James Conway - In Cold Blonde

Of all Syd’s drug-drenched memories, the gangbangs were the worst, the most demeaning, the most repugnant. And now watching Alice’s gang rape first hand, not reading about it in a police report, not hearing it from shell-shocked victim, but seeing it with her own eyes touched a chord in Syd that both broke her heart and enraged her.

Syd’s eyes drifted to Alice; she was watching her own molestation with a forlorn expression on her beautiful face. She looked so desolate, so… disillusioned, yes that was the word disillusioned. Because on that night, on that pool table, all Alice’s childhood hopes and dreams were stolen from her.

Syd looked back to the screen.

Blake pulls up his pants. “Jenna Jameson she’s not, but hey, I’ve had worse.”

“Now what?” Colin asks from behind the camera.

“Now we have a little more fun,” Blake says. He picks up a pool cue. “I saw this in a porno, always wanted to try it.”

He takes the cue and slowly slides it into Alice’s vagina. He sticks it in deeper, deeper until he finally stops. “I’ve hit bottom, boys.”

“Wow,” Colin says, “She took like fifteen inches of that thing.”

Blake slowly pulls the cue stick out of Alice as an idea lights up his face. “Hey,” he says. “Who’s up for a trip down the Hersey highway?”

“Count me in, bro,” Colin says.

Blake rolls Alice over and slaps her on the butt. “Her face may not be much to look at, but she’s sure got a fine ass.”

“Think she’s ever had anal sex?” Colin asks.

“Don’t know,” Blake says. “Hey Adam, you ever hear if she takes it up the butt?”

Colin pans the camera to Adam at the bar. “No. Tim Schroeder just mentioned a blow job and a three way with Davey Winder.”

“Actually, I don’t think it matters,” Blake says as Colin pans the camera back to him. “It’s not like we need her permission.”

Colin laughs. “You are bad, D-man.”

Blake picks up the tube of K-Y, squeezes a dollop into his palm, and then applies it to the shaft of the pool cue. “Time for a little recon,” Blake says. He inserts the end of the pool cue into her anus and gently pushes. The shaft disappears into her butt, an inch at a time.

“Next time you invite me over to play pool,” Adam says. “I’m bringing my own cue.”

Then a new voice is heard: “What the fuck are you doing?”

The camera swings to the door where a man is standing. He’s got a long face, bushy eyebrows and a full head of salt and pepper hair.

“Oh, Jesus,” Colin says. “Dad. I—”

“Get that thing out of her,” Nick Wood says as the camera pans him to the pool table. Blake removes the pool cue, drops it to the floor and backs toward the bar. But the camera stays on Nick Wood as he stares at Alice.

“What’s wrong with her?” He slurs his words a bit, like he’s been drinking.

“Nothing, Dad. She’s the school slut. She came over to party with us and got drunk.” Nick Wood’s eyes go to the floor; the camera follows his gaze to the pile of used condoms, then whips back to Nick Wood’s face.

“You all fucked her?”

“Yeah, but it was her idea. She’s like this crazy nympho chick. She wants to be a porn star and begged us to film her.”

“She beg you to stick a pool cue up her ass, too?” he snaps as he rolls Alice over puts a finger to her carotid to check her pulse. As he does, his eyes drift down to her breasts.

“I thought you were going to be in Cabo until Sunday, Dad.”

“I decided to come back early. Next time I’ll be sure to warn you.” He takes his finger from neck. “Her pulse is strong.”

“I told you she just had too much to drink.”

Nick Wood looks directly into the lens. “Get that camera out of my face. Turn it off, Colin. Now.”

The picture swings wildly as Colin carries the camera to the bar and sets it down. The picture is suddenly rock steady. In the right foreground of the frame is the bottle of Jack Daniels, in middle of the frame are Colin, Blake, Adam. Nick Wood stands in front of the pool table. Alice is visible on the left side of the frame.

“Well, boys, the party’s over. Everyone out!” The boys hurry for the door. “And Colin,” Nick Wood says. “You are so grounded.”

The boys exit the room.

“Thank God Nick Wood showed up,” Syd said. “No telling what they would have done to you next.” Syd reached for the Stop button on the remote control.

“Wait,” Alice said. “It’s not over.”

Syd was confused. “But they all just left the room.”

“True. But I’m still not alone.”

Shock filled Syd’s face as the implication registered. No. Fucking. Way.

She turned back to the screen.

The angle hasn’t changed. The camera is on the bar pointed toward the pool table. Nick Wood closes the game room door, stands there thinking for a moment, then locks it. He walks back to the pool table, looks at Alice.

“So young,” he says.

He walks toward camera, picks up the bottle of Jack Daniels, pours himself a drink. Only half of his face is visible on the right side of frame. “So damn young,” he repeats.

He sips his drink and his eyes spot something behind the camera. His hand reaches past the camera, and then comes back into frame holding a condom. He stares at it for a long time, thinking, and then a mischievous smile tugs his lips.

He turns back to Alice. He takes a long pull on his drink as he slowly makes his way back to the pool table. He weaves a bit as he walks.

“Hello,” he says. “Can you hear me?”

No response.

“Hello,” he says, gently shaking her naked shoulder.

Nothing.

His hand is still on her shoulder. He slowly lowers it until his hand covers her breast. He begins stroking the breast, watching her face for any reaction.

He puts down his glass and now both hands are on her breasts.

He bends down and kisses the breasts. One of his hands drifts past her stomach and buries itself in her pubic hair.

He suddenly stands, shakes his head. “This is crazy,” he mumbles. He veers toward the door, looks like he’s going to leave, but no, he just double checks to make sure it’s locked. He turns back to Alice.

“What the fuck,” he says and pulls down his pants. He rips open the condom, slips it on and inserts himself into the naked, unconscious girl.

The sight of a fifty-year-old man raping an unconscious seventeen-year-old girl horrified Syd. She remembered meeting Nick Wood in the morgue. And then pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place.

Zachary Stone was Nick Wood’s lawyer. Nick Wood must’ve heard Stone had been killed on Saturday night. And when his son Colin was murdered by a woman on Monday night, Nick Wood realized who the killer was. But instead of telling us he hid out. Why? Because he was afraid he might be on her hit list.

Nick Wood grunts as he comes, pulls out of Alice, rips off the used condom and tosses it into the trash.

“Thank you for a lovely evening,” he says, and laughs. Then he pulls up his pants, grabs the bottle of Jack Daniels and leaves the room.

“Unbelievable,” Syd said.

“Mr. Wood had no idea his son had left the camera on. Blake told me he didn’t realize either until the next day when he was fast-forwarding through the tape looking for some frames to email. Then when the shit hit the fan at school and he got worried about me going to the cops, he called Mr. Wood and told him he knew what he did to me.”

“And that’s why Nick Wood was willing to pay so much,” Syd said. “He couldn’t risk this tape going public, so he was willing to pay anything to stop your parents from going to the cops.”

“My father sold me out for a million dollars.”