by Rusty Kontos
“Not at all, child. I would be more than happy to sit with the youngsters.”
“That is just wonderful. Come in and make yourself at home. The children are still sleeping. They will not be up for hours. The kitchen is yours if you get hungry or need coffee or tea. Just feel free to help yourself.”
“Thank you. I could use a cup of coffee about now,” the old woman said as she came in.
“I just put on a fresh pot a little while ago. I don’t know how long we will be.” Mary told her.
“You go on now. Don’t worry about me. I will find
my way around. You just find that sweet little girl,” the old woman told them as she sent them on their way with a wave and a hopeful smile.
Once they were in the park, the dawn of the day was just breaking. John, Kate, and their son, Danny, went off looking in one direction. Benny, Mary, and Nickole went in another direction. They had agreed to start from the tool shack and work their way out.
Just ahead of Nickole and her parents were two teenage girls about seventeen. They were just a few yards ahead of Nickole and her parents. Suddenly something on the ground caught Nickole’s eye. She walked a few feet and bent down to pick it up.
“Mama, Papa, come quick!” She called out to Mary and Benny.
“What did you find, honey?” Mary asked as she came over to Nickole.
“Look Mama, its Sally’s hair clip. She had it on at school.” Nickole said holding it out to show her mother and father.
“Are you sure it is Sally’s?” Mary asked.
“Oh yes, Mama, I know it is hers. I remember when she got a package of them for her birthday. Her grandmother gave them to her.” Nickole said confidently.
“Maybe I should take this to show the police officers over there.” Benny said as he looked in the direction of two officers walking at the edge of the lake. As Benny started to walk over to the police officers, he stopped short as he heard a blood-curdling scream fill the air. It came from one of the two teenage girls that
were walking ahead of them. One of the girls fell down and was screaming and crawling away from the large dead tree stump. The other girl started screaming. Nickole ran toward them. Benny and Mary started to run after Nickole, calling her back. Nickole just kept running toward the screaming girls. Then she stopped and dropped to her knees, shaking her head and crying, “NO! NO!”
Benny ran up next to Nickole. “Nickole, come away.” He said as he saw Sally’s bloody, mutilated body lying face up, half covered in the pile of blood-soaked leaves. “Mary, take her back to the house. Get her out of here now,” he told Mary as he steered Nickole by the shoulders toward Mary.
Benny went over to the girls and told them to follow his wife. The two police officers nearby came running when they heard the screams. One of the police officers became sick when he saw Sally’s body. Benny looked up as he saw John and Kate running toward the site. Benny ran toward John and Kate to stop them from seeing the grizzly site. Benny grabbed John’s arm. “John, wait. You don’t want to go over there!” Benny said, trying to hold John back.
“Get out of my way Benny! Is it her? Is it my little girl?” John cried out as he was fighting to get Benny to let him go. “I have got to go to her. I got to see my
little girl!” John screamed.
“John, no, you don’t want to see her like that!” Benny pleaded.
Danny was holding onto his mother who was now hysterical. Other searchers and police were now at the scene. Two police officers tried to help Benny with John. He broke away from them and ran to Sally. “Oh God! Why? Why? Who could have butchered my little girl like this?”
Kate jerked away and ran to her husband’s side. She
screamed as she saw her little girl, and fell as she fainted. Several police officers and searchers took John and Kate away from the scene. The Coroner examined Sally’s body. Officers gently placed Sally
on a gurney and covered her little body with several sheets. Two police officers lifted the body into the Coroner’s wagon and took her body away to the morgue. Everyone in the city of Bedville was in shock that day.
The whole town turned out for Sally’s funeral. The church was overfilled. People stood outside for blocks, waiting to follow the hearse to the cemetery for the burial. Mourners left many flower bouquets at her graveside. Sally had a movie star turn out at her funeral service. The people of Bedville would never be the same.
