What You See (31 page)

“When’s the last time you were at home?”

“Not since I left this morning around
ten o’clock
,” he answered. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of
his pocket, stuck one in his mouth, lit it, and then offered me one. I know I
shouldn’t have taken it, but that bad old devil was sitting on my shoulders,
egging me on. I took one out of the pack, leaned over and let him light it for
me.

“Did you know they have your dad in custody?” I asked. I
wasn’t about to tell him the real truth about his father. I wanted him to think
the worst, hoping I could scare something out of him.

“What for?” he asked, becoming obviously upset. His hands
started to shake and he danced around like his pants were on fire.

“What do you think?” I spat. “They think he killed Helen
Carrolton, and buried her on his property. They’ll show up with shovels soon.”

“Oh, no!” he screamed, looking at Tommy, who had been
standing there the whole time with his mouth shut. “They’ve arrested my dad,
Tommy! We have to do something! We have to tell them what we know!”

“Shut up, you moron!” he yelled. “Don’t you see she’s playing
you for a fool? They ain’t got nothing, or they’d be out here right now with a
search warrant!”

That did it for me. Either, I was in the company of killers,
which was not a pleasant thought, or ensconced in the middle of a cover-up. One
way or the other, I had hit the jackpot with these two.

“Here’s what I know,” I lied, taking a stab at the first
thought that came to mind. “The cops arrested your dad because they think he
killed Helen Carrolton. They haven’t determined why he did it, but that doesn’t
matter right now. Then he buried her on his property with help from the two of
you.”

I stopped and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
They both began to squirm. “If that’s true, you’ll both be in a world of hurt.”

Tommy was the first one to speak up. “I ain’t going to jail
for nobody. I didn’t kill the girl, and I ain’t taking the rap for it. Talk to
your man, here.” He pointed to Jay. “Go ahead, Jay. Tell her all about it. Tell
her how your crazy old man likes to do the dirty with those young chicks. How
he likes to pick them up, take them to some dark spot and do the nasty stuff he
likes to do. That’s it. I ain’t covering for him no more. I don’t care how much
money he gives me! Look lady, I had nothing to do with that girl’s death. All I
did was watch him dig the hole.”

This was worse than I could’ve ever imagined. Not only did
the Dad kill the girl, but he also did it out of some deviate, sexual fantasy
he liked to play out, and then he got his son to help him cover it up. All this
time I thought the son was the bad guy. I should’ve known better. But what role
did Tommy play in this? He had just confessed to his knowledge of the crime, so
was he part of it, or did he just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong
time?

All this raced through my mind. Who cares? A girl was dead
and somebody killed her. I wanted that somebody… and I wanted the girl.

“Hey, let’s think about this.” I tried to calm them down. I
had opened up a can of worms. “I want to help you,” I murmured. “Just tell me
what happened, and show me where she’s buried.” For the first time in our
conversation, I really wanted to help these boys. I no longer thought they were
the bad guys, but victims of a cruel killer.

It almost made me sick. Anyone who would use their own child
to help them cover up their nasty misdeeds must be insane. Who would do that?
Yet, Larry Hudgins wasn’t the biological father of Jay Hudgins. He was the
adoptive parent. It’s not the same. No matter how you look at it... it’s not
the same. It can’t be... or is it?

There was no doubt in my mind now. Helen Carrolton was dead
and these two could lead me to her body. I wasn’t going to give up, but I had
to move fast. The day was quickly coming to an end and I was afraid it wouldn’t
be long before Larry Hudgins would be coming home. According to Cole, his lawyer
was in the process of getting a restraining order out on Billy and me. If that
happened before we found Helen, we’d never get to the truth. We’d be barred
from getting anywhere near Jay or his family.

“My dad’s a good man,” Jay said. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to
hurt her. He said it was an accident.” He was still crying and pacing back and
forth. His big shot attitude was gone.

“I’m getting out of here,” Tommy said. “It’s time for me to
go in and relieve that old bag.” He gave me a creepy smile and nodded toward
the store. “That’s someone I’d like to kill. She’s a nuisance just like you.”
He turned to Jay and said, “If you think she’s going to help you or your dad,
you’re in for a real surprise. Don’t you see she doesn’t care about you? She’s
using you to get what she wants, and once she gets it, she’ll hang us all out
to dry.” He spit on the ground, gave me a nasty look, and then said to me,
“Stay out of my way, while you still can.” He then walked away.

