Trees were toppled, with ugly, bare roots reaching for the sky, pleading for one more chance at life. Roads were clogged with all sorts of debris; newspapers, shrubs, tumbleweeds and other things Spence didn't want to see up close.
An empty school bus, heading in the other direction, reminded Spence that Tammy worked at PS25. Or, he thought, did she? Images of the wake, her sitting on the table flirting and their dance flitted through his mind. "She's too fucking sexy to be a school teacher," he muttered.
And, as he rode on, he found himself turning onto the access road to PS25.
Tammy saw him coming, from the classroom window, and she moved out into the hallway. Let the little brats kill each other, she thought, I'm not going to miss this one.
After he'd sped up the road, she saw him stop the car and dust swirled around him as he got out.
My, my, my, she thought, isn't he just one fine hunk of man. Her eyes took in all of him, roved from his disheveled hair, which he now ran a hand through, down to his black boots.
"What I couldn't do with him," she said under her breath. He was muscular, but not overtly so, more like a panther waiting to strike. He had animal grace in his stride, his t-shirt hugged him like a second skin, and his jeans left little to the imagination about his sex.
"Come to mama," she breathed in the empty hallway.
Turning now, with her back to the front door, she feigned surprise as he came in and she turned around. "Spence," she said huskily, "to what do I owe this honor?"
"Tammy."
He seemed at a loss for words, so she filled in the blanks. "You didn't believe I was a teacher, so you came to check on my story."
He laughed.
Nice, white, even teeth. She liked that in a man, and stood thinking of all the things he could do to her with them.
"So how long have you been teaching here?" he asked.
She smoothed a hand down her miniskirt and thigh, and the movement wasn't lost on him. "Seems like forever. Five years, I think. And you?"
He smiled. "Mostly I'm a DJ."
"I love music. There are so many fun things you can do while music is playing, don't you think?
He laughed again.
She adjusted her bra strap and made sure he saw she wore a red one. She knew the movement made her breasts swell, and that's exactly the effect she wanted. His eyes flitted down, watching her, then moved back up to her face.
She ran a hand down his arm. "You smell like aftershave," she told him, "and sex."
He opened his mouth to say something, then a quick, wary expression came over his face.
"Gotcha," she murmured.
A smile quirked at the corner of his lips.
"Silence. That means you did the nasty with Meg last night."
He raised his eyebrows. "Not nasty. Very nice, as a matter of fact."
Tammy moved closer to him, and ran her hand down his cheek. "You're missing out, my love. Why don't we get together some time? I'll show you what sex is really about."
He grabbed her hand and held her tight by the wrist. "Is that right?"
She smiled broadly, and held up her other hand. "You can hold me down. And I'll fight. Give you scratches on your back while you come."
Something flickered in his eyes, before he grabbed her other wrist. His grip on both tightened. "Like this?" he whispered, before he pulled both wrists behind her back.
Her breasts were against his hard chest now. "Worse," she whispered back, as she pushed her hips against him.
His lips were just inches from hers now. His slow, sensual smile appeared, the one she'd seen on him as he danced with Meg at the wake.
But, as if her thoughts had broken their spell, he dropped her hands and backed away.
Damn, she thought, I almost had him.
"I'd better let you get back to your kids," he said.
"They're not mine," she replied with a half-smile. "I'm just borrowing them from the parents."
He opened the door, ushering in a gust of hot air. "Maybe I'll see you around."
"Oh yeah," Tammy replied, "you will."
She watched his fine backside as he left. "All that good manhood," she said softly, "wasted on Meg." And, she returned to her borrowed students.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Willie and Joe walked down the dusty path after school. It was hot, too damn hot, so they had skipped sixth and seventh periods. Joe said what the heck, it was almost Summer anyway. Willie just hoped his mother wouldn't find out. He skipped last year one time and she'd had a fit.
