The Grocery Store

"Ms. Bernheimer, your qualifications seem to far exceed what we are looking for. Would you care to explain why you applied?"

"Well Mr. Smith, I had broken up with my boyfriend, even though I prefer not to call him that. He said that no matter where I went he would see to it that I didn't get hired. I've been to every financial institution in the city and I've been turned down by everyone.

"I do have a Masters degree in Accounting and have been doing taxes for companies for over fifteen years."

"Why were you let go from the Peoples Bank if they had no problem with you?"

"It's rather personal but my ex boyfriend beat up the manager and then I was fired. I'm sorry, I should probably leave. I'm sure someone will be here soon to tell you not to hire me anyway. I'm sorry for wasting your time." She went to get up and I asked her to wait in our other office.

Something wasn't right here. This woman was very attractive, probably around forty and exceptionally intelligent. I wanted to know what the problem was here. About that time Marci told me that a Stan Folkert wanted to speak to me.

He came in my office and I asked him what I could do for him. At first he seemed surprised that I was a large man.

"Mr. Smith, I here to do you a great favor. A woman by the name of Mary Bernheimer will probably be here to interview for a position in accounting. My client has had a number of problems with her and I'm here to tell you that it is in your best interest not to hire this woman."

I already disliked this guy. I thought I'd play along with him till I got bored. "So is her work less than acceptable? According to our records she has been an exemplary employee till she was let go from her last employer. What can you tell us about her or the client you represent?"

"I'm sorry but all our information is confidential."

"You asshole! You come into my business and try and tell me who I can and cannot hire. Get the fuck out of my office before I have you thrown out! If I ever see you around here again or near Ms. Bernheimer I'll see that both of your arms and kneecaps are broken."

"You are making a very grave mistake Mr. Smith."

My loud talking brought both Marci and my butcher Bruce into the office. I asked Marci to escort Mary into the room.

"Mary, do you know this jackass?"

"Yes, he's an attorney for Romeo Fazio, my ex so-called boyfriend."

Stan started to put his hand near his jacket. "Prick face, if you're going after a gun, Bruce will have a meat cleaver in the back of your head in three seconds. I suggest you take it out slowly and place it on my desk, then turn around, get your worthless ass the fuck out of here, and tell your boss not to send a boy to do a man's job."

"You're making a gigantic mistake, Mr. Smith. She isn't worth it. Do you have any idea who Romeo Fazio is?"

"Sure I do. When you see him tell him Billy-Bob Smith will be waiting for him." Stan must have recognized my name, and went pale as he left the store.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Smith, I should have known better than to apply for a job anywhere. I put people in danger."

I sent Bruce back to the meat department and thanked him for having my back. "Anytime Boss," he replied.

I had Marci and Mary sit down. "Mary, I plan on hiring you but you have to be totally honest with me. If I find out you're lying, we can't help you."

"Are you really the Billy-Bob Smith that killed Lee Fazio?"

"Yes. it was me, but that was a long time ago. I need to know what we're facing now. Please start from the beginning."

"I met Romeo about eight years ago. I never had dated much and one day he approached me at the bank and asked me out. I knew he had a bad boy reputation but every woman thinks she can change that.

"On our first date we had sex. He kind of forced me but I didn't put up the biggest fight. He started seeing me regularly and we always went out to nice restaurants for dinner and he would buy me things. I thought he really liked me but he was just using me like he did a number of women.

"When I told him I didn't want to see him anymore he laughed at me. He said no woman has a choice of leaving him. I would be his till he threw me out. I got pregnant with our first child. Now I knew I couldn't just leave him. My best days were when he just left me alone.

"Shortly after my son was born I was pregnant again with a girl. He laughed and told me how potent he was. I worked during the day and took care of my babies in the evening. We didn't want for anything. I made enough money to support my kids.

"When they were three and four years old I took them and tried to run away. He found me and beat me. He said the next time I tried that he would kill my babies." Mary was crying.

We stopped for a few minutes and Marci got us all some coffee. I had to feel sorry for this woman. Someone had to stop that asshole. I still wondered if he had anything to do with my wife's death. I still didn't believe she committed suicide.

