Collision Course

by David Crawford

  “Let’s put you up on the table, then. We can clean and disinfect it when we’re done.”

  The woman nodded, and Gabe took her hand and helped her up onto the veneer table.

  “You need a new towel. Where are they?”

  “Second drawer down next to the sink.”

  Gabe opened the drawer and pulled out a neatly folded dish towel. He removed the old towel and replaced it, throwing the bloody one into the sink. “Robby, where’s my light?” he called.

  “I can’t find the flashlight,” Robby yelled back.

  “Then just get the lantern. It’ll be better anyway.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Tell me what happened,” Gabe said, turning his attention back to Jane.

  She quickly relayed the whole story.

  “I dropped the flashlight out back when they shot me,” Jane whispered. “It went out when it hit the ground.”

  Gabe patted her on the shoulder. “It’s okay. We can fix it or get another one. You’re lucky they didn’t kill you. I hope you now know never to threaten to shoot someone, especially if you don’t have a gun.”

  Jane nodded sheepishly. Gabe had started toward the back door to get the flashlight when it occurred to him that the guys who’d shot Jane could still be there. He realized that he’d left his guns at home and mentally kicked himself. That’s what he’d forgotten in his haste, or was it his impaired condition? “Jane, did the chicken thieves leave, or is it possible they’re still outside?”

  “They just fired the one shot and left. I heard them running off toward the east. You don’t think they’ll come back, do you?” she said.

  “No, I don’t think so . . . at least not tonight. They already got what they wanted. You don’t have to worry about them anymore,” he said, hoping he was right. He placed his hand on her face to reassure her and noticed she was cold. “Where are the blankets?”

  “In the chest at the foot of my bed,” she answered.

  “I’ll go get you one.”

  Just as Gabe turned, the boy came in with a kerosene lantern. He set it on the counter next to the candle and grabbed a box of matches out of a drawer. A moment later, the room was bathed in a soft yellow light.

  “Thanks, Robby. Will you go get your mother a blanket?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Gabe turned back to Jane. “Let’s have a good look at that leg.” He pulled her hands away. The flannel pajama pants were soaked with blood from her knee to her hip. Gabe pulled out his large pocketknife and cut a slash in them about four inches above the entrance hole. He stuck his fingers inside and pulled, neatly ripping the material. Jane moaned.

  “Did that hurt?”

  “No.” She smiled weakly. “It’s just that these are my favorite pajamas.”

  “Sorry. That sure is a good young man you’re raising,” he said, trying to take her mind off her leg. Jane smiled and nodded. An instant later, Robby reappeared with the blanket, and Gabe wondered if the youngster had heard what he’d said. Robby gave no indication as he draped the blanket over his mother’s torso.

  The entrance wound was small and clean. There was almost no blood coming from it. Gabe figured it might have come from a .22-caliber weapon. He shuddered to think about what the exit wound might look like, but he had to check it.

  “Jane, I need you to roll over on your side. Robby, you help her.”

  The pair did as instructed. Gabe was surprised that the exit hole looked much like the one on the front of Jane’s leg. It was bleeding a little more, but it appeared there was little tissue damage, at least from what he could see. He grabbed some large bandages out of his first aid kit and a roll of wide medical tape along with a tube of antibiotic cream and a bottle of alcohol. He poured some alcohol on one of the dressings and carefully wiped around the wound.

  “This is going to sting a little,” he said as he got closer to the perforation.

  Jane tensed, but she made no sound. Gabe leaned over to where he could see the front of her leg and quickly repeated the procedure. Next he dabbed a liberal amount of ointment on both sites and covered them with clean dressings. Tape was wrapped around the leg and over the bandages several times.

  “That should hold you until we get to the hospital.”

  “Is that really necessary?” Jane asked. “I feel fine.”

  “Mom, Mr. Horne is right. You’ve been shot. You have to go to the hospital.”

  “All right, I’ll go,” she said weakly. “I can see it’s two against one.”

  “Robby, go pull your truck up as close to the front door as you can get it,” Gabe said.

  The boy nodded once and disappeared. Jane started to get up.

  “Whoa, there,” Gabe said. “You’re not going to put any weight on that leg until it gets properly checked out.”

  He put his arms under her and lifted her off the table. She was surprised. It wasn’t just that she hadn’t expected it, but also that he’d done it so easily. It felt good to have a man’s strong body next to hers, but the smell of alcohol brought unpleasant memories.

  Gabe carried her through the front door. Robby had opened the passenger door on the truck and was standing next to the idling vehicle.

  “Go ahead and get in, Robby,” Gabe said.

  The boy started to climb in on the passenger’s side.

  “The other side,” Gabe added. “You’re driving.”

  “But, Mr. Horne, I don’t have a license. Mom lets me drive on the gravel roads around here, but I can’t drive to town.”

  Gabe thought he’d hurled up most of the alcohol before it had gotten into his bloodstream, but he knew some had made its way into his system. He would never allow himself to drive unless he was stone-cold sober.

