Beneath the Tombstone (The Tombstone Series)

by Martin Cogburn

  “Don’t you dare give up on me,” Tyler spoke sternly into the ear piece. “Remember the ladder on the side of the old barn?” he demanded. “You’ve got nothing left but finger holds between you and the top of this pitch – now do it!” the horseman ordered. “Get to the top!”

  Sweat poured down Jason’s face as he looked back up at the ledge and relative safety. Finally, he took a deep breath and gave out a fierce yell as he pushed against the cliff with his feet, bringing his right hand up, slamming it into a high finger hold.

  Scraping for more finger holds and pressing his feet against nothing but the bare cliff, Jason began to once more work his way up. Blood mixed with sweat trickled down his arm; a product created by digging his fingertips into solid stone. At last, his right hand grasped the ledge, and he didn’t stop fighting until he was all the way up to the safety it offered. Sagging back against the wall, he sat there for several minutes, trembling and shaking, taxed from exertion and the fear brought on by almost falling to his death.

  “Come on, Jason,” Tyler’s encouraging voice spoke into his ear after a time. “Finish this. See that big dihedral above you? The only difference between it and the ones back home is this one’s longer.” Jason didn’t move. “That and it’s the only thing that stands between you and being reunited with your wife.” There was a moment of silence before Tyler called loudly into the radio. “Come on, Jason,” he encouraged. “After this last pitch, you can basically walk the rest of the way. Get up! Come on, man… fight!”

  But Jason was lost in his own world of thought. “I feel like I’ve betrayed her,” he said quietly, his voice quivering.

  There was a moment of silence. “Did you?” Tyler asked.

  “Yes,” Jason admitted quietly. “This is all my fault,” he added, not moving a muscle or blinking an eye. “I set up my own wife. No one was supposed to get hurt.” He paused for a moment then went on. “A friend was going to help me stage a situation where my wife needed rescued,” he confessed. “Misty and I, we never made it. We were attacked several minutes before we would have reached the spot this friend and I had chosen.”

  Another moment or two passed by before Jason spoke again. “The preacher said that Judas was a wolf in sheep’s clothes. Am I? What if I’m the wolf in my dream?” There was a long silence as Jason rubbed his hand on the ledge. “I’m glad I know Jesus, but I’m not sure I’ve been forgiven… I don’t feel forgiven.”

  “I’ve felt that way at times myself,” Tyler admitted soberly into the earpiece. “I thought God could never forgive me for some of the things I done… but I finally figured something out – the whole time I thought I hadn’t been forgiven by God, it was because I hadn’t forgiven myself.”

  The piece in Jason’s ear was silent for a moment. “Be careful of the limits that you put on the power of Jesus’ grace and forgiveness,” Tyler advised. “Judas did; he put limits. Remember how that ended? I assume he thought Jesus wouldn’t forgive him… but, in truth, the finality of it all was the fact that Judas wouldn’t forgive himself. If he had, he would’ve gotten to see what a wonderful thing God had planned – not in spite of his betrayal but through it. God used Judas’ betrayal to bring about the greatest gift mankind has ever received… the gift of salvation.” Tyler paused for a moment then spoke again. “Have you considered the possibility that God has a plan for what you did?”

  “What would that be?” Jason scoffed in disbelief. “What possible good could come from what I did?”

  “You became a Christian!” Tyler stressed. “And look up here at the bridge; see all these people? They’re here to watch you… along with millions of others watching on TV. You’ve given them hope, Jason. You’ve inspired them.” The tall horseman was silent for a moment before adding, “We will never know to what extent the love you have shown today will affect the lives of others.”

  The tall cowboy was silent for a moment before he spoke loudly, “You’re still living, Jason! You’re still breathing… so, obviously, God’s still got plans for you! Don’t make the same mistake that Judas made. He was not beyond forgiveness until he hit the end of that rope and ripped his insides out.”

  “At least if I fall, I don’t have to worry about hitting the end of a rope,” Jason said in a somber tone.

