Cicada Spring

by Christian Galacar

  The next two pictures made Gaines reach for the chair.

  “No,” he said. He could taste his lunch in the back of his throat as he stared down at the pictures. The girl had been telling the truth all along. But deep down he’d always known that. He wanted to believe that up until this moment he’d only been doing his job “responsibly”, waiting for proof before he arrested someone on such a character-damning charge as rape. But he knew there was more to it than that.

  Dr. Hornsby’s voice played on repeat in his head: People protect their own. People protect their own. People… Protect…

  Gaines held the two pictures, one in each hand, his eyes shifting frantically between them. They both showed the same thing: Harry Bennett on top of Kara Price in the backseat of his Cadillac. Gaines dropped the photos on the table. He didn’t need to look any longer to understand what he was seeing. Gordon Millis may not have been a skilled photographer, but he had captured two clear shots of what was going on. He didn’t quite know why Millis’d had pictures of this, only that for some reason he had. And more importantly, he doubted Harry Bennett had any idea they existed.

  Then, like a play-by-play being projected onto the silver screen of his brain, Gaines recalled everything about the night Kara broke down and revealed her attacker. How he had doubted everything she said. How at first, he couldn’t believe Harry would do such a thing. How even as he began to accept that perhaps Harry wasn’t as innocent as he claimed, he had still focused so intently on that small shadow of a doubt, the idea that Kara could be lying, forcing himself to believe what he wanted to believe. But that wasn’t even the worst part. The worst was that the doubt he held onto felt all too much like hope. But hope for what? That she was lying? Or that it would all just go away on its own somehow and he wouldn’t have to deal with it? Coward, he thought.

  The answers to those questions were powerful, revealing truths that hollowed his gut. His first instinct was to push them away in his mind, ignore them. Self-preservation and all that. But instead of shying away from the ugliness, he met it head-on, eyes open, dukes up, and for the first time since Saturday, Gaines knew exactly what he needed to do and was prepared to do it. No more hiding.

  He dropped his ear toward his shoulder and pressed his radio call button. “Catherine, you there?”

  There was a short delay, then Catherine said, “Yeah, Calvin, what’s up?”

  Gaines looked hard at the pictures in front of him. Finally, he asked, “Where’s Harry Bennett?”

  CHAPTER 34

  Harry made three rounds through the crowd with his wife on his arm, shaking hands, talking to vendors, making small talk, welcoming those from out of town, and pausing for photo-ops. But his focus remained on gauging his people, seeing how the recent rumors were taking to the streets. Was the kindness he was receiving feigned or genuine? Did he have loyalty or distrust? That was what he wanted—needed—to know. He watched the body language of everyone he walked near, met the eyes of every person he spoke with, reading faces, looking for tells like a poker player who’d just bluffed and wanted to know if he was going to be called. But it was quickly becoming clear that he was home free, and it was all thanks to his wife’s well-placed seeds of gossip.

  He took Allison’s hand and squeezed it gently, a demonstration of his appreciation for what she’d done. “Thank you,” he said.

  She smiled back at him, but something haunted her face.

  Allison discreetly pulled her hand from Harry’s and said, “They love you, Harry. They always will. You never needed to worry.” There was a disquieting tone to her voice, something like regret.

  Harry put his hands on his hips and looked around, smiling proudly. “Yes. Yes, I suppose you’re right. You were right all along. I should never have been so worried about all that nonsense. Thank you.” He leaned in to kiss her, but she offered her cheek.

  “Not here,” she said. “I don’t want to end up on the front page, kissing. They did that last year. It was cheesy.”

  “I never knew you to be so shy,” Harry said, studying his wife’s face.

  “Well, I guess I am today. This heat’s getting to me, I think,” she said, and pulled away from Harry. “I’d like to go find a cold drink. You don’t need me anymore, do you?”

  “No, go find some shade,” Harry said, rubbing his fingers across his forehead and massaging his temples. They were starting to pound. “I don’t need you anymore.”

