Next they moved onto the rides. Cole’s eyes watched any men in line with their kids as if they might strike out at any moment. He grew tense when a middle aged man with a small beer belly, a receding hair line and cheesy moustache bolted them in. However, that didn’t stop Cole’s eyes from widening in excitement as the roller coaster climbed each peak,— slowing bringing him to the edge of a sharp dive followed by many sharp twists and turns. Drew was even pretty sure his nephew let out a small cheer at the final and highest lift which sent them into a sharp, swirling descent before the end of the ride. When another ride operator came to let them out, Cole’s smile faded, but he barely flinched.
They went on several rides as they made their way around the fair. Rose sat out some of the wilder rides, but went on several with them. Cole seemed to like those the best because while he was still reserved, Rose had no qualms about screaming her bloody head off and making a spectacle of herself. Drew was quite certain that, seeing how Cole actually laughed, Rose played it up even more.
It was the next section of the park that truly changed things. Drew thought at eight, nearly nine, Cole might feel he was too old for something as lame as the petting zoo, but seeing Rose’s face light up at the sight of the baby goats, pigs, donkeys and other assorted animals was enough to have Cole take off hand in hand with her towards the animals.
Drew wasn’t quite sure when it happened. Somewhere he thought between the goats and the baby pigs, moving hand and hand with Rose who was always so full of life and laughs, some of the hurt and pain began to wash away. Quickly pulling out his cell phone, Drew recorded the transformation of Cole from a frightened little boy to a kid who was experiencing joy.
Capturing a still picture of Cole bottle-feeding a calf, Drew texted it to his sister.
“I don’t know who’s enjoying this more,” Sam said as she stood by Drew while she rested her head on his arm. “Cole, Nana or you. It’s good to see him just be happy.”
Drew wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words. Instead, he put his phone away so he and Sam could join Cole and Rose. As usual, Drew approached his nephew with care, mindful not to startle Cole.
It was a beginning, Drew realized. Cole was healing. He still had a long way to go. One day at the fair wasn’t going to erase eight years of abuse and terror, but it was a start.
With one hand holding a baby’s bottle and the other hand tenderly stroking the young calf, Cole looked up at his uncle and for the first time since they’d met, Drew didn’t see any fear in his eyes.
Chapter 17
That’s Ducked Up
Ashley pushed through the crowd, with both Lilly and Ollie struggling to keep up. She wanted to find Cole, see the look on his face for herself, to see him smile for real.
Ashley had been happy to see Cole excited for the fair, but she’d also been worried it wouldn’t last. She’d seen how Cole got around crowds of people, especially ones with men present. He froze, sometimes shaking, waiting for his stepfather to appear from the crowd and take him back.
She warned Drew, giving him what was an hour’s worth of a lecture boiled down into less than ten minutes. She had been prepared to slap Drew upside his stupid head at the first sign of an eye roll, but to his credit he listened attentively.
As they made their way through the crowd, Ashley bumped into three guys she’d slept with, one who was with his new girlfriend and beginning to show a baby bump. She ran into another guy who she made out with once before realizing he was married. He was here with his wife and kids and blanched at the sight of her, quickly steering his family in the opposite direction. She’d run into two old high school friends who wanted to give her hugs and condolences on Kelli. She thanked them as quickly as possible and moved on. Neither came to the funeral and although they’d never admit it, she knew it was because they didn’t want to be in the same room as her brother.
As if they hadn’t been bad enough, she was accosted by Sandra Brown, the girl that always sneered at her from over the counter whenever she went into Maria’s.
“Your brother’s here,” Sandra said.
“Where?” Ashley craned her neck to scan for Drew in the crowd. “I’m looking for him.”
“He’s got a lot of nerve showing up here where there are families,” Sandra said, pushing her young son away who was trying to get her attention. Based on the way the kid was pressing his hands against the front of his shorts, it was a safe bet the kid needed a bathroom. “First Molly, then his own sister. There are children here and we’ve got a rapist and a murderer walking around.”
