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Jacqueline C. Thomas - Romance Novelist

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Archives for August 2019

McKinley Park- Chapter 23

August 26, 2019 by jackiecthomas 2 Comments

Rachel looked at the antique engagement ring on her finger as she and Ben snuggled up together in bed. The boys could not have been more excited at the prospect of Rachel marrying Ben, much to Rachel’s surprise and relief. The ripples of the lake reflected on the ceiling of the upstairs bedroom. She laid her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

“I am so happy tonight. I love you, Ben.”

She leant up and kissed him.

“I love you too. I promise you; I will always love you and protect you and the boys.”

“You are such a good man. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

“I am the lucky one, not only do I get to spend the rest of my life with the woman of my dreams, but, I get three sons in the mix too. I think I am the one who hit the jackpot.”

“Would you ever want to have more children? We’ve never discussed it.”

“If you want to.”

“You don’t want one of your own?”

“As far as I am concerned, those boys will be mine.”

Rachel kissed him again.

“I’ve always wanted a little girl.”

“What if we get another boy?”

Rachel laughed

“Four boys, wow.”

“Why don’t we practice?” Ben said with a playful tone in his voice.

Rachel lifted the blankets off her as she climbed on top of Ben, straddling him. She lifted her nightdress, the moonlight illuminating her pale skin. Her dark hair resting over her shoulders. She was the most beautiful thing Ben had ever laid eyes on. He reached up and brought her mouth to his.

She reached down between them and guided him in. Ben sat up and pulled her into his lap as he held her tightly. She began to rock her hips, the sensation of being so tightly connected, only added to the intimacy. She was slow and deliberate in her movements as they made love. She could feel Ben wanted to hold her from below. She pulled out of their kiss.

“Here,” she whispered, “give me your hands.”

She grabbed his hands, and she guided them to the underside of her butt. Ben felt her body tense.

“I’m okay; kiss me.” She instructed.

Ben did as he was told. He grabbed her butt harder than he had intended and felt her tense again. He began to move his hand away.

“No, don’t, please. She said. “I need you to touch me there.”

Ben smiled at her.

“You are so beautiful.” He kissed her again.

He could feel the tension leave her body as he kissed her.

“Ben, I’m close.” She said.

“Me too, you go first.”

“I love you, Ben.”

He could feel her body finish before he could hear her quietly moan, careful not to wake the boys. The noise of her in ecstasy pushed him right over the edge. He held onto her tightly as their orgasm raged and slowly wained. She kissed his shoulder and then laid her head on it, as they both caught their breaths. They stayed wrapped in each other’s arms. Rachel picked up her head and listened. Ben heard it too, a crying child.

“It’s Luke,” Rachel said. “He probably had a nightmare.”

Rachel let go and climbed out of Ben’s lap.

“Let me try?” Ben asked.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Ben put on his boxers and a t-shirt and walked out of the bedroom. Rachel got up and put her nightdress back on as she walked to the bathroom to freshen up. She stopped outside Luke’s bedroom door and listened to Ben talking to Luke. She had been right; it was a nightmare.

“Nope, nightmares aren’t allowed in this house. It is a very special house, you know? Nightmares are afraid of this house because it is where happiness lives. Did you know that?”

“No. Then why did I have one, the monster was so scary.”

“No, he was scared, not the other way around.”

“Are you sure?” Luke asked sceptically.

“Yes, you are safe here. I promise. No more nightmares. Here I will turn on the closet light for you.”

Rachel heard Ben get up and pull the cord for the light in the closet.

“I used to sleep in here with this light on. Go back to sleep and maybe we will go fishing tomorrow.”

“For real?” Luke asked.

“Yes for real.” Ben chuckled.

“I want to catch the biggest fish!” Luke said excitedly.

“Well then you need your rest, go back to sleep, okay bud?”

Rachel heard Ben’s footsteps come closer to the door.

“Ben wait!”

“What bud?”

“I can’t go back to sleep without a hug.”

Rachel heard Ben turn back around. She took the chance to scurry back to bed herself. She climbed back into the bed she and Ben were sharing. Ben joined her a minute later.

“Did I do, okay?”

She looked over at him.

“I’m busted, huh detective.” Rachel said playfully. “You were great with him. Thank you.”

Ben laughed, and Rachel curled up next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair as they watched the ripples of the lake reflect on their ceiling. They both drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms, content and happy to be with each other.

Ben woke to the sound of the boys running through the house and the smell of coffee wafting up from the kitchen. He instinctively reached over Rachel, knowing that she must have been in the kitchen making coffee. He pulled her pillow over and buried his nose in it; her scent clung to it.

“How about the real thing?” She said, standing next to his side of the bed with a cup of coffee in her hand.

He rolled over and wrapped his arm around her. She quickly set the coffee on the nightstand.  Ben pulled her into bed. She landed on top of him. He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“You are even more beautiful today than you were yesterday, and I don’t even know how it is possible, but it is,” Ben said.

Rachel leant down and kissed him, feeling his body fully wake.

“The boys are awake and already outside.” She said.

“They’re outside, you say?” Ben had a mischievous grin.

He kissed her again. She got off of him and went and opened the large double doors to the upstairs porch so she could hear the boys.

“Hey guys, stay out of the lake. I am going to get dressed, okay? I’ll be down in a minute. Tommy watch Luke, I mean it.”

