Chapter 44: Reprieve

Thursday, Aug 1st, 1996, Sanford Maine

“I sure hope Mom has some good news for us,” Amber said wistfully as we pulled into the Veterinarian’s parking lot for the second time this week.

“Me too, Peaches, me too. Linda was supposed to be evaluated yesterday, and since Mrs. Miller told Mom that she wouldn’t be speaking with her doctor until today, we should find something out at some point, even if it isn’t until later. I just hope that they decide that she’s well enough to see her friends,” I said confidently, trying to stay positive.

“Seems busier here today,” Amber remarked as we’d been forced to park further away since the lot was mostly full.

“Yeah, maybe the extreme heat the other day had kept people home,” I shrugged. “I’m so bloody thankful that the weather cooled off somewhat. Too many scorchers in a row like Monday and Tuesday are dangerous for our type of work. But, at least yesterday, and so far today has been okay.”

“Yeah ... I was surprised that Marty almost passed out near the end of yesterday, and he was even worse his first day the day before,” Amber observed, repeating what she’d told me the other night.

“At least he seems all right today and doesn’t have heat stroke like I’d feared. He just wasn’t drinking enough water or wetting his ball cap. I told him to wear his t-shirt like a bandana underneath it, but he was too stubborn. That trick that Larry showed me keeps me cool enough to keep working, and all it takes is dunking my head under a garden hose every fifteen-twenty minutes,” I mused.

“I know, I do the same thing with a spare shirt that I ripped up, as you already know,” Amber smirked while rolling her eyes at me because I was telling her the obvious.

“Spare shirt!” I snorted. “That was my old workout tank top, and I loved it!”

“It had holes! Besides, it smelled like you, and I like that,” Amber replied with a giggle as she playfully stuck her tongue out at me. “But anyway, getting back to what we were talking about, Marty didn’t even do half as much work as you did,” she pointed out with a frown.

“I know, but I didn’t really expect him to. Sure he works out, but he doesn’t take it seriously, and his stamina is low. Ours is a lot higher because of all the extracurricular stuff we’re involved in. I get plenty of aerobics in my Martial Arts classes, and your dance lessons are killer for that—”

“And my Cheerleading! Even if we are skipping it this year,” Amber interjected.

“Yes, that too,” I smiled in agreement. “Trust me, he’s better than a lot of people out there, though. His body just needs a few days; he’ll improve,” I said confidently, defending Martin’s lack of production.

“I guess so,” Amber shrugged noncommittally. “I’ll admit that it’s better than having no one, but I’m still mowing twice as fast as him, and I’ve had to retrim quite a few spots that he missed,” she complained with a frown. “Look, I love Marty, you know that, but between that and his constant hitting on me—even if he’s semi-joking—it’s getting on my nerves a bit,” she said, clearly frustrated.

“You want me to tell him to tone it down?” I asked with a grimace.

I hated when he hit on my sister. Specifically when he seemed serious about it. But I kept my mouth shut because Amber had put me in place about innocent flirting a few times already. Most of the time, it was just over the top joking—which I could handle—but it had changed tone quite a bit over the past few days. I figured it was due to his sadness over Linda, and that he was looking for a place to bury his feelings. I understood that, but it still bothered the fuck out of me even though I did my best to hide it. I loved the Dude and didn’t want to end up resenting him over it. Especially since he had no clue that Amber was in a committed relationship. I was constantly reminding myself that he did think she was single after all.

Amber sighed and gave me a weary look, “No, don’t bother saying anything. I can handle Marty on my own. I’m just cranky, and I’m really missing CC as much as I’m loving our alone time together.”

“Yeah, I’m missing her too,” I agreed with a sigh. “Changing the subject, though. Since we’re supposed to get a thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon, it looks like we’ll have an early Friday. So maybe I can do something to alleviate your crankiness,” I suggested as I waggled my eyebrows at her.

“Hmm, you know what? That just might be what the doctor ordered,” Amber grinned in response. “There are a few things that I’ve been wanting to try this week, but we’ve been too drained by the time we finish work to do anything more than just make gentle love.”

“Things?” I asked, arching a brow.

“Kinky things,” Amber whispered in reply, her green eyes sparkling mischievously.

