Save Me: A dark romantic thriller (Novel) (9 page)

She deserves to die
, Buck replied, as Ashley nervously wrapped a bath towel around her wet body.
We died that night. Why shouldn’t she?

Living among the dead
, Craig again uttered spookily before, into the fog-like steam, he and his evil companion disappeared.

Petrified and looking to escape whatever the hell was happening, Ashley quickly located her stash of pain pills. With twitchy hands, she swallowed two of the small white tablets.

Then, when she was dressed, she hurried into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of Carlo Rossi red wine. Although Kitty had warned her not to mix the pills with alcohol, Ashley did not care. In fact, she was purposely drinking the wine to strengthen the affect of the medication.

Up until recently, Craig Elliot and Buck Kennedy had only haunted Ashley in her sleep. Now they were coming to life. Or seemed to be. It was more than Ashley could handle.

She wondered if perhaps these hallucinations had been brought on because of something she had seen, this week, on CNN, a chilling account of a girl, from West Virginia, who had also been raped.

This victim, however, had not been as fortunate as Ashley. Discovered naked behind an abandoned farmhouse, only one mile from her home, the twenty-five year old girl’s throat had been viciously slashed from ear to ear.

Of course, if not for Troy Young, Ashley would have suffered a similar outcome. Except her headline would have read ‘Died of Strangulation.’

At noon, Claire Whittaker still sat in the sunny backyard, lounging underneath the big green umbrella. When she looked up and watched her daughter reemerge from the sliding glass door, she was somewhat taken aback to see that Ashley had a goblet of red wine in her hand. Claire herself didn’t normally indulge in alcohol before nightfall. Naturally, Ashley wore her dark shades.

“Wine?” Claire said, still reading. The
People
magazine in front of her was now open to an article about Matt Damon. The pages fluttered slightly in the featherlike breeze. “How do you go from coffee forty-five minutes ago to wine?”

Ashley reclaimed her seat. She wore strawberry lipstick, a sundress, and a pair of flip-flops. A delightful soapy scent emanated from her freshly showered skin. Her hair, combed straight down, was still damp. “I thought I could use something to help me relax.”

“Why? Are you feeling anxious?”

“Somewhat.”

“How anxious?”

“Just a little. Nothing to be concerned about.”

“Ash, we could still get you on antidepressants. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Nowadays everyone’s taking them.”

“No! I don’t need antidepressants. So please, just drop it.”

“Sorry.” Watching her daughter gulp a huge mouthful from her glass, prompted Claire to shake her head. “Hey, I was thinking, after lunch, I might take the baby for a walk. Do you want to come with me?”

On the table, aside from magazines, there was also a copy of the New York Times. Ashley reached for it. “Yeah. I’ll tag along,” she said, opening the paper to the fashion section. “Except I hope for lunch you’re not planning to cook the left-over roast beef and vegetables.”

“I was. Why? You‘d rather eat something else?”

“Yes. If anything, being that I just woke up, I’d rather have brunch. Something simple. Like an egg and cheese sandwich. I‘ll make it myself.”

“Sure. Whatever. We’ll save the leftovers for tonight . . . Oh. I almost forgot, Ash, Brad Ferguson called.”

“When, today?”

“Uh huh.”

“What time?”

“About nine-thirty. Ten. He said he would have dialed your cell phone, but couldn’t, because you haven’t given him the number.”

“I know. Well, what does he expect? I‘ve only had the phone for a month.” Ashley adjusted her sunglasses. “Hmn. I wonder what he wants. Was he phoning from the country club?”

“No. It wasn’t Peter’s father. It was his brother, Brad Jr.”

“Whoa! That‘s odd. I haven‘t heard from Peter‘s brother in a while. Did he mention why he wanted to talk to me?”

“He did. It seems the orthopedic surgeon is throwing a pool party tomorrow.”

“And?”

“He wanted to know if you‘d like to attend. That is, if you don’t have any prior engagements.”

***

A pool party at Peter‘s brother‘s house. Ashley could already picture the setting.

Handsome and charming, Brad would be socializing with affluent physicians, while her sister-in-law Eve, likely clad in a provocative string bikini, would be gossiping with the doctor’s wives. It would be a celebration with champagne and fancy hors d’ oeuvres, as the wealthy partygoers either swam, laid in the sun, or played horseshoes and shuffleboard.

