The Last Girl

  Bill was standing nearby, leaning on the rake, a breeze blowing through his thick hair. “Where did you go?”

  “The park.”

  “Your friends came by to see you.” He looked to Bobby. “Helga likes you.”

  Bobby nodded. “She’s a nice dog.”

  “I thought Bobby and I would check on Jess,” Piper said.

  “I didn’t have time to talk to her today,” Sonya said.

  “She’s all right, but she found that entry on the Blue and White. Anna and Courtney showed it to her, the idiots.”

  “I think they’re jealous,” Bobby said. “She’s getting more attention.”

  Bill walked over the his shed, taking the rake with him.

  “Has she received anymore e-mails?” Sonya asked.

  Piper shook her head. “Jess told me that the police want him to contact her again, but I think he’s too smart.”

  Sonya came closer to Bobby and Piper, watching for Bill to emerge from the shed. “I was out by Jess’s house. I went to Whispering Pines.”

  She explained what she saw there, and Bobby asked,”What were you looking for?”

  “Maybe the Ravisher lives close to Jess, a neighbor or someone who goes to our school. He could be anyone, but how far would he be willing to go to find another girl to attack?”

  “Whispering Pines is half-empty,” Bobby said. “People are moving out almost every day. Kelly used to live there, now she’s living with her parents at her grandma’s house.”

  Sonya shrugged. “I live with my uncle.”

  “He’s so cute,” Piper said. “He called me ‘Cupcake.’ No one has ever called me that.”

  Bobby giggled. “Can I call you Cupcake?”

  Piper kept a straight face. “No.”

  Sonya turned at the sound of tires on the driveway. Aron was at the wheel of the truck.

  “My dad had another job interview,” she said.

  “What school did he teach at?” Piper asked.

  “North Marine. Taught English and History.”

  Aron emerged from the truck in his jacket and tie, hair neatly combed. He entered through the gate, Helga running up to him.

  “How’d it go?” Sonya asked.

  “Lousy.” He grinned at her, petting Helga. “Where’s Bill?”

  “In his shed.” Sonya introduced Bobby and Piper. Aron said a polite hello and went to the shed, Helga following.

  “I guess we have enough time to get over to Jess’s house,” Bobby said. “I have to study for an English quiz tonight.”

  “Jess was out of it today,” Piper said.

  “Did she sound drunk?” Sonya asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “She must still be in pain.”

  Sonya followed Bobby and Piper out to Bobby’s scooter, watching them put matching helmets on. She waved as they pulled out.

  She was walking into the house when she found Bill at the table, reading the Marine Press.

  “Nice kids,” he said.

  Sonya opened the refrigerator, searching for a Dr. Pepper. “Yeah, they‘re fun.”

  “That boy is swishy, though.”

  *****

  Kristen Beck was coming to the end of her shift at Chester Chicken. She had been standing for hours at the register. She used to like fried chicken, now the smell of the fryer was nauseating, she would feel sick watching the customers eat the stuff.

  Kristen was senior at East Marine and had known she was pregnant for the last two weeks, although she had yet to tell her parents and her boyfriend Darius. The baby was due at the end of April, so she could expect to give birth before graduation.

  Kristen was petite, around five feet, three inches tall. Her hair was a dark brown, as were her eyes. She was a good student and attended the same cheerleading camp as Piper and Jess over the summer.

  Kristen left the register to take out the garbage. The large, heavy bag, filled with discarded food and containers, was already leaking as Kristen tried to drag it through the back door. She had been warm inside, now the cool September night air was giving her chills in her white Chester Chicken work shirt and black pants.

  She was still dragging the bag when she passed the few cars at the drive-thru. The time was almost ten o’clock, when the restaurant closed on the inside, the drive-thru open until midnight.

  The dumpster was surrounded by a six foot tall wooden shelter, unlocked during business hours. Kristen pulled open the front gate by its latch.

  When she entered, the ripe smell of garbage greeted her, sufficient light peering from the parking lot to allow her to see what she was doing. She flipped over one of the rubber flaps at the top of the dumpster. She used both hands to try to lift the bag, hoping the plastic would not break. Her fingers were becoming cold, her nose starting to run.

