Chapter 17
Charlotte, pulled back from the window. She had seen it all.
Quickly she turned and, on unsteady legs, made her way past the bushes and low-hanging tree branches to the dirt road leading to the stables. Blinding, burning tears gushed from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks.
It was true. All of her suspicions were true. It was like a nightmare-a horrible nightmare from which there was no awakening.
"Carol," she whispered from painfully dry lips. "Why? Why?"
Carol's words kept coming at her like rapid machine gun fire: "I don't want her to touch me anymore. Every time she touches me I want to die ... to die ... to die."
Charlotte opened the stable door and ran to the water tap. Cupping her shaking hands she brought the cold water to her lips. She held her forehead-the headache was searing the very bones of her skull. She threw herself down on a bale of hay unable to control the hot, tearing feeling inside of her. Her shoulders shook convulsively as she stifled her moans against her arms. The dazzling instants of joy and happiness and love she had shared with Carol all came back drowning her in a flood of her own memories. Carol dancing at the Pirate's Haven. Carol behind the perfume counter. Carol saying she would come to live with her. Carol giving her lips. Carol saying I love you.
Charlotte struggled to her feet. Her hand shot up to her temples. The headache was blinding her with pain.
It was Cal! All along it was Cal. He was the one that was bent on destroying Carol. All along he had known about Carol and her. Carol had even revealed that deep, dark secret the two of them shared. She thought she would be able to beat anything to keep Carol. But her plan had backfired. Carol's words had destroyed it all.
Charlotte steadied herself against a post. Her hand felt the hard handle of the whip. Slowly her fingers curled around it.
Cal had to be destroyed!
She freed the long horsewhip from the nail and whirled around, taking long strides out of the stable and down the trail leading to Cal's cabin. Halfway there she saw Carol steal out of the shadows and run for the house.
A smile came to her lips. She knows!
At the door, she turned the handle and shoved hard against it.
Cal, still in bed, was smoking a cigarette. His eyes opened wide when he saw Charlotte standing in the doorway. Quickly he pulled a sheet up to hide his naked body. His face went white when he saw the whip. "Ma'am, I didn't know you-"
Charlotte cracked the whip over his head. Cal ducked, then stared at her, an incredulous look on his face. "What the hell!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking. His eyes raced to Charlotte's hate-contorted face. He saw the narrowed eyes, the lips curled back showing white flashing teeth. He held the sheet around his waist and swung his legs to the floor.
The whip flashed out with a snapping sound and caught him around the neck. Using both her hands, Charlotte tugged downward sending Cal's knees hard against the wooden floor.
"Mrs. Watts!" he pleaded. His hands went to his neck, his thick fingers fumbling to free himself.
"I'm an expert with the whip, Cal. Hell, you and I used to compete. Remember? I always won. You know that!" Her laugh was deep. A flick of her wrist and the black end-strings unwrapped from around his neck, setting him free.
He shot up, turned, and made a lunge for the bathroom door. The whip split the air, wrapping itself around his belly. Another tug and Charlotte sent him sprawling back on the floor.
He heard her loud, shrill laughter over a cracking sound and felt the lashing whip buckle across his naked buttocks, the ends tearing into his skin. He squirmed on the floor, tried to rise; but the flashing whip seared its path across his face.
"Agh!" The sound that came from his throat was like a death-rattle.
Again and again he felt the stinging, slashing whip tearing flesh from his body. Again he rose, and again he was brought down to his knees, his mouth hitting a chair. The whip's ends swirled about him, slashing his torn body unmercifully.
Bloody and battered, he clawed his way across the floor and, grasping the bureau for support, pulled himself to his feet. He shot up and started toward Charlotte. But she was quicker than he. She stepped aside, swinging the whip down on top of him. Now the whip lashed out at him with all its fury.
He spit the blood from his mouth, his tongue feeling the broken, jagged upper teeth. Frantically he clawed at the air, desperately hoping to grab a hold of the torturing whip.
"You sonofabitch!" Charlotte screamed. "I'll kill you. Hear? You worthless bastard. You ape! I'll kill you-kill you!"
Cal felt all of his strength drain as he fell in a heap to the floor, his painful groans filling the room.
There was blood all over the cabin, on the walls, the bed, the floor. Cal curled up his body, his knees touching his belly, his head tucked away in an embryonic fashion.
"No. No. No more!" he pleaded. "Hell ... no more!"
Charlotte walked toward him, knowing he was beaten. "You bastard," she muttered between tight lips. "You're through here. I want you to be off my plantation in an hour. You hear me, you prick!" Turning the whip in her hand, she brought the handle down across his head. "I don't ever want to see your lousy face again!"
Turning, she strode from the cabin. Once outside, she threw the whip on the grass and headed for the house. Never once breaking her stride, she yanked the front door open and climbed up the stairs. Without knocking, she opened Carol's bedroom door.
She found Carol sitting on the window ledge.
"You going to beat me up, too?" Carol asked, staring out of the window.
"No, Carol. From what I've seen tonight, I know that you'd just get another thrill out of it. I'm not so sure that Cal did, though."
"I heard his screams from here," Carol whispered. "Charlotte, how could you?"
"It was easy."
Carol turned and looked at the woman. Her eyes went to the hem of her dress. "You've blood on you," she said.
"His blood," Charlotte spit out. "I'll throw the dress away tomorrow."
"Charlotte!"
"Does that shock you? Why? Didn't you think little ole Charlotte could swing a whip like a man? Couldn't beat a man down? Well, she can!"
"What will happen to Cal?"
"I fired him. He's to be off the property in an hour."
"If I told you it was my fault?"
