Alone Again_After the Collapse

by John Sullins

  Keith pointed to the ears, “His nick name could have been 747.”

  Ed Roy laughed loudly but again grabbed the side of his face because of the pain. When he stopped laughing he said, “In high school, he got into a fight with one of the football players who called him that, 747. I think he hates 747 more than he hates his name, Dick Head.”

  Chapter 71

  After breakfast the next morning, Keith left to return to the Hamlet house and Ed Roy got into his truck to go home and check on his kittens. When he turned right out of his driveway he honked at Ed Roy who turned left.

  He stopped at the Hamlet house gate, pushed the button on the remote, and felt a level of satisfaction as the gate opened. He looked at the metal sign with the letters L.o.S.V. and thought about how fast Ed Roy had solved that mystery. He drove past the gate and left it open for Ed Roy.

  He flipped the wall switch in the kitchen when he entered through the back door. He had a couple of hours of power until it was scheduled to shut off again. The house was cold, he needed heat. As he was going down the steps it occurred to him that since having the electricity re-connected, he had not only failed to try to turn on the furnace, he had not even checked to see if the house had a furnace, or heat pump. The thought occurred to him that the house might have a generator, like the lake house.

  He turned around and went back up the stairs to the kitchen. Every form of house heating systems that he knew of had a thermostat which was usually in the center of the house, often on the wall in a hallway so that is where he looked. He found a programmable thermostat on the hallway wall between one of the bedrooms and the bathroom. He leaned close and looked at the small graphics display in the center of the thermostat. It indicated the system was set to OFF. He touched a button on the lower right corner and watched the word switch to “heat” and the numbers 39 appeared in the center of the display. He pushed another button shaped in a triangle with the point aiming up and watched the setting climb. When it showed 68 he took his finger off the button and heard a click and then a whirling sound from outside the house. Within a few seconds he felt air blowing up from a floor vent at the corner of the living room.

  Heat, he had heat in the house, but is the system connected to the underground portion? He went back down the basement stairs and then the steps to the secret section, and was greeted with warm air escaping from a vent in the wall to the right of the steps. He still did not know if the house had a generator, but at least he had heat for a couple of hours.

  He started his search with the file cabinets and the false identification and driver’s licenses. There was one thing in particular he wanted to look for. He opened the drawer and lifted out a handful of the licenses from the same section where he had left off. He read the names quickly, Ann Bradley, Lilly Castle, Leigh Child, Brenda King, Rhonda McDonald, Harriett Callahan, Michelle Jordan, Donna Queen, and then the one he wanted to see, Wendy Hamlet. He spread the licenses and identification cards out on the top of the cabinet and looked at the faces in the photos. Some had red hair, some blond and some dark hair. In some, the woman wore glasses. Some of the faces looked thinner than others but there was no doubt about it, it was the same woman in every photo, his great grandmother. These photos proved that his great grandmother and Wendy Hamlet were the same person. She had two separate Wills, one under each name. He thought about why she did that. He came up with no fast answer so he put those licenses away and looked at those in the second section of the file.

  All of these had photos that were also of only one person, a man, also wearing wigs and sometimes glasses. He was sure this man was David, his great grandmother’s cousin, because of seeing his pictures in the albums he and Ed Roy had seen in the lake house.

  The third section contained driver’s licenses and state identification cards for Morgan, David’s wife, or girlfriend, he could not remember which. Again, she was wearing different colored wigs and sometimes glasses.

  The fourth section contained driver’s licenses and IDs for another woman he did not recognize.

  There was no doubt who the photos were in the last section. The massive size of the man left no doubt it was his great grandfather, Ralph aka Buck as the album had stated.

  He spoke aloud, “They were some kind of a team, a bounty hunting team. I wonder if they were all in on the killings of those guys or she did that part by herself.”

  Chapter 72

  Ed Roy’s was rounding the bend in the road when he saw smoke drifting across the driveway in front of his house. When he turned into his driveway he saw the remains of his house and slammed on the brakes causing the big truck to slide to a stop.

  The roof was gone as was most of right side wall and front of the house. The wall on the left end was about half gone and some of the wall studs were sticking out at an awkward angle like ribs of a dead animal. The bricks of the fireplace were still standing but there was nothing but portions of blackened and burnt boards around it.

  There were no flames so he ran around to the back and stepped onto what remained of the rear porch. He wanted to go in to the kitchen where the kittens had been sleeping in a large cardboard box, but the kitchen floor was gone and there was no sign of the box or the kittens.

  He backed away across the porch very slowly holding his face in his hands, while he both screamed and cried. With his eyes closed, and not watching where he was going, he stumbled off the porch and fell onto his back onto the wet ground where the snow had melted from the heat of the fire.

  Chapter 73

  Keith heard a banging from outside the room and looked out to see Ed Roy holding one of the AR 15 rifles and frantically going through a box of ammunition. His head was down but Keith could hear him mumbling.

  “What’s going on Ed Roy?”

  Without looking up and moving his attention to a separate box containing magazines for the various rifles, he said, “I’m going to kill the son-of-a-bitch.”

