INK: Abstraction (34 page)

Filson lays out a
series of crime scene photos on the table, and I close my eyes again.
I can’t look at them, they are all horrible and there’s
something about seeing my depiction of the murders that’s
different than seeing actual pictures.

“Nigel Taylor,
Lieutenant Mark Simmons, Lieutenant Percy Farmer, Ian (Lobster)
Pilsbury, Christian Bolle, Ryan Houser, Kristin (Taffy) Ringgold,
Alice Messner, Gary Messner, Cecil Jennings, Kevin Manning, Zac (The
Squid) Munson, and these are only the ones we know about.”
Filson leans his tall heavy frame over me trying to get my attention.
I don't even know most of those names. I have a hard time not
flinching when he mentions Mark and Cecil. I didn't even know they
were killed.

“And then,
there’s Aiden Roth.” He slides a photo on the table. “The
only murder I can nail you for, but I promise you this. I’ll be
sitting in the front row when they put that needle in your arm and
you know what I’ll be thinking?” I can feel his acrid
breath on my cheek he’s so close. “I’ll be thinking
that it’s a shame we can only kill you once.”

There’s no way he
can lure me into looking. I don’t want to know that Aiden’s
gone, I can’t look at a picture of his dead body. Seeing him
splayed out like all the other victims, hung in various states of
dismemberment, would destroy me. I can’t bear to see the
confirmation that I’ll never hear, taste, smell or hold him
again.

Filson slams his hand
on the table and I jump a little in my chair. My eyes spring open but
I look away from the pictures. In a loud booming baritone he
commands, “Look at them.”

Averting my eyes I
answer small and weak, “I’d like to speak to my
attorney.”

“In good time,
when I’m damn ready.” He sits across from me. “I’ve
got two packs of smokes, a box of donuts and the coffee is flowing. I
can do this until your clock runs out.”

“We’ve got
you for another twenty hours before we have to let anyone in to see
you.” He looks over his shoulder at Glass. “You think she
can entertain us for twenty hours?”

“I know
I’m
entertained.” He’s so pleased with himself.

Just fuck

Shay

My
head is back down on the table and I’m trying to rest. I don’t
know how long I’ve been here, but I know it was light when I
got here, dark when I went to sleep and now the world outside the
tiny window dons a pale gray light. A uniformed officer comes in. I
don’t remember her name, but I recognize her from when Dad was
commissioner.

“Miss Baynes.
You’re going to be transported to county. We can’t hold
you here anymore.” She can’t look me in the eye.

“Okay, what does
that mean? Am I going to be able to talk to my attorney?” I
just want the chance to see Eli; it will hold me over for awhile.

“Sorry, he’ll
probably meet with you over at the jail.” She looks down at her
feet. “Did you need to use the restroom before you go?”

“Yes please.”

***

The police car comes to
a stop inside the third gate of the state-of-the-art county jail
facility. The high walls are menacing and I already feel
claustrophobic. Filson opens the back door of the car and motions for
me to step out. Honestly, it’s not as easy as you think getting
out of the backseat of a car with your hands behind your back.

Once I get out, Filson
smiles down at me with a cruel smirk. I know what’s coming and
I’m trying to mentally separate myself from the next hour. I’m
led through the gate where I’m patted down again and they take
my mugshot, and you would think that whether or not my hair looks
okay would be the last thing on my mind, but it isn’t.

The next step is the
fingerprinting and health check. I feel like a horse when they check
my teeth, then it’s worse when they check me for lice. There’s
only one thing left for them to do, which is the part of this that
I’m dreading the most. Okay Baynes, strip down. Dear God I was
hoping we could forgo the strip search, but apparently I’m not
that lucky.

My hesitation is met
with harsh words. “Baynes, strip!”

I nervously fidget with
the string on my shirt. “But, what about him?” I motion
toward Filson, who’s leaning against the doorway with a smug
smile on his face.

“Oh don’t
mind me, I’m just here to make sure my prisoner is properly and
completely processed.” He’s enjoying this far too much.

“Um, isn’t
this some sort of violation? I mean, he’s a…” I’m
loathed to call him a man, “…a guy.”

