by Chloe Young
With that, a loud popping sound was heard from the rear of the car. Clint held tight to the wheel as the SUV swerved hard to the left, going off of the dirt path momentarily. Fortunately, Clint had been through enough flat tires to know what to do. He jerked the car hard right and brought it to a complete stop in the middle of what seemed like nowhere.
Clint got out to inspect the damage. He grasped onto the side of the car as he made his way around to inspect the back tire. Sure enough, he had driven over something sharp enough to puncture it, and now he was in need of a lot more than just a tank of gas.
Susan peered out of the back window watching her husband check on the rear tire. She worried about his physical state while they were at home, and was certainly more worried than ever now that they found themselves in this situation. Clint probably wasn’t aware that his physical deterioration was so obvious to those around him. He could barely stand still as he stood there pondering the condition of his car. She knew he would not be able to steady his hands enough to replace the flat tire.
Clint took a good look at his surroundings. Large trees flanked both sides of the small, dirt road. The trees were so tall that they blocked almost all of the sunlight that should be visible on such a nice summer afternoon. The dirt road certainly did not look like a true road in any sense of the word. Obviously, it was not safe for travel and Clint had found that out the hard way.
Susan called out to her husband. “I’m going to use the cell phone from the glove compartment and try to get someone out here to help us.”
Clint nodded, “Good idea”. He was concerned about the narrowness of the dirt road. It certainly did not appear that a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction would be able to get by their car. Clint made his way back into the SUV and shut the door.
Susan looked through the contacts saved onto the phone. “Should we call the insurance company? See if they can’t tow it and get us somewhere while they put on a new tire and get us a tank of gas.”
Clint wasn’t sure where the nearest auto body shop was located, and he sure didn’t want to travel to some other middle-of-nowhere town to wait for the repairs to be made. “Why don’t you try calling, Damon. He might be able to help me fix it right here and bring us a tank of gas.” Then we can still make it to the beach house tonight.
Susan wasn’t sure calling her son was the right thing to do; it had been so long since she had talked to him. “I guess it’s worth a try.”
***
Damon was out on the beach with Megan, waiting for Mark to return. He didn’t really see what Kristi saw in the guy. Sure, he was muscular and good looking by most women’s standards. But the guy was a real asshole who only wanted to use women to stroke his own ego.
Just as he was contemplating Mark’s motives, he felt his phone vibrating in his back pocket. He took it out to see who was calling, and was shocked to see the name “Susan” appear on his phone screen. He hadn’t been able to refer to her as mom for a long time now. Damon chuckled to himself as he powered down his phone and took a seat on the beach next to Mark’s girlfriend. He had no idea what she might want, but it certainly wasn’t more important than what he had planned.
CHAPTER 14
Mark made his way back to the beach house. He yelled upstairs, “Kristi, you up there?”.
Kristi called back down, “Yeah, I’m in the bedroom”.
Mark could tell that she was upset. It seemed the perfect time to comfort her, and perhaps convince her that Damon wasn’t the guy she needed in her life. He walked up the steps, hoping she hadn’t change out of her bikini. Sure enough, she was sitting on the bed in her little pink bikini. Even though she was upset, she looked sexy. He wanted to touch her, but wasn’t sure how she would react.
She smiled as he made his way into the room. “I just don’t understand him sometimes. He can seem so distant and rude, like he’s this whole other person. It just weirds me out.”
Mark sat next to her on the bed. “I don’t see why you’re with the guy anyway. You could do much better and you deserve much better. We could get out of here right now if you wanted.”
Kristi knew how much Mark liked her and that she could easily be his girlfriend if that was what she wanted. She liked Mark and was very attracted to him, but he was predictable and boring. Maybe that’s what she liked about Damon; she never knew what she would get with him. Sometimes that was an exciting thing and other times, it was incredibly frustrating.
Kristi looked over at Mark. “And what would become of poor Megan?”
“Megan is a good girl. She would be okay here with your boy, Damon. We’ll come back for her at some point.” Mark smirked, feeling not the least bit of guilt for lusting over his girlfriend’s best friend.
Even though Kristi wanted to reject Mark’s come ons, he was charming in his own way. She really couldn’t resist those muscles and that smile of his. At the moment, she wished that she was a stronger person.
Sensing desire in Kristi’s eyes, Mark grabbed hold of her by the waist and ran his hand up and down her thigh. She did love the way it felt when he touched her and wanted her.
He pulled her close to him and as they kissed, he untied the top of her bikini. Kristi assisted Mark in removing his tee shirt and they rolled over on what use to be Jonathan’s bed.
***
Megan was wondering what was taking her guy so long to grab a couple of beers. She assumed that he may be comforting Kristi. Hell, for all she knew, he might be doing Kristi. She wasn’t as naive as she seemed at times. Her friend was stunning and Mark could pretty much have his pick when it came to girls. A lot of the time, she had no idea why she continued on this charade of a relationship. Maybe for the same reason that Kristi continued to date Damon even though the two of them were completely incompatible.