Joe was shorter than Willie, and he had dark brown hair and brown eyes. And the thought that they were opposites had crossed Willie's mind sometimes, and not just the physical appearance. Where Willie was awkward with girls, Joe was smooth and all-knowing. He'd already had sex with Dana Keefer, a fact he spoke to Willie about almost daily. He probably knew Willie was a virgin, but they never talked about it.
"Got a joint," Joe said, as they approached the thicket of Joshua trees they usually stopped at on their way home.
"Cool," Willie said, although truth be known he really didn't like smoking and he especially didn't like pot. The smell was hard to get off him, and he was worried that one of these days his mother would find out.
Joe took off his t-shirt once they arrived at the thicket, and Willie grudgingly and silently admired Joe's muscles. Joe had shown him the curl procedure he used, with weights, to get the pec muscles to stand out, but so far, Willie had no luck with it. He left his shirt on.
They lit the joint and passed it once, before Joe opened his cell phone. "Did I show you what Dana sent to me?"
Willie shook his head, after just taking a drag, and tried to hold his breath as long as possible.
Joe punched a key and Dana's nude body came up on the screen. Her breasts were bigger than Willie had ever noticed, and her hand was buried in her crotch.
"Know what she's doing?" Joe asked him.
"Yeah," Willie replied, letting the air out of his lungs swiftly. They'd watched some porn movies a while back, so he knew a lot more about it now than he used to. But Dana had a really nasty reputation. It was rumored that she'd had the whole football team one time, so Willie was glad Joe hadn't gotten the clap or anything worse from her.
"You seen her lately?" Willie asked. His vision was a bit fuzzy now and his reactions slow.
"Yeah," Joe said, "I just had her again last night."
Willie smiled, knowing his friend was lying. He never went out on Sunday night. Neither of them did. Besides, he'd been at the wake with Willie most of the night. "Must have been really late then."
"Yeah. It was." They were nearing the end of the joint now.
"So," Joe said, "didn't see your grandma at the wake..." his voice trailed off and he started laughing.
"What?" Willie asked, eyeing him curiously.
Still laughing, Joe replied, "She's okay now?"
"What the hell are you laughing at?" Willie hated to be paranoid but he felt like his friend was laughing about him.
Joe's finger came up to his lips. "Shhh, I slipped her something."
Willie looked at him incredulously. "You did WHAT?" He rose to his feet.
"Now, cool it now, dude...quit doing that fist thing now...sit down."
Willie swallowed hard, while he clenched and unclenched his hands. "What?" he repeated angrily.
But Joe looked unfazed. He stood up, put his t-shirt back on and casually brushed off his pants. Looking straight at Willie he said, "Remember that sissy tea you made for ol' gramma?"
Willie nodded and moved forward.
"Well," Joe continued, looking at his fingernails now, "I spiked it a bit."
Breathing hard, edging closer, Willie said loudly, "With what, Joe? What did you spike it with?"
Joe looked at him casually. "Half an acid tab."
"Mother-fuck!" Willie exploded, as he flew towards Joe.
Joe sidestepped and Willie sailed hard into a Joshua tree. "Listen dude--" he started.
<
br /> But Willie just shook his arm out, and ran towards Joe again. Grabbing him by the shoulders he pushed violently and Joe ended up in the dirt. Willie stood over him, picked him up by the t-shirt, and slammed a fist into his face. Joe's face split open, along with Willie's knuckles.
Joe scooted back and held the side of his face. "Dude, I was only kidding..." his voice trailed off when he saw the look on Willie's face. He knew he was guilty and Willie did too.
He took off running down the dusty road, face bleeding openly now, with Willie in hot pursuit. They ran for a quarter mile and the path met the highway.
Joe veered left, as a car narrowly missed hitting him, and Willie followed. They ran for another quarter mile on the edge of the main road with cars whizzing past.
Willie caught the back of Joe's t-shirt and jerked him around just as a siren sounded behind them. But Willie was oblivious to the sound, as his fist smashed into Joe's face, again and again. "No one fucks with my family!" Willie screamed, before Sheriff Davey pulled him off, "No one!"
