The Skin Show

by Kristopher Rufty

  Lou shook his head. “Shit no, man. I’m sorry, again, for bringing it up. I guess old grudges die hard or some shit. I blamed her at the time for you walking away from the business, but after some time passed, I understood. It’s no big deal.” Lou groaned. “So, what the hell did them boys get into?”

  Andy was thankful Lou had changed the subject and brought the focus of their conversation back to the matter at hand. “You have no idea?”

  “Not much of one.”

  “But you have something?”

  “Had something.”

  “I’m confused.”

  Lou reached for the ash tray and grabbed something. Raising it into the greenish glow of the instrument lights, Andy saw it was a half-smoked cigar. Lou bit down on the already chewed end, then lighted it with a Zippo. He puffed a few times. As the cherry ignited, the cab began to fill with the sweet tang of cigar smoke. He took the cigar out of his mouth, keeping it pinched between two fingers while he drove. “Rosco heard about it from a guy through a guy. All I know is there was a place he wanted to go to but no one would talk about it whenever he asked.”

  “How’d you find out?”

  “Asking around.”

  “Who’d you ask?”

  “Look Andy, the people I roll around with sometimes while doing business know more than most. It’s scary shit, but it’s true. I’m not gonna say who they were, because I’ll bet you’ll go and ask them as well. And, these are not the kind of people you want to contact. Got me?”

  Andy nodded. “Crystal clear.”

  “But, I asked them because I know Rosco is always somehow in the middle of their business. I think that’s why he got Danny involved, because he knew Danny wouldn’t stop looking for this place. I’m guessing they found it.”

  “Do you think they’re there now?”

  “Damn, I don’t know.” Lou puffed on the cigar. Through the thick smoke, he said, “You’re going to school for computers and shit, right?” He cracked the window on his side. The hot wind sucked the cigar smoke through the narrow gap, thinning out the heavy odor.

  “Well…yeah. Programming and software design.”

  “Whatever. Would you be able to look on a computer and see what someone’s been up to?”

  He told Lou he thought he could. Andy had a few certifications in information technology and was about to go for another one in a couple weeks. He’d learned plenty about home computers.

  “This is Rosco’s computer.” Lou patted a laptop bag in the basin between the seats. “I’ve been trying to get on it but it’s password protected. I tried so many times it locked me out completely.”

  “I’m not sure I would be able to crack his passcode either.”

  “Probably not, but can’t you see what’s on the hard drive anyway? Or see what he’s been looking at on the internet?”

  “Maybe. Why?”

  “I’m willing to bet whatever that place is, Rosco was trying to find information about it online. I don’t know if he did, but maybe we can get a name? What gave me the idea was a buddy of mine began suspecting his wife was cheating on with him a guy she met online. So, he got a computer nerd—uh tech—to go into her computer.”

  “Was she?”

  “Hell yeah, she was. But, it got me thinking you could probably do that with Rosco’s computer.”

  Andy smiled. “Damn, Lou. That’s a great idea.”

  Lou beamed like a dog being praised by its owner. “Well…just a thought…”

  “A good one. Yeah, I’ll see what I can find.”

  Andy lifted the laptop case and set it in his lap. He patted the soft casing nervously. Lou was right. There had to be something on this computer that would give them at least a hint of information.

  The Eagle’s Nest sign come into view inside the glowing field of the headlights. It looked as if the brick slab was sinking into the ground. Another neglected year and it might be swallowed up by the earth completely, leaving Eagle’s Nest without an insignia. Maybe that was what the city wanted—without a sign people might forget the trailer park existed.

  Lou slowed the Jeep and turned in. Andy decided if Nicole was home he would check out the laptop right away. But, he’d need to make sure his car was still in one piece before he did anything else. Realizing how much he truly cared about his car, made him understand just how lonely he was.