Damon pulled himself up off of the sand. “I’m going to go in and check on things. See what’s taking Mark so long in there.”
As Damon entered the beach house, he was overcome with memories from his childhood. He could see Susan sitting on the couch next to Joseph. They were reading a book, a book that he could barely read. And there was his little brother, rattling off the words like he had memorized the damn thing. Susan kept telling him how smart he was and how he could be anything he wanted. She certainly never told him that.
As Damon walked up the staircase, he remembered following Joseph up the stairs and into his bedroom. He sat on the floor across from him. “Mom really can’t stand you, you know. She says all of that stuff to make you feel good. But she really hates having you here with us.”
Joseph frowned. “You’re lying. Mom loves me, she tells me so every day.”
“Of course she tells you that, she doesn’t want to hurt your feelings. The truth is Joseph that she’s thinking about putting you up for adoption and giving you to another family. You just don’t fit in with us. Sure you’re smart, but in a weird way that no one here understands.”
His little brother began to tear up. “Mom would never give me away to another family.”
“Don’t worry, Joseph. I’m your big brother. I will protect you.” Then he had hugged his little brother.
Just as he was approaching the room he was to share with Kristi, Mark came out of the room from across the hall that he was sharing with Megan. Damon had expected to catch them in the act, but he had not been fast enough. He opened the door to find Kristi lying on the bed, eyes closed, underneath of the blankets.
Mark headed back down the stairs. “Sorry, man. I lied down for a minute and must have been more tired than I realized. Let’s get those beers and head back out.”
Damon smiled. It was only a matter of time before Mark was caught in the act.
***
Horace rummaged through the bottom drawer of his dresser. Max sat up and whimpered as he watched his owner pull out old papers and miscellaneous objects he had collected over several decades.
There was absolutely no organization to Horace’s hoard. However, he had a hard time letting go of
things. He knew that they may serve a purpose at some point in his life. These newspaper articles would certainly come in handy now. That was proof that holding onto artifacts was a necessity in life. It didn’t matter that he had about run out of room for storage.
Horace let out a small squeal of delight. “Here they are, boy. All of the newspaper articles from the little boy’s drowning. If he don’t want to remember, then maybe I’ll help him a bit.”
Horace scooped up the articles and headed back out to the beach. He had a large smile on his face as he walked briskly across the cooling sand.
CHAPTER 15
Susan and Clint waited inside of their car for the tow truck to arrive. Susan wasn’t surprised that her son ignored her call. She would’ve been stunned had he actually answered it, and even more so, had he agreed to come and help them out. She wasn’t even sure where to find Damon these days, she hadn’t seen him or talked to him in so long.
Poor Clint could barely keep his eyes open as he sat reclined in the driver’s seat. Susan was feeling pretty tired herself, but wanted to keep an eye out for the tow truck or any other vehicle that may venture down this road. Evening was settling in and she knew the sunlight would begin to fade on them. They would most likely have to stay in a hotel for the night, and make their way to the beach house the next day after their car had been given a new tire and a fresh tank of gas.
Clint woke up as the tow truck rattled its way a complete stop behind Clint and Susan’s car. The truck had to back its way in so that it could hook up with the SUV. Clint and Susan were relieved to be going somewhere where they could get some rest and their car could be repaired.
The driver got out of his truck and threw their belongings into the back of it. Susan climbed into the front of the tow truck, carrying the cell phone in her pocket. Her husband, ashamed of the difficulty he was having, mustered the strength to climb in beside her. He looked at the two truck driver who had barely said the word up to this point. “Do you think it will take long to get the car repaired?”
The tow truck driver glanced briefly in Clint’s direction. “Hard to say. Things don’t always get done real quick ‘round here.” Despite the driver’s demeanor, Clint settled back in the seat and closed his eyes.
Eventually the truck came to a stop in some small town that seemed far from real civilized life. Clint and Susan were directed to get out of the vehicle and check in at the small hotel. They were happy to get inside and away from the truck driver. As they approached the front entrance, they watched their vehicle being towed out of site.
***
Mark and Damon made their way back out to Megan who was tanning herself in the late afternoon sun. Megan looked up as the guys sat down and began to enjoy their beers. “Everything okay? Where’s Kristi?”
Mark kissed Megan on the forehead. “Everything’s okay, babe. Kristi was just getting some sleep. I think we’re all a little worn out.”
Mark started thinking about the things that old guy had been saying to them before Kristi had taken off for the beach house. “So Damon, what was that old guy talking about? What was the big incident that kept your family from coming here?”
Damon laughed. “I have no idea, dude. That guy is full of shit. Never seen that guy before in my life. I told you, my family just got tired of coming here but decided to keep it just in case I wanted to use it.”
