Summary: Leland Chapman was having a very weird Halloween. To understand his story, you'd have to rewind time twenty-four hours to when he met a woman named Rainn Cameo.
Disclaimer: I do not know Leland Chapman and Rainn Cameo is a product of my overactive imagination. This story never happened.
Disclaimer II: 'Thriller' is copyright © the late, great Michael Jackson.
“Dakota, you really think this girl can help me find my guy?” Leland waved the slip of paper on which was written an address located in the Waipio area. “This is really out of my way and I don't have time to waste on a bad lead.”
“Dad, I've known Rainn since elementary school. She's honest and she knows this guy. Her senior year was last year and he was always picking her up. If she knows where you can find him, she'll tell you.” Dakota was packing up his bookbag as he spoke. “Oh, I'll be home late tomorrow night. Matt's having a Halloween party,” the eighteen-year-old informed his father.
“Alright,” Leland nodded and pocketed his wallet. “Just keep your phone on so I can reach you if I need to.”
It had taken Leland almost twenty minutes just to find the girl's house. It sat on Waipio's famous black sand beach and was hidden by tropical foliage. It was the small but expensive kind of beach house that was usually owned by the wealthy/celebrities as a winter home. Why would someone who lived somewhere this nice run with an ice head?
The door was opened almost immediately after he knocked and Leland found himself face-to-face with a knockout. The young woman was short and curvy and had bright violet eyes that were highlighted by her fire red hair and sapphire nose stud. “Rainn Cameo?”
The young woman nodded. “That would be me, Mr. Chapman.”
“Leland, please.” Leland had to mentally kick his own ass and remind himself that he was old enough to be the girl's father. She was friends with his oldest son for pete's sake!
Rainn stepped aside to allow him room to enter. “Dakota texted me and told me you were coming. I was able to find a picture of Stephen for you.” She led him into her living room and grabbed a photograph off of the steampunk style coffee table. She handed it to him. “It was taken last summer.”
“Do you know if he still looks like this?” Leland waved the photograph while trying to keep his eyes off of her very full chest.
“He's about thirty pounds lighter now.” Rainn crossed her arms over her chest. She looked truly worried.
“You seem like a nice girl so I have to ask – how do you know this guy, Rainn?” Leland asked just to appease his own curiosity.
“Stephen's my cousin.” Rainn took a seat on the couch and grabbed a pad and pen off of the coffee table. “Our parents co-own a film production company and, like most rich kids, we both like pissing off our folks. I do it by writing underground comics for Last Gasp Comics and Stephen does it by smoking ice.” She scribbled something on the pad before ripping the page off and handing it to him. “Here, this is his best friend's address in Hilo. It's the only place I would know to look for him. My number's on the bottom if you have any more questions.”
“Thank you.” Leland folded up the paper and stuck it in his pocket with the photograph. He borrowed her pen and on the bottom of a wanted poster wrote his phone number. “If you hear from Stephen or find out where he is, call me, day or night.”
Leland pulled up to a raging house party at a little after ten with Duane Lee in the SUV behind him providing his only backup. Rainn had texted him a half hour earlier telling him that Stephen was there.
As Leland and Duane Lee entered the house, they had to shove a path through drunk teenagers while Michael Jackson blared from the sound system.
And something evil's lurking in the dark.
You see a sight that almost stops your heart.
But terror takes the sound before you make it.
As horror looks you right between the eyes,
“Thriller,” Leland snorted. “How original.”
The two men pushed their way to the back den where they were in no way prepared for the sight that awaited them. Their elusive fugitive sat on the couch with his hands in front of him, zip ties had been used to construct an impromptu pair of handcuffs. Rainn sat perched on the armrest of the couch dressed as Supergirl and Dakota (of all people) stood guard over Stephen dressed as a 1980's-era Dee Snyder.
“Well, this is new.” Duane Lee quipped.
“He found out that I texted you and was trying to leave so Dakota stopped him,” Rainn looked at Leland and explained.
“Good job, son.” Leland nodded approvingly.
“Thanks, pops. Can I take off now? I kinda have a date waiting on me.” Dakota jerked his head towards the door.
“Leland, do you mind if I ride with you to drop him off?” Rainn asked, nodding towards Stephen. “I wanna talk to him.”
Duane Lee went back to the office to complete the night's paperwork while Leland handled the fugitive drop off. It was one of the most uncomfortable drives he had ever taken. Poor Rainn. She tried to engage her cousin in conversation the whole ride but Stephen had simply called her a traitor before refusing to talk to or even look at her.
Rainn waited in the car while Leland booked Stephen into jail. When he returned to the Hummer, his heart broke when he found Supergirl crying in the passenger seat. Was it wrong that all he wanted to do was hold her? Not grope or fuck her (okay, so he kinda wanted to do that too), he just wanted to take her pain away. “Rainn, honey, you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped.” He couldn't resist reaching out and brushing some of her pretty red hair behind her ear.
“You don't understand,” she said as she shook her head. “My parents don't give a shit about me. Did you know that I was the youngest comic writer ever invited to host their own panel at Comic-Con and my parents didn't even take notice? Stephen is all I have.”
“Fuck, baby... that isn't true.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You have Dakota and I know he has your back. I raised him to be loyal.”
“Urgh!” Rainn suddenly pulled away from him angrily. “Just what I need, another reminder that you're one of my best friend's fathers! I get it, Leland! I'm not ever going to get what I want!”
“You want me?” Leland asked in shock. No fucking way. This wasn't possible. He wasn't this lucky.
Leland couldn't help himself, he reached out and tangled his hand in her hair, pulling her to him so he could claim her mouth in a hungry kiss.
When they parted, Rainn screamed in terror. Looking out the window, Leland saw why. They were surrounded by zombies...
Leland sat up in bed with a start, waking his young wife.
“Baby, what's wrong?” she asked.
It was just a dream. A bizarre dream that was probably driven by 'The Walking Dead' marathon that he had had with Cobie before bed. “Nothing, honey, just a bad dream. Go back to sleep.” He pulled her to lay on his chest, right where his girl belonged.
“Love you, Leland.” She kissed his chest before drifting back off to sleep.
“Love you, Rainn.” He dropped a kiss to the top of her head and held her just a little bit tighter, thankful that she wasn't a dream.