  She was grabbed from behind while bending over. A man’s arm tightened around her small waist, his hand covering her face. He tried to raise her from the ground, but she kept a grip on the heavy bag.

  “Let go, bitch.”

  She would have screamed, but she was too dumbstruck as he wrapped his hand around her ponytail, keeping her head in place. The knife in his other hand shot out, cutting into the plastic bag around her fingers, making her let go.

  He pulled her backwards behind the dumpster. She tried to wiggle away, but he used his weight to pin her against the wooden fencing. He kept his hand tangled in her hair. Kristen recognized the hunting knife, her father owned one like it, the blade long and sharp.

  He was dressed in black clothing, including a ski mask. He pulled hard at her hair while he pushed the blade into her lips, slicing into the soft flesh as Kristen’s frightened squeals exploded behind her clenched teeth.

  *****

  A woman and her ten year old son were eating their Chester Chicken combo meals in the front seat of the woman’s SUV when they saw the girl stumble out of the dumpster shelter.

  The blood was oozing from the cuts across Kristen’s lips, chin, and cheeks, soaking into her white shirt, her hair hanging in her face as she tried to walk towards the building. The woman in the SUV watched Kristen fall on the pavement. She told her boy to stay put and she got out of her vehicle. She ran to Kristen to help but, as soon as she saw the girl’s face, she let out a loud gasp.

  The shock kept Kristen quiet. Her manager, a nineteen year old named Chip, called the police. She was rushed into the break room before the other customers could see her. When the police and ambulance came, Kristen was sitting with the woman, wrapped in her jacket, napkins with the Chester Chicken logo stuck to her face to stop the bleeding.

  She would not notice until later that her watch was missing, pulled from her left wrist.

  *****

  “You’re right,” Bobby said, “I would have refused.”

  “I’m sorry,” Piper said. “But I knew you would at least hear me out.”

  Bobby and Piper had stopped at Farm Park later that afternoon, sitting at the rusted swing set. They had visited Jess for an hour but, when they left Jess’s house, Piper asked Bobby if they could talk somewhere else, suggesting the park.

  A woman with a baby in a pink stroller sat nearby, a book open in her lap.

  “Your life was almost ruined,” Bobby said. “And don’t tell me any of it was worth being expelled from Crandall.”

  “I wasn’t expelled, I was asked to leave.”

  “Same thing.”

  “Justine can’t hurt me, she’s locked up.”

  “She could find a way,” Bobby said. “She’s smart.”

  “You’ve never met her.”

  “I didn’t have to, you told me enough.”

  “She knows something about the guy that attacked Jess. She called him the Ravisher.”

  “Is that enough to make you want to go to Haven Rest?”

  “Yes. This must be important to Justine, because I haven’t heard from her in months.”

  “Don’t let your mom
find out, she’ll take your computer away.”

  “Not to mention my cell phone. She’s done it before.”

  “At a place like Haven Rest,” Bobby said, “Justine would have to be a good girl to be allowed to use the Web.”

  Piper opened her Chanel bag, pulling out a printed copy of the e-mail. “Here. You try to make sense of it...”

  Bobby’s eyes darted over each sentence. “What’s this about a diamond?”

  “Who knows?” Piper’s fingers gripped the chains on both sides of her as she sat in the swing. “She could be delusional, or seeing things perfectly clear.”

  “She’s thinks we’re all little piggies.” Bobby kept his gaze on the paper. “What secret of your’s does she want to dig up?”

  “She has a few, but nothing you don’t already know about.”

  Bobby handed the copy back to her. “I’ll take you when you want to go, but Haven Rest is almost fifteen miles from here.”

  “My dad would give me more money. I’ll tell him I need it for clothes or something.”

  “Your mom won’t care if you ask your dad for money?”

  “She doesn’t mind, but I’m going to have to be careful.”

  “You could end up grounded forever—”

  “She won’t find out.”

  *****

  Sonya was dozing off when she heard a knock. She got out of bed and opened the door in the attic floor. When she looked down, she saw Aron in his T-shirt and pajama bottoms.

