by J. Reichman
"I'm scared."
"Dreams can be scary, too."
The man in the blue car. Was he the monster of Andy's dream? Where was he? He could be in North Fork Glen, but where? Nick considered the homes of summer residents. No food. No heat. He must be in the home of a permanent resident. Many of them didn't make it home, but all the houses were checked today for pets. They found no evidence of a break-in. Did they miss a house?
Lyn returned. "He's asleep." She took off her robe.
"My favorite sight," Nick said.
Lyn blew out the candle and joined him. "You heard?"
"Yeah."
"The monster?"
"The man in the blue car."
Lyn put her head on his shoulder. "Maybe he'll remember."
"Um." Nick brushed her hair off his face. "I've been thinking."
"You have?" Lyn pulled back.
"I think only one house wasn't checked for pets today."
Lyn was silent for several seconds. "Brook's house. We already rescued Duke."
"Right." Nick sighed. "We need to check it first thing in the morning."
"Surely he wouldn't go back there."
"No one would suspect it. He's been there. Knows the layout. Food. Shelter."
"How could he?”
EIGHTEEN
“You ain’t used that old radio in ten years,” Nora said.
“More like twelve.” Wade pulled the cover off the radio. Hope I remember how to do this.
“Think it still works?”
“Should.” Wade plugged the cord into the wall outlet. “Worked last time I used it.” But it was full of static, if I remember right.
“Why you plugging it in? Generator goin’ to electrify the whole house?”
“Don’t know. Steve’ll be up in the morning. Hook it up somehow.”
“Kinda dusty. Old cloth cover didn’t work too well.”
“Don’t matter.” Wade fiddled with the knobs. “Where’s that book of call numbers?”
“On the shelf above your head where it’s always been.”
Wade pulled the book down. “Don’t even know who’s still operational.”
“Sheriff’s office should be.”
Yeah. I gotta find the listing. “Say, you ain’t told me about your talk with Louise.”
“She’s truly upset. Blamin’ herself for not callin’ Charlie. Warnin’ him to stay off the road.”
“She couldn’t know he’d be drivin’ back from Estes.”
“I tried to tell her that. They had plans. She was ready to retire from Town Hall. Spend the winter down in Florida.”
“Yeah. Charlie mentioned that the other day.” Guy was younger than me and already retired. I ain’t never gonna retire.
“What upsets her most is not bein’ able to git his body.”
“Probably have to lift that truck out of the river with a big helicopter.”
“Louise just sits in her room. Don’t want to talk to no one.”
“We gotta make this radio work.” Too many need help. That little Andy. Frank Fleener. Charlie. Killer runnin’ loose. It’s gotta work.
Brett answered the door. “Glad you could make it.” Boy, she looks nice.
“Waited until they went up to their rooms.” Shannon took off her jacket. “Shouldn’t stay the night.”
She got here only a minute ago and talks about leaving? “Why not?”
“Something might go wrong. Frank isn’t well. Louise won’t leave her room. Henri’s got a gun and that dog of hers. Now Howard’s seeing things.”
“Want some wine?”
“Sure.”
Brett put his arms around her. Smells good, too. “You need to relax.” He kissed her. “Your guests are adults. They can take care of themselves.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Brett poured wine into two glasses. “Guess I won’t be updating my cabins this winter.” He joined Shannon on the couch.
“Darn.” Shannon sipped her wine. “And I was looking forward to that.”
“You do have a flair for decorating. That sunroom, for example.”
“All my plants will die. Some of them I’ve had for fifteen years.”
She’s twirling that strand of hair again. “No one’s thought of plants. The pet problem’s solved for the present time. I might do something about plants.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“I’m thinking of staying.”
Shannon shook her head. “Oh, you can’t.”
“I know Wade and Nora will stay. I’ll get Steve to hook a generator to my house. The one at the daycare would do. I suppose you’ll be leaving.” Sure wish you wouldn’t.
