Running in Circles

by Laurèn Lee

  “Yeah, Baby Sis. One more,” Earl chimed in, although he secretly wished Gabby would leave as suggested.

  “That’s all right,” she smiled. “You two have another on me.” Gabby slapped down a fifty dollar bill to pay for the previous drinks and one more round for the two of them.

  “Call me if you need anything,” Earl offered.

  Gabby hugged her brother and Natalia. “Have fun, you two!” she called out before she waved goodbye and walked out of the door.

  Earl raised his pointer finger when he’d caught Shelly’s attention and signaled one more round. She nodded and smiled as she poured the amber liquor into the glasses.

  “So, you just moved here?” Earl asked.

  “Yes, about two weeks ago. I just got a job at Hershall and Goldberg’s Law Office.”

  Earl whistled. “Woweee, that’s a good firm. They’re lucky to have you.”

  Natalia blushed and put her hand atop of Earl’s. “Thank you. I’m excited about the opportunity.”

  Earl’s pulse quickened, and he hoped he had enough liquid courage for what he was about to propose. “Hey, do you wanna take a walk with me?”

  “Now?” Natalia asked and giggled.

  “Yeah, why not? I think there’s supposed to be a full moon tonight.”

  “All right. I’d like that.”

  The couple hastily downed their shots, paid the tab and made their way to the bar’s exit. Earl opened the door for Natalia, and they stepped into the night together. Just as he promised, a full moon illuminated the night sky.

  “It’s so pretty out here,” Natalia exclaimed. “I’m not used to seeing so many stars!”

  “That’s what’ll happen when you leave the big city.” Earl smirked.

  “I’m happy I did, though,” Natalia said and grabbed Earl’s hand with her own.

  They walked alongside the road on a paved bike path. To one side of the path stood Route 42, and on the other side stood a nature preserve filled with trees, wildlife, and a few ponds. Natalia massaged Earl’s palm with her thumb as they walked silently hand in hand.

  “Do you live far from here?” she asked suddenly.

  Caught by surprise, Earl answered, “Ah, not too far. Why?”

  “Well, I’ve never been to a sheriff’s house before,” she said coyly.

  “There’s not much to see.” He shrugged.

  “Maybe I should be the judge,” she said.

  Earl stopped, looked over at Natalia and saw the passion in her eyes. He leaned down, pressed his lips to hers and reveled in the soft moan that erupted in her throat. She wrapped her arms around his neck as their tongues danced harmoniously with each other.

  “Can I come home with you now?”

  “Hell yeah,” Earl said.

  Earl opened the door to his patrol car for Natalia, and she giggled once she sat down and buckled up. He quickly pinched himself to see if he was dreaming after all. What was a gorgeous, younger woman doing with someone like him?

  “I’ve never been in a police car before!”

  “There’s a first time for everything.” Earl winked.

  Natalia rubbed Earl’s thigh, and her hand traveled higher and higher. Earl stiffened immediately and bit his lip. She massaged his erection and licked her lips seductively. Earl’s breathing sped up, and as he looked over to his date an image flashed across his consciousness. A smiling Jackie appeared before his eyes, and then her face froze as her eyes popped out of their sockets. He shuddered and swerved the car.

  “Are you okay?” Natalia asked, panicked.

  “I’m fine,” Earl reassured her. “Just a little nervous is all.” Natalia continued to rub Earl’s thigh, and he begged for the images of Jackie to disappear.

  Earl’s home stood only a few blocks away, and excitement rose within him. It’d been far too long since he’d been with a woman. He hoped he would last longer than a few minutes; he wanted to have Natalia as long as he possibly could. As they turned down Earl’s street, Natalia’s cell phone rang and echoed throughout the vehicle.

  “Expecting a call?” Earl asked.

  Natalia looked down to her phone, and Earl followed her motions. That’s when he saw it: her phone’s wallpaper displayed a picture of Natalia with another man’s arms around her. The caller ID read “Hubby.” His heart plummeted into his stomach.

  “You’re married?” he cried.

  Natalia noticed her phone, which glowed brightly in plain sight, and shoved it under her leg. “I can explain!”