  Chapter Eight

  Andy sat in his car, smoking a cigarette, leaning out with his feet on the ground and elbows on his knees. An officer had noticed his trembling hands and offered him one. Andy accepted, killing his one year of cigarette abstinence. Although he’d gone so long without one, it was easy to become reacquainted with the practice. It didn’t taste as good as he remembered, and it felt a little strange between his fingers, but overall he felt as if he’d been catching up with an old friend.

  From his car, he watched a dozen or more cops scurry about Danny’s front yard, entering and exiting the trailer in rotations. Some had on latex gloves, others had on clear ponchos over their uniforms. Lou Manchu had mentioned rain in the Jeep, but Andy doubted they had those on for weather protection.

  The blood…

  All over the trailer, dripping from the ceiling, sloughing down the walls. Blood was everywhere.

  He screwed his eyes shut in hope of blocking the images of Nicole’s devoured body. She’d been…ripped apart…was the only way Andy knew how to describe it. Her skin, hulled from the bones, was left around her body like discarded clothes. Jaw broken, it remained attached to her skull, barely, by thin ribbons of flesh. The tongue that had been inside Andy’s own mouth in the past, that had licked his penis, was canted to the side, dehydrated and purple. There was nothing left of her lips, and her eyes hung out of their sockets like rotten tomatoes on a diseased vine. Flayed, dissected, innards strewn about, chest broken and ribcage halved, the white stems sticking out of the mushy flesh—Andy had vomited upon seeing it.

  Sitting in the car, he felt acidic bile rising in his throat, threatening to launch out of his mouth. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. It helped his stomach, but did nothing for his shuddering muscles.

  “Want me to come in with you?” Lou had asked. “Maybe the two of us can come up with something better than you working at this alone.”

  “Not right now. I need to see if I can even get into the computer first. I’ll let you know what—if anything—I find.”

  Andy glanced into the Camaro’s backseat. He could see the dark shape of the laptop case back there. He hadn’t told the police Lou gave it to him. If he did, they’d definitely confiscate it since it belonged to Rosco. And, he believed Danny and Rosco were going to be the prime suspects in Nicole’s…death.

  Murder.

  She’s dead.

  He thought back to the night before, lying with her in bed, the sweet scent of her hair, the soft smoothness of her skin, holding her.

  Leaving her.

  He had to. It was the right decision. No matter what’s happened, it was…right.

  You left her alone.

  Andy slapped himself. The stinging tightness in his cheek snapped his mind back to where it needed to be.

  “Sounds good,” Lou had said. He’d extended his hand. “Here’s to leaving it in the past.”

  Andy’s lips tightened, nodded. “Sounds good to me.” He shook Lou’s hand, then got out of the car.

  Lou leaned over so he could see Andy through the opened passenger door. “Maybe we can get a beer sometime, swap lies about how good we’re doing.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Same here.”

  “Be careful heading back.”

  “Absolutely. Peace.”

  Andy shut the door and watched Lou back out of the driveway. After a quick inspection of his car, he clarified no one had tampered with her in any way. Albeit surprised, he was very grateful.

  Then he’d headed for the front door, the laptop bag strung over his shoulder. The bulky case bumped his hip as he walked.r />
  “Mr. Raab?”

  Andy blinked a few times. He turned to the voice. “Yes?”

  An officer was bent over on the other side of the car door, peering through the window. He was probably in his forties, bald on top with a rim of brown hair going around his skull. He had a flat, yet kind face that displayed genuine concern for Andy’s feelings. “Detective Kaufman would like to ask you some questions, if you’re up to it.”

  Andy nodded once. “Yeah…sure.”

  “Are you sure you’re up for it right now?”

  “Might as well get it over with.”

  The officer frowned. “Okay. Follow me.”

  Andy stood up, stretching his legs. His thighs pulled taught as a burning sensation traveled down to his calves. He flung the door shut, dropped the cigarette butt on the ground, and stomped it out. Then he followed the officer, walking a step behind him to where a small group had gathered around a man in a long trench coat. Andy immediately pinned him as the detective. He was dressed like any hard-boiled detective he’d ever seen in a movie or read about in a book: the trench coat, cheap suit underneath, fedora on his head. He had hair like Tom Hanks, black curls but silvery above the ears, and was very short in height. He resembled a P.I more than an actual cop.

