Jessa Meets Her Match
Chapter 9: Shots Fired
I couldn’t see her, but I knew she was there. Cathers and I were in the family SUV, flying up the Post Road. I glanced at the junkyard as we shot by. But my mind wasn’t on all that had happened there. It was firmly on what lay ahead.
The town of Hammonton was bigger than I expected. I didn’t know where to go. I pulled into a gas station and rolled down the window. The second person I asked was in the know and gave me directions.
A couple of minutes later, I saw flashing lights, the police barrier dead ahead. I parked well back from the action. There was quite a crowd, and the media was there in full force – TV station vans with satellite dishes on the roof.
Forcing my way to the front, I could see police cars in the street a half block past the barrier. Looking closely, I could even make out police officers; they were down on the ground behind their vehicles. I couldn’t see Nick, but one of them had to be him. I needed to get to him. I’d promised my parents and Catherine that I’d stay back, but this was my case. I belonged there. Just then, a volley of gunfire split the morning air, causing me and everyone around me to crouch down – fifteen or twenty rounds – too fast to count.
Once the shooting had ceased, I backed away. Standing and turning, I walked back and went around a block. I needed to get past the police barrier. Hopefully, I’d be able to find my way to a spot with a view of the action – with a little luck, just across the street.
The next street over was completely empty, eerie even. The houses were ordinary, but the lots were huge. I heard another burst of gunfire and froze in my tracks. A few seconds after it was over, I continued on.
I got to the point in the street where I could see flashing lights between two of the houses. This was where I needed to cross back over. It felt odd, walking past a house and entering into someone’s backyard, but I was just passing through.
I scaled a tall wooden fence as if it wasn’t there. My legs were bare, but fortunately I’d put on a pair of sturdy denim shorts that morning. The second backyard was just as empty as the first.
Peeking around the corner of the house, I got a better look at the standoff than I’d gotten from the police barrier. I was also able to get my first real glimpse of the house they had surrounded. It was dingy white – as ordinary looking as any house in Vermont. Because I was still in the backyard, I could only see two police cars, one with its lights flashing, the other looking as if its light bar had been shot away. Two police officers were visible. They were down on the ground. One had a rifle, the other, a pistol.
My heart pounding like crazy in my chest, I crawled slowly forward into the area between the two houses. Fortunately, the side yard was choked with shrubbery – plenty to hide behind. When I reached the front corner of the house I was next to, two more police cars came into view. I was also able to get a better look across the street – at the house where the ‘alleged’ serial killer was holed up. At that very moment, gunshots again rang out. Because I was such a bundle of nerves, my arms gave way and I fell down prone into the weeds.
Forcing myself to look up, I saw him. His head and entire torso were visible above the sill of a window. Using what had to be a semiautomatic rifle, he fired shot after shot into the vehicles that the officers were behind. They were all hunkered down, crouching or lying flat on the ground, none of them attempting to return fire.
After twenty or more shots, the man stepped back, disappearing from the window. Thinking that was my moment, I gathered my nerves. Hopping up, I sprinted for the closest police car, landing down on my butt behind it, my back against one of the doors.
There was a black police officer next to me. He startled when he saw me. “What the hell! You can’t be here. You’ll get yourself killed.”
“I know,” I said. “But Nick … I mean, Officer Harris. Where is he?”
“How the hell should I know?”
“A Stonefield Police Officer. Officer Harris.”
I saw him looking me up and down. “You shouldn’t be here. But now … you can’t leave,” he replied, his tone transitioning from surprise to anger.
I was trying to decide what to do just as the gunfire resumed. Only this time something was different.
“He’s not shooting at us?” I asked.
The officer glared at me for a moment, but waited. It was too loud to talk. Once the gunfire stopped, he replied, “He seems to pick a different window each time. That time, he was shooting out one of the side windows. Or maybe from the back of the house.”
I lifted up to look. “Goddamn it,” he hollered, grabbing my shirt and yanking me down on top of him. “What are you, stupid or something?”
“How long do the breaks last?” I asked, but right then the gunfire resumed. This time there were only six shots – slow enough to count.
“He has multiple weapons, each with a different size magazine,” the cop explained. “Sometimes there are long gaps. Other times just seconds.”
Seeing a radio on the ground, I asked, “Can you use your radio and find out where Officer Harris is?”
“I’m sure your Officer Harris can take care of himself. Forget about him. Keep your butt right where it is. Focus on staying alive.”
I grabbed his radio. Mashing down the button, I yelled, “Nick, are you here? Can you hear me? It’s Jessa.”
There was a long pause. “Jessa? Shit!” came the reply. “I told you not to… Oh, Holy crap!”
The officer grabbed at the radio, but I shifted, keeping it away from him. “Nick, where are you? I’m behind one of the cars in front. I mean, in the street in front of the house.”
“Stop, just stop,” he replied sternly. “Wherever you are, stay there!”
“See,” said the officer, finally wrestling his radio away from me. “At least one of you has some sense.”
Right then, the gunfire resumed, but it wasn’t coming our way. Deciding that I probably had a moment, I sprinted to the next car to the left, doing my best to stay low. A policeman was there, but it wasn’t Nick. I stopped for half a second, our eyes meeting. But then I kept going.
Nick was behind the third car. It just so happened to be the one closest to the barrier I’d been at earlier. I dove down next to him, ending up with my back against the car.
“Jessa. What the hell!” he yelled. I’d never seen him so mad.
“What’s the plan?” I asked, attempting a calm voice so that he’d talk to me.
He shook his head, glaring angrily at me.