Time was running out. I didn’t know who Tommy would call once
he got inside, and I wasn’t about to wait around to find out.

“Jay, please tell me what happened to Helen. Did your father
kill her? Did he make you help him get rid of the body?”

“If I tell you the truth, will you promise to give me
immunity?”

This kid was not so dumb after all.

“Jay, I can’t do that,” I replied. “I’m not a cop. I don’t
have that authority, but I can promise you this, if you help me, I’ll go to my
cop friend and get him to help you. But first, I need to know the truth.”

“Okay, but not here.” He looked around suspiciously as if he
was checking for someone who might be listening. “Meet me at the end of my road
when it gets dark. I’ll tell you the whole story then and show you where the
girl’s buried. Come alone or it’s no deal.”

“It’ll be dark soon. Why don’t we just go now?” I tried to
convince him. I didn’t want to be alone with him after dark.

“No!” he shouted, walking away. “I don’t want anyone to see
you.” He was in his car and gone before I had a chance to change his mind.

I walked to my car, looking in the store window as I passed.
My suspicions were correct. Tommy was on the phone to somebody and I knew that
before long, somebody would be after me. I had to get out of here fast. I
jumped into my Jeep, pulled out my recorder to check it, and then turned on the
ignition. At first nothing happened. I began to panic as I pictured in my mind
the awful things that could happen if I was still here when whoever was coming
arrived. I scanned the dash, checking for any sign of life. I didn’t understand
it. The lights on the dash glowed, but the engine wouldn’t start. Then I looked
down at the console. The gear lever was still in drive. Maybe that’s it. I had
jumped out so fast, not only did I leave the keys in the car, but I also forgot
to put it in park. No wonder the bells were still ringing when I got out. What
to do? I put my foot on the brake, turned the key to the on position, and
shoved the lever into park. It made a strange clank, but when I turned the key
again it started.

“Hallelujah, Lord!” I screamed out loud, put the car in
reverse and hauled butt. While heading in the same direction as Jay, I tried to
decide what my next move would be. Should I just sneak up on the property
alone, or should I go get Billy? I needed time to think. First thing I’ll do is
go to the grill. I can kill some time there while I figure this out, and I can
get something to eat. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.

Unlike the last few times I’d been there, the grill was
crowded with dinner folks. The six tables in the middle of the floor were
overflowing with families eating supper. Large, boisterous mountain men having
their before dinner drinks occupied most of the booths. Pitchers of beer lined
their tables. I chose the same booth where Billy and I had sat previously.

“What can I get you?” the waitress asked.

I looked up to see a heavy, middle-aged woman with burnt, red
hair, and a front tooth missing. Her makeup was so heavy, I felt weighted down
just looking at her. She had a large mole over her right eyebrow. Any minute, I
expected her to swing one of those huge arms at me and knock me out of the
booth.

“Is Rose working tonight?” I asked.

“You don’t see her, do you?” she hissed, swinging her arm out
through the crowd and inviting me to look for myself. “What’ll it be, Missy? I
ain’t got all night. I got other customers.”

“I’ll have the cheeseburger boat and a coke,” I said.

She waddled off and within two minutes was back with my
drink.

“Bubba wants to know if you’re going to eat this time, or are
you here to ask more questions? Cause, if you’re here to...”

“No, I’m just here to eat,” I assured her.

“Then, your cheeseburger will be right up,” she grunted. She
turned and headed back to the kitchen.

It had just started to rain outside, pouring for a few
minutes and then slowing to a drizzle. The rain cheered me up as I tried to put
her ugly behavior out of my head. I love the rain.

The waitress returned with my food. She slammed the bill down
on the table and said, “Enjoy your meal.” She wasn’t a very happy person. Maybe
she needed a vacation, I thought... or a plastic surgeon.

The food was exceptional, as much as a hamburger could be,
considering I wasn’t eating filet mignon. I expected the meat to be greasy, the
bun to be soggy, and the fries to be hard. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised.
It was just as good as Mom’s... and Mom’s the best cook in the world.

