You Are My Sunshine

by Angie Merriam

  He flung his door open, knocking her to the ground. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up, hard. “Ouch, you almost pulled my shoulder out of the socket,” she whined, and he began laughing.

  “Are you fucking serious, Shannon? I want to kill you so badly right now and you're worried about your arm?” She smiled at him, seductively. She really was crazy.

  “But you haven't killed me yet so that means you don't really want to.”

  “Oh, sweet Jesus. I do want to kill you and I will but first I have to know exactly what you've been telling people, you loud mouthed cunt!” He was losing patience, and her flirty voice was wearing on his nerves.

  “I'm making you a rock star! You're ridding the town of trash and should be recognized for it.”

  “I fucked you, Shannon, right here where I dumped Keely's body. What makes you better than her? You cheated on Nick. To me that makes you trash. You're right about one thing. I do enjoy taking out the trash.”

  “No, I'm not like her or like any of them! He cheated on me first, remember? He fucked my head all up! That little slut ruined my marriage but you took care of her. I'm thankful for that. I did what I did to thank you! That's all.”

  “You're a liar, Shannon. I can see it in your eyes. You liked it. You initiated it. Hell, that's why you're out here isn't it? Hoping to catch an encore?”

  “Maybe, I've been here every night since it happened, waiting.”

  “Why?” He asked, intrigued. Maybe he misjudged her. Maybe she wasn't that different from him. Is it possible that she could keep his secret? Maybe be his accomplice, like Batman and Robin? The thought rolled through his mind as a fleeting thought before his right mind took over, reminding him that she's been talking to people, about him. She's not like him. She's an attention whore and possibly an adrenaline junky with an affliction for serial killers, but she's not a killer herself.

  “I don't know honestly. I just wanted to see you again. Maybe I could help you with the next one.”

  “Oh God, are you serious? No. I don't need help. I don't want help. This is not a team effort, Shannon.” He tried to explain, much to his own surprise. Why was he taking the time to explain anything to her? He needed her to tell him exactly what she'd said to people then he'd get rid of the problem.

  “Tell me what you've been telling people, Shannon.”

  “Fuck you! I'm not telling you a damn thing. I want to help. I'll only tell you what you want to know if you let me help you. Come on Nick will never know. He came home drunk, fucked me sore and passed out. I'm all yours. Let me help you!”

  His patience was gone. Whatever bit of sympathy or camaraderie he'd had for her was gone. She was a problem and a spoiled little bitch. He hated women like her. She thought she could manipulate a manipulator. Not only was she spoiled and a whiner, she was a dumb shit. He wondered briefly what Nick saw in her and how in God's name he stayed married to her. It had to be her looks, her body maybe, but it sure as hell was not her personality or intelligence.

  Without thought he pushed her up against the truck, her body pinned between him and the truck. His forearm pushed against her neck, pressing hard enough to make her eyes water. For the first time, he saw the fear that should have been there the entire time. “Stop fucking around with me, Shannon. Tell me what you've been saying or I'll crush your windpipe right now!” He felt his darkness crawling through his body, taking over every cell and warming his insides. He lived for this feeling of power, of darkness. The ability to hold a life in his hands. The ability to take that life away with the same hands.

  “I never said your name. I only said I saw what you did to Keely and that I was fucking happy that you did it. I would never tell them who you are. The entire town would be crushed to know one of their own upstanding citizens has been murdering women for decades. I just wanted people to know you only killed sluts. I told them I wasn't afraid of you and they should leave you to do your work.” He let her go and watched as she dropped to her knees, catching her breath.

  “Come on, get up. You're coming with me.”

  “Where?” She asked.

  “Stop talking and get your ass in the truck. Where's your car?” He couldn't risk anyone seeing him in the vicinity of where she was. “It's about a mile down the road, towards town. I walked the rest of the way.”

