Mercedes' Dirge Read online

  Normally she was immediately tense when boarding a plane, with it’s acrid, old coffee and re-circulated air odor, but this time she was experiencing a palpable wave of relief. San Diego felt right, and so did helping Troy. She was prepared for a dilapidated house, and also the thick emotions that came with it. It would be nice to focus on someone else’s problems.

  Ella found her mind drifting to Mercedes. Ella had only been 16 when the murder had occurred, but it was an indelible stain on her memory. Mercedes had outwardly seemed to represent the ultimate cliché teen dream. Had she been the captain of the cheerleading team it would have been perfect. Jock boyfriend, popular despite not wanting to be and gorgeous.

  It was as though she’d won the worldwide, genetic lottery, with one stunning feature after another. From her bouncing raven locks, deep emerald eyes and bronzed skin down to her rounded breasts and shapely legs, she was no doubt the context of the fantasies of every man in school. But as considerable as her outward features were, they didn’t sum up her charms. She radiated confidence, intelligence and maturity and it made her irresistible.

  Besides cheerleading, the only other criteria for teen cliché that Mercedes did not meet, was attitude. Mercedes had been a generally likeable and nice person, though distant. It only added to her mysterious and unattainable allure, though most of the girls in school viewed it as being stuck up. It was always like the truest form of Mercedes was never fully present, as though she were living an entirely different life behind those jade eyes.

  Ella had the distinct opportunity to witness Mercedes at home, and to see that whole other life play out. Mercedes had been Alexa’s older sister and Ella had spent a large chunk of her free time at their house. Alexa had been Ella’s best friend long before she was Troy’s wife. The natural choice for sleepovers had been Alexa’s sprawling estate rather than Ella’s modest abode and Alexa’s parents were rarely home, so they could do as they pleased, which normally manifested as underage drinking, and occasional imbibing in pot. Mercedes too had been able to live as she wanted, free of parental consequences, and definitely took advantage of it. Her sex life had been as mature as her demeanor. Ella had seen more than just Mercedes’ boyfriend drift from her bedroom. Often, the men would exit and spend the rest of the night drinking gin and tonics with the girls downstairs. Mercedes would either follow the men downstairs and socialize or wait patiently in her room until the men had left. Ella figured the reaction was laced to how well she actually knew the men..

  The frequency of these meetings decreased when Mercedes became serious with her boyfriend Nick, but never fully stopped. Nick was over frequently so naturally also spent a lot of time with Ella and Alexa. They had both grown to adore him and waited for the nights when he would spend time with them and soon Ella and Alexa both found themselves angry when Mercedes brought the random men home, out of a sense of loyalty to Nick.

  Towards the time of Mercedes’ murder, she and Nick’s relationship had become tempestuous and it had leaked into daily life. Most of the school would witness loud and painful arguments between the two and issues of cheating were brought up for all to hear, and the sordid gossip abounded through school. Mercedes would confront the entirely founded accusations by narrowing her eyes coldly and leave Nick punching the grass in frustration, while the student body shook their heads with judgement.

  Though the relationship was in a decline, possible engagement rumors ran rampant. Most believed he was about to pop the question and no one really knew what answer he would get. Unfortunately, it was not a mystery that would ever be solved.

  One Fall evening life went on tilt when Mercedes was found nude and strangled in her room. They had found evidence of penetration that the police could only assume was rape. No semen was collected, and it was widely believed a condom was used. Poor Alexa found Mercedes hanging off the bed, dead for hours.

  The object used in the murder was found unsubtly at the scene hanging off of Mercedes’ neck. It was a scarf that she had knitted for Nick.

  Though Ella testified to instances of Mercedes having sexual encounters with strange men, she had no information to give on any of them. They never went to their high school and never gave enough information about themselves to be identified, and they were always too wasted to retain anything anyhow. They were between the ages of 19 and 35 and no one knew where Mercedes met them.