By the time the sun had set into the trees, the rain had been
long gone and I could see the steam radiating off the blacktop. I finished my
meal and left the grill without incident. I didn’t get to see Bubba, but I felt
his presence. He probably had his eyes on me the whole time, wondering what I
was up to. I got into my car and called Billy on my cell phone. It rang ten or
fifteen times before I hit the off button. I tried his number again. Nope, I
hadn’t dialed the wrong number. I had the correct number, but he wasn’t
answering. Next, I tried his cell phone. No answer. I didn’t know what to do.
I explored all my options. If I take the time to go to Billy’s house, I might
miss out on meeting Jay. I had no idea whether or not he’d still cooperate if I
waited too long, and time was of the essence. I couldn’t get Billy on the
phone. He was most likely zonked out on pain pills, but yet, I didn’t want to
face Jay alone. I swallowed my fears, and drove down Rt.15 to meet him. I can
handle this. I have my gun, my cell phone, my tape recorder, and this car is
designed to go anywhere and do almost anything. What else could I possibly
need?

Perhaps a little bit more courage wouldn’t hurt.

I had
never noticed it until now.
There
was a small, faded wooden plaque nailed to a tree that read—The Hudgins’ Farm.
Oh, yeah—it’s a farm all right. I blasted the thought. It’s a funny farm and I
don’t mean ha-ha funny, but funny like in strange. The family who lives on this
road was definitely weird. They gave a whole new meaning to the phrase
dysfunctional family. Mom is a psycho, the kid is a screwed up teenager, Dad’s
a killer, and poor Rose is just an innocent bystander—probably the only one in
the group who doesn’t have a clue.

I turned onto their road and pulled off to the side. I dialed
Billy’s number again. When he didn’t answer, I thought about calling Mom, but
changed my mind because I didn’t want her to worry. However, I’m nobody’s fool.
Someone needed to know where I was, just in case...

I punched in 411 for information and got the number for the
Greene County Bed and Breakfast where Jack and Dennis were staying. Please be
there, I said to myself.

“Hello,” a lady answered. “
Greene
County
Bed and Breakfast. Owned and
operated by Ruby Pryce. May I help you?”

“Yes,” I replied. “My brother, Jack Watson, is staying at
your inn, I think. Could you connect me to his room?”

“Just a minute, please. I think he just came in.”

The phone made a clicking noise, and then started ringing
again. Jack answered after the second ring.

“I’m so glad you’re there,” I rambled. “This is Jesse. I need
to tell you something, so listen closely.”

“Jesse, calm down,” he said. “I’m here. What’s the matter?”

“I need you to do something for me and I don’t want Mom to
know.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to go to Billy’s house and tell him something for
me. He’s all drugged-out from the pain pills and I can’t reach him on the
phone. I’m right in the middle of something really bad and I need his help.
Tell him I’ve found Helen’s killer. It’s the dad. I’m meeting Jay at his place,
so he can show me where the body’s buried. He’ll know what I’m talking about.
Tell him to get here as fast as he can.”

“Have you lost your mind? Don’t do it Jesse. You don’t know
what you’re getting into. Wait for help to arrive. I’ll go get Billy, if you
promise to wait for him.”

“Make it fast.”

“How do I get to Billy’s place?” he asked.

I gave him the directions to Billy’s, and every pertinent
phone number I knew. I warned him not to call me unless it was a matter of life
and death. Deep down in the bottom of my gut, I knew this was going to be a
delicate situation, maybe even dangerous, and I figured the less my opponent knew
about me the better. A ringing telephone is a sure sign that you have outside
communication with the world, and that’s something the bad guys don’t like.
This I figured out on my own.

After ending my conversation with Jack, I called Billy one
last time. I needed his butt-kicking support. I had no doubts he could, and
right about now I wanted him here with me in case I needed him to do it. I knew
my limitations, and what I was about to get into exceeded them. My unanswered
calls made the pit of my stomach quiver. I was scared.

“I guess I’m on my own,” I said to myself, while I hit the
off button on the phone, folded it up and stuffed it into my jeans’ pocket. “But
you better believe I’m going to be ready for you, buster!” I stared down the
end of the road. “When I leave here, somebody is going to be in jail and it
isn’t going to be me.”

Swallowing a lump in my throat the size of a peach, I pulled
back onto the road and kept my speed down. No matter how much I told myself I
was doing the right thing, it still didn’t compensate for the intense fear I
felt. This was serious! People have died in situations less dangerous than what
I was about to face.

