Jayne Doe (17 page)

Nothing bad is happening.

I realize this is going to be easier than I thought. I attempt to speak, “I think I'm ready to talk to everyone.” The words feel funny coming through Jayne's dry mouth. She's dehydrated.

“Are you sure?” The nurse's eyes crinkle in the corners as she turns around. “You can take more time.”

“No, it's okay. Send them in.” I wiggle Jayne's toes. “The sooner we get this over with, the better.”

The nurse opens the door to the horde of wild animals. Except for Casey. They come in. One by one.

Johnny attacks her first. “Babe, I need you to come home with me so we can work this out.” The sound of his voice grates against my spine and I grit my teeth.

“She isn't going anywhere with you,” the nurse says. “Her mother told me that she was to leave with Casey.”

“She's an adult,” Johnny heckles.

I twist Jayne's neck so that I can look at the nurse. I need her to handle the situation so that I don't get out of control.

“I can't contend with that.” The nurse looks down at the floor, then back at Jayne. “Honey, I want you to think real hard about this.”

“She's not going to think about anything,” Casey finally snaps. His arms flex as he crosses them over his chest. “Jayne, I'm taking you home.” He realizes Jayne is broken. Beat down. Expecting a man to control her. He’s hoping this will change in the future—in a healthy relationship.

The nurse doesn't give time for anyone else to react. “I need you to sign here,” she says, handing Casey a clipboard and a pen.

“But—” Johnny blurts as Casey takes the pen in his hand.

“I don't think you want to go there.” The nurse cuts him off. “I'm having a difficult time figuring out how the car was turned in a day before she came to the hospital.” The woman glares at Johnny and his uncle. “Can you explain that to me, officer?”

Yeah, and why don’t you explain how everything within your fraudulent department gets tampered with?

Hysteria settles in the officer's chest. He can't brush this one under the rug and he knows it. “I'm afraid the officer on duty may have written the wrong date.”

“Is that so?” She groans. “Isn't that a big mistake? Who would I contact to report such a thing?”

“I'll check into it when I get back to the office.”

She rolls her eyes. “And that's not a conflict of interest?” She motions to Johnny. “How are you two related?”

“Are you accusing my son of something?” Johnny’s dad pipes in.

“Nothing adds up here. If anyone can explain why the dates don't match up, I'll be happy to listen.”

“I'm ready to go home,” I say, struggling to get the words out through Jayne's lips. It's getting late. And I have one thing on my mind: buying the gun before the store closes.

Casey grabs her hand. His palm is warm and comforting and I curl Jayne's fingers into his. I want her to feel how natural it could be. “Nurse, can we get the doctor?” He asks, refusing to leave Jayne's side.

There's a tickling sensation at the edge of my consciousness. It's Jayne and she's ecstatic, but at the same time confused. Johnny isn’t wearing his typical out. The flannel shirt with long sleeves is odd to her.

Even on the coldest days of winter, he wears tee shirts to show off his biceps. I stare harder and notice the bandage hanging out of the cuff of the shirt.

“What happened to your arm?” I ask him.

His dad answers before Johnny gets a chance. “He burnt it trying to start a fire in the wood-burning stove.”

“You have a gas fireplace.” Again. Only she knows this.

Johnny's dad wants to ignore all my comments. “It's been a long day, son. She’s made her choice. Let's get going.” He looks hard at Jayne. His eyes are storm gray. “You have our number if you change your mind.”

She won't.

I stare at Johnny and he glares straight through me. Then I notice it. Flames growing in his pupils.

Heavy-duty matches.

Wax splashing against the wall as he tries to make it look like Martha's mistake. Once he blinks, everything disappears and he walks out the door. Even the demons go with him.

I let out a huge sigh and the nurse glances at Jayne. “You made the right choice, honey.” Then she squeezes Casey's shoulder and walks out of the room. Leaving me alone with Jayne and Casey.

“I'm sure we can leave as soon as I get everything signed and taken care of.” Casey's voice surprises me. He's been quiet for so long.

I force her to nod. “Can you call Billy?”

“Billy?”

