Eviscerating the Snake - The Complete Trilogy

by Ashley Fontainne

  “Yes, you nimrod. In all your little hacking adventures, you never once noticed that I graduated from the same college as Olin and Robert. I worked as a bartender at Cowboy Joe’s Bar on the weekends to help support myself through college. I wasn’t working the bar that night, but I was there shooting pool. I saw the entire spectacle.” I paused and let that little morsel soak in, relishing the look of fear, then anger, shooting from her eyes.

  “And you didn’t tell the police because you were afraid they would find out about your husband that you killed back in North Carolina”

  “Hey, you’re making some solid connections here. Who says fear and anger weaken one’s ability to think? But, I’m telling the story; you’re just listening. Don’t interrupt me again or you will regret it.

  “Let’s see, where was I? Oh yes, not telling the cops about what I witnessed that night. Honestly, I put it out of my mind and went about my life, never giving the evening much thought after I moved to Phoenix. A few years later, I applied at Winscott and got the job. Imagine my surprise on my first day when I met Olin and Robert. Thankfully, they didn’t recognize me, but I did them, although I couldn’t exactly place why I recognized them.

  “I knew immediately what kind of men they were in only a few months of working there. Robert was a whipped, limp dick and Olin was a ‘fuck-em-and-leave-em’ prick. I needed someone that wouldn’t want to marry me, but would still hold strong enough feelings for me to stay by my side, and that man was Eric, so I sunk my claws quick into Eric and basically used him to ride to the top. Literally. Mmmm, what a fun ride he was too,” I said, looking over at his stiff body. “How do you think I became the first female equity partner at Winscott? It sure wasn’t because of my astute accounting acumen.

  “Then, a few weeks before Olin killed Ralph after discovering the video tape, I overheard Robert and Olin arguing in Olin’s office late one night. I had left about an hour prior, and I assume they thought they were alone, but I came back to grab a tax file I needed. The conversation was about Olin’s plans to take over the firm and his insistence upon Robert’s support. When Olin brought out his trump card about Gina and Cowboy Joe’s, I suddenly remembered why I recognized their faces. I left that night without my presence detected, and that’s when my sporadic thoughts about becoming managing partner really began to form.”

  “Oh my God, you did know everything,” Audra said, tears cascading down her pale cheeks.

  “Yeah, that little nugget of information helped save me from suffering your fate two weeks later. Olin decided that he would trap me in my office late one night to elicit my vote for him. When I refused, he opted to use the tactic he used on you—forcible rape. I bought myself enough time to fight back and almost castrated the bastard when I mentioned I knew what he did in Summerset the night he was celebrating at Cowboy Joe’s. And I made good on my word; I voted for Eric.

  “He, of course, never called my bluff on that, since he had no idea that I would never have gone to the police. I can only assume he thought I enjoyed having the leverage over him, which in some ways, I did. What I needed was for him to make a colossal fuck up that I could use to take him down with. He handed that, and more, when Sprigg came into the picture.”

  I stopped and lit another smoke, placing the one I just finished in the ashtray. The look on Audra’s face was pure delight, exactly the mental anguish I was going for, so I continued.

  “Are you getting the full picture here, Audra? I was supposed to swoop in and save the day. I was supposed to be heralded as a hero, not you. Everything was set in perfect motion when I emailed the media from Eric’s computer, and it was supposed to be me that brought the sorry excuses for men to their knees. But no, you beat me to the punch and stole all my glory. Do you understand why I hate you so much?”

  “My God, Nicole. You are just as demented as Piper.”

  “Wrong answer. Piper’s problem was she was a certifiable nut job. I’m simply enraged at the trouble you’ve created and decided your punishment would be death. No one publically humiliates me and steals my thunder. That’s just plain rude. And if there is one thing us southern woman won’t tolerate, it’s rudeness.”

  I grabbed a butt from the ashtray and lit it, then set it back amongst the others. Small, thin tendrils of smoke began to wisp above it, languishing just above my head. I yanked the newspaper from underneath it and then added a few shreds of paper on top. The flames roared to life.

