Birdsongs (7 page)

    “Bendy,” Red uttered with the tone and gaze of a person who was about to divulge a well guarded secret. “Red not can grow vegables in day. Seed sleep in dirt – then climb to sky long time.”

    “Right,” Benny responded, trying not to laugh. “Even though I don’t grow my own plants, I do understand the process.”

    “Whening not rain – give water.”

    “Yes, plants do need water.”

    “Spank bugs.”

    “I’d like to see that.”

    “Pull – eat – yummy.”

    “I guess you’ll have to stick around awhile. You can grow plants and I’ll find out about that picture and article your mama gave you. You can pay me by keeping the place up, and with some of your extra vegetables.” Benny had not donated money to any worthy causes or charities in a while and didn’t mind fostering Red.

    “Have you found the TV and stereo yet?” Red looked back at him as if the words had just given him a lobotomy. Benny walked over to the entertainment center whose doors concealed its contents and opened the doors revealing an oversized television, stereo, and a VCR accompanied by a collection of tapes. Red’s reaction reminded Benny of a scene in one of the movies that were stacked and stuffed all around the television. He looked like Crocodile Dundee who traveled from the Australian Outback to New York City.

    “You rich!” Red said as his brain churned, eyeing the stereo. “Tapes?” he asked.

    “You can watch those,” Benny answered. “I’ll show you how it all works.”

    “No,” Red responded as he fidgeted with excitement. “Short tape?”

    “I don’t understand,” Benny said.

    Red ran back to the bedroom, grabbed his gunnysack, and dumped its contents at Benny’s feet. Benny thought to himself that there must have been a hundred or more tapes.

    “Yeah,” Benny said as he pointed to the tape deck. “They go in here. Give me one.” Benny motioned for one of the cassettes.

    Red handed him a John Cougar Mellencamp tape and as Benny left the house on his way to pay Jerry Lee another visit, he heard Red singing
Little Pink Houses
.

Chapter 18

   The front page of the
Tilley Bee
finally carried the story the following morning with a front-page caption reading:
Serial Killer in Tilley
? The story read as follows:

           
Staff Writer: Jerry Lee

  
The town of Tilley is filled with nervous tension and chatter as information slowly trickles out of the tight-lipped Tilley Police Department concerning the two murders, which occurred during the past three days. Tilley, a town which has previously been a stranger to this type of heinous crime is fluttering with fear as residents who normally live with unlocked doors batten down the hatches. The obvious fear is imminent as no children are playing freely outside and the parks and other public areas are empty. Hardware stores report they are selling out of all heavy-duty locking devices and Tommy’s Bait Shop is nearly sold out of their once plentiful stock of ammunition. 

    The first murder took place early Tuesday morning as a delivery driver discovered a lifeless body in a house under development in Crimson Landing off of Little Pond Road. The body hung in a crucifixion pose. Identification has yet to be released to the public. Detectives at the scene summarized the young male was strangled and then attached to a rustic cross found leaning against the wall of the master bathroom. Additional information gathered from the scene revealed a large blade pierced the side of the victim. In an even more peculiar turn, a pair of binoculars was duct taped to the right palm of the victim’s hand. He also had an array of other items attached to the right side of his body. 

    Discovery of the second body fell within forty-eight hours of the first. Hank’s Bar and Grill was named as the crime scene, but it is unclear whether the victim was murdered on location, or if this was just the site for the dumping of the body and the staging of another bizarre scene. An unnamed source confirms that the body was once again positioned in a curious manner but the specifics of this have not been released. 

    Chief of Police Charles “Chuckie” Neighbors is expected to make a statement this afternoon as the national media begins to descend upon Tilley. The “No Vacancy” sign at the Lakeside Motor Inn tells of the increasing interest in this story as the usually quiet Inn’s parking lot is steadily filling with news vans from across the country. Chief Neighbors released a written statement advising all residents of Tilley to be extremely cautious of their actions and to immediately report anything out of the ordinary. This and any other pertinent information may be reported directly to the Tilley Police Department.

