Taking the Town

by Ford Murphy

  He barely heard the officer say that they were still searching for Morgan Herman, who seemed to have vanished without a trace; that Whitney’s foster parents were on their way to Chicago to formally identify the body and bring her back to New Orleans to be buried; that Morgan Herman’s parents were also flying to Chicago to aid the search for their son who was now the prime suspect in Whitney’s murder.

  The officers offered their condolences, shook their hands and left. Paul and Finn just sat there. Eventually, Finn got to his feet and said, “I’m going to tell Spaulding. He’ll need to let the others know.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Sunday, August 10, 1986

  Week Seven: Day Seven

  The Sunday morning news report stunned the people of Lissadown. As more and more radios were turned on, the breaking headlines completely upended normal routines. The early morning report first revealed that the four alleged leaders of a ruthless criminal gang based in Lissadown had been attacked and severely assaulted. All four were reported to be in hospital in critical but stable condition.

  By mid-morning, the report was updated and details of the extent of their injuries were provided. The four men were now thought to have suffered near identical injuries: their spines had been broken, their hands crushed, their eyes gouged out and most remarkably, their tongues had apparently been ripped from their mouths. While it was thought that all four men would survive, it was clear according to the news reporter that they would be totally incapacitated for the rest of their lives.

  At noon, a further update added that it was now clear that it appeared a single assailant had been involved in the assault and that no weapons were used.

  Like virtually everyone else in Lissadown, Julia sat there glued to her radio, eagerly awaiting each update. As the news continued to unfold and the picture of what had actually happened became clearer, she became more contemplative.

  After the noon report, she switched the radio off and sat for a long time thinking. Then, having reached a decision, she stood up, went upstairs and packed a small travel bag with clothes and toiletries. Just before three, Julia locked her house behind her and headed to her car. On second thought, she decided it was better to leave the car at her house, so she slung the bag over her shoulder and started walking.

  It was a bright, crisp afternoon with blue skies and wispy clouds. There were people everywhere, most huddled together in groups, holding intense conversations. What struck Julia most forcibly was the amount of laughter she heard coming from these groups as she passed by. There was an overwhelming sense of joy and relief in the air and everyone seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. Along the way, she smiled and greeted people she knew and even some she didn’t, as she was subjected to multiple versions of, “Great day, isn’t it?”

  As she approached her destination, she grew more and more anxious. This could be a huge mistake. She had no clue how she would be received and she certainly wasn’t confident she had the courage to see her plan through.

  She stood at the door for what seemed like an age, took a deep breath then rang the bell.

  When Finn opened the door, his expression told Julia she was probably the last person he had expected to see standing there. He looked at her, stunned into silence.

  She smiled at him. “You’re doing that fish out of water thing again. I told you before, it’s not at all attractive. Can I come in?”

  Finn clamped his mouth shut and stood aside to let her pass. They went into kitchen. “Tea? Coffee? Water? Something stronger?” he asked.

  “I would love a gin and tonic right now, but I’ll stick with tea. Thanks.”

  They both were silent while Finn made tea and it was only when they were seated at the table that Julia began to speak. “I was wrong. I was so very wrong. You are the very best thing that has ever happened to me in my miserable life and all I did was push you away. Yes, you hurt me by not telling the truth from the start, but that isn’t an excuse. I should have listened to your explanation and most importantly, I should have trusted you. You had never given me a reason not to trust you. You had your reasons for not telling me. You believed they were valid and I don’t think you intended to hurt me. After your patience and kindness with me, I didn’t give you a chance, and that’s where I messed up. I’m so sorry and I hope you can forgive me.”

  “Dear God, Julia, there is nothing to forgive. I messed up too.”

  She smiled weakly. “Now, I don’t know—and I don’t need to know—if that was you last night. Whether you did or didn’t, all I know is that you made the first steps. If it wasn’t you, you were the catalyst for whoever it was. You have given this town back to the people, you’ve given everyone a chance at a normal life and families the opportunity to be together again.” She captured his gaze. Her eyes were filled with tears. “I love you for that too.”