It was dark, and the only lights I had to go by were the ones
on the dash and the small glare from my parking lights. I had my headlights
turned off hoping nobody would see me. Slowly, I crept passed the Hudgins’
house. Everything appeared quiet. Several lights were on, but the parking
spaces in front were empty, except for Jay’s Nova and the red sports car. It only
seemed natural to me that the dad’s car would be there, because he was locked
up in jail, and they don’t allow you to bring your car. That meant Jay was the
only one home. This was the way I hoped it would be.

I inched my way down to the end of the road, made a U-turn
and parked my Jeep facing what was to be my getaway route. This time I had the
power to get out of here fast if I needed to, and I was going to be ready at a
moment’s notice. Not once did I get myself into a rut or a ditch like I did
with the truck. I was probably too scared to screw up. It’s amazing what you
can do if you have to.

I sat there for a few minutes trying to get up my nerve. It
was eerie outside and the sounds of summer pounded in my ears. Crickets,
cicadas, and other foul creatures of the night blasted at me. The sound was
horrendously scary, and I couldn’t put aside the feeling that someone was
watching me. I turned off the car, made sure to remove the key, and shoved it
deep into my jeans’ pocket. I had already decided not to lock up the car just
in case a fast getaway was in order. Next, I checked the cell phone in the
other front pocket, and then put my tiny tape recorder in my back left one. In
the last pocket, I stuffed my gun. I had so much stuff in my pockets, I could hardly
move, but I was ready for anything... almost. The palms of my hands were so
sweaty they slipped off the door handle when I went to open the car door. When
I finally managed to get myself out of the car, I just stood there and looked
around. This was a spooky scenario I’d gotten myself into. I was out here all
alone and so scared I almost wet my pants. The darkness of the night had
consumed everything, making it almost impossible for me to see.

Eventually, my eyes adjusted to the blackness, and I decided
it was time to move my butt, or go home. I glanced toward the path Billy and I
had once gone down and was ready to head that way, when I heard the startup of
a bulldozer in the opposite direction. This wasn’t good. The vision of a grave
being dug for me and my car raced through my head. What else could it be? Who
in their right mind would be out here at night doing excavation work? But then
again, who said any of these people were in their right mind?

Forcing my feet to move, I followed the sound of the bulldozer.
It was an arduous journey creeping through the tangled mass of vines, trees,
and rocks that seemed to be everywhere I walked. One of the things I’ve learned
about the mountains is you never have a shortage of rocks. They were everywhere
you looked.

The decision not to bring a flashlight worked against me. I
didn’t want anyone to see the beam from it, but without one I couldn’t see
much. If I had to make a run for it, I’d be in serious trouble.

Judging the distance the best I could, I realized I’d gone
too deep into the woods to make a fast getaway. I sat down on a huge rock
beside a tree and tried to calm down. The air was hot, yet I had the shakes. My
body shivered and my heart was pounding so hard, I had to put my hand over it
to keep it from jumping out of my chest. I could see a full-blown panic attack
heading my way.

Calm down and breathe deeply, I told myself. I promised
myself after this was over, I would follow my doctor’s advice and go back on my
medication.

In the distance, I saw a ray of light and heard the up and
down roar of heavy equipment doing what it was designed to do—move earth. I
crept slowly with my body crunched over like an animal stalking its prey. I had
to be very careful. I had come to the conclusion that my life could depend on
it. This wasn’t a game.

This can’t be real! Through the trees and underbrush, I saw
Larry Hudgins sitting on the seat of the bulldozer, shifting gears and plowing
through the ground digging a hole big enough... What was he doing here? He was
supposed to be in jail!

A few minutes later, Jay walked into view, screaming above
the noise, and making guiding hand gestures. Obviously, he was going to stand
by his dad and do whatever it took to protect him. Regardless of how hard I had
tried, I couldn’t break their bond. Jay had lied to me, and made me feel like a
fool. I was dead meat. I had been used. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to
play out. Jay was supposed to meet me and show me where Helen’s body was
buried, but instead, he was here to assist in my demise. It was time for me to
leave.