Chapter 19

   Rachael Martin opened the door to room twelve of the Lakeside Motor Inn and expected the worst. She was pleasantly surprised to find a bright, clean, and unordinary room for a small town Inn. The room was decorated as a miniature lake cottage. As an art lover she was first drawn to the unique wall decorations. Rachael suspected they were original landscape paintings. Upon inspecting the artworks her initial assumptions were confirmed. An entertainment center with a large television, stereo, and DVD player centered the wall opposite the bed. Rachael thought the bed looked cozy enough to spend most of the day between its sheets. A small work station was situated next to the front window with an Ethernet connection and a charming stained glass light fixture that hung over the quaint, oblong table. The painted walls were faux finished. A subtle red crackle crept across antique white. Somebody either had a lot of time on his or her hands, or too much money, Rachael thought. The nightstand had a small sign welcoming her to Tilley with a list of phone numbers that highlighted the resources any traveler might need. As a frequent inhabitant of motels and hotels, the message at the bottom of the list made her take a step back as she read it three times. It read, “For your reassurance to our dedication in providing you the most relaxing stay, we wash the comforters in each of our rooms upon the departure of each guest. Enjoy your stay.” Rachael saw an expose on television uncovering the filth these comforters sometimes contained, and this information was just too good to believe. After reading the sentence for the third time, her curiosity drove her to pick up the edge of the comforter and pull it towards her face. As she held it against her nose and took a detective sniff, her nose not only told her the message was true, but they also used Downey fabric softener.

    Rachael took a step into the bathroom. It had a long counter with a sink large enough to wash a baby or small dog. The tub was garden style, with jets and another sign that read, “Feel free to relax, the utmost care was taken to sanitize and clean this area.” Rachael thought who the hell were these people? Didn’t they know that motels were supposed to be suspicious places where people tiptoed around in their flip-flops to avoid touching the ground? Rachael looked in the mirror and saw her green eyes staring back at her. Her blonde hair crept down her back a little longer than she liked, but the network informed her viewers liked it that way. She loathed the time it took from her busy schedule keeping it blond. She wore two faces. She had an innocent, sweet, girly face that contradicted her on-air personality as the hard-hitting bulldog reporter, which gained her national fame. When Rachael was off the air her appearance bordered on plain. A quick study of her revealed a great potential for beauty if she cared to try. The make-up artists and hairdressers from the television crew realized her potential nightly. Her body didn’t hurt her ratings, as it was firm and curved in all the right places. She looked like an aerobics instructor in a suit. When she opened her mouth, the fitness façade quickly dissipated. She was a feisty broad who easily fooled her sources into giving her what she wanted with her Southern charm. Born in Sweet Palm, Mississippi and escaping at eighteen, she held fast upon her down south accent and mannerisms when needed. Now at the top, her assignment sent her south once again to investigate and report on the Tilley murders.

    Rachael unpacked her bags, hanging the clothes she did not want to wrinkle and dividing the rest between the drawers of the armoire. It was her usual habit to live out of her suitcase, but the cleanliness of the room led her to feel safe in doing so. Rachael lined her sundries on the bathroom counter. Everything had to be orderly. She showered and washed the hairspray out of her hair and the makeup off of her face. After towel drying her hair, Rachael put it up in a ponytail using her favorite scrunchie. She put on a pair of shorts, a tee-shirt with no bra, and once again felt like herself. She wished she could have traveled this way, adding back in the bra, which didn’t have too big of a job to do other than concealing her nipples. The network felt she was too visible in airports and discouraged the practice. Rachael was savvy with her career decisions. She complied during times her visibility was high, which increased the possibility of being recognized, even in her down-to-earth state.

    Comfortable, Rachael unpacked her laptop and connected to the station’s network. Scrolling through her email messages, she also checked her voice mail. Her position demanded the ability to multitask and instances where she needed to only concentrate on a single item were rare. Nothing of immediate importance came across the computer or phone lines. So, Rachael propped herself up with the bounty of pillows in the bed, found an
I Love Lucy
marathon on the television, and fell asleep, just as her guest host started her nine o’clock show.

