Taking the Town

by Ford Murphy

  ~ * ~

  An hour later, the gang boss’s phone rang. “It’s a Gavin McGrath for you,” his wife said.

  He frowned for a second, then held out his hand for the phone. “What do you want?”

  “I got information for you. You need to hear this.”

  “Go on.”

  When McGrath had finished, he hung up the phone and immediately dialed a number. “Call off the hit.”

  “But—but—”

  “You heard me. Do it. Now.

  ~ * ~

  That evening, when McGill was relaxing with a glass of single malt while watching TV with his wife, the phone rang. “I’ll take it in my study,” he said as he headed out of the room.

  He picked up the phone in his study. “McGill.”

  “Chief Superintendent, it’s Gerry. Job done. Worked like a treat.”

  “You’re sure? Like I said, Gerry, this is way too important to get messed up.”

  “It’s not messed up,” Gerry replied indignantly. “It’s done. Oh and by the way, Chief Superintendent, I hate those bastards so much that this one is on the house. I still owe you a favor. And one more thing. It’s good to see you finally standing up to that mob. You’ve been sitting on your fat butt for far too long.”

  “Thanks Gerry. It’s a new day in Lissadown.”

  ~ * ~

  Sunday evening, Julia was sitting in her living room in the dark, nursing a cup of tea. She’d endured a miserable weekend. Truth be told, all of Julia’s weekends were miserable but this one had reached epic proportions. She was mad at Finn, mad at herself, mad at the world.

  “Aarrgh,” she yelled, “I can’t stand it.”

  She missed her brother so much. He had been her anchor, her best friend. He always knew what to say to her when she was in a pickle. She had come to the conclusion that she was just an unlucky person. Everything went wrong in her life all the time.

  And now, just when somebody had stood up for her, been nice to her, she had pushed him away too. “How stupid can you get?”

  She didn’t know where he was, whether he was still in town or even if she’d ever see him again. She knew she was attracted to him. It was hard not to be, he was that good looking, but there was something about that smile of his that intrigued her. It just drew her in.

  She shook her head disgustedly. “What does he want with me anyway?” She believed she was nothing but damaged goods. A guy like him didn’t need to go ploughing in a rotten field. She needed to just forget it, forget him. Nothing good could come of it.

  When she had finished castigating herself, she sat back and as the tears fell she sobbed with such anguish that her whole body shook. She was completely alone and her heart was hurting so much that it felt like it could burst.

  ~ * ~

  Sunday night, Finn sat by himself thinking. He was feeling much better. True to his word McGill had sent a doctor to visit him. The doctor bandaged him up properly, gave him better painkillers and left with a stern warning to take it easy, stay off alcohol and not to drive. He also told him that he’d check back in a few days.

  Finn took a sip of the beer in his hand. “Oh well, I think I deserve at least one.” Plus he was planning to drive tomorrow so there went another of the good doctor’s warnings.

  He wondered what Julia was doing right then and if she was still mad at him.

  Probably.

  He wondered how he was going to change that. He needed to climb over that wall she had erected around herself. As soon as he had the thought he shook his head. “No, it’s no good climbing over it. I have to break it down. But how?” He sat back, sipped his beer and thought well into the night.

  Chapter Thirteen

  August, 1983

  Edgarville, Kentucky

  Whitney Campbell knocked on the door of Finn’s apartment shortly after eleven the next morning, with a young man in tow.

  “Hey, Finn. Did you sleep well?”

  If she had dressed provocatively for her trip to the airport to meet Finn, then she had really upped her game that morning. She was wearing a black tank top that left very little to the imagination and the shortest pair of cut off denims that Finn had ever seen—they barely covered the cheeks of her perfectly formed ass. All of this was topped off by platform open toed, cork soled sandals that made her legs look like they went on forever. Finn had to struggle mightily to keep eyes straight and not get distracted by the show. Eyes on your own paper, son.

  “Great. Thanks for asking.”

