You Are My Sunshine

by Angie Merriam

  “Shut the hell up, Trish. You know you want to tell me and I really need to hear about it. Please,” I begged and gave her my best sweet face. She returned my sweet look before rolling her eyes and sighing deeply.

  “Fine. But if he turns into a toad it's your ass, Sunny,” she warned.

  “Yeah whatever, come on. Spill it.”

  “Well, I had a meeting in the city last weekend and met a hunk of a man,” she began, and I settled in for the story. “Ooohh, do tell, please.”

  “Well, he was at the same real estate seminar as me, and when our eyes met, I swear there were sparks, Sunny. I've never been one to believe in, oh shit I can't even say it, but you know like attraction at first sight.”

  “You mean love at first sight?” I corrected her teasingly

  “Shut up and listen. He asked me for drinks and one thing led to another. Next thing I knew I was waking up in his hotel room with his milky white arm draped around my waist. Now, before you go calling me a whore.”

  “I would never call you a whore. Maybe a slut but certainly not a whore.” I laughed and feigned shock.

  “Anyway, I'd be his whore or slut or whatever any day. His deep brown eyes looked right through me and he wears his shaggy hair in that just fucked style. His body is sculpted like a Greek God. He is probably the most beautiful man I've ever seen. As a bonus he's sweet and funny. He even brought me breakfast in bed.” Her eyes went all dreamy as she told me the story making me laugh again.

  “Are you ever going to see Prince Charming again?” I asked fully expecting a hell no from Trish but she surprised me, as always.

  “Yep, we have a real date this Friday.” I tried to hide the shock but Trish didn't date, ever. She screwed men and walked away. She was kind of like a guy in that way. No attachment. No emotions. Just casual sex. She'd gotten herself a few stalkers over the years doing that, but she didn't care. She has no desire for a relationship and usually let the man know that up front.

  “Jesus, Sunny, don't look so fucking shocked! I am capable of dating!”

  “You are?” She shot me a dirty look before tossing a cookie at me. “Bitch,” she spat.

  “I'm sorry, Trish, you just never date. I'm a little shocked but I'm happy for you. He must be more than a beautiful man to get you on a date 'cuz Lord knows you don't have a problem finding hot men.”

  “Well, he might be different. I actually kind of like him,” she said shyly and Trish was never shy.

  “Holy shit, you have a crush. Well, good for you, hunny. Fucking, good for you!” I said and reached across to hug her. I was happy for her. I worried she'd never settle down and find love but given my past was casual sex such a bad thing? I wondered briefly if I could do it and knew I couldn't. As much as Matt had hurt me, I still craved that feeling of love, and I wanted it from him.

  “What are you thinking, Sunny?” Trish asked, snapping me out of my daydream.

  “Oh, nothing really.”

  “Did you go out last night? You look tired and you're still in your work clothes.” She was so damned observant, and I was shitty at sneaking around. I hadn’t even thought to change my clothes. Suddenly, she was studying me. Shit, she knew something was up. Of course she did. She's known me forever, almost knew me better than I knew myself.

  “Well, hell, you got laid,” she exclaimed happily.

  “Shhh, don't be so damned loud,” I said suddenly feeling embarrassed.

  “Who is he?” She asked in a whisper. I just stared at her. I didn't know what to say. I'm screwing my ex-husband, didn't sound right. I knew she wouldn't judge, but I was judging myself. I was contemplating my answer when she pressed me harder.

  “Come on, Sunny, it's killing me. I told you mine, now it's your turn.”

  “Fine, fuck! I stayed at Matt's house last night,” I whispered so Elijah wouldn’t hear me. It was her turn to look shocked. I said nothing, just sat back and waited for the explosion of questions and how could you? I was waiting for her to tell me I was an idiot but again, she surprised me.

  “It's about damned time.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Please, girl, that man loves you. Everyone sees it but you.”

  “He cheated on me, Trish, with fucking Keely. That's not love is it?”

  “You guys started young. He was foolish and thinking with his dick. Shit, how many times had you come to me complaining about the lack of sex and intimacy? You were both a little lost. Yes, ideally, he should have come to you and you two should have worked it out together. He's a man, a fucking stupid one, but he does love you and those kids, and he's been celibate ever since. Give him a chance, Sunny. You all deserve it,” she finished her little speech as her phone rang. I sat back and let her words soak in. She said ‘we all deserved it’. I just had to believe that.

  While Trish was on the phone, I saw her face fall as worry washed over her eyes. She looked at me, and I saw tears threatening to spill. “Okay, Dade. Sunny is here. I'll let her know. Thanks and be careful.” She hung up the phone and sat back down. “What's wrong?”

  “Shannon is missing. She's been gone a few days I guess.”

  “What? Nick doesn't know where she is?” I felt the familiar panic, that has been such a frequent visitor lately, settle in.

  “No, he reported her missing but now he's missing too.”

  “What do you mean he's missing?”

