by E. Joan Sims
He turned to another man on his left and gestured toward me with a nod of his head. The other man crossed quickly behind me and pulled me roughly to my feet. My head swam and pain shot through my neck and jaw as he yanked my arms and cut the rope. I groaned involuntarily. My face hurt more than my wrists. I gently comforted my swollen cheek with a free hand.
“Sorry about that. Ernie’s a good man, but he’s not very fond of the ladies. He’s on the lam for killin’ his old woman. Sluggin’ you was right up his alley.”
The other man leered and added with a suggestive wink, “I’m surprised he didn’t have his self some more fun while you were out cold.”
Eager to change the subject I asked the question that was foremost in my mind,
“Who are you?”
The bearded man at the table looked genuinely startled for a moment. He threw back his head and laughed.
“You’re somethin’ else, lady. You really got cojones.”
He nodded again to the man who had untied me. The man went through the door to another room and came back pushing Ta’Ronda Yancey in front of him. I couldn’t hold back a startled gasp as I saw her bruised and bloody face. It looked as though Ernie had had a busy night. I took a step toward her, but the man with a beard held up a stiff palm.
“Enough!” he growled. “I’m gettin’ downright annoyed with this little game.”
He turned to the young woman I had met at Fort Morgan.
“Ta’ Ronda, is this the gal you told me about?”
The girl looked at me sadly and nodded her head. The man who held her pulled back on her thick black hair and forced her face closer to mine.
“Take a good look, girly,” he spat. “The militia don’t want no mistakes.”
“My, my, my,” said the bearded man shaking his head again. “I am truly surrounded by idiots.”
He stood up, his figure towering over the rest of us in the small room. His forced his thin lips into a grin and pointed a long accusing finger at the other man.
“Get your sorry stupid, ass out of my sight!” he yelled. “I think I can handle these little women better all by myself.”
“But…” said the man in disgrace.
“Out!”
The man left the room glaring angrily at me as though it were all my fault.
“Now, let’s see if I can make you two ladies talk.”
Ta’Ronda sighed deeply. It was obvious she was in pain as she sank down on a wooden chair in the corner. The man gave her an angry look.
“Bitch! Who told you to sit down?”
She raised her battered face and smiled weakly. One of her front teeth was missing and her lips were cut and bleeding.
“What are you gonna do? Beat me up? Kill me? Go ahead,” she sighed again. “I don’t really care anymore.”
“She needs medical help,” I snapped. “Has she seen a doctor?”
He opened his eyes in a comical parody of surprise.
“Cojones from hell, little lady. Anybody ever tell you that before? Bet you ain’t’ got no boyfriend. A man wouldn’t put up with that mouth for long.”
He got up and walked around the desk. For the first time, I got a really good look at him. He was tall, almost as tall as Bert. His back was straight and his shoulders were held at attention. He was wearing jeans and a dark navy sweater, but he might as well have been wearing a uniform. His attitude and posture gave him away.
I stretched my neck and shoulders instead of answering. My head ached. I just wanted to go to bed and sleep for a week. I was too tired to be as afraid as I should have been, but when he walked around behind me and put his hands on my neck, my heart fluttered with terror.
“Here let me rub that neck for you. I learned how to do this from a lovely little lady I once knew in Cambodia.”
He kneaded the muscles at the back of my neck with big rough hands. His fingers smelled of onions and tobacco.
“Relax! I ain’t gonna hurt you now, maybe not ever, if you tell me what I wanna know.”
“It might help if you ask me something,” I protested as I tried to squirm away. “I don’t have a clue what you want of me.”
“Hey, you’re right! And here I am thinkin’ you can read my mind.”
He gave my shoulders a pat hard enough to make me bite my tongue, then pulled another wooden chair up close to mine. He got a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one.
“Smoke?”
“No, thanks. And please don’t blow it in my face,” I asked.
