+1+
“I’m sorry what?”
Sera locks the garage and front door. She closes the tiny crooked shutters and considers me.
“Paris. Who knows you’re here?”
“What the fuck Sera.”
“Paris—“
“Wait. Here.” I pick up my money from the table and hand it to her, “Give it back to me.”
“What?”
“Pay me. Take the money and give it back to me.”
She rolls her eyes and takes the cash (slips out a fifty) then hands it back to me.
“Great. I’m your lawyer now. Attorney client privilege. Whatever you say to me I can’t disclose.” I dig in my wallet for one of my older business cards. I scribble a very short retainer on the back and give it to her to sign.
Sera flips the card around and studies it, “You actually finished that PhD.”
“Yes”, I say deciding to take the card back, but she holds it up so I can’t reach it.
“You always had to be the smartest guy I fucked.”
“Sera, this is serious. Also a law degree is a doctorate. ”
I move a stack of crap from her kitchen table and pull up a chair. I grab a legal pad out of my bag. The divorce papers slip out but I stuff them back inside before she can see I lied about having them.
“Go ahead”, I say picking up a navy colored pencil, “Tell me what happened.”
She leans against the table and takes another drag.
“Like 3 months ago…”
“I need a date.”
She lets out a short breath. If I annoyed her to much she’d shut down. At least that’s how the old Sera was.
“September 3rd. Labor day weekend”, she answers, “I got home late from a CrossCore competition in Seattle. I’d driven all day. I was tired and I hadn’t done so well--I just wanted to go to bed. I guess I forgot to lock my door. I mean before all this…no one ever locked their doors.”
“Okay.”, I say scribbling shorthand.
“I woke up to someone breathing over me. Paris, I was reliving that night. I told myself “no”. I was going to fight back this time. I just went into self-defense mode. He had one my kitchen knives and he fought back. We started fighting. I managed to knock him down. I got up and ran to the garage for my gun. I couldn’t get the lock to read my fingerprints. He followed me into the garage, he was just…crazy. Nothing in his eyes. I knocked him to the ground and he pulled me down, we were both on the floor fighting for the knife. I finally got the upper hand and once I had him pinned down something snapped and I kept hitting him.”
“That’s self-defense. We’re good. You’re good.”
She inhales and blows out a puff of smoke rings.
“…he was still alive…just unconscious. I put the leather cuffs on him and attached his wrist to the suspension in the garage. There was this massive bruise on his stomach. He was bleeding internally. I’d seen it happen to a guy at my gym.”
“Shit.”
“I didn’t care. I just wanted to get a look at him. At the monster. He killed 4 vulnerable people in town. He stayed in their homes. Eating their food and entertaining himself. He killed for comfort. It was a game to him.”
“Why didn’t you call the cops?” I ask the next logical question.
“…I knew the guy.”
“Fuck. Sera.”
“He was a transient. A few times a year he’d pickup work at the boatyard. Never stayed around for more than a few days. Lots of guys there are like that. This summer I let him in the bar to take a piss and soon he started harassing me for free drinks. He started getting obnoxious so I not so gently dragged his ass out the bar. Some fucking idiot college girls went on all these review sites and complained. Little bitches. They thought I was being classist or some bullshit. Scott threatened to fire me if I didn’t apologize to him and the girls. I was seriously considering moving but it all blew over.
No one ever suspected him because he was never in town during the murders. I think he’s been living in the woods this whole time. For like…years. Watching.
I was afraid the police would think I targeted him. I have a few hardcore masochist clients. If they got a look at the BDSM equipment in the garage I was fucked. I just watched the motherfucker die. Then I buried a 5 foot grave in the backyard and planted some mums.”
I could tell by her hardened expression that that she was not sorry. That was going to be a problem.
“So…uh…no one noticed anything.”
“I dug at night. No one came by. He was dead. Then two days later two girls were killed by Elma Lake. Then Kim from the supermarket. I thought he’d been reincarnated. The Order’s teachings talked about reincarnation. How good and bad acts are reborn again and again. I should have known better than to court evil spirits.”
I was mindful not to be dismissive. God I could put up with but The Order’s belief in spirits and the occult was archaic at best.
“Maybe you killed the wrong guy.”
“No. It was him.”
“Maybe he had a partner.”
“There wasn’t anything in his stuff that showed he had a partner.”
“You have his shit?” I sat upright
“It’s in the garage. . .”
“Show me.”
I follow her back into the garage. It is big enough to fit two cars. I take note of weight machines pushed to the side. I study the shiny black tool organizers. They are probably filled with paddles, whips and chains. I also notice a few fishing lines and a corner filled with camping gear and a small kayak. There is a box filled with medals and trophies sitting on a low shelf. Some are tarnished and water damaged. She really needed a display shelf.
Sera pushes aside the big filing cabinet. She places two forty pound weights down and a portion of the floor flips up.
“Interesting.”
The guy I bought the house from had an illegal grow operation.”
I do a quick double take.
“You own this shi--house ?
She rolls her eyes again and puts on a pair of gardening gloves. She pulls up a canvas backpack. It reeks of sweat and dirt.
“It’s just framed photos from the victims’ houses, jewelry, figurines…little things he took from those poor people. He’d already taken one my Power Olympia gold medal. If I hadn’t fought back I could‘ve been on the front page. He would’ve sat in my kitchen and eaten my food while I was dead on the floor.”
How ironic would it have been for her to survive one attack only to die in another? I would have been right in the middle of my campaign. What if she hadn’t fought back? I would have spiraled if Sera died and we’d never reconciled. Cami and I probably would have gotten back together. I would have gotten re-married. Maybe moved to Wisconsin. Seraphina would be my unresolved past.
I consider my notes while she puts the backpack back in place.
“Sera…this doesn’t look good for you.”
She nods and her hard jaw tightness as she takes another hit.