  “I mean they can't find him. Dade said to be careful. Nick's a suspect in all the murders.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? He may be a thoughtless dick but he's not a murderer, plus Shannon isn't dead. She's missing. Maybe she needed to get the fuck out of Lincoln for a little while,” I said defending him. Could he be a killer though? Did I really know him that well? I refused to think a man that I'd almost allowed to touch me as only Matt ever had could be killing young women.

  “I don't know, baby girl, but we need to be careful. She has been running her mouth around town, saying she knows who the killer is but she won't say who. Dade is putting a patrol car on my house, and I'm sure Matt will have one on yours too.” I'd heard those rumors but didn't believe them. Matt and I both had a history with Shannon and Nick. They'd been able to work out what Matt and I hadn't. She forgave him for cheating. I envied her for that.

  “Shit, I didn't tell him I was stopping here. I better get home. I love you, Trish. Stay safe.” I stood and kissed her cheek before rounding up the kids.

  “I love you too, Sunny. Watch your back and call me if you need anything. Oh, and forgive that man of yours. You'll thank me later,” she hollered after me as I loaded the kids in the car. I blew her a kiss and drove away.

  Chapter Eight

  Two days earlier

  Shannon was never supposed to be one of his targets. She was a good girl after all. He was changing though and the craving to kill was growing deeper inside of him. He wasn't sure he'd be able to control it for long nor was he sure he'd be able to be so selective of his victims. He told himself Keely would be the last, at least for a while, but after he loaded her lifeless body into the bed of the truck, he felt that familiar hunger creeping in again.

  When he saw her watching him while he pushed Keely's dead body off the bed of his truck, he'd considered killing her that night. Something about the way she watched him fascinated him. She didn't seem afraid or repulsed while she watched, just curious. She didn't try terribly hard to hide herself from him either. She stood just at the edge of the trees that surrounded the small clearing and was clearly visible in the moonlight. He contemplated his choices while he worked and watched her.

  He could easily kill her out there. No one would hear her screams and what an exciting thing it would be when they found two bodies. That would confuse the small town of Lincoln for sure. He'd been so obvious at times that it pained him how daft the police force that swore to protect and serve could be. It wouldn't be hard to connect the dead women he'd littered through Oregon and Washington yet they hadn't made the connection. He didn't wa
nt to be caught necessarily. He was sure he'd always outsmarted them, but it would be nice to have a challenge. He'd left multiple bodies over the years, and the cases had either been picked up by the city cops or covered up by the good folks of Lincoln.

  He thought it was strange that they hadn't looked too hard for the person that was a serial rapist/murderer of known slutty women. He thought maybe some were relieved to have the trash of Lincoln removed, but he thought it was fear more than anything. As intelligent and tough as the police force thought they were, fear is what fueled them, and they were certainly afraid of him, for a good reason. He was sure some of his closest friends suspected him but hell, they all suspected each other. It would all end soon anyway. He was sure. His need was becoming uncontrollable, and he had one special one planned before he ended his love affair with killing. Shannon though, what the hell was she doing out there?

  “Hey, Shannon. What are you doing over there lurking in the shadows? Good girls like you don't do things like that. Come on out, I won't hurt you,” he called to her while he dragged Keely's body closer to the forest line, closer to the road.

  “I'm not afraid of you. I know you won't hurt me,” she replied and walked away from her spot in the trees. She was a brave, spunky thing he thought and damn cute. He liked the younger women now. He hadn't always but as he aged he preferred to fuck women the age he was when he'd first realized he was a killer. Older women were haggard and wrinkled and their pussies had been pounded to the point of being unrecognizable. He cringed every time he had to stick his cock in his wife but he had appearances to keep up. Plus, the older women didn't care for themselves like the new twenty-somethings.

  He'd noticed a few years before that the younger woman had taken to removing every last hair from their bodies, leaving them smooth and bald where he liked to stick his face. He liked it. It was a good trend he'd hoped would continue. He bet Shannon was bald in all the right places and felt his heart quicken at the thought of diving between her legs.

  “You do know what I'm doing right? This isn't a bag of trash, well, actually it is, human trash,” he said and laughed. “You should be afraid of me.” He looked at her, his eyes hard yet she didn't retreat. Didn't run away screaming. Didn't cry. She just stood, watching him.

  “Is that Keely?” She asked with little to no emotion in her voice.

  “Well, yes it is.”

  “You killed the slut?” Her words were filled with hatred, and he couldn't decipher if she'd spoken a question or a statement.

  “I did.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she was a very naughty girl. She's been a naughty girl for a while now, like her mother and like her mother, it was time for her to go,” he stated simply as though their conversation was perfectly normal.

  “So you killed Brenda too? Did you kill all the girls they've found over the years?” He couldn't help but notice the fascination in her voice. It amazed him and not many things amazed him. He'd lived too long, seen too much, done too much to be rendered speechless but Shannon was leaving him bewildered. Why the fuck wasn't she afraid of him?

