"Oh my God. What happened?" asked Alicia, appearing shocked.
"Well, he hasn't really told me yet," Jamie said, biting her lip.
"What was her name?"
"Jennifer Chandler. They called her Jenny. His family grew up in Evanston. Does that ring a bell?"
"No. I never remember hearing about that. So she was close to our age? Think we would have heard about that back in Elk Grove Village? People are killed in Chicagoland every day."
"He will tell me when it's right for him. He was getting pretty emotional when he talked to me about it," Jamie said.
"Well, there's always the internet," Alicia suggested.
Jamie made a grimace and didn't respond.
"Type her name into a search engine and see what's there. There will probably be newspaper articles from then," Alicia said.
Jamie pondered this for a while and it seemed like the wrong thing to do. She finished lunch with Alicia and headed to class.
Upon arriving home, Jamie went straight to her computer. She had been consumed by the idea during class and could not concentrate. She clicked her web browser and went to the search engine. Typing in the query, which was the victims name, the city, and year, resulted in immediate newspaper articles from back in 2004. Jamie scrolled through several articles and clicked on one with the title "Arrest Made in Teen Kidnapping, Death." She began reading the article. A man named Glenn Howard Ogletree was arrested for the crime of kidnapping, rape, and murder of Jennifer Chandler, 17. Jamie's stomach sank. That poor family. She continued to read a different article, one from late in 2005 about the trial. Ogletree attempted to plead insanity, but was unsuccessful. He was sentenced to a life term. Jamie did not want to continue reading, but did anyways. She clicked on a different link. She saw a picture of Jennifer, a yearbook photo. She was beautiful. Green eyes, Jason's green eyes. Tears began to swell in Jamie's blue eyes. Jennifer had been kidnapped after a football game. The police looked for her for three days. They found her body in a ditch near a factory outside of Evanston. Her throat had been slashed and she had been brutally raped. Oglethorpe's truck had been seen near the high school that night. His DNA was all over her body. Jamie continued to read about the suspect. He had previous incidents with violence against women, the report read. Jamie felt like she was about to throw up. Her phone then beeped with a text alert. "Oh shit," she whispered, feeling like she was about to get caught.
"Hey! How was class? - Jason."
Jamie closed the web browser and promptly deleted her browsing history.
7. Vaporize
Jamie and Jason had been going strong for about a month now. He never did describe what happened to his sister to Jamie, even though she already knew. Every time they got in deep conversation, she expected it to come out, but it never did.
Jamie was on her final weekend before the BAR exam. Her and Jason went on a nice date the night before, so Jamie thought she would cook for him tonight. They sat on her couch and relaxed together. The 4 o'clock program ended, and the news began.
"Tonight: another murder investigation Evanston."
Jason leaned forward to examine.
"You didn't tell me there was a murder last night," Jamie said.
"There's a murder on most nights around here. Let's see who it is. Crack head, gang member?"
A police spokesman came on the screen, standing behind a podium. "We believe these murders are linked and the suspect is still at large."
Jamie looked at Jason who was watching intently. "Mathews looks like an idiot, I'm going to give him so much shit tomorrow," Jason laughed.
The news anchor came back on the screen. "All three of the victims had past criminal activity, specifically they were all convicted of sexual assaults. Police also think these murders might be tied to two different missing persons cases that were never resolved."
Jason peered over at Jamie. "Well I get to deal with this shit tomorrow, so how about a movie?" Jason suggested.
"I want to take a quick shower first, so go ahead if you want or wait for me," Jamie replied.
"Okay, I'm turning on the game until you get out," Jason shouted back as Jamie walked back to her bathroom. She turned the shower on and undressed, stepping into the shower. The room slowly filled with steam from the hot water, as Jamie let the stream fall down her back. She was startled by a noise at the door. She hated this feeling more than anything, Alfred Hitchcock conditioned her to believe this was the end. She peeked out of the shower curtain, and jumped out of her skin when she saw Jason standing there.
