by LM Terry
When I stop, I listen to her footsteps. Leaves crunch before she stills, the only sound that remains is her nervous breath. I turn to face her. She backs up against a tree. “What do you want?” she asks, struggling to control her breathing. She puts on a hell of a good show, I’ll admit. But, I can see through her air of nonchalance. She is terrified right now.
I take two wide steps, stopping toe to toe with her. She hugs the tree behind her as if she can meld herself into the bark.
“You’re going to tell me everything I want to know.”
She laughs nervously. “I’m not telling you anything.” She shakes her head, as if she is trying to convince herself of her statement.
“You will. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“What exactly do you want to know?” she asks, pressing her hand to the center of my chest. She gives a little test push, before letting her gaze drift to mine.
I tip my head back and forth as if weighing my options. When my head stops she cringes. She’s good at reading people.
“No.” She shoves hard now. I don’t budge.
She needs to know. This is the trailer, the prequel for what is to come. My eyes follow hers as she tries to look anywhere but directly at me.
“I’m not telling you anything. Let me go.”
“Tell me, Jesse, when did it start?”
She huffs and puffs. “When did what start?” she asks, angrily.
“When did the hiding start?”
Jesse’s chest rises and falls, rises, and falls. “I’m not hiding.”
“Hmmm.” I tap her head. “You’re up here. Hiding behind a red velvet curtain, frantically trying to set the stage for the next scene.”
She doesn’t say anything. Her green eyes blink once. Twice.
“You see there are those in the audience who only care about what is playing out in front of them. They don’t give a shit what goes on behind scene.”
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. The wind blows the leaves above us. The sun cuts across her face, the light bringing out the gold flecks hidden in the green of her eyes. A whole treasure is buried there. It will be mine.
“You’ve done a good job at keeping that stage set but it’s getting harder and harder isn’t it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Did you fall and hit your head this morning?”
I cradle her face in my hands. “Talk to Raffe. Prepare yourself. The three of us are going to take a little trip over spring break.”
She doesn’t say anything, her eyes never leave my chest. I kiss her forehead before leading her back to the lake. Jesse lowers herself back to her spot, leaning against the post. Katie and Bill are having such a good time fishing they didn’t even notice she had left.
I take the post opposite of her. “Catching anything?” I holler down to Bill.
He turns towards us smiling. “No, but that’s not the point.”
Jesse’s focus goes back to the dark tree line. I wonder what is going on in that pretty little head of hers.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jesse
◆◆◆
Spring break begins this Wednesday. Four days. I have four days to prepare for a trip with Dirk and Raffe. I don’t know where we are going or what we are going to be doing. I’m nervous. I’m excited. I’m terrified.
My life is getting more and more complicated. I really don’t have time for Dirk and his mystery trip. I need to monitor Katie’s well-being. Then there’s Tom. He is probably wanting to visit his daughter in Phoenix. He goes every few months to see her and he depends on me to take care of his dog, Teddy. Then there is the shop. Dan just started letting me tattoo actual people.
On top of my schedule there is Sugar’s. She has a business to run. Funds to distribute. Product to secure. And, of course we can’t forget she still has Jimmy to deal with.
I’ll talk to Raffe and tell him whatever they are planning I just don’t have time.
Katie and I are sitting at a picnic table on the brick patio that is behind the warehouse while the guys are grilling steaks for supper. Katie watches as I scratch out a drawing of her holding a fishing pole. “It’s really cool you can draw,” she says in her sweet little voice.
I rip a sheet of paper out of my sketch book, handing it to her. I give her a charcoal pencil. “Here you go. This is how I started, by putting pencil to paper.”
She smiles brightly. “What should I draw?”
“Most of the time I draw my secrets,” I whisper to her like we are sisters sharing a private moment.
Her tiny hands spread over the paper. “Do I have to show anyone?”
“Nope. That’s the best thing. You can keep your drawings all to yourself if you want to.” I tap the end of her nose.
She starts to draw, her tongue sticking out between her lips in concentration. I chuckle and go back to my own drawing.
When the guys begin to tote food out to set the table she turns her drawing over and slides it under my sketch book. “You can look at it if you want,” she says sadly then she looks longingly at the group of children who are gathering at the “kids” table. Biker wives and girlfriends are getting them set up with watermelon and hotdogs. “Would you like to sit with the other kids?”
She nods shyly. I walk her over and introduce her to the other children. “This is my friend Katie. Can she join you guys?”
They all nod and a girl close to her age scoots down the bench and pats the spot beside her. “My name is Ally,” she tells Katie.
Katie smiles at me like she can’t believe the other children are letting her sit with them. Ally grabs her hand and pulls her down beside her. “After we eat you should come on the treasure hunt with us. It’s going to be so fun. Uncle Bill even made us a treasure map.” She pulls it out of her pocket and all the kids huddle around to study it, Katie included.
My heart warms. At home Katie is shunned. For being dirty. For her clothes. For her mom. For things Katie has no control over.