"It wouldn't matter."
"I thought so."
"How could you, Carol?"
The girl was suddenly drained of all feeling. "While you were out snooping around, I would have thought you'd have come up with the answer to that question. Obviously you must have heard my reasons."
"I heard."
"And?"
"I didn't want to believe those words you said. I can't believe I heard right. Oh, Carol. How could you?"
"What difference does it make now?"
"I want to know. Carol? Damn it, look at me when I talk to you!"
Carol turned, inhaled, then let out a thin line of smoke which zigzagged over her head. "What?"
"I did all I could for you. You know that. What the hell possessed you? Why did you want to kill something between us?"
"Because I'm not the way you think I am. I'm no lez. You must know that. Oh, I indulged, I went to bed with you, I got my kicks. But after a while I realized-"
"What I saw with Cal. Was that better for you? Did you really enjoy being beaten with a strap. Did you really enjoy loving that ape? And what about the others? I don't understand you."
Carol shrugged. "I don't understand myself."
"What do you expect me to do now?" Charlotte asked.
"I don't know. I suppose you want revenge." Carol saw the look in Charlotte's eyes. There were flickers of anger, of frustration, of indecision. Then Carol realized there was still a chance.
In spite of Charlotte's anger, Carol knew in that one instant that she could make everything right. All she had to do was denounce Cal and the others. All she had to do was give Charlotte an opening.
"A second ago I said I didn't understand myself. Maybe I do. Maybe, Charlotte, I've learned a lesson."
Charlotte hid her surprise. "You mean that?"
Carol caught the look of satisfaction in Charlotte's eyes. It only showed for a split second, but it had been there. And it was what Charlotte wanted to hear. She was right-all was not lost. She had to keep her cool, had to say the right words-do the right things. Suddenly Carol realized what she could lose. Seeing it so blatantly spelled out frightened her-made her want to keep what she could have had all along. She allowed herself a moment's hesitation. "Yes, Charlotte" she said, "I do."
Charlotte could almost feel a glow of triumph inside herself. "If that's the case, maybe-I underscore that-maybe, we can start out all over again."
Carol looked at her shrewdly. "I'd like to try, Charlotte. I mean that with all my heart."
"But," Charlotte said, "one slip, one small slip and-"
"No more slips, Charlotte."
Charlotte nodded thoughtfully. "How can I believe you?"
Tension played in the pit of Carol's stomach. Rising, she walked to Charlotte. "I promise," she said, staring into Charlotte's eyes.
The silence that suddenly fell across the room bothered Charlotte. She smiled briefly, nervously, then walked to the bureau. She fumbled with the pack of cigarettes and took one out. Lighting it, she turned and looked at Carol. "I'd like to believe you. I really would like to believe you."
Carol imposed a smile on her face. Her voice was buttery smooth when she spoke. "Give me a chance, Charlotte. Give me one more chance."
Charlotte nodded. This was more like it, she thought. Now, of course, Carol would make love to me. She waited, saying nothing, waiting for the girl to make her next move. It was eerie how pleased she was with the situation; eerie, how she received such a great satisfaction beating the hell out of Cal and making Carol squirm; eerie, how completely marvelous she felt.
"Charlotte? Remember the fun we had in New Orleans?" Carol whispered, striving for some spark between them.
"Yes. I do."
"Couldn't we go there now? Right now?" Carol's fingers went to her belt where she nervously hooked her thumb around the buckle.
"Is that what you want?"
"Oh, yes, Charlotte. That's what I want. I want to start out all over again. I want to laugh and have fun and go shopping and eat at those marvelous restaurants and-" she cut herself off. Quickly she moved over to Charlotte and placed her head against the woman's chest. "I want to be with you." She couldn't see the tightening expression on Charlotte's face.
"Do you really?"
"Charlotte, you know I do."
Charlotte wondered if Carol could hear her heart thumping loudly through her cotton blouse.
Carol's fingers went to the buttons of Charlotte's blouse. "I'll show you how much." Her hand reached inside Charlotte's blouse and cupped the bra. She looked up at her. "Kiss me, Charlotte," she whispered.
Charlotte's hand tightened in the long, wavy hair, pulling Carol's head back so far that her face was almost horizontal. When Charlotte spoke, her voice was low-lower than Carol had ever heard it.
"You conniving, lying, little bitch!" Her fingers tightened around the blonde waves, pulling so tight that her knuckles turned white. "Listen. Listen good," she muttered, her breath searing the girl's cheek. "I want you to take your suitcase from the closet, and I want you to pack everything that is yours. Then I want you to call the airport and make a reservation on the next plane for New Orleans. Then I want you to call a cab and have him drive you to the depot to catch the train for the airport connection. I want all of this to happen in the next hour."
"Charlotte," Carol squirmed. "You're hurting me."
"I want to hurt you. like you hurt me." Her grip got tighter. "I want you off this property in an hour. Hear? I never want to see you again. You take only what you arrived with-nothing else." She let go of her grip on the girl's hair and turned away from her. At the door, she turned back. "Your trouble is simple. You're indoctrinated with being second on the bill. You're a loser, Carol Lord. A born loser. And there isn't anything you can do about it. You'll never change. You throw the good things away. Well, go ahead-throw them away-destroy yourself-destroy yourself good. I don't give a good damn!" She left the room, slamming the door hard behind her.
Carol stared after Charlotte, tears coming to her eyes. Suddenly the color left her face, and she felt her entire body tremble. Quickly she turned to the closet, took down a leather suitcase and began to pack.
"Destroy yourself," Charlotte had said, as if it were a command. Destroy yourself, destroy yourself....