by Kara Hart
“What does it matter if it does?” she asks. “I never understood why cops get pissed when things like that leak out. You got the guy. He’s done for. Congratulations.”
“It pisses us off.” I open the whiskey and smell the flowers. “Because we haven’t actually caught the fool yet. Now he knows we’re onto him. It makes it that much harder to catch him.”
“You’ll find him.” She ignores me. “There’s no way he’s hiding out forever. A guy gets hungry. He gets thirsty and wants a drink. He’ll wander from his hole and someone will recognize him. And then you can get your promotion.”
“Well, you’re probably right about the first thing. But there won’t be any promotions for me. The department hasn’t got shit for money. It’ll be another 20 years until a guy like me is promoted,” I say. It’s the cold, hard truth.
“Anyway,” I continue. “You came at the wrong time. The media is having a frenzy on this case right now, but they have no idea about the real story. The fucking FBI wants in the case now. They claim we’ve done a poor job on it. Now, they’re coming to investigate our claims. I’m fucked, Vi. I shouldn’t have taken any of this on. I should’ve given all the responsibility to my partner.”
She just hugs me, as pure as she is. “Everything will work out for you,” she says. “Trust me like I trust you.”
But I can’t. I have no trust anymore. All of that has been stolen from me and it’s no fault but my own. I’ve put myself in an awkward position by not reporting everything I know. Now, I’m pretty certain I’m going in the trash. I’ll lose my job by the end of the year if the federal agents have anything to do about it.
“Okay,” I say out of courtesy. “Sure. We can get through this.”
She kisses my chest and rests her cheek against me. Suddenly, none of this matters, I’m transported into reality. Sometimes you forget what really matters in this life, and then it hits you right in the face. This is one of those moments. I tend to have a lot of those lately.
“You know, I’m still thinking about that woman,” I admit. “Not like obsessively, so don’t worry. Adam’s just got me all freaked out.”
“How?” she says, absentmindedly.
“I don’t know,” I sigh. “He told me I should really look into all of the women I’ve been with in the past few months. Kind of takes the fun away from it all, you know? I mean, it’s a violation of their privacy. Not all of the encounters ended on good terms either.
I keep looking at her, wondering if it’s true. Is she the woman I’m looking for? I glance at my dresser and see the pantyhose just lying there. I look back at her legs. They’re covered by pantyhose tonight, but they’re a different type of pattern. Stop it, Marshall. You’re going fucking crazy over this. She’s not the one.
“That Adam guy doesn’t seem to lead you anywhere productive,” she laughs.
“He’s got a good heart,” I say. “But you’re right. He doesn’t have an amazing track record. Not yet, anyway.”
Her hand falls on my chest and she kisses me, taking off my shirt. “You’ll find her,” she says. “You’re strong. You’re powerful. You have the world in your hands and you don’t even know it.”
She gets me fucking hard. So hard that I flip her over and bend her over on that couch. She screams with laughter that turns into a deep moaning. “Marshall,” she whispers. “You don’t seem so worried anymore.”
“I want to block it out with that ass of yours, baby,” I say, completely enthralled with her. If she is the one, I’ll have to throw the damn case out. I’ll have to…
I don’t finish the thought. Fuck even thinking about that stuff right now. It’s not worth my time. I unzip my jeans and my cock comes springing out on its own. There’s no time to take my clothes off. I simply push her little dress over her butt and pull her panties down, enough for me to slide myself in.
She’s already moaning for me. When I reach my hand under her lips, I feel her wetness spread across my palm. “I’m going to fuck you hard,” I tell her. I’ve got a powerful feeling in my chest and I need her to lift up my spirits.
I aim my cock at her and slide myself in between her warm lips. I’m enveloped by the best goddamn feeling in the world. And then there’s a heavy knock on my door. “Noooo,” I groan. “Who the hell is that?”
“Don’t stop,” she moans, grabbing my thighs and pushing me forward. “Ignore it.”
But I can’t, despite how good she feels. I pull myself back and slick my hair back, putting my cock away. My balls are aching like heavy weights. “I swear to God, if it’s Adam, I’m going to kill him. I’m straight up going to take my pistol and shoot him.”
