Chapter 12 A Rough Day
TWELVE
A Rough Day
Thankfully, there were only a couple of officers at the first body dump. Most had been ordered away to deal with all the other victims who still needed to be unearthed. I tried to look at the two wrapped bodies, but my eyes kept shying away from the ripped black garbage bag.
The captain stepped up beside me and pointed at the garbage bag. “That one.”
With a head shake, I handed my backpack to Osso, whispering, “Stay close. This one is going to be bad.”
On a nod, he took my elbow and helped me over the crime scene tape again.
The dirt shifted under my shoes. A clump rolled into the side of Eli’s skull. All I wanted to do was snatch it back and tell him how sorry I was. What I did instead was crouch beside the bag, take off my glove, and poke my finger into a tear in the plastic.
“Here. Have another drink.”
I look blurrily down at the hand he’s trying to push a bottle into. I ignore it and stare out the dark windows at what looks like nothing but trees. “Where are we? You said we were going to the party at Lisa’s. I’ve been to her place before. It’s not in the woods.” Why did my voice sound so weird?
He shoved the bottle at me again. “Go on. Take another swig. We’re going to have a little fun before the party. I know a good place. It’s private.”
Alarm bells are going off in my head, but I can’t put it all together.
Lisa and I have been working at the movie theater together for the last two summers.
Mike only started a few weeks ago and he’s been creeping me out, always staring at me with those weird eyes, trying to work concession with me even though he was put on the ticket booth.
“We can go for a swim in the pond.”
He shoves the bottle at me again and this time I take a sip, grimacing at the fiery cough syrup taste.
“Lisa doesn’t have a pond,” I slurred. Why am I slurring?
And I’m not going swimming. I fixed my hair in the bathroom before we left work.
Joshua said he was going to the party and he’s so cute. “I don’t want to get wet.”
My eyes close and the bottle tips before Mike rips in out of my hands.
“Careful!”
My stomach hurts. I don’t want to hurl in front of Joshua. “Just take me home, please.”
“Later. We’re almost there.”
My head is resting against the cool of the window. He drives over something and I bash my head. Rubbing it, I look around. “Are those…cabins?”
He laughs. “It’s an abandoned summer camp.”
I rear back. “No. I hate horror movies. I don’t want to be here.”
He shoves the bottle at me again. “Relax. It’ll be great.”
My stomach rolls as he parks. I try to open the door, but I keep missing the handle. I finally grab it and get the door open before I throw up. I think he’s saying something, but I can’t hear over the roaring in my head.
“Gross! You’re ruining everything,” he shouts.
My head is spinning so fast, I have to brace myself against the side of the car to keep from tipping over. “Sorry, sorry,” I mumble.
“You’re covered in puke,” he says, his voice ugly.
“I want to go home,” I whisper, my head against the cold metal of his car.
He tugs at my shirt. I try to smack his hands away, but I have to hold onto the car. When he yanks me away from it, I go down to my knees. He drags me, then stands me up. He’s stronger than he looks.
“Go home,” I choke out and get smacked across the face. Pain explodes in my cheek and eye.
He throws me to the ground, and my hair is wet. What? Why? My shoulders are lower than my feet. Blood rushes to my spinning head and the world narrows. It’s like when I look in the wrong end of a pair of binoculars. Mike’s snarling face is far away and surrounded by black.
When he starts yanking on my jeans, I scream and kick. I think I punch his face because I feel his teeth hit the back of my hand.
With a shout, he shoves me farther into the water and flips me over.
My face sinks into the muddy floor of the pond.
I try to lift my head, but nothing’s working.
My pants are off but I’m not even embarrassed.
I can’t breathe. That body isn’t me anymore.
What he’s doing isn’t me. Lights explode in my head.
I can’t hold my breath. It hurts so much.
My lips open on a final scream as I inhale muddy water.
My eyes flew open on a gasp. Osso was holding me. When I fought to get away from him, he released me immediately. Leaping to the far side of the taped-off area, I threw up at least a gallon of pond water.
Osso moved toward me, but I held up a hand, telling him to keep his distance as more pond water came up.
“What’s the matter with her?” the captain asked.
Osso mumbled he didn’t know and then I heard Rosen telling Osso to give me my octopus bottle.
When it felt like it had finally all come up, I stood straight and wiped my streaming eyes with my sleeves. Rosen was a foot away on the other side of the tape, waiting with the octopus bottle in her hand.
I reached for it. “You’re a real one, Rosen.
Thanks.” I squeezed water into my gloveless hand and then brought it to my forehead.
The nausea cramping my stomach relaxed and the tension in my body from fighting for my life finally released.
I squeezed some water into my mouth, swished it around, and spat it out.
Glove back on, I reached for Rosen’s hand to help me over the tape. “His name is Mike. I didn’t get the name of the teenaged girl in the bag. They worked together at a movie theater. She didn’t think of him as old, so he must have been a teen then too.”
I walked around the taped area to where the captain and Osso were standing.
Rosen was keeping close to me. “He drugged her. She thought she was going to Lisa’s house.
They all worked together. The victim was hoping to talk to a guy named Joshua that she had a crush on.
Mike was supposed to be driving them to the party.
He kept shoving a bottle of booze at her.
She’d only had one or two sips, and she was out of it, so he drugged her. ”
I took my backpack from Osso and returned the bottle before swinging it onto my own shoulder.
“He brought her here to the pond. Her head was spinning so hard, she couldn’t stand up.
