Fight For Your Life

Part Three

Prologue


Poppy and Sean were sat in a crowded café, they each had a mug of coffee to calm their jittery nerves. The café door opened and both Poppy and Sean looked at the door; a tall well built man with short ashy blond hair and blue eyes walked in and made his way over to where Poppy and Sean sat.
A muscle twitched in Sean’s jaw and his face was hard, both Poppy and Sean knew the man approaching them; it was none other than Detective John Saunders, the man who’d betrayed them and given the killer the location of their camp site, resulting in the deaths of Charlie, Rashel and Detective Markus Powell. Poppy stiffened as John Saunders took a seat opposite them.
The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes and a waitress approached to take John’s order and ask if Poppy and Sean wanted anything else, John ordered a coffee and Poppy and Sean declined; the waitress moved away and John relaxed somewhat into his seat. They waited in silence until the waitress had delivered John’s coffee and moved away to tend to other customers before speaking.
“Why did you call me?” John asked coolly, “You owe us for selling us out, and we need information.” Sean replied. “I’m not a Detective anymore, so I can’t help you.” John said. Poppy lowered her voice when she replied “You may not be a Detective but you still work in the police force, we only need one piece of information and then we’ll let you be, believe me I would rather not have to come to you for help after what you did to us.”
“Then why did you come to me? I didn’t have a choice in helping that psycho; he had my wife and daughter.” John said flatly. “And six people died because of your actions, two of those people were very good friends of ours, one was your partner! I really hope it was worth it.” Poppy replied coldly. She sat back and hastily wiped at the tears on her face.
Sean placed his hand on her arm in a gesture of comfort and said “All we need from you is one small piece of information, give us what we need and you’ll never hear from us again.” Poppy and Sean waited in silence for his answer, they could see him thinking of whether to give them what they wanted. After a few minutes the waitress reappeared and all three of them ordered another mug of coffee each.
After she’d delivered their coffees and moved away John spoke “OK, let’s say that I do agree to help you, what guarantees do I have that you won’t bother me again? That you won’t just ring the station and tell my colleagues what I’ve done?” “I can’t and won’t guarantee anything; you’ll just have to take the chance.” Sean replied.
John shook his head, “Then no, I won’t help you. I can’t take a chance that big.” John stood up and took out his wallet getting ready to drop some money on the table for his drinks. “Wait.” Poppy said, John looked at her and she continued; “If we agree to not tell your colleagues or to bother you again, depending on the accuracy of the information, will you help us?”
John slowly sat back down again and looked at both Poppy and Sean, “If you keep to your word, then yes I’ll help you. But it all depends on the type of information you require.” John waited patiently for them to speak; Sean lowered his voice to a whisper and looked at John with hard brown eyes, “We’re looking for someone, we need to know everything about this someone, address, phone numbers, work place and any other information you can get.”
“I’ll need a name of who I’m looking for…” John said, Poppy looked at him sharply; “We’ll give you the name on one other condition.” John looked at her curiously as she opened a shoulder bag and drew out what appeared to be a piece of paper. “What’s that?” John asked. “A contract of sorts, my lawyer drew it up at my request, I need you to read it over and sign it, the copy underneath is yours.”
John took the papers and looked at them, it was indeed a contract basically saying that John agreed to help them with finding this person unknown and that he wouldn’t betray them to the police or the person they were looking for, it also read that in return Poppy and Sean couldn’t reveal any information on John to anybody. John looked at Poppy, “It all appears legal; you drew this up in anticipation of this meeting?”
Poppy nodded, “Yes, I wanted all the bases covered so that neither one of us could screw the other over.” At the bottom of the page were three dotted lines, one for each of them, John took out a pen and signed his name then passed the papers over to Poppy and Sean, they both signed it and Poppy tore off the top sheet and gave John the second copy, placing the original back in her shoulder bag.
John looked at them both, “So now that we’re under contract, who am I helping you to locate?” Sean tensed and Poppy put a reassuring hand on his arm, took a deep breath and said “We’ll give you a week to gather all of the information you can on him and meet you here in exactly seven days time after your shift ends at five-thirty,” Poppy and Sean both stood up, then looked at John and continued “- The man you’re looking for is my father, Paul Cosby.”
Poppy threw some money on the table and followed Sean out of the café, leaving John sitting at the table looking as though he’d been sucker punched.


One Week Later


Poppy and Sean were sat at the same table as before when John entered the café, he made a beeline for them and sat in the chair opposite them, he was wearing a freshly pressed dark suit and carrying a briefcase. He settled the briefcase on the table and looked at both teenagers.
“Did you get everything we asked for?” Poppy asked without preamble. John nodded and replied “Getting that information wasn’t easy, his file and everything else you need is in here.” He nodded towards the briefcase then looked at the teenagers “Why do you need this information? When we first met you told me your father had disbanded all parental responsibilities.”
Poppy’s hazel eyes narrowed and she ran a hand through her silver hair, “Why do you want to know? And yes he has disbanded all responsibilities.” John watched her carefully, “I’m just curious, that’s all. I had to dig pretty deep to get that information. I would like to make you an offer.” Both Poppy and Sean immediately tensed and glanced warily around them, “And what offer would that be then?” Poppy asked scornfully. John took a deep breath, “I would like to offer you my help, in whatever you have planned, and make no mistake; I know you have something planned.”
Poppy smirked, “We may have something planned, but why in the hell would we accept your help? Do you think we’re that stupid? You betrayed us once and a lot of people died, do you really think we’ll take a risk that big, especially with you?” John scowled, “I made one mistake, give me a chance to make up for it.” Poppy was shaking her head and when Sean looked at her and got ready to stand up he said “No, one mistake was enough, and we can’t afford to have mistakes where it matters.”
Poppy dropped a few bills on the table and picked up the briefcase, she then followed Sean out of the café and into the Ohio sunshine. Poppy and Sean returned to their motel room and set the briefcase down on the small table, then settled herself into one of the chairs; Sean took the chair next to her. The numbered locks on the briefcase were set in a sequence so Poppy popped the first latch whilst Sean popped the second; they both opened the briefcase together and looked at the thick file in the centre.
Poppy carefully lifted the file out of the briefcase and placed it on the table between them; she then moved the briefcase to the floor and watched as Sean opened the cover to the file. Half an hour later the contents of the file were spread out across the floor and Poppy and Sean were sat at the table each drinking a can of cola, they’d read through the file and were slightly shocked by what had been found.