“Alright, mom.”

Rachel turned around and walked back inside, leaving the doors open so she could hear the boys. She slipped her nightdress up overhead as she walked to the bed, with a mischievous grin on her face. She laid down, and Ben came up over her. She put her hands around his neck and kissed him. He made love to her as quietly as they both could for the second time in under twelve hours.

Rachel freshened up and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She would get properly cleaned up for the day after breakfast. Ben walked in as she finished brushing her teeth.

“We need milk so that I can make breakfast.” She said.

She kissed him on the cheek.

“I’ll go get dressed and go back into town to get some.”

“Thank you. Do you want pancakes, crepes or French toast?”

“Someone worked up an appetite.” Ben joked.

Rachel laughed.

“It doesn’t matter to me, whatever is easiest. It won’t take me long to run into town. Black coffee is a little rough; I won’t lie.”

“Okay.”

Ben heard Rachel bound down the stairs to start breakfast. He pulled on his jeans, t-shirt and slipped his sandals on. They had been blessed with another hot day.  Ben walked downstairs to see Rachel setting the table for breakfast while the boys played. The had found frogs at the edge of the lake and were enthralled with them.

“I’ll be right back. Is there anything else we forgot?” Ben asked.

“Just this.” Rachel tapped her cheek.

Ben walked over and pulled her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, really kissed him.

“Hey now, kiss me like that, and these boys are never going to get breakfast.” Ben joked.

Rachel laughed, and the sound melted Ben.

“If I don’t go now..”

Rachel pushed him out of her arms.

“Don’t be long.”

Ben drove into town with the windows down, and his radio turned up. He had not been that happy in a long time. He walked into Margo’s small grocery store and picked up two gallons of milk.

“Hi, Ben.” Margo said, “you forgot the milk yesterday. I was going to run it out to you, but I wasn’t sure with your company.”

Ben knew talk of Rachel would be all over town by lunch. It was a small town.

“It’s okay. Do you know if there is a florist in town?”

“Rae’s opens in about twenty minutes. Are you looking for anything special?”

“No just wanted to get some flowers.”

“Are they for your lady friend?”

Ben smiled shyly.

“Yes.”

“Well, I will tell you what, you tell Rae I sent you over. He’ll take good care of you. That girl of yours is very pretty, Ben. Were those her boys with her yesterday?”

“Yes.”

Margo smiled and rang up the milk.

Ben set both gallons of milk on the floor in the front seat and the bouquet of pink roses from the florist on the front seat as he headed back towards the house. He passed a black SUV on the way back to the house, and a few old pickup trucks hauling fishing boats. He drove back without a care in the world, thinking about taking the boys fishing out on the lake later in the day. He pulled back up to the house and grabbed both gallons of milk and the bouquet of roses. He walked into the house and noticed it was quiet. He walked into the kitchen, to a scene of chaos.

There was broken glass everywhere, and the kitchen table had been flipped over. Flour was scattered across the floor, showing that a struggled had happened in the room. There were bloody handprints on the floor. Ben dropped the milk and the roses in the hallway outside of the kitchen. The two glass jugs shattered as liquid exploded out in every direction. Frantic, Ben started screaming for Rachel and the boys running through the house. No one answered. He ran out onto the back porch and called out for Rachel and the boys. Silence.

Ben’s hands shook as he pulled out his phone to call the local police. He dialled 911 on his cell, he put the phone to his ear but didn’t hear anything. He pulled it away to see that he didn’t have a signal. He walked back into the kitchen watching where he stepped, careful preserve the scene for any clues. He picked up the receiver from the phone on the wall; it was dead. He hung up and took off for his car. He was going to have to go back into town for help. Ben got out onto the porch when he heard whimpering. He stopped.

“Boys? Where are you guys? Come out right now. You’re safe.”

Lukas emerged from underneath the porch.

The boy was dirty and red in the face from crying. Ben reached out for Lukas.

“Come here man. Where are your mom and your brothers?”

“The bad guys took them.”

Ben knelt to Luke’s eye level, “What bad guys, do you know who they were or where they were going?”

“No.” Luke cried.

Ben hugged the little boy tightly.

“Mommy told me to hide when the bad men came.”

“Good job buddy, you did good. Come on we are going to go get some help.” Ben helped Luke into the SUV and buckled him in. Ben turned the SUV around and headed back into town.

“Luke, did you see what the bad guys looked like?”

Luke shook his head.

“They make mommy fall asleep. They carried her.”

Ben pushed his foot on the accelerator a little harder.

“Luke, did you see bad guy’s car?”

“Yes. I want mommy.”

“I know, buddy. What color was the car?”

“It was black.”

“The same color as your daddy’s?”

“Yes.”

Ben remembered the black SUV he had passed on the way back to the house from town. It had seemed out of place now that Ben thought about it.

“What it like a truck?”

“Yes. I want mommy,” Luke sobbed.

“I know, buddy.”

He reached back and touched Luke’s leg.

Ben pulled up to the police station and grabbed Luke out of the back seat. He carried Luke in with him. He identified himself as a detective and recounted the story for the local police. The police put out an APB for a black SUV.  He called Rachel’s sister to let her know what was happening. She was going to set off to meet Ben in town. He also placed a call to Marty. Ben and Luke went back to the house with the local police so they can gather evidence from the scene.