“I have to find Kyle. We’ll stay with my mother until school’s out. Surely the road will be fixed by then.”
“But you’ll come back?”
“Absolutely.”
Brett tossed back his wine and refilled the glasses. It’ll be lonely, but I’ll have something to look forward to. “You said something about Howard seeing things.”
“Oh, yes.” Shannon nodded. “Four of them were playing cards and he suddenly yelled that someone was outside, that he saw a face at the window.”
“Really?”
“We all looked. Nothing there. I even got a flashlight and shined it out the window. Must’ve been his imagination.”
“Howard doesn’t seem like an imaginative guy.” Better check on that tomorrow.
“Maybe he has poor eyesight.” Shannon felt Brett’s cheek. “You need a shave again.”
“You want me to shave every day?” Women. Always trying to change a guy.
“Wouldn’t hurt.” Shannon grinned. “You had no chance to get a haircut, but I can help you out there.”
“What’ve you got in mind?”
“I brought my scissors.”
Brett laughed.
“This is the third night of hell,” Dana said.
“It’s not so bad.” Chuck put another log on the fire. “We had a nice dinner. It’s toasty in here. I even got batteries for the CD player.”
“You expect me to sit here and listen to your country western music?” Dana lit a cigarette.
“Denver’s asleep. We can talk.”
“Nothing to talk about.”
Chuck sorted through the CD’s. I’ve had enough of this bad mood of hers. She’s been up to something. Can’t lose my temper. That’d only make it worse. Got to be positive.
“I think it’s great the way everyone’s working together,” he said.
“And you made me work all day at the store.” Dana exhaled a cloud of smoke.
“You helped for three hours.”
“Nick came.” Dana shrugged. “Didn’t need me anymore.”
“Of course I did.” He put a CD into the player. “There’s still a lot to do.”
“I don’t like getting dirty, smelly. I need a shower. Want to wash my hair.”
“Didn’t you sign up?”
“Couldn’t get in until one tomorrow afternoon. I’ll take Denver, too.” She tossed her cigarette into the fireplace.
Ask her, you coward. “Where’d you go?”
“I can’t go anywhere.” Dana flopped onto the couch. “We’re trapped here. Remember?”
“You know what I meant.” Evading. What did she do?
“For your information, I got a couple gallons of bottled water at Striker’s, drove home, cleaned up, changed clothes. Happy?”
“I don’t like you driving around by yourself. A killer could be on the loose.”
“I can take care of myself, and I’ll drive around whether you like it or not.”
“Where else did you go?”
“I don’t have to account to you for every minute of my day. What is this? An interrogation?”
“I’m concerned, that’s all.”
“Well, keep your concern to yourself. I’m going next door and have some fun.”
Chuck caught the door before she could slam it.
“I thought you were
helpin’ out at Striker’s,” Jeff said.
“I was.” Darren opened the beer truck.
“I went by there this afternoon. You weren’t there.”
“Oh, Dana came by. Went over to her house for a bit.”
“Dammit, Darren. You gotta stay the fuck away from her.” Jeff lifted down a case of beer.
“I ain’t chasin’ her. She just always shows up.”
“You don’t have to go along with it.” What an idiot. She’s trouble. Her and her big tits.
Darren grinned. “I’m only havin’ a little fun.”
A truck pulled to a stop beside them. Doak put down his window. “I want another bottle of that wine.”
“On the porch,” Jeff said. “You ain’t stayin’ tonight?”
“Going up to the school and stay with Chrissy.” Doak slammed out of his truck.
“I been pickin’ locks all day,” Jeff said. “Takin’ dogs up to the playground. Herb took some of the cats home with him, the ones that were friendly and tame.”
“We got the pump working at Striker’s,” Doak said. “No water in the tank.”
“When can I gas up?” Jeff asked.
Doak shrugged. “Tomorrow, I guess. Thanks for the wine.” He pulled away.
“Let’s get inside,” Jeff said.
“Your dad’s clothes fit me pretty good.” Darren opened a beer. “Thanks for thinkin’ of it.”
