Bitterroot Crossing

by Tess Oliver

  Zedekiah squinted at Nick. “Where’d you learn to move like that, boy?”

  “Apparently it’s a trait I inherited from my great-great-grandpa, which would be you, you dolt.”

  Both grips, one warm with life and one cold with death, tightened around my arms as they glared at each other over my head. In a moment I was going become the center of a game of tug-of-war. “Excuse me, but pudding is dripping into my boot.”

  They simultaneously released me. Nick picked up my napkin from the floor and handed it to me. I leaned down to wipe off the chocolate mess.

  “Obviously, you inherited my good manners as well.” Zedekiah leaned casually against the wall and lit a cigarette.

  “First of all, lighting up in here is not exactly good manners, and secondly, seriously, a cigarette?” Nick asked. “What, do they have mini-marts where you ghosts hang-out?”

  Zedekiah squinted at him through a veil of smoke. “Hang out?”

  “Linger, hover, float, whatever it is you dead guys do.”

  Zedekiah’s deep laugh rolled across the room. “Let me tell you a story that might be helpful to you in the future, boy. After I threw the noose around my own neck, I asked to have my hat on my head and a lit cheroot in my mouth before they pulled the floor out. That way I could go out in comfort and style.” The ghost looked Nick up and down. “So if you’re ever about to be hung, you might want to pull out those earrings. Otherwise you’ll spend eternity lookin’ like a girl.”

  “Yeah, I’ll remember that if I’m ever facing a noose. Oh wait, I probably won’t be since I don’t go around shooting people.”

  Zedekiah’s hand waved through the air and the cigarette went out. “Enough, you’re boring me, offspring.” Zedekiah looked around the room. His menacing blue gaze stopped on Tina. She looked close to fainting. He raised his arm and pointed a long, white finger at her. “You!” Suddenly, with a shriek, Tina was catapulted into the air. She was pressed flat against the cafeteria ceiling. Her face bleached as white as her hair. Her screams echoed through the cafeteria. Some onlookers snickered. Others gasped in horror.

  Nick walked beneath Tina and stared up at her then looked at Zedekiah. “You’ve got to get her down from there. Yeah, she probably deserves it, but you could really hurt her.”

  “I will. . . eventually.” Zedekiah took a second, long draw on his cigarette.

  I stepped in front of him. His harsh gaze softened as he looked down at me. “Zedekiah, please get her down. And slowly, please.”

  He looked at me then at the girl he’d plastered to the ceiling, then at me again. “If you wish.”

  Tina floated down like a leaf at first, but the last six feet she plummeted like a paper weight. Nick caught her. Quickly she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. He dropped her feet to the ground and released her. “Save it, Tina.”

  Suddenly the doors flew open and the principal walked in with his nostrils flaring wildly and his neck red as a lobster. “Crush!” He was glaring straight at Nick.

  Nick pointed to his chest. “Who me?”

  “Who else would I be talking to?”

  “I thought you might have meant--” We all turned to where Zedekiah had propped himself against the wall. He had vanished. Nick shrugged. “--I guess it’s me.”

  The principal pointed to the doors. Nick nodded and walked toward them. “I know, I know, your office. Pretty sure I remember how to get there.”

  “And have you been smoking a cigarette in here?”

  Nick did not look back but he threw up his arms in surrender. “Sure, whatever, I mean you’re gonna suspend me anyway. Might as well throw that one in too.”

  My mom always told me there was way too much unfairness in the world, and I was looking it straight in the face right now. I followed quickly on the principal’s heels. It was time to put an end to this particular bout of unfairness.

  The principal ushered Nick into his office. I came up behind him and tugged on his coat sleeve. Startled, he looked down at me. “Miss Sterling, you get to class. This doesn’t involve you.”

  “Actually, it does.”

  The man looked perplexed for a moment then nodded for me to come inside. Nick and I each sat in a chair facing the principal. He was a large man with an oversized stomach and a thick neck that rolled over his necktie. He placed his forearms on the desk and opened his mouth to speak just as his phone rang. With a roll of his eyes he answered it.

