Chapter 45
Mr. Gunzenmeier laughed.
“You got it, dearie! I’m
the Smiley Face Killer. And I been
watching these two –“ He motioned to
Brianna and Krystle. “- for a few days
now. Finally put it all together. I was out by Lake Winnopega dumpin’ a body
the day you wrecked your car. This one
here –“ He pointed at the dying
Krystle. “- was drivin’ the other one’s
rental car. She ran you off the road,
and then, when you was unconscious, she injected ya with somethin’. I knew then she had to be involved with your
boyfriend dyin’. Then I watched the
other one and this one come runnin’ outta here the other day, this one all
covered in blood. And then her boyfriend
was brought out to the ambulance, and I knew somethin’ else bad had
happened. I kept watchin’, and I saw you
come over yesterday. And then, tonight,
I saw them come over, and then him-“ He
pointed to Nick. “-and I knew this was
the final showdown. I got here just in
time, eh?”
Bianca reached for Nick’s hand.
He grabbed it tightly. They both
stood stock still, breathing quickly, unsure of what to do. This man had saved them from Krystle… but he
was also a murderer himself. And he had
just admitted to it.
“Oh, go on, I ain’t gonna kill ya,” Mr. Gunzenmeier said. “It’s time to quit anyway. I killed enough to hopefully go down in the
books, just like all the greats. That’s
all I wanted.”
Bianca stared at him in disgust, remembering the many times he had
come into Barnes and Noble, buying books about Jack the Ripper and others. All this time… she had been selling books to
a serial killer. That time she had seen
in near Lake Winnopega, when she had gotten a flat tire, he had probably just
come from dumping another body. She
shivered.
“I’m gonna call the police.
Turn myself in,” said Mr. Gunzenmeier.
“But first…” He walked over to
Krystle, who was barely moving now, her chest rising and falling weakly as she
took in shallow, raspy breaths. And he
kicked her, hard, in the ribs. Krystle
let out a weak moan of pain, and then her head lolled to the side, her eyes
open and blank. Her chest stopped
rising.
“My last victim,” Mr. Gunzenmeier announced with a sick sort of
pride.
Nick squeezed Bianca’s hand and dragged her out of the room. She walked quickly with him, feeling sick to
her stomach, desperate to get out of that room, out of that house. AJ followed.
No one spoke until they were all outside. Then Nick said, weakly, “That was the most
fucked up thing I’ve ever heard.”
Bianca nodded, then leaned over and threw up in one of Howie’s
flowerbeds.
***
Late that night, AJ crept up to the guest bedroom in Nick’s house
where Bianca was sleeping. He was filled
with a jumble of emotions – excitement, pride, and a little sadness. He had completed his mission; he knew that
now. Saving Bianca from his killer – killers,
actually – that had been his mission. He
had not done it alone, but he had been given the power to get Nick’s help, and
together – with the help of Mr. Gunzenmeier, of course – they had saved
her. But now that his mission was
complete, he knew what was to come of him.
He was going to go on, like Lindy had.
But before he did, there was one last thing he had to do. Lindy had done it. He remembered it vividly.
AJ watched as the tearful woman reached out a trembling hand
towards Lindy. Lindy reached back. And then, with a burst of silver light, their
hands touched. Lindy opened her arms
wide and pulled her sobbing mother into them… and their bodies did not pass
through each other. Somehow, in some
way, Lindy had become solid. And now AJ
was sure that her mother was not just seeing her light… but her, her in her
solid, human form.
They hugged for a long time, clinging to each other, both
crying. AJ, feeling again like an intruder,
slowly backed away and slipped out of the room.
He walked slowly back to the living room and sat down on the couch,
feeling a little shaky himself. What he
had just seen went against everything he had learned from Lindy, that angels
can not solidify their whole bodies at one time, that angels cannot be seen,
except as a light…
“She made herself solid,” he said to himself now. “She had the power to solidify her entire
body.” He remembered how he had
solidified both hands at the same time – something he had never done
before. Would he be able to solidify
more? Would he be able to hold Bianca
just once more, as a sort of reward for completing his mission?
