by Ann Mullen
“Welcome to the real world, honey,” Billy replied, ushering me into the kitchen. “He’s in law enforcement. They all work hand-in-hand. It’s politics all the way. Somebody knows about his relationship with us and they used him to get to us.”
“Do you think he went along with it?” I asked, heading straight for the refrigerator. “I’m starved, aren’t you?”
Before Billy had a chance to reply, Mom and her lively crew overtook us. They piled into the house like a swarm of bees, buzzing around, searching for a new queen. Mom was the leader of the pack. They wanted to know every detail.
“I’m so glad you’re all right,” Mom said. “We were so worried when we got the call. What happened? Look at you. This is awful.”
I took out some leftover fried chicken from the refrigerator. Billy and I stood there eating it, explaining our latest fiasco.
“Weren’t you scared?” Claire asked. She walked up to me and put her arms around my shoulder. “I would’ve been.”
“Scared is an understatement. I was terrified,” I replied, flinching from the pain in my shoulder I still had from my first encounter with one of the Hudgins’ clan. “I had confidence in Billy. I knew he’d get us out safely, and he did.”
“You were lucky this time,” Mom said. “Jesse...”
Oh, no, here it comes... another, I told you so. Seeing what was coming, everybody backed away, leaving Billy and me to face her wrath.
Chapter 27
The lecture went on and on, until she finally gave up. “Forget it. I can see neither one of you will to listen to me. What do I know? I’m just an old, meddling mother. Don’t pay any attention to me. I’m just trying to keep you two from getting killed, that’s all.”
“And we love you for it, Mama.” I reached over and gave her a hug, motioning for Billy to follow me. Claire, Jack, and Dennis had fled the scene, keeping out of Mom’s way. At least, two of them knew what was coming. A hurricane was on its way, and its name was Minnie.
From past experiences, I knew not to argue with her. It only made things worse. I wish I’d known that when I was a kid. It would’ve saved me a lot of hassle. Now that I’m an adult, I’m smarter than I was when I was a snot-nosed brat... and I was a brat. I was awful. Looking back, I’m surprised that my parents didn’t ship me off to some private school just to get rid of me.
It really used to make me mad that Jack and Claire were so perfect. That thought brought a devious smile to my face. Yeah, right! I was the bad seed, but Claire’s bibulous behavior and Jack’s sexual preference made me look like a shining star. I don’t drink... mostly... and I definitely want a man in my bed. So take that!
“Mom,” I yelled, walking to the front door. “I’m taking Billy home. I’ll be back soon.”
“Wait a minute,” she said, coming after me. “What about your dad’s truck? What are we going to do about it?”
I looked at Billy. I’d forgotten all about the truck.
“Everything has been arranged,” Billy assured her. “I told the police to have it towed to Daniel’s and to tell him to fix it. Whatever it costs, I’ll take care of it. It’ll be just like new when you get it back. Don’t worry.” He patted her hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Billy followed me out onto the front porch where Claire, Jack and Dennis were sitting. Benny and Carrie were rolling around in the front yard, playing with Athena and getting dirty.
They were all smart enough to get out of Mom’s way.
“You always know the right thing to say at just the right time,” I said to Billy. “I appreciate your being so thoughtful toward Mom. It means a lot to me that you treat her feelings with so much respect and not treat her like a silly old lady.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t treat her like a silly old lady!” Billy retorted. “She’s a good `ge ya. I love her just like I do my own mom.”
“Oh, no!” I spat.
“What’s the matter?”
“My purse is in the truck.”
Claire jumped up and said, “Your purse is in the van. The police gave it to Mom when we got to the hospital.” She made a funny face and added, “It’s sitting on a piece of newspaper. It had blood on it. I think we got most of it off with the tissues Mom had.” A tear came to her eye.
“Poor baby,” I said as I reached over and touched her cheek. “I’m sorry you had to be involved in all this. I’ve been so busy being concerned with myself that I forgot about the pain you must be going through with Carl.” She began to cry. I felt like such a heel.
