Chapter 12 -- Come Together
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free!
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The next morning, I took the kids to school and Rick left for work. I started a vigorous cleaning of the house to keep my mind occupied. There was a knock at the door. I looked through the peephole and saw it was Alex, and opened the door to let him in. "Well, the deputies interviewed Vanderyackt. He denies everything, of course. He claims he was at his buddy's house, drinking beer. And they caught up with the other guy, and he claims he was also at the buddy's house, drinking beer, with Vanderyackt. And of course, their buddy swears that's how it was". I rolled my eyes. "They all seem to spend a lot of time together drinking beer". "Yeah. Well, I'm afraid it gets worse". "Yeah? Well, go on". Vanderyackt confirmed that he was there at the trash station the morning before. But his side of the story is that you solicited him for sex". "WHAT?". "He claims you begged him to let you suck his dick. And when he wouldn't let you do it, you got really mad. He claims that you made up the story about the alleged attempted robbery to get back at him and that it never happened. And yeah, there's no witnesses to the alleged robbery, just your version of what supposedly happened".
"Bull fucking shit!" I shouted. "He asked ME if I would blow him. And when I basically told him to fuck off, he threatened to force me to suck his dick, at another time, another place". Alex looked at me skeptically. "What? Vanderyackt is a complete asshole, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't swing that way. He has a reputation of being quite the ladies' man". "Oh, I'm sure the thought of some dude sucking his dick doesn't do anything for him. It's the thought of him getting ME, specifically, to suck his dick that gets him hot and bothered. He sees me as his adversary, his enemy. He sees me as one of those free-thinking `librul' snowflakes, someone who is beyond his control. In his mind, getting me to suck his dick would make me his little bitch and complete his domination of me, and my submission to him. That miserable excuse for a human being? If he held a gun to my head and told me to suck or get a bullet in my head, I'd tell him to fuck off and go down fighting. And that's how it is for all those far-right extremists. Not in a sexual way, for most of them. But the thought of forcing us to submit to their will is what gets them hot and bothered. Forcing us to be under their control, forcing us to see things their way, is what gets their juices going. Well, fuck that! Fuck all of them! This is America, and in America, we get to be free!"
Alex shook his head. "Well, it's his word against yours. And you're married to another man. That will tip the scales in his favor". "Fuck! Fuck! I can't let the bastard win. Rick and I are certain it had to be Vanderyackt who killed Ellen". Alex looked at me curiously. "And what makes you think that?" "Well, a couple of things. Vanderyackt mentioned to me he had been seeing Ellen and commented that she ran her mouth off too much. He said he just wanted an easy piece of ass, not a damn lecture. And when we were at Ellen's that day, when she signed the divorce papers, we told her that we were involved with each other, romantically and sexually. Ellen was furious, and goaded Rick into telling her some of the more . . . intimate details of our personal life. Rick told her, um, that he enjoyed being on the receiving end of things. When we were leaving I asked her to keep that quiet. I remember her exact words quite clearly: Tell anyone who will listen that my husband likes your dick a helluva lot better than my pussy? No, I don't think so, they won't hear that from me. And I'm in town regularly, no one acted strangely toward me, and everyone was friendly as always. Well, before Vanderyackt told anyone who would listen that Rick and I are married. But I'm really sure she never said anything to anyone. But Vanderyackt told me she told him about that. She must have told him that in the heat of their argument before he killed her. Can't you use this to get a search warrant to search his house? Maybe you'll find the things he stole from her house, and maybe some other evidence tying him to her murder?" Alex shook his head. "No, that's basically just hearsay, a judge would never sign off on a search warrant just based on that. We need more than that, can you think of anything else? Anything at all?".
I turned away, thinking furiously. And then it hit me, it hit me like a bolt of energy from the heavens above. I spun around to face Alex. "Well, maybe I forgot to mention it, but Vanderyackt did offer me illegal drugs if I'd blow him". "WHAT?" "Yeah, he told me he had a bunch of really good methamphetamine, and he'd give me some if I'd blow him". Alex studied my face carefully. "And will you be willing to testify to that under oath?" "Absolutely! I'll swear on a stack of Bibles ten feet high, under oath, that is exactly what he said to me". Alex broke into a smile and gave me a wink. He knew it was bullshit, but he also knew that was exactly what he needed. Alex took out his recording device. "I'll record your statement, and take it to a judge. Possession of a dangerous, illegal narcotic, and an offer to distribute it? We'll get our search warrant".
