by Ann Mullen
“I don’t believe it!” Billy yelled as he slammed down the phone.
“Go after him, Billy! We can’t let him escape.”
Before Billy had a chance to get out the door and down the steps, flashing lights flooded the yard, followed by the sound of sirens. I looked up and saw a yard full of cop cars.
The police jumped out of their vehicles and several of them took off after the kid. Billy ran over to one of the cars and started talking to an officer.
The dogs walked up and sat together beside the door, waiting for a command, their eyes trained on me.
“Go get him!” I yelled to them. “Go eat that kid!”
They took off down the front steps and disappeared into the night. Their barking was so loud, I was sure they were going to wake the children, but they didn’t. Their barking continued until they were so far off into the woods that they could no longer be heard over the wind and the blowing snow.
I kept thinking to myself that if Wayne harmed my dogs, I’d hunt him down and choke him to death. It was then that I realized how easy it was for Billy’s mind to be in another place and not on the case at hand. I was sure that thoughts of Daniel had clouded his thoughts, keeping him from putting the pieces together. I never should’ve been so gruff with him. He was in mourning and I had been insensitive.
I heard a gunshot off in the distance and the faint sound of a dog’s howl… a howl that conveyed pain. My heart skipped a beat. All I could think of was that Wayne had shot one of my dogs.
Where was my gun? Where was my gun? Then I remembered that I had laid it on the kitchen counter. I looked around, but the gun was gone. Did Wayne have time to grab my gun before he took off out the door? I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t sure. I had my back to him at the time.
The thought that he had shot one of my dogs with my own gun made me sick. I had a moment there where I actually imagined myself with my hands around his throat, choking the life out of him… for killing my dog. I had to go after Athena and Thor. If one of them had been shot, I couldn’t leave them in the woods.
I grabbed my coat, slipped it on, and then ran over to the chair in the kitchen and snatched up Billy’s. I checked first to make sure the door wasn’t locked and then I closed it behind me.
When I got outside, I heard both my dogs barking! Both of them were alive! I knew their barks and I could tell the difference. Athena’s bark sounded as if she could be hurt, but at least she was still alive… and barking. I was so elated to know they hadn’t been killed. I don’t think I could’ve stood it if one of them had died trying to capture that punk kid.
“We’ve been trying to find him,” I heard one of the officers tell Billy as I walked up and handed him his coat. “We’ve been patrolling the area and when we saw that old pickup truck parked on the side of the road, we knew something was up. Bear Mountain Road’s a private road and we knew that truck didn’t belong there.”
“I’m glad you were so close,” Billy said.
I snuggled next to him as he put his arm around me.
“Well… it wasn’t quite like that. We already had a unit on duty parked in the woods. We had a feeling that he might show up. They always come back to the scene of the crime. The patrol officer was parked on Jonathan’s property. That’s where we expected him to come. It was just luck that Officer Whalen saw him when he passed by, so he radioed in. Don’t worry. Our guys will catch him. They won’t stop until they do. That kid can’t outrun them. Not in this snow.”
“That’s right,” Captain Waverly said as he walked up. “They’ll get him.” He greeted us with a pleasant smile even though he was being blasted in the face with falling snow and a stiff wind. “Is everyone all right? We should go inside, so you can tell us what happened here tonight.”
“If you were already on the scene, what were you waiting for? Why didn’t you come to the door?”
“Why don’t we go inside, Mr. Blackhawk? Your wife looks as if she’s going to freeze.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I said. “Besides, I’m going after my dogs.” I could still hear their barking, however faint. “I think one of them has been hurt. If that kid shot my dog, I’ll… never mind. Y’all go on inside. I’ll be back as soon as I find my dogs.”
“Hold on a minute,” Captain Waverly said. “Someone’s coming out of the woods.”
I could scarcely make out the figures, but when I did, I saw Thor trudge his way through the deep snow, shadowing the officer next to him. The officer was carrying Athena.
