His eyes were fixed on some distant spot in the room as he continued “she politely told me that she had already declared to Stephen her love for him, and he for her. Just as nice as could be she explained that as soon as she and Stephen had finished their education, and secured jobs, they would be announcing their plans to marry. I felt sorry for the girl. After all, if Stephen really loved her why would he make her wait? But I wasn’t going to push the issue then. I did not want to scare her off. Sometimes you catch more bees with honey, and that’s just what I intended to do with Amanda. I knew that I was the better match for her. She would find that out all in good time. What could Stephen possibly do for her; he was just a kid. There are things I know, things I can do to bring real pleasure to a woman. She would learn that all in good time.”
He stopped for a moment, looked down at Kelly and licked his lips. Horrified, she thought that she detected a slight erection. “You’ll soon find that out for yourself my dear.”
But the need to explain his side of the story ran deep. Who knew when, if ever, he had told anyone about what happened to Amanda. Kelly guessed that if he ever had told anyone the truth, whoever he told was most likely no longer alive.
“But I’m a patient man. I would win her over the old fashioned way, with grace and time. And in the meantime I fulfilled my needs through the pleasures of other young women. There were plenty of willing and able bodies back then.” He paused for a moment, as if remembering the experiences.
When he continued, his voice was less whimsical than it had been, taking on a deadly serious tone. “One day, many months later, Stephen got his job offer. The next week they had the grand engagement announcement in the paper. By then I knew she was just going through the motions; it was just for show. I could tell by the way she ignored me at family get-togethers that I was the man she really preferred but the poor thing was too embarrassed to admit it to Stephen, or even to herself. But I knew that she knew that she had made a mistake.
And then of course there was her mother and father. Like any good parents they wanted their daughter to make a good match. Because of my age they didn’t find me suitable but I know that they would have eventually come around. Especially when the saw how happy I could make her.
I called her house several times to see her. She never answered, it was always one of her parents telling me that she wasn’t home, or was busy. I bided my time. One day I was parked on the street, watching their driveway and I saw her putting her climbing gear in the trunk of her car. She loved to climb and hike. It was her only true passion. She rarely went with anyone else, preferring instead the isolation. I followed her to the park. I knew just where she would go. When she set off down the trail I hurried to catch up with her.
She was polite, at first. And then she was rude. All that good grace she was raised with fell away. I begged her to call off her wedding, to marry me instead. She called me a crazy old man. She told me that she wouldn’t marry me if I was the last man on earth. She told me I was nuts and that she found me repulsive. And then she told me that she couldn’t marry me because she was pregnant with Stephen’s child.” His voice had been low and angry as he forced the last four words out.
Kelly was stunned by this news. The detective in Springfield had never mentioned this. Stephen had never mentioned it but then they had not yet talked about Amanda. Maybe he didn’t even know about her pregnancy. One thought crossed her mind, if Stephen had known, and if he had heard this story the way Marv was telling it to her, he would have surely killed him with bare hands. And no jury on earth would have convicted him for it.
“I was enraged. She was supposed to be pure, saving herself only for me. Had I known that she would let my nephew defile her, take her innocence, well, to be sure I would have taken my pleasure of her a long time before. She was just a slut after all and I would have used her as one.
She was standing there yelling at me, cursing me out with her back to the ledge overlooking Magee’s point. I no longer had any use for her. There was only one thing left for me to do, one way to fix everything; I pushed her with all the pent up anger I had. And when she didn’t immediately fall, I pushed her again. She cried out for me to stop but the second time I pushed her she lost her balance and disappeared over the edge.” For a few more moments he continued staring at the distant point, seemingly reliving the moment that she fell.
When Marv glanced down at Kelly, this time that faraway look was gone. He was back in the moment. “And now that is all water under bridge. Amanda is gone but you are here and we, you and I, are about to start a new chapter together. You might not be as young as the girls I normally spend time with, but you will make a fine addition to my home anyway.” His hand moved higher, now caressing her thigh. Kelly tried to hold back the bile that was forcing its way up her throat.
