Maxine's New Life Ch. 15

They kept Martin, Mike, Gwen and me in seperate areas of the building. I knew it was to prevent story matching and manufacturing. The GBI blew in around midnight. It took them another hour to catch up, before they could begin to question us. They began with me for some reason known only to them.

"So Ms. Stone, what exactly happened?" Marshal asked.

"You know most of it, but sure why not do it all again. We were posing as a criminal gang to get information on The Atwood brothers. We did that for our client so that they could be prosecuted and finally something would stick to them. We were employed by a lawyer in Aster, I gave the State Police her name."

"Yes, I have that, so go on," Marshal said.

"We arranged the meeting through the local chief of police, who is on the Atwood brothers payroll." I said. I waited to see if Marshal would advise me that the Chief was dead. He didn't, so I went on. The chief decided to cooperate and gave us a complete breakdown of the Atwood operation as he knew it to be. I had Mike send the information to your office in Atlanta. Did you get it?" I asked.

"I did, go on please," he said.

"When I arrived at the ball field, I was not armed. I had instructed the chief to inform Blain to also be unarmed. However Martin, aka the Irishman had posted himself on top of the concession stand with a sniper rifle. His job was to make sure Blain didn't murder me. When Blain arrived he walked across the field to me and position himself so that I was between the concession stand and him. Martin had no shot. He also informed me that his brother Thomas had killed Martin. Thomas Atwood, according to Blain Atwood had sent him a text message, saying that it was safe to come to the meet. He also informed him that I was unprotected.

Blain forced me to walk to the pitcher's mound, which also kept me between him and the concession stand. It didn't seem to matter since we both thought Martin was dead. He forced me to take my clothes off. Once I was nude and shivering, he force me to perform oral sex on him. He also told me that he would kill me, when he was ready to orgasm. It sounded a lot like Ted Bundy to tell the truth. I knelt which gave Martin a clear shot, but Martin hadn't heard the conversation between Blain and me. He didn't know that I was in imminent danger until Blain raised the pistol. It was at that time that he had a reasonably clear shot. He also knew that I was in imminent life threatening danger, so he killed Blain Atwood. And I for one am damn glad he did."

"So it is your statement that both Thomas and Blain Atwood died at the hands of Martin, aka The Irishman, and that both were justifiable homicides?" Marshal asked.

"That is indeed my statement." I said.

"It is also your statement that there is audio and video recordings the verify your statement?" Marshal asked again.

"It is, except that we were not filming when Thomas tried to kill Martin with a knife, I'm told." I said.

"So you can't really say how Thomas died," Marshal asked.

"No, but it's what Martin told me, when he ran to see if I was alive. I think they call that excited utterance. It might not hold up as a legal statement, but I think any Jury will understand it."

"What do you know about the man killed at the house you rented?" he asked.

"Again Martin told me that Mike killed one man with a shotgun and a second man ran away. That is all I know. I have no idea who they were, except that Blain told me he had sent the cook and one of his friends to kill Mike and Gwen. I think his plan was to have us all disappear and the chief of police would say we just moved on."

"You went to that meeting unarmed. You must have a lot of faith in this Irishman fellow?"

"Yes I do and it seems to be well placed." I said seriously.

"So I guess you can go home and take a shower now. I'm going to interview your friends and then I will send them on along."

"I didn't drive to the meet, could I get a ride home?" I asked. Sure but I have to keep your pistol.

"Damn Marshal, you have more of my weapons than I do." I said angrily.

"Have your lawyer submit a request. I expect a couple of weeks to pass first, but then you should be able to get them returned."

The Georgia state police officer dropped me at the empty house. I flipped the switch and nothing happened. I had forgotten that they somehow killed the power. It was deathly quiet in the house and the darkness made the quiet oppressive. I managed to find my Bowie knife wrapped in a towel in my bag of dirty laundry. I sure as hell hoped I wouldn't need it.

I sat alone in the dark house and wondered who would be the next one released. I had my money on Gwen. For some reason the house was warm even with no power. I supposed that the propane heater didn't need a blower to heat the small house. Since it was warm, I decided to take a shower. Getting Blain's blood, and whatever else flew from the head shot, off me seemed like a good idea. So I grabbed a clean pair of panties and a clean thermal tee, then went into the shower. Yes, I did take the Bowie knife with me. After the events of the last few hours, it didn't seem paranoid at all to me. The shower scene from psycho kept running through my mind.

