The sound of a ringing phone stopped with a click as someone on the other end of my call lifted the receiver. “Hello?”

“Mrs. Meyer? Levi McCormick. How are you?”

“I’m fine, Levi. I heard you were back in town. What can I do for you?”

“I’m getting in touch with old friends, and I’d like to catch up with Cat. I understand she’s in Abilene now. I was wondering if I could get her number, or if you’d have her call me.”

There was a long pause. “Aren’t you seeing that Johnson girl again? You know she accused Catherine of drugging her. Can you imagine such a thing?”

I grimaced. I had known this would be tricky. “Yes, ma’am, I know. I suppose you heard about Steve and me?”

“Yeah.”

“That kind of put a new prospective on things. Getting tossed in the pokey will do that to you.”

Janice Meyer laughed. “Yes, I imagine it would. You’re not seeing her anymore?”

“You know how it is, her being a single mother and all,” I said, trying to be vague enough that she’d draw the wrong conclusion without me outright lying. I was willing to lie to get the information I needed, but I wanted to save that as a last resort.

“I don’t want no trouble for Catherine. She had to leave town after all the accusations, said she couldn’t stay here anymore. Mary Ella Johnson had no right to accuse my girl of doing that to her, spreading lies like she did.”

“No, ma’am.”

“You’re not looking to stir up trouble?”

“No, ma’am. I’d like to talk to her and see how she’s doing, that’s all. If you don’t want to give me her number, maybe you could have her give me a call if she’s interested? If not, well, no hard feelings.”

“Maybe I’ll do that. What’s your number?” I gave it to her and she repeated it back to me. “I’ll give her a call and see if she’s interested in talking to you.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Meyer. I’d sure like to catch up. I kind of miss my old friends.”

“I can imagine. You getting settled in okay?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m staying with my parents for a while, but I’ll get a place of my own.”

“Well, we’re glad your back.”

“Glad to be back. I’m looking forward to hearing from Cat,” I said, trying to sell Cat’s mom on the idea.

“I’ll give her a call right now.”

“Well, no matter what, thanks Mrs. Meyer.”

“You’re welcome, Levi.”

I hung up and stepped out of my room. The wheels were in motion. Now all I had to do was wait. We were eating dinner when my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Levi? Cat Meyer. Mom said you wanted to talk to me.”

“I’m in the middle of dinner with my family. Can I call you back in, say, ten minutes? Maybe get together?”

“Really? Sure!”

“I’ve got your number. Ten minutes,” I said and hung up.

“Who was that?” Mom asked.

“Catherine Meyer.”

“The one Ella said drugged her?”

“One and the same.”

“Why is she calling you?”

“Before dinner I called her mother and asked her to have Cat call me.”

Mom and Dad looked at each other. “How’d you get her number?”

I grinned. “I found an eight-year-old phone book in the side table where the phone used to be. I looked her up. She still has the same number.”

“What are you up too?” Dad asked, his voice full of both interest and concern.

“You wanted proof. I’m going to try to get it.”

“By talking to Cat Meyers?”

“Yep.” I pushed back from the table. “It was good, Mom. I’m going to call her now. It’s still early enough. I may run into Abilene and have a drink or two with her, if she’s available.”

“That’s an hour each way!” Mom cried.

“Yeah, I know, so I need to get hopping.”

“Levi, why can’t you—” Mom began before Dad put his hand on her arm.

“Let him do this.”

“But—” she tried again, but Dad was shaking his head.

“Let him be, Judy. He’s a grown man. He needs to know, one way or the other.”

“And if she won’t tell you, or tells you the same thing we’ve been telling you all along?” Mom asked me, her disapproval of what I was doing clear in the set of her face and the slight narrowing of her eyes.

I shrugged. “It won’t change my opinion, but what if she confirms Ella’s story?”

“Why would she do that?”

I rolled my hands over and held them out in front of me palms up. “Maybe she won’t, but I have to try.”

Mom sighed. “Fine. Do what you have to,” she said with a dismissive wave. “I think you’re wasting your time.”

I grinned. “You sound like Ella. She said the same thing, and just like I told her, it’s my time to waste.”

That statement finished the conversation, so I retired to my room where I could talk in private. I shut my door as I pressed redial on my phone.

“Hey, Levi. Good to hear from you.”

“You too, Cat. I was wondering if you’d like to get together for a drink sometime.”

“Maybe. I thought you were seeing Ella again.”

“I was.”

“Was?”

It worked on her mother, so I thought I’d go to that well again. “Yeah. Did you hear I was picked up for assault and battery?”

“No! Really! For what?”

“Steve and I had…a disagreement in Dolly’s. Dolly called the cops and I ended up in the clink.”

“Over Ella?”