“You’re not making me laugh anymore, bitch. I’m gettin’ a bit tired of your high and mighty attitude.”
He looked over at Ta’Ronda, who was leaning against the wall.
“Hey, girlfriend! This bitch really has ’tude, what say?”
“Yeah, I guess she does,” the girl responded in a tired voice.
“Okay, bitch, let’s have your name, rank, and serial number so I won’t have to call you bitch anymore, unless you ask for it, that it.”
“Paisley, I’m Paisley Sterling DeLeon.”
“Okay, so far so good. Now, what’s this Leonard Paisley to you?”
“Leonard? Leonard is my meal ticket. I write mystery novels pretending to be him. There really is no Leonard Paisley.”
“Then that guy in the magazine was a fake?”
“Yes, precisely. A fake.”
“An actor?”
I thought quickly and decided it was best to leave it at that. After all, according to Bert himself, we were strangers. I went with Mother’s idea.
“Yes, an actor from New York.”
“And the picture of the cabin on the Internet?”
“Just a cabin in the woods. I don’t even know the person who lives there.”
“Damn! If you’re tellin’ the truth, we killed somebody’s poor old dog for nothin’,” he spat disgustedly as though in his world dogs had more of a reason to live than humans.
His grin was wicked now as he brought his face close to mine. I coughed when he blew smoke in my eyes. I tried to pull my head away, but he grabbed my chin and held me close.
“Then you’re the person we were lookin’ for all along. You bought that fancy little computer from the pawnshop, didn’t you? The guy with you must have been just along for the ride.”
“How did you know?” I asked. I was terrified he might have a description and not really believe it was me. I couldn’t let him go after Cassie.
“Pawnbroker. He told us a man and a woman came in and bought the gizmo the same day the little creep hocked it. Didn’t have time to do a police check on it. Tried to hide it from me at first, but he learned that it’s much more honorable to tell the truth. That’s somethin’ you’d better keep in mind, if you know what I mean.”
He tightened his grip on my injured chin. The pain was almost unbearable. When he let go, I sighed with relief and thanked him without thinking.
“Why, you’re quite welcome, ma’am,” he laughed.
“Wh…why is the computer so important?”
“I’m the one asking questions here,” he snarled. “But I will tell you this. At least three people have died over that little machine. Don’t you force me to make it four.”
“Of course not. I’ll be more than happy to tell you anything. But I’m so tired. Do you think I could take just a little nap? Then…”
“Quiet!”
Ta’Ronda must have dozed off, because she jerked upright and almost fell off her chair when he shouted.
“Can I have some water?” she begged. “I don’t feel so…”
“Goddamn females! Always askin’ for somethin’!” he yelled.
He jumped up and grabbed Ta’Ronda by the arm and threw her in the corner. When she raised up once to protest, he kicked her hard in the belly and again in the face. She fell back down with a muffled groan and was quiet.
I shook uncontrollably. I prayed for the strength and the wisdom to keep him from losing his temper again.
He came back
to the chair and sat down, rubbing his palms on his jeans. “Now, let’s get down to business. Where is the computer?”
“I…I don’t know,” I stammered. I couldn’t let him go to the farm. Mother and Horatio might have gone home. I had to protect them.
“It…it got stolen,” I lied.
The blow was swift and came out of nowhere. I lay on the floor in a daze. I couldn’t really tell where he had hit me. I hurt all over. He grabbed me by the neck and hauled me back up onto the chair. He wiped the tears off my face with an exaggerated gentleness.
Now, now,” he whispered softly. “We don’t want that to happen again, do we? Let’s start all over, but how about you tell the truth this time?”
“It’s true,” I cried. “Someone broke into the house and stole the computer and…”
This time he raised his fist in front of my face so I could see what was going to happen.
The door opened and Bert, the man I wasn’t supposed to know, sauntered into the room.
