The Word of a Liar

by Beauchamp, Sally

  More of the Sons of Thunder patrolled the hallway and the perimeter of the brightly lit gym. Booths made of cotton sheets hosted carnival games. The sounds of laughter and the screams of little children hovered among the huge, caged lights hanging from the ceiling. Mason stood at the open door leading out into the parking lot. He kept a sharp eye on the motorcycles lined up along the brick wall. A large outdoor light illuminated the bikes sleek curved bodies and polished chrome. Mad Dog stood adjacent, watching people move about.

  Mad Dog’s eye caught his daughter Tess, trailing JD. He smiled. His hunch Tess would be the perfect babysitter appeared accurate. Several weeks ago Mad Dog had introduced Tess to Ellen and JD. JD had responded positively to her quiet disposition and love for children. Ellen was so impressed she had hired Tess to be her mother’s helper. Mad Dog was glad he had been right for Ellen’s sake. Busy making sure things were running smoothly, visiting with parents, and joking with her students and fellow teachers, Ellen had no time to worry about JD. Mad Dog noticed Spider and Dee Dee heading their way.

  “Rambo, get a load of Dee’s costume,” Mad Dog said, smiling as the petite woman neared.

  Dressed in a frilly French maid costume, her wild auburn hair piled on the top of her head, and corkscrew curls framing her petite face, Dee looked younger. Mad Dog whistled. “You can clean my house any time, little lady.”

  “My bedroom could use a good dusting, Dee,” Mason joined in.

  Dee’s face glowed.

  “Turn around, you French beauty, and let us get the full effect of your costume,” Mason said as he twirled her around.

  “Better look out, Rambo. I think the Spider has you in his sights.”

  Mason dipped her as if they had been doing a tango. Dee laughed. Mason ignored Spider standing beside them.

  “What the hell you doing with my wife, Rambo!”

  Mason looked up but kept Dee draped over his arm. “This cute little French angel is your wife? I don’t believe it. Mademoiselle, tell me it ain’t so.”

  Dee giggled as Mason pulled her upward. “I’m afraid it’s true. This red-haired Scotsman is my husband.”

  “That’s right, you scrawny-assed Irishman, so don’t mess with my woman.”

  Spider grabbed Dee Dee and kissed her. When they came up for air, Dee Dee smiled.

  “I haven’t even shown them the poem you wrote on my panties,” Dee said, lifting an eyebrow at Mason and Mad Dog.

  “Now I’m interested.” Mad Dog attempted to lift her skirt, but Spider caught his wrist.

  “Don’t even think about it!”

  Mad Dog considered his president. Unable to hide a smile, he knew later on this evening he’d be reading Spider’s poem. He stepped back and then winked at Dee Dee. “I’ll catch you later, doll.”

  Spider grumbled some obscenity.

  Mad Dog lightened the mood. “I think your wife is going to win best costume tonight at the Ritz. Don’t you, guys?”

  Spider smiled proudly.

  “I don’t know about that.” Dee Dee looked across the gym. “Look at Ellen’s costume.”

  They all watched Ellen as she approached them. The conservative school teacher looked like she had stepped off the cover of Easy Rider magazine. Mad Dog glanced at Mason. Transfixed by the transformation of his girlfriend, Mason’s expression reminded Mad Dog of the life he no longer had. It made Mad Dog both angry and sad yet pleased his brother had found his soul mate. Mason took her hands. In Ellen’s smile, the existence of their love was undeniable.

  “Well, what do you think?” Ellen asked and twirled around, showing off her costume.

  Dressed in black leather chaps over tight fitting jeans and a black leather vest with its seams trimmed in leather braid and chains clipped to the buttons, she looked tough and sexy. Black leather harness boots with slender high heels adorned her feet. A black and silver bandana tied around her head, silver spiders dangled from her ears, and a bike chain bracelet around her wrist complimented her heavily mascaraed eyelashes and cherry red lipstick. Tattoos of roses and spiders adorned her upper arms, and the points of a black spider’s web protruded slightly from the small amount of cleavage she showed.

