Bobby saw the taxi appear, but thought the car would stop. Instead, the brakes squealed, the front bumper slamming into Ariel, who was lifted and knocked against the windshield. She slid against the hood and on to the pavement, unconscious.
The taxi driver got out of his car, and Bobby ran to the scene. The driver asked him if he knew the girl, but Bobby said no. As the taxi driver called for the ambulance, his jacket covering Ariel, Piper caught up with Bobby. The driver did not miss her battered face and neither would the paramedics. When Piper saw Ariel, the headlights on her still form, she burst into tears. Bobby put his arms around her, holding her as she cried, her nose and mouth bleeding into his shirt.
*****
Sonya fell face-first into the top step of the wooden deck. She was still in shock as she was turned around, looking into the masked face of the Ravisher.
A very long blade with a tapered point appeared in his right hand.
Sonya, unlike Piper, screamed; a high-pitched squeal that she hoped her father would hear.
A gloved hand covered her mouth, keeping her head still. She tried to wiggle away, her back caught between the first and second step, both of her legs caught between his.
Her hand, reaching out for anything, bumped against the bottom wheels on Bill’s old charcoal grill, which he had not put away for the winter. Four wobbly metal legs on wheels supported the top part of the grill, filled with used charcoal briquets.
Sonya stretched just a little farther, reaching for the leg. Her mouth was still covered, the blade flashing above her eyes. She gripped the cool black metal and pulled as hard as she could.
Bill had locked the grill, so the charcoal did not escape, the weight toppling to the side, landing on the Ravisher‘s back, who pushed himself off Sonya, the heavy grill falling from him to the deck. As he moved, he kept the knife in his hand, but Sonya had enough room to get out from under him. She rolled away, then tried to stand up before he could come at her again.
He watched Sonya get her footing, then run to the other end of the deck. She jumped over the hand rail, one leg after the other. She landed on the grass, but the fence was too high, she would need to reach one of the gates, which meant trying to get around him. The Ravisher did not move, waiting for her to decide.
Sonya took a deep breath, running as far from the deck as she could, hoping to make it to the gate by the garage. She was only a few steps away when the Ravisher lunged at her, and she dropped to her knees in the grass. He was now close enough with his knife to cut her, but she stood up and faced him.
“Stop it, Kyle!”
He stepped back.
Sonya gulped, but her voice was raspy from fear. “You’re as crazy as Justine Kent, and she knew all along! Your father was the one who found Jimmy Hepler at the club-house, when Philip Kent cut off his nose. He made you call 9-1-1 because he didn’t want the police knowing he was there. He didn’t want to be seen with Jimmy, because they both raped Justine’s mother—”
The Ravisher stepped towards her, but she managed to step away until she was against the gate.
“Did he kill those girls?” Sonya asked. “The ones fished out of the water? Come on, Kyle, they all knew, including Jimmy and Ernie. They protected him, because they felt sorry for Barb after Lily died. And how did she die, Kyle? How easy is it for a grown man to kill a baby in her crib?”
She could have reached for the gate’s metal latch, but she wanted–needed–to know the truth. She did not move, even when the blade pressed under her chin.
The Ravisher raised his left hand. For a moment, she thought he might strike her, but he passed her face and gripped at the ski mask. The thick curly hair and hazel eyes were revealed in the porch light.
“Every man should have a quest.” Kyle said. “I didn’t find it mopping floors, flipping burgers, or cutting sheet metal. My destiny was to conquer, dominate, hunt for greatness. To make the world bleed, to cry my name...”
Sonya gulped, her throat dry. “A warrior, Kyle?”
“A god. My father only killed because he was bored or high. He had no purpose. I’m all about purpose.”
Sonya reached over for the latch to her left, knowing the metal would not lift quietly. “Kyle, you have to stop. You’ll go to prison...”
“Sonya, you’re my last. I promise. My quest ends tonight.”
She understood before the latch lifted. Sonya’s hand was still there, but she never raised her arm, the metal moving under her fingers. Kyle moved the blade down her chin, to her throat. She felt the tip push into her skin.
The gate opened behind her, and she almost fell backward. She was distanced from the knife, the grip on her arm pulling her away, and she stumbled in the dark between the garage and the house.