“I’m fine, but it has been really hard.” She hiccupped between tears and pointed to the kids. “They don’t have any idea about what has been happening. What am I going to tell them when they ask where their daddy is? I don’t know what to say to them.”
“Claire, you’re a good mother,” I tried to reassure her. “Whatever you tell them, I know it’ll be in their best interest.” I wiped a tear from her cheek. “I have confidence in you. I know you’ll do the right thing.”
She dried her tears, straightened up and regained her composure. “You’re right,” she said. She looked out in the front yard and smiled at her children. “I’ll do what I think is best. Carl can go jump off a cliff.”
“That’s my girl!”
I looked at Jack and Dennis. This is the first time I’d ever seen Jack with a serene look on his face. He was happy and content. He no longer had that hidden something that always seemed to keep him from completely being himself. He’s the one I always worried about. I felt something lost within him, but I just never knew what it was... until now. Now that he had come out about his sexuality, he could be the person he was meant to be. I don’t have to worry anymore.
“I love you, Jack,” I said. “I’m glad you told us. I know it was hard. You deserve to be happy.”
“Jesse, you’re starting to get a little weird. You sound like you’re giving a eulogy.” He glanced at Billy and then back at me. “You’re not going to get in some more trouble, are you? Do I need to follow you and keep you out of mischief?”
“I’m taking him home and then I’m coming right back. Look at us. We look like refugees from a war zone. We can’t go anywhere.”
We were covered with what looked like tiny paper cuts on our face and arms. Both of us sported our own personal war wound. Billy had a terrible gash on his arm, and I had one on my leg. We were still wearing the same bloody clothes.
“Maybe I should change clothes first,” I said, examining myself. “I’ll be right back. Give me five minutes.”
I ran upstairs and changed clothes. By the time I got back outside, Dennis was helping Billy change into one of his T-shirts.
“It’s probably not something you’d usually wear.” Dennis pointed to the front of the shirt. The shirt read—It’s my life and I’m proud of it. “But at least, it fits and doesn’t have blood on it.”
Billy grumbled. “Man, you’re going to get me killed! I can’t wear this! We’re in the back hills. They don’t cotton to this type of thing. How about I wear it inside out? That way I have on a clean shirt, and I won’t get my butt kicked. I hope you don’t mind.”
Dennis laughed. “Sure, no problem.”
“I’m dressed and ready to go,” I interrupted. This was fast becoming an embarrassing moment. I now know Jack’s gay, but seeing it in print was a different story. I wasn’t quite ready for that and I wasn’t sure how Billy really felt. “Let me get my handbag.”
We said our good-byes, promising not to get locked up or killed. I retrieved my purse from Mom’s van, examined it and determined it was not wet and dripping with blood as I’d anticipated. The leather was undamaged and devoid of any signs of its recent brush with what could’ve been devastating carnage.
I walked over and gave Benny and Carrie a kiss, patted Athena on the head, and then told Billy I was ready to go. I wanted to get back out on the road. We still had things to do, and people to see.
In the background, I heard Jack say to someone, “I hav
e a bad feeling about this. I see jail time in their future.”
I sank into the seat of my wonderful, new automobile. It wasn’t really new. It was a couple of years old, but it felt new to me. It still had that new car smell of leather, and it had all the bells and whistles the car salesman tells you about, but you don’t really appreciate until you use them. This was a step up from the usual, loser cars I was used to owning. I added my new car to the list of why I like living here.
“Are we going to go talk to Tommy Dorey?” I asked Billy as soon as we got into the car and pulled out of the driveway,
“Haven’t you had enough for one day, `ge ya? I don’t know about you but I’m fried. I hurt all over and I’m tired... not to mention how I look.”
“You look fine,” I told him. “It’s still early. We have three or four more hours before it gets dark.”
“We can do it tomorrow. The only thing I want to do is go home, fix a sandwich, take about ten pain pills and then go to bed.”
