Corners report

     Dillon liked the feel; the smell of paper reports. He liked to make notes on them. Highlight areas of importance. He knew the final report from the corner concerning the explosion in Coal Town would be a bear. And he was right. There was at least 2 pages per person. Some had 3. 

     John Doe number 5 got his attention. Gunshot wound to the left leg. Believe it or not, the bullet was still in his leg. This would need to have ballistics testing done. Was it possible John Doe number 5 was the same man that he shot in Evie’s house? His mind started filling with questions. He flipped John Doe number 5 over and started writing. Was this the man that broke into Evie’s house? Who was he? Why was he in Sunshine Valley? Who or what brought him here? Money? From whom? Was he the same person that tried to run Evie off the road? That suv was so clean you could eat out of it. The only thing forensics found was traces of cleaning supplies. Stuff you could buy anywhere. It ended up being stolen from London. Random theft from random people. Did Calvin know this man? Through Connie? In Coal Town? Was he a drug smuggler? Just a random homeless man trying to make a fast buck? No connection at all? 

     Report number 93: female remains. Dental records sent to Frankfort. His heart fell to his feet reading the corners notes; possible victim Connie Marie Sutton. ‘Dear God, no.’ He hung his head. Delivering this news to her grandma and mother would be gut wrenching. No one had filed a missing persons report. It was common for her not to have contact with her family for months at a time. Calvin was already on 24 hour suicide watch. 

     The fire marshal had called in help from D.C. via Frankfort. The explosion had been a number of bad things happening all at once. There wasn’t one single cause. The people of Sunshine Valley wanted someone to blame. Someone to point a finger at. Right now, that finger was being pointed at his office, gross mishandling. Had it been? Was his thinkin’ that the homeless needed a place to be. Even if it had been abandoned? He knew there were drugs in Coal Town. Should he have done a giant sweep? He knew that if he had, they would be other places. The average citizen of Sunshine Valley didn’t want to share their streets with drug addicts, prostitutes, or the homeless. Out of sight out of mind in Coal Town. Until they needed a scapegoat for their own guilt. His guilt?

     Maybe this was his call to retire? Maybe this was God’s way of saying he’d been doin’ this job way too long? Porter was trying to get him to buy him out. Maybe this was his dream come true? And Evie. His beautiful Evie. Retire from being a sheriff and be Mr. Evie. She was doin’ amazin’ things with the farm. From Hillbilly Yoga to FFA. The art club from high school was holding random classes on the farm. He glanced at the bottle of goat milk lotion on his desk. Sarah wasn’t able to leave teaching yet but he figured it wouldn’t be much longer. Bradley was so happy that his baby wouldn’t be driving that road 5 days a week soon. He had already told the whole department “cookout at my house”, when it was official. As it turned out Chris’s wife Kim had ran a similar business before Covid and was, on occasion, working with Sarah. Dillon felt in his heart, this was going places. Evie was one hell of a woman. He gave a brief smile at that. He still couldn’t believe she had agreed to marry him. He patted the pile of papers, even with this, he was still the luckiest man in Sunshine Valley. He was truly learning what it meant to ‘let go and let God’.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!”

     Rebecca stared out the window at the little White House thinking about the happy family that now lives inside. “I didn’t do anything wrong.” She whispered. 

     “I’m sorry?” Simon asked, happily cutting into his steak. 

     “I did the right thing.” 

     He was confused, “‘bout?” His mood slowly changing. 

     She took a deep breath, “I called Frankfort and lodged an interference complaint against him.”

     “Him?” Simon asked slowly. 

     “I called DCBS and told them about the homeless couple with the baby. I heard through the rumor mill that the mother and child disappeared.” She shrugged, “so I filed a complaint higher up the ladder.” She pointed her fork at Simon. “You know the sheriff had to have been involved.” She stabbed a piece of lettuce, “I mean, how else does one just ‘disappear’?” She used air quotes on disappear. 

     Simon laid his knife down. “The very people that have been feeding us.” He shook his head, “is that why Sunshine Sue left here awhile back?”

