Larkin's Landing_A Tombora Springs Mystery

by SK Wee

“Oh, baby doll! That was worth all the travel. My God, what a hot piece of tail you are. We better go find my mom. I haven’t had a chance to find out much of anything, you had me so distracted with your big boobs and tight ass.” I smiled at him and got cleaned up. His words weren’t exactly the romantic endearments that I was craving, but he did just arrive and still needed to deal with everything.

  The following days soon fell into somewhat of a pattern. Raine would sleep late, go meet his mother and sister for lunch, go through all the bank records and other financial reports that Logan printed out for him, then he would grab a bite and sit in the bar and drink. The bar was still not opened to the public, but he would sit and look through journals and drink. By the time he came to bed, he was usually quite drunk and I realized that the violence previously just beneath the surface would show its face through his drunken performance. I was starting to believe he needed to see me in some pain to feel pleasure, and that was beginning to frighten me.

  The burial was private, with only Doris, Alan and Logan besides the family and I. Raine wanted to open the bar, saying his father wanted a party for a funeral. Marge and Abby talked him out of it, and I was thankful. Raine drank enough by himself. So if he had a company of drinking buddies, I was sure he would drink even more.

  Marge wanted Raine to request a hardship discharge so he could take care of the business. She said she would close the doors for good if he didn’t. Abby didn’t want anything to do with the property and asked Marge to return with her to Chicago. I could tell right away that Marge would really like to leave this place. She had always hated the resort and the town. Raine was the only one that wanted to keep the business going and it wasn’t long before he approached me with his ideas.

  “Listen, baby doll,” I hated his new name for me, it sounded like I was now his plaything and what I really wanted to be was his partner, his mate, his equal, “I’ve got a nice little chunk set aside for us and I know you’ve saved some for our wedding. I think we should go over to the courthouse and get hitched, and then pool our money and at least buy-out half of the business. Mom can keep half as a silent partner since she doesn’t want to live here anymore. What do you think?”

  “You still don’t know if you’ll get your discharge, Raine. Don’t you think we should slow down a little?” But Raine was fired up with his idea and within a week, he made an appointment with the justice of the peace and we were declared husband and wife in the most mundane two-minute ceremony ever performed. I had scrimped and saved for over three years to pay for my perfect wedding, but now I handed over all of my hard-earned money to buy into a business that I knew was going to drive us apart.

  After living and working with Vince and seeing what his drinking did to both the business and his marriage, I knew that unless Raine quit drinking, we had no chance whatsoever. His nightly binges were getting worse and when his discharge came through, the celebrating began in earnest. He opened up the doors and now had plenty of customers every night to drink with. They played every drinking game known to man and then made up more of them. The bruises on my body were getting more and more numerous. When Raine noticed them in his sober moments, he would hug me close and tell me how sorry he was. Ultimately, he would blame me for being so hot and sexy that I drove him nuts.

  My one outlet was the beauty shop. I didn’t have many customers, but sometimes I would sit there in case someone came in off the street. Not many ever did, but at least I was away from the Landing. Fee, of course, noticed right away that I wasn’t quite as happy as I should be for being a newlywed. She took me out of town to lunch, and I told her everything. I told her how Raine would punish me and hold me hostage like it was some sort of role-playing game. How he seemed to experience great pleasure with my pain.

  “Fee, he wasn’t like this at all before he left. I mean, he was never a tender lover, but he never hurt me. I don’t know what to do.” I told her about his mother and sister leaving and how he thought he was the master of a great empire or something. “He makes me feel like I’m his whore and I only exist for his carnal pleasure.” I couldn’t keep the tears from falling. All my hopes and dreams were turning to ashes.

  “I believe you need to get out of that situation—quickly. Maybe we can talk to Cal, he’ll know how to handle this sort of thing.” The thought of Cal finding anything out about my marriage was unthinkable.

