Splitting Nines (1)

by Ron Gannon

Chapter 6. Mad Love

  Holding several books close to her chest, eleven-year-old Cookie strolled down the sidewalk. Dave followed close behind trying to get up enough nerve to walk alongside her. He stared at her blonde hair, feeling his heart pound rapidly and wondering if she could hear it. It was loud.

  He thought, “What do I say? Hi, Cookie. How ya doing, Cookie?”His throat felt very dry. “Say something, stupid,” he mused.

 

  Cookie stopped and turned. Her mesmerizing smile materialized. Dave froze - speechless.

 

  “Wanna carry my books?” asked Cookie.

 

  “No!” Dave quickly responded, immediately regretting it. Extremely embarrassed by his stupidity, he rushed away. He perspired and felt weak all over.

 

  The next day in class Dave gazed at Cookie from across the room as Jimmy Timber stood by his desk reading out loud. Jimmy was tall and thin. He had large lips, menacing close-set eyes, and a narrow face. There wasn’t a trace of a Rhode Island accent as he recited several paragraphs at a breakneck speed.

 

  The teacher appeared stunned. “Very good, Jimmy. Next time try not to read so fast.”

  The majority of the class laughed.

  Dave, still admiring Cookie, was oblivious to the laughter.

  Cookie turned and gave him a friendly smile. Dave smiled back. “Yes!” he thought to himself. “She likes me. The first chance I get again, I’ll carry her books.”

 

  Larry, a fat boy with a shaved head, viewed the interplay. He sat warily at the desk behind Cookie. Larry squinted, starring at his lovesick classmate. When he caught Dave’s eye, he showed him a clinched fist.

 

  After school Larry and another boy approached Dave. Larry shoved him. Within a minute or two a dozen classmates gathered around them. Anticipating a fight and thinking the kid missing a few fingers didn't have a chance against the class bully, one known for sucker punching smaller boys and getting away with it.

 

  “What’s your problem, Larry?” Dave asked, holding his right hand behind him.

 

  “You know, freak.”

 

  “I don’t have a clue. Why don’t you just tell me?”

 

  “Keep away from the new girl.”

 

  “Why? Obviously, she’s not your girlfriend. No cane. No seeing eye dog.” Dave knew he was at a disadvantage. It wouldn't be that way if he had two working fists. Even so he didn't fear Larry at all.

 

  Larry looked confused. “Huh?”

 

  “She’s not blind, stupid.”

 

  Jimmy, standing with the other spectators, laughed out loud.

 

  Larry noticed and pointed at Jimmy. “What are you laughing at, motor mouth?”

 

  Jimmy looked at him soberly, then he grinned. “Your face, Cueball. You look like E. T., only uglier.”

 

  Larry, fidgeting, squinted at Jimmy.

 

  Jimmy squinted back while shaking his head side-to-side.

 

  Larry’s round face and head turned a bright red. “When we finish with the freak,

  you’re next.”

 

  Jimmy strolled over to Dave and stood next to him. “I haven’t been in a good fight

  since I’ve moved back here from Utah.” Unexpectedly, he summoned Larry with a finger. “Come on fat boy, bring it on. I’ll add some red blood and blue bruises to your white face. You’ll look patriotic.”

  Larry and his friend sized up Jimmy and Dave. “Some other time,” Larry said, before rushing away. His friend followed.

  “Yeah! When there’s only one of us?” Jimmy yelled.

 

  Dave noticed Cookie and another classmate, Linda, exiting the school. He watched in awe.

 

  Detecting that Dave was captivated by Cookie’s loveliness, Jimmy said, “Of all the schools, in all the towns, she walks into mine. That’s the most beautiful girl ever to move to Conimicut. And that’s a gross understatement.”

 

  Dave looked up at Jimmy. “Casablanca?”

 

  “Yeah, after my re-write.”

 

  The next day in class Cookie wasn’t herself. She appeared unhappy and stressed out. No friendly smiles. Dave gawked at her all day. She didn’t seem to notice. When school let out he followed her, hoping she would become aware of him and say something. Even if it was just hi. A hand touched his right shoulder. Startled, he looked to his right but nobody was there. Jimmy was to his left. “There’s a big snake in my backyard, wanna see it?”

 

  Heartbroken, he watched Cookie get away. “Okay.”

 

  Jimmy led Dave to a small pond behind his house. A colorful red, black and white garter snake over four feet long, coiled, slept by the water. The boys stopped about ten feet away. Dave never saw a live one before. “I hate snakes!”

 

  “Come on! Show a little backbone, will ya!” Jimmy said, quoting a line out of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ his favorite movie.

 

  They went inside the house. Dave met Jimmy’s mother. “My, you’re a fine looking boy. The girls are going to be after you,” she said.

 

  “When?” Dave wondered, but said, "Thank you."

 

  “You resemble Tab Hunter, my first Hollywood heartthrob. A blond-haired, blue-eyed actor and singer. His song, Young Love, was a big hit. Many years later it turned out he was gay. He even married another man five or six years ago. Go figure. So many of the great looking men in Hollywood turn out to be gay.”