Chapter One

Poppy stood up and stretched, she glanced at Sean who was once again looking through the file, “I’m going to grab some food, do you want some?” Sean nodded and closed the file, he then placed the file in the briefcase and locked it; he then placed the briefcase under his bed and followed Poppy to the door of their motel room.
Twenty minutes later they were sitting in a small café both nursing a mug of coffee, Sean cleared his throat getting ready to say something but then hesitated, instead he ran a hand through his short light brown hair and took a sip of his coffee. “Poppy, how do you want to do this?” Poppy looked up and moved her long silvery hair from her face.
“I don’t know Sean, I guess I’m still in a bit of shock after discovering he’s married again, and not only that, his new wife is rich and has a baby girl! What’s to stop him doing this all over again to get the money?” Sean took a slow look around them and lowered his voice to a whisper, “We’ll stop him Poppy, our advantage to this whole situation is that he thinks we’re dead.”
Poppy nodded slowly, “Then our best bet is to try and get more information on what and how he really is from the wife, that file doesn’t really cover his temperament.” Sean grinned at her, “The wife should be easy, she spends most of the day in a beauty parlour.” Poppy frowned, “I don’t know why you’re grinning Sean, there’s no way in hell I’m going to sit in a beauty parlour, certainly not on my own… Remember what you said back in New Mexico? We’re in this together.”
Sean’s grin widened, “Yes we did agree to that but Poppy, how am I supposed to monitor your dad if I’m sat in a beauty parlour? We know that the baby stays at a day care centre whilst her mom sits in that parlour, which leaves me to pursue your dad; besides girl talk was never my thing, you’d be better at that than I would.” Poppy reluctantly nodded, “OK, I can see the sense in that; I’m ready to go, what about you?” Sean looked at his empty mug of coffee then again at the menu, “I thought you wanted to eat?” Poppy grimaced, “I’ve lost my appetite.”
Sean shook his head, “We have to eat Poppy, especially with what is coming tomorrow.” Poppy narrowed her blue eyes at Sean, she looked in his deep brown eyes and said “You’re enjoying this way too much Sean.” Sean shrugged his shoulders, “You should be as well.” Poppy leaned her head to the right, “How so? I have to sit all damn day in a beauty parlour with my dad’s new wife.”
Sean sighed, “Yes and whilst you get yourself pampered I have to go and keep an eye on your dad, at least you can get some enjoyment out of being pampered for the day.” He then winked at her and Poppy laughed. She took a look at her menu and then said, “Let’s go somewhere else for food, either that or get take-out to the room.” The waitress had been making her way over to their table and scowled at them as she heard the end of their conversation. Sean dropped a few bills on the table and then they left the small café together.
Back at their motel room Poppy was playing with her chicken pasta salad and Sean was playing with his own food, neither was feeling hungry but they knew they had to eat. After a few moments Poppy pushed her salad away and reached for her can of soda, she took a long drink of the cool liquid then moved to get the briefcase from under Sean’s bed.
She sat down on the floor and opened the briefcase, taking out the folder and reading through it once again; she still couldn’t believe that her dad had had her old home built again and that he and his new family were living in it. Her dad had taken down the willow tree that used to stand in the garden and had traded the grass for gravel.
Pictures had been included in the file so Poppy knew what her dad’s new wife looked like; she refrained from using the term ‘step-mother’ as she wanted no part of his new family and knew that she’d never be welcomed; her dad considered her and Sean dead along with the rest of their friends and parents. Her dad’s new wife was a blonde-haired, blue eyed woman of thirty five.
The baby wasn’t Paul’s and as far as Poppy could see his new wife Tracey had refrained from agreeing to Paul adopting her daughter Sonya. Poppy was glad about that on some level but knew that when her dad wanted something he usually got it; it appeared that so far Paul was playing it safe and not wanting to scare his new wife away.
They’d been married roughly eight months after Poppy and Sean’s parents had been buried, that told Poppy that her dad was using some sort of guilt trip on Tracey, either that or Tracey didn’t have a clue as to who or what Paul was capable of which was quite likely. Poppy heard Sean move back from the table and settled on the floor next to her, he then moved the file away from her and said “Poppy, you should eat.”
Poppy nodded but still didn’t move, and she knew that she’d lost a bit of weight since moving back from New Mexico. She saw Sean close the file and hold out a hand, she took it and he helped her up and they moved back to the small table in the motel room; Poppy picked at her food for a while and looked up to see Sean making an effort at eating as well.
After fifteen more minutes it became clear that neither of them would eat anything more, so Poppy took the food cartons outside and put them in the bin, then bought two more cokes and returned to the motel room; after she gave one to Sean she left hers opened on the table and moved to her bed, she grabbed her toiletry bag and pyjamas and then headed into the bathroom.
An hour later Poppy emerged after showering and changing into her pyjamas, she went to her coke and drained it then went over to her bed and pulled the covers back, she got in the bed and turned on the bedside table lights covering herself over as she got herself comfortable. She fell asleep thinking of what would happen tomorrow and whether she’d have the strength to sit and act nice around Paul’s new wife.
Sean emerged from the shower and saw Poppy asleep, he locked the file away and put it under his bed then pulled back the covers and switched off the lights, he got himself comfortable and lay staring at the dark ceiling for a long while before sleep finally claimed him.

