Is He Dead? Read online

  “But ….?” Mrs. Pearce knew there was a “but” coming.

  “Well, Tom Jenkins isn’t even living in this county any more. Hell, he isn’t even living in this state. I’ll be honest with you. Ito f he was still in Tennessee we would be vigorously pursuing this man and prosecution of this case, but due to the circumstances, we’ve decided not to continue. We’re going to drop it.”

  Mrs. Pearce was extremely upset to hear this, considering all the coaching she had had to do get Elizabeth to endure all those embarrassing interviews.

  After learning the state was dropping the case, Mrs. Pearce maintained monthly contact with Elizabeth and her parents. By the end of the year, Elizabeth had missed more school than she had attended. Mrs. Pearce continued doing what she could to keep her in school and therapy.

  NOTE:

  In February 1981, Tom and Melissa loaded up a U-Haul truck, packed up Amanda and Robert, and in the middle of the night, quietly slipped out of their home town in Southern Tennessee.

  They moved to a small town in Polk County, Florida called Lake Alfred. Robert and Amanda were both registered into school on February 20, into the Polk County School system. The school records indicated they were both withdrawn on March 29. A handwritten notation on Robert’s record stated he was being withdrawn because he and his family were moving back to Tennessee. We later learned that Tom was pissed off because Margaret had located them. Without any discussion, he told everyone on March 29, that they were leaving. They actually moved to somewhere in Georgia. The exact location in Georgia is unknown. Neither Amanda nor Robert attended school again until they moved to Florida four months later. Tom enrolled Robert into a Middle School, but he convinced Amanda that school was a waste of time. He explained to Amanda that if she wanted the luxuries in life she would need to get a job. Tom bought Amanda a used Corvette on her 16th birthday and somewhere around this time, is where the story continues,

  Forty

  Amanda had just started a new job at a local restaurant located on a main highway on the west side of town. She was seventeen years old. She stood looking at herself in the mirror. She put on a dark shade of lipstick, mascara and blush on her freckled cheeks. She liked what she saw and was thankful that she had grown up to become an attractive young woman. She put away her makeup and picked up a washcloth and wiped all the make-up from her face. She knew Tom would never permit her to leave the house with make-up on her face.

  As she was leaving for work, Tom called her into the kitchen. He was sitting with Melissa and Robert.

  “What time are you supposed to be there this evening?” he asked. Amanda replied that her shift started at 8:00 p.m. Tom told her he wanted to see her schedule.

  “Tom, it’s Friday night and someone is always scheduled for 8 o’clock,” Amanda explained.

  He demanded to see her schedule, so she went into her bedroom and brought it back out for him.

  “You see,” said Amanda triumphantly.

  “All right, you get off at 3:00 a.m. You bess be home no later than 3:15 a.m. Do you understand me?” Tom warned. Amanda replied with, “Yes sir.”

  She reached over and kissed Tom on his forehead and told him good bye. “Bye, Mom,” she called as she walked out the front door.

  When she got to work she realized she had left her name tag at home. Where’s your name tag, Amanda?” her boss asked.

  “It broke!” Amanda lied. Her boss responded in disbelief.

  “It broke, huh? Why didn’t you bring in the broken pieces?”

  Amanda had been reporting for work late since she started and her boss was beginning to doubt her. “All right, you are the hostess tonight,” she said. Amanda looked up at her and said, “Okay, that’s cool.”

  Being hostess was not too bad of a position to be working on a Friday night. All the drunks would come in after the bars closed. The waitress had the toughest job. Six hours had passed and it had been relatively quiet. The bars in town were closing and the restaurant parking lot had gone from having a couple of cars to almost full in a matter of minutes. Amanda greeted a party of four young white males.

  “Hi, welcome to Denny’s. Do you want smoking or non-smoking?”

  One of the men looked at Amanda and said, “I want to smoke you baby.”

  He looked back at his friends and the four of them laughed. Another member of the group apologized for his behavior and said, “He’s just drunk, we’ll take smoking please.”

  Amanda escorted them to a booth and as the group took their seats the young man who had just apologized looked at Amanda. Their eyes were locked for a brief moment. Amanda had a strange feeling inside. “He’s cute,” she thought to herself. The group all ordered Grand Slams and coffee and were on their way out the door in less than forty-five minutes.