  “What do you mean there was a ghost in the cafeteria? I was just in there.” He looked suspiciously at Nick.

  Nick lifted his hands. “What are you looking at me for? I’m not a ghost.”

  The man returned his attention to the phone call. “Well, who was it? Was it Butcher or Crow or Axel, and where were those blasted sirens?” He paused and reached for a tissue to wipe his forehead of sweat. “Then it must have been Steamer. Well, who was it then? I’ve gone through the whole list.”

  Nick cleared his throat loudly. “Oh no you haven’t.”

  The principal stared at him a minute. “I’ll call you back.” He hung up the phone. “You’re telling me your ancestor’s returned from the grave?”

  “Something like that. Although, technically, he was never given a grave.”

  The principal slammed his fist on the desk. I jumped. Nick didn’t even flinch. Suddenly his attention turned to me. “I told them it would be trouble bringing you out of that farmhouse. I warned them and now look, Zedekiah Crush is floating around our hallways.” He relaxed back and his chair squeaked as if it might collapse beneath his weight. “Well, I guess we’re stuck with you.”

  “Real nice,” Nick said.

  “And you, Crush, you’re suspended for a week.”

  “Great. Beats being here anyhow.”

  I sat forward. “Please sir, Nick is the only person who’s been kind here. He saved me just now from falling face first in the cafeteria.” The man was about to protest, but I put up my hand to stop him. “Please don’t suspend him. Zedekiah is here because of me. If he appears again, I’ll ask him to stay off of the school grounds.”

  The principal laughed quite unprofessionally making his collar and tie cut even further into his oversized neck.“A tiny thing like you has control over the worst ghoul in town? That’s truly rich.”

  Nick sat forward. “He does everything she asks. I’ve seen it.”

  The principal stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow as he stared at me a minute. “Fine, but if he does appear on the grounds again, I’ll suspend you along with Crush.”

  I nodded in agreement, thinking, after my first two days at school, suspension didn’t seem much of a punishment.

  Chapter 11

  After the day at school, I was actually glad to get to work. Mitchell’s Lumber Yard was at the edge of town, literally. In fact it sort of straddled it. The office and the first building where the planks were cut were still in Bitterroot Crossing. But the stacking and loading area, where I spent most my work hours loading lumber onto trucks was in the next town of Sweet Grass where they had no ghosts, just a lot of dairy cows. It was stupid of course, but working out back made me feel like I’d escaped my own weird town for a while. And the coolness of living in a haunted town was wearing thin fast. Now that I’d met them in person, I realized Zedekiah was a total jerk and his gang members were no picnic either.

  The lumber yard owner, Mr. Mitchell, was one of those guys whose mood changed from day to day, moment to moment. He could be a snarling jerk one minute and nice as Santa the next. The Santa half came out mostly on Friday evening just before we closed up and he headed out for his weekly steak and ale at Patsy’s Grill.

  Berta, his daughter, ran the office. I remembered her as a senior when I was a freshman. She sort of resembled the school mascot, a grizzly bear. In fact, once I saw her sitting underneath the growling grizzly painted on the school office and I’d convinced myself that the artist used her picture to paint it. Still, even though she resembled a menacing fore
st creature and was saddled with a name from the previous century, she was very popular at school. Mostly because she drove a Corvette, wore expensive clothes, and people were too afraid not to like her.

  Unfortunately, here at work, she had this creepy habit of coming out to watch me stack wood. Used to be whenever it was hot outside, I’d take my shirt off to work. But I had to stop the half-naked thing real quick.

  Baxter, Mitchell’s only son, was the one true person I liked in the whole damn town. He was fifteen but his mental abilities stopped at around seven years old. A special needs child as Mr. Mitchell had described it. They babied him too much though and it was obvious Baxter was irritated by it. He was just coming out of the office as I arrived.

  “Baxter, bro!” We bumped fists, then elbows, then hips. It was our special handshake he’d thought up one day.

  “Nick, bro!” He rubbed his hands together quickly and stuck them in his pockets, a familiar gesture which meant he had something exciting to tell me. “I jumped the curb today on my skateboard.”

  “No way, dude.”

