Chapter 6
It was now eight on Saturday morning. It was going to be a beautiful Saturday with clear skies across the eastern part of Pennsylvania.
Darin woke up and recalled that sweet dream about that beautiful woman. He heard Tiffany hacking up phlegm in the bathroom while she took her morning piss. That sound sure ruined the mood with his sweet thoughts about that dream.
Darin got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom, still yawning. He started to cough, and it was a raspy lung filled with junk cough while he walked down the hallway.
He went into the bedroom and brushed his teeth while Tiffany finished her business on the toilet.
He grabbed his toothbrush out of the medicine cabinet and plopped on some Colgate. He started brushing his teeth but soon cringed as brushing hit a nerve with his decaying teeth. Darin spit out the toothpaste, grabbed the bottle of Scope mouthwash. He opened it, took and took a swig, swished it in his mouth, and spat it out into the sink. This was good enough in the minds of Darin and Tiffany.
Darin headed to the kitchen while Tiffany went back to the bedroom.
Darin began scrambling some eggs, frying some bacon and make toast.
A little while later, Tiffany walked into the kitchen in her A&P uniform. She walked up to the Mr. Coffee maker and poured a cup of coffee. She opened up the cabinet door above the coffee pot and removed a bottle of Jack Daniels. She opened up the bottle and poured a little bourbon into her coffee. For flavor. She would rationalize the need for booze in her coffee.
Darin and Tiffany sat down at the table and started eating breakfast.
Tiffany’s eyes soon widened when she remembered something. “Oh I forgot, your mother called yesterday,” she said then rolled her eyes, as she and Darin’s mom never got along. June always felt Tiffany tricked Darin into marriage by getting pregnant.
“What did she say?”
“She wanted to know when you’re going to come down to Sarasota to visit her. Are you going to the dentist, blah, blah, and more blah,” said Tiffany then ate some scrambled eggs.
June moved down to Sarasota, Florida two years ago after Henry died from a heart attack four years ago. She wanted to be closer to her sister that moved to Bradenton, Florida, eight years ago for a job at the Tropicana plant.
“Maybe I’ll go down there for Christmas,” he said then took a drink of coffee.
“You can go by yourself. David is expected to be out on parole by then. So I’ll stay here just in case to welcome him home,” said Tiffany, as she was happy when June moved away and didn’t have any desire with visiting her in Florida.
David Archer was Darin and Tiffany’s twenty-one-year-old son who was in jail for breaking into Burt’s Drug Store in the middle of the night with one of his stupid friends. They stole drugs to support their habit. He got five years in prison and was eligible for parole in December. Besides Tiffany, and their son David was the primary source of Darin’s headaches and frustration with life.
“Okay,” said Darin, as he really didn’t want David to get out on parole. David always had run-ins with the police ever since he was fourteen years old.
It remained quiet while Darin and Tiffany finished their breakfast.
Tiffany got up from the table, removed a Marlboro from her pack in her uniform shirt pocket, and lit it. “I better get to work so those assholes can buy their groceries,” she said then took a drag on her cigarette.
She blew Darin a little kiss then headed out of the trailer.
He loved the silence after she was out of the trailer.
Darin got up and poured another cup of coffee.
He headed over into the living room and had the desire to listen to some music while he drank coffee.
He walked over to his Walmart bought vertical CD rack. He glanced at the CDs for one that was of interest.
He spotted one that he suddenly felt he should listen to, so he pulled it out. It was The Beatles Revolver CD.
He looked at the back of the CD, and there was only one song he really wanted to listen to this morning.
Darin put the CD in his CD player and forwarded it to track five. “To lead a better life,” sang out Paul McCartney while The Beatles started their song Here, There, and Everywhere.
Darin’s eyes widened when he remembered something. He rushed out of the living room and down the hallway to his bedroom.
He rushed over to the closet, opened up the flimsy metal bi-fold door, and reached up to the top shelf. He removed an old cigar box and rushed out of the bedroom.
Darin sat down on the couch and opened up the cigar box. Inside was old newspaper clippings, a few pictures of a young Darin in Vietnam and other odds and ends of his past life.
He removed the newspaper clipping that was dated Saturday, June 19th, 1971. While the song Here, There, and Everywhere played, Darin looked at the clipping that had Sheryl’s yearbook picture with the “Local Girl Found Murdered at Lake Willow,” headlines.
“Both of us thinking how good it can be,” sang out Paul while Darin looked at the news clipping. And hearing Paul sing out that part of the lyrics also had Sheryl’s voice still in his head when she would sing out that song.
Darin started to read the article. “Seventeen-year-old Sheryl Watson was found under a pile of small tree branches in the woods by Lake Willow on Thursday. Dr. Scott Eastman’s autopsy revealed Miss Watson was murdered on the evening of Monday, June 14th. His autopsy also revealed Miss Watson was raped then received blunt trauma to her head. It was believed that the killer used a rock. At this time, Police Chief Hanson did not have any leads to the identity of the killer. But he promised Mayor Watson that Sheryl’s killer will be found,” he silently read the article.
Darin turned off the CD just before the song ended. He couldn’t listen to it any longer.
