Zeke (13 page)

“Would you be able to tell if
anything is missing here?” He glanced over his shoulder at Sue’s father.

“No, probably not.” Frank shook his
head. “I’ll get Linda up here.” He called down for his wife and Will heard her
footsteps as she trudged up the stairs.

Linda pulled her sweater tighter
around her chest as she entered the room. “Yes?”

“Will needs you to take a look in
the closet.” Frank patted his wife’s shoulder awkwardly. “He needs to know if
anything is missing.”

Linda walked to the closet and
looked inside. She pulled a string and an overhead bulb illuminated the space.

“It’s hard to say,” she began. “Sue
did her own laundry. But I can tell you right now that her duffel bag is
missing, and her running shoes. Maybe some clothes. Her jacket is gone. It’s
brown corduroy with no hood.”

“Okay.” Will added to his notes.

“Oh!” Linda turned to face the men,
her eyes watering. “Her winter boots are gone, too.”

“That’s not good,” Frank said,
sadly. “It means she must be planning to be gone into the winter, at least.”

“Not necessarily,” Will
interjected, though he privately agreed with Frank’s assessment. He shifted the
subject. “She keep a diary?”

“Not that I know of,” Linda
answered. “She wrote a lot in a notebook, but I don’t see it here. She must
have taken it with her.”

“Did you ever read it?” Will looked
directly at Linda.

“No, of course not,” she exclaimed.
“Why would I?”

Why indeed
, Will thought as
he walked over to the bed.
Either this girl was perfect or she was able to
keep secrets very well
. He lifted the mattress and found a few pieces of
paper, torn from a spiral notebook, covered in tiny jerky handwriting. He
showed them to the parents. “Ever seen these before?”

“No. I don’t recognize them at
all.” Linda barely glanced at the proffered papers.

Will noted the differences between
this writing and that in the note found in Sue’s car. Sue’s writing was big and
loopy, still adolescent-looking. This writing was pinched and small, typically
male, in Will’s estimation. He settled on the edge of the bed with the papers
in his hands and began reading. “This is some pretty disturbing stuff,” he
mumbled.

The Sucking Sue

Sucking with carnivorous fervor
on my tender loving guts

Is a vociferous plant on which
perspiring limbs tempt and taunt

Sue, my Venus fly-trap of nubile
destruction

Whose viney reach penetrates my
skull

Into my ear, piercing my brain,
splitting my fluids

Sue, whose pink velvety petals
are broad tongues on my loins

Sue, whose luscious leaves are
grown round and through my heart like a worm

Sue, whose feminine venom poisons
my loins with dripping female saps

Toxic rain from her eyes floods
my sack,

wetting the crusty residue of my
discharge

Her thorns a sickening delight
to my hot skin

The soils and oils from her
crevices nourishing my cleansing tongue

I own my Sucking Sue, stem and
shoot, leaf and thorn.

Scraping her bloody blossom for
demon cells,

I slurp of her cradled juices
like a cannibal driven,

And tattoo my ownership upon her
breast

It’s all good, it’s all good, we
say.

She is mine, body and soul,
devoted pet,

and she possesses me as well.

The rest of the poems were
similarly bad, all signed with a large Z at the bottom. I refuse to believe
these were written by Zorro, Will thought wryly. He handed them to Frank who
turned pale as he read the words. Will knew just how he felt.

“Who in god’s name wrote these?”
Frank whispered.

“That’s one thing we’re going to
find out, hopefully,” Will said.

“What is it, Frank?” Linda asked in
a wavering voice, her composure finally crumbling.

“Just some weird poems, Linda.”
Frank played it down, as he folded the papers and handed them back to Will.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Linda
said, exhibiting no desire to see the writings. “Those could have been written
by anyone, someone in her class, anyone. She might have found them in a book or
lying on the floor at school.”

Denial really does have its
comforts, Will thought.

Saying nothing, he tucked the
sheets of paper into his pocket alongside the other items.