“Marshall…” she sighs. “Stop. It’s fine.”
“It ain’t fine. It’s bullshit,” I say, swinging opening the door.
Standing in front of me is Adam, of course. Only, he’s surrounded by a bunch of suited-up motherfuckers, and they look like they mean trouble. “Warren Marshall, I presume,” one of them says to me.
I glance over at Virginia, who quickly sits up straight and adjusts her dress. “Who’s asking?” I question him.
“I’m sorry to disturb you sir,” he continues. “The name is Freddie Macker. FBI. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Pleasure? In what fucking way? So now I’ve got a clear understanding on this. The feds have finally decided to move in on our case. What else is new? I look over at Adam who just has a simpleton buggy-eyed look. I want to sock him in the face. Dammit, why does he always piss me off? The bastard never puts up any sort of fight.
“Can’t say I’ve been waiting to meet you folks,” I admit “What do you want with me and my case?”
“The case has now been combined with ours. We’re looking for Craig Richardson as well. We have some a good tip that he could be involved in a murder that happened over six years ago,” he says. “I’m sorry we have to move in on you like this. I used to be a cop myself. I hate to put another officer in this type of position. Forgive me.”
“You’re forgiven,” I mutter. Sellout cop bastard. Now I want to sock him in the face too. In fact, just let me sock everyone in front of me right now. “Just give me a second and I’ll meet you at the station in fifteen. Cool?”
“Actually, sir. We’ve got firm rules on this sort of thing. You’ll have to come with us. Safety reasons, of course,” he says.
Dammit. Looks like I’m going to have blue balls all night. “Sure. Got it,” I say. “Well at least give me five minutes to explain the situation to my girlfriend here.”
“Girlfriend?” Adam blurts out. What an idiot.
“No need,” she says, getting up. Her whole face is red with embarrassment. I feel fucking terrible.
“Vi, I—”
“You don’t need to explain anything. I get it. Your job. It’s important.” She’s feisty as hell right now. I don’t blame her. “See you tomorrow, maybe. That is, unless you’re too busy at the station. Bye.”
She walks out, pushing past the FBI agents. Freddie lowers his sunglasses and smiles at me. “She’s one hell of a catch,” he says. Adam laughs too.
“Yeah,” I scratch my head. “She’s worth it, alright.”
“Let’s hope,” Adam says. That’s when I do it. I sock him right in the face. Down he goes.
52
Virginia
“Argh!” I scream into my pillow. “Murder? Murder!” Huge gasping breaths go into my lungs and my body is shaking so badly that I think I might have a stroke. The FBI is involved in this. Craig was right. He knew all along. Now, things are going to get insane. Did he really murder someone? Why didn’t any of us know? I guess that was before we met him…
It takes over twelve hours before I hear anything from anyone. The phone rings and it’s an unidentified line. Craig. I answer. “What do you want?” I ask him. “I guess you didn’t take your life, did you?”
“How’d you know it was me?” he asks.
“Are you really shocked?” I say, trying not to s
cream. “Who else calls me?”
“Your daddy, Marshall,” he laughs.
“Go fuck yourself. I know where you’re hiding. I’m about to head right over to the feds and tell them,” I lie. “You deserve to get caught. You deserve the harshest sentence possible. You lied to us. You convinced us that life would be easier after this. You’re just another con man.”
“Back the fuck up,” he says. “The feds? They’re involved now? I knew it.”
“Yeah, congratulations. You guessed right. I guess you knew because of the murder you committed six years ago, right?” I ask. “I guess you really had to get out of the country. You had to convince a couple of innocent people like us that you wanted to help, that you were a justice warrior.”
“Who told you that? Marshall? Are you with them now?” he asks.
“Maybe I am. If so, you’re done for,” I say, out of breath and ready for a fight. “It’s all so clear now. You used both of us so you could find safe harbor elsewhere.”
“I guess you have me all found out,” he chuckles. “Frankly, I figured you would have figured it out a long time ago. I was kind of freaking out when you first talked to Marshall. I thought you pegged me right then and there. Turns out, you’re not as smart as I thought.”