Ashley stopped looking for Cole and got right in Sandra’s face. “My brother didn’t hurt Molly or Kelli, but if you don’t keep your mouth shut, there will be a murder, right here and now. The only reason I haven’t kicked your ass is because your kid is with you.”
Sandra took a step back, clearly unsure if Ashley was ready to make good on her threat. Looking over Ashley’s shoulder, she saw Ollie standing there looking grim. “Are you going to let her threaten me Officer Miller?”
Ollie stepped forward. “You want to be careful about making unfounded accusations in an open case or you can be arrested for interfering with an active police matter. Now walk away and take Matt to the bathroom or I’ll arrest you for child neglect.”
Sandra’s eyes narrowed, but she glanced at six-year-old Matt who was in serious distress. Despite this, she turned on Ollie, finger up and ready to have another go, when her son started to cry.
There was a group of nearby children, all of the same age who exploded in laughter and pointed at Matt as a wet spot slowly spread in the front of his red shorts.
For a moment, Ashley wondered if Sandra might actually slap the kid, but instead she started to yell, calling even more attention to the already mortified boy.
“But, Mom—”
“Shut up,” Sandra screamed.
As she ranted, Ollie stepped between Matt and the other kids, telling them to get lost. Lilly pulled her sweater off and wrapped it around Matt, giving him at least some coverage.
Just as Lilly finished and tried to say something comforting to the young boy, Sandra grabbed his arm and started to pull him towards to the parking area.
“Hey, take it easy,” Ashley called. She was surprised the kid’s arm hadn’t been yanked out of his socket. She thought about going after them, but within seconds they were gone. She turned back to Lilly and Ollie and sighed. “Let’s find Cole.”
It was Sam’s Nana they spotted first. Rose was looking up at a giant wheel that was slowly lifting and tilting into the air. Upon seeing Ashley, Rose pointed to the wheel. “You’re crazy brother and nephew took my equally insane granddaughter on that thing. I think I can hear them scream.”
Ashley looked up and spotted Sam who was screaming as they went up. Drew was grinning on the other side of her and Cole, placed right in-between them, was laughing like a little loon. Slowly the wheel of red and yellow cars began to spin. Ashley lost sight of Cole as the ride quickly picked up speed.
Ashley smiled to herself as she imagined Cole squealing in delight and decided she didn’t care if the kid had been on every ride already, she was getting a turn with him.
“You couldn’t pay me enough to get on that thing,” someone said from behind.
Ashley spun to see a woman approach. She looked familiar, but Ashley had trouble placing her. She had long, black hair and wore jeans with a black and white striped blouse.
The woman quickly noticed Ashley’s confusion. “I’m sorry.” She extended her hand. “We only met briefly at your home after your sister’s funeral. I was her counselor.”
Ashley nodded and tried to return the smile as she took the woman’s hand. “That’s right. Kelli mentioned you to me. Diana, right?”
“Yes,” Diana said. “Officer Miller asked for a referral from someone in the department and it came to me. I was so sorry to hear what happened. How is Cole holding up?”
Ashley glanced back at the r
ide where the screams were slowly dying as the ride started to lower itself down. “About as well as can be expected.”
Diana came to stand by Ashley’s side. “And how is your brother adjusting to being back in town.”
“Fine,” Ashley answered. She kept her eye on the ride’s exit, desperately needing to see Cole coming out smiling. Praying that when he saw her, the smile didn’t fade.
It wasn’t that she minded the fact that he seemed to bond with Drew. As much as she hated to admit it, Kelli had been right; Cole needed Drew, and that was fine as long as Drew didn’t screw it up this time.
Ashley just wanted to know Cole still needed her too.
“I won’t keep you,” Diana said. “I’m with my own family and I happened to spot you. I wanted to come over. Here.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a card. “If there’s anything I can do. If you want to talk, or want me to talk to Cole. I’ve helped children before.”
Ashley took the card absently, slipped it into her pocket. “Thank you.” Her eyes went back to the exit. A solid mass of people started to come out, breaking into individuals to go their own way. Ashley kept her eye out for Cole.
