Movement flashes before me. The man bolts for it. The bullet flies out of the gun and hits him in the leg. He stumbles but keeps running. It doesn't take long for Jason to grab ahold of him and pin him down.
Never get on a quarterback's bad side.
"Tess! Over here please!" Jason yells. I walk over, the gun still drawn and pointed down. Jason turns the man over, gripping him by the shirt. "Where did you shoot Caley? Where!" He yells.
The guy scrambles, trying to fight back. "Where did you shoot my girlfriend?!" He yells again.
"The chest and arm," I answer, numbly. I remember all too well. Every sound. Every movement. Everything.
"Then that is what you get," Jason growls at the man.
"Jason we can't! I know what your thinking!" I yell.
"Awe, you are scared." The man blurts before Jason can speak. "Don't worry, you'll eventually join blondie." He spits. "Maybe after you let me go I can go find my buddy and we can unearth her. Finish what was started." He says.
"Oh like fuck you will!" I yell. I grab the barrel with my other hand and wack him across the face. I go to take a shot at his face but the gun clicks. He laughs under Jason. "Even if you arrest me, we have people everywhere. They will get me out."
I take a look at Jason. This will be messy. Just get it over with.
"Hold him," I say. Jason shifts so I can lean my knee on the man's leg. "Who was the one who tried to assault Caley?" I ask.
"I'll spare you just tell me," I whisper, trying to make it seem like I'm still going to actually let him go. "I'll let you go," I say again.
The man then spits in my face and tries to head-butt me. Before I can react Jason pushes me off him, grabs ahold of the man, and raises him, and shoves him down hard on the ground.
After a few slams the man becomes lifeless. I cover my mouth, tears in my eyes. "Jason... what the hell was that?" I say, tears now falling down my numb cheeks.
He looks over at me, an arm draped over his leg as he pants. "It was self-defense. He tried to hurt you," he says.
"The police are here for a reason!" I yell. "To stop the bad guys from hurting the good guys."
"None of those men were caught, Tess. They are smart. They can hide. We never would have been safe! I had no choice!" He yells.
I hate to admit he is right, but he is. I put my hands on my hips. "Okay. We... we need to get rid of the body." I say.
"What do you suggest? His blood is everywhere." He says.
I look at him and notice the trickle of blood under his head. "Geez," I say, turning around. I start thinking.
"I need a plastic bag, a shovel, and coke," I say.
"Cocaine?" Jason asks.
"No, the soda. I need the soda. Lots of it." I say.
"Thirsty, Gomez?" He asks, laughing. I look at him, horrified. "No! Coke will dissolve the body. I think." I say.
"You think? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Let's just shovel and dump it somewhere." He says.
I grab his arm and make him stand up. "Jason if we are going to make it out of this we need a concrete plan. And we need to trust each other. I trust you, do you trust me?" I ask.
He pauses for a while and it makes me scared. I barely even notice I still have the gun in my hand. "I'll get the coke, and a bag, and a shovel. You move him and get that bullet out of him. If he had a knife on him stab him with it in the bullet wound." He says. He then kisses me.
"We shouldn't move him. His blood is in the dirt. We should bury him in a pit next to him, when he's in the hole we take that dirt and put it in the hole. Grab two shovels so one won't have his DNA on it. Preferably a shovel that we don't own. I have a shovel in my cabinet by the door." I say, handing him my keys.
He gives me one last kiss before leaving me here with the body. "I don't regret saving you. I couldn't save Caley. I won't lose you." He says. I grip his shirt collar. "I won't lose you like we lost Caley, either. I-" I start but I can't bring myself to say the L word yet.
"I know." He says. "I know babe."
He then runs off, running back down the path we came from. And I get to work stripping the man and finding his belongings.
His name is Seth Murphy. He's 20 years old. Freshman at the University of Washington. Studying Marine Biology.
What a waste.
When Jason comes back dawn breaks around us. I have already gone through his phone, carefully touching it with Seth's clothes, and writing down every single contact on his phone onto a notepad in my bag.
"I'll destroy the phone. I'll get it smelted with the gun." I say before smashing the phone to bits.
Oh right, I forgot about our other murder.
He holds out a shovel. "Gunna burn this too?" I ask. He nods. "Make sure we only use the one that will be in contact with his DNA," he adds. He then hands me gloves. I put them on carefully and grab ahold of the shovel. Jason and I begin digging the hole into the ground beside him. Once that's down quite far, we lay the plastic tarp down inside. I then walk over to Seth and roll his body into the hole.
I grab the other shovel and start shoveling the dirt with his blood on it while Jason grabs dirt from a nearby spot and starts replacing the empty spot.
I begin opening the soda bottles one by one. All 20 of them. Meanwhile, Jason does the part I refused to do. Removing his teeth.
"First time?" I ask, trying to ease the tension I feel building. He smirks, pulling a bag over to throw the teeth in. "Not looking forward to the destroying I'll have to do," he says.