  “What? Who?”

  “That bastard Richard Head. He burned down my house and killed the kittens. They are all dead, every one.”

  Keith moved to his side and took a grip on the rifle.

  “Hold on now. Give me some details. You said he burned your house down?”

  “Yes, there is nothing left except the chimney. I’m gunna kill him.”

  Keith pulled the gun from his hands, “If you do that you will go to jail. Let’s go call the sheriff. Let them arrest him.”

  Ed Roy spun around to face Keith.

  “They won’t do anything. I can’t prove it was him, but I know he did it. I don’t have any enemies. He is the only one who would have done it.”

  Keith put his hand on Ed Roy’s little shoulder.

  “Ed Roy, let’s talk about this. You are the only friend I have. I don’t want to see you in prison. Maybe we can figure something else out.”

  “Like what, let him burn up my truck too? I wanna kill him Keith.”

  Keith moved his hand to Ed Roy’s elbow and pulled gently. He wanted to give Ed Roy some time to think about what he was about to do.

  “Come on now, calm down, let’s go upstairs and talk about this.” He led the way up the steps to the basement stairs and into the kitchen. He pulled a chair out from the table and guided Ed Roy onto it. In an effort to try to distract Ed Roy, he asked, “Before you tell me about the house, do you know if this place has a generator? Have you seen one when you were looking around?”

  Ed Roy tilted his head, “What? A generator? What did you say?”

  “A generator, have you seen a generator around here, for this house?”

  Ed Roy shook his head, “No, I have not looked for one.”

  “Will you help me look? Maybe there is one outside, maybe in the barn.”

  Ed Roy realized what his friend was doing and breathed in a long slow breath.

  “Ok, let’s go look, but I still want to kill him.”

  They went to the barn and first walked around the outside but found no generator. They went
inside the barn and again found no generator. Keith thought the cold outside air would help calm him so he suggested they walk around the perimeter of the house and also in the tree line.

  Ed Roy did not object. They walked in silence around the house and then twenty yards away into the edge of the trees. Moving through the brush and snow was hard for Ed Roy’s short legs and soon he was breathing hard. Before they had completed the entire circle Keith could see Ed Roy had regained his composure.

  “That’s enough Ed Roy, let’s take your truck to your house and you can show me what happened. But I want to drive, you can give me the details from the passenger seat.”

  Keith intentionally drove slower than normal and let him talk without interruption. When he finished he pulled to the side of the road and stopped.

  “I have a few questions. Did you happen to look for fresh tire tracks in the driveway?

  “No”

  How about in the snow around the edge of the house?”

  “No, most of the snow close to the house was melted.”

  “That’s the first thing we need to do, look for tracks. What about any gas cans? Did you see any in the yard?”

  ”I didn’t look for any of that stuff Keith. I was so upset, I just looked for my kittens. I got into my truck and drove to where you were. I didn’t look for anything other than the babies.”

  There was still a small amount of smoke rising from the ashes when they got out of the truck.

  Keith looked towards the house, “Why don’t you stay here for a few minutes while I walk around the house and look for tracks.”

  Ed Roy nodded agreement.

  Keith stayed about ten yards from the edge of the melted snow and moved around the right side of the house. He saw small sized tracks he believed were Ed Roy’s but walked past them along the side and then along the rear. He found a set of much larger footprints on the back left corner. They led to and from the woods at the end of the back yard.

  He called out, “Ed Roy, I’ve found some tracks, Come back here.”

  While he waited for Ed Roy, he moved close to one of the boot prints in the snow, and carefully pushed his right foot into the snow directly beside it.

  Ed Roy stopped beside him and looked down.

  Keith pointed to the side by side prints, “The guy has a size ten or eleven boot, mine is the one on the right, mine is a thirteen.”

  Keith led the way, following the tracks in a wide arch to the left through the trees. At the beginning the tracks were spread far enough apart that the person was probably running but soon the gap between the tracks narrowed indicating the person had slowed to a walk.

  The tracks were easy to follow and Ed Roy asked, “What do you plan to do if we catch up to him?”

  “That probably won’t happen. It’s been hours since he made these tracks. Where does Richard live exactly?”

  Ed Roy stuck his left index finger out and pointed at about a forty five degree angle in the direction the tracks were headed, “About a half mile that way. There are no houses between us.”

  “Does he live alone? Wife or kids in his house?”

  “No wife, no kids, no girl friends as far as I know.”

  Keith stopped at a spot where the snow was disturbed in a two to three foot area on the opposite side of a snow covered log. There was an eighteen inch circle of melted snow where leaves were exposed along the edge of the disturbed snow.

  “It looks like he tripped and fell over the log.”

  Ed Roy bent at the waist and leaned forward examining the disturbed snow hoping to see blood. He found no blood but as he raised up he spotted something brown, partially snow covered, two feet to his right. He picked it up, a man’s cotton work glove.

  “The glove smells like gasoline.”

  Keith looked at the glove and then at the circle of melted snow.

  “The guy must have spilled his gas can when he tripped.” He raised his head and looked out into the trees.

