Jason Deas - Benny James 02 - Pushed (18 page)

“How are you this evening, Miss Perkins?” a young man asked.

“I’m great Lee, and stop calling me Miss Perkins,” she said. “It’s Kendra.”

“You’ve told me. My boss won’t allow me to call you that.”

“Don’t tell anybody about the ice cream.”

“You know I won’t.”

“You’re sweet,” Kendra said, touching him lightly on top of his hand and securing the promise.

Kendra was a cheerleader for the Jacksonville Jaguars, an NFL franchise. She also taught classes at several local gyms and did a bit of modeling. She dreamed of being an actress and had lowered herself to taking a sleazy role as a topless dancer in a HBO television program. She was only in the background of the shot, and she used a fake name in the credits, but a sports website made the connection, and it had caused a bit of an uproar with the Jacksonville Jaguar brass. After promising not to delve into the seedy world of naked television again, they gave her one more chance. In actuality, the struggling franchise had benefited from the story and recognized its best ratings the week after the story broke. On more than one occasion during the game, the cameras focused on Kendra.

Brother Jim had circled Kendra’s address in the book of maps. Heading north on I-95, he looked in the rear view mirror and studied his forehead where he had split the skin on the bathroom sink. The salt water had done it a world of good, he thought, as it did not look as bad as he figured it might. He calculated he would be in the Jacksonville area in under five hours if he only stopped once for gas and to use the bathroom. Driving under the cover of darkness gave him an advantage, but he knew he’d have to wait until the following day to deal with her, as it would be near sunrise when he arrived. He feared another blackout and hoped it would wait until he relieved the urge that stewed in his gut and pounded in his heart.

“Damn the snakes, damn the serpent. Damn the snakes, damn the serpent,” Jim said aloud. He began to rock in his seat, repeating the chant. “Damn the snakes, damn the serpent.”

Brother Jim noticed the light change in the sky and looked at the clock on the dashboard. It read four thirty-six. He also noticed the gas tank was three quarters full and he had a cup of coffee in the holder. Jim did not remember stopping for gas or coffee and his heart skipped as his muscles tensed. Checking the rear view mirror, he did not see any cars behind him. Looking back to the road ahead of him, he tried to find a sign to know if he was still driving in the correct direction. A sign soon appeared signaling the interchange he remembered from the map to bypass Jacksonville, and his muscles relaxed.

Jim spotted a billboard for a campground called Swift Water Creek. He remembered a tent and some other camping equipment in the back of the van he had found while searching for the permanent marker. The billboard stated the gate was open twenty-four hours with a pay station. Brother Jim followed the directions on the sign and hoped to find a secluded site.

He stopped at the gate to read the directions on the pay station board and continued on into the park to pick out a campsite. Once he found a site with plenty of trees, he returned to the pay station and shoved a twenty dollar bill into an envelope, circled the number of his site, and dropped it in the slot. The fee was only eighteen dollars. He hoped the ranger would not bring him change. Although it was too late, he thought he should have included a note that he did not want change. If someone tried to bring it to him, Jim decided he would just pretend he was resting or changing clothes, and speak to them through the tent.

Back on the site, Brother Jim felt the adrenaline begin to leave his body. All of a sudden his eyes began to sag and he knew he needed sleep. For a moment he contemplated forgoing the tent and sleeping in the van like he had before, but decided it might look creepy if the ranger looked and found a nondescript van on a site without a tent. Jim set up the tent and threw a sleeping bag and pillow inside. The sun hinted at an appearance, and he knew it would not be cool for many more hours. Zipping the tent up, he fell back, closed his eyes, and slept.

Brother Jim slept deeply until a tapping on the outside of the tent woke him. He sat up and tried to catch his breath before speaking. He knew if he spoke before he calmed down, the fear in his voice might encourage suspicion.

“You awake in there, Mr. Franklin?” the voice outside the tent asked.

Jim wondered who this Mr. Franklin was until he remembered it was the name he used on the campground paperwork that accompanied his money.

“I am now,” Brother Jim said, thinking he sounded normal.

“I brought you your change, Mr. Franklin.”

