The Vigilante (15 page)

“Never you mind about
my
car. It’s yours they’re after. Mind your own business, you damned fool!” Callahan changed his tone, becoming conciliatory, “Shit, Denny, I know how badly you needed
it
, but now, what’ll you do?” Serena saw Callahan’s hand reach out in sympathy, touching Denny’s shoulder. “I hope to hell it was worth it!” The two men stood together, commiserating, trying to figure a way out of Denny’s dilemma.

“Filthy, damned, birds of a feather!” Serena breathed. “He
is
the one! That evil, sorry little bastard raped and molested that poor little girl!” She gnashed her teeth while she made her way around the side of the house. She wanted a look at Fred’s unused automobile. She saw it parked close against the back of the house, a dark blue sedan, partially hidden by heavy growths of shrubbery.

“So, Freddie, boy, you’ve got yourself a sordid history all tucked away back here behind the bushes, just like your dear friend, Denny. Bet the police would like to know your past a little better.” Hmmm,” she mused. “Must be a reason Fred never drives his car, fool should have traded it in if it was hot.”

Serena turned away from that house of evil, made her way from the yard, and slipped down the street to her vehicle. She chuckled as she drove the darkened streets. “This will take a bit of putting together. I hope Martha isn’t planning to work a lot in the next few weeks.” Once in the garage, Serena shucked off her disguise, shoved the materials behind the sheet of plywood, and entered the house.

Scrubbing at her heavy make-up, she snorted. “No need to drive poor Martha any crazier than she already thinks she is.” Smiling, she added, “That Bob Chance is worth a look-see. Martha, you dizzy milk-sop, go for it!”

***

Struggling awake, Martha stumbled to the bathroom. At a casual glance in the mirror, she jerked in alarm. “God in heaven! What
is
this stuff on my face?” Peering closely, she saw the remnants of scraggly hair and smears of heavy make-up clinging in several places. Martha scrubbed vigorously to clean away the strange stuff. Her cheeks were reddened from whatever her alter had used. “It looks like rouge or something. What’s going
on
?” Her face appeared pale with dark circles beneath her eyes. “I look like I never get any sleep, and I feel like it, too.”

Fretting over this newer aberration and her inability to remember, she knew for certain that once again something had happened. “How could she have gotten all that make-up or whatever it was on me without my knowledge? And I can’t believe how tired I feel this morning. Morning? It’s after ten o’clock!”

In her heart, she knew the reason was her other self. But what had that unknown person been up to? Feeling very uneasy and puzzled, she stepped into the shower and scrubbed herself clean. Toweling off, she checked again and thought her appearance, though reddened, had improved.

Martha wanted to call her daughter but refused to add to Jeannie’s already overwhelming troubles. “I can’t put this nonsense on her.”

She’d wait and see how she felt. “I’m taking Will to
Biggie’s Burgers
again, I’ll see her then.” She sighed in frustration. “Oh, how I long to confide in someone! Worrying about an alter’s aberrant behavior is taxing me no end. I’m frightened and completely alone with it. Who’d believe it if I told them?”

But she knew her doctors would, and she planned to tell them.

CHAPTER 16

Jake took some time from watching TV to think about the purple spots he’d seen. “When that detective, Mapus, came into the ER, asking about the creep who got cut, and mentioned seeing spots, I couldn’t remember where I’d seen them at the time.” He frowned. “He said purple spots were found on the ground at the crime scene. But I’ve seen someone with funny spots, too—at work, I think. Could a thing like that be a connection to a crime or just a coincidence?”

He jumped up suddenly remembering. “I saw those spots on that older nurse, Lavery. She’d tried to hide them with make-up, but I saw ‘em, at least the one time.” Excited, he paced the floor of his tiny apartment. The walls seemed too close and he felt closed in.
My God
!
I wonder what this means
?

He worked to remember when she’d had the damning marks. “I’ll keep an eye out. Maybe I’ll remember it better if I see her at work again. I don’t want to call that detective until I know what I’m talking about.” Unable to rest in his excitement, he switched on the TV. Finding nothing of interest, he hoisted a few beers and went to bed.

