The Ghost with a Deadly Bite!

"I'll make a deal with you Carla. I won't call Larry your step brother, if you will call me Ron, instead of Mr. Morrison," He asked?

"Alright Ron, follow me into the kitchen, so that I can put away these groceries. Can I get you something to drink," She asked?

"No I'm fine at the moment," he said while taking in her meager living conditions.

"I sorry that my apartment is so small, but it takes a lot of money to live in this city, and my job unfortunately doesn't really pay all that well," She explained.

"Your apartment is cleaner than the house I live in. You are obviously a hard working person, unlike my wife who doesn't have a job, yet still can't find time to clean up after herself," Ron said starting to dwell on how lazy Sharon had become recently.

"Look Ron, before you showed up today, it has been years since I have seen Larry's face outside of my nightmares. I sorry to say that your arrival is not exactly a welcome one," She tried to explain.

"Carla, I know about the rape," Ron said to her utter horror.

"He told you," She gasps?

"Of course not, I have never even met Larry," He told her.

"Then how could you possibly have known about him trying to rape me? Those records were sealed," She questioned?

"Well, as the song says I have friends in low places," Ron told her, obviously referring to the popular Garth Brooks song.

"Mr. Morrison...," She started to say.

"Ron," He quickly corrected her.

"Ron, if you know about his attempt to rape me, then you also must know that it was his word against mine," She said.

"I am choosing to believe you, especially since that asshole is currently sleeping with my wife," Ron explained.

"Thank you," She said wiping a tear from her eye. "You are the first person to do so," She told him.

"Carla, I know you attended several therapy sessions while you were in foster care," He said noticing the haunted look in her eyes. "Don't worry, I haven't read any of your files. I just wanted you to know that I understand at least some of what you went through," He tried to explain to her.

"Ron, Larry Denton has made my life a living hell. I am afraid to date, socialize or even go to sleep for fear that he will be there waiting to finish what he started fifteen years ago. I hate that man more than I can possibly express into mere words. He developed some type of sick obsession over me. I am not normally a vengeful person, but the world would be a far safer place if Larry Denton was no longer a part of it," She exclaimed!

"If that's the way you truly feel Carla, then how would you like to help me make it happen," Ron asked?

"Are you suggesting that I help you kill Larry," Carla asked in horror?

"Is that truly such an outrageous though? The man is obviously still obsessed with you. It is only a matter of time before he gets tired of playing with your clone, and comes after the real thing again. Wouldn't it be nice to know that he is out of your life for good," Ron asked?

"Look Ron, I hate Larry enough to want to see him dead, but I'm not a murderer," She exclaimed!

"Don't worry. If all goes as planned my wife will be the one who murders Larry, at least that is what everyone will think," He said.

"You want to frame your wife for Ron's murder," She asked?

"With your help I think that could be possible," Ron told her.

"Why would I do that? I don't even know your wife," Carla asked?

"Carla, when I got married I thought I was the luckiest man on earth. I loved my wife with every fiber of my bean. I worked my ass off to give her everything she could possible want. She did nothing but stayed at home and spent my money. I was fine with that, because I loved her, and thought she loved me in return. I recently learned that she only married me for my earning potential, and plans to divorce me as soon as I am vested in my retirement so she can get half of that as well. She even went as far as to say she never really even liked me, but knew that I would make enough money to be able to support her properly. I have it all on tape if you care to listen to it," He told her.

"God Ron she sounds like a real bitch, but that still doesn't explain why I would want to help you frame her for murder," Carla said.

"Carla, you and I are the victims here. We never set out to hurt or deceive anyone, yet look at what we have become. You live in constant fear of a man who stole your innocence and ruined your life, and I am married to a woman who not only doesn't love me she never even liked me for anything other than my money. You went to the authorities for help, and instead of believing you; they sent you away to some foster family while Larry stayed at home and went to college. Now you're living in squalor, while he is staying in a condo and driving around in a new car. My situation sucks as well. If I tried to divorce my ungrateful unloving wife, the court system would not only give her half of what I have worked my entire adult life to earn, but I would most certainly have to pay her spousal support, as well as give her a good portion of my pension. It doesn't matter that I have proof that she never loved me to begin with. That is inadmissible. It also doesn't matter that she is having an affair, as we live in a no fault state. If we want justice we are going to have to do it ourselves, because the system sure as hell won't help us," Ron ranted.

"Ok Ron, say for the moment that I agree with you, how would we do this? I have been living in hell for the last fifteen years. I don't want to end up in prison. How am I to know that I can even trust you," Carla asked?

"Carla, you can never be totally sure that anyone is trustworthy. I recently found that out. That being said, I took a great risk in coming here and talking to you today. The only reason you have to trust me is that we are both victims in this mess, and common sense tells us that the enemy of our enemy is our friend. We both hate Larry Denton, granted that may be for different reasons, but none the less we still hate him. I think if we work together we can help solve each other's problems," Ron suggested.

