Read Online Date With the Devil by Don Lasseter - Free Book Online Page A

yo-yos. David was just running the board and they didn’t even get what he was doing. He and I were on the same page and we were just cracking up. In the conversation, the subject of capitalism came up, and they had no idea what we were talking about. That’s the whole concept of Monopoly. I guess they took offense. The woman said to me, ‘You just wait. I know you are laughing at me, but someday you will get yours.’” Describing this, Stacy’s face turned grim. Obviously reflecting on events that would change her life, she said, “That was terribly ironic.”
    After Stacy lived with Mahler most of a two-year period, during which misunderstandings and arguments became more frequent, she began visiting her family in Visalia more often, and staying there for longer periods of time. Asked if David lost his temper easily, Stacy hesitated. She thought about it and said, “He used to be an absolutely terrific person.”
    â€œDid you see that gradually change?”
    â€œYes.”
    To the suggestion that something deep inside David drove him to undergo drastic changes, Stacy said, “We all blame circumstances and different people for stuff in our lives. But then, you just get over it. There were some things he didn’t get over, and it breaks my heart. I wish I could have been the person who could help him get through all of that. But it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it was.”
    A different twist on Mahler’s interests in women became apparent to Stacy, something she had not previously recognized. He seemed to be fascinated with strippers. At least he made no attempt to hide it, and even invited Stacy to accompany him to the joints where dancers disrobed. “Back East, I went to a few strip clubs with him. I thought they were kind of funny.”
    Other cracks in the relationship planted seeds of doubt in Stacy’s mind. She recalled, “We went for a drive one time and he showed me their old house from when his parents were still married. When his grandmother passed away, I was there for her wake, and David took that really hard.” It puzzled Stacy when she learned the grandmother had lived right across the street from their apartment—yet she had never met the woman.
    Regarding Mahler’s use of alcohol or other stimulants, Stacy took a noncommittal stance. “I don’t partake in any of that.” Asked again, she replied, “I saw a lot of things.”
    Another incident set a pattern that Mahler would repeat too often. “I went to the city with David to attend the wedding of one of his friends. Both of us dressed formally. I wore a long black gown, with gloves up past the elbows, and had my hair done up perfectly. It was a beautiful ceremony. But at a gathering afterward, he took me to a joint with a band, and the place was filled with cigarette smoke. I can’t stand that vile smell and we got into an argument. He said some hurtful things and then abandoned me. There I was in New York City, in midwinter, with very little money and no warm clothing. I had planned to go to Visalia afterward and had my plane ticket, but no transportation to the airport. I finally talked a cabdriver, who was from India or Iran or somewhere like that, into giving me a ride to the airport.”
    The tendency for Mahler to take Stacy somewhere and abandon her after a dispute became a recurring theme. “He took me to New Jersey and Manhattan other times and just stranded me.” The last time he deserted her nearly ended the relationship.
    It happened in 2000, on what should have been a romantic, festive vacation in Hawaii. Before departure from New York, a nasty argument between David and Stacy erupted. He contacted the airline and changed the name on her reservations, giving it to one of his male pals, who lived in Hermosa Beach, California. As usual, he and Stacy were able to patch up their differences, and he bought another ticket for her.