“I don’t need your fucking pity! I need my fucking job back,” Dave said through gritted teeth.
“I’m sorry man,” Wesley said again as Dave walked out of his office door.
As Dave stepped past Wesley, he turned back towards him and smashed his head into Wesley's, harder than he smashed the asshole that pissed on his truck. Wesley immediately lost consciousness, and as he dropped to the ground Dave kicked him in the chest, smashing him into the ground harder and faster.
“That’s for pissing on my life, asshole.” Dave kicked him in the gut twice before the secretary let out a piercing scream. “Now who feels sorry for whom, bitch?”
Dave jogged to his truck, thankful that all of the workers had departed to their offsite jobs. He didn’t waste time getting in, roaring his truck to life, and driving away before any of the unassigned workers headed his direction. He slowed down to obey the speed limit on his way to the bank and saw the ambulance and police speeding in the direction where he left Wesley lying in a muddle on his office floor.
After withdrawing every last penny from his bankaccount, Dave drove to California, stopping at rest stops, parks, and hotel parking lots to sleep. He filled what used to be his work cooler with cold drinks and sandwiches to eat along the way, not wanting to stay in one place for too long.
Fearing that his coworkers would send the police to the wedding, Dave stayed away from Los Angeles until he absolutely had to show up. In the meantime, he purchased a truck full of camping equipment, rented a campsite for two months at Bodega Bay, where he set up camp and stayed for three weeks. Finally, when he hadn’t heard anything about a massive man hunt for him, and when Jessie hadn’t mentioned anyone asking about him, he decided it was safe to head towards his fiancée.
“What’s a few extra days off of work?” Dave begged Jessie from his cell phone as he drove towards Los Angeles.
“I can ask. But sometimes they’re sticklers when it comes to contracts. And if they’re short-staffed there’s no way they will let me go.”
“Can’t hurt to ask! It would just be so nice to have a few days before the wedding. I mean, I haven’t been there much to help, and I was able to get time off.”
“I know! I know! I swear I’ll ask,” Jessie promised.
“And the hotel?” Dave reminded her.
“I have so much to do at the apartment Dave. I have most of the stuff shipped out. But there’s still so much left.”
“It will go twice as fast since I’m going to be there to help. I just know how hard you’ve been working, and it would be great to spoil the bride-to-be a little. Champagne! Hot tub! Room service!”
“Oh, you know how to romance a girl. Fine! You twisted my arm. Let’s spend the last few days in a hotel.”
“That’s my girl! Look, I’ll let you handle the details since I’m driving,” Dave offered, though he really didn’t want the police to be able to trace his name or the activity on his card to the room. “Go ahead and put it in your name. I’ll pay you back.”
“Really? It’s going to be like that? Your money and my money?”
“No, no! Not at all. I just don’t want you to have any more stress,” Dave lied, grinning from ear to ear, pleased that he bought himself a little more time before having to figure a way out of his new mess. Amazingly, it was beginning to look like the longer he disappeared off of the radar, the less likely anyone was going to come looking for him.
So, understandably, the police were the last people he could call when came back to camp to find his supposedly dead wife’s body missing. He hid in his tent for days, peeking out of the nylon windows every time he heard a car drive by, expecting it to be the police. The longer he waited for the police to come, the more confident he was that he had gotten away with another crime.
Dave figured that Jessie was carried into the woods by the animals, her remains, along with the evidence consumed by their carnivorous teeth. He began concocting a story in his head, and days later, bumping into others, he began planting the seeds of his story.
“How’s the honeymoon going?” the camp manager asked.
“Seem to have come down with a bad headache,” Dave offered.
“Earache you say?” the camp manager misunderstood. “It’s these winds. Too much of it will do it to ya. Then add the sand, and it’s like someone’s running a rake through your ear canal.”
“That’s right!” Dave jumped on the twist in his own story. “She’s thinking about spending a few nights in town.”
“Tell her to get some earmuffs when she comes back. A scarf or hoodie wouldn’t hurt either,” the camp manager suggested. “Earaches aren’t something to mess with. Look here.” He pulled up the leg on his khaki pants, revealing a six-inch scar running down his leg. “Accidentally swung the ax at it.”