Damn, my cock suddenly lurched in my shorts just as we got to the clinic door. I quickly tried to think of other things—ugly, nasty things. The last thing I wanted was to walk in with a hard-on bulging in my pants.

Cool air hit us pleasantly in the face as we stepped inside; it might not be a scorcher out today as it had been earlier in the week, but it was still hot. Unlike the last time we were here, the smell of cats and dogs was strong. The place echoed with the barking of dogs with the sporadic yowling and hissing of a few cats thrown in for variety. Looking at the waiting room, it was full of pet owners who were either holding dogs tightly to their sides or cat carriers on their laps. Damn, it was busy; I hoped Mom had time for us.

“Hi, Aimee,” Amber and I both greeted simultaneously as we stepped up to the front counter.

“Hi again! I’m surprised to see you twice in one week! I bet that you came back just for these,” Aimee laughed, her big dimples filling her cheeks as she handed us a couple of red suckers.

“You know it!” Amber readily agreed as she swiftly opened hers and popped it into her mouth. “Thanks!”

“Yeah, thanks! Is our Mom free? It looks crazy busy in here today,” I asked, taking another look around.

“Hmm,” Aimee hummed as she looked at her computer screen and tapped away at her keyboard. “She should be in examination room number three right now with a patient. Hold on a second, and I’ll go see when she thinks she might be available.”

We waited a couple of minutes, stuck in a cacophony of animal noises. I don’t know how Aimee put up with it. At least in the back, it was muffled.

“Your Mom said to go wait in her office, that she should be there soon,” Aimee said as she came back through the swing door that led to the examination rooms.

We said our thanks and did as she suggested. About five minutes later, our Mom came bustling into her office, giving us a couple of hugs and kisses before plopping down at her desk.

“Hi, Kids! I haven’t got too long. It’s swamped today. I managed to speak with Martha earlier, and she said that apparently, Linda won’t speak to anyone.”

“What do you mean? Like she won’t talk to the doctor? Or to anybody anybody?” Amber asked, puzzled.

“From what I understood, Linda hasn’t said a single word since she was arrested and brought to the hospital,” Mom said sadly.

“Not even to her Mom?” Amber asked, sounding shocked.

“No, not to her Mom, or anyone. It has them very concerned that she is still feeling suicidal,” Mom answered gently.

“Really? So, what’s that mean?” I queried.

“It means that as of right now, she’s under suicide watch. Which is a good thing because that makes it certain that she won’t be able to harm herself. But, they aren’t allowing any visitors that aren’t immediate family. I’m sorry, you two. I know how much you wanted to see her,” Mom frowned sympathetically. “But her parents are going out to try to get her to speak to them again tomorrow. So there’s always hope. They’ve been going there every afternoon since Tuesday, which was partly why Martha canceled having tea with me that day.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this before,” Amber huffed accusingly, crossing her arms underneath her breasts as she was wont to do when angry.

“Honey, I know that you’re upset and worried about your friend—I understand that, “Mom replied patiently. “However, I only found out this morning that she hasn’t been speaking. When I spoke with Martha on Monday, she didn’t mentioned that. I assume that because she’s had so much on her mind, she forgot to share that information—or maybe she wasn’t ready to. Or perhaps she was just too overwhelmed with everything. Either way, today is the first time we’ve spoken since then.

“She did tell me that her life seemed like one gigantic nightmare. The poor thing’s worried about her daughter’s well-being—understandably so—and she just found out that her brother’s body is being released. So now, on top of everthing else, she’ll be needing to plan a funeral for him. And since he never had any children, there’s no one else to do it. Their parents are deceased, and she’s the only sibling. Poor Martha burst out crying over that—asking me how she was supposed to bury him after he’d done such awful things to her daughter. She confessed to me that she’d found Linda’s diary. That she broke the lock on it in her frantic need to understand what had happened. She told me that she read through the horrible details of what Linda went through for years, and now it haunts her. I don’t know how’d I’d handle it if I was her,” Mom said with unshed tears in her eyes.

“Really? Oh, Mom! I can’t even imagine what poor Linda went through,” Amber gasped as she burst out in tears, turning to clutch at me.

“Me either, Honey,” Mom said sadly as she got up to embrace us in one big hug.