“I can’t wait for you Marv but first tell me please about Stephen’s dad. Why did you kill him?”
Marv smiled and studying that far away point again, said “Oh that? Well, he found out about me and Amanda. It was completely my fault but I couldn’t let him live to tell Stephen. Stephen was already suspicious but he didn’t have any proof. You see, Stephen Sr. pulled in my driveway with a flat. He asked if he could borrow the tire iron from my trunk to change his tire. I said yes, of course and told him to help himself and I went back into my house. I screwed up because I forgot that I had stashed Amanda’s windbreaker in the trunk. When she had left her house in the morning that I killed her she was wearing a yellow windbreaker. He parents must have told the police that. But it warmed up and when we were walking the trail she took it off. After I pushed her over the edge, I grabbed the jacket and took it with me. It was something that smelled like her, something of hers I could hang onto. I stashed it in the trunk of my car. But taking it was a mistake because when the police found her body she wasn’t wearing it. They searched her car and the park but could find no trace of it. I had decided to burn it out back that night, but Stephen’s father found it first. He called Stephen right away. I overheard him tell Stephen that he had found some evidence linking me to Amanda’s death but he didn’t want to talk about it over the phone. That he’d be right over. He didn’t know I had come back outside and could hear him.
It was my mistake but I took care of it, and him. I hid in the bushes just before the curve on highway nine. I knew exactly which way he would go. Stephen Sr. was a creature of habit, never altered his routines for any reason. He would always take the scenic, slower way. I waited for him to drive by and then shot out his front tire. The car went airborne, and flipped twice before crashing into the telephone poll off the street near the curve. I made sure he was dead alright, I lit a flame near the gas that was leaking out of his car. It exploded and he and the jacket with it. And then I went home, packed up, and left town. Never to be seen in Springfield again. It took me several years to finally land here in Hanlon. I had to find just the right place, where a person who didn’t want to be found could comfortably live.”
It was a moment before he pulled his mind away from the images only he was seeing. Kelly couldn’t believe that so much evil could exist in one heart.
“Now, where were we? Enough distractions; I promise that after I am done you will be begging for more so please, no more questions.”
“I’m begging already” she said as his hands reached for her jeans, unbuttoning top button. When he located the zipper she asked “wouldn’t this be more enjoyable if my legs were untied?”
He smiled at her “it would very much be but how do I know if I can trust you yet? Besides it can be exciting for you being tied up. My sweet little Jackie loved it when I tied her up. She was such a quiet little thing but when you got her in a bedroom she’d unleash her inner demons.”
“Jackie?” Kelly asked, unbelieving of what she was hearing.
“Yes, the Jensen girl, the blond. No one but me ever knew what she was really like. We had some great times together her and me. Turns out she preferred older, shall we say more experienced men, ov
er those groping young men in Hanlon. She’d let me do things to her that most women hated. Not Jackie, she took it all and more. It’s just a shame she had to go and get herself pregnant. Can you imagine what her family would have said if they had found out about her and me? No, it was better to take care of that little mess. No one’s the wiser. She always had such a forlorn look about her that I didn’t think anyone would think twice about a suicide.
But don’t be jealous. She’s gone now and you and I will have a great time too; especially if you like experimentation. Just don’t go getting pregnant on me.”
“Untie me first Marv then I will let you do anything you want to me. I promise that I can be trusted. Stephen told me that you were evil but I never believed him.”
He was almost drooling as his hand went to work on her shirt buttons. After he had exposed her breasts she licked her lower lip seductively and whispered “untie my hands, I want to do things to you too.”
“No wonder Stephen moved you in so fast; you are a wild cat.” He released her hands, his erection now full. She was so close to vomiting she could taste it. But she had to keep him distracted, had to convince him that she wanted him.