“Get over it, Nick. Tell me what’s going on.”
In that moment, the gunfire again rang out. This time, it was directed right at us. Glass rained down on the two of us from above. A short time later, it was over.
“We’re just waiting.”
“Waiting for what?” I asked.
“Waiting,” he repeated, acting as if no further explanation were required.
“Here, put this on,” he added after a long pause. Looking over, I saw that he was unfastening his bulletproof vest.
I hesitated. “Nick, no. Keep that on,” I said with a dismissive wave of the hand. “Now, tell me what’s going on.”
“We keep our heads down. He runs out of ammo … hopefully soon,” he said, continuing to work at unstrapping his vest.
I swatted at his hands, grabbing one of them and holding on to it.
“And then?” I asked, picturing the gunman pretending to run out of ammunition so that he could shoot some police officers.
“Bad, Jessa!” he spat, trying to pull his hand free. “You shouldn’t be here.”
He was mad, but I was madder. “Hell if I shouldn’t! My case … my fucking case … from the very start. Now for fuck’s sake, fill me in!”
“A law enforcement matter. This is not for you!”
“Do you want to fight me, Nick?” I asked. He was still trying to get his arm free, but there was no way I was letting go. I didn’t want his vest.
“Of course not, Jessa,” he said, glaring at me. I glared back. My hackles were up, way up.
Eventually, realizing that I wasn’t backing down, he sighed. “Okay, here’s the deal. The Captain had him on the phone a while ago. He’s our guy. He as much as admitted to killing women. Sounded like a lot of women. Certainly more than three. He also said that we’re not taking him in alive. That he’s taking a few of us with him.”
“What a fuckin’ low-life! He deserves to die.”
“But … not just yet. Certainly not by his own hand. And today’s rules of engagement … shoot only as a last resort … and not to kill. You’ve surely seen him standing in the window. He’s begging for a sniper’s bullet. We’re not giving it to him. Since there must be more bodies … somewhere … there are more families needing closure. More missing persons cases eating up law enforcement resources.”
I nodded. The pieces were starting to fit. I reached up to my blouse and popped a button. Moments later, I had it all the way off. Looking toward the police barrier, I unhooked my bra and slid it down my arms. I hated that there were cameras there, but that was the least of my worries. Noticing that I was undressing, I saw a look of comprehension appear in Nick’s eyes.
Considering my shoes, I looked at the glass on the pavement. Fortunately, it wasn’t shards, but rather small square pieces – automotive safety glass. I spread out my shirt and leaned back onto it as I unbuttoned my shorts. Because I was in a hurry, I slid my panties and my shorts off as one, my legs up in the air. I then sat up, tossing everything aside. As I’d hoped, Catherine was there.
“Jessa, those are news crews,” Nick said, pointing down the street. “Expensive cameras, big lenses.”
I looked. Trembling, I shifted my knees together. “I don’t feel like I have a choice. You guys need me. I mean … you need us.”
“Tell Nick, he’s not running out of ammo,” Catherine said. “Boxes and boxes and boxes. And there are explosives. I’m not positive, but that’s what I think I was looking at.”
“You were in there?” It wasn’t really a question. Somehow I knew she would have already been inside.
“Yep, I did a little exploring. I can’t imagine he’s the guy. But I never got a very good look at him that night. It was dark. This guy, he’s so old. But Dirk’s old, so I guess it could be him.”
“What’s she saying?” Nick asked.
“That he’s got ammunition, boxes and boxes of it. Sounds like he’ll never run out. And that there are explosives. Correction. She saw what she thinks are explosives. She’s not sure.”
I saw a look of consternation in Nick’s eyes. He shook his head. “We’ll be here for days, except that they’re bringing in a BearCat. Which is great, but that doesn’t get him into custody alive. If there are explosives, we can’t send men in … even after he kills himself … too dangerous.”
“He’s not killing himself. I won’t allow it,” I said slowly, squinting to show Nick my resolve.
“No way to prevent it … if he’s made up his mind. And he’s had decades to think about it.”
“Nick, listen to me. Focus. He’s not fucking killing himself. Not happening! The cowardly way out … not for this bastard. Put me in charge. I’ll do this. Catherine and I. We’ll do this. She and I … we’re a goddamn team.”
I saw a look of confusion on his face, but then there was chatter on the radio – someone named Captain Evers was talking. While Nick listened to what was being said, Catherine and I were conferring with one another. She had the beginnings of a plan in mind. As she saw it, there were several options. I told her, she was going to have to make the decision – she’d seen the lay of the land. I let her know that I trusted her, that this was her mission. As Nick was wrapping up the radio conversation, she slipped away. A minute later, I heard her voice from the house. She was in position.
“Okay, let’s go,” I said, standing up.
“Jessa, goddamn it. Get down!”
“It’s okay. Cathers … she’s got eyes on him.”
“So,” he said, his frustration clearly growing.
“What do you mean, ‘so’? Goddamn it, Nick! Do you believe there’s a Cathers or not?”
“Get down!” he shouted adamantly. “We can talk about this. Not while you’re standing up.”
“I’m safe, Nick. Trust me,” I paused, listening to what Catherine was hollering. I could see her leaning out an upstairs window. “Get on your radio. Tell everyone that he’s about to unload on the backyard.” He picked it up, but hesitated. A few seconds later, the shots rang out. “Believe me now? Rock, paper, fucking scissors!”
Nick pushed the button. “Captain Evers, Officer Harris here,” he said. Gathering his confidence, he continued, “Officer Nick Harris of the Stonefield Police Department.”