As I’m gathering my art supplies the guys start to crowd around me. “Damn, I’m fucking hungry,” Raffe says. I chuckle but as I turn Katie’s drawing over I stop mid laugh. A bought of nausea rolls through me. Of course, Raffe notices.
“You okay? Here let me get you a plate, you need to eat.” He hops up but I stop him.
“No. I just remembered something. I…I have to go back to town.”
Raffe studies my face closely. “I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t be silly. I forgot I have a project due and was supposed to work on it with a classmate. I’ll run over finish it up and get back before Katie has to go to bed.”
He waves Bill over to the table. My eyes dart to Katie. She is laughing with the other kids. I take a deep breath.
“What’s up?” my dad asks.
“Raffe is making a big deal out of an assignment I need to finish for school. I’m just going to buzz back over to town and finish it with a classmate. I’ll be right back.”
“You’re just remembering this now?” he asks.
“I was a little distracted with Katie. Can you keep an eye on her? I’ll be back before she goes to bed.”
He turns and looks at Katie sitting with the other kids. “Yeah, I can do that. I’m sorry I forget you are still in school. You seem so much older.” He tucks a stray hair behind my ear. He wraps me up in his arms. I bite the inside of my cheek hard to keep my emotions in check. “Drive safe, okay?”
I nod, tightening my squeeze on him.
“Get something to eat first.” He motions towards the table of food then becomes distracted by one of the guys and turns away from me.
Raffe narrows his eyes. I shrug my shoulders. Looks like I won this one.
Katie smiles as I approach. “We are going on a real-life treasure hunt,” she tells me, full of excitement.
“That sounds like so much fun.” I run my fingers through her curly hair. “Hey, I need to go to town quick to finish some homework, but I’ll be
back before bedtime. My dad is going to keep an eye on you. So, if you need anything you ask him. Okay?”
She nods, her curls bouncing around her face. “I like your daddy. He’s nice.”
My dad comes over to the table. He places his hands on Katie’s shoulders as he talks to the entire table of kids. “Get eating kids. There’s treasure to be found in them there hills,” he says in his best pirate voice.
They all laugh. “Are you going with us, Uncle Bill,” a little boy with red hair asks, crumbs falling from his lips.
“Sure am.”
Katie stares up at him like he is the best thing since sliced bread. I guess I’m kind of staring at him like that too. Is this the kind of father he would have been with me? All of these kids call him Uncle Bill even though he isn’t really their uncle. It’s a term of endearment. One he obviously deserves.
“I’ll be back soon,” I whisper to Katie, giving her a quick hug.
My dad winks at me. Before I get too far away he hollers, “Don’t forget to wear your seatbelt.”
I wave without turning around. I don’t want him to see how much that simple statement affects me.
Dirk and Raffe are nowhere to be seen when I leave. Thank god. I’m going to do something I should’ve done long ago. If I would have then Katie wouldn’t have been hurt. Her picture was of a man dressed in black and a cross. What are the odds?
When I get to town I stop at Tom’s to change.
“I thought you’d gone and found yourself a boyfriend. Haven’t seen you much,” he says.
“No, just super busy with school and stuff. I’ll try to get over more. Are you planning another trip to see your daughter?”
“No, honey, I’m too tired to make the trip. Maybe next month. That girl could come to see me, the road runs both ways.”
Teddy gives me lots of sloppy kisses before going over to settle in front of Tom who has settled into his old green recliner for the evening.
I change into her, Sugar, as quickly as I can. My heart pounds in my ears. This is it. I’m going to kill a man. I remember when I was little my grandfather told me that he had killed men. He said once you kill someone it changes you forever. I asked him how many men he had killed. He didn’t answer. It’s all right here he said, running his hand over his tattoos.
Sugar stares back at me. Her sunken eyes and the hollow of her cheeks gives me confidence that she can handle this. I might not be able to, but she can. She has to. For Katie.
I sneak out the back door and hide my face until I get to Sylvia. When she purrs to life I take a deep breath. I drive another hour pulling up in front of the rectory just as the sun begins to set. Father Gabriel’s car is gone. I checked the website before driving over here. He’s still the priest here.
Still here.
Still evil.
For now.
Soon he will find himself where he really belongs.
I park a few blocks down and make my way through the alley until I end up in his back yard. The house sits in the shadows of the church. It’s peak looms over me. It stretches for the heavens, the sunset painting it a pale pink color. The cross catches the last bit of sun, blinking at me.
Will Gabriel’s god forgive me?
Do I forgive him?
If he truly exists why did he let this happen to Katie?
To me?
To William?
Pulling my leather gloves on I push on a few windows, finally finding one unlocked. I throw my bag over my shoulder and climb in.
Now to set the stage.
My breath catches at the thought. Maybe Dirk knows more about me than I thought. I push Dirk out of my mind and begin my search. When I find Gabriel’s box of sins, which was hidden in the back of his closet, I sit down at the long dining room table.
My hands shake as I peel back the lid. Carefully I pick up each photo, faces of broken children stare back at me. Eventually the face that stares back is my own. The fear I felt that day rushes through my system. I didn’t even remember that Gabriel took pictures of William and I until I held the one of Katie. The look on William’s face breaks my heart into a thousand pieces.