  She turned and began walking toward the food vendors.

  Harry laughed to himself, almost in an impressed way, as he watched her go. All that time he had spent worrying about how others felt about him, and he had missed the thing right in front of him. She’d been so convincing. He actually thought Allison had believed him, that she stood by his innocence. But the only reason she had helped him at all was to protect her own interests. Because no one—especially a spouse—could spend over two decades with someone and not have any idea what kind of person they were. No one could be so stupid and naïve. That is what people—the papers, the news, all media—would say if the real truth had been first to the street. Her name would’ve been dragged through the mud along with his, and that would have been a scandal. Instead, now it was only a mish-mash of rumors, all suggesting the same thing: a troubled girl trying to tarnish a good man.

  Harry didn’t know when or how his wife had drawn her conclusion about him. Perhaps she had known all along. He didn’t hate her or love her any differently in light of this. He only understood it and accepted it. She would be cold to him from now on, as long as they were together. That was the game. Maybe someday she might come around. Probably not. He wasn’t entirely sure. The one thing he was certain of, though, was that she would never voice her true feelings to the world, and that was all he cared about. The cost to herself would be far too great. It would be a suicide worse than death, especially for a woman of her disposition.

  “Harry, can we talk?” a voice spun him around. It was Eddie Corbett.

  “Eddie, my friend, how the hell are you? Been meaning to call you.” Harry slapped Eddie hard on the shoulder, spreading a smile on thick.

  “I’m sure you have,” Eddie said, squinting into the sun, face pulled into a scowl. “Can we—”

  “Talk? Of course.” Harry draped his heavy arm around Eddie. “Walk with me,” he said, and he began leading Eddie away from the crowd, toward the commons. “I’m in a good mood today, Eddie. What do you want to bend my ear about?”

  “I think you know, Harry.”

  They reached the gazebo in the commons. It was vacant. Harry cocked his elbow and rested it on the railing, folding his hands in front of him, leaning casually off-center. “What? The pictures? Is that what you’re worried about? I told you they’re safe.”

  “Yes, the pictures… and the negatives. I want them gone. I held up my end of the bargain. I gave you use of my parking lot. Two of my tenants already complained. They could break their leases because of this.”

  “Okay, okay, relax. I know you held up your end. And no one’s breaking any leases, I’ll see to that. But it’s only Thursday, and I’m going to keep those pictures as an insurance policy until Sunday—then they’re yours. I promise. I just need to be sure you won’t renege on your word the second I give you what you’re asking for. Then I’d really have a mess on my hands.”

  “How do I know you won’t hold onto them and pull the same shit next year?”

  Harry laughed. “You don’t. That’s the beauty of me being here and you being there. You’ll just have to trust me.”

  Eddie stepped back and balled his hands into clumsy fists, his face clouding over. He looked around cautiously for a moment and then said, “I’ve heard what that girl is saying about you… the gist, anyway. Jeannie hasn’t shut up about it. Keeps talking about how tragic it all is that someone would make up something so terrible about such a wonderful guy like Harry Bennett.”

  “Well, that’s real nice of Jeannie to support me. I always respected her opin
—”

  “Cut the bullshit, Harry. You may have the wool pulled over all these people’s eyes, but I know the real you. You’re as fake as they come. Now, I don’t know what happened between you and that girl—and honestly I don’t care, the sheriff can sort that out—but I do know that you’re certainly not the saint they think you are.”

  Harry’s eyes shot open in surprise. In all the years he’d known Eddie, the man had never shown even a hint of the confidence he was showing now, and it scared him. “You really think I could do what that girl is claiming?”

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care. That isn’t my problem. That’s your problem,” Eddie said, seeming to further his courage. “But I do think you’re arrogant enough to think you could get away with something like that, so you tell me.”

  Harry straightened his posture, trying to intimidate Eddie. He’d gotten his attention. “What are you getting at?”

  Eddie didn’t back down. “I’m saying that it didn’t take me all that long to see you for who you really are. And I’m sure if I showed people where to look, they’d see it too.”