  She took a deep breath and stood up. “Can I use your bathroom?”

  Finn just nodded, seemingly unable to find a response to her words. Fish out of water again. That was her Finn.

  Julia’s heart was pounding when she leaned against the wall of the bathroom. As difficult as it had been to say those words, she knew that the biggest and riskiest challenge was about to come. She splashed cold water on her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror. This was the thing she had feared most from the start and she had to get it over with. She wouldn’t risk her heart again, without knowing.

  She walked back into the kitchen, firmly resolved to see this through.

  Finn stood there in the middle of the room. “Julia, are you okay? Is something wrong?”

  “I’m fine. But I need you to turn away and don’t turn back around until I ask you to, Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  She quickly undressed, removing every stitch right down to her socks and shoes and placing them on the counter behind her. She stood there completely naked, about to make the single biggest decision of her life. This was it. All at once. Ripping the bandage off. Jumping into the water head first. In a moment she would know.

  “Now you can turn around now.”

  ~ * ~

  Finn had no idea what was happening but he’d learned letting her navigate was usually best. When she asked him to turn around, he wasn’t sure what to expect.

  There she stood, completely bared to him. And finally, he understood the magnitude of what this meant. He looked at her body, at each of the scars and burns that disfigured her breasts, her abdomen and legs.

  “You need to see it all,” she said softly and began to turn slowly so he could see the extent of the damage to her back, buttocks and legs. When she had turned back to him again he saw the look of determination in her eyes. Her body had been her biggest insecurity. He knew she had summoned every ounce of courage to do this, to simply stand in front of him.

  Finn walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. “You are beautiful. I’ve never seen anything as beautiful in my life. And so very strong, and brave. There are no words.”

  Julia held onto him tightly and whispered, “Take me upstairs and make love to me.”

  “You’re certain?”

  She nodded. “I’m giving this gift. It isn’t being taken from me.”

  Finn reached out and swept her easily into his arms. He looked into her eyes and he could see the trust in them. Without a word, he carried her out of the kitchen and upstairs to his bedroom where he placed her gently on the bed.

  He undressed slowly in front of her then laid next to her on the bed.

  She caressed his cheek and looked into his eyes. “Be patient, please. This is my first time of my own free will.”

  “Oh my beautiful girl, you don’t need to ask.” He leaned down and kissed her lips. Then his kisses strayed down the slender column of her neck, to her breasts. Julia flinched when his lips met the first scar.

  “Shh,” he whispered. “Let me show you the beauty and strength I see.”

  He waited, unwilling to move another inch without her per
mission.

  She nodded he lowered his head again, and gently kissed every scar as he traveled down her body.

  When he reached her mound, he caressed it lightly. “Will you open for me, Julia?”

  She parted her legs. Taking it as assent, he spread them wider, again kissing the scars on her belly and inner thighs.

  He kissed her mound before sliding his tongue in, tasting her salty wetness and barely touching the sensitive nub there.

  She gasped, then sighed and relaxed.

  “That’s my girl. Let me take you to ecstasy.”

  He continued to give her pleasure, alternately licking and sucking her clit until she was panting and moaning. He slid one finger inside her and then two, watching for any sign that it caused her distress.

  To his delight, she seemed to have lost herself in her rising pleasure.

  He held her on the edge until she arched against him.

  “Please, Finn, I don’t think I can stand this anymore.”

  That was all the invitation he needed. He positioned himself between her knees and entered her slowly, all the time looking into her eyes. Although it might kill him to do so, if he saw one hint of fear or pain he would stop.

  His needn’t have worried. She writhed under him, taking as much pleasure as she gave and crying out with abandon when she climaxed. Only then did he find his own release.

  They lay in each other’s arms quietly for what seemed like ages.