  Nick was quickly arrested for the murder. He had no alibi and readily admitted that he had been to Mercedes’ house earlier in the day. Friends testified that he was planning to propose that day and the general consensus was that she must have said no and the court of public opinion figured that he flew into a rage and murdered her.

  Evidence was all circumstantial and Nick endured two hung juries before being let off due to reasonable doubt. Most people, including Alexa and family, were outraged and Nick became a social leper. Ella didn’t know if he were still in San Diego or if he had fled to somewhere else where he had not topped news stories for over a year. He unsurprisingly had no social media presence, and likely lived under the radar.

  Ella didn’t know what she believed when it came to Mercedes’ murder. Nick had been such a nice, sweet and devoted guy, at least on the surface. It was hard to picture him murdering Mercedes. Ella had seen plenty of questionable men trampling in and out of the house and could certainly imagine one of them killing Mercedes after a dalliance. But, in the end, it was a cold case. No one else had been arrested and the one solid suspect was found innocent.

  The Tavares family clung to the idea that Nick was the murderer and it gave them a face for their private boogeyman, and in a way, the only closure they could get was from condemning him. Unfortunately, the fact that he had not been convicted further fanned their rage. The whole incident hung like a turgid, black cloud over the family. They never talked about it and chose to lock it away in the house to fester with the furniture. Mercedes’ father lost his entrepreneurial spirit and his businesses dried up as he replaced everything in his life with mourning indefinitely. The house being abandoned was just another symptom of that.

  Ella realized the Nick may very well have been the killer. But felt that replacing Mercedes’ memory with obsession over someone who may have done it was not beneficial to anyone. It was just a slight on Mercedes’ memory.

  For this reason, she was now glad that the house would be renovated by the family and reopened. Certainly Alexa would have an array of unpleasant emotions, but they would have had to be faced eventually anyway.

  Ella closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat and endured the clamor and pulsating as the plane began its acceleration. She felt a sense of sad accomplishment as she watched Portland disappear under the clouds.

  Anticipation and worry also made an appearance in her psyche, like an unwelcome little imp. She fought panic briefly and told herself that nothing could make her feel worse than her current situation in Oregon. She would be around family and close friends. Really…what was the worst that could happen?

  Ella shook her head. She remembered someone telling her never to utter those words as irony loved to take advantage of that phrase. Ella got the shivers when she realized it had been Nick that had given her that sage advice. Be prepared for anything bad to happen. If it can it will, he had said. Too bad it turned out to be so true for him

  Chapter 4

  2007

  Ella’s hands shook as she poured a couple rum and cokes for she and Alexa. She knew the spaghetti strap tank top had been a foolish choice to wear since the Tavares family always preferred the house to be more frigid than comfortable. They liked having the option of putting on more clothes to regulate temperature. Alexa’s mother came from living in the desert with a destitute family and had never quite gotten tired of the privilege of being cool on demand. It seemed the penchant for air conditioning had passed to her daughters, because as rarely as Mrs. Tavares was home, the thermostat never seemed to make it above 62 degrees.

  Ella knew that she
had worn the flattering little top in case Nick was here. She knew it was wrong, but wanted more than anything to see a spark of interest in those eyes. And she did not mean towards Mercedes. She knew he’d likely never be interested in her anyhow, but it never stopped her imagination from wandering inappropriately.

  “You want a splash of coke with your rum?” Came the jovial voice right in her ear. She could feel the heat from his breath on the side of her face.

  She squealed in shock and hopped back, trying to avoid a carbonation fountain in both their faces.

  “Nick!” She yelled. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  He laughed and grabbed her coke and took a long swig out of it. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. I’ve never seen someone concentrate on making a drink so hard before, especially one that is 95% alcohol. Were you measuring a half ounce of coke to your 10 ounces of rum, or what?”

  She shook her head and laughed, swatting his chest. With the touch the close proximity of their bodies became very apparent, and heat rose in her cheeks. Nick seemed to realize the intimacy of their stance and stepped back quickly and the awkwardness evaporated into the arctic air.