Aron was holding on to the gate, shutting it against Kyle.
Aron spit out a gob of blood. “Run, Sonya!”
She obeyed, although her legs were numb. She was running slow, and the blaring of a horn did not immediately make her stop. Finally, the glare from a pair of headlights shocked her into place.
Bill, Helga, and Shawn emerged from the truck. Sonya reached for Bill, who held her as Shawn ran to the back yard, Helga barking.
Shawn kept a gun in a holster under his leather vest, but he did not reach for it right away.
He found them just as Aron grabbed Kyle by the ankles from behind, knocking him down. Shawn did not miss the nasty blade in his hand.
Aron was weak from the blows to his head. He had only been swimming back to consciousness when he heard Sonya scream. Blood was flowing from his scalp and forehead, his shirt and tie bloody, but he had managed to get off the ground to open the gate, saving Sonya’s life.
Kyle, however, was younger and stronger. Aron was becoming too dizzy to maintain his grip, and passed out. Kyle did not look up at Shawn as he raised the knife and lunged forward, ready to stab Aron in the back.
A shot rang out, and the bullet that hit Kyle in the gut pushed him backwards. Shawn, behind the gate, could hear Sonya scream over Helga’s hysterical barking next to him. He lowered the smoking pistol and turned around, Bill and Sonya bumping into him to get to Aron.
Shawn put the gun back in his holster. Kyle was laying still on the ground. Sonya sobbed, wiping the tears from her cheeks with her hands, as Bill rubbed his brother’s back, Helga sniffing at Aron’s head.
“Can I get in the house?” Shawn asked.
Sonya nodded. “The back door... is unlocked. A phone is in the living room.”
Shawn headed towards the deck. Behind him, he heard Sonya starting to screech. When he turned around, he saw her kicking Kyle in the head. “I hope you’re dead, you sick piece of shit!”
She kept kicking and cursing, but none of the men stopped her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
From The Blue And White–
Drag Match
“Bobby Chambers is a dangerous weapon underneath his colorful clothes. When he is not holding Wiper Bones’s purse, he is saving her life. Her attacker may not have been the Ravisher(see post below), but this little psycho was definitely a close second. After they scooped her off the road, they found out ’she’ was a ’he’; Brandon Romeo, son of Frank Romeo, former Blue Diamond and owner of the Dive. I have been to the Dive, heard Second Skin play, and never knew the drummer was really a guy, or the owner’s daughter, for that matter. Seems Ariel–or Brandon–had known Kyle Stone for years, ever since Kyle mopped floors at Haven Rest. They later became buddies with Lucifer herself, Justine Kent. Ariel was sent to rough up Wiper to scare her off Kyle’s trail, but Bobby showed up to gay fight. Wish I had been there to see all of the hair pulling and slapping, but I guess Ariel was more of a lover than a fighter, because she ended up getting hit by a taxi. The Romeos had no idea that Ariel had been in contact with Kyle Stone, and have refused to comment. Ariel died of internal injuries, and Wiper Bones’s mom, the lawyer, won’t allow Wiper to talk about
it publically, but she’s been telling everyone at school what a hero Bobby is, and he is red-faced, although he doesn’t seem to be getting sick of the attention.
Two psychos off the street. The curfew is over, and we can all thank the Woodpecker. Especially Trey Winstead, who is now a free man.”
“Freshman Detective Nabs The Ravisher
Last night, the Ravisher tried to cut up the wrong girl, and now he’s done. The Woodpecker herself, Sonya Neslund, was screaming through her back yard, being chased by a neighbor, Kyle Stone, who more or less confessed to her that he is the Ravisher. He not only tried to cut her throat, but also beat her dad in the head with a shovel. Somehow, the police showed up and Kyle had taken a bullet. He is at Marine General Hospital, heavily guarded. He will be taken to jail as soon as he recovers. Rumor has it he is paralyzed.