Spence sat in the sheriff's office, his irritation growing by the minute. Lee Cobb, the under sheriff came out with some papers in his hand.
"Where the hell is he?" Spence asked loudly.
"He'll be here," Lee said, clacking his gum loudly, "eventually." Then, he grinned. "He's gotta punch out his shift. Gotta come back, you know?"
"Maybe I should come back later then. I don't have time for this."
Lee heaved his bulk onto a chair in the lobby across from Spence. "You know as soon as you start drivin' that bomb of yours down the street, you'll see him drivin' past in the other direction, son. Murphy's Law."
"Fuck Murphy," Spence said angrily, "I've been waiting two hours. Can't you give me the file copies so I can get out of here?"
Lee scratched his balding head. "Not in my purview, kid. Can't be responsible for that particular paperwork. That's a deputy sheriff kind of thing."
Spence smiled sardonically. "What good are you then?"
Lee looked offended. He held up the papers in his hand. "This here's a domestic disturbance I ran yesterday. Most dangerous kind of case. Get you killed if you're not careful. Tons of cowboys in Lacene with shotguns and forty-fives."
Spence eyed the door then ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah? Well, when's the last time you were shot on a domestic disturbance call, Lee?"
"Hmmm," Lee said, "never been shot but had some real close calls."
"Right," Spence said dryly.
There was silence in the sheriff's station, punctuated just by Lee's gum clacking.
"So," he said finally, "how's that Meg girl?" He blew a bubble and popped it quickly.
Giving him a sharp look, Spence said, "She's fine. Why?"
"Just wondering. Single gal as pretty as that. 'Course she comes with baggage, but Willie's just a few years from graduatin'. He wouldn't be in the way after that. A person could just have her all to himself after that. Yeah. She's got it all. Looks, money and a fine voice to boot."
"I wouldn't worry about it Lee," Spence said irritably, "I doubt if you're in the running."
As if he hadn't heard, Lee continued, "Yup. Heard her sing the other night. What a package. Nice firm little boobies, round ass you could poke a finger in, hair you could grab her by an' bring her mouth down to dick level. What I wouldn't give for a little poke into that one--"
Spence rose angrily, but they were both interrupted as Davey came in and slammed the back door, carrying a large black trash bag.
"Sorry, Spence," he said breathlessly.
"No problem," Spence replied, giving Lee a dirty look, "I was just going to do the world a favor and beat up Deputy Dog here."
Lee got up as quickly as his bulk would allow. "Just shooting shit, Davey. Nothin' to worry about. Got my papers here on the Longhorn complaint."
"All right," Davey said, looking from one to the other, "finish it up then. Spence, come with me."
They both went into the conference room, after Davey stopped at his desk for some paperwork. He shut the door.
"Spence, here's the file on your parents. A complete copy, less pictures, like you requested." He handed Spence the file copy then hoisted the trash bag on the conference table.
"Had to go out to Big Jake's house after I found this. That's what took me so long."
Spence frowned. "Everyone okay?"
"Can't talk about it," Davey said shortly, "police business. But everyone's fine, I can tell you that much."
"So, what's in the bag?"
Davey sighed, reached for it then put his hands down at his sides. "Damn, I forgot." He left the room momentarily and came back with blue latex gloves, which he put on his hands.
"This, I found by accident." He peeled down the top part of the trash bag. The stench of dead animal filled the room.
Spence saw the stiff hind legs of what looked to be a coyote, before he said, "And this means what to me?"
Davey stopped what he was doing and he observed Spence carefully. "What was in the black box Spence? The box at your folk's house? I need to know. Now. Before I go any further."
Spence's brow furrowed and he thought for a minute. "Okay, there were my dad's Vietnam medals, a copy of his commendation and discharge from Army Air, and some small metal figurines I used to play with as a kid. My dad would switch things out from time to time, but that's what I remember."
Davey nodded, and pulled the bag back further. The coyote's head appeared and his front legs. The legs were wrapped around a black metal box. Davey drew out his measuring tape.