  The excitement vanished, and pure hatred enveloped him. “This whole night, I thought you were single! I thought you were interested in me!” he screamed.

  “Earl, please calm down. Stop yelling,” Natalia grimaced.

  “Stop yelling? You were just rubbing my dick even though you’re married, and I’m not supposed to yell? What the fuck?!” Earl swerved onto the curb in front of his house and slammed on the brakes. “What kind of woman are you? Does your husband know you’re out slutting around?”

  “We are separated, not that it's any of your business. I think I should call a cab to take me home,” Natalia stuttered.

  “Oh! Is that what you think?” Earl’s eyes bulged outside his head. In one fell swoop, he grabbed Natalia by the hair and slammed her face against the passenger window. She jumped into a fit of screaming at the top of her lungs. Earl covered his ears for a moment until he adjusted to the pitch of her cries. He pulled Natalia out of her seat and out of his cruiser via the driver’s side door. Her shouting only intensified, and Earl gaped around to see if anyone heard her. A few neighbor’s lights flicked on, and panic set in. He grabbed her by the hair once again and smashed her head into the side of the cruiser. She fell silent immediately.

  Earl’s eyes flitted and rolled behind his head. He knew a blackout was coming, but he didn’t want to disassociate. He wanted to stay lucid. He wanted to remember making Natalia pay for her sins.

  Forty-Six

  Earl tossed Natalia on the grass and jumped back into his car. He reversed the car and backed out of his yard into the street. Natalia hadn't regained consciousness yet. He pulled cleanly into his driveway, and panic set in… again. He couldn’t let Natalia live now. He already assaulted her. Maybe he could blackmail her and threaten to tell her husband she’d been cheating. But what if she still told someone? What if she confided in Gabby? No. She had to go. She needed to pay for her willingness to go home with a stranger despite having a husband waiting patiently for her to come home. It didn't matter if they were separated or not. Legally, she was still his wife. And, she still called him “Hubby.”

  Earl closed his eyes and thought back to his childhood when he waited up until all hours of the night for his mother to come home. Little did he know, she stayed after work and fucked the patrons who tipped her well that night. He imagined Natalia’s husband felt the same way: endlessly waiting for a woman who didn’t want to come home. Earl opened his eyes, and the path became clear. He’d kill Natalia and put her poor husband out of his misery. The poor bastard didn’t need a whore for a wife, anyway.

  Earl stepped out of his squad car, glanced around and went over to where Natalia lay on his perfectly manicured lawn. He picked her up with ease. She was a tiny thing, so he had no trouble tossing her over his shoulder. With one more peek around the neighborhood, he carried Natalia into his house.

  Once inside, Earl flung Natalia to the floor like a rag doll. Her body hit the hardwood with a noticeable thump. Earl dashed to his liquor cabinet, which he’d fully re-stocked, and grabbed a bottle of Jameson. He didn’t bother with a glass and chugged from the bottle itself. Natalia stirred, and Earl sped to the living room, following the sound of her moans.

  “What’s happening?” she asked, confused.

  “Hi, Natalia,” Earl grinned, baring all his teeth.

  Natalia rubbed her head and attempted to sit up. She swayed, and her head lolled around on her shoulders.

  “Nuh uh uh,” Earl said. He pushed her bac
k to the floor.

  “Why are you doing this to me?” Tears sprang from her eyes.

  “Whores need to be punished, dear.”

  “I’m not a, uh, a whore,” she mumbled and glanced around the room.

  “I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree with you there,” Earl said. He chugged a little more from the bottle in hand and sighed.

  “I have money,” she cried.

  “You think I need your money, slut? I’m the fucking sheriff of this town!”

  Natalia tried to sit up again, but Earl kneeled on her stomach despite her pleas.

  “I’ll do anything. Please stop!”

  “It’s too late. You fooled me once, but you won’t fool me again.”

  Earl backhanded her and punched her in the stomach. Natalia sobbed and repeated her plea over and over for Earl to stop. He cackled every time she asked Lord Jesus to save her.