“That was very kind of you. You really didn’t have to do that. Could you just leave it outside on the picnic table. I’m not dressed and I don’t want to keep you waiting.”

“No problem, sir. Enjoy your stay at Swift Water Creek.”

“Thanks so much,” Jim answered.

Jim barely breathed until he heard the man he assumed to be the ranger or camp attendant drive away. Slowly unzipping the tent door, he peeked out and looked around. To the left, through a dense patch of trees, he spotted a motor home and a Ford Explorer. He didn’t see or hear any people. To the right, he could see a concrete picnic table and an empty site.

Stepping out of his tent, the sun filtered through the trees, and Jim felt the heat of the day. He walked over to the picnic table and picked up the two dollars of change, finding a Swift Water Creek brochure that had been left with the money. His stomach was growling and he looked to the brochure for answers. Vending machines were located at three different areas. He began a search for quarters and hoped the machine accepted dollar bills as well.

Brother Jim found three dollars in loose change and another dollar bill, in addition to the two from his campsite change. Driving the van around the road that circled the grounds, he passed the first of the vending machines. It seemed to be a gathering spot for an old folks roundtable discussion. He passed it by and diverted his eyes from the group. The next vending machine had what looked like a teenager peering through the glass of the snack machine. Jim figured he would not be there long and parked the van. As he did, the teenager fed a dollar bill into the machine and made his selection. Jim was happy the machine took bills and that the kid was finished. As Brother Jim exited the van and shut the door, the kid turned his head to see who was approaching. The teenager started to walk toward Jim.

“Hey Mister.”

“Yeah,” Jim said.

“I’ll give ya ten bucks if you’ll buy me and my friends a case of beer.”

“Lost my identification,” Jim answered, thinking quickly.

“You look old enough.”

“They card everyone around here. I tried earlier and they turned me away.”

“Bummer,” the kid said, walking away.

Jim looked around to find he was now alone with the vending machine. He inserted his first dollar and bought a honey bun. The change clinked in the return slot and he inserted another dollar. With the second dollar he bought chips. He proceeded to buy three more items from the snack machine and two drinks from the soda machine. Hopping back in the van, he hurried back to the campsite before anyone else tried to talk with him. Jim planned to eat, go back to sleep, and leave for Kendra’s house at dusk.

The lights at Kendra’s address were weak at best. The front porch light looked as if it hung from a single wire that had the potential to cause a fire at any moment. Brother Jim drove by once before stopping. On his drive by he didn’t see any cars in the driveway or the open carport. A single light lit the interior of the house and Jim guessed it was probably a lamp to make someone like himself think somebody was home. He was not fooled.

As he was turning the van around to head back to her house, Jim spied a trashcan left by the side of the road for pickup, with a pizza box sitting atop the mound of waste. Stopping the van, Jim pretended to look at one of the rear van tires, and as he made his way back to the driver’s door, he grabbed the empty pizza box and continued back to Kendra’s house.

Jim pulled into her driveway and left the vehicle running. With the pizza box in hand, he made his way to the front door. Jim rang the front bell and waited. As he waited he stood extremely still, and even held his breath, listening for the slightest noise. He did not hear a sound. If she had peeked out the window or moved, he would have heard the sound.

The neighboring house sat a good fifty yards away, but just in case, Brother Jim suddenly had an idea.

“Do what?” he said to the door. “You want me to pull the van around back?” He waited as if someone inside was talking to him. “OK. Why?” Another pause. “I see. OK. I’ll pull the van around back.”

Jim walked back to the van, tossed the empty pizza box in the back, and drove to the backyard. As he rounded the house, he turned off the van’s headlights. Opening the door, the interior light came on and reminded him to shut it off. He did not want it to come on when he was loading Kendra into the van later. Getting out of the van, Brother Jim stopped to listen again. Hearing nothing but the normal sounds of night he continued to the back of Kendra’s house to find a way inside.

Jim tried the door first, just in case. Locked. With a good nudge, he knew he could pop it open, but did not want to risk breaking any glass or splintering the wood in a noticeable way. Once Kendra entered the house, Brother Jim planned to watch her from a hidden vantage point before he made his move. Jim did not want anything out of order to raise her suspicions. The first window he tried was unlocked.
Too easy
, he thought.

