by Aiden James
Aghast, David pushed himself to the other side of the bed, finding it near impossible to move.
“Take a good long look!” Norm told him, leaning over the bed. The trickling blood from his midsection became a gushing rush that poured out onto the bed, splashing up against David as he tried to escape. “Don’t you dare forget what you see now and what we discussed tonight!!”
Closer and closer he came. David began to whimper, trying to curl up and away from the encroaching corpse of his dearest friend aside from Miriam. Norm reached out and grabbed David’s leg with his hand, sending an icy chill that radiated up through his entire body. He screamed….
And then woke up in the darkness of his suite at the Residence Inn. In a panic, he reached over and turned on the lamp next to his bedside, nearly toppling the digital alarm clock to the floor. The clock read 2:01 a.m. Relieved to find himself alone, the soft light from the lamp filled his entire room. No blood on the bed, or anywhere else. No sign of Norm either. The only things different from when he retired an hour earlier: his bedspread, which now hung mostly off the bed and probably a byproduct of the nightmare, and the curtain behind the table next to the heater. The curtain was drawn shut.
Chapter Twenty-six
David’s flight on Southwest Air didn’t actually leave the ground until 5:13 p.m. Sunday evening. Happy to get a window seat near the front of the aircraft, “Allie Mae’s Treasures” lay safely hidden from view inside his briefcase. Worried it might disappear again, he checked several times to make sure it hadn’t. Once the plane cleared the rough turbulent winds DIA is known for, he tried to relax, staring absently out the window while he reflected on his day so far. Breakfast was a somber affair, although Norm’s kin from Mississippi were glad to see him and Miriam again. They spent much of the time reminiscing about Norm’s antics as a younger man, since his family didn’t see him much after he became a busy and successful corporate lawyer.
Grateful for his wife’s presence at the service that followed, it gave David the strength to walk up to the podium where he spoke of the special bond he shared with Norm. Not a dry eye in the cathedral by the time he finished, Miriam grasped his hand once he returned to his seat, squeezing it tightly while whispering her love for him.
Afterward, she drove him to the airport. They held each other tight for nearly ten minutes at the security checkpoint and then David got in line, waving to her one last time before she walked away with her head lowered, her long dark hair covering her face as she cried.
The plane landed in Chattanooga at 9:25 p.m. After collecting his luggage and rent-a-car he drove to the eastern outskirts of Chattanooga where his aunt resided. He regretted not calling her ahead of time when he remembered she often retired early.
He parked his rented Buick LeSabre in her short driveway and headed up the steps to her craftsman cottage built in the early 1930s. A scraggly pussy willow tree to his left brought back memories of painful whippings he received as a child, courtesy of the tree’s wands. He peered in through the window closest to the front door before ringing the doorbell. Sitting in an overstuffed chair next to her television set, his Aunt Ruth knitted an afghan on her lap. She arose from her chair once the doorbell rang, with her cocker spaniel named Max at her side barking.
“Why David, what a surprise!” Her face lit up once she saw him standing on her front porch. Max continued to bark, unfamiliar with his scent. He hadn’t seen the dog since a puppy, roughly twelve years ago. “Come on inside!”
She opened the door and let him in, pushing Max behind her with her leg while scolding the dog to behave.
“Have you eaten dinner yet? I can throw together some soup and cornbread for you, if you’re interested in having any?”
“Actually, I’ve already eaten, Auntie,” he lied, hoping his growling stomach didn’t give him away. “I’m sorry to stop by so late. I just flew into town on business, and thought I’d come and see you since it’s been awhile.”
“Why, I believe it’s been almost four years since my trip to see you and Miriam in Denver,” she agreed, shaking her head. “We shouldn‘t go so long between visits, don’t you know!”
“I agree, Auntie,” he said, thinking ‘she’s right’ but also grateful for the reprieve.
