A short chapter but I felt this one needed to stand alone. Thank you for your support!
Chapter 9
Smack! The knife cut through the fresh chicken, causing bone and flesh to separate. Wilma wasn't paying attention to her work though. She was watching from the kitchen window as Heath worked on the cabinets. He was attracted to Ella, Wilma was sure of that fact. Ella, however, had eyes only for her husband. She would never dream of cheating on Jonathon, another fact of which Wilma was sure.
If only, she thought. If only I could get that little vixen to turn her attention to the cowboy. She doesn't deserve Jonathon! She's got all of her life to live still. He needs someone who would understand him. Not some child.
Smack! She placed the piece she'd just cut into the large pot. She was seething. In her mind, she wasn't cutting the chicken, but the throat of her mistress. She hated Ella. Hated her! She'd destroyed everything when she'd come into their lives. Jonathon had been just about to realize how much he needed Wilma. Wilma smiled slightly as she recalled the time they'd spent together. It was shortly after his first wife's death, and Jonathon was consumed with grief. He drank heavily for days, trying to shut out the pain. Wilma, the devoted employee she was, brought him his drinks when he asked. Once, in his drunkenness, he'd reached for her. The night had been glorious, and he was as good as she'd dreamed he would be. She thought for sure as soon as he awoke with her in his arms, he'd realize how much he needed her.
Smack! Instead, he'd been appalled by his actions, apologizing profusely. He had been drunk and didn't know what he was doing. Wilma tried to convince him otherwise, but he wouldn't listen. He offered to help her find another job; offered to give her a large sum to help start a new life somewhere. She'd refused. She decided she would wait it out, help him to see how he needed her. She didn't want to work somewhere else. She wanted to stay with him. They never spoke of that night again. She could sense Jonathon was anxious for the next several months in case their night spent together resulted in a child. It angered her the way he breathed a sigh of relief when six months passed and it was clear no child had been conceived.
Smack! Then Ella came along. Sweet, innocent, young Ella. Whose body was lithe and whose figure drove Jonathon to distraction. She hated the way he looked at Ella. That was how Wilma wanted him to see her. She was closer to his age, and she could do so much more for him. Hadn't their night been glorious? Now...now he wanted only Ella. Wilma could hear them at night. She knew when they made love. She heard the laughter, the passionate way each cried out the other's name.
Smack! Ella had to be taken care of and soon. Wilma thought over and over how she could make that happen, knowing she couldn't kill her. Not like she had Christine. That would cause suspicion to come her way. The herbs bought Wilma time, but that time was running out. It was only a matter of time until the doctor in San Francisco figured out the herbs Ella was taking were keeping her from conceiving. It had been easy to poison Christine. She was such a simple person. Not a beauty in any way, but Jonathon had loved her deeply. Wilma carefully placed the herbs only in Christine's food. It had taken several months, and although it pained Wilma to watch Jonathon go through such heart ache, she knew it was worth it. Christine died a slow, painful death. Wilma held her breath, hoping the doctor would not dig deeper into the cause of her illness. The old man said it was cancer though and Wilma was relieved. She had been sorry about the baby, knowing if she'd been aware, she would have waited until after the child was born before poisoning Christine. That was the past though, and there was nothing to be done about it.
Smack! Heath went into the shed, then came back out with more wood. Wilma smiled slightly. If she could get Jonathon to doubt Ella's commitment to him, even just a little, she'd be able to sway him. It would have to be the perfect plan though. Jonathon was a smart man.
Smack! Wilma would wait and see how things progressed with Heath and his work at the house. She'd seen how Jonathon had tensed up at lunch the day before. She'd heard the argument and knew it wasn't because of Ella's trips to the orphanage. Jonathon hadn't liked the fact Ella was laughing with Heath. She was sure of it. Yet the little twit wasn't smart enough to recognize her husband's jealousy. That could work to Wilma's advantage though. She smiled again. She'd be patient. Smack!