Betrayed (14 page)

He looked up with the only eye he had left. His killer stood above him. He pleaded with that one eye, but he could tell it was of no use. The killer was determined to end this once and for all. He wished it would happen soon. He just wanted it to be over at this point. He got his wish. Several more blows, and his face, except for the one eye, was obliterated and his skull crushed.

The killer threw the murder weapon back into the stream from where it had come. The birds chirped quietly, watching the spectacle from their perch in the trees above. They looked on as the killer turned and walked slowly down the path away from the body.

*****

Justin sent Merlin to pick up Aaron after school. Merlin was the levelheaded member of the club, and Justin knew it was better to have him confront any discourse that may take place. Justin and the rest of the club might break if they witnessed any more bullying by the Reynolds kid, and he didn’t want Ginger exposed to violence. So Merlin was assigned school pick-up duty until there was a resolution.

Justin, Ginger, and Lily worried about Aaron most of the day. They tried to keep busy, but their thoughts kept coming back to the ugly situation. Merlin was supposed to call the moment Aaron was with him. Justin watched the clock like a hawk, waiting for the call. Why wasn’t Merlin calling?
The fucker better not let his phone battery run down
he thought. When it was 15 minutes past the time Merlin should have called, Ginger walked into the auto shop.

“Have you heard from Merlin?” She asked anxiously.

“No,” Justin answered. “Let’s go to the clubhouse, and I’ll call him from there.”

Lily walked with them over to the clubhouse. She was just as concerned as Justin and Ginger. The three sat down at a table, and Justin punched his phone.

“Merlin, I thought you were supposed to call me,” Justin remarked.

“Yeah, when I had Aaron. I’m still waiting on him. Most of the kids are gone now.”

Justin’s heart froze. “You haven’t seen him?”

Ginger and Lily sat up straight.

“I can head into the school…see what’s going on,” Merlin said as he paced around his bike.

“Yeah, do that. I’m heading that way,” Justin replied getting up from his chair.

“I want to go with you,” Ginger said as she jumped up.

“No, babe,” Justin said as he put on his cut. “You go home in case he shows up there. Lily, you stay here in case he comes to the club.”

“Okay,” Lily answered. “Do you want any of the guys to go out and look for him?”

“Not yet,” Justin answered as he headed to the door. “I’ll wait an hour, and if he doesn’t show up then we’ll start a manhunt. Justin’s mind flashed back to that day two years ago when they began looking for his missing sister, with tragic results.

*****

When Justin arrived at the high school, Merlin was talking to the principal and Aaron’s last period teacher. Aaron was at school that day, but skipped his last period. Justin asked about the Reynolds boy, informing the principal of the problems developing between the two boys. The principal looked at the school records, which showed Jacob Reynolds was at school until lunch, and then he too hadn’t returned to class. This piece of information alarmed Justin even more. Merlin and Justin walked out of the school towards their bikes.

“So what do you think happened?” Merlin asked.

“Fuck if I know, but it doesn’t look good,” Justin said as he mounted his bike. “I’ve got to go to that kid’s house again and see if he’s there or if he knows where Aaron is.”

“Okay,” Merlin answered. “Let’s just keep our cool.”

Easier said than done,
Justin thought as he roared down the road.

The Reynolds house was quiet this day, unlike the day before with the yelling and cursing. Justin banged on the front door. He and Merlin heard faint footsteps, and then the sheer drape was pulled back on the window next to the door. The front door opened slowly, and Justin recognized the battered woman from the other day. Now he could see old and fresh bruises on her face. She was timid, looking down then up at the two men.

“Yes,” she said weakly. “Can I help you?”

“Yes ma’am,” Justin answered. “Is your boy at home? We need to ask him if he’s seen my nephew Aaron.”

“No, he’s not here,” she said looking at the floor. “He’s at school.”

“Actually, he hasn’t been in school since noon,” Justin replied. “We just met with the principal, and Jacob left at noon.”

Mrs. Bonnie Reynolds looked up at Justin. For Justin, it was like back looking into the eyes of sorrow, grief and despair. She was beaten down, both physically and mentally. Her small frame was no match for the Goliath she lived with. From her vacant eyes, Justin could tell she checked out a long time ago. Justin wondered why she didn’t leave, but where would she go? No money and a man who threatened to find and kill her if she left, he supposed. She didn’t think there was much to argue about as far as if she should stay or go. This was her lot in life. She drew the short straw, and there was no going back. Those eyes haunted Justin. He’d never seen utter hopelessness in a person’s face until now.

“I don’t know where he is,” Bonnie answered wearily. “I can’t keep track of him anymore. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to have dinner ready before my husband gets home.”

She started to close the door and Justin caught it before she could close. “Where’s your husband?”

“He works odd jobs around town as a handyman. I don’t know where he’s working today.”

“All right,” Justin said as he let go of the door. “Thank you for your time.”

Bonnie closed the door and Justin looked at Merlin.

“That has got to be the saddest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” Merlin said as they turned and walked off the porch. “Can’t we do something for her, like kick her husband into next week?”

“Yeah, but right now I’ve got to concentrate on finding Aaron. Where the fuck is he? He knows we’re concerned about what’s been going on with him.”

Before they reached the bikes, Justin’s phone chirped. Justin grabbed it and saw it was Ginger.

“Lily just called. Aaron’s at the clubhouse. I’m heading there now.”

“Thank God. We’ll meet you there, babe.”

*****

When Justin and Merlin entered the clubhouse, Aaron was sitting at a table with both Lily and Ginger.

“Where the hell have you been?” Justin asked as he walked to the table.

“Justin, its okay…don’t be so rough,” Ginger admonished.