* * * *

The next morning Poppy entered the beauty salon wearing expensive blue jeans and top to go with the outfit, her stiletto sandals were clicking on the linoleum as she walked up to the desk. She saw the shrewd look the receptionist gave her and Poppy knew her clothing screamed “Rich.”
The receptionist gave her a fake smile and said “Do you have an appointment Miss?” Poppy shook her head, “No, I’m sorry but I just flew into town and heard that this was the place to come for a little pick-me-up; I know I should’ve made an appointment but this place seems nicer than the one down the street.” The receptionists smile widened as she said “I’m sorry Miss, but we’re an appointment only salon.”
Poppy took in a deep breath and said “I see, and is there any available spaces for today? I know its short notice but I’ve heard a lot about this place and I’m willing to spend a lot of money here.” The receptionist’s smile grew even wider and Poppy tried hard not to roll her eyes, the receptionist gave Poppy another look and then picked up a diary from the desk.
She flipped a few pages over and after closing the book laid it down on the desk and said “I’m sorry Miss but we’re fully booked for today, if you come back tomorrow then we’ll fit you in.” Poppy looked around her and then said “Very well, I’ll just have to go to another salon; I heard that this was the best place to come but-.” Poppy shrugged sadly. “-I guess I’ll have to go to that place down the road.”
Poppy turned around and went to walk to the door when another woman walked in, Poppy recognised her as her dad’s new wife; she looked slightly flustered and Poppy sighed loudly “But then again as you told me this place was by appointment only when it clearly says ‘no appointment necessary’ on the door, I’ll go and spend a thousand dollars at the place down the street.” The woman stopped her and said “Excuse me, but Donovan’s is nothing compared to this place.”
Poppy smiled and said “Oh, I know that but I don’t like liars and I just flew in from New Mexico and wanted to be pampered a bit; oh well Donovan’s it is.” Tracey smiled and said “You don’t need an appointment here, and I’m sure someone of your stature has been told that?” Poppy shook her head sadly, “No, I was told that I needed an appointment by the receptionist even though it says on the door that I don’t.”
Tracey glared at the receptionist and then smiled down at Poppy, “What’s your name my dear?” Poppy hesitated then said “Poppy, I don’t mean to be rude but what’s your name?” The woman smiled at her and said “Tracey, its Tracey Cosby.” Poppy nodded and then let herself be guided to the receptionist’s desk where the receptionist was scowling at Poppy.
Tracey guided Poppy past the receptionist’s desk and into another room, she called for a beautician to come and attend to them, Poppy was given a place to change and a fluffy white towel to change into; once she was changed Poppy followed the beautician out of the room and was then guided to a chair next to Tracey. It seemed that Tracey was the curious type and wanted to know everything about Poppy, which suited her just fine.

* * * *

Sean had looked over the file again before leaving the motel room and knew that Paul owned a car dealership in town; Sean headed over to the car dealership on the pretence of buying a car as he was looking around the lot he saw Paul talking to another customer and waited patiently whilst he looked around.
When the customers had left the lot, Sean saw Paul run his hands through his black hair and then spotted Sean so he headed over to him and held out his hand and said “Hello there, and welcome to Cosby’s Cars, my name is Paul; you seem like a man who knows what he wants.” Sean shook his hand and silently reminded himself to wash his hands later with bleach.
Sean smiled and replied “Yes I am, I was looking for something fast and compact; I have a hot date tonight and want something that makes me look good, what do you have that fits my needs?” Paul thought for a moment and then said “Hmm, fast and compact? Follow me.” Paul gestured over to the other side of the lot and waited for Sean to follow him.
Sean reluctantly moved away from the Sedan he was looking at and followed Paul over to where he was gesturing at a black Dodge Viper; there were a few subtle scratches in the paintwork barely noticeable, Sean made a show of touching the hood of the car and then ran his hand over the roof and down onto the bumper. Sean went to the drivers’ side door and opened it up.
He took a good look at the inside and then looked at Paul “Hmm, I don’t know; it looks to be in good condition but noise isn’t that appealing to me in a car.” Sean moved away from the Viper and started looking at the other cars. He knew that he wouldn’t buy a car and was studiously ignoring Paul’s mindless chatter, nodding or making non-committal noises every time he paused.
Finally Sean said “The type of car I’m after would have to be quiet, fast and compact; do you have anything like that here?” After watching Paul stand there thinking for a few minutes Sean said “That’s OK, thanks… Paul is it? Ok well I’ll go home and think things over; maybe bring my girlfriend over to have a look and see what she thinks.” He then walked off leaving Paul looking bad tempered and flustered.
Sean now knew Paul’s temperament, he was OK when he thought he was going to get his way, but then acted like a child when denied something. Sean looked over his shoulder and stole a glance at Paul who was viciously kicking at the tyres on the Sedan Sean had looked at.

