The Impostor, A Love Story

by Tiffany Carmouche

  I jumped in the front seat of Brad’s SUV.

  “Bradley, can I ride with you?”

  Chapter Six

  Jessica was so excited to hear about the orcas and the dolphins. I told her I’d try and get Brad to take us out on the boat when she got to town if it wasn’t too cold. If we couldn’t do it this fall, then we’d find a way to go next summer. She couldn’t wait. The next day at work, Emily and I were chatting in the corner when I realized I had two new customers in my section. I started to walk over to them. Weathered faces revealed they worked in the cold. As I turned to the table to take their order, I overheard their conversation.

  “They found another body at Knik River. This makes twenty,” one man began, his hair dusted in gray, his voice gruff.

  “Excuse me. I’m sorry, did you say another body?” I interrupted.

  “Yeah, it looks like we have another Robert Hansen on our hands.” His husky voice seemed as if he had been smoking all of his life.

  “Robert Hansen?”

  “You’re not from around here are you?” The other guy was maybe in his forties, a little more heavyset. He couldn’t believe I had not heard the name before.

  “He was a serial killer who hunted women. He hunted prostitutes, though. This one seems to just like girls from the Lower 48. Travelers. At least that is what the bodies they have been able to identify seem to suggest. He’s a sick bitch. He rapes them then cuts them up.” The raspy voice continued.

  “Yeah, I heard this one hunts the girls like Hansen did. He brings them into remote places to hunt them like they are wild game,” the younger one revealed.

  I just sat there with my mouth open. “Here? This is happening here?’

  “Twenty bodies have been found over by the Knik River in the past two years. It’s only about forty-five minutes away. You be careful, now, who you talk to. Don’t get in any car or a plane with a stranger,” the older man warned.

  “My god. He hunts people?”

  “He hunts pretty little defenseless girls. You best be careful. Two years, right John? Two years and they haven’t found the sick bastard yet.”

  “That is comforting.” They could see the horrified expression on my face.

  “Just don’t be stupid and you’ll be fine. We’re not all wackos like that one. We’re good people. Just be careful who you trust.”

  Still in disbelief, I tried to do my job.

  When Brad got in later that evening, I went over to the bar.

  “Brad, have you heard of Robert Hansen?”

  “Yeah, he was a serial killer back in the eighties. He used to fly his victims to isolated areas of wilderness and hunt them down. Real piece of work. Why?”

  “Some guys in here today said there is a serial killer somewhere around here.”

  “They found some bodies like an hour from here six months ago.”

  “They said they just found another one.”

  “Are you scared?”

  “Damn right. That is freaky as hell.”

  “He’s been striking people who don’t know anyone around here so they are not missed. You have a job here and people know you. Just don’t hitchhike or anything.”

  “Oh my god. I got in the car with you and I didn’t know you. I could be dead.”

  “Do I seem like a serial killer? Besides, you branded my info in your arm and called your friend with my driver’s license number and all. If I was going to kill you, I’d probably think twice about it. That was a good move.”

  “I’ve been petrified all day. Aren’t you afraid?”

  “He hunts women.” Bradley smirked. “So I’m safe. You, on the other hand . . .”

  I smacked him. “You’re such a jerk.”

  “You’ll be fine. You can’t live in fear, Nicole. If ever you need Pete or me to take you home, don’t hesitate to ask. Really, you’ll be fine. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.” He could see I was still a little uneasy. “Nicole, you used to live about an hour from a city that has one of the highest murder rates in the country. That was danger. The chance of anything happening to you here is small.”

  “You’re right. I just got a little freaked out, I guess.”

  “Listen, I’m having another party this weekend. The more people you know, the safer you’ll be. You should come. I promise I’m not inviting any killers—serial killers at least.” He grinned.

  A group of men came in and sat in my section. They had just come back from a hunting expedition and were ready to drink. I started them out with beers on their tab, but before long the table was full of beers and shots—at least four per customer. I hoped they’d tip well.