Guilt rises and I know I'm going to hurt him. “I want Billy to come and get me.” I try to lift Jayne out of bed. She’s fallen so fast asleep; her body is heavy on her shaky legs.

“I can take you anywhere you need to go.” He reaches up and touches Jayne's face.

“I know. But I need to be with my family,” I growl at him, hoping he’ll get the point. I can tell he’s upset and confused.

A force like I’ve been sucker punched in the back of the head hits me.
Jayne is rejecting my choice. She’s pissed.

I can’t let her interfere.

“Please, Casey. Just call Billy.” I fight her for the words and maintain control.

Twenty-Three

“Mom's going to kick your ass if she gets a bill from the hospital.” Billy's idea of small talk is laughable as he grabs Jayne's arms and pulls us from the wheelchair. The nurse pushes it back into the building, and I force Jayne's body to crawl into the car.

I can't stand the sight of him. The smell of him. Even the way he breathes. “Just shut your mouth and take me to that gun shop on 25
^th
,” I growl. Billy adjusts the rearview to look at Jayne.

“Since when are you into guns?”

“What are you talking about?” I play stupid.

“He called me yesterday. Told me that he had everything ready for my sister,” Billy explains, raising his eyebrows,

I raise Jayne's hand and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, giving Billy a full shot of her face. “Because this will never happened again,” I say, pointing to the bruises.

“I swear, Jayne. I'll kick his ass,” Billy scoffs.

Is that before or after you praise him for hitting her?

“Don’t worry. I can take care of myself,” I snap at him.

Billy shakes his head in response and focuses on his driving until we get to the run-down gun shop.

“Do you want me to ring for him?” Billy asks and puts the car in park behind the building.

“No. I'll take care of it.” I have no idea what I'm going to do. Jayne has no money on her and I can't imagine Billy has any. I step out of the car and press the doorbell next to a steel-gray door. Sam sticks his head out the window.

“Come in.” He pulls the door open wide. “It's freezing out there.”

I hadn't noticed the cold, but Jayne's skin is covered in goose bumps.

“I'm sorry, Sam, but I don't have any money on me. I just got out of the hospital,” I say, and he looks at Jayne, really looks at her, with narrowed eyes.

“What the hell happened to you?”

“Baseball bat.” I say, and he winces. “Look, I think we should keep this short.”

He nods, making the black soot across his face smear down to his neck. He's been working since early this morning. “I need the cash,” he says with a twinge of guilt. “I only do dirty deals with cash up front.”

“I'm good for it. It's at a hotel my family is staying at. All of my stuff is there. You know Billy, right?”

He nods and the muscles in his shoulders flex. I suck in a deep breath because Jayne is starting to wake up, take control. I have to move faster.

“Look, Sam, I'm good for the money. I just need some protection.” I lean toward him. “He's coming back tonight.”

He cracks his knuckles. “You need some help?”

“No, just the gun and some bullets. The less you know, the better.”

He smirks, but finally leans over the counter and retrieves a black bag. “You ever held one before?”

I take the bag, surprised at how heavy it is. “Yes. A friend of my family used to take me shooting all the time.” I lie. Unless you count the one time Bubba got drunk enough to let us shoot his BB gun.

“So you know how to load it then?” His eyes widen.

“I'm sure I can figure it out. It's probably like the others.”
The others I never touched.

“Well, she's yours. Payment by Monday.”

“I'll be here when you open,” I say, reaching out to shake his hand. He refuses.

“That's not my style.” He glances down at the gesture and I pull it back. “And it's not my style to say I've ever seen you in here either. Are we clear?”

“As clear as that drink you got over there,” I say, pointing to a half-empty bottle of vodka on the counter. “Take a shot for me.” I smile and he grins.

When I hop back in the car, Billy is bobbing his head to an Eminem rap song. He’s going off about some girl’s anthrax in her tampax. He’s so pathetic. The only anthrax in a tampax is the douchebag up front. I can’t stand him. And the feeling is getting worse by the minute.

I try and settle myself down because I need Billy. He’s the only one that Johnny will trust.

“Billy,” I say over the blaring music. He glances in the rear view. I can only hope this goes well. Hope he doesn’t ask too many questions. “I need you to invite Johnny over when we get to the hotel.”

