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Continued from page 184…
Saturday, August 15th, 1987, 2:15 P.M.
Charlotte emerged from Giorgio’s feeling extremely satisfied and content with the start to her indulgent afternoon. Monique and the staff at the establishment had pampered her in the manner that she desired and in the manner that she was typically accustomed to in most situations. Although she was a rather reserved woman by nature, she had gotten used to being a celebrity over time, and certain things were starting to feel appropriate when dealing with the public. In addition to that, her instincts and her emotions had convinced her that this was the life she had chosen and dreamed about for herself, and that there was no point in denying herself the benefits that go along with it.
The business world, however, was her own doing.
That was the byproduct of having some money that the entertainment world provided for her in the first place.
She decided that she would leave everything at the store and have someone take it to her car when she was done shopping. Apparently, she figured she would do the same at the other stores had she accumulated a bountiful treasure-trove of spine-tingling apparel and accessories. The confusing logistics of all this mindful maneuvering had not quite entered her head yet.
Ah, so what. The most important thing at the moment was to find a tasty treat for her to snack on as she strolled along The Boulevard.
She stepped out from beneath the yellow and white striped awning and onto the sidewalk. She put on her sunglasses and glanced up at the bright, blue sky above and decided that she had successfully accomplished her mission of feeling like Marlo Thomas in That Girl. She placed her hands on her hips and smiled contently.
“Ahhh, what a glorious afternoon,” she thought to herself.
Not for long.
As she turned to walk southbound, she noticed a man in a suit and tie coming straight towards her from behind. He seemed to appear out of nowhere, but had direct intent as he closed in on Charlotte within seconds. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head to face him. He was wearing sunglasses as well as he reached out and grabbed her by the arm. Charlotte gasped as she realized what was taking place. She immediately felt something hard being jammed into her midsection. There was no mistaking what it was.
It was a gun.
“Hello, Charlotte,” he whispered. “Don’t scream or try to get away… Or I may have to use this.”
Even though Charlotte was naturally terrified, there was an uncharacteristic calm that ran throughout her body. The reason for this was what she was observing as this man accosted her. As he directed her towards the edge of the sidewalk, she noticed that a black limousine had been approaching them the whole time. This was the reason for her unique state of mind.
It was all too perfect.
An ordinary street thug would not be doing this. This had to be the work of some business dude she pissed-off at some time in her life.
And there were many.
She knew that.
Within seconds, she rolled her eyes and delved into her television persona. She even remembered an episode of The Go-Go’s where this exact thing happened.
“Aha… Life imitating Art,” she thought to herself.
“Are we going to a Premiere?” she asked the man.
“Not exactly,” he answered. “You’re going to meet Mr. Big.”
This was too much for Charlotte to believe.
“Mr. Big?!! Holy shit!! How many Mr. Bigs are there in this world? I really hope you’re referring to the size of his cock.”
“You just might find that out,” the man menaced.
“Oh, goody,” Charlotte exclaimed.
“Just get in the car, bitch.”
“Ah, ah, ah, we’re not on a first-name basis, yet,” Charlotte teased.
The back door of the limo opened up as Professor Thugly guided Charlotte into the back seat. As she sat down and looked at the man next to her, her heart sunk into her stomach.
This was not going to be a fun encounter.
Sure enough, this was a man she not only ripped-off financially, but a man she jilted at the alter.
So to speak.
Now sitting two inches away from her was Oscar Klefbom; The Loan Officer she took advantage of four years ago in order to borrow millions of dollars from his bank. He had fallen deeply in love with her and had asked her to marry him. Charlotte played upon his emotions and borrowed even more. She placed the money in a dummy business account that didn’t even exist, then ratted him out to the president of the bank for sexual misconduct. Before the bank realized that the monies had been distributed, Mr. Klefbom fled the country with the intent of encountering Miss Caffey at some point in the future, and retrieving the money he felt was so rightfully his.
That time was now.
“Well, well, well… Charlotte Caffey… You’re looking as lovely as ever,” he opened.