  “Another girl was attacked. Do you know a Kristen Beck?”

  Chapter Eight

  “Hello?”

  Sonya heard the woman’s voice, and was confused for a moment, but asked,” Is Cal there?”

  “He’s not here right now.”

  “Oh. Um...okay.” Sonya quickly hung up, closing her cell phone. Her cheeks felt warm, wondering who the woman was that answered Cal’s phone.

  Maybe he has a girlfriend now, she thought. But Mom hasn’t been dead for six months…

  Sonya had wanted to speak to Cal since reading his article about the attacks on Jess and Kristen in the Marine Press. Kristen’s assault was days ago, but now the local news stations from Falls River had come to the school, causing excited murmurs. Kristen had not returned to school, but SkolClik had been at work, showing a yearbook photo of her taken the year before. Sonya did not recognize Kristen , but Piper remembered her from cheerleading camp.

  Sonya put her cell phone in her jacket and walked over to Barb’s house to babysit the Four Js. Aron told her he would pick her up when Barb came home, but Sonya only had to cross the street and walk past two houses.

  “Kristen was at work,” he had said. “This guy is getting more confident. The next one might be in her own home.”

  Sonya, as she thought of her father’s words, started walking faster, only becoming less anxious when she reached Barb’s driveway, the Camaro covered in leaves sticking from the afternoon rain.

  She knocked at the door and Barb called out. “Come in!”

  Sonya, when she entered, heard the spin of the washing machine and the sound of a video game on the TV. She came to the living room, and found Kyle playing a Mario Brothers game with one of his brothers.

  Kyle was fully dressed this time, in a T-shirt and jeans, as he pressed his thumbs against the buttons, Mario and Luigi bouncing from a roof. Mario made a bad dive and fell, ending the game.

  Kyle looked up and smiled, his brother taking over. “Jack’s the only one who lets me play.”

  “We need another TV,” Jack said. “Josh and Jay play Wii on ours.”

  “I need some coffee,” Kyle said. He rose from the floor, heading for the kitchen. “I go in at eight tonight.”

  Barb emerged from the bathroom, her hair still wet, wearing tight jeans and a black T-shirt with the Blue Diamond logo, a smiling skull with a blue stone in the front tooth, surrounded by a floral border. “Hi, Sonya. The boys already ate, and Kyle will be leaving soon. I left my cell number on the fridge, but I should be back by eleven.”

  “Mom?” Jack asked. “Can I stay up until you get home?”

  “Did you finish your homework?”

  “No.”

  “Do that and you can stay up. Same for your brothers. Did you eat, Sonya?”

  “Yeah.”

  “There’s chips and cookies if you want them. Pop is in the fridge.” Barb grabbed her leather jacket from the couch. “Jack, you and your brothers be good for Sonya.”

  Barb went out through the back door. Sonya found Kyle drinking his coffee at the table.

  “Mom can give you a ride home tonight,” he said.

  “My dad is picking me up.”

  “I used to work with her brother Tony.”

  “Who?”

  “Kristen Beck.”

  “At Metal Concepts?”

  “No. At my old job.”

  “He took her watch.”

  Kyle nodded. “He wants a reminder...”

  “He’s so smart, he never makes a mistake.”

  “You would think the girls could fight him, but they must be too scared.”

  “And I’ll bet he’s in good shape—”

  They both heard a vehicle come up the driveway.

  “That’s Trey.” Kyle left his coffee, picking up his jacket from behind the chair. “They’ll just play video games until they fall asleep. Jack knows he has all weekend to do that homework, so Mom can get on him later.”

  “Okay.”

  After Kyle walked out, Sonya watched through the window as Trey put his red truck in reverse. She was turning towards the living room when she heard her cell phone ring in her jacket pocket.

  She pulled it out. “Hello?”

  “Sonya, it’s Piper. Have you looked on the Blue and White?”

  “No, not today.”

  “Are you at home?”

  “Babysitting for a neighbor. I’ll call you back, okay?”

  Sonya found Jack playing alone at the TV. “Do you have a computer?”