  “Pretty little thing, why don’t you sit down right here?” The dirty-blond hunter patted the seat next to his. He seemed harmless enough. I didn’t have any other customers at the time, so I decided to join them for a few shots. The management allowed the customers to buy us drinks when it wasn’t busy. Of course, the bar would water down our drinks so that we would need like a hundred to get drunk. Sitting with the customers was encouraged. The longer the customer stayed, the more money the bar made. Our socializing with them helped to ensure the customers would come back.

  They were laughing and telling their hunting stories when Chuck, the boisterous, middle-aged hunting guide who had asked me to sit down, began getting a little too frisky. He put his slimy hand on my leg and started making lewd comments toward me. I excused myself quickly.

  “Would you all like another round? I better get back to work.” I stood up.

  The man grabbed my arm and jerked me back down with force. His tight grip dug into my arm. “You sit right back down here, sexy little thing. Feast your eyes on that ass boys, what I’d like to do with that. You’re not going anywhere.” He put his arm around me, scooted in close, and stuck out his tongue, wiggling it, as if to show me what he wanted to do to me.

  “Really, I have to get to work. Let me get you all some more drinks.” I struggled to break free.

  “You’re not going anywhere. You’re coming home with me. I’ll make you scream like a woman.”

  “Let her go, Chuck,” one of the other hunters said firmly. “She’s just a kid.”

  The repulsive man finally let go of my arm. I scrambled up.

  “Watch me. I’ll get a piece of that thing.” The perv spanked my ass, mumbling, “I’m gonna tear that up.”

  As I rushed away from the table, I could hear the sick bastard go on with his friends about all the nasty things he wanted to do to me. Nauseous at the thought, I picked up my pace, fleeing over to the bar.

  “What a jerk!” I rubbed the purple bruise his grasp left.

  “What happened?” Brad reached over the bar and examined my arm.

  “It’s fine. But mentally, I think I’m scarred for life. That man’s so sick. You should have heard the things he said he wanted to do to me. Brad, I need a shot.”

  “Pete,” Brad called on the radio. “I need you to get rid of—”

  “You don’t have to kick them out. It’s just that one guy that was disgusting.”

  “Vlad,” Brad called over one of the waiters. “Could you take over Nikki’s table?” Brad pointed at the group of men.“The loud ones over there.”

  I think Vlad was Russian--light hair, five o’clock shadow, and a really cool accent. I didn’t really talk to him, but he seemed nice enough.

  “Brad, they are the last people in my section. Let’s just say I’m off. I really need a shot.” I stared up, batting my lashes hoping he would feel sorry for me.

  “Fine, you can be off.” He smiled, pouring the shot of Tequila and dipping the lime in salt.

  “Thanks. I’m going to hang here till Emily gets off. I don’t want to go home by myself. Em has got a couple good tables still, so she’ll be here till closing.”

  Brad began wiping down the bar. “I guess I’ll survive.” He gave me a smirk.

  “God, Brad.” I shook my head as I downed the shot. “I’m going to have nightmar
es. Just the thought of that man touching me, that is so gross.” Putting my glass down, I nodded that I wanted another. “You gotta do one with me. Don’t make me drink alone. It’s so slow. No one else is gonna come in. We’re almost closed. Please?” I convinced him. We took the shot together.

  “He was horrible, Brad. I thought I was going to have to pretend you were my boyfriend again to get rid of him. He was so disgusting!” When guys didn’t take no for an answer, I’d pretend Brad was my boyfriend to get them to leave me alone. He would put his arm around me and usually the guy would back off.

  “I can kick them out,” he repeated.

  “It’s fine.” I lifted my eyes toward the empty glass. He read my mind.

  “You sure? Tequila sneaks up on you.”

  “I need to drown out this imagery. Please do another one with me.” We took another shot. As I put down my glass, I glanced back at the table and gasped, “Oh my god, Brad.” I leaned in to whisper to him. “What if he’s the guy who is raping and killing all those girls?” I scanned back at the table of men. “He’s a hunting guide. He said he would make me scream, scream like a woman. What if it’s him?”

