Vigil

by Patterson, Jim

• ISBN13: 9781468508376
• ISBN10: 1468508377
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-01-24
• Publisher: Textstream

Summary

"VIGIL" tells the story of a rape victim's quest for justice and revenge. Katy O'Malley has not been blessed with a perfect childhood. She and her mother live in a small trailer park and survive on state disability benefits. Despite the harrowing situation, Katy manages to experience the simple joys of being a child, until these, too, are robbed from her when she falls prey to two teenage boys who rape her and leave her to die. Jack Alvarez and his friend Joe Flack, are driving and are both high on drugs when they see ten-year old Katy and snatch her. They bring Katy to a corn field where they rape her and leave her for dead. If not for a boy who sees Katy shortly after her attackers leave, see would not have survived to track them down and avenge her tragic fate. It takes fourteen years before Katy finds Joe, but the satisfaction of sending him to a slow and painful death is worth the wait. Four years later, Katy finds Jack, who is now a renowned detective in the San Francisco police department. One step closer to fulfillment of her vengeance, Katy begins executing her carefully laid out plans to destroy him. Her life forever changed. She begins avenging the brutalities inflicted upon other women. Once she has started down this path she finds herself drawn into a world of drugs and adventure.

Excerpts

On that day, Jack was 17 years old, stoned out of his mind on mushrooms and driving a stolen car that he and his buddy Joe "Joey the Flake" Flack, had stolen from a parking lot near the movie theater on Geary street. They drove north across the Golden Gate Bridge, up into Sonoma County and eventually stopped at a 7-11 store to get some cigarettes and some gasoline for the car. As he was going into the store, a pretty little redheaded girl was coming out, after having bought some candy and a bottle of soda. She gave him a wary look as they passed. Jack walked up to the counter and gave the attendant $10.00 telling her to give him a pack of Marlboros and put the rest on pump number three. After pumping the gas, they started the car and headed out on the highway and turned left at the first street. Halfway down the block was the little girl in the blue dress that had come out of the 7-11 store. Jack said to his friend Joe hey Joey, let's have a little fun." Jack gave Joe some instructions and drove down the block and pulled up next to the girl. Joe jumped out of the car and grabbed the little girl and threw her into the back seat covering her mouth with his hand to keep her from screaming. She fought against Joe's hand, and managed to knee him in the groin, at which time Joe loosened his grip on her mouth, and she let out a scream. Joe then balled up his fist and hit her hard on the side of the head, knocking her unconscious. Jack drove quickly down the street which soon became a country road with farms spaced far apart. He found a secluded place on the edge of the road and pulled into it. Jack grabbed the girl and carried her into the field of corn. The girl had on a pretty blue summer dress and Joe grabbed the front of it and ripped it open exposing her young body. He then ripped off her Little Mermaid panties and threw them to the side. At this point, the girl regained consciousness and started to scream. Joe covered her mouth and told her to shut up and do what I say, and you won't get hurt." She kept squirming and trying to scream even though her mouth was covered with his huge hand. Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his switchblade knife and placed it against the girl's throat. He hissed shut the hell up." This had the desired effect and the girl quieted down. Jack took her first. He was a large man and caused the young girl severe pain. So much so, that, thankfully, she fainted. Joe was even bigger than Jack and did considerable damage to the young girl's previously unexplored womanhood. Afterwards, while getting dressed, the two men discussed what to do next. Joe said, "Let's take her with us. We can have our own little sex slave." Jack said, "No, we can't do that. We have no place to keep her. Let's just kill her and be done with it." Joe shrugged and walked to the car. Jack walked back and knelt down beside the young girl. She was awake. Her beautiful blue eyes were staring straight up. He said, "Such a pretty little thing." He grabbed her hair with his left hand, and pressing down with the knife blade, drew it across her throat. He stood up and left, leaving her there to bleed to death. He walked back and got into the driver's seat of the car, wiping the blade against his pant leg. They headed back to the city. By the time, they got back to San Francisco, they had both sobered up but neither could fully remember what had transpired in that Sonoma corn field.