"Ok, so tell me what exactly you expect me to do," She asked?

So Ron began to outlay the details of his plan to Carla, who seemed to get a since of relief at plotting her step-brother's death.

"Oh my God, you really think that will work," She asked?

"If we use enough of it, old Larry is in for one hot night," he answered as the pair giggled over Ron's choice of a murder weapon.

After discussing more of the specifics Ron left for home, traveling the same way he came, and avoiding any paper trail that could link him and Carla together. The couple had decided to put off Larry's untimely demise until Halloween night, which allowed them time to plan out every detail, and also allotted for a way of symbolizing their revenge. You see not only had Ron and Sharon met at a party in celebration of this holiday, but it was also ironically on Halloween night that Larry had tried to rape Carla. Postponing their plans to October 31st would be like having an anniversary of sorts for the four of them.

Ron decided to intervene on Carla's behalf and contacted a friend of his who worked for an employment agency. He gave Carla's name, and sure enough they were able to place her in a much better job making considerably more money. Ron did this for two reasons, one was to be nice, but the second was to help insure that part of his plan could be carried out successfully.

Ron had been tapping Sharon's phone for a while now, and discovered that she had plans to meet Larry at the new Bookman's restaurant on Friday at noon, while he was busy working. Knowing that one of his coworkers was taking an important client out to lunch that day, Ron started up a conversation with the guy's secretary about how there were so few decent places to eat in the city anymore. Marge immediately came back with raving reviews about Bookman's and suggested that he should go there sometime. As their conversation was ending, Ron casually mentioned that maybe they should add Bookman's to the list of preferred places to take a client. Marge thought it was an excellent idea, and took the initiative of making reservations there for her boss. His plan was a calculated risk, because although Sharon had never actually met Ted, he had not only seen, but committed about her picture on Ron's desk many times, saying that she was a fine looking woman. Ron was hoping that Ted would notice her and suspect that she was cheating on him. He could then use this information to establish the timeline he needed to pull his plan off successfully. Ron waited anxiously for Ted's return, and the sickening look on his face as he came through the door confirmed that his strategy had worked.

"Ron may I have a word with you," Ted asked secretly hoping that his friend would be too busy to talk to him at the moment?

"Sure Ted, what's on your mind," Ron asked, already knowing the answer?

"Ron, I took Mr. Jenkins to that new Bookman's restaurant for lunch this afternoon," He started to say.

"Oh really, I have heard some pretty good reviews about that place. How was it," Ron asked cutting into his conversation?

"The food was very good, but that is not what I need to talk about right now," Ted replied.

"Ok I'm sorry for butting in Ted, please continue," Ron offered.

"Ron, I saw a couple there, and although the woman's hair was a different color, I could have sworn it was Sharon," Ted told him.

"What my Sharon? Are you sure" Ron asked pretending to be shocked?

"Not completely. Like I said she her hair was black, instead of blond, but aside from that she looked just like her photograph on your desk. One more thing I should mention, it appeared that they were more than just casual friends," Ted confessed.

"Have you told anyone else about this," he asked?

"No. I was entertaining a client. I couldn't very well go over to some strangers table and ask her if she was my coworker's wife and was she cheating on him with the guy sitting next to her," Ted exclaimed!

"I'm sorry Ted. I didn't mean it like that. I guess I am just shocked," Ron lied. "Let's just keep this between us for now, and let me do some investigating on my own. Who knows, maybe the person you saw today only looked like my Sharon. I mean let's face it, you have never even met her officially, and all you are going by is a photograph," Ron said trying to sound like he was in denial.

Ted agreed to keep quiet about the situation, which gave Ron the excuse he needed to order some low resolution spy equipment from the internet. This was the major focus of his plan, as a low resolution camera would make it harder for anyone to distinguish between Sharon and Carla.

Ron ordered cameras that were disguised as everyday household items, and strategically placed them around his home so that they would record Carla's actions, without focusing too clearly on her face. Next he went back online and found a local specialty shop that carried what he required.

Everything was starting to come together. Ron "reluctantly" explained to Sharon that he had to go out of town once again, and that he wouldn't be home for Halloween this year. Although she faked being upset, Ron could tell that she was secretly pleased with this turn of events. That could only mean that she could now free to celebrate with her boyfriend that evening.

Ron had previously given Carla some money so that she could take her car to the shop and have some minor repairs done to it. Carla requested, and was given a loaner vehicle to use during this time. Next she took her loaner vehicle to a local car lot and acted like she was interested in purchasing a new vehicle. Ron had previously told her the make, model, and color that she needed to pick out so that her vehicle would match that of his wife's car. Now that she was making more money with her new job, she was easily able to talk the salesman into letting her test drive the car for the entire weekend. After she had picked out a car that looked identical to the one Sharon normally drives she met with a couple of truckers, who Ron setup through a friend of a friend that would transport her and her vehicle over state lines. The plan was to hide in the truck, letting them drive her to her destination and back, keeping the most of the miles off of her vehicle. The only time she actually had to drive herself was when they had to sneak around a weigh station. Since the drivers knew where they were located, all they had to do was stop at a secluded spot and unload her vehicle before they got to the station. After going through the check points they would meet up with her down the road and load her car back inside the truck.