A male voice replied. “Captain Evers speaking.”
“I’m going in the front door.”
There was a long pause. “No, you’re not.”
Nick shook his head. “I didn’t ask. With all due respect, I’m going in the front door. I’ll have a young woman with me. She’s … she’s … umm. She’s naked.”
“I don’t know what you’re smoking, Officer Harris. But stay the fuck where you are. That’s an order. And keep this channel open.”
Shaking his head, Nick pursed his lips. “Heaven help us, Jessa.”
“Heaven is helping us, Nick. We’ve got Catherine,” I said quietly. His eyes met mine. “Think on that,” I added, watching him carefully. He just sat there, but I knew he needed a minute.
At long last, Nick lifted his radio. “Officer Bixler. Bix, are you there?” he said into it.
“Shit! Officer Harris. Stand down!” Captain Evers’ voice barked.
But then there was another voice. “Nick, I’m here. I mean, Officer Harris. This is Officer Bixler.”
“Ok, Bix. Listen carefully. I’m going in the front door … with Jessa. She’s naked, like that night. You don’t have to. Evers will tell you not to. But come with us.”
I sat down next to Nick, sliding down low. “Gunfire coming. This time, right at us.”
“Okay, everyone down,” Nick said into his radio. “This time, out the front.”
A split second later, the predicted gunfire arrived. I tried to count, but it was too fast. “He’s got a bump stock,” Nick explained. I had no idea what that was.
Once the volley ended, Nick was back on the radio. “Bix, there’s risk, but much less than you imagine. You and I, we’re taking this asshole in. We’re taking the fucker in alive.”
“Officer Harris, stand down! I’m in charge here,” Evers barked.
“Again, with all due respect, Sir, I’m going in. Bix, if you trust me, meet us at the front door. Wear your vest, bring your gun. Fully loaded. Safety on. When I say ‘go’ we’ll have a window of opportunity, but a short one. So, if you’re coming, don’t delay.” There was no response.
I nodded at Nick. I was proud of him. “Okay … we wait. Cathers will let me know when the coast is clear.”
He stared into my eyes, squinting as if deep in thought. A second later, he was checking his pistol, verifying something. “I wish you could wear a vest,” he grumbled, speaking to the gun in his hand.
My adrenaline was pumping. “I wish I could, too,” I lamented, doing my best to not think about my state of dress. I was wearing the candy necklace that I’d put on that morning, but that was all. What we were about to attempt transcended all other concerns.
I heard Catherine’s voice. I stood up, waving at her. I wanted to tell her what the plan was – about Bixler. I couldn’t. I’d have to yell. The gunman might hear.
“Okay, now!” I said to Nick. “We might only have twenty seconds.” I started hurriedly tiptoeing through the glass. Fortunately, nothing felt particularly sharp.
Nick yelled into his radio. “Bix, now. We’re going.”
I took off – charging across the front lawn, Nick to my side, but a stride or two behind. It was unnerving – the gunfire had resumed, just not on our side of the house. Glancing over, I saw Officer Bixler, the nasty, middle-aged cop who had a thing for my ass. He had his head down, his arms pumping furiously. His path would converge with ours at the front door.
Once there, the three of us hugged the building. I was breathing heavily, facing out, my back in contact with the front door, the surface rough against my bare skin.
“Officer Harris, you’ll never work in law enforcement again,” Nick’s radio barked. He reached down and switched it off.
Officer Bixler looked into Nick’s eyes. “You better fucking know what you’re doing, Nick.”
I saw Nick nod. Turning, I tried the knob. It turned, but the door wouldn’t open. “It’s the deadbolt,” I said. “Locked.”
“Now what?” Officer Bixler asked.
“We wait,” Nick replied. “Both of you, turn around. Cover your eyes.”
Glancing down as I turned, I saw something on Nick’s chest, on top of his vest. Looking over, I saw that Bixler had one as well. “Body cam?” I asked.
Nick shrugged. I looked away. I hadn’t noticed it before, but it was too late to rethink what we were doing.
When the next volley of gunfire came, Nick fired three shots into the door. Slamming against it with his shoulder, he forced it open. Seeing Catherine just inside, I stepped quickly through the doorway. She and I were momentarily alone. I thought about mentioning the body cam, but it was too loud to talk and she might not know what it was.
A moment later, Nick and Bixler had joined us in the small dimly-lit front hall, Nick pushing the door closed behind them.
Catherine lifted a finger to her lips as the gunfire came to a stop. Getting Nick’s and Bixler’s attention, I did the same.
“If you guys only move while he’s firing, he won’t hear you coming,” Catherine said.
At a whisper, I repeated her words to the two men. Conscious that what I was saying was probably being recorded, I tried to make it sound as if the thought I was expressing was my own.
“Okay, what would be a good plan?” I asked quietly, looking directly at Catherine, but trying to act as if I were thinking out loud.
“What do you mean, ‘what would be a good plan?’” Bixler asked. “Nick … what the hell? Don’t tell me we don’t have a plan.”
Holding his fingers up to his lips, Nick shushed him. “No time to explain. Just trust me … trust us,” Nick said. “This is Jessa’s operation. We do what she says, and we take the guy alive. Right, Jessa?”
“Right,” I said, trying to appear confident, my voice barely audible.
“Heaven help us,” I heard Bixler mumble. Glancing over, I saw a smile cross Nick’s lips.
Catherine had started up the stairway. “He’s upstairs,” she explained, looking down at me. “He’s firing out four different windows. But he always returns to what must have been the master bedroom … to reload or grab different guns. He’s got a lot of them, preloaded magazines too. So not every time he shoots. If, while he’s firing, Nick and the other guy take up positions just inside the bedroom door, they can tackle him when he comes in.”
