Laid Bare Ch. 06

Chapter Six - Endgame

Adele rolled into the now familiar visitor's parking space outside of the municipal building. It was nearly six pm and she was nearly five hours late, she and Celia were supposed to have filed their suit with the court clerk at one o'clock that afternoon.

She had checked her phone whilst driving to Missionville and she had six missed calls and half a dozen texts from Celia asking her where she was. She was not composed enough to answer any of them, besides, she did not want to wake up Kimberly who had been sleeping in the passenger seat resting her head against Adele's shoulder.

Celia was stalking the outside of the building; walking up and down the long veranda looking furious. She had a thick file under one arm and her handbag over her shoulder; she was smoking like a train engine, a plume of smoke trailing behind her as she walked briskly up and down. She had her demure court-clothes on: a plain black suit with a knee length skirt, low heeled pumps, plain black hosiery and she had turned down the volume on her makeup except for her signature blood-red lipstick.

Celia was about to unload on Adele who skittered up the stone steps with Kimberly in tow but she realised something was wrong. Adele looked befuddled and Adele never looked befuddled. She was moving gingerly, wincing when she made sudden movements.

Kimberly looked wan and withdrawn.

Celia gave Adele a 'what the fuck?' look and Adele returned a 'don't you dare ask' look and Celia kept her mouth closed.

"I have a continuance, we have until six pm to lodge the claim or we have to come back next week," Celia tossed her cigarette butt into a cluster of Goldenrod that had been cultivated in the flowerbed.

"The sheriff could likely fine you for tossing your butt at the state flower," Adele tried to lighten the mood.

"Well he'd have to fine me at least a dozen times then because I smoked at least that many cigarettes waiting for you. Besides I thought the sheriff was your friend?" Celia did not conceal her anger well.

Dumpy Darleen Wright, the law clerk, was wearing the same rumpled suit and she looked anxiously at the wall clock when Adele, Celia and Kimberly burst through her door.

She was about to tell Adele that she was too late but the 'don't fuck with me' look on Adele's face made her change her mind. She thought there was something different about Adele today; she did not have the grace and elegance that she presented herself with the first time they had met. Darleen took the thick legal brief and gave Adele a signed receipt. They all signed a document that stipulated that Kimberly Peak, daughter and sole beneficiary of her mother Tammy Peak, was present and had witnessed and agreed to the case being filed, stipulating that the law firm of Edwards and Bettany was acting on her behalf and on behalf of her mother.

"I won't get to review the file and give it to the judge until Monday but I've stipulated that the case was filed at five fifty seven today," Darleen said officiously.

Adele just nodded and opened the door so that Celia and Kimberly could file out ahead of her.

"Good luck," Darleen whispered giving Adele a wry smile.

Adele smiled back. She knew now that she had at least one ally in the Silas County court.

The three women stood outside on the veranda and took a minute to breathe.

"I knew better than to ask why you were late when you arrived but honey I'm going to need to hear from you when we get to the motel," Celia breathed.

"You bet. I'll take Kimberly home and see you there soon ok?" Adele leaned in and kissed Celia on the lips, momentarily forgetting where she was.

A County functionary was leaving the building for the day and witnessed the act.

"Fucking lesbos!" he hissed under his breath as he walked past.

"Hey mister Skimmings," Kimberly called out and the man turned around.

"Hey Kimberly," the skinny balding man in the ratty suit smiled at her in greeting.

Kimberly raced up to him and kicked him in the shins.

"Hey!" Adele and Celia called out in unison and pulled Kimberly away from the man who was now hopping on one leg, holding his barked shin.

"You shouldn't have done that," Adele said purposely, holding Kimberly by the arm.

Kimberly nodded and then gave Adele a hug, which she returned.

"The kid's got spunk," Celia said out the side of her mouth as they walked back to the visitor's parking spaces.

"You have no idea," Adele replied.

Adele and Kimberly spoke frankly on the way to Kimberly's house, once again swearing never to tell a soul what had happened that day at the shack. Adele told Kimberly that until the case was settled she was not to leave the property on her own just in case there were other bad men out there.

"What about school?" Kimberly asked, secretly hoping for a pass.

"We'll get someone to drop you off and pick you up after ok?" Adele replied.