When she finally arrived in Ron's home town, Carla donned a blond wig, a change of clothes and a fake wedding ring, and became the splitting image of Sharon. Ron had sent her Sharon's license plate number, and the fake one they made looked almost better than the real thing. Since Ron was an engineer, he was easily able to give her directions on how to disable the car's GPS tracking device, making it practically untraceable.

Following Ron's instructions, Carla drove to a specialty shop and used cash to purchase a container of Bhut Jolokia which is more commonly referred to as "Ghost" chili peppers in powered form. This substance is arguably known as one of, if not the hottest chili pepper in the world. Ron had seen it advertised on the food network, and knew it was some serious shit.

Although she paid in cash, Carla made sure to flirt with the cashier, so that he would have no trouble remembering her. After leaving the shop, she drove the short distance to Ron and Sharon's home, and used the remote control that he had given her, to gain entrance to the home via the attached garage. Once inside Carla acted like she was familiar with the layout of the place, and immediately began to complete her assigned task. She took the bottle of Captain Morgan Rum from the liquor cabinet and set it on the kitchen table. Next she retrieved a funnel from where Ron had told her it was kept, and proceeded to pour the contents of the chili powder into it. After replacing the cap and shaking the bottle a few times to make sure that the chili got properly mixed, she washed the funnel and put everything back where she had found it. Carla took the empty chili container and hid it in Ron's golf bag as she had been directed to do so. Up to this point everything was working just as they planned, with the low resolution cameras being powerful enough to capture Sharon's feeble attempt at framing him, but not quite strong enough to distinguish the difference between her and Carla, or pick up on the fact that the woman was wearing flesh colored gloves. Carla stayed around for a while watching TV and generally pretending to act normal until it was time for her to leave. Ron had Jake watching Sharon, so there was never any danger of her to being caught in his house. Pretending to be Sharon, Carla even waved to their neighbors as she left to meet up with the truck drivers again.

The whole plan worked out pretty well. Since Ron had the two under surveillance for several weeks he knew their routine. When Larry and Sharon returned to her place he would immediately demand a shot of his favorite rum, drinking it straight down in a friable attempt to prove his manhood. The mixture of the alcohol and fire from the chili powder caused instant suffocation as he literally burned to death from the inside out. Sharon; of course, hadn't clue what the problem was, and was left with no choice but to call the paramedics, who, unfortunately for her, arrived too late to save her lover. Naturally there was an investigation, where Ron was brought in for questioning, with his trusted attorney present the entire time. Ron explained how he had just recently begun to suspect his wife of cheating, and had his coworker Ted to back up this story. Ron went on to tell the detective how he had used the spy cameras he bought from the internet in an effort to confirm his suspicions. When asked why he didn't just hire a private detective, Ron said that should the accusations turn out to be false, he didn't want his wife to know that he was checking up on her. He also went on to mention that private investigators were expensive, and he did not want to waste that much money needlessly. The authorities bought his frugal ploy, actually laughing at him for using such cheap equipment.

Carla arrived back in her hometown without anyone suspecting that she had ever been away. She returned her car to the lot stating that she just didn't feel comfortable in it, and then proceeded to take her loaner car back to the shop to pick up her bucket of bolts. She came back to the car lot the following weekend and selected a different vehicle which she then preceded to purchase. Ron had given her the money for this, but with strict instructions that she was to finance the vehicle, and use her salary to make the payments. The cash was meant for her everyday needs that nobody would ever bother to question her about.

The trial that followed was a long drawn out process, where Sharon vigorously maintained her innocence despite the overwhelming evidence against her. Ron stuck by his wife going as far as hiring a physician to assess her mental aptitude. The doctor, who coincidently was the on the board of a high end mental institution managed to convince the judge that Sharon was suffering from some sort of breakdown, and was unfit to stand trial. She needed to be placed in a psychiatric facility for her own safety. His wife reluctantly agreed to this, as it was her only real shot at staying out of prison. Since she was obviously not capable of handling her own affairs, Ron, as her husband, was awarded the power of attorney over her, maintaining control of not only their finances, but the right to make her medical decisions for her as well. Although he remained married to Sharon out of obligation, and as a means of keeping her covered under his health insurance plan, no one could possibly condemn the grieving husband of having an occasional fling, especially after his sad ordeal became public knowledge. He was even offered quite a bit of sympathy pussy, as a means of consoling the poor fellow. Ron still visited Sharon; though for some reason her doctor had limited these occasions to just a couple times a year for fear of upsetting her. On his last trip he gave her a vibrating dildo to help relieve some of her built up sexual frustrations. Maybe on his next visit he would remember to bring her some batteries for it.