  No one could smile like this kid. It was awesome. “Yes way, dude.

  I patted him on the shoulder. “Man, I wish I’d been there to see it.”

  He nodded enthusiastically. “Dad’s in his office.”

  “He is? How does he look?”

  Baxter’s smile vanished and he showed me his impersonation of his dad in a bad mood, complete with jutting lower lip, furrowed brow, and scowl.

  “Uh oh, he’s really grouchy, huh?”

  “Yep.”

  We did our special handshake and he added a salute at the end. “Good luck, bro.”

  The string of bells on the office door made Berta look up from her desk. “Hey, Nick, it’s a hot one today, don’t you think?”

  “It’s not too bad out there.” I decided to put the notion of me working shirtless out of her head right away.

  She leaned back in her chair. “Really?” She tugged her shirt down, in what I assume was a useless attempt to excite me. “I’m just dripping sweat inside this office. It’s running all the way down my back.” Apparently she thought that statement would do the trick, unfortunately it was having the completely opposite effect.

  She stared at my arm and licked her bottom lip. “I sure do love that tattoo around your arm. You never did tell me why you picked barbed wire.”

  I shrugged. “I guess I didn’t tell you because I don’t know myself why I picked it.”

  She laughed. “You’re so funny, Nick.” Berta leaned forward over her desk. Instinctively, I took a step back. “So is it true?” she asked.

  “Is what true?”

  She glanced around the room as if she thought the walls might be listening. “Is it true he’s back?” She’d dropped her voice to a whisper.

  I glanced around the room like her, leaned forward, and whispered back. “Who’s he?”

  She straightened. “Why, Zedekiah, silly.”

  “Oh him. Yeah, I guess he’s been floating around.”

  “Crush,” Mr. Mitchell barked from his office, “get in here.”

  “You better hurry in there. He’s in a terrible mood, by the way.”

  “Really, what gave it away?” I headed to Mitchell’s office and was actually relieved not to have to talk to Berta anymore. Of course, Mr. Mitchell did not look like he’d be much more fun. His face was red and if it had been physically possible, I’m sure flames would have been shooting from his nostrils. The whole thing reminded me a lot of the earlier scene in Hammersmith’s office. Only in the principal’s office, I had sweet, little Jessie by my side. Man, that girl was really growing on me. Rarely a moment went by when I wasn’t thinking about her.

  “Nick, what on earth happened at the high school today?”

  I shrugged. “Learning?”

  He stood abruptly. “Don’t get cocky with me, son. You know what I’m talking about.”

  “Yeah, sorry. Apparently Zedekiah Crush has returned, but I didn’t summon him if that’s what you’re asking. He came back all on his own.”

  “I heard he’s come back for the great-great-granddaughter of that woman he shot.”

  “Stuff gets around this town fast. I don’t know for sure why he’s back. Now, shouldn’t I be out there loading the truck?”

  He waved his hand toward the door. “Damn right you should. You’re on the clock and I’m not paying you for standing around. Get.”

  I was happy to get out to the yard. My lovesick ancestor rises from the swamp and everyone is looking to blame me for it. What a stupid-ass town.

  I yanked on my gloves. Bill, one of the workers, motioned for me to jump up on the flat bed of the semi. I hopped up and he started handing me two-by-fours. Two hours into it, sweat was dripping into my eyes, my back ached, and my hands were tired. It was the best I’d felt all day. Bill had handed up the entire order just as his shift ended. He hurried off and I was alone in the yard. All I needed to do was finish stacking it so it could be tied down.

  “Nothing like an honest day’s work to build a man’s character.” The voice drifted up from behind and though Berta sort of looked like a man, she definitely didn’t sound like one. Besides it wasn’t my character she’d be commenting on.

  I twisted around. Zedekiah was perched on a pile of uncut lumber a few feet away. “And just what would you know about an honest day’s work?” I asked. “The way I hear it, you never had a dime that wasn’t stolen or won at the poker table.”

  “Not true. I did plenty of work. Even pounded stakes for the railroad. Just discovered one day that taking the money was easier.”

  I glanced toward the office hoping no one saw him sitting in the yard. The office looked quiet. “Easier, except you had to kill people to get it.”

