Mirrors

Mark had learned something yesterday. He needed to work faster and clean up after himself otherwise he is going to get caught before his task was done. So, before he went to the shop the next day, he visited five different stores and purchased fifty-five boxes of baking soda, three gallons of vinegar, and some heavy-duty plastic sheeting. He couldn't actually remove the bodies, but he could wrap them up preventing the smell of decomposing flesh from escaping into the air.

The looks he got from the checkout girls were ones of suspicious curiosity. One teenage checker even joked asking how many bodies he was covering up. Mark just laughed and told them he was cleaning up the carpets of a rental house and the smell of cigarette smoke and feline feces was overpowering in the rugs. This simplistic answer seemed to appease the curious rather well. He couldn't actually tell them that he had two rotting bodies in his basement and needed to make room for more.

That day Mark felt it necessary to keep the shop closed, he couldn't be running back and forth from the basement to the shop to help customers. It was a shame since Saturdays were usually his busiest day of the week. There were always scores of tourists and beach goers coming in and out on the weekends. He usually only closed the shop on Wednesdays, since traditionally he never had much traffic mid-week.

It was almost 7:30pm before Mark was finished cleaning up the basement. He had wrapped the bodies up in the plastic sheeting to help prevent any further smells of the decay from escaping, then cleaned the entire floor and walls with a vinegar and water solutions which was supposed to help neutralize the left-over odor. This alone helped reduce the smell by about 90%. And only because the internet told him to, he sprinkled several boxes of baking soda around the room as well as placed three big bowls of the vile powder around the room. Tomorrow he'll vacuum up the baking soda and he'll be ready for next time.

After his shower, to get the decay smell out of him, he checked his phone and realized he had missed three calls from Sophie. He had hoped he could put her off until the next day, but it didn't look like that was a feasible choice. Mark played with the small black jewelry box he had found in Hanson's jacket pocket as he devised a plan to get her here. The little black box contained a beautiful gold chain necklace with a single crystal shaped heart. It was the same necklace he had given all his girls. Hanson found a bit of perverse joy out of knowing they all had the same gifts from him, an easy A and crystal heart.

"Hi Sophie," Mark called her back. "I'm sorry I've missed your calls. I was cleaning in the basement."

"Have you seen Devon?" she asked quickly, skipping the niceties of civil conversation.

"He was here last night until about 7'ish, then he said he had to go home. Something about morning study hall."

"He didn't come home at all. Usually when he has weekend study halls he is in bed sleeping by 9pm."

"Did you check with the school?"

"Yeah, he didn't show up for class either."

"Did you call the police?"

"Not yet, I was hoping he just fell asleep at a friends and would show up with a good explanation. But now I'm really worried."

Mark paused intentionally to let some tension build. He needed her to be eager to come over.

"I... I think you should come down to the shop... I have something you need to see to believe."

"Can't you just tell me. I don't want to leave the house in case he comes home."

"No, you have to see this. In the meantime, I'll try calling his phone. He might pick up if he knows it's me. Then we can all the cops from my shop and get things rolling if you want to."

Sophie hesitated, what if her husband came home while she was gone, agreed to meet with Mark.

"Ok I'll be there in about thirty minutes."

"The front of shop is closed, but I'll leave the back door cracked. Just come in."

Mark spent the next half an hour getting the basement prepared for the bloody inevitable and printing out full color disgusting stills from the video of Hanson and his teenage victim. To a naive passerby the two just looked like an amorous young couple looking for a little dirty fun. But to Mark, and soon to Sophie, they are pictures of a dirty older man corrupting a naive young girl with sex and drugs. Lastly Mark emptied his bottle of ibuprofen and replaced them with several roofies. She'd need something to combat the onslaught of negative input she was going to receive, and that would make what came next easier.

"Knock knock," Sophies soft sad voice wafted in from the back door.

"Come on in," Mark struggled to keep his excitement out of his voice.

"Hey... So, I'm here what do you have to show me that's so important," Mark could sense she was both worried and angry.

"Come sit," Mark gestured to the soft chair that Hanson had occupied the night before. "I'm making tea do you want some?"

"I'm not really here for team. I'm here to find out about Devon."

"I know, and I fully intend to tell you everything. It's just not easy for me either and my stomach is in knots. Hense the tea."

"Whatever," Sophie plopped herself down in a very unlady like manner.

Mark could see her rubbing her temples. He smiled, that's a good indication she already had a headache. He just had to make it worse so she'd be willing to take what she thought would be ibprofen. He couldn't do her like the others. Additional care would have to be taken. He needed her to fully comprehend why this was happening and to keep the mess to a minimum.

"This isn't going to be easy," Mark sat down with his hot tea. "Devon was having an affair."

"There is no way I'd believe that!"

"I know you'd be hesitant," Mark placed the first printout of Hanson and his girl walking hand in hand up the alley towards the shops back door. "This was last night."

"There are a hundred innocent reasons he could be holding her hand."

Mark could tell her denial ran deep. She really did love and trust him deeply. Neither of which Hanson deserved. Mark placed a second picture in her lap. This one captured the moment Hanson placed his lips on the girls. He had the girl pressed up against the wall, one hand gently placed behind her head while the other caressed the silky-smooth skin of her inner thigh.

"This has got to be a fake!" Hot tears where streaming down her checks even as the denials were spoken, she knew the truth. Once again her finger went up to the temples to rub out the tension headache.

"Headache? would you like some ibuprofen?"

"NO! I want to know why you're doing this to me." Sophie took a deep breath, then acquest. "Yes, I'll take a couple ibuprofen."