“I’ll take what’s coming to me.” she says, “I think the
reason I told you is because I’m tired of hiding… I’m ready to turn myself in.”
No.
The thought of her in a cage didn’t sit right with me. But fuck did this look bad.
“Based on what you told me there were multiple times when you could have called the cops, plus you hid the body. This is maybe criminally negligent homicide if they believe your story. You’re looking at maybe 5-25 years.”
“Fuck it”, she says folding her arms and I remember how she’d looked in the bar earlier today. Calm and at peace. She was savoring every moment she was free, “I don’t care. He deserved it. I’d do it again.”
“Okay. Don’t ever say that again”, I say passingly.
“Paris, when I saw you in the bar I just knew it was a sign from God that it was time. You were always this beacon of what’s right and just. I’m ready. You can represent me, right?”
I look back over the notes. I wasn’t exactly a criminal defense lawyer. I’d been an Assistant Director for East Hampton’s Public Defender office for two years but that had mostly been building ordinances violations, teen drinking and speeding tickets. The handful of illegal sex workers I had as client needed custody and property law services more than criminal ones.
“I’ll do my best. I’ll call police department and schedule a time for you to surrender. They likely won’t grant bail but I’ll try. You’re in for a long road.”
“I know”, she says, “I just need to warp some things up first. Get some affairs in order.”
“I feel like I should advise against that. It might piss off the prosecutors--”
“I just need one more day to get my shit in order.”
“Okay. Be subtle about it. I’ll give you 24 hours.”
“Thank you”, there is a long awkward silence, “I’ll just…”
She grabs a pillow and blanket from her bed and places it on the futon. I take the hint. I watch Sera out the corner of my eye as she sit on the edge of her bed and finishes her joint. She then downs a few pills and climbs into her bed. She doses off quickly. I notice her black G-string is still on the floor. I quietly make my way over and pocket it.
I settle on the futon in the cluttered living room area and drag the stacks of old newspapers to my side. She had every single paper from the past two years. Each front page chronicling this ruthless killer. There is a dusty mobile hotspot on the table. I turn it on and searches for news and video footages about the murders.
I can hear the silent hum of the generator outside as I dig deeper into my research. My eyes can’t help but to linger on her sleeping form. I would be helpful to her one last time.
+++
Sherriff Rainer still didn’t trust me. After all the time we worked together.
“How are you feeling?” Rainer asked as she led me into the conference room and pulled out a chair for me. I took small steps just like my physical therapist had taught me.
“Better.” I lied.
Rainer put a hand on my shoulder. Meeting with the criminal investigation team wasn’t at all how I wanted to spend my first day out of the rehab center-- but Rainer said the meeting was important. The gathered prosecutors and detectives in the conference room tried not to stare as I struggled to sit down. There are also a few federal agents there. I hadn’t expected that.
“Is your wife joining us?” Prosecutor Malloy asked. She’d been brought on from Hartford to prosecute this case. Which meant they must have found someone to prosecute.
“She can’t”, I said.
“I’m sorry. Is she still in the hospital?” Malloy asked.
“No. She just …isn’t’ doing well.”
I’d said too much, but there hadn’t been anyone else for me to talk to now that Aria and Leon had left.
Prosecutor Malloy laid down two images. I instantly recognized the wiry tall men with their full beards and hard eyes. These were the attackers.
“You found them.”
“This is Randall Uphill and Carson Irons.”, Rainer says, “Half-brothers. We
arrested them this morning for the robbery, fist degree assault and attempted murder
of you and your wife. Malloy plans to file more charges as we continue the
investigation.”
“Did they say….why they did it?”
Rainer looked at the team assembled in the room.
“We got a tip from a criminal informant, Ag Hunter. He was cellmates with a Jorgen Crux. Jorgen told Ag their boss hired Uphill and Irons to carry out a hit. Jorgen bragged that he helped train them.”
“Jorgen Crux?” I knew those names, “Ag…Agamemnon Hunter?”
“Yes, they work for an
alleged small-time trafficker and con man. He supposedly runs a labor staffing
agency out of an Upstate commune—“
“Helios Thantos?”
“You know Helios Thantos?” Malloy asks.
“We went to high school together. “My head drops into my hands, “Shit. Shit shit. This is my fault. This is my fault.”
“Mr. Prince? “, Prosecutor Malloy asks, “Do you know why Helios Thantos would send men after you?”
“I don’t know if I can talk about this.”
“Mr. Prince”, Rainer said, “Now is not the time for keep anything from us.”
“A few months before the attack I was scouted by the Democratic Congressional Election Committee to run for District Attorney in Morris County.”
“Morris County? In New York?” Rainer says, “You were going to leave Harrison County?”
“I’ve been here five years. It’s just time for me to take my career to the next level. I had a meeting with the incumbent district attorney to discuss strategy. While I was there she mentioned she was working on a case against Helios Thantos. He’s been causing trouble in her county for years and no one will testify against him. We have a past with Helios. Sera lived with Helios for two years on and off when she was a teenager. The DA realized she could build a case off of the things Sera witnessed as a teenager. It was mostly about guns and drugs. No statues of limitations on that.
Sera didn’t want to inform on Helios. I pushed her to do it because I thought it would make me look favorable to the party. This is my fault. Oh fuck”, I couldn’t stop myself from shaking, “Helios must have found out she was talking to the DA. Helios put a hit out on us.”
“The FBI is taking lead on the charging Helios, “Malloy nodded to the feds, “Helios said the brothers attended parties at his house. He said he talked about Seraphina being a ‘snitch’ but says he never talked to the brothers or told anyone to harm you. He says the brothers must have gotten the idea on their own. We can’t charge Helios yet but he is on house arrest. We’re going to move forward with prosecuting the brothers.”
“Helios is lying. He did this.”
“I know. Somehow. We’ll get justice.”