I took the shower with no concern at all about leaving hot water for the others. My one regret was that the burn on my side began to hurt from the water sting. I cursed to myself as I patted myself dry sooner than I would have liked.

I was finished and toweling my wet hair, when I heard the front door close. It was dark and quiet so unless they had been in the house for some time they might not know I was home. Since I wasn't sure how many thugs the Atwoods had on their payroll I was careful. I dressed in my panties and thermal top. I didn't bother with a bra or even a sweater. I had the knife out of the case and by my side, when I opened the door to the bathroom. I could smell his aftershave, but I didn't recognize it. Whoever he was, he must have heard he bathroom door open. I dropped to the floor instantly, expecting a gunshot at any second.

Fortunately he couldn't see any better than me, so I slipped away as best I could, being as quiet as possible. I slipped into the kitchen and curled into a corner of the room between the appliances. I know you think hiding is cowardly and it is. I just didn't feel up to hunting the hunter.

He must have gotten tired of looking for me in the dark quiet house. Men have a patience problem, the have none. "I know you are here bitch. I saw you get out of the cop car. I should have killed you then. Why don't you come on out and we can end this now. Otherwise I am just going to have to hunt you. I was watching from the woods, when they got your friends. They stripped the house clean, when they took them away. So unless they gave you a gun at the police station you are unarmed. If you had a gun, you would have used it by now, so I guess I have the only one." He had one evil laugh.

"I bet you wonder who the hell I am don't you bitch. Well honey pie, I am Samuel Atwood. Those two pussies are my nephews. I reckon you killed them both, so I have to give you credit for that at least. I expect it was that Martin fellow who did the killin' women don't have no stomach for killin'. he said.

Don't count too much on that you old fuck, I thought He had been wandering around the house while he talked to me. He didn't have a clue where I was, but I knew where he was from the sound of his voice.

"You know, people around here think I'm a hermit or maybe dead I expect. I travel a great deal these days. Just disappear for long periods of time. When I come back, I catch up on things then go again. Those two boys run things for me and they do a good job most of the time. But I knew one day they was gonna' run into a problem. One that they couldn't handle was inevitable. I been cleaning up after them for years. I knew one day I would just be too late and sure enough along you came. All full of yourself and one hard bitch. I knowed you was from the first time I seen you coming out of the Farmer Exchange. You just got a way of walkin' that says I just don't care what you do to me, I ain't leaving. Them boys didn't get it, but I did. They should have left you to me, but they wanted to prove they was men. Pussies that's what they was."

"Ah there you are," he said standing in the kitchen. He was about ten feet away based on his voice. "I can smell your cunt." He laughed. "I know corny, I saw that in the movie with Anthony Hopkins."

"Stand up girl, it time to meet your maker." He said all pleased with himself.

What he didn't expect was an attack from a mere girl. Not a girl launching herself at him from a crouched position on the floor and coming at him like a spear with a bowie knife for a tip. I felt it sink into him as I heard the blast from his shotgun beside my head. I twisted the knife and pulled it up. I could smell blood and feces as the knife opened his intestines. There was a flash of light, then it was like in the movies it just faded to black.

So is this finally it? I asked God, but he didn't answer.

129 sleeping beauty lives.

I heard my name, so I tried to open my eyes. It was hard they seemed to be stuck. I kept trying and finally they yielded to my will. The first thing I saw was that Jan was a red head again. I saw her and it triggered the memories from our childhood. The high school dances and of course the crushes. Not to mention the groping behind the gym, while inside the gym the school's basketball team lost another game.

The memories it did not bring back were the ones explaining how I got into the hospital again. I knew who she was, but I didn't know where she was. I knew in the depths of my murky brain, that I was not in my hometown hospital, but I wasn't sure where I was.

Since Jen's eyes were closed I naturally assumed that she was sleeping. I was suddenly very tired, so I returned to sleep without finding out who had called my name. It didn't really seem to matter all that much anyway.