  “Suppose I do hold onto these pictures, what’ll you do then? What if I tell you that you’ll never see them, and you can spend the rest of your days wondering if Jeannie is going to wake up one morning and find a nice surprise pinned under her windshield wiper, or at work, or at your kid’s school, or hung on telephone poles for all I fucking care?”

  “I’ll take my chances, if that’s the way you want to go. I brought this on myself, I can accept that, but I sure as hell won’t let you ruin my life without me doing the same to you. Jeannie finds out, she’ll divorce me for sure, and then you’ll just have a pissed-off, middle-aged man out there with nothing to lose, with no goal other than to take you down. And I’ll do just that. I’ll make sure people know the real Harry Bennett. I’ll show them the guy who drowns house pets, you sick asshole. That really something you want to deal with?”

  Harry and Eddie locked eyes. It was a standoff. The two held fast on each other, neither man breaking, like a game of chicken. Then out of nowhere, Harry smiled and laughed. “Well, hell, Eddie, it looks like I was wrong about you after all. Got a little fight in you yet.”

  Eddie said nothing, only continued his stare.

  Harry grabbed Eddie’s shoulder again and gave him a gentle shake. “All right, okay, here’s what I’ll do—like I said, I’m in a good mood today, feeling trustworthy, you know?—I’ll head over to my office and grab what you’re after and bring ’em back to you, and you can do with ’em what you’d like. How’s that sound?”

  “When?” Eddie asked flatly.

  “All business with you now, huh?”

  “When, Harry?” Eddie repeated.

  Harry could see he had pushed the man to his breaking point, given him no avenue of escape, and that was a dangerous thing to do. It made a person fight to the death if they thought it was the only way to survive. And besides, he really didn’t need those pictures anymore, anyway. He’d just wanted to toy with the man a little. He’d done that, and now it was time to let him out from underneath his thumb. “Shoot, right now if you’d like. I can be there and back in twenty. Can you live with that? You’re welcome to come with me if you’d like.”

  “No, don’t bring them here. Meet me at the dump in an hour. I want to watch you burn it all, just so I know for sure,” Eddie said. “I want this over and done with.”

  “You have my word,” Harry said.

  Eddie scoffed. “Not sure that really means anything to me, but I know you’ll do it. In the end, you always do what’s best for you. Well, when your temper doesn’t get the best of you.” He smiled derisively at Harry, as if to say I’ve got your number.

  And he did.

  Harry almost lost it at that but caught himself before he hauled off and hammered the guy in front of fifteen hundred people, which would only serve to prove Eddie was right. Instead, through a clenched jaw, he said, “You know, I really was wrong about you.” But Eddie didn’t offer any sign of acknowledgment or that he cared. He only turned and walked away.

  Harry waited until Eddie was out of range before breaking down in a fit of muttered expletives. He had waited because he didn’t want Eddie to know how effectively he had riled him.

  After he composed himself, Harry walked out of the commons, away from the crowds of people, and toward the Woolworth’s parking lot where he had parked earlier. Harry slunk into his car. He could take care of this before anyone even noticed he was gone All he had to do was go to his office, meet Eddie at the dump, burn the photos, and come back. Easy as pie. And it would get Eddie off his back. Of course, he would save one or two negatives just in case the little shit decided to turn on him. What choice did he have? Eddie had proven to be a bit more spirited than Harry had ever thought him to be. Allison had been right: sometimes he did underestimate people. For now, he would let Eddie think he had won this battle; it was safer that way.

  He pulled out onto North Main Street and headed to his office, taking the back roads to avoid being seen. His mind still reeling from his exchange with Eddie, Harry never noticed the Oldsmobile station wagon tailing him.

  He continued, and David Price followed.

  CHAPTER 35

  Ellie Price picked up the phone in her office and, for the third time in an hour, called home to check on Kara. Once again there was no answer. It was 5:02.