  “Mom’s lap-top is in her room.”

  “Can you get it for me?”

  He nodded, tearing his gaze away from Grand Theft Auto to go to his mother’s room. When he returned with the lap-top, he helped Sonya get on the Web as she sat at the couch.

  “What are you looking for?” he asked.

  “Have you ever heard of the Blue and White?”

  “High school stuff.” He left her, getting back to his game.

  Sonya went to the blog, ready to see some scathing commentary. Instead, what she saw made her suck in her breath, almost gasping.

  She had to think for a moment, recalling when the camera phone caught her at Jess’s house over a week ago. In the photo on the screen, she was holding her own camera, hair in her face, eyes closed, mouth open.

  “Freshman Detective

  Sonya Neslund wouldn’t be noticed by her peers if she was on fire, but she has been seen at Whispering Pines, snooping her way into the attacks. If this woodpecker-headed nobody thinks she can find the Ravisher before the police, good luck to her, but she shouldn’t be surprised to see more girls get cut up before this comes to an end. Somebody give this girl a clue, because she could be next...”

  Woodpecker-headed nobody? Sonya thought. That’s a new one. Did SkolClik take my photo that day? Was he in the truck or did someone send him the picture?

  Sonya scrolled down to the previous entry:

  “Kristen Was Pregnant

  Kristen Beck, the lastest Ravisher victim, has reportedly suffered a miscarriage. Her boyfriend, Darius Williams, attends the community college and has not been to class in days. Kristen is still in the hospital, but my source told me that Kristen had been pregnant for weeks. The Ravisher has not only hurt Kristen, but her unborn baby. I wish they would find this guy. Maybe Detective Woodpecker and her trusty camera(not to mention Wiper Bones and her gay, Bobby Holdsherpurse)can crack the case...”

&nb
sp; Sonya had never seen Bobby hold Piper’s purse, and she was already sick of the woodpecker remarks. She went to school with other red-headed kids, but SkolClik had singled her out for some reason, if only because he recognized her at Whispering Pines.

  If he was in that truck, she thought, he was moving out with his family.

  Sonya went off the blog and shut the lap-top. She watched Jack play his game for awhile, another game blaring in the boys‘ bedroom.

  Sonya decided to check on the others, taking the lap-top back to Barb’s room.

  The house contained three small bedrooms, and the Four Js shared one room. The door to Barb’s was wide open, the light off. Sonya flipped the switch and looked up to see a black tapestry covering the wall above the full-size bed. The Blue Diamond skull logo was in all four corners, but the center sported the words:

  LOYALTY. FREEDOM. BROTHERHOOD.

  BLUE DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.

  Sonya looked around the room, which was modestly furnished, the flowered bedspread a strange contrast with the tapestry on the wall. She wondered for a moment what Barb’s life must have been like married to a biker, possibly an outlaw, and having children with him. Kyle. Lily. Years later, quadruplets. She was not even sure how Wayne Stone died.

  What kind of father or husband was he? she thought.

  She noticed no photographs or other mementos in the room, everything put away neat.

  Sonya laid the computer on top of the dresser and left the room, turning off the light. She turned towards the boys’ room, but found Kyle’s door to her right.

  She stopped for a moment, her curiosity growing even more. She would later ask herself why she wanted to see Kyle’s room, if only to know what his bed looked like, if he was messy or neat. She had imagined him sleeping and what he possibly dreamed about, his eyes heavy with sleep, lashes against the skin.

  Her hand gripped the knob, but the door was locked. She pulled away, then almost jumped when the door next to her opened, light from the room filling the hallway.

  One of the Four Js stood there in a T-shirt and pajama bottoms, blond hair sticking up. The smell of sweat drifted out, the two other boys in front of a small TV.

  “Is Jack still using the PlayStation?” he asked.

  Sonya nodded. “I think so.”

  He passed her, Sonya following. He found his brother at the TV. “Jack, Mom said you have to finish your homework.”

  Jack, knowing this was an attempt to get him to give up the PlayStation, said, “I can get it done before Monday, Jay.”