Thor continued to bark, but by now, Athena was silent… and limp. I ran toward them, my heart in my throat. Billy followed.
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” the officer said. “Her leg is hurt, but I think she’s going to be all right. She just can’t walk on it. She must’ve stepped in a hole or something.”
“Thank you so much for bringing her back to me, officer,” I said, crying.
I rubbed Athena’s head and then kissed her. “You’re going to be okay, girl.” I cried while Thor barked.
“Please take her to my car,” I told the officer. “We’ll take her to the chief’s house. He can fix her right up.”
Billy and the officer followed me to my 4Runner and waited for me to open the door. I looked over at Billy and said, “Will you go get the keys to my car? I’m taking her to the chief.”
He pulled a set of keys out of his coat pocket and handed them to me. “I’ll call Dad. You go on ahead.” He pulled out his cell phone.
Once Athena was safely stretched out on the back seat, the officer closed the door.
“I’m surprised she didn’t try to bite me,” he said. “Usually, when dogs are injured, they can be aggressive.”
“My dog’s smart. She knew you weren’t a threat and that you were trying to help. Thank you so much,” I said. “You don’t know how much these dogs mean to us.”
“I think I do.” The officer turned and walked over to his captain.
As soon as I opened my door, Thor jumped up in the seat ahead of me. “Okay, I guess you want to go, too.” I jumped in the car, turned on the ignition, and waited while Billy finished his call.
“Dad said to take her to the office. Adam will be there when you get there. If her leg is broken, she’ll need to have an x-ray before Adam can set it.” Billy looked around at the policemen and then back to me. “I should take her. The roads are really bad. I don’t want you out there by yourself.” He leaned over and whispered, “Can you stay here with the kids and handle the police without incriminating either one of us?”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, we saw the lights of a vehicle coming up the driveway. Jonathan pulled up alongside us and got out of his car. He walked over and asked, “What’s going on here?” He looked around the yard. “What’s with all the cops?”
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought you were going over to Lu Ann’s house.”
“I did,” Jonathan replied. “I dropped off the tree, and then she told me that her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend was coming over. She’s going to break the engagement. I had to leave so she could do it in private. You know how that goes.”
“The kid showed up.”
“Where is he?”
“It’s a long story. Would you go with Jesse to the clinic? Adam’s meeting her there so he can examine Athena’s leg. I don’t want her driving in this mess by herself, yet I don’t want to leave her alone here with the kids with that criminal running loose.”
“Sure,” Jonathan said. “I’d be glad to, but I think we should take my Humvee. It’s ugly on the roads. Cars are in the ditch everywhere.”
“My 4Runner can handle anything Mother Nature throws her way,” I said. “I don’t think we should move Athena if we don’t have to.”
Billy and Jonathan looked at each other and then back to me.
“Okay,” Billy said. “Go ahead. Pull out of the garage.”
I could tell that this was a test. Billy wanted to see how I handled the 4Runner with so many cars in the
driveway. So, I put the car in gear and maneuvered it around the other cars and pointed the front end toward the road.
“I’m ready when you are, Jonathan,” I said. “Come on. Let’s go! Time waits for no man... or dog!”
Jonathan walked around to the other side and opened the door. Thor jumped to the floorboard as Jonathan crawled in. Then he grabbed the lever to let the seat back so Thor would have plenty of room.
Billy walked up to the vehicle and tapped on the window. “Wait a minute and I’ll run in the house and get your purse. You’ll need your gun… just in case.”
We waited while he ran into the house. A second later he was back with my purse. “The 9MM is in there. Where’s your .38? I thought you laid it on the kitchen counter.”
“I think Wayne grabbed it before he ran out. I meant to say something, but…”
“Say it isn’t so.” Billy slapped his forehead. “What next?”
“I’m sorry, Billy. I never expected him to be so quick.”
“I’ll tell Captain Waverly that he’s probably armed with your gun.”
