Prologue - 1972

He was cold. Damn, he was cold. Jimmy didn’t think he’d ever been this cold before. He was scared, too, but fear was something he was used to. It was always there, deep inside him, hidden, where no one else could see it or sense it. Except Maria knew it was there. She was the only one who wasn’t afraid of him at all. She was afraid for him.

He realized now what a bad idea it had been to walk across the lake. He wasn’t afraid that he was being followed; it was windy enough to cover his footprints in the snow. He knew that the ice would hold; he could see several little shacks on the lake. He couldn’t imagine sitting in one of those shacks, with a fishing pole stuck in a little hole in the ice, freezing his ass off. By the time he thought about heading for one of them, just to get out of the wind, he realized he was probably closer to shore.

So he kept walking across the lake. It was a whole lot farther than he had originally thought. The lightweight gloves he wore weren’t enough to keep his hands warm, so he stuck his hands in the pockets of his windbreaker. His pockets were empty now. He had tossed the gun out somewhere on the lake. He didn’t want it on him if he got caught. The windbreaker wasn’t much protection from the cold, though. Neither were the sneakers that he wore. They were wet from the snow and his feet had gone beyond cold; they were almost numb. If he didn’t get off the ice soon, he wouldn’t be able to walk. So he kept walking, trying not to think about the cold.

He laughed to himself, thinking about Sonny trying to run with those stupid platformshoes he was wearing. He figured that there was a good chance that Sonny had already been caught. He hoped Sonny hadn’t done anything stupid, like shoot a cop. Sonny always said he couldn’t do time. He spent a weekend in the county lockup once,
his one and only time in jail, and it scared him. Sonny had a real small build, only about 5’6”, and a face more pretty than handsome. During his two nights in jail, he had several offers from guys on their way to prison. Yeah, Jimmy thought, Sonny might just shoot a cop instead of take a chance on an armed robbery conviction.

By the time Jimmy got to the other side of the lake, he had to crawl to the wooded hill between the shore and the road. He thought he could pull himself up the hill by holding on to tree trunks and bushes. He couldn’t use his feet; he couldn’t even feel his feet anymore. If he could get up to the road, though, maybe Frank would be riding around looking for him. He knew the cops were looking for him, but he had to take a chance. He’d freeze to death, otherwise. He had to warm his feet.

But the cops weren’t looking for him. Not yet, anyway. And when they found him, it would be too late to save his feet.
____________________________________

Sonny walked along the shore grumbling. He didn’t understand why Jimmy insisted they split up. He would have felt safer with Jimmy. He would have felt safer with Frank, too, but Frank was in the car, probably driving around looking for them. Or maybe Frank had driven to Nancy’s to change cars. If so, he wouldn’t be back for an hour or so. It never crossed his mind that Frank may have been caught. Frank was invincible. No small town cop could have caught Frank. He was magic behind the wheel. Frank’s driving abilities had saved their asses many times.

He felt exposed, walking along the beach. Once he reached the wooded areas, he felt a little safer. He passed a few cottages, most closed for the winter, a few still in use. He could see the little shacks on the ice that the owners used for ice fishing. Stupid people, he thought, you can buy fish. There was an open area ahead to his right that looked like it might be used as an access road during the spring and summer. He walked alongside it up the hill, staying near the trees so he could hide easily, if he had to. He came upon a clearing with four small cabins in a semi-circle. He figured these were the cheaper cottages, because they were the ones farthest from the water. Maybe he’d break into one of them and warm up. He checked them out and found an unlocked window on the third try. He forced it open enough to squeeze through and realized that being small sometimes had its advantages.

The cabin was one large room with a small bathroom. There was a fireplace, and a small bar, a sofa-bed and television. There was an old table with four chairs in the center of the room, separating the kitchen area from the living room / bedroom. It wasn’t much, but it was warmer in here, and Sonny felt safe. The electricity was turned off, but there were candles scattered around, and there was a flashlight on the mantel. He was tempted to light a fire, but he was afraid that the smoke would attract attention. He wasn’t really sure how to build a fire, anyway. He had never lived anywhere that had a fireplace, and he’d never done any real camping. The closest he came was when they were kids. Frank got a pup tent for his twelfth birthday, and they used to sleep out in his backyard on real hot nights. They would light the trash barrel and cook hot dogs and marshmallows on sticks. Sometimes, some of the neighborhood kids would bring their own hot dogs over and they’d cook and eat and get a game of something going. Sonny liked baseball best. You didn’t have to be big to be good at baseball. They were always good times, too. But the best times were the nights when it was just Sonny, Frank, Jimmy and Ralph. Damn, he thought, we could lay in that tent and just talk for hours. Or not talk at all sometimes, and it was okay.