+++
A loud emergency siren propels me from my sleep. I jump to my feet and it takes me a minute to remember I am in my ex-wife’s house in a town with two serial killers. Sera stirs in her bed and shuts off her alarm clock. She pulls off her clothes and throws them on the ground before heading to the bathroom.
I shake the sleep out of my eyes and review the 45 pages of legal notes I’d written last night. Sera makes her way into the living room in loose faded black jeans and a snug gray Henley. Her eyes roam over the legal pad and the newspapers I’d spread across her living room.
“Were you up all night?” she asks sliding on a worn leather jacket.
“Kind of. I just wanted to be informed. I read everything I could find about the stalker. This Severance Stalker guy really was vile. I mean Sera you did this town a favor—“
She shakes her head and that oversized dagger earring dangles menacingly.
“I killed a man. I need to answer for that. My New Aeterna money is all yours. Larry down the street can take care of the house. Maddie can have my jewelry. My RV can go to the dump. I just have a box of keepsakes I want to keep safe so you—“
“Sera, you can’t do this--.”
“I have to”, she says, “I want to do the right thing. Also Nate doesn’t know there are two killers. I have to come clean.”
“Sera—“
“It’s been decided. Now…there is one more thing I want to do before turning myself in.”
“What’s that”, I ask gathering my legal pad and following her to the door.
“I want to go on a date.”
I stop short.
“…with me?”
“Yes. Like we used to. One nice evening out before I get locked up.”
“I really don’t think a judge or prosecutor will take kindly to you putting justice on your time.”
“I know”, she says, “Just give me this one last thing. Look, there’s a place in Olympia we can go to. Please.”
When had I even been able to say no to her? Especially with her eyes wide and innocent like that. Sera zips up her leather jacket and I realize she is waiting for me waiting for me to respond. This was so far from what I came here for. I was supposed to be on my way back to New York. Not plotting out a criminal defense for my estranged wife the serial killer…killer.
I follow her out the house and to the curb where a shiny Harley-Davidson motorcycle is parked. A horn honks and Sera turns to waive at a puttering 07’ gray Camry heading out the neighborhood. She studies me while putting her helmet on.
“So? Date?”
“Uhh…okay. Sure. But if anyone asks you told me about killing the stalker after we went out.”
“Great. Can you find your way back?” she asks sliding on the bike,
“Yes.”
“Meet me back here at 7. Don’t be late.”
“I…It’s a…date.”
I somehow manage to retrace my steps back to the High Noon where my CR-V is still parked outside. When I get back to the Days Inn Beverly and Jasper have their eyes glued to their phones.
I feel their eyes tracking me as I head to the free coffee bar—which amounted to a couple smudgy percolators lined up on a fold-out table. My tailored black attire stands out in a lobby populated with rugged men who were either truckers or picking up work at the boat yard. They were mostly unshaven and decked out in old boots and rugged worn work wear. It was probably easy for the real Severance Stalker to blend in.
The coffee is tepid but it’s rich, deep and flavorful.
“Holy shit.” I say taking another sip, “This is amazing.”
The man standing next to me raises his cup, “Locally roasted in Aberdeen. None of that pussy Folgers shit.”
I nod in agreement and down two more cups. I try to make conversation but get nowhere. The other men seem pretty wary. I can’t blame them. I’d also assume the over friendly the pale newcomer with horrific scars was an ideal candidate for the Severance Stalker.
I eventually make my way to the front desk to Beverly and Jasper
“Good Morning”, I try to sound congenial.
“H-hello.” Beverly says.
“I just wanted to say I’m in town to get my divorce finalized from Seraphina Grigori…from the High Noon. I get the feeling you guys think I’m the Severance Stalker?”
They look at each other and laugh nervously
“See. This is what madness does to a small town.” Bev says flipping over her phone, “2 years ago I would never be like this.”
Jasper nods in agreement.
“I heard he struck again last night.” I say.
“Yeah, her ex”, Bev says rubbing her eyes.
“I’m sorry?”
Bev sinks a little in her chair, “I shouldn’t have said anything. I…Paula and Sera used to date. It’s none of my business. They were kind of unlikely. Paula was very set in her ways and a homebody Sera is very…um…“
“Free spirited”, Jasper follows, “She didn’t get along with Mia to well. Rest in peace.”
Beverly frowns, “Can you blame her. You know how Mia was.”
I rack my head trying to keep up.
“Sera knew the recent victims?” I say more to myself.
Beverly nods, “Paula is—was an administrator at the school in Aberdeen. Mia was her daughter. She was so young. Still figuring things out if you know what I mean.”
“She peaked in high school”, Jasper offers then seems to regret it.
“You know what’s crazy”, Beverly says in a whisper, “Paula told me Sera made her get a gun last year because of all the murders. Did Paula no good.”
“I heard he made popcorn and watched their Netflix”, Dan says conspiratorially, “How can you have a fucking movie night with dead bodies in the next room.”
My stomach turns and there is a somber silence.
“Please let me know how I can help while I’m in town.” I say because that’s all I really have to offer. They seem to appreciate the gesture.
“They are planning memorial in Aberdeen if you’re still in town.”
“Thank you.”
I smile weakly. I have a heart for small towns that stuck together.
+++
I know what I need to do the moment I pull up in front of Sera’s house at 6:53pm.
I’d gotten some sleep after leaving Beverly and Jasper. Then I got directions to the local supermarket where I found some found some sad looking flowers and picked up a Hershey’s Dark Chocolate bar.
At the checkout I noticed a memorial on one of the checkout lanes. A picture of a smiling middle aged woman surrounded by silk flowers, ribbons and Hello Kitty plushies. I realize it’s for Kim Harbinger.
I’d read about her last night. Kim was the copycat killer’s third victim. She’d retired to Severance to help with the family grocery store. She’d lived alone and traveled a lot so no one knew her schedule. It was three days before they found her. That had been two months ago.