“Baynes, just
strip so you don’t have to be disciplined on your first day
here; we prefer inmates that do as their told,” she says. Her
eyes are apologetic, but she’s well aware that he’s not
going to leave.

Reluctantly I unbutton
my shirt.
You hear me Specter? This motherfucker is next. Make it
bloody and painful.
I look at Filson, imagining him in various
states of dismemberment, and a small conciliatory smile rises to my
lips.

“Hm, it looks
like you might be enjoying this as much as I am.” He bites his
bottom lip to obscure his greasy grin.

“I will, I
definitely will.” I’m of course referring to drawing him
dead. He’s a piece of shit that preys on people in compromised
positions. I'm sure he broke the last honest bone in his body when he
was beating off to kiddy porn as a teenager. This motherfucker eats
kittens for breakfast and drowns bunnies in his coffee.

The guard takes my
clothes and I’m standing in the middle of a room completely
naked. My hands are starting to warm. Shit, I need to seriously curb
my anger.

“Your hands are
very red,” she remarks.

“Yes, yes they
are.” I stare at Filson with enough intensity and hatred to
make him look away.
That's right, motherfucker, you're next.

He returns his
attention back to me, careful to only look in my eyes. He looks
scared shitless.
You should be scared. I'm coming for you.

During our mental
exchange I'm
thoroughly
searched. The humiliation of this
moment is running hot through me like a poker. I really wish I could
just die rather than endure one more second of this. I want Filson’s
nuts on a platter.

“Okay, that's me.
I'll see you later, Morin.” There seems to be a lot less spring
in Filson's step as he leaves us.

I’m issued my
beige jumpsuit and finally allowed to put it on. “Huh, I
thought they were orange.”

“No, sorry to
disappoint.” She leads me to my cell. I’m trying not to
cry, it’s all pretty scary. I say very little and the guard
returns the favor.

“I’m sorry
about him, he’s just an asshole.” She looks back at me
with a sad smile; she stops in front of my cell and gets in closer.
“Keep your head down, listen to instructions from the guards
and avoid everyone in here. All of these ‘ladies’ are in
here for violent crimes, just like yours. These women have the desire
and capacity to truly hurt a person. You’d be wise to remember
that.”

With those parting
words I walk into the cell carrying my bedroll.

A rough looking woman
in her forties rolls over on the top bunk. “Hey, stay quiet and
keep your fucking hands to yourself and I won’t kill you.”

“Noted,” I
say and make my bed.
Jesus Christ, Eli, where are you? You need to
get me out of here
!

Trish

My
phone goes flying across the room. “Fuck.” Billy still
won’t answer. It’s been two days. My phone rings. I
scramble to the general direction that I threw it and frantically
follow the sound of the ringing. Once I find it I look at the screen.
Disappointment mixed with a bit of anger fills me at seeing Raphael’s
name on the screen.

I’m not going
into the office, I already sent him an email. I’m a fucking
mess. This whole thing with Shay and Billy has me crazy, to the point
of barely coherent. I’m certainly not up for answering phones
or trying to figure out how many different ways to piss in Raphael’s
coffee.

I sit back on the couch
and check my phone again for any text messages. I hear the sound of
the doorknob being rattled. I stand when the door opens. “Billy!”
I run to him and throw my arms around him.

He pushes me away like
he smells something bad. He won’t look me in the eye. “I
just need to get a few things.”

“Billy, you don’t
have to go. Let’s talk about this,” I plead, following
him to the bedroom.

“Yeah, I gotta
go.” He still doesn’t look at me.

I tug at his shirt
trying to get his attention. “Come on Billy, you don’t
want to go.” I try to put a sexy tone in my voice. I’ll
do anything to keep him here.

“Get off me.”
He pushes me hard, I stumble backward.

“What the fuck,
Billy?” When I recover I grab his arm to stop him from packing.

He throws me off his
arm and I go backward again. “I said get off me.” His
voice booms in my ear and vibrates in my heart.

“No, I’m
not going to let you go.” I pick up my cell phone to call Shay.
She needs to take it all back so he won’t leave.

