Mango Digger

by Bill H Myers

  Since I didn't have any other plans and didn't want him to rip into my legs, I didn't get up. I sat there and petted him until he relaxed and retracted his claws.

  Thirty minutes later, Abby returned. Phone against her ear. She was saying, “Yeah, that's a good price. Tell him it's a deal. But we want it tonight if there's any way possible.

  She paused then said, “Great. We'll be here.”

  She ended the call, and, with a smile, asked, “Guess who I was talking to.”

  I could only think of one person who would bring a smile to her face. “Kat? Did you find Kat? Were you talking to her just now?”

  She shook her head. “No, that wasn't Kat. She's still missing. But I learned a few things.”

  I was still wondering who she had been talking to, so I asked, “If that wasn't Kat, who was it?”

  She smiled. “It was Grace. I called her about buying one of her brother's Jeeps, one of the green ones. We agreed on a price, and he's bringing it up here this evening.”

  I was surprised with her answer. “You bought a Jeep?”

  She nodded. “I did. I'll tell you why in a minute. But first, let me tell you what I learned about Kat.”

  She came over and sat down beside me on the couch. Bob moved off my lap onto hers. Maybe hers was more comfortable than mine. Or maybe Bob just liked women more than he liked men. In any case, with Bob on her lap, she told me what she'd learned.

  “Kat's phone was password protected. It took me about four tries before I remembered what it was. Casper. The name of the dog she had when she was a kid. I tried it, and it unlocked the screen.

  “I checked her call log and saw she had a lot of incoming calls from me and you and her father. All unanswered. I went back a few days and found the outbound calls. The last one was to a car rental place in Hot Springs.

  “I called them and they confirmed she had rented a car. When I asked if it had a tracker on it and if they could tell me where the car was, they said, 'No.' They wouldn't reveal the location of a customer's car without a court order.

  “I explained we were worried our friend was stuck and needed help, but they still said, 'No.' They wouldn't tell me where the car was. But they did tell me something interesting.

  “Day before yesterday, she brought the car back and swapped it for another one.”

  Abby paused to see how I'd respond to this revelation. She knew it was important.

  “You know what that means?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it means two days ago she was alive and well in Hot Springs at the car rental place. That's good news.”

  Abby nodded. “It is. But she still hasn't come back here, and that's kind of worrisome. I called her father and let him know about the car rental and he was happy for the update but wondered where she was now.

  “I told him about Crystal Mountain, and he said to go check it out, no matter what it cost or what we had to do to get there. I told him we would and I'd call him as soon as we learned anything new.

  “I called the rental place back and tried to rent something with four wheel drive. But the closest they had was a front wheel drive Kia Soul and I didn't want to try to tackle the mountain in that.

  “Then I called Grace. Told her I wanted to buy one of her brother's Jeeps. Told her it needed it to be roadworthy and ready to take us into the back woods. When she asked why, I told her we needed to get to Crystal Mountain, and she laughed.

  “She said last spring she'd gone looking for Crystal Mountain and could never find it. The roads weren't marked and the map she had ended up getting her lost. She said if we were going out on those forest roads, we needed to take food, water and plan on not coming back anytime soon.

  “We talked some more and then she put me on hold. When she came back, she said her brother would sell me the Jeep that was ready to go for thirty-five hundred dollars.

  “I told her it was a deal if they could deliver it to our campsite. She said they could do that, and could probably have it up here in an hour.”

  I smiled. “Good move. Having the Jeep will make it easier for us to get around. But I wonder. If Kat had a rental car, why hasn't she come back to her motorhome? You'd think she'd at least come get her phone or a change of clothes or something. That's the part that bothers me. Why hasn't she come back?”

  Abby rubbed her head. “Maybe she has come back and we just don't know about it. We're basing everything we know on what Digger told us. He said she left on Sunday and he hasn't seen her since. But that doesn't mean she hasn't been back. It just means Digger didn't see her if she did.

  “She could have easily come and gone when he was sleeping or when he was out in the mines or off with his friends. She could have even spent last night in her RV. If she left early this morning, we wouldn't know. Just because Digger didn't see her doesn't mean it didn't happen.

  “All we know for sure is she was at the car rental place two days ago. We don't know where she's been since.”

  Abby was right. Kat could have been back in her motorhome as recently as that morning and we wouldn't know it. We only knew what Digger had told us and it might turn out that he wasn't the most reliable source of information.

  I changed the subject. “So, you bought a Jeep. Does that mean we're going to Crystal Mountain?”

  She nodded. “Yep. We have to. We don't know if she is up there or not, but we have to go look. She might be up there stuck in the mud.

  “If she is, she's smart enough to know her best chance of rescue is to stay with her car. Or maybe she's already been rescued, maybe by one of those Rainbow people. She could be safe and sound at their camp for all we know

  “The thing is, we don't know if she went to Crystal Mountain. She could have picked up her boyfriend and they could be staying at one of those fancy hotels in Hot Springs and taking the baths.

  “But if there is any chance she's stuck in the mud up on the mountain, we have to go look. Don't you agree?”

  Before I could answer, there was flash of light followed by a clap of thunder.