I heard my name being called again. Again I struggled to open my eyes. When the struggle paid off, I saw Mike standing over my bed. "They won't let me stay long. I just wanted to see, if you were doing any better."

"Better than what Mike? How long have I been here?" I asked.

"You have been in the hospital three days. Gwen found you and the dead man, when the cops dropped her off. She called 911 and the cops just turned around and came back. The man was dead and you were just o ut of it."

"I was what?" I asked not believing I could have heard him correctly.

"You didn't respond to anything, or anyone. I guess you took a short vacation."

"So, all I needed was a little rest?" I asked.

"Well you did have a little infection from the burn, but that is all gone now, I think."

"Has Jen gone home?" I asked.

"She is still here. She has been busy. First it was keeping us out of prison. Then it was being sure the cops didn't tell the story any way, but her way. Now that you are awake, I expect her to be gone tomorrow." Mike said laughing.

"Has she figured out how to legally steal the Atwood's money?" I asked smiling. After all I did know Jen.

"She had filed a claim for damages against the estates of each. I can see the mental anguish for you and Martin." He said.

"Nothing like giving a blowjob to a dead man to cause mental anguish, I guess." I said it smiling up at Mike. "So how is Gwen? That old man couldn't have looked or smelled very good, when she found him."

"She took it pretty hard at first, but you know Gwen. It only seemed to bother her a few hours, then she was on to something else."

"How about you and your dead man?' I asked.

"Like you said earlier, it was him or me and I chose him. I won't regret it, ever." he said.

"Good for you." I paused and thought for just a minute. I have to pee and i'm sure there is a catheter in me. Would you call a nurse for me please?"

"You have a call button," Mike said.

"Stick your fucking head out the door and say nurse. Damn Mike, they can ignore those lights for hours, they can't ignore you shouting down the hall." I was amused that I had to explain it to him. Nonetheless after I did, he went along with it without complaint.

"When he came back in, he was followed by a young Asian nurse. "Yes Miss Stone, what can I do for you?"

"You can remove the catheter, so that I can go pee." I said.

"Yes now that the sedative has worn off we can do that, but you must allow me to help you." she said.

"Are you going to help me to the bathroom, or somehow help me pee. I really think I can do the pee thing alone." I said.

"My, you do indeed sound better," she said.

After I returned from the bathroom, Mike said, "Well you seem to be getting better, so Gwen and I will be headed back to Aster. We need to start editing these files. They won't let us film in the Hospital anyway."

"Ah poor baby without your security blankie, you are just lost." I said with a smile.

"I think you are going to be fine. Yes, I need the camera between me and the world. It is who I am," he said.

An hour or so later Jen came into the room. "Mike said you were awake."

"Yes I am awake, are you? You look like hell." She just smiled as an answer, "Geese you aren't screwing Martin, are you?" I asked.

"Well we both wanted to hang around to be sure you were going to pull out of your funk. Seemed a shame to waste money on two rooms." Jennifer said giggling like a teenager.

"That's just sick. I'm laying in the hospital in a coma, and you screwing the same men I screwed. Nice," I said.

"First of all, it was a drug induced coma to let you rest and reset your emotions. And Martin said you two weren't doing the deed." Jen said.

"Not while I'm in the hospital for sure," I agreed.

"Oh my god, I had no idea you two were actively going at it." she said. I almost believed her. I would have, had it not been for the preacher. Jen had jumped into bed with him just to see what I was doing at the moment. She found out alright, we were both taking it up the ass for the preacher."

"So now I guess Martin will come in and tell me which of us three gives the best blow jobs."

"I do of course," Jen said. not quite serious but almost.

"Right," was my only reply.

"So now that you are back with us, I have to get back to work. By the way, if the Atwoods had anything, it's yours and Martin's now. Comes under the federal crime recovery act or some such nonsense, and also I am suing the shit out of their estates."

"Good, I'm sure I need the money more than any other of his siblings," I said.

"Or uncles," she said with a smile.

"Especially them," I said in agreement. "Hey when you get home would you tell Cheryl I'm alright and will be home in a couple of days. I have been leaving messages on her voice mail all morning. I can leave here can't I?"

