ALL CHARACTERS ARE ADULTS.
*****
Upon the table lay three items: a handkerchief, a book, and a knife. Sheriff's Sergeant Della Walsingham pushed the items across the table to Alonzo Bass. "Where's my money?" He asked. Walsingham lifted the inmate property envelope, shook it, and handed Alonzo the form he signed when she booked him into the jail.
"Ain't no money on the property list you signed, and I didn't find any on you," she reminded him. He wrapped the Bowie knife with the linen hankerchief and used the book of poetry as an odd scabbard. Walsingham watched him, "That's about the biggest knife I ever seen," she remarked.
"I'd swear I had near five-hundred dollars when I was arrested," he struggled to reconcile his empty pockets with the signed form. Walsingham shook her head as she assayed Alonzo's body. At six foot, four and two hundred, ten pounds he had no flab to pinch, and was all muscles.
"You a body-builder?" She asked. His arms looked like Popeye's. The rest of what she saw reminded her of a boxer. "You done any Golden Gloves?"
"No, just sheet metal work," he replied. "When can I go?"
"Any time you want," she said. "Oh! You got some place to go to tonight?"
"Nope. Ain't got no money, and they fired me while I was here," he said.
"Look, I ain't s'posed to do this but if you need a ride anywhere's I get off at eleven and you could wait for me out by the road at the bus stop," she suggested.
Alonzo looked at her mane of curly hair fastened to her scalp with plenty of girly hardware. "OK," he said.
Della braked her SO suv at the bus stop and tapped the horn. The passenger door lock popped up and Alonzo got in. Before he shut the door he noticed she had changed to a short skirt and let her hair down. She smelled minty and perfumed, too. "Buckle up," she reminded him. Then, "Hungry?" as her knees drifted apart an inch or so. He checked her thighs out as she passed beneath a street light. "Take-out OK?"
"Sure," he replied.
She pulled in to a Wendy's drive-thru lane. "I been hungry for a Whopper all night, but I guess this will do for now," she said as she studied his reaction. "How bout you?"
"I could go for some chicken," he said.
"White or dark meat?" She asked.
"Dark," he replied.
"Can't get it at Wendy's, but I think I know a place where you can get some if you don't mind waiting?" She licked her lips. "It's hot and juicy, too."
"I don't mind waiting," he said.
"I think you'll like it," she smiled. She stopped at the order window. "One Biggie Meal, all the way, and a chicken sandwich meal."
Twenty minutes after leaving Wendys she parked the suv in the front yard of a trailer located out in the country. "C'mon," she said as she got out of the vehicle. Alonzo followed her. "I forgot to mention that I'm married," she said nonchalantly, like she was warning him about a dog, "it aint what it seems, though, so don't pay no attention to Buford, OK?"
"I don't know," he hesitated.
"Honey it's all right, we got an arrangement worked out, so relax!" She assured him.
Inside the trailer Alonzo saw an elderly man sitting in a wheel-chair watching a preacher on the tv; stretched out by the old man's feet an old white dog raised his head to look at Alonzo. Alonzo said "Hello" and bent to pet the dog, the dog growled.
The old man looked at the couple and spoke at them from 1st Peter Chapter 4, "Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray."
Della steered Alonzo toward the bedroom then stopped, looked back at the old man and spoke, "You can sleep on the sofa tonight, and you might wanna turn up the volume on the tv." Then closed the door, locked it, and walked over to Alonzo, pulled his shirt-tail out of his jeans, and asked, "You wanna undress me?"
Buford heard her and turned up the volume of the tv. He wanted to hear the preacher not listen to Della moan and giggle in the bedroom. Preacher Paul was on his knees, crying, pleading for the folks at home to use their cell phones to make love donations and save him from the financial ruin Satan brought down upon The Preacher Paul Ministry. Ten million dollars, in round numbers, was needed to pay the lawyers and fines and cash settlements. Buford knew all about the scandal and the trial.
After Della lit a candle and stood by Alonzo, he removed her clothes. She looked a lot like Kim Kardashian, same black eyes, same wide hips, same plump ass. But as Alonzo was groping her tits and pulling her ass against his cock, she pulled away, put on a thin robe, and fled from the bedroom to the kitchen. In a minute or so she returned with two jelly glasses and a pint bottle of whisky. Buford ignored her.
Alonzo was out of his clothes and lying on the bed, stroking his boner. Della set the glasses and bottle on her dresser, removed the robe, and filled the glasses with whisky. "Where's that knife of your's?" She asked.
"On the chair with my clothes," he replied.
"It's almost as big as your cock; think it will make me hurt?"
"The knife or my dick?" He replied.
She handed him the glass of whisky, and took a gulp from her glass. "I want it in my mouth but I don't think my mouth is big enough," she said.
"I'll start with your nest, then," he suggested.
She pressed her mouth against his, "Make it hurt. I like it when a man hurts me."
Buford turned up the tv volume three times before the lovers got quiet. After an hour of silence he stood up, got a thin screw-driver from a desk drawer, and twisted the blade in the bedroom door lock. The door unlocked and he opened it. Della and Alonzo were asleep. Alonzo was snoring. Buford shut the door behind him, went in the room, and snooped around. The sheet was wet by Della's nest.
Buford checked Alonzo's clothes, hunting for identification and money, and saw the knife stuck in the book. He pulled it out, looked at it for a long moment, looked at the naked lovers in the bed, walked over to his wife, and plunged the blade under her sternum into her heart. Della gasped softly and died.
Buford left the knife in her and went back to the living room to wait for Alonzo. The clock said three o'clock. Suzanne Somers and Erik Estrada were on tv selling patio awnings.
Alonzo came out of the bedroom, about four-thirty, holding the knife, and looked at Buford. Buford lifted a pistol from his lap, pointed it at Alonzo's belly, and squeezed the trigger. Then he called 911 after Alonzo collapsed on the floor.