“I’m sure he’s going to like that.”
“Especially since the gunshot you heard off in the woods sounded like a .38. I hope he hasn’t shot an officer.”
“I hope not, either. I sure hope he doesn’t kill someone with my gun.”
“I don’t know why he grabbed your gun. He already has one.”
“He was probably out of bullets. Isn’t that what he said just before he pretended to shoot himself? He had used his last one, so instead of stealing more bullets, he stole a gun. Who knows why he did what he did? He’s confused and unbalanced… and a big, fat liar.”
“He’s dangerous. The cops need to catch him.”
“We will,” Captain Waverly said as he walked up to my car. “He just shot one of my guys. I got a distress call from Officer Whalen. He’s down.”
“Oh, no!” I said. “I hope he’s going to be all right.”
“He’s not dead, but he’s hurt real bad. If you’re leaving you’d better go right now. There’s an ambulance on its way here and you might get blocked in. My guys come first.”
“I understand. We’re leaving right now.” I stuck my hand in my coat pocket and felt the bulge of my cell phone. I pulled it out and threw it up on the dash. I looked at Billy and said, “I’ll call you as soon as we get there to let you know we arrived safely. Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes, we’re going to be fine.”
“Will you call Mom? She never called to let us know she got home okay.” I looked at the clock on the dash. “She should’ve called by now.”
“Go, `ge ya, while you can. I hear a siren.”
I blew Billy a kiss and put the car in gear. By the time we got to the end of the driveway, an ambulance had just turned onto Bear Mountain Road.
“That was close,” I said, pulling out onto the road and then pulling over to the side to let it pass. “Another minute and we’d…”
A vision went through my head and sent shivers all through my body when I saw the small, dark-colored pickup truck sitting on the side of the road. I was sure that this was the truck that Wayne Avery had been driving. I grabbed the cell phone and punched in the number for Billy’s cell phone. It rang several times before he answered.
“I just had a terrible feeling about Wayne Avery. I saw him coming through our back door. Where are you?”
“I’m still in the yard, but I’m going inside as we speak. Hold on, and I’ll check the house.”
The silence was eerie and the waiting was worse. “Come on, Billy. Get back on the phone.”
“There’s no one here but me and the kids, and a room full of policemen, so you can relax. The house is locked up and he’s not coming back here. If he does, he’ll be in for a real shocker. Trust me.”
“I always do, Billy.”
I closed up the phone and laid it on the console. I had a really bad feeling I couldn’t shake. Wayne might not be in my house, but I knew he was still close by. I could feel it in my bones.
Chapter 15
The drive to the Veterinary Clinic was perilous. The roads were slippery and the visibility was poor at best, but after a long, white-knuckled ride, we finally made it there in a little over thirty minutes. The clinic is only six miles from our house.
Adam gave Athena a shot for the pain as soon as we got her up on the table. Thor barked and just about had a hissy fit when Athena let out a yelp. After a complete examination and x-rays, Adam told us that Athena’s leg had a hairline fracture, but it would be all right. However, she would not be able to put her full weight on it for a while. He handed me a bottle of pain pills and said to give her one twice a day. There was very little else he could do for the fracture.
“Shouldn’t you put a cast on her leg?” I asked as I stroked her.
“A cast isn’t necessary. It’s a tiny crack. It’ll heal in no time. If I put a cast on her leg, she’ll gnaw at it, and could make matters worse. Give her the pills and try to keep her calm.”
“That’s easier said than done. She’s a feisty one.”
“That leg will slow her down, and if it doesn’t, the pills will. She’ll be as good as new in a couple of weeks.”
“Thanks, Adam. I appreciate your coming out on a night like this.”