He had to try. And so,
standing just inside the bedroom where Bianca lay, sound asleep, AJ summoned
all of his strength and concentrated as hard as he could. He solidified his hands first easily, then
his arms. Then he solidified his chest
all the way down to his legs. Empowered
by his sudden abilities, he kept going, solidifying his shoulders and his neck,
and finally, his head. And then he
walked over to Bianca’s bed. He stood
next to it, reached out, and stroked her hair.
For the first time in almost two months, his fingers felt its soft
silkiness.
“Bianca,” he whispered.
Would she be able to hear him out loud now?
Her eyes fluttered open.
“AJ?” she mumbled softly, looking up.
Then, as she focused on him, her eyes widened, and she screamed.
“Shh, Bean, don’t be afraid!” AJ said quickly. “It’s okay!”
“AJ! H-how did you…?”
“It’s my reward. I
completed my mission,” he said. “This
happened to Lindy too, before she left.”
“You’re leaving? Going to
Heaven?”
“Yes.”
“No! No, AJ, you can’t
leave me!” Bianca cried, her eyes filling with tears.
“Shh, don’t cry,” AJ whispered.
“You know I won’t really be gone.
I’ll still be watching you, until the day when we can meet again.”
“AJ, that’s so… sappy,” Bianca said through her tears.
“I know,” AJ said with a smile.
“Now come here.” He held out his
hand to her.
Bianca stared at the hand for a moment, afraid if she reached out
to touch it, he would disappear. It
seemed too good to be true. But,
cautiously, she reached for it. Their
fingers touched. His hand was
solid. She gasped and pulled back a bit
at first. But then, sure that he was
really there, she reached out again and held his hand. He pulled her gently to him and wrapped both
arms around her. Her arms went around
him, and she snuggled up against his chest, remembering how safe and
comfortable she felt in his arms. She
began to cry again, but these were tears of happiness. It was almost as if AJ had been brought back
to life.
“I can’t stay long,” AJ whispered, cradling her against him. “Sooner or later, the Light will come for me
like it did for Lindy.”
“I know,” Bianca said, holding him tighter, wishing she could
restrain him from the Light, knowing she could not. “AJ?”
“Yeah?”
Bianca looked up. “Kiss
me.”
AJ’s lips turned up in a faint smile. He lowered his head slowly, and she lifted
her chin. Their lips drifted together
and touched. The kiss was soft, gentle,
and full of love. Bianca’s arms came
around his neck as she pressed her lips to his, never wanting to the kiss to end. But ultimately, it had to. They broke apart reluctantly.
And then came the Light. It
descended slowly and filled the room with its divine brightness.
“It’s time,” AJ said quietly.
“I know,” Bianca said back.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
They backed away from each other and then stood side by side,
holding hands. Then, resignedly, AJ
stepped forward into the light. He felt
an overwhelming sense of peace and joy come over him, and he knew it was going
to be okay. He smiled at Bianca, whose
eyes were spilling over with tears, half of happiness, half of sadness. As the white Light surrounded him, AJ felt
his body being lifted up into the air.
His grip on Bianca’s hand was broken.
He watched her, looking into her eyes for as long as he could. But in the end, the Light enveloped him, and
he could see her no more. He closed his
eyes and let it take him away, to the golden sky that was Heaven.
Lindy was waiting for him when he arrived.
“Hey, McLean, not bad!” she greeted him. AJ grinned and gave Lindy a hug. She laughed.
“So, you missed me, huh?”
“Oh, how could I not, Lindy?” AJ retorted teasingly.
Lindy grinned and grabbed his hand. “Well, I missed you. Come on.”
And together, hand in hand, they walked on to eternity.
***