  “Good, let's go,” he demanded and felt a wave of relief when she got in, with no argument. He turned the key over. The sound of the engine relaxed him. For the first time since he found out Shannon was talking, he felt calm with a sense of direction. He knew what he needed to do. She thought he was some kind of hero. Some sort of vigilante killing whores. He wasn't. He had the need to kill, and women appealed to him. Women with no morals were easy to lure. He wasn't doing it to rid the world of them. They were easy targets. They weren't always his only target though. There was a time, when he was much younger, that he didn't care who it was, as long as he stopped their heart. He'd been smart enough to kill outside of Lincoln though, sometimes hundreds of miles away. It wasn't until he left Brenda's body outside of Lincoln that he started dumping bodies there, but not on a regular basis, until now.

  Things were changing quickly. He had to start thinking quicker. He needed to be more careful and aware. He'd almost been bored and craved a little cat and mouse with the police but now that it was a possibility he thought better of it. He knew no one would have thought twice if Keely had been the only one murdered. They'd brush it under the rug like they'd done with Brenda. Amanda was his mistake. People liked her. People fucking love Shannon and will really be upset when they find her body.

  He saw a silver lining though. For the last twenty four years, he'd had his sights set on someone special. She wasn't a whore, and she was admired by the entire town yet he knew he had to have her. He'd always known Sunshine Everly would either be his saving grace or his last kill. He didn't expect it to come to fruition so soon, but he didn't have a choice. He'll either be dead, in prison, or living under a new name with Sunshine very soon. First, he has to deal with Shannon. She was a complication he didn't fucking need.

  He drove out of Lincoln. He didn't give much thought to what he'd tell his wife, after all no poker game lasted twenty four hours. He'd think of something later. With any luck she'd be sleeping, not waiting up for him and he could sneak into bed before she woke. Shannon's voice interrupted his internal talk.

  “Where are we going?” She asked after they were a fair distance from town. He'd decided to be honest with her. Why the fuck not?

  “I'm taking you to the motel that I take all the girls to. Are you afraid?”

  “No,” she said defiantly.

  “You should be,” he said as his foot pressed the accelerator. She sighed loudly as though she were bored with him and watched the passing landscape. Two hours later they arrived at a seedy motel outside of Portland. He paid for a room and led her inside. “I know you took Amanda and Keely here, but is this where you take all the whores that you kill?” Her voice was almost giddy, as though she were getting ready to tour an art museum.

  “No, but it's always a similar motel. Trashy doesn't tend to draw attention. Now, take off your clothes and sit on the bed,” he ordered, and she obeyed. She was calm, too calm. It was unnerving to him, and he was a fucking serial killer for Christ's sake. He was done with Shannon, and her fucking fascination with him. He undressed quickly and pushed her back onto the bed. His ritual was out of sync. He wasn't turned on by her. She wasn't afraid. She had to be afraid. He slapped her across the face, and she did nothing. He hit her again and he saw it, fleeting fear. It wasn't much, but it was enough to stiffen him.

  He positioned himself at her opening and looked in her eyes again before driving into her hard and fast. He pumped his hips as she dug her nails into the flesh of his back. He moved faster, harder and she let her legs fall open further, enabling him deeper thrusts. He was nearing his release when he wrapped his hands around her throat and began to squeeze. He saw tears welling up in her eyes b
ut still no real fear. “Thank you,” she whispered just as she took her last breath.

  He rolled off of her and stared at her lifeless body with amazement. Had she just tricked him into helping her commit suicide? She looked peaceful, even happy laying there naked. Had he done her a favor? He felt sick. He was not a mercy killer. He dressed in a rush then opened her purse, dumping the contents on the bed. Maybe he would find something that would tell him why the hell she wanted to be dead. Not just dead but fucking murdered like Keely.

  He hastily sorted through her shit, lipstick, tampons, credit cards, cell phone, receipts, and a folded piece of paper. Curiously, he unfolded the crinkled paper and read the words.

