Jessa Meets Her Match: Ch. 4, The Junkyard

Jessa Meets Her Match

Chapter 4: The Junkyard

Nick arrived right on time, wearing civilian clothes and driving a beat-up, oxide red Jeep. It looked rugged, practical, and entirely unpretentious. I decided that if Nick were a vehicle, he’d be that Jeep.

“Is Catherine with us?” he asked, as we turned out of our driveway. “Better check.”

“Let’s just assume.”

“But you know me. I like to be sure.”

I smiled and nodded. “You know you’re going to give me a complex.”

“Really?”

“I’m starting to think that you only like me when I’m naked. That you like my tits more than my personality.”

“You’ve got great tits.”

I punched him in the shoulder – firmly but playfully. “You’re so bad.”

He smiled, but didn’t offer anything in his defense.

His dry sense of humor was growing on me, but I often couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not. “Wait. Are we investigating a crime, or are you just going along with this ‘cause you know I’ll get naked?”

“There are usually very few perks in this line of work.”

“So this is really just about getting me naked?”

“Did I say that?”

“You do have the case files, right?”

“They’re already on my dining room table.”

“Okay.” Even if he was only going through the motions to get me out of my clothes, I did want to get a look at those files.

“I’ll change in my room,” I said, walking in his front door. I headed on into the bedroom I’d slept in, closing the door behind me.

I knew it wasn’t my room; I just felt the need to imagine I had a safe sanctuary on what was otherwise foreign soil. Taking a deep breath of courage – I hadn’t had anything to drink – I started undressing. A minute later, Catherine and I were sitting side by side on the bed. Catherine started laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“You said ‘change.’ You’re in denial, aren’t you? Why not just say, ‘strip?’”

“Shut up!” I told her playfully. “The last thing I need is a ghost giving me shit.”

“And why didn’t you want to ask me what kind of pizza I like? I haven’t had pizza in ages.”

“Let me guess. In forty years.”

She laughed. “Almost to the day. It’s June, right? Or is it May?”

“June,” I told her.

We spent a few more minutes talking, Catherine mostly wasting my time with talk of how cute she thought Nick was. The next thing I knew, she was also making fun of me for worrying that he liked my body more than my personality. Is this what I’d signed up for? Getting teased by a ghost?

Walking out into the living room, I felt a churning sensation in my lower abdomen, a stage fright of sorts, but more than that. I wanted it to go away. I focused on keeping my hands at my sides. I didn’t like the idea of drawing attention to myself by acting as embarrassed as I felt. It was something that I needed to get over. Nick had seen my tits, my ass, my pussy. What modesty I’d had was long gone. I had to accept the fact that I was going to be naked around him – so that I could be myself and concentrate all my faculties on the detective work at hand. Fortunately, Nick cooperated by not looking up from what he was reading as I approached.

We’d barely gotten the files unboxed when the doorbell rang. Nick looked at me and smiled.

“I don’t think so,” I said, racing into the bathroom and locking the door.

A minute later, he knocked. “Pizza’s here.”

“Is the coast clear?”

“Yep.”

I peeked out, holding the door open, but just a crack. Seeing Catherine, I asked. “Is the delivery person gone?”

“Yep. Like Nick said, the coast is clear.”

I opened the door, glancing around apprehensively. It was amazing how having my little lady lips out in the cool breeze gave me the jitters.

“What? You trust a ghost more than me?” Nick asked, a smile indicating just how much he was enjoying the dynamics.

“You’re still earning my trust,” I told him flatly.

He laughed. He placed the pizza boxes on the coffee table. I didn’t like that, but it made sense. There was no room on the dining room table. Sitting at the coffee table, it wouldn’t be only my boobs that were visible.

Nick took a seat on the couch. I decided to sit next to him. I’d started for the chair across from him, but I’d quickly changed my mind. In that position, my legs would be angled toward him. Catherine took that seat, and Nick and I started in on our pizza staring at her bush. I was on my second piece when it occurred to me that I was the only one who could see her crotch. She seemed so real that it was easy to forget that no one else see her. I could see the outline of the chair through her, but like her nudity, I’d gotten used to that.

My pussy – it was the only one Nick could see. Even though I wasn’t going to let myself cover it with my hand, I was making a concerted effort to keep my knees together.

“You ordered so much pizza,” I remarked.

“Well, I wanted variety. And to make sure there would be enough … for three.”

“So I could pig out,” said Catherine, eyeing the piece he’d placed on a paper plate for her.

“Catherine is enjoying her piece,” I said.

“I didn’t say that. You don’t even know what kind I like.”

“Don’t give me that. I see it in your eyes. That ‘alive’ look.”

