Chaos Chapter 3 #2
“No, of course it wasn’t by chance. The odds of that are astronomical.
I started with the two women I met and worked on.
I asked what it was they did recall doing in the weeks before the assaults.
If they had met anyone new or gone somewhere different.
It so happened that both of them had been to a bar in the two weeks prior to their attacks.
One happened to go to the Tipsy Taproom.
They didn’t recall anything untoward happening at the time.
But it was the only common factor, so I decided to go and check it out.
See if there's anything that points to it happening there, or to who did it. Maybe the bar is merely where they were targeted, and the assaults came later.”
“Why the fuck would you go by yourself!? If you suspect the bars, tell the cops!” Mishap shouted.
Bianca came to her feet, glaring at her cousin.
“I did! And I was told that the police are handling it and that I should keep out of it. So, I did as I was told. I waited two weeks before I spoke to the two women again. Both had asked the police about my idea about the bars. I’d told the women what I thought.
They were told not to listen to idle sleuthing by uneducated, untrained wannabe detectives.
They stated they saw no connection between the rapes, nor would they bother the other victims with such ridiculous conjecture.
They never bothered even to check out the bars! ”
“Okay, hang on, calm down. Go back and start at the beginning. Tell us how you met the two women and learned of their assaults,” Ryder requested.
Bianca searched his face, as if trying to tell whether he was just saying it or meant it. I almost told her that he was serious, but Mishap beat me to the punch.
“Bianca, you can tell us. We want to help if we can. But if we have no idea where to start or what the obstacles are, we can’t.”
“It was because of the gym. Only Mishap knows, but I work at a gym. I’m a nutritionist, and I counsel gym members who want professional help with weight loss and/or improving their nutrition.
Anyway, when you do that, you can get close to your clients.
Plus, I’m in the gym all the time, so I hear things.
Conversations are rarely private there. First, I heard people whispering about how they heard women allegedly saying they had been raped without recalling what happened.
“At first, I didn’t think anything of it until I heard it happened to another woman and the police had no leads.
Then, one day, one of my clients stopped coming in for a month—no text or anything.
I was worried, but she wouldn’t return calls or texts.
When she came back, she was different. She had clearly lost weight, but not in a healthy way.
She seemed jumpy around men, and sudden noises made her nervous.
On the third day back, I took her into my office and asked what was bothering her.
She broke down and told me she’d been raped.
From there, the story came out, but she didn’t want anyone at the gym to know. I swore I wouldn’t say a word.
“I kept my promise, but then a month later, another woman who was there religiously stopped coming in. She wasn’t an actual client of mine, but we chatted all the time and had even gotten coffee a few times.
She was gone for three weeks before she returned.
I asked how she was, and I was told an eerily familiar story to the first woman’s tale.
That’s when I started asking questions and digging.
Once I figured out the bar angle, it led me to the police station.
Because it wasn’t the same one, they didn’t think it mattered. ”
“Christ, do you know how much danger you put yourself in? You put a target on your back, Bianca. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you went into the Taproom and were drugged.
Your nosing around tipped the culprit or culprits off to the fact that someone was looking for them,” I told her, unable to stay quiet.
“I kinda got that, but it wasn’t in vain.
Now we know that the bar idea has merit.
The next question is, is the Tipsy Taproom the only hunting ground, or are there more?
Could it be the same person, or a group?
And finally, how to figure out who is doing it and make sure they can’t hurt someone again. ”
“Do you think the cops will believe you this time?” Storm asked.
The look in her eyes when they met Storm’s made my heart speed up, and the air in my lungs seized.
“Who said anything about telling the cops? They had their chance, and they blew me off. And if they’re like that about catching rapists, then why would we trust them or the court system to get justice for the ones hurt?”
My club brothers and I exchanged glances. Then, Rage asked the million-dollar question.
“What were you planning to do with the evidence, assuming you got it? It won’t serve justice for those women if the ones responsible aren’t made to pay. Why endanger yourself if you won’t tell the police what you discover?”
“There’s more than one way to get justice. Not all of them involve law enforcement.”
The way she said it made the hair on my arms stand up.
“Would you mind explaining that statement? I don’t understand,” Wrath said.
“I was very worried when my cousin told me that he wanted to join a motorcycle club.
I asked whether you were involved in illegal activities.
He told me to stop watching those TV shows about MCs.
I laughed. During the time he was a prospect, he was careful not to tell me too much about the club, other than to mention the various businesses you own and run in Eatonton.
I have to say, I was impressed, but I was still wary.
What if they were fronts for criminal endeavors that he had no idea about?
“So, I waited and listened. When I moved here six months ago, I spent time in Eatonton.
I saw you riding around town. And I saw how the citizens acted when they saw you.
I listened to the rumors. I even asked some of the clients at the gym if they knew anything about the MC I saw in Eatonton. People like to talk about you guys.
“From the older generation, I heard how the club was wilder in the past and had been into illegal things, or at least that was the rumor.
These days, I was told that none of your businesses showed any hint of illegal activity.
But I noticed that crime around Eatonton and here at the lake seems much lower than in the surrounding areas.
“And what is whispered is that where the Pagan Souls are, drug dealers, child molesters, thieves, rapists, and murderers don’t stay long.
They tend to leave, get killed, or go to prison.
I asked myself how statistically likely it was that your sphere of influence repelled them so thoroughly, or that you had better law enforcement than the rest of the state?
I’m not stupid. You might not officially run illegal businesses, but you’re not totally clean either. ”
You could’ve heard a pin drop when she finished. It lasted five or so beats, then Ryder laughed. The rest of us joined in, except for Mishap. He shook his head and gave her a sad look.
“I’m sorry, guys. I swear, she’s not crazy that I know of. But clearly, she needs help if she believes what she just alluded to,” Mishap said.
“So, you’re saying you think we have something to do with getting rid of those committing crimes and that we’d help do the same with whoever is raping those women?” Wrath’s voice was amused.
Bianca scanned us, then stood. “Well, then I guess that means I was wrong. Okay, so be it. If you don’t mind, I’d like to head home. I have work to do, and the day is slipping by.”
“Bianca, there’s no need to leave yet. Rest for a while. You haven’t gotten the tour of the house. We’ll do that, and I’ll take you home later,” Mishap said.
“Sorry, I can’t. I remembered I have something that can’t wait. But no need for you to take me home. I’ll call for a car. I’ll ask them to pick me up outside the wall. I wouldn’t dream of asking you to allow anyone inside.”
The flurry of protests and requests that she stay and get to know everyone, to have lunch with the old ladies, and more failed.
Bianca was polite and smiled, but there was a shuttered look in her eyes.
It took everything Mishap had for her to agree to let him take her home, but only if he took her in a vehicle, not on his bike.
With that decided, she excused herself to get her clothes.
“We need to talk when you get back. We’ll have everyone who can come gather for church after you return. Will one o’clock work?” Wrath asked as soon as she was out of sight.
“It does,” Mishap said.
With that decided, we had no excuse for us to stay, so we all dispersed.
Rather than going home, I went to the clubhouse.
I was standing outside when Bianca and Mishap left the compound gate.
I raised my hand. What I got in return was a chin lift from him and nothing from her. A sinking sensation filled my stomach.
?
The time dragged between the moment Mishap left to take Bianca home and the time we met in church.
Everyone was there. Not a single person asked to be excused.
Since it hadn’t been a scheduled church, if anyone hadn’t been able to attend, it wouldn’t have been held against them.
By then, everyone had heard the story of how Mishap’s cousin ended up at the clubhouse last night.