     “No, she was following up on the harassment comment I made about the sheriff’s department back in October. At least someone is paying attention.” Simon didn’t know what to say. The air had been knocked out of his lungs. Rebecca sliced into her steak. “When I call Frankfort, I might have went on a rant and called the sheriff a pedophile.” When she finally looked up, Simon’s expression was blank. “Well, say something?” 

     He didn’t, he got up from the table, leaving. His truck roared to life. Instead of going toward town, he pointed his truck in the other direction. Bile rose to her mouth at the thought of him running to the sheriff to rat her out. 

     She cleaned up the kitchen with a heavy heart. When she turned, Simon was standing in the door. “Did you have anythin’ to do with the person that ran Ms. Evelyn off the road?”

     She turned to the sink. “Why do you have to make everything about her?”

     “What about the person that shot at me while I was being a good neighbor?”

     She turned to face him, “I got laid off for a month today. Without pay.” Simon’s knees buckled under him. 

     He had to catch himself on the door frame. “What the fuck for?” The cuss word flowed from his mouth without hesitation. With force. 

     “Sara thinks I threw something at her during the revival. I can’t work until they figure it out.”

     “You’ve been suspended.” 

     “Laid off, suspended,” she shrugged. “Same difference.”

     Through gritted teeth he asked, “did you throw something at her?”

     “If I did, she’s gotta prove it.”

     Simon was gone. 

Beautiful gift

     Rebecca sat in the car a few minutes to let the stress of the day evaporate. She just stared at the house almost hesitant to go in. Simon was home. How was she going to tell him her news? The first thing to hit her when she walked through the door was the smell of food. Her stomach let out a low embarrassing growl. As she laid her stuff on the edge of the couch. She saw a beautiful arrangement of blue roses on the table. Blue roses. She touched one of the soft flowers, marveling at how delicate the petals were. Blue was her favorite color. Roses her favorite flower. Where did Simon find blue roses? This was going to make her news even harder. 

     He walked into the room, grinin’ from ear to ear, holding 2 salads. “You’re home.” He kissed her. “Sit,” he almost sang. 

     Next was a pitcher of tea and glasses on a tray. He poured. She was still too shocked to say anything. The sizzle and smell  of steak filled her ears. Her stomach almost lept out of her mouth to get to the plate. Simon was happy. Joyful. He had cooked for her many times. This felt different. 

     She sliced off a piece of the meat. It melted in her mouth. There was no stifling the moan that escaped her.

     Simon couldn’t smile any wider, “good?”

     “You have outdone yourself. This is amazing. What is the occasion?”

     “For doin’ something I know was really hard.”

     It took her a minute to connect the dots. They were celebrating that she called 911 for Evelyn. Simon was right. It took everything she had not to be mean. Not to just leave her standing there. Doing the right thing had left her feeling empty. 

     Simon spoke, bringing her back around. “If you like the steak, I have a chance to go in on a cow.”

     “This is the best steak ever.” She marveled, sopin’ her baked potato in the steak juice.

     “D & E Farm was an error on my part. It’s D & E Enterprise.” He watched her face as he spoke to see how she was going to react. “Dillon and Evelyn. D & E.”

    The potato hit her stomach like a rock. “When all your other clients canceled on you, you’ve been workin’ for them?” Her mouth was super dry. He shook his head yes. “I guess that is the cow in question?” Again, he shook his head, yes. “And this is where the steaks came from?” Again, yes. “He can sure raise beef.”

     Simon laughed, “yes he can. If you feel up to it, we have been invited up for dessert sometime.”

     She couldn’t speak. Simply nodded her head yes. While they were talking, she just asked, “Chris,” was all she got out of her mouth. 

     Simon smiled, happily tearing into his steak. “Chris is workin’ out great. When he’s not at the mill of course.”

     She squeaked, “mill?”

    “Chris,” he used his knife to point out the window toward the little house across the road. “The homeless couple from church. They are not homeless anymore. Thanks to the love of neighbors.”

     She looked out the window toward the house. Her gut reaction was to be mad. But she wasn’t upset for very long. More confused than anything. 

Tortured dream (trigger alert!) 🚨

     Evie realized her head was splitting. A familiar noise filled her ears. She had to work to open her eyes. At first everything was blurry. Then dim. It was night. Her entire body hurt. Her feet were tied out in front of her. It felt like her hands were tied behind her back. So tight that her shoulders wouldn’t move. Something was in her mouth and it was taped shut. 