"Holy shit, you scared the fuck out of me!" Jamie said catching her breath.
"Sorry, sorry, I knocked but I guess you didn't hear me. I just wanted to join you," Jason said with a smile.
Jamie's heart continued to race, but she managed to smile and opened up the curtain. Jason pulled off his shirt, exposing his abs and beautiful midsection. He unfastened his belt and dropped his pants, exposing navy blue boxer briefs. He removed them, exposing his penis, which was still large even when not erect. He climbed into the shower, sharing the stream with Jamie. He reached his left hand up and touched her shoulder. He gazed into her eyes, water trickling off his hair and making tiny rivers past his nose. His hands dropped lower to her waist, pulling her towards him. Jamie ran her fingers across his collarbone, as he moved in to kiss her. Their wet lips united, and Jamie felt herself sinking into a passion fueled trance. Jason's hand touched the top of Jamie's hip and moved slowly up to her breast. She could see his penis getting bigger, drops of water falling off of the head. She grabbed Jason's shaft and held it in the palm of her hand. Then, slowly started masturbating him. Jason tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Jamie could feel his penis getting harder. He put his hand between Jamie's legs, confirming she was wet. He slid his big fingers over her clitoris and into the labia. She stroked him faster, but Jason stopped her, in tandem with a deep breath. He turned Jamie the other way and continued to finger her, reaching around, with his forearm rested against her hip. Jamie felt Jason's penis touching her ass, and used her hand to move it away. Jason then moved Jamie's right leg to rest on the edge of the bathtub, her bent knee resting on her lower leg. She felt Jason's penis moving past her vagina, then emerging from between her legs. She lifted the bottom of the head up near her clit. She rubbed her own wetness over it, then slowly moved it to the base of her vagina. Jason's hand left hand reached around to continue the finger pleasures, and his right hand squeezed Jamie's breast. He began to insert his penis in her. Slowly, he moved slightly deeper with each thrust. Every time he pushed, Jamie's ass cushioned into his pubic bone. In Jamie's past, she never enjoyed sex from behind. Jason was able to hit places that other men never could. This felt amazing. She was in euphoria once again, mouth agape, adding to the steam already present in the room. Jason breathed heavy, watching the beads of water fall down Jamie's back. Their moans indicated both were nearing orgasm. Jamie fell into contained screams in order to heighten her climax. She felt it coming, gripped Jason's hand and succumbed to another powerful orgasm. Jason stopped, but Jamie told him to keep going. "Come inside of me. We're okay."
Jason's grip tightened, quite painful to Jamie, but she allowed it. His hips began moving at a faster pace. Jamie felt him come, with vibrations and throbbing. She hoped that her birth control would protect them.
Jason slid his penis out of Jamie, and began kissing her passionately. They finished the shower, albeit lukewarm from using all of the hot water.
8. Redemption
A box of ammunition, a .38 magnum, and a half empty bottle of beer adorned Jason's dining room table. He sat meticulously arming his personal favorite firearm. He examined each bullet before inserting them into the gun. He loaded in six, but knew he would only need three.
Jason stepped up into his truck and fired the engine. The dashboard clock read 2:30 a.m. It was unusually cold for a May night, prompting him to wear his jacket. He backed out of his driveway and headed north. Tonight's destination was of no
table filth. If there was any indication that the American justice system was broken, it was the Tree Loop, or "The Forest" in police lingo, a set of streets named after types of trees. It was located near industrial blight, once a middle class area but now a product of white flight. Jason turned down Sycamore Street. His eyes bounced around looking for squad cars. There would be extra patrols tonight he had found out.
"You have reached your destination, 405 Sycamore Street," his GPS told him. He killed the lights and shut his truck off.
