Walking an Endless Path Pt. 01

As Joe stepped from the truck, he felt their eyes turn to him, analyzing his threat potential. They were all big men; he supposed they felt their numbers gave them a serious advantage. Joe pasted a smile across his face and walked up the walkway to the front steps.

"Hello, Damien? My name's Joe. I understand you've taken a liking to my sister Amy," Joe said calmly.

"So?" Damien taunted.

"You do understand the feelings aren't mutual? She said no." Joe kept a smile on his face. He could smell the beer on Damien, but his brother was nowhere near as drunk.

"All bitches say no until they say yes, yes, oh YES!" Damien howled. His brothers picked up the laughter. The oldest brother looked at Damien with pride. Joe could see that being a sexual predator was also a family trait. He wondered how many women had received unwanted attention from him at his university.

Joe's smile cracked a little, and he had to look down and recompose his face. He could almost smell the testosterone radiating from these alpha males. Joe was seriously trying to keep it civil as his inner voice screamed at him to start swinging. He took a deep breath. He looked at the smirking men on the lawn and saw the football in Kevin's, or it could have been Derek's, hand. Just as they had in high school, they played the identical twin game a little too well. The way they dressed, their haircuts, and especially their mannerisms. It made Joe a little uneasy. He looked back at Damien.

"You fellas seem to like football. You're all pretty good at it?" Joe asked.

Damien was feeling really cocky now. "Shit, yeah!"

"Huh. I've never played, so I wouldn't know. How would you feel about making a little wager?" He looked at their big front lawn. He guessed it was at least thirty feet wide between two rows of hedges. "I say I can take the football from the right edge of the lawn to the left edge of the lawn in three plays. If I can't, you won't see me again. If I reach the left edge with the ball, Amy doesn't see you again." Joe put as cocky a smile as he could make on his face to piss off Damien.

"Against just me?" Damien asked, his voice betraying his nervousness.

"No, against all of you," Joe smirked. Now he'd offended all of them. They couldn't back down now.

The oldest brother spoke up for the first time. "She must be quite a juicy slice. Maybe we'll all have to take her for a ride once we're done with you." There was something evil lurking behind his eyes.

Joe couldn't stop the smile from dropping from his face, and his eyes flickered to deep, cold black and back in a flash. He looked away and struggled to get himself under control. He could hear them all laughing at his upset. Damien's higher-pitched laugh was particularly annoying. He'd have to do something about that.

He schooled his expression and put a hand out for the ball. Once it was in his hand, he walked over to the right edge of the lawn. The four brothers followed him with huge grins on their brutish faces and got into their three-point stances. Joe tucked the ball in his left arm and mirrored their stance, facing them from three feet away. The twins were off to each side, Damien was at the back, but Joe was looking directly into the eyes of the oldest brother. Again, Joe saw something twisted and cruel there. He tried to rattle Joe by whispering Amy's name and licking his lips.

This one had aspirations for a future in football. Joe decided to take that away.

"Play starts on Hike," Joe said.

"Bring it."

"Three, Two, One—HIKE!" Joe said and surged forward. He saw the big man's fists coming up as they rushed together. Instead of flinching or trying to dodge, Joe went straight ahead. The fists struck him in the chin and cheek, but instead of reeling back, Joe just kept moving forward as fast as his pumping legs would take him.

The next blow was his forehead against the bridge of the older man's nose which broke and flattened on impact. But again, Joe just kept moving forward, driving the man's torso back.

The thug's body started the curl up, and his legs were now within reach. Joe had kept his right fist back, waiting for just this opportunity. As his arm was under him, no one saw the big fist snap forward and slam into the man's left kneecap. Joe felt it shatter and tear under his knuckles, the joint folding back a little.

Joe managed three more big lunging steps over the dazed body of the crippled man before the twins brought him down with a few punches thrown in for good measure. Damien got in a cowardly stomp as Joe was on the ground. Joe rolled slowly to his back and pretended to be hurt and dazed. Then he stood up and saw where he was.

"Uh, First Down." He'd made it ten feet, having run completely over Damien's oldest brother. That one was so dazed it would take him some time to catch on that his career was over. The twins dragged him over to the steps as he wasn't coherent enough to continue. They leaned him up against the cases of empty beer bottles.