  The young man came back inside the restaurant and stuck out his hand to introduce himself to Amanda. “My name is Rod,” he said with a broad smile. Amanda wasn’t sure how to respond so she shook his hand and told him she was pleased to meet him. He asked her what her name was and she pointed to her name tag, but then realized it wasn’t there.

  “Amanda, my name is Amanda,” she blurted out. Rod asked, “Can I call you sometime?” She instinctively replied, “No! I mean yeah, sure. But when?” Rod asked her for her phone number and Amanda told him she didn’t have a phone.

  “You’ll have to come by here,” she told him. Amanda knew Tom would never allow a boy to call her at home. Rod left, and for the first time in her life Amanda was experiencing normal adolescent feelings of excitement for the opposite sex. Her body was tingling. She actually felt good. The next night, Rod returned and sat with Amanda during her break. They hit it off really good.

  “Let’s go out or something. When are you off?”

  Amanda knew she wouldn’t be able to date him on her nights off so she said she was free Sunday night. He asked for her address, but she refused to give it. She told him to meet her at the 7-11 down the street at 6:00 p.m.

  Rod was three years her senior. He was a tall, handsome young man, 5’11’’ tall with dark curly hair. He had recently moved to Florida from a small town in southern Indiana. He worked in Construction as a laborer.

  He and Amanda met the next night. Amanda called in sick and didn’t go to work. As far as Tom knew, she was working. She parked her car behind Denny’s and they drove off in Rod’s Chevy Malibu. “I have to be home no later than 12:15 a.m.,” she explained to Rod.

  “Why is that? Do you turn into a pumpkin after midnight?” He laughed. Amanda chuckled and responded, “Something like that.”

  Rod took Amanda to a Mexican restaurant for dinner in Orlando. He treated her like a queen. As Amanda was being seated in the restaurant, Rod stood behind her and pulled her chair out. “Thank you!” Amanda told him, feeling very proud to be with such a gentleman. Rod replied, “You’re very welcome and you’re very beautiful.”

  When they left the restaurant, Rod opened Amanda’s car door and closed it behind her. Amanda felt like she had died and gone to heaven. Afterwards, Rod drove to Orlando International Airport and parked his car on a road directly underneath the approach to the North-South runway.

  Within minutes, their bodies were entwined and their lips were all over each other’s faces. Rod began stroking and gently caressing Amanda’s breast. Amanda was becoming excited. She was sixteen years old and for the first time in her life she was experiencing feelings of sexual desire. This is what normal people feel, she thought. Their kisses were passionate and their breathing was heavy and rapid. Rod unbuttoned Amanda’s blouse and placed his fingers between her bra and breast. His fingers pinched at her nipples. Amanda was moaning and enjoying every minute of this normal relationship. Rod unlatched Amanda’s bra and exposed her breasts. They weren’t very large, but the fact they were exposed and she didn’t resist, made him equally excited. Their lips seemed permanently connected until Rod moved towards Amanda’s breast. Within minutes, both Amanda and Rod were totally naked in the car. Th
ey moved to the back seat. They made love that evening, but only after nearly an hour of passionate kissing and warm loving embraces. Rod took Amanda back to her car and they made arrangements to see each other again.

  When Amanda got home Tom was still awake. He was sitting on the sofa watching television. He was wearing a white hotel robe. Amanda immediately felt a cold chill run down her spine. She knew Tom was awake for one reason. He wanted to have sex. Rod didn’t use a condom and he had ejaculated into her vagina. She had no fear of pregnancy because Tom had put her on the pill when she was ten or eleven years old.

  “Come here, Amanda,” Tom ordered.

  “Just a minute Dad, I need to pee first, okay?” She went into the bathroom and removed a douche bottle from underneath the sink. She kept repeating to herself, “Oh my God, Oh my God, I’m dead!” She douched several times trying clean herself up. Afterwards she dried herself the best she could.

  She walked back apprehensively and said, “Okay, phew, I feel better now.”

  “Come here baby. Come over here and sit next to me,” said Tom affectionately.

  Amanda walked over and sat next to Tom and asked, “What are you watching on TV? Where’s Mom? Is she in bed?”