  Jimmy, agitated by his mother, said, “Ma, please...”

  "Okay! Okay! I got some vegetables to cut up for supper. I'm making your favorite: beef stew." She headed for the kitchen.

  Jimmy led Dave to an old phonograph by the wall. It had a crank and a speaker that looked like a large horn. Jimmy placed a 78 RPM record on the wheel and the arm holding the needle onto the record. He turned the crank. They listened to Paul Frees imitating Peter Lorre singing ‘My Old Flame’. It was the Spike Jones version where Frees goes into a manic rant. When it was over, Jimmy recited the lyrics and ended with: “My new lovers all so tame - They won't let me strangle them!” Jimmy held his hands out as if he was strangling someone. “My old flame - She would always treat me mean - So I poured a can of gasoline - And struck a match to...My old flame.”

 

  “You’re a sick puppy,” Dave said.

  During the summer of '87 got what he considered his first date with Cookie. Dave and Jimmy rode Rocky Point’s Cyclone. All the seats were occupied and everybody held their arms up. The two boys sat in the last car as it zoomed along at 55 mph down 3 vertical drops before rushing through 2 corkscrews.

 

  Dave felt off balance and disoriented as he stepped off the ride. To his pleasant surprise he spotted Cookie and Linda eating cotton candy and strolling through the crowed amusement park. The boys rushed over to them.

 

  They all exchange hellos and how you doing. Everybody was having a great summer and nobody was looking forward to going back to school except Dave. But he wouldn't dare tell anyone. His only reason was to be close to his dream girl. To sit by her and admire her every chance he got.

  Cookie asked, “Did you hear about the murder in Buttonwoods?”

 

  Both boys nodded. Dave said, “I read about it. She was stabbed over fifty times with a knife out of her kitchen. Lucky her two kids weren’t there. Who knows what would have happened.”

 

  “The murderer knows,” Jimmy said, moving a finger across his neck. “Leave no witnesses. Just like those turkeys did in the movie ‘In Cold Blood’. It's in black and white but still a gre
at movie.”

 

  They spent the rest of the day together: going on rides such as the Flume, Tilt-a-Whirl, Sky Diver, House of Horror and the bumper cars. Dave enjoyed every moment spent with Cookie. It was like one of his dreams. Dave never wanted it to end. Each time they touched he felt her with his heart. A feeling he never experienced before. Nothing had ever made him feel that good. It was the best day of his life. Long after they said their good-byes he felt overjoyed.

  Up until the first day of the new school year Dave couldn’t stop fantasizing about Cookie. In his dreamland they were always together laughing and having fun. Doing what teenagers in love do. Occupying a seat next to her in the classroom was one of the simple pleasures he had envisioned. Other than that, nothing notable up to the time she asked to see inside his tree house. Until then she had rejected his passes: invitations to school dances, dinner and movie dates. Every polite brush-off hurt immensely. Sorry Dave, but I made plans. My dad thinks Basic Instinct might be inappropriate. I saw Moonstruck last week. Dave eventually took the hint and gave up pursuing her.

  In August of '89, shortly prior to Florence's murder, Dave and Jimmy were browsing inside the Alpine Ski and Dive Shop. Craig Price, a large black kid, approached Jimmy.

  "If it isn't the lucky basketball geek, how's your eye?" Price asked.

  “What brings you here, sore loser? I thought blacks weren’t into skiing and diving.”

 

  Price lunged at Jimmy, wrestling him to the floor.

 

  Vickie Crane, an employee, and Barry, an off duty police officer, raced over to the combatants. Barry stopped the ruckus and separated the two. “Want me to run them in?” he asked the pretty 29 year-old woman.

 

  Vickie pondered for a few seconds. “No, just ask the big one to leave.”

 

  “Why – ‘cause I’m black?” Price glared at her.

 

  “No, I saw you start the fight.”

 

  The handsome blond cop summoned Price with a finger. “Follow me or I’ll run you in.” He flashed his badge prior to leading Price to the exit.

  Vickie was depressed. Barry, a married man, had just broken up with her. Following Barry's departure from the store, Dave asked Vickie a few questions about diving. Vickie's mind was elsewhere. With a blank stare she faced Jimmy.

  “Don’t bother with me,” Jimmy said, “I’m only into muff diving.”

 

  Vickie overreacted and ordered Jimmy to leave the store. She broke down and cried. A co-worker tried to comfort her. She accompanied Vickie to a restroom and listened to how Vickie thought Barry would leave his wife for her. That brief chat, a love letter, and Barry cheating on his wife were enough to convict the cop of murder. Vickie was murdered that night. Contrary to what her confessed murderer, Price, would say many years later, it appeared the slayer crushed Vickie’s skull with a 17 pound fire extinguisher while she slept. She was found dead with a plastic night guard in her mouth. It’s used to prevent grinding of the teeth while sleeping. There was an extremely large footprint impression on the floor by her body. Barry’s foot size was much smaller. Apparently the killer removed his footwear prior to sneaking into her apartment to murder her.