The Light In the Dark

by Craig A. Smith

  “They are more than welcome to join us,” Gertrude says. “Young people today need to hear as much of the good word as possible.” David puts his hand on Gertrude’s shoulder and leads her out the door.

  “Next Sunday,” David says, “I promise.” Gertrude acts as if she is going to say something else, but David shuts the door on her. He walks over to a chair and sits down.

  “Drake, what brings you here after all of this time?” David asks.

  “Well,” Drake says, “I was up here with some friends and we ran out of money and needed to get something to eat.”

  “Well, I’m flat broke right now,” David says, “you caught me at a bad time. But I do have a lot of hamburger meat and potato chips if you’re in the mood for a barbecue.”

  “It is the Fourth of July, I guess,” Drake says.

  “Then it’s settled,” David says playing the nice dad role and patting Drake on the back, “come into the kitchen with me and we’ll carry some stuff out to the backyard and get to grilling.” The kids get up and accompany David to the kitchen. They start grabbing items from the cabinets and refrigerator. Kris looks at the kitchen door.

  “What’s in there?” he asks. Drake shoots an intense look over at Kris.

  “Mind your own business,” Drake says as he pulls the meat out of the fridge.

  “No Drake,” David says, “it’s okay. Your name is Kris right?” Kris nods in affirmation. “Well Kris, I keep a lot of valuables in the basement and I keep deadbolts on the door so no one can break in and steal them.”

  “What like fine art and stuff?” Kris asks, “My dad just keeps that stuff locked up in a vault.” Drake looks at Kris intensely again, David smiles.

  “Well,” David says, “I don’t have the money to put a vault in the house, so I just keep it in the basement.” Kris looks down, embarrassed. “And I don’t have any art down there,” David says, “just mostly guns and old coins. Are you kids ready to take this into the back?”

  “Yeah,” Drake says, “let’s go.”

  “You all can head through my bedroom,” David says, “follow me and I’ll show you the way.” David walks them through the house and into his bedroom, which has double doors that lead to a large deck and massive backyard, which slopes down into the waterfront of the lake. There are two picnic tables and a bird bath in the backyard.

  “The grills are under the deck and you can see the picnic tables,” David says as he walks the kids onto the deck, “just put the meat next to the grills and I will be down there in a minute.” David walks back inside the house, leaving the kids on the deck.

  “Wow,” Hiram says as he looks at the scenery and stares at David’s dock and boat, “look at that big ass boat on the water. Man, the only house I can see from here is on the other side of the lake, this is beautiful.”

  “You are such a fag,” Kris says. Hiram looks at Kris, this time not in anger, but almost as if he feels somewhat sorry for him. They walk down off of the deck and Becca bumps hips with Drake, almost knocking him over.

  “Wanna go for a swim?” she asks.

  “Sure,” Drake says, “but don’t you need something to wear?” Becca laughs.

  “I always wear a bathing suit under my clothes in the summer because no matter where you go around here, you usually somehow end up in the water,” she says.

  “I know I’m down to swim,” Kris says with excitement.

  “Great,” Drake says as he takes off his shirt, “are you coming Hiram?”

  “I guess so,” Hiram says as the boys strip down to their boxers. David looks out the window and is perversely fixated on Becca stripping down to her bathing suit, but knowing his basement is currently occupied. They all jump into the water. David walks down the stairs and begins forming the patties for the hamburgers. He pulls a plastic bag with an unknown substance from his khakis and molds it in with the hamburger. He attentively watches as Hiram and Kris play-fight in the water. Becca swims away to a corner in the cove and motions for Drake to stray away from the rest of the group. Drake swims over to her.

  “What do you want?” he asks with a flirtatious smile.

  “Well,” Becca says, “I can’t tell you what I really want with your dad standing right over there.” Drake smiles at her and looks up at his father, who is waving at them smiling.

  “He seems nice,” Becca says.

  “Yeah,” Drake says, “fuck him, he sure does.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” she asks as she wraps her arms above his shoulders.