I reached up and pulled the guys’ faces close to mine. I then repeated the plan in a quiet voice, doing my best to make it sound as if it was my plan and not Catherine’s. Nick knew, but I needed to keep that from Bixler – and the body cams.
Catherine continued, “I’ll go and see where he is. When I say ‘go,’ come upstairs … quickly. Go straight into the bathroom that’s right across the hall. The light’s off. Hide behind the door. If possible, be in position before he’s done shooting. And then keep still.”
“Okay guys, when I say ‘go’ follow me up the stairs. Try and stay close. I’ll be moving fast,” I told them. I wanted to tell them all that Catherine had said, but I didn’t want to sound clairvoyant.
The three of us moved to the bottom of the stairway. We waited.
About three minutes later, after two more series of gunfire, I heard Catherine yelling from somewhere deep in the house. “Jessa, this time. As soon as he starts shooting. He has his rifle, so maybe thirty rounds this time.”
I turned to Nick and Bix. “We’re going the next time he starts shooting, guys. I’ll pick a room, and then we hide.” I decided that they didn’t really need to know that it would be a bathroom and that I knew exactly where it was.
As the volley began, I heard Catherine yelling, “Now! Go, go, go!” We were already racing up the stairs. We piled into the small bathroom. I pulled them to me and into the small space behind the door. We were huddling tightly together as the gunfire ceased.
I tried to hold my breath, but I couldn’t. My heart was pounding. I was completely naked, but even though the three of us were together like sardines, that was the furthest thing from my mind. I felt hot breath on my forehead, Nick’s or Bixler’s, I couldn’t be sure. It was dark. I was glad about that.
A moment later, Catherine was in the room with us. “Wait. Again, wait,” she said. Her voice sounded so loud. I had to again remind myself that I was the only one that could hear her.
“We’re just waiting … until …” I said in a soft whisper, my face between Nick’s and Bixler’s.
We heard heavy steps coming down the hallway. I gripped Nick’s upper arm in both my hands, squeezing it into my chest. I felt the steel of his pistol touching my skin near my hip. It was warm from recent use.
The footsteps in the hall turned.
“Okay, as soon as he starts firing, follow me to the bedroom,” Catherine said.
I repeated what she’d said, leaving out the ‘bedroom’ part.
“How does she know where to go?”’ Bixler asked.
“Shh … we trust her,” Nick whispered.
I thought Bixler might say something more, but he didn’t.
As the next series began, the three of us, four counting Catherine, tumbled out of the bathroom. She turned left and hurried down the hall, the deafening sound of gunfire echoing throughout the house. I did my best to stay right on her heels, not bothering to look back.
Just inside the bedroom I saw the ‘boxes and boxes and boxes’ of ammunition Catherine had mentioned. There was also what looked to be a work table. It was stacked with magazines. Next to it was a rack of guns. There were more guns under the table.
The two guys stopped and stared. Half the room seemed to be ammo – stacked to the ceiling. “No time for that,” I said, shoving them into position, one on each side of the door according to what Catherine was telling me to do. “He’ll be through any moment.” I said, repeating what Catherine was saying. “At least, I think he will,” I added for Bixler’s benefit as the barrage ceased.
I stood behind Nick – far enough away to not impair his movement, but close enough to have my hands on his waist. I saw the two men lock eyes and nod to one another. Nick had something that looked like a club in his hands – up over his head. Officer Bixler was also in position, a similar weapon at the ready down near his waist.
I tried to focus, but I was glad that I was only there as an observer at that point. My heart was pounding in my ears, so loud that I thought that the gunman might hear it. Various thoughts started flashing through my head as the seconds dragged on.
In my mind’s eye, I saw a police officer confronting a suspect, gun drawn. ‘Hands up,’ he’d say. That clearly wouldn’t work here. This man had said that he wasn’t going to be taken alive. If our guy had ammo, he’d start firing. Yes, this seemed like the only option. Nick and Bixler had to take him down before he knew what hit him.
Still waiting, I leaned over. The body cam on Bixler’s chest was pointed right at me. Doing my best to ignore it, I shifted my eyes up, meeting his. I studied him as he looked at me. My opinion of him had done a one-eighty. Maybe he was a lecherous man who leered at women’s butts, but he was also a loyal partner. Captain Evers, whoever that was, had told Nick to ‘stand down.’ That he’d ‘never work in law enforcement again.’ But Officer Bixler, ‘Bix’ as Nick called him, had trusted him. Here he was, backing Nick up, as Nick undertook what on the face of it had to seem like a fool’s mission.
Nick would have attempted to do this alone, that had been clear. As a matter of fact, he’d raced for the front door not knowing if Bixler would appear. But Bixler had come! I felt so much better about what was about to go down given that it would be two against one.
And then I heard Catherine shout from somewhere down the hall, “Five seconds, Jessa.”
I started to repeat her words, but stopped myself. Even a whisper might be too loud in the now quiet house. But then I heard the approaching footsteps. My hands still on his waist, I felt Nick stiffen.
A man, tall, grey hair, came through the door. Nick, using everything he had, brought his club down, crashing it into the man’s skull. Simultaneously, Bixler hit him – hard – straight into his gut.
I saw surprise and pain on the man’s face as he pitched forward onto his knees. From there, he fell face down, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. But then, after just a split second, he rolled to the side. There was a pistol in his hand. I watched in horror as he lifted it, aiming it back in the direction of Nick and Bixler.