Jim raised the widow and climbed inside. Pushing the window back down, Jim stood still until his eyes adjusted. Once he could see, he recognized an ancient desktop computer sitting on the floor under an old desk with a giant monitor atop the furniture. Fitness magazines littered the floor along with several pairs of running shoes and some weights and resistance bands. Jim pulled the door, which had been letting in a small plane of light, all the way open. Once fully open, the dim beam filled the rest of the room.

Emerging from the room, Jim stood in the living room. The room contained a couch fit for a garage sale, a coffee table perfect for a college dorm room, and some horrible art. Cheerleaders must not make a lot of money, he thought. The kitchen was basically empty aside from the usual appliances and a blender on the counter. A tiny laundry room had clothes all over the floor. A shelf hovered above the washing machine and held different insect sprays, lighter fluid for a grill, and detergent. Jim lay down on the floor, on the mound of clothes and took in her scent. He inhaled deeply and felt himself getting aroused.

Popping up off the floor, he ran to the last room he had not investigated, which he assumed must be Kendra’s bedroom. The light from the lamp illuminated what he desired—her dresser drawer. Brother Jim pulled open the drawers until he found her panties and bras. His breathing increased as he held a stack of the panties. He rubbed them on his cheeks, forehead, nose, and mouth. He then pulled them away from his face and stared into them.

He began the chant. “Damn the snakes, damn the serpent. Damn the snakes, damn the serpent.” Brother Jim pulled at the panties, one by one, tearing them into strips. Continuing his chant, as he waited to hear Kendra arrive, he braided the strips into snakes.

Chapter 26

Rachael talked Benny into accompanying her on her visit to the strip club to meet Azim—it wasn’t hard getting him to say yes. As they drove into the parking lot, he laughed out loud as he spotted the sign.

“This place is called Wax?”

“Wax on, wax off,” Rachael said, making a lewd hand gesture.

Benny laughed. This type of behavior was out of character for her. One of the things he liked about her was how she was able to surprise him and keep him guessing.

Rachael pulled her media credentials out of her purse and put them around her neck in clear view.

“Is that necessary?”

“You better believe it.”

“You don’t want anybody to think you’re here for pleasure?”

“Because I’m not.”

“Me neither,” Benny said.

Rachael punched him in the arm. Again, not in her character.

“Wait a minute,” Benny said before they got out of the car. “You’re nervous.”

“I am not.”

“You are. You’re acting funny.”

“Funny, how?” Rachael asked.

Benny balled his right hand into a fist and shook it up and down like Rachael had done moments before. He then pretended to rub away the pain from his arm where she had punched him.

“You don’t make vulgar gestures. You don’t playfully punch me. You’re nervous and it’s making you act strange.”

“OK. So what if I’m nervous? I’ve never been in a room with a bunch of naked girls, not even a locker room. I’m a prude.”

“Could have fooled me last night,” Benny said with a smirk.

“You know what I mean.”

“Look,” Benny guided her to the front door, “I’ve been in a few gentlemen’s clubs during my investigations.”

“Now they’re gentlemen’s clubs? During investigations? Please. But continue.” Rachael tucked her arm into his as they walked.

“The room will most probably be full of men with a few women scattered around. Nobody is going to pay you any attention as the patrons are not there to meet someone. They are there to gawk, get their drink on, and fool themselves into thinking that one of the girls wants to go home with them.

“The dancers are not going to pay you any attention either after they figure out you aren’t going to give them any money. They can spot a sucker from a mile away, and they will instantly have you pegged as a waste of time. The music will be loud, the drinks will be incredibly expensive, and the bathrooms will have a valet—at least the men’s always does. I’ve never been in the women’s.”

“That’s encouraging. What about the girls?”

“That’s a crap-shoot. If there are fifteen girls, three will be drop-dead gorgeous. Ten will be the girl next door, and two will have you wondering why anybody would pay to see them nude. You’ll see fake boob jobs, piercings, tattoos, and maybe a few stage tricks that you won’t be able to forget for days.”