* * * *

Poppy was getting her toe nails painted and listening to Tracey continuing to shoot questions at her, “So what about your parents?” Poppy sighed sadly and replied “They both died almost three years ago, and I was left with a massive inheritance.” Tracey patted her arm sympathetically, “I’m sorry to hear that, so what brings you to Ohio?”
Poppy sighed again, and wiggled her toe nails as the beautician moved away, “I used to live here with my parents; we had a beautiful house downtown but because of the work my mom did we were moved around a lot and ended up moving to New Mexico.” Tracey nodded, “Yes moving around a lot is hard on the young ones; I’m glad that I’ve finally decided to settle here, my husband was born here and wants me to make this my home as well.”
Poppy glanced at her “He sounds like a wonderful man, have you been married long?” Tracey shook her head with a small smile “No, only about two years; but he’s the greatest, he’s a doting father to my Sonya even though she isn’t his and he says that he wants to adopt her and officially make her his daughter.” Poppy noticed the hesitation in her voice.
“So, if he’s a great husband then why don’t you let him adopt her?” Tracey sighed then said “I don’t know, I just feel like I should hold off for a while longer. Paul seems to be OK with it for the moment; but I don’t know how long it will last before he really starts to push for an adoption.” Poppy glanced at her again “If he really loves you and Sonya that much, then he’ll wait; and if your instincts are telling you not to go forwards with this then don’t.”
Tracey patted her hand in a motherly sort of gesture and then moved on to get a massage, Poppy followed her and once settled she asked “So, we should go out for a drink sometime soon; my eighteenth birthday is only a few days away.” Tracey smiled brightly at her “Why that sounds wonderful.” Poppy and Tracey made a lot of small talk after that, and Poppy agreed to come back the following day. She then paid the receptionist and left the parlour and made her way back over to the motel where Sean would be waiting.


Chapter Two

Two Weeks Later

Poppy lay awake staring at the dark ceiling, she’d been awake for most of the night and no matter how hard she’d tried; sleep had evaded her, she knew that she should be happy as today was her eighteenth birthday, but she could find no happiness in the occasion.
On her previous birthdays she’d faked enthusiasm and had done such a good job of it that she’d eventually believed it, she knew that on the other bed Sean was awake and had been awake for a few hours but neither of them had spoken. As the dark ceiling slowly brightened, Poppy threw back the covers and grabbed a change of clothes and her toiletry bag and headed for the bathroom.
As she showered Poppy thought back over the previous week, she’d gone to the beauty parlour every day without fail and afterwards had had a mug of coffee with Tracey; but whenever Tracey insisted that Poppy meet her husband, she’d found an excuse and had hurried away before Paul turned up. Tracey had eventually cornered Poppy into meeting Paul and she’d reluctantly agreed.
Today she was scheduled to ‘meet’ Paul, she already knew who and what he was; and even though her dad hadn’t seen her in well over three years, Poppy knew that her father would recognise her by her hair. When Poppy was done with the bathroom she stepped outside fully dressed and kept her back turned as Sean went into the bathroom.
Poppy unlocked the motel room and headed for the nearest coffee shop and bought them back coffee and bagels for breakfast, as she put Sean’s coffee and bagel on the small table he came out of the shower and said “Thanks Poppy.” She nodded her head in welcome and then sat down to drink her coffee.

* * * *

Poppy went to a local hairdressers that morning and had her hair cut, styled and then insisted on a temporary hair dye to be put in; she had her hair blow dried and then after paying left the store leaving a hefty tip. She headed to the café where she would normally meet up with Tracey and as she sat down she ordered a mug of coffee to calm her nerves before Tracey and Paul arrived.
Tracey entered the café first, and scanned the café twice before finally realising that Poppy had cut and dyed her hair; she remarked that it was very nicely done and worth every penny she’d spent on it. She then said “Paul’s running a little late this morning, but should be here shortly.” Poppy nodded and replied “That’s OK, I think today’s going to be one of those days.”
Tracey noticed Poppy’s subdued tone and said “Poppy? What’s the matter dear?” Poppy hesitated then said “Today’s my eighteenth birthday.” Tracey grinned at her, “Happy birthday! I wish I was eighteen again, those were the days, what are you planning on doing?” Poppy smiled tightly and said “I’ve never really celebrated a birthday, not since my parents passed.”
Tracey nodded as if she expected nothing less, “Yes, parents passing is always sad but not unexpected, after all we always expect our parents to go before us; you have to live life whilst you have it my dear. Look to the future and not the past.” Poppy sipped her coffee and went to reply when the café door opened again and in walked Paul.
He walked over to their table and kissed his wife on the cheek before settling next to her. “Tracey, sorry I’m late honey; couldn’t be avoided.” He then turned his attention to Poppy and she stiffened, “And who might this be?” Poppy forced herself to relax and smiled and Tracey replied, “This is Poppy dear, the one I’ve been telling you about?” Paul nodded his head and held out his hand for Poppy to shake.
Poppy hesitantly shook his hand and said “Pleased to meet you Paul.” Paul nodded and then took a closer look at Poppy, he saw her deep blue eyes and then looked at her black hair and finally her expensive clothing. “And how old are you Poppy?” Poppy went to answer when Tracey said “She’s eighteen today Paul, isn’t that wonderful?”
Paul nodded his head and they sat in silence for a few moments then Tracey said “So, what plans do you have for your birthday dear? After all you’re only eighteen once.” Poppy smiled and said “I don’t have any plans, I normally spend my birthdays alone, but this year I won’t be alone; my boyfriend is planning to stay with me and watch a few movies.”
Tracey clucked her tongue in disapproval, “Nonsense! You should come over to our place for a birthday dinner isn’t that right dear?” She glanced at Paul who was still looking at Poppy, he nodded slowly; “Yes that should be fine, dear.” Poppy shook her head, “I’m sorry but I can’t accept that offer; I couldn’t abandon my boyfriend like that.”
Tracey again beat Paul to speaking, “Then bring your boyfriend along as well; we don’t mind.” Paul nodded his head and smiled at his wife’s expression, Poppy stopped herself from shivering; there was something not quite right with his smile. Paul suddenly stood up and made his excuses, he left the café in a rush muttering under his breath as he went.