  Dear Nick,

  I know about your affair with Keely. I also know you knocked her up. How could you? Guess what babe, I'm pregnant too, but if you're reading this, I'm dead like her too. I was murdered by the same man who killed your precious little whore. Hope you live a long happy life you disgusting bastard.

  Love always,

  Shannon

  “Oh shit. Fuck. Shit. Son of a fucking bitch! She'd been running around telling people about him. She'd planned this. She'd planted seeds, and they would eventually lead back to him. Shit, he should have left the crazy girl alone. Who the fuck creates this kind of elaborate death because of the opposite sex? No one could see that note. He held it over the sink and lit it on fire. He wrapped her up in a blanket without bleaching her. He thought it best for people to know she'd been with Nick and another man. He had no convictions so they wouldn't be able to trace it to him. At least he hoped not.

  He drove her to the same spot she had watched him dump Keely and repeated the treatment. He took a few deep breaths before climbing into his truck and hurrying home to his wife.

  Chapter Eleven

  I found Matt in the kitchen setting the table with pizza and beer. It wasn't candlelight and flowers, but I wasn't really that kind of girl. After the excitement of my day, this was exactly what I needed. I smiled at Matt, who sat with me at the table. I inhaled my pizza and guzzled my first beer before Matt and I spoke a word.

  “Glad to see you haven't lost your appetite, baby,” he said teasingly. I'm also not a girl who's embarrassed to eat in front of a man. If I'm hungry, I eat. I try to eat healthy most of the time but allow myself moments of weakness, and this was one of those moments.

  “Well, you tempted me with my favorite pizza, Matt. You're the devil.” He laughed at me as I drained the last drop of beer and threw my napkin on my plate. He stood to clear my plate and to grab us both another beer, and I enjoyed the view for a minute. I could get used to that view. I knew we'd have to talk about what happened earlier as well as the story my mother told me but for just a minute I wanted to appreciate the man who stole my heart so long ago. The man I'd missed desperately, more than I cared to admit or realize.

  I knew he worked out at home. It was important to him to be in good shape as a police officer. Not only because of the stereotype but he always said if he was chasing a perp, he wanted to catch the fucker, not be left huffing and puffing while they got away. He was also a man who worked with his hands chopping wood, bailing hay on his parents’ farm, and he was constantly building or remodeling something. Whatever he was doing recently worked for him. His body was more toned and muscular than I'd ever seen it. It had been so long since I looked at him as more than my friend. I liked what I saw.

  “Have you been working out, Matt?”

  “Ha, are you checking me out, Sunny?” He teased, shooting his killer smile at me.

  “Maybe. Have you?”

  “A little. Dade talked me into getting a membership at the new gym in town.”

  “Really? I never thought of you as gym rat but it looks good on you,” I said boldly. I laughed when I saw the crimson creep into his cheeks. “Are you blushing, Matthew Everly?” I teased.

  “Who me? Fuck no! I'm just turned on knowing you're undressing me with your eyes,” he retorted.

  “Screw off!” I said and threw my napkin at him. “I was giving you a compliment. You really do look good, healthy.”

  “You mean I look fuckworthy?” He smiled that sexy smile of his. His hat was on backwards, and he'd taken off his uniform top. He was standing there in only his blue uniform pants, and I'd always loved the way they formed around his ass. His thin white t-shirt hugged him in all the right places offering an unobstructed view of his tattooed arms, which were smooth but ripped. He was definitely fuckworthy.

  “Yeah, I guess you look fuckworthy but unfortunately for you we're not fucking. We're taking it slow remember?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Slow. I know,” he said, setting my beer in front of me.

  “Thanks, Matt.”

  “Anything for you,” he replied and sat in his spot across from me. He grabbed a notebook and pen.

  “Tell me your mom's story,” he said and converted into his police officer persona. I told him everything she'd told me; my dad's affair with Brenda, her disappearance, and the other murders. He sat back in the chair, rubbing his temples. He always did this when he was troubled or couldn't figure something out.