He gulped down the rest of his coffee then headed to the kitchen. Darin poured another cup of coffee then grabbed the pack of Marlboro’s on the counter he left there last night. He removed a cigarette, lit it, then headed outside to smoke and drink his coffee.
Darin spent an hour outside enjoying the weather while he finished off that pot of coffee. After he finished that he polished off two Rolling Rock beers.
It was one in the afternoon, and Darin headed out to buy some more supplies.
He got in his Impala and drove out of the mobile home park and headed off to the beer distributor store.
He went inside, and with the aid of a shopping cart, he bought three cases of Rolling Rock bottled beer. This would last about a week.
While he rolled his cart to the checkout lines, he saw an old familiar face. He smiled. “Why, it’s Kenny Woods! You’re a sight for sore eyes. I haven’t seen you since we went to Ocean City after graduation. You left town right after that if I recall.” he said while he spotted his old friend from his high school years.
Kenny was a little fatter with thinning auburn hair and his pot marked face was still visible. Kenny looked at Darin and really wasn’t interested in meeting his old high school friend. “Hey, Darin. Yeah, after Ocean City, I decided to stay with my uncle over in California. I wanted a change of scenery from this place. Then in that September, I enlisted in the Air Force,” said Kenny. “I made it a twenty-two-year career. So I was always traveling around the globe.”
Darin walked over and extended his hand to his old friend. Kenny reluctantly shook it.
“What are you doing here in Burkeville?” said Darin while their hands separated.
“Visiting mom and pop. I haven’t seen them since I retired from the Air Force,” said Kenny then he spotted the three cases of Rolling Rock beer. He had heard from his parents on how Darin’s life turned to excessive drinking.
“What are you doing these days?” said Darin.
“I sell insurance over in the LA area,” said Kenny.
“Did you ever get married?”
“No,” said Kenny.
“I see,” said Darin then he hoped Kenny wouldn’t ask him what he was doing now, so he decided to try to get the conservation into another direction “I sure miss Charles. I still can’t believe he got killed in Vietnam.”
“Yeah, me too. I don’t know why he wanted to enlist in the Marines. I wished I told him that the Air Force was the safer branch to join,” said Kenny then he appeared a little bothered to be hanging around Darin.
“I can’t believe that after all these years they haven’t caught Sheryl’s killer,” said Darin with sadness in his eyes.
“Yeah, me too,” said Kenny, and he started to sweat a little. “Listen, I really need to get back to the family. Nice seeing you again,” he said, then rushed away.
“Let’s get together while you’re in town. For old times sake,” called out Darin.
Kenny stopped and turned around. “I’ll try. But you know, family stuff might keep me busy,” he said then turned back around and walked away.
“Understand,” said Darin, but he could sense that Kenny didn’t want to get together. After all, he hadn’t contacted him at all during the past twenty-four years.
Darin rolled his shopping cart away.
Over at the A&P grocery store in the southern part of town, Tiffany took her lunch break.
She stood at the rear of the store and smoked a cigarette. She looked at her watch. “Hurry up,” she said quietly to herself.
A Burkeville 1994 Impala black and white squad car drove up behind the A&P.
Tiffany saw the car when it stopped twenty feet from her. She dropped her cigarette and smashed it with her shoe.
She walked over to the squad car.
Behind the wheel was forty-one year old Robbie Howard. He was now the Chief of Police in Burkeville. He went off to college right after high school with high dreams of being a quarterback with the NFL. But a shoulder injury messed up his throwing arm and his football career was ended during his junior year at the university. So he dropped out, and his dad gave him a job as a police officer. Robbie was good with that because it gave him the paid opportunity to intimidate people. He became Chief of Police twelve years ago when his dad retired. He never married despite his reputation with screwing so many girls in high school. He stated he was too busy for a relationship. But he would frequent bars in downtown Philly on Friday and Saturday nights to relieve stress.
Robbie now sported a crew cut and had still kept himself in shape. He was always a good size brute.
“It’s about time. I only have fifteen minutes left on my break,” said Tiffany after she sat her but down in the passenger seat of the squad car.
“Sorry, I had to catch a speeder,” said Robbie, then he motioned for Tiffany to get down to business.
Tiffany smiled and leaned over. She unzipped his trousers then pulled them and his boxer down to his knees.
Robbie closed his eyes and loved Tiffany’s blowjobs.
This had been a usual occurrence behind the A&P and at other locations throughout Burkeville during the past twenty years.
Darin suspected this was going on behind his back but could care less.
Tiffany didn’t have to worry about being late from her break as Robbie was finished in three minutes.
Tiffany wiped her mouth and got out of the car.
Robbie drove off while Tiffany went back inside the A&P through a rear door.
Tiffany walked down a hallway and walked upon Don Paule’s office. He had been the manager of the A&P for the past ten years, and he spotted Tiffany walk past his office. “Finished already?” he called out with a smirk, as he knew of her rendezvous with the Chief of Police.
Tiffany walked back and stood in his office doorway. “He’s not as quick as you,” she said then winked at him
Don just chuckled, as he was often the recipient of Tiffany’s passion. This kept her employed even after those numerous times she snuck a few drinks of bourbon during her breaks.
Tiffany returned to her cash register to finish her shift.