There will be no more photos. It ends tonight.
I toss a length of rope on the floor near the door that leads to the attached sitting room then I go to the kitchen grabbing the most expensive looking bottle of wine I can find. I pop the cork and toss it into the trash.
Waiting in the dark I pour a generous amount of wine into my mouth, careful not to let my lips touch the rim. The house is quiet, the only sound the tick of the grandfather clock in the hallway and my own breath. As I drink I allow my mind to reunite with my memories from that night.
Good news is I’m about to rid the world of one sexual predator.
Bad news is there’s more than one.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Raffe
◆◆◆
Dirk and I stare at each other as we wait in the dark. She climbed in through a back window. We followed. She spent a fair amount of time upstairs but now she is in the dining room. It’s quiet. She’s waiting. For what? Or should I ask for who?
I knew something was bothering her. She put on a good face for Bill and he bought it hook, line and sinker. That’s something Dirk is going to need to address with her. She can’t be doing that. We can’t let her begin her relationship with father by manipulating him. She needs to be honest with all of us. Most importantly with herself.
Keys jingle in the lock, the only other sound a soft click, the sound of a safety being turned off. God dammit, Jesse, what is going on? When the light flips on in the dining room, a man gasps loudly and begins to chant a prayer under his breath.
“Good idea,” Jesse says, smoothly. “But, I hate to tell you, prayers don’t work. Bad things happen no matter how much you pray for them not to.”
“Who are you? What are you doing in my home?” The man says, his voice rising along with his adrenaline. He’s scared. Why is scared of Jesse?
I take a peek around the corner. Holy fucking Christ.
Okay, I see why he’s scared.
I nod my head for Dirk to take a look. He does and his jaw flexes when he takes her in. These two are going to kill me. Could there be two more sexy people?
“You don’t remember me? I thought I meant more to you than that,” she fake pouts, the skeleton on her face turning sad.
The man studies her. “I’m sorry, with the makeup…”
His voice trails off as she shoves a photo in his face. “Jesse?” he chokes on her name.
She shoves the photo in her back pocket. “Have a seat, Gabriel. I can call you Gabriel, can’t I?”
He nods and sits down in the chair she has placed a few feet away from the table. He glances at whatever is laid out on the table and pales. He sways to the side as she perches herself on the edge of the table, so she is staring down at him.
“How have you been?” she asks casually.
He grimaces and drops his head. “What do you want?”
She sighs and places her foot between his legs. His head bops up. Slowly she slides her foot until the heal on her boot is digging into his junk. He tries to squirm away, but she digs in deeper.
“Let’s just say I left feeling a little unsatisfied last time.” She eases her boot back slightly, letting the threat hover over his dick.
“Jesse, you don’t have to do this. Let’s talk,” he scrambles to reason with her.
She pours wine down her throat as he watches then she leans forward, tipping his chin with her gun, the other hand holds the bottle over his face. “If I remember right you like to celebrate with wine. Go on, open up,” she seethes, her voice doesn’t even sound like it belongs to her.
She pours from the bottle into his mouth. He chokes and sputters before she pulls it away, leaving the white on his collar stained red.
“I’m sorry,” he begins to plead.
“How are your legs? The fire didn’t mess you up too bad I see.”
&
nbsp; “Jesse, please.”
“I found your photo of Katie.”
Now he truly looks confused. “I don’t know any Katie. I don’t know what you are talking about.”
She grinds her heel into his pelvis. His scream echoes through the big old house.
When she pulls her foot back he begs her, “Please, Jesse. I don’t know a Katie.”
“Get on the floor.” She stands and points to a spot in front of a closed door. I notice the rope lying on the ground the same time the priest does.
“Jesse. Let’s talk. I promise you I don’t know anyone named Katie.”
She points her gun at his face, sending him scrambling to the floor.
“Take off your pants.” She motions with the gun towards his legs. “All of it. Underwear too,” she orders, turning her head away to avoid looking at his nudity.
The priest begins chanting again. She ignores him as she ties a noose around his neck, securing it to the doorknob.
Oh my god. She is going to strangle him and make it look like he was getting off and choking himself.
Her hands shake as she finishes tying him up. Dirk slowly rises beside me, pulling me up with him. He whispers in my ear. “I can’t let her do this.” I nod and follow him from our hiding spot.
Jesse turns towards the doorway as we make our presence known. Her eyes widen. The priest notices us at the same time. “Oh god,” he wails.
“He’s mine,” she says defiantly.
Dirk walks the length of the table, taking in the photos carefully laid out against the crisp white cloth.
The priest begins to beg us for his life. “Please. She’s crazy. She set me on fire once!” he screams.
Dirk jerks to a stop. He glances at me. We both come to the same conclusion. The fire she painted in the boxcar represents one of her demons. One sitting pitifully on the floor in nothing but his black socks and shirt.
My eyes roam down the man’s legs. The skin is puckered and waxy. Holy hell if she set him on fire she did a thorough job of it.
