Tainted: Origins of a Psycho

Dinner Plans

Vincent:

My breath was trapped in my throat as I pushed open the front door, dreading the conversation I was about to have with my father.  Things have been so peaceful between us for the last couple of years that I hated to ruin it, but I knew it had to be done for the sake of saving my friendship with Katherine.

The heavenly aroma of marinara sauce danced into my nostrils as I made my way into the kitchen.  Dad was pouring himself a glass of red wine and singing along to the Frank Sinatra song that played on the radio.

His eyes fell on me and he smiled. "Vincent, you're just the man I was looking for. Would you mind setting the table while I finish this spaghetti?"

"Actually, Dad, I was hoping we could-" Before I could finish my thought, he shoved a stack of plates into my hands. I counted them and looked back at him curiously. "Why do we need five plates?"

"Because I've invited Molly and Katherine over for dinner this evening." He turned around and stirred his sauce with a wooden spoon. "Go set the table."

I stood there like a stunned deer in headlights for a moment, trying not to get angry at him, before I set the plates on the counter and cleared my throat. "I really need to talk to you. It's about Katherine."

He turned around and his eyebrows arched. "Oh?"

I rubbed the back of my neck and said, "She's afraid of you, Dad."

"Really?"  He set the wooden spoon down and took a step forward. "Did she say why?"

"She said that-" My eyes shifted to the floor. "-you touched her inappropriately when she was a kid."

The kitchen became as silent as an abandoned cathedral and I looked up to find that beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. He shook his head and used a dish towel to wipe the sweat away.

My stomach clenched and I stepped further away from him. "Is it true?"

"Of course not, son. I would never do that."

"Are you saying that Katherine was lying?"

"No." He placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled.  "But little girls have big imaginations."

I forced myself to smile back at him before picking up the plates and carrying them into the dining room.  I wanted to believe that he was telling the truth, but I could not get the look of fear in Katherine's eyes out of my mind. 

Why would she make something like that up? 

What would she have to gain from it?

The phone on the kitchen wall rang, ripping me out of my thoughts. I shrugged and continued to set the table until I heard Dad say, "What's wrong, Molly?"

My body stiffened and I found myself eavesdropping on their conversation. I could head Molly's muffled voice screaming from the other line. The distress in her voice made my mind race with worry.

"Shhh....relax, Molly." Dad's voice was smooth as he tried to calm her down. "What is the last thing she said to you before she ran out of the house?"

My knees buckled underneath me and I had to lean myself against the wall before I was able to gain the strength to run into the kitchen. Dad glanced over at me and raised his hand in the air, silently urging me to stay silent as he listened to Molly.

"I'll be over there in a few minutes. Please, try to stay calm until I get there." He placed the phone back on to the receiver and shoved the wooden spoon into my hand. "I'll be right back. Do me a favor and make sure the sauce doesn't stick to the pan.  Keep stirring it and-"

"Forget the sauce!"  I threw the wooden spoon into the sink and grabbed his shoulders.  "Is Katherine okay!?  What's going on!?"

He pushed my hands away and started walking towards the front door.  "It's nothing for you to worry about, Vincent.  I'll take care of it." 

He slammed the door behind himself and I was left there to worry about my best friend. 

~~~

Victor buckled his seatbelt and drove down the road with a scowl on his face.  He could not believe that Katherine had the nerve to run away and ruin his perfect dinner plans.  She was a spoiled teenaged brat that thought she could get away with whatever she wanted, and he was ready to prove her wrong.

When he arrived at Molly's house, she came dashing towards the car with tears in her eyes.  She climbed into the passenger seat and started banging her fists on his chest.  "This is all your fault! Katherine told me that you touched her!"

Victor gently grabbed her wrists and held them.  "I would never lay a hand on your daughter.  There has to be some kind of terrible mistake."

"Katherine wouldn't lie to me!"  She tried to pull herself away, but he was too strong.  "She told me what you did and ran out the door.  My baby is out there somewhere and it's all your fault!"

"If you really believe that I hurt her, then why did you call me?"

Molly sucked in a deep breath and stared into his eyes with sadness. "I wanted you to tell me the truth before I called the police. I wanted to give you a chance to make this right."

Victor took both of her wrists in one of his hands so he could use the other to wipe her tears away. "You have got to believe me, Molly. I never touched her."

He leaned into her ear and whispered, "Let me help you find her so we can make her tell the truth."

Molly closed her eyes for a moment as his warm breath tickled her ear, but she came back to her senses and pulled away from him. "Katherine will come back home soon enough, and when she does I will encourage her to file charges against you."

"Molly, you don't want to do this." Victor urged.

"You should have been honest with me." She pried her wrists from his hand and reached for the door handle. "I wanted your side of the story before I-"

Victor grabbed a clump of her hair and pulled her head back, forcing her to look at him. "You want my side of the story? Okay, I'll tell you." He mashed his lips against her ear and whispered, "I touched your daughter on her thigh when she was a child, and when I find her I'm going to touch her all over her beautiful, teenaged body."

Molly gasped and tried to pull away. "No, please-!"

That was all she managed to say before Victor smashed her head against the dashboard, knocking her out cold.

He used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe more sweat away from his head, then looked around to make sure there were no witnesses before hoisting her body into the backseat. He laughed under his breath as he pulled his necktie off and used it to bind her wrists behind her back.

"You really should have minded your own business, Molly. I had no intention of hurting you." He pulled his cellphone out of his shirt pocket and dialed his home number.

His daughter answered. "Hello."

"Hi, honey."

"Dad? Where are you? I'm starving over here."

Victor chuckled and looked back at his unconscious captive. "You and your brother can start without me. There's been a change of plans for tonight."