  Satisfied with my pyro-skills, I tucked the gun in my waistband and headed over to the couch.

  “Hey look! Mikey’s awake so you two should have plenty to discuss on our way to Havensport. You have a lot in common. Maybe you can compare notes about the pros and cons of seeking revenge. He probably could have benefited from tips from you since he has waited four decades to avenge his son’s death, only to fail after all this time. Drove all the way here from North Carolina, too. Such a pity. But we can discuss the devastating effects seeking revenge has on someone after we are on the road. I need to get him loaded up before that handsome boyfriend of yours comes back.”

  Tears were flowing down her face and I couldn’t stop the chuckle from coming out. Let the whiny, little bitch cry. She was only reaping what she’d sown, and I was enjoying the hell out of being the harvester.

  I moved over in front of Mikey and slapped the old geezer on his wrinkled cheek. “Come on, Mikey. Time for our road trip.” His eyes began to water while he stared at me, their limpid pools of blue struggling to regain full clarity.

  The sound of breaking glass caused me to jump, and I whirled around, drawing the gun from my waist. My eyes focused on the lawn chair that was inside my living room. Motherfucker! It had to be…then crash, more breaking glass that was muffled, but it sounded like it came from the kitchen. I crouched down and grabbed the duct tape from next to Audra’s thigh, ripping a piece off and covering her mouth. Then I fled the living room, opting for the aerial view from the staircase, waiting for the entrance of Steve Ronson.

  MY mind was in overdrive as I forced my training to take over, unwilling to let my emotions steer me in the wrong direction again. I would kick myself later for the mistakes I had made some other time. What I needed to concentrate on was getting inside Nicole’s house and saving Audra.

  I slammed on the brakes on at the bottom of Nicole’s street, then reached under the seat and grabbed my gun. I flicked my cell phone over to silent and ran faster than an Olympian up the street and drive. Leaning against the back of the SUV, I scanned the area for any signs of movement. Seeing nothing, I moved quickly around to the back of the house, crouching low as I came to each window and peering in. I jumped the fence and landed hard in the backyard, then ran over to the edge of the large, plate-glass window that opened into the living room.

  My heart skipped a beat when I first laid eyes on the corpse in the chair, then started pounding again when I saw Audra on the couch. Thank God she was still alive! Nicole was across the room smoking, and then the flames began to sparkle in front of her.

  I had no time to waste, no hanging around waiting for the FBI to arrive. It was time to act. Hoping I could distract her, I picked up the heavy iron lawn chair and hurled it through the window, then raced back around to the front. I snatched one of the large ceramic pots from the front porch and heaved it through the picture window in the kitchen. Then, I grabbed another one and went over to the large windows that surrounded the front door and chunked the pot half way down the hall after the dainty glass splintered into a thousand pieces. Kicking out the remaining glass, I stepped through the opening and paused, listening for any movement.

  Hearing nothing, I made my way down the long hall and into the living room, which was quickly filling up with acrid smoke. Flames engulfed the coffee table and at any moment, would spread to the entire room. I knew I didn’t have much time to get them out safely.

  Audra’s eyes lit up when she saw me, as well as the older man crammed on the sofa next to her. He was bleeding heavily from his
head, but thankfully, I saw no blood on Audra. I heard a slight noise upstairs, then looked over at Audra while I pointed up with my gun. She nodded, tears streaming down her face. I ran across the room and was at her side in a split second.

  “Anyone else in the house?” I whispered, greeted by two heads nodding in the negative.

  I glanced around one more time, then exchanged my gun for the switchblade in my pocket. In two quick slices, both of them were free of their binding. They both reached up in unison and removed the tape from their mouths while I remained crouched in front of them. I held up my finger to my lips for them to remain silent.

  “I’m going to cover you both, so on the count of three, get out through that window and go right. There is a gate on the side of the house. Exit it, and get to the street. Wait there for the FBI.”

  “Steve, please, come with us,” Audra pleaded while she latched onto my arm. “She’s crazy, and she has…”

  “A gun. And it’s aimed right at your brain stem. Drop yours and move slowly away from them. I won’t ask again.”

