The Reporter: Digs for the truth
Wind rushed past the open car window and Suzie Clending's dirty blonde hair fluttered in the warm sunny breeze. The old country road was winding and she checked the map she had sitting on the seat, which she found to be less helpful than her GPS. It seemed the further out she went the less reception she had on her phone. It was a little unsettling to the twenty five year old reporter and she didn't like the idea of her phone being unreliable if something where to happen way out here.
Normally she wouldn't have come this far out of the city into the wide countryside, especially to meet up with convicted rapist, but when a young reporter gets a chance at a juicy story, it becomes to tantalizing to pass up. Checking her phone and seeing the last bar flicker, Suzie took a deep breath and reminded herself how good this story would be.
Little over a week ago she had heard that Bill Winslow had been quietly released from prison, a man who had served the last ten years in prison for the rape and forced confinement of the mayor's daughter Emily Santoro. Part of what made the case so intriguing to Suzie, was that It was rumored that the mayor had several officers falsify evidence to ensure a conviction of Bill. Turning down another side road, Suzie realized she hadn't really seen another house in a little while and she was deep into farm territory now.
Suzie had gone directly to her editor Richard and begged to have this story, while he did relent after a little while, Richard who had initially worked the case, warned her steadfastly against pursuing it. The case had been strange right from the get go and Richard had let her know in no uncertain terms that there was something strange about Bill Winslow. The relationship as his attorney's had called it, with Emily was strange to begin with, but there had been rumors before that, rumors about women who had gone missing around Bill.
Richard showed her his initial reporting on the case, he told her how Emily had been a driven young woman, always worked hard, did lots for the community and was even engaged to her high school sweetheart. But all that had changed when she had come across Bill and to this day Emily herself couldn't explain what had happened. The best she had come up with, was that Bill just had this power over her, some kind of hypnosis was the closest she could get to explaining what had happened to her.
Seemingly overnight the young woman had been corrupted, unable to stop herself from doing whatever Bill wanted her to do. Neighbors had claimed at the trial that they had seen the pair do all sorts of things, right out in the open. One neighbor had even taken a short video of the mayor's daughter undressing for Bill in the back yard and then Emily in broad daylight had gone down on him, both where clearly aware of having an audience.
More stories had come out during the trial, all with similar themes of Emily seemingly following what sounded like simple suggestions, but one friend claimed where orders. Everything clearly painted an opposite picture of what Emily's character and personality had been like up until that point. Friends and family had argued that the Emily they knew would never have left her fiance for Bill, or play along with his sick games.
The crown had produced evidence that Emily had been blackmailed into the so called relationship and that she was in fact forced into the relationship with Bill. Obviously the defense had argued whole heartily against that and according to them after the verdict, the judge had been in on the cover up.
It was also intriguing to Suzie that Bill himself had said very little during the trial and had said nothing since going to jail. In ten years he had given no interviews, nor had he apparently admitted any form of guilt to anyone.
Being a very thorough person, Suzie had talked to several of the officers involved in the case, who all had the same story, with small variations here and there. Emily herself had declined being interviewed, wanting it all to stay behind her, only advising Suzie to not go anywhere near Bill. From everything that she had gotten her hands on, Suzie could see that there was something fishy about the case and the thrill of being able to put a definitive answer to the case, was just to much to pass up.
During her research she had laughed at reading that one of Emily's friends had claimed that Bill was magic and Suzie was both excited and scared to meet this man so many where afraid of. Richard had been extra adamant about her not going to meet Bill after she had managed to get a hold of the man himself.
When Suzie wouldn't relent about meeting him, Richard had demanded that she bring someone along to accompany her. Suzie felt like she was being treated like a toddler and that no male reporter would have been micro managed the same way. It had been almost an argument between the pair and Suzie pointed out that there was no way Bill would do something to her, when obviously people knew where she was, not to mention if he tried anything, she argued with Richard that she could look after herself.
Turning her car onto the long lane way that would bring her up to Bill's place, Suzie had been astonished that Bill had not only taken her call, but had agreed to let her come up and speak with him.
Pulling her car up in front of what was an old farm house, Suzie saw that it had been worn down over time.
The paint that had been on the house was faded and peeling off the old boards, the old windows looked caked with dirt and dust, while the curtains she could see where faded from years in the sun. Stepping out of her car Suzie looked around the property and with the exception of an old well, a tool shed and a barn that looked ready to collapse, there was nothing else for miles.
Looking down at her phone it was impossible not to feel nervous and for the first time Suzie wished she had listened and brought a friend, though she would never let Richard know that. "Get a grip Suzie!" Starting to walk up the stairs on the front porch, Suzie licked her lips nervously before knocking on the old wooden screen door.
It took several more knocks before the door began to open and Suzie was greeted by a half hearted smile from Bill Winslow. "Hi Bill? I'm Suzie Clending, we spoke the other day on the phone?" The door creaked open as Bill stepped out onto the porch and Suzie held out her hand to him.
For a moment Bill didn't say a word, he simply and without even trying to hide it, looked Suzie up and down her 5'5 curvy athletic frame. Though she had clearly tried to dress casual, the tight blue jeans she wore hugged her hips and the black button down blouse, while not skin tight couldn't hide the large breasts underneath.
Suzie shifted nervously under Bill's intense stare, his brown eyes seeming to undress her with each pass they made over her, quickly unsettling her. For his part, Bill was kind of a lanky man and at just under 6 feet tall, had a good few inches on the smaller reporter. Gray had seeped into his messy black hair and the stubble across his unkempt face was like wise showing gray.
"Hi Suzie! It's nice to meet you, I hope you didn't have any trouble finding the old place?" Taking Suzie's hand, Bill smiled and shook it firmly before ushering her towards a porch swing just off to the side of the house.
Breathing a sigh of relief that his eyes had softened and hoping Bill didn't notice that she was feeling uncomfortable, Suzie returned the smile and began to lead the way to the swing. "No, your directions where perfect, but it is a long way out isn't it?"
"Yeah, but after everything that's happened it felt good to get away and not have everyone stare at me, you know?" With Suzie slightly ahead of him, Bill again made no attempt to hide his leer and watched Suzie's heart shaped ass sway in the blue denim.
"That makes sense." Suzie wasn't unused to people checking her out, it happened daily. But maybe because it was Bill Winslow that it sent a shiver down her spine. "This was your parents house?"