A short time later, Nick put the extra pizza in the fridge and we were back at it.

After a couple of hours, we concluded that the police hadn’t had any decent leads – other than Dirk, no potential suspects. If the crime was going to be solved, we were going to have to do it ourselves. It all came down to what we’d be able to turn up based on Catherine’s limited, disjointed memories – plus those that we might be able to resuscitate.

“So tomorrow, the real work begins,” Nick said. “We need a body. If we find that, we can get the crime lab involved. No human remains, and we’ve really got our work cut out for us.”

He was merely giving voice to what we all knew. “So tomorrow, we head to the junkyard, right?” I asked.

“Only problem is, there’s no junkyard,” he replied.

The three of us went round and round. Catherine was sure there was a junkyard. She insisted it was north of town – just ten or fifteen minutes by car.

We decided that Catherine and I would go to the library in the morning and try to find out where it had been. “And when you’re there, get naked, so Catherine can help,” Nick said, a glint in his eye.

“No way am I stripping off in the library.”

“Oh, come on. It needs to happen.”

“They’d call the cops.”

“And I’d come and haul your naked ass to jail.”

I knew he was kidding, but his delivery made it sound as if he wasn’t. “Fine. It won’t happen. But if it does, no handcuffs!”

“Cooperate, and I won’t have to use them.”

I glared at him, but then, suddenly picturing myself naked in the library, I started laughing.

“So, you’re thinking about it?”

“Umm. No. Do you really need to ask?”

“And if you are able to get a location … where this supposed junkyard was … stop by the station. But not too early. In the morning, I’ll drive up and visit Dirk. On second thought, Catherine, maybe you should come with me. Or go with Jessa. Either way.”

I glanced at Catherine. She looked surprised – I imagined because Nick had spoken to her directly. But I could tell that she was undecided.

“Or can she be two places at once?” he asked, again addressing me.

“She’s laughing. Shaking her head,” I told him.

An hour later, I asked Nick to take me home.

“Just spend the night,” he suggested.

“I better not. I want my mom to think I’m a slut. Not a total slut. It’s a fine line.”

“Makes sense,” he replied.

I knew he didn’t understand. I didn’t even understand. But that evening on our front porch, he got one hell of a goodnight kiss. I even let him get away with putting his arms around me. But it was different than the night before – completely different. I was dressed.

“This kiss isn’t going to end with a slap, is it?” he asked as our lips separated.

“You poor boy. Never dated a woman from Arizona?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Another slap? No. One and done. Play your cards right, I might even let you handcuff me again. This time to the headboard.”

“Really? You’d do that?”

“It all comes down to consent,” I said, taking one of his hands and shifting it up to one of my breasts. I held it there, allowing him to squeeze and fondle just the one breast as we continued to kiss. Not wanting things to go any further, I broke it off and went inside. The house was dark. The family hadn’t yet returned from the movie.

~ ~ ~

In the morning, I didn’t strip off. I decided I didn’t need to know if Catherine would be coming with me or going with Nick. It didn’t really matter. I knew where she’d said the junkyard had been – up the Post Road – so I’d be able to take care of the library visit by myself. Even if she came with me, I had to handle it on my own. I wasn’t about to get naked in a library.

I imagined she’d go with Nick. Dirk would be able to relay messages between the two of them. It still seemed a bit like Nick thought that Catherine might be my pretend friend, my way of justifying getting naked whenever I felt like it. Maybe talking to Dirk would prove to him that Catherine wasn’t just a figment of my imagination – if he still needed convincing. But even I needed convincing. I could see her. I could talk to her. But how could I be absolutely certain that I wasn’t hallucinating?

Given their limited hours, I was at the library just as it opened. There were old business directories and in no time I’d found it: Earl’s Auto Salvage – on Post Road – just as Catherine had described. It had closed in 2002. I didn’t have GPS coordinates, but I had an address. Hopefully, that would be enough for Nick.

The whole idea of finding Catherine’s bones had given me a severe case of the willies – much worse than the stairs had. I didn’t want her to be dead. I knew she was, but the irreversibility of bones was something I didn’t want to confront.

As I knew that Nick’s drive to Montpelier and back would take all morning, I went home and made my way out to Bates Pond. Possibly Catherine had chosen to accompany me to the library. Stripping off close to shore, I glanced around, quickly confirming that I was alone.

I smiled, realizing that this was the first time I’d been naked AND alone in Vermont. Even that first day – Catherine had always been there. I glanced around at the tree line, making absolutely certain that I wasn’t being observed. It was unnerving to be naked – especially in broad daylight. And, I didn’t have my companion, my lookout making sure I was safe.