He hit her, threw her down so her head was in the water as he started to strip her.
” Rosen made a quiet noise beside me. She didn’t want to hear it any more than I wanted to say it.
“She screamed and flailed. It sounded like she actually connected with his mouth at one point. That pissed him off. He flipped her over so her whole head was under water as he raped her. She couldn’t lift it, which is why I was vomiting pond water.
” I turned toward Osso’s SUV. “His name is Mike. I’m done. ”
I climbed into his vehicle, closed my eyes, and waited to get out of here. Throat tight, I felt the tears gather behind my eyelids. I crossed my arms over my stomach. How was I going to keep her safe? That poor girl was just catching a lift from a coworker.
Eventually, Osso climbed in. He was quiet a moment then said, “Seat belt.”
Nodding, eyes still closed, I strapped myself in and waited to escape.
Osso started his engine, backed up, and headed down the road. After a minute, he grumbled, “Sorry.”
I wiped the tears that had spilled down my face. “Me too.”
We drove almost the whole way back in silence. When we were close to the gallery, he said. “I meant to take those shoes when we were back at the site. Sorry. I do have to put them in evidence.”
I kicked them off as he pulled up in front of my place.
“Wait. I have those little booties for you to wear.”
I opened the door and slid out with my backpack.
“I have socks on. It’s fine.” I slammed his door and walked down the dirt path around my gallery.
The tears were pouring now. Choking back a sob, I went through my new gate before dropping my backpack and phone on a bench.
Pockets empty, I climbed up and dove over the railing.
I let myself drop to the ocean floor and sat there, weaving in the current.
Cecil wrapped a tentacle around my arm, and I brushed my free hand over his suckers.
I’m okay, I thought. It felt like he understood.
As he unwrapped one tentacle, another brushed my cheek.
Wilber booped my shoulder. Instead of playing chase, like I normally would, I petted his head.
There was so much evil in the world. I thought about all the men over the years that had stalked me and tried to abduct me. No wonder Mom seemed angry most of my life. She’d been on never-ending guard duty.
What if my little girl was the same and had obsessives after her too? Or what if I was holding her and had a vision? My stomach flipped inside out, thinking about dropping my baby, or worse yet, landing on top of her.
Shhh. A strong arm wrapped around me. Why are you upset, daughter?
I leaned into him. It’s been a pretty crappy day. I thought about the crime scene.
The next time they ask you to help them, say no. He nodded decisively. Decision made. Problem solved.
I can’t, I told him.
Of course you can. I can make them forget they even know you exist.
I swayed with the waves, but Dad didn’t. The ocean probably knew to never bother him. Wait. Are you actually here with me?
He shook his head, his curly hair like mine, drifting around his face. No. I was told my daughter was upset, so I’m here to see why. No more working with the police. Is that better now?
In general, I like helping them. I like using my gifts to help victims and point the police toward the bad guy. It’s not that, really. I mean it is, but… I told him all about the camp, that poor little boy, the teenaged girl, and my fears over my own daughter.
He listened intently and when I was done said, I can teach you how to change the perspective of the vision, so you are not living it. It requires you to force a break with the person whose head you’re in. Think of yourself as a bird, above it all, rather than in it.
He took my hand, slipping off the glove and holding it.
No more, all right? You don’t have to live their pain in order to tell their stories and help them get justice.
Your mother’s side of the family raised you to be strong for them but to see yourself as lesser, allowing them to feel better about being in the presence of a far superior being.
I grinned. But you’re not biased or anything.
It’s not biased to recognize truth. What they did, though, makes you act as though you owe everyone everything you have.
You don’t. You have the right to your life, your happiness, your power.
If you choose to give of yourself to help others, so be it.
But it is not your debt in life. Did I explain that right? Do you understand?
I nodded, choked up.
Good. You were born to shine brightly in this world. Don’t dim yourself to make others more comfortable. Now, as for the baby, you have a partner. His job is to relieve your fears and share in the caregiving.
I told him about our text argument, and he stared at me like I was nuts.
Maybe you need a nap or food or something. You aren’t making sense, and my daughter is brilliant. You’re angry because he wants to protect you? That’s his job! I gave my approval for this mating because I could see how much he loves you and wants to take care of you.
He shook his head. You told me how worried you are about something happening to the baby, about you having a vision and dropping her.
Now you’re angry your partner wants to be close enough to make sure nothing happens to you or your babe.
Your mother was unreasonable when she was with child too. Is that what this is?
I’m not being unreasonable, I told him. He can’t act like he owns me.
Hmm. It sounds like you two need to negotiate what you can and can’t live with.
You’ll figure it out. Oh, I have something for you.
A large pearl appeared in his hand. I know you use ocean water to counteract your mate’s magic nulling.
This is smart and I approve. This pearl is for when you don’t have the water.
It might not be as strong as deep ocean water, but that isn’t always easy to find.
I don’t want my daughter to ever find herself without her magic.
He held out the large perfect pearl. Do you like?
I nodded, marveling at how beautiful it was. Thank you.
Good. And when the time comes, I expect you to allow me to help train the little one. You’re not planning to lock me out, are you?
I kissed his cheek. I want her to know her grandfather.
Grandfather. He sat up straight. Perhaps I should alter my hair color. White hair would be quite distinguished on me. I could get one of those button-up sweaters with pockets and carry around sweets for her. He grinned at the thought, and my chest hurt.