Betrayed (7 page)

Chapter Eight

When Justin and Ginger walked into the clubhouse they were happy to see that Red had eaten two sandwiches and even a slice of warmed-up pizza. Lily was making a huge pot of chili in the kitchen for the guys when they got back from posting flyers. Ginger excused herself to help Lily. Aaron finally tore himself away from the computer game and joined Red at the table. Other club members and old ladies filed in as the day wore on.

Red felt better since he’d eaten something and was beginning to feel that good news was on the way. He was sure someone would recognize Amy from the flyers. Maybe she hit her head and lost her memory and was in a hospital recuperating. It was the thought Red hung onto. It had to be the case. He couldn’t lose his only girl.

As the rest of the club members filed in and everyone served themselves up a steaming bowl of chili, the atmosphere was more lighthearted than it had been the last few days. Like Red, the club hoped the flyers would stroke someone’s memory. They were doing something, and that felt good – like they would be rewarded with a good result.

Maybe someone saw something and would go to the police or to the club with information. The flyer’s listed both the police department number and the club’s number. Many people who did business with the auto body shop were also helping by delivering the news of Amy’s disappearance through social media.

A few laughs were heard around the clubhouse. It was fine with Justin, and he was glad to hear it. The more buoyant atmosphere gave him hope. Unfortunately, that hope would be dashed in a few hours.

*****

The hunter smelled the acrid odor as he trampled through the brush to his usual spot in the state forest. He normally came in the morning, but he had errands to take care of first. He knew morning and dusk were the best times to hunt, but he figured he’d come out anyway, relishing the smell of the outdoors and the quiet essence of the wild. He usually hunted deer, but that was out of season. Today he was hunting rabbit, but he wasn’t having much luck.

The wind had picked up, and an annoying scent cascaded down the holler towards him. It smelled like something burnt or burning.
Likely some idiot left a fire burning
, he thought.

However, it’d been a wet spring and even attempting to light a fire in these conditions would likely prove futile. And this didn’t smell like wet wood and leaves. There was something not right about it.

The hunter decided he should investigate despite the unlikely threat of a forest fire. Something propelled him forward. He didn’t know why, only that he should find out where the unnatural odor was emanating from.

He crested the top of the holler and immediately saw a vehicle parked not twenty yards away. The burning odor was stronger now than in the valley below. He didn’t notice anyone around the car, so he started to walk closer to it. Once he walked a few yards he could see a sliver of smoke wafting out the passenger side window. The window was rolled half way down.

As he walked closer to the vehicle, coming up from behind it, he noticed another smell. This one much worse than the burnt odor. Now the hunter’s instincts were on high alert. This wasn’t just an abandoned vehicle. It was too new. Someone was trying to hide it. He didn’t want to look inside the vehicle, afraid of what he might see, but curiosity got the better of him. To his relief all he saw was the remains of someone attempting to start a fire in the back seat. All it achieved was burning a hole in the fabric. But the smell coming from the trunk was different from the burning odor.

The hunter quickly retreated from the vehicle and back down into the holler the way he’d come. He grabbed his cell phone out of his back pocket, but instantly knew he wouldn’t get a signal this deep in the holler. He headed back to his truck at the road. Once there he jumped in, locked the doors, and tried his phone again. This time he got a signal. He punched in 911.

Two rings and then, “911, what is your emergency?”

“I’m out on route 29 in the Paint Creek State Park Forestry, and I found an abandoned vehicle.”

“Sir, you should call the sheriff’s department regarding an abandoned vehicle.”

“No, wait. I think there’s a dead body inside it.”

The operator wrote down the hunter’s directions and instructed him to stay put until a deputy found him. The hunter looked at his watch. It read 2:15 p.m. At approximately 2:25 two sheriff’s vehicles rolled up behind his truck. The hunter got out and told the deputies what he found. The deputies and the hunter started down the same trek into the forestry towards the abandoned vehicle. Once there, the deputies popped the trunk lid. The odor the hunter smelled an hour before now punched the air and their nostrils.

The dead girl lay on her back looking straight up. Her skin had a grayish cast which made her glassy eyes stand out even more.

“Good God,” the hunter said staring into the trunk.

“Sir, we need you to stand back,” one deputy said to the hunter, motioning him to move away from the vehicle.

The hunter hung his head and took several steps away from the car. One of the deputies grabbed his radio to call it in. He also gave dispatch the license plate number. The plate number came back with the owner’s name: Amy Taylor.