I waded into the pond and had a refreshing swim. Back on shore a while later, I spread out my towel and stretched out on my back in the sunshine. I had a tan, but it was hardly full-body. It was my Arizona tan. I didn’t have crisp tan lines, but my bikini areas were fluorescent white in comparison to the rest of my skin. They were screaming for some color.

After about an hour on my back and another one on my front, Catherine showed up.

“I thought you might be here,” she said. “I wanted Nick to come look for you with me, but he went to work. I can’t communicate with him. I hate that. It’s so frustrating … like when I have things to tell you and you keep your clothes on. At times being a ghost really sucks.”

I chuckled. I felt for her, but I also knew how much she was enjoying the summer – two people she could talk to rather than just one – or, counting Nick, two and a half.

“So, what’s the plan? Are we going to the junkyard this afternoon? Earl’s Auto Salvage. I’ve got the address. It’s right where you said it was.”

“You need to remind Nick that I can hear him. He knew I was with him in Dirk’s room, so he must have realized that I was there in his cop car. If he wasn’t so stupid, he could have filled me in on the plan. So I could tell you. But why would he do that … allow me to play an actual role? Why would he let me imagine I was actually useful?”

Her tone reeked of frustration. “Wow … sarcasm! Must be a family trait. But good point. I’ll remind him. I can send him a text to find out what he has in mind. I’ll have to do that back at the house. No bars out here at the pond.”

“Bars? What do you mean bars?”

It was easy to forget that she’d never had a cell phone. “Phone reception,” I explained, pulling my phone out of my bag and showing her the small icon.

I was ready to go back, but I wanted to hear about their visit with Dirk before getting dressed shut down our ability to communicate.

“I’ll let Nick tell you,” she said.

“But seriously. At least tell me … did Nick find out that I was banned on account of their ‘No Hoes’ policy?”

Catherine cracked up. “Nope. Not saying. I want you to hear it all from him. Just promise me one thing: that you’ll be naked so you can hear my version too … if he leaves something out.”

I shook my head in disgust. “It’s bad enough having Nick trying to get me out of my clothes. So now you’re joining forces?”

“I want you naked all the time. I get bored. If you can’t see me, I start imagining that I don’t actually exist.”

“I get that. But you understand.”

“Of course, and I’m not complaining. I’m just having fun, and we ARE making progress.”

“I know we are. It’s just that I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do this … the junkyard. I don’t want you to be dead.”

“But I am.”

“I know, but if there’s bones, I might freak out.”

“I’d say stay home … I would. But Nick can’t hear me. I think I can find the car … the one with me in the trunk. But without you, I can’t lead him to it. Hundreds and hundreds of cars.”

“I know. You still haven’t been able to remember how he killed you, right? Strangled? A knife? A gun?” I didn’t know if I could take hearing, but this was what I had signed up for.

“Jessa, I’m trying. If … when I remember, Nick will need to know. As much as I’d like to protect you, you’ll need to relay the details.”

“I know. I’ll have to put on my big girl panties.”

“No panties.”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “It’s just an expression. Boy … I’m never going to forget this summer.”

That afternoon, Nick picked us up. He was in uniform, driving the police cruiser. Unlike the last time I’d been in that car, I got into the passenger seat.

“Hell of a time keeping Bixler from coming,” he said. “I didn’t imagine that telling him that I’ve teamed up with a ghost and a naked woman would have the desired result. But I suppose a little game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, might again do the trick.”

“Umm. Catherine told me everything he said that night, so … nope.”

“Catherine?”

“She listened to your entire conversation … when you were in front of the car talking. She said Bixler wouldn’t shut up when it came to talking about my ass.”

“She was eavesdropping?”

“You never know who might be listening, right? So he talked about my ass, but you made some choice comment about my pussy.”

“Me? Pussy?”

“Don’t deny it.”

“I’m not. As a matter of fact, I’m sure I did. It’s just that I would have said ‘cunnie.’ That’s my ‘go to’ word … at least when they’re pretty. Your cunnie … very pretty.”

“Stop already. You’re supposed to be the good cop. I so very much want you to be the good cop.”

“I am. It’s just that I’m a connoisseur when it comes to the three F’s.”

“I’ll bite.”

“Fine Female Flesh.”

“Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure. Dirk. Want to know how that went?”

“I do, but pull over. So I can get in the back.”

“You want to ride in the back?”

“Not really, but I promised Catherine. I need to get naked. I hate that there is no door handle, but I’ll feel less exposed back there.”

As Nick eased the car onto the shoulder, he remarked, “At times, it seems like you are making this ghost girl stuff up. An excuse to get naked.”

“But you don’t think I am, right?”