  “This is my fiancé, Morgan Herman.”

  Whatever picture Whitney had painted of Morgan the day before was not matched in any way by the friendly guy standing in front of Finn with his hand outstretched and a broad grin plastered on his face.

  “Welcome, Finn,” he said as he pumped Finn’s hand enthusiastically.

  Morgan, about six feet tall with an athletic build that was just starting to soften out and give way to the creeping extra pounds that were visible on his face and belly, was a good looking guy nonetheless with kind and intelligent eyes. Finn could easily see how the very gorgeous Whitney could be attracted to him.

  Finn liked him immediately. He was expecting something very different.

  Whitney flashed her perfect smile. “You ready to rock and roll? It’s a good thing you slept well. You’re going to have a busy day.”

  It turned out that she was not kidding. When they reached the university, Morgan left them to go to his lab and Whitney spent the rest of the morning parading him around the postgrad chemistry labs as if he were her own personal trophy. It didn’t take long for Finn to realize that Whitney Campbell was the undisputed queen of KenTech’s chemistry department, something that seemed to suit her just fine and she wore her crown as if it were her God given right.

  Finn had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Spaulding and map out a research plan for the next few months. But as soon as that meeting was over, Whitney showed up to take Finn to lunch. He smiled to himself; even the well-respected old professor seemed slightly intimidated by her and gave her full permission to shepherd Finn around for the rest of the day.

  Although she pointed out several other restaurants as they walked across campus, she took him to the staff restaurant.

  “Wow. They consider postgrads staff here?”

  Whitney shrugged. “Sure. After all, we’re working on research here—not attending classes.”

  It only took Finn a few minutes to realize that Whitney might be alone in that opinion. It was absolutely clear that the academics might tolerate their presence but they didn’t like it. Either Whitney was oblivious to them, or just didn’t care about the somewhat unfriendly looks they received. Or perhaps she just enjoyed the commotion she was creating.

  Finn decided there and then that he would not dine in this particular restaurant again for the remainder of his stay at KenTech.

  After the uncomfortable lunch, Whitney took him to the registrar’s office so he could get his identification card that would grant him access to all of the college’s facilities including the libraries, the gym and other recreational facilities. Then she showed him around the rest of the campus.

  In keeping with the style of the labs, the libraries and recreational areas were exceptional. He was particularly interested in the gym, which was also fully appointed with a wide array of equipment.

  “You look like someone who spends a lot of time in the gym,” Whitney said as they surveyed the weight and cardio equipment. “I like to work out a lot myself. Maybe we can come here together sometime? I also play a little tennis but I’m guessing that’s not your choice of sporting pursuits?”

  Finn smiled. “Not really. Do you just play for fun or competitively?”

  “Just for fun now. But I was on the KenTech tennis team as an undergrad. In fact, I came here on a full athletic scholarship.”

  “You must be really good.”

  She shrugged. “Not bad. I captained the varsity tennis team for back to back national champions
hips in my junior and senior year.”

  “Wow. Congratulations. It seems you play more than just a little tennis.”

  She shrugged again. “I’m sort of over it. My teammates were a bunch of little bitches. They were jealous of me. I was the only girl to win a full-ride the year I came here so I got a lot of attention.”

  If Finn wasn’t much mistaken, the attention Whitney received might have had as much to do with her looks as her talent.

  “And jealous women can be so catty. I can’t help it if men find me attractive while most of the rest of them…well, they weren’t winning any beauty contests. At first they just bitched and moaned about the outfits I wore. Then they started making up nasty little rumors.”

  “About what?”

  “About me and the varsity team coach sleeping together.”

  He arched a brow at her.

  “We weren’t. Frankly, I think he’s gay anyway. Besides, Morgan and I had made a commitment to each other. I wouldn’t cheat on him. The whole thing was just stupid.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She waved her hand, as if batting away a pesky insect. “I’m used to it. You see, Dr. Finn Lane, from Ireland, who seems to have everything going for him, I’m actually a majorly fucked up girl.”