I was working at the dump for the last day when a Sherriff's SUV pulled in. The deputy rolled down his window, and I could see it was Alex. Then he rolled down the rear window and I saw Vanderyackt, his hands handcuffed behind his back. "Hi, Dave" Alex greeted me. "I just want you to confirm that this is the man who attempted to rob you". I stepped closer, to enjoy the glare of hatred in Vanderyackt's eyes. "Yes, officer, this is definitely one of the two men who tried to rob me. But I thought you said he had an alibi?" Rick laughed. "Yeah. He did claim that. But, when we executed a search warrant at his house we also searched his phone. His Google Maps timeline places him at this GPS location exactly at the time of the attempted robbery you reported. So, we'll add attempted robbery to the other charge against him". "Other charge?" "Yes. We found direct evidence linking him to the murder of Ellen Richardson, he's being charged with first-degree murder". I stepped a bit closer, to make sure Vanderyackt could clearly see the smile on my face. "Hey, Carl, buddy. I tried to warn you that you had to have more than two brain cells to win against me, dumbfuck. Don't you remember offering me some meth if I'd blow you? You don't? Hmmm, I remember it quite clearly, and that's what got the search warrant. Oops! You lose, just like I told you that you would. You know, I've never really looked at you this way. You're actually kinda cute, with your hands behind your back like that, looking all vulnerable. I hope you get a real nice cellmate, a big hairy dude named Bubba. I'll bet you have a nice tight, cherry ass. Well, probably not so tight after Bubba has his way with you. Take a tip from a former pro hustler: Push out like you're taking a dump, it doesn't hurt as bad when they ram it in you. Some guys just have no patience or consideration. Have a nice life in prison, worthless piece of shit". I looked at Alex. "Thanks, Alex". He nodded. "Thought you might enjoy saying goodbye. Look, I have some other good news for you. Almost half the Sheriff's office is conducting a special operation right this minute. I'll stop by your place this evening and tell you all about it".
Steve was cooking dinner for all of us when there was a knock on the door. I went to it and opened the door to see Alex. "Hi, Alex! Would you like to come in?". "No thanks, looks like you folks are getting ready for dinner. If you'd like to step outside I've got some really good news for you". I stepped outside and closed the door behind me. "When we executed the search warrant at the Vanderyackt residence we found the silver bowl and jewelry Rick reported missing". "That's great!". "Oh, but the best part is that we found a ring, hidden behind some socks in a dresser drawer. It's a large ring with a very unique pattern, some kind of oath keeper's type ring. The pattern on the ring matches an injury on Ellen's face. And we were able to retrieve microscopic traces of blood on the ring. It's a 100% match to Ellen's blood. First-degree murder. "That's fantastic! Really fantastic!". Alex's face changed to a more serious expression. "But we didn't find any illegal drugs on the premises". "Oh really? Darn! Well, he must have had time to dump them down a toilet before he let you in". Alex laughed. "Yeah, that must have been it. But more good news. Based on what we found at Vanderyackt's we obtained a search warrant for his buddy. The one that collaborated with Vanderyackt's alibi that he was over at his house the night of the murder, and claimed that he was at his house when they tried to rob you. There we did find a large amount of illegal drugs. The packages of drugs had the markings of a Mexican drug cartel. So, based on that we got search warrants for his known associates', that God's Patriots' bunch. We seized a very large quantity of illegal drugs: methamphetamine, cocaine, and even some fentanyl. Several hundred thousand dollars' worth. That bunch may have hated dirty Mexkins', but they were happy to make a shitload of money receiving cartel drugs snuck across the border and moving them through distribution channels up north. That God's Patriots' bunch are going to be the Good Lord's jailbirds for a very long time".
"You did it! You got em, Officer Rodriguez!" Alex shook his head. "No, WE did it, Dave. I couldn't have done it without your help. And as for that Officer' Rodriguez? I'm being promoted to Captain". "Well congratulations, Captain Rodriguez!. Maybe you should run for Sheriff someday, you've got my vote!" I reached out to shake his hand, and he pulled me in for a hug instead. "Well, see you around, Dave. Enjoy your dinner". "Oh, I can't wait to tell Rick and the kids you got Ellen's murderer. I had decided to wait until we talked to tell them so that I had the whole story".
I watched as Alex's cruiser rolled down the driveway. I looked up at the mountains to the east. The setting sun made the high peak glisten like gold. The wisps of clouds above it glowed gold and crimson. It made me think of how truly magical it is to be alive, and a part of this world. I sighed and turned to go back inside, to give them the good news: my husband, and our children.
The End