My phone chimed and I looked down to see I had a few messages from Mark and Cami. This town had shitty reception that went in and out. I skimmed Mark’s messages, which were about more potential liberal hotspots with open positions. Nothing from Cami
I took a walk along the docks. There were a few souvenir and boating shops that were closed down for the season. I got a few looks, but the town seemed small enough that I’m sure word had gotten around that I wasn’t the killer.
I grabbed an awful lunch at a small diner near the docks. I took it back to the hotel and ate at the front desk while Bev guided me through all Severance had to offer. I wanted to make friends and distract her from the recent tragedy.
“Every place has something”, She’d said, “If you drive 25 miles out to Elma Lake you can rent a cabin maybe do some camping, fishing or hiking. Most of the breweries are production sites but if they are in a good mood they will let you tour. The summer bonfires at Silver Lake are big with the kids. College and high schoolers come from all over.”
She gestured out the window. The Days Inn was located on high ground and below I could see a little manmade lake below
None of those activities were my usual thing but I had the funny idea that it would make an adventurous honeymoon. I hadn’t had a chance to take one after my first wedding. Although the whole marriage felt like a honeymoon…until the very end.
I went back to my room to read and get some writing done. When it reached six I put on my other travel suit and tie. I added a gold tie clip. She used to like this tie clip,
“Where are you head off to?” Beverly asked when she saw me leaving.
“To get divorced”, I said confidently.
“Good luck.”
+2+
I’m less confident now that I’m in front of Sera’s house. I study the doors and windows Years of crappy paint jobs seemed to have sealed the windows shut. The stalker got lucky that she left the door unlocked. Based on what I read The Severance Stalker clearly researched his victims to find vulnerable ones. He knew Sera. She kicked him out the bar. He knew Sera could take him. Why did he risk going after her?
I shake the thought from my head and knock on the door. I’m nervous. Like the good kind of nervous.
“It’s open”, she calls.
I roll my eyes and come in. “You should really lock your door.”
“Doesn’t matter now.”
Her voice is coming from the bedroom area. She is seated at snack table she’d set up in the corner with a trifold mirror. There are piles of make-up and perfume on the bed. A cracked tablet is propped behind her playing a decades old reality TV show.
I try not to look directly at her. She is clearly in the midst of creating a look and I want to be surprised.
My eyes go back to those newspapers and the horrors I’d read last night.
Two years ago the Severance Stalker had come to town. His first victim was a single woman in her early 40s who worked at one of the breweries in town. A few news clip of Deputy Nate Sanders discussing the case had gone viral because he was a #HotCop. Then six months later a yoga teacher was found at her Elma Lake cabin. She was a young blonde which seemed to get a little more attention. It wasn’t until a retired elderly couple was found that the murderer was dubbed The Severance Stalker.
He always took all the available food in the kitchen. He also logged hours of watch time on his victims’ streaming services. There was a rumor on a Reddit thread that he left reviews on some people’s accounts. Police found no connections. No DNA. Zero leads.
It was 18 months of rampant fear.
Until the Severance Stalker went after his final victim.
Sera.
I looked around Sera’s house
She’d killed him here. Strung him up and watched him die. Then buried him under her house. That should have been the end of it
Except two days after she killed him the copycat killer struck again
They went after a pair of grad students doing ecology research by the lake. Less than a month later Kim Harbinger was found dead. And now Paula and Mia Felton.
The copycat killer moved fast. Why?
I leaf through the newspapers and set them out in chronological order. The faces of the victims are bright and full of life on the front page. I separate the copycats victim’s from the Severance Stalker’s victims.
Nothing stuck out.
This couldn’t be random. This copycat has to have a bigger plan.
Just to keep myself busy I stack Sera’s mail into neat piles, dividing junk mail from bills. Two envelopes have uncashed checks from clients…which I only saw because they fell out. The portable dryer is also still open. To close it I have to take some clothes out. Since I took them out its only right to fold them
I look up when I hear her the click of heels behind me. Sera makes her way to the front of the house. She’d dressed up in a form fitting mini black sheath dress. Her crew cut is covered by a loosely curled blonde asymmetrical pixie wig with dark blonde roots. Her broad frame is perched on a pair of high heeled red bottom sling backs. Her makeup looks deceptive light. She’s brightened and softened her hard masculine features and drawn attention to her curved full lips and blue eyes. The tennis bracelet from Dom Hidalgo is looped around her ankle. Her only other jewelry is a jangly charm bracelet and a pair of tiny dagger earrings. She’s removed her septum ring and I notice her sleeve tattoo is completely gone. It’s been replaced with smooth too perfect skin.
“Stop, Paris. You are not cleaning my house”, She says. I don’t think she meant it to come off so deep and commanding but the tone makes me snap to attention.
Mine.
“Sorry”, I say.
“Did you sign the divorce papers?” she asks.
“I have them”, I say quickly then lower my gaze out of instinct, “Sera. About Paula and Mia. I didn’t realize you knew them—“
“I can’t talk about this right now.”
“Maybe we should just stay here and talk—“
“I need this. A distraction. Don’t make me beg. Because I won’t.”
“What exactly do you need, Sera?”
She shifts her weight and studies me, “Control.”
“Sera—“
“Get the door”, she orders and tosses me her house keys. I eagerly follow her out and lock up. I put the keys in my pocket and approach Sera who is waiting impatiently by the backdoor of my CR-V.
“Okay”, I agree because I have feeling we both need the same thing, “How much control do you want tonight.”
She lifts a finger under my chin so I’m looking up at her. The move is effortless and graceful.
“I’m about to lose my entire life. In 24 hours I’m going to be locked away and not be able to make a single choice ever again. I suppose I’d like to savor as much control as I can for a few hours. You were always my favorite sub.”
It wasn’t fair though. She hadn’t given her victim a few more hours. She hadn’t given him a choice in dying. Of course…he was a serial killer.
“Let me hear your safe word”, she says. As if I ever really had a choice in the matter.