Filed Under: McKinley Park Tagged With: McKinley Park

McKinley Park-Chapter 22

August 20, 2019 by jackiecthomas 2 Comments

Four hours and six rest stops into what should have been a two and a half-hour drive; Ben pulled off of the two-lane highway up a dirt road. Rachel had agreed to go away for a few days while Derek’s face was all over the news. Becky was too close to her due date to leave the boys behind, and leaving them with Rhett was not an option for the moment. Rachel hoped that a road trip with the boys would not be too much for Ben, but he seemed to be enjoying himself most of all.

“I used to come up here with my brothers and my dad when I was a teenager for a few weeks every summer.  My grandfather built this house. My grandparents lived here their whole married life. It’s tranquil up here, peaceful. My brothers usually grab it on weekends in the summer.” Ben said as he pulled into the long driveway.

The old farmhouse came into view around the bank of trees. It stood proudly with its sharply pitched roof and a big wrap-around porch. Although it was old and full of character, it was well kept. Ben pulled Rachel’s new SUV up to the front of the house. He grabbed the luggage and Rachel grabbed the box of groceries they had stopped to buy back in town, five miles back down the road as the boys ran off towards the lake behind the house.

“No swimming guys. Tommy, please hold Luke’s hand.” Rachel shouted towards the boys.

Ben smiled.

“What?” Rachel asked.

“I used to do the same thing. The lake is pretty shallow for about twenty feet.”

“Luke has only just learned how to swim; it just makes me nervous.”

“I get it. Why don’t we go settle in? We are the only ones up here; no one will bother them.”

“Okay.”

Rachel stepped up onto the old wooden porch, noticing the well-worn porch swing. Ben opened the front door and stepped inside as Rachel followed. The old farmhouse had a welcoming, lived-in feel with a tall staircase off to the left that led up the second floor, and to the right was a living room, the furniture, clearly second hand. Directly opposite, the front door, were a set of double doors. Ben put down the suitcases and walked across the foyer to open them both. Two old screen doors sat in front. Rachel walked up next to Ben and looked out at a small lake behind the house. From the front of the house, you couldn’t see it. The water reflected on the ceiling of the foyer, as the breeze blew threw the house. It was late-September, and one of the last properly hot days.

“Ben, this is so beautiful.” Rachel said as she looked out over the lake. Seeing the boys splashing and looking at the small fish in the lake.

“It is, isn’t it? I don’t come up here a whole lot, I never find the time. What would you like to do first swim, unpack, relax?”

“How about see the rest of the house and put the groceries away?”

“Okay sounds like a plan.”

Ben showed Rachel the three bedrooms upstairs along with the bathroom that had a clawfoot tub, large enough for her and Ben to fit into. Ben grabbed the small box of groceries they had bought as he made his way down the hallway to the kitchen. Most of the appliances would be considered vintage at this point, but Rachel found it charming. As they put away the few groceries they would need for the weekend, Rachel took stock of what they had bought.

“I think we forgot the milk at the store.” Rachel said, looking around for it.

“Maybe I left it in the SUV.” Ben turned and walked out to go to find it.

He returned a minute later empty-handed.

“I must have left it on the counter at the store. There’s a chance Margo might run it up here after the store closes, if not I will run into town and get some tomorrow morning. Do we need it for dinner?”

“No, I bought lamb chops we could cook them on the stovetop or grill them. Is there a grill?”

“Is there a grill? There is a grill. It’s so old and so well seasoned, I think it is as old as I am. That is the granddaddy of grills.”

Rachel laughed.

“I didn’t know grill talk got you so hot, pun intended.” She laughed again.

Ben laughed too, from the gut.

“Well we only have one rule here, everything stops to take in the sunset on the back porch. We have about 25 minutes or so. Are you game?”

“Absolutely, let me just marinate these lamb chops.”

“Do you want some help?”

“No, thank you. How about you go start that sexy grill. It will time out perfectly.”

Tommy and the boys ran into the kitchen.

“Mom, can we swim? Please?”

“I’ll keep an eye on them, while I am starting the grill,” Ben said.

“Alright. Just for a little bit, it is going to get dark soon.”

“Come on, guys; I’ll show you your rooms. I put your suitcases up there already.”

“Such service!” Luke said, very matter of fact.

Everyone laughed.

Rachel set to starting dinner watching the clock that hung on the wall; she wanted to see this amazing sunset that everything stopped for. Hearing her boys squeal and laugh was like salve to her wounded soul. She finished just in time; after the sunset, they would be ready to grill. The veggies she had bought to go with were cleaned and chopped, and the lamb chops were marinating. She washed her hands and walked out of the kitchen out onto the back porch.

Ben had transformed the porch from charming to luxurious; There was another swing that faced the lake, it now had cushions on it, so did the deck chairs. The citronella candles had been lit as the particles floating through the air above the lake glowed orange. It was like stepping into a dream. Ben turned as he saw her walk out of the back door.

“Ben, this is gorgeous!” Rachel said.

“Wait, wait.” Ben handed her a glass of red wine as he gestured to the swing.

Rachel sat and sunk into the plush cushion. The air had cooled considerably as the sun began to set. Ben grabbed the blanket he had hung over the back of the swing and set it over her lap before he sat next to her. Rachel leaned into Ben and looked up at him. He stroked the side of her face and kissed her gently.

