Black Creek Burning (The Black Creek Series, Book 1)

by R. T. Wolfe

  "Baby, no," he said aloud as he felt deep under her jaw for a pulse. He found it and desperately began pulling her out of the cold water. She didn't have gloves and her fingers were a ghostly white.

  It was when he was untangling Macey's leash from around her that he noticed the blood. He remembered something about not moving accident victims until help came, but it was cold and she was wet. He tried to feel if she had broken bones and decided he had to get her warm. Working on autopilot, he wrapped her cautiously in the rough blanket and carried her toward his house. He could feel blood warming the crook of his arm as he ran with her up the hill.

  "Did you call?" he yelled as he entered the back door to the kitchen.

  Andy nodded and handed him the phone. Duncan had stopped screaming and dropped to his knees next to them, the corners of his mouth trembling. Andy hid his face behind his brother's shoulder.

  Nathan took a towel and tried to wrap it tightly around her head as he spoke to the rescue operator. "Wait, wait. She's awake." He held the phone between his head and his shoulder, leaning closer to her.

  "Nathan," Brie said quietly with her eyes closed.

  Sticking his head close to her face, he answered, "I'm here, baby. The ambulance is on its way."

  "Nathan." A tear fell from her still face and down her temple. "It hurts."

  He stuck his forehead gently to hers. "I know. We're going to fix it. I can hear the rescue. Just be still now. I love you." He squeezed his eyes shut and propped the phone between his ear and shoulder.

  * * *

  Slowly, the group in the waiting room grew. Nathan had tried to get Duncan and Andy to go with his folks. He thought school might take their minds off this, but Duncan had a tantrum Nathan didn't know he was capable of. So, his folks came to sit with them instead. They sat quietly in rows of cushioned chairs that were attached side-to-side. His parents had contacted Liz, who came with her kids, followed soon after by Dave and Amanda.

  "We're waiting," he said. "They don't think there are any broken bones, but she's got a gash on the back of her head, and they won't know how bad it is until the test results come back. She might lose some fingers from frostbite." His patience thinned. If he had to explain her condition one more time, he was going to punch something.

  He pulled Dave aside. "Where's McKinney, damn it? Find him and you'll likely find him with Black Creek mud on his boots."

  "He's actually in the parking lot."

  Nathan exploded for the door before Dave's giant hand caught the back of his LL Bean shirt. Dave quickly and smoothly twisted his arm uncomfortably behind his back and whispered in his ear, "Not here. Not now. Think."

  Defeated and feeling helpless, Nathan slumped down in the chair next to him, set his forearms on his thighs and put his face in his hands. "He did it. I know he fucking did it. He set the fire. He's always conveniently around when this shit happens. Here he is again. Can't you do something?"

  Dave shook his head. "Listen, patrols are at the scene and CSU is on their way. We'll wrap this up, man. I swear."

  They waited long enough to make him think the worst. When the doctor finally came out, he and Liz approached him away from the others.

  He was a small man that looked to be in his sixties and walked toward them like he'd done this hundreds of times. "She's unconscious. We were able to get some response from her and test results look good, but she needs to rest. She's lost a lot of blood. We suspect a pretty hefty concussion but will know more when she's awake. I'll check on her again in the afternoon." He stuck his hand out to shake like he was ending the conversation.

  "Can we see her?" Nathan interjected before he held out a hand in response.

  "Only a few at a time. She's needs to sleep and let her body heal."

  * * *

  "You know I need to talk to Duncan."

  Dave and Nathan sat in the closest waiting room while Liz and her family took their turn to see Brie.

  Nathan sighed. "I know. He's not taking this well. Be easy on him." He held onto the back of his neck and tilted his head up. "My folks are taking them for the rest of the day. You can talk to him after they go in to say goodbye to her."

  Dave felt for his friend as he watched the disparity run over him. He could see McKinney pacing outside the sliding doors and wanted to pound on him himself. He realized he was really only officially seen when the dog was poisoned. Unless you count the fire. He couldn't help but let his mind turn and contemplate. Brie swore she had never met him before the day of the fire. Shit. What a mess.