Upon stepping out of his truck, the piercing bark of a dog startled him. It was tied to the porch of the house on the left. There were no lights on at his destination. Pulling out a pair of leather gloves, he continued to walk, up two steps and onto the porch. He did not hear any people. His right hand reached up to the knob, giving the cold metal a twist. It was locked. He started to go left but didn't want to get the dog stirred up too bad, so he went to the right. There was shit strewn about the yard, piles of garbage, trash bags. He made his way to the back and eyed a back door. Jason gave this knob a twist. Locked. There was a third and final option which he decided was worthy of exploring. What appeared to be a basement door down a few steps. Jason walked down to it, gave the knob a twist, eureka. The door did not move well but it opened half-way. He walked down three more steps and into the unfinished basement. Taking out his phone, he used it to illuminate the room. The floor was wet. He located the flight of stairs going up into the house. He walked over and stepped on the first step. It was terribly creaky but was his only option. He continued up the flight until he reached the top. Opening the door, he found himself in the kitchen. He continued to use his phone to illuminate the house, which had no light. It smelled like shit. These people always lived in their own shit. He continued into a different room. He located a light switch and flipped it on. A fluorescent light illuminated what he could only guess was a living room, but it had no furnishings and trash laying everywhere. There was two more rooms, an open bathroom, and a shut door. He drew his .38 magnum from his holster and turned the safety off. He approached the door, and with his left hand turned the knob, opening the door. There was a mattress on the ground, with somebody asleep on it. Jason flipped the light switch, exposing a room that matched the rest of the house. His target began breathing harder and moving.
"Wake up!" Jason screamed.
The man convulsed violently and looked up, giving a scream.
"What do you want?" the man asked. "Don't hurt me! I have money! Let me get you some money!"
Jason stood tall at the doorway. "Ronald Ackerman?"
The man began to shake. "I have some money, just.."
"You're right to lock your doors Mr. Ackerman. There are some bad people out there. Bad people who would hurt those weaker than them and do bad things to them," Jason said.
"Wait, please, I...," Ackerman stammered.
"This is for Lillie," Jason interrupted. He pointed the gun at the man, and pulled the trigger. Three loud ringing pops, enough to be heard in the entire neighborhood. The room was painted red now. A single shot to the head was enough to take a good portion of the skull off. His 9mm usually didn't do that. The two shots to the chest weren't really necessary this time. Jason walked towards the front door he didn't come in and opened it up, the crisp air hitting his face, which he could feel was speckled in blood. He walked across the yard to his truck, the dog next door barking intensely.
"Shut the fuck up!" someone from the house yelled at the dog, with a porch light coming on as well. Jason started his truck and sped down the street. The response time of the police would be shorter here than normal areas. If this had gone down in a suburban upper-middle class neighborhood, he wouldn't have been able to make it to his vehicle, let alone home. The police would be there in due time, but he knew he would be okay. Turning on to Grand Avenue, Jason powered on the police scanner to see who would respond to the shots. The night lights of a city illuminated his blood-spattered face on his ride home. He made it to his house, and the dispatch had still not gone out.
"It didn't even wake the junkies up this time," Jason said to himself with a half smile. "Mr. Ackerman is going to be one stinky bastard for whoever is assigned to that one. God, I hope it's not me."
9. Transmit
Jamie planned a night of intense studying for the BAR exam. Her infatuation with Jason, although healthy for her spirit and mood, had cost her academically. She needed to rally in order to pass this and finally be done with school. Christine had invited herself over though, needing to talk about her man troubles. Jamie allowed it hoping she would leave soon.
She stood in her kitchen cutting up vegetables, talking to Christine who was in the living room. Christine turned the volume up on the television as the news came on.
"Tonight's top story, another murder in Evanston," the reporter said. Jamie looked up at the television.
"Oh my God!" Christine said. "This town is turning into the South Side!"
"Police have identified the victim as Ronald Ackerman, 46, of Evanston who died from multiple gunshot wounds. Police say this victim falls into the pattern of at least five different murders in the Evanston area. Ackerman served a fifteen year sentence for rape."
Jamie put down her knife and walked to her sofa, sitting down next to Christine. A police spokesperson began talking from a podium.