Nickole tied her brother’s little wagon on the back of her bike. She rode her bike to the path in the park that led to the old tool shack. It has been a week since Sally’s funeral. She took a deep breath as she got off her bike and went inside the shack. Old Bones was still hanging on the wire. She went over and took him down from the wire. She saw the box that Sally had brought the skeleton in, sitting in one corner of the shack. She carried Old Bones over to the box and put him inside. She picked up the box and took him outside and placed the box into the wagon. After that, she went inside to take one last look.
Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the last time she was there with Sally. The images of Sally flooded her mind. It was as if Sally was there with her. She picked up the long cigarette holder. She remembered how funny Sally looked holding it. She could still hear Sally’s words on that day, “Darling, it was so good of you to stop by. However, I must be on my way. My public is waiting for me.” Sally would say as she swooshed her long red hair from her face, swinging her hips from side to side, as she walked, holding the cigarette holder in one hand, and the other hand on her hip.
“You knew how to make me laugh when I was down,
Sally...” Nickole whispered as she began to cry, clutching the cigarette holder in her hand. She reached for a brown paper bag on the old workbench.
She looked inside and saw that it held one of Sally’s movie star magazines. She put the cigarette holder in the bag along with the magazine and rolled the bag closed. She bent down and picked up the hammer from the floor. She knew it belonged to Sally’s father. Sally was always raiding her father’s toolbox, Nickole remembered. Suddenly her heart skipped a beat as she looked up to see the door opening. She was gripped with fear, as she prepared to swing the hammer hard as she could to attack whoever was coming inside.
“Nickole, hey, it’s me!” Danny said holding up his hands in defense.
Nickole felt her knees go weak. “Oh God, it’s you. You scared the daylights out of me.” Nickole said as she lowered the hammer.
“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just that I saw you come here. After what happened to Sally, well, I didn’t want anything to happen to you,” he said as he dropped his head while staring at the floor.
“Thanks Danny.”
“Why are you here?” Danny asked.
“I came to get Old Bones and take him back to Father Mooran, and to get some stuff we kept here. This is your father’s.” Nickole said as she held out the hammer to him. Danny took the hammer. Tears ran down his cheeks as he held the hammer.
“Yeah, it’s Dad’s. She was always getting into trouble with him about taking tools from his toolbox. She was a dopey little kid. Oh God, I miss her and I want her back!” He cried with tears streaming down his cheeks as his body shook from his grief. Nickole put her arms around him to comfort him, as they both were hurting inside from their loss of Sally. Danny walked with Nickole as she pushed her bike, pulling Old Bones in the wagon. They walked along in silence until they were out of the park and on the sidewalk in front of Nickole’s house.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Danny asked.
“No, I need to do this by myself. Thanks for asking.” Nickole said politely.
“Aren’t you afraid? You know they haven’t caught the guy yet. The bastard is still out there somewhere. Free as a bird.” Danny said with anger in his voice.
“Don’t worry, Danny. I will be on the sidewalk all the way. I am not about to stop and talk to any strangers.” Nickole assured him.
“What about the park
?” He asked.
“Today was the last time I will ever go there. I have many good memories of Sally and me at the park. However, when we closed that door on the tool shack a few minutes ago, that was the last time. I never want to go back again. Today, it is forever. I don’t want to remember that bad day.” Nickole said in a low voice.
“Me either. I will never go back there.” Danny said.
“Look, I better get going. I told Mama I wouldn’t be gone for very long. Thanks, Danny.” Nickole said as she started to ride off, down the street.
“Just be careful.” Danny called out to her.
“I will,” she called back while waving to him. He stood on the sidewalk watching her until she was out of sight.
Father Mooran was walking across the playground when he heard the old metal wagon rattle up the driveway onto the playground. Nickole called out to
him as she rode her bike toward him. “Father Mooran, please wait. I need to talk to you.” She stopped her bike in front of him. She dismounted her
bike and put her kickstand down. “
Well, now you have my attention. What can I help you with?” The gray-haired Priest with thick eyebrows and crackling blue eyes asked her with a big friendly smile.