  Whoa. This was unexpected.

  Maybe she read his surprised expression, because she jumped in immediately to explain herself. “I’m not looking for sympathy or anything, and trust me, this is not a chatting you up story. I just—well I’m not who you think I am. And when people learn the real truth, they look at me differently—like I’m a fraud. I’d rather you know from the start. I’ll tell you the whole sordid story if you want to hear it.”

  “It can’t be that bad.”

  “Trust me, it is. But I don’t want to talk here.”

  He wasn’t sure where this was going, but he nodded and followed her outside, into the late afternoon sunshine.

  They walked in silence for a minute until they were well away from prying ears. “So, now I’ll tell you the Whitney Campbell story. You may look at me and see your stereotypical upper middle-class, all American girl. Everyone does, but reality is far duller and bleaker. I come from nothing. I mean, dirt poor, white-trash nothing. I don’t even know who my father was.”

  “That’s not your fault.”

  “No, it’s not. But it isn’t like he and my mom split up or he ran out on her after he knocked her up. She didn’t even know who he was because she was a hooker on the streets of New Orleans and he had just been one of her johns.”

  Finn tried not to look shocked but this was the last thing he expected her to say. A small part of him even wondered if it were true but he couldn’t see why Whitney would make this up.

  She smiled sadly. “Yes, in order to put food on the table, my mother walked the streets of New Orleans selling her body. Unfortunately, the ending to this ugly story is even worse.” A tear slipped down Whitney’s cheek. “My poor mother who tried to do her best to take care of a child she never wanted, was brutally murdered by an irate john who decided that she wasn’t worth paying for after all.

  Finn just sat there and listened in silence.

  “I was ten at the time. It took three days before my mother’s body was discovered in a dumpster with her throat slit and longer for them to connect her with me. I was by myself in our apartment for days. I had no idea what had happened. She had always come home before dawn. I didn’t know what to do. There was no one I could turn to for help. The neighborhood hooker didn’t have a lot of friends and Mom always warned me not to leave when she was out, and not let anyone in or talk to anyone.”

  She swiped at her tears and for an instant Finn saw the scared ten-year-old kid.

  “So I just sat there and waited for days. I survived on cornflakes and peanut butter—the only food in the apartment. When the police finally found me I was put into the care of Child Protection Services.

  “Funny, a dead whore didn’t even make the obituaries, but a cute little blond girl, living on her own after her mother was killed, made the six o’clock news. I was fostered by a very wealthy, prominent New Orleans family in a matter of weeks. They’d been unable to have children of their own and were completely enchanted by the precocious little girl they’d seen on the news. My foster parents had old family money and lived in an exclusive suburban neighborhood. They even had their own tennis court on the property. I, of course, took to the game quickly and when my foster father saw that I had talent, he organized private lessons with a professional. I wanted to please him—after all, he was savior—so I practiced relentlessly. Ultimately, I was good enough to get the scholarship.”

  “So there is a happy ending.”

  “Not really. We’ve been estranged since I graduated from high school, but I’m not going to get into that. I haven’t spoken to them in seven years and I don’t want them back in my life.” She appeared to steel herself, then looked him squarely in the eye. “So now, Dr Finn Lane from Ireland, you know the truth. Under this thin veneer of respectability, I’m just a whore’s bastard. What do you think of me now after hearing all this?”

  Finn stopped walking and put his arms around her, hugging her tightly. “I think it was very brave of you to tell me all of this and I respect you tremendously for doing so. However, everything that you told me happened to you. You didn’t ask for any of it but you endured it. You made it though. You’re tough and you need to stop thinking of yourself as a whore’s bastard and see yourself as a survivor. That’s what I think.”

  Whitney burst out crying. “Thank you for saying that. I—well, most people are willing to think the worst when they find out the truth.” She stepped back from him and wiped her face. “Finn, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” She fixed a smile on her face, and just like that, Whitney was back. “Anyway, it feels good to be seen with the handsome and mysterious Irish stud who’s the talk of the whole campus.”