“Yeah. He was groping her, I tried to put a stop to it. I thought I was doing her a favor, but later she told me not to get involved and to, more or less, mind my own business. On top of that, Mom and Dad are pissed at me, and I’m banned from Dolly’s for God knows how long. Who needs that kind of aggravation?”

“Jesus. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, me too. So, here I am.”

“Then sure, I’d love to have a drink with you sometime. What works for you?”

“I’m available any time after dark, including tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah, tonight works for me if it works for you.”

“I don’t have to work tomorrow, so tonight would be great. Where do you want to meet?”

“Anywhere is good for me.”

“Want to meet at my place?” she asked, her tone inviting.

“Your place sounds great.”

“Fantastic. What time?”

“I need to wash the dust off, so say, eight?”

“Eight would be perfect.” She paused, and I could sense she had more to say, so I waited. “How long do you think you’ll stay?”

I put a smile in my voice. “However long you want me to.”

“That could be a while. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“So long as I’m back by about 9:30 or ten tomorrow morning, I’m good.”

“That’s perfect. I’ll text you my address.”

“I’ll see you in about ninety minutes.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“So am I.”

The moment I hung I started stripping out of my clothes for the shower. I needed to hurry. I dashed through a shower, threw on some clothes, added a sport coat for style and warmth, and hurried out to find Mom and Dad.

“I’m going to meet Cat. I might be late. Don’t wait up.”

Mom looked like she’d bit into something sour. “This is a dangerous game you’re playing. What if you find something you’re not looking for, something that goes against what you believe? I don’t want to see you hurt again.”

I pointed a playful finger at her and smiled. “I don’t think I will be, and it’s worth the risk if I can prove to you Ella isn’t who, or what, you think she is.”

“Be careful.”

“I always am.”

“Oh, please,” she said to my retreating back.

I drove to Abilene, working out what I wanted to say, along with my responses and counter responses to any questions Cat might have about why I’d wanted to get together with her. I had to gain her confidence and let her think I’d given up on Ella. If I did, maybe she’d let something slip. I didn’t need much. It didn’t have to hold up for the police. I just needed something for my parents, and a morsel would do.

I rolled to a stop outside her apartment at 7:55. I stepped out of my truck and walked to apartment 3B. Cat’s apartment was in square buildings, three stories tall, with four units occupying the corners on each floor. I tromped up the steps to the third floor.

“Jesus Christ! I’m going already!” a woman about my age snarled as she stepped out of 3B. She seemed rather flustered and frustrated. She started when she saw me coming up the steps. “You must be Levi.”

“That’s me. Catherine Meyer live here?”

The woman jerked her thumb at the door as she looked me over with a long appraising look. “Okay, maybe you are worth it. She’s expecting you. I’m Julie, by the way.”

I gave her my most winning smile, the one I’d perfected over the past five years. “Nice to meet you, Julie,” I said, taking her hand. “Levi McCormick.”

“Like the spices?”

“Yeah, but unrelated. Unfortunately.”

She twittered out a laugh. “Yeah, I suppose so. You’ve known Cat long?”

“Since high school.”

“I haven’t seen you around.”

I smiled at her flirting. “Just back from a tour in the military. Air Force.”

“A fighter pilot?”

“No. I protected the fighter pilots.” What I said was true, but put that way it sounded much more impressive than saying I was an MP.

“I’d like to hear more about it some time.”

“Maybe I’ll see you around then.”

She smiled, playing with her hair. “Maybe.”

“I should go. Cat’s waiting on me.”

“Yeah.” She waggled of her fingers in a flirty wave. “See you,” she said as she started down the steps with a look and a smile back at me.

I winked at her and turned to the door. I rapped softly on the door with my first knuckle. It opened a moment later. Cat was standing in the threshold wearing a low-cut, maroon sweater that showed off her breasts, the bottom stopping just above her faded, worn, hip hugger jeans. She’d added a wide, intricately stitched black belt, a matching leather bracelet, and black boots that reached her knees. Cat was only 5’4” or 5’5”, but her three-inch heels made her almost as tall as Ella. She’d always had a thing for makeup with flair, and her eyes were dramatic. I’ve always preferred women that allowed their natural beauty to shine through, like Ella, but Cat had perfected that slightly slutty, hard-fucking bitch look I’d once targeted. Three years ago, I’d have zeroed in on her as an easy lay and fucked her until she was begging for mercy.

“Cat,” I said in greeting. “You’re looking great, as always.”

“Thanks, Levi,” she said with a smile, stepping back and silently inviting me in. “You’re looking good yourself.”

“I met your roommate on the way up. You didn’t have to throw her out on my account.”

Cat smiled. “She had somewhere to be, anyway. What can I get you to drink?”

“Have a beer?”

“Two beers coming right up.” She sashayed to the fridge, putting plenty of swing into her ass. Cat had always known how to present herself, and though she hadn’t lost the touch, she’d aged. She was still sexy as hell, but she looked like she’d been ridden hard and put away wet more than once over the past five years.