At approximately 4:00 p.m. the forensics team was on the scene gathering evidence. The girl had several knife wounds to her chest and one slash across the neck that ultimately killed her. Someone wanted her dead, but whom? And why?

*****

The killer felt he had no choice in the matter of whether to allow Amy Taylor to live or die. She was creating a problem in his life, one that could ultimately shatter it, and he couldn’t have that. He tried to reason with her – he even begged her, but it was falling on deaf ears.
Why couldn’t she just be quiet
, he thought. If she would only listen to reason and not blow things out of proportion or make it difficult for him none of this would have occurred.

But she didn’t. Amy was headstrong, and it was eventually her downfall. Even in those last moments he tried in vain to stop her from causing anymore harm to his life, but she wouldn’t listen. It was a split-second decision, not something thought out or premeditated, or at least he didn’t think so until later. Perhaps he had entertained the thought of killing her in the darkest recesses of his mind, but only when his rage surfaced did it come to fruition.

The knife was one of convenience. If it hadn’t been there, he likely would have used another way to kill her. But it was. He grabbed the long knife as it sat on the counter and plunged it deep into her chest and then back out again. Amy fell backwards and clutched at the wound.

She didn’t speak, but her eyes said volumes.
Why?
they screamed.

But surely she must know why,
he thought. Those pleading eyes should have stopped him…should have thrown him back into the reality of the situation, but his own rage devoured him – even propelled him to continue. He had a choice, but now it was too late. He had to finish it.

She was running now, towards the door. He spun her around and plunged the knife into her chest again. A loud scream of pain emitted from her lips. He had to keep her quiet. The next slash was across her throat, which ended a second scream in mid-stream. She crumpled to the floor holding her neck. He heard the gasps and gurgling as he backed away. The blood poured from the gash on her neck. He ran to the linen closet and grabbed a stack of towels to sop up the blood. He then took several large garbage bags and stuffed her into them. He couldn’t carry a dead woman out the front door, but a large garbage bag wouldn’t look too suspicious. First he had to clean himself up. He took a shower and washed his clothes, making sure to use a spot remover on his bloody pants and shirt. He was surprised to see how well it worked. While waiting for his clothes to dry he cleaned the blood from the hardwood floors. He looked for bleach but couldn’t find any. He knew the police would discover this was the kill spot, but he couldn’t worry about that now. First things first.

He loaded her into the trunk of her car and headed to the Paint Creek State Park Forestry. He’d hunted there as a boy and remembered some of the less traveled areas. Of course, that was years ago and what he thought would be secluded was quite open today. Most of the Forestry was well hunted now so he wouldn’t find much seclusion, but he didn’t know that.

He pulled the car off the beaten path down a dirt road. When that road ended he took it another two miles until he could no longer drive between the trees. He hadn’t time to consider bringing a flammable material with him to torch the car. He tried to set the seat on fire by ripping a hole in it and lighting the padding. It actually took off at first, but the damp conditions hindered any gusto the fire contained. It continued to smolder, leaving an acrid odor. The killer didn’t worry too much about it. He thought he’d have time to come back with the right supplies to set fire to the vehicle and destroy any evidence he may have left behind. Just in case, he wiped down the entire car.

He opened the lid and tore open the garbage bag for one last look to ensure she was dead. Her transparent, unseeing  eyes stared up at him accusingly. He shut the lid. He had a long walk back, and he wanted to give the house one more look through. He caught a bus at the edge of town after walking eight miles out of the Forestry. After sneaking back into Amy’s home he looked for any items that might be out of place. He didn’t see anything and turned to walk out the door.

Suddenly a photo caught his eye. It was of Amy and her son, Aaron. Tears clouded his vision. There was no taking it back now. What was done was done. He looked at the photo and said, “See what you made me do.” The killer walked out the door. Time for the fallout to begin.

Chapter Nine

When the police arrived at the WWMC clubhouse everyone knew it was bad news. The police don’t show up to hand out good news. Red sat at his table, and Justin motioned for the police to come over to his table. Everyone gathered around to hear the news.

The police explained that a hunter found an abandoned vehicle in the Paint Creek State Forestry. The car’s license plate came back as owned by Amy Taylor. Upon further investigation a body was found in the trunk. From the picture on the flyers, the police were able to identify it as Amy’s.