  “Why waste bladder space on ten drinks when you can just have three good ones?” She shrugged and took a drink. It was even too rough for her, and she fought back the urge to gag, but now felt committed.

  “Spoken like a true after school special.” He said with a smile as he grabbed the bottle and started making his own drink. “Do your parents know you come over here and do this?”

  “What do you think?” She asked rhetorically. They both knew that no one was aware of what went on over here, not even him, sadly. Not in its entirety, anyhow.

  “Where do you guys score all this liquor, anyway?” He asked as he cut up a lime and plopped a wedge into her drink.

  “Wow, drink accessories. I’m impressed.” She said looking thoughtfully at the little floating fruit. She thought about the question. “The house liquor cabinet, of course. Like any bad behaving teenager.”

  “The parents don’t question the ever emptying bar? Do they blame it on some perpetually drunk poltergeist?”

  She giggled. “The housekeeper is responsible for keeping it stocked and Alexa gives her some of her allowance to stop any questions.”

  He shook his head and snorted. “Wow, it’s a whole system that you have worked out.”

  She fought the urge to tell him that a good portion also came from Mercedes’ indiscretions. The men always brought alcohol, under the wrong impression that they would need it to bed Mercedes. Perhaps they were being bribed into silence as well. It was never spoken, but Mercedes never minded passing on the booze to her sister and wayward friend, likely to increase goodwill.

  “Gotta get it where we can. You can get it for us in a couple of years.” She informed him.

  “And contribute to the delinquency of minors?” He jested as he held his fingers to his chest in mock astonishment. “Well, I never!”

  She rolled her eyes and poured them peach schnapps shots in answer. She handed him his, which he took dutifully. The raised their minute glasses and drank them down. She was unable to stifle the “blech!” that bubbled out of her mouth when her taste buds encountered the syrupy sweet flood of synthetic peach.

  “And that’s the soft stuff.” He shook his head.

  “What the hell are you doing here anyway?” She asked nodding for him to pour another.

  “I’m supposed to be taking Mercedes out. She’s taking forever, though.” He obliged her with another shot. “How much makeup can one girl put on? You aren’t high maintenance like that, are you?”

  She gulped down the shot and felt warmth creep into her cheeks. She couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or the unexpected intimacy of the question. It was a question directed at a peer and opposite sex, rather than a kid with no sex appeal.

  “No.” She told him pridefully. “I only wear mascara and lip gloss.”

  He stared at her. “And look how good you look.”

  The breath was knocked out of her. “Thanks.” She said awkwardly.

  The silence that followed should have also felt awkward, but they were both stuck in an emerging moment. That moment where their chemistry suddenly and mutually became more than just platonic. Her skin began tingling as he continued to focus on her. His eyes were locked onto her face as he gazed at her eyes, hair and lips, where he maintained his attentive stare. That stare which was heated by unabashed interest and want. Her body began to perk up in surprising ways as she began to wonder where this stolen exchange could lead. She could see him move almost imperceptibly closer and her breath quickened, as she also leaned in. They were thrusting forward into uncharted territory, and she was eager to explore..

  “What is the hold up? I could have distilled by own gin by now.” The spell was broken unsubtly as Alexa stumbled into the kitchen.

  While they hadn’t been touching yet, they both scattered to the opposite sides of the kitchen, where harsh reality descended again. From Alexa’s probable point of view they had just been talking, but the idea that they had looked suspicious nagged at her. She soon realized that Alexa was too toasted to possibly have noticed anything.

  “You’re missing American Idol.” Alexa said indiscriminately grabbed a drink and started guzzling it.

  “Oh no!” Nick chortled, somehow able to completely act like they hadn’t almost kissed.

  Alexa stumbled over and poked him in the chest. “Shut up, you.”

  He grabbed her drink from her hand and ran into the next room, his laughter echoing behind him. Alexa giggled and gave chase, nearly taking the whole dining room table with her.

