Rescue Fantasies (Part 12) (545 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 2 on 5 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by fried-green-potatoes (View user info) at 2006-01-18 21:09:29 EST
http://www.ubersite.com/m/72067 (Part 1)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/80255 (Part 2)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/80857 (Part 3)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/81155 (Part 4)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/69317 (Part 5)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/81435 (Part 6)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/81735 (Part 7)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/82005 (Part 8)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/82334 (Part 9)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/82357 (Part 10)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/82387 (Part 11)
John's phone calls and e-mails went unanswered for two solid days. "Jan, I'd like to talk" became, "Jan, I really need to see you" and finally, "Jan, you have to call me—you need to talk to me!" All were met with silence. She was not in the lunchroom where they always met in the afternoon. Her work extension rolled over on the first ring. John finally walked over to her department and saw the computer screen inside her cubicle was dark.
"Not in today," the research department intern snapped, annoyed that this man was in her space.
On Tuesday afternoon, John was cleaning up a column for the Lifestyle section when he felt the deputy editor put a hand on his shoulder.
"What's going on with that woman from research you hang out with?" the deputy editor asked John. "Nobody's seen her since Friday, and she hasn't called in."
Late that evening, John drove to Jan's apartment and saw her car was missing. He let himself into her apartment with the key she had given him. CNN was blaring from an unwatched TV that sat in the corner beside the stereo A line of ants congregated on a few plates in the kitchen sink, a bounty that the insects had discovered hours if not days before. The apartment was vacant but it was not undisturbed—in fact, the place looked like it had been turned upside down. Papers spilled out of open drawers. Books tumbled off shelves. Jan's bedroom was an explosion of clothes and cosmetics, and a half-filled suitcase lay abandoned on her bed. Two other large trunks that usually sat in her bedroom closet were gone and so was half of her wardrobe. It could have been a break-in, John thought, except no burglar would leave without the TV, stereo and a couple pieces of family silver that still sat on a small running board in the hall.
John started to write a note when the answering machine caught his eye. A red "25" was flashing on the message panel. John pressed play and quickly cycled through telemarketer pitches, a message from Jan's boss at the paper and several of his own unreturned calls. The message tagged "12" was the one that caught his attention.
It was from Faye, who sounded half-hysterical.
"Janie?!......oh my God!" the waitress was yelling , tearful and panic stricken. "Janie!... What did you tell him, sweetie? ...What did you tell that newspaper fella?!..He was here, hun—here in Ellington, asking about Dee.... Dee!!...Oh, sweet JesusMarynJoseph!! ...Why on earth would you bring her up--ever?"
In the background, John could hear a man's voice. He was swearing loudly and throwing dishes and other breakables against a wall.
"The Washington fella says you and him are close--why is he sneakin' up here and askin' questions about Dee and Kylie and the grave that ain't nobody's businesss asking?" Faye said as she started to sob. "Janie! Sweetie! I TOLD you...Dee is missing persons...It ain't over and it ain't time, not by a damn sight!!.... There's still a poster of Dee tacked up at the Food Lion, for Godssakes!... Right there by the damn checkout!! ...Oh, Lord, hun, you shouldn't never brung her name up! Not ever!!...God, sweetheart, he want's to know who Dee is!!... He wants to know all about that grave and who's in it!!....Oh my God, hun, Sherriff Barney was in the Keystone when this fella come up ... he couldn't have been more than 10 feet away when this fella starts to asking about about Kylie and Dee and the grave!!.. If they ever figure out it ain't Kylie but Dee in that hole I just don't know what I'm gonna..."
"OK, NOW YOU LISTEN TO ME," the man in the background screamed as he tore the phone from Faye's hand. "I tole my wife not to get mixed up in this!!... I TOLE her!!...I says 'Faye, this is only gonna come back an bite us hard!".... And now you ... you lit off like that and run yer mouth to a newsfella...Where's that leave us-- that's what I wanna know??...Well, I tell you what, lady, it ain't gonna be us... No, sir!!... It ain't gonna be us left holdin' a bag of shit!... You hearin' me?....Well, do ya?"
After a pause, John hear a loud crash, followed by Faye's scream.
"THIS IS ON HER PHONE MACHINE?!" the man was yelling at Faye. "YOU BEEN PUTTIN THIS ON HER TAPIN' MACHINE?!"
The phone dropped and John could hear Faye cry out as the man began to shake her hard.
"WHAT WAS YOU THINKIN', GODDAMN YOUR SOUL!" he was yelling at his wife. "WHAT WAS YOU THINKIN'!"
The tape ran out, and the next message kicked in.
"Hi, Jan.... yeah, well, uh... This is Barney Kasich up to Ellington Sherriff's office," the man said in a worn, almost apologetic voice. "Listen, sorry to trouble but I just got a call from Faye and.... Well, sir, I don't know how to tell you this but Faye's got herself in a state about ....something ...and that damn husband of hers ain't helpin' none neither," the man said with a nervous laugh and a cough. "Anyways, like I said,...I hate to bother but ... I guess I'm gonna need you to call me in a day or so...I can't make head nor tail of what Faye's got herself hysterical about... We might need you to come up here and straighten it out, ok?...uh, sorry bout all this, Jan.... It'd be nice to see you again, though, right?... An' you be sure to give my best to your daddy when you see him."
Two messages later, John heard the voice of an old man.
"It's Pop, sweetheart. ...Kylie understands. She's packed and ready to go... ...Drive safe coming up."
John called work and got Pierce at the copydesk. They agreed to trade John's Wednesday shift for Pierce's Saturday. With luck and good traffic, John was pretty sure he would make Poughkeepsie by daybreak.
User Reviews
Submitted by Coyote (user info) at 2006-01-22 22:51:18 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I have to say I preferred the style of the earlier installments, when things weren't quite so spelled out... this isn't a knock, but for John to put in all that effort over all these days and weeks only to have it all dumped in his lap by a hysterical waitress left me feeling a little disappointed. On the other hand, I have a feeling you'll twist things around again in the last couple of chapters...
Submitted by jack11058 (user info) at 2006-01-20 10:24:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
hmmmm...i was actually right in my suspicions about the grave. this is eminently publishable.
Submitted by fried-green-potatoes (user info) at 2006-01-19 13:10:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Circe: Sharp as ever, woman... You have no idea how many times I recast that sentence with exactly the same concern... Thanks, good call and I'll lose it in the final.
Brdn_Nakd: Appreciate it the kind feedback and I definitely hear what you're saying about "life on the installment plan." Part 7 is an good example from this story. You've got this business about two little girls clunking down the stairs to the bus. It's a big WTF as an installment, but it works (I hope) as foreshadowing in an end-to-end read. Whaddyagonnado? I promise a clean read and revisited comments when you wrap up "Cardboard Box."
Speaking of which... last two installments of this are just about ready to go and should be posted by the weekend. Thanks to anyone reading it.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2006-01-19 11:11:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
nicely done, I had it all wrong. good stuff.
Submitted by Circe (user info) at 2006-01-19 09:44:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Damn.. awesome, just fucking awesome...
Only one thing, very minor..."John could hear Faye cry out as the man began to shake her hard."
He couldn't really know the man was shaking her.. it kind of interrupted the story. Apart from that, rockin'.