  “What I’m trying to say,” Tyler went on, “is that if Judas wasn’t beyond forgiveness and I wasn’t beyond forgiveness then you ain’t either.” He was silent for a moment before adding, “So let yourself off the hook. God has forgiven you. I now know what your wife meant by the ‘whole truth.’ Quiet obviously, she has forgiven you, too. You’re the only one left Jason. Forgive yourself.”

  Jason sagged back against the face of the Tombstone and closed his eyes. Although he was hundreds of feet in the air on a vertical wall that was supposed to be his grave, a feeling of peace settled within him. “You are forgiven,” he whispered to himself. Then he opened his eyes and once more fastened them upon the summit.

  He stood and turned towards the dihedral. The cliff seemed to respond to him as he touched it, wrapping his hands around the corner, grasping the stone. He placed one foot against the other wall and began to inch his way up the ninety degree angle.

  “Good, Jason. Good,” he heard Tyler’s words of praise. “Remember what I taught you. Follow it all the way to the top.”

  “One hand over the other,” Tyler encouraged as Jason neared the summit. “Don’t slow down until you’ve cleared the top.” Jason didn’t. His face was red and covered in dirt and sweat. He growled deeply, breathing through the strain. With one hand, he grasped the rock that would lead him to safety. He gave a mighty pull and rose above the Tombstone.

  “Yes!” he yelled, sticking his hands into air. “Thank you, Jesus!” he shouted then dropped to his knees and lifted his eyes towards heaven. “Thank you,” he whispered, voicing the depths of his gratitude once more.

  Rising to his feet, he scrambled and crawled the rest of the way up as cheers erupted from the crowd on the bridge.

  “You hear that, Jason?” Tyler asked loudly, trying to be heard over the noise. “Well done, Jason. Well done.”

  Jason stepped onto the pavement and began following it towards the crowd coming his direction from the expansion bridge. Out in front were Susan, Jenny and Tyler. Tears ran down the women’s faces as they drew near. Suddenly, someone brushed past them rushing towards Jason.

  It was his mother-in-law, Grace. She grabbed Jason in a big hug and almost lifted him off of his feet as she sobbed. “I’m so sorry, Jason,” she cried. “I was wrong. I’m proud to call you my son-in-law.”

  After she let him go, Susan and Jenny, not willing to take turns, each grabbed him in a hug at the same time. Their tears dripped onto his sweat-soaked shirt as they each told him how proud of him they were.

  Tyler stood patiently by, waiting until his turn came. When it did, he walked forward with an outstretched hand. “Welcome to the sunny side of the Tombstone,” he said with a smile.

  Jason had never felt so indebted to anyone. Grasping the tall cowboy’s hand, he gave it a pull and wrapped him in a bear hug. “Thanks Tyler,” he said, speaking from the bottom of his heart. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Glad I was here to help then,” the tall horseman said with an easy laugh, returning the hug.

  What would come next, Jason had no way of knowing. He had hoped Misty would be there waiting at the top of the Tombstone, but she was nowhere to be found. Tyler was going to ride home with Susan. That was more than okay with Jason. Not that he was tired of the tall horseman; he just wanted some time alone to think.

  As he neared his truck, he spotted Tomas leaning against it. “Well,” the doctor spoke as Jason drew closer. “Looks like you did it.”

  “Yep,” Jason replied. “With God’s help, I did.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Thank you for your help as well.”

  “Yeah,” Tomas said, shoving off the truck. “Glad I could do it.” He paused for a mom
ent before asking. “So what now? Any word from Misty or her kidnappers?”

  “Nope,” Jason replied. “Nothing yet.”

  “Well,” the doctor said, “I guess I am going to head on out. Call me if you hear anything.”

  “I’ll do it,” Jason promised.

  The doctor walked over to his little red car, which was parked nearby, got in and left. Jason stood for a few moments, drinking in the beauty of the sitting sun, thankful to be there enjoying it.

  “Jason Hathaway,” a voice spoke. He turned. It was the lady from his first interview. “I’m sure you’ve got a ton of things going on right now, but could I get a few quick words?”

  “Sure,” Jason agreed.

  After getting her camera man positioned and everything ready to roll, she turned back to Jason. “This is going to be live. You okay with that?”

  “Yeah,” Jason said. “You bet.”