  No words were necessary.

  Finally Julia broke the silence. “I was so afraid you’d be turned off by me. I never thought I’d have the courage to be naked in front of anyone again, never mind making love.”

  Finn stroked her hair gently for a moment before kissing the top of her head. “I love you, Julia Davis. I have since I was a boy and I always will. You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me, inside and out.”

  She kissed him, rose up on her elbow and grinned. “Well if you really love me, take me out for a drink and a bite to eat. I’m starving and I can already taste a gin and tonic.”

  He laughed. “You got it. Let’s take a walk to The Shack.”

  Ten minutes later, Finn held Julia’s hand as they headed to the pub. He couldn’t find words to describe the sense of elation he felt. He leaned over and kissed her happily.

  “Oooh kissy, kissy,” a voice yelled out from behind them.

  They spun around and saw three boys of about twelve sitting on a wall.

  “Go on, give her another one,” said one with red hair and a freckled faced. “I know you want to.”

  “I believe I will, because you are so right.” He kissed her again and they walked on with the cheers of the boys trailing behind them.

  Once they reached The Shack, the pub was busy though not full—it was still early. Julia said, “I’ll get a table. Make mine a double and get some sandwiches and crisps and nuts. In fact, get anything you can. I’m starving.”

  Finn went to the bar and placed the order as he pulled out his wallet.

  The barman, Mark, looked him squarely in the eye, frowning. “You know I can’t let you pay for anything, right? Even if I didn’t put it on the house, there isn’t a single person here who would let you pay.”

  Finn thought about arguing but decided against it, simply replying, “Thanks, Mark.”

  He turned around, leaned against the bar and looked for Julia. He could see her sitting at a table talking to an old lady who held her by the hand. The old lady’s face was full of emotion but he could that she was smiling.

  When he arrived at the table with their drinks and enough food for six people, the old lady was gone. “What was that all about?” he asked.

  Julia practically inhaled a sandwich before replying. “Jesus, I needed that. I haven’t eaten in two days. That was Mary Browne. She lost two sons in the past two years to gang violence and her youngest had to move to London. She spoke to him earlier and he’s planning to come home now that the coast is clear. There’s going to be a lot of that happening in Lissadown now.” She took his face in her hands. “All thanks to you.”

  Finn didn’t answer her. There was no point. He wasn’t going to lie to her or pretend that he didn’t do it. Not this time.

  After a couple of very pleasant hours in The Shack, much of which was spent attempting to dissuade happy customers from buying them even more drinks, Finn and Julia left the pub. “Will I walk you home or back to my house?”

  “Back to your house. And before you ask, yes, I am planning on spending the night. I brought some things with me.”

  “I wondered what was in the bag.”

  “Well now you know. You can drive me to work too. Won’t that be nice?”

  Finn laughed. “You were very confident of the outcome of your little venture, weren’t you, dearest.”

  Julia stopped and looked up at him, very seriously. “Actually, no I wasn’t. I was scared silly and I honestly had no idea how you’d react after I’d been so horrible to you. And I sure didn’t know what you’d think when you saw me naked. Do you know, I have no mirrors in my house other than the small one in the bathroom? I never look at my body anymore. I can’t bear to see what they did to me.”

  Finn squeezed her hand. “I meant what I said. Completely. You are beautiful and I want to see you naked all the time. In fact, let’s walk faster. It’s already been too long since the last time.”

  She laughed. “Now look who’s confident of a positive result.”

  But she picked up the pace.

  ~ * ~

  It hadn’t been a quiet Sunday for Mike McGill. Early that evening he received a report of a demonstration outside the home of another senior gang member. Mike deployed the riot squad and arrived to find a crowd of about forty townspeople surrounding the house and chanting, “Out. Out. Out. Out.”

  Before his men could take any action, the gang leader came rushing out of the house, brandishing an axe. “Fuck off the lot of you,” he screamed. “Do you know who you’re fucking with? I’ll make you very sorry.”