“You’re mostly the same size. He’s just taller.”
At a knock on the door, Darren said, “The party begins.”
Hope it ain’t Dana. Jeff opened the door slowly. “Steve. Stella. Red and Cheyenne, too.”
“Thought we might play poker tonight,” Steve said.
“No money,” Darren said.
“I got a couple boxes of matches,” Steve said. “We’ll count a match as five dollars.”
“Let’s pull the table into the middle of the room,” Red said.
“Need more chairs,” Jeff said.
“I’ll bring a couple over.” Steve left to get the chairs.
“You girls play, too?” Jeff asked.
“Sure,” Cheyenne said. “It was my idea. I got the cards.”
An hour later, most of the matches were piled in front of Cheyenne.
“I’m out,” Darren said.
“Got any imported beer on that truck?” Red asked.
“Sure. What you want?”
“Something dark. Tired of this light stuff.”
“Be right back.” Darren took the flashlight.
“Your deal.” Steve handed the cards to Jeff.
Jeff shuffled. “Probably my last hand.”
“About time for us to go,” Steve said. “Want to hook up a generator at Wade’s in the morning. Get the radio to work.”
Darren opened the door. Dana followed him into the cabin.
Jeff shook his head. Dammit! There’s gonna be trouble.
NINETEEN
“You got a gun,” Nick said.
“You want one?” Brett asked.
Nick shook his head. “I’d probably miss and hit you.”
“We need to stop at Shannon’s first.”
“Okay.” Nick started his truck.
“She told me something last night. I want to check it out.”
“What is it?”
“Howard Grayson saw a face at the window. Created quite a scare. Nothing there, of course. They blamed it on his imagination and poor eyesight.”
“Nothing wrong with Howard’s eyesight.” Nick stopped in front of the Red Rooster.
“Just take a minute.” Brett left the truck’s door ajar and disappeared into the fog.
Nick observed the well-landscaped old house. Shrubs all around it bent in the brisk wind. Easy for a person to hide, he thought. Trees, too, their tops obscured by the ground-hugging cloud cover. A beautiful natural setting on a sunny Sunday morning, but eerie and menacing today. Like the setting of an old horror flick, Nick realized. It only needs a moan in the wind.
Brett reappeared out of the fog. “Tracks there.” He shut the door.
“He’s been looking around the village. Spotting where everyone is.”
“Something else weird. On his way to the outhouse last night, Darren thought he saw someone by the beer truck. Put his light on it. Nothing. On his way back to the cabin, he inspected the truck. Found a six pack of some imported beer gone. No one at the party was drinking the stuff. Stella Artois, he said.”
A few minutes later, Nick parked in Brook Stone's driveway. “Looks undisturbed from here." Faced with the reality of investigating the house, he felt jumpy and wanted to abandon the search.
"Let's look at the back." Brett checked his gun.
Nick opened the fence gate beside the garage, and Brett followed him to the back of the house. A glass pane was missing in the garage's door that opened into the back yard. Brett drew his gun. He tried the doorknob. The door opened. Brett stepped into the garage. From the doorway, Nick looked around. A lawn mower, a snow blower, and trashcans lined one side. Brook's car sat undisturbed. He wished he’d taken Brett up on that gun offer.
Brett motioned Nick in. "There's the door into the house."
"Lyn got Duke's leash from the garage," Nick whispered. "I wonder if she locked the door."
Brett tiptoed to the door, his cowboy boots echoing on the garage's cement floor. He stood to the right side of the door into the house and tried the doorknob. The door opened with a noisy click. Nick could see into the house where the sheet covering Brook's body spread across the floor. Nothing moved. His nerves tingled.
"She's been dead three days. It won't be pleasant," Nick said.
Brett took the two steps into the house and stood in the kitchen.
Nick craned to get a look, then stepped up to stand beside Brett. "Someone's been here." Nick pointed to an open loaf of bread, a jar of mayonnaise, and a table knife on the countertop. "That wasn't here before."