"Eight by six and about three inches deep. This the box from your parent's place?"
Spence edged closer and the stench from the animal grew worse. "Looks like it, but I can't tell for sure. Can you bring it out more?"
"Took some pictures of the area and on the road. Have to take more right here. Wait a minute. And, don't touch anything."
The animal, Spence thought, went through a tough time. One leg was broken, with the bone sticking through the skin. In spots, its fur was worn away. The jaw looked crooked and the mouth was pulled back in a snarling pose. The stomach was distended.
Davey came back in the room, dropped a white sheet on the table, and took pictures of the coyote in the bag from every angle. He spread the sheet out on the conference table, and pulled the box from the coyote's grasp. "This it?"
Swallowing hard, Spence nodded.
"Looks old," Davey said, "look here at the rust and corrosion on the corners."
"Yeah, but it was built to last. Very well insulated from what I remember."
"No lock. Okay, let's see what's in there."
He opened the box with the crusty tab and took a picture. "Letters. You didn't mention letters."
Spence gazed at them curiously. "Didn't know about any letters."
Davey took them out and placed them on the sheet. More pictures. "Okay, here's the Purple Heart. An' the Silver Cross. You were right on that Spence. Let me just snap those two. Here's copy of the commendations. Kind of brownish now, must be the paper they used for copying back then. And last but not least, the little toy soldiers."
When he was done cataloguing and taking pictures, Davey turned to Spence. "Why now? You roll into town and all of a sudden the box shows up. Kind of coincidence, wouldn't you say?"
A muscle in Spence's jaw twitched before he said, "What are you implying, deputy?"
Silence in the room stretched on for a minute before Davey said, "Nothin' much. Doubt if you'd have put it in the coyote's paws. It doesn't make sense. Just doesn't fit."
"Where did you find it?"
"Fields road flooded into Algonquin. Found it there on the side of the road. Lots of dead animals out there, so I always need to check and make sure they aren't someone's pet an' might still be alive."
Spence nodded. "The letters. Who are they from?"
"Haven't gotten to that yet. Sure you aren't aware or have any knowledge about these letters?"
He shook his head. "I'd
have mentioned it. Why would I leave it out?"
"Don't know. Stranger things have happened." He opened the door. "Okay here we go. Need another witness. Lee!"
Lee came in the room, still clacking his gum, and answered Spence's frown with a grin.
"Okay, first letter goes: 'My beautiful June,'" He hesitated, "that would be your mother?"
Spence nodded.
"It goes on: 'I miss you all the time. It's almost like a sickness in me. I can't wait until we can be together again, so I can hold you in my arms for real, not just dreaming. You are my life and my all, my reason for living. If I ever lost you, I don't know what I would do. Until we can be together again. I love you forever.' No signature."
Lee grinned again. "Pretty steamy stuff."
"You're just here as a witness," Davey told him sharply, "we can do without your comments."
Davey continued, "Letter number two of three found in the box: 'My love, I feel you all the time, inside of me, so deep inside. I cherish the times when we make love. I hold them tight in my memory to pull out later when I'm lonely. I love you forever.' No signature again."
Lee coughed, and Spence glared at him.
"Letter number three of three taken from the box: 'My lover, my friend, I dreamed about you last night, such a dream, and I woke up and you weren't there. I can only hope we'll be together again soon. God help me, my love knows no bounds.'" Davey pulled the paper closer to his eyes. "Now this one has a bit of a squiggle at the end. Can't tell if it's a signature or not."
"You done with me, Davey?" Lee asked impatiently.
"Yeah, for now," Davey said absently, as Lee left the room.
Davey looked at Spence. "What do you think?"
Spence frowned. "What do you mean? Obviously, they were from my dad. The war separated them. I remember her getting lots of letters from him."
"Nothing obvious in this business, Spence. Why did she just keep these three?"
"Hell if I know. Maybe they were the best of the bunch."
"But you don't remember them being in the box before?" Davey observed him carefully. "When was the last time you checked it. Think back."
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