When they returned, they had murder in their eyes. "Your little sisters gonna love it when we take turns ripping open her asshole. Maybe we'll double-time her!"

Joe's eyes were now ice cold and black. Colors dimmed, and details went into sharp focus, but Joe was unaware of this in his cold rage. "Are you pussies here to smack talk or play football?"

He took the stance and watched as they lined up against him. Joe noticed that the cement walkway bisecting the lawn ran directly between them. Perfect. It was time to end this stupid game.

"Three, Two, One—HIKE!" Joe called.

With savage growls, the twins lunged at him.

Joe just reached out and slammed the heads of the two men together, then bounced their faces hard against the cement walkway. They'd need a dentist when they woke up. Maybe a cosmetic surgeon too. Good luck keeping that identical.

Damien stopped moving forward the moment he saw his brothers being slammed together. He looked up to see Joe step over the two unconscious men with the ball under his left arm again. Damien screamed and rushed forward, but Joe backhanded him once across the face knocking him to the ground. Damien shook his head to clear it. Suddenly he felt a big hand grab him by the hair. He reached above his head to clutch at Joe's arm to keep from losing his hair as he was dragged on his ass, screeching across the yard to the left edge.

"Touchdown."

Joe knelt between Damien's legs and rested his knee directly on the young man's groin. Damien's screech went up three octaves. Joe grabbed his chin and held his face steady so his black orbs could look deeply into Damien's pain and terror-filled eyes.

"Sexual predators aren't welcome in this town. I don't expect you to honor the bet I just won, as you aren't a man of honor. You are a little coward." Joe gave his face another slap showing Damien how weak and powerless he was. "If I hear about any more incidents of aggression between you and any of the ladies in this town, I'm going to come back to play more football with you and your brothers. Do we understand each other?"

Damien's face was covered with tears, snot, and blood from his split lip. He wasn't able to talk, but he nodded vigorously. Nausea from Joe's knee crushing his nuts was washing over him.

Joe stood up and walked over to the man lying against the stairs. "I really learned a lot in my first game of football. I would have preferred to deal with this in a civilized manner with reasonable people, but this was how you wanted it. If I hear any more shit about your family disrespecting any of the ladies of this town, I'll come back to play some more." Joe leaned right in his face so the man could stare into the depths of his black eyes. "Would you like that?" he said quietly with menace. The man shivered and shook his head no. "Then we understand each other." For good measure, Joe poured the rest of the man's beer over his face causing him to scream in pain from his broken and split nose.

Joe was returning to the truck when he realized he was still carrying the football. He looked over at Damien, who was still crying. Joe looked him in the eye, held the ball out, and squeezed. It took a tremendous effort, but there was a sudden BOOM as the seams burst. Thunder rumbled, and Damien screeched. Joe suddenly felt rain begin to pelt down on him. He looked up and saw the dark storm clouds promising a serious deluge. The cold water on his face made him blink, and he slipped out of his rage. His eyes returned to normal. Joe dropped the deflated ball and left.

He drove directly to work as he was already over an hour late. Rene took in Joe's wet, dirty, torn shirt and the blood on his forehead. She knew immediately the blood wasn't his and pointed him towards the staff room. She followed him in, took his arm, and directed him to the washroom.

Rene sat him down on the toilet seat and cleaned the blood from his face. Then she saw the bruises on his jawline on both sides of his face.

"What happened, Joe?" she asked as she scrubbed with the paper towels.

"Amy was sexually assaulted by a grade twelve student today. Punk named Damien. I just went to speak with him," Joe mumbled. He was already starting to feel stupid for how violent he'd been. His eyes widened as the implications of his actions began to sink in.

"You fought with this boy?" Rene asked.

"No. I... played football with him... and his three older brothers."

Rene's hands froze as her eyes widened too. "You played football with Wallace, Derek, Kevin, and Damien Rossman? Wallace Rossman of North Dakota University State's football team?" She felt Joe shrink under her hand.

"They said they were going to gang rape Amy once they finished playing with me," Joe mumbled. God, he'd fucked up big time.

"Joe, did you kill anyone?" Rene asked quietly.

