When The Boogeyman Is Real (And You Look For Him)

 

Chapter 16 – Going Down the Ladder

 

“I am going to town” I announced during breakfast, crossing my fingers that
no one would oppose to it.

“I’m going with you, sis!” Baby offered, already excited.

Shit, I cursed to myself. “Baby, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go alone. I
need to spend some time by myself... meditating time, you know.”

She looked disappointed, but didn’t duel on that. “Well, ok then.”

“You guys need anything from town?”

“Yes, why don’t you buy us some ice cream?”

“Sure! How about some tutti fucking fruity?” I couldn’t control myself.

“That sounds good!” Baby approved.

Relieved by being able to leave without incident, I walked to the closest bus
station and made my way to town.

Taking a deep, nervous breath, I got of the bus that had left me almost at
the police station’s door. Willing myself into a good mood, I put on the best
innocent expression that I could make, and entered the enemy territory.

“I am here to see Sheriff Wydell” I announced to the cop who was playing
receptionist. After fifteen minutes, I was asked to follow him, and he leaded me
to the man.

He didn’t look so much like William Forsythe, but the aura of power around
him told me he was the man I was looking for. His office was dark and a bit
sinister, the only window closed; apparently it was matching his late state of
mind.

“Hi!” I greeted him jovially, smiling and reaching out my hand for him to
shake. “I’m Marianne Williams. Thank you for seeing me, sheriff!”

He studied me with his eyes narrowed, as if telling me that he didn’t have
time for bullshit.

“What can I do for you?” he asked without preambles.

I sat on the chair across his desk. He didn’t look very patient, so I cut it
to the chase. “I am a Master’s Degree student from UT El Paso, where I’m
graduating in Criminal Justice” I lied, trying to sound very serious. “My final
paper deals specifically with the procedures that the police goes through to
investigate missing people’s cases.”

“We have lots of that going on here!” he sent me a dark smile.

“So I’ve heard! I know that there are several dozens of cases of missing
people here in Ruggsville County, so I thought, that would be perfect material
for my paper!”

Wydell shot me a suspicious stare, telling me that he didn’t like where I was
getting to.

“What I’m asking, sheriff, is any information you can give me for my
research. For instance: how do you go about looking for clues on who perpetrated
the murders?”

“How do you know there were murders?” he asked, looking me closely.

Shit. “From the TV, of course! I know that only a few bodies were found, but
one would assume that there are probably more. I would also need to know if you
already have any suspects, or any evidence pointing at someone, and how you
managed to get that information.”

“Lady,” he said in a threatening tone, furrowing his brows “I am a very busy
man; I don’t have time to help you research for your stupid school paper. I have
criminals to hunt instead. And even if I had time, this kind of information is
absolutely confidential to the public. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work
to do.”

I slowly rose, reluctant. “Can’t you tell me at least if you suspect anyone?”

“Goodbye, miss.”

I was terribly disappointed – I didn’t even get a tiny bit of relevant
information! But insisting on the case would not be a good idea, I knew. I was
already lucky enough for not being arrested and forced to say why I was making
all those questions.

Stepping outside, since there was nothing left to do, I walked towards the
nearest grocery store – I needed to buy ice cream before heading back to the
ranch. It was when a hand grabbed my arm into a tight grip. “Oh, hello Laura!
What a surprise to see you here!” he mocked in a cheerful tone.

My smile fainted. Shit, shit, shit! “Spaulding, hi!”

He pulled me towards his red truck parked on the curb, ordering curtly: “Get
in the car.”

I obeyed, trying to act naturally. Silently, he began to drive towards the
ranch.

I was afraid to say a word. My hope was that, maybe if I stood quiet, he
wouldn’t say anything either. Maybe he hadn’t seen me leaving the police
station; maybe he casually saw me afterwards. Of course, I knew that I was just
deluding myself. There was going to be hell to pay when we reached the house.
But I didn’t want to think about it. Hell, no.

When we got there, I jumped out of the trunk and started walking towards the
house casually, but Spaulding got a hold of my arm again, dragging me inside
like a prisoner. Mama and Rufus were in the kitchen; as they saw us, she asked
alarmed: “What happened?”

“You wanna know what happened?” Spaulding started. “Guess where I found the
little princess? She was at the police station, chit-chatting with the sheriff.
What they were talking about, is anyone’s guess.”

“What?” Otis exclaimed, incredulous. He had just walked in and heard
the conversation.

Baby and Tiny showed up almost at the same time, somehow sensing trouble.
“What the fuck are you talking about, daddy?” she asked.

