Chapter 10

As was her habit, after Bette went into her bedroom, she shut the door behind her. She got just a few steps from the closed door when she heard tap, tap, tap on the door. She returned to the door and just as she raised her hand to the knob the door flew open and jammed into her outstretched hand. “Fuck. Fuuuck! God that hurt! Is that you Alice? Kit, was that you? Couldn’t you wait until I opened the door?” Bette was screaming. Pain was coursing up her hand and the middle finger on her right hand was already starting to bruise. As she flung the door open the other woman were coming to her aid but they were all in their rooms. There was no one in the hall.

“What happened? Tina took Bette’s wrist into her hand. Bette’s swelling hand lay in hers.

“Who knocked on the bedroom door? I was trying to get to the door and when I reached for the door knob to open it, it flew open and hit may hand.” Jesus this hurts!”

“Bette, it is really swelling.” Tina was concerned that it was swelling so quickly and already a vibrant purple color.

“Geez Porter, what are you doing? Are you trying to kill yourself?”

With distress in her voice, “Yes, Alice, I brought you all here to watch me deliberately and painfully kill myself.” Bette was in pain and pissed.

“I’ll go down and get some ice.” Shane headed toward the stairs with Alice on her heals.

As they reached the kitchen Alice began to wonder a loud. “What the fuck is going on with Bette? First her luggage, then the rental car mix up, then the dead rental car, then the shock, now the hand? What the fuck is going on?”

“Alice, it is just a weird thing. There’s nothing going on.”

“Jesus Shane, don’t you find this house just a bit creepy? O  K, what ever. The stars aren’t aligned or something. This woman is the master of her own destiny. She has it all together. She is the, Bette Porter. Typically not a woman to be messed with. Somebody or something is messing with her!”