The batteries in the flashlight were still working, so Sonny explored the cabin. The kitchen cabinets had plenty of canned food; a chest next to the fireplace was filled with heavy blankets and a couple of pillows. Maybe he’d stay the night. Get a fresh start tomorrow in the daylight. He found a portable radio on the kitchen counter. The batteries were dead, but he found a fresh package in the drawer. He found a rock station that he liked and put the radio on the floor next to the sofa-bed. He grabbed a bottle of gin from the bar, took a couple of swigs and placed it next to the radio. The bellbottoms on his jeans were soaking wet, as were his socks, so he laid them across the back of one of the kitchen chairs to dry. He lay down on the bed, covering himself with all of the blankets and slept.
________________________________________

Frank sat in the car, waiting, facing the road. It was taking too long. He probably should have gone in himself, him and Jimmy. But this was the plan. Sonny had balked at the last minute, wanting to be the driver. He swore that he wouldn’t ditch them again, he just got spooked that last time, and nothing bad had happened anyway. But they weren’t just around the corner this time, either. They were way the hell out in Diamond Lake, and it was important that they stay together. Besides, Sonny was threatening to shoot anyone else who pulled in the parking lot, so they were probably a lot safer with him inside. It was taking them much too long, though. Frank figured they should be in and back out in about ten minutes. They had already been in there fifteen minutes.

Frank had a good view of the road from where he was parked. It was a quiet road, not much traffic this time of year. They hadn’t seen another car since they took the turn onto Diamond Lake Road. There was one coming now though, but Frank wasn’t alarmed until the car passed and he realized it was a police car. Probably nothing to worry about, but he put his foot on the brake and shifted into drive, just in case. It wasn’t until he saw the brake lights go on, and the car started to make a U-turn, that he began to feel panic. When the police car turned into the Diamond Lake Hotel parking lot, Frank honked his horn three times, their pre-arranged signal, put his foot to the floor and sped off with the police car following.
________________________________________

Jimmy had no trouble getting the service door opened. It was just like Frank had said – a Mickey Mouse lock bolted on the outside. Once inside, they walked through the hotel kitchen, down a hall, through the main dining room and into the lobby.

“Let’s go look at the pool,” said Sonny.

“We’re not tourists, Sonny. We got business to take care of.”

“Well, as long as I’m here, I’m gonna go look at it. I never seen an indoor pool before.”

Before Jimmy could stop him, Sonny had started down the stairs that led to the pool. The pool was in a glass-enclosed wing of the hotel that protruded out the back, separating the public beach from the hotel’s beach. At the bottom of the stairs there was a lounge with a bar, a snack bar and plastic tables and chairs. Across from the entrance were glass doors to the pool. There were also doors to the men’s and women’s dressing rooms. They crossed the room and entered the pool area. Even though there were no guests at the hotel this time of year, they kept the pool maintained for parties. The hotel supported itself most of the year with banquets, weddings and private parties.

Jimmy could see that Sonny was excited about the indoor pool.

“Let’s take a dip, Jimmy.”

“No, we get wet, we’ll freeze. You walk outside in wet underwear; you won’t see your dick for a week. Besides, we’re in a hurry. Let’s go.”

Sonny wanted to visit the bar in the pool lounge, stock up on tequila. By that time, Jimmy was wishing that Frank was with him, and that he had left Sonny in the car. He convinced a reluctant Sonny to get his ass back upstairs by threatening him, and reminding him what happened to pretty boys in prison.

Once upstairs, they crossed the lobby to the manager’s office. Jimmy couldn’t believe it...The door had one of those bathroom door locks. He kicked the door hard one time, and the lock popped. Man, this is almost too easy, he thought, relaxing a little, keeping the fear under control.

