Jaws of Love
Chapter 3
<><><><><><>
Suzanne Crenshaw knew she would get an earful when she walked into
studio late. She was right. Not only did her stylist and agent chew her out,
her friends chewed her out as well. Work went on like normal after she heard
from everyone but she didn’t feel good. That’s why she was glad to leave the
studio.
I am never going to be late again. She vowed,
getting out of her car. She took a quick look around her: pink and white
building, not a lot of open parking spaces, and people arguing up front. Yup,
this was it. Her boyfriend, Cole Sawyer, suggested meeting here. She called him
at his workplace, a pharmaceutical lab, and spent thirty minutes telling him
about her rough day. Cole listened to her without interrupting once. He was
about to ask his questions then her stylist began chewing out her ear again for
taking so long on the phone. Suzanne agreed with her boyfriend to meet in the
new ice cream parlor that had opened up in downtown. As soon as work was over,
she zoomed away from the studio. After getting lost three times, she finally
made it to the place.
“Great. I’m fifteen minutes late.” She said, checking her watch.
Then she shouldered her purse and headed towards the front. To her surprise,
she found her boyfriend waiting there, arms crossed and looking at a group of
teenagers talking.
“Cole?” She called out to him. He turned around so she could see
his face. Suzanne had to admit that, even when he was annoyed, he was damn
sexy. He had midnight-black hair that he never liked to brush (she forced him
to use a comb every morning), cream-white skin, and eyes as blue as the evening
sky. She loved his eyes the best. They were dark and calm, not unusually pale
like some people with dark hair had, making them look like zombies. He stood
only two inches taller than her and was six months younger. Suzanne often
teased him for that because he was not only younger than she was, he was
youngest person in her entire group of friends!
But as handsome and youthful as he was, he was more than a pretty
face and hot body. He had graduated from Colombia not too long ago, summa cum
laude and first in his class. He had degrees in biochemistry and computer
science as well as a minor in microbiology, earning straight As in everything.
Unlike most people, finding a job for him had been no problem. Suzanne normally
hated people like that but Cole was different. He was very modest and sweet
along with being smart and hardworking. They had arguments from time to time like
many couples yet they still remained loyal to each other. She trusted him more
than she trusted herself.
Cole also tolerated some things better than other people. However,
when he saw her, he had a look on his face that was anything but tolerant.
Suzanne ran up to him when his gaze fell on her. “Sorry I’m late.
I got lost.”
“Figures.” He said, unfolding his arms and holding them out so he
could hug her. “You were never that good with directions, Suz.”
“At least I know when I’m lost! I get help!” She shot back.
“You, on the other hand...oh, I’m not even going to start with you! I’m just
remembering the time we went to my mother’s house and how you drove around in
circles the whole damn night and...”
“Okay! I’m sorry for what I said. Can we go inside now? I’ve been
freezing my ass out here for a long time.”
“Yes, yes.” Suzanne kissed him on the lips before they went inside
together. There weren’t that many people inside so finding a spot to sit was no
problem. The floor, made up of pink and white tiles, sparkled when the lights
hit it. Everywhere one turned, all they could see was pink and white. There was
also fifties music blaring from somewhere but it wasn’t so loud that people
couldn’t hear anything else. The building itself wasn’t very warm but no one
could complain. People were standing in different areas of the ice cream
parlor. Some stood in line to get their order while others waited patiently to
be seated. Suzanne and Cole were in front of three people who got a seat right
away. Then it was their turn. Suzanne suggested a booth by the window so they
could look outside and see the people passing by. It was almost five after all
and the streets would be jammed. As soon they ordered something, Suzanne chose
to tell her boyfriend about what happened earlier.
“Did you hear about it?” She began, fiddling with a napkin. Cole
turned away from the window and looked at his girlfriend. The light from the
sun outside streaked through his dark hair like lightning, making him appear
almost angel-like. The curious look on his face made him look innocent and more
like a boy than the twenty-four year old man he was.
“Hear about what, babe?” He asked.
“You know, all the people being killed...people eating people and
then killing themselves? There was that girl in Wilmington who was eating a
person when her boyfriend found her.
I’m surprised that you haven’t been told to...”
“Oh yeah!” Cole interrupted her. “I’ve heard about it but I didn’t
think it was true. I also heard that someone else jumped off a building but not
after she finished eating another person...I think that happened recently.
Why‘d you bring that up, Suz?”
Suzanne lowered her gaze. She hated recalling events to anyone
even if it was her boyfriend. Besides, she didn’t know the entire story of what
was going on and Cole was probably expecting her to give him all the details.
I’ll give as much as I can, babe. She sighed.
Then out loud, she said. “I met that girl’s boyfriend today. You know, the one
who found...”