  “Wow, babe. That's fucking insane. Why would they close the case on those murders?”

  “I don't know, but it's a little too coincidental don't you think?” I asked, and he nodded.

  “So, Walt knows about the past murders?”

  “Yeah, I guess he's the only one left on the force that would know about them.”

  “It's unlikely that a serial killer who dumped bodies here over twenty years ago would return for an encore.”

  “Agreed, but I can't imagine anyone in town being a killer. How could someone like that be a part of our community and go undiscovered for so long?”

  “I don't know. I'm going to start asking around. Someone knows something I'm sure. Maybe they’re afraid to speak up. This kind of blows my theory out of the water though.”

  “What theory is that?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew what it was.

  “Well, Nick has been a suspect for a while. Since Keely actually. He'd fallen victim to the her just like I had, but before I fucked up and fell for it she told me about her and Nick.” I was surprised by this. Why would she tell Matt about her previous fling?

  “Really? What did she say?” I asked trying to keep the catty tone to a minimum except it was hard when I talked about her. God rest her soul. I hated the woman and I hated talking about her, especially when talking about her involvement with Matt, but I didn't want her dead, and this conversation had to happen. I put on my big girl panties and offered him an apologetic smile.

  “I know it's not easy for you to talk about her, Sun. I don't like to talk about it either but it's important I think.”

  “I know, go on,” I encouraged and braced myself.

  “Well, she originally came to me right after her affair with Nick. She said he was angry when she broke it off with him. I guess he wanted to start a life with her which I thought was crazy. I thought she was crazy and making shit up but after a few conversations with her I could see her fear was real and I started to watch Nick. Now, I never really cared much for him. He was hot headed and a real asshole sometimes yet I never considered him dangerous until Keely came to the station one night. I was there alone on phone duty when she came in. Her lip was split open and her eye was starting to swell. She said Nick hit her when she refused to be with him. I questioned him but of course he denied it, so it was her word against his. I knew no one would believe the town whore over Nick so I waited for him to fuck up.” He paused to take a drink of his beer.

  “It was during that time that she started making advances towards me. We both know how that ended so I will skip over that part. Anyway, she told me Nick had finally given up on her so I didn't give two shits about him. Then I found out you were dating him.” He paused and looked me in the eye. So many words were silently spoken with that one look.

  “That's when I started dating Shannon. I felt like a ser
ious douche. She was heartbroken over Nick and I swooped in, the rebound guy. The nice guy. I really just wanted information about Nick, after all you were dating him and I didn't trust him after what Keely had told me. ”

  “Why didn't you tell me?” I asked surprised. I never saw an ounce of violence in Nick, until he attacked me.

  “If you remember correctly, you were still pretty pissed at me at that point and with good reason. I didn't think you'd believe me.” He was right, I wouldn't have. Nick was always the perfect gentlemen to me, and I was still pretty pissed and disgusted with Matt.

  “You're right. I wouldn't have. Go on,” I urged.

  “Well, Shannon confided in me. She told me about the times when Nick would come home from the bar, drunk. She said sometimes he was so angry but she didn't know why and when she tried to comfort him or confront him he'd take it out on her. He hit her on more than one occasion. I was never happier than the day I heard you had broken it off with him. A few days later I ended things with Shannon. She and Nick got back together shortly after that. I met with her once a few months later and asked her what the hell was she thinking. She assured me he'd changed and things were better. Well as time went on it seemed like she was right and Nick didn't seem to be a threat anymore so I lost interest in him. Keely had moved on to her man of the minute and we had started to build a friendship so I focused on that. When Keely's body was found I had my suspicion but there was no evidence at the scene. The rain had washed away any footprints and there was no DNA anywhere. The rest of the force chalked it up to her being in the wrong place at the wrong time except Dade and me. He knew about Nick and when you dated Nick, if I couldn't be there to watch you Dade was.”