Chapter 6

When I came too I was on the floor and I had a towel wrapped around my wrists. I struggled to sit up. I saw that Erin was still on the floor staring lifelessly at the ceiling. Ray is staring at her nude body, seemingly without a care in the world.

When I sat up he said, “It’s about damned time! Those assholes went out to get a drink half an hour ago. Get your fucking clothes on and let’s go home. I was going to let them keep her for the weekend but she’s so out of it they don’t want her anymore. I think we cinched the deal though.”

I didn’t say a word. I went over to Erin and checked on her. She looked at me and when she recognized me she put her arms around me and started crying soundlessly. I held her in my arms for a long time, and I sat there deciding how I was going to kill Ray and those two men.

Ray was getting impatient. He said, “If you don’t want them to fuck her again we had best get her dressed and get out of here.”

I went into one of the bedrooms and got one of their large dress shirts out of the closet. I helped Erin to her feet and put it on her and buttoned it up. I picked her up and Ray held the door for me. I carried her to the elevator and then out to the car. We got more strange looks on the way through the lobby but I ignored them.

I put Erin in the front seat with me and I drove home in record time. I parked in front of my house and as Ray drove home I carried Erin up to bed.

I made her as comfortable as I could. I sprayed her throat with throat spray. I gave her some Tylenol and while I was drawing a hot bath I examined her body. There wasn’t any blood that I could find. I didn’t see any tears in her skin either.

I asked her if she needed to go to the hospital and she shook her head violently. I sprayed her throat again and I asked if she thought she might be able to talk. She swallowed with difficulty and tried. It was raspy and all but unintelligible but she managed to say, “I think I’ll be okay.”

I helped her into the big claw foot bathtub and washed her gently. After she soaked for a while and the water started to cool I rinsed her off and put her into bed. Despite all she has been through, or because of it, she dropped off to sleep almost immediately.

As soon as she was breathing deeply I put a glass of water on her nightstand and I went downstairs, got my pistol out of the drawer and loaded it. I drove down to the flats where Ray built his house and I pulled in behind his car. The lights are still on. I’m glad he’s up. I want him aware when I kill him.

I went to his door and turned the knob and slammed it open. I walked inside and pointed my gun at his stomach and in a calm, emotionless, deadly earnest voice I said, “I’m going to kill you slow Ray. I’m going to shoot you in the belly and then I’m going to sit here and watch you die. Do you have any last words?”

The look of absolute terror on his face thrilled me. He was just starting to beg and I was going to let him. I want him to grovel a little before I kill him.

My chain of thought was interrupted by a voice from the kitchen door. Mr. Nash, Ray’s father, is standing there holding a bottle of beer.

I said, “Hello Mr. Nash. You probably don’t want to see this. You should probably leave now. I didn’t notice your car out there or I would have waited.”

He looked at me and the gun and at his terror-stricken son and asked, “Why are you going to kill Ray, Dean?”

I smiled and said, “It needs to be done, sir. I wouldn’t hurt you though. I’ve always liked you, Mr. Nash. You’ve been like a father to me. It’s best you leave now.”

Mr. Nash came into the living room. He came over and stood beside me. He didn’t try to stop me and he didn’t get between us. In a very reasonable voice he said, “Did he do something to Erin?”

I nodded.

He gave Ray a dirty look and asked me, “Did he hurt her?”

I looked up at him long enough that Ray thought he could make a break for the door. I slammed the gun down on the back of his neck and stunned him. He dropped to the floor like a rock. I nudged him with my toe and he struggled to turn over. I said, “You better get back in your chair, Ray. It’s going to take you a long time to die. You’ll want to be comfortable.”

He’s crying now and begging me not to hurt him.

Mr. Nash looks disgusted. I feel sorry for him. A father shouldn’t see his son like this. I said, “Mr. Nash, this is going to be unpleasant. You really should leave.”

He said, “Maybe. Tell me what this is all about first.”

I looked at him. I guess he has the right to know so I told him. I told him every dirty detail right from the beginning. Well, I didn’t go all the way back to high school, but from the time Ruth retired because she couldn’t stand working for him. When I told him about tonight I told him everything.

He listened with a sick look on his face and when I was done telling him he gulped down his beer and asked, “Is Erin okay?”

I sighed and said, “I’m not sure. She didn’t want to go to the emergency room. I’ll wait until tomorrow and decide if she has to or not.”

