Ephemeral creatures, p.30
Ephemeral Creatures, page 30
Originally, she’d wanted to send pictures of the barn and burial mound but couldn’t do so anonymously. Although unsure if the trio really would’ve gotten in trouble for trespassing, breaking and entering, or any other offenses, Kevin made it clear he would be in violation of the terms of his parole if he was discovered not only out of state but also engaged in a crime, no matter how minor. So ultimately, they settled on making the report anonymously.
Hours later, as Tara was getting ready for bed, riding a nice Oxy high, someone banged on the door connecting her room with the guys’.
“Tara!” Kevin called. “Check this out!”
She opened the door, and he beckoned her into his and Chad’s adjoining room, where the TV was playing the ten o’clock nightly news.
“Ranch of Horrors Discovered” the chyron blared. A young female reporter was standing outside a police cordon near a barbed wire fence. It was nighttime, and she was starkly illuminated by the video camera’s light. A uniformed deputy could be seen posted at a gate nearby. In the background, more officers were moving around a familiar barn, the scene lit up with bright floodlights.
“Police aren’t releasing any suspect information at this time,” the reporter was saying, “though the anonymous tipster reportedly provided the property owner’s name, who they are calling a suspect. Investigators aren’t saying for now how many possible victims are involved, although one source I talked to looked grim as he told me there are, quote, ‘many’ victims and ‘the true extent won’t be known for some time.’ The FBI is reportedly en route to assist with the investigation, which promises to be a lengthy one. This is Stephanie Santos, reporting live on scene.”
The reporter was replaced by a pair of news anchors in the studio. “Disturbing news indeed,” the male anchor said gravely. “And we will be sure to provide you with breaking news updates on our morning newscast.”
“On to other news,” the female anchor chirped. “Organizers of a local Care and Share fundraising drive over the weekend are calling it a huge success—”
Chad clicked Mute on the remote. “Good deal,” he said with a nod and his usual poker face.
“We did it,” Tara said. “Holy shit.”
Kevin gave her shoulder a squeeze, a smile on his face. “Nice work with your call, Tara. It’s only a matter of time now till they catch that bastard.”
She didn’t know whether to cry or feel elated, so she did both. Before she knew it, she and Kevin were embracing. Chad even got caught up in the mood, clapping them both on the shoulders.
“This one’s for you, Liddy,” Kevin said quietly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “May you pass onward and find peace now.”
“I think she’ll be proud,” Chad said. “Let’s just hope they get that mofo locked up stat. A case of fatal lead poisoning would be even better.”
Tara couldn’t agree more, having seen what that monster was capable of.
***
Kevin tried to run but couldn’t get any traction, the muddy ground as soft as putty beneath his feet. The harder he struggled, the more the ground sagged beneath him, until a huge abyss formed in the earth. Like a black hole of hurt and despair bored entirely through the world. I feel like I could get sucked right into it. Lidia’s words, he remembered.
Hail pelted him, and he saw with horror the stones were actually human nails pouring from the bruised sky. Thunder boomed, and a lightning bolt blasted a dead tree to splinters a short distance away. When the thunder subsided, he became aware of a cacophony of voices growing in strength, though their words were incomprehensible. Yet he could sense the malevolent hunger of something awaiting in that abyss.
With increasing desperation, he pumped his legs faster and faster, yet the ground only caved in that much quicker until he lost his footing altogether. Then he was weightless, plummeting into the black hole to join the dead in their mass grave. He screamed as he fell, knowing he would be consumed by some great evil, grown fat on the woe and despair of those murdered there.
Just before he plunged into the black hole forever, a hand grabbed his own and pulled him free. The awful void in the world vanished. As the bleak scene melted away, it was replaced by a bright, sunny day.
“What the—hey!” Kevin fell into cold water with a splash.