  “Yes I did,” he replied as he dragged the body a few more feet. He'd stopped dragging her and left her where she laid. It was close enough to the road. It wouldn't take long for someone to spot her. He wondered if anyone in town would care. He doubted it but if they didn't care, it would solidify his plan to kill someone worthy of the town's attention.

  “Were they all whores? Home wreckers? Did they all deserve this as much as she did?” She asked while turning her head to look at Keely.

  “Yes. Well, not Amanda. That was an accident,” he told her honestly. The more she asked the more intrigued he was with her.

  “Don't worry I won't tell anyone. Keely can rot in hell for all I care. She's damned lucky to have lived this long, considering how many women's husbands she's screwed over the past few years.”

  “Well, I suppose you're right, Shannon.” He stood in front of her, panting slightly from the hauling of the body. He wasn't as young as he used to be. He flinched when her hand reached up and gently touched his face. He didn't move or speak.

  “You're very handsome in the moonlight, you know that?” She said quietly.

  “I think you're in shock, Shannon. I'm old enough to be your father,” he told the confused girl. He'd have to kill her. She may promise to keep his secret now but as soon as the shock wore off she'd surely squeal.

  “No, I'm not confused. I'm eternally grateful to you for freeing the world of such trash and I mean it when I say you're handsome in the moonlight. Besides, you're not really that old and you don't look much older than me.” Her hand continued its exploration of his face before moving down his neck and to his chest where it rested for a few moments before slowly moving lower. He grabbed her hand tightly before it reached the rim of his pants.

  “You don't want to do this, Shannon. I'm a bad man. I could kill you right now. Don’t forget Amanda. She was an accident. That could be you.”

  “But you won't and I don't think you're bad at all.”

  “How do you know I won't?”

  “Because I'm not one of them. I've been a good girl my entire life. Because you can tell that I understand you. You trust that I won't tell because you know I've watched you in the past.”

  “You've what?” He was surprised by this. How could she have watched him?

  “I've always suspected there was something off about you and as soon as I could drive I began following you. I've known for a long time what you do. I've waited for the right time to approach you.”

  “How?” He was falling in love with this young girl the longer she stood before him and talked. Could he really be in a relationship with a younger woman who accepted and even condoned his secret life? He shook the thought away. It was crazy. There was no way he could pull off a relationship with her. He had his wife, and she had her husband. She would surely get him caught before he was ready to be caught but fuck, she was gorgeous. Her big blue eyes studied him with genuine curiosity, and he could feel the softness of her straw colored hair between his fingers. One time wouldn't hurt he thought then he'd kill her like he killed Amanda.

  “I'm sneaky. I believe in what you do. It doesn't hurt that I've always found you attractive, distinguished. I've always wondered what it would feel like to have you between my legs. I've watched you with them you know? Not all but a lot. I watched you with Keely. You really should more careful about closing the curtains all the way.”

  “You should be careful about what you say, Shannon. I don't know how long I can control myself around you and once I decide I want something, nothing stops me from getting it. Not cries. Not pleas, and certainly not screams. You better make sure you know what the fuck you're talking about little girl because all my brain can think about right now is if you're one of those girls that strips all the hair from her pussy.”

  “You want to see?” She said teasingly before standing to kiss him, nibbling his lower lip. That was the moment he hoped to hell she wanted this as much as she said because he wouldn't be able to stop. He was going to fuck her senseless. Show her how a real man handles a woman. He scooped her up and carried her to the cab of his truck. He ripped off her pants and proceeded to have his way with her, and at no point did she try to stop him. She actually seemed to enjoy his rough ways and when her body stiffened and trembled, he released himself and thought he may have found the perfect woman.

  The moment was short lived though. She pushed him off of her and put her clothes back on. “I have to get home now but we will see each other again shortly. But when I see you on the street or at town events don't ever acknowledge that you know me like this. In town we are the same people. I'll keep your need to kill young sluts a secret if you keep my need to fuck an older man who kills young sluts a secret.” She walked away from him, and once again, she left him speechless.

  He sat in his driveway for a long time before he mustered up the strength to go inside to his wife. He
was getting tired of the charade. He was getting tired of the mask. She was a good enough woman, but she'd die if she found out her husband was a monster. She'd never understand. He almost wished she could. He really loved her when they married, before the darkness inside of him emerged making a mockery of their marriage. Now, she was nothing more than a prop in his life, but she was necessary he guessed.

  She was asleep in her chair in front of the television. She had a hard time sleeping without him so most nights, when he came in late, that's where he found her. He quietly went to their bathroom where he showered, washing all remnants of Keely and Shannon from his body. Two women in one night was a lot for a man his age. He hoped to God that his wife didn't want love from him. He didn't think he'd be able to. He was thankful that when he woke her she did little more than sleepily walk to bed where she fell fast asleep but not before mumbling, “Goodnight, dear, I love you.” He sighed loudly because she was the only person in the world to make him feel any sort of remorse because he didn't doubt that she truly did love him. “I love you too, goodnight,” he replied and meant it, sort of.