Without Peter, Ashley realized this would be a social function that she’d likely feel uncomfortable attending. Also, she suspected, if she were to go, people, behind her back, would probably talk about how she’d been raped, looking to see how she was holding up.

The last time Ashley had seen her brother-in-law, Brad and his wife had come to Wichita. That had been a few months ago. They had dined at the Red Lobster. For Ashley, it had been a pleasurable outing, and would have been more fun if her six-year-old nephew hadn’t been complaining the whole time. Jeffery was supposed to leave his Gameboy in the car, and instead of obeying, Ashley’s spoiled nephew had snuck it into the restaurant underneath his sweater. When his father had taken the video game away, Jeffery had become resentful and cranky.

“Did Brad invite just me?”

“No,” Claire answered. “The baby too?”

“What about you?”

“I don’t want to go. Tomorrow Rachel and I are heading to a yard sale in Morrisville. Supposedly, according to their ad, they’ll be selling a lot of Star Wars memorabilia.”

Ashley giggled. She could already feel the loopy affect from the pills and alcohol. “Star Wars memorabilia.”

“Hey, don’t laugh,” her mother, uttered defensively. “Next year there’s a new movie coming out. Do you realize how much money on EBay you can get for Star Wars memorabilia? A lot. Believe me.”

“Yeah. You’re probably right. I don‘t doubt that.”

“So are you going?”

“I might. Did Brad tell you what time I‘m supposed to be there?”

“He said to show up at around eleven.”

“All right. I guess I’ll go. But if one person comes up to me and starts talking about either Peter‘s death, or even worse, what happened to me, offering sympathy, I’m leaving. I won‘t stay there and put up with that.”

“Ashley, will you calm down? You’re being paranoid again. Most of the people who’ll be at this party will be other doctors and nurses. They’ll be preoccupied discussing medical mumbo jumbo.”

By the time lunch was over, or in Ashley’s case, brunch, she was already visibly intoxicated. She had just finished her third glass of wine, when her mother, eager to take the baby for a walk, put Kimberly in her stroller.

They were in the front yard.

“How far are we walking?” Ashley asked. She had started to slur her words. Not in a hurry, she sat on the creaky porch-swing, with her goblet perched crookedly on her lap. Her hair looked frizzy and tangled.

“Just up the street,” her mother responded. “I want to stop at Pet City.” It was only ten minutes away.

“The pet store, what do you want to go there for?”

“Believe it or not, I was considering buying a puppy. Wouldn’t that be nice, to have a little dog running around out back? I bet Kimberly would like that. It would give her someone to play with.” Claire pushed the stroller down the cobblestone pathway.

As Ashley lethargically dragged herself off the porch, she was so numb and sedated, she felt as if she were stepping on marshmallows.

“Didn’t you forget something?” Claire asked. She had stopped, with her hands on her hips, near the bottom of the driveway.

“Huh?”

“Your shoes. You forgot your shoes.”

“Oh.” Ashley glanced down at her small bare feet. She had polished pink toenails. “Okay. Hold on. Do you know where my flip-flops are?”

“No. Maybe they’re in the backyard underneath the table.”

“Forget it. I’ll just wear my sneakers.”

***

Pet City was located on the main highway, near a Barnes and Nobles and a Gulf gas station. The tiny building had an elaborate window exhibit. Behind the glass, there were a few puppies in cages. One looked to be a collie; the other three were a mixed breed. The puppies were all standing up, wagging their tails.

“Awe. Look at the whittle doggies,” Claire said, lifting the baby out of her stroller to have a look. “They’re so adorable, Kimberly. Just like you.”

“Do you want me to wait out here?” Ashley asked, taking another drag of her cigarette. It was the second one she had had since they had left the house.

The expression on her mother’s face was stern. “No. I suppose since you came all this way, you might as well come in. Before you do though, please put that thing out.”

“Oh. You’re not allowed to smoke in here?”

“Of course you’re not allowed to smoke in here. Jesus Ashley, if you took those ridiculous sunglasses off, you might be able to read the ’No Smoking’ sign on the door.’” Not only did this outrageous behavior incense Claire, she was appalled at how unsteadily her daughter had walked down the street. It was hard for her to believe that Ashley could get so inebriated from just a couple of glasses of wine. It seemed more as if she’d downed a half of gallon of the damned stuff.