He looked around from where he stood, noticing she had changed the wallpaper in the dining room, besides adding the new HDTV in the living room. Still, to him the house reeked from being the source for most of his unpleasant childhood memories. His aunt had lived in the house for most of her life. Much of the past twenty years spent alone, her husband died six months before David graduated from college. Before then, the house belonged to his grandfather, for whom he harbored deep resentment.
“Let me take your coat, David, and you can join me in the living room,” she said.
She hung his coat next to the front door and he followed her into the living room, where she motioned for him to sit on the couch. She moved back into her armchair, setting her needlework aside. Though some new pieces had been added in recent years, the room carried the same early American style he remembered from his youth.
“It’s so good to see you, son!” she told him. “How long are you here in Chattanooga?”
“I won’t be staying here,” said David. “My business meetings are up in Gatlinburg. But since I hadn’t visited down here with you in awhile, I decided to fly to Chattanooga and then drive up to my hotel room in Pigeon Forge tonight.”
A mixture of truth and lie he thought he could live with, since telling her anything about his true purpose and intentions would only lead to unending questions and opinions he could live without. Besides, if she had any inkling he and Miriam vacationed in Tennessee just over a week ago, it would crush her.
“Well, this is so nice!” she said, touched by his thoughtful gesture. The dagger piercing his guilty heart twisted in further. “But that’s a long drive, David…. Are you sure you wouldn’t like to stay here with me tonight and then make the trip up to Gatlinburg first thing in the morning, when you’ve got the benefit of daylight? I’ve got a spare bedroom upstairs, don’t you know!”
She looked so frail and vulnerable, and for a moment he seriously considered her offer. Ruth Guarnie′r was a slender, handsome woman, even as she rapidly approached seventy, with kind deep brown eyes. If not for the multitude of fine lines on her forehead and the long silvery hair pulled up tightly behind her head, she could’ve passed for someone twenty years younger. But he could tell the onset of serious arthritis made it difficult for her to get about these days. Having Max certainly made things less lonely, yet David knew she relished the opportunity to visit with another human being—especially her own flesh and blood.
“I can stay for half an hour or so, Auntie,” he said, hating himself for the disappointment he saw in her face. “My room’s already guaranteed, so I’ll have to show up there sometime tonight. At least by three in the morning.”
“Well, if you feel tired, I want you to strongly consider staying here until tomorrow,” she said, her countenance lighting up again. “You can count on the finest country breakfast at daybreak, too!”
“That’s a mighty tempting proposition.”
Unable to keep from smiling, he always loved that about her. Hell, if she had protected him from those who liked to hurt him as a boy, he knew they’d enjoy a much better relationship now. But he couldn’t help linking her to his painful past…. Maybe she should move. If she left this house filled with painful memories behind, he might see her differently.
“I have an eight o’clock meeting tomorrow morning, where I need to deliver a presentation,” he told her. He pictured himself handing the bag to a park ranger or someone else behind a desk at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park headquarters.
“Well, okay, then.” She adjusted herself in the chair, grim-acing slightly. “Damned bones!” she said, her tone a mixture of playfulness and irritation. “Gettin’ old should just be reserved for tax collectors and Republicans!”
/> “I can see why you’d think that,” he said, chuckling and feeling more at ease in her presence. He thought of some photographs Miriam wanted her to have. “I’ll be right back, Auntie!” he told her, getting up from the couch and running outside to his car.
Max rose from her side to run after him, barking from the porch while he retrieved the pictures from his briefcase. Under the LaSabre’s dome light, the bloodstained surface of the bag seemed brighter and fresh. He shuddered and made himself look away, slamming the passenger door shut before racing back up the steps to the bungalow’s front door. He dodged inside, hoping Max’s territorial moxie would ward off anything that tried to follow him inside his aunt’s home.
“Well, what have you got there?” asked Ruth, when David returned to the living room.
“Miriam wanted me to give these to you.” He handed her the pictures and sat down on the couch again.
“My, oh, my have the kids grown!” she enthused, after viewing the first few photographs. “Chris looks more and more like you, David, and I think Jill’s going to be as beautiful as her momma when she’s all grown up—with lighter hair, of course!”