  Mason wished it could have been a bit more revealing, a little more seductive. He realized her modest teacher mentality kept her from going too far—and he understood it—but he still wished she had gone further. Maybe later when she wasn’t at the school he could coax her into showing a little more skin.

  She held her hands out to her sides. She flushed with excitement, and her eyes sparkled with merriment under their heavily made-up lids. “So what do you think? Do I look like I’m good enough to be an authentic biker chick?”

  “Get over here and let’s see what you got on the back of that vest, young lady,” Spider commanded.

  Ellen sighed and turned her back to Spider. Mad Dog and Mason moved behind her.

  On the back of the vest were three patches. The top rocker read The Black Widow MC and the bottom rocker read Rides Alone. Both patches were in a gothic font and stitched in red satin floss. The round center patch portrayed a shimmering silver spider’s web. A single embroidered red rose, slightly off center, overlaid the web, and perched upon the top of the rose was a dazzling black widow spider with exaggerated yellow, glowing eyes.

  “Where did you get this, Ellen? It’s fucking amazing!” Spider scrutinized the patches, running the tips of his fingers over the smooth, satiny threads.

  “I designed it myself,” Ellen beamed. “Do you like it, Mason?”

  Mason nodded. “It’s sweet. You are quite the artist.”

  “I like Black Widow MC/ Rides Alone on the rockers.” Mad Dog grinned. “It’s threatening. Perfect for a motorcycle patch. But may I suggest you add a skull or skeleton that is stuck helplessly in the web.”

  Ellen faced him. “Excellent idea! I love it. I’m going to have to add that to my cuts. Isn’t that what you call your vests?”

  “That’s what you call them,” Spider said, scrutinizing Ellen’s back again.

  “What have the students said about your outfit?” Dee Dee asked.

  “They like it, but they can’t believe I know members of the Sons of Thunder. I haven’t mentioned I’m dating one, but I think your daughter has been filling them in on the gossip. A few have come up to me and asked who my old man is.”

  Ellen looked directly at Mason and smiled.

  “Did you tell them it was the tall, ugly one standing by the doors?” Mad Dog grinned.

  “No, I said it was the devilishly handsome one who likes to play with guns.” Ellen smiled and then turned her attention to Dee Dee. “I love your costume. You look so different with all those ruffles and lace surrounding you. You look absolutely adorable. Don’t you think so, Spider?”

  “I told her she could come and clean my bedroom any time,” Mason said and grinned.

  “How about I lend Ellen the costume sometime, Rambo? Then you won’t have to worry about Spider coming after you.”

  “Oh, yeah. Do that, Dee,” Mason said and meant it. “But I’m not worried about Spider coming after me. He hits like a girl.”

  “You’re asking for it, Rambo.” Spider raised his fist.

  “Boys, boys now stop it! You want me to take you both into my office and punish you?”

  “Oh, oh, can I come, too?” Mad Dog begged.

  Ellen and Dee Dee rolled their eyes.

  “I came over here to tell you that I think Sons of Thunder sponsoring this event has been great. My students are really behaving themselves. Some of my staff were a little concerned about you being here, but I think they feel like I do. Your intimidating presence works out rather nicely. We haven’t had a speck of trouble, and there is only one more hour to go. So don’t the three of you start something,” Ellen said.

  “I’ll keep them under my thumb, Ellen. Don’t you worry,” Dee Dee said and elbowed Spider.

  “I better make my rounds again. Any of you happen to see JD? I haven’t heard
a peep out of him all night.”

  “Tess is following him around. Don’t worry. She’ll take good care of him, and Mason and I have been keeping an eye open. You do your principal thing, and we’ll take care of JD.”

  “Thanks.” Ellen smiled and then gave Mason a quick kiss. She left them to return to her supervisory duties. They watched her disappear into a crowd of hooded goblins.

  “Now that she’s gone,” Dee Dee sighed, “I need to sneak outside and have a smoke. Watch the door, you two. I don’t want to get caught smoking in a school zone.”

  “You ought to quit, Dee,” Mason chided. “It’s bad for your health.”

  “Fuck you, Rambo,” Dee Dee said as she slid out into the cool night air.

  The three men laughed.