***

Inside the pet store, Ashley spotted a black Doberman. This had been the first puppy that had baited her curiosity.

When the owner asked if she needed help, she did not answer. On her pretty face, with her lipstick slightly smeared, Ashley had the look of a woman daydreaming.

“Hello,” the owner spoke again. “Are you interested in adopting one of our animals?”

***

“Yes. We’re looking for a dog,” Claire interrupted, afraid that if her daughter engaged in conversation with the pet shop owner, she would embarrass them. “Actually a puppy.”

The owner smiled. The place smelled heavily of urine. The owner was middle-aged, sported a white lab coat, and had a clipboard in his hand. “A puppy. Well ladies, if you’re looking for a puppy, you’ve come to the right place. We have plenty of them. All fine dogs too.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Claire said, “we’re going to take a peek at what you have. And if we find a puppy we like, we’ll return in an hour.”

“An hour?”

“Yes. I don’t have my car with me. We walked here. So we’d have to come back.”

“Whereabouts do you live?” the man asked.

“Not far. Just up the street.”

The owner glanced at Ashley. She still had her attention focused on the black Doberman. “Aren’t they cool?” he said to her. “The Doberman is one of my favorite breeds. This fellow’s name is Roscoe . . . Say hello Roscoe.”

The Doberman growled; his spiky teeth scraped coarsely against the bars of the cage.

“Roscoe’s six months old. He’s a real firecracker too. But don’t let that scare you. Everyone has a misconception that Dobermans are vicious. Take if from me, they don’t have to be. It all depends on how you raise them. Anyway, ladies, I hope you find a dog you like. If you need any further assistance, just holler.”

“We will,” said Claire. “Thank you.”

The owner went to the back of the store, where, near the tropical aquariums, there were other customers waiting to be helped.

“Actually,” Ashley spoke, “now that I think about it, mom, getting a dog would be a good idea. It would make me feel safer.”

“Huh! That’s interesting. I thought that gun you bought would have made you feel safe enough.”

“It does. Don’t worry. Hopefully, I’ll never have to use it.”

“You won’t.”

“If I did have to use it though, I would shoot someone. No matter what you might think, if someone ever assaulted me again, I’d blow their fucking head off!” Ashley had said this loudly. So much so, it was quite possible that the pet shop owner and the customers he was presently assisting had heard her.

“That’s enough!” Claire snapped, immediately clamping her hand over Ashley’s mouth. “We don’t need to be talking about shooting anyone . . . Maybe you were right, Ash. Maybe you should wait outside.”

“No!” She flung her mother’s hand away. “Now that I came in I’m gonna help you pick out a dog. And I say we pick this one.” She pointed to the Doberman.

“Honey, a Doberman is not what I had in mind.” Just then, the baby started to howl. “Oh frig! Now see what you did? Kimberly was behaving marvelously until you had to go and get her all riled up.”

Ashley scowled. “It’s not my fault. Kimberly is always riled up. From sun up until sun down. Rotten kid!”

“Cut that out! That’s no way to talk about your baby daughter.”

“Yeah. Well, too bad. I’m tired of her crying all the time. Furthermore, I’m sick of you thinking, without a man in my life, I’m doing the baby some sort of disservice. Peter hasn’t even been in the ground a year and there you are all the time, hoping I shack up with someone, anyone, just so that Kimberly has a father.”

“Ashley, what on earth are you babbling about?”

Not only had she upset the child, Ashley’s verbal flare-up had also goaded most of the puppies in the store. Now nearly every caged canine had begun to bark.

“I’m saying that you want me to start dating. That you think I can’t rise up out of my, quote on quote depression, without a man. And that because I’d rather be alone, you think there must be something wrong with me.”

“Dear God, you’re lost,” Claire uttered sincerely. “I’m your own mother, yet you have no idea where I’m coming from. But I don’t want to discus this here. Whatever you have to say, in this wine-induced state of mind you‘re in, you can say it to me when we get outside.”

Before any more hurtful words could be exchanged, the pet shop owner returned.