  “Yes, you can,” he told the teenager. “Driving on pavement is easier than driving on gravel. You can do it. Just keep your speed down. Now get in, and I’m going to slide your mother in so she can lay her head down on your lap.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The boy climbed behind the wheel, and Gabe put Jane in the truck. He placed a pillow underneath Jane’s feet and carefully closed the door. He instructed Robby to stop at his house so he could get his rifle, then climbed into the bed of the truck and knocked on the back window twice to tell Robby he was ready.

  When they stopped at Gabe’s, it took less than a minute for him to remove his rifle from his truck. Back in the bed, he stayed on his knees, looking through the glass for any sign of trouble ahead. Occasionally, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was closing in from the rear.

  The drive to town was uneventful. Gabe noticed lights in a few houses. Probably from candles or lanterns, he thought, but most homes were dark. He wondered if those people were already asleep or if they just didn’t have any way to illuminate their homes. It was eerily quiet as they drove down the dark farm-to-market road.

  In town, most all of the houses were dark. The only buildings with any electric power were the county courthouse, the jail, and the hospital since they had backup diesel generators. When Robby stopped the truck at the emergency room entrance, Gabe slung his rifle over his shoulder and jumped out of the back. He opened the passenger door and lifted Jane from the front seat.

  The doors into the hospital opened automatically as he carried her inside. A nurse saw him and told him to wait right there. She stuck her head through a set of swinging doors and said something that Gabe was unable to discern. A second later, a man dressed in white pushed a gurney through the doors. Following him was a deputy.

  “You can’t bring that rifle in here,” the deputy yelled.

  Gabe gave the deputy a quick nod and started talking to the orderly and the nurse as he laid Jane onto the gurney. “She was shot in the leg. It looks like a small caliber, and it went straight through. She lost a g
ood bit of blood, but I don’t know how much. I did the best I could to dress it and get her here as quickly as possible,” Gabe said in rapid-fire sentences as he set Jane gently onto the gurney.

  The nurse pulled back the bandage. “It doesn’t look too bad. I’m sure your wife will be fine, sir.” She smiled at both Jane and Gabe. “We’ll have a doc look at her just as soon as one is free.”

  “No,” Gabe said.

  Everyone looked at him quizzically.

  “I mean, yes, have the doctor look at her, but she’s not my wife. She’s my neighbor.”

  The nurse smiled, and she and the big orderly pushed Jane toward the back. Gabe took half a step in the direction they were going, but the deputy stopped him. “Let’s go put that rifle back in your truck,” he said.

  “Of course,” Gabe said.

  “And then we’ll take a walk down to the sheriff’s office,” the lawman said.

  CHAPTER 15

  DJ slowly came to a wakeful state. He could feel the moisture on his face, and his hand came up to wipe it off. He was slightly embarrassed that he’d slept so soundly, not because he’d slobbered on himself, but because he’d let his guard completely down. The bed had been so comfortable that he wasn’t even aware of how much time had passed. He looked at his watch, and the tritium hands showed it to be slightly after ten. Through the window, the moon cast just enough light that he could see the trees bordering the back of Crystal’s property. He arose and pulled on a tight T-shirt and a clean pair of black BDU trousers.

  Walking into the living room, he saw Crystal reading a book by the light of an oil lamp.

  “Hi,” DJ said.

  “Hey,” she answered. “You were really sawing logs in there.”

  “Yeah, I haven’t slept in a bed in several days. I almost forgot how good it feels. I think I could get used to all the comforts of home again real quick.”

  If she caught the hidden meaning of his last statement, she didn’t show it. “I was going to wake you at eleven if you weren’t up. The sooner we get rid of that car, the better I’ll feel.”

  “Then let’s do it.”

  “I’ll get Nancy up and get her ready.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  “Well, I can’t leave her here by herself.”

  “There’s not room for three people on the quad,” DJ said. He knew it wasn’t technically true, but if something happened, it would be impossible to maneuver well with that many riders. “Besides, we should be back in thirty minutes or less.”

  “I don’t know,” Crystal said.

  DJ shrugged. “I guess we can just leave it where it is. Sooner or later, some of those guys’ friends will come looking for them, or the law will be by with some questions, and remember, things are going to get real ripe in that trunk in a few days.”

  Crystal’s eyes got big again. DJ wondered which possibility scared her most.

  “I guess it’ll be okay if we’re only gone for thirty minutes,” she said tentatively.

  “All right, here’s what I want you to do. Drive as normally as you can, not too fast and not too slow. We don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves if possible. When you get on the road the quarry’s on, drive down it normally for a tenth of a mile or so, and then slow way down and turn off the lights. There’s plenty of moonlight, so you should be able to see okay once your eyes adjust. If you see someone coming, pull over and turn the car off. Lie down in the seat, and we’ll hope they just think it is an abandoned vehicle. I’ll be behind you all the time, but you won’t see me. Don’t worry, though; I’ll have you covered if something happens. You understand?”

  Crystal nodded.

  “Good. Let’s go,” DJ said.

  Less than ten minutes later, they were at the gate to the quarry. It was locked, but DJ made short work of cutting the chain. Crystal drove the car to the edge. DJ looked down and saw that there was water about fifty feet below.