The attacks on the Woodpecker and Wiper Bones both happened almost at the same time, which tells me that Kyle Stone and Ariel ‘Brandon’ Romeo were planning the whole thing. Justine Kent is stuck within the walls of Haven Rest, so she can only do so much. She wasn’t in charge. Kyle was raised inside the Blue Diamonds, but those guys aren’t saying a word. The club-house has been empty and locked up for days. They may have all went to Florida for the winter, but I think they cleared out over the new interest in the girls found in the lake fifteen years ago. If a Blue Diamond killed those girls, we’ll never know.
Sonya Neslund returned to school today and ate her lunch with Bobby and Piper. Even a few seniors came to their table, including quarterback Dane Lock and his girlfriend Kaitlyn Warden. Kristen Beck chatted with Sonya in the hallway. Speaking of the hallway, Jessica Holden was found on the floor near Mr. Yates’s classroom. An ambulance was called, but she’s home now...”
*****
Sonya returned to school two days later, the cut on her face covered with a thin bandage.
The day was lively, but she let Piper and Bobby do most of the talking at lunch. When Dane and Kaitlyn came to her table, Kaitlyn lingered for a few minutes after Dane wandered off.
“Grandma Sue and Mom wanted to know how you were doing,” she said.
“I’m fine. Dad’s getting out of the hospital today. He had a concussion, and they wanted to watch him for a few days.”
“Who’s watching Bill?”
“Dorothy.”
“Who?”
“Uncle Bill’s new friend.”
“Oh. I heard the news crews were out at your house.”
Sonya nodded. “And at Kyle’s house, but his mom took his brothers and left. I feel bad for Barb, she’s a nice woman. She didn’t know a thing.”
“What about the other guy?”
“Trey is free. He moved back in with his dad.”
Piper, her face still black and blue, a bandage covering the cut on her cheek, had moved over to the table with her other friends, but Bobby sat across from Sonya, taking in all of the attention, wearing the same red and blue Culture Club T-shirt he wore on the first day of school, with his blue beret tilted to one side, blond bangs peeping out underneath.
Kaitlyn glanced at her friends across the room. “You were very brave, Sonya. So were those other girls.”
“Like Kristen?”
“Kristen can’t stand Dane, and it’s mutual. It’s like I had to choose between them.” Dane turned towards the others, waiting for her. “I gotta go. Tell Grandpa Bill and Uncle Aron I said hello.”
Sonya nodded. “Okay.”
Kaitlyn joined her friends, and the senior crowd thinned out before the bell rang, but one girl remained. She had straight black hair under a cranberry crocheted cap. Her brown eyes were slanted behind black-rimmed glasses. She wore a black vinyl jacket over a white blouse and tartan skirt with black leggings. She looked at Sonya for a moment, then she turned and walked away.
“Piper? What are you going to buy Bobby?” Everett Lock asked, ever the smooth-talking diplomat. “He did save your life, after all.”
Bobby opened his mouth, ready to put Dane’s little brother in his place, when Piper replied, “Bobby’s my best friend. Friends like Bobby and Sonya can’t be bought.”
The bell rang and Piper broke away from the group, taking Bobby and Sonya by the hands. “Let SkolClik see this.”
*****
Sonya took the bus home, relieved that her neighborhood had calmed down, with no more news trucks or curious strangers driving past Bill’s house.
Garcia had been to the hospital, thoroughly questioning Sonya, Bill, and Aron. He and Cal dealt with the public interest by supplying as much information as possible, Cal writing late into the night, surprised by the national news appearing in Marine. Garcia could not be accused of incompetence, although he was apologetic about not taking Kyle Stone in for questioning sooner, overlooking Kyle because he had no criminal record or a history of mental illness. Garcia had felt he was gripping at straws from the beginning, but Trey Winstead had brought him closer to the Ravisher, and the connected attack on Piper Jones tied up any loose ends.
Sonya got out at her stop, the Four Js no longer passing her on their bikes. Joe, Jack, Josh, and Jay were gone, Barb moving out late one night, before the news trucks went away.
Barb had assumed that Kyle was at work the night he attacked Sonya. She was home with her boys when Garcia came knocking, explaining that Kyle had been shot, taken to Marine General. Shawn had left the scene before the police arrived, trying to keep his cover intact, although he had been seen leaving the club-house with Bill. Shawn could only hope that the other Diamonds, including Waylon and Toon, did not ask him any questions. He had spent too much time trying to learn more about the Diamonds’ operation in New Mexico, of heroin being smuggled across the border, to blow it all now because he tried to save one life.
