When I first met Courtney during a job interview, she was nearly thirty years old. But I was shocked when I found that out. She looked no more than a teenager, or maybe twenty. I had been shocked when she had informed me that she was a mother of an adolescent daughter. She had only been eighteen when an early pregnancy test had totally changed her plans. While she wasn't the best student, she was capable of getting a college degree had it not been for the pressing need to get a job and support herself. You see, the family financial crisis that truncated her academic career happened when her family withdrew any financial support when they found out she was pregnant. And after that, her family had almost nothing to do with her. Her father died only a year or so after he heard the news. He had been the reason she had never used tobacco, since she had known from about age fifteen that he was dying of cancer because of smoking for thirty years. And after his death, her mom had tried to blame Courtney for causing him to go sooner. Needless to say, by the time I met her, she had no relationship at all with her mom.

And in general, Courtney was sort of bitter. She had agreed to have the baby and raise her alone. The bum who had gotten her pregnant didn't want to get married, so he joined the Army and took off. But his parents wanted to take total control. When the child was only eight months old, they had taken her to court and sued her for custody. Since Courtney was only working part-time in order to be with her child as much as possible, her living conditions were tentative at best. The courts agreed with the paternal grandparents that they had better means and would provide the child a safer and happier home. Then on a visit, she had taken the girl and tried to run away. Her car had broken down and she was arrested but later released since the grandparents agreed not to press charges in exchange for sole custody without visitation rights. I guess it was understandable that Courtney had reason to be bitter. And she had a chip on her shoulder that would force most people to their knees. But it just made her bitchy most of the time.

I hired her as a receptionist. She was as smooth as silk during the interview, but after she was hired, her attitude steadily grew worse. Finally after only three months, I'd had enough. I called her into my office and fired her.

"Courtney, when I hired you, I had the impression that you were a kind, soft spoken and polite person. I was really impressed with how pleasant you were. You totally charmed me. But over the past two months, I've come to realize that you are anything else but that. You are mean spirited and petty. You treat people with disdain and often are just plain rude. I don't need someone like that at my front desk. So as much as I hate to do this, I'm afraid I have no alternative but to let you go."

She sat quietly for several minutes and then she totally fell apart. It quickly became obvious that all the hostility was just a front. She used her disagreeable attitude as a wall between herself and any other human being who might become her friend only long enough to break her heart and spirit again. She put her face in her hands and cried. She attempted to explain herself through sobs and sniffing.

"I hate it that I'm that way. Whenever I get comfortable with people, I become a bitch. I don't wanna let anyone like me or become my friend, because then they can shit on me. I've had my heart broken so many times by people I thought were my friends. I promise, if you'll give me one more chance, I can change."

I was more than hesitant to give her any slack. She was on the verge of causing other employees and customers to say goodbye to me. I just couldn't afford to lose either. But I felt something stirring as I watched this girl cry into her hands.

"Look Courtney, I really would like to be able to help you. But I don't see how I can."

She was beginning to harden again. I could tell that she was turning on the tough act to protect herself.

"Yeah, I've heard that before. People always say they're willing to help, but they stop short of actually doing anything."

Then my sexual cravings began to interfere with my thoughts. She did look hot and there were those terrific legs. And she really liked to show them off. Then I started to develop an idea. It was really more a fantasy, since I had no intention of letting her stay in the present situation. But if I could think of another solution, then I might be willing to give it a try.

"Would you be willing to have therapy to help you deal with your problems?"

"Therapy? You mean see a shrink? You think it would help? If it would help me keep my job, I'd do it. But how am I gonna to pay for it? I don't have any insurance. I don't have any friends and no family who would help me."

He realized that this was exactly the situation he needed to make one of his dreams come true. To lend the impression of concern and maybe of joining forces with her, he scooted forward in his desk chair and leaned on his elbows on the desk.

"I have an idea. But you would have to help me do this and you cannot tell anyone about it. Not another soul can know about it. You understand?"

"No, I don't really understand, but I could do that, keep it to myself, I mean, what do I have to do?"

"The company has insurance for employee assistance. If we have an employee who is having problems like using drugs or alcohol, or they have emotional problems that are interfering with them doing their job, then we can send them to a therapist and pay for it."

"Okay, I can do that."

"But we have to document the need. You'll have to do a couple of things to make sure you qualify."

Now she leaned forward too. Her body language certainly told me that she was interested.

"Just tell me what to do."

"Well, okay, we're gonna have to figure out just how to do this and not get caught. First, I'm gonna need to leave early this afternooon. In fact, for this to work, I'm gonna have to be leaving in about fifteen minutes. Here's what I want you to do. Wait until after I've gone and then send me an e-mail. Tell me that after our talk, you realize that you have no future here or anywhere else for that matter. And that it's time for you to take your life in your own hands. Or perhaps it's just time for you to take your life. Make it really sad and depressed sounding. Don't actually threaten suicide 'cause most people who do that are just seeking sympathy. But try to be a little obvious that you're considering doing just that. You should say that you have no friends or family. You're alone and now you're gonna be unemployed. Then after you send it to me, take your personal stuff and put it in a copy paper box that you can get at the copy room. Leave the office and drive out to Victory Park to the World War monument. Do you know where I mean?"

