Execution of Innocence Read Online Free PDF Page A

in love. And he seemed to like her as well, although he had never said the three magical words. She was not totally sure he knew what they were. She was going to have to teach him, oh yes, when she was lying naked beside him.
    It was a fantasy of hers.
    But good old Charlie was just too good. After eating a half pound of steak and three baked potatoes, and then opening the box that held the sweater she had stayed up many nights knitting him, he just gave her a quick kiss and turned on a football game. Now Mary liked football. She often watched it with her father, who was a big Pac Ten fan. But at that moment she felt like cursing the man who had designed the football. For God's sakes, she had on a light sweater and no bra, a pair of silky sweats that a stiff breeze could have vaporized. She was even leaning on him, stroking his hair, but the jocks in black were going for it on third and long. For some reason she just lost it then.
    She picked up an old shoe and threw it at the screen.
    It exploded, which surprised them both.
    “Wow,” Charlie said. “I thought you liked football?”
    Mary got up slowly and stared at the glass on the floor and the hole in her parents' brand-new RCA big screen. She had not thrown the shoe hard; then she noticed that a golf ball had rolled out of the toe.
    “This is terrible,” she gasped.
    “I don’t know, the Raiders were going to lose anyway.”
    She clenched her fists. “I am not talking about the stupid game!”
    Charlie stared up at her with his innocent blue eyes.
    “What's wrong?” he asked.
    “I want you to kiss me.”
    “I was going to kiss you later.”
    “I want you to make love to me.”
    His eyes got real wide. “Really?”
    She lowered her head. “Yeah. But I didn't want to have to beg.”
    He stood and leaned over and kissed her deeply. He slowly pulled off her sweater and kissed her again. Then he just stared at her, all of her, and she blushed.
    “What?” she said.
    “You're beautiful.”
    She took his hand, wanting to put it on her breast but was too shy.
    “I'm not beautiful,” she said. “I'm just cute. Like you.”
    He hugged her. “Mary, you are a goddess.”
    They stepped on some glass on the way to the bedroom. They both cut their feet, but not too bad. But later she was to think maybe it had been an omen, the blood on the sheets. She was not one of those girls who had a lot of guilt over sex. Still, at the back of her mind, she wondered if she would have to pay the price for her joy. He loved her deeply even though he never told her he loved her.
     
    School was back in session for only a few hours after Christmas vacation when Richard Spelling crossed her path. She had dated him twice the previous year, and the second time he had tried hard to get in her pants, but she hadn’t seen much of him since then. He had supposedly spent the summer in Malibu polishing his tan, and now that he was school president he acted as if he was too busy for the likes of her. Not that she missed his advances this year or last. Yet she held nothing against him, Dick could be charming when he wanted to be. Today looked like one of those days. He stood smiling his rich boy smile as she collected a few books from her locker. Third period was in two minutes. Neither of them had much time to talk, but she supposed a big shot like Dick could be late, as often as he wished.
    “Looking good, Mary,” he said.
    “Great opening line, Dick,” she replied.
    He took a step closer and propped himself up against the lockers with a strong arm. Dick worked out, played basketball. He wasn't great at sports but he liked to look great playing them.
    “Will it get me anywhere?” he asked.
    “No.”
    He smiled. “I heard you're seeing Charlie Gallagher?”
    She had spilled some juice on the bottom of her locker. She tried wiping it up with last week's homework. “You heard right,” she said.
    “Why?”
    “For the sex.”
    “Is that true?” he asked.
    She was still glowing from