“Ariel could be another Justine. Besides, who cares? Just stay home.”
“She needs to know that Justine is a fake.”
“I’ll bet she already knows.”
“I’ll talk to her this last time. Somewhere safe.”
“Like...where?”
“Coffee Hut is open twenty-four hours a day. Enough people go in and out of the place.”
“How are you going to get there?”
“A cab.”
“I can’t stop you, Princess, but be careful. If it gets weird, call me.”
After Bobby hung up, Piper typed in her response:
“Meet you at Coffee Hut in a half-hour.”
*****
Bill and Helga were picked up by an elderly woman who felt sorry for the man and his dog wandering the roads so late.
“Where can I take you?” she asked.
Bill, in his pajamas, Helga in the backseat of the Buick, seemed intent, his expression serious. “The Heights. I need to talk to T. at the club-house.”
“Who’s T.?” she asked.
Bill looked closely at the woman, who had to be almost eighty; thin, wrinkled skin covered in age spots, brown eyes bright. Her thin frame was wrapped in a peacoat, a knitted cap on her head.
“T.’s a guy I know,” Bill said.
“The Heights is dangerous at night. I don’t drive through there, but I can drop you off on Jefferson.”
“Okay. That’s fine.”
The woman continued to study Bill while driving. She noticed his pajamas and how he kept looking to the backseat, as if to make sure the dog was still there. A small gob of drool hung from Helga’s upper lip, but her gaze did not waver from Bill.
The woman did not recognize dementia in Bill; he seemed too young, his blue eyes clear and smile friendly. She had assumed his car broke down or he was homeless.
“Do you have a lot of friends at this club-house?” she asked.
Bill smiled. “Just a few. Everyone knows a Diamond in this town.”
She gripped the steering wheel tight, but stayed calm. “You mean, the Blue Diamonds?”
“Yeah. But you can drop me at Jefferson. I can walk.”
“I can take you somewhere else. Do you have family nearby?”
“My wife’s at work, and my brother is probably in bed asleep. He and his wife are teachers. I work at the mill. Maintenance.”
The woman continued to drive, fifteen minutes from Jefferson. She slowly took her left hand from the wheel, reaching for her cell phone in her coat pocket. “It’s a long walk from Jefferson to the Diamond club-house. Why don’t I take you all the way?” She felt the phone in her hand. “What is your name?”
“I’m Bill. This is Helga.”
“Hi, Bill. I’m Dorothy.”
*****
Piper, before leaving her house, searched the kitchen. In the junk drawer, she found her mother’s old can of pepper spray, part of a key chain still attached. Robin had bought the small, slim can after her car was broken into at a parking garage in Falls River.
Piper slipped the spray into the back pocket of her jeans. She put on her short leather jacket, her wallet, cell phone and house keys inside. She noticed the night had become chilly, but she had decided to wait at the end of her driveway for the cab, which would take fifteen minutes to get to her house.
She did not take a flashlight, but the front porch light was bright enough to guide her steps.
The curfew had yet to be enforced, but Piper did not intend to stay out for long. Robin would be home by midnight, expecting Piper to be in bed asleep. Piper had no intention of having to explain her actions to her mother, so she was not going to linger for long with Ariel at the Coffee Hut.
*****
Bobby tried calling Piper again, but she had turned off her phone, meaning she had made up her mind.
Bobby had stored his scooter, almost out of gas, back in his room. If he got it started, he could meet with Piper at the Coffee Hut, but he doubted he could get the scooter that far.
His mother left some money in the cookie jar she kept in the kitchen cupboard for emergencies. Rick did not even know about the cookie jar stash.
Bobby, since his last conversation with Piper, could not shake the anxiety he was feeling.
She’s making a mistake, he thought. She can’t trust Ariel anymore than Justine. They’re all psychos, and Princess doesn’t understand that there are some people who are just bad.
Bobby searched the cookie jar, finding three twenty-dollar bills. He took one twenty, plenty for gas.