Screams of horror and disbelief filled the clubhouse as Red yelled out in anguish. Aaron began to sob, and Lily took him in her arms. Justin just sat there, with his hollow eyes staring at nothing and all the strength drained from his body. He walked over to Red to console him, trying to stay strong and keep his own tears from flowing down his cheeks.

Ginger followed Justin, worried about both him and Red. The rest of the members were stunned. They had hoped there was a chance she’d come out of this alive, but that hope had been dashed.

The police gave their condolences to the family and promised to find out who did this. Forensics was working on the vehicle and gained entry into her home to look for evidence as well.

“I want to see her,” Red choked out between sobs.

“Dad,” Justin said in an effort to sway him against it.

“No! I want to see my girl one last time.”

The police explained that an autopsy was under way and that the family could see her after it was completed. Red nodded his head and wiped the tears from his face.

After the police left, only whispers and sobs could be heard in the devastated clubhouse. Justin tried to console his father, but he only wanted to be left alone. “I’m staying here tonight at the clubhouse,” he said as he walked to the office, which contained a roll out cot. Justin knew better than to argue with his dad. Big Red needed to be alone right now, and Justin had to give him his space.

Justin walked over to Aaron who was still crying in Lily’s embrace.

“Buddy, I’m so sorry,” Justin said putting a hand on Aaron’s back. “We’ll find out who did this.”

“Why don’t you come home with me and Connor tonight?” Lily persuaded Aaron as she wiped the tears from his face. He nodded in approval. “Okay, go get your jacket.”

After Aaron walked away, tears sprung into Lily’s eyes as she hugged Justin. Both were trying to be strong, especially in front of Aaron. When they pulled apart Lily said, “He needs a motherly influence right now. I’ll take care of him.”

“Thank you, Lily. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

“I know you need to look after Big Red right now, so I’ll look after Aaron.” At that moment Connor walked up. He gave Justin a hug of condolence. “We’ll both look after Aaron, don’t you worry about him.”

“Thanks, bud…you’re always here for me.”

“Always,” Connor replied.

Ginger stood behind Justin still stunned by what just occurred. She really thought Amy would come home alive. Was her intuition off? Or had it all been false hope? It’s a human condition to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. She hadn’t prepared herself for the second part.

As Lily and Connor led Aaron away, Ginger said, “Would you like to come back to my place? I don’t think you should be alone.”

“I would very much like to be with you right now,” Justin answered. His eyes were so sad it broke her heart. He looked in on his Dad who was already lying on the cot. He doubted he was asleep though. A few of the WWMC said they would stay the night at the clubhouse in case Red needed anything. Justin thanked them and headed out the door with Ginger.

*****

The ride back to Ginger’s condo was silent except for a few quiet sobs from Justin. Ginger drove as Justin was in no shape to be behind the wheel. After entering the condo Justin slumped onto the couch.

“I can’t believe I’ll never see or talk to Amy again.” A torrent of tears streamed down his face. Ginger ran over, sat next to him on the couch, and held his head in her lap as he finally gave in to the anguish. His body shook in her arms as she tried to soothe him by running her hand through his thick hair. They remained like this for several minutes until his sobs quieted and he raised his head from her lap. Justin wiped away the tears from his face with his sleeve. Ginger got up and brought back a box of tissues of both of them.

Once they had collected themselves Ginger offered Justin a drink. She thought it might help both of their nerves, and Justin accepted it. She fixed them both a Jack Daniels and coke, heavy on the JD. They sipped their drinks and sat quietly in the dimly lit condo. Finally Justin spoke.

“I can’t believe this has happened. I keep thinking any moment I’ll wake up and find out it was all a nightmare, but I never do.” Justin felt defeated, like all the energy had been drained out of him and all that was left was a shell. All he could feel was grief, and it was torture. There’s something about grief that poisons the soul and he thought, if it could take him down this hard, what would it do to his father?

Justin didn’t want to feel the sorrow any longer. He wanted to feel something else, even if it was for a short time, anything to give him release. He leaned over to kiss Ginger. She understood he needed to feel close to someone right at this moment and even if she didn’t know it at the time, she did as well.

The kisses were soft at first and then more fervent. His tongue eagerly entered her mouth, and she opened wide allowing him to take total control. The sensations pulsing through her body were like electric jolts spreading from her chest down her legs. The wetness poured from her as she opened her legs, allowing him to wedge between them. He searched for the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Justin leaned up just enough to pull off his own.