  CHAPTER 36

  It was like a valve inside him had opened, and finally Gaines could hate Harry Bennett freely, without hesitation and without needing to think rationally or responsibly. No more obstacles. No more worrying about ruining careers or a lack of evidence, because there it was, sitting beside him on the front seat of his cruiser. But this came at a price to his conscience. There was a sour realization underlying it all: he hadn’t earned this sudden, well-defined thirst for vengeance. The pictures he’d found were an undeserved license to feel the way he did. It’s easy to call a bluff when you can see all the cards.

  “You find him yet?” Gaines spoke into his radio as he pulled out of the station.

  Catherine’s voice came through on the receiver. “No, I just did a lap through Pride’s Square but didn’t see him. He was here about fifteen minutes ago, though. Not sure where he is now. If I see him, you want me to tell him you’re looking for him?”

  “No. I don’t want to spook him.”

  “Spook him? What’s this about?”

  “Just keep looking,” Gaines said. “I’ll tell you when I get there. And if you find him, don’t let him out of your sight.”

  “Does this have to do with Kara? Did you find something? Is that why you left?” Catherine asked eagerly.

  Gaines held the radio silent for a beat and then said, “Yes… but it’s more than that. Just hold tight and I’ll fill you in when I get there.”

  “I knew it,” she said. “What is it, a witness? Is that it?”

  “Catherine, just hold tight, I’ll be there in a minute. I’m heading by Town Hall now. And if you do see Harry, don’t—”

  Something caught Gaines’s eye as he crested the small hill before Town Hall. Harry’s red Cadillac was parked in its reserved spot in the parking lot.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. I won’t do anything without you,” Catherine said.

  “No, hold on, wait a second. I think I just found him,” Gaines said, applying the brakes and slowly pulling in beside Harry’s car.

  “What? Where?”

  Hesitating, Gaines said, “I’m looking at his car here at his office.”

  “Must’ve snuck out,” Catherine said. “I didn’t see him leave. You sure it’s him?”

  “I doubt Harry would lend out his car, so I’d say so, yeah.” Gaines killed his engine. “Listen, you should make your way over here.”

  “Can you at least tell me what I’m walking into?”

  Gaines hesitated no more. The cat was out of the bag. “He did it,” he said bluntly.

  “How do you know?”r />
  “I found proof. I’m going to arrest him. I just thought you might want to… well… I thought you might want to be there when the cuffs go on. You were the one who…” He trailed off but knew Catherine understood.

  “You thought right. I’m heading there now.”

  The radio fell silent.

  Gaines grabbed the two pictures off the passenger seat and stepped out of the car.

  CHAPTER 37

  Harry Bennett’s silhouette moved behind the frosted pane of glass in his door as David Price moved up the hallway, toward the office. Halfway there, he removed the pistol from his waistband and cocked the hammer. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of his chest. His fingers itched with nervous sweat as he tightened them around the gun’s grip. It was now or never. Once he opened that door there was no turning back, and he was at peace with that. This had to be done. It was the only way anyone could move on. His family needed justice. So he would give it to them.

  David stopped when he reached the door. Closing his eyes, he took a long, deep breath and thought of his daughter. He pictured Kara’s smile and how long it had been since he had seen it.

  Remember what he did, a voice played over and over again in his head. Remember, remember, remember, remember…

  But of course he would remember. How could he forget?

  The door swung open in one quick motion, and David scanned the room. Harry was now sitting at his desk, a small lockbox in his lap. Behind him, a large safe was cracked open.

  “Can I help you?” Harry said, sitting up straight.

  David entered the room and raised the gun, pointing it at the center of Harry’s chest.

  Harry leaned back in his chair. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now hold on a minute.” At the sight of a gun he instinctively raised his hands. “I don’t know what you want, pal—”

  But everything after the word “pal” fell on deaf ears. Right then, the look on Harry’s face spoke loudest to David. Harry hadn’t the slightest clue who he was. “You don’t even know, do you, you son of a bitch?”