He then gets up and walks over to the bag he brought. He pulls out two pairs of blue bag slippers, like those ones you wear over your shoes while painting. "We have to leave ours here. I hope you weren't attached to them," he says.
"What are we going to do with them?" I ask, beginning to pour the soda into the hole.
"Homeless camps nearby. I saw one that is abandoned currently. We can make a fire and it can turn to ashes. They'll think it was homeless people's shoes." he says.
I nod, finishing my last few bottles. "Yeah, you have a point," I say.
I reach and grab the rest of the bag, wrapping him entirely up. "Alright, let's get him dug up," I say.
We take the next 30 minutes covering him in dirt using the other shovel and our gloved hands. Finally, when it's smooth we make imperfections in it. Covering it with rocks and sticks and grass. We step back, and our shoes and remaining tools are thrown in a bag to be destroyed.
We walk back from where we came, throwing our shoes in the fire pit Jason saw and setting it ablaze.
Waiting at the entrance to the park we walked into is his truck. We carefully remove our plastic baggies and discard them to be burned.
We drive off, Jason dropping me back off at the apartment.
"I can't come with?" I finally ask, waiting at his door.
"We need alibis. Go to work today. At least for a few hours. Tell someone, anyone, you had a great date with me last night that ended in wild sex. Say you needed to think about me and needed to clear your head. My story will match yours, I promise. I'll be talking to my old buddy." he says.
I step back. "I think I need a therapist," I say, smirking. Jason smiles back. "Then maybe go and find a therapist instead. Do some research. Take care of yourself." he says. Before I close the door, he throws his hand out to catch it. "But no word of this to any therapist. To anyone. Right?" he says. I nod, smiling. "Duh," I answer. I shut his door and wave him goodbye.
He rolls away and I make my way inside. I immediately take a turn into my bathroom, showering off the night and what happened. I wipe my hands over my face, drying the water off it. Then I look beside me at Caley's things. Her pink puff, her Lavender and Rose scented body wash. Her razor.
I don't even think anymore. I just want the pain gone. I shut the shower off, grabbing my green towel, and wrapping it around myself. I rip the cabinets open, tears beginning now. I grab the trash bin and pull it out to the floor. I reach for Caley's shower supplies and start tossing them into the bin. I scream and cry, grabbing all her perfume and tossing it so hard into the bin the glass shatters. I go into her cabinet and grab her makeup and throw it into the bin. I grab her eyeshadow palette, throwing the pinks, purples, blues, and skin colors into the bin. The colors surround me on the floor as I scream and cry.
Her death had been a lie. She never knew her parents, I knew that. She wouldn't have told me because she would have felt awful. She never knew. And Charlotte decided to betray her. Betray me. I never even liked Charlotte. She was self-centered. Loud - very loud. When I dated Jason for the few weeks I did she got so angry at me. She said I never hung out with my friends and I was selfish. Me? Selfish? God, I wish I could just stick a toothbrush in her eye.
I look up at the final perfume left. But I leave it. I liked that one, and so did she.
I manage to get my wet and dusty ass off the floor. I open the bathroom door and into my room. I change my clothes, patting off all the dust. My eyes make contact with Caley's plates still in the sink. Something I promised her I would clean when we got home that night. I never cleaned it.
I walk over, grabbing soap and scrubbing off the noodles she had. I try and try but it won't come off. I look at the dishwasher, getting ready to fill it. Instead, I smash the plate to the ground and scream. Her white with painted pink tulip plate she loves so much is shattered at my feet. I pick up two pieces of glass and set them aside. I can hear her now... "Eh, its no big deal really. It's just a stupid plate. Let's clean it up and maybe we can go get some ice cream?"
I smirk, wiping my face. I reach behind me for the dustpan and broom and begin sweeping.
Instead of tossing her dishes, I keep them. I go up to her room. I start grabbing the boxes I kept in her closet and begin bagging up her things to go to charity. Something she would have wanted. I keep some things. Her fuzzy blanket, her favorite soft fuzzy pillow. Her side table lamp with the hanging crystals on it. Then it comes down to her wardrobe. She had some stuff in her closet and her dresser. But I know the items she loved the most were organized in her wardrobe. And I know, even though I want to protest, she would have wanted me to keep her clothes. So I leave them there as I go about and pack the rest of her clothes up. Finally, I get the last box packed and convinced my neighbor down the hall to take it. Mr. Reynolds next door adored Caley, and so he agreed without a second thought. He dropped whatever he was doing and went straight away. That just shows how much love she gave to her community.
Plus now Mr. Reynolds is my alibi. It all works out.
I grab my laptop on the table and find a therapist with an open appointment tomorrow. Dr. Nathaniel Williams. He texts me not long after signing up saying he is looking forward to our first session. Little does he know the shit I am about to pile on him.
I make my way back into the living room, pulling the pillow and blanket with me. I lay the pillow and blanket down by the big windows. I lay down on the hard wooden floors, pulling the blanket up to my chest. Underneath is Caley's yellow and black flannel she always wore. And, to be honest, it may even be Jason's originally.
I let my eyes close the sounds and lights of the city closing with them.