  “I doubt it’s him. I doubt he would make a scene like that. He was just messing with you, Nikki. He’s all talk. He’s not going to do anything to you.” Brad put his hand on mine. I turned and stared at the man again. Brad was probably right.

  “Nikki, stop watching him.”

  I slumped over trying to go undetected. “Shh, I’m using my stealth detective skills.” We laughed. “Let’s do another.” I pointed to the lonely empty glasses.

  “I think you’ve had enough. You already had . . .”

  “Shh! Please? Just a few more. We never do shots together.” It was really slow, so he motioned to the other bartender to take over. We took the shots. I sucked on the lime dressed in salt, contemplating out loud, “Why are guys like that? Why do they talk to girls like that? Do they think it turns us on? It just made me want to throw up on him.”

  “I don’t know, Nicole. I guess some men can be crude.”

  “Not you, Bradley. You always know what to say. You’re the best.” It was apparent by my slurred speech the alcohol was starting to hit me. I leaned into the bar, grabbing his shirt and giving it a little tug. He leaned in toward me. I loved the smell of his cologne. His blue eyes looked down at me from under his dark lashes. He leaned in closer. My mouth went to his ear as if I was going to tell him something extremely important.

  “I have to pee.” I put my hand over my mouth as if I said a bad word, giggling under my breath. Brad just shook his head and laughed at me as I made my grand exit, staggering toward the restroom.

  When I left the bathroom, wobbling back toward the bar, that slimy man, Chuck, blocked me. The creep was wasted and decided he was taking me home that evening no matter what. I politely brushed him off, but he became more insistent. He took hold of me again, and as I pulled away, he got aggressive. “So you like it rough.” I flashed back to the helpless feeling of being overpowered by a man. I struggled harder. He grabbed my ass, pulling me into him. The smell of alcohol and sweat made me gag. Brad realized what was happening and that I needed help. He bolted out from behind the bar.

  “Get your hands off my girlfriend.” Brad grabbed me out of Chuck’s arms preparing to punch the crap out of him. “Get the hell out of here before I . . .”

  “I got it man.” Pete stepped in.

  Brad turned to me. I was shaking. I flashed back to lying in a corner, battered after one of Ronald’s rages, and I began breathing heavy. Brad saw my disgust and the tears building. “You okay?” It caught me off guard when Brad took me into his arms.

  My body was quivering; we could hear the man ranting in the background. Bradley pulled me in closer, wiping away the moisture from my cheeks. He held me until I stopped trembling. “It’s gonna be okay, Nikki. You’re gonna be okay.” Brad stared down at me, staring into my eyes. His face slowly began gravitating toward mine. I focused on his lips. My heart began to elevate and I bit my lip as our heads drifted towards each other. Our mouths were about to touch when someone yelled out, “He’s gone!”

  Brad hesitated for a moment and then pulled his head away from mine and whispered, “You’re safe.” He gazed into my eyes a moment longer, gently touching my face. “You okay?”

  Did he realize I almost allowed myself to kiss him? I just stared.

  “You’re safe,” he said abruptly, “I better get back to work. I’ll have Pete take you and Emily home tonight.”

  As I watched him walk back to the bar, I wondered for a moment what would happen if . . . I sucked my breath in. It was the tequila. Brad didn’t like me like that. He was my boss. Getting together with my boss would be stupid!

  Chapter Seven

  I approached the bar the next day a little nervous that it would be awkward when I saw Brad again. I was so happy when he just joked about my hangover, and we laughed about my stealth detective skills.

  Emily ran over to remind me Chris was picking us up from work to take us to dinner soon. She fidgeted. It was cute to see her so nervous. Noticing the clock, we realized we were off and hung up our aprons. As we headed toward the employee’s bathroom to quickly get ready, Chris walked in the restaurant.

  “I can’t believe he’s here so early. I wanted to change first,” Emily said under her breath. He approached us with dresses draped over his arm.

  “I want to take you to a really nice restaurant and forgot to tell you how to dress. I grabbed a few dresses out of my sister’s closet. They looked like they will fit you.”