My adrenaline pumping, I took a giant step forward and stomped – with all my might – both feet – mashing his forearm into the floor. I heard the weapon discharge, but, looking down, I saw it fall from his hand.
He looked up at me. Before he could get his bearings for a counterattack, I stomped his face. Using just one foot, I stomped. Over and over, I drove my heel into him, pounding his head into the floor.
And then Nick was there. He grabbed the man’s shoulder, flipping him over. With his knees in the guy’s back, he cuffed one wrist and then the other. “Check on Bixler,” he said without looking up.
I glanced back. Bixler was down, his butt on the floor, his back against the door jamb. There was blood.
I knelt down next to him. “Oh, God. You’re shot.” The blood was soaking into one of his pant legs – up high – his thigh.
He didn’t respond, his face contorted in a grimace. As I watched, he turned over his hand. I saw him looking at his bloody fingers. “Fucker shot me,” he mumbled.
I moved closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” I said, suddenly overcome with emotion.
Bixler raised his head. It was as if he had finally noticed me. Our eyes met. He attempted a smile. “Fucker shot me,” he repeated. “But it’s just a flesh wound … thanks to you.” Pain still evident in his eyes. “Before you jumped, his gun was pointed at my head.”
Behind me, Nick spoke. “Catherine, check the house. Every room. Make sure there’s no one else here. Report back.”
I looked at Bixler, wondering how he’d react to hearing another name.
“There isn’t, but I’ll double check,” Cathers called out, disappearing through the door.
“She’s on it,” I told Nick. He needed to know even though our words were being recorded.
Nick nodded. “Bix, your cuffs,” he said.
Bixler pulled them from his belt. I took them from him, tossing them to Nick. He connected one end to one of the man’s wrists. Then, yanking the man’s arms up at what had to be an uncomfortable angle, he connected the other end of the second pair of handcuffs to a steel bed frame.
“That should hold him,” Nick said, beginning a search of the man’s pockets.
After throwing the suspect’s firearms well out of his reach, Nick crawled over to Bixler. Producing a nasty looking knife with a serrated blade, he started cutting away the cloth around Bixler’s wound.
Bixler looked up at Nick. “She saved my life. Were it not for her, that bullet would have gone in between my eyes.”
“She saved his life, too,” Nick said, momentarily glancing over at the man cuffed to the bed frame. He looked up at me. “Now’s your chance,” he continued. “Spit on him to your heart’s content.”
I got up and went over to the man in cuffs. He looked so helpless, scared even, his eyes shifting from my eyes to my pussy and back again. I made no attempt to cover up. I wanted him to see who had beaten him. “I’m good,” I said, glancing back at Nick.
Leaning over the man, I studied the damage I’d done to his face. Reaching down, I slapped his cheek softly. “He’s never going to forget the woman that did this to him,” I taunted. His nose was bloody and misshapen. It had to be broken.
I watched as his eyes traced along my body, again coming to rest on my face. His skin took on an ashen pallor. As our eyes met, he spoke. “Wait. Do I know you?”
I nodded. “How does it feel to be captured by the ghost of one of your victims?”
“You’re Catherine?”
I was taken aback. Was he one of the serial killers that kept a scrapbook of his victims? “Yup. Catherine Marshall,” I replied, glad that I’d had my hair done to match hers. In the next instant, I was regretting that she wasn’t in the room. “I’m glad you remember me. It’s been so long. And you probably remember slamming my fingers in the trunk lid, don’t you?” I held them in front of his face, flexing them to show him that they were fine. I wondered if it made sense that they weren’t broken, but Catherine’s didn’t seem to be.
As his eyes grew wide, I glanced back. Bixler was staring at me, looking right at my ass. Realizing what kind of a view I was giving him, I stood up and turned slightly. Even though my respect for the guy was way up, it was embarrassing. Even injured, he didn’t need to be looking between my legs.
Just then Catherine returned. Looking back down at the guy cuffed to the bedframe, I returned to what I had been saying, “I begged for my life. You left me in that trunk … to die … welded it shut. Just as naked then as I am now. Naked for all eternity … thanks to you, you bastard! But you’ll pay. You’ll pay in this life. And then, in the next. Boy, are you going to pay!”
I again turned to listen to what Catherine had to say. “There’s no one else in the house … not alive, anyway. There appear to be two bodies downstairs. In a small locked room off the basement. They’re wrapped in plastic.”
I turned to Nick. “There’s no one else in the house. But you’ll find a small room off the basement. It’s locked. Two bodies inside. Wrapped in plastic.”
I looked back at the man lying uncomfortably on the floor. “So you don’t believe in ghosts?” I asked him. I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It had been such a tense, scary situation, but suddenly no one else was going to die – not at the hands of this deranged psycho. The expression on his face was very telling. He was obviously terrified. I was glad about that. He needed to be.
Nick turned his radio back on and started reporting the situation in the house. A minute later, there were six to eight officers in the room with us, a few more in the hall. I was again kneeling next to Bixler, but the new people were distracting. It was as if they’d never seen so much ammo. They’d look away whenever I glanced their way, but I could also tell from their expressions that my nudity was quite distracting.
Doing my best to ignore them, I focused instead on Bixler. I’d found a pillow to put behind his back. There wasn’t much I could do to make him comfortable, but the paramedics were on their way. There was both an entry and an exit hole. It looked ugly, but at least the bullet wasn’t inside. Using his own hands, Bix was applying pressure to the wound.
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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Good story.
Hi Larry,
Glad you like it … I’ve put a lot into this (I hope that is evident).