“Mom said you were home from the Air Force. What happened?”

“Nothing. I just decided the Air Force wasn’t for me, plus Dad had a heart attack.”

“I didn’t know that,” she said as she set a bottle in front of me. “He’s okay?”

“Fine. What about you?”

“After that thing with Ella, I decided it was time to spread my wings a little. You knew I worked at Payless, right?” I took a pull on the bottle as I nodded. “I’m working my way up. I’m the produce manager at one of the stores here in Abilene. Next step is assistant store manager, then store manager.”

“Good for you.”

“Pay’s okay, but a store manager can make as much as ninety grand a year. That’s what I’m gunning for.”

“Best of luck to you.”

“Thanks. Why are we standing here? Let’s go sit down and make ourselves comfortable,” she suggested.

“Sounds like a plan.” I sat on the couch, and as I expected, she sat close. “It sure is good to see you again. You seeing anyone?”

She grinned at me. “Nobody serious. You know me, I like to keep my options open.”

I grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I remember. Cat Meyer, the girl every guy in school was panting after.”

“Except one.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I’d been better off if I had.”

“I’m really sorry, Levi.”

“Yeah, me too. But I’m over her. When I got back, I confronted her about what happened.” I shook my head. “She’s still blaming everyone for what happened, but when I pressed her, she admitted she wasn’t even sure what the truth was anymore. I thought maybe we could make another go at it, but that thing with Steve really opened my eyes. She’s nothing but trouble, and I don’t need that.”

“So you don’t believe her?”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done, past is past.”

“That’s a great attitude!” she said, taking another drink of her beer.

“I think so. I’m looking for new conquests, new challenges, not to mention someone without a kid. Can you imagine not being on the pill in this day and age? What was she thinking? If nothing else, that was stupid on her part.”

Cat laughed. “Ain’t that the truth. I told her the same thing. Listen, can you tell me something, honestly?”

“Sure, what?”

“Were you two fucking or not? She always swore up and down you weren’t.”

I forced a smile. “Nope. She wouldn’t put out. I thought it was sweet at the time, and I was in love and all that shit. Now I realize how naïve I was. In hindsight, I wished I’d dated someone who was willing to live a little. I didn’t know what I was missing.”

She smiled at me and drew a finger along her breast. “But you do now?”

“Oh, yeah. I made up for it while in the service. I fucked every woman I could get to spread her legs.”

She shook her head. “What a fucking waste. Ever girl in school had the hots for you, and you were so wrapped up in Ella you wouldn’t even give us a chance.”

“Us?”

She laughed. “Yeah, us. Goddamn, I wanted you so fucking bad, but you were my best friend’s guy. If I’d actually believed she was holding out on you, I might have offered you a little on the side.”

“If I knew then what I know now, I might have taken you up on the offer.”

“What about now?”

“I still might.”

She played with her breast, a sexy smile on her lips that promised great pleasures. “What would it take to convince you?”

I was stringing her along. I had no intention of fucking her, but I was still a man and she was sexy as hell. I began to harden, and she noticed. Rather than try to hide it or deny it, I decided to go with it.

“Are you offering?”

“Maybe.”

I forced a grin as I drank my beer, giving me time to think as I furiously tried to figure out how to get her to admit to drugging Ella’s beer. I held my bottle out. “To friends and lovers, may they always be the same.”

She clinked her bottle to mine. “To friends and lovers.”

She leaned in a little, offering to kiss me. I thought about doing it, just to keep the momentum going, but I couldn’t do that to Ella, even to try to clear her name. I didn’t pull away. Instead, I ignored it, like I didn’t get the hint as I struggled with how to broach the subject of drug.

“Did Ella really slap you in McDonalds?” I asked, stalling for time and looking for a crack in her story I could exploit.

Cat leaned back, clearly a bit annoyed that I’d ignored her. She probably wasn’t used to that. “She slapped the shit out of me.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t kick her ass.”

“I was surprised and hurt, mostly. Hurt feelings, I mean. I took her to the party just to have a good time, and she blamed me for what happened.”

A thought occurred to me on a way to get Cat to admit what she had done. It was all I could come up with, so it was worth a try.

“I’m still surprised you didn’t kick her ass. As I recall, you didn’t take shit off anyone.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes playfully. “Yeah. Still don’t.” I shook my head and forced a grin as I began to play my hand. “What?” she asked.

I forced the grin wider. “Sorry. My imagination was running away with me.”

She looked at me in that way women have. “Did you want me to kick her ass?”

I held her gaze, my smiled becoming a leer. “What guy wouldn’t? Two sexy women fighting over him? That’s the kind of shit guys dream about.”

“Really?” she asked, drawing the word out. “What if I’d won?”

“I’d have probably taken you somewhere and worn your ass out.”