“I’m wired.” I tried to bait him. “I think I’ll stop by and have a talk with him after I take you home.”
“No, you won’t!” Billy commanded. “You go home and get some rest. You need it as much as I do.”
“You’re the boss.”
After I dropped Billy off at his place, made him a sandwich while he showered, and saw to it he didn’t take too many pills, I headed to Zion Crossroads. I know I promised him I’d go home, but all I wanted to do was have a little talk with the guy. What could that hurt?
I checked my handbag to make sure my gun was still there, wondering the whole time if the cops had seen it before they gave the bag to Mom at the hospital. Yep, it was there. I dug deeper, searching for my tiny tape recorder as I approached the stoplight at the Ruckersville intersection. If I could get something on tape that would be worthwhile, maybe Billy wouldn’t get mad at me for going against his orders. I found the recorder just as I was making the right turn at the light. The new cassette I’d put in the other day was still there. Good. I was ready. All I wanted was for Tommy to be at work. I didn’t want to go to his house alone.
I was astounded when I pulled into the gas station and saw Jay’s Nova parked in the parking lot beside the dumpster. He was standing next to it, talking to Tommy, and smoking a cigarette.
Instead of pulling up to the pumps, I quickly parked on the opposite side of the building. I got out of the Jeep, clipped the recorder onto the waistband of my jeans, hit the record button, and headed toward the dumpster. When I got closer, I realized it wasn’t a cigarette they were smoking, it was pot. I’d recognize that smell anywhere. When I was in my early twenties, I experimented with a few different illegal substances. Marijuana was the most pleasant, but it made me act ridiculous and my normal state of paranoia became so intense, I couldn’t stand it. Pot wasn’t for me. I had enough to deal with on a regular basis. I didn’t need to have my phobias and anxieties jacked up another notch. And the one time I dropped a hit of acid, I thought I was going to die. I snorted cocaine two times before I realized anything that makes you feel that good, had to be really, really bad for you. That concludes my partaking of the evil weed and its associates. I’ve been there... done that... no thank you.
Nonetheless, I was determined to get into the middle of what they were doing even if I had to smoke weed to get some answers. It was the only thing to do that I could think of at the time. I walked up to them so fast, they didn’t know what to say.
“Oh, man. I’d love to have a hit of that,” I said as I reached over and slowly took the marijuana cigarette out of Tommy’s hand. “I haven’t had a good buzz in a long time. You don’t mind do you?” I took a deep drag, coughed a few times and then handed it to Jay.
At first they drew back, but once I took the drag from their joint, they relaxed. My limited use and knowledge of pot and drugs, and my continued association with friends who still partied, gave me an advantage. I knew how to act when stoned.
“Oh, man, this is good stuff,” I said, leaning back against the trash dumpster while making all kinds of silly faces. I knew that was how you’d act if you were stoned. I intended to use every ploy I had to get their confidence, so they’d open up to me.
They stood there with me and smoked the entire joint, never suspecting I was preparing to move in for the kill. Teenagers... they have so much to learn.
“Listen, guys,” I said, trying to sound patronizing. “I’m sorry about what’s been happening. It’s not me. You see... I work for this guy and he has it in his head that you two are involved. He’s not going to stop until he solves this case. Trust me. He’ll find out what happened to that girl. He’s like a hound dog in heat. He’ll never back down. Let me help you. If you know anything, please tell me. I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to keep you from spending the rest of your life in prison. If you were involved in her death, you will go to prison. You do know that, don’t you? And prison’s not a nice place.”
Jay and Tommy glanced back and forth at each other. For just a second, I caught something in their demeanor that screamed evil. I should’ve paid more attention.
“Who said she was dead?” Jay asked. “I thought she was missing, not dead. You must be wrong.”
“It’s pretty obvious,” I said, trying to act cool in a stoned kind of way. “The police found her purse about a mile from your house. It had blood and fingerprints on it. By tomorrow morning, they’ll know whose blood and whose prints they are, so if you know anything, you’d better start talking.” Lying was fast becoming one of my better skills.