Only his rear got wet, but the abrupt jolt of cold still came as a shock. An inner tube supported him, warm in the sun, redolent of rubber. He was wearing swim trunks and shirtless, floating along in a steady current.
In confusion, he looked around to try to make sense of his surroundings. Reddish rock formations lined a canyon with nearby trees encroaching on the banks of a river. The song “Good Vibrations” was playing without any apparent source.
Lidia was sprawled comfortably in her own tube beside his. She wore a fire-engine-red string bikini and looked unnaturally tan. Not only that, her chest was a great deal more ample, the bikini’s thin fabric waging an epic battle to keep everything in place. Her hair was straight—long and lustrous. She’d always disliked her untamable curly hair.
About fifty feet ahead, Chad was floating along with his high school girlfriend, Kim.
“You’re welcome,” Lidia said with a grin.
“Where are we?”
“The Salt River, of course.”
“Yeah, but how?”
“I thought a more pleasant dream was called for.” She grimaced. “What an awful nightmare you were having.”
Kevin let out a long breath, his pulse returning to normal as the terror faded. “Yeah, it was disturbing as hell. But then, after the day we had, guess it’s to be expected.” He looked around and couldn’t help but smile. “This is a good pick, I’ll give you that. An adventure, as you would call it.”
That particular occasion had been a blast, tubing down the Salt River after graduation on a fine June day.
Lidia beamed. “It sure was. After that horrible place, we both needed a pick-me-up.”
“For sure. So what’s with… uh…” He nodded his chin at her, unsure of how to phrase the question. Definitely Tara-esque. But I guess, in a dream, she can look however she wants. But it’s my dream… how come I can’t make myself tan and buff?
She grinned, stretching languorously in a manner that served to accentuate her unnatural assets. “You talkin’ about my pearly whites?” She bared her movie-star-bright teeth.
Kevin felt himself flush as she laughed.
“Just playin’ around a little.”
Her overdone bosom and tan both reverted to ordinary Lidia magnitude. And the immodest bikini became a black one-piece with a cartoonish skeleton design on the front. Her hair morphed into its usual unruly curls, and he had to resist an urge to smooth them back from her face.
“Better?” She blew a curl out of her eyes.
“Honestly, yeah.” He laughed.
Lidia looked quite pleased by his admission.
“How do you do that, anyway?” he asked.
“Do what?” Her smile had a mischievous quality to it.
“Get in my head and change my dreams around like this.”
“What’s wrong? Don’t like it?”
“No, I do… it’s great, actually.”
She grinned. “A girl’s gotta have her secrets. But if you must know, it’s an ancient technique called the Jedi mind trick, young padawan.”
They both laughed. He realized their surroundings had gone still—The Beach Boys had stopped singing at some point. Other than the steady sloshing of water and occasional splash, the scene was eerily quiet, as though they were contained within their own privacy bubble.
“We did it, Lid,” he said after a few moments of floating in comfortable silence. “The cops are on scene, and it’s gonna be all over for Vollan now.”
“The Nazgul. Axel Vollan.” She said the name slowly as if tasting it before making a sour face. “You guys did awesome—I’m proud of you, Kev. All of you. Now, just let the police do their job, and you guys can get on with your lives.”
“We plan to, but it’s hard to feel too much of a sense of accomplishment until they actually arrest his ass. But what about you? Do you think this is what you need to move on—getting justice?”
She sucked at her lip a moment before shaking her head slowly. “Don’t think so. Feels like there’s still a piece of the puzzle to fall into place or something to be set right… Wish I knew. But you guys being back together is a good start.”
“Seems weird Tara clicks with us so well. You were the only one who was ever really her friend.”
“She’s just as lonely in her own way as you and Chad are. But I’ve got a good feeling about you guys now. Sooo good, in fact, that I’ll even break it down like the Movie Trailer Guy.” She cleared her throat and spoke in a deeper, dramatic voice. “Three old friends, united by tragedy, discover a new purpose as they undertake a valiant quest to identify a depraved killer and bring him to justice.” She winked.