  “My wife might be tiny, but she sure is feisty.” Spider smiled. “Tell the little tiger I’ll be over by the main entrance. I want to make sure Monk and Bush Cat are still there. Those two might get the notion to slip into the shadows for a snort.”

  Spider raised his eyebrows, smiled, and then walked away.

  “I’m looking forward to the party after this, aren’t you?” Mad Dog leaned up against the wall and folded his arms across his chest.

  Mason sighed. “Ellen’s not too keen on the idea. The Ritz isn’t the kind of place she’s use to, but she’s going.”

  It can’t be any worse than the rally.”

  Mason grinned. “Truer words have never been spoken.”

  The two men laughed.

  ***

  8:00 p.m. and the Brookfield Alternative High School Halloween Carnival shut down for business. Students dismantled the booths as teachers directed their clean-up efforts. Spider and Dee Dee helped Mandy and her friends close up the fishpond they had operated. Mason and Mad Dog assisted Ellen with garbage detail. As they threw trash bags on a cart, Ron Richardson approached. Mason saw him coming and swallowed hard. Ron’s worried expression meant trouble.

  “Excuse me, Ellen. I need to talk to you. Do you mind if we go to your office for a minute?” Ron asked as he shifted uncomfortably.

  Mason looked at him, but Ron dropped his gaze to the floor.

  “Is it one of the students?” Ellen moaned. “It was rather naive of me to think this would go off without one single incident.”

  Ellen turned to Mason and Mad Dog and smiled. “Will you two gentlemen excuse me? Duty calls.”

  “Go get ‘um, my tough biker lady,” Mason teased, despite the apprehension squeezing his chest.

  “Don’t hurt ‘um too bad, Ellen.” Mad Dog tied up another garbage bag. “Remember: they’re only children.”

  “I’ll do my best.” Ellen looked over at JD, who played with the water in the duck pond. “I’ll be right back, JD. I have to talk to Ron for a minute.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “I’ll keep my eye on him. Go ahead so we can get out of here,” Mason sighed.

  “What do you suppose that’s all about?” Mad Dog looked at Mason. “The guy acted like he was going to the firing squad.”

  Mason shrugged. He needed a believable story and fast.

  ***

  Ellen followed Ron to her office and was surprised to find no student waiting.

  “What’s up? I thought you had some kid in here,” Ellen said as she sat down at her desk.

  “It’s not about any student, Ellen. It’s about Mason.”

  Ron’s face twisted into a grimace. He sat down in one of the chairs. The look on Ron’s face made her uncomfortable.

  “What about Mason?”

  Ellen folded her hands on the desk.

  “You know, Ellen….” Ron paused, looking down. “I think Mason is an all right guy. He seems nice enough to you and JD, but I’ve never thought he was anyone you should be involved with.”

  Ron looked up with a feeble smile. He exhaled.

  “Maggie would kill me if she knew I was telling you this. She said it was none of my business, but I like you, Ellen. However, I think you are naïve when it comes to Mason.”

  Ellen fumed. She rapped her fingers on the desk. “I appreciate your concern about my choice of boyfriends, but Maggie is right, Ron, it isn’t any of your business.”

  “Mason doesn’t work at the mill!” Ron blurted.

  His sharp-edged voice took Ellen by surprise. She should be angry, not him. She sat straight and pulled back her shoulders. “What do you mean?”

  “The afternoon at my cottage, when Mason and I were playing cards, I mentioned I had a friend named Pete Miller. Mason said Pete was the foreman of his crew. Yesterday I ran into Pete, and he told me Mason didn’t work at the mill. He quit about two months ago. I asked him if he knew where Mason worked now, but he had no idea. The day Mason quit, he told Pete things were finally starting to work out for him. He hasn’t seen Mason since. For some reason, Ellen, Mason’s lying about what he does. And from the sounds of it, he’s been lying ever since the two of you met.”

  A clammy dampness crept up Ellen’s back. Her hands sweat yet tingled with cold. She maintained eye contact but blinked back encroaching tears. Distracted thoughts cluttered her head causing her temples to pound. She felt sick. She needed air.