I moved through the woods faster than I’d thought possible. I
was scared, sweaty, and tired. I kept falling down, but managed to recover each
time until I stumbled on a pile of rocks halfway to my car. I hit my head and
felt the warm flow of blood run down my eyebrow to my cheek. At that exact
moment, I decided this wasn’t the life for me. The private detective business
was out. Stick a fork in me... I was done. I couldn’t handle the intensity of
it all anymore. I wanted excitement in my life, but not this much. Just as I
got almost to the edge of the woods, I tripped on a tree root, fell and hit my
knee—the same one that had been stitched. I scrambled up and pressed my hand to
my knee. It hurt like crazy and I could feel warm blood. I couldn’t believe it.
I had a new injury to add to the list, and before I could heal from the old
ones, I went and tore one of those open. What else could possibly go wrong?

As of late, I assumed it was only going to get better. I was
going to help catch the bad guy and everything was going to be fine. But now,
all I cared about was getting out of here and never looking back. Forget these
crazies. Let someone else worry about them. All I had to do was make it to my
car! With a pounding headache, and limping by now, I made it to my Jeep, sat
down on the rear bumper and hung my head between my legs. I felt sick to my
stomach from the pain and was afraid that I was going to pass out. I silently
thanked God for getting me out of this mess, and in return, promised to change
my lifestyle. No more smoking, no more cussing, and no more getting into
situations like this! Sucking in my breath and mustering up all the energy I
could, I forced myself to make it to the car door. I fished out my keys, and
fell into the driver’s seat, noticing only after I’d sat down that the overhead
interior lights hadn’t come on. What the... Then I smelled it. A strong scent
of Jasmine filled the air. I recognized it immediately. Jasmine has always been
my favorite cologne. I wore it in the summer because it made me feel like a
spring flower, but I had a feeling, after what was about to happen, I’d never
feel that way again. Instantly, I knew I wasn’t alone. I squeezed my eyelids
together, trying to get my eyes focused, and when I opened them, I saw Rita
Hudgins sitting in the passenger seat. She had what looked like a flashlight in
her lap, but there was no mistaking the gun she shoved in my face.

“You know, Miss Watson, you’ve become a real pain,” she spoke
as she stroked my face gently with her hand and then leaned over so close I
could smell the alcohol on her breath. Her hand brushed my breast as she pulled
back. “As cute as I think you are, I’d hate to have to hurt you.”

The way she touched me made me even sicker to my stomach than
I already was. What was wrong with this woman? Why would she do that? Not only
was I still reeling from what had happened in the last few hours, but now I
also had this crazy woman sitting beside me with a gun stuck up against my
head, while her hand explored parts of my body she had no right to explore.

“We could’ve had so much fun together, but you had to go and
ruin it.” She reached over and ran her hand up and down my leg, stopping at my
crotch.

This couldn’t be true. I wasn’t sitting here with Rita
Hudgins’ hand in my crotch. Is this really happening or am I dreaming? I had
never experienced having a woman touch me in those places, and I sure as crap
didn’t know how to handle it. The worst part was... she was enjoying herself!
She made groaning sounds and blew air kisses at me.

She must be jerking my chain, I thought. She’s married and
has a couple of kids. She’s just trying to rattle me, and it was working!

Rita pulled back and relaxed in the seat, her gun still aimed
at my head. “You have it all wrong, you know.” Her demeanor changed suddenly.
“Why is it that everyone I’ve loved didn’t love me back?”

I had no idea where she was going with this. She appeared to
drift in and out of reality, not making any sense, but she was the one with the
gun for now. I played along with her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to
soothe her. “Who is it that doesn’t love you back?” I could care less about
what she had to say, but I had to do whatever it took to keep her from going
off the deep end and pulling the trigger. At first my words seemed to calm her,
but then she became agitated again.

“Them! All of them!” she cried. “I loved them all and they
turned their backs on me. At first, they denied their true feelings, but I knew
it was there. First it was Lisa. She told me I was sick right up until the end.
Then Sunny used me to get my money. I should’ve killed her sooner. And that
little girl in the red car was so sweet to begin with, and then she turned into
the same crybaby slut as the rest of them. She didn’t want me to touch her, and
she said I was crazy. But I showed her just like I showed the rest of them. I’m
not crazy!” Her hands shook as her momentum built. “It was her fault. She’s the
one who offered me a ride that day at the grill. My car wouldn’t start and she
said she’d give me a ride home. It was snowing pretty hard.”