  Dave shook his head. "I need to take him back to the house and have him show me what he saw and where." He winced like he was waiting for a backlash. "The area will be surrounded in yellow tape and the evidence crew might still be there."

  "Shit, Dave." Nathan rubbed both hands over his face. "Okay. It makes sense. I'm going to be with him. Let me talk to my folks."

  Dave spotted Amanda and made his way to her. She looked like she was analyzing him, then buried her head in his chest as he sat.

  "I hate this. It's like six years ago all over again."

  "I'm taking Nathan and his kids to his house while the scene is still fresh in their minds."

  Amanda looked up. "You have on your cop face." She leaned back in the chair. "I'll stay with Brie."

  He pulled her back to him as Nathan made his way over to his parents and the boys. Andy was curled up in Mackenzie's lap. She stroked his hair as he lay quiet. Duncan sat in a chair by himself next to Sylvester. He had his arms wrapped around his legs in a tight ball, staring at the floor. Liz and her kids walked out and everyone stood up.

  "I'm going to get the dogs and see if they'll let me check on her house. Then, I'll take care of things at school for both of us. I'll stop back later." Liz's eyes and nose were puffy and red. "You'll call if she wakes up?" She kissed Nathan on the cheek and rubbed the tops of Duncan and Andy's heads. "Sylvester. Mackenzie." She nodded politely to them before she left.

  * * *

  It looked like chaos to Duncan. The moving van drivers waited at the end of his drive. A squad car sat at Brie's house and two at his house, one was plain with a light stuck crookedly on top. People were there taking pictures. A big man with a small, gold name tag that read Detective Tanner said he was there to hear his story.

  He did as he was told. He stood right where he was when he first saw Brie and the dogs. "She came from that way." He pointed across the creek along the lake. "She was jogging with the dogs. She doesn't usually go that way, but Macey isn't supposed to go far yet."

  "Then what did you see?" Dave stood back from him.

  He crossed his arms tightly as he spoke. "The lady on the four-wheeler came the same way as Miss Chapman."

  He saw both Dave and Nathan jerk their heads to each other from the corner of his eyes.

  Duncan turned. "Miss Chapman moved Goldie around to the side with Macey. I think she heard the four-wheeler coming." He swayed back and forth, holding himself closely with his arms wrapped around his sides.

  His voice started to get louder. He could hear it crack. "I saw the lady hold out the bat." He stopped to keep himself from crying. He wanted so much to get this over with. "She swung it at... at Miss Chapman. At her head as she passed her." He put his hands over his face and muffled into his palms. "She fell down the hilly part to the water. Macey lay on top of her. Goldie tried to get free from his leash. He, he pulled her around in the mud for a long time, then into the water. He got free and came into the house barking. Then Dad came down." He turned and looked at Nathan. "Can I go now?"

  The man named Detective Tanner spoke up first. "Not yet, son." He placed a hand on his shoulder. Duncan yanked it off. Tanner put his hand up and shook his head like he was trying to signal it was okay. How could this be okay?

  "Do you remember how many people were on the four-wheeler?"

  "One."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes."

  "What makes you think it was a woman? Did you see the
person from way up here? Could you describe her?"

  "Yeah, I could see from here."

  "Do you know who it is?"

  "I couldn't see her that good."

  "So, you're not sure if it was a lady."

  "I, I... yes, it was a lady." He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut.

  His uncle walked up to him and put both hands on his shaking shoulders. Duncan turned and buried his face in Nathan's stomach. He looked up at him pleading.

  "It's okay, Dunc."

  He yelled into Nathan's shirt, "She held the bat like a girl. She was small. She wore all black. She had on a cap. The four-wheeler was black. It was new and shiny."

  He sobbed in Nathan's arms, and Nathan cut a hand across his neck to signal they were done.

  Dave stood in his uniform as the walkie on his shoulder buzzed. He turned his body and took a few steps from them to take the call. He looked up and met Tanner's eyes, motioning his head toward the front room. Duncan heard them.

  "They got a hit on Finley's phone. Someone's at her house. There's a patrol on the way out there."

  * * *

  Nathan walked in with a duffel bag. Amanda sat in a chair on the other side of Brie. She was mumbling to herself, talking on the phone and writing on a napkin.