“You should know…I haven’t done submission in a while.” I explain.
“Last night we —“
“You saw how well that went.”
“Forget I said anything. Let’s just have dinner—“
“I want it. Sera. I do. I was ready about three years ago when I ran in The Hamptons for state rep. I met this Dominate couple at a fundraiser who said they ran a private dungeon out of their home. They were sloppy. Didn’t understand my hard limits. One of their flogger straps cut me so I left early. Turns out they didn’t properly clean their equipment and I got a bad infection. I was in the ICU for a week. The couple said it was my fault for not showering properly after the session because I was in such a rush to leave. I sued them for my medical bills. They threatened to leak a recording they took without my permission. My campaign manager and I ended up paying them to keep quiet. I just didn’t want videos of my body out there. When I lost I got out as fast as I could. That’s how I ended up in Ithaca.”
Sera crosses her arms. She never had tolerance for people who made the scene look bad.
“You should have told me about this last night, Paris. You don’t hide shit like that from your—a Dom. Especially before a session.”
“I know. I’m telling you now. I’m still getting over that situation.”
“We’ll take it slow”, she decides, “Tell me your safe word.”
“Sapphire.”
“One more time, baby.”
“Sapphire.”
“Fuck. I love the way you say that. Now open the door I’m freezing.”
I lower my gaze a touch and open the backdoor then hustle around to the driver’s seat. There is a familiar rush and thrill coursing through me. I close my eyes for a moment to clear my head. This wasn’t about me. It was her needs over mine. Thinking the other way had cost me seven years.
I put the address of the restaurant in the GPS then adjust the mirror so I can see her sitting in the backseat. She crosses her longs legs giving me a perfect view of her thighs and a hint of the red underwear she wore underneath.
Her eyes stay on the house as I drive away. Her attention is elsewhere and I realize she probably hadn’t meant to flash me. She absently adjust the credit card and ID card she’d shoved the bodice of her dress.
“Change the station”, she says once we hit the 101.
“What would you like to listen to, Darl—“
“No”, she cuts me off and I catch a flash of vulnerability in the mirror, “You’re going to be my obedient little fuckboy servant. I’ll be your Queen. How’s that? ”
“It’s good my Queen.”
She plays more of that wordless folksy electronic rap acoustic music from her phone. I keep glancing at Sera as I drive. She is tough and scrappy enough to do well in prison—but I know the inherit Dominant in her will die without control.
I’d only gotten a glimpse of Olympia when I arrived so I take in the winding roads cluttered with quirky small business and restaurants. I’ve never seen so many tarot shops, dispensaries and spiritual healing centers in one space. It’s an odd little city with a cool vibrancy that is in sharp contrast to the cookie-cutter upper-class East Coast enclaves I’d called home.
The Iron House restaurant is inside of a large warehouse in the middle of a block. It’s surrounded by thrift and vinyl shops. I park and jump out the car to help Sera out. I’d purposely found a parking spot close so she wouldn’t have to walk.
“Paris, I expect you to be an attentive and a good boy tonight. Your eyes should never leave me and you should remain two steps behind me unless you’re opening a door. I don’t want to hear a word out of you unless I give you permission. I’ve lost my tolerance for all your rambling. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Queen.”
Sera puts her phone, ID and credit card in my pocket and I follow her into the restaurant. Sera doesn’t offer the hostess a smile so she turns to me.
“Can I help you, Sir?”
“Reservation”, Sera says pointedly enough that the woman turns back to her, “Grigori.”
I do as I had been told and keep my eyes on Seraphina. I notice how her nails are perfectly shaped into ovals and painted a glittery silver. Her very noisy bracelet is filled with charms. She has a weight charm, a boot, a heart, a birthstone, two pride flags, five tiny angels, a heart and an Eifel tower. I let my eyes trace the contours of her arms peeking out from beneath the shawl she’d wrapped herself in.
Sera follows the woman to our table. I wait two steps and follow. The table is a small booth and I wait for Sera to sit before taking a seat. The hostess sets down two menus but Sera hands her one back.
“He won’t be needing that.”
The hostess smiles awkwardly then walks away.
Even though the restaurant had a dark ambience and white tablecloths—many of the tables are dressed casually. Most filled with groups of young people and—fuck it--fellow middle aged couples.
“Where should your eyes be”, Sera says and I realized I’d let my gaze slip. My inability to follow even that simple order unnerves me. If I couldn’t listen to my Mistress why did I think I could listen and provide for my future constituents? Maybe that’s why I’d never been elected.
I turn my eyes back to her.
“On you, my Queen”
“Do you like what you see?”
I swallow
“Yes. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in years. Your eyes are so goddamn gorgeous. When I look at I want to get on my knees and kiss your shoes and worship at your feet and beg you to fuck me. “
The sharp heel of sling back digs into my ankle and the prick of pain sends small bolt of pleasure up my leg.
“Pretty words from such a pretty man”, she says coolly. She’s bored, not a hint of emotion in her voice, “But that doesn’t make up for breaking my rules. No more talking out of you.”
When the waiter arrives she orders for both of us. A white wine spritzer for her and a seltzer water for me. No hard liquor used to mean she had something hardcore planned with one of her partners. In the years before we broke up Sera had wanted a softer submission from me. She’d wanted devotion, loyalty and reverence. Anything hardcore was reserved for very special occasions. For years Sera was my only partner. I had to work to deserve her body. I could have had other partners. We were open. But I only wanted her and the challenge of deserving her.
Back then she’d somehow managed to balance her life as a (sparingly) involved community leader’s wife and a literal whore. A fucking slut sometimes. Especially for certain types of men. Never for me. Well. Hardly ever for me.
“What are you smiling about?” She asks.
“I was thinking about Budapest.”
“Which part.” She says betraying nothing about our first and last international trip together. We’d been so young. Barley in our 30s and thinking we knew what lay ahead. Thinking we would have forever.