Twenty-Four

“I ain't taking your shit out of the car,” Billy grumbles as we climb the metal stairs on a covered porch of the hotel. “Martha threw a fit about sleeping in my room, so I guess that sticks you with me.” He opens a steel door with a gold peephole. The number 104 stares back at me.

“That's fine.” I step behind him and take in the clean floor, the rich, green tapestries.

Green tapestries.

The image sends chills all over Jayne’s skin. This is the exact place Jillian took me a few days ago. I stare at the spot she said the body rested and grind my teeth. That won’t happen. I squeeze the black bag in my hand. I’ll make sure of that. “Billy, I'll grab my stuff later.” I let out a slow calculated breath.

“Mom's sleeping next door and Martha's out with her boyfriend.”

“Okay.” I try to calm myself by resting on a tall barstool up to the kitchen counter. I rub Jayne's fingers over the smooth, cream-colored granite.

“You’re sure you want me to go to 7-Eleven and grab some food?” Billy scrunches his face.

I nod my head.
Hurry up, dumbass.

He raises his finger and points to the fridge. “Don’t eat anything unopened in here or Mom will flip. They charge for that stuff.”

I smile, but it's harder than it was before. Jayne's really starting to come to and she doesn't like me invading her body.

“Where's the bedroom? I crawl off the stool and start lugging Jayne's legs to the back. She's fighting me.

“Next to the bathroom,” he sounds from the doorway. “Be back later.”

“Billy?” I call to him. He stops. “Remember what I told you earlier.”

“Are you sure it's a good idea to have him come over here? Mom will lose her mind,” he says with a bit of fear in his voice.

I'm starting to slip out of Jayne's body and soon she’ll wake up completely and reject me.

“Do you ever listen?” I snap at him like Martha does. It’s the only way to get him to pay attention. “Have Johnny come as fast as he can.”

The door slams shut and I rush to the bedroom, dropping Jayne's body on the firm mattress. We rest on the bed and I begin to notice how weak I feel. Miserable.

“What's going on?” Jayne's voice is a squeak. She looks around for the nurse and is confused to find that she's not at the hospital.

Calm down, Jayne. You're fine.
Her eyes keep rolling to the back of her head. She's convinced that she's high on drugs and trying not to panic.

You're in the hotel. Billy left for food and Mom's asleep.
Jayne isn’t listening. Instead, she’s struggling with the bed covers.

Calm down or Mom's going to hear.
Jayne moans. She wants someone to come and help her.

Be quiet. If Mom comes in, it will ruin everything.
Her head twists and she fights with the pillows. She hates whatever I've done to her body. She's warm and alive now, a stark comparison for my coldness. I put pressure on her brain, trying to make sure she's okay.

She starts to fight.

She's weak. Too fragile to throw me out. I suck in a deep breath. The sounds of wailing screams fighting to get through the door makes me smile.

My minions are back. They brought the darkness with them.

Jill, why are you doing this?
She pleads. She knows I'm here. But she doesn't have the strength to stop it.

Quiet, Jayne.
I struggle to get her into the bathroom. I lift her hand and look beneath her skin. My spirit is graying, deepening, turning into darkness. I grab the gun and take it out of the black cloth. The small metal bullets are cold against her flesh. I load them one by one into the revolving chamber.

Please, Jill. Don't do this.
She’s beginning to understand what’s going on.
There has to be another way.
Her voice is fading.

He's never going to leave you alone. Stop fighting. If Billy were here, I'd have him do it, but he's not. So you’re the only body I have. Don’t worry. I’ll make it look like self defense.

Please, Jill.

I grab the sides of her head. She's sweating with panic, leaving her hair damp. I’m desperately seeking control. I have to let go of any forgiveness. Forget the things that made me human. Johnny has to die.

I sense him outside the hotel. He’s searching the parking lot to see if anyone is watching and then heads for the stairs. I run to the door and prop it open with the dead bolt, welcoming him inside.

101

102 He knows he’s getting closer.

103

104

He pushes open the door and looks around. He doesn't see anyone.

“Jayne?” He calls her name.

“In the bathroom.”

He heads down the tiny hallway, unarmed.