Chapter 17

Ida agreed to help Jerry find out more about the Sons of Satan. The place to start, she concluded, was the large public library in Charleston. So, Tuesday morning, they loaded up in her two-year-old Thunderbird and drove to the big city. In her usual break neck driving style, it took less than an hour to reach the huge Kanawha Public Library.

Once in the library, Ida led Jerry to the Reference Desk. The librarian at the desk looked the part, she wore a white cardigan over a blue knee length dress. A pair of cats eye glasses hung around her neck on a beaded silver chain. When Ida identified herself, the librarian was all smiles and super helpful. In minutes they were in a room with a microfiche reader and a handful of fiches with newspaper and magazine articles about the Sons of Satan.

It took a couple of hours to wade through the myriad of articles. It was telling, that there was so much information about the gang. They found a few articles that covered the history of the gang but more noteworthy were arrest records because most of the arrests were for drug trafficking. And a majority of the drug arrests involved methamphetamine. Jerry went back to the card catalog and found some references about how methamphetamine was produced. When they left the library after three hours both Jerry and Ida were convinced the Sons of Satan were producing methamphetamine at the Pitchfork mine.

On the way back to Coker County, Jerry wanted to ask Ida if she minded if he asked Lisa Bass for a date. He hemmed and hawed uncomfortably, concerned that asking might potentially hurt his relationship with Ida. When they were younger, Ida didn’t want an exclusive relationship but that might have changed. Ida laughed at his fumbling attempts and put him out of his misery.

“Listen, Jerry, I like what we have together; but once you are well, I want my house back. I enjoy living alone but I would be happy if you visited me occasionally. I love you to death but I’m not in love with you. Understand?” she said.

Jerry said he did, then the conversation turned to what Jerry would do when he was no longer living in her house.

Jerry said, “I don’t know if I can stay in our house. When I’m there all I think about is Mama and the girls being gone.”

Ida pondered that for a minute then said, “Maybe you are looking at this wrong, Jericho. Maybe what you need to do is concentrate on the good times and the love y’all shared. You’ve suffered a lot, Jerry, but that’s your past and you need to look to your future.”

Jerry nodded his understanding. There was no doubt Ida was giving him excellent advice, he just didn’t know if he could follow it.

Later that evening Jerry called Cindy Rivers and asked her out for Friday night. Then he called Lisa Bass and asked her out for Saturday. Ida burst out laughing when Jerry hung up the phone.

“Two dates in two nights? I don’t think you’ll miss me at all,” she said.

“No one will ever take your place, Ida, and I could never pay you back for all you’ve done for me,” he replied earnestly. “Besides I have an additional reason for asking out Cindy. I want to feel her out about the Sheriff and his son.”

Ida snickered, “Feel her out while you feel her up, is more like it.”

Jerry laughed then chased her into the bedroom.

Jerry went to his hide site on Pitchfork Mountain once more that week on Friday just to confirm his suspicions. The big exhaust fan was spinning again so someone was in the mine. At a few minutes after noon the small box truck pulled into the compound and the same two bikers hopped out of the cab. This time though they didn’t make a delivery. Instead, a couple of guys came out of the mine carrying duffle bags. They threw the duffle bags into the back of the truck and spent a few minutes talking to the truck driver and his passenger. A third man exited the mine, walked over to the exhaust fan, and threw the lever that turned it off.

The driver and passenger pulled down the truck’s roller door and put a lock on it. Then they jumped into the cab and motored away.

The three men from the mine walked over to the old manager’s office. Five minutes later they walked out laughing and joking while quaffing a beer. Jerry figured he’d seen enough and snuck back to his truck.

At six-thirty on Friday night Jerry knocked on the door of the Rivers’ family home. The two-story salt box style house was painted a muted sage color with a dark green roof. The yard was freshly mowed, and flowers bloomed in boxes under the windows that flanked the front door. A teenaged girl opened the door and looked Jerry over.

“Hello, I’m Jerry Donavan, and I have a date with Cindy tonight,” he explained.

The girl stepped aside so he could enter while saying, “Cindy said for you to have a seat in the living room. She’ll be ready in five minutes.”

Jerry walked into the indicated room, mentally preparing himself for a parental third degree. Cindy’s father was sitting in a recliner while her mother was sitting in a rocking chair. Her mother was knitting what looked like a scarf, a skein of cream-colored wool yarn in a basket by her chair. Jerry politely identified himself and instead of a third degree her father sat the recliner up and made introductions.

He stuck out his hand and said, “Pleased to meet you. I’m William, this is my wife Shirley, and that’s Cindy’s sister Faith. Have a seat.”

Cindy’s mother was a handsome woman, and her sister was a cutie. Her father was about five-nine with a medium build with average looks. All three of them had blonde hair. Jerry perched himself on the end of the couch and joined them watching Walter Cronkite read the CBS Evening News. It was closer to ten minutes before Cindy glided down the stairs, but it was worth the wait. She was wearing a black miniskirt, a red short sleeved sweater and brown leather sandals. Her blonde hair was brushed out and hung below her shoulders. She was wearing a little eye shadow and pink lip stick. She looked terrific and he told her so. Cindy’s mother told her to have fun and her father just waved.