My memory’s far from perfect, but this is the first time I’ve seen your name below a JMHM chapter. A comment from someone who hasn’t done so before! In short, it makes my day. I expect it’s that way for other writers as well.
Blair
Great chapter.
Thank you Chris,
I hoped this chapter would be appreciated. A lot went into setting this up. It’s not your typical ENF-fare, but there is certainly nudity. A bold woman embracing her fate and rising to the occasion.
Best Regards,
Blair
This was a really great chapter! (And you always know i mean that when I say it).
In a way, it reminded me of the climactic passage in the Lake story when Jill has to get help for the boys even though she is naked. In both of these stories you have done a really clever thing, which is to set up a situation in which the character has to do all kinds of action-packed, non-sexual things while naked — and the plot in both cases was so well set up that the reader completely accepts the situation.
Which is really great, and it is even still sexy (to me at least). I just love the concept of a female character who is compelled by circumstances to be naked for an extended period — her clothing left behind — and although the focus of the situation has nothing to do with her nudity, still there she is naked and everyone knows and accepts she is naked.
But now, of course, we are all wondering how the next chapter will play out because there’s a lot of explaining to be done — and there seems no way that her nudity can be kept out of the news reporting. Even if she puts something on before going out the front door there are the body cams. And her nudity is only part of the explanation that needs to be made. One can imagine poor Bix in the interrogation room.
Seems to me the only thing for Jessa and Nick to do is to just tell the truth and let the investigators decide how to take that. They could, of course, demonstrate the process again — unless Catherine suddenly moves on to the great beyond, which would be really awkward timing.
P.S. — I only skimmed the commends so far and noticed the reference to your recent personal loss. I am very sorry to hear and hope you and your family are doing okay.
Hi Molly,
I found your comparison of this action-packed scene to the one you mention in Summer at Cache Lake to be rather interesting. Maybe it’s obvious, but I myself had never noticed the similarity. Maybe I was two focused on the similarity of that story to The Exhibitionist Next Door. As a matter of fact, that’s where the idea for SaCL came from. The END was launched by the rescue of a naked girl — a girl who had gotten herself into a situation from which she could not extract herself.
That got me to thinking, might I be able to flip that around? What if the naked girl was the one who had to do the rescuing? And to add to the fun, I made her a flat-chested, shy teen (18, but still learning about herself and the world). And I made the setting the back country — in part, because it is what I know — but also to enhance her distance from clothing (among other things).
But your point is well taken. There are certainly similarities between what Jill faced and what Jessa is dealing with here, strong similarities. Both girls have to perform under very difficult conditions — and butt naked. Jill wears shoes. All Jessa has on is a candy necklace. In a way, that now serves as a symbolic connection to her newest bff, Cathers.
Jill is younger, and (as mentioned) flat and shy. Jessa is more mature. At 25 she is quite comfortable in her skin (which is not to say that she likes being nude … she’s just content with her body and her sex life). In this story, there is little discussion of breast size. She’s an attractive woman, neither busty nor flat. That’s not what this story is about. I decided to attempt a story in which there is a lot of nudity (and in out-of-the-ordinary places — like junkyards), but nudity is not the focus — her desire to do the right thing — that’s what drives her.
I’m glad you enjoyed this chapter and that you shared your musings about what might be to come. No hints about if what will happen mirrors what you describe. I’m about 3 chapters ahead with my writing (as I like to be). That ties my hands (which I also like) when it comes to responding to readers’ thoughts and ideas. A tweak or two, that would be possible — an alternate direction, out of the question.
I hope that my path will strike readers as realistic and (importantly) fun.
Best,
Blair
.. and from a romance story straight into a shooting scene. Having Officer Bixler present as the third invader of the house means introducing a guy who is totally flabbergasted how in the world Jessa knew exactly were to go to and on which timing. As if she used several drones (don’t know if police forces joined the armed forces in utilizing drones).
And then Jessa saved Bixler’s life and he knew it. She probably has one supporter for life now. Playing the ghost and instilling some fear into the serial murderer is just a small retribution. The effect of having a nude ghost in the flesh that you do recognize after so many decades and then hearing
As our bad guy doesn’t know Jessa can’t pull strings in the afterlife, it must be pretty haunting.
If our bad guy wasn’t convinced earlier, now he most certainly will as Jessa just reported on two bodies wrapped in plastic in small locked room in the basement. So if she isn’t a ghost, how would she be able to look in a locked room? Naked ghost or not, this guy realizes the afterlife is plotting against him as no living soul would know about those two bodies.
Meanwhile how Catherine stayed in her ‘advanced scout’ role and gave a sit-rep without paying attention to her torturer takes some character.
I fully agree with Molly, Jessa is not forced by brute force or blackmailing of any kind, but by her own sense of “doing the right thing” and thus save the lives of several police officers. That the side-effect is that she stays naked for an extended period, doing all kind of actions without giving much thought of being naked, only adds to the attraction.
I understand you have the next chapter already drafted and comments/suggestions are only an afterburner, but in order to understand exactly what happened for the record, I would recommend the police to obtain a full first-hand report from Cathers, that could easily take up hours sifting to all details. With an unbelieving captain some additional demonstration might be needed if that is what it takes to get Nick and and officer Bixler off the hook and to keep their badge. And make Jessa a honorary police officer (perhaps a painted badge, no police clothing allowance is needed).
I have my hopes Cathers doesn’t leave for good so Jessa can keep doing the right thing.