They went back downstairs, and Will
asked for a cup of coffee. He ordered his thoughts as he waited, made a few
more notes. Frank paced, going every so often to look out the window. Soon,
Linda brought back a tray and set it on the coffee table. She handed a cup to
Will. “Sit down, Frank,” she said as she lowered herself onto the sofa.

Frank sat beside her.

“Alright, folks, let’s go over a
few things,” Will said after taking a sip. He thought these parents were
overreacting, but tried not to show it. Still, he did feel sorry for them.
However, they didn’t need sympathy from him; they needed results. “First of
all, it appears to me your daughter left of her own free will.” He held his
hand up, cutting off their protests. “She’s legal age and has the right to go
where she wants, with whomever she wants. While I don’t think the signs point
to any coercion, it’s possible she’s fallen under the influence of someone,
maybe this Z character. I don’t know.”

He leaned back in the chair and put
his notebook away. Sighing deeply, he continued, “I can’t make any promises,
but I will do some checking. If we find her, it doesn’t mean she will consent
to return with me. She may be very happy wherever she is and have no intention
of coming back. Then again, she may be hoping for a rescue. I just don’t know.”

“We understand that, Will,” Frank said
quietly. “We just need to know she’s safe. That would help a lot. We’d like to
talk to her, that’s all.”

“That’s not all!” Linda wailed, the
dam finally bursting. “We want to bring her home!”

“Now, now, honey. Of course we do.
But we’d settle for just knowing she’s safe at this point.”

He gathered his wife in his arms
and patted her on the back. She cried softly for a minute while Will looked the
other way. Soon, she collected her emotions and pulled away, fussing with a tissue.
Frank regarded his wife with tenderness as she turned her red eyes to Will.
“Please find her,” she said in a small voice.

“Alright now,” Will said gruffly.
He couldn’t help but be moved by the pain of these people, and to hide his
discomfiture he took several sips of coffee. In spite of all the cases he had
handled, he never got used to the raw emotional aspect of these situations. He
set the cup on the table beside the chair.

“Chances are she will call you
later. But I can still get started, if you want. Let’s talk about the money for
a minute. I charge a two grand flat fee, plus expenses for up to two weeks of
work. If I don’t find her by then, and you want me to continue, we’ll have to
make additional arrangements. I don’t give any guarantees other than I will
turn over to you all information I am able to gather. I don’t yank people out
of cults or bring them home against their will. You need to understand that up
front. What I will do, however, is tell you where she is,
if
I am able
to find her. What happens next is up to you. Maybe it will comfort you to know
I’ve had a lot of experience, and I’ve got about a ninety percent success rate
on finding missing persons. I also have several friends in law enforcement, and
they can be helpful. I take advantage of their assistance whenever possible.”
Will stood and put on his coat. He turned off the tape recorder and slipped it
into his pocket along with his notebook. “I’ll need that fee up front and I’ll
bill for the expenses. Now, if all that meets your approval, we can get
started.”

Frank was already writing a check
before Will finished talking.

“Where’s Susan’s car?” Will asked,
as they stepped outside.

“Parked around back.” Frank led
Will around the house to the back yard. “Look, Will, I know it might seem like
we’re jumping the gun on this, but I have to do something. If not for myself,
then for my wife. You could probably tell she has, well, a nervous disposition.
It’ll make her feel better if someone’s looking for Susan.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Mr. Cox.
I do think you’re being a bit premature,” Will replied. “On the other hand,
this whole thing does seem a little strange. And I understand your concern.
Now, let’s have a look at that car.”

Will went over the vehicle with
care. It didn’t take long. It was extremely neat.

“Does your daughter smoke?” he
asked Frank, who was standing in the light drizzle without a coat.

“No. At least, not as far as I
know.”

“Well, someone has smoked in here,”
Will said. “Take it from me, I’m a smoker myself. I can smell it. Someone
besides Sue has been in this car recently.” Not expecting much to come from it,
Will went back to his car and got his kit. By the time he left, he had at least
a modicum of evidence and a place to start. Evening was approaching as he drove
back to the office.

Partners in Crime

“We need to be careful with our
money; it’s got to last.” Zeke shared this news the next morning. The sun had
not yet burnt off the early fog, and the upper floors of the school remained
hidden behind a damp gray curtain.