He leaned back down cupping one breast under her bra as he took her mouth once more. Ginger arched her back, letting her chest heave forward, welcoming his fondling touch. He reached around and undid the bra, flinging it to the floor. He then consumed one breast with his mouth while flicking the nipple of the other. The sensations floating in her chest and vagina were carrying off from this atmosphere of despair to a land of pleasure. She didn’t feel guilty. They needed this to release the stress and more importantly, to feel alive.

Ginger reached down and unbuckled Justin’s belt, released the snap on his jeans, and lowered the zipper. She reached down for a handful of Justin before she undid her own pants. Justin leaned back and pulled Ginger’s jeans and panties down to her knees. He stood up and pulled his own off jeans. Ginger stood to do the same, using one foot to hold the pants down as she removed the other foot, then shaking the other pant leg down and kicking the jeans away.

Ginger looked at the large erection that was pointing at her. She wanted to feel it inside her…she felt she would scream if she didn’t have it now. Their minds and desires were in perfect synchronicity now, and Justin reached for the thighs of the most beautiful woman he had ever seem. He lifted her to his chest. No hands were necessary as he lowered her eagerly awaiting body, throbbing and wet, onto his long rigid spike. It filled her vagina completely, and she moaned and dug her nails into his neck and back as he plunged it deep, in and out, deeper and deeper.

Justin moved slowly and masterfully as Ginger’s body begged for more speed. But Justin was in control, and she soon slowed to his pace. She understood now that this would not be a short sprint to a climax, but a true lovemaking session, unlike anything she had experienced before with ordinary men, and she surrendered herself completely to his lead.

Ginger licked Justin’s ear and whispered for him to take her to her bedroom, and Justin complied, walking, still intertwined, the short distance. She reached back and threw back the covers as Justin laid her down and drove himself more deeply than she had ever been penetrated. She shrieked, and Justin pulled back as they found a new and slightly more brisk rhythm, with her heels behind his buttocks.

It was as if the mechanics of thrusting and pumping body parts disappeared, and there was only a single union of love and ecstasy that had transported them to a realm where their souls intertwined. He pushed and groaned feeling her warmth as they explored more positions and more wonders of each other’s bodies…wonders that did not and could not exist except when they were together.

Her climax was growing with each thrust as she climbed the stairway to heaven, step by step, ready to plunge into an ocean of pleasure. Ginger dug her fingernails into Justin’s back, screaming and quivering as she dove into a sea of bliss. The amazing man kept going, faster now, and Ginger felt her body rolling into another orgasm, and another. He felt her walls as they shuddered around his magic wand, until he finally succumbed to his own exploding release that washed over his body in tumultuous shakes and shivers.

They lay together, spent and covered with the glow of sweat and utter satisfaction. He held her close, their breathing flowing in a single rhythm. There was no need even to look at each other right now; they were one being, totally in tune and in touch. In fact, Justin was afraid that he would lose himself forever, falling eternally, if he dared to gaze into Ginger’s perfect eyes at this sacred moment.

Justin felt a deep kinship with Ginger. She had seen him at his most vulnerable, in anger and in grief, and it didn’t scare her away. The women of his past wouldn’t want to deal with the drama, but Ginger was different, and he knew it right away.

Ginger wanted their first time to be rose petals on the bed and a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket. But life doesn’t always hand you roses, and she knew that all too well. Still, she wouldn’t trade this magical once-in-a-lifetime moment for anything, and she would cherish it forever, no matter what might lie ahead. It wasn’t the romantic backdrop she had hoped for, but the act drew them so much closer. It was what they both needed at the time, a closeness that pushed out all the darkness surrounding them, if only for a few precious minutes.

Whether they knew it or not, they had been joined as one. Their souls were woven together in an unbreakable bond. The heavens had answered Ginger’s prayer for a soul mate. Of course, she didn’t know that yet. She played with the idea that this was just a moment of fantasy that she needed just this once – but something deep inside her heart and mind told her it might be more. No doubt, she would question the devotion of this man – this unstoppable force of nature – in the upcoming months. After all, she had a high bar when it came to choosing the right man. And, like the old song says, when an irresistible force meets and immovable object, something’s gotta give. Friction was inevitable.

Justin would have his own challenges to face too, including his father’s impending death and finding his sister’s killer – all this while attempting to cement his future with Ginger. It’s not easy for two strong, independent people to become one cooperative team…but they were beyond the point of no-return now, and neither of them could live a day without the other any longer. It would be a difficult road for both of them. But love conquers all…or, at least, that is the hope we all cling to.