Mary continued on with her story.

"I was taking birth control pills so I wouldn't have any more kids, but didn't tell Romeo; I had to hide them. One day I talked with my boss at the office, his name was Tom Banks. Romeo found out we had dinner together and called me a whore and a slut. He beat up Tom really bad.

"We were just having dinner after doing an inventory. Romeo wouldn't believe me. He took me to his club and let all his friends have their way with me. I went along because I knew he would beat me if I didn't. Afterwards he told me I earned my freedom and to get the hell out.

"The next day when I went to work I found out I was let go. I went to pick my kids up at day care and was told their father picked them up. I called Romeo and he said I couldn't have the kids. I was an unfit mother and he had the pictures to prove it. He had taken them at the gang bang.

"He put my kids in a boarding school. I went to a judge and he said I could see the kids every other Sunday but they couldn't leave the facility. I tried to fight it but I had no job and had to give up my condo and find a cheap apartment. I made sure I was there every other Sunday to see my kids.

"I miss them and I know they miss me. This rest of the story you already know."

"Mary, one more question. Did he ever talk about the death of my wife?"

"He once told me that if I caused him any more trouble that I would end up the same way your wife did. I wasn't sure what he meant because I would never commit suicide as long as my kids were alive."

"Mary, you got the job and you can start tomorrow." She thanked me and even gave me a hug.

After she left Marci asked if we were doing the right thing. I asked her if we didn't help Mary, who would. She gave me a hug and a smile.

Chapter 3 Starting the job:

Marci and Bob were both back running their stores. They were told to watch out for anything that didn't seem right. Mary was working at my store so I figured if there were any problems it would happen here.

She was so smart. She had no trouble at all using our computers and updating many of our files. I stopped in her office and she mentioned a few ideas that would make posting much easier. Before we knew it, it was time to close shop.

I asked Mary if she would like to stop next door at the restaurant and get a bite to eat. She told me she was really hungry so we had dinner together. I asked her if she would be all right going home by herself and she said she thought she would.

Things were normal for about two weeks. Then one day Mary left the store and called me to tell me her apartment was on fire when she got there. I rushed over and the fire department was still there. The chief who was a friend of mine told me that someone left a skillet on the burner and didn't turn it off.

I went to mention it to Mary and she told me she hasn't used the stove in three days. Someone else started the fire. I told it to the Chief and he said it couldn't be proven who might have started it. Most of the damage was in the kitchen area.

"Bill, we had to break down the front door to get in and put out the fire. We would have no way of knowing if someone was here before us. We'll have to list it as an accident. I'm sorry."

Mary was crying. "When is it going to stop? Why won't he just give me my kids and leave me alone? Where am I supposed to live now? Most of my personal things are no longer any good."

I hugged her. It isn't something I normally do, especially with employees, but this was an exception. "Mary, everything will be ok. I'm here to help you."

"I don't have anywhere to go. I've lost most of my belongings. I don't know which way to turn."

"Mary, come home with me. I have an extra apartment since the kids moved out. You can stay there. Tomorrow we'll come and see if we can salvage anything. Believe me, I won't let anyone hurt you."

I called Marci and told her what had happened and that I was going to let Marci stay in her old apartment. Marci was worried for her also. She told me she would take her shopping the next day and pick up some personal things. My kids are the best!

I knew I had to develop a plan to take care of this asshole once and for all. I didn't want to go back to prison but I would if I had to. Mary moved into the apartment across from me and she and Marci did go shopping and pick up some personal items and a few changes of clothes.

The next day we went back and salvaged whatever we could of her things.

Mary and I ate dinner at a restaurant or she would make me dinner at her or my apartment. Bob and Marci stopped by our store every couple of days to make sure every thing was ok. We hadn't had any problems in over a month.

I was beginning to really like Mary. I wasn't the type of person to show a lot of outward affection but I believe Mary could tell how I felt. I was sure Marci and Bob knew it too. They were always able to see changes in me.