When he sees me dialing
the phone he moves in on me fast, pinning me against the wall. “Who
are you calling?”

“I’m
calling Shay so she can straighten this whole thing out.” I’m
feeling a little scared with how forceful he’s being.

“No, I don’t
think so.” He takes the phone from my hand and smashes it up
against the wall, being sure he’s broken it.

Fear has sealed my
mouth shut. I’m genuinely terrified. This is a side of Billy
I’ve not really seen before. He leans down and kisses me rough
and forceful. It hurts, my head is pressed hard against the wall and
his hands are around my neck. I feel like I’m choking on his
tongue, I can’t breathe. I try to fight him off, but he’s
just too big. Hopelessness fills me and my vision is blurring. I’m
starting to lose consciousness.

Billy releases me and I
gasp for air. I can only look up at him. “Billy?”

“Shut the fuck
up. I can’t believe how stupid you are.” He walks away
and I slide down the wall from lack of strength in my legs to stand.

“I don’t
understand,” I cry.

“Of course you
don’t, you’re a self-centered moron that's obviously been
donkey-punched one too many times.” He looks at me with disgust
in his eyes. “I’ve never wanted you. Every word Shay said
to you was the truth. I’ve only tolerated your stinking gash to
get near
her.
” He continues to load clothes into his
bag. “I can hardly believe how easily you fell for it. Were it
not for you I would have never been able to get that close to Shay.”

He stops for a moment
and starts making motions like he’s holding Shay, smelling her
hair and dancing with her. “I couldn’t have been with her
like I was.” Billy turns on me, causing me to flinch.

“It really was me
who took her,” he says with pride. “It was me that cut
her, marked her and made her mine.” He looks away, then back to
me. “She’ll be mine forever, you know.” The sick
gleam in his eye is scaring the ever living shit out of me. It's also
become very apparent that I may not survive this encounter. He just
told me he did it, he just implicated himself. Yeah, he's going to
kill me and I need to come to terms with my end.

“Billy, listen—”
He cuts me off, grabbing my throat again.

“No, you listen
to me, you stupid little smegma hound. If you say one fucking word to
anyone about this, I’ll cut your dead black heart out and eat
it, just like I did with Kevin.” His breath is heavy on my
skin. My life ekes from me with the realization of his confession.
“You hear me?”

I can’t move or
speak. The life force drains from me by way of this emotional wound
he just inflicted on me. I’m rendered unable to process basic
thoughts.

He slams my head
against the wall, still holding my neck. “Do you hear me?”

I nod and try to speak
through my dry mouth. “Yes.” It comes out as a croak.

“Good.” He
zips his bag and walks out the door, leaving me broken and crying on
the floor.

Eli

Someone’s
shaking my shoulder. “Eli.” I hear Jason’s voice.

I slept in the chair
last night in the police station lobby. Jesus my neck is aching. “Hey
Jason, have we heard anything?”

“Yeah, they
transferred her to county last night and finally booked her.”

“What?”
That wakes me up fast. “What about bail?”

“They pushed
everything through. No bail.” Jason sits across from me,
pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Oh shit, they’ve
transferred her to county already?” This is bad, very bad.

“Yeah, and it’s
been made abundantly clear that you are not going to be involved in
the defense. I got my ass handed to me by Judge Cole.” He rolls
his eyes. “That greasy bastard.”

“They can’t
do that.” I’m so pissed off, the outrage is pouring
through me.

“They can and
they did.” He leans back in the chair.

“How?”

“You’re
under review, Eli. You could lose your bar card.” He looks me
hard in the eye. “This is important, so really listen to me. Be
on your best behavior, that’s what you can do right now, do as
you are told. I’ll get you in as often as possible. But it
isn’t like they don’t know you up there.”

“I know, I’m
just pissed because it’s all video chat up there. I won’t
be able to be in the same room. I’ll be longing for three
inches of glass between us.” My stomach cinches at the thought
of not being able to touch her.

“When is the
initial PC hearing?” They can’t keep me from that.

“Not sure, the
DA’s office has asked for more time to enter additional
charges.” He pulls his phone out and hands it to me. “Here’s
what they’ve let me see so far in respect to evidence.”