“No. I watched Dirk as she told him about the bowl of fruit and the pizza. She was definitely there. I think she’s a foodie. How sad to be a foodie and not be able to eat.”

“Stop talking. I promised her I’d be naked for this discussion.”

A minute later, we were back on the road, Nick alone up front, two nude blondes in the back. The visit with Dirk had gone much as I had imagined. They’d mostly talked about Catherine and her disappearance. However, Nick had learned all about what I’d been accused of – fortunately from Dirk and not the staff.

“I still have scars from that day. So humiliating. I’m not a fucking prostitute.”

“Or a sucking prostitute, for that matter, right?”

I glared at him in the rearview mirror. “Not something to joke about, Nick.”

“I know. It was just a misunderstanding. Like when Bixler and I saw you on the bridge. It never occurred to me that you might be investigating a murder. Not the first thing that comes to mind when you see a streaker in the middle of the night.”

“Yes, like that. This summer has been totally bizarre. I’m not usually like this.”

“What are you normally like?”

“Dressed.”

Nick slowed. Crossing the median, he pulled into a large gravel lot full of tall weeds. Looking out the window, I saw a low building. It had seen better days. The concrete block construction showed evidence of having once been painted white. What few windows there were, were boarded up.

“This is it,” Catherine said, her tone lifeless. “This is where he brought me that night. Inside there … that’s where he raped me.”

I looked and saw that she was pointing at the building. I repeated what she’d said to Nick, pointing just as she had.

“Okay then. I’ll try to find a way in,” he said.

Relaying her words, I told him that in her opinion there was little reason to go inside. Her body wasn’t there. It was somewhere in the salvage yard just behind.

Nick and Catherine climbed out. I watched from the car as they poked along the fence. I expected that Nick would figure out sooner or later that I couldn’t get out of the car without his assistance.

I was trying to decide if I should dress to cross the short distance to the fence. As there were few cars on the road, I decided that I’d be fine making a run for it.

A minute later, Nick opened the door. He’d found a gap in the fence. After waiting for a car to pass, I hopped out, hurrying toward where Catherine was waiting. I’d forgotten to take the gravel into account – large rocks that were just as hot as they were sharp.

Coming to my rescue, Nick scooped me up. I was glad for his chivalry, but the extreme exposure in that position, not to mention the feel of his bare arms against my skin, was doing a number on me. But my time in his arms came to an end as suddenly as it had begun. He set me down at the fence next to Catherine. Doing my best to get my libido under control, I went through the gap first.

We’d only gone a short distance into the yard when I heard the sound of tires on gravel.

“Uh oh, better check this out,” Nick said, walking back to where we’d climbed through.

I felt like running off to hide. Instead, gathering my courage, I snuck back to the fence to watch. Peering through a narrow opening, I saw two officers climb out of a slightly different looking police car. Nick walked out and greeted them, shaking their hands in turn. He acted as if he knew them. Had he invited them? Looking closely, I was able to read the lettering on the door. It was a sheriff’s vehicle.

“Catherine, go find out what they’re talking about.”

“I’m on it!” she said, charging right through the fence.

Mere moments later, she was with them, turning this way and that depending on who was talking. It was a comical sight, a pretty blonde, just slightly see-thru and as naked as the day she was born. With her were the three uniformed officers, completely oblivious to the nude beauty in their midst.

Just then, yet another car turned into the lot. It was a matching sheriff’s vehicle. That was all my nerves could take – I was wearing nothing, not even shoes, and suddenly it was a goddamn law enforcement convention. I turned, studying the lay of the land.

There were rows of rusty vehicles peeking out of the overgrown foliage. One car even had a tree growing up out of its engine compartment. To the right along the fence, I saw a decaying tow truck, all of its tires flat. I made for it, hoping to be able to hide while continuing to observe.

Taking another peek through the fence, I saw a single heavy-set man climb out of the car that had only just arrived. He too shook Nick’s hand. Was this a set up? A moment later, I was flat on my chest under the tow truck. The rocky ground was very uncomfortable, but at least it wasn’t hot. Fortunately, I’d been good at hide and seek as a kid. From my position under the truck, I could see out in almost every direction. If anyone approached, I’d see their feet, and they’d have to squat way down to see me.

Minutes later, I heard one of the cars start. Again, there was the sound of tires on gravel.

“Nice, hiding spot,” Catherine said, peering under the truck. “I hope there’s no rodents running around … or spiders.”

“Thanks a lot! Just what I need. But what’s going on? What are they talking about?”

“They all know each other. The skinny one likes to fish. The fat one, he’s the sheriff. He’s into bowling.”

“Bowling? Fishing? That’s what they’re talking about?”