I also knew Romeo wouldn't give up that easy. He was the type to lull a person and than strike back. I figured I'd play his game. I had old friends that I trusted to keep an eye out for anyone seeming suspicious. They knew what to look for. I wanted to make sure my family was protected as well as Mary.

It was now October and Marci was planning her wedding. We had a couple of weeks to go. Since her fiancé Lance was a cop, we had a lot of extra cruisers touring our parking lots. If they would come in, we always offered free coffee and donuts.

Our stores would be closing early that day so all our employees could attend the wedding and reception. I wanted the best for Marci. Mary would be going with me. She has told me she felt safe with me around.

I made sure that I had lookouts at each store for the night. It would have been a good time to set some kind of trap. We didn't worry about trouble at the wedding since we had half the police force in attendance for Lance.

The wedding was beautiful. Marci looked like my little angel as I walked her down the aisle. It brought tears to my eyes even though I felt like an overgrown penguin in the tux. If I laid on my back I would look like Shamu the whale. All in all, I made it through the wedding and it was fantastic.

At the reception I removed my jacket and felt much better. I danced with my beautiful daughter and it brought tears to my eyes. She looked a lot like her mother. These were the events that family should be together.

I danced with Mary. We had been intimate a few times but tried not to show our relationship in public. I couldn't hide it from Marci. That girl knew me like a book. She just told be to be careful and I always had her blessing. She and Mary got along fine.

Near the end of the reception, I got a call. One of my stakeouts found a man planting a bomb under one of my delivery trucks. It was the one I often drove and left it parked in the back of the lot.

The man was on his back and caught dead to rights. I told my stakeout, who had a gun pointed to the bomber's head, to ask him who he worked for. He told him Romeo Fazio. He was being paid ten thousand dollars to set the bomb.

I told my stakeout who knew his shit to walk back to the store and to take the remote with him. When he was a safe distance away to push the button. A few minutes later I heard a large noise.

I was standing next to the Chief of police when my cell phone rang. I told him I had a stakeout at each store and one just called and said someone just blew up my delivery truck. He was going out to see if he could find out anything.

The chief had me call him back and to tell him to stay inside the store till the police arrived. I did as I was asked. The Chief made a couple of calls and said he would get back to me. I told him the wedding reception was about over and I didn't want to ruin my daughter's special day; he understood.

I mentioned it to Bob so he would be aware. Marci and Lance were leaving for a week on a cruise and we didn't want to spoil it for them. Everyone wished them the best as Lance's best man drove them to the airport. Dad was going to manage the store for her while she was gone.

The chief got back to me and said a man was killed while planting the bomb. He was a mess seeing he was caught under the truck during the explosion. He couldn't be immediately identified but his wallet was still in tact, seeing it was in his back pocket.

His name was Tony Fiaety, and he was known to work for Romeo Fazio. They found the remote in Tony's car. He was probably going to make sure I was in the truck before hitting the remote.

They talked to my stakeout. He said he was inside stacking shelves when he heard an explosion. He went to the locked rear door and saw the truck on fire. He immediately called Mr. Smith. He had no idea that anyone was under it.

I received a call from Marci who heard the story on the radio. I told her not to worry about it. It was all taken care of and the police were on it. I told her to just have a wonderful honeymoon. We would be here for her when she and Lance got back.

The chief asked me to not get involved and definitely not do something stupid. He would make sure there were patrols watching our area even more. I told him I wasn't afraid of Romeo, so I wouldn't start any trouble, but I sure the hell would finish it if he got in my face. This was me and my family he was dealing with.

Chapter 4: What next?

It was Sunday and I took Mary to see her kids. I even went in to meet them. At first the receptionist told me I wasn't allowed in but I think I gave her a mind-changer look she wasn't overly happy with.

"Lady, Mary is my fiancée and these will be my future step-children. I suggest you let me see them or I'll get a court order and have a marshal down here in five minutes." I just made up the fiancée part but it worked.

"Ok, I'm sorry but the kids aren't allowed to leave the premises."

"That's fine, we will obey your rules. Mary just wants to see her kids. I think you can understand that." The woman softened a little and smiled.