“...his girl eating someone.” Cole finished off. Then his eyes
widened. “What?! You mean he’s here?!”
“Shhh!” Suzanne glared at him and put a finger to her lips. “Don’t
say that so loud!”
“Sorry.” He whispered. The waitress came by at that moment and put
a Diet Coke down in front of Suzanne. They thanked her and waited ‘til she was
gone. “But seriously...why is he here? And how’d you run into him?”
Slowly, Suzanne recounted everything that happened earlier. She
told him about how Michael Appleton looked and that she had gave her giant
chocolate bar to him. Cole was disappointed that she gave her gift to some
strange guy but he didn’t complain. He waited until she finished her story
before he began asking questions. He also kept looking around to make sure no
one was paying attention to them. Suzanne was beautiful and popular after all.
Sure, she wasn’t as dressed up this time like on magazines and that seemed to
draw a lot of attention away from her. But that didn’t keep some folks from
staring and trying to bother her. It was a good thing that this ice cream shop
wasn’t packed and the people who were in here didn’t seem to be the types who’d
be interested in fashion.
“I feel sorry for him.” Suzanne said before Cole asked his next
question. “I mean, he must have been afraid of his girlfriend when he saw what
she was doing. When she killed herself, it must have hurt him even more.”
“Did he tell you anything else?” Cole asked, drumming his fingers
against the table. Perhaps if Suzanne had enough information, then_
“No.” She broke his train of thought, her voice cracking like a
whip. “I don’t know this guy, Cole. I had to save him from those crazy girls
before they drew more attention on him. I know he didn’t want to be seen. He’s
trying to stay as low as possible. I helped him out and gave him my candy. Then
we parted. Why? Should I have asked him more stuff?”
“It would have been helpful.”
“Sorry.” She murmured. Truth was, she hadn’t told him everything
and he knew it. But she couldn’t. Michael probably didn’t want to be bothered
right now. He just lost someone special to him. Suzanne gave her boyfriend a
look that read, ‘I can’t tell you anymore, honey. I’m so sorry. Stop with the
questions please. I’m not going to answer them.’
Cole recognized that look and he knew he needed to stop. He had
also grown tired of waiting for her to explain things to him. Besides, he
wanted to change the subject and he knew what he wanted to talk about too.
There was something at home that was bothering everyone. As frightening as
cannibalistic people invading the town sounded, there was an issue involving
two of their friends that needed to be solved first.
“Have Debra and Trip solved their problem?” He asked. Suzanne
stopped sipping her drink the moment she heard that. That was the whole reason
she had called Cole over in the first place. Debra Laird and Trip Duncan were
two of the six friends they lived with. Like Cole and Suzanne, the two of them
were madly in love with each other...or so they had been. Lately however, they
hadn’t been quite as close. For some strange reason, Debra had stopped talking
to her boyfriend. She didn’t make eye contact with him when they were in the
same room. Suzanne noticed that, for the third time this week, Trip had asked
Debra to meet him somewhere and she stood him up. It didn’t make sense. The two
of them were a happy couple. What had gone wrong?
“It’s just getting worse.” Suzanne said, pushing her drink aside.
“Trip doesn’t know what’s going on and Debra isn’t telling him. I don’t get it.
Something’s bothering Debra, seeing that she’s the one who stopped talking in
the first place. But she usually tells Trip what the problem is, even if he‘s
part of it. I really don’t get it, honey. They were both fine last week. What
the hell happened?”
“It was something big. That’s all I can infer.” Cole leaned back
in his seat and stared out the window. Different kinds of people were passing
by. There were people rushing from store to store, buying gifts. There were
mothers with screaming and hyper children. There were couples walking with arms
draped over each other. It wasn’t that long ago when Debra and Trip were like
the couples outside.
“You think Tabitha would know what’s wrong? I mean, she *is*
Trip’s sister...his twin sister, to be specific...” Suzanne started out.
“Debra hasn’t confided in Trip, who she knows better than anybody
else. Why would she tell Tabby?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she’d feel better talking to a woman than a
man. Tabby is the closest person to him, other than Debra.”
“True but I think Tabby knows even less about what’s happening
between her brother and Debra.”
Suzanne inhaled. She hated watching her friends fall apart like
this. It was because of Debra and Trip that she and Cole fell in love. They
were the ones who bought everyone together. And her boyfriend wasn’t the only
person Debra had cut off all means of communication with. She didn’t talk to
anyone else in the house either. Only when they asked her a question, she’d
answer them. Debra also acted different too. Normally, she was bubbly and
filled with excitement. Now she looked as if someone she loved had died. Her
childlike face had lost all its vitality and she never smiled whenever
something good happened.