"We believe, as stated before, that these murders are linked. The method of execution is the same. The victims all fall into a category."
"The category Lt. Mathews is referring to is people with a criminal history, specifically, those who were convicted of sex crimes. All five of those murdered had past been convicted of various sex crimes in their past.
"Wow. Well, that makes seven if you count the one Jason shot," Christine said.
"Yeah," Jamie said, voice trembling. She cleared her throat and then felt a sudden shock, thinking about the possibility.
The reporter continued, "Police have reason to believe that the suspect may drive a large extended cab truck, light in color."
Jamie felt like she was about to pass out. She leaned back into the sofa, feeling sweat forming on her brow. She stood up, knees trembling, and walked towards the bathroom. She could only see in tunnel vision, as if she was walking 100 miles per hour. She made it into the bathroom and fell to her knees, vomiting.
"Jamie! Here let me help you," Christine said, holding back Jamie's hair. She finished, spitting in the toilet one last time and standing up. "Do you need to go lay down?"
"No, I'm fine. It just came over me," Jamie said, flushing the toilet. She washed her hands and brushed her teeth. She walked back into the living room to see that the news had moved on to a different topic.
"Hey, I think I may just be really nervous about the BAR tomorrow, I need to study really bad," Jamie said.
"Oh, okay, I will get out of your hair," Christine said, picking up her jacket.
"Wait, stay and eat with me. I can't eat all of this," Jamie offered.
"Okay, sounds good," said Christine.
The girls ate supper as Jamie's mind was in total disarray. She attempted to pay attention to what Christine was talking about. Christine knew something was not right with Jamie. After supper, they said their farewells and Jamie sat down at her desk. There was no way she could study now. She sat with the palms of her hands holding her head upright. She stayed like that for two hours, eventually opting for the bottle of vodka she kept in her freezer.
Jamie woke up on her couch, with a pounding headache, breath tasting horrible. She sat up, exacerbating the intensity of her hangover. She saw vomit on her carpet, then felt a sudden panic.
"Oh fuck. Oh fuck!" She ran over to her clock to see that she had about 45 minutes to spare until she had to take her exam. She rapidly changed clothes, cleaned up, and flew out of the door.
Jamie sat during her exam feeling like she was about to throw up again. She closed her eyes frequently to ease the pain of the lights in the room. She almost started cryi
ng, but contained herself as a single tear dripped down her face. Handicapped, she finished the exam. She turned it in and walked out of the building.
As the doors shut behind her, she began to cry. She walked until she got to a table at the courtyard. She put her head down and cried for a while. She could see people staring at her as they walked by. After a while she contained herself and noticed a newspaper somebody had left at her table. The Evanston Chronicle, with a headline about the murders. She didn't read it. Disgusted, she began to fold it up, when she noticed a "Voices of the Community" section. The journalist had asked people in the community what they thought about the dubbed "Rapist Murders" around Evanston. Jamie read on. Scott Mirer, a white male with a beard, was quoted as saying "It might not be a popular thing to say, but I think this guy is doing this town a favor." Janet Almeria, a white older woman, said "The justice system should be in the hands of the government, not a vigilante." Jerome Hilton, a black middle-aged man, commented "It would be different if the victims were petty thieves or something, but these are sick people who didn't serve terms long enough for the crimes they committed. I don't think they will be missed."
Jamie collected herself and sat in silence. Thoughts raced through her head so fast she could barely channel logic out of it. Perhaps it wasn't Jason. He would be the victim in all of this if she were to assume he was. She picked up her bag and walked home.
Jamie sat on her couch with her phone in her hand, trembling. It beeped, and the message she had been waiting for arrived.
"Yeah, I definitely want to get together tonight. - Jason," the text read. Jamie's heart raced.
10. Indicted
Jason stood in the doorway with a smile on his face. He embraced Jamie, kissed her, and escorted her in to his house.
Guardian Attraction Page 3