  “I’m sorry to tell you this. I’m not trying to sabotage your relationship with Mason, but I thought you ought to be aware. Maybe there’s a simple explanation. Who knows?”

  Ron smiled feebly.

  Ellen nodded. Before she spoke, she had to consider her words. She hated this man right now, so she needed to maintain control. She swallowed.

  “I appreciate your concern, Ron, but Mason told me months ago he’d quit the mill. He hated shift work.”

  She forced a smile.

  “I don’t know why Mason said what he did; perhaps he was ashamed to tell you. Men are so prideful when it comes to how they earn a living. I’ll talk to Mason about it. We’d better get back, don’t you think?”

  Ellen stood. Amazed her Jell-O knees were keeping her upright, she wondered how she was going to be able to walk back to the gym without Ron noticing her emotional state.

  Ron looked at her, his face red with shame and surprise. “Wow…. Don’t I feel like a horse’s ass? I’m sorry. I should have known you knew.”

  “Don’t be.” Ellen cocked her head confidently. “You were trying to be a friend. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  Her voice sounded even and controlled. She bit her bottom lip to keep it that way.

  As they walked back to the gym, Ellen’s heart roared in her ears. All those days Mason claimed to be working overtime or double shifts—where had he gone? What did he do? Why did he lie? Pressure built in her chest; shock made her blood run cold, and confusion muddled reason. She could not cry. She needed to maintain control so that when she looked into his blue, hypnotic eyes she would not be fooled.

  ***

  The gym was almost clean when they returned. Ron left her to help a teacher find her car keys. The only students still in the gym were Mandy and some of her friends and Tess who stood next to her father helping him take Halloween decorations off the wall. Mason didn’t immediately notice Ellen; when he did, he approached cautiously as if he knew what Ron and she had been discussing.

  “Are you okay?” He placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her slightly so she had to look him full in the face.

  She swallowed. “I’m fine.”

  His close proximity began to unravel her self-control. Rage filled her heart. She wanted to smash her fists against his chest and demand the truth.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He grinned that infuriating bad-boy grin.

  “It wasn’t a ghost, more like the devil in disguise,” she said and folded her arms across her chest to keep distance between them.

  “So what did this marauder get caught doing?”

  “He lied to me about being somewhere, and Ron found out about it, so I called him on it.”

  “Did he fess up?”

  She couldn’t bear to look into his
eyes a second longer, she dropped her gaze. “No. Not yet. But I’m hoping he will. That’s the worst thing about my job… I have to sift through so much bullshit in order to get to the truth.”

  Ellen looked up, rocking back on her heels. “I despise liars, don’t you?”

  Their eyes engaged for battle. He knows, damn him! And yet he plays the innocent.

  “Yes.” It sounded like a hiss. “I can’t stand it when someone lies to me. But maybe there’s a good reason for the kid to lie. Maybe he’s protecting someone else. Did you ever think of that?”

  Ellen dropped her arms to her side and cocked her head. His proposed strategy fed her heart a morsel of hope. Perhaps there was a simple explanation for his deceit. She exhaled, looking up at the caged lights buzzing like a dentist drill. She dabbed the corner of her eye.

  “I think the only person he’s protecting is himself. I hope I’m wrong.”

  Mad Dog interrupted. “Hey, you two love birds. What do you say we get the hell out of here and get our asses over to the Ritz? The party’s got to be in full swing by now. We’re the last two here, Rambo. All the other brothers have gone.”

  Mad Dog paused, his eyes traveling from Ellen to Mason. His dark brows collapsed on one another. “You two weren’t arguing, were you?”

  “No. What gave you that idea? Ellen was telling me about the student she just caned in the office,” Mason said, laughing, but Ellen remained stoic.

  “Well, after that you must need a good stiff drink of whiskey to settle your nerves. Come, Madame Principal. I’ll buy you your first drink.” Mad Dog hugged her shoulders.

  “I’m not going to the party.” Ellen looked down. “I’m tired. Mason can go without me. I trust him completely.” She couldn’t resist the dig.

  “What do you mean you’re not going? You have to come. You’re the guest of honor. If it wasn’t for you, Sons of Thunder wouldn’t have done this. Rambo, talk some sense into her.”