“My grandfather started this tradition. No matter what were doing here at the lake, everything stopped for these ten minutes or so. It brought everyone together before the night’s festivities got started. Usually, the grown-ups would have a drink or two. I remember the first time I was offered a drink; I felt like a man. My grandfather handed me a scotch, it was more water than scotch, but man, I didn’t care. I’ve had a lot of great memories out here.”

“That’s sweet. How old were you?”

“Maybe fifteen. As I got older, there was less and less water. I can’t smell scotch till this day without thinking of my grandfather out here on this porch.”

“That is amazing. It is a treasure.”

“It is, and so are you. Before you came into my life, I thought I had everything, and then you came along, and your boys and now I couldn’t imagine life without you.”

“I love you, Ben.”

“I love you too.”

“We should call the boys up; it’s getting chilly.”

“Nah, let them play. They’ll come up when they get cold.”

Rachel smiled and took a sip of her wine and laid her head on Ben’s shoulder as she watched the sun setting and her boys having the time of their life, she was so very happy.

As the last of the daylight faded, Rachel called the boys up to wash up for dinner. She went upstairs with the boys to get them washed and redressed as Ben set to grilling dinner. Rachel changed into a cotton sundress for dinner and pulled her hair down, so it fell softly around her shoulders. She came out onto the back porch hearing music playing. She recognised the artist right away. It was Etta James; it was the first song they had danced to in Ben’s office, back in Chicago. Rachel smiled; Ben’s sentimentality warmed her heart.

He walked up to her taking her into his arms.

“You look amazing. Will you dance with me?”

“Thank you. Of course.”

They began to sway to the music.

“This is how we do things “lake style,” Ben said before he leant down and kissed Rachel.

Before they knew it, they were standing still in the middle of the back porch not dancing but kissing. It was the type of kiss that made the whole world float away.

“Ewww Mom,” Evan said.

Rachel pulled away embarrassed as the boys came back up onto the porch. They had come down before Rachel and had already been out in the yard catching lightning bugs. Luke brought the jar up onto the porch proudly.

“Look, mommy; we got so many!” He said proudly.

“Wow, that is super cool.” Rachel said as she bent down to inspect the jar of insects.

“Dinner’s ready,” Ben said as he put the lamb chops onto the big plate and finished pulling the vegetables off of the grill.

“Go wash up again, guys.” Rachel said as Luke handed her the jar of bugs.

She set the jar down on the railing of the porch.

After dinner, which they ate out on the back deck with the noise of the frogs and crickets serenading them. Ben and Rachel curled back up on the swing, as the boys went back to catching bugs. It was getting late, but the boys were having so much fun. Rachel swung her feet onto Ben’s lap as he happily rubbed them for her. They were both completely relaxed. The moon reflected off of the lake as they swung slowly.

“Thank you for bringing us up here. Look how happy the boys are. You are a good man; I love you, Ben Carter.”

“Rachel, I love you too. I was hoping that I would get to bring you here someday. It means a lot to me. I have spent some wonderful and some tough times here. I know it sounds stupid, but it feels like this house was magic for me, it seemed to heal broken hearts, cures loneliness, and so much more.”

Rachel leant forward and rubbed the side of Ben’s cheek.

“My brothers and I would camp out on this porch when it got sweltering. We had so much fun out here.”

Rachel lent back as Ben rubbed the arch of her foot and Rachel moaned.

“That feels great.” She said.

“Rachel, I want to ask you something.” Ben looked at her.

“Okay?”

“Sitting here on this porch with you, the boys playing the yard, this is what life should be. I’ve waited for a long time for the perfect woman to come along. I didn’t think she existed until I first saw you. The more time I spend with you, the more in love with you I fall. I want to spend the rest of my life falling for you every day. Rachel, will you marry me?”

Rachel was speechless.

“Ben, I don’t know what to say.”

“I know I sprung this on you. I’m sorry, it just felt right. You don’t have to answer right now.”

“Okay”

“Okay, you’ll think about it?”

“Okay, I will marry you, under one condition, the boys must consent too. If they aren’t ready, then we will have to wait.”

“Are you serious? You’ll marry me?” Ben could not believe Rachel had said yes. It was his dream come true.

“As long as the boys are okay with it, yes.”

Ben slid Rachel’s feet off of his lap and stood up. He reached out for her, and she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ben pulled her close as he kissed her.

Filed Under: McKinley Park Tagged With: McKinley Park

McKinley Park Chapter 21

August 12, 2019 by jackiecthomas 2 Comments

Rachel fell asleep, snuggled up in Ben’s arms. Her eyes burnt from crying and she had intended only to close them for a moment, but slipped into slumber. She slept deeply, feeling like a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt safe in Ben’s arms. He held her happily as he listened to her, breathing softly. He didn’t want to let her go. The early afternoon sun beamed into the bedroom, warming the room with its slopped Cape Cod-style ceilings.

Ben nodded off himself and woke to the noise of his phone, buzzing in his pocket. He tried to fish his phone out of his pocket without waking Rachel. He managed to grab it and answer it just before it went to voicemail.

“Hello,” Ben answered softly, not to wake Rachel.

“We got em. We got that son of a bitch. Smug fucking asshole thought we wouldn’t get him. I called Callie Carlson and asked her to come down to be here to I.D. him, its a match. Serena is on her way to ID, and we have a warrant for DNA. His lawyer is on his way. Man, you should have seen the look on Rhett Lawson’s face when we barged into his office. Derek was sitting in Rhett’s office. I thought Rhett was going to shit himself. One of the guys has got to have bodycam footage of it.”