“You”, I say conjuring up the memory, “On the floor. Begging--”
The waiter sets down our drinks down and there is a calm silence. I study the Seraphina in front of me now. The blonde hair really does bring out her eyes. Her body takes up a lot more room that it used to. Her height and muscles draws the occasional second glance from other diners. I study the spot on her lip she always bit when she came. It was healing nicely from last night. I hope I get the chance to give that spot another work out.
I note that it’s odd that we are the only couple not talking or visibly flirting with one another. Even the waiter looks concerned when she sets our food down. Sera had order the filet mignon and lobster special for herself and a mushroom Swiss chard pasta for me. Sera picks up her fork and she blinks away her measured expression.
She blinks a few more times and touches her eye.
“Darling?”
“Fucking eyelash”, she says pulling off a fake eyelash and like that the Domme in her falls away. This is probably going to be her last real meal for a while. Her last time out in the world being treated like a human and not an inmate number.
“May I speak freely?” I ask. She looks up pushing her hair out of her face.
“Go ahead. Let’s take a little break.”
I nod. This transition was what had never worked for me, for me it was total power exchange or nothing.
“Did you do everything you needed today?”
She nods and takes a bowtie pasta off my plate.
“I just had to reshuffle some money around. I just need to write letters to Leon and Aria to let them know. Maybe I’ll give the house to the girls? Then you and I are going to have sex. That should be it.”
Suddenly I remember the position we are in. I’m not just her ex-husband. I’m her lawyer.
“You probably shouldn’t sleep with your lawyer.”
“Well, I’m going to.” she says defiantly, “I’m sure I’ll get plenty of pussy in prison.”
I sit up and pull out my no nonsense lawyer voice.
“I’m serious Seraphina.”
“So am I and we both know who is getting their way”, she says and takes another farfalle off my plate, “Fuck. I haven’t had a carb in forever.”
I just push the food around on my plate. My mind just can’t imagine Seraphina locked up.
Sera pays for dinner and leaves the staff a generous tip.
Somehow we end up walking on waterfront around the lake. It’s quiet for a weekday. Sera explains that during the weekend there are usually artist, magicians and contortionist out panhandling. She’s quiet and tells me there isn’t’ much to her life except bartending and training for the next competition. Of course that wasn’t entirely true. She’d had an ex-girlfriend who was just murdered. I didn’t want to push.
“Is it hard…competing in categories?”
She shrugs, “Some of that is changing. But I’m used to it.”
We’re keeping it vanilla so she doesn’t stop me from talking. I fill her in on my seven years and I’m surprised at how small it had been. Sure I’d moved four times-- but I’d just been chasing campaigns and logging long hours in appointed government positions. I’d been working not living.
My hobbies were cleaning my house, professional development, professional networking and working on the PhD in public policy I’d started when I was 30. I was an admin on a BDSM forum for a while but it was stressful keeping everyone in line and dealing with petty drama.
I can feel my mood changing when I tell her about Camilla. How dating her felt like living the youth I’d missed out on because I’d overworked myself in college. We’d been together 18 months and she’d made me rethink my awful work/life balance. I learned a lot about Ithaca just by going bowling and on ghost tours with her. We’d even done New Year’s in Manhattan last year and taken a weekend trip to Montreal this summer where I made the mistake of proposing to her which led to our break-up.
“You don’t think she’s too young?” Sera asks. She chooses her words carefully. There was no way to ask that without it being awkward. I think on it for a bit as we walk down the quiet boardwalk in step.
“I actually usually date people younger than me.”
“Really?” she says skeptically
“I like the energy and optimism. I move around a lot so there is less expectation. Cami was different though.”
“Is she into kink?” Sera asks sounding genuinely curious.
“No. It’s not really her thing, but she understands its part of me. When we were dating I made the choice to focus on what she needed in a partner and waited to talk about my submissive needs when we were more committed.”
She nods. “That’s the submissive in you talking.”
“If Cami and I get back together we might go to a few parties and she’s open to me finding a Domme.”
Sera nod and thinks on this, “She’s just…young.”
“Let me think…I….don’t think I’ve dated anyone younger than 30. Ever.”
Sear raises an eyebrow.
“You’re fucking kidding me.”
“What?”
“I’m the oldest person you’ve ever dated.”
“I guess…technically”
She laughs.
“I may not make you feel as young or as energized as them, but I will put you in your place Paris Prince. I know you will make a nice vanilla girl like Cami happy but tonight I’m going to remind you that you are a pathetic middle aged man who refuses to grow up and appreciate his peers. A man who’s only worth is in how well he can follow orders and please his Queen. Kiss my shoes. Now.”
That took a turn, but I am up for the challenge. I am vaguely aware there is a group of people who’d been at least a mile behind us. I turned to make sure they are out of view then drop to my knees to kiss the leather sling backs.
“This where you belong”, she says putting her shoe to my neck and pushing my cheek into the gravel. I looked up a little and had a perfect view of her ass and that silk red thong, “under my shoes right here with the dirt. Actually you should be below it, pet. Lower than dirt. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes”, I say, “My Queen. I’m lower than dirt.”
She lets me up just as the group rounds the curb and we causally walk back to the car arm in arm. The group passing us having no idea just seconds before I was groveling at her feet.
Sera sends me inside a CVS outside of Olympia to buy condoms which I still feel embarrassed about at my age. I’m also overwhelmed because drugstores didn’t carry the snug sizes I usually ordered online. I have to put my glasses on to read the fine print and just buy a variety pack and hope for the best.
Sera isn’t in the car when I get back in. I panic a little until I see her walking out of the bookstore in the shopping center across the way. She has a large iced coffee with whip cream and sprinkles. I open the door for her and take the heavy bag of books. She takes a sip of the coffee and hands it to me.
“Here. Drink this. I won’t have you falling asleep on the way back.” she opens the CVS bag and studies the condoms, “Paris, you know these are too big for you. Go and return them. I don’t think I’m going to let you come tonight anyway.”