  “No, please don’t say anything to him. I shouldn’t have even talked to you about it. It’s going to be all right. I think he is still dealing with his grief. He truly loved his work in the Air Force and then having to leave to take over the family business must have been hard for him.”

  “I think you should consider what I said. I’m going to be so scared for you. You need to call me if things get out of hand.”

  “I will, Fee. I promise.”

  Chapter Nine

  Fee

  Once I was back with my parents and family, I immediately started the divorce proceedings. I didn’t want Rich to live in any sort of illusion that our marriage was somehow salvageable, because it wasn’t. I would never trust him, and I felt like I didn’t even know him. Everything I had learned about him the last couple of months just verified to me that he was not the man I thought I married over seven years ago. I didn’t know where I was going from here. I knew that once our marriage settlement became final, I would have a fair amount of money to invest somewhere. Until that time, I would just look around and see what popped up.

  Rich knew that I was being quite generous with the splitting of assets. I knew that the store was in his family prior to our wedding, but I also put everything I had into making it a success. We both worked hard for our dream. I wanted the whole matter over with as quickly as possible, and that was why I made sure he was favored in the settlement. It still took the lawyers over two months to come up with the final agreement, but now I was free and clear without a philandering spouse to tie me down. Now, what?

  After my last lunch with Tara, I was more than a little worried about her. Tara had a habit of only seeing the good side of people and it seemed like Raine abused that fact. When I noticed Cal a few days later, I decided to talk to him about it. I knew that being a deputy, he couldn’t go around talking about it and if something happened, he would know ahead of time what the circumstances were.

  It was a pleasant April afternoon, and I stopped my car next to the sidewalk where he stood. “Fee, how have you been?”

  “Hi, Cal. Can I talk to you about something?” I motioned over to a park bench so we could sit in the sunshine and talk.

  “If it’s about the DNA test results, no, I can’t discuss any of that yet.”

  “Umm . . . I don’t know about any DNA tests, so no, it’s not about that. Sit by me. It’s about a friend of mine that recently got married. It seems her husband likes to drink a little too much and becomes a little violent with her. She has told me not to say anything so I hope you keep her secret. I’m just worried and wanted to know what I should do.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s much anyone can do until she’s willing to admit that he is abusing her. It will be his word against hers so if she isn’t even willing to report it, I don’t know that we can do anything at all.”

  “I think it’s escalating, Cal. I just hope she knows when to get out.” Suddenly I remembered something about the DNA tests he had mentioned earlier. “Did Rich need to take a DNA test? Is that why you thought I was asking about them?”

  “Sorry, Fee, I can’t discuss that. Now, about your friend, I think the best thing you can do is stay in close contact with her in case she needs help.” Cal stood up to leave.

  “Thanks for the advice, I really want to be there for her.” I decided he should know about my personal decisions also. I hadn’t told many people but word would get around quickly. “I know rumors are flying around this small town, but Rich and I have split up. I filed for divorce and the papers are ready to be signed.”

  “I’m not surprised, you d
eserve someone so much better.”

  “Ha, that’s the same thing Tara told me.” I was beginning to believe what they were telling me.

  “Tara? Was this story of yours about Tara? She did just get married, didn’t she? She married Raine Larkin after his father died. She’s the one, isn’t she?”

  “Sorry, Cal, but I can’t discuss that.” I threw his words back at him. His face was etched with deep concern though.

  “Hmm . . . I think you just answered my question. I hope you remain in close contact, she may need you. By the way, I was worried that you were back with Rich when I noticed your car in front of the house the other afternoon.”

  “I haven’t been back to the house since I moved my belongings out over a month ago. You must have been mistaken.”

  “No, it was definitely your car. Has someone else been using it?”

  “Just Joan for school once in awhile. She said she was on the prom committee and had meetings after school, now I wonder though. She has been shying away from my questions about the prom.”

  “He wouldn’t harm her, would he? She’s just a kid.”