  “I don’t know,” Drake says as he watches his father manning the grill. “I know absolutely nothing about him other than his name and the fact that he’s my father. I haven’t seen him once in my life and he seems like a decent guy, really nothing mom told me about him seems right when you meet him in person. It’s weird though, you’d think that he would have called or visited me, even once. I wonder how different me and my mom’s life would have been if they stayed together and I was raised here.” Becca strokes Drakes hair and gives him a warm look.

  “You know, you could always stick around here.” she says. “Winters here can get pretty boring when it’s just us locals are around.” Drake becomes more flirtatious.

  “And how do you know that I am not boring?” he asks, staring into her eyes.

  “I don’t think I would care if you were,” she says as she gently kisses him.

  “You’ve only known me for a few hours,” Drake says.

  “Well then, stick around and I might get to know you better,” she says.

  “Or I could move back to Paducah and you can follow my every Tweet,” he says with a laugh. She playfully splashes water in his face.

  “Don’t get cocky mister,” she says.

  “I’m just kidding,” he says.

  “Really, would you be okay with moving here and living with your dad?” she asks.

  “I don’t know,” Drake says, “maybe if…” Drake’s statement is interrupted by Kris.

  “Hey, why don’t you all get a room?” Kris yells.

  “Yeah, okay Kris,” Drake yells, “anyway Becca…” Drake is interrupted again.

  “Oh look at him,” Kris taunts, “he is so mature and sexy, that even I want a piece of him right now.”

  “Come here you little shit,” Drake says as he swims towards him. Kris squeals as he tries to get away but Drake catches up to him and dunks his head under the water. Becca and Hiram laugh, David turns around.

  “Hey kids,” David yells, “the food is ready! Come and get it while it’s still hot!” They all swim back to the bank and hurriedly put their clothes back on. They run to the picnic tables and they all begin to devour the food. Drake is sitting next to his father, who is surprised by how quickly they are eating their food.

  “Hey you all don’t eat so fast, you’ll be sick,” David says. This has no effect on them as they continue to eat as if it were some sort of a competition. Becca looks at David and he smiles at her. She smiles back and takes a small bite from her burger.

  “Wow, these sure are good,” Kris says, “what’s in them?”

  “A little spice called Adobo,” David says, “I tried it a couple of years ago and now I can’t live without it.”

  “Yeah,” Drake says, “these are really good, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” David says, “by the way Drake, how is your mother doing?” Drake slows his eating pace and looks down at his plate with a look of melancholy.

  “She’s been dead for a while now,” Drake says. Everyone stops eating and a moment of awkward silence ensues. David puts his hand on Drake’s shoulder, but that has no comforting effect on him. His friends become uneasy, knowing that this is a sensitive issue for Drake.

  “Oh my God Drake,” David says, “I didn’t know. How did that happen?”

  “She ended up hooking up with some bad people,” Drake says, “she died of a drug overdose.”

  “How long ago did this happen?” David asks.

  “Oct
ober of last year,” Drake says.

  “Where have you been staying all of this time?” David asks.

  “With Aunt Betty,” Drake says, lying about his whereabouts during that time.

  “Oh my God,” David says, “I am so sorry to hear about that, I loved your mother; she was a good woman.” Drake looks at David peripherally and then back down at his plate. The group slowly continues eating.

  “Mr. Bollinger?” Kris says.

  “Actually it’s Mr. Bell,” David corrects, “Bollinger was his mother’s last name.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Kris says, “Mr. Bell, can I use the bathroom?”

  “Sure,” David says.

  “Thanks,” Kris says as he jumps from the picnic table and runs up the stairs of the deck. He goes inside the house and walks to the bathroom and begins urinating. He zips up his pants and begins to head back towards the bedroom, he stops when he sees the kitchen. He is still curious about the coins and guns that are hidden in the basement.