“Did you know Nick’s recently divorced?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, those guys were talking about his ex. And then, after he left, they were talking about how hot she is. The guy who’s into fishing … he wants to ‘do’ her.”

“Wait. After who left?”

“Nick. He’s gone. The others are still there.”

“Shit! Did Nick say where he was going? When he’d be back?”

“He didn’t. He just said goodbye, got into his car, and drove off.”

I couldn’t believe it. I asked Catherine to go back and listen some more. It seemed like forever, but after fifteen or twenty minutes, she was back. By then everyone had left. I was finally able to crawl out from under the dilapidated truck. I had marks all over my front from lying face down on the rocky ground.

“That asshole’s got all my clothes!” I said to her. I was steaming mad. “Even my cell phone is in his car.”

“Don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not. Not at you, but I’m going to fucking rip Officer Nicholas a new one. He better have one damn good excuse. Did he get a call? Is that why he left?”

“No call. But thinking back, he said something about some paperwork he needed to get to.”

I found a slab of concrete in the shade behind the building and started pacing back and forth, trying to vent off some of my anger. I was also trying to think rationally about what to do – only there were no options. I could always try my luck at hitchhiking. I wasn’t about to consider that. I might end up like Catherine.

And what was almost as bad, I had to pee. Eventually, realizing that I had no choice, I made Catherine turn around. I squatted down and let ‘er rip. No toilet paper – not even any panties to catch the drips. It was very demeaning. I was feeling the nudity, the vulnerability – miles from anywhere – not a stitch of clothing – just me and my everyday earrings.

At Catherine’s insistence, we decided to focus on the project at hand. We couldn’t do much, but we might be able to find the car. I imagined that Nick would eventually return. Maybe I wouldn’t rip him a new asshole, but I’d certainly be making use of that other cheek.

I tried to keep up, but a short distance in, I had to give up. My feet couldn’t take the rocks and the weeds – and mixed in, there was broken glass.

Catherine appeared to know just what she was looking for. She went from rusty car to rusty car. She didn’t attempt to open any of the trunks, not that she would be able to. Instead, she bent down and examined each one of them carefully.

Almost an hour later, she was back. “I found it,” she exclaimed, giving me a hug. The ghost on skin contact felt as strange as ever. I sensed in her tone that this was likely to be every bit as emotional for her as it would be for me.

“Your body or the car?” I asked.

“The car, but the body will be there. It hasn’t been opened.”

“How do you know? It’s been forty years.”

“I know,” she said, sounding confident. She was nodding her head but biting her lip. “I remember more than I told you. You asked how he killed me. I said I didn’t remember.”

“So, you do remember?”

“Don’t forget … there’s no good way to go. Not when you’re young. So much taken from me. Taken from Dirk.”

“I know. God, do I know.” I was getting choked up. This was among the revelations I had been fearing, learning how she had died.

“The way most people are killed … knives, guns, strangulation … not like that. He sealed me in the trunk.”

“He just closed it? You couldn’t get out?”

“I’ve seen trunk releases in new cars. They didn’t exist back then. It was a real old car, probably from the sixties. Steel, inside and out.”

“So you just died there? Locked in a trunk?” This was more than I could take. I wasn’t claustrophobic, but even so, it was beyond horrific – more dreadful than anything I had ever heard of.

“Well, yes. But here’s what happened. I’d rather protect you from this. But Nick needs to know … for the investigation.”

“Okay,” I said, steeling myself for what was to come. I didn’t want any more detail, but I knew I had a role to play.

“That night, he put me in the trunk. Naked, freshly raped. I clawed at things, trying to get out … until my fingers were bloody. No luck. He came back the next day … during the heat of the day. I was barely conscious. He opened the trunk. The bright sun … blinding. I guess he was making sure I was still there. I reached for the opening just as he slammed it shut. Eventually, I was able to work my fingers free, but so much pain. A number of them surely broken. He came again. That time, he didn’t open the lid. I screamed. I pleaded. But while I was begging for my life, he was welding. He welded it shut. That’s how I know which car. The one with the trunk welded shut.”

By that point, I was a quivering pile of emotional goo. I’d never heard anything so horrific. This guy was a fucking monster. I was overcome with anger and sadness – various emotions fighting each other in the small corner of my brain that was still functioning.

“I’m so sorry to have to tell you this. Again … doing it only because he has to know. Just mentioning the fingers because those bones will still be broken. Evidence of what happened. He needs to know it all. We don’t know which piece of information will be the important clue. But the weld. It’s there. Rusty, but still holding the trunk closed.”

I was trying to be brave, but by that point, I’d folded myself up into a fetal ball on the ground – squeezing my face into my knees – doing my best to hide from an evil world. Catherine, her tale at an end, spent the next hour trying to console me. I couldn’t imagine that someone could do that to another human being. I also couldn’t understand how she could be so calm about it.

