Promise of the Eight Ball

Under the porch of the expansive house, a black widow spider grappled with a praying mantis that stalked itself onto her web. He thrashed out with claw-like spines on his front legs. She scurried to avoid them and stabbed her venomous fangs into his crusty flesh. The trembling web stilled as the poison melted his life. On the porch, the journalist Mrs. Ruby Klock rang the doorbell.

"Mrs. Klock? Tom Mantis. Good Morning."

He shook her hand and held it for several seconds, caressing it with his thumb. He wore a green jogging outfit with nothing underneath, and the jacket was zipped only at the bottom, revealing sparse chest hair and a gym-toned body. Grey and gold gel-shaped hair swept around his balding head.

"I thought we'd do the interview back in the game room."

He led her down a wide hallway lined with oil paintings from the Caribbean. Large rooms opened off to the left with bamboo flooring throughout. Sliding glass doors showed a swimming pool at the end of the hallway, and he went through them.

"You’re welcome to take a dip if you want."

Behind the pool a small, burgundy out-building sat with deck chairs leaned against it. They went inside. Wood paneling lined the walls. A poker table sat in one corner by a couch and two dartboards hung near the bookshelves. In the middle sat a pool table with a mini-bar nearby. Cigar and liquor smells rose from the green carpet.

He motioned her to sit, and her black jeans and blouse stood out against the white leather couch. She fingered her red pendant that hung from her neck on a long, silver chain. Tom cued a rack of pool balls, chalked the tip of a stick and began to shoot, relaxed and methodical. Ruby reached into her purse and pulled out her notebook, while also pushing play on her digital voice recorder which pressed against a small mesh opening near the bottom of her purse. She stood and set the purse on the mini-bar.

“Mr. Mantis, I would like to begin with some broad questions about your company and then focus down. To start with, why would an American music label be interested in the Chinese music market?”

“In the end it comes down to money. I think your readers want more sexy info than an economic lesson.” The five ball shot into a corner pocket while the white one stopped close to Ruby. Tom sauntered over, leaned slightly against her as he made the next hit.

“All right. How about something a little more personal then? How long have you been trying to sleep with teenage girls?”

Faint Spanish music and distant traffic noise filled the room. Tom’s hands turned to fists around the pool stick.
“My office knows exactly where I am and what I’m doing, so don’t try anything foolish, Mr. Mantis.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Expect a call from my lawyer.” He walked to the door and leaned on the pool stick. “Get the hell out.”

Ruby swung her long black hair and folded her arms. She ran her tongue along her lips, picked up her purse, and walked towards him.

“I was in the room when you hit up my daughter in the online chat room. She told me, and I took over the typing for her. Does, ‘The teenage voice needs to be loosened. Sing with me in bed little baby, then I’ll let you sing in a real studio for free,’sound familiar to you. I have the chat saved at home if you’ve forgotten.”

His eyes squinted and he ground his teeth together, but Tom did not move or speak.

“The beach house you went to is my brother’s and the web cam caught everything; the white roses, sitting in the lawn chair by the stove, shouting the code phrase, ‘Your music man’s here.’ You did stay for a long time Tom. Couldn’t get a real date?” She stepped closer. “The video matches the chat perfectly.”

An intercom linked the room to the house and he buzzed for the maid, told her to bring his wallet. At the mini-bar he slammed three shots of whiskey and cursed his maid. He shot at the eight ball. It missed the pocket. He slammed the pool stick to the ground as the maid walked in

“Give it here. Go.” He took out six one-hundred dollar bills and slashed them towards her. “Take these. I can arrange more. We can settle this.”

Ruby took the bills, smiled, and ripped them in half. “You want to settle this. Tell me the truth. Did you go to that beach house to have sex with my daughter? Have you done this before? Tell me the truth, then promise me not to do it again. That’s all I want. The truth, and a promise, and I’ll give you the chat and the video.”

Tom stared at her for several moments until his eyes started to laugh. Ruby flung her purse over her shoulder and cradled it upwards in her arm. “The truth and a promise.”

“I’m a sorry, sick man, Mrs. Klock. Yes, I wanted to sleep with your daughter and I have done this thing before. I want you to know, I’m working with a counselor on it.” He tried to shake her hand, but she ignored it, and started to walk out.

“When will you give me the stuff?”

“You can get it yourself on my web site around noon. Don’t miss the audio file.”

She let herself out of the house.

Word Count - 941