  He walks to the bedroom and looks out the window; he sees that everyone is still at the picnic table. He slowly meanders into the kitchen. He looks at the kitchen door and opens drawers until he finds a kitchen knife. He puts the knife in the crevice of the first dead bolt and realizes that it is already unlocked. He pushes the blade against the second deadbolt and begins to wiggle the lock. The lock slowly retracts into the kitchen door until it is completely unlocked. Kris opens the door and looks down the stairs with a grin on his face. He runs down the stairs with excitement. When he arrives at the bottom of the steps, he sees Angie, gagged and bound on the bed. She slowly raises her head and looks up at him. Kris’s eyes dilate as he realizes the gravity of what he is seeing. The girls’ eyes flash a sign of hope; someone has finally come to rescue her. Kris’s looks at the girl and quickly realizes that his life is in danger based on what he has found. The room starts spinning. He passes out and hits the floor head first, a small stream of blood rolls down the side of his head. The girl slowly lays her head back on the pillow, her hopes dashed.

  Everyone is still enjoying their lunch in the backyard. Some time has passed since Kris had left the group to use the restroom. Drake becomes paranoid that Kris might be in there doing something that he shouldn’t be doing.

  “I’d better go and check on Kris,” Drake says, “he’s been gone for a while.”

  “Dude, he’s probably just taking a shit,” Hiram says, quickly embarrassed by what he has just said in front of Drake’s father. “I mean taking a dump… I mean going poop.” Everyone laughs as he tries to awkwardly correct himself.

  “Drake, you stay here with your friends,” David says, “I’ll just run inside real quick and check on him.”

  “Okay,” Drake says. David slowly walks up the stairs of the deck and into the house. He checks the bathroom, which is empty and then walks into the kitchen. He sees the open kitchen door and anger swells up in his eyes.

  “Shit!” he says under his breath as he slowly walks to the top of the stairway. He looks down the stairs and sees the bottom of a pair of sneakers. He jogs down the stairs to find Kris passed out and unresponsive. He runs over to look at Angie and checks to make sure that she is still properly bound to the bed. He gets some rope out of his toolbox and ties Kris’s feet together; he then flips him over and ties his hands behind his back. He walks back up the basement steps and shuts and locks the door. He walks back through his bedroom and onto the deck, where he looks down to find that the others are now unconscious as well. Drake and Becca’s limp bodies are hanging from the picnic table. He notices that Hiram has fallen completely out of his seat and onto the ground. David Wayne Bell smiles as he looks at the teens, knowing that he is now safe after his plan has been executed to perfection.

  Chapter 23

  Jim Flanigan is enjoying the Fourth; sitting on the couch and watching the Cincinnati Reds play the Cubs. Joan peeps in and watches him relaxing and nursing a beer, wishing that it could be normal like this more often. She sits down next to him.

  “Who’s winning?” she asks.

  “The Cubs are winning 3-1,” Jim says, “But it’s only the 3rd inning and the bats haven’t come around yet, I’m sure we’ll turn it around.”

  “I’m sure we will,” Joan says, “Did you want me to go ahead and start cooking?”

  “No,” Jim says, “I’m going to fire up the barbecue here in a couple of hours after the game is over.”

  “I invited my parents over,” she says, “they should be getting here in a couple of hours.”

  “That’ll be nice,” Jim says, “but when I went to the grocery earlier this week I only picked up a pack of hot dogs and a pound of hamburger.”

  “I can run to the store real quick and go and pick up some more food,” she says as she pats his leg, “you can just sit here and finish your game.”

  “Thank you honey,” he says as he gives her a kiss.

  “I’m just glad you are relaxing today,” she says.

  “Yeah,” Jim says, “I figured that I might as well take the day off. You were right; the world won’t end if I don’t.”

  “Well, I’m glad,” she says. The phone rings and Jim starts to get up off the couch. Joan jumps up first.

  “I’ll get it,” she says, “It’s probably my mother.” She answers the phone. “Hello,” she says. A look of aggravation comes over her as she hands him the phone, knowing that somehow Jim is not going to be home when her parents arrive. “It’s for you,” she says.