  My heart sank when I heard Nicole’s voice. I never took my eyes off of Audra as I imperceptibly placed the switchblade next to her thigh, then stood up, hands in the air, and faced the woman I should have never trusted.

  “Nicole, it doesn’t have to end this way,” I said, shocked to discover she was less than fifteen feet in front of me. The head to toe black clothing and the smoke and flames looming behind her made her truly look like a demon from Hell.

  She held the revolver in both hands and stepped to the side of me, motioning for me to move forward. My body was blocking Audra’s, so I held my ground.

  “Move…or the contents of your skull will be covering her,” she said, her voice heavy, almost raspy.

  Hoping I could buy a few moments before the FBI arrived, I moved slightly to the right.

  “Nicole, it’s no use. The FBI will…” I said, then she screamed.

  “Shut the fuck up!” As soon as the last word escaped her lips, the room resounded with the gunshot. I felt the impact in my chest at the same time my body crashed to the ground. My last thought was a prayer, asking God to save my Audra’s life, in exchange for mine.

  “NO!!!” I screamed as Steve’s body flew across the room from the bullet and crumpled into a heap on the carpet. Blood was pouring from his chest, and he wasn’t moving. In that blink of an eye, everything changed and my world crumbled. Running on pure instinct, my mind shut down and my body took over.

  Brandishing the switchblade in my left hand, I leapt off the couch and ran headlong into Nicole, burying the knife in her right flank above her hip. The gun in her hand discharged a bullet, then it flew out of her hand as our bodies slammed onto the floor with a heavy thud. I twisted the handle and tried to eviscerate her bowels, but she jerked in the other direction, screaming like a banshee the entire time.

  White flecks of spittle erupted out of her as we both fought for control of the knife. My sides were heaving for air as the room was heavy with thick smoke. Ignoring the burning pain from my wound, I held on with every ounce of strength I had to the handle of the knife. Nicole was writhing around, her legs kicking with fury for traction on the carpet as she tried to maneuver her body away from me while keeping her hands wrapped around mine on the knife.

  “You…fucking…bitch!” she screamed, spitting in my face. “You’re DEAD!”

  Suddenly, the pressure on the knife rescinded as she released one hand and buried her fingers in my wound, twisting and grinding as they sunk deep into my flesh. The blinding pain took over, and I lost my grip on the knife as I doubled over in agony. Sensing the advantage, she elbowed me in the temple and scrambled to her feet, a guttural growl erupting out of her as she pulled the knife from her side.

  My mind was awash in white pain. I tried to focus, to concentrate on getting back up, calling upon every screaming nerve to obey my commands. I had to defeat her; I had to save Steve. I rolled over and got up on all fours when her boot-clad foot landed with a solid thud in my side. I felt my breath leave my lungs with the force of her kick and fell face-first onto the carpet, gasping for air.

  The smoke filled my lungs while a thick, cloudy haze surrounded us. I could feel the heat from the flames and their crackle in my ears as I tried to get to my feet. She was on top of me before I could even blink, her face wild with anger, her eyes watering from the smoke and the insanity leaking out of her.

  “Die, bitch!” she screamed as she raised the blade in the air.

  “Cassandra!!”

  The voice of the old man rang out deep and clear and caught Nicole’s attention for the briefest second. She flinched, and I used the last ounce of strength I had and heaved my body up, causing her to lose her balance. She tried to regain it by pushing herself up off me, her wild eyes no longer looking at me, but him.

  “For Frank,” he said, and then he fired.

  Her head exploded in front of me as the bullet destroyed it. Dead shot…right between the eyes. Her body flopped backwards and collapsed on the soft carpet, twitched once, and then moved no more. Frozen in horror for only a split second, I regained my faculties and crawled away from her and over to Steve.

  Blood soaked the carpet around him—too much blood. His face was deathly pale, and he wasn’t breathing. Dear God, this isn’t happening.

  “Please, help me get him outside,” I pled with the man that just saved my life.