Kevin laughed. When Lidia joined in, it felt just like old times joking around. After a time, his humor ran its course, replaced by a stab of acute sorrow.
“Man, I’m gonna miss times like these so much.” Before she could reply, he added, “But I’m just so happy that we can be together again even though I know it can’t last. That’s why I want to savor them as much as possible before they’re gone.”
Lidia’s smile turned sad, her limpid eyes shining with such depths of emotion that if Kevin wasn’t careful, he feared he might drown in them. “So do I, Kev.” She took his hand and squeezed it, interlacing their fingers. “So do I.”
Part 3:
Till Death
-38-
By the time Tara woke up the next morning, the news had updated the story to include a mug shot of the ex-con and suspected mass murderer, Axel Vollan. The photo had evidently been taken when Vollan was booked for assault and drug offenses several years earlier. Police had no information as to his current whereabouts and were asking for the public’s help to come forward with any tips as a nationwide manhunt was launched. Even the cable news channels had taken a break from the usual nonstop stream of juvenile trash talk that passed as political discourse these days to pick up the story. The news anchor even sounded grateful to have a story of substance to report, for a change.
Simply looking at Vollan gave Tara the chills. He had shoulder-length blond hair and bluff features that looked carved from marble, with a heavy brow and square jaw. The eyes were what creeped her out the most. Like pale-blue ice chips, the eyes of the psychopath looked utterly soulless, the same as might belong to a Nazi concentration camp commandant.
She frowned as she checked her phone again—still no reply from Mallory. She was normally an early bird, often arriving at the house ready for work before Tara even rolled out of bed. Her brief elation of the previous evening was spoiled by her inability to contact her PA. The usually ultraefficient personal assistant was neither answering her phone nor replying to texts.
The trio was in no rush to get back to Arizona. They took their time over breakfast to watch news updates on the case and eventually departed the Marriott shortly after ten. By the time they hit the road, Tara still hadn’t heard anything from Mallory despite repeated attempts to contact her since yesterday, when she’d thanked Mal for her help and told her to check the news about Vollan. Thinking maybe Mallory’s phone had died, Tara texted David as well but got only a curt reply that he hadn’t seen or heard from the young woman since Friday, two days before.
Tara insisted on driving the entire way, hoping that would distract her from the growing concern over Mallory’s absence. As the miles passed, that bad feeling in the pit of her stomach intensified.
“Something wrong, Tara?” Kevin asked soon after they entered Arizona. “You seem tense.”
“Yeah, I can’t get a hold of Mal, my PA. David hasn’t seen or heard from her since Friday either. Last I heard from her was yesterday morning, when she sent me the info on Vollan.”
“Well, it is the weekend,” Kevin said. “Maybe she’s got plans.”
Tara shook her head. “She didn’t mention any major plans this weekend, and we usually stay in touch even when she’s off. Something just feels off—this isn’t like her. If I don’t hear anything before I get home, I’m going to swing by her place and check on her.”
Kevin and Chad exchanged a glance. “Want us to come with you?” Kevin asked.
“I’m heading through that way anyway,” Chad said. “No big deal for me.”
“No problem for me either—not like I have much else going on,” Kevin added.
The relief she felt at their offer surprised her. “I hate to impose, especially if this is just me freaking out about nothing. But… would you guys mind? I just want to stop in for a minute and make sure she’s okay. I’ll pay for a nice dinner for your trouble.”
“You don’t need to do that,” Kevin said. “We should remain vigilant until this is over and Vollan is behind bars.”
Tara considered the wisdom of Kevin’s words. She thought of giving David a heads-up about the situation to be on the safe side, but that felt foolish. He was already irritated at her and would think she was tripping if she started acting paranoid. Then would come the lecture and inevitable fight.
No, I’ll tell him once this is all over with.