When they entered the manager’s office, the first thing they noticed were the windows on the wall to their right that faced the parking lot, and they could see Frank sitting out there in the car, his back to them. The desk was near the wall across from the windows.

“Sonny, get the box out of the desk. I’ll keep an eye on the door and the windows.”

Sonny opened the bottom right-hand side drawer, and there was the box, just like she said it would be. He removed the box and felt under the drawer for the key, and it was right where it was supposed to be. He began unlocking the box, but then Jimmy yelled:

“Just grab it, Sonny! We’ll open i –”

Just then, Jimmy heard the faint sound of a car horn.

“Ohmigod. We gotta get outta here, Sonny. Frank just pulled out and there’s a cop chasing him.”

Sonny stuffed the bills into his pockets and followed Jimmy through the lobby, running, back through the dining room, the kitchen and then back out the back service entrance. They ran along the beach and into the darkness of the snow-covered woods; running in separate directions, running from the police who weren’t even chasing them. Not yet.
_______________________________________

Hank Evans had about an hour left on his shift, so he decided to cruise around Diamond Lake Road one more time. Even on a Saturday night there wasn’t much happening in Diamond Lake. Not this time of year, anyway. They’d occasionally get a domestic dispute call, or catch a DWI leaving a party at the hotel, but most of their work this time of year was directing traffic around accident sites. These old country roads could be treacherous in the winter, especially for drivers who weren’t familiar with them. After driving these roads for over twenty years, though, Hank knew how to handle them in any weather.

Hank swallowed the last gulp of coffee in his thermos and headed toward the tourist end of the lake. Diamond Lake wasn’t a big tourist town, but the hotel was always booked for the summer, usually by the same families who came back year after year. Across the street from the hotel, and owned by the same family, was a small village of efficiency cabins for rent. “Lakeside Rentals” weren’t actually on the water, but the tenants had access to the hotel’s beach, and were considered guests of the hotel.

About a mile and a half up the road from the hotel, there was a campground with an RV park, which was full all summer. And, of course, there were the cottagers. There were about 120 privately owned vacation homes on Diamond Lake, and some of the owners came for weekends, or weeks in the summer, and some of them stayed for the whole season. Some even came back in the winter for ice fishing, or to be close to the ski resorts. There was a lot more action in Diamond Lake during the summer, so much so, that each May they hired four more officers to help out, two in cars and two in boats. Hank loved to pull boat duty. That was the main reason that he joined the police force. He remembered when he was a kid, he and his older brother, Bob, used to get up real early some mornings, pack a cooler full of sandwiches and Cokes and go fishing off the docks behind Mattie’s General Store and Bait Shop. And always, at some point in the morning, a police boat would go by. The cops would give them a toot and a wave, and Hank knew then that there was nothing in the world that he would rather be when he grew up than one of those cops in the boat.

As Hank drove past The Diamond Lake Hotel, he noticed a lone car in the parking lot, backed up real close to the walkway, facing the road. He figured he better go back and take a look, because there was another problem the police occasionally had in Diamond Lake. For the last few years, groups of kids had been vandalizing the hotel, trying to break in and party at the pool. Luckily, the police had been able to apprehend them each time, before they did any real harm to the hotel or themselves.

Hank turned the police cruiser around and headed back toward the hotel. He spotted the car right away, and thought it looked like a late model Toyota, definitely a kid’s car. As he pulled into the lot, the Toyota took off, tires screeching on the snow and gravel, and headed out the other parking lot entrance to the road. Hank radioed for backup and followed the Toyota down Diamond Lake Road, keeping a safe distance behind him, but keeping him in his sight all the while. It wasn’t long before Hank could see flashing lights and hear sirens approaching from the other direction. Hank sped up, and was closing the gap between him and the Toyota, when the kid appeared to lose control of the car. He must have hit some ice, thought Hank, as the car spun around 90 degrees, slid across the road and seemed to fly right over the ditch, into a stand of trees. Hank rushed to the car, praying that the kid was all right.It wasn’t until a few hours later (after Frank had crashed the car, after the ambulance had come and brought Frank to the hospital, after they towed the car down to the station, searched it and found a gun) that Hank realized this wasn’t some kid looking for a pool party.

