Lydia Brenner was tired .
Her son , Mitch , was now at the beck and call of a notorious biker gang, which required him to be away from home more often.
With Mitch away, her daughter in law entertained members of the club in her home, which seemed to include sleeping with one of them .
Motorcycles rumbling up and down the service road, funny smelling cigarettes, liquor and beer at any hour of the day, and her daughter , darling Cathy was constantly watching the goings on. While the larger biker, Opie, frightened her for unknown reasons, she found herself furtively studying his friend, the one Cathy called Jax. His easy grin, and slightly arrogant swagger appealed to her. One occasion she was starring so obviously that he noticed and winked back with a wicked gleam in those steel blue eyes.
And now...her beloved hens flat out refused to eat at all this morning. What bothered her even more was learning from Ed Brinkmyer that Danner Fawcetts chickens also weren't eating.
"Are you staying for breakfast , Mr Winston ?" she asked, running into the shirtless giant in the kitchen. Good heavens, this man IS a healthy specimen she thought,, shocked at that lurid observation . And those tattoos...
Melanie emerged from behind him, blond hair loosely hanging. Under her thin nightgown, she was nude.
"Uh...I'm good I got coffee ..." Opie felt awkward.
"I'm going to see Dan. His chickens won't eat too. " she decided to ignore this whole situation. The sooner Mitch learned what was going on, the quicker this little whore and the bikers would be gone. Melanie followed her out to the truck.
"I won't be home when u get back. I'm going to meet Opies wife in town for lunch. Can you pick Cathy up ?"
Lydia couldn't believe this development.
It would help end her son's entanglement with these bikers sooner than she anticipated.
"Of course. ." She managed, and slowly rolled the green pick up down the driveway.
"Anyone special you might be thinking about ?"
Opie was gazing across the bay, as a fishing boat slowly made its way out to sea. The vessel he saw as his future, the Bur Cat, was still docked, in order that he, as prospective new owner, would be able to show Donna his new venture.
He hadn't really given thought to what was going on between Melanie and himself. It seemed more an even exchange , she craved physical intimacy, and he sought a new direction. His concerns with Brenner and whatever consequences hadn't entered his mind.
Actually, sitting on the end of that short pier, starring into the calm water obliterated any thoughts completely. He was feeling thoroughly relaxed.
"You can see her from here, can't you ?"
Melanie smiled, gently touching the side of his neck. "When will we expect your wife ?"
Opie stood up, quickly appraising her. She always looked good.
"Yea...look for a 59 impala...blue..." Opie always associated people with whatever they drove, his wife included. The car was also a present to her their first anniversary. It was used, but her first car. He'd spent nights at Teller Marrow working on it...
Melanie nodded. "I've decided to leave Mitch. " they began walking back to the house. "I don't think I will get what I need from him...and I can't deceive him either..."
Opie began to wonder if the thing they had was more that he thought. "What are you gonna tell him ?"
She had anticipated this, and smiled at him. "Nothing about what we have shared , Opie. I think he's probably aware of what's going on. Otherwise he wouldn't have left me alone here."
A divorced woman would probably be an outcast in a small town like this he thought. Even though it was 1963, women who left their men were still thought of as ...different.
"Where ya gonna go ?"
"Oh...back east, maybe...probably New York. And probably Europe. I didn't realize how comfortable I felt there until I returned here. "
Opie grinned. "Yea, fountains and stuff..,," he recalled Donnas comment about that when it made the papers. She knew about Daddy Daniels arrangement with Tigg and Kozic before he did. In fact there wasn't much she DIDNT notice.
Melanie laughed softly, and looked up .
"Yes, fountains and stuff. I can't live here ...there's no fountains to swim in...even NAKED! " she scowled so disapprovingly, that they both laughed.
They were almost to the garage when something caught his eye. A vehicle,no, a small truck was careening along the shore road on the other side of the bay. Melanie noticed too.
"Isn't that your mother in law ?" He wondered. The truck was barreling towards the service road, as of the driver was drunk, or blind or..it weaved wildly side to side, slowed imperceptibly at the turn, as Opie thought it would flip on its side, then came roaring towards them, before skidding to a stop, scattering gravel,
"Lydia ? What's wrong ?" Melanie started to run, as her disheveled mother in law emerged. Her expression reminded Opie of someone in shock, as she stumbled and ran into the house.
The deceased was found sitting upright on his bedroom floor, between his bed and the bedroom wall. Sheriff Al Malone was used to bloody victims, but those were usually car wreak scenes. Mangled bodies, missing limbs, and decapitated torsos. ...those he could expect. This death un nerved him, because of its bizarre nature. The room was , for lack of any other way to describe it, in shreds. The victims clothing was still on him, but ripped and torn. The bed was torn up and ripped , covered with blood. Some pictures were smashed, still hanging crooked...two stuffed birds, one was an owl, the other he couldn't identify were in pieces on top of the dresser. Even the wall paper looked clawed from the wall.
But the sight that punched his psyche was Dan Fawcett himself.
Both his eyes were gone. It looked like tears of blood had streamed down his cheeks.
Danny Taylor, a deputy had finished questioning the hired hand, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"This belongs to Mrs Brenner." He held up her large purse. Melanie had finally calmed Lydia enough to figure out what had upset her, and called him earlier. He wondered if she would have any new facts to the scene.
"Tell Santa Rosa that I want to know how the eyes..." Al groped for words..."what the Hell happened to his eyes!"
They were standing in the small kitchen.
Even that was a mess, down to the cups that hung under a small china cupboard. Only two remained, and even those had sharp pieces missing. Shards of glass, old newspapers and some mail were underfoot. "When's the welcome wagon gonna be here ?" He found a while teacup on the floor, and examined it.
"Bout an hour I think. Me and Joey are gonna check out the neighbors. Maybe they heard something. "
"Yea, then meet me out at the Brenner farm. Anyone know where Mitch Brenner is ?"
"Up in Charming, is what I was told."
Al shook his head...a top notch lawyer and the Sons of Anarchy...that's fukt up, he thought.
"Ok , get goin !" He set the cup in the sink, next to a grapefruit spoon...