“That is great news. Thanks for keeping me in the loop.”

“Hey, how’s Rachel?”

“Sleeping right now.”

“I don’t want to pry but can you connect the dots for me?”

“I can’t really right now, and not without her permission, but eventually, I hope so.”

“It didn’t happen recently, did it?”

“No, a while ago.”

Rachel stirred from her slumber at the sound of Ben’s voice. She looked up at him, only half awake, and then buried her head back in the crook of his shoulder.

“Well, I will keep you in the loop. I know what you have going on there is really important, but you should try to make the press conference if this is for sure our guy. We should know in a few hours.”

“I’ll have to let you know.”

“Ben, this is the collar of our careers. We’ve been looking for this animal for months now.”

“I’ll try.”

Ben hung up his phone. As much as he wanted to be there, to finally celebrate in catching the man, he wanted to be with Rachel more. He knew six months ago, nothing would have kept him from hauling the criminal in, himself, but Rachel had changed all of that. He reached down and stroked her hair as she rolled over. Ben pulled the blanket up over and snuggled up next to her, careful not to press his body too hard into hers. Awkwardly, he put his arm on his side; he didn’t want to make Rachel uncomfortable by holding her, he wanted her to rest. She reached out and grabbed his arm and pulled it around her.

“No more.” She murmured.

They slept for most of the afternoon cuddled up together. Ben’s phone rang again, and he rolled over to answer it looking at the time on the screen, it was 2 pm.

“It’s for sure him! The DNA matches, we got him, Ben!”

Ben exhaled louder than he had intended.

“Thank God. What’s the D.A. thinking? Any word from him yet?”

“I think he’s going to go for the max, life without parole.”

“Good. That monster should never be on the street.”

“Agreed. Hey, the Chief is calling a press conference at 4. You really should be here. He wants you here when he makes the statement.”

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

“He wasn’t asking, neither am I. I know Rachel is important, but this is too. We’ve worked hard for this.”

Rachel rolled over, having overheard the conversation. She reached out for the phone, grabbing it gently.

“Hi Marty, he’ll be there. He isn’t going to miss this. I won’t let him. So you really got him, Derek, I mean?”

“Yes, he will never be a free man again.”

Rachel handed Ben back the phone, unsure of what to respond. Ben finished his call and hung up the phone, setting it on the nightstand. Rachel snuggled back up to him.

“Do you remember the first morning you accidentally stayed? You said to me, waking up next to me was your most favorite thing on Earth, well I think this is mine. Just laying next to you in bed.”

Ben smelled and leaned down and kissed her.

Two hours later the Chief announced in front of all of the Chicago press that The South Side Strangler had been caught. Rachel declined to come, knowing it would be too much for her. Ben stood proudly next to Marty, as they were both commended for their work. Ben was grateful when to step out of the glare of the bright lights for the t.v. cameras. He wanted to get back to Rachel.

On his way back to his desk, he walked past the cell that held Derek. He locked eyes with the man he had been hunting, seeing Derek’s carnage and brutality.  Marty patted Ben on the shoulder as they kept walking past. Before Ben stepped into their office, he turned back around; he wanted to look at Derek.

“Hey man, don’t rip him limb to limb,” Marty said cautiously.

“I just want another look at him.”

“Yeah me too, with Calle’s pipe wrench in my hand.”

Ben walked back into the room where Derek sat in his own cell, still in his collared shirt. His tie and belt had been taken.  Derek did not look like a serial rapist and killer. He was clean-shaven, with deep brown eyes and sharp jawline. He was handsome, not the sort of man who was pure evil incarnate. Ben starred through the bars; he couldn’t help himself.

“What?” Derek asked.

Ben stayed quiet.

“What are you looking at, man?” Derek asked again.

Ben looked at Derek’s hand; his left hand had a scar on the ring finger in the shape of an oval. The back of Rachel’s legs flashed through his mind. Ben grabbed ahold of the building rage inside of himself.

“Whatever, man.” Derek turned away.

Ben walked back to his office and sat, although he hadn’t said anything to Derek, he had wanted to say so much, not just for Rachel but for all of the women Derek had hurt. Ben knew that there were no words to make that kind of hurt right, nor was it his place to try. Marty popped his head back into their office.

“Guess who’s here to try to post bail?”

“Don’t’ tell me, Rhett?”

“No, it’s his dad.”

“Andrew Lawson?”

“Yeah, he’s pissed. He’d better watch it, or he’ll end up in the cell right next to Derek.”

Ben stood up and walked out over to the counter where Andrew stood red in the face.

“Is this you? Did you do this?” Andrew asked Ben.

“No, Mr. Lawson. Derek did this to himself. I am not the district attorney. There is no way Derek will ever walk free again.”

“We’ll see about that. I take care of my own.”

“Like you took care of Rachel? You and your creep of a son. You two belong in there with him.”

“What did you just say to me?”

“You heard me. You are all fucking animals.”

Ben walked away and back towards Derek’s cell. It was empty. Panic stabbed through Ben as he jogged to the interrogation room. Relieved, he saw the district attorney, along with Derek’s attorney in the room. Marty walked up and looked into the room through the two-way mirror. Marty switched on the audio so they could hear the exchange.

