Reunion (A Psychological Suspense with Murder, Mystery and the Paranormal)

by Jeff Bennington

  Kate lifted her legs and sat cross-legged on the couch, then snuggled into one of the pillows to her right. Bryan sat next to her holding a beer. Kitten jumped on the couch and joined them.

  “Listen, Kate. I just want you to relax and feel at home here. After all you’ve been through, you need to clear your head and just think about what you’re going to do. But you need to know that I’m here for you too. Okay?”

  Kate nodded and took a deep breath. Bryan put his hand on her thigh. She kept her head on the pillow and looked away from him.

  “I’m not ready for that yet. You have to promise me that you’ll see this through, because if I leave him, I’ll be on my own, with nothing. You get that, right?”

  “I know, Kate. I won’t leave you. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. I’ve waited twenty years for crying out loud! Do you think I’m going to blow my chance now?”

  Kate fought back a smile and released a tearful grin instead. She moved to lay her head in his lap and they talked late into the night. They used the time to get to know who they really were. He caressed her hair and shoulders until she fell asleep. Bryan put a pillow under her head, covered her with a red throw-blanket and went to his own bedroom.

  • • •

  Maria drove the rental car to her mother’s house, three blocks from Crescent Falls High School. When the car stopped, her hands started to shake. She questioned if she had made the right decision in coming back. Although she phoned every week, she hadn’t ever been back to visit her mother. Sitting in the driveway reminded her of Darrin and the intimate moments they had shared in that same location all those years before. The kissing and whispers had felt so real, so promising. Yet the pain of life’s unexpected twists and turns now churned her memories into disappointing dreams. Without a picture nearby, Maria had a difficult time remembering what Darrin looked like and that really bothered her. Accordingly, she packed his picture and his letter whenever she traveled. Until she unpacked, she could only fantasize to satisfy her thirst for him.

  While Maria sat still daydreaming in the car, her mother came out and knocked on the window.

  “Hola, Bebe! Come out of there and give me a big kiss!”

  Maria’s heart pounded. She opened the door, stepped outside and hugged her mother. Miss Vasquez squeezed Maria and cried.

  Maria closed her eyes and tried to push back her thoughts, but the memories pursued her with full force. They always came in phases: a visit, an embrace, tears, the ambulance, screaming, blood, and then Darrin.

  She remembered how he had squeezed her body, dedicating the last few moments of his life to protect her. He didn’t know that his provision would leave Maria hurting and bitter in the future. She had crouched down behind the table. Half of his body remained covered; the other half was still vulnerable.

  “What’s he doing?” Maria whispered.

  “Shhh!” Darrin covered her mouth. “He’ll hear—”

  Bang!

  Maria felt a heaviness pressing down on her. Her arm felt a tug. The strong covering that Darrin provided seemed to crash down all at once. His head collapsed on the back of her neck. His body rolled toward the side, pulling Maria with him. He landed on the floor with a thud, trapping her arm under his body.

  “Darrin?”

  He said nothing.

  She grabbed his face, unaware of his wound.

  “Darrin! Get up!” She tried to maneuver her arm out of the twisted mess, but his dead weight pressed down, forcing her to remain within inches of his face. That’s when she saw the hole in his forehead. Like the earth absorbing an asteroid, the slug had disappeared. The only evidence remaining: a tiny drop of blood. Then her hand felt the warm wetness. She managed to gather enough force to tug her arm away, causing Darrin’s body to roll over, exposing the massive cavity in the back of his head where the bullet had exited. She stared, unbelieving, at the pool of bright red fluid that streamed out of his skull and looked down at her blood-soaked hands. Unwilling to accept his death, she cried out his name.

  “Darrin! Darrin!” His lifeless body rolled as she yanked at his clothes. In shock, she continued.

  “Come on, Darrin! We have to go! You have to get up!”

  She reacted as if she had no idea there was a gaping hole in his head. She wouldn’t let go voluntarily. The paramedics had to forcibly take her away from him.