“Jeez!” Dave exclaimed.
“Hurt like an S.O.B.! But I was limping back to work the next day. Now, an earache from a frigid wind? Knocked me on my ass for a week. I couldn’t even stand straight.”
"I would have never guessed.” Dave shook his head. “I guess I better stop putting up a fuss and give her some time out of these winds.”
Dave used the same story on a few other campers that he and Jessie had met around the campsite, and at the beaches As the days passed, he added tad bits of information to make his story more believable in the event that he had to explain her not returning by the time he checked out.
“I guess she was serious when she said there was nothing I could say to get her to give up that fluffy king- size bed at the hotel.” Dave laughed during his final conversation with the camp manager.
“I’ve seen it happen before.” The manager shook his head. “Looks like you got you one of those princesses there. She’s gonna bleed you dry like my first wife. Glenda. She wouldn’t have camped to save her life.”
“Yeah, seriously. She said her idea of camping is at a fancy hotel now,” Dave added to gain a comrade.
“Well, she’s probably afraid of the wind, to be honest. You either hate it, or you love it.”
“She definitely hated it.” Dave laid it on thick. “She always complained about her hair getting frizzy and the sand everywhere. That was even before the earache.”
“Sorry son! I keep telling the young guys, you gotta go for the tomboy’s. They’ll watch sports with ya, go fishing, and enjoy a good camping trip!” Paul slapped his hand down on Dave's shoulder, causing Dave to shudder with the memory of what happened to the last man who patted his shoulder.
“There’s the chill from that wind again,” Dave said, trying to explain his jumpy reaction.
“Well, I hope she doesn’t talk you out of camping.”
Dave laughed as he waved goodbye to Paul, leaving before he made a comment about Jessie’s ability to talk him out of anything, that would later come back to haunt him if said out loud.
“Let’s drink,” Sangio suggested, pulling Dave back into the present. “It’s been a long day, and you look as if you’re a little lost in thought.”
“You have no idea!” Dave laughed nervously and raised the bottle of Chivas up in the air to gesture a solution to overthinking.
As usual, Dave drank way too much, way too fast, and was already tipsy when he saw Jessie walk into the campsite. Jessie looked healthy, strong and pissed. She didn’t have a mark on her, as if nothing had ever happened.
“Jesus Christ!” Dave choked on the booze that stuck in his throat when he ungracefully tried to laugh, cry, and scream at once. “Where the fuck did you come from?”
“From town. Isn't that the story? You'll be pleased to know that my earache is feeling much better." Jessie didn't smile. Instead, she sat on top of the picnic table, moving a fishing knife that was sitting a little too close to Dave for her comfort.
Dave looked back and forth from Jessie to Sangio, not sure how to feel, but confident there was trouble brewing.
“Have another drink.” Jessie remained serious as she refilled Dave’s glass.
&n
bsp; Sangio picked up the knife and toyed with it in his hands and then handed it back to Jessie.
“No, I think I’ll pass,” Dave declined. Then turning to Sangio, “I’d like to talk to my wife alone, so if you don’t mind leaving now.”
“That won't be happening,” Jessie said loudly, stabbing the knife into the picnic table. “There's honestly nothing you have to say that I want to hear. So, drink! It may take the edge off the rest of the conversation.”
Dave reached out for the knife, but was caught by surprise as Sangio grabbed his wrist. “I believe your wife offered you a drink. It would be rude not to oblige.”
Jessie held out the drink for Dave as she sat on top of the picnic table, holding the handle of the knife.
Dave grabbed the glass, spilling on Jessie and himself, studying the contents of the glass for poison before taking it as a shot. He slammed the glass down, shoved it towards the middle of the table, and got up. He started walking towards the tent.
“Sangio, it’s time you left,” he said, not looking towards Sangio or Jessie.
“I’d rather not!” Sangio laughed.
“It wasn’t a fucking request, idiot. Get the hell out of my campsite!” Dave yelled.