Adele was dreading facing Celia, they had their secrets, their Thursday night furloughs were a prime example, and Adele had kept her college gang rape a secret until Celia coaxed it out of her. But this was monumental, not only the sustained sexual assault but the murders.

By the time she got to her chalet Adele was really sore, her muscles were aching and the scratches and bruises she had sustained gave off a dull throb. Adele couldn't help but playing little vignettes of the ordeal over and over in her head: being spit-roasted kneeling on a chair while Dale fucked her and she suckled Lyle, she had orgasmed when Dale came inside her. It was involuntary but it was breathtaking all the same. Then... sitting in Lyle's lap while he kissed her and slowly fucked her, his hands caressing her ripped-nylons; he had invoked another orgasm from Adele when he finally ejaculated inside her.

Adele knew that there was something in her makeup that made her relish forced or dangerous sex. Her psychiatrist had told her that it was related to what had happened to her in college, after which she went through a period of insatiable promiscuity. That was why she used the services of men like Roy or had dalliances with guys like Wayne Sutter; but it did not in any way diminish her love and devotion for Celia.

Celia had taken the cabin next to Adele's. She had no intention of sleeping in it but in this backwater it was best to pretend to adhere to their outdated ideas of morality even though she and Adele were married.

"What happened honey; you look like hell and you're limping," Celia had been waiting for Adele and her concern evident.

"Can you let me take a long hot shower first and then I'll tell you," Adele kissed Celia on the cheek.

Adele went into the bathroom and sat on the stool and slowly undressed then she looked at herself in the mirror. Her face wasn't too bad, her lips were puffy from being zealously kissed, her shoulders were a little bruised from being held down, her nipples were tender and her breasts were bruised and her left breast had a bite mark. Her thighs were also bruised, she couldn't see her ass but she knew it would be red from being spanked and squeezed.

She brushed her teeth, rinsed with mouthwash and then turned off the lights while she ran the water to get it as hot as she could bear it and then she climbed into the shower.

Celia came into the bathroom naked. Despite the gloom her alabaster skin accentuated her berry red nipples, the surrounding dark areola and her blood-red lips. She climbed into the shower and Adele pulled her close and kissed her softly.

Celia returned the kiss and slid her tongue into Adele's mouth which tasted like toothpaste and mouthwash. She took a handful of liquid bodywash and smeared it over Adele's breasts; despite the pain her nipples hardened. Adele pressed her bruised lips against Celia's and drove her tongue into her sweet mouth as she reached up and caressed Celia's breasts, fingering her nipples into tumescence.

They used the bodywash liberally on each other, exploring each other's bodies with their fingertips. Adele winced when Celia's fingers drifted across the bite mark on her breast and again when she softly squeezed Adele's buttocks.

Celia snatched her hand away but Adele placed it back.

"It hurts; but it hurts nice," she smiled at Celia and lowered her head and kissed her again.

Celia was well aware of Adele's predilection to coalesce pain and pleasure and Celia squeezed Adele's buttocks until she hissed. She felt Adele's rock-hard cock pressing against her belly.

Celia took another gobbet of bodywash and began to slowly and softly stroke Adele's penis.

Adele was amazed that she could become aroused gain after what had happened to her in the cabin but she knew that her love and desire for Celia had a lot to do with it.

Adele purred as Celia stroked her erection and cupped her scrotum, gently squeezing it. Adele slipped her fingers inside Celia and opened her pink inner lips and circled her clitoris with a fingertip.

Celia shuddered. Adele drove two fingers inside Celia's slick vagina whist still gently massaging her clitoris and Celia began to mew. She drove her fingers deeper inside Celia working on her G-spot forcing Celia up on her toes. Celia squeezed Adele's throbbing phallus and made her moan with desire, she took her hand away from Adele's scrotum and slid a finger inside Adele's anus.

"Oh god!" Adele cried.

Celia slipped another slippery finger inside Adele and worked a fingertip hard against Adele's prostate while she stroked and squeezed Adele quivering cock, expressing her spend which spattered on Celia's belly. The spray of semen quickly became a dribble, Adele's semen reserves were exhausted by her previous orgasms.