Chapter 20

   Benny sat reading the paper on the top deck of his houseboat when the phone rang. He expected the call to be a reporter or Vernon. When he answered, there was a real surprise for him on the other end of the line.

    “Hello?”

    “Hi Benny,” the voice said with caution. It was Jane, his ex-wife. Over a year passed since the last time he heard her voice and he did not know or care where she was or what she was doing.

    “Well, well,” Benny responded, knowing immediately who it was as he recognized the unforgettable tone of her voice. “Did you run out of money already? I thought I gave you just about everything I owned.”

    “Please don’t be a jackass Benny, I’m worried about you,” Jane said with determination. “I’ve been watching the news and if I know you, you have your nose in that mess going on in Tilley. It’s all over the news here.”

    “Where exactly is here?” Benny asked.

    “Phoenix.”

    “Back with Mom, eh?” Benny asked not expecting a response.

    “She needs me Benny. She had another stroke.”

    “I’m sorry to hear that. Tell her I send my best,” Benny said, continuing to read the newspaper.

    “I’m sure she will find great comfort in your caring words,” Jane said, flustered. “I just called because I was worried about you and I wanted to offer you some advice.”

    “Oh God please give it to me,” Benny said mocking her. “I have barely been able to function for the past year without your words of wisdom.”

    “You haven’t changed a bit have you Benny James?”

    “No I haven’t,” Benny said with blood in his teeth. “And neither has the fact that you fucked Chuckie Neighbors.”

    “Goodbye Benny,” Jane said, disheartened.

    Benny hung up the phone without a word, picked up the lawn chair he sat in that belonged to Jane and threw it in the lake. His breathing reached its normal level again as he envisioned it touching the bottom and resting in the muck.

    The marriage to Jane was a short one and Benny’s only venture into this arena of life. He was serious with a few other women, but the marriage to his career would not allow him to commit polygamy. His so called retirement and move to Tilley led him to believe it would work at this point in his life. Jane respected his private eye business and the odd hours he kept, but she had a nomadic heart. She and Chuckie Neighbors grew up in Tilley and were high school sweethearts. They married a month after their high school graduation. During the same week, Chuckie entered the force as a rookie cop. Being such a small town, the Tilley Police Department was desperate for bodies to fill its meek numbers and the requirements for entry were low. Chuckie in the beginning years was a loyal, thoughtful, and dedicated husband. As he climbed each rank in the force, he became more and more distant as his growing powers led not his heart, but his loins to wander. Once he reached the rank of Chief, he didn’t exert any effort in covering his misdeeds. Power is a mighty corruptor. Although Chuckie ran a spic and span operation in every other sense, his sexual escapades were dirtier than a truck stop bathroom. Jane tried to ignore it for a while, but one can only be slapped in the face so many times before retaliating. One afternoon, she decided to surprise him at work and surprise him she did. She walked unannounced into his office against the strong advice of his secretary to find panties just inside the door on the floor and a very young gal doing what looked like a split on his desk. She saw the top of Chuckie’s head and when he looked up, he told her to go home and not to bother him at work.

    She did go home. She packed her stuff and visited a lawyer. Taking on the Chief of Police in a judicially slanted town was an uphill battle and she luckily took possession of the house, which had a mortgage balance she could handle, and nothing else. She thanked God there were no children involved. She attained the house, thanks to the services of Benny James and some lascivious photos the judge could not ignore. Benny advised her to use the photos as leverage. As advised, she threatened to show them around the town and county if he did not sign over the house to her. He obliged. He was in the midst of a race for Sheriff of Gladdis County and Tilley, Georgia was after all still in the Bible belt.

    After the case ended, Jane called Benny and asked him to go out for a celebratory dinner. The dinner resulted in a romantic relationship that evolved into a marriage. The marriage lasted two years. Something in Jane’s heart, maybe the high school sweetheart history, or God knows what, could not sever the tie of her feelings for Chuckie. They eventually wound up in bed again. Chuckie and Jane would never know that Vernon was the one who tipped Benny off. This bit of information began the close tie between the two men.