* * * *

Sean was stood outside a jewellery store, debating on whether to buy Poppy a necklace; she deserved something for her birthday, he’d turned eighteen the week before and she’d bought him a thick gold chain which was hung around his neck.
He finally decided on buying her a gold chain with a pair of golden dolphins with diamonds in them criss-crossing each other, he paid a little extra for the black velvet box, not liking the box it would’ve initially come in and left the store feeling very satisfied with himself. As he was walking down the street he saw Paul leave the café in a hurry.
Sean narrowed his brown eyes and waited until he’d walked down the block before going into the café, he spotted Tracey by her blonde hair; but had no idea who the black haired girl sitting with her was, he then heard Poppy chuckle and headed over to them. Before he could do more than sit next to Poppy the waitress came over and all three of them ordered fresh coffee.
Poppy gripped his hand tightly under the table and Sean squeezed back she said “Sean, I’d like you to meet Tracey; she’s invited us to dinner tonight.” Sean smiled at her “That’s very kind of you Tracey, but we’ll have to decline unfortunately.” Tracey shook her head, “No, no I insist; you both must come it’s not very often we have guests over for dinner.”
Sean looked at Poppy and she nodded her head slightly, Sean sighed and said “That would be lovely Tracey, what time are we expected?” Tracey patted him on the hand and said “Seven thirty, Sonya will be in bed asleep by then, my address is thirty five Goddard Street.” Poppy stiffened slightly but Tracey didn’t seem to notice and she excused herself to use the bathroom. When she was gone Sean turned on Poppy.
“Are you OK? I saw Paul leave here in a hurry, he can’t be happy about tonight.” Poppy replied “I’ve just had to sit here and pretend to not know who my dad is, I had to shake his hand but I think he knew that something was wrong; the look he kept giving me. By the way, I had to introduce you as my boyfriend for it to sound plausible.”
Sean nodded his head and remained silent as Tracey returned to her seat, they ordered another round of coffee and were about to speak when Tracey’s cell phone rang, she answered it and finished the call quickly. “Sorry about that, Paul asks that you come formally for the meal tonight; I hope that’s OK?” Both Poppy and Sean nodded together, then Sean made a show of giving Poppy the necklace he’d bought earlier.
Poppy took the box Sean handed her and couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her face, “Sean, it’s beautiful; thank you.” She then kissed him on the cheek and hugged him. Tracey was watching the event with a smile on her face and then handed Poppy a tissue to dry her eyes with, she accepted the tissue and then checked the watch on her wrist.
She glanced at Sean and then looked at Tracey, “So, Tracey; you said to be at your home for seven thirty this evening?” Tracey nodded and then looked at her own watch, and looked a bit surprised to see that it was almost two in the afternoon. “Yes Poppy, and you Sean; seven thirty this evening, I have to go unfortunately as my little Sonya will need collecting.”
Both Poppy and Sean stood up and let out a sigh of relief as Tracey left the café, they looked at each other and Sean said “I don’t think coffee’s going to be strong enough; c’mon.” Poppy took out a few bills from her purse and placed them on the table as she followed Sean out of the café and blinked in surprise as they stopped outside of the local pub.
Sean held open the door and said “One drink Poppy, in celebration of it being all over tonight.” She nodded her head and two hours later they left the pub to return to their motel room to get ready for what lay ahead for them that night.