Regarding the title of your story: “Jessa meets her match” I just wonder who the match is, is it Nick or is is Cathers? The Romancing aspect favors Nick and she really can stand her man
but the extended nudity does favor Cathers.
Best regards
Barometer
PS I understand the editing after submitting the comment, but creating a white line is still a challenge.
Thanks Barometer,
Good thought. I expect he is quite beholden to the young lady who rose to the occasion, the woman who jumped into the fray (literally) when she was thinking that she was only there as an observer.
As I picture it, it has nothing to do with “pulling strings in the afterlife.” Frankly, I doubt anyone (living or dead) can do that. Instead, what I was imagining is that she might have inside information. She might simply know what it’s going to like for him after his earthly existence comes to an end.
Cathers really rose to the occasion, didn’t she? But she’s been waiting 40 years for her moment in the sun. She’s a strong woman. Together, she and Jessa are a force to be reckoned with.
Awesome idea! I love all your ideas about upcoming chapters. As you know (because I am well ahead with the writing), I’m not in a position to use much of what might be suggested, but I love hearing the ideas. I expect others might as well.
Interesting!
Wonderful comment. I find myself hoping that you will continue taking an active part on the board, this thread especially. But if there are other stories that you read or are reading, I’d encourage you to comment there as well.
Thanks again,
Blair
PS: I’m glad that you seemed to like the “Do you want to fight me, Nick?” line. Jessa is not going to be denied, not this time.
And the white lines — add this 6 character code in: I hope I can add it in here without it adding in a line (and being invisible).
Okay, it disappeared. I’ll try and PM it to you. Or possibly ReaderMan can explain. I’m sure there are others with the same question.
True, we don’t know what will happen to Cathers, but your second part made me smile and laugh. They are a good pair!
Spaces?
This is how you add a blank space. Start with the AND symbol then put nbsp (non breaking space) and end with a semi-colon. The trick though is to add it in edit mode. You can’t really add it when you are first making the comment. So finish your comment. Post it. And then hit the edit button and add in those
Like that and it will be all good. (they turn invisible)
Best chapter so far. It had my full attention from beginning to end. I was excited to read what would happen next in each paragraph. This is one of my favorite series that is being updated on this site right now. This definitely seemed like the climax of the story. I’m excited to see where the story will go next. I assume that it won’t be long before the end of this story.I also predict a bitter sweet ending of Cathers passing on. Let’s see if I am correct.
Hi Big D,
I’m delighted that this chapter has been so well received! Much of what has happened was building up to this moment in time.
There’s quite a bit left, at least more than I think you imagine.
Blair
That’s great to hear! Give me as much as possible!
Hi Blair,
What a chapter, you held me breathless until the end!
Due to my recent past, I shouldn’t say that, but this week it was my Cartesian (logical) side took over, and like Molly said, you’re going to have to explain everything that has happened now.
I know that sometimes, the police may require the help of psychic like Allison Dubois, but then a naked one like Jessa, it may be difficult to explain it.
I’m already impatient to read your next chapter.
Helen.
Hi Helen,
Breathless? I’m going to take that as a compliment. I’m open minded to finding compliments even where none are intended.
But, uh oh — your logical side. And now you and Molly are joining forces.You say you’re going to need things to be explained. You mean like, search for the guilty, prosecution of the innocent — that sort of thing? I’m not sure I’ve ever been very good at that. But you can give me a grade once all is said and done.
I did look up the Allison Dubois reference. Very relevant! I probably should know all about her. And yet this is my first go at a story like this. Never before have I written something with a ghost in it, so I’m all new to psychics and their purported powers. I’m not even sure I believe in ghosts — but I’m starting to. I mean, if Mazie senses something, then Cathers must be real, right?
Blair
Hi Blair,
That was a compliment. (… with my words).
[Breathless. I was so captivated by this chapter I haven’t even thought to breath]
Helen.
I can’t believe that I was actually anxious, as I read your description of the action, as our three (four) heroes stormed the house, and captured the villain. You have now replaced my favorite story teller. Congratulations BPClavel.
MasteRJ
Hey MasteRJ!
That is high praise indeed (and I thank you). Only once before did a reader use the word ‘favorite’ in regards to me as an author. That gentleman went by the name of T (Terry in real life). He and I became as good friends as is possible when relating over the internet. Sadly, he was not the healthiest of men (nor the youngest), and has since passed on. I could tell you more about him, but I’m going to limit myself to one item (and I thank you for the opportunity to mention this in the context of this story). T. was a retired police officer. He helped me fine-tune the law enforcement aspects in my earlier stories. Those stories are much better, thanks to his involvement.
And wouldn’t you know it — now I’m writing a story with all kinds of police officer stuff taking place — and sadly, I’m on my own. So that’s what I wanted to say — that this story would be better were he still down here on earth, reading my early drafts and advising me. But he liked his nude women. It’s my hope that he’s up there — enjoying Cathers as he deserves to — as she deserves to be enjoyed. Indeed, Jessa shouldn’t be having all the fun. Cathers needs to be blushing as well, right?
Again, thank you for paying me this grand compliment, MasteRJ. I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to maintain the story at such an exciting level, but this arrest scene will continue. As the curtain rises on the next act, Jessa will still be naked and still dealing with all kinds of issues, people milling about, etc. The villain is now in custody, but Jessa has gone public, so to speak. Only a handful had seen her nude prior to this chapter. Not anymore!
The story will shift into a new phase. I’m not sure it will be to Jessa’s liking, but hopefully it will be an enjoyable one from a reader’s point of view. I should be able to get chapter 10 posted in about a week’s time. Please continue to share your thoughts as things unfold.
