XI
It was an average day like any other when the world turned upside down. September the seventh of 2001 was a stunningly beautiful day, with just the barest wisps of clouds in the sky as the two girls walked home from school. Lake Cliff Junior High was only five blocks from their apartment, but it might as well have been a million. Jillian and her fourteen year old twin sister, Olivia was arguing along the way, and always about boys.
Olivia noticed her sister tuck a love-note into the back pocket of her blue jeans, “I don’t know what you see in him.”
With a blushing smile, she bobbed her head a bit and replied, “He’s cute, come on.”
Crossing the street leaving a group of other students behind, the twins caught up again on the opposite sidewalk. The younger one, by two minutes said, “Maybe, but his personality sucks, John Stevens is a real jerk, Jillian.”
“He’s a jerk only because he didn’t help you out with your locker combination, Olivia,” Jillian retorted sarcastically.
Olivia was trying to reason with her, “No. He’s a jerk because of the way he’s so two-faced with people. Like, when Jessica Stanford, Chelsea Glasgow, and Sandra –.”
Jillian scoffed a laughed at her sister’s resources, “Seriously, you’re going to list all the girls he likes, Olivia?”
Olivia tried to prove her point another way, “What I’m saying, silly is – more than one person at a time has told me things about the way –.”
But Jillian was put off by the offense, “You know what, don’t call me ‘silly’, and I’m like – just, so not interested in anything you have to say right now, alright?” With that, she stormed back across the street evading the conversation. Readjusting the shoulder straps on her backpack, Jillian sought an alternative route home to clear her head. The skies over head were growing darker. The seemingly unpredictable Texas weather was about to change. Jillian had walked an extra six blocks muttering to herself, then whispered aloud, “Oh wow, there’s Sandra Coke’s house, how the heck did I get this far?” She realized the time had gotten away from her, and it was getting late in the evening. No one else was around and the traffic in the outskirt community was quiet. Jillian turned around and started retracing her way back home, eleven blocks away.
As she did a baby blue Ford Mustang pulled up alongside of Jillian. From his window the driver calmly asked, “Starting to rain, need a lift?”
Jillian shuttered with the first pelting drops as well as being startled by a question from the silent road; she was still mad and answered sharply, “No. Leave me alone.”
The car met her pace as the smiling man ignored her tone, and asked, “Looks like it’s fixing to pour down any moment. Don’t want to catch the flu and miss school, now do you?”
Jillian was getting cold as the rain had indeed begun to come down harder. She certainly did not want to miss a chance at seeing her new love interest, so she conceded, “Alright, thanks.” The fourteen year old walked about the car and slid into the front seat of the stranger’s car. Keeping her backpack on she buckled up, and they were on their way. A few moments later Jillian asked the driver, “What’s your name?”
“Jonas Hartman,” he answered without hesitation and then asked, “I live in these apartments up ahead, and you?
Jillian informed him, “I live there too, building 17.”
Jonas smiled, “Oh, cool.” Then, looking into his rearview mirror noticing something in the backseat, regretfully injected, “I have to drop my friend’s son’s backpack off with his homework, it’ll only take a second, alright? He left it in the car. I’m so sorry; seriously it will only take a second.”
“Okay, if it’s just a second.”
Turning at the next left and slowing at a house with no vehicles, “Man, his mother Rachel must have left. They said they were going to Walmart; I must have just missed them. Sorry, about that, let’s get you home.”
“Thanks,” she said as they continued on as before.
“If I can ask, why were you walking alone? Your parents don’t pick you up.”
“They’re divorced. Mom has her own life and dad is always working. He says we’re old enough to fend for ourselves for a few hours before he comes dragging in.”
“Oh, I see. You said ‘we’?”
“Yeah my sister, Olivia and my brother Kevin, he’s in college, and never writes.”
“Oh, I see.” His eyes were always ahead. Slowing, he informed his young passenger, “Oh man, looks like construction. I’m sorry for the detour.”
She sighed at the obvious truth, “It’s alright. Stuff happens, wasn’t in a hurry but I should be getting home.” Seeing the darkening skies and noticing the time on her watch 3:48 PM. As the car slowed by an undeveloped wooded area, Jillian said, “You can let me off here I can just cut through the woods. There’s a Frisbee golf course with trails and the apartment is on the other side.”
Smiling at her, Jonas made sure his car’s door automatically unlocked, “Alright,” he then nodded a good-bye.
Leaning over and peering back into the car through the opened window, the red-haired girl beamed a grateful smile, “Thanks for the ride, Mr. Hartman.”
The kindly older man returned her smile, “You are most welcome, Jillian. Be careful.”
Julian left the construction area and began cutting across the open filed that led to the wooded area and her apartments just beyond its trails. A few moments before she would be lost beyond view of the road she turned about and saw the driver was still grid locked in traffic, and gave a final wave; smiled at noticing its return. The brief downpour ended.
The ground beneath the thick canopy of trees was still dry within the woods. Jillian and Olivia loved cutting through them and exploring the various footed paths. It was not very long after she had entered, that she heard the sound of twinges snapping and the approach of someone else. The sight of Mr. Hartman dodging and swatting flies made Jillian smile, and shake her head. He was breathing heavily and out of breath. He looked out of place wearing slacks and dress shirt. As he looked up seeing her, she called out with a laugh, “Are you following me?”
Stumbling over a rock, the confused man admitted, “My car broke down, and I’ve never walked through here before. Feels like a jungle. Wow, can’t believe I’m lost right next to my own apartment, boy I feel dumb.”
The savvy fourteen year old’s confidence spurted, “It’s cool. I’ll show you a short cut and the long way over to the lake.”
Jonas, sighed a relief, “Thanks. It’s kind of neat in here.”
She smiled awkwardly, “Yeah.”
The trail came to a Y as the woods grew thicker. Jillian turned back around to ensure the older man had not gotten lost again. She saw him take out a silver hammer from his back pocket; it was a meat tenderizer. She asked, just as he was rose it as a weapon above his head, “What’s that for? What are you doing?”
He brought it down in a hard swing, cracking the young girl’s skull, instantly knocking her unconscious. Standing over her slumped form, Jonas looked down and answered, “Anything I want.”
CONTINUE Reading... 12
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