He looked at my wrists and said, “It looks like you could use some stitches there son.”

I nodded and said, “Maybe. I imagine they’ll take care of that when they arrest me.”

Mr. Nash said, “What about Erin? What happens to her when you go to jail?”

I laughed wryly and said, “It couldn’t be any worse than what has happened to her when I wasn’t in jail. I haven’t been much of a husband to her this past week.”

Mr. Nash responded, “It sounds to me like you did what you thought you had to do.”

He turned to look at Ray who’s cringing in terror in his chair, waiting for the bullet in his guts. He sighed and said, “It saddens me. I always suspected there was something a little off with him when he was young. I thought he’d outgrow it. I thought he had outgrown it. Maybe you’re right. He needs killing for what he did.”

Ray shook his head violently and cried out to his father. He kept saying he was sorry and pleading for mercy. But I know who he’s sorry for. He’s sorry for himself.

Mr. Nash said, “Dean, I know he deserves killing. I’m pretty sure if I was in your place I’d kill the little prick. But I’m going to ask you not to do it. Not because I don’t want you to do it. I think you’d be doing the world a favor. But you and Erin mean a lot to me and I’d hate to see you go to prison. I think I may have a better idea.”

I looked at him and he said, “Hold on. Sit down and let me get you a beer. You look like you need one.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I really do need a beer. I sat down in the recliner behind me and Mr. Nash went to the kitchen and got us both a beer. He handed me mine and asked, “Did you know this house is in my name? When we built it we put it in my name because Ray didn’t have the money to pay the taxes or the insurance. I already owned the land and I supplied the material and me and my friends did most of the work on it. It’s mine. That Lincoln out front is mine too. I can do any damn thing I want with them. And the hardware store I worked all my life to build up. That’s mine too. I used to love working there but I have to tell you, I love being retired. I wouldn’t want to go back.”

I said, “What is your idea Mr. Nash. It’s getting late and I want to go back and say goodbye to Erin before I turn myself in.”

He put his arm around my shoulder and said, “Son, I’m not going to stop you if you want to do it. I agree he earned it. To be honest, I know of some other stuff he’s done that would turn your stomach, too. I’ve had to get him out of trouble more than once. But let me suggest that instead of killing him and ruining your life and Erin’s life you let him live. You let him leave here. Leave this town. I don’t care where he goes as long as I never see his face again. You take over the hardware store. You were better at it anyway. The customers like you. You take his car. I’ll put the house up for sale. I don’t care how he gets out of here, but if he isn’t gone by this time tomorrow I’ll kill him myself. I think if you were to ask Erin she would prefer that solution. What do you think?”

I laughed and said, “Mr. Nash, I love you like my father. But you couldn’t kill anyone.”

He chuckled and said, “I suspect you’re right. But I know some lumberjacks who could beat him to within an inch of his life and make him wish he was dead. Hell, it just might do him some good.”

I thought it over for a few minutes and asked, “Could you really do that, Mr. Nash. To him I mean. He’s your son.”

Mr. Nash shook his head and said, “No, Dean. He isn’t my son anymore. I don’t have a son. I have always been pretty fond of you, though. I’d have been proud to have a son as good as you are. I’d hate to see you end up in jail over that piece of trash whining in the corner over there. But like I said, if you want to kill him I won’t stop you.”

Ray cried out “Daddy!”

Mr. Nash glared at him and said, “You’re no son of mine, you sick fuck!”

I’ve known Mr. Nash all my life. I’ve never heard him swear before!

He stared down at Ray and said, “I’m not doing this for you Ray. I honestly don’t want to see Dean suffer any more because of you. I want you out of here by this time tomorrow, if he don’t shoot you that is. I never want to see you or hear from you again. You leave here without the car. You can take anything you can manage to carry and you can have the money in your bank account, even though you don’t deserve it. Now give me your keys, all of them.”

Ray pointed to a key ring on the coffee table and Mr. Nash asked, “Where’s the other set?”

Ray pointed to a hook by the door and Mr. Nash took them too. He turned back to Ray and said, “I wasn’t kidding about the lumberjacks, Ray. If you aren’t out of here by this time tomorrow I’ll have them put whatever is left of your vegetable ass in the hospital. Providing Dean doesn’t shoot you.”