"I don't think he's here now."
The curtains hung closed in the living room. A blanket draped the recliner and a used candle stood on the table beside it, an open magazine crumpled on the floor. Several empty Stella Artois bottles sat on the floor beside the recliner. Made himself comfortable, Nick thought.
Both Andy's room and the guestroom appeared as Nick remembered them. Rumpled sheets and blankets covered the master bed. Closet doors and chest drawers stood open.
"He had a good night's sleep," Nick said.
"Must’ve been looking for clothes, I suppose."
Nick stepped into the bath. "Whew. He used the toilet but couldn't flush. Hey, Brett, look at this."
Brett joined Nick.
"Blood on the sink." Several empty water bottles were scattered on the floor, a roll of gauze bandage lay beside the sink.
"Injured? We found no sign down river that he was injured."
"I'd say it's recent," Nick said. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be bleeding. The injury would've scabbed over."
"So he bandaged it up." Brett searched the clothes on the bedroom floor. "Here's a shirt with a bloody torn sleeve."
Nick inspected the shirt. "Cut on the right biceps. Barbed wire? Maybe cut himself on broken glass?"
“He’s left a bunch of DNA. Crime scene will get lots of evidence.”
“Guess he doesn’t care about that.”
"Where do you suppose he is?"
Nick shrugged. "I don't think he'll come back here. He knows that we know about the murder. I think he'll hide out somewhere else."
"You never did give us all the details about the murder, Nick."
Nick summarized what he and Lyn found on Thursday afternoon. "But don't go telling. The man's a sadistic bastard. Gets pleasure inflicting pain. People are already frightened. With everyone armed, I don't want a panic."
"Let's look at the other two houses down the hill. He may not have gone far."
"I’ll take pictures." Nick focused his cell phone on the bed. "Lyn took pictures when we found the body.
The cops can use them for comparison."
"I'll wait outside."
I should congratulate Lyn on this picture taking idea. Nick snapped shots of the scattered clothing, the toilet, the sink area, and other parts of the living room and kitchen before joining Brett. They found the two houses down the hill secure. The man was on the loose.
“We’ve got to tell everyone,” Nick said.
“I don’t know. They’re all on edge as it is. Someone could shoot at a shadow in this fog. Kill a friend. Let’s wait until tonight.”
At Brett’s cabins, seven other men prepared to thoroughly examine each house in the glen. Nick told them that he and Brett inspected Brook's house to make sure the crime scene was undisturbed.
"Nine of us." Chuck’s umbrella whipped in the wind. "One more and we'd have five teams."
"Here comes Henri, loaded for bear," Jeff said. "Looks like she wants some action."
"Good." Nick paired up the volunteers, assigned areas, and the five teams dispersed to comb their designated sections.
"Look sharp," Brett said as Nick drove slowly along the road. "He could be behind a bush, even up a tree."
"I'm looking as hard as I can." He scanned his side of the roadway. "Maybe we should've told them."
"I know how Chuck would've reacted. Henri, too."
"If something happens, if someone gets hurt, I'll never forgive myself."
"I suggested waiting until tonight. Blame me. I've got big shoulders."
Nick stopped the truck. “Over there.”
“I don’t see anything.”
“Hard to make out with all this mist and fog swirling around.”
“Oh, now I see it.”
Nick chuckled. “A tree. Just spooked, I guess.” He moved on.
“Shannon and I went over to Jeff’s cabin for an hour or so. They’d been playing poker but then it got wild. Dana was there, drinking heavily. Sat on Darren’s lap and kissed him.”
“Uh oh. Chuck there?”
“No.”
They searched the houses in their section, finding nothing, and returned to the cabins where the other four teams waited. No one found evidence of tampering in the village. Nick breathed easier.
“Let’s get Wade’s radio working,” Nick said.
An hour later, they reached the dispatcher at the sheriff’s office. “We’ve been trying to contact you,” he said.