  He dropped the gun and grabbed Steve’s legs, and with strength I didn’t know I could sum up, we dragged him through the broken glass and outside into the back yard, far enough from the raging inferno that was once Nicole’s living room. Setting him down as gently as we could on the hard concrete of her back porch, I removed my shirt and handed it to the gentleman. Without a word, he balled it up and placed it on Steve’s bleeding chest, holding heavy pressure on it while I started CPR.

  “Fight, damn you!” I screamed through my tears as I pumped his chest. “Fight! ”

  I don’t know how long we remained there under the moonlit night, pounding, breathing, and trying to stem the flow of blood from the man I loved. I was beyond frantic, for Steve still wasn’t able to breathe on his own. I cried out in fear when I felt hands on my shoulders and pulling me aside.

  “Let go of me!” I screamed, trying to claw my way back to Steve’s motionless body.

  “Ms. Tanner, let the paramedics to their job,” the male voice that held me in a vice grip said from behind me.

  “Where is Nicole?” I heard the familiar voice ask, but I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t speak. That’s when I noticed that the entire backyard was lit up with blue and red lights, and a team of paramedics swooped in and began working on Steve. Firefighters doused the fully engulfed house with water, the flames shooting from every direction.

  “Her corpse is inside, hopefully burnin’ just like her soul is in Hell.” the old man responded, his voice wheezing from the smoke. “Because I blew her fuckin’ head off.”

  I tried to speak, tried to free myself from the hands that held me, but it was no use. Everything went black.

  EARLY SUNDAY MORNING

  CATATONIC. THAT’S WHAT I heard one of the doctors tell my mother in the hallway after he had finished stitching up my side. I had refused any pain medication except for the localized numbing shot he gave me before he patched me up. I never let a sound escape my lips, for my words were locked inside my heart, trapped.

  Ignoring the orders of my attending physician, I dressed and exited the room. My father was immediately at my side, insistent upon me returning to bed. I shot him a look that silenced him. I walked past him and straight to the elevator.

  “Where is he?” I croaked, my voice gritty from all the smoke.

  “Honey, he’s still in surgery. Please, come back and…” my mother said, her voice tender as she walked beside me, her eyes swollen from crying.

  “No. What floor?” I snapped. The elevator doors opened and I stepped inside. They both followed, kn
owing I wasn’t going to listen.

  “Sixth floor,” my dad replied, pushing the button.

  We rode in silence, my mind spinning through a myriad of thoughts. If he didn’t make it…

  I pushed that thought out with a determined huff when the doors opened. Dad led us to the waiting room, which was full of people, some I recognized and some I did not. All eyes were upon us as we entered; the hushed chattering silenced.

  We found a few empty seats in the corner and sat down. The old man was sitting in the chair across from me, wrapped in a hospital blanket, his head covered in a large bandage. His expression was unreadable, his eyes vacant and glossy while he talked quietly with the FBI agent that I recognized from the hospital in Summerset.

  Wanting to think about anything else other than Steve in the operating room, I focused my attention on their conversation.

  “And how long had you been in Arizona before you decided to confront Ms. Simmons?” the agent asked.

  “Stevenson…I told you her name is not Nicole Simmons. It’s Cassandra Stevenson.”

  “Right. Sorry. Okay, Mr. Stevenson. You claim that Nicole Simmons was actually a fake identity that she used after she fled…what was the name of the town again?” the agent replied, flipping back through his notes.

  “Havensport. Havensport, North Carolina. And I don’t claim nuthin’. It’s the God’s honest truth. That woman murdered my boy. Shot him in the head, then set the house on fire and disappeared, just like she was plannin’ on doin’ tonight. No one ever saw her again.”

  “And you’re sure you aren’t mistaken? After all, it’s been…” the agent replied.

  “Sir, you ain’t never lost a child to murder, have you? It’s something you don’t forget, no matter how hard you try. Every memory, every word, it’s etched inside you, burnt forever in your heart. I always knew that monster killed him, and I spent every last cent I had tryin’ to find her. I had almost given up until the day I saw her picture in the paper. When I saw her, everything came floodin’ back.”