Because his Debra had fallen silent, Trip grew quiet as well. He
did everything he could to bring her back to normal but he failed. Debra
started to drift further and further away. All her friends prayed that this
behavior wasn’t affecting her job. Debra worked as a dance instructor at a
local dance school and was always surrounded by people, big and little. She was
required to be energetic and enthusiastic. So far, she had done her job well.
What was everyone going to say if they saw a depressed Debra with a lackluster
look in her eyes?
“Well, Trip went to see Debra. He says she’s acting normal with
the kids.” Cole murmured. “Maybe it’s something we’ve done to her.”
“Yeah, but what? Debra’s not the type of girl to hold grudges.”
“Here you go, hon. A hot fudge sundae.” The waitress, a
middle-aged woman with a worn out face and a body of a quarterback, interrupted
them and put the dessert in front of Cole. His blue eyes grew so big that
Suzanne was afraid they would come popping out of their sockets and land on the
table.
“Now this is the reason I came here. Thanks a lot.” He said,
giving the waitress a smile.
“No problem. I’ll get you some more Diet Coke, sugar.” She told
Suzanne before leaving them alone. Cole picked up his spoon, wiped it clean on
a napkin, and then shoved it into the ice cream. When he pulled it back out,
there was a huge mound of ice cream dripping with hot fudge. Suzanne’s dark
eyes also grew large as she watched him eat it, then wipe away the fudge on his
lip. His smile also grew bigger. Damn him.
“You are out of your goddamn mind.” Suzanne sighed, looking at the
white mound of ice cream draped with velvety chocolate on top. Nuts sprinkled
about, a dollop of whipped cream, and a cherry on top made the sundae look more
irresistible. She tried her hardest not to drool.
Cole held out the cherry for her. A little bit of whipped cream
was stuck on the bottom of it like snow. “Want it?”
Deciding that she could bend the rules of her diet for once, she
grabbed and ate it. She shook her head as she watched Cole dig into that sweet
paradise in front of him. All the while, she felt a little envious. She was
amazed at that fact that her boyfriend could eat anything and not gain a single
pound. She wondered the same thought that others had: what was his secret? Good
genes? Good diet? The ability to never gain weight and look ugly?
“You sure you don’t want any?” He asked, waving the spoon in front
as if to hypnotize her. Suzanne’s brown eyes kept following the spoon. “C’mon,
honey. I know you want some. Look at it. Your name’s on it.”
Suzanne leaned over and examined the spoon. “I don’t see my name
anywhere on this.”
Unfortunately, that was a bad idea on her half. Cole shoved the
spoon into her mouth without warning. The cold and delicious ice cream sent
chills straight into Suzanne’s brain. She glared at her boyfriend. Cole could
only shrug and smile back at her.
“Sorry, Suz. But it’s your own fault. You walked straight into
that one. I honestly didn’t think you would.”
Suzanne licked her lips clean of all that gooey hot fudge. “If I
didn’t love you so much, I’d kill you right now. I told you I’m on a diet!”
“One spoonful of ice cream is not going to make you gain two
hundred pounds.” Cole said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“True but you make me want more. It’s was too damn good!” Suzanne
complained.
“You want the rest?”
“Hell no!” Suzanne put her hands up and backed away. “I’m not
falling for any tricks this time, Sawyer. You bought it. You eat it.”
“Fine.” Cole rolled his eyes. “But if you head straight for the
freezer and make yourself a sundae when we go home...”
“I know, I know. You’ll mock me for the remainder of the night.”
“Since when the hell have I ever mocked you?!”
“Look!” Suzanne dropped the subject. “It’s getting late and
everyone’s probably worrying about us at home. I’m going to the bathroom and
then we should go home.”
“Fine. I’ll pay the bill as usual.” Cole sighed as he fished out
his wallet. Suzanne left the table while he took out the right amount of money.
As he counted the bills, he took a look outside. More people were starting to
come in now. Suzanne probably made a wise decision to leave right now.
Then he caught something else, which made him raise his dark
eyebrows. It was a red car parked in front of the building. The occupant, a
pretty blonde with curly hair and a serious look on her face, was still sitting
in the drivers seat and watching people pile in. Cole watched her for a few
minutes, wondering what she was doing here. Finally, she turned and found
herself looking straight at him. Though it was starting to get dark, he could
make out her bright violet eyes and sparkling blue eye shadow.
I had a feeling you’d look at me sooner or later. He thought.
The woman looked at him some more as if she was trying to communicate with him
telepathically. Then the woman smiled at him.
Few seconds later, Cole winked and smiled back.
* * *
The year was almost coming to an end and Christmas was creeping up
from behind for everyone. Within just twelve months, so much had happened.