  “Alright,” she said with a smile.

  They both turned to the camera man. “We’re on in five, four, three,” he spoke then went silent, only mouthing the words.

  “Hello everyone, I’m Kim Kaylight with Fox News; I’m here with Jason Hathaway, and we are standing at the top of the Tombstone! Tell us Jason,” she said, directing her attention to him, “how does it feel?”

  “Feels good,” he said with a smile. “Really good.”

  “Did you ever dream you’d be standing here?”

  “Yes, of course I dreamed,” he said then paused for a moment. “Now actually believing I’d be here – that’s a different story.”

  “What one thing was most important in bringing you here to the top of the Tombstone?” the reporter asked.

  “The one most important thing, huh?” he asked thoughtfully. “I guess it would be hope.”

  “Hope in what?” she asked, sounding intrigued.

  “Awe, you know, hope in general, I guess,” Jason spoke then grew silent, thinking. “One: the hope of seeing my wife again and having a future with her. Second would be the hope of having children and being there to watch them grow. The hope of family, you know?” He paused. “The hope of life after death is one I’m really, really happy we didn’t use today,” he added with a smile, “but it gave me a certain element of peace, all the same.”

  “I’m sure it did,” the reporter responded with a smile. “Is there anything you’d like to say to the folks out there watching?”

  “Um, yes,” Jason responded, feeling a bit uneasy at the idea of millions of unseen people watching him. “I just want to say thank you and know that nothing is impossible. We all face our own version of the Tombstone, so, you know, just know that you can rise above it.”

  “Thank you, Jason,” Kim responded, her reporter tone taking on a bit of a personal note, like his words had spoken to her personally. “It’s good to be standing at the top of the Tombstone with you.”

  “It’s good to be here,” Jason replied whole-heartedly.

  When the reporter had wrapped up the interview, Jason turned to her. “So Fox News, huh?” he asked.

  “Yep,” the reporter replied. “They called me after our last interview. Said I had a way of getting answers to the questions people had about you. Offered me a job. I took it,” she added with a smile.

  “Well, you done good,” Jason praised before turning away towards his truck.

  “Jason,” the reporter’s earnest voice stopped him. “Thank you,” she said as he turned back to her. “I know it was not even close to being on your mind through all of this, but you gave me the shot I’ve been wanting for a long time.”

  “I may have given you the shot,” Jason acknowledged with a smile, “but you’re the one who took it.” She gave an understanding nod, and with that, Jason turned away again and headed back to his truck.

  Opening the door, he stepped in. That’s when he saw it – a note taped to his steering wheel. His heart pounded as he pulled it off and gently opened it.

  The note simply said, “Eden House. You will feel my presence and know I’m there. P.S. Bring your fat little doctor friend with you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The evening was quiet. Only a few drops of sunlight remained, filtering through the bushes that lined the sharp curve in the road. The sound of a rapidly approaching vehicle robbed the scene of its solitude. Moments later, a pickup zipped by, sending gravel sailing off into the bushes. Feeling like a dirt-track racer, Jason sat in the driver’s seat with a determined look on his face, clutching the steering wheel with both hands.

  He topped a small rise and saw tail lights. It was a small car - looked like the doctor’s. Jason began flashing his lights and honking the horn. As he neared, the car came to an abrupt stop. Surprised, Jason slammed on the brakes, the tires on his truck sliding through the loose gravel at the road’s edge. At the last moment, he swerved off into the ditch and avoided rear-ending the bright red, cherry car. Skidding to a stop beside and slightly in front of the doctor’s vehicle, Jason leapt out of his truck.

  The doctor stepped out with a quick stride and wide eyes. “Jason!” he exclaimed. “What in the world?”

  “Tomas, I need your help,” Jason spoke rapidly. “I know where they’re probably holding Misty. A place called Eden House. I got a note. They want you to come with me.”

  “Eden House,” the doctor spoke thoughtfully. “That sounds familiar. Hey,” he exclaimed, “isn’t that place up in the middle of government land, somewhere around that old rancher’s house?” He paused as if remembering something. “Isn’t that old house haunted?”