I let Amber turn to our Mom as I sat down and silently felt guilty over my reaction to Mom’s news. The first thing that had gone through my mind when I heard that Linda wasn’t speaking was relief. Relief because that meant that she hadn’t told anyone about Amber and me yet. What a selfish bastard I was.

“So ... so what will happen to her if she won’t speak?” Amber asked with a sniffle.

“Yeah? Is she catatonic? Or is she just refusing to communicate?” I added.

“I don’t know what will happen, Honey, and she’s definitely not catatonic, David. Apparently, she does move around to go to the washroom and she feeds herself, so she has full bodily control,” Mom answered us.

“That’s good at least,” I murmured in relief, feeling that it could be worse.

“Martha mentioned that the Psychiatrist was recommending Linda stay there for the foreseeable future. Obviously, he says that the fact that she won’t speak is troubling and that even if she was communicating that she’d need plenty of treatment to help overcome her trauma,” Mom added, giving a sad sigh.

“Yeah, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens then,” I muttered sadly as my sorrow over what Linda had been through punched me in the gut once again.

“They should let us see her! Maybe we can help!” Amber protested, though her tone of voice said she knew it was a futile gesture.

“There’s nothing we can do right now, Honey. Just try and stay positive that things will work out for the better in the end. That’s all that we can do.”

“As much as I’d love to see Linda right now, I do think she’s in the best spot for her at the moment. She’ll get the help she needs, and I couldn’t imagine her staying in the house where she was abused for so many years and was forced to kill her Uncle. If I was her parents, I’d be selling it immediately. Although, I guess it’d be hard to sell when people found out that someone was shot dead in there,” I said, giving my opinion on the matter.

“They are. Martha told me that they would be listing the house as soon as the funeral was finished,” Mom answered as she kissed Amber’s forehead.

“Oh? Where are they going to move to? Not somewhere far away where we won’t ever see Linda again, I hope!” Amber blurted out with concern.

“They aren’t sure yet, but they do feel that moving away from Sanford would be the best for Linda in the long run. I guess they think that going someplace where she has no bad memories would be good for her healing. I don’t believe that they’ll want to move too far though, her husband’s job is in Portland. So I wouldn’t worry too much about it because anywhere within travel distance to his work will be within range from here as well,” Mom replied soothingly.

“I hope so! I want to be able to see her all the time!” Amber exclaimed, sounding even more distraught than before at the thought of her friend moving too far away.

“Yeah, I can understand them wanting to do that. I don’t know what Linda will want, though. Maybe she’ll want to stay near her friends. I hope they listen to what she thinks about it also,” I said hopefully.

“I’m sure they will, Honey,” Mom agreed. “Now I need to get going, I’ve kept my next appointment waiting for too long already, and I had a very full schedule. I’ll see you two at home when you get back from your dance classes and Jujitsu. I love you both very much. Try and have a decent afternoon at work, and don’t dwell on things you can’t control.”

“Okay. We’ll try, Mommy,” Amber said as she wiped her eyes and then gave her a hug and kiss.

“Bye, Mom. Thanks for finding out all the info for us. Love you,” I said as I took my turn to give her a hug and kiss.

“Oh, David, I just remembered that when I spoke with Tom the other day, I had forgotten to tell him about how those two lowlifes were following you to your job sites and bothering you. So I called him this morning and told him about the harassment those Hooligans have been doing. He said that there wasn’t much that the police would or could do about it other than to ask them to stop.

“Apparently, as long as they aren’t directly threatening you or doing anything overtly aggressive, then they aren’t breaking any laws. I can’t believe that they can just get away with it!” Mom fumed. “He did suggest that you start taking pictures of them whenever they show up so that you can document a pattern of harassment. So please, Honey, take your camera with you from now on. And stay away from them if they come back! Love you both, now I’ve gotta run,” Mom said with urgency as she gave us a smile before turning and briskly walking out of her office and down the hallway.

Amber and I left the clinic feeling a little subdued. We’d both been hoping that we were going to be able to visit with Linda this upcoming weekend, and now it looked as if that wouldn’t be happening any time soon. We were both silent with our thoughts as we drove to meet up with Marty at Dunkin Donuts, where he’d gone for lunch. Once we collected him, he followed us to our next job.