Somewhere during the hour after that, I managed to crawl back to the concrete slab. It wasn’t soft, but at least it was smooth. As my sense of self started to return, my anger at Nick for stranding me there naked reasserted itself. I was still at a complete loss as to what to do. I was already so thirsty and it had been barely three hours. That made me even sadder because it seemed as if that was what Catherine had likely died of – thirst – dehydration.

Attempting to muster my wits, I asked, “Do you know how long you lived?”

“Quite a number of days. I lost count. Unbearably hot during the day … struggling to breathe. It would have been better if the trunk had been airtight … quicker. Freezing cold at night. Shivering in the puddle of sweat that I’d made during the day.”

I shouldn’t have asked that question. It had me trying to imagine what my night might end up being like. As I was beginning to think ahead to venturing out under cover of darkness, Nick finally came back. He’d changed into jeans. When I saw him, I turned away. I was hugging my legs in the shadow next to the building. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to find me, but after a couple of minutes, he did.

He knelt down, placing a hand on my back. “Jessa. I’m sorry.”

I was so conflicted – relieved that he’d come back even though I never wanted to see him again. “Hold me,” I managed, reaching up.

“I thought you’d be mad.”

“Never been more pissed,” I said, my leaky eyes quickly soaking his shirt. “Just not at you. I mean, not only at you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be. You left. You took my clothes, my phone, everything.”

“I brought some things.” He handed me a bottle of water. I started to open it, but instead, I threw it.

“That’s how she died, Nick,” I said, looking into his eyes. “No water. Days … no water.” I was again crying.

“No water?”

“Give me that?” I said, pointing at another bottle in the stuff he had with him.

I opened it and placed it on the concrete in front of her.

“But you need it, Jessa,” she said.

“She hadn’t forgotten. She didn’t want to tell me. And now, only telling me so I can tell you.”

“Jessa, listen to Nick. You need the water,” she pleaded. “Take it. Please.”

I shook my head. “You first.”

“Jessa, it wasn’t that bad. Okay, it was bad. But like I said, I’m sure there’s no good way to die.”

“She says there’s no good way to die.”

“I expect that’s true,” he said, finding yet another bottle of water in his things. He opened it. “Please, Jessa. Please take a drink.”

“Do it for me, Jessa. If not for Nick, then for me.”

I took a sip. It was warm but it was wet. I took another drink, wishing that Catherine could. After downing more than half the bottle, I ate some chips. I was starting to feel a little better. “Do you have any toilet paper?” I asked.

“Napkins. In the car.”

I nodded and he raced off. When he returned, I took one and walked down to where I could get out of sight behind the rusty carcass of a car. After again relieving myself, I left the piece of paper there, weighing it down with a good-sized rock.

Walking back towards Nick along the slab, I was again struck with just how nude I was. At least my clothes were back, I presumed, but he hadn’t brought them to me.

“Okay, Officer Harris. You’ve got some ‘splaining to do,” I said. “Catherine told me much of what was said, stuff about fishing, bowling and how hot your ex is. You never told me you were divorced.”

“But only because it never came up. On that score, I don’t know the first thing about your love life.”

“That’s true … tell me about her some other time. Right now, let’s hear your story. Make it good, but make it quick. I can’t wait to get away from this God-forsaken place, and I’m itching to get dressed. Catherine says she found the car and that her body is in it. We’ve got work to do, but then let’s go … somewhere far away.”

“She found the body?”

“First things first. What kind of an asshole drives off, leaving a naked woman stranded in an abandoned junkyard … to hang out with rusty cars, ghosts and dead bodies? And doesn’t come back for hours?”

“It was a bit of a jurisdictional issue. This is their turf, not mine. We’re miles from the Stonefield city limits. I told them I pulled over to take a leak, and that’s why I was at the fence. The last thing I wanted to do was let them think I was here in any kind of an official capacity. It may not have seemed like it, but I was protecting you. If they’d figured out that there was a naked woman here or an investigation taking place, you better believe they would have looked into it. I left, so they would leave. They did, didn’t they?”

“But then, why hours? I mean, you had me thinking you were never coming back. What was I to do? It doesn’t get any nakeder than this,” I said, waving my hands up and down to draw his attention to how bare I was. “I mean, Cathers has a patch of fur protecting her modesty. It’s not much, but a helluva lot more than I’ve got.”

“She does? She doesn’t shave?”

“Nick, that’s not what we’re talking about. You had me thinking I might be spending the night in a trunk … to keep warm. But I wouldn’t have … the very thought freaks me out.”