  “Look over there!” He moved around the log and into the trees fifteen feet and picked up a five gallon gas tank from the snow.

  Ed Roy pumped his fist. “It doesn’t have his name and address on it does it?”

  Keith looked it over, “No name, no address, and no SS number. But there is no doubt it belongs to the person who set the fire. I’m going to take it in case we need it as evidence.”

  Ed Roy followed him in the continuing arc through the trees and soon they were standing along the ditch at the road about half way between Ed Roy’s and Richard’s.

  Keith jumped across the ditch and began searching for footprints. He walked along the same side of the road for about a hundred yards in the direction of Richard’s but found none. He crossed the road and searched coming back the other side.

  “The trail ends here, no tracks. Either he had his vehicle parked here or he had someone pick him up.”

  Ed Roy kicked dejectedly at the snow. “It don’t matter, I know he did it.”

  Chapter 74

  Keith carried the gas can as they returned to the burned remains of the house by walking along the road to the driveway. As they were about to get into the truck, Keith asked, “Is there anything worth salvaging?”

  “Naw, everything is gone, the kittens, all of my family pictures, my clothes, everything. I have a few things in my little work shed out back, but nothing I want to get right now.”

  Keith put the gas can in the back of the truck, started the engine, and made a U-turn in the snow.

  “Well friend, we have a few options. You are welcome to stay at the lake house, you know I have tons of room there. Or, you can move into the Hamlet house, which you know has a private security gate, or I have a couple of other properties.”

  Ed Roy started to object, but Keith interrupted.

  “Ed Roy, I know you are upset, but think about this before you say anything. You know I know no one but you and Joni Chade here, no one. I have no family, you have no family. From this point forward, I think we should consider ourselves as brothers. Don’t say anything right now. Let’s head to town before the only store closes and get you some underwear.”

  Ed Roy almost laughed, almost.

  Chapter 75

  Everything Ed Roy had owned except the clothes on his back and the new truck were gone. He was reluctant to make selections when they got to the store and Keith almost had to force him to gather what he needed.

  When Ed Roy picked out a pair of jeans, Keith pulled two more of the same size from the rack and put them in their cart.

  “I’m paying for everything brother. I feel responsible for what happened.”

  Ed Roy said, “Why would you be responsible?”

  “The truck, if I had not bought you that new truck, you would not have had a problem with Dick Head.”

  “I told you, that guy has been a bully his entire life. If it was not the truck, it would have been something else.”

  Keith dropped a handful of socks into the cart he was pushing, “Whatever the cause, you need to be careful. If he is mean enough to burn down a house, there is no telling what he will do next.”

  Ed Roy responded, “I’ll be ready for him next time. Let’s get out of here, we have enough.”

  Keith pushed the cart containing shoes, boots, pants, sweat shirts, shirts, socks, underwear, gloves, a hat, a coat, and a tooth brush to the checkout and paid for it all.

  For the trip back to the house, Ed Roy insisted on driving so Keith got into the passenger seat. He waited until they were a mile out of town before he began asking questions.

  “What do you want to do about what he did to your house?”

  “I want to kill him.”

  “I’m serious, what do you really want to do?”

  “I am serious, I want to kill him. But………….I know I can’t actually do that. He is not worth spending the rest of my life in jail.”

  “Good answer.”

  Ed Roy looked over at him, “What do you think I should do?”

  �
��I think you should forget it. I told you that you are welcome to stay in the lake house with me or move into the Hamlet house. Other than the family pictures was there anything in the house that can’t be replaced?”

  “The kittens.”

  “Killing those kittens was awful, but we can get you more kittens.”

  Ed Roy kept his eyes on the road ahead and did not respond.

  “One thing we need to consider is if the guy will be on your ass again. Do you know how to shoot, handle a gun?”

  “I’ve shot a gun a few times, a .22 rifle, but I’ve never shot a pistol.”

  Keith looked out the side window at the snow and trees.

  “We have a perfect place to teach you to shoot, we have plenty of firearms and ammo. I will teach you to shoot, to be comfortable handling a weapon, so you can defend yourself if need be. Can a person carry concealed here?”

  “Yes, it has been that way for many years. Both my dad and grandfather carried pistols. I just never got into it.”

  “Well, you are going to get into it now. We’ll start tomorrow. In the meantime, think about whether you want to live in the lake house or the Hamlet house. Either place is fine with me.”

  Chapter 76

  Keith insisted that no matter where Ed Roy decided to live, for safety reasons, he was taking him home to the lake house for the night.

  They carried the bags from the store into the kitchen and sat them on the floor. Ed Roy leaned his back against the cabinets.

  “It seems I am always thanking you Keith. I really do appreciate what you are doing for me. I don’t know how I will ever repay you?

  Keith pointed to the refrigerator, “You can start by taking out the hamburger and making us each a cheeseburger. I’ll be right back, I am going to get my laptop.”

  When he returned he sat the laptop and the little box containing the eleven flash drives on the table. Ed Roy was standing on a low stool so he could see the stove top, but he glanced over his shoulder as Keith turned on the laptop.