As we unloaded the mowers, we told Marty what we’d found out about Linda. None of us were in a good mood after that. What happened next made the day even worse. The college bastards showed up in their black Riviera, just idling on the corner. I frowned angrily but immediately had the three of us go to the backyard, figuring maybe if we stayed out of sight for a while, then they’d get bored and drive off. But, of course, they didn’t leave; I guess that wouldn’t have been any fun for them.

Under the watchful eye of my sister—who stayed hovering near me the whole time—I did my best to ignore them and just concentrated on my work. By the time we finished the property, I was silently seething. I wished that I could do something to get the harassment to stop, but I knew that my only option was to do exactly what I was doing.

The assholes were really hoping that I’d fuck up. Amber was right; they were definitely baiting me. I guess they didn’t have lives of their own, and this was the highlight of their day or something. Fucking pathetic losers. How I wished that I could just pound the snot out of them. Tomorrow I was putting my camera in the truck like Tom suggested. From that point on, I was going to document how they were stalking us in their effort to either intimidate me or make me snap and do something foolish.

With all of us in a foul mood, we went on to do three more properties before calling it a day. It was just about six, and Amber and I needed to eat before heading to our classes. Unfortunately, I still wasn’t cleared for hand-to-hand combat because of my concussion—even though I was feeling fine—so I couldn’t spar. I sure wished I could because it would feel great getting some aggression out against a live opponent versus simply doing kata and floor exercises.

Trying to forget about the day, I held Amber’s hand as we drove through Wendy’s and grabbed some burgers and fries. Neither of us felt like cooking, and this would save us enough time to enjoy a long shower instead of rushing like madmen. After arriving home, we scarfed down our food and then got cleaned up. I then drove Amber to her dance lessons and headed over to my Dojo, figuring that at least I would be able to beat up on the punching bag something fierce.

“Hi, Mrs. Sullivan?”

“Oh, hi, David! How are you?” Mrs. Sullivan responded cheerfully.

“I’m okay. I hope this isn’t too late to call?” I asked, a little worried she’d be bothered at the time since it was just after nine.

I’d planned on calling on Monday, but with all of the hard work we’d done, it had slipped my mind. When Mom had told us that Linda was refusing to speak to anyone, I realized that maybe Mrs. Sullivan would have some good insight into the situation.

“No, it’s fine, David. What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping that I might be able to talk to you about a friend of mine. She’s in a very bad spot, and I don’t know what I can do to help her. You gave me such great advice with Cindy, and well ... I don’t really know where else to turn,” I confessed, trusting that she’d be willing to help me again.

“Of course I’ll help you, David, as much as I’m able,” Mrs. Sullivan said warmly, her compassion coming through the phone in waves. “I have a feeling that this is something that will take longer than a five-minute conversation, so how about we meet up sometime when we’re both available.”

Relief flooded through me, knowing that Mrs. Sullivan had agreed to help. She was such an awesome lady.

“Yeah, I’m afraid that the situation is pretty extreme and is something that would definitely take longer than five minutes to explain. I’m free from around noon tomorrow because work will be canceled due to the thunderstorm they’ve forecast. But if not tomorrow, then anytime after five on Saturday? Would that be all right? I’ll have a lot of catching up to do on our mowing, so anything before supper would be a little hard to manage. If that’s not good, just let me know what’s best for you, and I’ll adjust my work schedule to fit yours,” I said eagerly, looking forward to the meeting already.

“My, my, you sound like such a hard worker, David. You know, I’ve been meaning to call you to see about getting your services. My summer workload has recently increased since I do a lot of volunteer work. And August is already a hectic month for anyone in school administration. It makes it tedious for me to find time to do my mowing, and I’m afraid that I let it get to the point where it looks like a hippy that needs a haircut,” Mrs. Sullivan laughed.

“My neighbors must think poorly of me. I did manage to cut it almost two weeks ago, but it is in desperate need of a trim again. How about you come to my house tomorrow after lunch, say around one? That way, we can kill two birds with one stone. First, you can give me an estimate for your services, and then we can sit down and discuss your friend’s situation. Though, of course, I’ll need to speak with either one of your parents again, just to make sure that they’re okay with you visiting me at my home. I have to do that since I am technically an authority figure over you at school,” Mrs. Sullivan offered pleasantly.

“Wow! Okay! That sounds great. I’ll have someone call you in the morning then if that’s all right,” I agreed.

