Wrong Turn Right.

He would have thought that he’d seen it all, but the past two days had proved him wrong, the past three hours in fact had shaken him to the bone. There he sat in the small booth at Clarkson’s diner where Route 6 passed over Crows Crossing Road. He looked across the table at Tommy Flynn who was staring into his coffee cup blank faced. They had been at it ever since they were kids growing up in Brooklyn New York, Vincent Bartoli and Tommy Flynn were always the bullies who imposed their wills on others, they were always they biggest, they were always the meanest, always the ones to be feared by any who would dare even think to oppose them. But this, this? Here and now? What they were feeling was different than anything they had ever felt in their lifetimes.

Fear was an unknown commodity to these two, but here it was slapping them in the face like they themselves had done to so many others, so many times. Four days ago, together, they set out for California from Brooklyn, drinking and partying their way across the entire United States. And then yesterday, just yesterday on a remote stretch of road they had picked up a beautiful young hitch hiker that was trying to get to Cantorville. And in a drunken stupor, they forced her into the car, and then forced her to drink, and then they both took her to the side of the road and forced her to have sex. Only Vinnie being as drunk as he was - didn’t realize that the whole time that his hands were around her throat and before long the girl was dead.

There they both were standing with their flies open in the middle of the road stunned and now sober trying to figure a way out of this mess that they had gotten themselves into. It wasn’t long before they decided to stuff her into the trunk of the Chevy and look for a place along the remote highway to bury her. Vinnie had a shovel on the floorboard of the back seat so all they needed to do was find just the right spot to dig a hole and dispose of the body. They made a right hand turn onto crows crossing road just after midnight not knowing where they were or even where they were going. Tommy Flynn drove for over an hour before they decided to stop and get rid of the girl, they had passed two highway patrol cars on the way and it was getting too risky to have a dead body in the trunk in case they were pulled over.

Vinnie Put on his best tough guy face, pointing out that they had just passed a dirt road and Tommy should turn around and go back. They pulled onto the dirt road and drove back into the tree line for over a half of a mile before Tommy Flynn stopped the car. And what happened next neither could ever hope to explain nor understand. Vinnie grabbed the shovel and tried to act calm as he went to the rear of the vehicle to open the trunk. He put the key in and when he raised the lid something flew out of the trunk straight for his head and knocked him over backwards, Tommy came running, Vinnie stood up, dazed and when they both looked in the trunk it was completely empty. In the distance all they could hear was what could only be described as a cawing sound.


They looked across the table at each other in stunned disbelief. Vincent Bartoli was getting whiter by the second. Both he and Tommy Flynn for the past few minutes were each carefully in their minds- retracing their steps up until they entered the diner. Tommy leaned forward whispering to Vinnie.
“I know she was in there! What the hell just happened back there Vin?”
He shook his head slowly. His eye raised to meet Tommy Flynn’s.
“I dunno Tommy.. What I’m trying to figure out is what flew outta the trunk at me? Did you see that shit?”
They drank their coffee in stunned silence as the front door of the diner slowly opened, a bell clanged softly as it closed behind her. Tommy Looked up, his face was now white as a sheet.

There sitting at the counter was the beautiful young girl they had picked up on the road and brutally murdered only hours before. She looked different now, she was dressed in a short red skirt now instead of blue jeans, and her hair was down now and she wasn’t carrying a back pack or wearing a ball cap, but Tommy was absolutely certain that it was her. He nudged Vinnie and nodded towards the counter. Vinnie looked over at the counter inquisitively, the color slowly fading from his face. He leaned towards Tommy.
“It can’t be her! She’s dead man!” He whispered to Tommy.
They watched her for all of thirty minutes as she ate her breakfast and paid the waitress and slowly stood and walked passed them towards the door, and when she slowed down in front of them and winked at Tommy, They knew there was no mistake. It was Her!

Comeuppance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



It was still dark out side when they followed her out of the diner. They looked around but there were no other cars around except theirs, and they began to frantically look around the small parking lot to try and locate her. Out of the corner of his eye Tommy saw something move in the distance and there she was walking towards the shadows of Crows Crossing.
“She isn’t going to get far dressed like that.” Vinnie said.
They jumped in the chevy and started the motor, and Tommy spun the tires as they pulled back onto Crows Crossing. At first they could see her, but then Vinnie saw her, there she was, walking on the opposite side of the road just slow enough to remain in their line of site, taking them back the way the came.They never stopped to question why they were following, never stopped to ask where they were being led to or how she was staying ahead of them on foot..

They simply followed her- all of the way back to the dirt road. Tommy slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel hard right- the tires of the Chevy spun in the dirt before skidding to a stop. There she was just at the tree line standing there almost like… she was… at the edge of their headlights.. waiting for them. He knew he shouldn’t have gotten out of the car..
“You should have just turned around and drove away man!”
But Tommy Flynn was no longer in control of his own actions as he stepped from the car and began walking through the tall grass towards the trees.. He couldn’t hear Vincent Bartoli screaming at the top of his lungs behind him. He couldn’t see for some reason, couldn’t feel. Nothing.. She stepped back into the shadows and Tommy followed her.. And in the distance the dawn was beginning to rise.

It was just beginning to get sort of light, sunrise though was probably still a ways off. Officer Dale Carnegie was on the last leg of his patrol for the night when he saw the dimming headlights of the car one half mile back into a dirt road leading off from Crows Crossing. He’d figured that it was probably some kids that had been out partying and gotten drunk and more than likely passed out in the field somewhere. But still he knew that he had to go check it out. He stopped twenty feet behind the Chevy and when he saw the crow sitting on the roof he suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He got out of the squad car and shined the light on the crow and when it didn’t move- he stepped up beside it almost close enough to touch. It cocked its head to one side looking him straight in the eye.
“Why is it that you guys always seem to know where the trouble is?” He said softly.

He moved to the back of the car to where he saw the trunk lid was ajar. He could feel his chest tighten as he put his hands on it, he stopped to look back up at the crow who was watching his every move closely. He drew a deep breath.
“I’m not going to like what I find in here am I little buddy?”
And almost as if on cue, the black bird cocked its head to one side as he slowly lifted the trunk lid, there inside naked and bound was the body of Vincent Bartoli. He returned to the cruiser and called it in, the crow landed on his hood as he leaned back against the fender waiting for the others to arrive on the scene. He knew that there was a story here somewhere, there always was, someone somewhere had done somebody wrong, and somewhere somehow, by hook, by crook or divine intervention, some how someone or something- would always make it right again. Such are the ways of life and what lies somewhere beyond, just out of sight, here on Crows Crossing Road.

~Scratch.. A.B.T. Copyright © 2010~