“I know, and I’m trying to get to it.” I felt exposed without answering her question.
She studied me. “I know the answer, Scott. I guess I like pushing your buttons. I’m like a hunter and you’re my prey. Seeing you react . . . is like the thrill of the hunt.”
Her frank words concerned me, so I reached for another log. She grabbed my arm, and when I looked at her I could see tears in her eyes.
“Scott, I’ve had no one to love. I was so focused on getting into Harvard and getting good marks that I missed growing up. I had one infatuation period, but that passed like a bad dream.”
She let go of my arm, and I added the log to the fire, and the sparks flew in all directions.
“Why are you sharing this with me?” I asked.
She looked like a lost puppy, but she didn’t answer. I gave her more time.
“Now it’s you asking the tough questions.” She fiddled with the corner of the afghan. “Let me try . . . this seems so right . . . you’re a caring person. I guess I feel if I didn’t talk to you now, I would miss my chance to tell you. Right now, I feel like the hunter who is staring at his game, regretting having ever hunted . . . I wish I could change so much, but it is too late.”
I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to my chest. I just held her tightly, and I could feel her quietly sobbing. Bizarrely, I didn’t feel that uncomfortable.
Chapter 26
The announcer interrupted the TV broadcast:
We interrupt our normal programming for the following. This is WBZ TV reporting that investigators were at the scene on the North Shore, where a body was found in a fishing trawler’s net. Investigators speculate the body is related to the two other recent torso slayings but they failed to comment further. We return you to our regularly scheduled programming.
Mercedes regained her composure and was sitting staring at the fire.
I thought they would have reported more, but I guess that was enough. I knew it was Bob Sullivan. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like for his family to receive this news on Christmas Day.
I placed another log on the fire, looking over at Mercedes. She no longer resembled a woman who had control of everything. It was peculiar, but I felt sad for her. I might be feeling the same way if I hadn’t met Lisa.
I was lucky to have Lisa. Jimmy could have taken her life, as he had planned. He killed two women and had nothing more to lose. I was lucky to save her.
What was I doing here with this woman? I hadn’t planned this. Was it just an accident, or a twist of fate? I missed Lisa. She was not only away from me now, but she had been away from me for months. It was also a twist of fate that we were not together on Christmas Eve, nor would we be on Christmas. Maybe she’d miss me more this way, and hopefully get over whatever has been bothering her.
Mercedes hands were clenched, and I could see the white of her knuckles. Was she mad about sharing things with me, or was she mad that I had failed to react the way she wanted? What did she want me to do? At that moment, she leaned her back against me, and I could feel her body relax.
We both watched the fire, each guarding our thoughts. Mercedes’ strong woman persona was just a well-designed façade. I was confused and overcome by a strong desire to comfort her.
“Mercy, what do you think of the newscast?”
“It wasn’t a surprise.”
Her response made me jump. We didn’t need the television any longer, so I turned on Christmas music. Mercedes was still seated by the fire. I added another log, feeling the heat on my face.
I recalled her comment about my car and decided to look out the window. It was just like she said, a white lump in the middle of a white blanket. The vacancy sign was no longer illuminated, which made all the sense in the world.
I heard the bathroom door close. I could feel the warmth in the room and realized how tired I was. I laid down on the bedcovers, hearing the water running behind my head, blending with the music. I hoped Lisa had made it safely to her parents’. I was concerned she would be very upset that I couldn’t make it there. I regretted telling her mother I wasn’t alone here and hoped she would not mention it to Lisa.
My thoughts were interrupted by the image of those poor men, tortured, mutilated, killed, and dumped like garbage.
Chapter 27
She heard the news broadcast about the body being found. Her thoughts drifted to his killing. She gave him his just reward. He and his friends had raped her for an entire weekend. She had trusted him and had given her body willingly, but he was just using her.
Earlier, she had commented about his looks to her friends on the cheer squad; they told her about rumors that he and other football players had raped several girls.
She had refused to believe the rumors and persisted in seeing him. It was easy to be with him since he lived next door. He was about two years older. She had been successful in having him see her and eventually spend time together.
Her parents and sister were away most weekends. She had to stay home for cheer. The time they had spent together made her a woman long before her time. It gave her the confidence she longed for.
However, she never saw it coming, but when it happened, her wonderful world crumbled. During her rape, she asked Bob ‘why?’ and he just laughed at her. He said he had used her because she was convenient. She was naïve to think anything else.
She recalled all of their positive comments about her looks and body, but she took away the most important thing—revenge.
When he threatened her sister, she promised herself he would never have a chance to get to her if it was the last thing she ever did.
There was no blindfold when they were about to dismember him. He had already realized his fate. She had the honor of showing him the knife before she removed his manhood. However, she reminded him about his laughing at her during her rape, more importantly his threat to her sister.
Two of her friends had consummated their revenge in the same manner and for similar reasons. She relished the ice cold shower water, which reminded her of his ordeal. This last killing was her trophy—three down, one more to go.