“Maybe I’ll see you guys later,” Diana said. “Are you staying for the fireworks?”
Ashley didn’t answer. How would she know? She had no way of knowing how Cole was doing until she saw him with her own eyes.
“I think I see them coming.” Ollie pointed towards the exit where the large crowd was starting to disperse.
Ashley spotted Drew first. Being the tallest, he was the easiest to locate. A few feet away was Sam. Bouncing between them was Cole, his face lit up as he laughed and yammered on about the ride they were just on.
“Yeah,” Ashley said. “I think we’ll be staying for the fireworks.”
She wasn’t sure if Diana even heard her, and she didn’t care. Taking a few steps forward, Ashley sent them a tentative wave.
Drew saw her and smiled. He tapped Cole’s shoulder and directed him towards Ashley and the others.
Ashley’s eyes met Cole’s. She could tell the moment he recognized her. Cole’s eye widened, his grin broadened, and he launched himself towards her, skidding to a stop right by her feet.
“Aunt Ash! It was so cool! I’ve never been on rides like these, you gotta go. I want to hear you scream.” He grabbed her hand. “I’m glad you came. Even Uncle Drew screamed a little. It was friggin’ cool! Are you here to go on with me? Wait…” He eyed her suspiciously. “You’re not here to take me home. Can’t I go on a few more rides? Pleeease!”
“You don’t want to go home?” Ashley said with a straight of face as she could manage. “It is getting late.” She looked at her watch. “It’s going to be dark in a couple of hours.”
Cole had grabbed her arm with both hands, pleading with her. “Please, please, please. I’ll do anything. Just a few more rides.”
Ashley grinned, chanced a glance to Drew who was staying back and watching her. “Well, maybe. But there is something else I want to do, so you’ll have to go with me to that.”
“I will,” Cole said quickly. He started to give a celebratory grin, but his face turned skeptical. “Wait. Where do you want to go?”
Ashley turned to Diana who was still there, watching the interaction with great interest. “Where and when did you say the fireworks would be?”
Diana smiled. “You’ll have to wait, it’s going to be at about nine tonight, down by the lake. Probably go for an hour.”
Cole gasped. “Fireworks? There’s going to be a fireworks show?” He started to jump in place. “Can we watch it?”
“Maybe,” Ashley said, grabbing his hand, getting him to stop bouncing. “But first, you’ve got to go with me on the Thunderstruck ride.” She pointed to a big roller coaster to the left of them. It was the biggest of the fair and had three loop de loops.”
“Awesome!” Cole did a quick jump in place, grabbed Ashley’s hand and dragged her off towards the entrance to the ride.
A man sat in a brown car, the engine idling as he sipped cold, bad coffee and waited. He parked the car across the street where the bookshop owner lived among a long row of cars so he wouldn’t stand out. He spent his time using his burner cell to play stupid games, checking news reports and surfing the internet for porn.
He wanted to look like a man who was calmly waiting for someone to join him in the car, but in fact he looked like a man stuck in rush hour traffic. His face wore a scowl, his fist was clenched and the more he let his mind wander, the more prone he was to small, jerky movements as he adjusted himself in his seat.
It was ridiculous to have to sit out here for the last three hours in the hopes of the house being empty. So there was a county fair and maybe the bastard kid might want to go. Hopefully, his uncle would take him, get drunk, and get into a car wreck that would kill them both.
As long as it didn’t involve his own kid who was at the fair right now with that bitch of an ex-wife. He hated the fact he was stuck here, while she got to take his son to the fair. Not that he’d remembered there had even been a fair today until he got the call this morning, telling him to get his ass to where Duncan stayed. If they could get a bead on everyone in the family, he’d be clear to go in.
He had nearly gone in without the say so about an hour ago, but just as he’d started down the block, the short chick pulled into the driveway, so he high-tailed it back to the car and waited. Five minutes later the skinny, tall broad followed. They were in there doing whatever, probably getting it on with each other, when that mamma’s boy of a cop showed up. Twenty minutes later, they all left together with ‘Officer Nancy’ driving.