  “So was Mandy from the store. Mandy is only a year older than Joan, and he had no problem using her for his pleasure. Oh, Cal, what if he’s using Joan the same way? I could never forgive him for something like that, and Joan has always worshipped him.”

  “Joan isn’t even of age yet. It would be a crime. What is wrong with that man? I always thought he was overly disciplined, but it seems I gave him too much credit.”

  “You and me both. I know his infidelity began years ago, so he can’t use Lizzie’s illness and death as an excuse. He tries to justify all of his actions in his mind, but he’s fooling himself. I believe he has some real problems. Cal, can’t you tell me about the DNA tests, just if he was ruled out?”

  “I really shouldn’t, but I will tell you that it seems he can be ruled out. There is still some suspicion though, so please don’t say anything. What can I do to help with your sister? I could have a talk with Rich, it is a crime, but first I would have to talk to Joan.”

  “I’ll talk to Joan, I still have a hard time believing Rich would touch her. I hope it’s beneath him, anyway.” I left Cal sitting on the bench. He made sure I had his private contacts as well as the sheriff department numbers in case I needed him. For that, I felt somewhat better, at least as far as Tara. I still didn’t know what to do about Joan.

  Once I returned to the farm, I still had a couple of hours to wait until Joan got off the bus. I remember four times that she used my car for school. I had been so happy that she was getting involved in such things at school, so I was thrilled to help her out. Now, I had the feeling she lied about the whole deal. But what on earth was she thinking to go see Rich?

  When the bus left the front drive, I was standing on the side porch and motioned for Joan to come over that way. I noticed a certain look of fear in her eyes, but also a hint of relief. If I knew her at all, she was not used to deception and the lies were probably causing her pain.

  The weather looked like rain, so even though I would have liked to go for a walk with her, I decided to bring her up to my room where, hopefully, we would not be disturbed. After I closed the door and turned to her, I could already see the tears brimming in her eyes.

  “What did he do to you? Tell me, Joan! Did he hurt you?” I hadn’t planned to begin the conversation in this way, but I was suddenly furious. Rich definitely was the cause of Joan’s tears.

  “I . . . I felt so sorry for him.” She sniffed a few times and wiped her watery eyes. “He was all alone in that big house. He lost his daughter and then you left him, too. I wanted to help him through all that. The first couple of times I went over there, I made a nice meal before he got home. He really appreciated it and then I would clean up the kitchen and leave.” Joan started crying in earnest now. I sat next to her and held her close.

  “Oh, Joanie. He didn’t deserve your concern.” I held her and smoothed her hair until she finally stopped crying and sat up straight.

  “The last time I went over there, he came up behind me while I was cleaning. He whispered in my ear about what a wonderful wife I would make, and then he put his arms around me and rubbed himself on me. He kept insisting that a good wife would take care of everything. I tried to pull away, but he twisted me around to face him and began kissing me. I . . . I did the only thing I could think of, Fee. My knee came up fast and hard, and he bent over moaning and cussing at me. I ran out to the car and came home.” Joan looked at me like she was afraid of what I would think of her doing such a thing.

  “Oh, sweet sister. Here I was so worried about you. I guess you can take care of yourself.” I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up within me when I visualized the encounter. Soon we were both giggling like little girls.

  About a week later, I received a phone call in the early morning hours, from Tara. “Fee, I need you. Please, I’m outside the kitchen door of the restaurant. Do you know where it is?”

  “Yes, I’ve been by the place many times. I’m on my way.” I raced to my car. The farm was closer to the lake than if I was still living in town, but it still seemed to take hours. I thought about calling Cal on my way but really didn’t know what I would tell him. My first priority was to get to Tara.

  When I pulled up to the back of the building, I saw her sitting hunched over on the back stoop. It was still dark out, not yet four in the morning, but I could already tell her face was swollen and bruised when she looked up into the headlights.