He took off his pajamas and dressed again in his jeans and T-shirt with the saddle shoes he found at GoodWill. Then he pushed his scooter out of the apartment, getting it down the stairs to the parking lot, taking another ten minutes. He turned the key in the ignition, the engine starting easily. He put on his helmet, hoping he had enough fuel to get to the gas station.
*****
Aron drove up and down Farm Road, spending almost a half-hour searching for Bill. He knew he could search longer, but he was tired and Sonya was alone. He decided to return to the house to check up on Sonya before going back out.
Bill might get tired and turn around, he thought. I can only hope.
He was close to the house when he checked the messages on his cell. Sonya called twice.
Aron pulled into the driveway and parked at the garage. The porch light was still on. He shut the driver’s side door and was approaching the steps when he heard someone behind him. Before he could completely turn around, the first hard blow from the shovel made him stagger. The second struck him in the face, making him fall backwards.
The third, to the side of his head, knocked him out. His attacker threw the shovel to the side and turned on his flashlight, heading for the backyard beyond the fence.
*****
“Thanks for the ride,” Bill said.
Dorothy had parked at the club-house. The long line of motorcycles in the lot could not be missed. “Are you sure you have friends here?”
“Yeah.” Bill got out of the car, opening the back door. “Come on, Helga.”
The Boxer stared at Dorothy, her tail wagging slowly, as if she knew Bill was looking for trouble. However, she obeyed, her big paws landing on the cracked pavement next to him.
Dorothy got out of her car, coming over to his side. “I can call your wife—”
Bill’s eyes widened. “Sue? I haven’t spoke to her in years.”
Dorothy shook her head. “You said she was at work.”
He shrugged. “Probably.”
“Bill?”
Dorothy turned around to see a young man in leather, long brown hair past his waist. “You know him?”
Shawn nodded and smiled, trying to put the old woman at ease. “What brings you here, Bill?”
“I wanted to talk to T. About Ernie.”
“T.’s in Florida. He had a stroke.”
“Oh. That’s a shame.”
Dorothy turned to Shawn. “Do you know where he lives?”
“I live at 803 South Garland Road, ma’am,” Bill said.
“Yes, he does,” Shawn said. “It’s okay. I can take him home.”
“All right,” Dorothy said. “But maybe the police—”
“He’s safe with me.”
She backed down. “Okay...”
“I’m going out that way. He’ll be fine.”
Dorothy knew enough about the Blue Diamonds to be afraid of them, but the guy seemed nice, in spite of the long hair and biker gear. “I think he’s confused...”
“Bill gets a little confused sometimes, but I’m sure his brother is out looking for him.” Shawn continued to smile. “Come on, Bill. You and your dog can get in my truck.”
The front door to the club-house opened, loud music and voices floating outside. Shawn took in tall, skinny Toon and Donut’s son, Waylon.
Bill sighed. “T. would listen to
me. I don’t know those other guys...”
“You can tell me,” Shawn said. “Maybe I can help.”
*****
Sonya tried calling Cal, but his phone was off.
She left a message:
“Cal, I found out that my neighbor, Kyle Stone, used to work at Haven Rest when Trey Winstead was a patient there. I think Kyle also knew Justine Kent. Please call me back.”
She hung up, not hearing Aron come home. She felt tired, but would not be able to go to sleep until Aron returned with Bill.
She returned downstairs to the kitchen, taking a can of Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator. She turned the corner while looking out at the back yard through the sliding glass doors. She saw a flash of light between the trees.
Is Bill out there? she thought. Did he find his way back?
She used the phone by Bill’s chair, calling Aron’s number, but no answer. She turned on the outside light to the back deck, but another light was moving around in the distance, as if from a flashlight.
Sonya opened the sliding door. “Uncle Bill!”
He did not answer. Sonya reached for her fleece hoodie. She did not see the harm in walking to the end of the fence.
*****
Piper only started to have second thoughts after she had time to think about Ariel’s possible motives.
A transvestite, she thought. Why did she lie to me? I don’t think she’d harm me, but I can’t afford to get pulled into the same trouble I had with Justine.