She chewed her bottom lip. “You could do that now.”

I held her gaze. “Maybe I will. You think you could take her? Ella’s a lot bigger than you.”

“And I’m a lot nastier…in the best ways.”

“I bet you are,” I rumbled, leading her on. “I bet you could seriously fuck her up.”

“You know it. Want me to fuck you up?”

“Tell me what you’d have done to her.”

“Seriously?” she asked, her tone lilting up in surprise.

“Yeah. You into role playing? Tell me what you’d have done to her, and I’ll show you what I’d have done to the winner.”

She softened as she chewed on her bottom lip again. “Kinky. I’ve never done anything like this. Okay, let me see—”

“You’re at the barn and she slapped you for drugging her beer,” I prompted, steering her where I wanted her to go.

“Okay, I’d drugged her beer, and—”

“How?” I interrupted, fishing for details.

“Easy. I took it from Mom. She takes Ambien to help her sleep. I opened Ella’s beer and dropped it inside. She finds out and slaps me. I get up and call her a bitch. I…uh…I grab her hair and she grabs mine.” She looked at me questioningly.

“Hot! Then what?” I encouraged to keep her talking.

She smiled, clearly humoring me and finding my kink amusing. “Then I rip her shirt off and throw her to the ground. She drags me down too, tearing my shirt as she does. We roll around on the ground, screaming at each other. She calls me a whore and I call her a cunt. I…er…let me think…I tell her she doesn’t deserve you and that I can out fuck her any day of the week. You’re cheering me on, telling me to kick her ass. I…uh…I hit her in the face and make her nose bleed and she gives up.”

“Hot as shit!” I said as if her description was turning me on.

“Then you take me into the barn and…” she said, allowing her voice to trail away. Clearly she was waiting for me to take over the story and show her what happened next.

“Would you have really fought for me?” I asked.

“If you wanted me to,” she purred, leaning in closer and putting her hand on my crotch. I left it because I felt she was close to revealing the truth.

“Did you drug Ella’s beer to break us up, just so you could have a shot at me?” I asked, leaning in.

“Did you want me to break you two up?”

“I like a woman that will fight for and take what she wants, one that isn’t afraid to get down and dirty.”

“I’d fight for you, Levi. If I’d known, I’d have fought for you, and I’d have kill the first bitch that got in my way.”

“So you didn’t do it to break us up? Did you do it for Steve?”

“What? No,” she said with a shake of her head. “What happened was an accident. I slipped the tablet into her second beer before I brought it to her. I just wanted her to relax a little and have a little fun. I didn’t know it was going to knock her on her ass like that. It was just a sleeping pill, for Christ’s sake. Mom takes two and I only gave Ella one. She’s such a lightweight.” Cat paused and smiled at me. “If I’d known fighting for you would turn you on, I’d have jumped in her shit a long time ago. Trust me, baby, she wouldn’t need to be drugged for me to handle her. After I’d kicked her ass, I’d have taken good care of you, and you would’ve forgotten all about Ella. Just like I’m going to tonight,” she breathed as she closed in to kiss me.

I’d heard enough. Her explanation of why she’d drugged Ella had the ring of truth. I grabbed her by her hair as I glared at her, preventing her lips from reaching mine.

“You like it rough?” she sneered, her eyes bright with excitement. “You want a woman that’ll fight for you? I’ll fucking fight for you, and I’ll fuck up any bitch that stands in my way. Come on, show me that big cock of yours! I’ll fuck you good.”

“You’re one nasty fucking bitch!” I growled, no longer pretending.

“Yeah, I’m your nasty fucking bitch! Come on, you want to fuck me? I want you to fuck the shit out of me, you bastard.” I threw her away from me. She sneered at me as I stood. She still didn’t get it. “That’s right,” she sneered as she got to her feet. “You want it? I bet you know how to use that big cock of yours, don’t you?”

“You drugged the woman I was going to marry, you whore,” I growled, my voice low and threatening. Her smile slowly faded. “I’m damn sure not going to put my cock where I wouldn’t poke a stick.”

“What? I don’t understand? I thought you wanted…” She paused as her face hardened. “You fucking prick! You lying fucking asshole! This was all a lie!” She paused as she glared at me with a mixture of anger, hate, and fear. “Joke’s on you, asshole! I made it all up because I thought that’s what you wanted to hear! You can’t prove a fucking thing!”

“I don’t need to. I know the truth when I hear it, and I’m going to tell everyone who will listen what you did.”

“It’ll be your word against mine! Nobody’ll believe you! Nobody cares anymore!”

“Mine and Ella’s word, and I care.”

“Get out! Get out before I call the cops, you fucking piece of shit!”

I smiled nastily and touched my forehead with two fingers in a parting salute before I turned for the door. “You’re a fucking asshole!” she screamed. “You always were!” I was still smiling as I shut the door on her without a backwards glance.