Jerry commented on her laid-back parents and Cindy replied, “I’m twenty-one years old, Jerry, and my parents know I am responsible. I still live at home, but I pay rent.”

Jerry took Cindy to the Chinese Restaurant in Summerton. Over Sweet and Sour Pork and Beef with Broccoli, Jerry steered the conversation towards the Sheriff.

“How do you like working for Sheriff Thompson?” he asked.

Cindy shrugged, “Sheriff Griner hired me, and I loved working for him. He actually used me on a few sensitive cases where women needed to be interviewed. When Sheriff Griner retired, Sheriff Thompson let go all of the deputies Griner hired. He said they ‘weren’t versed in modern police procedures’ or something like that. The only people he kept on were five of us dispatchers. He treats me okay I guess, but all I am is his glorified secretary.”

“Have you heard anything about women being assaulted or raped?” he asked.

Cindy nodded. “The Sheriff and Deputies are tight lipped about it, but the night dispatchers have told me there have been numerous calls about sexual assaults, especially on the weekends. The Sheriff says that most of them are ‘he said, she said’ cases or cases where it can’t be established a crime was committed. I find it hard to believe that every case is so easily dismissed, but I’m not privy to any of the cases, so I can’t tell for sure”

Jerry nodded and changed the subject. “Do you know anything about the Sheriff’s son? I understand that he is Chief Deputy despite being younger than me.”

Cindy visibly shuddered, “He’s a creep and a bully. The only reason he leaves me alone is because I went to his father. I complained and threatened to quit when he started harassing me. He struts around like he’s hot stuff and God’s gift to women. And that approach works for him more than it should. I also think he uses his position as Chief Deputy for his personal gain, but I can’t prove that.”

Jerry turned the conversation from questions about the Thompsons to getting to know Cindy better. She was a sweet, intelligent, and ambitious young woman who wanted to become a lawyer. She had a two-year Junior College degree in Criminal Justice and figured she would have enough scholarship money and savings to finish her last two years at the University of West Virginia starting next January.

Cindy didn’t object when Jerry asked her about going to the Summerton Drive-in Theater. In fact, she was all for it. They arrived at the drive-in at eight, just after the coming attractions played. It was five dollar a carload night and the double feature playing were some older Dracula movies from Hammer Films. Christopher Lee was hamming it up as Dracula, the Prince of Darkness. Jerry found a spot near the back row. He parked and he and Cindy walked to the concession stand for a Coke and some popcorn.

Back at his truck he opened the glove box and set the Coke and popcorn on the box’s door and then he hung the speaker on Cindy’s window. Without prompting Cindy slid across the seat and under his arm. Neither of them was interested in the movie as they started making out hot and heavy. Thirty minutes into the movie, Cindy’s bra was unfastened and pushed up above her breasts, and Jerry’s lips were fastened on her left nipple. Cindy’s breasts were only medium sized, but her Hersey Kiss nipples were a wonder. Besides being amazing, her nipples were also overly sensitive.

Within minutes Cindy was squirming around on the seat and when Jerry dropped his hand onto her thigh her knees sprung apart in clear invitation. Jerry teased her through her panties until Cindy hummed in frustration. She raised her butt and started pulling her panties down her leg. Jerry lent her a hand and soon her cute little flowered underwear were hanging on the gearshift column.

Jerry was surprised at Cindy’s unabashed sexuality, as she writhed and moaned in his arms.

“Jesus, I’m hot Jerry. Do you have some place you can take me?” she asked.

“We can go parking. I have a mattress inside my cap,” he replied.

“Then what are you waiting for!?” she exclaimed.

Cindy slid across the seat, took the speaker out of the window, and dropped it, the coke, and popcorn on the ground. Jerry started the truck and eased out of the drive-in. In minutes they were headed back to Coker County. Cindy was still snuggled up to Jerry; Jerry’s hand was still up her skirt. Neither wanted Cindy to cool off.

It took twenty long minutes to reach the Mulberry Creek Bridge Jerry backed his truck under the bridge and before he could turn off the key Cindy was out the door pulling off her sweater. Jerry shook his head in wonder, Cindy’s shy demeanor hid a sexual dynamo. Jerry jumped out of the truck and lifted the cap door and dropped the tailgate.

Cindy looked inside and commented,” Wow, Jerry, you came prepared!”

Jerry laughed, “Nope, I camp out a lot, so I keep it ready,” he explained, and it was close enough to the truth that Jerry wasn’t lying to her.

Cindy was naked by the time she was all the way into the truck. For the next hour Jerry used everything he learned from Ida, on Cindy. She loved everything he did, and when Jerry was exhausted, Cindy was still raring to go.