“Full cooperation and we won’t seek the death penalty. Life in prison without parole, that’s our offer.” The district attorney said as he slid the paperwork across the table towards the attorney.

“How long is to offer good for?”

“Until 9 am. Tomorrow morning.”

“We’ll discuss it. Thank you, Ken.”

The D.A. stood up and walked out of the room. He saw Ben and Marty standing outside watching.

“Good work, guys.”

The D.A. walked away as Derek’s attorney came out of the room looking for him.

“Hey Ken, wait. I want to talk to you for a second.” Derek’s lawyer said as he caught up.

Ben walked into the room, not quite sure why. There was something to be said, but he wasn’t sure what, and he wasn’t sure if he could say it without doing bodily harm to Derek.

“Why?” Ben asked rhetorically, knowing that Derek probably didn’t know the answer himself.

“What?”

“Why?” Ben repeated.

“Because I could. Because they belonged to me.”

“Belonged to you? People don’t own people.”

“Oh but they do, Mr. Carter, I am guessing. Am I right, you are Ben Carter, the guy who’s banging Rhett’s ex. My hat’s off to you sir, that is one fine piece of ass, or at least it was until I got to her. Like my handy work? She’s mine, always will be. I branded her. Rhett’s the only reason she is not face down in the canal like the trash that she is.”

Ben could feel his insides shaking with rage.

“I may not be ever able to see her again, but she will see me every time she closes her eyes.  She will think of me every day. I own her. She can never be yours, not fully.”

“ That’s where you are wrong, she will stop thinking of you every day, over time. Sure, you will never fade away completely, but you will fade. You don’t control her life, not anymore.”

“You don’t get it; she belongs to me, they all did. They were mine to do as I wished. Rachel was my first. Do you know what it is like to have free will over another human being like that? Mmmmmm…. Turns me on just thinking about it.”

Ben turned to walk out.

“Thinking of Rachel’s face twisted in pain, so beautiful. Her pleading for me to stop, willing to do anything for me, to please me. I’ve done things to her you could only dream of.”

Ben turned around and lept across the table, taking Derek down to the floor. He hit him as many times as he could in the face before Marty got to Ben and pulled him off.

Derek sat up and spat blood on the floor as he began to laugh.

“See, felt good, didn’t it?”

“Come on man; this asshole is going to get to know what getting rapped every day is like, where he’s going. A pretty boy like that…” Marty said, trying to calm Ben.

Meanwhile, two officers that had followed Marty in,  had hauled Derek up to his feet to take him back to his cell. The chief walked in, seeing Ben’s hand dripping blood from his knuckles.

“Everyone out, Carter, you stay.”

The room cleared out and the door shut, leaving only the chief and Ben in the interrogation room.

“Feel better?” The chief asked.

“Not really. Sorry, I know better.”

“Marty says, that animal hurt your girl. Is that true?”

“Yes. I know I shouldn’t have…”

The chief raised his hand, and Ben stopped mid-sentence.

“Law and order only work if we all stick by a strict code of ethics and strive to uphold them. As much as we would love to take justice into our own hands, we don’t. I know I don’t have to tell you this. I also know that if that animal had hurt my Debra, I would have done the same thing or worse. Good job, not knocking any teeth out, I don’t want to have to explain it to the judge.

Ben, you know I have to ask, what happened that you put the pieces together? We have been searching for this guy for months, then one morning you call and give his name?”

“He branded her, Rachel. I didn’t see it until this morning. I mean, she had not shown me.”

The chief’s face looked distressed.

“I’m sorry, Ben. It must have taken a lot for her to show you.”

“It did.”

“Is she okay, or is she going to be okay?”

“In time, I hope so.”

“This didn’t happen recently, did it?”

“No, a few years back.”

“Well I understand if she doesn’t want to, but her testimony and physical evidence will only help the case if she’s willing.”

“I don’t think she’ll want to do that, but I’ll mention it to her.”

“In the meantime, why don’t you take a few days off, take her somewhere. His face is going to be everywhere, and that will be difficult for her.”

“Good idea.”

“Thanks for not knocking that asshole’s teeth out, saved me a shit ton of paperwork.”

Filed Under: McKinley Park Tagged With: McKinley Park, Romance

McKinley Park Chapter 20

August 1, 2019 by jackiecthomas 1 Comment

Rachel’s boys loved that Ben dropped them off for school. They were especially excited at the prospect of riding in his unmarked squad car. Their excitement was quickly dashed, when Ben told them Marty had his car and they’d be going in Rachel’s van. On the ride home, he called Marty, who was less than thrilled about Ben’s absence for the day but understood the magnitude of what was happening. Ben pulled into the driveway, promising himself that he and Rachel would be car shopping before the end of the week. He wanted to drive that van, off a cliff.

He walked into the house and found Rachel sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. There was a box of tissues on the table, her eyes puffy and red from crying.  Ben came and sat down next to her. He pulled her closer to him, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“The boys are safely deposited at school. What do you say, we go back upstairs and get some rest? Do you think you could sleep for a bit?”

“Ben, I have to show you something.” She looked him in the eye as she said it.

“Okay.” He said nervously.