Joe's eyes shot up to hers in shock. "NO! I... hurt them... I hurt them a lot. I—I don't think Wallace will be playing football anymore."

Rene went back to cleaning Joe, but her mind was racing. The Rossman's. Oh my god. She was... intimately familiar with stories about Wallace and his brothers. Not pleasant stories. They had bad appetites, leaving many frightened, damaged girls and angry mothers, fathers, and brothers in their wake. She didn't know why they continued to get away with it, but now Joe, sweet, gentle Joe, had taken steps to protect his family and potentially screwed up his own life.

She looked down at him and saw the despair on his face. He knew what he'd done was wrong. Done for the right reasons, but there would be consequences. She knew he had no idea what he'd gotten involved in.

She took his face between her hands and looked him right in the eye. "Joe, listen to me. You came to work directly from home today. You got to work only ten minutes late. That's what our records will say. Do you understand me?"

Joe was confused. She could see it in his soft brown eyes.

She gave his face a little shake. "Please, Joe, listen to me. It's very important. You came directly to work. Say it after me."

Joe's eyes seemed to find focus again, and she could see a look of resolve settle over his features. "I can't involve you in this, Rene. If they file charges, if the police come for me, I'll own up to what I did."

"Joe, no! You don't understand—" Rene began.

Joe took her hands from his face and held them in his. He closed his eyes, and she could tell he was getting a grip on himself. He breathed in deeply and out slowly, then he looked up at her with a calm, grateful expression. He pressed her fingers against his lips then. "Thank you, Rene. I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you would have done for me, but I did what I did, and I'd do it again to protect Amy." He reached up and brushed away the tear on Rene's cheek.

He released her hands, then looked down at his torn shirt. He pulled it off and used it to wipe off the remaining dirt.

Rene blushed when he bared his broad, smooth muscular chest. He was so unselfconscious. He truly didn't understand how he affected those around him. She left the bathroom and hustled back to her workstation. Regardless of Joe's noble but stupid intentions, she had to take steps to establish an alibi for him. First was the time log, and then she had to make a few calls.

Joe looked up and saw that Rene had left. She really was a sweet woman. Then he noticed the spots of blood on his pants as well. Sighing, he slipped out of them and went to his locker to get his spare set of clothes, just a T-shirt and a pair of track pants. Ever since he split the ass of a pair of jeans at work, he'd kept spare clothes in his locker. He dumped his dirty clothes in a plastic bag and put this on top of his locker to take them home after his shift. He nodded at Rene as he made his way over to the loading bay. He saw a shipment waiting to be inventoried and put away. He was grateful for the busy work.

Rene saw he'd changed his clothes and noted what he was wearing now. When he entered the loading bay, she slipped into the locker room to get his dirty clothes. She spotted the bag on top of the locker and used a broom to knock it down. She picked up the bag and saw the torn shirt and his jeans inside. As she exited to return to her desk, she ensured Joe was still in the loading bay. She grabbed a small bottle of lamp kerosene and some matches, then carried her supplies into the alley next to the building. She dumped the bag's contents into a steel drum garbage can and hosed down the clothes with all the kerosene, dropping the empty bottle and the bag inside, too. She lit a match and watched it all begin to furiously burn. Soon there would be nothing left but ashes. Nothing else was in the can, so it was safe enough to be left alone. Rene went back inside and got back to work.

An hour later, she asked Joe to stop by her desk as the photocopier was acting up. While he was trying to clear the paper jam she'd made, Rene pulled out the toner overflow container and accidentally spilled some on Joe. She used a paper towel to clean him up but managed to spread the black dust onto the collar of his shirt and some onto his chest. She gave him an appraising look, and his shirt's dirty mess made his bruises look like more toner marks. She apologized as he left but breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just before nine PM when Senior Patrolman Bartlett arrived at the store. He went straight over to speak with Rene.

"Hello, Ms. Duval. I'm following up on a statement made by four complainants in an assault case. They claim that an employee of yours, a Joseph Neumann, attacked them at their property and did grievous harm to them."

"What? That doesn't sound like something Joe would do at all. He's such a gentle man. When was this supposed to have happened?"

Bartlett checked his notes. "Between four-thirty PM and five PM approximately."

