Chapter Nine:Locked in, locked out

"Melinda? Is anything wrong?" she ran down the stairs, and jumped into his arms.

"Everything is wrong, Rick, everything!" she sobbed in his shoulder.

"Melinda, get back up here, we have business to finish."

"I'M NEVER GOING TO LISTEN TO YOU AGAIN!" she screamed.

"What the hell is going on?" Rick asked.

"Him. He wants to ruin my life. Starting with moving to California."

"California? No. You're never moving to California, Melinda, I'll make sure off that."

"And he was trying to lock me up."

"What? Lock you up?"

"Yes!"

"That's it, Melinda, I'm getting you out of this marriage."

"Don't even try, Payne. Melinda's mine. Also, we are still very much in love."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP, JIM!" and Melinda stormed out the door, with Rick on her heels.

"Hey, are you ok?" Rick asked Melinda, as he watched her picking at her Greek salad.

"I'm sorry. I can't believe my marriage is almost over. At the beginning to the third year of marriage, it seamed like a fairy tale. Everyone said that it was Jim and Melinda forever. But they were all wrong."

tears climbed down her cheeks once more.

"Last night was one of the worst nights I ever had. He yelled at me till three o'clock in the morning."

"Wow. The longest I yelled at Kate was about five minutes. But... when did you get home at?"

"Eleven."

"So... he yelled at you for four hours."

"Yes."

"Holy. So... do you want to stay over tonight?"

she managed to smile.

"I'd appreciate this. Thanks. I never want to go back to the house- unless if Jim ever leaves- and it would be better than a lonely old hotel room."

"No problem, Melinda. It would be fun. I have many guest rooms to fill- besides, you're my best friend. You can even move in. Yes, do that. Move in."

"Rick, don't you think you're going overboard?" he stood up.

"No, I'm not, Melinda!"

"But what if you find a girlfriend? What if you want her to move in? I'll stay until I can get back on my feet, then, I'll be gone. Ok?"

She really isn't in love with me, isn't she?

"Uh... ok, I guess."

"Alright."

"Now, should we go back to Grandview?" they were at a Greek restaurant in Sunset Park.

"Sure." they paid for the meals, and left.

They got into Rick's Land Rover, and headed back to Grandview.

Melinda took out her cell phone, and called the fire house, to see Jim's schedule.

"Driscoll County Fire Station. This is Kristen."

"Hi. I'm just wondering when Jim Clancy is s'pose to be in."

"Uh... let me check.... Oh, he came in at twelve."

"Ok, thanks! And don't tell him that his wife called, please!"

Kristen laughed.

"Promise I wont, Melinda. Bye!"

"Good bye." she glanced at the time.

One o'clock.

"He's gone! Let's go!" they drove to the gloomy house that Melinda previously lived in.

They rushed inside, and ran upstairs.

About an hour later, Melinda filled up four suitcases.

Mel grabbed two, Rick grabbed two, and they headed out the door.

Melinda locked the door, and put her things in the back of Rick's LR.

Then, they drove to Rick's huge and snazzy house, (Kate was very wealthy, along with Rick's money, they could afford many things) and brought all of Mel's stuff in the biggest guestroom.

Once she was all settled in, she fell back on her new king size bed.

Rick joined her.

"You can decorate it anyway you would like, Mel, after you and the freak get divorced."

"Whoa, Rick. I don't think that Jim will give up, yet. Even if we do get divorced, he might even come and kidnap me."

Rick began to laugh.

"Not with me he won't!"

Melinda giggled.

"You have a point about that!"

Rick smiled.

Now. Kiss her now. She's getting divorced. Besides, we nearly kissed a few months ago. She must love me!

Rick started to advance his face towards hers.

But then, her cell phone wrung.

God d**n it!

Melinda rolled her eyes.

"It's my husband."

"Give me that!' he flipped open the cell.

"Richard Payne's office."

Melinda buried her face in a pillow to laugh.

"Get my wife on the line, Payne. Or I'm calling the police."

"Oh, hey Jim! Why are you calling my office, for? Isn't that funny? Do you have a question to ask me on the occult?"

"PAYNE, GIVE THE d**n PHONE TO MY WIFE!"

"Melinda isn't here. She's gone to California."

"Why California?"

"I don't know! She told me to drop her off at the airport, and that she's running off to California."

"Oh, what a fake story, Payne."

Rick began to laugh.

"Well, I guess you aren't arsenic dumb corresponding like Mel says you are."

"I'm calling the police Payne. Then, my wife will never see you again."

"What will you tell em' Jim? A naughty professor kidnapped my wife? Oh, very ingenious of you."

Melinda couldn't help herself anymore. She let go of pillow and started to laugh and cry.

Rick frowned at her.

"Mel...."

"MELINDA, GET ON THE PHONE!" Jim yelled through the phone.

Melinda grabbed the phone.

"What do you want, Jim?"

"Where the hell are you?"

"California. Oh, don't worry, the naughty professor didn't do anything to me."

Rick gave her a playful shove.

"Where are you, Melinda?"

"I told you, California!" "Then why is this motion detector pointing to Richard Payne's house?"

"Motion detector? What do you mean? A locating device?"

"You answered your question. Locating device. I'm at the police station. If you don't come back home, I'm going to come and get you, with police backing me up."

"Good bye, Jim. My lawyer will be contacting yours soon." she hung up.

"Wow. I didn't realize the police were there. If I knew, I would have been more careful."

"Hey, don't worry. Rick, thank you, for everything you're doing for me."

Rick held out his arms, and Melinda fell into them.

"I don't perceive the difference of what I would do if I didn't know you, Melinda Gordon."

"Me neither." she whispered.

At that moment, he knew that one day, somehow, he knew that they would be happily married.

Again, somehow.

:D please comment!