  The detective was firing off orders when Andy arrived.

  “…to keep the press back. They’ll be here any minute, I’m sure. So I need you, you, and you to run defense at the front of the driveway.” He pointed at three different uniformed cops. “Do not let them get on the grass. If they get past the ditch, I will leave you lying in it. Understand?”

  They seemed to, since no one spoke up.

  “All right. Get moving.”

  The selected three stepped away from the group, heading to the front. Andy watched them go, their heads down, hands pressed against their belts. Something about how they moved reminded Andy of kids who’d just been scolded by a parent. He looked back to the group and saw the officer who’d brought him over here speaking quietly to the detective.

  “Thanks,” he told the officer, giving him a firm pat on the arm. “Everyone, if you’ll please follow Sgt. Peterson here, he’ll tell you what to do. I need a few moments, okay?” He moved through the crowd, holding his arm out. “Mr. Raab?”

  “Yes. I am.”

  He put his hand delicately on Andy’s bicep. “I’m Detective Albert Kaufman. First off, let me tell you how sorry I am about your loss. I know this has to be confusing and saddening. Walking in to find what you did would be awful for anyone, so I thank you in advance for talking to me now.”

  Andy nodded. “Sure.”

  “Do you think you’ll need to talk to a specialist?”

  “A shrink?”

  Kaufman poked out his bottom lip, bobbing his head. “More or less. More less than more.”

  Andy wasn’t sure what that meant but he declined the offer.

  “Let me know if you change your mind.”

  He guided Andy to the front steps and had him sit. Kaufman crammed himself in the small space available beside Andy. His trench coat made whispered crinkle sounds as he dug out a notepad and flipped to a blank page. Putting an ink pen in his mouth, he bit down on the cap, and yanked out the pen. Then he took the cap out of his mouth, sticking it in a side pocket.

  Andy wondered how the detective wasn’t asphyxiating in the heavy coat.

  “All right,” said Kaufman. “Tell me everything, if you can, about your evening. Start with the moment you were bailed out of jail.”

  Andy took a deep breath, wiped his sweaty hands on his pants, and leaned forward. “Lou paid my bail and drove me here.”

  “Lou?”

  “Lou Ambrose?”

  “Ah. The infamous Lou Manchu. You run around with him?”

  “My brother did. But, I was friends with Lou back in school.”

  “So why’d he pay your bail if you two aren’t exactly chums anymore?”

  Andy thought about telling him what they’d talked about during the drive, but decided to keep it to himself for now. Instead, he gave him an edited version, leaving out the information about the laptop. He even shared what Larry had attempted to do.

  Kaufman said nothing about the ordeal, just scribbled in his notepad as Andy relayed the events. When Andy had finished that part, he moved on to where Lou drove away.

  “I wanted to talk to Nicole and see if she was all right, because I hadn’t seen her since last night.”

  “When she came to your house?”

  “Right.”

  “Go on.”

  “So I knocked on the front door.”

  “Were the lights out?”

  “Yeah, everything was dark.”

  “Must have been the whole time. Someone flipped the breakers. Killed the power in the whole house. One of the officers noticed the breaker box was open and the main switch had been set to off.”

  Andy glanced behind him, seeing the glowing windows. He hadn’t noticed someone had gotten the lights on.

  “And then what happened?” asked Kaufman.

  “I know where Nicole hides a key, so after she didn’t come to the door, I decided to go in. If she told me to piss off, then I would have. But, I had no idea if she was just avoiding me or what, so with the lights off and her not answering the door or her cell, I was a little worried.”

  “I would have been too,” admitted Kaufman.

  “Anyway…I walked around back. When I got on the porch, I noticed the sliding door was busted right away. I ran inside, called for her some more, and started to look around. I used my cell phone for light…and then…well…then…I found her in the living room.”

