by Muga, D. M.
“Yeah, Alexander filled us in on what happened at the stockades over there.” Ben replies.
“Can you go grab your Uncle and Alexander and have them look over things while we go ask this Stevens guy some questions?” Todd asks of Ben.
“What, me? You want me to go? Why?” Ben questions.
Todd pauses. “It may be dire, it may not be. But we need to find out quickly. If I spread word that we are going to go ask this Stevens guy questions about the Sheriff, it may turn out badly. Plus, we don’t know the whole story. For all we know, this Stevens guy has nothing to do with it…”
“I don’t know Todd. That guy gives me a real itching to put a bullet in his brain.” Ben answers.
“And here I thought you were going to be my reasonable and logical guy.” Todd chuckles.
“Fine. But if anything seems hinky over there, we call in your cavalry.” Ben replies.
“Sounds good. Now go get your Uncle and Alexander and meet me at your truck.” Todd orders Ben.
“Will do, bud.” Ben replies and goes off to get his Uncle and Alexander.
After quickly explaining to them the situation trying to locate the Sheriff, leaving out the part that they were going to see Richard Stevens and that he didn’t like the Stevens guy, not even a little bit, he sees Eileen back at the cooler and blankets.
“What’s going on, Ben?” She questions.
“I’m not sure, but Todd needs my help for a little bit. We’ll be back before you know it. We just need to find the Sheriff real quick.” Ben replies.
“What are you not telling me Ben?” She asks.
Ben shakes his head.
She’ll flip if she knows that Richard Stevens guy might be involved. She got the creeps from him too.
“Nothing. We just need to find the Sheriff. His wife’s worried that he was in an accident or something.” He replies.
Eileen eyes him, and then gives him a quick kiss on the lips. “Okay, Benjamin. Be quick and be safe.”
Ben smiles at her. “You know me.”
She kisses him again, “That’s what I worry about.”
He grins at her. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be back soon. You just stay in that bikini until I get back.”
She laughs. “Get out of here, you perv. Go help your friend.”
Ben laughs, quickly shoving on his shoes and grabbing his PX4 Storm and starts to walk off toward his truck.
He meets Todd at the vehicles. Todd’s already back into jeans, a polo, boots, and has his sidearm on his hip. He was grabbing his bulletproof vest out of his SUV as Ben came up.
“Do we really need vests?” Ben asks.
“You were the one that said to surround the place… Plus, I always wear one around town now.” Todd answers and Ben just looks at him. “It’s different times now, Ben. And remember. Jim was shot in the chest. If he had been wearing his vest, he may have survived.”
Ben doesn’t answer, understanding the message.
Todd asks, “Do you have a vest in your truck?”
Ben shakes his head. “What I have is on me now. I have a couple spare magazines for my Beretta in the truck center console, but that’s it.”
Todd squints his eyes at him for a second. Then he goes to the back of his SUV, pulling out another bulletproof vest with Sheriff on a huge patch across it. “He tosses it to Ben. Better safe than sorry. He walks around the passenger side of the truck. “You drive and I’ll navigate.”
“Sounds good.” Ben gets into his truck and starts the engine. “Where to?”
“Head toward the Lake Arrowhead Village Marketplace. We’re heading to John Muir Road, over near the Orchard Creek part of the lake.” Todd explains.
Ben pulls out of the parking lot, leaving the rest of their group in search for the good Sheriff. While navigating out of Crestline and toward Lake Arrowhead, Todd says, “I’m serious about times being different now, Ben. You’ve been to war and you know how it goes.”
“War? Are we in a time of war now, Todd?” Ben asks.
“No, not now. But we are in a time of chaos and those times are very similar.” Todd explains.
“I suppose you have a good point, Todd.” Ben admits.
Todd continues. “That’s not my point, Ben… My point is that you need to treat every day like that. Yes, we're having a nice day at the lake. But we need to be ready at all times. Our family, our friends, and our community depend on it.”
Ben nods his head. He has a point. But wow, Todd has gotten deep and much darker since Jim died.
