everyone feared that he’d hit their town next.
“Yup, they’re calling him The Sandman because he buries their bodies in shallow graves on the beach. Remember the girl two months ago up in Huntington Beach?”
“Oh, God, and Sean found this girl? Was she mutilated like the last one?” Meagan took a deep swallow of her wine.
“What he saw of her was in pretty bad shape. He only saw an arm and a leg.”
“She was chopped up!” Meagan downed the rest of her wine and got up to retrieve the bottle.
“No, no, no. The high tide uncovered part of her and that’s all he could see protruding from the sand. He actually threw his backpack and sweater on top of her. It was still dark when he got to the beach.”
“Ew, gross.” Meagan sat back on the couch and got comfortable, the bottle of wine at the ready.
“Yeah. The cops confiscated them as evidence, but he says he doesn’t want them back. They can burn them for all he cares.”
“I don’t blame him. Poor, Sean, how’s he doing? He must be devastated.”
“You have no idea. The minute he walked through the door, he just grabbed me and held on tight without saying a word. It scared me to death. I couldn’t imagine what had happened. I’d had a pretty rough morning myself because he was so late and forgot his cell phone, again. I was scared shitless that something had happened to him, and I had no way to find out what.
“Since he had the car, I phoned Sue down the street to take the boys to school. He finally called around mid-morning, but only to let me know he was fine and would be awhile more. He arrived home in the early afternoon. He was so shook up it took him awhile to get the story out. I’ve got to tell you, Meagan, I’ve never felt more helpless in my life.”
“My God, Katy, how horrible. Poor Sean.”
“I know. To make matters worse, I had to drive him up to Santa Ana so he could give them a formal statement. By the time we got home, he was wiped out, but couldn’t sleep. He said that ghastly image kept flashing through his brain like a horror movie he couldn’t shut off.”
“You know, maybe under the circumstances, we should postpone my birthday celebration tomorrow night,” Meagan suggested.
“No, we can’t!” Katy’s outburst took Meagan by surprise. “I’ll just see if his brother William can come over so he doesn’t have to be alone.”
“What’s so important that we can’t postpone?”
Katy’s tone turned jovial. “No way, girlfriend, it’s a surprise.”
“Well, give Sean my best.”
“I will. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to get any sleep tonight after that story.”
“I know, huh? I’ve just been lying in bed with the TV turned low watching over Sean. Every so often I catch him in the midst of a nightmare and rub his back. After a while he calms down. Call me tomorrow when you get a chance.”
“You got it. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Meagan turned to Godzilla who lay on her feet by her side. “Good thing I have you, boy.” She ruffled the top of his head. “You won’t let that big bad psycho killer get me, will ya?”
Godzilla panted his response, his tongue lulling to the side.
She checked the locks on the windows and doors before retiring to her bedroom and searching for the weapon Sean made for her when she’d first started living alone. It was a mallet with a three-inch circumference, about four feet long, made of wood and wrapped with black electrician’s tape. Sean told her that the tape was to keep the mallet from breaking when it hit the target.
Meagan cringed at the time, and thought he was being silly if not a bit overprotective. Now she silently thanked Sean for his brilliance. She found the weapon under the bed and slipped it under the covers.
Meagan threw off her clothes and slid between the flannel sheets, loving the way they felt against her naked body. Picking up her book, she began to read until she could fall asleep.
The next thing
“Yup, they’re calling him The Sandman because he buries their bodies in shallow graves on the beach. Remember the girl two months ago up in Huntington Beach?”
“Oh, God, and Sean found this girl? Was she mutilated like the last one?” Meagan took a deep swallow of her wine.
“What he saw of her was in pretty bad shape. He only saw an arm and a leg.”
“She was chopped up!” Meagan downed the rest of her wine and got up to retrieve the bottle.
“No, no, no. The high tide uncovered part of her and that’s all he could see protruding from the sand. He actually threw his backpack and sweater on top of her. It was still dark when he got to the beach.”
“Ew, gross.” Meagan sat back on the couch and got comfortable, the bottle of wine at the ready.
“Yeah. The cops confiscated them as evidence, but he says he doesn’t want them back. They can burn them for all he cares.”
“I don’t blame him. Poor, Sean, how’s he doing? He must be devastated.”
“You have no idea. The minute he walked through the door, he just grabbed me and held on tight without saying a word. It scared me to death. I couldn’t imagine what had happened. I’d had a pretty rough morning myself because he was so late and forgot his cell phone, again. I was scared shitless that something had happened to him, and I had no way to find out what.
“Since he had the car, I phoned Sue down the street to take the boys to school. He finally called around mid-morning, but only to let me know he was fine and would be awhile more. He arrived home in the early afternoon. He was so shook up it took him awhile to get the story out. I’ve got to tell you, Meagan, I’ve never felt more helpless in my life.”
“My God, Katy, how horrible. Poor Sean.”
“I know. To make matters worse, I had to drive him up to Santa Ana so he could give them a formal statement. By the time we got home, he was wiped out, but couldn’t sleep. He said that ghastly image kept flashing through his brain like a horror movie he couldn’t shut off.”
“You know, maybe under the circumstances, we should postpone my birthday celebration tomorrow night,” Meagan suggested.
“No, we can’t!” Katy’s outburst took Meagan by surprise. “I’ll just see if his brother William can come over so he doesn’t have to be alone.”
“What’s so important that we can’t postpone?”
Katy’s tone turned jovial. “No way, girlfriend, it’s a surprise.”
“Well, give Sean my best.”
“I will. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to get any sleep tonight after that story.”
“I know, huh? I’ve just been lying in bed with the TV turned low watching over Sean. Every so often I catch him in the midst of a nightmare and rub his back. After a while he calms down. Call me tomorrow when you get a chance.”
“You got it. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Meagan turned to Godzilla who lay on her feet by her side. “Good thing I have you, boy.” She ruffled the top of his head. “You won’t let that big bad psycho killer get me, will ya?”
Godzilla panted his response, his tongue lulling to the side.
She checked the locks on the windows and doors before retiring to her bedroom and searching for the weapon Sean made for her when she’d first started living alone. It was a mallet with a three-inch circumference, about four feet long, made of wood and wrapped with black electrician’s tape. Sean told her that the tape was to keep the mallet from breaking when it hit the target.
Meagan cringed at the time, and thought he was being silly if not a bit overprotective. Now she silently thanked Sean for his brilliance. She found the weapon under the bed and slipped it under the covers.
Meagan threw off her clothes and slid between the flannel sheets, loving the way they felt against her naked body. Picking up her book, she began to read until she could fall asleep.
The next thing
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