“Ernie! Dammit! What the hell? I told you guys to stay out there.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Beating defenseless women is my bag, not yours, Sergeant. Give it a rest. It’ll be easy enough to find out if she’s telling the truth,” Bert said as he leaned back against the door. He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke insolently in my direction before he went on. “If she’s the person she says she is, then people may be looking for her. When her body’s found, it’s got to look like it was an accident. Think about it, man. You don’t want her face all banged up.”
“Goddamn it, Ernie, you hit her first! Don’t forget that,” shouted the sergeant.
Bert walked slowly and deliberately over to the table and leaned down to face the other man.
“Let’s get this straight, you silly ass,” he said in a quiet and deadly voice. “You may be selling, but we’re buying, and the money can dry up quicker than you can say, ‘Aye, aye, Sir!’ You got me?”
The man glared angrily at Bert for a long moment, then made a sudden move to get up from his seat. Bert quickly reached under the wooden table and flipped it over with a mighty heave, slamming the sergeant’s head hard against the wall. I held my breath as he sank slowly to the floor in an unconscious heap.
Bert removed a dirty bandana from around his neck and stuffed it in the man’s mouth, then pulled some duct tape from his pocket and securely wrapped his face and hands.
“Paisley, are you okay?” he whispered urgently as he worked.
“Yes, yes…but what’s…?” I asked in a daze.
“Plenty of time for answers later. What happened to the girl?”
“He kicked her.”
Bert finished tying up the sergeant and went to check on Ta’Ronda. He knelt down and gently examined her injuries.
“She hasn’t made any noise,” I told him. “She may be…”
“Yeah,” he confirmed grimly. “She’s dead.”
“Oh, my God,” I cried. “Oh, dear God.”
Bert crossed the room quickly and pulled me up against his lean body. He held me close for a moment to muffle the sound of my sobs. Then he lowered his face next to mine.
“Listen to me, Paisley. We don’t have much of a chance to get out of this alive, but a chance in a million is better than none at all. Do exactly what I tell you, and maybe we can make it. Okay?”
My voice quivered as I answered him. “Okay,” I said.
“That’a girl!”
He went to the door and listened intently for a minute, then gestured for me to join him.
“I don’t think anybody’s out there. When I left the mess hall they were all inside celebrating.”
He looked me straight in the eyes and smiled. “It’s now or never. Are you with me?”
I nodded because fear had stolen my voice. I took a deep shuddering breath and smiled back.
“I love you, Paisley,” he said abruptly. “No matter what happens, I want you to know that. I’ve loved you ever since the night I first saw you.”
He smiled grimly and continued, “You were scared that night, too, but you were tough and sassy. I need you to be that tough now. Can you do it?”
For a response, I lifted my face up and kissed him firmly on the lips. That was all the answer he needed. He took my hand tightly in his and cautiously opened the door.
The room was empty.
Bert gestured for me to stay back as he edged around the wall to the window and peered out.
“I don’t see anyone outside,” he whispered. “But that could change at any moment. These sweethearts aren’t exactly predictable. We’d better make a run for it while we can.”
He grabbed a jacket from a peg on the wall and helped me put it on. The sleeves were much too long, but I knew I would welcome the longer length around my hips once we were outside. He found another coat for himself and turned to go back inside the room we had left.
Startled, I finally found my voice. “Where are you going?” I croaked. I was terrified of being without him even for a minute.
“The jerk had a gun. We may need it,” he explained.
I heard him move the table off the man’s body and turn him over.
“Damn!” came his muffled curse.
He came back to my side.
“Must have left his sidearm somewhere else. Fine soldier he is.”
“Was he really in the army?”
“He wished!” laughed Bert softly. “He was cashiered out two years ago under a cloud. He was suspected of stealing arms, but there wasn’t enough evidence. I’ve got the goods on him now, if I ever get to tell somebody, that is.”
He patted me on the back. “I’ll fill you in when we have more time. Gotta move now. Ready?”
I nodded once more.