Best Regards,
Blair
To call this chapter epic – would be an understatement.
The frantic pace of the opening paragraphs grip you tight and pull you in. This is it. The big showdown. It’s the killer, and he’s all pumped up to take as many with him as possible. Raining down bullet fire in all directions, tearing into police cars.
That last line, Nicks comprehension – so great.
A huge relief. Catherine!
Mission impossible.
I freaking loved that line. So full of emotion and meaning. This whole scene has one secret and powerful ingredient – trust.
ReaderMan smiles with Nick as well. And what follows is the most intense scene I’ve ever read. And I’m not just talking ENF stories. If you are reading this comment, and haven’t read the story. Do yourself a big favour and start with chapter one. This chapter perfectly culminates the power of those earlier chapters, focusing them all into this exponentially powerful scene. A jack-hammer of action, emotion, intensity. Again, epic – would be an understatement.
Thank you, ReaderMan. I so very much wanted this chapter to be well received.
Exactly! Trusting one’s own eyes, we all do that. Trusting the eyes of another, that is a much bigger leap, especially when it goes against what Nick’s own eyes are telling him. And it’s a really big deal because his life is on the line. And then, Nick asks his partner to risk his life as well. That’s a lot of trust.
Best,
Blair
Straight into the action, as expected from the end of the previous chapter.
The proper reaction, yet Jessa wants a closer look. I was reading wide-eyed, how Jessa froze during the gunfire volleys, how she’s trying to get to Nick. The tension, as you wrote these scenes, felt very real.
Jessa hiding in the shrubbery… I was scared that one of those bullets would hit her. She’s as good as out in the open. Perhaps hidden from sight, but those bushes aren’t going to stop bullets. It’s lucky for our Jessa that the shooter was aiming for the cop cars…
Running from car to car, to find Nick… I was thinking has she lost her mind?
This exchange between Nick and Jessa is so on point. At first I thought she just wanted to make sure Nick was okay, but that was only part of it. She’s here for Cathers, to catch the murderer.
I don’t know why I couldn’t see it coming, but I was surprised by this turn of events.
It might’ve been better had he not said that last part… for appearance’s sake.
Ah, he’s so fired, and never working in law enforcement again. Perhaps even a massive psych evaluation is waiting for him. It speaks to his character that he’s sacrificing his career to try and take this murderer alive, for Cathers, Jessa, and all the families of the other victims.
As for Jessa, given her previous experience at the mental hospital, being seen naked at a police barricade, storming a house, is not going to look well for her. Wearing just the candy necklace…
I’d smile too, if I wasn’t so tense reading this.
I had chills reading this part. The trust between them, to do this together. My respect for Bixler has grown tremendously during this chapter.
OMG, way to drive up the tension. And no, Jessa, you’re not just an observer, you’re right there with nothing to protect you, not even any clothes!
I knew someone was shot when the gun went off, afraid Nick would die here, or Bix. He didn’t deserve to get shot, how he risked his life to help his partner.
This is going to have repercussions, I’m sure. And not good ones…
You wrote it, and I don’t know how you managed. As ReaderMan mentioned, an epic chapter is an understatement.
Bix better live through this!
Thanks for the wonderful comment, Cave. I love how you chronicle your thoughts and emotions as the chapter unfolds. As a writer, I always wonder when readers will realize the overall direction. I try to foreshadow things adequately so that no one feels tricked, but I try not to do it to the extent that major developments don’t come as a surprise.
Yep, Jessa has her eyes on the prize — the big prize. And she’s the only one. Everyone else, Nick included, is not thinking that capturing the villain alive is a possibility.
I get what you’re saying, but appearances … that’s exactly why Nick said that. He wants everyone to know what’s going to happen, and he wants them to know that he is doing it knowingly. He’s warning them, so that they won’t be alarmed when they see that the woman with him is nude.
And I expect he knows that’s the most likely outcome when a police officer disobeys direct orders.
Thank you for sharing these thoughts.
Pretty crazy to picture this scene, right? The nude woman and the two police officers lying in ambush.
Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I can’t really comment, not without risking a spoiler.
Again, thank you.
Best,
Blair
Looks like I was wrong again with my predictions about the story (I had thought that’s not the killer). Luckily, I was wrong, because otherwise we would have missed a great plot development!
First I hoped that Nick would bring Jessa back to safety, even if he had to drag her out of danger. Two naked ghosts would have been too much for me. But glad he didn’t, that he trusted her and Catherine completely and used their help to catch the killer alive.
I think this was the strongest chapter so far. When reading this chapter, sometimes I almost forgot about the nudity; I was so captivated by how the action developed.
The scene where Jessa plays Catherine’s ghost to instill fear of retribution in the afterlife into the killer was kind of very satisfying.
I wonder how Jessa and Nick will get out of this situation, especially because apparently it was recorded when they talked to Catherine. But no, I am not going to make any predictions about story developments any more.
Hey arthwys,
I thank you for that. This is my first go at writing anything like a crime drama. I’ve had a lot of fun attempting this mashup of two very different genres.
And, by the way, I don’t mind the predictions. They don’t have to be right (of course they don’t). I imagine there are readers that enjoy reading what others think might happen. I guess one of the reasons that I don’t have a problem with people attempting to guess where the story might go is that I fancy myself a pretty darn creative fellow. In short, even if someone were to guess that Cathers was going to provide reconnaissance (and someone did), then exactly how she did it would (hopefully) still be fun to read.
I hoped it would be, so I’m delighted that you mention that in your comment.
Best,
Blair