Megan didn’t know Damon well enough to know when he was lying or telling the truth. She didn’t think much of “the neighbor” though, he looked like he had been bumming around on the beach for way too long. She decided that there was nothing to his weird talk, other than trying to sneak up on a couple of girls who were trying to enjoy the beach.
Megan turned towards the guys. “Let’s see about getting something to eat. I’m starving. Maybe Kristi will be up for some food too.”
With that, the three of them packed up their blankets and beers, and headed back up towards the beach house.
CHAPTER 16
The beach house came equipped with all of the necessities for cooking; pots and pans, dinnerware, large refrigerator, and even a small grill on the patio. The only problem was the lack of food. Not to mention that these appliances hadn’t been used in years.
Mark and Damon had volunteered to grill up some dinner if the girls would drive down the street to the local grocery store. Megan was more than happy to agree to this as she was starving and loved the idea of the guys cooking for her.
Megan grabbed a pair of shorts and tank top from her suitcase. “No problem, guys. Just let me take a quick shower and see if I can get Kristi up.”
Mark was content with sitting out on the small patio, finishing his beer, watching the ladies in their bikinis walk up and down the beach, and staying as far away from Damon as possible.
Damon, on the other hand, seemed unable to relax. He was walking around and searching the beach house as if a horrible surprise may be lurking around the corner. Megan assumed he was reminiscing about family vacation moments and his childhood. That really wasn’t unusual. There were times in her life when some small event or object would trigger fond memories of herself as a child. She could only imagine all of the fun times Damon had had here as a kid.
Megan made her way up the stairs to take a hot shower so that she could head to the store. Before hitting the bathroom, she walked into Kristi’s room. Kristi had already gotten up and changed. “Hey, you okay? The guys are going to make us food as long as we hit up the grocery store. I’m going to take a quick shower.”
Kristi approached her friend. She felt guilty thinking about their friendship, knowing that just a couple of hours ago she had occupied the bed with her boyfriend. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just tired and that guy really gave me the creeps. Food sounds good, I’m starving.”
Kristi watched Megan enter the bathroom and heard the water from the shower running. She made her way downstairs to see Damon sitting in the living room as if in a trance. “Hey. What are you up to?”
Damon abruptly broke from the daze into which he had fallen. He really wasn’t thinking of anything specific. It was such a great feeling to be back at the family vacation home after all of this time. It gave him such a sense of power to know what he had done to his little brother out there. This really was his home.
Damon smiled at Kristi. “Nothing, just thinking about times I had here with my parents. You’re feeling better, I see.”
Kristi sat down next to Damon. “Yes, much better. Just waiting on Megan so we can get some food.”
***
Sullivan was trying to hide his excitement at the thought of solving an actual murder case. It looked a bit unprofessional to be happy about the murder of a young man. Let’s face the facts though; Cliff wasn’t going anywhere in life. If someone had to be the victim in his murder case then it might as well be a convenience store cashier. Sullivan couldn’t help but smile as he felt the rush of being in the midst of a major crime. Solving this case could land him a big spot on the force in a real town. No more small time robberies; just the big time from now on.
Sullivan decided he would hit up the beach, just drive up and down the tourist areas a few times. Maybe he would get lucky and that Jeep would turn up somewhere. Where else could the murderer be headed anyway? No one came through these parts unless they were headed for a getaway on the beach.
Worst case scenario, there would be no Jeep and he would head home ready to take a new approach to this case in the morning. There was always the hope that some evidence would turn up at the convenience shop or on Cliff after all of the fingerprinting and DNA tests. Only problem was that lots of people could have made their way through the shop that morning or afternoon.
Either way, Sullivan didn’t mind making the drive to the beach for a look around. And who knows, perhaps a murder case would be one step closer to being solved. With that thought, he smiled, turned the radio up, and continued to the beach community.
CHAPTER 17
Megan came down the
stairs. She had showered and dried her hair. Slight signs of sun burn already appeared on her bare shoulders as she approached Kristi and Damon sitting in the living room area. Megan was wearing cut off denim shorts and a bright pink tank top. Damon took a moment to reflect on her appearance. She was definitely a good looking girl, very cute with a simple sense of style. She was also very loyal, even though her boyfriend was undeserving of her faithfulness. He wondered if she knew the extent to which her boyfriend lusted for her friend. She could do better, but some people just accepted their lot in life. In her current state, Megan would always play second fiddle to her best friend. Damon supposed that he could have grown up with his brother Jonathan in much the same way. He could have allowed his little brother to be the main attraction while he merely got by, living through his brother’s accomplishments. That just wasn’t his style though. He had no regrets that he had eliminated his brother who really had stood in the way of him having his own, fulfilling life. Maybe one day Megan would feel the same way about Kristi. Maybe one day she would feel the need to eliminate her too. He wouldn’t blame her.
