Page 107 of River Wild

River

I’m sitting in my truck across the street and a little way down from the house I’m watching.

Watching and waiting for its occupant to come home.

Taking my box of cigars from the center console, I take a cigar out, cut the end off using my cutter, and light up.

On a deep inhale, I drag the smoke into me.

My gran used to smoke cigars. Every night after dinner, she would sit on the porch out back, smoke a cigar, and have a glass of whiskey.

I love the smell of cigars. It reminds me of my gran. Of home. Of the one place where I knew I was safe.

That’s why I still live in that fucking house. Why I couldn’t bring myself to move after Gran died.

Because it’s the only place I’ve ever felt truly secure after that sick bastard of a stepdad killed every safe feeling I ever had.

He took everything from me.

Except for Gran. And that house.

He could never take that.

Sexual predators care for only one thing—themselves and their sick, fucked up wants.

They don’t care about the destruction they leave in their wake.

They’re fucking monsters.

And don’t ever be fooled into thinking you know what one of those sick fucks looks like.

They’re not the image of old, dirty, greasy, seedy-looking men that we once believed to be true.

They are men and women of any age, any look, and any job. They can be the server at your local deli or the man who fixes your car. They can be the doctor you’ve visited for years. The person you trust to educate your child. Your dentist. The kid who bags your groceries. Or the middle-aged woman you take that Zumba class with.

They can be your best friend, aunt, uncle, mom, dad, or fucking stepdad.

They are and can be anyone.

They look just like you and I do.

Monsters in plain clothing.

I always think of them like the characters from Roald Dahl’s book The Witches.

Regular-looking people until the masks come off.

The current sick fuck that I’m waiting on used to be a teacher. A kindergarten teacher.

But, you might say, surely, before hiring, the school does background checks with the Criminal Justice Information Services to ensure they have no criminal record.

Of course they do. But all that means is, they either haven’t offended yet or they haven’t been caught.

And that motherfucker was the latter.

Parents entrusted their children with this monster in plain clothes.

He took that trust and used it to his advantage to get what he wanted. In turn, ruining the lives of two young boys and their families.