Sangio had Dave pinned up against a tree in less than a second. “Or what Dave? You’ll smash my head with a boulder?” he spat into Dave’s face, unable to hide his true nature any longer. "Or do you just save that for your wife?”
Dave threw a punch at Sangio, who caught it before it even came near his face. Sangio twisted Dave's balled up fist, forcing him to his knees, and then leaned into Dave's face.
“Your wife has something she would like to say to you, Dave. And my expectation is that you cooperate and don’t make any sudden moves. Understand?”
Sangio dragged Dave to a camp chair, slammed him into it, and gave Jessie the opportunity to address him.
“I want you to sign annulment papers,” Jessie instructed. “And I want them dated the same date as our wedding. The night you beat me.”
“Fuck you!” Dave said, spitting on Jessie’s chest.
Sangio jumped up, but Jessie held her hand out to stop him, needing to face him on her own. Sangio was no fool though. Jessie tried to be the brave one before and ended up brain dead. Dave wasn’t going to back down, and Jessie was already shaking. Dave would feed off of that.
“He has one last chance, Jessica,” Sangio growled.
“Send your pit bull away and we’ll talk,” Dave retorted, wrongly assuming that Jessie was protecting him when she stopped Sangio. “Otherwise, you get shit.”
The last word wasn’t out of his mouth before Sangio had Dave flipped backwards in his chair with the force of Sangio’s foot digging into his chest.
“I give, I give!” Dave coughed out, gasping for breath. “I’ll sign the damn papers.”
Jessie retrieved them from her purse, handing them to Dave with a pen.
“Let me up. I can’t sign like this,” Dave huffed.
Sangio stepped hard near Dave's groin, tipping the chair back into its proper position, bringing Dave forward quickly, slamming his face into Sangio’s knee.
“Careful there,” Sangio mocked. “You don't want to drip blood onto the papers. They're official.”
Dave signed the papers, and then hurled them back at Jessica, spraying them all over the ground.
Sangio stood him up by his hair, and then kicked his feet out from beneath him, letting him drop to the ground.
“This is exactly your problem, Dave. You failed to treat your wife with respect. You assumed that she couldn't fight back, but you were wrong. Let me assure you, she has the advantage tonight. Pick up the papers and hand them to her.” Sangio snarled through gritted teeth. “You are wearing my patience.”
Dave reeled backwards when he saw Sangio's eyes darken, witnessed the intensification of what he assumed were Sangio's canine teeth, and heard the wicked hiss accompanying his words. Dave crawled forward, picking up the papers. He then stood up as if going to hand Jessie the papers and lunged forward in an attempt to deliver a forceful head butt. Expecting nothing less from him, Sangio hit Dave on the back of his neck with a massive blow from his fist, immediately dropping him to the ground and immobilizing him.
Jessie stood still, not sure what to do. On one hand, she wanted to attack Dave, and on the other hand she wanted to laugh because he wouldn't give up. Despite the swiftness and power Sangio displayed, Dave was still ignorant enough to believe he could hurt her. Lastly, Jessie wanted to curl up in a ball and cry because she couldn't understand what made this man, her husband, desire to hurt her. Not that it would have changed the outcome, but Jessie had hoped that Dave would beg for her forgiveness and admit that he had made some serious mistakes. That he would tell her it was not her fault and that he didn't deserve her. She knew it was a long shot, but she hoped nonetheless.
“Jessica made me promise that I would not kill you. Before you get nostalgic, it's not because she loves you or cares about what happens to you. No, you lost that when you left her for dead. Actually, quite possibly before that. No, you will live because we agreed early on that death is the easy way out. Let me explain what your life will be like now. I hit you in the spine, Dave, paralyzing you from the neck down. You will never walk again. You will never use your hands, or feet, or any limb for that matter, to hurt another living soul. You will spend the rest of your worthless life rotating between a wheelchair and a hospital bed, sitting in your own feces until you get your scheduled diaper changes, being spoon fed if you’re lucky enough to still have your swallow reflex, and sipping milk through straws,” Sangio growled down at him.