  “Right. I know the rest from there. Here come the questions that might sound stupid now, but let them percolate in your mind for a day or so. Something might click.”

  “Okay…”

  “Can you think of anyone who’d want to hurt her?”

  Andy shook his head. “No. I mean, she didn’t get along with a lot of her neighbors, but…”

  “We’re already looking into them. Anyone else?”

  “She and Danny fought a lot, but he never laid a hand on her…they were having some problems.” He stopped talking, then looked at Kaufman. He noticed the reassured expression on his face as he underlined something he’d written. “You don’t think Danny did this, do you?”

  “Ninety-eight percent of murders are committed by the spouse or family member. She has no family left in town; you were locked up during the timeline when the murder most likely took place, so that leaves your brother as suspect número uno.”

  “He would never…” But even as the words left his mouth, they departed without any conviction. Even Andy didn’t believe them. After all Nicole had told him, which was later clarified by Lou’s testimony, he was beginning to wonder how well he knew Danny…if at all.

  “Any idea where Lou Ambrose was during this time?” asked Kaufman.

  “During what time?”

  “Between the hours of seven and ten p.m.?”

  Andy shook his head. “I imagine gathering up the money to come get me out of jail. I know that Larry called him from the police station, but that was earlier in the day.”

  “Know what time?”

  Andy tried to make a guess but just shook his head. “No idea.”

  “I’ll look into it.”

  “Think Lou is involved?”

  “I wouldn’t put anything past Lou Manchu. The S.O.B. is slimier than a snake dipped in petroleum jelly. I know he’s been responsible for many unsolved crimes around here.”

  “Then you should ask him. Because if he’s involved in this…”

  “We’ve already sent two officers out there to interview him.”

  Andy sighed. He doubted Lou had anything to do with Nicole, but he wanted confirmation. He also felt these questions were a waste of time. Understanding why they were important didn’t make him any less aggravated that he had to hear them. He felt Kaufman should be somewhere el
se, doing something else to solve this.

  “Did you notice any unfamiliar vehicles lingering around the property while you were here earlier today? Or maybe one leaving the trailer park on your way in?”

  “No.”

  Nod. Scribble. “See any strangers…”

  “Can we stop this?”

  “Pardon?”

  “I don’t want to do this anymore. Not right now.” He was becoming very frustrated with the interview and was starting to feel smothered from how close Kaufman was sitting to him. He needed some space.

  “Sure,” said Kaufman, standing. Andy was grateful he’d moved. He felt as if a brick had been lifted off his lungs. “I’ll swing by your place tomorrow. I’ll call before I come.”

  “Thanks.”

  Kaufman reached inside his coat, removing a stack of white cards. He took one from the top, and passed it to Andy. “My card. If you think of anything else before then, let me know.”

  “Will do.”

  “Sorry, again, for your loss.”

  Andy nodded. Kaufman started to walk away, but stopped. He must have noticed what Andy had also spotted: a female officer running toward him, waving her arms.

  “Detective Kaufman!” she shouted.

  “Yes, Officer Riles, what’s wrong?”

  “Just came over the radio…”

  “What did?”

  “The two officers you sent to Lou Ambrose’s house…” She huffed, trying to find her breath.

  “Yes. Spit it out.”

  “They found dead bodies. Torn apart like…” She glanced at Andy and stopped talking.

  Andy’s stomach felt as if it was trying to shrink into a wadded ball. His head felt light, swimmy.

  “Dead bodies?” Kaufman threw the notepad on the ground. “Was Ambrose one of them?”

  “Yes. They found him in his Jeep, mutilated. Inside the house…” She shook her head. “They said it looks like a warzone over there. Calls came in about shots fired, people saying it sounded like a gun battle.”

  “Damn it to hell…” growled Kaufman.

  Officer Riles put a finger to her mouth, nervously tugging her bottom lip. “They want you over there right away.”

  Chapter Nine