“So next time you leave the house… every time you leave the house… be prepared as though you may not return to that house.” Todd says.
They drive in silence as they near Lake Arrowhead. Once they reach the village, Todd says, “Turn right and then turn left once we hit John Muir Road. Just follow the lake around and it's a few houses down on our left.” Todd was looking down at his phone, having punched in the address Cassandra Patterson had given him.
Turning left onto John Muir Road, Todd adds, “I don’t mean to sound so doom and gloom, but I don’t want Jamie and Claire to end up like Amanda and Chloe. You know?”
Ben nods, “Yeah, I get it.”
“Plus, I’d hate to see you get hurt too, Ben. We’ve already lost enough good people. I know we’ll lose more… in time. Doesn't mean we can’t curb that loss to lower numbers with smart decisions.” Todd explains.
Ben follows the road around the first bend and pulls into a driveway that is like a bridge, stopping in front of a white house that overlooks the lake with a Tan Toyota Tacoma in the driveway.
“This it?” He questions.
“That’s what the map says.” Todd replies and shuts off his phone and puts it back into his pocket.
Ben pulls into the driveway and shuts off the engine. He exits the vehicles as Todd gets out on his side. “How do you want to handle this?” Ben asks.
Todd nods to Ben. “Let me do all of the talking. Remember… we are just here to ask the man some questions.”
Ben nods, “Lead the way Deputy Bradley.”
Todd shakes his head and smiles and walks up to the front door. Before Todd can ring the doorbell, the two men hear a thud coming from upstairs. Todd looks at Ben as he rings the doorbell.
“What the hell was that?” Ben asks.
“Not sure… but the plan is the same. Just keep your eyes and ears open.” Todd says.
After a few moments, Todd rings the doorbell again. The two men wait at the door for a few more moments, and Todd rings the bell a third time, instantly the door opens up wide.
“Good afternoon Deputies! How can I help you this fine day?!” Richard Stevens blurts out as he opens the door. The two men instinctively put their hands on their sidearms on their hips.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, cowboys! Didn't mean to startle you two!” Richard says.
Ben and Todd relax slightly. “Good afternoon, Mr. Stevens. You caught us off guard there for a moment.”
Richard grins. “I get that a lot.” He steps aside, and gestures them in. “Why don’t you two come on in, out of that heat.”
Ben looks to Todd to know what to do. Todd looks to him and nods, heading inside. Ben follows and Richard closes the door behind them. Richard gestures to them to move into the front living room. “So, what can I do for you gents?”
Todd replies, “Yes. We heard that Sheriff Patterson came over here for dinner last night and were wondering if you had seen him? His wife’s worried about him.”
Richard smiles wide. “Ah yes! Sheriff Patterson. He did come by for dinner.”
“About what time was he here and when did he leave? Did he say where he was going?” Todd asks Richard.
Richard scratches his chin and then puts his hands on his hips, his right hand just above a revolver on his hip. Ben glances at it but thinks nothing of it, since everyone is carrying sidearms these days. He looks over to Todd and notices that his eyes linger on the gun for a little longer than maybe they should.
Richard takes notice and looks down at the revolver on his hip and smiles, then looking back up at Todd. “You like it? It’s a classic. It was my father's and his father’s before him.”
Todd doesn’t say a word but looks Richard directly in the eyes. Richard doesn’t seem to waiver and continues. “But yeah, Sheriff Patterson came by for dinner around sunset. I want to say he left around 11:00 PM or so. To be honest, it’s a tad bit fuzzy. We had a few beers with dinner and sat on the back porch for a while.”
Todd smiles. “Sounds like the good old Sheriff. That’s a very nice HD500 Ruger 357 you got there. And it’s nice to keep it in your family over the years.”
HD500 Ruger 357? What the hell’s that, Todd?
Richard smiles widely again, reminding Ben of the Cheshire Cat from Alice and Wonderland.