He grabbed the burner and sent a text.
]b]The 2 bitches left
Going in
He cut the engine and started to get out again when the cell beeped.
R u stupid
I told u 2 wait til I c them all
I have 2 b able to warn u if they start back
Sit and don’t try 2 wink
Wink? Why the fuck would he wink? Who would he be winking at? That didn’t make any sense.
The cell beeped again.
Think. Don’t think. Ducking auto cucumber.
Duck
He laughed. At least that was mildly entertaining.
That had been over a half hour ago, and he had to piss, his back was hurting and he just wanted to just do what he came to do and go home.
If he was going in, he should take the time to plant some evidence that would connect that SOB Duncan with his sister’s own murder, but no, that apparently was out of the question. Motherfucker had a rock solid alibi, playing the fucking hero near the Mexico border in California, the sheriff would know it was a setup, blah, blah, blah.
So instead he was supposed to go in and see if the sister accumulated any evidence before her throat was slit.
Taking a sip of his cold, crappy coffee, he remembered sneaking up behind Kelli Duncan, grabbing her from behind. Beforehand, the thought of killing her had been almost repulsive. Roughing her up would have been fine, especially a piece of trash like Kelli Duncan. From everything he’d heard, she was used to getting a fist in the face.
If it had been up to him, he would have backhanded her right into the trunk and given her a rough nickel ride past the town limits. He might have even let her buy a ride back with a blowjob since she wasn’t too bad to look at. She wasn’t a hot piece of ass like her sister, but he’d have been willing to do her a favor.
But the word had been to kill her. Make it clean and quick. To his surprise, it hadn’t turned his stomach as much as he thought it would. In fact, he’d enjoyed it, far more than he ever imagined.
Still, in the end it was a major mistake. The whole idea was to stop the bitch from asking too many questions and keep that punk Duncan from coming back to town.
Instead, they all had blood on their hands, and Duncan was back, asking the questions himself.
So why not off the bastard and make
it look like he just up and left again? Apparently, it was fine to kill the girl, but nobody had the balls to take on Duncan, especially when he had that old fool and his company backing him up.
He looked at his watch. It was getting late. It would be dark within the hour. He was wasting his time.
Putting the car into drive, he started to look over his shoulder to see if the way was clear when his phone beeped.
“Crap!” He put the car back into park and picked up the phone, opening up the text app.
Every 1 @ fair
Go in 2 ck
B careful
Don’t duck up
He scowled as he read the message. “What the hell—” His phone beeped again.
Don’t FUCK up!
With a laugh, he killed the engine and got out of the car. Casually crossing the street, he checked to see if anyone was watching. Satisfied he was in the clear, Kelli Duncan’s killer went to break into the home where her son lived.
Drew hung back from the next few rides, allowing Ashley and Cole some time together. Lilly was invited, but wasn’t interested in some of the faster moving rides. Instead, she talked Nana and Sam into going on the tea cups, dragging Cole along who acted as if going on such a ride was sheer torture.
Eventually, they stopped to eat. Cole insisted on playing it safe with a hamburger, while Drew indulged in a Philly cheese steak with a generous amount of melted cheese, green peppers and onions. Sam, Ashley and Nana Rose all had pizza while Lilly and Ollie went for gyros. At Drew’s insistence, Cole tried Fried Dough for the first time and fell in love with it.
As they finished, Sam and Rose went to find the rest rooms while Ollie mentioned wanting to try some of the stranger fried foods they offered.
As Ollie left the table a woman ambled up to them with a friendly smile Drew didn’t care for instantly. Cole stiffened beside him as she introduced herself as his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Collins. She was slightly heavy set, with red hair cut in an unflattering bob style. She wore lime green shorts and a flowered top, with thick rimmed pink glasses that hung around her neck. She continued to wear a grin Drew thought was phony, although he couldn’t quite understand why.
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