She didn't speak, but indicated a positive reply with a shake of her head.

"As cold as it is today, there won't be anyone around. Park in the lot at the river overlook, you know where those cliffs are? There's a path just to the left of the monument that goes out to the overlook. Get out of the car and leave the motor running and the driver's door open and walk out the trail toward the river for maybe a hundred feet. Take your purse with you. And drop it beside the trail. You can take any cash out of it and put that in your coat pocket since they don't know if you have any with you anyway. But leave your ID and driver's license to help identify you. When the cops come to investigate, they'll find your purse too and return it to you. That'll really prove that you're not faking it since, no one would leave their purse on purpose. Then walk to the far end of the parking lot. I'll pick you up and give you a ride home. The police will find the car and they'll come to your house. When they talk with you, tell them that you don't remember where you left your car, or how you got home. Say that you must have walked or taken a taxi or something. It's like only two or three miles from the park to your apartment complex, so you could walk that distance without any problem. And tomorrow, don't come in for work. I'll call you around ten when you don't come in and after we talk, I'll call employee assistance and arrange an appointment. We'll have the weird e-mail and a police report that includes strange behavior. That should be enough. Now you can't tell anyone that I helped you do any of this or that you've even seen me after you leave the office today. Agreed?"

"That's all I have to do? That's pretty simple."

"Yeah, it is simple, as long as no one else gets involved."

"Okay, I'll go do the e-mail now and then you'll meet me at the park in about an hour?"

"Yep. I'll go home and get my camper since it won't be as easily recognized if anyone actually sees us. I'll meet you there in about sixty minutes."

Rather than going home, I went out to the farm I own. It's only twelve miles from town. I have a motorhome that I store there in the barn. Before leaving for my rendezvous, I grabbed a few things I thought I might need to make my trip a success. It was a good plan. But my plan was even more complex and it was going to last a lot longer. And she wasn't aware of the real outcome, at least not yet. But she would be pretty soon.

The drive to the park was actually shorter for me from the farm than it would be for her from the office. When I got there, I parked at the far end of the lot some fifty yards away from the monument. I quickly scanned the surrounding park and was pleased that the temperature in the teens had discouraged any attendance in the area, at least at this late time of day. It was beginning to grow dark since the day was overcast and threatening snow. I guessed it would be totally dark within the next half-hour.

I had been there for about twenty minutes when I saw her black Toyota Corolla sedan pull in at the other end of the parking lot. As I watched, she did exactly as I had suggested. Pulling diagonally across two parking spaces, she left the car running and opened the driver's door. I could see from the fact that the dome light remained on that she had left the door open. I watched as she walked out the trail onto the bluff overlooking the river. Several minutes later she returned, sans purse and walked toward me.

I left my seat long enough to open the side entrance door for her. She looked up at me and smiled as she climbed aboard.

"Did you talk to anyone since you and I talked last?"

"Only Pam. She was in the copy room when I got the box. She asked me how things were going and I told that they sucked, but that I was going to fix that pretty soon. Then I went back to my cubicle and did the e-mail and packed the stuff in the box and put it in my car. Then I came straight here."

"Perfect. Now let's get you home so you can wait for the cops to come. But first, since we're so close, is it okay with you if I go to my house to leave this camper and get my car? Won't take but maybe fifteen minutes."

"Okay. I guess that won't hurt anything. Besides, it gives me walking time, right?"

"Yeah, sure."

At every thought, I got an injection of adrenalin. My heart was pounding and my face felt flushed. I was really glad that the farm was so close by. If I had to wait much longer to spring my trap, I would have had a nervous breakdown. But fortunately, I was pulling into the drive within ten minutes. She had sat on the sofa in back to avoid being seen as we left the park, but now as I slowed and turned, she had moved up front to the right passenger seat so that she could see.

"Is this where you live? It's like a farm or something, isn't it?"

"Yep. It was my grandfather's farm and I got it from my parents' estate several years ago when my mother died. I haven't really lived here all the time, but I think I will be for the next several months or maybe even years. I'll probably move down here slowly from the house in the city over the next few weeks."

"Why've you decided to do that after all this time? Didn't you say that you'd inherited it several years ago?"

I pulled the big camper into the pole barn and used the remote to close the barn door. I shut down everything and then stood and offered my guest a hand. As soon as she was standing, I stuck my right hand in the black suede collar of the grey tweed knee-length coat she wore. It was completely unbuttoned and I was able to pull it off her shoulders and toss it onto the arm of the sofa. She grabbed at it as it flew through the air.

"Why'd you do that? It's cold outside and I don't really have time to stay do I?"

One of the things I'd gotten from the house earlier was a blue steel .357 revolver. I pulled it from my belt where it had been hidden by my jacket until I stood up. I made sure that she had a good view of it before putting it into my jacket pocket. Then I moved so that I was immediately in front of her, no more than six inches between us, invading her personal space.

"Well, I've decided to stay down here because now I have you. Before, I would have been lonely."

"Whadya mean, you have me?'"

"I've decided to keep you prisoner here. I'm going to make you my sex toy."