  “Hurry and get in the car. Come on, I’ll help you.” I quickly got her into the passenger seat and took off down the road. I knew she needed to get to the hospital, because I had noticed there was blood all over the steps where she sat. She didn’t say anything on the trip there. With her face so swollen, I believed she might have a broken jaw, which would make it painful to speak.

  “Don’t say anything, Tara. I’m taking you to the hospital and you’ll feel better very soon. Just hang in there and don’t move too much. We don’t want to make anything worse.” I thought going to the Landing was a long drive, but getting Tara to the hospital was so very much longer. Thankfully, once I pulled up one of the workers noticed I needed some help to get Tara inside. He found her a wheelchair and escorted us inside quickly. They forced me to wait in the lobby while they examined her so I got a chance to call Cal. I knew he was probably at home asleep so I called his personal phone number.

  “Hello.” Yes, I woke him up.

  “Cal? It’s Fee. I’m at the hospital. I just brought Tara in, though I don’t know how she is doing. I thought I would call you right away in case Raine was looking for her. I really don’t know what I should do.”

  “Stay put, Fee. I’ll be right there.” Cal now sounded wide-awake. I was grateful he was on his way and knew how to handle the situation. A couple of minutes later one of the nurses came out to talk to me.

  “Are you the family?” I knew they had regulations about who they gave out information to.

  “Yes, I’m Fee. How is she? Can I see her?” At this point, I didn’t care about a little lie—no, I wasn’t family but there was no way I was going to be shoved aside.

  “The doctor is still with her, but she’ll be out soon to talk with you.”

  “Thank you.” I sat down to wait and said a few prayers for Tara. Soon the nurse returned and escorted me to a small consultation room. The doctor soon arrived.

  “Good morning, I’m Doctor Krondel. You’re the family member who brought Tara in?” She held out her hand and I shook it.

  “Yes, I did. How is she doing, doctor?”

  “We still need to get some x-rays taken, but it looks as if she has at least one fractured rib. Otherwise, mostly bruises, and of course, the miscarriage.” She was writing in the file all the while and then she looked up at me.

  “Miscarriage? Did Tara even know she was pregnant? She never told me.” I thought she would have told me if she had known.


  “She told me that she recently made an appointment to find out for sure. She had her suspicions. I believe she was about two and a half months along. The miscarriage should certainly pose no problems down the road. Now, she claims that she slipped and fell down a flight of stairs. Were you there when this occurred?”

  “Stairs? No . . . no, I wasn’t there. That’s what she told you?”

  “Yes, I’m not at all convinced that it’s the truth, but that’s all I have to go by unless you have something to add?”

  “Umm . . . like I said, I wasn’t there. I need to speak with her if I could.”

  “She is down in x-ray at the moment. They should have her back in about twenty minutes if you want to wait in the lobby.” The doctor then stood up and held her hand out once again. I would need to wait to talk to Tara. Though I was certain that she didn’t fall down the stairs, I had no proof. Tara never explained what happened when she called.

  “Fee!” As soon as I entered the lobby, Cal came up to me. “How is she?”

  “She’s down in x-ray right now and then we can see her. Oh, Cal, she told the doctor she fell down the stairs and though she never told me what happened, I don’t believe it. Why would she lie?”

  “She’s trying to protect him. That’s actually normal for abused spouses. Maybe when we talk to her, she will tell us the truth.” Cal seemed almost furious, I thought he would be a nice calming influence on me once he arrived, but it seemed the opposite. He was making me more stressed out by the minute.

  “We need to calm down. We can’t go in and talk to Tara like this, she’s already been through enough without us adding to it.”

  “You’re right, of course. I don’t know why I’m so upset. I just hate that men can treat someone they profess to love and cherish like this. I’ve been in my share of fistfights but it was always with other men who had a chance at beating me. What chance would Tara have? None. There is no way she can protect herself from her husband. It really pisses me off.” We sat back down, and I could tell that Cal was at least trying to calm himself by taking deep breaths and closing his eyes. After three or four breaths, he opened his eyes and gave me his signature grin. “I’m okay now.”