Chapter Three


Back at the motel room, Poppy searched in the small closet space for an outfit to wear for the dinner and confrontation that would happen in a few short hours, Sean had picked out dark pants and a dark silk shirt, and had then headed for the shower. Poppy finally selected a dark pair of pants and a deep blue silk blouse.
She picked out a pair of platform shoes to go with the outfit and then went into the bathroom when Sean emerged. Poppy took longer in the shower than was necessary but she wanted the dye out of her hair, when Poppy finally emerged from the bathroom she was dressed apart from her shoes; she put them on and added light make-up to her face. As she bent down to do up her shoes the realisation of what was to come hit her like a freight train.
She stood up and looked at Sean “Ready?” She asked him, Sean nodded and Poppy realised that the enormity of the coming event was centred in his mind as well. Poppy and Sean did last minute checks on their clothing and then stepped outside to the waiting taxi that Sean had ordered a few minutes before. They were driven out to Goddard Street and Poppy stared up at the house that she used to live in with her mom, before everything went to hell.
Poppy and Sean took a few deep breaths before paying the driver stepping out of the cab and adjusting their clothes, when they were ready they walked up to the house and knocked on the front door; Poppy held a bottle of champagne in her hand and when the door opened to reveal Tracey stood in the doorway she took a deep breath, smiled and handed over the champagne.
Tracey accepted the bottle and said “Hi, come on in; Paul’s running a little late but has told us to start the meal without him.” Poppy glanced at Sean and then stepped over the threshold and followed Tracey into the dining room where they were seated at the table. Sean said “Here Tracey, allow me to open the champagne; did Paul say how late he would be?”
Tracey handed the bottle back to Sean and said “He should be here in about ten minutes.” Poppy said “If he’s only going to be ten minutes I think it better if we wait before we eat, is that OK?” Tracey smiled and nodded, “Yes what a wonderful idea.” Tracey then motioned for them to sit in the lounge on a large leather sofa whilst Sean poured them all a glass of champagne.
Ten minutes later the front door opened and they could all hear the muffled footsteps in the hallway; a few moments before Paul entered the lounge Sean stood up and Poppy moved to the edge of the sofa, when Paul entered the lounge he took one look at Tracey and smiled then said “Sorry I’m late honey, work kept me late.” He then took a glance at Sean and Poppy and his smile faded.
“What are they doing here?” He demanded suddenly, his face twisted into a sneer; Tracey stood up and went to her husbands side “This is Poppy and Sean dear, remember? We invited them to dinner this evening.” Paul slapped Tracey across the face and she stumbled back, Poppy steadied her and Sean grabbed Paul by the front of his shirt and said “I think you’d best sit down Mr Cosby; you have a lot of explaining to do.” Tracey rubbed her sore cheek and said “Paul! What has gotten into you?”
Sean pushed him into a chair and Poppy settled Tracey into a chair and said “Tracey, I can explain that.” She then turned to Paul and said “Well do you want to tell her or shall I dad?” Tracey looked from Poppy to Paul and said “Poppy? Did you just call my husband dad?” Poppy glanced at her and said “Yes Tracey I did, I know I told you my parents were dead and in truth I wish that he was.”
She gestured at Paul who sat stone faced in the chair, Paul went to get up and Poppy moved forwards and punched him in the face, “That was for the slap you gave Tracey; she didn’t deserve that.” Paul settled back in the chair and wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hands then said; “I want you both out of my house now! Before I call the police.”
Poppy laughed without humour, “You’ll call the police? Fine go ahead, I’ll tell them everything you’ve done.” Paul froze then laughed “What I’ve done? And what would that be Poppy?” Poppy took out a small tape recorder from her bag and placed it on the coffee table, then looked at her dad “Do we really have to play this game? I just want to know why?”
Tracey looked from Poppy to Paul and said “I want to know what’s going on, and I want to know now!” Poppy looked Paul steadily in the eye, “Are you going to tell her or shall I?” Paul looked furious but said nothing, Poppy looked at Tracey and said “Tracey I’m sorry, I never meant to lie to you; but I needed to get close to you in order to get to him.”
Tracey looked confused and furious at the same time, “Fine, tell me everything; start from the beginning.” Sean glanced at Paul then Poppy and finally Tracey and said “Tracey? Where’s Sonya?” Tracey froze, “Why do you want to know where my daughter is?” Poppy replied “We need to make sure that she’s safe.” Tracey looked at their faces and realised that they were deadly serious.
“She’s upstairs asleep, why what’s going on?” Poppy sighed sadly and said “If I were you Tracey I’d go and get your daughter, pack what you need for her for a few days but do it now; when you come back in here I’ll tell you everything, I promise.” Tracey reluctantly nodded and left the room, when Sean nodded to say that she’d gone upstairs Poppy turned to her father.
“I suggest you get comfortable dad, it’s going to be a long night.” Paul settled back in his chair and Poppy took out another tape player and clipped it to her side, a few minutes later Tracey returned with a sleeping toddler in her arms, she then settled into the sofa and said “Now, tell me everything.” Poppy and Sean looked at each other and nodded.
Poppy sighed and pressed record on the tape player at her hip and then started talking, “Three years ago, when myself, Sean and some friends were at a birthday party and my mom was entertaining all of our friends’ parents, my dad had unbeknownst to us hired a man; this man was supposed to kill me an my mom to end the divorce he and my mom were going through, as well as claim all of the money from the insurance and my trust fund.
“But because our friends’ parents were all here that night, the man killed them all and then set fire to this house; I know that because I used to live here, my friends and I were put into protective custody. A few months later we were all taken on a camping trip where the killer found us after kidnapping a Detective’s wife and daughter. The Detective sold us all out including his partner to get his family back.
“The killer made his move on the third night we were there, the Detective’s partner, three cops and two of our friends were killed that night; but we survived and escaped, a tape was handed to the police station the next morning and it contained the conversation between the Detective and the killer; the Detective was arrested and demoted to a regular police officer.
“Myself and my remaining friends buried our parents before moving to New Mexico, we were meant to have been met at the Airport by some federal agents but they were killed en-route to the Airport; we stayed in a local motel that first night and waited until morning when I turned sixteen to get my inheritance. We bought a ranch and everything was fine for a while.
“Nearly a year had passed when the killer struck again, this time he killed two more of our friends; we cornered the killer on our property and he told us everything, how my dad had been the one to set this all up because of the money and the divorce, I have the tape here.” Poppy paused for a breath and pressed play on the tape, listening as her own voice and the killers voice floated through the room.
When the conversation was ended Poppy spoke again, “We caught a flight back here and got in touch with the Detective who’d betrayed us, he got us the information we needed on my dad, and that information also included you and Sonya; we knew who you were before we’d ever met. The reason we’re now is because of two things.
“The first is that my dad underestimated our survival skills and our will to live, the second is that he made a grave mistake when he tried to have us killed and failed. We now want to know why; if he’d just let the divorce proceed he’d be a very wealthy man by now, which of course is why he married you, but why he wants to adopt Sonya I’ll never know. He didn’t want me for a daughter.”
Poppy paused for a few moments and looked at Sean, a muscle was fluttering in his jaw and he was struggling to hold back the tears the same as Poppy was; Tracey however had silent tears rolling down her face and finally said “I’m so sorry Poppy, Sean I had no idea; but one thing I do know is this, Paul I want a divorce.” She then took off her wedding ring and placed it on the coffee table, picked up her daughter and the bag she’d packed then left the house.
Paul started laughing the second Tracey left the house with her daughter, “You thought I’d hire someone to kill them?” Poppy raised an eyebrow, “Yes, we thought that you’d resort back to your old tricks and have them killed, the only problem with that plan is this; the man you hired to have us killed? He’s dead and buried in a clearing out in New Mexico. Now we want to know why you’ve done this, we deserve to know.”
Paul laughed harder, “Why? You want to know why? For the money of course; and I’d gladly do it again, yes you heard me correctly; I’d kill Tracey, Sonya, you and Sean is it? To get what I want, and there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me.” Poppy felt like being sick, but she had what she wanted and pressed stop on the tape recorder, she nodded to Sean and he pulled out a cell phone from his pocket.
A few minutes later he said “The police are on their way.” Paul was still laughing like a lunatic in the chair, Poppy was keeping an eye out for the police cruiser and Sean was watching Paul; Poppy wondered where Tracey and Sonya had gone, and what Tracey would do once she’d divorced Paul.