  “You’re with the devil now, sweetie,” he said darkly. Earl didn’t bother to put the cap back on the bottle of booze. He took a swig every few minutes to refuel, his lust for liquor taking over. “We are going to have so much fun.”

  “No, no, no, no! Please, God! No!”

  “Shut up!” Earl hollered. Earl swung and hit Natalia in the mouth. Blood oozed instantaneously and permeated the air. He knocked out one of her front teeth, too. She choked on the blood that pooled in her throat and turned her head to spit.

  Earl mocked her and chugged from his bottle again. “Now the fun part begins.”

  Natalia’s eyes grew wide, and Earl could see, deep down, she’d given up any hope to be spared. He grew stiff again; her agony turned him on. The power of having a human life in his hands excited him beyond all measure. He decided her fate. He could choose not to kill her. Or, he could murder her like the other deplorable women he met. Either way, the choice was his and his alone.

  Just as Earl began to take off his pants, a knock rapped on his door.

  Damnit! Why does this keep happening? he thought anxiously.

  The knocking continued despite Earl’s calls that he’d be right there. He saw hope reignite in Natalia’s eyes and knew she wouldn’t hesitate to call for help once he opened the door. Quickly, Earl grabbed the Jameson bottle and walloped Natalia over the head. She lost consciousness a second time. He reached for her feet, dragged her body toward the utility closet, opened the door and shoved her in. He locked the closet door and hoped with all his might she wouldn’t wake up and make any noise.

  “Coming!” Earl called out again.

  He jogged to the door, and before he answered, Earl wiped specks of blood on the back of his jeans. Who was at the door? None other than mother-fucking Ricky.

  “Ricky? What are you doing here? It’s late,” Earl accused boisterously.

  “Hey, Boss,” Ricky greeted nervously. “I’m covering the night shift tonight. We got a call about a disturbance on your street. I was wondering if you heard or saw anything.”

  “Disturbance?” Earl asked suspiciously. “What kind of disturbance?”

  “Someone called in and said they heard what sounded like a car jump the curb and then a woman calling out,” Ricky replied hastily.

  “It’s after two in the morning, Ricky. If something had happened on my street, I’d know about it.” Earl furrowed his brows and hoped his disdain would shoo Ricky away as soon as possible.

  “Understood. I just wanted to check things out and to see if you’re holding up okay.”

  “I’m fine.”

  The sheriff and his deputy stood awkwardly on the threshold. “Do you mind if I come in to use the restroom?” Ricky asked.

  “Now’s not the best time,” Earl scorned. “I, uh, had a guest and now I’m off to bed.” He hoped Ricky would become embarrassed yet again and disappear.

  “I’m sorry, but it’s an emergency,” Ricky pleaded with desperate eyes. “I’ve been patrolling all night and haven’t been able to stop for a break.”

  “All right, but make it quick. Okay?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Earl opened his front door and ushered Ricky inside before closing the door behind them. He craned his neck, straining to hear if Natalia had woken up yet, but all seemed quiet and well. Ricky rushed to the first-floor bathroom near the kitchen, and Earl stood by the door impatiently waiting for him to finish his business and get the hell out. There was work to be done and not much time to do so.

  Earl heard the rush of the faucet and tapped his foot on the floor.

  C’mon, Ricky. Get the fuck out of my house! Earl thought.

  Right on cue, Ricky opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the foyer. He glanced around Earl’s place with a hint of suspicion on his face.

  “You’re sure everything is okay, here?” Ricky asked. "You seem a little jittery."

  “Ricky, I’m positive everything is fine. A neighbor probably had too much to drink tonight and imagined those sounds. Or, they’re watching a scary movie, and they spooked themselves.”

  Ricky nodded, and then his eyes focused on the floor in the living room. Earl followed his glance and gasped once he saw what Ricky had seen. A puddle of fresh blood pooled on the floor in plain view.

  “What is that?” Ricky screeched. “Is that blood?”

  Earl’s heart raced, and his breathing quickened. How would he get himself out of this situation? Would Ricky believe a lie if he could manage to think of one on the fly? He felt like his world was unraveling before his eyes.

  “I cut myself,” Earl blurted.