  Tom put his arm around Amanda and whispered in her ear. “I love you baby.” Amanda could smell alcohol on his breath. Tom continued. “You are a better wife to me than your mother.” Amanda shuddered and told him that she was not his wife, but his daughter. Tom replied, “not by blood.”

  He began unbuttoning Amanda’s top, then he removed her bra. “Take off your pants, honey,” Tom said. Amanda removed her pants first, then her panties. Tom moved his head in between Amanda’s bare legs. He paused and began inhaling. Amanda’s heart skipped a beat. She knew he had detected something. “He knows,” she thought. She immediately pulled at Tom’s robe to remove him from her vaginal area. She untied the robe and Tom was naked underneath. Amanda reached for him, “Lay down on the sofa Dad.” Tom interrupted her and said,

  “Don’t call me Dad when we are making love. Call me Tom.” He ordered.

  “Okay Tom.” Amanda replied.

  “Lay down on your back.”

  Tom laid back on the sofa as Amanda performed oral sex on him. Tom fell asleep on the sofa afterward. Amanda covered him with a blanket and went to bed. She fell asleep thinking about Rod. “I think I am in love,” she thought to herself. She had a big smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep.

  Amanda and Rod had been dating for several months before she showed him where she lived. She told him her stepdad was very abusive, crazy and very mean. They made arrangements to meet one morning and spend the entire day with each other. Amanda planned to call in sick that day. She was scheduled for an early morning shift. She told her girlfriend she thought she was in love with Rod.

  The day arrived. It was a muggy and damp Central Florida morning. The grass was saturated with early morning dew and there were pockets of heavy fog throughout most of the community. Tom had left for work and Melissa was on her way to Robert’s school. Amanda called her boss at Denny’s and said she was sick. She drove her 1984 Z-28 to Rod’s house. Rod’s parents were home and Amanda was invited in to wait for him. Mrs. Stevens asked Amanda what their plans were for the day. “I don’t know. Maybe we’ll see a matinee at the theater and then we might go for a walk along the lake front,” Amanda replied. Rod came out of his room and gave Amanda a quick kiss and grabbed her hand. It was obvious that love was blossoming. “I need to drop back by the house,” Amanda told Rod as they got into her car. She parked outside her apartment and told Rod to wait there. She explained she needed to change her work schedule since Tom would look at it. She didn’t want him getting suspicious and spoiling their day. Just as Amanda entered the apartment, Tom drove into the parking lot and saw Rod sitting in her car. He parked his truck behind a moving van and waited. Tom got out of his truck and shut the door quietly. He opened his bed-mounted tool box and removed a claw hammer. He heard Amanda closing the apartment door and cautiously moved a little closer, making sure she didn’t see him. Amanda yelled out to Rod, “I need Tom to think I’m off and visiting a girlfriend in case he comes home before we get back. “If not, he will call Denny’s and I will be in big trouble.”

  They were sitting in Amanda’s car with the windows closed and air conditioning on as Amanda further explained her plan. Rod scooted Amanda towards him and the two embraced. Suddenly there was a deafening crash. The passenger window exploded and glass particles sprayed all over Rod and Amanda.

  “You damn son of a bitch!” Tom yelled, as he grabbed Rod’s hair. He pulled him through the open window. “I’ll kill you, you bastard.”

  Rod was screaming and resisting the best he could, but Tom was much stronger. Amanda screamed for Tom to stop. “Leave him alone, stop it. I love him Tom. Stop it!”

  Tom dragged Rod almost fifty feet to Tom’s truck and violently slammed Rod’s head against the front bumper. Rod squealed in pain, begging Tom to stop.

  “I’ll stop, I’ll stop when you’re dead, you son of a bitch! You’d better never be in one of my cars again! You stay the hell away from my property!” Tom had a small sheath on his belt where he kept a large folding knife. He removed the knife from its holster and began threatening to kill Rod. “I’ll cut your skinny ass throat!” he screamed, as he placed the knife against Rod’s neck. Tom’s face was beet-red with anger and Rod was sure Tom was going to kill him. Amanda could see Tom was way out of control. She knew there was no way to stop him. “He’s going to kill my boyfriend,” she thought. She was pretty certain that if she jumped out of the car and started running away, Tom would stop attacking Rod to pursue her. Amanda slammed the car door and yelled out, “No!” She took off running and heard Tom scream, “Amanda! Damn it!” She ran as fast as she could but heard Tom’s heavy footsteps gaining on her, so she stopped and turned towards him. She thought, “I’m just going to have to face up to it.” Tom, panting and gasping for air, approached Amanda and grabbed her by her hair. He lifted her upwards, forcing her to walk on her tiptoes. “You been screwing, haven’t you?” Tom yelled. “You been fucking that boy, you slutty whore!”