Lying there, he listed the possibilities. “I’ve seen blue spots on AIDS patients, too, but they look furry, and are symptomatic of
Kaposi’s Sarcoma.
But on a nurse, I wouldn’t think so. Of course, it’s not politically correct to test for AIDS when you apply for a position in health care, or a restaurant either, for that matter. You must test for TB, but are not required to test for AIDS—how strange is that?” He continued grumbling until, finally, he slept.

***

Will jumped with excitement when he heard Martha’s car pull up. “Mommy, she’s here! Grammy’s here!”

His wild-eyed frenzy caught at Jeannie’s heart.
What’s next? He certainly
isn’t himself in this way either.
“Settle down, Will. Give her a chance to come in for a minute.”

Since his last visit to Biggie’s, she’d watched the wildness steadily building in him—his eyes and voice, his movements, were jerky and barely controlled. The helplessness, of ever getting her innocent little son back, had crept insidiously into her soul.
Has my boy changed into a total stranger, a monster in the making
?

She eagerly met Martha at the door. “Hi, Mom, Will’s all excited, in fact, too excited. I’m worried sick about him. He hasn’t settled down at all since the incident in the park. He doesn’t sleep well, thrashes and moans in his sleep at night.” She frowned, blinking back tears. “I don’t feel right spanking him after all that’s happened, but maybe I need to consider stronger measures, or some way to get his attention.”

“Let’s see how it goes today,” Martha said. “I’d like to be able to correct his behavior if I need to. You may be right about a stronger hand, but you’d best see what his therapist says about that, too.” She felt Will’s small hands clutching tightly at her jeans, his face upturned to hers, and his feet nearly jumping on the floor.

“Hi darlin’, ready for
Biggie’s
today?
” she asked. “Maybe you’d like to go to another place
,
would you?”

“Nope, Grammy, I like my old one with the slides, and I’m not afraid of nobody, no more!” His voice, strong and belligerent, sent a pang through her.

“Wow, Will! I hope we won’t meet any dinosaurs or dragons today.” She took his hand and led him to her car. “If we do, let’s talk about it, okay?”

Will chattered on, his speech excited and aimless. He sat restlessly in his safety seat, occasionally letting out a shrill shriek. Martha couldn’t believe the changes in his behavior compared to their last visit to
Biggie’s Burgers
. “Grammy, will the bad boy be there?”

His voice was so shrill
, it made her sick to hear it. “I don’t know, Will. Why?”

“I’m going to punch his nose and make blood come out, Grammy.”

Nonplussed at Will’s attitude, Martha cautioned, her voice stern. “You’ll not be a bully at
Biggie’s
today, Will, I
won’t
have it. If he’s there, we’ll see how he acts. If he’s nice, you must be nice too. Got that?”

She knew her firm voice made no difference to Will, or even got through to his overly excited mind. With his belligerent new attitude, she wondered how the day would play out.

At the counter, they ordered. Will took no interest in his choices. He searched about for the bully.

“He’s here, Grammy! That mean old boy’s here!” He could barely wait until they were seated before he pulled off his shoes in readiness to play.

“Not until you’ve eaten, Will.” She made him sit and finish his Bittie Meal. “Now you may play, Will, but I won’t have you being a bully, and don’t you forget it!”

Will approached the bully, a larger, freckle faced, red headed child. “Wanna play?” he asked, standing straight and strong, face to face with the larger child.

“Yeah, with you and who else!” The boy raised his chin at Will and sneered. “Get away from me, you snotty nosed brat!” He reached out and shoved the flat of his hand against Will’s chest, making him step backward.

Will doubled up his fist, took a good swing, and hit the larger boy square on the nose. Seeing the blood spurting out of the child’s nostrils, Will stood there, just staring. Suddenly, the boy screamed and tore into him with both fists, pummeling, heavy and fast.

Martha swung into action, pulling the boys apart. “Here now, stop this. Where is your mother?” she asked the red-headed boy, holding him away from Will. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a thin, dark haired woman approach, her face clouded with anger.