  Ella took a moment to compose herself and followed them into the living room where Nick was holding the glass in the air and laughing uncontrollably as Alexa jumped up and down trying to retrieve it like a little dog looking for a bone. Eventually she started lightly punching him in the gut. He just laughed harder as he held her at arm’s length with one hand.

  “You suck!” Alexa yelled through her breathless snickering.

  The merriment ended with footsteps clicking down the stairs. “What are you doing to my sister?” Mercedes asked with a brilliant smile, appearing like a well coiffed vision in the doorway.

  She may have spent a long time on her appearance, but it had paid off. She was radiant in a tight, red sweater and short jean skirt. She had soft looking black boots crawling up her shapely legs. Her hair laid silkily on the top of her breasts, framing and accentuating them.

  Ella suddenly felt horribly foolish for her attempt at wearing a sexier top, not to mention like a terrible person. What had she hoped to accomplish? If they’d kissed, what next? She would either be cast aside or be the crux of a breakup of people she cared about. She didn’t want to be that person.

  Alexa grabbed the drink as Nick let his arm droop, his attention pulled entirely to his luminous girlfriend. He stared at Mercedes with a doting grin fixed on his face.

  “You look like you just walked off of a stage in Milan, Mercedes.” Alexa slurred.

  “Mission accomplished then,” Mercedes said gathering her purse and keys. Nick ran over to Mercedes and picked her up like she was a feather.

  “How can you be this stunning!” He exclaimed rhetorically.

  “Aren’t you glad I take so much time getting ready?” She asked pointedly, straightening his collar lovingly.

  “You could roll out of a chicken coup looking amazing.” He told her as he kissed her sculpted cheek.

  “But then I’d have feathers in my hair.” She winced and took a step back and looked at him. “I can tell that I’ll be driving.”

  “I just had a few drinks with Ella, babe.” He told her sheepishly, stepping back and running his hand through his thick hair.

  Mercedes looked over and Ella and smiled. “Getting my boyfriend drunk?”

  Ella shrugged and forced a smile, feeling like a hunchback next to Mercedes.

  Mercedes only wait
ed briefly for more of an answer before she turned her back and started to walk out the door. “Bye girls! Don’t get into too much trouble.” She called musically behind her.

  Nick turned and looked directly at Ella. “See you around?”

  “Of course,” she assured.

  He winked at Alexa and closed the door. Alexa stumbled over and put her arm around Ella.

  “He’s hot.” She said matter of factly.

  Ella nodded and guzzled down her drink. “Shall we get another?”

  Alexa nodded and led Ella to the kitchen. Ella repeated the same drink formula and was soon in the same boat as Alexa. With each drink, her shame subsided considerably.

  Chapter 5

  "We're here, Miss." A sweet voice chimed into Ella's ear. It took her a moment to realize that the comment was directed at her and took her even longer to figure out where she was. Surprised, she sat up in the airplane seat and rubbed at her mouth, looking for evidence of spouted drool. Ella confusedly looked up at the fresh faced flight attendant, who stared down at her amused.

  "Oh, thanks. Wow, what was in the orange juice?" She joked.

  The woman smiled back. "Just concentrate, ice and water, I believe."

  "Sure there's no leprechaun in the beverage cart armed with valium?" Ella laughed.

  "If there were, there would be a lot of people much happier to be stuck in coach." She retorted good naturedly, before patting Ella on the shoulder and walking away. "Have a good stay in San Diego."

  Ella looked around and was shocked to see that the plane was nearly vacant. She had never successfully fallen asleep on a flight before, but this time she’d been nearly comatose. She reaped the rewards with a horribly stiff neck as she stretched painfully and retrieved her carry on bags with a groan.

  She fought with grogginess the whole way down to the baggage claim, but felt a jolt of excitement as she spied Troy and Alexa craning their heads looking for her on the ground floor. She decided not to yell from the escalator and just enjoyed watching them hunt around expectantly as she rode down slowly. Troy saw her first and jogged over and picked her up in a bear hug.