“Okay,” Sue answered from where she
squatted behind some weeds, peeing. She ached all over and her nose was runny.
She wiped it with her sleeve and stood, pulling up her panties and jeans.

“You’re going to swipe some hair
dye for me today.”

“You mean steal it?” Sue asked,
aghast.

“
You mean steal it
?” Zeke
mocked. “Don’t be such a pain in the ass. Of course, I mean steal it. There’s
nothing to it. I’m gonna keep the clerk busy while you do it. I saw this trick
in a movie. I’ll explain it to you on the way. It’ll be easy.”

“Why don’t we just buy some? We’ve
got the cash.”

“What did I just say? Didn’t I say
we have to start watching our money? Jeez, Sue. I don’t want you to spend any
of it unless I tell you to. Understand?”

“Yes. But, Zeke, I can’t shoplift.”
Her voice was small, ashamed.

He gave her a cold look. “Under
ordinary circumstances, I wouldn’t ask you to do this. But these are not
ordinary circumstances. We’re on a quest here, an adventure, and you need to
remember that. This is something you
need
to do. It’ll help you break
free from all those old mental chains. Damn it anyway, Sue! Can’t you just do
as I ask?”

“I guess; but, it’s hard for me.”
Sue looked at her feet.

“This is one simple little thing.
Just do it. I didn’t even have to bring you along, you know. I was trying to
put some fun into your life. Trying to make you some memories. I really planned
this whole trip for you, more than me. I love you, Sue, but I need you to work
with me on things. I’m not the bad guy here.”

“I know,” she soothed. “I’m sorry.”

“So you’ll do it?” His eyes bored
into hers.

She nodded.

“That’s my girl, Susie-Q.” Zeke
smiled and Sue felt her heart skip.

They entered the streets of Assaria
and Zeke roamed around until he found a small park, deserted at this time of
day. He parked the van by the side of the road next to a row of leafless
hedges. They got out and walked several blocks, passing a small brick museum, a
bank, a glass-fronted hardware store, and a small cafe. Warm, delicious smells
wafted out as a couple of elderly ladies opened the door and toddled inside.
Sue’s mouth watered; she said nothing but looked longingly through the windows.

Zeke noticed her interest. “We’ll
get something to eat as soon as we’ve finished with our plans.”

Big yellow signs screamed sale
prices from the windows of the dollar store on the corner. They pushed through
the door, and Sue felt the interior warmth caress her skin through her thin
jeans. Zeke gave her a meaningful look before sauntering to the register to
browse the nearby impulse rack. Sue wandered up and down the aisles of
merchandise and tried to look casual as she searched for the hair dye. Her
hands were shaking and her stomach was a tight ball.

She found the hair products and
studied the display until she heard a commotion at the front of the store.
Grabbing a box of black dye, she shoved it down the front of her jeans and
pulled her shirt over the bulge to hide it. She raced to the register.

Zeke was bent at the waist,
presenting obvious signs of choking. An obese clerk, upper arms jiggling
obscenely, patted him on the back.

“What happened?” Sue faked concern,
knowing it was all an act.

“He’s choking!” the clerk cried,
still pounding Zeke on the back.

A piece of chewing gum popped out
of his mouth and slid across the gray tile floor. He gasped for breath
convincingly, and clutched his throat. “Okay.” Zeke held up a hand and coughed
harshly. “I’m okay now.” He gave the clerk a shaky smile. “Thanks to you.”

She put a beefy arm around him and
squeezed. “Oh, honey, I thought there for a minute you were gonna die.” She
rolled her heavily made-up eyes. “I ain’t never been so shook!”

Zeke turned his full smile on the
woman and she looked like she would melt. Self-consciously, she pulled her arm
back and arranged her smock around her massive waist.

“Thank you. You saved my life,
miss. I don’t know what else to say but thank you.” He pinned her in a probing
stare; she stood as if mesmerized.

“Janie.” Zeke broke the spell as he
turned to Sue. “Look at this woman. You’re looking at a real life angel walking
around on earth.”