When she got to Tyler’s picture she paused to study it, seemingly surprised by what she saw.
“Boy is that child a Hobbs or what!”
“You should see how the girls his age react around him.” He smiled proudly.
“His age? Honey, I think you better keep a good eye out for a teacher or two who might stray where they shouldn’t!” Ruth looked back at the photo, examining it more closely. She started to say something else, but didn’t. Instead she placed the pictures on a small drum table near her chair. “Well, you be sure to tell Miriam how much I appreciate her thinking of me like this!”
“I definitely will, Auntie.”
“You did say you’re heading to Pigeon Forge tonight, didn’t you?” She wore the same look she had a moment before when she studied Tyler’s most recent school photo.
“Yeah, I did,” he confirmed. “I’ll be staying at the Comfort Inn for the next two nights at least.”
“Grandpa’s people used to own a farm out that way,” Ruth told him. “They raised hogs and had roughly two hundred and forty acres of corn and tobacco. When it fell on hard times during the early 1960’s they packed up and moved everything to the other farm they kept near Ringgold. They couldn’t sell the first farm on account of Grandpa’s asking price, until long after he died. It sold for quite a penny in 1982, and is now part of some fancy gaming strip up there from what I understand. The bulk of that money remains in a trust fund.”
“I had no idea,” said David, surprised by the news his family actually once owned a second farm near Gatlinburg. He wondered if his aunt had any access to the trust fund, noting that her living arrangements seemed unpretentious as ever. During his last visit to Chattanooga eight years ago, he learned the other farm in Ringgold sold for a modest amount split up between several heirs including Ruth. It left her just enough to pay off the final mortgage on her house and purchase a brand new Ford Taurus, still parked in her driveway.
“The money’s there in case Medicare fails to take care of me like our current administration has promised.” She chuckled, adjusting her back support cushion. “But I don’t ever intend to touch it. When my time on planet earth’s up in the next ten to fifteen years, you can be sure a nice nest egg awaits you and the kids. The proceeds from the sale belonged solely to Grandpa’s direct heirs, which aside from me include just ya’ll since everyone else is gone. After I leave, the money’s yours to do with as you please.”
He didn’t know what to say, other than he really needed to revisit the reasons for his animosity toward her. After all, deep inside he always loved her. The bitterness that kept him from acting on his true feelings would surely bring a day of immense regret.
She seemed to sense this revelation made him feel awkward.
“Can I at least get you some tea to drink?” She stood up before he answered, grimacing, and moved toward the kitchen. “Better yet, I’ve got a pineapple upside-down cake I made just yesterday. Half the time I end up throwing most of what I cook away, since it’s too much trouble to put up leftovers, and Max has to watch his weight. Don’t we Maxie?”
The dog had followed her into the kitchen and David could hear the soft jingle from his collar, picturing Max smiling and wagging his tail as if next in line for some dessert.
“Did you make it the old fashioned way, with an iron skillet?” he called to her from the living room.
“Now, how else would a true southern gal bake an upside-down cake, David?” she scolded playfully, peering around the corner of the kitchen.
“Sorry, Auntie,” he said. “You don’t see much true southern cooking in Denver.”
She laughed from the kitchen and soon returned with a big slice of cake along with a steaming hot cup of orange pekoe tea. For the next hour they talked about everything from the kids and how they did in school to the football fortunes of the Volunteers and Golden Buffalos, as well as those of the Titans and Broncos. Since Ruth had interacted with Norm on several occasions over the past nineteen years, he worried she might ask about him. Luckily she didn’t. When time for him to leave, he walked with her to the front door, telling her he’d like to meet her for lunch at the airport before he flew back to Denver, tentatively set for Wednesday afternoon.
He stepped outside into the night’s coolness and Max growled.