I meet Mary's kids. It was funny that her son was named Bill; she called him Billy and her daughter Heather. They were so happy to see her. We brought them a few items they had asked her for. She introduced them to me and they were surprised at my size. I sat down and told them I had a daughter and son also but they were grown up now.

Mary was talking to the kids and I glanced outside in the parking lot. I saw a black car parked maybe fifty feet behind our car. I couldn't see any reason for him being there. I called the chief and asked if he had us followed. When he told me no, I mentioned the car in the parking lot.

Twenty minutes later I saw a police cruiser pull up and arrest the man. The chief called me back and said the man had no valid reason to be at a kid's facility. He was searched, as well as his car. They found he had a gun with no serial numbers on it and no carrying permit as well as some pills in an unmarked bottle. It reminded me of what they found on Mary's nightstand.

They also found that he was smoking a little weed at the time. There was more than enough evidence to put him away for a while. Drugs near a school and carrying a gun illegally would tie him up good. He didn't admit he worked for Romeo but the chief and I both knew better.

I didn't mention what went on in the parking lot to Mary. She had enough problems on her plate. When it was time to leave, she cried when she had to say goodbye to her kids. I promised them that we would do our best so they could be with their mother.

Romeo was getting pissed at losing his people. His eye for an eye wasn't working in his favor. I knew we couldn't play the game much longer. He was going after my family, my girlfriend, yes Mary was my girlfriend, and me.

It was time for Thanksgiving and we decided to have it at our house. Mary said she would make the turkey and Marci would help her. I let all my employees at all three stores off early Thanksgiving eve and of course we were all closed Thanksgiving day. They all had families to enjoy the holiday with. This time I didn't even have stakeouts at the stores. The police department said they would make a few extra passes by the stores.

Dinner was wonderful but before we ate everyone made a wish. Marci and Lance for a wonderful life together. Bob and his now fiancée hoped all would work out well for them. Mary had tears in her eyes when she wished she could soon be united with her children. My mom and dad were thankful for such a wonderful family.

They looked at me and asked what I wished for. "I wish that all your wishes will come true. I love you all." That was saying a lot from me. Mainly I hoped another day wouldn't go by with Romeo still alive.

We had a wonderful dinner. We all helped clean up the mess and left the leftovers on the counter to munch on. Everyone was still at the house, and we were playing board games when there was a knock on the door. Marci got up and answered it. It was Chief Harrison.

His name was Henry but I always called him Chief. We actually played football together. "Chief come on in. Have a drink with us."

"Sorry Bill but I'm working. I could use a cup of coffee. I see your whole family is here. I have something to tell all of you."

He sat down and was drinking his coffee. He looked over at Lance who was a police officer in his department. "Lance, has everyone here now been here all day?"

We looked over at Lance. "Yes Chief, we all arrived just after noon and no one has even left the house. Not even to go next door to the store. What has happened?"

He looked over at me. "Bill, Romeo was found dead at his lounge around three this afternoon. There were two pill bottles with no prescriptions on them. They were similar to those found on Mary's nightstand years ago. We know that it wasn't suicide because his hands where both chopped off with what seem like a meat clever. It was then planted in the back of his head."

Everyone looked shocked but me. I very rarely showed any emotion. "Since you have an alibi I'll need to talk to all of your meat department employees tomorrow."

"No problem, Chief. I'll go with you. I'm willing to say none of them would do such a thing."

"Bill, most of them have been convicted of numerous crimes...."

"Yes and every one of them has been clean as a whistle since. All have families and doing their best to walk a straight line." I've always stood up for my friends.

We did go and talk to everyone who worked for me. Every one of them had good alibis and were having Thanksgiving with family and friends. After a month of trying to find out who killed Romeo, the file went in the unsolved folder. The autopsy came back as a drug overdose, how ironic. The MO said the chopped off hands and cleaver in his head was done post mortem.

I suggested that someone who worked for him was thinking he was getting too sloppy and decided he wanted to be the new boss. I told the chief that they probably used the cleaver to throw the blame in our direction. The Chief might just want to keep his eyes open for the new boss of Romeo's mob.