Epilogue


The police arrived a few minutes later and Poppy opened the door to allow them entry, she was shocked to see that John Saunders was one of the officers to arrive. He spoke before she could “Poppy? What’s going on?” The other officer looked at him sharply, “You know these kids?”
John nodded, “Yes I do, now tell me what’s going on.” Poppy looked at Sean, then her dad and said “He’s admitted to it officer, he admitted to having our friends and parents killed for money, and he said that he’d do it again.” John nodded to the other officer who moved over to where Paul was sitting, stood him up and cuffed him, Poppy handed John both tape recorders and followed him outside.
John slowly turned to look at them, “This is what you wanted my help for? To catch your dad and make him admit to what he did?” Both Poppy and Sean nodded, then watched as Paul was read his rights and placed in the back seat of the police car; “We’ll take it from here, you can rest easy now.” Poppy could hear more sirens in the distance, they were closing in fast.
John looked at Poppy then Sean and lifted his head to the oncoming sirens; he grimaced and said “Damn, I didn’t realise they’d be so quick, sorry about this guys, nothing personal.” He then took out his gun and shot them both in the chest. Before everything went dark, Poppy was glad that she’d insisted on them both wearing their bullet proof vests under their shirts.
Poppy stirred a little while later, she felt like she’d been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer and she vaguely remembered being shot by John and then she remembered Sean being shot as well; she tried to sit up and white hot pain flashed through her chest, “Sean.” She said weakly, “It’s OK Miss, try not to move.” She didn’t recognise the voice.
Once her eyes opened she saw that she was lying on the gravel outside of her old home, she looked to her left and saw Sean stirring next to her; she then looked up at the man who’d spoken, he was a young looking police officer holding a flashlight on her. “What’s your name Miss?” He asked, “Poppy, Poppy Cosby. Sean, will he be OK?”
The officer smiled and said “Yes, neither bullet made it through the vests.” Poppy let out a sigh of relief, she slowly got to her feet and saw Sean do the same, once they were both vertical the officer said “Can you tell me what happened here?” Sean replied “John Saunders, he shot us! He was meant to have been arresting Paul Cosby.”
The officer nodded slowly, “We arrived in time to hear the gun shots, don’t worry Paul is in our custody and both myself and my partner would like for you to accompany us down to the police station to answer a few questions.” Poppy looked at Sean and he nodded, they then both got into the back seat of the police car and were driven to the police station.
In the interview room Sean took out a tape player from his pants pocket and said “Everything you need to know is on here officer.” The officer excused himself and left the room he came back fifteen minutes later and said “That was a hell of a risk you kids took, but the evidence on that tape will see your father, John and his partner Robert to a prison cell; you’re free to go but please don’t leave town as we may need to question you further.”
Both Poppy and Sean nodded and then left the police station, they hailed a cab and were taken back to their motel room where they showered, changed and went to bed. They spent the next few days in the motel room, leaving only to get food and the local paper; Paul had been charged with the murders of Poppy and Sean’s friends and parents, as well as the officers killed at the Lake View camp site.
John and his partner Robert were both charged with perverting the course of justice, John was charged with two counts of attempted murder and his partner Robert was charged with aiding and abetting a criminal, all three had pleaded guilty. Reporters had camped outside the police station for the event and were trying to find out who the ‘witnesses unknown’ were.
The court case would proceed within a few weeks and as all three had pleaded guilty Poppy and Sean were told they didn’t have to attend, Poppy wanted to go mainly just to get her closure; and she knew that Sean felt the same way. They told the officer’s their decision that they would attend the court case and were given the time and date of the trial.