  Zedekiah shook his head. “Not true. All rumors started by that jackass, Bridger. He was hoping to drive up the bounty on my head and make Rebecca hate me.”

  “Really? Of course, he’s not here to tell his side of the story, now is he?”

  Zedekiah vanished like a puff of smoke and reappeared directly in front of me. “You must be my descendant; you’re as cocky as a rooster in heat.” He glared at me from beneath the brim of his hat. “You stay away from that girl.”

  I met his glare with one of my own. “No way. You had your chance. This girl belongs to my century and if she’ll have me, I have no intention of staying away from her.”

  A third of the wood I piled up came cascading down like an avalanche of timber. I hopped out of the way before it washed me over the side of the flatbed.

  “Have you kissed her?”

  I regained my footing and stared down at the pile of wood I would now have to reload by myself back onto the truck. Then I glared back at my rotten ancestor. “Not yet, but a kiss is definitely in my future plans. So throw as many of your ghostly tantrums as you like. You’re not going to stop me.”

  “The Crush men are no good for the Colton women. We just bring heartbreak and tragedy.”

  “Don’t lump me in with you, dude. I don’t even own a gun. Plus I’m not in the habit of picking gunfights with the law.”

  Another third of the wood fell down. I jumped out of the way. “I thought family was supposed to help each other.” I climbed down to start carrying it back up before Mitchell saw it and fired me. It was going to be tough loading it back on by myself. Now I was pissed. “Get the fuck out of my way, pops. You’re not going to scare me.”

  He vanished but a burst of his wicked laughter cracked the air. “We’ll see about that, offspring.”

  Chapter 12

  At home, Mom had always assigned difficult, lengthy homework projects. My high school teachers’ assignments were easy and silly. I finished my homework in minutes. The rather

  awful day at school had tired me out, and I’d drifted off into a nice nap until the front door slammed shut. I sat up with a start. Jasper had apparently snuggled up next to me. He sat up as well.

  Nana’s feet seeme
d to be stomping toward the kitchen. I patted the dog on the head. “That is definitely not the sound of happy feet, Jasper.” We both scooted off my quilt and headed down the hall.

  When I arrived at the kitchen, Nana was pounding the daylights out of her pie dough. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t look up or acknowledge me. I walked over to the table, plucked off a ball of dough, and pushed it in my mouth. It was buttery and sweet as always. “Nana, what did that pie dough ever do to you?”

  “Huh?” She glanced up surprised to see me standing there. She smiled and slowed down the wild strokes of her rolling pin. “It’s just I’m so angry.”

  “I thought I heard the front door shut. Did we have a visitor?” Citizens from the town rarely came up the mountain unless they were hunting or looking for firewood.

  “It was that sniveling, puffy-faced mayor from town. Ascott or Axescott or whatever his name is. Corrupt, fumbling idiot.” She began to roll the dough out like a woman possessed again. I placed my hand on her arm. “Are you making pie crust or shoe leather?” She stopped and relaxed her shoulders.

  “I’ve never seen you so upset, Nana. What did he say?”

  “He says Zedekiah has been seen in town, at the school.” She looked at me. “You didn’t tell me he showed up at your school. Or is it a falsehood?”

  I took my hand from her arm. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Nana. I didn’t want you to worry.”

  She took hold of my face with her flour and dough covered hands. Her green eyes, now clouded with age looked into mine. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  I shook my head. She dropped her hands and lifted up the end of her apron to wipe the flour from my cheeks.

  “He saved me from tripping in the cafeteria.” I took hold of her hand to stop her ministrations. “Just like you figured, Nana, Zedekiah won’t hurt me. If anything he seems determined to protect me. It’s the citizens of Bitterroot who may be in danger.”

  Nana waved her hand and several crumbs of pie dough fell to the floor. “Hang them all. As long as he doesn’t harm you, they can deal with that demon themselves.” She walked to the cupboard and pulled out the berry picking basket. “Summer’s been gone for a few weeks, but I’ll bet there’s still enough late growing blackberries for a decent pie. And take the dog with you. He’s been under my feet all day.”