I remember the mocking look that cashier had given me. Like he thought I was buying this box to impress him.
“I’ll just keep them.”
“Don’t waste your money. We can return them. Here I’ll go with you.”
Sera goes with me back to the drugstore and at first the cashier looks surprised then confused.
“I’d like to return these”, I say
“Was something wrong?” he says looking at Sera. I didn’t love getting other people involved but it sort of intensified the humiliation. At least he’d have a story.
“…not the right size.” I mumble.
Sera smiles at the cashier and I realize they are both enjoying this. Sera leads me out of the store and back to the car.
“Let’s find someplace secluded to talk”, she says reapplying her lipstick. My cock has been semi-hard all night but it seems to get harder in anticipation of what might come next.
There is a quiet turnoff just outside the city near the national park. It’s off season so it’s quiet. I find a closed gas station and park in the back.
“Come sit in the back with me.” She orders.
I get out the car and slide into the backseat with Sera. I’m a little jittery from the coffee and it’s hard to keep my mouth shut. She unzips my pants and wraps her hand around my erection. When I start fucking her grip she slaps me.
“Patience. Don’t you dare come in my hand. Pathetic. I know it’s been a while but I’ve trained you better than that.”
I close my eyes. She can’t say shit like that and expect me to regain any kind of composure.
She leans down to kiss the tip, I sink into the familiarity of her tongue teasing me. I let out an involuntary grunt and grab the seat to keep from grabbing her head. She liked that. ,I still knew how to be good for her.
She grazes me a little with her teeth before sucking harder and faster. I don’t even try to be quiet. Towards the end I pull away and grab her shawl to come into. I push myself to sit up and knock over her bag of books. It’s her usual fare of smoldering vampires.
She watches me pick one up and flushes a little.
“I…I just need you to send these to me when I’m…in prison. I’m in the middle of a series and there is a novella I couldn’t find but…fuck…it’s silly…in the scheme of things. But … I figure it will make some part of...prison bearable. ”
“Of course. Anything you need.”
She takes a deep breath and kisses me. I slip my tongue into her mouth and follow her lead-- giving her what she needs. I climb out of my seat and move to straddle her lap, I settle so we are eye to eye. She gently takes my glasses off and sets them on the window dash. I only wore them to drive and had completely forgotten I’d left them on.
I press my forehead to hers and kiss her more gently.
“I really just wanted to talk.” She says
“I can multi-task. Can I touch you?”
She blinks and pulls her other eyelash off.
“Yes.”
I trail my hand underneath her dress. Her thighs are hard and my fingers trace the depths there. I navigate by touch. The pad of my thumb strokes her pussy. She shifts slightly opening herself to me. I continue kissing every inch of her face and soft sensitive neck
“Sera I’ve been thinking about this all day. You shouldn’t turn yourself in.”
“Paris…I don’t think we should talk legal stuff. We’re getting divorced and we need closu—“
“Hear me out.” I said continuing my measured movement, “You buried the Severance Stalker on Friday night-“
“Yes--“
“You know what? Don’t ever answer that question. You allegedly buried the Severance Stalker on Friday night.”
“Okay.”
“And then two days later the copycat starts killing”
“So?” Her hips rise a little at my continued touch. Her clit feels a little swollen but she’s not wet.
“The copycat killer started killing because they knew it would be blamed on the Severance Stalker? How did they know that?
“Fuck. Because they…saw me bury the body.”
“Do you remember anyone seeing you that night? Anything out of the ordinary.”
“Stop—“
“Sera, I want to help—“
“No. Stop touching me”, she says moving my hand, “I just…can’t right now.”
“Okay. Um. Right so…. That night when you buried the body. Did anyone see you? ”
She shook her head and tried to concentrate.
“I don’t think so. I don’t know. I was so focused.”
“I don’t know much about criminal justice but serial killers are extremely rare. There is just no way this copycat killer is also a serial killer. I think the copycat is just a murderer.”
“How is that better?”
“It’s not. But my theory is one of the copycat’s victims was the actual target of a murder. The other victims were collateral damage to keep up the serial killer ruse.”
“That’s awful if it’s true.”
“Exactly”, I say sliding back into my seat, “This copycat is vile. That is the person who should be in prison. Not you.”
“But I—“
“I’ve done a few stints in the criminal justice system. Our current system doesn’t work. It will turn you into a worse person because that’s the best way to survive. Seraphina you’re vulnerable and the system could crush you. I know our marriage imploded…. but I promised I’d always take care of and if I let you go to prison I’ll break that promise.”
“I should have called the cops.”
“If you want absolution for his family. Fine. We’ll let his body be discovered. You can do your own penance. But our main focus should be the copycat killer.”
Sera closes her
“But the cops don’t know there is a copycat. They think it’s the same person. Isn’t that a crime? Impeding and investigation or something? I have to tell them.”
“Or we could just find the copycat for them.”
“You want to…find a serial killer?”
“A fake serial killer. I mean a real fake serial killer. That’s a much better use of our time and the justice system.”
“Paris”, she shook her head, “I killed someone.”
“Half the states in this country kill people who supposedly did bad things. You being in prison isn’t justice. As your lawyer it’s my job to look out for your best interest. The best way for me to do that is to find this copycat killer.”
“You’re such a politician now you just speak in soundbites.” She says laughing which is better than how upset she looked before
“I’m serious.” I say meeting her eyes, “I promised I’d always going to be there for you. I always will be. Whether we’re married or not. ”
She opens her mouth to say something but holds back. Always holding back.
“Okay. I trust you.”
+++
“I guess we went on a date for nothing”, Sera says closing her screen door and taking seat next to me on her warped front porch steps. She hands me a huge mason jar filled with the pumpkin spice sangria her boss had made for Halloween. I’d needed something to calm my nerves. Sera suddenly wasn’t too keen on me being in her house so I’d waited on the front porch. While inside she’d scrubbed her face, taken off the wig and now sat next to me in basketball shorts, a black undershirt and worn sliders. She’d also slipped her septum ring back in. I suppose I could get used to it.