  A nurse took vitals and pricked Brie with a pin at the ends of her fingers. Brie jerked her finger and moved her head slightly in response. Overtly, the nurse looked down at his bag. "We don't have accommodations for overnight guests, sir."

  The doctor walked in at that moment and added, "But we can probably find a recliner somewhere. How is the patient?" He turned to the nurse.

  "Still responsive, but hasn't awakened yet. Vitals are normal. Looks like she's going to keep her fingers."

  "Good, good." He lifted Brie's eyelids.

  It was difficult to watch them handle her so casually. Nathan interrupted them. "She's been asleep for going on six hours. How do you know she's not in a coma?"

  "She's responsive. Prognosis is good. We just won't know until she wakes up." The doctor wrote on the clipboard that hung at the base of Brie's bed before letting it swing loosely. "I'll be back in the morning." He turned to the nurse. "Call me if she wakes before then."

  "Listen, Nathan," Amanda said to him. "Dave told me about the moving van. I'll be gathering folks together to unpack and move furniture for you. We can come back later and adjust whatever you don't like. I'll make sure the dogs have a place and check on the houses; get the mail and papers for tomorrow, and however long you need." She looked at her napkin as she spoke. "I'm assuming your mom and dad will take care of Duncan and Andy, but I'll give them a call and check."

  "What's all this?"

  "It's what I do. Boss people around in emergencies. This doesn't qualify as a hurricane or drought, but it feels as bad in some ways. Personal. Ya know? I'll get in touch with Brie's boss before she goes home for the day. Does she keep files on her landscaping jobs?"

  He told her about the gray binder and where he saw it last. He gave her Liz's phone number and where to find the dog food before she blew out of there.

  He sat alone listening to the machines and watching Brie for a long time. The pain and feeling of helplessness nearly choked him. To keep from going crazy, he pulled out his notebook from his back pocket, and sketched a small, trickling waterfall at the corner of his house. The hell if he knew one plant from another. He only knew what tulips were and what they looked like, so he drew them around the falling water and stones.

  * * *

  Liz came back with Tim and her kids before dark. Nathan's parents and the boys were already there. Duncan sat in a chair away from Brie. Andy was back in his grandmother's lap. "The dogs are fine," Liz told Nathan. "I gave them both a bath."

  "Amanda is—"

  "A whirlwind, we know. She's already had your folks and Tim working on your boxes and called Zach and Chase. They'll be here first thing in the morning."

  "Damn. I didn't think to call them," he said.

  "We've got it." Liz looked at Brie. "Nothing?"

  He shook his head.

  "You look awful. Will you sleep?"

  He nodded. "I'll be all right."

  Exhausted, he finally laid the side of his head on her white sheets and fell asleep holding her hand. His dreams were a fast-motion picture of flashes of memories: Macey chasing Brie in the snow; Brie reading by her fire pit, walking in snowshoes and hauling his dirty dog back to his house. The look of her sleeping in a tall cottage in the forests of Oregon. The first time she told him she loved him. He could hear her across the field calling the dogs over the fallen log. She sounded closer than across the field.

  "Nathan. Where are the dogs?" He felt the tips of fingers tap his cheek. "Are they okay? Wake up, Nathan."

  He turned his head to her. Overwhelming relief flooded him. Was she really asking about the damned dogs? He smiled and took her hand from his face, kissing her palm. "How do you feel?" he asked, lifting his head.

  "The dogs?"

  He shook his head and closed his eyes. "Heroes. Liz has them. How do you feel?" he repeated.

  She closed her eyes and whispered, "Like some asshole hit me on the back of my head."

  Chapter 27

  "Did they get him this time?" Brie mumbled, squinting at Nathan. "I guess that's a no."

  "I love you. We will." He pressed her call button.

  They came and asked Brie a myriad of questions and completed a battery of tests, including trying to get her to sit up, which didn't work well. He tried not to push his after-hours-visitor's luck and kept quiet in the corner chair. He heard them conclude she had lost her sense of smell and that her equilibrium was off.

  The doctor on call turned to him. "She'll likely be here for at least a few days."

  "A few days? What's wrong?"

  "It looks like the concussion is a grade three. We'll want to keep an eye on her."