“Thanks, Deputy Bradley. I sure think so. It’s Bradley, right? Jim Bradley’s twin?” Richard then turns to Ben. “And I believe you are Ben Reilly, correct? I didn’t think you were a cop though. Deputized recently then, I take it?” Richard laughs lightly.
Before Ben can answer with a snide remark, Todd answers quickly. “Yes, on all accounts, Officer Stevens. Thanks for the info on the Sheriff. He’s probably sleeping it off in the Marketplace parking lot or somewhere nearby. Thank you for your time.”
Todd eyes Ben, but Ben’s still confused.
Why does he want to leave and what the hell was that about an HD500 Ruger 357?
Richard looks at the both of them, grinning. “No problem at all gents. Before you all go though, why don’t you have a cup of iced tea. My beautiful fiancé made it fresh, just earlier today.”
There’s an awkward silence as Todd’s staring at Ben, trying to get a message across, but Ben can’t grasp it.
“Everything alright, gents.” Richard asks, smiling.
Todd diverts his attention to Richard. “Yes, sir. Tea would be nice. Thank you.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be right back.” Richard says and heads into the kitchen.
Once Richard’s out of the room, Ben asks, “What’s going on, Todd? And what the hell’s an HD500 Ruger 357? Because I haven’t ever heard of it.”
Todd looks at him. “That’s exactly the point. This guy is not who he says he is, and something’s way off. The Sheriff does not drink that much. Only a beer here and there. And I'm pretty damn sure that the Ruger GP100 357 is Sheriff Patterson’s... His story is bullshit for sure.”
“So, let’s arrest him.” Ben says.
“The plan was to get information and come back with the cavalry if we had to. Now we know we need to come back with the cavalry. We need to play this smart, Ben. No reason for more loss of life.” Todd explains.
“Fine…” Ben replies. “Let’s go then.”
“Tea, first. As not to let him catch on. Then we’ll leave.” Todd answers.
Ben sees Richard come around the corner of the hallway out of the corner of his eye. “You fucktards need to learn how to fucking whisper better!” Richard laughs and raises a side-by-side shotgun, pointing it at Todd.
Before Ben and Todd can react, Richard pulls the trigger.
::Boom::
The shot hits Todd dead center. The force sends Todd flying through the air, hitting the couch behind him and bouncing him back forward onto the ground face down.
“Brother number two down for the count! Look at me! Two for two!” Richard shouts and laughs. Richard then aims the shotgun at Ben. “Buh-bye Ben!”
Ben dives to the right, in front of the stairs as Richard pulls the trigger.
::Boom::
Ben blinks, trying to get the ringing out of his ears from the shotgun blasts. He reaches for his PX4 Storm and brings it up while he’s crouched in front of the stairs. Down the hallway, toward the kitchen, he hears a clunking sound. Then Richard speaks. “You still alive, Ben?”
Ben sticks his head out to get a peek at Richard and a bullet whizzes by his head.
::Crack::
“Yup, guess so!” Richard laughs as he sends another two rounds down the hallway.
::Crack::Crack::
Ben ducks back and sends a few rounds through the banister of the stairs, trying to hit near Richard.
::Crack::Crack::Crack::
Richard returns fire, toward Ben.
::Crack::Crack::
Ben ducks back, under the cover of the staircase. He darts a glance toward Todd, seeing him starting to move.
He’s alive!
“Oh, it looks like I didn’t kill brother number two after all!” Richard exclaims. “Well, time to fix that!”
Shit! Ben thinks.
And without another thought, he dives out sideways, toward Todd’s unconscious body. He sends three rounds down the hallway and hears one in return.
::Crack::Crack::Crack::
::Crack::
Landing in front of Todd, Ben feels like he was just punched in the gut, having the wind knocked out of him. His vision is blurry for a second, but he thinks he can see Richard grabbing his right shoulder.
He hears Richard yell out in pain. “OW! You shitfuck! You actually shot me!”
Ben feels a searing pain in his chest and looks down.
Was I shot, too?! No Blood! That's a good sign! Oh Thank God!… But it hurts like a mother!
Ben then hears a door slam open and he looks back down the hallway to see the backdoor open and Richard gone.