The few puffs of marijuana I’d taken were starting to go to my head. I tried to fake it and not inhale the stuff, but I must not have done a good job. I was getting light-headed.
“Whew, that was some strong stuff,” I said, exaggerating my dizziness. “Personally, I don’t think either one of you had anything to do with her death, but I think you do know something. Having knowledge of a crime is considered just as guilty as doing the crime, in the eyes of the law. You’ll still go to prison. When the truth comes out, and believe me it will now that the cops have this new evidence, the only thing that will save your butt is to come clean. I can help you now, but I don’t know about later.”
Jay’s facade was slowly beginning to crumble. I could see from the look on his face, I’d hit a nerve. He knew something. I had a feeling from the very beginning that he was the one who did it, but now I wasn’t so sure. Maybe this young, troubled teenager, who liked to hurt small animals, would hurt himself, too. Judging from the cut marks on his arms and the way he pulled at his hair until he had strands of it wrapped around his fingers, led me to believe this. He might not be the killer after all, just a kid with problems.
“When’s the last time you were at home?”
“Not since I left this morning around ten o’clock,” he answered. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, stuck one in his mouth, lit it, and then offered me one. I know I shouldn’t have taken it, but that bad old devil was sitting on my shoulders, egging me on. I took one out of the pack, leaned over and let him light it for me.
“Did you know they have your dad in custody?” I asked. I wasn’t about to tell him the real truth about his father. I wanted him to think the worst, hoping I could scare something out of him.
“What for?” he asked, becoming obviously upset. His hands started to shake and he danced around like his pants were on fire.
“What do you think?” I spat. “They think he killed Helen Carrolton, and buried her on his property. They’ll show up with shovels soon.”
“Oh, no!” he screamed, looking at Tommy, who had been standing there the whole time with his mouth shut. “They’ve arrested my dad, Tommy! We have to do something! We have to tell them what we know!”
“Shut up, you moron!” he yelled. “Don’t you see she’s playing you for a fool? They ain’t got nothing, or they’d be out here right now with a search warrant!”
That did it for me. Either, I was in the
company of killers, which was not a pleasant thought, or ensconced in the middle of a cover-up. One way or the other, I had hit the jackpot with these two.
“Here’s what I know,” I lied, taking a stab at the first thought that came to mind. “The cops arrested your dad because they think he killed Helen Carrolton. They haven’t determined why he did it, but that doesn’t matter right now. Then he buried her on his property with help from the two of you.”
I stopped and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. They both began to squirm. “If that’s true, you’ll both be in a world of hurt.”
Tommy was the first one to speak up. “I ain’t going to jail for nobody. I didn’t kill the girl, and I ain’t taking the rap for it. Talk to your man, here.” He pointed to Jay. “Go ahead, Jay. Tell her all about it. Tell her how your crazy old man likes to do the dirty with those young chicks. How he likes to pick them up, take them to some dark spot and do the nasty stuff he likes to do. That’s it. I ain’t covering for him no more. I don’t care how much money he gives me! Look lady, I had nothing to do with that girl’s death. All I did was watch him dig the hole.”
This was worse than I could’ve ever imagined. Not only did the Dad kill the girl, but he also did it out of some deviate, sexual fantasy he liked to play out, and then he got his son to help him cover it up. All this time I thought the son was the bad guy. I should’ve known better. But what role did Tommy play in this? He had just confessed to his knowledge of the crime, so was he part of it, or did he just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?
All this raced through my mind. Who cares? A girl was dead and somebody killed her. I wanted that somebody… and I wanted the girl.
“Hey, let’s think about this.” I tried to calm them down. I had opened up a can of worms. “I want to help you,” I murmured. “Just tell me what happened, and show me where she’s buried.” For the first time in our conversation, I really wanted to help these boys. I no longer thought they were the bad guys, but victims of a cruel killer.