Chapter One

Earlier on that same Saturday night, Nancy was surveying her closet, trying to decide what to wear, when she heard Frank enter her apartment. She knew it was him, because nobody else, not even her mother, had a key.
“Hi, baby!” she yelled, “I’m in the bedroom.”
“You got anything to eat, Nance?”
“There’s some slightly warm pizza on the kitchen table and a couple of beers in the refrigerator. Will that do?”
“Put a couple of slices in the oven for me, will you? And stick a mug in the freezer. I’m gonna jump in the shower.”
While Frank showered, Nancy heated up the rest of the pizza and made a small tossed salad.
I should be pissed at him, she thought. I haven’t seen or heard from him in five days, and he can’t even take the time to give me a kiss, or make some ‘Hello, how are you?’ small talk. And I wanted to take a shower, too. Now there won’t be enough hot water for a sponge bath.
She was happy to see him, though, so she decided not to say anything, not to make a big deal out of it. She knew that if she did, they would argue, and he would leave. And every time he left, she feared he wouldn't come back. She knew that the reason he loved her was because she rarely confronted him about his treatment of her and she never made demands on him or his time. She wanted her apartment to be his “safe place”; a place where he could relax completely, where he didn't have to put up with any bullshit, and where she could take care of him.
After Frank had showered and eaten, he led her to her bedroom, where she was more than willing to satisfy all of his urges. Frank was a demanding lover who liked to inflict pain and humiliation during their lovemaking sessions. Nancy played the slave to his master willingly, and hid from him the fact that she became physically ill after some of their sessions. Sometimes she hated herself for allowing him to use her however he wanted. But she continued to allow it, because she loved him, and she felt sure that he loved her.
Afterwards, they didn't hold each other like some couples do, didn't share a cigarette or a glass of wine. Frank rolled out of bed and began to get dressed.
“I need to borrow your car tonight, Nancy. Okay?”
“Sure. Is there something wrong with yours?”
“No, mine’s parked outside. I just need to use yours tonight. Don’t ask me why, okay? Where are your keys?”
“The keys are on the coffee table. You want to share the last beer with me before you leave?”
“No, I don’t have time. I gotta run. Maybe I’ll see ya later, though. Stay in bed, I can let myself out.”
Nancy laid in bed for a few minutes, listening to Frank make his way down the stairs to the first floor. She heard him slam the front door, not bothering to lock it. She didn't get angry, though. That was Frank. She was just glad that he had come over tonight, and she was glad that he had taken her car. That meant that he would probably be back.
The phone on her nightstand rang, so she leaned over to answer it.
"Hello.”
“Hey, Nancy. What time are you picking me up?”
“Oh, Linda. Frank has my car, so I can’t go out tonight.”
“Why? Where’s his car?”
“It’s parked in front of my building, but he didn't leave me the key.”
“So we’ll take a cab. We’re probably better off that way. I got a couple of Quaaludes left that we can do. Let’s get a real buzz on tonight.”
“Sounds good, but if his car is here, it means he might come back tonight, so I think I’ll stay in.”
“Oh, come on, Nancy! You’re going to wait on this guy? He only comes to see you when he wants something, and you let him get away with it. He’s probably riding around in your car right now with Anne. He’s got a girlfriend, for chrissakes. Doesn't that bother you? You’re sleeping with some other girl’s boyfriend. You don’t have a problem with that?”
“He loves me, Linda. And I love him. He’ll leave Anne eventually. He’s just waiting for the right time. He doesn’t love her; he just can’t bring himself to hurt her. He told me that he tried to break up with her before, and she threatened to kill herself. She’s a very lonely person, Linda.”
“Is that what he told you? That’s bullshit, Nancy. I’ve met Anne a few times and she doesn’t seem anything like that. You know what he probably tells her about you? He probably doesn’t tell her anything! Because she doesn’t even know you exist. You’re his dirty little secret.”
“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way, Linda. I thought you were a better friend than that. I thought you would at least try to understand.”
“Understand what? That you’re in love with him? I do understand that. But I don’t understand why you let him walk all over you. That’s not love, Nancy. And if I wasn’t a real friend, I wouldn’t care what you did.”
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore, Linda. I gotta go.”
“Fine. Stay in all night and wait for him. I’m gonna go to Rikki’s tonight with Barbara. Maybe Frank and Anne will be there. I’ll give them your love.”
“Fuck you, Linda. Goodbye.”
Nancy slammed the phone down and got out of bed. She threw on some jeans and a sweater and threw her ski jacket over her shoulders. She stopped at the door to slide her bare feet into a pair of boots, grabbed her apartment key and her wallet, and left the building. She was headed for the store on the corner, about a half of a block from her building, when Sonny pulled up alongside her, driving Dee’s car.
“Hey, Nance. Is Frank at your place?”
“No. He was here, but he left about a half hour ago. He took my car.”
“Well, if he comes back, tell him I’ll be home. Me and Jimmy will be waiting for him.”
“Okay, Sonny. What are you guys doing tonight?”
“Um, I’m not really sure yet. I gotta run, though. I gotta get Dee’s car back. I’m late already, and she’ll probably be pissed. I’ll catch ya later.”
Nancy bought a bag of Fritos, a magazine and two six packs of Frank’s favorite beer at the store. She went back to her apartment, poured herself a bowl of Fritos, opened a beer and turned on the television. She was still angry with Linda, who was supposed to be her best friend, for her hurtful comments. She knew Linda was probably mad at her, too, for stiffing her again, but a good friend should understand.
________________________________________