“Well Father, I brought back Old Bones. My friend Sally, borrowed him for Halloween. She was going to bring him back, but I had to because......shhheee can’t.” Nickole dropped her head, trying to hide her tears from the Father.
“Yes child. I understand. The two of you are best friends and I know how hard this must be for you,” he said as he cupped his hand under her chin, while raising her face to look into her swollen red, tear filled eyes.
“Yes Father, it is very hard.” Nickole sobbed.
“Would you like to talk about what you are feeling?” He asked with concern.
“No, Father. I just want to give Old Bones back.” Nickole said as she took the box out of her wagon to hand him.
He chuckled when he asked, “How did you come to call the skeleton Old Bones?”
“Sally, she gave him that name.” Nickole answered.
“Well, I must say, it is a fitting name for him,” he smiled. “Well, Mr. Old Bones, it’s back to the classroom for you. I guess I will have to get you a name tag now.” The Father said as he took the box with Old Bones inside.
“Thank you, Father. I have to go now. My mother will be worried if I am late.” Nickole said as she got on her bike to leave.
“Wait,” the Father said. “If you ever need to talk to someone about this, you can always come to me.” He told her.
“I will, Father. I promise. I had better go now. Bye.” Nickole said as she rode off to her home.
SALLY’S PARENTS PUT their house up for sale and moved away to Ohio. They couldn’t stand living across from the park where Sally died. It was too painful for them. The family gave Nickole Sally’s bike and old Radio Flyer wagon. Danny joined the Army after he
graduated from high school. Nickole never made any new friends. She just held on to the memories of Sally. Nickole would often sneak over and just sit in Sally’s old tree house. Reminiscing on all the good times they had together, high above the ground. She blocked out that horrible day when Sally was found.
Little did she know, that her whole world was about to change. The nightmarish horror and terror was just beginning. Her life would be turned upside down. Thanksgiving was just around the corner. The first snow of the season would be falling very soon. The
killings in the area stopped. No one was arrested for the gruesome murders. The police linked all the killings to one person. They just did not know who he was, or where he was.
CHAPTER FIVE
November, 1940 Tuesday, 6:30 a.m.
It was a very dark and cold November morning. Outside, Mary’s rose garden was covered by the snow. The Martino family was up and having their breakfast. Everything was normal, just like other mornings. Suddenly a long black car approached their driveway. It turned into the drive and came to a stop. The two men in the car were both wearing black overcoats and hats to match. As they trudged their way through the snow, one said to the other, “This fucking, lousy snow, we should be in Florida now. Not this lousy iceberg.” As they stood on the front porch, one of the men took off his glove, and reached out to ring the doorbell.
As the doorbell rang, Benny said, “I’ll get it!” He got up from the table and went into the living room to answer the door. As he opened the door to see who it was, the two men standing outside pushed their way past Benny and into the house.
“Hey, what the hell is this? Who are you and what the hell do you think you are doing pushing your way into my house?” Benny shouted.
“Relax, pal, relax. We just want to talk to the little lady, that’s all. We got a message for her, from the boss.”
Benny’s face started to redden with anger, as he said, “What boss?”
“Mr. Nicholas Colletti. You see, he wants to see the little lady. He is in a bad way at the hospital. He is asking for her, and what Mr. Colletti wants, Mr. Colletti gets. Understood, pal?”
Benny’s anger was starting to turn loose now. “I don’t give a god damn what that guinea bastard boss of yours wants, you’re not telling my wife nothing. Now you two fucking guinea bastards get the hell out of my house! And I mean now, right now!”
All of a sudden, the biggest man who was doing all of the talking grabbed Benny by the collar and pushed him against the door. Just then, Mary entered the room. “What is this? What are you doing to my husband? Who are you and what do you want here? Let him go, please!”
The man let Benny go. Then he straightened Benny’s shirt out. “Just a misunderstanding, Mrs. Let me introduce myself. I’m Mike Scallenie, and this is my partner, Mr. Johnny Gallucio.” Then he tipped his hat as he went on talking. “I was sent here by my boss, Mr. Nicholas Colletti. He is in the hospital. He’s in a bad way and is asking for you.”