She stood up and walked around to the other side of him where there was more room in the small kitchen. She turned her back to him and let her robe drop to the floor. She reached behind her and slowly pulled up her nightgown. Ben thought he was going to vomit; he had seen those marks before. There had to be at least a dozen burnt-in brands on the back of her upper thighs and butt. Rachel held her nightgown up but said nothing. They were the same brands on all of the victims of the South Side Strangler.

“Rachel,” he tried to say as calmly as he could, “you have to tell me where got those burns?”

Ben stood up and slowly walked around to face Rachel.

“Derrik Hall, he’s the friend of Rhett’s that I was talking about last night. He is the devil, Ben. He did this, Rhett sat there and watched him do this.” Rachel sobbed. “This is why I don’t like to have the lights on; I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Ben wrapped his arms tightly around her as she slowly moved to the kitchen floor. She was so upset she couldn’t stand. He helped her down as she sat on the floor and cried. Ben knew Derrik Hall had to be the name of the perp. He needed to know more, but Rachel was so fragile. He held her and stayed quiet as long as he could.

“Rachel, honey, what does Derrik look like?”

“What? Why do you want to know what he looks like? How that important in any way?”

“I have seen that brand before. Rachel, what does he look like? Honey, this is important.”

“He works with Rhett. He is our age. Maybe a little over six feet tall, white, thin.”

“What color is his hair?”

“It is dark blonde.”

Ben thought he was going to vomit again. He stood up and pulled out his phone. As it rang, Rachel stood, alarmed.

“Ben, no, you promised, you can’t tell anyone! No please.”

Ben pulled the phone away from his ear.

“Rachel, the man that has been leaving dead women all of over the city has been branding them with the same brand in the same spot. I would know it anywhere.”

The phone continued to ring. Ben put it on speakerphone as he searched through his photos for the artist rendering of the suspect.

“Is this him?”

Ben knew by the look on her face that it was. The call went to voicemail.

“Ben I don’t want to be involved in this, I don’t want my boys to know. Please.”

Ben redialed Marty’s cell. It rang two times before he picked up.

“Hey man, I’m in the evidence locker, can I call you right back?”

“The guy’s name is Derrik Hall. He works with Rhett Lawson.”

“What? What guy?”

“The guy, our guy!”

“Wait, how do you know this? It is a long story. I have a positive i.d. from one of his victims.”

“Who are you interview…” Marty stopped mid-sentence. “Rachel?”

“Yes.”

“Holy shit! We got him! Are you coming in for the collar?”

“No, I need to be here. Call me when you have him.”

Rachel got up and walked out of the room as Ben finished his conversation as quickly as he could.  Marty would keep him informed of any updates. He climbed the stairs, knowing Rachel was in bad shape. He walked into the bedroom and saw her curled up on the bed.  She looked so small and fragile in the bed by herself; it broke his heart. Ben walked around the bed and knelt down beside her.

“Rachel, honey. I am sorry I had to call it in. I know how hard this was for you. You have saved a lot of lives this morning and gave justice to others that weren’t so lucky. Can you tell me how and when this happened? Please, it is really important.”

Ben noticed she had begun to tremble from the adrenaline of reliving the trauma. He stroked the side of her face.

“Honey, look at me, you are safe. I promise nothing will hurt you anymore. I think you are the strongest woman I have ever met.”

“Will you lay next to me?”

Ben kissed her cheek and came around and got in bed next to her. He thought she would roll over, but she didn’t.

“I want you to hold me from behind.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I don’t want that to be taken away from me anymore. This has taken away enough in my life.”

Ben scooted up behind her but didn’t press his body against hers; he wanted his touch to be gentle. He draped his arm over her but did not hold her tightly. He felt her body tense.

“I love you and am so incredibly proud of you.” He said softly.

She laid like that as long as her body would allow until she rolled over to face him. She took a deep breath.

“I am going to try to tell you the whole story. I am not sure if I can, I’ve never told anyone all of it.” She reached for Ben’s hand, and he grabbed it gently.

“After the first time with Derrik, I wanted to leave Rhett. I didn’t know what to do. I had pushed everyone away by that point.  My own parent’s wanted me to leave Rhett; when I refused, they stopped speaking to me. They didn’t know about the abuse; they just knew I wasn’t myself. Even my relationship with Becky was strained.  I didn’t have anyone to turn to, so I went to Rhett’s mother again. She called me a dirty whore and told me to get out of her house. She thought I was having an affair, and making up some wild story to cover my tracks.

After that first time, Rhett was different. He was happy like I said, he was the man I had married. It lasted for about six months. I was dumb enough to think it would last. I was very careful not to drink and to stay aware, even though things were back to normal, part of me knew. I was so stupid. Derrik came back at; first, he just hung around the house with Rhett after work and on weekends. I told Rhett I didn’t want him in our home, Rhett ignored me.

One evening I came home from shopping. I had left the boys with Rhett for the afternoon. When I got home, he told me his mom had the kids. I knew something wasn’t right; my mother-in-law never looked after my kids. When I saw Derrik walk out of our kitchen, it sunk in, what Rhett had planned.  I never consented, I fought him. Rhett just walked out of the room.” Rachel sobbed. “ I just couldn’t understand how my husband, the man I loved, who I had children with, could be okay with all of it. The next day when I went to pick up the kids, I talked to Rhett’s father. I needed help; I wanted my marriage to work for the boys’ sake. I told him I was going to have to leave if it didn’t stop and he promised me that things would get better. Andrew was always a stern man; I believed him. He talked to Rhett, and it stopped completely, but Rhett was so unhappy and violent.