Adele massaged Celia's G-spot and flicked her fingertip on her clitoris and then she felt Celia's vagina begin to contract around her fingers and Celia began to shake uncontrollably. Adele held Celia against her and kissed her while Celia rode the rollercoaster of her orgasm, she moaned as she felt an immense release and Adele felt Celia's cunt become saturated. Celia peaked, shuddering and groaning against Adele's soft slippery skin.

They held onto each other for what seemed like an eternity.

"I love you," Adele whispered.

"I love you too," Celia replied.

"You're not going to tell me what happened to you today are you?" Celia breathed, her body still pressed against Adele.

"If you make me I'll have to," Adele replied.

"How can I make you?" Celia asked.

"Just tell that I have to tell you. I love you so much that I will do anything you ask; you know that don't you?" Adele kissed the top of Celia's head.

"It's awful isn't it?" Celia pressed her face against Adele's chest.

Adele just nodded.

"Will you get over it?" Celia's voice was muffled against Adele's soft flesh.

"Yes. Eventually," Adele replied.

"Then you decide. I won't ask again," Celia sighed.

*****

Adele slept in; her body needed rest to recover. Celia had gone to the offices in town and left Adele a short note, sealed with a kiss. Adele showered, put on a robe, made coffee and sat down on the couch and studied the lighter and the mobile phone she had taken off Lyle's body. The lighter was a slightly battered plain silver Zippo with no monogram or insignia.

Adele tried to open the phone but it was password protected. She tried the most obvious PIN codes: 1-2-3-4-5-6, 'password', 'lyle', then 'Lyle' but then she gave up.

She rang Michelle DeLong.

"Hey I got a rush job for IT Guy," Adele spoke into her phone.

"You mean Steven Baker," Michelle replied.

"No the other IT Guy who has a mad crush on you," Adele replied sarcastically.

"Hey don't get snappy," Michelle replied, a little pissed off with Adele's attitude.

"It just so happens that IT Guy is heading to your new office and the research team are about one hour out of Missionville ready to go to work at the Peak's property," Michelle said smugly.

"Sorry Michelle; you know Celia and I both love you," Adele apologised.

"I love you guys too," Michelle replied.

"Hey by the way, you didn't get around to fucking Peter Duffy again did you because I was just wondering..." Adele started to tease her but Michelle interjected.

"Sorry I'm losing you, you're breaking up, going into a tunnel or something," Michelle laughed and hung up the phone.

Adele called Michelle again the next day; this time serious as a heart attack.

"Tell Duffy to get his ass down to Missionville tomorrow for a private one on one with me at my office. Don't take no for an answer. He can call me for the details, he has my number," Adele said curtly and hung up.

*****

"So here we are, the lawyer, the lobbyist and the sheriff," Adele began.

She put her cell phone on the table and then put the phone she had taken from Lyle's body beside it.

"I'm going to play something I recorded on my phone a little while back," Adele looked at both men.

Peter Duffy had a line of sweat on his upper lip; Wayne Sutter sat stoic and confident.

"Can we fuck her?" a male voice said.

"The boss didn't say we couldn't. He just said to keep her here until he tells us to release her and the kid," another man replied.

"I'm going to fast forward to another set point," Adele said.

"Lean forward," the man's breathing sounded ragged.

A minute or two later the same man said:

"Goddamn the bitch sure knows what she's doing. Last time I got blown was on my wedding day."

Adele fast forwarded the recording to the next set point.

"Take off your jacket. Unbutton your blouse," a man said gruffly.

"Jesus Adele! Were they talking to you?" Peter interjected; he was sweating profusely now.

Adele didn't answer. She played the last part of the recording that she wanted both men to hear.

"This bitch is about spent. I'm bringing out the girl. I reckon I got one more good fuck left in me and I want some of that sweet Kentucky schoolgirl poontang,"

"You recognise those voices?" Adele asked.

Peter Duffy shook his head vigorously and Wayne grunted a negative response.

"This is the phone I took from one of the men in the recording. I had my IT technician unlock it," Adele said.

"I'm hitting last number redial," Adele said grimly.

There was silence for a few seconds and then Sheriff Wayne Sutter's phone began to vibrate.

Wayne Sutter went pale. He snatched out his phone and stopped it ringing then stared blankly at the table.

"I recognised the number when IT Guy unlocked phone. Then I started digging," Adele looked at Wayne Sutter with unconcealed hatred.