  “Hello,” Jim says as she leaves the room. She walks into the bedroom and lies down on the bed. She thinks of all of the holidays and birthdays Jim has missed, the time that he completely forgot their anniversary because he was so wrapped up in the case. She thinks back to their fifteenth wedding anniversary, when Jim took her out to a nice restaurant. The waiter handed him the phone and he immediately asked for the check, not even asking her if it were okay to leave so abruptly. She remembers him going into a church that night and interviewing a list of witnesses for two hours as she sat in the car wearing an evening dress. He had never even thought to ask her if he she wanted him to drop her off at the house first. She begins crying; never having imagined that at the age of fifty, she would feel so alone. Jim walks into the room and sees her crying.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks.

  “Nothing,” she says, “just go away.” He sits on the edge of the bed.

  “If nothing is wrong, then why are you crying?” he asks.

  “Who was that on the phone?” she asks.

  “Why are you crying?” he asks.

  “I don’t feel well,” she says, “now tell me who that was on the phone.”

  “It was Tom again,” he says.

  “And what did he want?” she asks.

  “He called to tell me that Ryan’s wife tried to kill Tyrone last night in his hospital room,” he says.

  “The same kid that Ryan beat up?” she asks.

  “Yeah,” he says, “they caught her smothering him in bed and they had to tase her a few times to get her under control.”

  Joan sits up, “and what does that have to do with you Jim?”

  “What do you mean?” Jim asks, perplexed.

  “The question I asked doesn’t have anything to do with rocket science Jim, just answer it,” she says.

  “Why are you being like this?” he asks.

  “Because I have a sneaking suspicion that you are going to be gone by the time my parents get here,” she says.

  “So what?” he says. She gets up off of the bed and starts walking away, he follows her.

  “I don’t see why you are making such a big deal out of this,” Jim says, “I have to go down and interview the kid, I will only be gone for an hour, maybe two.” She turns around and stops him in his tracks.

  “Why?” she asks. “You promised me that you would stay home today. What is going to happen if you don’t go? Are the people of Pine County not going to re-elect you simply because you don’t do your p
recious interview today?”

  “Of course not,” Jim says, “but the case is done with if I get good information out of him today.”

  “What does that attack have to do with you anyways Jim?” she asks. “You weren’t going to interview him until tomorrow anyways.”

  “Hugh is gone and I want to,” Jim responds. “That’s enough reason for me to go. We’ve cut back shifts because of the economy and there is no one else to go and do it for me. And he is part of a case that I am in charge of handling and the kid said he had some information for me. This job is important and I think that it is a bit ridiculous that you are going on like this. I’ve seen your parents a million times and I’m sure that their happiness doesn’t hinge on me being here for a damned barbecue!”

  “Fine,” Joan says with controlled aggression, “go then.”

  “Don’t act like you are giving me permission to go,” Jim says as he walks away and slams the door on the way out. He gets into his cruiser and backs out of the driveway, looking into the living room window where Joan is usually waving goodbye. She is not there this time. He turns on the radio and listens to the game as he makes his way to the hospital.

  Jim pulls into the parking lot of the hospital. He makes his way up the elevator and finds his way to Tyrone’s room. He walks in and sees Ed sitting next to the bed.

  “Hey,” Flanigan says as he pats Tyrone on the shoulder, “how are you feeling kiddo?”

  “Better than yesterday,” Tyrone says, “that’s for sure.”

  “Well,” Ed says, “I’d better get going.”

  “Don’t leave man,” Tyrone says, “you’ve only been here about five minutes.”

  “Yeah,” Ed says, “but I need to go, my wife and I are expecting friends and family members for our famous Fourth of July barbecue any minute and I don’t want to be late.”

  “Is Jeff coming by?” Tyrone asks.

  “No,” Ed says, “he took his wife and kids to Cincinnati for a baseball game. I’m sure that he will swing by tomorrow though.”

  “Aight,” Tyrone says, disappointed.