  “Do you know how deep the water is?”

  “No, but some of the locals fish from the other side where it’s not so deep. Rumor has it that they’ve caught some bass that went over ten pounds.”

  DJ knew if that was true, then the water had to be fairly deep. It should be deep enough to hide the car. He’d planned on setting it on fire before he pushed it over, but that wouldn’t do any good with the water down there. It was probably better, though. If it was deep enough, the car might never be found. He also wouldn’t have to use any of his precious gasoline to start the fire.

  He removed some tools from his quad and soon had gasoline trickling from the hot rod. He got almost four gallons and was ecstatic, but he didn’t let that show. When the last of the fuel dripped from the tank, he and Crystal pushed the car over the edge. It made less noise than he’d expected when it hit the water, and he watched it sink like an old man climbing into a warm bath.

  He put everything back on the four-wheeler and climbed on. Crystal hopped on behind him, and they drove back to the gate. He closed it and zip-tied the chain back into place. He noticed that the air was a little chilly and smiled. He remounted his ride and turned on the night vision. Between the speed he was traveling on the bumpy road and the coolness of the night, Crystal had to press herself against his back and hold on tightly.

  DJ could feel the softness of her body. He liked his women just like Crystal, on the petite side. Perhaps he’d stick around for a day or two and see what happened.

  * * *

  “And no one got a look at them?” the sheriff asked.

  “No, sir,” Gabe said.

  “Well, Mr. Horne, there’s not a lot we can do. I’ll have a crime scene guy come by tomorrow to see if he can find any evidence and I’ll try to get a deputy to drive by occasionally, but we’re stretched pretty thin.”

  “I understand, Sheriff.”

  What Gabe didn’t understand was the way that the law enforcement officers were treating him. When the deputy had first said that they needed to come see the sheriff, Gabe thought he was in trouble, but as the two men walked the four blocks, something was different. First, Gabe wasn’t in cuffs. More than that, the deputy treated him as an equal. When they got to the sheriff’s office, the sheriff was actually nice to him. The man had never been unfair with Gabe; however, he’d always treated him like a criminal. Of course, that was before the Smash. Perhaps a guy who got drunk and disorderly on occasion wasn’t such a big deal now.

  “I’m sure Mrs. Walker appreciates you watching out for her,” the sheriff said. “I heard about what happened at the grocery store last week. You did us all a favor that day.”

  Well, that explains at least part of it, Gabe thought. “Thank you, sir.”

  “What you ought to do if you really want to help her and the boy is to move in with them.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it wouldn’t look right,” Gabe insisted.

  “And letting her get killed or worse by some scumbags would? I’m not telling you to sleep in the same room with her, but you can’t help her with problems like she had tonight if you’re not there.”

  “People would talk.”

  “Who gives a damn?” the sheriff said as he smartly rapped his knuckles on his desk. “Look, Gabriel.” The big lawman took a deep breath. “With the way things are going now, no one is going to cast judgment on you. Lots of families are moving in together to share resources. It just makes sense. We’ve been pretty lucky around here so far compared to what’s going on in the cities, but big trouble is more than likely coming this way, and I can’t be everywhere to stop it. Think about it. We need everyone to do what they can to help us by taking care of themselves.”

  It was the first time Gabe could remember the sheriff using his first name. What the sheriff said did make some sense, but
Gabe was used to being by himself. He didn’t know if he knew how to live with other people anymore. But at one time, he did. Maybe he could do it again. “Okay. I’ll think about it, Sheriff.”

  “You do that. Now, you better get back to the hospital, and I better get back to this paperwork, or I’ll be sleeping here tonight . . . again,” the sheriff said with a smile.

  “Thanks, Sheriff,” Gabe said as he walked out the door with the deputy.

  On the way back to the hospital, the deputy quizzed him about his encounter with the thief at the grocery store. “They told me you took the guy out with just one hit. Man, I would have given anything to see that.”

  “It really wasn’t that big of a deal,” Gabe said. “He was running with the basket and looking behind. I just stuck my arm out and clotheslined him. He was moving so fast that his feet just flew out from under him.”

  “Still, it must have felt good to sack him up.”

  “I don’t know. I just reacted without thinking, really. I’m just glad he didn’t hurt Mrs. Walker or her son.”

  “That’s true,” the deputy said, “but it must have felt a little good at least to know you stopped the guy.”

  Gabe was still thinking about the deputy’s words when he walked back into the emergency room. Jane was sitting in a chair in the waiting area with Robby next to her. “What did the doctor say?”

  “He told me basically what you said. It was a clean, through-and-through wound. He cleaned it up a little more and told me to come back in five days unless it starts to look infected. He gave me some antibiotics and some mild painkillers.”

  “So, you can go home?”

  “Yes, I can,” she said.

  “Let’s get out of here, then.”

  Gabe drove home with Robby sitting in the middle. He thought about bringing up what the sheriff had mentioned, but now didn’t seem like the time. Jane was quiet, and Gabe figured that was the painkillers they’d given her at the hospital. When they got to her place, Gabe helped Jane out of the car and into the house. Robby went in ahead of them and lit the lantern.