“Oh, God. I’m sorry.”

“Goddamn it! Stop saying you’re sorry. Why hours?”

“Right. Well, I decided to conduct this operation, the next part anyway, as a civilian. I tried to call, to let you know. I heard your phone ringing in the back seat. But even though I was unable to let you know what was going on, I had to wait for my shift to end. As soon as possible, I changed and drove my Jeep back. If those deputies return, and hopefully they won’t, I’m not a police officer. I’m a guy trespassing. Maybe I’m looking for a car part.”

“A guy and a naked woman looking for a car part.”

“Something like that. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. I really am sorry.”

“Okay. Apology accepted … but mostly so we can get on with it … and so you’ll stop apologizing. And I’ll be checking my phone. If it doesn’t say, ‘missed call,’ there will be hell to pay.”

“I thought you’d be madder.”

“I’m still pissed. I’m just waiting for the right moment. I’ll spring it on you when you’re least expecting it … just like before.”

From there, I did what I had to; I told him all that Catherine had shared with me. I attempted to do it in as detached a manner as possible – to keep from crying – but I didn’t quite succeed. He had to know about her fingers, the welding, how she’d begged for her life. Maybe he didn’t need to know about that, but she’d included it, so I did. It wasn’t my role to filter.

I could tell it was getting to him, but it was his profession. He listened carefully. I expected he had questions, but he seemed to be saving them for later.

“Okay Catherine, lead on,” he said, once the tale was told.

He offered me a piggy back ride which I accepted. Catherine led the way. Her feet didn’t seem to mind the rocks and she was unfazed by the presence of broken glass.

It was rather comforting to be that close to another human being. I was still mad, but Nick was a nice man. In spite of his imperfections, his heart seemed to be in the right place. I did like him. I had my arms around his neck, which was quite convenient when it came to pointing the way. He was supporting my weight with a hand under each of my thighs. It was an embarrassing position. I couldn’t help but think how exposed I was from the rear, my legs wide apart like that. Fortunately, there was no one behind me.

It ended up being a long way, Catherine winding her way back through the rows of cars. Her abductor had obviously chosen a car that no one would look in by accident – far away from the office.

Finally she stopped. “Here. It’s this one,” I said, repeating Catherine’s statement word for word.

Nick set me down. I pointed at the sedan she was indicating. I concluded that it had been a beige car, although there was very little paint left. Nick squatted down to inspect the trunk. “Yep, welded,” he said. “God, I hate this asshole.”

“We’re going to find him. And I’m going to kill him.” I’d never hated anyone as much as I hated the sack of shit who had raped and killed Catherine. How I wanted him to be alive – so that I could visit my wrath upon him.

“You’re not going to do that, Jessa. Promise me you’re not going to do that,” Nick said, never looking up from the weld.

I wasn’t going to make that promise.

Nick got up and stepped back. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he started taking pictures. “I’ll have to come back tomorrow … bring a grinder. I won’t come alone, but you won’t have to be here.”

A wave of relief passed over me. I’d done my duty. I wouldn’t have to see what was inside.

We threaded our way back out through the rows of junkers, stopping a few times so Nick could take pictures and make notes. He didn’t want to have any trouble retracing his steps.

After slipping through the fence, I again climbed up onto Nick’s back. He’d parked his Jeep in among some trees, attempting to hide it. A car passed and I pressed against him, smashing my breasts into his back, but with Nick between me and the road, my nudity seemed to go unnoticed.

He set me down next to the Jeep. I placed a hand on each side of my face to block the reflection and peered in.

“Dang it! I knew I forgot something,” he said, a concerned look on his face.

“You better be fucking kidding. My ability to forgive is all used up.”

“Yep. Your clothes are here,” he said, sensing instantly that I was dead serious. He quickly opened the tailgate.

“You’re fucking taking your life into your hands, teasing me at his point, Nicholas. Naked, tired, hungry … not much room for a sense of humor.”

I was overcome with emotion at the sight of my clothes. I hugged them to my chest, a sigh escaping my lips. I got into my bra and panties in record time. Moments later, I had my shorts and top on as well. It had never felt better to be dressed.

“Sorry for being in such a hurry, Cathers,” I said to the spot where I’d last seen her. Typically, I would say goodbye to her before dressing. I knew she would understand and forgive my rudeness. I climbed into the passenger seat and started putting on my shoes while Nick slid in behind the wheel. Once dressed, I checked my phone. As I knew it would be, the missed call was there.

We stopped at an old-fashioned burger joint on the outskirts of Stonefield. Neither Barney Fife nor Sheriff Taylor were there, but it was straight out of Mayberry. After asking me what I wanted, Nick ordered three cheeseburgers, three shakes, and the family size onion rings. Even though I expected that he might end up eating her burger, it warmed my heart that he was including Catherine.

