Free Another Chance by Sandra Cuppett Page A

shotgun in his hand, so Frankie decided
not to follow her.  A little later, the police had picked him up. 
During the trial Jordan testified against him.  With great dramatic tears
falling from her puffy amber eyes, she claimed that she had only seen him at
the feed store and had never had a personal conversation with him.  She
went on and on about how he’d harassed her and stalked her and how he had
killed her husband.
    Frankie’s love
was replaced with hate.  She would suffer for the way she’d treated
him.  She just threw his love aside like it had been garbage.  She
was just like all the other deceitful women he’d ever known.  He could
never forgive her for that.  She needed to die, just like they had, but
death wasn’t enough for her.  He would make her suffer.  His need to
find her grew stronger every day and he sometimes found it hard to concentrate
on the things that were going on around him in the present.
    Ruby was
making him crazy.  She rattled to everyone she knew about the fantastic
honeymoon her darling husband was taking her on.  They were scheduled to
leave in three days and he wanted the house up for sale before they left. 
He had already transferred all her money into an account that didn’t have her
name on it and she didn’t have a clue.  There was enough money to take
care of him for years, he just thought selling the house would add a safety
cushion and when the honeymoon was over, he would be the only one coming back
anyway.  Not that he actually planned to come back to Tupelo.  That
was why he wanted the house on the market before they left.  If it was for
sale and they planned to live in New York it wouldn’t arouse any suspicion when
the real estate agent was asked to just transfer the funds into the new
account, once Ruby’s house sold.
    Frank had
never been to New York and had no intentions of ever going there, but if
suspicions ever came up about Ruby disappearing, his interest in New York would
be a dead end for investigators to follow.
    They had
traded her car for a shiny, white brand new SUV so they would have plenty of
room while they traveled.  He liked the four wheel drive capability. 
He knew he could take it through some pretty rough terrain and that just might
become necessary.
    He was looking
through the travel atlas while his mind wondered.  Almost without
thinking, he discovered his finger resting on Poplar Bluff.  That was
where he had known Jordan.  That was where his search would start. 
He would spend a few days traveling, dump Ruby’s body somewhere, then head back
to Poplar Bluff and begin his hunt.
    He didn’t want
to dump Ruby anywhere near Mississippi.  He looked at several pages, then
smiled, the warmth of it not touching his chilling black eyes.  He would
take Ruby into the desert somewhere in the area near Amarillo.  There was
lots of desert around there and plenty of places that people just didn’t
go.  He could dig a shallow grave for her.  With any luck at all, she
would never be found.
    Ruby came into
the room, having returned from taking some clothes to the dry cleaners.
    “I sure am
glad you talked me into buying that SUV.  It drives like a dream and I
just love all the room in it,” she drawled, leaning over to kiss him on the
cheek.  He caught her hand and pulled her down onto his lap.
    “I’ve talked
you into a lot of things, Honey, and they’ve all turned out just fine.  I
don’t know why you haven’t learned to trust my judgment.”  He held her
close and nuzzled her neck.
    “Baby,” she
scolded playfully.  “You know that makes me giggle.”
    He raised his
head and looked tenderly at her while one hand stroked her hair.  “I love
you.  I don’t understand how you can make me feel so special when you
really don’t trust me.”  As he spoke, he withdrew his hands from her and
she felt his playfulness withdraw as well.
    “You know how
much I love you, Frankie!  You’re my husband and I try to do