“Now come closer” she begged and as he bent his head to over her, Kelly’s hands latched onto the lamp on the bedside table. It was solid. Before Uncle Marv knew what had hit him it was lights out. She pushed him to the floor, readjusted her clothes, and went to work on the duct tape. It came apart quickly once she found the end.
Kelly glanced down at Marv to make sure he was still out, and headed for the bedroom door. She flung it open, took a look around and located the outside door. It wouldn’t open. He had a dead bolt installed which took a key from either side. She looked around, on the tables, on the hooks for a key but could see none. She ran back into the bedroom, knelt on the floor beside his limp body and began to search his pockets, retrieving a key chain from his front pants pocket as he began to stir. She had to hurry.
Back through the main room to the door, she fumbled with three different keys. It wasn’t the first or second, her luck, but the third key finally slid into place. She turned it and swung open the door. Her eyes did a quick scan to find that the front door exited onto a screened in porch, from which another door led out to the yard.
As she stepped out onto the porch she heard his voice behind her. “Kelly, where do you think you are going?” She turned to find him just out of arms reach behind her.
“You shouldn’t be in such a hurry to leave me. Where will you go now? Certainly you don’t think that Stephen’s will take you back? Even if he does get out of jail, you have betrayed him, you turned him in. Besides, Amanda was always his one and only love. He never really got over her. You were just a distraction for him. And when he finds out about you and me, well, he won’t even be able to look at you for his disgust.”
“Marv, let me go now.”
“Kelly, you tricked me. I knew I shouldn’t trust you but you’re so luscious; I couldn’t help myself, I got distracted by your curves. Come back in and we’ll talk. Then we can finish what we started. I promise you that you will enjoy it and that I will make you forget all about Stephen.”
She noticed that in his hands he held the ropes he had used to bind her hands, and that he was slowly inching forward. There would be no talk, there would only be unspeakable acts of repulsion. With that she made run for it, flinging open the screen door she took off for the woods, but before she could get three steps in he caught up to her and grabbed a handful of hair. He was faster than he looked, and stronger.
Her eyes were wild when she turned on him, kicking and screaming with all her might. The pain from her head where he held her hair was excruciating but her will to escape was greater than any pain he could inflict on her. With every ounce she had behind it, she landed a solid kick to his groin, with just enough force to double him over, and causing him to release her hair. It wasn’t much but it was the head start she needed as she turned and ran into the woods. Not knowing where she was she had no sense of direction so she let instinct take over.
As she stumbled through the rough terrain, she was suddenly thankful for the extra hours of sunlight that this time of year provided. She still had no idea where she was but she kept moving forward for what seemed like hours. Up ahead she spotted tall pines, much like the ones Stephen had showed her on one of their last Sunday hikes. It was the day that he had declared his unending love for her, a love she was sure would be long gone by now, words she knew he would surely be regretting.
She disparately hoped that they were the same pines because that would mean that she was near the boundary of his land. Although, she wasn’t sure why it would matter; there was little doubt that Stephen would be in jail by now. And even if he were not, even if he were home, why would he want to save her. She had betrayed him. He would have returned to find her gone, saving him the trouble of asking her to leave. She was certain that rather than help her, if he were to find her he would take her right back to Uncle Marv and she wouldn’t blame him a bit.
Yes, now that she was under their protection, she was certain that these were the same pines. Without Stephen as a guide though, she had no idea in what direction to go from here. She hadn’t been paying enough attention to the surrounding landscape the last time she was here.
It was then that she heard the sound of an engine behind her somewhere; it sounded like a four-wheeler and it appeared to be coming in this direction. Had he guessed correctly in what direction she would go?
She cleared the pines as the sound of was getting much closer. If she could get back to the cabin, to her cell phone, she could call for help.
Just where the trail out of the pines started to get steep, she remembered the cave that Stephen had pointed out on their way back to the cabin. Stephen said that there was probably a bear using this as a den, and in the winter for hibernation, that we needed to steer clear of it. But at this point she didn’t care; she’d gladly take her chances with being mauled by a bear over what Uncle Marv had planned for her. She located the cave and ducked into it.