She felt her body tremble.
Chapter 28
Damn this storm.
The number her mother gave her just rang busy. She tried it several times but was unable to reach Scott. Lisa went back into the living room with her parents to find them hovering around the tree. She was on her second eggnog, but she didn’t know by how many her parents were ahead.
“Hon, any luck reaching Scott?”
“No, I tried several times and just get a busy signal. The storm has probably knocked out some of the phone service . . . who knows? I really wish Scott and I had driven up together, at least we would be somewhere together.”
“How are things going between the two of you?”
Lisa was slow to respond. “We’re okay, and now that school is out for a few weeks we’ll have time to see each other. Both of us have been busy finishing our school work and haven’t had much time for romance.”
Her father picked up on her response. “Lisa, are you okay?” Lisa just looked at her father, who rarely spoke unless asked something. “Your mother and I are both concerned about how you’ve been behaving—you have not been yourself. Care to share anything? We might be able to help.”
“Daddy, things are okay . . . I’m okay.”
Her dad came over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, staring into her eyes. He hugged her. Lisa started crying, and her mother joined them in a group hug. Her mother was quick to add her tears.
The television station interrupted their hugging:
We interrupt our normal programming for the following—this is WBZ TV reporting that investigators were at the scene on the North Shore, where a body was found in a fishing trawler’s net. Investigators speculate the body is related to the two other recent torso slayings, but they failed to comment further. We return you to our regularly scheduled programming.
Lisa resp
onded to the announcement. “Scott has joined the task force investigating these killings. He’s going to be tied up, and we will miss some time together. I think he’s purposely creating distance from me.”
Her mother jumped in. “Why in the world do you think he’s doing that?”
Lisa’s tears were now showing. “The last few times we’ve talked on the phone . . . well, we’ve had words. We’ve never had words before. He’s not close to being on his way here if he’s in Topsfield on Route One. I’m not sure he loves me anymore. That’s maybe why he’s not here tonight . . . and with someone else.”
Lisa went over to the couch and tried to deal with her emotion.
“Lisa you’re overreacting to things. We’ve seen the love Scott shows you. I think you’re not reading Scott correctly. He was probably headed up to the North Shore where that body was discovered. You said yourself that he’s on that task force, and he doesn’t take responsibility lightly . . . you of all people should know that. You wouldn’t—”
“You’re right, mother; I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Scott. Maybe that’s the problem, maybe I shouldn’t be here . . . maybe I’m sorry I am.” Lisa paused, realizing what she had said. “I’m sorry . . . I don’t know why I said that. I’m so sorry.”
Lisa started sobbing and buried her head in her mother’s waiting arms. Her father gave the thumbs-up sign.
“Honey, we need to get you some help. You’ve been through a life-threatening event, and you obviously haven’t dealt with it. You can’t, really, without some professional help. You never really shared what happened; maybe what happened is creating the friction. We can talk about it more later, but we need to get you help.”
Harold gave the thumbs-up sign again, and Rose just smiled, hugging Lisa. He said, “We’ve got our own therapy, which might help right now.”
Lisa sneaked a look from her mother’s hug like she used to. “What are you talking about?”
He smiled. “You know we always like to open a present Christmas Eve. Well, I think it’s time we carried out that tradition. Are you up for a present?”
* * *
Lisa was glad she had made it to her parents’ but worried about what she had said. Lisa knew she needed some help and wondered why she was resisting so much. Maybe it was the holidays, and maybe she didn’t want to tell what really happened that night with Jimmy.
“I think we could all benefit from a present,” she replied after wiping her tears and kissing her mom on the cheek. She went over and picked up one of the presents she brought. “This is just something for the house, but I thought you would like it.”
Her mom took it and opened the package. “Oh, Lisa, how did you know we were looking at this in the store the other day? Thank you . . . we’ll have to play it tomorrow.” She held up the Beatles’ album ‘Help’ to Harold.
Lisa felt better now.
Lisa’s father pulled a small wrapped package off the tree and handed it to her.
“This is just a little something we picked up the other day, but you might enjoy it.”
Lisa felt the very light package and thought it might be a piece of jewelry. She opened it to find a note: The present is too big to wrap so you’ll need to follow us! Her dad waved to her to follow both of them. They were headed to the back hall and the attached garage.
They opened the door, saying, “First, close your eyes.” They guided her to the door, and her mom said, “You can open them now!”
Lisa opened her eyes and had to study what she saw—it was a brand new 1965 Mustang. The bright yellow convertible brought tears, and she started crying again.
“You have got to be kidding me . . . thank you . . . thank you so much.” She rushed down the stairs and got behind the wheel. The cold leather bucket seat and new car smell reminded her of Scott’s car, more specifically, how she drove him crazy with her caresses while they were driving to the Balsams.
It’s too early for a New Year’s wish, but she already knew what she would wish for.
