't. It only helped to intensify his terrible wrath.
As she reached the bedroom door and went through into her bedroom, he was right behind her. Alice snatched at the bottom drawer and missed it. He hurled her away from the dresser. They were between the bed and the cedar chest now. He had her by the hair, yanking her head about in such a horrible manner that she could not think or realize that she existed.
However, Alice screamed pitifully, as he beat her in the face, slammed her head repeatedly against the floor, until she was knocked senseless.
Someone was pounding on the door and calling Alice, now. Breathlessly, Eddie halted his beating the girl. He stood up and staggered to the door and turned on the light in the bedroom. He looked over at Alice's motionless body and didn't know whether she was alive or dead. He was too dizzy himself to even notice her breathing. He heard the old woman across the hallway shouting for Alice.
With a curse, he set his mad eyes across the front room at the hallway door. The old woman was rattling the doorknob, seemingly greatly upset from the manner she pleaded for Alice to open the door for her.
Eddie looked back at Alice's sprawled form. He had a fierce impulse to get a knife from the kitchen and finish her. His murderous eyes measured the distance from where he stood to the kitchen door. The time was short because the old lady had returned to her own quarters and he heard her shouting over the phone for the police.
Eddie made his mind up. He had to beat it No use of being caught in the act by police.
He staggered over to Alice and started kicking her. He noticed how badly her face was bruised and how it had puffed up from his severe beating. He wanted to break her neck off. Blood from his own face dripped down upon Alice's body. Then Eddie staggered back out the bedroom and crossed over to the door. He opened the door just as Gladys opened her door and spied him coming out.
For a tense moment the old woman and the brutish man eyed one another. He hurled a curse at her and ran down the stairs.