  "How many grades are there?" he asked.

  "Well, just the three. I'll be back later to check on her head. She'll be tired and the dizziness may take some time to dissipate. That's normal. Don't be alarmed. It should get better. Has she ever had a head injury before?"

  Nathan nodded his head. "Concussion. Six years ago, yes."

  Indeed, she was out cold again. Almost twenty-four hours of sleep and she was back out after twenty minutes. He grabbed a shower and politely ate the rubber eggs and cold toast the nurse brought him.

  Trying to keep his mind together, he worked his seventh Sudoku puzzle when Amanda showed up with Dave.

  "How is she?" Amanda asked before she was all the way in the room.

  "She woke up. Not for long. Well, long enough to ask about the dogs."

  "You look like shit." Dave sat in the empty chair while Amanda sat at the foot of Brie's bed. "What's the prognosis?"

  "They want her here for a few days. She's not going to be happy about that."

  "Damn right she's not going to happy about that." Brie opened her eyes but kept her head still as she slurred, "I just got my job back. Did you tell them I just got my job back?" She patted around her hospital bed with one hand.

  "What do you need?"

  "I need to sit up, and I could use some coffee and some real clothes and a toothbrush and a cab."

  He pressed the button to raise the top half of her bed as he spoke. "Nothing wrong with your head, it sounds like."

  "There's always been something wrong with her head," Amanda said playfully as tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Relief flooded him. He handed her a white paper cup of coffee and kissed her forehead. "Your brothers are due in this morning."

  "This morning? How... what day is it?"

  "It's Thursday."

  "Who has my class?"

  Amanda piped in. "The same sub you had before. Liz is at work getting things ready for her and her own sub. She's taking the rest of the week off. I ran the dogs this morning, or maybe the dogs ran themselves. You have them trained well. I have your mail in my ba
g. Nathan's parents are lined up to clean up the mess the movers left in his garage and foyer. I'm stopping over to... " She took out Brie's gray binder. "... wrestle with the landscaping fabric for Nathan's yard. Do you always keep such detailed plans? A third-grader could follow this binder."

  Dave raised his eyebrows toward Brie. "She's a machine. I wouldn't get in her way if I were you."

  Brie lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip.

  "What's the matter?" Nathan asked in response to the look on her face.

  "I can't taste this. I can't smell this." She handed it back to him and used the side rails to pull herself up. "What is the matter with me?"

  He noticed the dried, brown stain left on her pillow. It nearly choked him as he reached for her call button again.

  "The doctor said you have a concussion. He says it's not uncommon to lose your sense of taste and smell and that it will probably come back."

  "Probably?" She sighed and looked over at him. "Okay. Thank you, Amanda. Nathan." They exchanged a silent conversation, and he kissed her knuckles as the nurse walked in.

  He tried not to sound as desperate as he felt. "When does she get her head dressing changed? And she needs a new pillow."

  "The doctor will do rounds after lunch. I'll ask him then." The nurse walked to the closet.

  Brie turned to Dave. "What do you know?"

  "We've got a mold of the tire print and are running it. Duncan believes he saw one person and that it was a woman—"

  "Duncan?" she asked, wincing.

  Nathan nodded. "He saw from the kitchen window."

  "Oh, no." She took a shallow breath. "Oh, no." She closed her eyes and rested back on the new pillow.

  Dave continued, "We're looking into the whereabouts of persons of interests—"

  "Dave." Nathan shook his head at him.

  She was sleeping again.

  * * *

  A glass of warm whiskey lifted in celebration of a job well done. The feeling of power and the adrenaline rush from swinging the bat were intense and satisfying. The three fingers of whiskey slid down in one wonderfully painful drink. The empty glass was hurled at the wall of photos. Uncontrollable laughter erupted as the shards of glass sprayed the tiny room. The yellow crime scene tape was the perfect finish to a perfect plan. It would be difficult to wait until it was time to finish her off. The edges of the dozens of photos flipped in the breeze from the twirl of the office chair. Laughter bounced off the walls as the table was swiped clear of an assortment of knives, a rifle, accelerants, wicks and lighters in one quick sweep. The chair continued to twirl and the laughter roared.