For a moment Mark didn't think his plan was going to work. She had refused both his tea and the ibuprofen. Mark stepped over to his fridge and took out a bottle of water and reached up into the cabinet to retrieve the bottle with the roofies in it. Hopefully she would trust him and not look to close at the pills.

"Here," Mark handed Sophie the pills and the water. "Their 500 mg so just take one. If you need another later you can take more. "If you need more convincing, I do have the security footage I can play for you, but I really don't think you should watch it. As for the why I'm telling you. That is simple. It's been killing me keeping his dirty little secret. Devon is not a good man, and you deserve better."

"How long has this been going on?" Sophie popped the pills and took a long swig of water. Her tears had dried up and the slow burn to anger was beginning to show.

"This girl since December, but there has been a new girl with every school year for the last seven years."

"Girl... school year... seven years." Realization was setting in as she put the pieces together. "Are you saying he's having affairs with his students."

Mark riffled through the folder of stills he had printed out and pulled out a close up of the girl's face.

"This one, her name is Carly Burges, will be 18 in three months. He was planning on taking her to your beach house for the weekend. Remember that Convention in Ohio he told you about?"

"He goes every year, always complains about how boring it is."

"Yet he never once brought home anything from it, not a name tag, flyer, or brochure."

"Because he never really went." Sophie started quietly sobbing.

Fifteen minutes later, Sophie still hadn't said a word just sat quietly sobbing. Mark could tell roofies had started to take effect.

"I feel like throwing up. My husband is a filthy child molester and cheater. How am I supposed to deal with this? And where is he now?"

"I don't have the answer to either of those questions, but whatever you decide I'll support you."

"Support me? You've let him get away with this for seven years! You've allowed him to do this to seven poor naive teenage girls. How am I supposed to ever trust you?"

"Devon and I have been friends for almost twenty years. I tried to tell him that the truth will out, he just laughed at me. He really put me in a hard spot. I didn't know what to do."

"Oh, gawd I feel like I'm gonna puke."

Mark got up and nonchalantly locked the back door and slipped the key into his pocket then selected a new box of crackers and his small trash can. Thankfully it was already empty.

"Here, this should help." He handed her the crackers to settle her stomach then placed the trash can between them. "Just in case," he said nodding to the can.

"No, I need to leave," Sophie tried to stand up but wobbled back into the seat.

"Wait, you need to tell me how you want to proceed. Do we call the cops? And if so, how much do you want me to tell them? Because... well there is so much more. Devon told me things, awful things, that no man should be forced to listen to."

Sophie sat quiet for over ten minutes and Mark, needing the time for the roofies to kick in, allowed for the silence.

"I'm... um... I'm going to call his mother." Another long silence followed before she spoke again. "His... mother will bring the pillow softness..."

Sophies words were beginning to sound slurred and jumbled. Mark knew she couldn't put up a fight anymore,

"Today is the day that the truth will out. Your husband was a disgusting vile human who has done nothing but destroy the lives of many young girls. He's made my life a living hell over the last seven years being forced to keep his perverted actions secret. He took these sweet innocent young girls and corrupted them and manipulated them into treating their bodies like his toy to play with as he saw fit. He made them do things. He made them perform unnatural acts. He even made them have sex with others so he could watch." Mark stood over Sophie and watched the horror grow in her eyes hearing this for the first time. The things that Devon Hanson did, and bragged about, where disgusting even to the most open minded. "I know you will not remember any of this when you wake up. I promise I'll remind you of all this then."

Just as Mark finished his monolog Sophie's head slumped backwards and her eyes fluttered close. Mark slipped one arm around Sophies back and the other under her knees. As he lifted her limp body Sophies head fell against his solid chest. Any other time Mark might have welcomed this woman's head laying on his chest. However, today it caused nothing but distress.

Mark had developed fond feelings for her the first day they met, twelve years ago. He had wanted to pursue her but Devon promptly laid claim, and Sophie fell for Devon head over heels. Mark never crossed the line of friendship no matter how tempted he became. After Mark found out about Devon's first girl, he almost came clean, but Devon became furious with him for even mentioning the thought of confessing to his wife. It would have ruined everything for him, including his career.

Mark gingerly carried Sophie down the deep cement stairs into the dim basement and laid her gently on the icy cold metal table he had set up earlier. Gazing at the unconscious woman with love and admiration Mark stripped her down to her underwear.

"Before this night is over your sole will be lifted in sweet repose and the burdens of this world will no longer be yours to bear."

Mark posed the unconscious woman with her arms straight along her sides and her sunflower blonde hair softly framing her face. He wrapped three rounds of silver duct tape over her shoulders and around the table to help secure her torso.

"However, sweet innocent, you must be made to understand why Devon had to die. Or more concisely why he was chosen to be the one to die."

Another round of duct tape placed just above her belly button secured her arms and midsection in place. As Mark positioned Sophies legs straight and began to wrap another circle of silver duct tape to secure her legs just above her knees Sophie began to stir awake. Mark knew he only had a few more minutes. Quickly Mark secured the remainer of her legs at the ankle. Sophie would not have the strength to break the multiple layers of duct tape placed in multiple key spots on her lovely body. Mark cut one last piece, about five inches long, and placed it over her sweet red lips to prevent her from screaming while she came awake.

"I think I'll take a little nap while you come out of your sleep." Mark smiled. "I have expended to much energy getting you down here. Now, you'll wait for me to get some rest.

Mark laid down on his camping cot and quickly fell into a deep sleep.