Chapter 29
It was still snowing; the wind was coming in waves against the building, causing the windows to rattle. Jeremy felt the cold air entering when he placed his face close to the glass.
Yellow plow lights cast interesting and changing patterns on the connected apartment buildings. The ski slope moguls near where the road used to be were really parked cars. The storm hit so fast people couldn’t abide by the parking ban. He looked to see if he could see his own car, but there wasn’t a chance.
The window frost made it hard to clearly see things but he observed something other than the plows moving. It was a cross-country skier. Across the tree-lined median was another skier. He wiped the window. He was wrong. It was hard to believe. It was a young guy riding a bike, dressed only in underwear. Must be a senior showing off for the underclassmen, or someone already hitting the good stuff . . . or both.
Despite the bad weather, he felt in better spirits. Instead of a confusing Christmas visit at Dottie’s parents’ house, he would just hang out at the dorm with Neil and the others. He wondered what Neil was up to and decided to check the lobby area.
Most all the remaining dorm members were huddled around the television listening to the storm report:
. . . the slow moving storm surprised everyone. The roads are jammed with stuck or abandoned cars. Officials are recommending only emergency travel until late tomorrow. The unexpected nor’easter developed off the coast when two low pressure areas merged, creating a monster storm. There is severe flooding along the shore. Wind gusts hit sixty miles an hour during the height of the storm.
The storm is currently off the coast of Maine and is expected to move on to Nova Scotia by noon tomorrow. Emergency vehicles are currently attempting to restore power to many coastal areas where downed trees have taken out utility service. Officials warn citizens not to go near any downed electrical wires. Those wires may still be live and could cause serious injury or death.
Snowfall amounts in Boston are estimated to reach ten to twelve inches, cities north of Boston twelve to sixteen inches, and the Cape six to ten.
Jeremy spotted Neil.
“Neil, you missed it. There was a cross-country skier, right in the middle of the road, but there was a nut cake on the other side. He was riding a bike wearing only his shorts and a T-shirt.”
“I’m not surprised at all . . . must be that spiked eggnog.”
The television announcer cut in:
We interrupt our normal program for the following. This is WBZ TV reporting that investigators were at the scene on the North Shore, where a body was found in a fishing trawler’s net. Investigators speculate the body is related to the two other recent torso slayings but failed to comment further. We return you to our regularly scheduled programming.
Neil said to Jeremy, “I wonder if that’s the missing guy they reported earlier in the week?”
“Yeah, it’s probably Bob Sullivan.”
“Why do you remember the guy’s name?”
“I guess I just remember the report of who was missing.”
Neil studied his roommate, knowing him well enough to know he was not providing the full answer. “You look like you just saw a ghost. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine . . . I guess I’m just upset I can’t be with Dottie.”
“Yeah, the storm is a bummer, but I’m glad I didn’t try to go anywhere earlier today.”
Jeremy was thinking about the body and the connection to the other two torso slayings. He knew Bob Sullivan was part of that hockey league. His mind drifted to his own tortured weekend.
“Earth to JJ . . . I’m talking to you and you’re not here. Where are you?”
“Sorry, I guess I was just thinking about the guy they just found, and the other two guys.”
Jeremy was also thinking about his cousin Jason, who played in that same hockey league. His dad and Jason’s dad were brothers, but Jeremy never spent time with Jason . . . they were two different people.
“JJ, I think we both could use a drink . . . how about it?”
“You know that is a great idea.” Jeremy knew he had to wash away the memory of that horrible weekend.
Chapter 30
Would Scott and Lisa get married? Mike Miller thought about Scott while he watched his kids play with their presents. Would they have a family like his? They were really meant for each other, just like he and his wife were.
The television was on in the background, but every time the kids moved, it interfered with the reception due to the rabbit ears. He didn’t much care, it was just for background, but he wanted to hear about the storm.
He was glad Paddy consented to let Scott on the task force again. Paddy’s hands were tied once he decided to have Mercedes join. Once that decision was made, Scott had to be included on the task force.
He thought it was strange Scott was intimidated by Mercedes. She seems nice. She might even give Lisa a run for her money, but Scott seems set for life with Lisa.
His thoughts were interrupted by the storm report:
The slow moving storm took many by surprise. The roads are jammed with stuck or abandoned cars. Officials are recommending only emergency travel until late tomorrow. The unexpected nor’easter developed off the coast with merging low pressure areas creating severe flooding along the shore. Wind gusts hit sixty miles an hour during the height of the storm.
The storm is currently off the coast of Maine and is expected to move on to Nova Scotia by noon tomorrow. Emergency vehicles are currently attempting to restore power to many coastal areas where downed trees have taken out utility service. Officials warn citizens not to go near any downed electrical wires. They may be live and could cause serious injury or death.
Snowfall amounts in Boston are estimated to reach ten to twelve inches, cities north of Boston twelve to sixteen inches, and the Cape only six to ten.
Serial Separation Page 9