She paced the driveway for several minutes, knowing Justine would never fool her again, but Ariel might not be so wise.
I feel sorry for her, she thought. But how can I protect myself if I keep getting tangled up with Justine? It was her idea to have Ariel contact me, and I can’t keep falling for it. Ariel may know something about the Ravisher, but the only way she would tell me is if I give her something in return.
She turned around and headed for her house. Her steps were not fast. She swatted at a mosquito that buzzed around her head. She cut across the front lawn, up the steps. The front porch was lit, and she fished for the keys in her jacket pocket.
She heard footsteps to her side, the porch creaking. She looked to her right, taking in the small figure in black, wearing a ski mask, running towards her. She froze, too surprised to move at first. When Piper finally turned to run, her pursuer almost knocked her over. Piper managed to run down the steps before dropping her keys.
She reached for the pepper spray in her back pocket, but her attacker grabbed her arm, slowing her down. Piper recognized the brand of perfume; her attacker was female, breathing hard through the ski mask. This person was not the Ravisher, and Piper realized she could have a chance.
Piper pushed her weight towards her attacker, who grabbed Piper by the hair with the other hand, pulling her backwards. Piper kicked out her right leg, but she only lost her balance again, the both of them falling to the ground.
The girl, now on top of Piper, used her one hand to pull a weapon from her jacket pocket. Both of Piper’s hands were free, and she reached for the girl’s head, but she already knew who was behind the ski mask.
She pulled at the mask as the girl wielded a large rock in her right hand. Piper did not let go as the rock struck her in the nose and cheek. Piper tasted blood before Ariel’s face was revealed to her, short dark hair released under the mask, with no makeup or jewelry.
Ariel kept her weight on Piper, the rock folded tightly into her fist. She hit Piper hard in the eye, then the other cheek, opening the skin. Piper’s hands were still free, but she could not roll over enough to reach for her pepper spray.
She decided to give up.
“Ariel, stop! What do you want?”
The girl stopped hitting her, panting hard. “Justine made a deal with me.”
Blood had filled Piper’s mouth, but she kept talking. “You were friends with her at Haven Rest...”
“I loved Justine.”
“She’s a fake.”
Ariel laughed. She dropped the rock, her fingers bloody. “Justine is a fake in more ways than one.” She stayed on Piper, but her fingers moved to the the zipper on her jeans. “There was one thing Justine couldn’t get from girls that she could get from me...”
Ariel unzipped her pants and scooted up Piper’s torso, her hands searching through Piper’s leather jacket.
“Justine didn’t ask me to do this to you,” Ariel said, “but she always enjoyed it...”
Ariel once again grabbed Piper by the hair. A finger rubbed against Piper’s bloody lips, smearing the blood over her cheeks, making the cut throb.
Piper, trying to keep herself from panicking, pushed her hands against Ariel’s chest, then started bucking with her legs.
Ariel wanted to move up more, closer to Piper’s face. When she rose for a moment, Piper was able to turn over, throwing them both to the side. She reached for her pepper spray, which slipped from her sweaty hand.
Piper was disoriented from the beating on her face, but she tried to get up. Ariel tackled her from behind, making her fall forward.
She tried to wiggle away as Ariel grabbed at the sleeves of Piper’s jacket, pulling it off. Then the girl grabbed at the waist of Piper’s jeans, but she was wearing a belt.
The pepper spray was only inches from Piper’s reach. Ariel was now on her back. Piper felt the cool metal can in her hand, gripping it tightly as she let Ariel turn her around.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Bill was in Shawn’s truck, Helga between them in the cab. Shawn was driving down Jefferson, going east.
“Garcia must be looking into what happened to those girls again,“ Bill said. “Cal, too.”
“What girls?” Shawn asked.
“In the lake. Years ago.”
“Do you know something, Bill?”
Shawn tried to sound casual, his eyes on the road, Helga’s breath almost on his cheek.
Bill shrugged. “Everybody had their theories...”
“How did you know T.?” Shawn asked.