Fucking shit! Eileen’s going to be pissed. Hopefully Todd can explain this situation better than I can.
Todd!
Ben pushes away his pain and returns to Todd. He rolls his body over and looks at his chest.
He sees a large slug in the center of his vest and reaches under the vest to see if it went through. He feels Todd wince in pain.
“Holy shit that hurts.” Todd says with a winced voice.
Ben pulls his hand out.
No blood. That's good, but the plate is definitely warped…
“I’m sure it does buddy. You probably have at least one broken rib. You were hit with a slug.” Ben says to him.
Todd’s eyes start to open up. “Where’s he at? Did you get him?”
“He took off. I wounded him… I think. But he also got me in the chest too. Great thinking with these vests, Todd. Real life savers...” Ben replies.
“Are you sure he’s gone, Ben?” Todd asks.
Ben then hears footsteps from behind him and feels the warm barrel of a gun pushed against his head.
“Ben Reilly, you son of a bitch!” Richard shouts.
“Shit!” Ben blurts out.
Richard smiles. “I knew I should have killed you that night on the road. You are just like the late Sheriff. You just can’t let things be. It got him killed and looks like it did the same thing to you.”
Richard chuckles lightly. “With the Sheriff’s gun, I might add.”
Ben shuts his eyes, thinking this is the end.
Not like this… he thinks as an image of Eileen pops into his mind.
6
Richard Clark
It had been almost two months since Richard had escaped Chino. To him, it felt like a lifetime ago. Everything had fallen into place for him and Richard found he was enjoying himself for the first time in his life. Sure, he had fun before, a lot of fun. But he was actually enjoying himself playing house with Holly Clark.
Richard thought about how much had transpired over the last seven weeks as he drank his coffee on the back porch, overlooking the lake. Richard looks over to where he knows Sheriff Patterson to be buried, knowing because he buried him the night before.
He smiles, thinking of the events of the previous night, the look on Sheriff Harold Patterson’s face when he realized that he was about to die, the enjoyment gained from burying the dumb bastard, and what he did to Holly Clark afterward.
Oh, Holly Clark, you are most certainly a keeper. Let’s just hope that you are not pregnant. Because then we'll have to resort to plan A, and if that doesn’t work… plan B. If
we get to plan C, I guess you weren’t a keeper after all.
Richard laughs lightly as he takes another sip of his coffee.
I don’t think you’ll like any of these plans, Holly. But then again, it’s not really up to you… is it.
He looks down at his empty coffee mug then back out onto the lake.
Might as well go inside and get our story straight. No doubt someone will come looking for the good Sheriff. Pushing his car off the side of the mountain was a good choice on my part. If they find the car, they will never find the body and have to assume that animals got to him.
Richard heads back into his luxurious home, taken from the family that lived there prior to his arrival. In fact, they were buried in close proximity to the Sheriff.
Richard had figured they were certainly rich and may have even been famous, but he never even bothered with finding out who they were. In all honesty, Richard didn't care. Even when they had begged for their lives.
One by one they were shot, the son, the wife, and the father. The way Richard saw it… it was their own fault for not protecting what they had. He even told them as much, prior to their deaths. “Good job protecting your family dipshit. You didn’t even try.”
The important part to Richard was that he had found a home for himself and his newfound fiancé.
As he walks back inside, he hears the water running upstairs. “Holly must be up and showering.” He says aloud.
After I’m done with here, she’s going to need another shower.
He chuckles at his own joke and heads upstairs toward his master bedroom, with his fiancé in the shower. He proceeds to the shower, forcing her out and onto the bed, not even allowing her to dry off.
After so many times of this, Holly has stopped fighting back and allows Richard to have his way with her and rape her. Richard grins at her submissiveness.
Definitely a keeper. He thinks.
After he’s done with her, he spits on her and laughs. “Best go take another shower, sweet thing… Then come downstairs, because we need to have a talk.” He laughs as he pulls up his pants and heads downstairs to find himself some lunch.