  Amanda was trembling with fear as she responded, “Yeah! Yes Tom, I have screwed him but only one time, I swear!” With one hand still holding on to Amanda’s hair, Tom struck her in the face with his other hand. His knuckles ripped through her bottom lip. Amanda’s blood splattered over Tom’s face and his white work shirt. Amanda began crying hysterically.

  “Where does that son of a bitch live? Take me to his damn house right now.” He handed Amanda an orange shop rag to wipe her face off and ordered her into the truck.

  Amanda directed Tom to Rod’s parents’ home and Tom told Amanda to get out and come with him. Tom pounded on the door with his fist. Mrs. Stevens opened the door and, wide-eyed, asked what on earth was wrong.

  “Where is that damn piece-of-shit son of yours?” Tom yelled.

  “I beg your pardon!” Mrs. Stevens was in shock.

  Tom asked her again where her son was. “I thought he was with Amanda,” Mrs. Stevens said. Just then, Rod walked up, blood dripping from a gash above his left eye. Tom pulled his knife from its sheath and started running at Rod, “I’ll kill you, you son of a bitch.” Amanda just stood there screaming. Mrs. Stevens threatened to call the police.

  “Don’t you ever come near my daughter again! You understand me, boy? I will cut your fucking nuts off!” Tom yelled. He turned to Amanda. “You get back in my truck!” Amanda sat in the truck up against the door crying during the entire drive home. “You stay the hell away from that boy unless you want me to gut that bastard and throw him in a damn swamp for the alligators to eat! Do you hear me?” Tom ranted. He pushed her head against the truck window and whispered, “I give you everything you need Amanda. You have a new car, nice clothes, good sex and everything else you need. Why did you do this to me?”

  Forty-One

  Robert was attending a different Mi
ddle school and was in the seventh grade. His transition to Florida schools had been very difficult for him. He had missed almost half his first year in 1981. He had been in trouble a dozen times for fighting and his grades were barely passing. He was standing in the hallway talking to a friend when the bell rang.

  “I’m in real bad trouble,” Robert confided to his friend.

  “My Dad is going to kill me when he sees my report card.”

  His friend suggested he just hide it or only have his Mom sign it. Robert shook his head. “You don’t know my Dad - I have to show him the report card, or it will be much worse.” Robert walked dejectedly into his homeroom class and the teacher began to call roll. As each student answered, she handed them their report card. The dreaded moment came and the teacher called Robert’s name. “Here!” Robert replied. The teacher told him to come up to her desk and pick up his card. Robert walked towards her with his head down. He had been sweating all week in anticipation of what his grades were going to be. He walked back to his seat and when the bell rang Robert didn’t move. His homeroom teacher had to tell him he could leave.

  His Mom picked him up after school and took him home. “What’s wrong with you?” Melissa asked. “Nothing,” Robert solemnly replied. Melissa dropped Robert off at the apartment and left.

  Robert walked into his bedroom and sat on his bed. His entire body was shaking with fear. “God, please take me right now, take me away. Don’t make me live through this.” Tears began to run down his face, as he contemplated his miserable fate.

  “I guess I have to do it, since you won’t. I don’t believe you are real anyhow. If you was, you wouldn’t let this shit happen to us,” Robert thought as he walked into the bathroom and slowly opened the medicine cabinet. His intention was to take a bunch of his mother’s valium, but he stumbled on to a box of straight razors. He removed the box from the cabinet and just held it in his hand. He put the toilet seat cover down, and sat on it. He started crying as he opened the box of razors. He removed a single straight razor, and unwrapped the protective cover. “I know I have to cut long ways,” he contemplated. He pressed the razor blade into his pale, fragile wrist. “I’ll cut sideways,” he thought. He slowly began moving the razor from one side of his wrist to the other. Blood began to ooze, little by little, from the newly-created laceration. He cut a tiny, thin line across his wrist. It was not deep enough to cause lethal bleeding.