“His son Louie was one of Carolyn’s students. He used to give her a hard time in her classroom. She threatened to flunk him because he wouldn‘t do his homework, and he started to harrass her away from school. His mother couldn’t get through to him, but he worshipped his father, so Carolyn decided to go alone to the club-house and talk to T. directly. Aron told her not to, he thought it was unsafe, but Carolyn knew the police weren’t going to do a thing. She talked me into going with her.” Bill chuckled. “We go in there, with all of these bikers and their old ladies starring at us, but T. agreed to talk to us in a back room. It was awkward, but the harrassment stopped. Louie dropped out, anyway.”
“And you thought T. would listen to you now?”
“He was a reasonable man.”
“T. had three sons. Two are dead, including Louie. The other one is in prison.”
“They know who is cutting up those girls.”
“What about the girls in the lake?”
“Both. Why can’t they leave the girls alone?”
“They’re easy victims.”
“Just like old people and animals. How do I know you?”
Shawn thought about telling Bill the truth, but he was not sure if Bill could keep it to himself, possibly letting it slip in a confused moment around other people. Shawn had spent the last two years with the Diamonds, building a careful undercover identity that helped him gain the trust of the older and younger brothers alike. “I know your neighbor, Barb Stone. I’ve seen you around.”
Bill nodded. “Barb’s a good girl, but Wayne kept a lot from her. It was no accident, someone wanted Wayne dead.”
Shawn knew all about Wayne Stone’s death on an icy road. “Who?”
“Someone who had a daughter or a sister fished out of the lake.”
*****
Sonya walked across the yard in the dark. The beam of light was gone, but she could see wh
ere it had come from, between the trees.
“Uncle Bill!”
A breeze rustled the leaves around her feet.
Sonya was standing at the gate that separated the backyard from the trees and overgrowth. She caught a flash of light as she turned her head. She opened the gate.
“Uncle Bill! Are you out there?”
She stepped into the weeds, knowing she could trip in the dark. She had not planned to go any farther; if Bill could hear her, that should be enough.
Sonya called for him again, but decided not to go into the woods, preferring to cut behind the garage. She turned around, leaving the gate open. As she neared the garage, she saw Bill’s truck. She looked to the house, assuming Aron must have gone inside.
She started towards the back deck when she saw the light flash again, from the corner of her eye. She shook her head; Aron could go out there.
Sonya returned to the gate and shut it, the metal hinges squeaking. She was almost back to the house when she heard the hinges squeak again.
She did not turn around, already feeling someone behind her.
Sonya started to run, the deck a few yards away.
*****
Piper swung her arm, the pepper spray splashing in an arc.
The spray did not make it into Ariel’s eyes, but some landed on her cheek, the skin burning. Piper kept her finger on the button, Ariel rolling off her.
Piper, disoriented and her head bleeding, staggered as she tried to push herself up. Her legs wobbled, but she did not let go of the can.
The sound of Bobby’s scooter went unnoticed as Ariel came at Piper, knocking her down, Piper’s face landing in the grass.
Bobby cruised the scooter up the driveway, trying to take in what he was seeing on the lawn. He threw his helmet to the ground.
Piper had turned to her side, seeing Bobby running towards her and Ariel. She remained silent as Bobby landed a kick in Ariel’s hip, throwing her off Piper, then lunging towards her.
Piper watched as Ariel kicked Bobby between the legs, but Bobby ignored the pain, coming forward again and grabbing Ariel by the shoulder, head-butting her in the nose.
Ariel turned and ran, Bobby following her. Piper rose from the ground, her cell phone in her jacket, which was laying in the middle of the driveway, where Ariel was headed.
Bobby, the pain throbbing between his legs, did not slow down, his hand just inches from Ariel‘s back.
The yellow taxi cab was speeding as it turned the corner on Piper’s street, going about fifty miles per hour. Ariel kept running, chest heaving. Bobby decided to stop, knowing he could run after her all night, but he would not be able to stop her on his own. He was reaching for his cell phone as he watched Ariel dart out to cross the street.