“You leave my boy alone, and mind your own business!” The woman grabbed the boy and held him. “Lester, you okay! Did that boy hit you?”

“Yeah, Momma, he busted me right in my nose. He’s a meany, he is!” He sniffed tears while his mother blotted at the blood dripping down his shirt.

“Just wait until your father hears of this. You know he’ll tan your hide again, and real hard, too.” She lowered her voice to a soft menacing whisper as she spoke. The boy stopped crying and became silent. His face took on an ashen glow that Martha knew was terror.

At the haunting look of fear in the boy’s eyes, and his tightly drawn face, Martha knew instantly this little fellow was one more small child who suffered abuse at his father’s hands, most likely severe and often. Her shoulders slumped in a deepening sense of futility “Must you tell his father if the punishment will be so severe?”

“Lady, you just mind your own damned business. We know how to raise our boy, and don’t need ’nuthin’ from the likes of you.” She yanked her son sharply by his arm, and as they left the play area together, she warned, “You’ll be lucky if we don’t sue!”

Sickened, Martha gathered her grandson into her arms. “Will, I know why that poor boy is mean to others. It sounds like his parents are very harsh with him. I wouldn’t want what happened to you to make you a mean person. Do you see how the bad punishment at his home makes him behave? We don’t want you to be that way. Stand up for yourself, but
never
be mean,
never
!
Do you understand?”

“Yes Grammy, I think so. Maybe I shouldn’t hit first, huh?”

“That’s right, Will. Stick up for your rights, but watch out for the rights of others, too.”

She hoped he heard her. He was quieter and seemed lost in his own world as they drove home.
What’s going through that boy’s mind now
?
Will remained silent and took no interest in any sights passing by their car.
What now
?
Martha thought in despair.

She told Jeannie the things that had taken place. “Somehow, today might be a good thing. Will knows why the boy acted so violently. And sorry as it is to say, he knows it’s because that boy’s parents are very severe with him. Cruelty begets cruelty, and while I don’t want to say the boy’s parents are abusive, I saw a very real look of fear in that boy’s eyes.” Martha held out her hands in frustration. “Are we to be surrounded by abuse everywhere we turn?”

“It looks that way right now. Maybe that’s why I want to move from here. But if these things happen everywhere, would a new place be any better?”

Martha had no answer. “See what Martin has to say. I wish he wasn’t gone so much. You need him home, more. He’s very good for Will and you, too.”

“He realizes that. We may need to move to Denver since he spends so much time there.” Jeannie paused then added, “Would you move there, too?”

“Probably, but not until I get myself straightened out.”

“How’s that going?”

“I see the doctor again in a couple of days. I dread going anymore, but I know I have to. Else I’ll never get rid of this thing.”

“This thing? It sounds so weird.” Jeannie shuddered. “Let me know what happens, okay Mom?”

“You know I will. You can tell Martin whatever you feel is necessary. He might want to know what a kook his mother-in-law is. Or would he?”

“He loves you, and your troubles are ours, you know that.”

“Thanks Jeannie, that means more than you could ever imagine. I wonder how you’ll feel when we learn all of it,” Martha said. “I wonder how I’ll feel, too.”

She took her leave, wondering what would happen next. Her hope that young Will would be influenced positively by what he’d experienced today held her attention.

But under all her other concerns, lay the dreaded knowledge of what had happened to her as a child. “It must have been horrendous, if I needed another part of me to withstand it.” She shuddered as a sick chill passed through her.

As she arrived at her driveway, she saw with delight that Lizzie Marin’s Caddy was sitting there in all its glistening glory. When Martha pulled in, her friend hopped out, slammed the door, and came striding over.

She leaned into the car window with her hazel eyes fixed on Martha. “Hey, girlfriend, haven’t heard a word from you. What’s happening?”

“Come in, Lizzie. Soon as I park this thing, I’ll make tea and we can talk.” Martha wanted to tell Lizzie everything, but couldn’t, not just yet. Same with Bob, I can’t tell him these insane things, either.
If this dreadful thing isn’t taken off me soon, I think I’ll explode from it.