  “She won’t get upset?” Emily asked.

  “She’s in Europe, so she won’t miss them tonight. I would have bought something, but I haven’t had time and our reservation is in an hour. Is this okay, or would you prefer to swing back by your place? I brought some shoes also. I hope they fit.”

  Under the dresses, the shoes dangled in his hand. The dresses were elegant. I had nothing like that packed in my suitcase, and I knew Emily didn’t, either.

  “We can just wear these, since there isn’t much time. Thank you,” Emily said, taking the dresses from Chris.

  “I’ll be back in around forty minutes, okay?” He kissed Emily on the cheek. Once he walked out the door, we scurried to the bathroom to hurry and change.

  “These are gorgeous!” I zipped the back of Emily’s dress. “You look beautiful, Em.” I smiled, both of us looking at her in the mirror. “You should wear your hair up. I think I have something in my bag. Let me check.” We refreshed our makeup, and I pinned up her hair.

  “Are you sure I look okay?”

  “Emily, you really are stunning! You like him don’t you?”

  “He’s all right.” She tried to hide her interest.

  “These heels are too big, but my black pumps should go with this, right?” I dug through my bag.

  “Thank you for coming with me, Nicole.”

  “Hey, I don’t mind. I get a free meal and good company.” Emily and I went everywhere together since we were new to the area. This was the first official date Emily had been on since she broke up with Bill, a guy from back home who I hated. Bill treated her horribly.

  “Are you sure I look okay?”

  “Oh my god, Em. You are breathtaking! Are you sure you want me to go with you? You should be safe with him. He’s a friend of Brad’s.”

  She took my hand, “Look at us, Nicole. We clean up pretty nice. This will be fun. I want you there. Besides, if we have to dress like this to go to this restaurant, it will be a hell of a lot better than ramen noodles!” She grinned.

  Chris embodied chivalry and yet made us laugh. I was sure Emily could get used to being spoiled. He really treated her wonderfully. I liked the way she radiated when she sat next to him, and I felt a little weird crashing their date. We pulled into valet parking and got out of the car.

  “Good evening, Mr. Anderson.” They’d greeted him by name. Apparently, he was someone. I won
dered what he did. He avoided those types of questions, joking that if he told us, he would have to kill us.

  They sat us right away in a VIP section of the restaurant. Only certain people were allowed in the area. There were a few celebrities, star athletes, and us.

  Chris ordered a variety of hors d'oeuvres and started off with a bottle of Dom Pérignon. The bottles kept coming and the food kept arriving. It seemed as if the chef wanted him to try everything on the menu.

  I quickly forgot about watching my weight and almost died in the ambrosia, joking with Em that she was right, it was much better than the gourmet Cup of Noodles we warmed up in the microwave.

  Chris had us laughing, and before long, we noticed we were the only ones left in the restaurant. When he received the bill, I glanced over out of curiosity to get an idea what an evening like this would cost.

  Three-thousand, two-hundred dollars! The champagne alone was five-hundred dollars a bottle. I hoped he didn’t see me almost have a heart attack. I tried to act like I hadn’t seen anything. How does a guy in his late twenties have over three-thousand dollars for a meal? Ramen noodles were ten cents a serving.

  “I have to go out of town on business for a few days but would love to take you ladies out again when I return. Maybe out on the horses.”

  “Give me a call when you get back, and we can plan something,” Emily answered.

  “That’ll be wonderful.”

  As we were leaving the restaurant and he stood waiting for his car, we started to worry that he had over an hour drive and he had been drinking.

  “I don’t want to be rude or anything, but you really shouldn’t drive all the way back to Wasilla tonight,” Emily blurted out.

  “Are you inviting me over?”

  “No, but you should probably stay someplace here in town just to be safe.” If he had three-thousand dollars for a meal, he could get a cab and pay for a hotel room so he wouldn’t have to drive drunk. Not that he staggered, but we were all a little tipsy. We had four five-hundred-dollar bottles of champagne after all.