She fell asleep on the couch while watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show. When she awoke, it was around midnight. She checked the bedroom to see if Frank had come in. The bed was empty, as she was pretty sure it would be. She looked out her front window onto the street below. His car was still parked out front, and her car wasn’t back yet. She walked into her bathroom, combed her hair and brushed her teeth. She lay back down on the couch and dozed for a while. She woke up several times during the night, and each time she did, she got up and combed her hair and brushed her teeth. About 4:00 a.m. she decided to take a shower. She scrubbed her skin with a loofah lathered with expensive bath gel. After her shower, she dried off and slathered herself with moisturizing body lotion. She sprayed herself with perfume, misting her hair, too.
When she was all done in the bathroom, she entered her bedroom and put on her sexiest nightgown. She lit some scented candles and climbed into bed. She turned on her bedside radio and found a light jazz station. She fanned her hair around her head on the pillow, in a way she thought looked seductive and closed her eyes.
He’ll probably be here any minute now, she thought, as she drifted back to sleep.

Chapter Two

Sonny was already an hour late when he pulled up in front of the building on Morliss Street where both he and Dee lived. He couldn’t find a parking space near the building, so he had to drive around the block a couple of times. The closest spot he could find was about a block and a half away. He zippered up his leather jacket, stuck his hands in his pockets, and braced for the cold. It was only a short walk home, but by the time he reached his steps he was shivering and his eyes were watering from the icy wind.
16 Morliss Street was a three-story building with eight apartments. There were two large apartments on both the first and second floors, and four smaller apartments on the third floor. The stairway was directly opposite the front door, and divided the building in half. Sonny climbed the stairs to the third floor, where Dee lived with her mom, Sharon. He knew that Dee would be angry with him, would probably yell and scream for a while, but he also knew that her anger would run out of steam and everything would be all right again.
Sonny had played this scene before.
________________________________________

While Sonny was driving around trying to find a parking space, Dee was in her kitchen fixing herself a sandwich. The Allman Brothers Band blasted from the stereo speakers in the tiny living room. She was mad as hell at Sonny, and even her favorite music couldn’t lift her foul mood. They had had a huge blowout a little over a month ago, right before Christmas, and Sonny had been on his best behavior since then. That was the only reason that she had let him take her car; he had been so sweet lately, so considerate. She had been ready to break things off with him then, but he had worked his charms on her, had even given her a Christmas present for the first time, and now she was undecided. Being late with her car wasn’t helping his case, though.
Dee brought her sandwich into the living room, turned the stereo off and the TV on, and sat down to eat and wait for Sonny.
________________________________________