“That would be perfect. I’ll be home all day doing some paperwork for a few school programs that we’re going to be implementing in the fall,” Mrs. Sullivan confirmed. “Let me know when you have a pen and paper, and I’ll give you my address.”

I grabbed the pad and pen that sat next to our phone and scribbled down directions to her house, looking forward to not only getting her as a client but also hearing her take on what was going on with Linda. Hopefully, she’d have some suggestions as to how we could help her. After thanking her profusely and then saying goodbye, I went to ask Dad if he’d mind calling her since he was off the next day. Dad said it wouldn’t be a problem and complimented me on thinking of her as a source of knowledge. I immediately deflected his praise towards Amber since it had been her idea in the first place.

Just as I was about to head up the stairs, the phone rang and seeing as how I was the closest, I answered it, “Hello?”

“Tiger!” I heard CC’s voice shriek happily through the earpiece.

“Hi, my beautiful little Butterfly! How are you? How’s the vacation so far?” I asked excitedly, stoked that she called. We hadn’t spoken since Monday night and today was Thursday—two whole days was forever when you were sixteen.

“Great! Although I really miss you guys!”

“We really miss you too, Babe! So, did you hang out on the beach again today?”

“Yeah, my cousin came over to visit with my Aunt and Uncle, and today he tried to teach me how to surf, but it didn’t go so well! I fell every time that I tried to stand up on the board!” CC lamented with a giggle. “But the sun’s been out every day here, so I’ve definitely improved on my tan. How are you guys? How’s work?”

“Like you needed any more color!” I laughed. We got so much sun from working outside that we were all tanned a deep brown except for where our shorts or bikinis covered our naughty parts. Thankfully, my arms had evened out so that where my cast had been no longer looked weird. “We’re okay. Works been busy, and the rain has fucked with us, but we hired Marty to help out.”

“Well, maybe not, but I didn’t want it to fade,” CC giggled again. “That’s cool about Marty! How’s he doing? I bet he’s happy to be able to work. It probably helps to keep his mind off of Linda.”

“He’s all right. He’s being his usual self.”

“So that means he’s hitting on Amber a million times a day?” CC laughed. “Is she annoyed yet?”

“Somewhat, but she’s letting him live so far,” I chuckled.

“Meh, she secretly likes it, but don’t tell her I told you so! It makes her feel attractive though she wouldn’t get with him even if she was desperate and dying!”

I frowned at that, so I changed the subject, “I bet that you’ve probably had a gazillion guys hitting on you if you wore your little white bikini to the beach. After all, you’re so gorgeous in it,” I blurted out before the full picture of what I was asking formed in my mind.

I immediately regretted my question. Maddening jealousy was already threatening to rise up in me because of what she’d just said about Amber. Me adding the idea of men coming on to her was not helping in the least. I was one-hundred percent certain that she wouldn’t cheat on me—not for all the tea in China—but the idea of a bunch of blonde-haired, blue-eyed California surfer Dudes hitting on her bugged me. I knew that I shouldn’t have even thought about that, let alone asked her because of how it turned my mind green. Fuck I was so dumb sometimes, and man-oh-man, was I ever sick of feeling envious over imagined idiotic scenarios running through my brain. I was defective. I seriously needed to find a way to kill my jealous nature once and for all before it drove me crazy.

“Don’t worry, Tiger, as far as anyone hitting on me, it doesn’t matter because my heart belongs to you and my Angel. Besides, no one can compare to my hunky knight in shining armor!” she purred meaningfully to me over the phone.

“I know that, Butterfly!” I reassured her while I forced any negative thoughts out of my head.

“So, has there been any news on Linda? Is there anything we need to worry about?” CC asked, turning the conversation serious.

Relieved with the subject change, I replied, “Yeah, our Mom talked with Mrs. Miller this morning. Apparently, Linda hasn’t spoken a word to anyone since they put her in the hospital.”

“Seriously!? Not a single word?” CC asked, shocked.

“Nope. So that’s all good and well for the one thing, but I’m truly worried about her. I want our good friend back the way she was,” I answered mournfully, picturing Linda’s sparkling blue eyes and her thick pouty lips as she laughed, delighted with one of my witty jokes.