“Oh, stop it now!” Ruth chastised her companion, and then looked back at David with an amused look on her face. “He never even growls at the mail carriers anymore, but he growled twice tonight, once right before you got here and again as you’re leaving. I’d say Max is trying to warn you to be careful, because he’s not worried about taking good care of his momma, don’t you know!”
They hugged and told each other goodbye, and he headed down the steps to his car. By the time he reached the driver’s side, his aunt had already shut the door and closed her curtains. The air around the car felt much colder than it had when he first arrived. He climbed in quickly and started up the LaSabre’s engine. He didn’t need another reminder to get going.
***
He arrived in Pigeon Forge just after 2 a.m. Pleased by the Comfort Inn’s accommodations, the night manager gave him a corporate upgrade. After getting settled in his room he called Miriam one last time to let her know he arrived safely at the hotel. They had already discussed his visit with Ruth once he left Chattanooga, and it pleased her that Ruth liked the pictures.
She made him promise to call her in the afternoon after he returned “Allie Mae’s Treasures” to its rightful place. Still unsure if that simply meant handing the bag over to the park headquarters or actually taking it to the ravine, it became the last thing he thought about while pulling the bedcovers up to his neck. Soon after, he fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-seven
David slept soundly and didn’t awaken on Monday morning until almost eleven. Since his agenda for the day consisted of just one thing, he took his time getting ready, allowing the luxury of a nice long shower. The bruises on his forehead and shoulder were healing, and the yellow halos had greatly faded. It amazed him that Miriam never learned of the handprint bruises. The subject never came up in their conversations and she hadn’t seen him without a shirt since the previous Monday night. It provided a cold reminder of how their revived physical passion hit a dead end once the spirit’s wrath invaded their lives full force.
His leisurely pace cost him breakfast, unless he wanted to drive around Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg looking for one of the restaurants that specialized in breakfast fare throughout the day. He ate lunch at a local coffee shop near the hotel. Afterward, he got directions on how to find 107 Park Headquarters Road in Gatlinburg from the hotel’s desk staff.
Cloudy with a steady drizzle for much of the morning, the sun reappeared by the time David pulled his car onto the main drive, US Highway 441, toward Gatlinburg. When he reached the Great Smo
ky Mountains National Park office, he parked in a spot near the door. About to step out of the LeSabre, he hesitated. Something told him this wasn’t the right place to drop the bag off, which made him think of the admonishment from Norm’s ghost.
He decided to drive into the national park and soon reached Cades Cove. The debate now became whether he should go to the ravine or to the visitor’s center next to the Cable Mill. The ravine…or the visitors’ center. On and on it went until he found himself parked in front of the grist mill’s outbuildings. He got out of the car with the bag gripped securely in his hand, like a slippery fish he didn’t dare lose hold of, and made his way over to the visitors’ center. He waited patiently for an attendant helping another tourist to finish, so he could then embarrass himself with his absurd story.
No matter how he phrased it in his mind, it sounded ridiculous.
‘Hi, my name’s David Hobbs and I’ve come all the way from Colorado to give back this little bag here covered in bloody fingerprints and pizza stains. Yeah, I know there’s a broken tooth in it, too, but I can assure you the blood that’s on the tooth and the bag isn’t from the same person. I believe the bag is a hundred years old…No, not the bloodstains, just the bag. The bloodstains are from my best friend who was murdered by the spirit to whom the bag belongs.’
While fidgeting, a ranger walked up and offered his assistance. At first David hesitated, fearing a worse reaction than what he expected from the other park employee. Already too late, the ranger noticed the bag held tight in his hand.
“You look like someone who holds a secret he can barely keep quiet about,” said the ranger.
David could only stare in response, both at the audacity and accuracy of the ranger’s words. He recognized the older man from a tour he and Miriam had taken when they first came to the park just nine days ago. His salt n’ pepper hair worn in long braids, along with his strong facial features, revealed the ranger’s Native American heritage even before David confirmed this from the name on his badge, ‘John Running Deer’. His warm brown eyes twinkled with keen interest as he awaited David’s response.