Within what felt like a short time, they reached the park-and-ride where the men’s vehicles had been left. While they offloaded their bags and started up their cars, Tara took the opportunity to down an Oxy. For a few days there, she’d felt like her old self, without even feeling the need for her happy pills. She’d been taking only her maintenance dose to stave off the withdrawal that would have snuck up on her otherwise. But after that awful discovery at Vollan’s ranch, her need came roaring back as strong as ever.
“You mean you briefly felt like you did before becoming an addict,” a disapproving voice seemed to say in the back of her mind. “You know that’s what you are—a junkie who gives blowjobs to a creep so he’ll write your scrips. Once this is over, you’re destined to revert back to right where you were, aren’t you?”
She shook off those disparaging thoughts as best she could. I need to keep it together. That one Oxy ought to do the trick. Everything is gonna work out just fine. I’ll find Mal sick in bed with the flu and a dead phone battery, nothing more. Then I’ll go home, and everything will be cool with David and Aiden. And I’ll flip on the TV, and the top story on the news will be the announcement Vollan has been shot dead by law enforcement as they raided whatever hole he’s been hiding in. End of story.
Kevin startled her when he knocked on her window. “You cool with grabbing some lunch in Marana first? Chad and I are hungry. We can do that instead of dinner so you can get back home. I think there’s a Panera and some other stuff in that new shopping center off the interstate as we’re heading out of town.”
Tara ordinarily liked Panera Bread, but she wasn’t hungry now. But if she didn’t eat soon, she’d probably start feeling dizzy once the Oxy kicked in on her empty stomach. She forced a smile. “Sure, Panera sounds great.”
A couple minutes later, they hit the I-10 on-ramp. She pressed the accelerator, and the big SUV surged forward as she merged into the northbound traffic. Kevin had taken Lidia’s iPod with him, so she pulled up her own playlist and set it to shuffle. Aerosmith’s “Dream On” started playing.
Tara gave a bitter laugh. I sure hope that nice little fantasy of earlier comes to pass.
-39-
Lidia fussed over the painting she was working on. As easily as clicking the mouse in Photoshop, she changed the paint color on her brush tip with a thought. She dabbed at her canvas, darkening her subject’s hair a bit until it looked more like its proper sandy color than a straw yellow.
“That’s about right,” she said quietly, taking a step back to study her work.
Dream Theater’s “Pull Me Under” was playing quietly in the background as she worked. Kevin had really loved that song and turned her on to it years before.
To the best of her ability, she’d put one of her fondest memories to canvas: something from those innocent days as children, when their whole lives lay ahead of them, when they would tear up the neighborhood streets together on their skateboards. She and Kevin were standing side by side, smiling, him with an arm across her shoulders, her arm around his waist. They had their boards in hand, both similarly dressed in baggy cargo shorts and T-shirts. Kevin wore his backpack with the speakers strapped to the outside so that they could listen to music—an ingenious idea he’d been rather proud of.
The painting was pure fiction, as though they’d stopped to pose while out boarding. Still, she thought she’d managed to capture Kevin’s cute smile and the good humor in his green eyes. She didn’t care much for her own self-portrait as breathing life into her own image was hard. Maybe she just lacked the inspiration. She still looked like the skinny, plain-faced tomboy wearing her Death: The High Cost of Living T-shirt, featuring an image of the supercool goth-girl embodiment of Death from the mind of Neil Gaiman.
After the harrowing experience at the ranch, Lidia had retreated to her hideaway, desperate to feel some positive vibes. The brief tubing jaunt in Kevin’s dream had been wonderful, albeit fleeting. So she’d returned to the comforting memories of her youth, which had inspired her to paint. The work wasn’t her best ever, but she was mostly happy with how it encapsulated their friendship. Kevin’s portrait in particular had turned out well, even if her own left her wanting. Her expression looked too sad for such carefree times, when she should have been bursting with good cheer while hanging out and boarding with her best friend.