He parked in front of his house, and we went on through to the backyard. Even though it was under a large tree, the low-angle evening sun was shining on the picnic table. While Nick unpacked the food, I inspected the fence.

I undressed quickly, my back to Nick. It felt as if I’d just gotten dressed, but I wanted Catherine to be a part of things. Because I imagined Nick was watching, I tried to make it the most boring striptease ever.

I glanced around at the three places that Nick had set as I climbed onto the bench, doing my best not to flash my ‘cunnie’ in the process. I found my thought pattern ironic. I’d given Cathers a hard time for being shy to embrace the word ‘pussy,’ and yet I found the word ‘cunnie’ borderline objectionable. But even so, the word had become lodged in my head.

Catherine was across from me. She was eyeing her burger, a smile on her lips. “Thank Nick for me.”

“Cathers says thank you.” Noticing that he hadn’t unwrapped it, I took care of that. “Here you go,” I said, placing it back in front of her. Looking over, I saw Nick removing a straw from its paper sleeve. He reached over and poked it into her milkshake.

“All good?” I asked her.

“Maybe an onion ring.”

“Ketchup?”

She nodded, so I dipped one and then another, placing them on the wrapper next to her burger.

“Thank you,” she said. “I love you guys.”

“Oh, don’t do that to me,” I replied. “I’ve cried enough today.”

“Sorry.”

Glancing up, I saw Nick looking at me. “Do what to you?”

“Now you. Stop it.”

“What did she say?”

“I love you guys.”

Nick took a deep breath and sighed. He wasn’t getting teary eyed, but I could tell that it meant something to him, yet his mind was elsewhere. “That car. It was last licensed in 1980. Look,” he said, pulling out his phone.

He zoomed in on the plate. It read, ‘Green Mountain State,’ across the bottom. Zooming in still further, I saw the sticker, ‘Feb 80.’

“That’s the expiration date, so it must have been there about five years before…”

I nodded. “Why is there an abandoned junkyard?”

“One possibility is that the owner was the murderer. That he closed down to keep her body from being discovered. But I expect there are lots of junkyards like that across the country. Maybe they end up full of cars that are so out of date that there is little demand for the parts they contain. But I’d think they’d ship all those cars somewhere to be melted, recycled.”

Nick still had his phone in his hand. He angled it toward me. “May I?”

I shook my head, glancing down at my breasts. They were still dirty from time spent on the ground. I imagined my eyes might still be red, as well.

“I’m sorry. What was I thinking?” he said, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

“Maybe later … when I don’t look like shit,” I said. I’d let a number of boyfriends take pictures. Nick wasn’t quite a boyfriend, but it seemed as if I might be able to trust him with naked images.

“You don’t look that bad.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. But maybe he liked the outdoorsy look – the rough and tumble, just-got-done-rolling-around-in-junkyard-dirt look. Maybe there were guys that were into that.

After we’d eaten, I had Nick take me home. I needed some downtime.

~ ~ ~

The next morning, I again returned to painting. It wasn’t a bad way to make time pass – suitably mindless. I knew that Nick and a detective or two would be at the junkyard, carefully opening that trunk. I wondered how he might explain that he knew where to look, but I was mostly trying to block all thoughts of that rusty, otherwise nondescript, car out of my mind.

Just after lunch, I received a text. “Her remains were there. We’re bringing in the MCU.” I rolled my eyes. Anticipating my question, Nick sent a follow-up text. “The Major Crimes Unit. A division of the Vermont State Police, the homicide division.”

“Thanks, Nick,” I replied.

“Are you okay? Should I come by?”

“I’m fine. I want you there. Find that motherfucker!”

I went up to my room and cried. Once I had that out of my system, I read the texts aloud. Either Catherine was there or she wasn’t. I didn’t see the point of taking off my clothes just to find out. If she wasn’t there, she was with Nick and knew a lot more than I did.

After considering my options and washing my face, I went looking for my mother. She was in the backyard talking to a couple of landscapers they’d hired. “Mom, I need to go see grandma,” I said, blinking to keep my eyes dry. “Would you like to come with me?”

I saw the surprise in her eyes. It had been years since I’d last asked her to go anywhere with me. “I’ll get my purse,” she replied.

To Be Continued…

 

Author’s note: If you are reading and enjoying Jessa Meets Her Match, I would love to hear from you! You may comment here on the storyboard (as ‘anonymous’ or register and give yourself a name). Alternately, feel free to send me an email: BPClavel@gmail.com

Very best regards,

Blair P. Clavel

 

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