"You don't have a transgendered brother in Louisville but your brother-in-law is on the board of the Bear Mountain Colliery and has a substantial amount of shares in Brindle Coal and Power," Adele said through gritted teeth.

"You claim to be neutral with regard to mountaintop removal mining, but you're really just another mole that Brindle has buried in the Silas County administration; a powerful ally for them too, given your position.

"You slashed my tire the evening you came to my cabin and ingratiated yourself with me so you could get close to me."

"You were supposed to meet Lyle and Dale at the car park that day on Bear Mountain. It was just a coincidence that I was there too so you did what had to, to make it look like you were there to see me and then shooed off your two henchmen. It was too early to abduct me and besides you needed Kimberly or Tammy to be abducted along with me to ensure the law suit didn't get filed by my partner."

"I don't know what was going to happen to Kimberly and I after those boys had finished with us in that cabin. I'd like to think that you were just following orders from Brindle to keep us from filing our suit but it's just as likely that we would have disappeared forever," Adele said bitterly.

"Adele. Look I..." Wayne Sutter began to reply but Adele cut him off.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say. There is nothing you can say," Adele was furious and could barely contain herself.

"So here is what you are going to do," she continued.

"You're going to ensure that the State Troopers investigating the fire at that remote cabin put Dale and Lyle's demise down to death by misadventure. I don't know how you're going to do that, nor do I want to know."

"You're going to dispose of Lyle's truck. You'll find it abandoned in a small clearing off a dirt trail about half a mile from the main road south of the where the cabin used to be. You're resourceful, you'll find it.

"Once the investigation is closed you are going to resign as deputy sheriff for Silas County. After that I couldn't care less what you do you asshole but if you go anywhere near the Peak family I will be telling my story in court," Adele said bitterly.

"That wasn't supposed to happen, those boys were just supposed to keep you from filing your suit; to delay you," Wayne was crying now.

"Delay for how long Wayne? It was only going to end up one of two ways. Those boys were going to do things to us that we were so ashamed of that we would never tell anyone and then withdraw our law suit. Or we were going to just disappear. Either way they were waiting on your orders," Adele snapped at him.

"Those Brindle assholes... they..." Wayne began but Adele cut him off.

"Get out of here Deputy Sutter. I never want to see you again," Adele pointed at the door.

After Wayne Sutter slunk out of the room, Adele turned to Peter Duffy.

"Did I just witness you admit that you and Kimberly Peak were kidnapped by two men by order of Deputy Sheriff Sutter? That you were sexually assaulted and Kimberly was likely to be assaulted next and then possibly disposed of or at least blackmailed and threatened not to lodge your suit?" Peter was incredulous.

"I never admitted to anything. I played you an edited version of some audio I had recorded a while ago and I made a few summations about the integrity of Deputy Sheriff," Adele said without elaborating further.

"What you needed to hear was the link between Brindle Coal and Power and the Deputy Sheriff of Silas County who ordered me and my plaintiff to be abducted," Adele replied.

"The last thing I want to do is stand in court and tell a jury what happened to me in a shotgun shack in the Appalachian Mountains, but I'll do it if I have to. You know that I have done something similar in the past to win a case, how far do you think I am prepared to go this time?" Adele continued.

"So here is what is going to happen. You're going to take this settlement offer to your bosses at Brindle Coal and Power and they are going to accept it along with my conditional NDA. There will be no haggling."

"Brindle will pay the full amount into the nominated account without stipulation by the end of next week. They will not be getting the Peak property either, that's off the table," Adele handed over a sealed file.

Peter opened it and studied the summary page.

"That's quite a sum of money Adele," Peter studied the document.

"I have quite a story to tell if they don't pay it," Adele smiled back mirthlessly.

"Given what I've heard; I will be strongly advising... no, I will direct Brindle to settle without delay and stipulate to your conditions," Peter put the file in his briefcase and rose from the table.

He got to the door and paused.

"What did happen to the two men who abducted you?" Peter looked back at Adele.

"Those good ol' boys forgot to tend their moonshine still and apparently it exploded. At least that's the story the State Troopers are likely to release to the media," Adele said.

"Of course if Brindle doesn't settle or reneges on any of the stipulations you have in that file, the world will hear a different story," Adele said bitterly.

When Peter left and closed the door behind him, Adele put her arms on the table, rested her head on them, and began to sob.