One of Sharon’s boyfriends had given her a female toy poodle for her birthday last year, and like every other poodle that Dee had ever known, she was named Fifi. Dee found her to be an annoying pet, but gave her credit for being a good watchdog, as she barked every time someone climbed the stairs to the third floor. She started barking as Dee was finishing her sandwich, and within moments Dee heard Sonny’s knock at the door.
She crossed the room, with Fifi following and yapping relentlessly, opened the door a few inches and stuck her hand out, palm up, and said, “Just give me my keys, Sonny.”
“Open up, Dee,” whined Sonny, as he tried to gently push the door open.
“No, the dog will get out.”
“Then let me in. I want to apologize.”
Dee opened the door for him. Fifi was still barking, and now she was jumping up Sonny’s leg. He gave her a light kick and followed Dee over to the couch.
“I’m really sorry I’m late, Dee. I couldn’t help it, though.”
“I needed the car back, Sonny, because I promised my mother that I’d give her a ride to work. She doesn’t have snow tires on her car, and downtown is still a mess.”
“Well, where is she? I’ll take her.”
“She called a cab, Sonny.”
“Then what’s the problem, Dee? She got there ok.”
“Don’t be such an asshole, Sonny.”
“Like I said, I’m sorry. What do you want me to do? I’ll do whatever you want me to.”
“You can walk the dog for me.”
“Dee, do you know how cold it is out there? I had to park up above Knox Street and walk back. I froze my ass off.”
“Well, first of all, Sonny, if you don’t walk her, I have to or she’ll piss all over the place. You wanna do something to make it up to me...that’s what you can do. And second, why the hell is my car parked that far away? I told you to put the cones in my parking spot. Sonny, I worked like hell shoveling that spot. Why didn’t you save it for me?”
“Shit, Dee. I would have had to move the car, park it, get the stupid cones out of the trunk and walk back to put them down. By then someone would have taken the spot anyway.”
“You could have just double-parked, Sonny, for the few minutes it would have taken. That’s what I do. You see me do it all the time, for chrissakes.”
“Well, excuse me, Dee. I apologized. What else do you want me to do?”
“I want you to go home, Sonny. But take Fifi out first. And be nice to her.”
By the time Sonny returned with the dog, Dee’s anger had subsided, and she told him that she was going to Rikki’s tonight at about 10:00. He could ride with her, if he wanted.
“Isn’t Lizzie going with you?”
“No. She’s going out with Andy tonight.”
“Who the hell is Andy?”
“It’s her boyfriend, Sonny. You’ve met him a million times. She’s been going out with him for over a month. Do you want a ride or not?”
“I might see you there later, Dee. I got some business to take care of first.”
Dee was afraid of what that business might be.

Chapter Three

Dee’s best friend was Lizzie Perrino, Sonny’s youngest sister. The Perrino’s lived in one of the large apartments on the second floor, and had been living there when Dee and her mom moved in. Lizzie and Dee were both eight at the time, and they became friends immediately. Dee’s dad had walked out on them about a year before, and her mom worked long hours at night as a cocktail waitress, so the Perrino apartment became her refuge. Lizzie had three older sisters (two of which were still living at home at that time), her brother, Sonny, and both parents. It was the kind of family life that Dee craved, and she began to spend as much time there as she could. When Lizzie’s dad died two years later in an accident on a construction site where he was a laborer, Lizzie and Dee sat next to each other at the funeral, holding hands and crying together. They were inseparable as kids and they would continue to be best friends for the rest of their lives.
________________________________________

Dee and Lizzie were regulars at Rikki’s on Wednesday nights. Wednesday was Ladies Night; $5 cover and all the beer and wine you could drink. They were both getting tired of the club scene, though, so on the Wednesday night before Christmas, they had decided to stay in, wrap presents and hang out together at Lizzie’s. Mrs. Perrino went to play Bingo every Wednesday night, and Sonny usually went to Rikki’s with his friends. The girls had wrapping paper, scissors, tape and presents, spread all over the floor of Lizzie’s bedroom. Lizzie had the room all to herself now that her three older sisters had all married. Although fairly large, the Perrino apartment had only three bedrooms so the sisters had to share, while Sonny had his own room.
They were just about finished with their wrapping when they heard Sonny and his friends come in. After Dee wrapped her

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Lektorat: Rebecca Dawn Bowslaugh
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.05.2012
ISBN: 978-3-86479-666-1

Alle Rechte vorbehalten