After a moment or two the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Feeling as if she wasn’t alone she turned slightly to get a better look at what might be in the back of the cave. Before she could turn a hand clamped down on her mouth and another around her shoulders. She screamed but no sound emerged from behind the hand.
Chapter 20
Stephen paced the room for what had to have been the one hundredth time. Knowing that Kelly was in trouble, at the mercy of an evil creature like Marv, and that there was nothing he could do to help her was eating him alive.
They had returned to the cabin, he and Detective O’Brien, to find that Kelly was gone. Max was in the cabin barking and carrying on. As soon as Stephen had opened the door Max had bolted out, ran a few steps and turned back to look a Stephen. His eyes were imploring Stephen for help and Stephen knew at that moment that Kelly was in trouble.
Whatever pain or anger he had carried at Kelly’s apparent betrayal was lost at that moment. His blood ran cold. If Marv were to do anything to hurt Kelly in any way, Stephen would strangle the life out of the old man and enjoy every second while doing it.
Kelly’s Jeep was still in the driveway, locked, and her keys and cell phone were on the table near the front door. Detective O’Brien agreed that something was not right, and that Kelly might be in trouble. They all loaded back into the two police cruisers and headed up the road to Marv’s house.
Stephen was the first one out of the car but O’Brien put a hand on his arm to hold him back. Let the deputies secure the house first. It was then that Stephen spotted a rope in the driveway. There were other signs in the gravel also indicating that some kind of struggle had taken place. Marv’s garage door was open. Looking inside they found his car and an old blue pickup much like Stephen’s, parked inside. But the space normally occupied by a four-wheeler was empty.
The deputies came out of the house having found it empty
. They handed Detective O’Brien a roll of duct tape and some ripped off pieces that they had found in the bedroom. There was no way of knowing how long Marv had kept Kelly there or what he might had done to her but the official theory was that somehow Kelly had gotten away. Marv was most likely in pursuit on the four-wheeler. Kelly could be anywhere, lost in the woods.
Stephen’s guts were on fire and his eyes burned like black coals. He was ready to bolt for the woods when O’Brien once again stopped him. Detective O’Brien stood several inches taller that Stephen, and carried thirty, maybe forty more pounds. He didn’t want to have to use his size advantage to restrain Stephen, but he would if it came to that.
Pacing the cabin now, Stephen had to agree that the detective’s plan had made sense. If Stephen got to Marv first, justice would not be served because Stephen would have killed him. Better to let the police handle it, and to have his name cleared for once and for all. Stephen was confident that Kelly could find her way back, and she was stronger than she looked. But the waiting was killing him and his guts churned with fears over what Marv had done to her.
He stepped outside onto the patio. The deputy that O’Brien had left here immediately stepped in front of him, hoping that Stephen was going to try to bolt for the woods.
“Relax Buck. I just needed some fresh air.”
Just then the deputy’s radio crackled, O’Brien’s voice could be heard through the static saying “he’s headed your way. I found her; she’s fine.” Stephen’s shoulders slumped in relief. All of the pent up fear and frustration that he had been carrying for the last two hours fell away in an instant, replaced by only the need to have Kelly back home.
***
Kelly was surprised to see the face of Detective Timothy O’Brien. With his hand still over her mouth he released her shoulders and put a finger to his mouth, asking her to be quiet. She nodded yes and he removed his other hand. The noise of the four-wheeler grew very loud, slowing and stopping somewhere very near the cave. Kelly and the detective held their breath. A few moments later the engine re-fired and the four-wheeler continued on, in the general direction of their cabin. As the engine noise faded Detective O’Brien pulled a small radio device from the belt at his waist and whispered into it “he’s headed your way. I found her; she’s fine.”
Convictions: Kelly and Stephen Page 15