One night Rhett sat me down and told me he needed me to be with Derrik. He said he could limit to maybe once or twice a year, as messed up as it sounds, Rhett spun it as if it was just sex I… Derek was a very violent man. I imagine it would be what having sex with the devil would be like.  I thought Rhett was nuts, we both were, but I still felt that we could fix our marriage. I was so delusional. The last time Derrik came by I ended up with some of these. I didn’t scream; I didn’t want to wake the boys. I remember thinking, that it could not last forever by Monday, they would both be at work, and I would take the boys and disappear, start a new life.

The day I tried to leave, we got into the car, Tommy was three. I had Evan in his car seat, and as I loaded the car, Tommy vomited everywhere. He came down with a bug. I brought both boys in and cleaned Tommy up, but it was clear that I was going to have to leave the next day. That night, Rhett brought Derrik home with him again, I fought. I screamed, I knew I would wake the boys, but I also knew I couldn’t live through that again. A neighbor heard me screaming and called the police.  I was so beat up that the cop wrote it as domestic assault. He took Rhett to jail. I kept trying to explain that there was another man in the house, but the cop didn’t believe me. Rhett told the police I was crazy and they believed him. They searched the house but didn’t find Derek. The police said I was confused. When he took Rhett, he left Derek hiding in the house. That night I thought I was going to die, I learned Rhett had kept Derek in check.

The next morning Andrew brought Rhett home. He found Derek in the house and put an end to it. I was so out of it; I don’t remember a whole lot of it. I complied because I was terrified for the boys. Andrew had a doctor come to the house for me. Andrew came over a few days later and told me if I stayed with Rhett, that we would never see Derek again. I didn’t believe him this time. I tried to leave twice after that; Andrew found me each time. Rhett didn’t seem to care about our marriage until I disappeared. He didn’t want to be married to me if I wasn’t willing to do what he wanted.

I turned up pregnant with Luke, and Rhett didn’t want him. He thought Luke was Derek’s son. I honestly can’t say.”

Ben was speechless. He pulled her in closer as tears ran down his cheeks.

“I left a month after Luke was born. I went to Becky and told her that Rhett had been hitting me. She and her husband, Jack, me get out. By that time, I made a will and wrote down all of the abuse and put it in a safety deposit box. I wanted Becky to have the boys if something happened to me. Andrew tried to scare me, but at that point, I didn’t scare so easily. I had looked into the eyes of the devil. I knew if Andrew killed me, my boys would be safe away from Rhett. “

Ben held Rachel in bed. Neither of them said anything for a while; the noise of their breathing was the only sound that filled the sunny bedroom. Rachel propped herself up and turned to look at Ben.

“Ben, I  know this is a lot. If you don’t…”

Ben sat up before she finished.

“Do not even finish that sentence. Rachel, I love you, there is nothing that would change that. I think I love you more today than I did yesterday, and I will love you more tomorrow… We can’t change what happened to us in our past, but we choose how our future goes. Look at you, raising your three boys; you are a fantastic mother to them. Rachel, I think you are the strongest woman I have ever met.”

Ben leaned in and kissed her on the lips softly. He pulled away and caressed her cheek. She grabbed his hand and pressed a kiss into his palm.

“Do you remember you once asked me why I became a detective?”

Rachel nodded.

“I didn’t give you the full answer to that question at the time, because it didn’t feel appropriate. My mother is the reason I became a detective. She was attacked one night coming home from the grocery store. I was little, maybe seven. She was alone, and a man grabbed her. My dad couldn’t handle it, and it made him crazy that someone had hurt her. You know, I am sure she hurt, but she never showed it to me or my older brother Joel. You remind me a lot of her. That is why I became a detective, to get guys like Derek and the guy who attacked my mom off of the street.”

“Ben, I don’t know what to say.”

Ben grabbed Rachel’s hand and brought it close to him.

“You remind me a lot of her, your strength, how you are with the boys. I hope that doesn’t sound weird.”

“Not at all. Can I ask a question?”

“Sure.”

“About your mom?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know about it? It isn’t exactly an open topic of conversation for most families.”

“Well, I remember a lot of it, even for being so young. I didn’t know the details until I was much older. My older brother Joel and I went to the library and thumbed through old copies of the newspaper. We found the story. I mean we had always known something bad had happened, but we didn’t know the details. I remember sitting in the old dusty basement of the library looking at pictures of my mother’s swollen face in the paper. I was so angry. I ripped the page out of the newspaper book and took off with it. I didn’t want anyone to see her like that. She was my mom. It took me three years to get the courage to finally ask her about it.”

“How did that go? I dread that conversation with my boys.”

“She was surprisingly open about it. She just said that bad things happen in life sometimes, things we can’t predict or change. It is our job to watch out for each other and the ones we love. When bad things do happen, that we focus on what is important and hold onto that tight. My brothers and I are what she held onto. From that day on, I knew what I wanted to do; I wanted to be a police officer. I wanted to help women like my mother.”

Rachel wiped a tear from Ben’s cheek and then her own.

“I want to hold onto you, Ben.”

She reached over and wrapped her arms around him, and he reached his around her. She leaned into him as he kissed the top of her head.

Filed Under: McKinley Park, Uncategorized

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