“Hey, we’re family.” He rubbed Athena’s head, and then slipped his arms under her, picking her up. He turned and handed her to Jonathan, and then looked back at me. “Try to keep her off her feet as much as possible. That shot I gave her will make her sleep for several hours. When she wakes up, give her a pill. The pills will also make her sleep, so don’t worry. She’ll probably walk with a limp when she does walk, but that’s okay, too. She’s lucky it wasn’t worse. I’m just glad I didn’t have to put a cast on her leg. Animals hate that.”
An hour later we were on our way back home. Athena was asleep on the back seat with Thor lying next to her. Thor whimpered the whole way.
“Thor, if you don’t stop that whining, I’m going to pull my hair out,” I said. “I can’t concentrate.”
“Do you want me to drive?” Jonathan asked as he held on tightly to his seat.
I chuckled when I looked over at him. His face was pale and the knuckles on his hands were as white as the snow. His right hand had a firm grip on the door handle.
“You look petrified. Would you feel better if you were driving?”
“Probably,” he said. “But, then again, I’m used to being the one who is in control. I rarely ride with anyone. Usually, I’m the one driving.”
“So, you have trust issues, huh?”
“Don’t you start in on me, too.”
“Ah, I know where that’s coming from. Lu Ann has her doubts about your ability to commit.”
“Somewhat.”
“She loves you. That’s all that matters, Jonathan. Don’t let your fear keep you from what could be the best thing that ever happens to you. Take a chance. For Pete’s sake! You have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, yet you let something like making a commitment scare you. Please don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just…”
“Whatever you’re thinking, get over it! Take that first step. You’ll be so glad you did. I know. When I said yes to Billy, I had butterflies in my stomach for a week. I knew he was the one, but I was scared, too. We all are. You just have to let go of that single man mentality.”
“What is that?”
“Men are so afraid that a woman is going to lasso him in, and then he’s never going to have his freedom again. It’s so ridiculous. Where do y’all come up with this crap? Don’t you get it? You’re never really free. There’s always something that ties you down, whether it’s your job or your family. There’s a commitment there already, but you just don’t see it like that.”
“Now that you put it that way…”
I heard the sound of my cell phone vibrate on the dash board and then it rang i
ts zippy little tune. I grabbed it, flipped it open, and said, “Hello.”
“I was beginning to worry,” Billy said.
“We’re on our way home. We’ll be there shortly. We’ve just passed Crumpler’s Market.”
“Tell Jonathan his cell phone is off. Lu Ann tried to call him.”
I glanced over at Jonathan, and then said, “He’s got the jitters.”
“Oh, no. Say it isn’t so.”
“You should have a man-to-man talk with the guy. Tell him how happy you are with your wonderful wife.”
“Let me talk to him,” Jonathan said as he reached for the phone. “Jesse is full of herself tonight, brother. She seems to think she’s the love doctor. She’s been giving me advice.”
Their conversation continued until I pulled into the driveway. The police cars were gone. The only one left was Jonathan’s Humvee. I scanned the yard, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the glint of a shiny object off in the woods. For a second I thought I saw a person’s figure, but realized that the falling snow must be playing tricks on me. My stomach churned, but I didn’t say anything. Maybe I was hallucinating. It had been a scary evening and my emotions were still in high gear. I looked away, and when I looked back, I still didn’t see anything. Yet, deep down, I had a feeling that someone was out there. I would tell Billy about my fear.
I grabbed the garage door opener from the console and opened the garage door. I pulled straight in, not bothering to even think about trying to back in.
Jonathan carried Athena inside as Thor followed his every move. I closed the door behind us and then shook off the snow. I looked over by the fireplace and noticed that Billy had a raging fire going and had put a blanket down on the floor in front of it.
“You’re so sweet,” I said to him as Jonathan walked over in that direction. The two of them gently laid Athena down on the blanket. Thor cuddled up next to her.
“How are the kids?” I whispered.
“They’re asleep,” Billy whispered.
Athena is not a small dog. She probably weighs close to eighty pounds, and anyone carrying her will attest to it. Jonathan was almost out of breath.