“You’ve heard me! I followed her, because I knew that she was up to
something, and none of you wanted to fucking see it. Next thing I know, she’s
entering the fucking police station – I was near enough to hear her asking to
speak with the sheriff. When she left, I took her to the car, and here we are.
Now, make your own damn conclusions about it!”

I had all the eyes fixed on me, in incredulous stares.

“Laura, what the fuck were you doing in the police?” Otis wanted to know,
grabbing my arm in a grip tighter than Spaulding’s.

“What do you think she was doing, Otis?” mama shouted angrily. “Tell me, just
take a guess!”

As I watched them in an intimidated silence, thinking of a way to tell the
truth, my lack of words got misinterpreted.

“She betrayed us!” Baby stated, baffled. “Fucking bitch!” She rolled her hand
into a fist, strongly punching me in the face.

Things were spinning out of control too fast. Otis was shaking me, demanding
to know the truth, as everybody seemed to be talking at the same time, shouting
me accusations. I was dizzy, and my world was falling apart again.

“We had you in our own house,” mama said in my face, indignant “we treated
you as a member of this family, just so you go around and give us away to the
cops?”

“I did not betray anybody!” I finally shouted. “I went to the police for
other reasons – I would never think of denouncing you!”

“Oh really?” Baby slightly shoved me backwards. “So why did you go there? You
have the hots for men in uniform, or something? You wanted to fuck one of them?”

“I was trying to get information from them to avoid letting you all being
killed!” I spit it all at once, angrily.

Next thing I know, Otis was grabbing me by the hair, his hunting knife
pressed against my throat. “Otis, what are you doing?” I gasped.

“No,” he yanked my head with barely contained violence “you are gonna
tell me what you are doing! And do not fucking lie to me!” His eyes were ones of
a madman, full of ice-blue rage. Ice and fire. He suddenly seemed to realize
something. In a low, dangerous tone, he accused me: “You’ve been lying all this
time, haven’t you? Every single word. Every move was calculated. All you wanted
was to spy on us.”

Removing the blade from my throat and letting go of my hair, shoving me
backwards, he told his family: “I don’t think there is anything else that we
need to know. It’s all very clear to me. We’ve already lost enough time with
her.”

“Wait! Let me explain what happened!” I exclaimed.

“We don’t want your explanations!” mama shot at me. Then at Otis: “She is
your guest; you decide how to handle it.”

“There is not much to decide” he chuckled menacingly, but with sadness. “This
is just too disgusting, even for me. I don’t want to have to deal with her; I
don’t want to touch her ever again. Not even to kill her.”

Good, I thought bitterly. So are they going to let me go?

“Rufus, you do it” Otis asked. “Make it slow and painful.” And at that, he
turned his back on us and headed for his room.

With a huge mix of emotions, I tried to scream my way out of it, begging for
a chance to explain myself. But no one would listen; they all turned their backs
and went back to their daily activities. Rufus held my arm and dragged me along
with him, pushing me inside his room and locking the door. I backed up against
the opposite wall. “No, no, no, please Rufus, don’t kill me!” I begged.

“I won’t” he simply stated.

Staring at him in silence, I was dumbfounded. I finally
asked: “Why?”

“You may be a liar, but you’re not against us. You like Otis. You even like
us.”

“I’m glad that somebody noticed” I smiled sadly. “But, how are you so sure of
that?”

“I’m good at reading people.”

I looked at the huge man standing in front of me. “Thank you” I said simply.
“From all the people in this house, you were the last person I ever expected to
defend me one day. I thought you hated me.”

He didn’t reply to that. “I don’t know what you are up to. Tell me your
story, and I’ll bring it to the others.”

 “Can we sit?” I suggested. “It’s a long story.”

 

* * * *

“So I die first?” Rufus asked, making sure that he understood correctly.

“I am sorry, but you do. You are the luckiest one, though; a few bullets and
you’re down. The others have it pretty bad.”

“What about the house?” he wanted to know.

“It’s burned eventually, with Tiny inside.” I frowned. “But hey – none of
this needs to happen if we can avoid it, ok? You need to go there, tell your
family what I just told you, and let’s make a plan.”

“You stay here” he ordered.

“Rufus? You seem very confident that they are going to believe my story. How
come?”

He smiled. It was one of the only times I ever saw his teeth. “They trust my
judgment.” And left.

Of course. The typical quiet person that never has much to say... but when he
opens his mouth, others know that something important is coming.