I could hear the crickets and what I hoped was the rustle of a harmless animals in the small remaining patch of forest that surrounded the cul-de-sac
“I wouldn’t say nothing.” I say admiring her long legs.
“Paris, if we are going to work together. I think its best we don’t sleep together”, she turns up the soft music on her phone and starts to roll a joint on it.
“It’s too late for that.” I say remembering yesterday.
“I mean we shouldn’t sleep together again. If this whole…finding a copycat killer thing doesn’t work out. I still need you to be my lawyer. I don’t want to complicate things.”
“Are you sure fucking is out of the question. I’ve never made you come that hard. You got so fucking tight.”
“First it was the vibrator and second...it’s been a while.”
“It wasn’t that cheap thing. You should invest in a quality one by the way.” I remember what she’d said yesterday, “So, you’ve been celibate for five years?”
She nods and clicks her stubborn lighter a few times
“Why?” I ask finishing the sangria
She shrugs and then exhales a few rings.
“I’ve had easy access to sex since I was eighteen. Before I married you it was like one of the only ways I could connect with people. I don’t even think I was enjoying half of it. After I left I went on a few dates. Real vanilla lesbian shit. I also dated this single dad once. That was…terrifying”, She shrugs again, ”I also worked a little.”
“Sera”, her intonation made it obvious she didn’t mean the legal kind.
“It wasn’t anything serious.” She says, “Just a few blow jobs at truc—“
“I’m still your lawyer. I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
She clears her throat, “I guess I just wanted to see who I was without multiple partners as a distraction. I even gave up orgasms, alcohol, caffeine and sugar. I wanted be see what my life was like without any brain chemicals altering my perception.”
“How did it go?”
She offers me a hit but I shake my head. I was already feeling woozy from the sangria. It was stronger than I expected but I kept drinking.
“Celibacy was easy. I learned to say ‘no’ and redirected my energy into lifting and building. I got propositioned a lot. Especially at competitions. I never realized how much sex in my life was initiated by other people. Choosing to be celibate meant I was more in control of who my partners were. That’s powerful for a Dom.”
“You haven’t had an orgasm, alcohol, caffeine or sugar in five years.”
“Fuck no. Celibacy was easy but after six months I bought a detachable shower head and a Frappuccino I poured Baileys on it.”
“That’s… hot?”
She laughs and studied her bracelet. She leans back and takes a few more hits. I take another sip of the very strong sangria and enjoy the stillness. Life feels so slow and almost bearable out here. Except for the murderous copycat killer.
“How do we do this”, she asks blowing out another column of thin smoke.
“Do what?” I ask realizing I am sufficiently buzzed.
She shrugs and leans against the porch.
“This whole failed politician and small town bodybuilder finding a killer. How do we do that?”
“When we are sober”, I say finishing up my jar of Sangria, “We need to talk to people who knew the victims. This has to be a cover up for a single murder. I may have to ask around. Talk to locals.”
Sera sits up
“You can’t just ask people around here to many questions. I’m still an outsider and they won’t like my ex-husband poking around. I’m pretty sure Nate is already suspicious of you.”
“Nate? Everyone calls him that. Is the Deputy Sheriff really that casual with everyone?”
“Small town”, she says like the answer is obvious, “To most people here he’s been Nate longer than he’s been the Sherriff. Don’t be hard on him. He’s under a lot of pressure and he sucks at his job.”
I stand up and fall immediately back down. Sera catches me.
“That sangria is really strong”, she says, “I’m calling someone to take you back to the hotel.”
“I can’t stay?” I say enjoying her strong grip,
“I don’t think you--”
“I need you”, I blurt out. The alcohol makes me feel bold. I sink to my knees, “I need you. I haven’t been able to handle a Dom until today. I need that. I missed that.”
“Baby, you need to sober up”, she says pulling me up, “Let’s make a deal. You help me with my …murder shit I’ll help you with your kink shit. I’ll help you work way back to being a perfect submissive while you’re…saving the town”
“It sounds silly when you put it like that.”
“I know. I’m calling you a ride.”
“This town has Uber?”
“No. but my neighbor’s son owes me a favor—“
“Sera…I...thank you.”
She sets me down and heads back inside to make a call.
I vaguely remember being poured into the backseat of a car. I was so drunk I barely noticed all the garbage surrounding me. I fall asleep on a blue and green graduation tassel and am shaken awake when we reach the Day’s Inn. I’m pretty sure I tip the kid then I blackout for the rest of the night.
+++
I’m too old for this fucking shit.
I roll out of bed naked the next morning and crawl to the bathroom to throw up. My head is pounding and my mouth feels like I licked carpet. I hadn’t allowed myself more than one drink while I was on the campaigntrail. Whatever the fuck was in Scott Dodson’s sangria had put me out. I needed electrolytes.
I crawl over to my phone to see what I could get for delivery and the app seems genuinely confused. I take a cold shower and climbed back into bed. Despite the whole ‘hunting a serial killer’ thing I didn’t think Sera and I’s newfound relationship (friendship?) was solid enough for me to ask her to bring me food and a sports drink.
Four loud raps against the door pull me violently from my hungover haze. I bite back a string of curses and crawl over to the door.
“Who is it”, I manage.
“Mr. Prince?” I recognize Bev’s voice, “Your wife is here. She brought you breakfast. I just wanted to make sure it was okay before I sent her back.”
“I—yeah”, I manage. Not that I was in the mood for whatever ketogenic muscle-building excuse for food Sera called breakfast. My head is still pounding so I crawl back under the covers. She opens the door slowly as not to wake me up.
“Paris?”
I shoot up and nearly fall off the bed.
“Cami?”
+++