  “Allegedly,” Jason admitted.

  “The ghost of Maggie and all that, right?”

  “Yep, that’s the one,” Jason admitted again.

  “Jason, I have done a lot for you,” the doctor said patiently, “but I’ve got a family to take care of, my friend. I’ve got my wife and kids… I even got them a dog that’s counting on me.”

  “I had a family, too,” Jason said as he looked away quickly and wiped his eyes. “A wife. A dog. Now I have nothing.” He stood silent for a moment then his expression grew into a hard line. “You know I would go alone if I could,” he spoke in a level tone. “I ain’t afraid.” He flung his hands in the air as he added, “I just clumb the Tombstone for heaven’s sake! But the note said to bring you along… and that’s exactly what I intend to do even if I have to hog tie you and throw you in the back!”

  “Can I see the note?” the doctor asked soberly, seeming to be unfazed by Jason’s aggressive attitude. After looking it over for a few moments, Tomas let out a scoff. “They called me fat?” he asked, looking up at Jason. Finally, he sighed and threw up his hands. “Okay. I’ll do it,” he spoke reluctantly. “Haunted house, here we come.”

  “Thanks Tomas,” Jason responded with a relieved sigh.

  “Yep, saving the day again,” the doctor said, grabbing a jacket from his car. Walking to the passenger side of Jason’s truck, he crawled in.

  Gravel flew once more as Jason put the gas pedal back on the floor. Making the trip in record time, Jason turned down Irwin’s driveway, a pale faced doctor hanging on for dear life in the passenger seat. The truck began shifting gear after gear as Jason and Tomas barreled towards the old rancher’s house.

  The truck slid to a stop as Jason jumped out, racing towards the house. “Irwin,” he called out loudly as the porch light came on. “It’s Jason. Don’t shoot!”

  The door flew open and the rancher stood in the opening with only his pants on – though he had not forgotten his double barrel shotgun. “Jason, what in tarnation?” he demanded in his heavy Spanish accent.

  “I got a note,” Jason exclaimed. “I think they’re holding Misty up at Maggie’s old place.”

  “Makes sense,” Irwin said after a moment’s contemplation. “My boy knows of the place. It’s on government land so nobody can really claim it. Not likely for anyone to want to visit the place either, given the stories of Maggie’s ghost and all.”

  “What’s th
e fastest way there?” Jason asked excitedly.

  “In your truck!” Irwin replied quickly. “There’s an old jeep trail that’ll take us within five hundred yards of the old place. Let me get some clothes on,” the old rancher shouted as he shut the door.

  Less than a minute later, Irwin was trotting down his front porch steps fully dressed and still toting his shotgun. Tomas slid over to the middle as the rancher climbed in and placed his weapon barrel down with the butt resting against one hip.

  Lightening flashed, lightening up the western sky as the truck headed off in that direction. “A storm’s coming,” Tomas said, eyeing the sky nervously.

  Jason drove, following Irwin’s instructions, for several minutes until they came to a gate. “This lets us out on public land,” the old rancher explained as he hopped out, gun in hand.

  He opened the gate, waited until Jason drove through then closed it back. Guided by the rancher’s memory, they found the old jeep trail he had spoken of. They followed it for what seemed like several miles before Irwin, in a hushed tone, said, “Turn your lights off.”

  Jason obeyed. They bumped on along with only the hazy light of the moon shining through the clouds and the occasional flash of lighting.

  “Stop here,” Irwin instructed after they’d crept along for several minutes. Jason obeyed, placed the truck in park and killed the motor. “Climb over that rise, and you’ll see it,” the old rancher said, pointing towards the top of a small hill nearby. “You want me to come for backup or just wait here?”

  “Just wait here,” Jason whispered, his heart pounding. “And thanks,” he added. “I appreciate this.”

  “You bet,” Irwin replied. “Be careful.”

  Jason headed up the rise with Tomas close behind. He reached the top and looked down the other side. Just as Irwin had promised, there Eden House sat, a dim contrast to the elements of nature that surrounded it. Knowing he was expected, Jason headed straight for the old abandoned house, making no attempt to hide his approach. The doctor followed closely behind.