Sonya walked into the house. She was greeted by Helga at the door, Dorothy and Bill ready to leave for the hospital.
*****
Aron, already dressed, was sitting on his bed when Sonya, Bill, and Dorothy entered.
“You Neslund boys are so handsome!” Dorothy said. “I’m surprised neither one of you is married.”
Aron held on to her hand after shaking it. “Thank you for helping us during this time. You’ve been very kind.”
The elderly woman, her wispy hair pulled away from her wrinkled face, gave Aron a shy smile. “I don’t mind. I’m not working right now.”
“Neither am I.”
Sonya, standing close by the bed, had become nervous as soon as two police officers joined her, Bill, and Dorothy on the elevator, making their way to Intensive Care. She knew they were watching Kyle, who was still recovering from surgery. The elevator passed the floor to the oncology wing, where her mother died last spring. Sonya was thoroughly sick of hospitals and illness.
“One of the nurses told me that Kyle is paralyzed,” Aron said. “The bullet went right into his spine. He’ll be in a wheelchair in prison.”
“I guess you were lucky when that cop showed up,” Dorothy said.
“A cop?” Bill asked.
Aron shook his head. “I passed out...”
“I just assumed that someone had called the police,” Dorothy said.
“Barb’s boyfriend Shawn shot Kyle,” Sonya said. “He took off in his truck before the ambulance got there. I didn’t notice until later. He hasn’t been found. I think he left town.”
“Was he the guy that took you home, Bill?”
Bill nodded. “Shawn’s dad was Duke Kallis. He used to be a cop, then a security guard at the mill for years. He used to bring Shawn with him sometimes after his wife died. Shawn remembered me, but I couldn’t remember him at first. I wonder how he ended up with the Diamonds. He never seemed like the type.”
“His father was a cop?” Aron asked.
“Yeah. Duke was shot during a drug bust in the Heights. He couldn’t be a cop anymore, so he worked security.”
Aron reached for the overnight bag on the
bed next to him. “I’m not waiting on that wheelchair. Let’s go.”
*****
Bill went outside to rake leaves, Helga accompanying him in the backyard. Sonya sat at the kitchen table, her homework spread out, Aron sitting across from her with a cup of coffee.
“I’m glad to hear that Piper and Bobby are all right,” he said. “Those two shouldn’t have been running around so late—”
“Their moms feel the same way,” Sonya said. “Robin comes home before six every night now, and I think Piper likes it, even if she won’t say so. Bobby put his scooter away.”
Sonya had been too distracted over the last few days to check her mail, and her gaze froze on the e-mail from ‘Kyle’, the subject ’quest.’ Sonya checked the time the e-mail was sent, just minutes before she arrived home from Barb’s house.
She clicked on the message. “Dad? Come here and read this with me...”
Aron rose from his chair, crouching behind her.
“Dear Sonya
My quest is ending. I will wear your flesh like a mask, seeing the world through your eyes, the eyes of a little girl who never knew evil, who went into Heaven as blind as a baby. Every girl my dad tossed into the water, their bodies used by Jimmy, were no different. My dad took me out to the river one night, after Lily died, and he told me he smothered her with a pillow. Dad expected me to keep his secret. If I told my mom, he would kill me. He showed me a dead body, and I never said a word, not until I met Justine and Ariel at Haven Rest, ever the good son.
I plan to wear your face tonight, when my mom and brothers will know the real me. Jessica, Kristen, and Emily—I could touch all of their faces, but only choose a few, but then I realized it wasn’t enough. Ariel understood, wanting to be female. Justine, so caught up in her own delusions, couldn’t be trusted for long. But I have focus; I can go into the skin, capturing life, feeling the soul. My dad was only a pillager, but I am a savior. Where you are, Sonya, I know you understand.”
Aron put his hand on Sonya’s shoulder. “He never would have got that far. You fought him—”
“I was just lucky, Dad. Aunt Sue is right, I’m only lucky.”