Three Weeks Later

Poppy and Sean were stood by the open grave and were listening to the priest say the last right’s prayer as Jamie’s coffin was slowly lowered into the earth next to his parents; his body had arrived the week before and both Poppy and Sean had seen to the necessary details for his funeral.
The priest finished the ceremony and then moved to stand behind both Poppy and Sean and put one hand on each of their shoulders in a gesture of comfort; “Your friend is in a better place, a place where he will be loved by our merciful Lord for all eternity.” Poppy nodded and wiped at the tears rolling down her face, Jamie was finally home and with his parents and hopefully in a place where he wouldn’t be hurt anymore.
“He’s home.” Poppy whispered in reply, Sean put his arm around her waist in a gesture of comfort and friendship and sent up a silent prayer that Thea’s body would be found so that she too could be brought home and laid to rest with her sister and parents. Poppy rested her head on Sean’s shoulder and they both silently watched as the coffin finally stopped.
The priest looked at them but said nothing, and after a while he moved away leaving them alone lost in grief; rain started to fall slowly at first but then steadily harder, Sean tightened his grip around Poppy’s waist and then guided them from Jamie’s grave and back to the warmth of the motel. A few hours later they had both showered and changed into pyjamas, feeling too dejected to leave the room.
The following morning when they woke up, they took turns in the bathroom and dressed; today was the day that Poppy’s dad and the two police officers went on trial, Poppy and Sean left the motel room and bought a mug of coffee for the short walk to the Courts. They made it inside the Courts with fifteen minutes to spare, and were then seated in the front row as the witnesses.
Paul, John and his partner Robert were seated across from them as the defendants; they each had a lawyer present with them and Poppy had made a last minute call to her lawyer Mr Golsberg and he was representing both Poppy and Sean. Once the Judge had entered and they had been seated the court proceedings began. Paul’s lawyer put on a big show of claiming that Poppy and Sean were accusing his client of a horrendous crime with no evidence to back it up with, and that both John and his partner Robert were innocent victims. He then went so far as to claim that both Poppy and Sean were insane and that the case should be dismissed.
Mr Golsberg sat in silence as Paul’s lawyer rambled on, and once he was finished the Judge said “Mr Golsberg, do your clients have any proof to these claims?” Mr Golsberg slowly stood up and replied “Yes your honour my clients do have evidence to back this claim.” The Judge frowned slightly, “And what evidence would that be Mr Golsberg?”
Mr Golsberg took a small black object from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table in front of him then took a deep breath and said “Your honour, this tape recorder I have just placed on the table contains all of the evidence against Mr Cosby and his associates.” The lawyer representing Paul, John and his partner Robert said “Your honour I object! I was not notified of any evidence being on tape and nor was I given access to this evidence.”
My Golsberg smiled at the other lawyer and then opened his briefcase to draw out a piece of paper, “Your honour, this piece of paper I hold in my hands shows that the defendants’ lawyer was indeed given a copy of this tape; it even has his signature on it.” The Judge leaned forwards slightly and said “Objection over-ruled, Mr Golsberg please press play on the tape.”
Mr Golsberg pressed play and the whole Courtroom listened in shocked silence as the conversation between Poppy, Sean, Paul, and the killer. At the end of the conversation the Judge was silent for a moment then said “Very well, does the defendant have anything to add?” Before Paul’s lawyer could reply Mr Golsberg said “One moment your honour, there’s more on this tape.”
Silence fell once again in the Courtroom as the conversation between John and Poppy played out, ending as John shot both Poppy and Sean. Mr Golsberg pressed stop on the tape recorder and looking the Judge steadily in the eye said “Your honour, I rest my case.” Then took his seat; the Judge looked at both lawyers and then said “This Court will adjourn for two hours whilst the Jury reaches a verdict.” He then banged his gavel on his raised stand and everyone stood up as the Judge left the room.
Two hours later the Jury re-entered the Courtroom followed shortly by the Judge, everyone stood up whilst the Judge took his seat at the raised podium and they then settled themselves into their seats; the tension in the room could’ve been cut with the proverbial knife. The Judge looked at the Jury and said “Members of the Jury have you reached a verdict?”
A man in the front row stood up and said “Yes your honour we have.” The Judge nodded his head, “And what is your verdict?” The man took a deep breath and said “We find the defendant Paul Cosby guilty. We also find the defendant John Saunders and Robert Bracknell guilty.” The man sat down and the Judge looked at all three defendants sitting in front of him.
“Because of the severity of the crimes and the way in which the crimes were carried out, I can do no less than sentence you to the harshest punishments available; I sentence you Paul Cosby and you John Saunders to death by lethal injection, and you Robert Bracknell will serve seven to ten years in the state prison; you will be an example for every criminal in the United States of America that no-one can escape the long arm of the law. Case closed.”
The Judge stood up and the rest of the Courtroom rose with him, the Judge left the room and went into his chambers closing the door behind him; Poppy and Sean both hugged and shook hands with Mr Golsberg and they all watched as Paul, John and Robert were led away to the waiting police van outside to be taken to the state prison and death row; where Robert would immediately begin his sentence and John and Paul would await their execution.

The End.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 01.03.2011

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