Like most freshers, Pete spent his first year living in halls of residence, so when he’d moved up there, I made sure he had Ruth & Charlie’s phone...number. What I didn’t foresee was that Ruth and Charlie would adopt my good friend, having him over regularly for evening meals, him helping Charlie with homework and them generally hanging out together. Nobody mentioned it to me, and I was too blind to see it.At Christmas, when everyone had been at my house, I didn’t notice the change in their. Each move increased her status and salary, until she became PA to Crispin Beauchamp, the senior partner of a major architects practice.Diane was five feet eight inches tall, brunette, and slender. Clothes suited her. Any clothes. She was the original "look good in a flour sack" type. On site she was the perfect employee. Her dress presented a flair that complimented that shown in the cutting edge designs for which her employers were world-renowned. Her bearing was that of the consummate. I waxed eloquent about the exploits of my little band of beardless boys, winning ballgames like they were the Bronx Bombers -- only skinnier.I had to be careful, though. Just one front office decision in Baltimore to promote one of these kids before the Appalachian League season ended, and our chances of winning the pennant could go into the toilet. The best of these players would move to other clubs -- the faster "A" league clubs or even up to Bowie in Double-A -- early in September after the. It was time to get started. I quietly pulled a length of the duct tape and set it on the bed beside her. Then, in one smooth motion I stepped up on the bed and sat down on her back, pinning her. She began to stir immediately, startled, but she didn't have any time say anything or try to push me off before I pulled my belt around her throat and pulled it tight. She had only been awake a second or two, but now she was panicking and thrashing, completely unable to breath. While she.