No Peace in Quiet

NO PEACE in QUIETKeli Rueth Copyright © 2023 Keli RuethAll rights reservedThe characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.Cover Design by Janet JacksonID 151032106 © Margaret619 | Dreamstime.com117689207 © creativecommonsstockphotos | Dreamstime.com Contents Title PageCopyrightForewordPrologue123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354Author’s NoteBooks In This SeriesAbout The AuthorAcknowledgements ForewordWhile "No Peace in Quiet" is inspired by a horrific crime that rocked a nation and terrified millions in the 1980's, this story is a work of my imagination, and all characters are fictional. And while there may be a city named "Quiet" in some remote (or not so remote) corner of the universe, the one featured in this book near the base of the mountains in Western Carolina, is purely fictional. PrologueNorth Carolina, 1982Marissa was too old to watch Scooby Doo, but that’s what was on when the pain from her braces woke her up at five in the morning. She hummed the jingle along with the funny dog.The ear worm would bang around in her head all day. Her head was killing her, like really hurting. Her teeth were already straight. She didn’t understand why she had to keep going back to the orthodontist every month for them to torture her. No other seventh grader even had braces yet. She was lucky, her mom said, because all her adult teeth came in early. Eating was a no-go, at least, nothing she had to chew. Ice cream was okay for breakfast if the other option was starvation. Mom would certainly agree. In any case, Mom wasn’t awake yet. She could hear her little brother, Jamey, rustling around upstairs. Which forced her hand on the ice cream for breakfast situation. She’d either have to go get Jamey so he wouldn’t wake up the ‘rents or scarf the ice cream in a hurry.She stepped on the non-creaky spots in the wood floor to the kitchen. Jamey was getting louder in his crib, his rustling becoming more insistent. Just one sec, buddy. The frozen air in the freezer soothed the ache in her jaw as she inhaled. Right there, cookies and cream. Total score, it was full. Half for Jamey, half for me.She quietly shut the heavy freezer door, making sure it sealed to keep the cold air in, and quick-footed it upstairs to Jamey’s room. He was standing in his crib with a drooly grin trained at her.She smiled. Even smiling hurt.“Look at you,” she whispered, “such a big boy.”Unlocking the latch to drop the side would make too much noise. She had to lift him out of his crib. “Got to be quiet, buddy.” Good Lord, he was heavy. His little feet clipped the crib as she lifted. She jumped backward to maintain their balance. He squealed like a scared baby goat.“Shhhhhhhhhh! Buddy!” The jarring motion sent lightning bolts of pure pain through her jaw and around her skull. Surely her ears were bleeding. Carpet muffled the sound of her footfalls as she carried him down the hall to the stairs. She positioned Jamey on her lap to slide down the stairs. He was too big to carry all the way. Each bump step transmitted screaming waves of pain into her head.Finally, the kitchen.She slipped Jamey into his highchair and latched him in, making sure the straps and the tray were solidly locked. The one time he climbed out was, of course, the one time she had turned her back for a second (one second!). He had fallen to the tile floor. Luckily, he hadn’t broken anything and was easily soothed with hugs and a cookie. She wouldn’t be able to soothe him if he fell this time. It was all she could do to see through the pain. Even her eyeballs were aching. She checked the mirror of the toaster to make sure she still looked the same. Her eyes weren’t even bloodshot, no blood in her mouth or ears. Unbelievable. There was literally no sign of the monstrous amount of pain these stupid braces caused, only a straight smile.She grabbed the cookies and cream from the freezer. Jamey eyed her but kept quiet. He was a smart little bugger. That’s what her mom always said, and Marissa agreed. Jamey knew the score. There was something in it for him.“Cookies and cream, buddy.” She pointed the ice cream scoop at him. “Breakfast of champions.”She wouldn’t even be able to dig into the hard ice cream with this wicked pain. Mom kept the painkillers in the cabinet above the microwave, high up, so Jamey couldn’t reach them. Last time her braces had tried to kill her, Mom popped two out of the bottle. Marissa knew what bottle it was.She kneed up onto the counter and found the one she was looking for. Red and white label, extra-strength. She shook two into her palm. They were humongous. She’d have to swallow them one at a time.Dear God, getting down from the counter sent knives into her temples. One glass of water from the tap.She placed one of the capsules on the very back of her tongue, just close enough to her throat that she didn’t choke. That’s how her mom told her she could swallow it whole, like the adults do.She chugged the glass of water quickly, paying close attention to not focus on the huge pill falling down her throat. One down. That wasn’t so bad. The next one followed. It was a bit easier.Jamey banged on his tray.“Okay, buddy. Okay.” She held up a hand to him, as if he knew what that meant.The ice cream had softened a bit while she dealt with the pain pills. She dolloped a huge scoop onto Jamey’s tray. His palms slapped hard onto the cold mound of cookies