The next two years flew by. I was doing well in my classes and I made a lot of friends. I didn't join a fraternity, but I knew lots of guys who did belong and occasionally I would get invited to a party at a frat house. I was at one of those parties at the Phi Delta house when fate smiled upon me.
I was at the beer keg getting my cup refilled when Sammy Bealer said:
"Don't look now, but I think you have an admirer."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about that little honey at your three o'clock. She hasn't taken her eyes off of you."
I moved to fill my cup and took a look. I didn't know her name, but I recognized her. She was in two of my classes. She was looking our way, but that didn't mean that she was looking at me.
"Maybe it's you she is looking at Sammy."
"Nah! It is definitely you. Who is she?"
"No idea. I've seen her around. She's in two of my classes, but I don't know her. Besides, she has to be here with a date. Girls don't come to these parties alone. At least good girls don't."
"She might have come with someone else, but from the way she is looking at you I'd be willing to bet that she would leave with you if you wanted."
"Well I don't want. I'm staying clear of the opposite sex until I get school out of the way. Broads are too much of a distraction."
"What's wrong with you man? I can't go two weeks without wanting to get laid so how are you going to go another year?"
"In the first place I've only got six more months to go to have the hundred and thirty-five credit hours I need for my degree and secondly will power. Will power Sammy; supreme will power" I said as I was thinking "and a financial relationship with Mona from the Elite Escort Agency."
I didn't think the girl was looking at me, but as the party progressed and I moved around socializing I did notice that she always seemed to be close to where I was and she did seem to be always looking in my direction. She was a fine looking lady and in truth if I wasn't of the mind set that I wasn't going to have a woman in my life until I had my degree I probably would have gone after her.
However, where the female of the species is concerned nothing is ever set in concrete. I was at the keg refilling my cup again when Johnny DuBois walked up to get a refill and casually said to me:
"What's your secret Rob? You have a ten inch dick or a twelve inch tongue?"
"What? Are you drunk?"
"Not yet, but I'm working on it. Just wondering what the attraction is. CB hasn't taken her eyes off of you since you got here."
"Who? Who is CB?"
"Connie Barrington. Actually it is Connie Smythe-Barrington, but she doesn't use the Smythe part."
All of a sudden I was interested in the girl who was supposedly eyeing me.
"Why would she be watching me? Surely her date would have something to say about it."
"Her date was Barry Cross and Barry can't handle liquor. He's been passed out for the last two hours. Guys have been hitting on her ever since a couple of them carried him up to a bedroom, but you are the guy she seems to be interested in. You could do worse dude. Her family is loaded."
Smythe-Barrington? There couldn't be another family with that name. She had to be related to Robert Conner Ellsworth Smythe- Barrington and an idea began forming in the back of my mind. I had no idea of whether or not it would work, but I made the instant decision to try.
I set my beer down and walked over to the girl and said, "I've been fighting it all night, but I've decided that the British SAS have it right. "Who Dares Wins" is their motto and I've decided to adopt it where you are concerned."
I offered my hand as I introduced myself. She took my hand and said, "I was just getting ready to do the same thing only in my mind it was "Carpe Diem" -- seize the day."
"Who do I have to fight to get you to leave with me?"
"No one. He is already down for the count."
I offered her my arm and said, "Shall we?"
She took my arm and said "Yes" and seven months later Connie was pregnant and I was walking away. I won't pretend that it was easy because it wasn't. I had grown quite attached to Connie and I could see a future with her under different circumstances, but my hatred where her father was concerned was a great deal stronger than my feelings for his daughter. I admit that it was despicable of me to get at him through his daughter, but I couldn't see any other way to take my revenge without putting me in jail for assault with intent to kill or maim.
+++++++++++++++++++++
A week went by and it was reminiscent of my breakup with Samantha. A dozen calls a day on my cell from Connie that I deleted. I had finished school so I didn't have to worry about running into her on campus and I'd never talked about the gas company with her so she didn't know where I worked. But she did know where I lived so I had to keep an eye out for her in case she tried to catch me at home.
Twice I saw her car in the parking lot at the apartments and when I saw it I kept on driving. I knew that sooner or later, probably sooner rather than later, she would knock on the door while I was home, but I didn't plan to open the door to her.
The next week the number of calls increased and I kept deleting them until the day came that I had been waiting for. There were the usual dozen voice mails and I started deleting them until I came to the fifth one.
"Mr. Walton? My name is Rob Barrington and I need to talk with you. Would you please call me at" and he gave me a number to call and ended the voice mail telling me that it was very important to call him as soon as possible.
I smiled as I thought "Gotcha!"
I waited until the next morning and then I called the number.
"Good morning. Thank you for calling Barrington Industries. How may I direct your call?"
"Mr. Barrington please."
Two rings and then, "Mr. Barrington's office. This is Stella. How may I help you?"
"Mr. Barrington please."
"Whom shall I say is calling?"
"Bob Walton."
Two rings and then, "This is Marge. How can I help you?"
"I'm trying to reach Mr. Barrington."
"I'm Mr. Barrington's executive assistant."
"I don't care if you are Mother Teresa. I'm trying to reach Mr. Barrington."
"Mr. Barrington is a very busy man and it is my job to see that he isn't interrupted every time some one calls."
"God knows that I would never want to interrupt a very busy man, but Mr. Barrington called me, left his number and said that it was very important that I call him as soon as possible. Apparently it can't be all that important or he would have arranged to have me put right through. Good day" and I hung up. I was not surprised when my phone rang three minutes later and the screen showed that the call was from the number I'd just hung up on. I smiled and let it go to voice mail and then deleted it without listening to it.
I had three calls from that number over the next two days and I ignored them. I started parking on the other side of my apartment complex and then walking to my apartment thinking that if Connie didn't see my car she would think I wasn't home. Of course I did have to be careful and make sure she wasn't already parked where she could see me enter my unit. Twice I saw her sitting in her car and I had to go back to mine and go somewhere for dinner and a drink or two to wait her out.
The calls from Barrington stopped and I wondered what he would do next. He wasn't the type to just shrug his shoulders and give up. He was a Smythe-Barrington for God's sake. No lowly peon was going to be allowed to ignore him.
When it came I was surprised. I was at a job site going over the plans with the crew chief when what was obviously an unmarked police car drove onto the site. A man in a suit got out and asked one of the workers something and I saw Mike turn and point to me. The man in the suit came over to me and introduced himself as Detective Sergeant O'Conner.
"I'd like you to come with me please."
"What's this about? Am I under arrest?"
"No you aren't under arrest and I don't know what it is about. I was just asked to fetch you."
"Do I need an attorney?"
"No. I don't know what it is about, but I do know you do not need a lawyer."
"Do I follow you in my car?"
"No. I'll bring you back when it is over."
"At least that sounds like I'm not going to be locked up. Let's go."
During the ride my mind was busy trying to think of why the police wanted to talk to me. My only contact with the authorities had been when Samantha was killed. I'd never even had a parking ticket much less anything worse. I was confused when we didn't go to a police station or the City County Building, but instead pulled into a visitors parking place at Barrington Industries,
"Impressive" I said. "I knew Barrington was wealthy and influential, but to own the police department? I'm impressed."
O'Conner didn't respond to that. He got out of the car and I followed him. He led the way through the lobby to the elevators and walked up to the one on the left. He took a key card out of his pocket and swiped it through the reader next to the elevator door and the door opened and we stepped inside. There were only three buttons on the panel which I though odd since it was a six story building. One said up and that's the one O'Conner pushed. The other two said "Down 1" and "Down 2."