  Ricky’s gaze shot back to Earl. He looked him up and down, trying to find the source of the bleeding on his boss’s body. “That’s a lot of blood, sir.”

  “It’s just a cut on my leg. I fell outside,” Earl shrugged and laughed nervously.

  Ricky looked down at Earl's pant legs and saw no traces of blood.

  “I changed my pants and bandaged myself up,” Earl said as he read Ricky’s mind.

  The two men faced each other; it was a stand-off. Ricky stood skeptically, and Earl returned his gaze nervously. Just then, a soft moan erupted from the closet.

  Natalia was awake.

  Forty-Seven

  “What the hell was that?” Ricky cried. “Is there someone in that closet?”

  Earl closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The confrontation he’d desperately wanted to avoid had come, and he needed to face the situation head-on. No more hiding behind his blackouts. No more excuses. No more lies.

  “Good call,” Earl said darkly.

  “Boss?” Ricky asked. He stepped back slowly into the living room. “Why is there someone in your closet?”

  “What? You haven’t figured it out already?” Earl chided. “I thought you were supposed to be smart?"

  “What are you talking about?” Ricky’s voice audibly shook.

  "I’m the Stone City Slasher!” Earl whispered maniacally. Ricky instinctively put his hand on his gun holster.

  Earl stepped forward, and with every stride, Ricky took one, too. “I didn’t stutter,” Earl said and smiled. “Although, I certainly couldn’t have said that about myself as a child. That's one thing you and I have in common, ya know?”

  Ricky furrowed his eyebrows and flicked away a droplet of sweat which hung on his temple. “I don’t understand. I didn’t have a stutter as a child.”

  “Oh, but you had some sort of impairment, right? You and I are one in the same. Both had troubled childhoods and both suffered greatly.”

  “I still don’t get it,” Ricky trailed off.

  “You don’t? C’mon! I thought you were smarter than this!” Earl replied. “Think, Ricky. Think!”

  While the men continued their showdown, Natalia became even more aware of her surroundings. She pounded persistently on the closet door. She screamed for help, and Ricky glanced toward the door.

  “Are you serious right now?” Ricky asked.

  “Serious as a damn heart attack. Put the pieces together,” Earl suggested menacingly.

 
; “I, I, don’t know,” Ricky stammered.

  “Think back to the first murder, my friend.”

  “Jackie? What about her? We didn’t find any evidence leading to a suspect,” Ricky reminded him.

  “Of course not, but as far as you know, who was the last person to see her alive?”

  Ricky thought for a moment until he gasped. “You… You saw her that night. You were the last person to see her alive.”

  “Correct. And, I’m the one who slaughtered her,” Earl said with a grin. “I punished her for her sins, and I don’t have any regrets.”

  “Punished her? What are you talking about? You didn’t even know her!”

  “I didn’t know her. At least, not until she threw herself at me that night. She’d been willing to spread her legs for a stranger. What kind of woman does such a thing?”

  “You, you, you killed her?” Ricky’s face turned ghostly pale.

  “I gave that bitch what she wanted and then cut her fucking throat.” Earl howled mischievously.

  “But, we tested the DNA and nothing had come back as a match?”

  “I have a clean record,” Earl said. “Well, at least a clean adult record. My juvenile records are sealed.”

  “But, isn't law enforcement’s DNA in the system, too?”

  “Not unless we specifically include them in the search. My, how unobservant you are,” Earl said. "I thought a simple DNA search on the computer would have come easily to you. Guess you missed a few steps."

  “I can’t believe it. This has to be a joke. Why are you doing this?” Ricky cried.

  “This isn’t a joke, friend. This is the real honest-to-God truth.”

  “So, you killed Daniel and Rhiannon, too?”

  “Again, who were the last confirmed people to see them that night?”

  “Well, we were,” Rick said carefully.

  “Yes! Yes! Yes! I went back and found them later and punished them, too!” Earl cackled at the ceiling.

  A mixture of tears and sweat streamed down Ricky’s face. He, too, felt like his world was collapsing all around him. “Why, Earl? Why kill innocent kids?”