“Spare the mad-genius speech.” I roll my eyes. “I know where you are.”
“Where am I?” he laughs. “You don’t know shit.”
“I’m not an idiot. Remember that time we got shit-faced at your place? Remember?” I ask him.
“I remember falling asleep. That’s about it,” he says. “What does that have to do with anything.”
“You showed me that picture. You told me about the hole,” I say. “The ditch out by the swamps. I saw the small cabin you built. You promised to take me there, right before you tried to kiss me and I denied your ass.”
“Stop talking,” he says. “Don’t say anything more. They could be listening.”
“Yeah they could,” I laugh. “Where was it again? By which freeway? Near Louisiana, right?”
“Shut the hell up!” he screams. I’ve cut a nerve. Of course he went there. It’s just so obvious. Even if they haven’t found him yet, they will soon enough. It’s not hidden enough. Cars drive by there all the time and the locals over there know every nook and cranny.
“I’m going fucking crazy,” he says, after breathing heavy. “I don’t know what to do. But whatever it is, I know these are my last days being free.”
“You’ll get out eventually,” I tell him. “You won’t be in there for life.”
“I killed someone, dammit. I killed him,” he starts to break down again, just like yesterday.
“Who?” I ask him. “Tell me.”
“I was young. Just really young and angry. I don’t know why I did it. I was drunk,” he says. “I was coming home from a party and so was this kid who had been talking to my girlfriend all night. I was wasted, Virginia. I wasn’t in control. He looked at me and smiled when we stopped at the same light. I didn’t smile back. I felt like he was taunting me.”
“Was he?” I ask him.
“I don’t know. All I know is that when he did it again, something went off in me. It was like a quick switch. Everything went hot black. I grabbed my pistol and pointed it at him. My window was down. I could feel the cold breeze reaching in the car, begging me to do it. I pressed the trigger down. His face… I saw his face turn, like he was going to vomit. It was like he was looking at the devil himself,” he says, crying. “You’d be surprised how easy it is to pull a trigger. I had shot a gun once and it seemed much harder. But that night, it was really easy. It went off and the gun fell on my lap, hot and smoking. I glanced up and he still had that same look on his face. Only this time, he was slumped over. I sped off and no one said anything about it to me. No one. Not until… you.”
A chill runs up my spine. For the first time, I feel really scared of the guy. I’ve never cared much for morality, but there’s a huge line you can cross. Anyone can tell you there are circumstances that surround any situation. Craig, however, has something dark in him. It’s a shade of dark I never want to cross.
“So you’re going to talk?” he asks me. I choke. “I figured you would.”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “I just don’t want to be involved in this. I want my time back, the time before I agreed to any of this.”
“I never meant to use you,” he says. “But I needed to escape this hellhole and you were my ticket out of here. Anyway, it’s almost over now. Soon, we’ll all have a little closure.”
He hangs up the phone before I can even respond. “Fuck!” I hiss, stomping my heel against the ground.
I have to turn him in. I’m not the same person I used to be. I can’t just sit by and let him leave the country. He could hurt others. He killed someone out of sheer anger. I’ve never met anybody who’s done anything like that before. Marshall, a cop, hasn’t even killed a man.
Today is a day of thought. When Marshall calls, I don’t answer. Everything is hanging on a thin line and I have no idea what they’re planning over there, or what the FBI knows. Everything I do or say can be used in a court of law, right? The best bet for me right now is to watch my tongue and form a plan. I’m going to turn Craig in. After that, I might have to turn myself in.
53
Virginia
I know exactly where Craig is. The one catch is that turning him in could implicate me. At this point, it’s pretty clear that Craig is losing it. He’s been holed away for too many days out there. Out in the swamps, there’s nothing that you can do. You just have to wait.
That’s why he built the damn place. He wanted somewhere safe. Now, after he told me all the details of the murder, it makes sense. He built it after everything went down. He knew how fragile he was. He knew this case wouldn’t just go away. They never do. No one like him gets away with murder. Eventually, it all catches up to you. So he built the cabin. He found a way to hide.