“Well she’s not going and go back and tell that fucking boss of yours to drop dead!” Benny said in a
rage.
Scallenie turned on Benny once again. His dark deadly eyes stared at Benny, “I told you, you fucking little creep, to stay out of this.”
Then Mary spoke pleadingly to Scallenie, “Please stop it. I have small children in the house. Please let
my husband go.”
“Not this time, lady. I’m going to teach your big mouth husband some manners.” Then Scallenie pulled out a knife.
“Oh, God, no, please! I beg of you, let him go.” Mary was hysterical now.
“Let him go, Mike!” Johnny demanded.
“No, not until I teach this fucking bastard a little lesson in manners.”
“I said let him go. The boss said there was to be no trouble. Now goddammit, let him go!”
“Okay, Okay, I’ll let the fucking creep go this time, but if we ever meet again, I’ll carve him up like a piece of sausage. You got that, punk? Like a fucking sausage!”
“OK, that’s enough, Mike, let’s go. The rest is up to them. We said what we were told to say. Our job is done here, so come on, let’s go. Good-bye, Mrs. Martino. We didn’t mean to make any trouble for you. Have a nice day now.” The two men opened the door and left the house.
Benny slammed the door behind them. “Those fucking guinea bastards, the nerve of those bastards!
They just walk in here like they own us and tell my wife that their fucking big boss, Mr. Colletti, needs you and wants to see you. Now you’re supposed to come running. Well, goddammit, you’re not going. Fuck Mr. Colletti. You are my wife now, not his. Do you hear me? Fuck him, you’re not going!”
“Benny, I never said or thought that I would go see him. Nick Colletti is a thing of the past. I have forgotten him, so why can’t you? Benny, I love you, not him.”
“Well it’s damn sure he hasn’t forgotten you. I hope the fucking bastard dies!”
“Benny, now stop it. Let’s go back into the kitchen and finish breakfast with the c
hildren. They are upset enough now. They probably heard more than they should have already.”
Benny and Mary returned to the kitchen. Benny sat back down at the table, his face still red with anger. He stared across the table very coldly at Nickole with hate in his eyes. Nickole couldn’t understand why her father looked at her with so much hate in his eyes. Nickole dropped her head to avoid his stare. She tried to finish her breakfast, trying to figure out why her father was acting this way, and why he gave her a feeling of fear.
It was Paul who broke the silence at the table. “Papa, who were those men, and why are you mad at each other?”
“None of your damn business. Shut up and eat your breakfast so you’re not late for school.”
“We won’t be late, Papa. We don’t have to be there until 8:30.” Before Nickole could finish the sentence, Benny jumped up from the table and with all his strength, he struck her across the face. Benny had struck Nickole so hard that she fell out of her chair, screaming out in pain and terror.
Mary screamed out, “Benny, for God sakes, what is the matter with you? Have you gone crazy? Leave her alone, she is only a child. Don’t take your anger out on her!” Mary demanded as she went to Nickole’s side.
Benny turned on Mary. His face contorted like a mad man, as he said to her, “Well you keep her out of my way and you make damn sure that as long as she stays under my roof, eats the food that I pay for, and wears the clothes I put on her back, that she is never to talk back to me. Do you hear me! She is your bastard mistake, not mine.”
Mary stared up at him with a look of shock and surprise on her face as she screamed back at him, “Benny, do you know what you are saying?”
Benny snarled back at her as he replied, “You goddamn right I do.” Then he grabbed his hat and coat, stormed out of the house, leaving Mary in the kitchen. She held Nickole in her arms, trying to comfort her in her fear and pain. The left side of Nickole’s face was swelling, and already turning black and blue. Mary wiped the blood from Nickole’s face that had splattered on it from the cut she had received on her lip. As Mary finished cleaning the cut on her lip, she said to the children, “Get your coats on. You aren’t going to school today.