“Sorry kid, but you had us all worried. We didn’t know what happened to you,” Justin said as he sat down at the table.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,” Aaron said as he shifted in his chair. “I just had to get away and think. Jacob is in my last period class and I didn’t want to see him today, so I skipped and went to the video arcade. I just wanted to take my mind off this crap, and that seemed like the only place I could go to forget about things for a little while.”

“I understand, Aaron, but you had us all worried. Merlin and I talked to your principal, and he said you’d skipped the last period. He also told us Jacob was absent since noon. When I heard that I thought the worst.”

“Really – I didn’t know he wasn’t there,” Aaron said. “I would have gone to class if I’d known that.”

“Well, I think it’s time we get this thing settled. I can’t have you skipping class because of this bully. Besides, I’ve already told your principal about what’s going on.” Justin said. “I was going to wait, give you those two days, but when you didn’t show up I had to do something.”

“I understand,” Aaron said looking at the floor. “I’m sorry I worried you all.”

Ginger leaned over and patted his hand. “We just want to make sure you’re safe and happy, Aaron.”

“That’s right,” Lily agreed. “Let the adults step in and handle this situation so you don’t have to.”

“Okay,” Aaron said. “I’m ready for you to take over.”

“Finally,” Justin said as he leaned back in his chair. “Ginger and I will talk to your principal again tomorrow morning. Why don’t you go do your homework in my office.”

Aaron got up from the table and said, “I’m sorry I had you all worried.”

Everyone in unison told him it was okay, but don’t ever do that again. Aaron shuffled off to the office as Lily, Ginger and Justin looked at one another.

“Well, I guess the next step is seeing what the school can do to stop the bullying. The problem is most of it is occurring off school property,” Justin remarked.

“I’m sure the school has some kind of protocol when it comes to bullying,” Ginger said as she rose from her chair. “If they can’t do anything then the next step is going to the police.”

“I agree,” Lily stated. “It’s not just bullying now; its assault. Since the parents won’t help the situation, you have to take it to the next level.”

“Merlin and I stopped by the Reynolds home again today. The kid and father weren’t there, but we talked to the mother. Man, she was so pathetic--I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.”

“What do you mean, ‘pathetic’?” Ginger asked.

“That’s really not the right word,” Justin replied. “You could see old and fresh bruises on her face and arms. And the look in her eyes was pitiful. That’s the word I’m looking for, pitiful. Like she had nothing left in her, and she was just a shell.”

“How sad,” Lily said. “I’m sure living with this man has taken every bit of dignity out of her.”

“Why doesn’t she leave?” Justin asked.

“Years of abuse can damage a person’s perception of themselves. At some point, she begins to believe she deserves the abuse. He may threaten to kill her if she leaves him, so fear keeps her rooted. There are women’s shelters, but most are in larger cities. She may have no way of finding out about them or even getting to one,” Ginger explained.

“Wouldn’t she have any friends or family that could help her?” Justin asked.

“Usually the abuser separates her from family and friends,” Lily answered. “The separation keeps the abuser in control. She may have had friends who tried to help her, but she kept denying it out of fear. It’s definitely a sad situation.”

“The club can help her if she wants our help, but right now I’ve got to keep Aaron safe from her son,” Justin said as he rose from his chair.

“I agree…first things first,” Ginger said. “I’ll head home and start dinner.”

“Okay, baby, Aaron and I will be there in about an hour.” Justin kissed Ginger as Lily looked on. Lily was once that much in love, but fate dealt her a cruel blow. She wondered if she’d ever feel that way again. She wasn’t aware of it then, but someone was waiting right around the corner.

*****

The hikers decided to take advantage of the warm temperatures and take a walk through the Paint Creek State Forestry late in the day. The two women left work at 4 p.m. and headed straight to the trail they’d traveled over the previous summer. The leaves wafted their way down along the paths, crunching under their feet. They talked about their day, office gossip, and how to take a martini stain out of a black dress. Giggling as they walked, they were unaware of the horror that was about to confront them up ahead.

The women liked walking the trail beside the babbling brook. It was peaceful listening to the gurgles and splashes the water took as it bounced off the rocks. As they turned in a bend in the path, one of the women made out an object up ahead that didn’t fit the scenery. She pointed it out to the other woman. They continued walking, slowly now, unsure of what they may come across.

As they ventured nearer, they could tell it was a body. Maybe someone tripped, fell and knocked themselves out on one of the many rocks next to the stream. Now the women ran, worried that someone may have injured him or herself and may have been lying in the forest for who knows how long. As they approached, they could tell it was a man by the shape of the body. But when they looked at where his head should be, the only thing resembling a face was the lone eyeball staring into the sky.

One woman screamed, the sound reverberating through the woods. The other woman grabbed her arm and pulled her back down the path. As they ran through the forest, terror filled their chests. One of the hikers tripped and fell. The other one ran back and pulled her up, and they continued running, afraid that whoever had done the unspeakable horror to the person up the trail may be lurking behind one of these trees.

The women made it to their car, slammed and locked the doors, and sped out of the barren parking lot. They drove to the camp store, went inside, and informed the shopkeeper and other customers of what they found.

Since the women were still distressed, the shopkeeper called the police. Once the police arrived, the women calmed down, but resisted showing the officers the crime scene. Eventually they were persuaded but would only go so far up the trail. The officers made it the rest of the way by following the hiker’s directions.

The face was unrecognizable from the beating. The officers called in forensics who found a small billfold in the victim’s wallet. A school identification card found inside the wallet read Jacob Reynolds. The boy was 17, never to turn 18. Someone decided his time on earth couldn’t continue.