  A storm was moving in.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “So, what do you think? We going up there tonight, to Crystal Mountain?”

  Abby and I were sitting on the couch, listening to the heavy rain hammer down on the roof of the motorhome. She had asked the question, and I didn’t know the answer. Not yet.

  The problem was we didn't know where Kat was. We didn't know if she had gone up on Crystal Mountain or if she was sitting in a hot tub in Hot Springs. And even if she had gone to Crystal Mountain, we didn't know if she was still there or not.

  What we did know was it was raining pretty hard and the dirt roads through the national forest would be slick. We knew it would be dark before we could leave and we knew we couldn't leave until Grace and her brother showed up with the Jeep. And we didn't know if the Jeep was up to the task of getting us to Crystal Mountain and back.

  All we really knew was Kat was missing, and there was a slight chance she was up on Crystal Mountain.

  I was thinking about this while Abby was waiting for my answer. The truth was I wanted to go look for Kat even if it meant heading out in the rain in an untried vehicle on muddy back roads. But I wasn't going to make the decision alone. So I asked her, “What do you think? You think she's up there?”

  Abby had done a pretty good job of convincing me she could somehow sense future events. The money she had won at the roulette wheel by picking two winners in a row was either an amazing stretch of good luck or proof of some kind of gift.

  If the roulette wins had been the only thing, I might have written it off as a fluke. But she'd somehow sensed Grace's presence at the abandoned gas station in Louisiana long before we got there. Plus she knew to wait at our campsite for our neighbor to ride up on his moped.

  I had no idea how she was able to do these things but she had. It made me think that maybe she really did have some kind of gift.

  If she did, I hoped it would help her sense Kat's present conditi
on and whether she was in dire need of our help or not.

  I was waiting for Abby to answer my question about whether she thought Kat was up on the mountain, but instead of answering, she closed her eyes and placed both hands on Bob's back, one on each side of his rib cage. He was in her lap and she had been petting him since she'd returned. He had purred continually during her pets. But when she put both hands around his back, his purring abruptly stopped.

  I watched, expecting him to jump off the couch and run to the back. He didn't like to be touched that way. No two-handed holds for Bob. It was too restrictive, it made him feel trapped.

  But he didn't run. Instead, he closed his eyes and put his head down between his front paws and appeared to go to sleep. Whatever Abby was doing, it didn't bother him. In fact, he seemed to like it.

  They stayed like this for a long time, both with their eyes closed, heads down, appearing to sleep. I didn't know what Abby was doing. For all I knew, she could have been channeling with another dimension or just resting her eyes after a long day. Either way, I wasn't going to bother her or Bob.

  After about twenty minutes, her eyes suddenly opened and she said, “They're here.”

  It was still raining outside, a steady drizzle. The thunder and lightning had passed, that part of the storm was gone. The drumming sound of the rain on the roof had been with us for about thirty minutes, loud enough that if we wanted to speak, we had to raise our voices.

  But our conversation had ended when I'd asked Abby what her future sense told her about Kat's condition. She had closed her eyes and had said nothing.

  She repeated herself. “They're almost here. You need to be ready.”

  She tapped Bob lightly at the base of his stubby tail. He opened his eyes, stretched and jumped down off the couch and headed straight to the back. He sensed we were about to have company and didn't want any part of it.

  Abby stood and said, “I'm going to the back for a minute. Got to get something. When they get here, don't make them wait in the rain. Go out and greet them.”

  From the sound of tires on the wet gravel coming from outside, I knew she was right. We had visitors.

  Looking out the front window, I saw two green Jeep Cherokees pull in and park in front of the motorhome. Grace got out of one, her brother Daniel got out of the other. They headed for the motorhome, and I met them at the door.

  I smiled and said, “Come on in out of the rain.”

  Grace didn't hesitate. She stepped in and Daniel followed. They wiped their feet on the mat and hung their raincoats on the grab rail by the door.

  Abby soon joined us, and we moved to the dinette table where Grace and Daniel sat on one side, Abby and I on the other. Daniel spoke first.

  “We brought the Jeep. It's ready to go. New battery, new tires, new shocks and a complete tune-up. Even has a full tank of gas.

  “But, here's the thing. Grace told me why you wanted to buy it. To go look for your friend up on Crystal Mountain. The Jeep is the right vehicle for that. It will get you there and back. But there's no need for you to buy it.”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Just take it. Use it for as long as you need and when you're done, bring it back to my shop. We'll write it off as a long test drive. There won't be any charge, and you won't have to buy something you don't really need.”

  He held out the keys, waiting for Abby to take them.

  She looked into his eyes for a moment then reached over and closed her hand around his. “Daniel, I appreciate the offer. But I'm buying the Jeep. I've been looking for one like it for a while, and I don't want to let it slip away. So, I'm buying it. If you've got the title, I've got the money.”

  He smiled. “If you're sure you want to buy it, I'll sell it to you. But we don't have to do it tonight. You can drive it for a few days. If you change your mind, it won't bother me a bit. Just bring it back, and we'll be square.”