“Yeah, but the Linda we all saw was just a mask, David. She pretended that everything was all right and hid the pain that she carried around underneath. As much as it hurts to see what she’s going through, this is the best path forward for her. We just need to make sure that she knows we’re all here for her. When she recovers from the trauma and abuse, then we’ll have her back. Just be prepared that she might not ever be the same girl that you remember,” CC said with a sad sigh. “Hopefully, the good parts of her will still be there. She certainly was very fun to hang around with. I can’t imagine how she managed to hide what she was going through for so long. Personally, though, I think that she’ll pull through this. She’s a tough girl, and to do what she did to end her abuse certainly took strength,” she added, trying to spin a little positivity to the situation.

“Damn, CC! That’s pretty deep,” I said, impressed with her observation.

“Not really. I’ve just been thinking about her when I go to bed at night. I’m not used to sleeping alone anymore, and my mind’s been wandering a lot before I’m able to conk out.”

“Yeah, I get that. Have you had any more nightmares?”

“You mean about the wannabe rapist asshole and his dickhead friend? No, thank God! Those seem to be over finally. If it wasn’t for you and Amber, I’d have been a basket case forever, I think,” CC said earnestly.

“Good! I’m glad, Baby! But I meant about Linda. I’ve had a couple of bad ones this week.”

“Really? Aww, I wish I was there to cuddle you, Tiger!”

“Me too, Babe. I miss you a lot. But it’s only three more days until you’re back in my arms,” I pointed out wistfully, looking forward to holding my dark-haired beauty again.

“I can’t wait! And I can’t wait to give you my last virginity. Nothing will interfere the next time we’re together, I swear it!” CC whispered salaciously.

My cock surged in my pants just thinking about what she’d promised. Amber’s asshole had felt so amazing, and I could only imagine how good CC’s would feel too.

“You just made me rock hard, Baby,” I whispered back as my cock throbbed in my shorts.

“I wish that I was there to take care of it for you, Tiger, but I bet someone close to you will,” CC giggled. “I gotta run, my Love. My parents are waving at me to get off. My Uncle and Aunt are about to take us all out for dinner,” she pouted with a sigh.

“Shit! Amber’s gonna kill me for not getting her so she could speak to you too,” I complained worriedly.

“Yeah, she will!” CC giggled. “So, okay, run and get her quick then. I can’t have a dead boyfriend and a funeral to go to when I get back!” she instructed mirthfully. “But hurry! My Mom is starting to frown!”

I put the phone down and sprinted upstairs as fast as I could go. Thirty seconds later, I was relieved that Amber had picked up, even if it was only to say a quick ‘hello and goodbye.’ It meant that I wasn’t in trouble for not getting her earlier.

Friday, Aug 2nd, 1996, Sanford Maine

“Heya, Bud,” I greeted Marty as he got out of his car while drinking a coffee. “Hope you’re ready to bust your balls today. It’s going to start pissing rain around noon, so we’ve got to hustle to get at least five places done today. The weather will put us behind if we don’t, and we just got two new clients yesterday, plus I have a third new one to see about this afternoon.”

Amber grunted her good morning at Martin and started unloading our mowers and trimmers. Today, we were doing our clients that had regular-sized yards, so we only needed two to cut while the third did the edging. I was crossing my fingers that Marty would pick up his pace today. If he moved at our speed, we might even be able to squeeze in a sixth. I had our route highlighted on a map and taped to my dash, and I knew that another client’s property would only be two minutes away from the fifth if things went better than planned.

“Sure thing, Dude. You know can count on me, ‘cause I can bust my balls in Amber anytime she wants, and by the time I’d be done, she’d be so wet she’d think she’d been rained on!” Marty grinned as he waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Get real! You do the opposite to girls. When you hit on them, their pussy dries up like the Sahara desert. Hell, if you flirt long enough, I swear I get sand down there in my cooch,” Amber snorted with derision.

I knew that my sister wasn’t up for dealing with Marty hitting on her today. She was in a bad mood—which was rare for her. It was because Carla had called back last night asking for her. She wanted to meet up Saturday night at her apartment, which was a block away from the restaurant where she worked. We’d agreed to go, just to get it over with, but it made us super nervous about what she possibly wanted. So to try and make things a little better, I was going to take Amber for dinner back at the scene of the crime to surprise her. I mean, it didn’t really matter if we went there at this point. Not since she knew about us anyway.