People fell in love, people fell out of love, babies were born, people lost
their lives to various wars, the economy went up and down like elevators,
criminals were punished, dreams were shattered, futures were ruined, and time
kept speeding forward. It didn’t stop to see how the world was faring and it
didn’t slow down for anything. In short, time was cruel.
For example, time didn’t give Michael Appleton a chance to talk to
his girlfriend before she committed suicide. It didn’t give him a chance to
save her. He didn’t have time to say goodbye to her or the rest of his friends!
Instead, he told his professors that he was taking a short vacation and would
return someday. Then he fled his town and he didn’t tell anyone where he was
going, not even his family. He wasn’t the only one who tried to run from this.
There had been other men and women who wanted to escape the cannibal they
encountered. Like Michael, not one of
them knew why these people had suddenly taken to eating people. Autopsies were
performed now the cannibals but nothing unusual showed up. Because of that, the old cases of
cannibalism were put aside. No one
visited the site where the victims were found. No one dared speak of the cases. They just picked up from where they left off
and went on.
And right now, sitting on the bed in a hotel, Michael Appleton was
also trying to pick up the pieces and go on.
A lot of time had passed since Ash had been found eating another
person. He had found schoolwork to be the best distraction from the recent
incidents. He had a paper due the day he came back to class. He hadn’t dropped
out of school; he was only taking a break. He had always been a hardworking
student who believed that the harder people worked, the better their results
were. Ash would tease him about taking everything so seriously. She’d say the
same thing every time he got ready to tackle his schoolwork.
Rub that look off your face, sweetie. Have fun. Smile a little.
Your face will freeze in place if you keep it scrunched up like that.
“Ash.” He murmured. It finally hit him that he’d never hear her
say that to him. He would never be able to hold her, kiss her, or even talk to
her. When he went back, she wouldn’t be there. Her beautiful eyes would never
give him that loving look. She was gone.
“Why?” He asked no one in
particular. He was a strong man but his eyes were starting to water. Ash had
done nothing! She had been a sweet and smart girl who was adored by everyone
she met. Michael even planned to ask for her hand in marriage when the semester
ended. He was ready to start a family with her despite how young they were. He
wanted to build the future with her by his side.
Then, in a cruel twist of fate, Ash’s life was blown out the way
one blows out a candle. She felt guilty about what she had done so she killed
herself.
“Why couldn’t you tell me what was wrong? I’d help you.” Michael
went on. His tears finally started to fall as he remembered the events of that
fateful night; coming through the pouring rain, walking up all those steps,
opening the door and calling her name, catching the stench of blood, walking
into Ash’s room, pushing her door open, and then...
“It’s not fair!” He murmured. Oh, that exclamation was probably
childish but it described his current feelings. Why did it have to be Ash? Why
was she killing and eating another person?
This sucks. I’m alone now. Michael thought, looking at the
computer screen. He never felt this miserable before. No matter how hard he
tried to forget about it, memories of his dead girlfriend refused to fade away.
He even called the apartment by accident one time and got Ash’s voice on the
answering machine. It sounded like she was still alive. It felt like she had just
gone away for the weekend and would be back soon.
Through blurry eyes, he looked down at the paper he was writing.
He didn’t want to fall behind on his classes so he had bought the laptop and
schoolbooks along with him. He had to get on with life. He had to keep moving forward without her.
After all, Ash would have done the exact same thing if she was in his shoes.
He kept going online to get some information for his paper and
often had to go to The New York Times website to read an article. The biggest
story, of course, was the sudden deaths that occurred in North Carolina. He
didn’t want to read it but something inside said he should. He clicked on the
article to read the whole thing. What he got was a big surprise.
“Whoa!” He said to himself many times. As it turned out, Ash
wasn’t the only one who had been found this way. In fact, she was the eleventh
cannibal who committed suicide. Also, another girl had jumped to her death
after eating another person. She was the twelfth and most recent death. Ten
other people, over a span of thirteen years, had also taken their lives after
they were caught eating someone. Ash and the latest victim were the only ones
found in North Carolina.
“Two from California, two from New York, one from Texas, one from
Michigan, one from Arizona, one from Nevada, and two from New Jersey.” Michael
leaned back and thought of what those states had in common. He couldn’t find a
thing. So he kept looking up similar articles to see if there was a connection
with all these murders.
If I find something, then I might find out why these murders were
committed. He thought. He was determined to figure out why Ash changed before
him. Whatever he found could bring things into the light. And after this was
solved, he could put Ash’s soul to peace and move on with ease.
TBC...
<><><><><><><>
Copyright
2003: CT
Go
to Chapter 4
Back
to Chapter 2
Back
to Originals
Email
me: sweetandsourcyanide@excite.com