  “Darrin! No! No! Nooooooooo!” She screamed and sobbed as they wrapped her fighting body in a blanket and gently carried her away from him. It wasn’t until she let go that the reality of what had happened soaked in. Shock ensued. Her breathing became erratic as the paramedics sat her down near their ambulance. She lay crumpled on the grass and cried until her mother arrived an hour later.

  “Maria!” Her mother dashed across the school grounds. “Oh, mi Bebe!” She fell to her knees and grabbed her daughter into her arms.

  Hugs and tears always reminded Maria of her loss. She loved her mama, but there had not been a good enough reason to come back, until now. She preferred flying her mama to New York for visits.

  Back in the moment, Miss Vasquez wiped Maria’s tears and helped her gather her things. They spent the night catching up, talking about the town and how things had changed. But all the talk about the past made Maria feel depressed. She went to bed early. Her classmates planned to meet her for lunch the following day.

  • • •

  The crowd screamed with excitement as Tanner zipped past the finish line at the top of the North Rim. He had broken the world record for traversing the Grand Canyon, from rim to rim! His time was 10 hours, 20 minutes, 13.15 seconds. A rather obscure record, it didn’t carry very much status as far as professional athletics were concerned. For Tanner, however, it counted as another goal accomplished, another feather in his hat on his road to recovery. It didn’t fill the vacuum of emptiness inside. Nor did the girls on the North Rim satisfy his endless quest to drown out the trauma in his head. He walked away from his crusade once again empty and void of what he had hoped to find.

  After all the hoopla, he wandered past the North Rim Lodge near his Jeep and considered his next adventure. He grabbed his cell phone and called Maria. His addiction to escape once again tugged at his heart. The high he experienced from the adrenalin rush diminished as usual. After beating the canyon, he had an opportunity to face his greatest fear, and he accepted the challenge.

  Tanner Khan, he thought to himself, isn’t afraid of anything. If I can beat the Grand Canyon, I can beat Crescent Falls, no problem. The thought re-energized him. He hopped into his off-road vehicle and started the long drive north toward Idaho. Always prepared for a road trip, he kept plenty of gas and water plus a fully stocked backpack on board.

  With the top down and the wind stirring through the cab, Tanner recalled a poem he once wrote while in college. Not a minute to spare, I rush to my car, unafraid to go too far. Driving through the air, wind rushing through my hair. My quest, my search, my holy grail, is my pursuit to never fail.

  Gradually, he descended the country roads that wind down the Canyon, back into the real world, where red rock fades into a dry, dusty existence. Laughing, he shouted his life’s mantra over and over as he traveled the lonely roads through Utah and beyond.

  “My quest, my search, my holy grail, is my pursuit to never fail—making sure I do not fail—into the night my Jeep will sail—though beaten, battered, bruised and frail—unless I die, I will not fail! Unless I die, I will not fail!”

  11th

  The morning after his arrest, Nick walked free. His mother put up his bail money. She couldn’t stand the thought of her only surviving son in jail. Another codependent in Nick’s life, she too, unwittingly, had helped Nick avoid responsibility. Though clearly burdened with failures, Nick once again managed to evade the hard lessons of life. Widowed and frail, old Mrs. Tooley drove Nick home.

  • • •

  When Nick walked into his house, he was filled with a sense of shame as he rummaged through the evidence of h
is offensive behavior—broken chairs and plates and glass crunching beneath his feet. Yet with all he and Kate had been through, he couldn’t understand why she would press charges. He certainly didn’t remember hitting her, although he knew it wouldn’t have been the first time he didn’t remember a night of drinking. The more he thought about it, however, the more he considered the possibilities. He could feel anger brewing in the core of his being, heating the back of his neck, taking him to a place he visited often, a place where he justified his many immature and inebriated decisions.

  Was she seeing someone else? Was it someone he knew? His brow furrowed as he meandered through his home, questioning and considering why his wife would have him put in jail. Was someone in the sheriff’s department encouraging her? He felt more and more upset by the minute.