     Across from her, in the light to a camp fire, was Doug. The light of the fire reflected off his black hair. In that moment, Evie remembered the man she married. Her heart stopped. He was no longer that man. And her current situation reminded her of why they were divorced. This would not end well. 

     She prayed for a quick end. Then hope crept in; Dillon crossed her mind. Dillon might find her. 

     Doug was putting the blade of his knife in the fire. He would leave it for awhile, take it out, study it, before putting it back. It had been awhile since she had any trouble from him. But there set trouble.

     “Well, hello. Welcome to the land of the living.” He growled. “Follow this.” He commanded, waving the knife back and forth. She did what he said. Hoping to minimize the damage. The knife was glowing so hot that it left light trails as he waved it. Was it really the knife or the ache in her head creating this illusion? 

     “I’ve been watching you.” He pointed the knife at her. “Since the bridge, I’ve been watching you. Waiting.” He ripped off her shoes. Her legs were bound so tight that she couldn’t fight. It would be a waste of energy even if she could. Her socks followed. He threw them in the fire, laughing. “Won’t be needing them.”

     “You are one lucky bitch.” He laughed. “I just can’t seem to kill you.”

     Thunder clapped in the distance. Here crept hope back in. Rain might put out the fire. At least delay the process. At least until Dillon found her. 

     As if he read her mind, laughing again, he pointed up. She thought she saw the outline of something hanging in the trees. “Let it rain.” He got up dancing around the fire, “let it rain.” Spinning, twirling, he danced over to a tree across from her; ripping off a cover. It was Dillon. Bound and gagged just like her. 

     Dillon looked around and saw Evie. A large place on his head was matted. Blood ran down his neck to his shoulder. “Lookie, here we have two love birds.”

     She NEEDED to tell Dillon not to throw up. She NEEDED to tell him not to fight. She NEEDED to tell him not to suck in air. She NEEDED to tell him to put the back of his tongue to the roof of his mouth. This stringy shit Doug had put in their mouths would choke him. But she couldn’t. 

     “Since the bridge,” he clarified. “I’ve been learning just how I could hurt you the most.” He pointed the knife at Dillon. “Big ole hard ass sheriff,” Doug laughed. He got right up in Dillon’s face. “Not to much of a hard ass when shot full of tranquilizers.” He used the knife scratching his chin, “hmm, balls.”

     He put the knife back in the fire until it glowed hot again. Jerking it out of the fire he examined it. Rushed at Evie, scorching the bottom of her right foot. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. While a sizzling sound flooded her ears. She couldn’t scream. This stuff would run down her throat. She couldn’t throw up. It would suffocate her. Nor could she lunge forward. Dillon fought for her. “There, those feet you love to caress. Touch’em now.” He put the knife back in the fire. Doing the same thing to her left foot. 

     Evie was powerless to do anything except pass out. Her last sight was Dillon fighting against the ropes. 

     She woke to the sound of rain hitting fabric. Like the sides of a tent. Her feet throbbed.

     Doug noticed she was awake, “You wouldn’t have children with me.” He pointed the knife at Dillon again, “you ain’t gonna have children with this bastard either.” He pulled at Dillon’s clothes. Unlike Evie, Dillon fought back. His ropes must not have been as tight. Doug laughed, “I like it when you fight.” With Dillon subdued, he took the glowing knife, castrating him. Dillon gagged. Tried to scream. Gagged some more.

     Doug raised his bloody prize high. Frowned, followed by laughter. “Oops. You’re too old to be having babies anyway.” He threw the body parts in the fire. He danced around the fire, “maybe your adoption paperwork will come through.” 

    Evie glared at him with tears streaming down her face. The smell of burning flesh was sickening. 

     She felt herself being shook, “Evie!” It sounded like Dillon’s voice but that was impossible. “Evie!” She started gagging, followed by screams. That smell was still in her nose. That sound still in her ears. “Evie!” Rang out again. She lunged forward. Strong arms caught her. “Evie.” That once panicked voice was now soft and comforting. “Evie.”

     Dillon was okay. This had been a nightmare. One horrific nightmare. All she could do was let him hold her as she cried.