Dexter's Pool Guy
Chapter Two
"The Finale"
When Grandpa brought Astor and Cody home the next evening, Dexter knew he had to get out and finish his hunt, bring it to the only conclusion that would satisfy the Dark Passenger and make the world a better place with one less torturous killer on the loose. Rita's dad was a likable fellow with a good sense of humor, based on all the laughs he got out of Rita and the kids. They really were a happy family, those four, Dad, daughter, and the kids, always laughing, hugging, and making stupid faces at each other. Dexter could observe and know about what he saw intellectually, but was a complete stranger to their emotions. Dad was not at all like Rita's mom, Gail. Dexter understood why they had divorced, fire and water, hot and cold, complete opposites. People could only take that kind of relationship for so long before something broke. He could see that Rita took after her dad as far as her personality was concerned, very loving and caring. Dexter knew this was to his benefit because Rita accepted him with all of his limitations. Hopefully she would never know how many. He wanted to thank dear old dad for the way Rita had turned out, but just grinned instead as they all demanded he join in on a group hug. Geeeeessk.
Dexter finally escaped after dinner and set out to complete his field trip. He went to the old paper factory first to set up his reception room for Mr. Pat O'Day, which included copies of the tapes and several bits of the burnt flesh from O'Day's collection. Dexter had a special treat waiting for the pool guy, which Dexter knew would at first make the torturous scream lover happy for at least a moment. Then Dexter would turn it into Mr. O'Day's final Hell just as Dexter took his life and sent him off to his final resting place.
The drive to Lucky's Tavern and Pool Hall was uneventful. Mr. O'Day was a creature of habit like most of us, Dexter thought, and this made it easier to launch into the final leg of the field trip. Dexter waited inside O'Day's car after parking his own several blocks away. At just past midnight, Pat the pool guy sauntered out and had what would be his last cigarette. Pat walked to his car, got in, shut the door and started the engine. Dexter let him pull out of the parking lot and drive most of the way home before he took control of the situation. As the pool guy pulled up to a stop sign Dexter sprang up and put the thin steel cable around O'Day's neck and snapped it tight. The shock alone took Pat's breath away, then he started to gasp when Dexter said in a very controlled loud voice with ice hanging from every word, "Don't move, I have complete control," as Dexter tightened the choke wire a bit more.
Mr. O'Day froze. He couldn't think straight. He was in shock; he could not breathe. He needed to breathe so bad that he thought his lungs would burst. Dexter eased up on the wire just enough to let him take a breath. Dexter told Pat to drive, obey every command or he would slice his throat from ear to ear right then and there. Mr. O'Day drove and obeyed. A short time later they pulled onto the property at the old paper factory, then up to the building where the reception room had been set up. Dexter directed Pat to pull into the building through a loading area door and then had him stop and turn off the engine. Mr. Pool Guy was sweating, breathing hard, his heart was racing, and he felt faint. Dexter released the tension on the wire then inserted the needle on the syringe into Pat's neck. The sedative did its job.
As Pat woke up and his head cleared a bit his eyes searched the area and took in what was in his field of vision, a lot of plastic, lights, a man smiling at him, and some of his trophy collection dangling right over his face along with a cassette tape labeled "Mr. O'Day's Party Mix." He looked at Dexter and tried to speak, but his throat was raw. Dexter chimed in and said, "It will be easier to talk in a minute or two, trust me." Pat felt his bindings, he could not move. He finally realized that he had been caught and was not going to go home again. The look on Mr. Pat O'Day's face told Dexter everything. Dexter grinned knowing that Mr. O'Day knew his moments were numbered. Dexter's scalpel made a thin straight line on Pat's cheek allowing Dexter to get yet another drop of blood for his slide collection as Pat lay there almost in shock.
Dexter heard a noise that should not have been there from over by the door they had driven through a short time ago. Dexter crammed a rag into Pat's mouth then grabbed his little medicine bag with extra syringes and two skinning knives and ducked out the back side of his reception area. He went around one of the vats and waited to see who was there. He knew if he had to run he would be leaving behind some valuable tools and equipment, not to mention the pool guy. Better that than get caught. Everything there had been wiped clean, nothing could be traced back to him, he always planned ahead just in case. Who were these two guys?
The two men were walking towards the well lit reception area oblivious to the potential danger of having something like this set up in this deserted location. Crack heads were not the smartest breed. They were so high they talked like they were alone and no one else could hear them or see them, the thought never crossed their minds. Dexter knew they were not there to find anything or anyone but more likely just to crash and hoped that they were so high that they would be easy prey. They stopped at the wall of plastic and peeked inside. One said "Holy shit, look at this!" The other slurred, "Fuck, man, what the shit?" They never heard Dexter and were not aware of the needles being jabbed into their necks until it was too late. Down they went. Dexter bound and gagged them and dragged them off to the side to deal with them later.
Mr. Pat couldn't believe this was all happening. He thought for just a moment that there might be a chance, but once Dexter stepped back into the reception area his face told O'Day that there was no hope. Dexter was a bit rattled, but thought it through. The two crack heads had shown up by pure chance, nothing Dexter could have planned for specifically other than planning for the unexpected. He looked at Pat with a straight face showing just a bit of anger and said, "Let's begin." Dexter's voice was as serious and cold as his Dark Passenger's one relentless demand, to kill.
Pat watched as Dexter picked up a cassette player with head phones attached and walk over to him as Dexter grinned ever so slightly. Pat looked at Dexter's face, as Dexter stood over him looking down. Pat was terrified at this point and tried to speak but couldn't. Dexter pulled out the rag and said, "Something to say, Mr. O'Day?" Pat's lips moved a bit, then quivered, then started to whimper with tears rolling down his cheeks. Dexter waited. O'Day finally got his voice as gravely as it was and not too loud either, said, "Please, please." Dexter slapped him and said, "Don't even go there. Tell me, when did it occur to you that you liked to hear people scream in pain?" O'Day's expression turned from frightened to a look of puzzlement.
Dexter said, "Really, I would like to know, professional curiosity, between two serial killers. It's not everyday we get to talk like this, one on one you know!" Mr. O'Day started to lose it, his expression started to go blank, his eyes were just staring, not blinking. Dexter knew he had to conclude his conversation with Mr. O'Day and go directly to the finale.
Dexter put the head set on Pat and started the cassette, one from Mr. O'Day's own screaming collection. This brought Pat back to reality. As Pat listened to his victim's screams, Dexter showed Pat the bits of burnt flesh and told Pat his party was over. Dexter put the rag back into Pat's mouth and proceeded to turn up the volume to its highest level. Mr. Pat O'Day's brief pleasure turned into pain, it was too loud, too much, he didn't want this, he couldn't stop it, he tried to scream but the rag trapped his screams. Pat's eyes grew larger, pleading for this to stop, no more pain! Pat barely saw Dexter raise his ten inch steel Mundial Future Knife over him then plunge it down into his chest through his heart. Mr. Pat O'Day couldn't hear any more screams.
Dexter checked on his two crack head intruders and to his satisfaction they were still unconscious. Dexter proceeded to prepare O'Day for the many Hefty heavy duty trash bags waiting for all of the parts Dexter would give them. Once the bags were filled and the reception area had been dismantled and everything packed Dexter went to the two dope addicts and pondered for a moment. He took out a black felt tipped marker and wrote one word on each of their foreheads. He untied them, took their gags out and left them there unconscious. Dexter left to finish his field trip disposal and go home to shower and get some much earned sleep.
The two crack heads awoke the next day as fuzzy headed as usual and proceeded to stand up and took one look at each other and started to laugh. How crazy was that, somehow, someone had printed the word BOO....................