  Brendan Macken walked to the head of the crowd and stood there in front of the gang leader. “We’re not afraid of you anymore. Just pack up and leave.”

  The gang leader raised the axe over his shoulder as if preparing to take a swing at Brendan. The riot squad moved in. Brendan Macken was pushed to the ground in the melee. An officer stood over him with a baton and shield.

  Mike felt a twinge of shame in his gut when Macken put his hands on his head as if fearing the officer was there to support the gang member.

  When the axe-wielding gang member had been restrained, the officer turned his attention to Brendan. “Sir, are you all right? Let me give you a hand up.”

  Brendan appeared surprised, but took the man’s hand. “I was sure you were going to hit me.”

  The riot squad officer stared at Macken for a moment. “Why would I hit you, sir? I’m here to protect you.” He reached out his hand and shook Macken’s. “Have a nice day, sir.”

  None of the protesters had been injured, but the gang leader had not fared as well and was sitting handcuffed in the squad car with a bloodied head.

  Mike McGill watched the whole exchange and smiled to himself. The healing had begun.

  ~ * ~

  When they reached Finn’s house he flipped on the television and sat on the couch.

  Julia looked at him askance. “You want to watch TV?”

  He smiled and pulled her onto his lap. “Just for a minute. I want to see the news.”

  Not surprisingly, the lead story was about the attack. It seemed to have captured the whole country’s attention.

  “It has been confirmed that one of the four men brutally assaulted in a private residence outside of Lissadown is the alleged kingpin of a particularly violent criminal gang operating in the area, and the other three are his lieutenants. All four are stable but still in critical condition. A spokesperson from the Regional Hospital would not speculate as to their prognosis, but sources close to the
case have described the injuries as ‘devastating’, suggesting that it is unlikely that any of them will ever speak or walk again, or regain any vision. Even the use of their hands will likely be limited due to the severe damage done. Normally, in cases like these it is common to see a widespread outpouring of sympathy. However, more allegations of atrocities committed by the gang are coming to light by the hour.

  “Earlier this evening Joe Delany, Associate Director of Public Prosecutions for this region, spoke with reporters outside his home.”

  The coverage cut to video of the interview.

  A reporter asked, “Mr. Delany, in light of the recent allegations of atrocities committed by or at the behest of the four victims, do you believe a crime has been committed?”

  Delany almost sneered back at the reporter. “How can you ask such an inane question? Of course a crime has been committed. Four men were brutally beaten to within an inch of their lives and will spend the rest of their days in darkness, unable to speak or walk. This was a crime and the perpetrator will be brought to justice.”

  Another reporter asked, “Do you have any suspects or any idea how this attack could have been perpetrated?”

  “All of the damage appeared to be inflicted without the use of weapons. The person responsible would have to be extremely strong and an absolute expert in martial arts. Frankly, I doubt there’s more than one or two people in the country capable of doing this.”

  Julia frowned. “He might as well have broadcasted your name. He couldn’t have identified you any clearer than that.”

  “Yes, and he looks like he’s loaded for bear.”

  “Are you worried? Because I am. I’ve seen how the police do the dirty work for these guys.”

  “I am a little.” He shrugged. “But there’s not much we can do about it now.”

  They turned their attention back to the news report.

  “Mr. Delany, do you have any other comments regarding this case?”

  The prosecutor looked directly into the camera. “Yes, I do. I want to make it perfectly clear to this audience and the people of this country: If you have any sympathy for the perpetrator of this heinous act, then you are on the wrong side of the law. This was a crime, make no mistake about it, and we will prosecute whoever did this to the fullest extent possible. Anyone caught aiding and abetting this criminal will also be prosecuted and receive the maximum sentence allowable by law. Mark my words. Finally, let me tell you that we are pursuing a definite line of enquiry and expect to make an arrest very shortly.”