Bert turned off the overhead light and opened the outside door. The clearing was empty, but we could hear laughter and loud voices coming from the mess hall. We skirted the edge of the woods and headed down the dirt road I had followed earlier.
The wind had died down and it wasn’t as cold. Nevertheless, I soon had to stop and pull up the hood to my jacket. I took a minute to search the pockets and came up with some very welcome mittens. When I was ready again, we hurried on with the light of a full moon to guide us.
Without my watch I couldn’t be sure, but it felt like we had been walking for over an hour. I was so tired I couldn’t think. It was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other. When Bert stopped abruptly, I ran into his broad back and bumped my nose. Bert ignored me as he kicked up the dirt with his booted toe and walked around in a tight circle.
“What are you looking for?” I asked crossly.
“Your flashlight,” he explained. “You must have dropped it earlier. I saw the shattered glass and the metal rim in the headlights of the four wheeler. That’s how I found you before.”
He knelt down on one knee and strained to see in the darkness.
“There! See it?”
He pointed to a bit of glass shining in the moonlight. It was the broken bulb.
“Okay, Paisley, where is it?” he asked excitedly.
I was too tired to understand what he meant at first. I shook my head and tried to understand his words.
“You would never have escaped empty handed. You’re much too smart for that. Where did you hide your stash?” he insisted gently but firmly.
I tried as hard as I could to focus, but my memory was hazy and fleeting. Pictures formed and dissolved rapidly behind my eyes. Finally one image lingered.
“A…a big rock. There was a hollow tree next to it. I put it in there. Yes! I had food and a coke and…some other things. I can’t remember what,” I finished lamely.
“Which side of the road?”
I turned around and around trying to find something that looked familiar, but my head was full of stuff and nonsense. I couldn’t think. It was such a silly thing not to be able to recall. I looked up at Bert in despair and bit my lip to keep from bursting into exhausted tears. I
was so ashamed that I had let him down.
“That’s all right, Paisley,” Bert said softly. “It’s okay. You stay right here. I’ll find it.”
“No! No, please!” I cried. “Please don’t leave me. I’ll never see you again, I know!”
I was ashamed of my weakness, but I had never felt so vulnerable. Bert was my lifeline. I had to stay close to him. I threw my arms around his waist and held on for dear life.
“Please!” I begged. “I know if you leave me one of us will die.”
He held me for a moment while I calmed down. I buried my cheek in the rough wool of his jacket. Even in the cold I could smell the good clean smell of him. The winter wind had blown away the cigarette smoke and the violence and underneath was all Bert.
“Come,” he whispered against my ear. “We’ll look together, but we must hurry. We haven’t much time.”
We were lucky. Bert saw the big boulder almost right away, and then I was able to point out the hollow tree trunk. My knapsack and the two blankets were right where I left them. Bert opened my picnic packet and gave us each a sandwich. We wolfed them down hungrily and took greedy gulps of the coke.
“Tastes great, huh?” he laughed.
The food gave me a renewed feeling of energy. My fears abated and my legs and heart felt lighter. The rough underbrush was easier to walk through, and I even laughed when a limb broke, sending a rain of tiny icicles down on our heads.
Then we heard the rifle fire.
Bert knocked me to the ground and covered my body with his.
“Damn! I thought we had more time,” he grunted.
We lay there on the frozen ground hardly breathing as we listened for another sound.
We didn’t have to wait long. The sound of gunfire came again but from farther away.
“They’re going in the other direction, back toward the lake and my cabin,” observed Bert with relief. “That makes sense. The going is easier in that direction and help is closer. There’s a ranger station at the dam.”
“Then why are we…?” I gasped as I tried to catch my breath.
“Because I hoped they would start looking the other way. I wanted to buy us some more time.”
“What are they shooting at?” I wondered.
“Probably at anything that moves,” he said as he helped me up. “Most of them are drunk and the rest are stoned.”