“Hello, Oscar, same to you.. I see your friend here calls you Mr. Big now.. Am I to assume that he’s familiar with certain parts of your anatomy?”
Mr. Klefbom let out a slightly muffled laugh.
“Oh, Charlotte.. The same sense of humor I fell in love with all those many years ago… I’m glad to see that so many years on an American television program has sharpened your wits to the bone.”
Mr. Klefbom was Swedish.
“Thank you,” Charlotte replied. “We try.”
“But I’m afraid that being Fanny Brice will not save you this time,” Oscar growled. “Where is my money?”
“Money? What money?” Charlotte teased.
“The four million I lent to you before you unceremoniously had me convicted of being a rapist.”
“Ohh, that money,” Charlotte kidded. “I thought you were talkin’ about the ten bucks you lent me to get some Tums that day.. Which I could sorely use right now.”
“And don’t bother writing a check from McDonald Enterprises, either.. I checked into it and that company doesn’t exist… Does your band know that you rip them off too?”
“I don’t rip them off,” Charlotte insisted, sternly. “They get every penny.”
“Oh, sure they do,” mocked Oscar. “Is that what those off-shore accounts are for? To make sure they get every penny?”
At this point, Charlotte was sincerely not interested in getting into a discussion that involved the girls and whether or not she compensated them properly. She knew in her heart that she had never done that and never would. It was as simple as that. It had never crossed her mind.
She decided to play along a little bit more.
“So, how’s the wife and kids, Oscar? Have you enjoyed living back in Sweden all this time?”
Oscar took a deep breath and stared down Charlotte with eyes that could kill. He assumed that she was teasing him again, but couldn’t be certain based upon the naive nature of her tone.
“I assume that’s another one of your clever digs at my expense,” he asked.
“No… What dig? Isn’t that where you’ve been living all this time?” inquired Charlotte.
“You’ve got to be kidding me?” he surmised. “Do you honestly think that INTERPOL couldn’t find me back in Sweden? Do you honestly think that that country is off-limits to them?”
In an instant, Charlotte began realizing that her jocularity should have ended a while back. She had always wondered if Oscar was on the run from the police, but chose instead to put the matter completely out of her mind. Because McDonald Enterprises was never traced back to her, she ignorantly assumed that the bank absorbed the loss and claimed the ‘misappropriation’ through some kind of insurance manuever.
Hardly.
Upon discovering the loan that had gone to an imaginary source, the bank immediately assumed that Oscar Klefbom was not only a pervert, but also a thief that had absconded four million dollars from the bank and fled the country. The FBI and INTERPOL was on the case in no time. Unfortunately for the bank and the cops, by the time the loan showed up on the books, Mr. Klefbom was nowhere to be found.
“You’ve been on the run?” asked Charlotte with much trepidation.
“To put it mildly,” Oscar answered, angrily. “There isn’t a park bench in this country or a houseboat on the water that I haven’t slept in because of you… I haven’t seen my wife or kids in four years because of you.”
Uh-oh. Charlotte knew that she was in big trouble now. It was time to get serious and figure out a way to wiggle out of this mess.
“Oscar… I’m sorry… Look.. I know I can’t get you your time back… But I’ll be happy to compensate you financially. I’m a very wealthy woman now, you know that. Four million dollars means nothing to me… But, I can’t just write you a check without it being traced back to me… And how would you cash it?”
Oscar looked over at his henchman and smiled. After a few seconds, they both began to laugh in an insidious manner. Charlotte could feel the chills run up her spine. She knew a hideous proposal was coming her way.
“Charlotte, my dear… I already have a delicious way that you can compensate me.”
Charlotte’s mouth ran dry.
“You must remember that you once agreed to marry me,” said Oscar.
Charlotte knew that she never actually agreed to such a thing. She also knew that this probably wouldn’t matter from this moment forth.
“I think it’s time we proceed with our wedding vows… and consummate our newfound love for each other.”
Again, Oscar and his goon laughed out loud at this evil, preposterous notion.
At the same time, Charlotte stared off at the floor with her mouth hanging open.