  He searched for clues. He ran to the bedroom and began sifting through Kate’s dresser drawers, looking for evidence, a note, or phone number, anything to prove his hunch. He found nothing. He moved on to her side of the closet, the bathroom, the kitchen and her car. He couldn’t find any evidence of foul play. Then suddenly, it hit him. The name Bryan Jacobs popped into his head. The signs rushed through his mind: classmate, crush, mailbox, survivor, and sheriff’s deputy.

  “Son of a bitch!”

  Although the evidence wasn’t much to go on, he could feel it. He could taste it. Nick had always been keenly aware of his sixth sense. His sensitivity may have been why he was able to connect with David Ray’s ghost, but it didn’t matter. He knew something was amiss.

  His cheeks heated up and his face turned beet red. A rage built up inside of him, exploding his thoughts and emotions. It grew so strong that he sprinted out of the house, grabbing his keys as he ran past the kitchen table, then outside toward his truck.

  The roar and rumble of the vehicle expressed his anger with the turn of a key. The sound reminded him that his ‘78 Chevy would never leave him. He hit the gas pedal and drove to Bryan Jacobs’s apartment. The V8 engine spun the tires, leaving black rubber marks, smoke and the smell of burning asphalt behind.

  When Nick arrived at Bryan’s place, he slammed on the brakes and recklessly drove over the curb, parking at an angle across the sidewalk. He narrowly missed the fire hydrant. Enraged at the thought of his wife sleeping with another man, he opened the truck door, jumped out and dashed toward Bryan’s first-floor apartment.

  He shouted, “Kate! I know you’re in there! Will you just listen to me for a minute?” He pounded on Bryan’s front door.

  “Hey!” he shouted. “Wake up!” He peered through the peephole in the door, hoping to see some kind of movement. “Bryan! Kate! I know what’s goin’ on, so just get out here and—”

  Bryan opened the door. His jaw was stiff and his eyes steady. “What do you want, Nick?”

  “I want to talk to Kate. Is she here?”

  “Yeah, she’s here.”

  Nick’s face tensed even more. His lips tightened and his mind burned red hot with anger.

  “But you can’t talk to her, Nick. She needed a place to stay after you beat on her. She’s under protective custody.”

  Ready to swing his fist first and ask questions later, Nick got right into Bryan’s face.

  “You’re sleeping with her aren’t you?” Nick looked around the side of Bryan’s head. “Kate! Come out of there, baby!”

  “She doesn’t want to see you.” Bryan held his ground, keeping his hand near his weapon.

  Nick put his hand on the doorframe and stepped toe to toe with Bryan. His heart pounded and his chest expanded with each deep breath. His eyes locked on to Bryan’s as if to threaten him without saying a word. He cocked his head to the side and looked past Bryan, hoping to see Kate.

  Bryan pointed his finger at Nick’s face. “Listen, Nick. If you don’t get the hell out of here, I’m going to arrest you for anything I can think of. And by the time I get you in cuffs, I’ll have more to add to the list. Do you understand?”

  Nick stared at Bryan, eyes squinting and his heart racing.

  • • •

  Bryan wasn’t hiding Kate. He wasn’t afraid of Nick. And he sure wasn’t going to lose his chance of having her in his life again. Nick backed off. He stepped away from the door, never letting Bryan out of his sight. His eyes told Bryan that it wasn’t over. Bryan took note of Nick’s expression. Nick turned around, got in the truck and drove away.

  Bryan went back inside to comfort Kate. She’d locked herself in the bathroom, more fearful of Nick than ever. Bryan helped her calm down and then went to work. They had plans to meet Lana and Maria for dinner at eight o’clock at Rockies Bar & Grill in Crescent Falls.

  • • •

  Maria had arranged for a table for five at the popular pub. Tanner Khan had called earlier that morning to inform her that he was running late but that he might make it back in time for the meeting. He told her that he had been driving for twelve hours straight and needed to rest. She said she’d hold a seat for him and hoped to see him as well as the others. So far things were working out as she’d planned.

  • • •

  Lana spent the afternoon in her hotel room working on her most recent book. She sat against the headboard on the bed and mulled over each phrase, seeking to remove the typos that slipped into her sentences. With the preparations for her European book tour in place, she finally had a moment to write and enjoy some time away from the business. The reunion fit nicely into her schedule. Her memories of Noah Berkley did not.