  He smiled at her. “I think I should be heading home.”

  “Not so soon. I’ll take you to dinner.”

  His eyes narrowed. “No thanks, you’ve done that already.”

  She laughed. “No pranks this time, I promise.”

  “Maybe another evening. It has been a busy day, and I’m still jet-lagged.”

  “Okay. I wouldn’t want to interfere with your beauty sleep.”

  She drove him to his apartment, but once there tried again to persuade him to grab a bite or at least go for a drink.

  “Really, Whitney, I’m beat.”

  “All right, sleepy head, off to bed with you. I’ll pick you up in the morning at eight.”

  “That’s okay, you don’t have to. I’ll cycle in.”

  She frowned and there was an awkward moment of silence, before she put on her best smile. “Suit yourself.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Monday, June 30, 1986

  Week Two: Day One

  Monday morning seemed to hit Lissadown with the ferocity of a cyclone. The town literally swayed with excitement and it felt like a strange, electric atmosphere had encircled it.

  Chief Superintendent McGill had cloistered himself in his office with his top direct reports and issued instructions that they were to be disturbed only in a total emergency. There they strategized on how they could turn Friday’s events to their advantage. McGill was convinced that the tide was beginning to finally turn in their favor and that now was the time to strike. His men were of the same mind. They had long been frustrated with the way things had gone and some of them blamed McGill for not dealing with it earlier. Still, getting the job was a bigger concern so they put their feelings aside and focused on the job at hand.

  ~ * ~

  Later Monday morning, David Kirk slipped quietly in through the back door of a house in Lissadown. He had watched the occupants leave fifteen minutes earlier and knew that they would be out of the house for at least two hours. Their pattern never varied.

  He smiled to himself. I won�
��t need half that. He roamed from room to room. Sure enough, less than forty minutes later, he was in his car heading to the meeting place he had arranged with Finn. When he arrived, Finn was already there.

  Finn got out of his own car, walked quickly over to David’s and got into the front passenger seat. “How did it go?”

  “Piece of cake. No problem at all.”

  “Did any one see you?”

  David shook his head.

  Finn smiled. “Where is it?”

  “In the boot. Bloody heavy too.”

  “I take it you got everything so?”

  “Oh yeah.” David laughed. “Everything and then some. I assume you’ll fill me in when the time is right?”

  “I will. And thanks again. I really owe you.”

  David frowned. “You don’t owe me shit. Just take care of yourself, okay?”

  “That’s a promise. Now let’s trade cars and you get on the road.” Finn gave him a quick hug. “Say hi to your mom and Margo.”

  “To be sure,” said David as he got out of the car.

  Finn scooched over into the driver’s seat and waited until David had left before driving back to the farmhouse and safely stashing what David had removed from the house.

  ~ * ~

  That morning, in her bedroom in West Cork, Margo Kirk read the news report on the events in Lissadown with interest. Although no names were mentioned, Margo was convinced that Finn was involved. “Way to announce yourself to the town, boyoh.” She laughed. “Maybe it’s time to come see you.”

  She thought for a moment then slipped her hand into the front of her panties. “Looks like I need a wax job first. It’s getting a bit stubbly down there. Can’t expose the boy to that.”

  She let her hand linger for a moment then moved it slowly down. She was already wet when she reached her clit. She lay back in her bed, opened her legs and began to stroke herself slowly with her right hand. She moved her left hand up inside her tee-shirt until it reached her right breast. Her nipple was already taut and full as she began to caress it.

  Her mind drifted to a picture of her sitting naked astride Finn Lane as she rode him hard. After a couple of minutes, she turned over onto her stomach, buried her face in the pillow, and rose up onto her knees. She stroked herself faster, more urgently as she rocked back and forth, her breathing growing shorter and shallower.