Rene pulled out the time log and set it on the counter. "Let's see. I have Joe listed as having arrived at four-ten PM today. He was ten minutes late. Did this happen close by?"

Bartlett again went back to his notes. "No, it's approximately a twenty-five-minute drive from here. Were you the only one to witness his arrival?"

Rene thought for a second, then pulled up the day's transaction log on the computer. "Well, according to this, at four-oh-nine PM, Mrs. Ira Thompson was at the check-out, so she would likely have seen him come in. At four-thirteen PM, Barry Sharp was checking out, so he may have seen Joe working. At four-forty-five PM, Francine Willikens came in to ask me about ordering some bulk seed. She spoke with Margaret Redmond for a bit next to my workstation, which had a clear view of where Joe was working. You could call these people for confirmation."

Patrolman Bartlett was busy writing down the names. "That is very helpful. Thank you."

The door chime rang, and Bartlett glanced back to see who'd entered. Karl Neumann was walking towards them with a look of concern on his face.

"I just got a call at home saying the police are accusing my son of attacking someone? Is that true?" Karl asked Bartlett.

The officer's eyebrows went up. The grapevine in this town never ceased to amaze him. He suspected the hospital's staff were the leak as that's where he'd taken their statements. Wallace Rossman was a mess. Stinking of beer, his nose was shattered, and both wrists were broken. Worse, his left knee was destroyed. He'd never play football again, and walking without some form of assistance was in question. The twins had fractured skulls, broken noses and jaws, and they were missing more than a few teeth. Their brains were swollen, and the doctor mentioned possible brain damage. Damien was comparatively unscathed though one of his testicles had been completely crushed.

"Mr. Neumann, we are just in the early stages of the investigation. No charges are being placed yet. I was just speaking with Ms. Duval here to get her statement," he began.

"Yes, Karl, I was just explaining to Officer Bartlett that Joe couldn't have been the one who did it as he was here at the time of the incident, and there are witnesses who I'm sure would be willing to testify to that." She was pointing to the time log.

Bartlett looked back at Rene, then closed his notebook. "If I could speak with Joseph now, please."

"You can speak with him tomorrow when our family lawyer is present," Karl said firmly.

Just then, Joe walked into the building from the warehouse. He saw the police officer first, then he saw his dad. Dread filled his heart. He never wanted to hurt his parents, and now he'd probably hurt them in the worst way.

"Joseph, get your stuff. We're going home," Karl said.

Joe was surprised, but he did as he was told. He got his wallet and keys from his locker, but when he reached up to get the bag of dirty clothes, it was gone. He looked around but didn't want to make his dad wait. He'd look for the clothes later.

He walked back out front and saw that the officer didn't look happy, but his dad had his business face on. Joe looked at Rene, who smiled at him and nodded. Joe saw the time log open on her desk and stumbled slightly as realization struck. She'd covered for him! He looked back at his father.

"Let's go home, Joe. You can speak to the police tomorrow once we've arranged to have our lawyer present." Karl placed his hand on his son's shoulder and guided him out the door. Joe glanced at his dad as they walked to his father's truck, but the man never turned his head. Joe got into the passenger side, and Karl drove them home. Nothing was said the entire way. When Joe tried to say something, Karl raised his finger indicating he should wait.

Once the truck was parked beside the house, Karl walked in the front door with Joe at his heels. Karl pointed to the living room where Clara and Amy sat waiting.

"Family meeting," was all Karl said.

Joe sat on the couch next to Amy and across from his mother. Karl sat down next to his wife, and she took his hand. They turned to face Joe, and Karl began. "We've heard all kinds of rumors from friends of the family. We've heard Amy's side. We'd like to hear what you have to say about what happened today. Please, leave nothing out."

Joe nodded and cleared his throat. He began when Amy got home. He described his meeting with the four men at their house. He repeated their horrible words as they'd spoken them. Amy cried when she heard that, but Joe didn't allow that to distract him from the telling. He told them how he saw something sick within the oldest brother, how he lured them into the game, and how he punished them for their threats to Amy. He told them he felt no joy or enjoyment when he did it. It was just something that needed doing, and he did it. Finally, he told them what Rene said to him when he got to the store and expressed his concern that she may have already lied to the police to protect him.