“You piece of shit,” Dave howled through tears. “You won’t get away with this, you fucking demon.”
“I'm not done yet.” Sangio flashed his still darkened eyes as he stepped hard on Dave’s throat in just the right spot. “This will ensure you never speak again.”
Jessie found a boulder similar to the one Dave used to smash her skull in barely a week ago and laid it under Dave’s neck.
“Wouldn't it be ironic if this were the same boulder you hit me with? Everyone will think you fell on and broke your neck after a little too much Chivas.” Jessica spat back in Dave’s face, kicking a shoe full of sand that scattered near his eyes, in his nose, and stuck to the saliva and trickle of blood from his encounter with Sangio's knee. “I don't know why you treated me the way you did, but I do know two things. One, it had nothing to do with me. That anger and hatred, it was all inside of you already. And two, you will never hurt me again Dave. Ever! Now you can spend the rest of your life knowing that you did this to yourself. There are consequences to every action.”
On the way out of the campsite, Sangio popped the trunk of Dave’s car, retrieving Jessie’s wallet and her grandmother’s jewelry, before heading back to camp.
“Are we staying tonight?” Jessie asked. Though she was pumping with adrenaline from her encounter, Sangio expected that she would come crashing down shortly and felt distance from the campgrounds would be beneficial for both of them, especially since he anticipated the ambulance coming along in the next few hours.
“I’d rather not.” Sangio admitted.
“Thank God!” Jessie exhaled. “I hate camping.”
“As do I, Jessica,” concurred Sangio, as he abandoned his brand new camping gear for the second time in a week. He drove Jessie to a five-star hotel with a Jacuzzi in the room. Champagne, strawberries, and matching fluffy robes with matching slippers awaited them as they walked into the room.
“Now this,” Jessie exclaimed as she slipped into the Jacuzzi next to Sangio, who was holding two glasses of champagne, “is the type of camping I could get used to.”
“We can stay as long as you want,” Sangio offered.
“Thanks, but there’s nothing more I want to do than to hug my parents and file the annulment papers as soon as possible,” Jessie admitted.
“Then let’s get a good night
; sleep and head out in the morning.”
“Ok, but not too early!” Jessie pleaded.
Sangio called the front desk and informed the clerk that they would be requiring a late check out.
Chapter 39
“Jessica!” Sangio sounded alarmed. “You have to see this!” Sangio knocked hard on the bathroom door.
“Now?” Jessie asked as she jumped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, hearing the urgency in Sangio's voice.
“Yes, now!” he confirmed.
Jessie sat slowly on the hotel bed, without taking her attention from the TV, where she saw a newscaster standing in front of the campsite she left Dave in. Although it was surreal, she wasn’t surprised it was on the news. What surprised her was the mug shot of Dave, from jail, in the upper right hand corner of the TV. Jessie's eyes darted from the reporter, to the mug shot, to the scrolling news at the bottom of the TV, to the caption under the reporter, and back to the reporter again.
“Jesus! This is why so many kids are ADHD. There’s too much going on!” She stated in aggravation.
“ David Rech, from Denver, Colorado, has been on the run for the past sixweeks, authorities confirmed. Although his victim is expected to make a full recovery, the doctors admit that the process will be a long one.” The reporters face was replaced by that of an aging woman.
“Wesley is a good man. He didn’t deserve the beating Dave gave him.” The woman dabbed a tissue catching the escaping tears, obviously trying hard to hold more in. “I’m glad Dave was found. Now he can pay for the pain he caused my husband and my family.”
“Wesley Hailson, the former boss of David Rech, is reported to finally be in stable condition after three weeks in the trauma unit after an alleged brutal attack by David Rech.” The reporter was replaced by a doctor.
“Mr. Hailson came to our hospital with a fractured skull, swelling on the brain, cracked ribs, and a perforated lung with internal bleeding. It’s a miracle he survived this cruel attack His medical team has worked as hard as his praying family. They’ve been at his bedside every possible moment.”
Biting Winds Page 18