"I think they want to give you the keys to the city, but yeah you can leave. You aren't under arrest or anything."

After she left I fell asleep again but that time it was just sleep not drugs. "Hey Maxine, wake up." I did just that.

"Martin what the hell?" I asked.

"I been called back to the swamp. I didn't want to go without telling you how sorry I am that I didn't kill that prick, when he was walking out to you at the fence."

"Yeah, I probably would have bitched about it, and you probably would have gone to jail, but it would have been so cool. It all worked out as it should have, and we are both free. Even better we are both still alive."

"I know you don't like knives, but you seem to know your way around them, so I got you a present." he said handing me a plastic bag.

Inside the bag was a short Vietnam era air force survival knife in it's canvas sheath. "Wow, thanks," I said meaning it.

"The guy who sold it to me, said that it belonged to his father. The old man was a recon pilot in Thailand. Did the whole tour without ever having to leave the plane. He did have some damage a few times, but that knife never left the case."

"Thanks Martin it was a sweet thing to do, but I still don't like knives," I said with a smile. I sure hope we work together again, you did save my ass."

"Probably not. Thanks to you I only killed the right people and with just cause, so I am considered rehabilitated. I'm probably going to be out of here by next weekend."

"I know it's what you want, so I can only wish you luck. There will always be a place for you here," I said with tears in my eyes. "Damn, there I go crying again."

Martin was still standing by the door when a short bald man in a white lab coat came into the room. "So Ms Stone, it's good to see you awake. How are you doing today?"

"I'm just fine, how are you?" I asked. "Even more important who are you?" I asked.

"I'm your doctor. Actually I'm your psychiatrist."

"Why do I need you?" I asked.

"When you came to the emergency room you were non responsive. When someone is like that, we begin to worry. So we brought you in and gave you a chance to rest. You had a small infection, but that responded to Antibiotics and it is all cleared up now."

"I'm going to shove off Max. It's been really, really, real." Martin said.

"Yes it has. Thank you again for my life." I said.

"Likewise, I'm sure." Martin said, then just turned and walked out the door.

I wanted to cry so I fucking cried. I didn't give a crap what the shrink had to say, I needed to cry, so I did. I probably didn't need for it to be uncontrollable, but it was what it was. I was not thrilled that the doc saw me crying like a teenager, but I just couldn't stop.

I was almost sorry that the camera crew wasn't around. Maybe it would put an end to the TV experience, I thought.

"You know Maxine, I think we might try you on some tranquilizers," The bald doctor suggested.

"I don't think so, as a matter of fact it's time I checked out and headed on home." I suggested.

"Thats not a good idea," he replied.

"I thought you might feel that way, so I'm not asking. I just going to pack my shit, pay your bill, and then I'm going home." I looked him in the eye when I said it.

"Someday you are going to have to deal with all this," he suggested.

"I have already dealt with it," I replied. I smiled even though there were tears still running down my face and snot was everywhere, "What I really need is to get back to my everyday life."

"There is a really good therapist in Tryon. You should consider seeing her." She said.

"Do you know her personally or are you just recommending that I see someone in general?" I asked.

"I have met the lady at a couple of seminars and yes seeing anyone is better than doing nothing." he replied.

"Fair enough, I'll give it all the thought it deserves," I stated clearly.

"Well, please do. There are lots of things to help with PTSD these days. Some are drugs and there are groups. You don't have to suffer."

"Sure I do. It's what I do best." I said as I began walling him off. He was smart enough to realize that I was already putting distance between us.

"Hello," I said to the lady in the admitting office. "This is Maxine Stone in 352 I will be checking out in an hour, so if you want to be paid, you need to get a bill ready."

"We don't have any paperwork on that," she said after consulting her computer.

"I know, I just decided to leave. Now get the bill ready, or get ready to send the cops after me."

She had the bill ready for me, and I would have paid it except that the TV network had already made arrangements.

The five hour drive home, all alone in the rental car, gave me a chance to deal with my demons. I knew I had a problem, I just chose to embrace it. So it made me a little weird. Let the rest of the world see me as strange, what did I care. Hell I saw the world as strange, so I guess we were even.