Only, he told the girl he was going to use. He got sloppy drunk and spilled it all to me. I’m the wrench in his plans and if I don’t turn him in now, he’s going after me. At least, that’s how I’m feeling. Paranoid much? Probably. But I can’t take any chances now.
I take out my laptop, sliding my black leather gloves on. The same gloves I used in our heists. They’ve been cleaned and carefully put into my bag. Now, I’m using them one last time.
I take out my laptop and glance at the blank screen. I begin typing: I never wanted to be typing these words. I never thought I’d be in this position, stuck in the middle of two crimes. The first crime was a bit foolish, I’ll concede. We needed money and we studied hard. It wasn’t the crime of the century, but it was well thought-out. You see, I was leaving this place behind. We all were. We were going to Europe to disappear forever and start our new lives, separate from each other. Texas has represented a lot of things to a lot of people, but to us, it represented our hell. I won’t apologize for the crime all three of us committed, but I will say this. We weren’t trying to hurt anyone. You have to realize, our backs were against the wall. We had no choice, but to survive.
I’m the girl you’ve been looking for and I can tell you that Elroy and I had no idea Craig murdered someone. I spoke with him recently and he explained the whole thing. Now, I feel sick to my stomach. I can’t think about anything else. He used us as a means to escape. But now that this is ending, I know I can’t let him leave. I have to tell you where he is.
I want some semblance of normality in my life again. Falling in love with Marshall has given me something real to fall into. At first, I thought I could manage my emotions. I thought I’d keep him close, while having fun too. It was dumb, I’ll admit, but I thought I’d be in Europe by now, surrounded by Cliffside views.
I take a break from writing. Marshall. This is going to Marshall. The man who changed my life forever. My eyes start to water, but I hold back from crying. I miss him so much and it’s only been a day. I grab my phone and
look at his number. I text him, “I love you, my handsome man.”
He texts me, “Missing you like crazy.” And then, only seconds later, he says, “I’ve been thinking. After this whole thing is over and done with, let’s do something special. Let’s go to Mexico and get away. Let’s get lost down there for a week. I want to get to know you better so bad, Vi. I’m sorry I’ve been so consumed with work. It’s not fair to you and I’m working on a way of getting out.”
Getting out? My heart sinks while reading. He’s so good to me. He’s done so much and worked so hard to make this work right and all I’ve done is lie to him. And now, he’s talking about throwing his career away, all so he can have more time with me, the liar.
My hands are shaking. I can barely breathe. I hold my phone and type the words: “All I want is you. I hope I’m good to you. Mexico sounds wonderful. I would love to explore the world with you.”
Huge dreams. I’m diving into the unrealistic, thinking about all we could do together. We could go to South America and hike the mountains of Peru. We could boat across Venice, while eating big globs of pasta. We could head to the streets of Bangkok and backpack across the lush terrain of Thailand. Then, we could take a road trip across America. I could see it all, while being with the one I love.
They’re just pipe dreams. It’s never going to happen like that. When he finds out who I really am, he’ll cuff me, throw me in my jail cell, and never talk to me again. I’ll have to become a different person in prison. I’ll have a new life, one defined by small quarters and bars that extend all around. Small windows and decaying food. I’ll lose all semblance of life, while Warren carries a broken heart throughout his career as a cop.
I set my phone back down and look at the laptop. There’s more to be said, so I continue to write. “The directions will be listed below. You’ll find him there. I’m sending you this, at the risk of losing everything. The truth is, I haven’t spent the money yet. It was supposed to be for a home and a new job. But now, I’m thinking of giving it back. Funny, right? I know it doesn’t make a difference, what I do now. I committed the crime. Your job is to seek justice. My job is to thwart justice. Who will win? My guess is that, in the end, no one will come out ahead. It’ll just be the age-old cat and mouse chase. I have no doubts in my mind that you’ll lock me up. But it won’t change anything in the end. Anyway, I hope this helps your prior investigation on the murder. That’s something I can’t stand behind. Goodbye and good luck finding me.”