  Lana’s thoughts grew dark after her talk with Maria. Memories of Noah flooded into her mind. The pain of losing him to the circumstances of life began to haunt her. She revisited the what ifs and should haves she’d pondered years ago.

  What if he still loves me, she asked herself. Did he want to leave me? Did he try to contact me? Did he ever think that I might have had his child?

  Questions she once packed away for good returned to her as if they’d never left. The hurt of abandonment returned. The pain of missing him burned once again in her heart. The not knowing if she’d made the right choices frustrated her. She questioned herself as if she were still a teenager, still wavering as if any of it mattered. She thought her marriage would free her from the feelings she’d had for Noah, but it hadn’t.

  You can’t change the past, she mused. What are you so afraid of? Are you hoping that he’ll come to the reunion? Are you hoping he’ll hold you and see that you still love him?

  The words and questions left her empty every time. They gave no satisfaction. They only generated more questions and more insecurity.

  Was he married? Did he have children? Was he even alive?

  She sat in her room, snuggled up to her laptop. Sitting cross-legged on her bed, her fingertips grazed the keys, never pressing down. Trained to rest perfectly on top of the keyboard, her fingers remained still until given further instructions.

  Lana’s mind drifted far from her next best seller. The command to type had been delayed until her thoughts of Noah brought some sense of relief. Yet there wasn’t any sign of gratification in view. She stared at the drab hotel walls, looking into her soul.

  If he showed up single and responsible, I…I suppose…but then he should’ve…surely, he would’ve called?

  Positive thinking didn’t help. Her Ten-Point Plan to Peace in the Midst of Chaos seemed absolutely useless in her own life! David Ray and Noah Berkley had reentered her world, making her most familiar activities impossible. Her writing would have to wait until after the reunion.

  12th

  Maria sat at the table, stirring her drink with the straw. The ice cubes jingled as they swirled through the glass of water. Casually dressed in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, she looked forward to a relaxing evening. She enjoyed gazing at the nostalgic items on the wall as the other patrons chatted to the rhythm of plates and glasses pinging in the distance. Pictures of Crescent Falls’ history and memorabilia graced the walls, along with old tools and antiques hanging from nails. The smell of
beer and burgers hovered in the air, like a tasty mist searching for somewhere to rest.

  She noticed the sign above the bar: “When the sun goes down, Rockies heats up.”

  She chuckled and took a sip of her drink.

  Maria grappled with the many interpersonal scenarios that whisked through her mind. A professional in the art of personal relationships, her self-imposed solitary lifestyle had trained her to choreograph her conversations according to psychological protocol. In her struggle to cope with the massacre, she found solace in knowing how to act tactfully in uncomfortable situations, maintaining her credibility as a professional. Without these rules of social discourse, however, she felt relationally inept. She reminded herself that tragedies have a way of changing the hearts and minds of their victims.

  She was no exception.

  She sat quietly, watching, waiting, and thinking. I hope this goes okay. I hope—

  A waitress interrupted Maria’s thoughts. “Would you like another water, ma’am?”

  “Sure.” Maria lifted her head and smiled briefly.

  “Okay. I’ll be right back.” The waitress skirted away through the maze of tables.

  At that moment Bryan and Kate walked into the pub. Here we go, she thought. With smiles and hands waving in the air, they walked toward her table, dodging the cigarette smoke that drifted about. Maria stood up and embraced her classmates, smiling, comforted by their presence. Lana came in shortly after them, wearing an attractive red dress and heels. She walked with grace and elegance, even if she used a cane. Lana joined the threesome; they ordered dinner and shared a long-overdue conversation.

  • • •

  While the classmates were eating, one of the other patrons approached their table, looking directly at Lana.

  “Excuse me. I hate to intrude, but are you Lana Jones?” The woman held her hands close to her heart, in a gesture of humility. She was of medium build with short, jet-black hair.

  Lana smile graciously. “Yes. I am.”