  Abby smiled again. “Daniel, you're a good man, and I appreciate what you're trying to do, but my mind is made up. I want to buy the Jeep.”

  She took the keys from him and reached into her back pocket and pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills. A small portion of what she had won at the casino.

  She put the money on the table and slid it over to him. “Thirty-five hundred dollars. I think that covers it.”

  He looked at the money but didn't touch it. Instead, he said, “I can take a check if you don't want to part with all that cash.”

  She shook her head. “I didn't bring my checkbook, so cash works for me. You have the title?”

  Daniel looked over at Grace. “She does.”

  Grace reached inside her shirt and pulled out a tan envelope with an Arkansas title, a bill of sale, and an odometer statement.

  She handed the papers to Abby. “It's an open title. Daniel has already signed it and the bill of sale. All you have to do is write in the price and put your name on it, and it'll be legal.

  “We put a temp tag on it so you won't get stopped. It'll be good for another ten days. After that, you'll need to get it registered.”

  Abby nodded. “So, it's outside, right? Can I go out and sit in it?”

  Daniel and Grace answered at the same time. “Yes, it's outside. And it's yours. You can do whatever you want in it.”

  Abby started to get up, but I stopped her. I had a question for Daniel. “How much to put a tow bar and lights on it so we can haul it behind the motorhome?”

  He smiled. “I figured you might want to do that. It's already got a got a base plate and is wired for towing, so all you need is the tow bar. I can get one and put it on for just under three hundred.”

  Abby counted out three one hundred-dollar bills and slid them over. “Call me when you're ready to put it on.”

  He nodded. “Will do. Plan on day after tomorrow.”

  He stood and reached out to shake her hand. “Pleasure doing business with you. Now let's go out and I'll show you how everything works.”

  It was still raining, but just barely. Daniel and Grace grabbed their raincoats but didn't bother to put them on. I opened the door and we all went out to look at Abby's new 1999 Jeep Cherokee.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The sun had set an hour earlier, and in the darkness of the RV park the two Cherokees were almost hidden.

  From a distance, all that could be seen was the reflection of their headlights. Daniel produced a flashlight and lit up the one Abby had bought. With raindrops puddled on the hood, the green paint glistened. It looked almost new.

  Abby walked over and opened the driver’s door. The overhead light came on, illuminating the interior as well as the smile on her face. She sat in the driver’s seat and put both hands on the wheel. Daniel opened the passenger door and slid in beside her. Grace and I stood a few feet away and listened as Daniel explained the controls and answered Abby's questions.

  After a few minutes of watching, Grace turned to me and asked, “You really going up to Crystal Mountain?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, we are.”

  She looked up at the still cloudy sky and said, “You're not going tonight, are you?”

  I nodded again. “Yeah, probably.”

  She shook her head. “I wouldn't go up there at night, especially after a rain. Not unless someone I cared for was up there and needed help.”

  I didn't know whether Kat was up there or not and, if she was, whether she needed our help. But I didn't want to risk not going.

  Grace could tell I had made up my mind about the trip and she said, “I guess there's no way I can talk you out of it.”

  I shrugged. “No, there's not.”

  “That's what I thought. So, if you go up there, you have to promise you'll be careful. Go slow and stay out of the ditches. Take blankets, boots and a charged-up cell phone. There probably won't be cell service, but if you run into trouble and have a signal, call me.

  “Even if you don't run into trouble, call me no later than eight tomorrow morning and let me know yo
u made it back. If you don't call, I'll figure you're stuck in the mud, and I'll come looking for you.”

  I shook my head. “Grace, I can't call you. I don't have your number.”

  She pulled out her phone and handed it to me. “Call your phone on mine.”

  I punched in the number and held the phone until I heard mine ringing inside the motorhome. Then I ended the call and handed the phone back to Grace.

  “Done. Your number is on my phone. I’ll call or text you when we get back. If you don't hear from me before eight in the morning, call me before you go out looking for us.”

  She nodded. “Will do.”

  We turned our attention back to Daniel and Abby. They seemed to be finishing up inside the Jeep. Abby had started the motor and had tested the headlights, signals and wipers. Everything seemed to work.

  Satisfied with her purchase, she killed the motor and walked over to where Grace and I were standing. She said, “It's exactly what I've been looking for, a little Jeep wagon in good condition with air conditioning. I even like the green color.”

  Daniel walked over to join us and as soon as he got close, Abby gave him a hug. “Thanks for selling me the Jeep. I'm going to keep it for a long time.”

  She turned to Grace and said, “Your brother is a good man. If he ever needs anything, let me know.”

  After saying their goodbyes, Daniel and Grace got in the other green Jeep and headed back to their shop. As soon as they were out of sight, Abby went over and patted the hood of her new Jeep and said, “You ready to head up the mountain?”

  I wasn't sure where she was talking to me or the Jeep. Neither one of us answered.

  Chapter Thirty

  Not hearing an answer to her question, Abby asked again, this time while looking at me. “Walker, you ready to head up the mountain?”

  I was pretty sure she already knew the answer. Her mind was made up and she was only asking to make me feel like I was included in the decision. At least that's what I thought.