but, mercury's not in retrograde!

by McCarthy, G. L.

  Sam was ready to go now, but didn’t want to get Jessie worked up. Heading for the work room, she thought she could kill some time finishing what she started yesterday by beginning to look for the tools she wanted to take along. Jessie was finally getting up and wanted to cook breakfast. Sam was halfway out the back door and told her to give a shout when it was ready.

  Trying to concentrate on work was becoming more difficult with every passing minute for TJ. She wanted to catch this creep, before he could hurt anyone else. She knew Cyn was somewhat safe as long as the hiking plan was still what Richard had in mind. But, Frederick’s accident could happen any time. She wanted to start looking for that tunnel entrance as soon as possible. She decided to get what work she had to do finished in record time. She called Sam, wanting to move their time table up an hour or so. She hoped Sam was of the same mind.

  “Hey, TJ, what’s up?” Sam was glad they had the same phone service so these calls were free.

  “How’s about we move our meeting up a couple of hours. I’m going stir crazy here at work. I want to be doing something to catch this creep.” TJ was ready to go by herself.

  “Absolutely, I feel the same way. Jessie’s making me breakfast then I’ll get her moving and I’ll call you when we get into town. I need a few things from the hardware store.” Sam and TJ were going to get along great as neither one liked waiting around.

  “Excellent. I’ll talk to you then.” TJ calculated how much time she had and she shifted into high gear so she’d be able to get these cars done.

  Chapter 34

  The Sheriff felt a little overwhelmed with this sudden surge of troubles in his quiet little town. Contacting Judge Bob, he knew he could get some sound advice. Also, he would have someone who didn’t talk to birds and spirits to come up with another possible plan on how to catch a psycho. The Sheriff wanted to run everything by him, just leaving out a few things. Bob was in an early meeting, but his secretary was going to have him call as soon as he came out. Needing someone who knew bombs or incendiary devices, the Sheriff racked his brain before remembering that one of the guys at the firehouse was also an arson investigator. Giving him a call at the station, the Sheriff tried not to play it up like a big thing. He hoped he was free to go to lunch and then they could swing by the school and take a look. This old boy could talk, so if the Sheriff got there in the next hour or so he could have the majority of catching up over with and they could concentrate on the task at hand.

  Sam had the workroom almost finished. She was trying to decide where the best place to put the vise would be. Hearing Jessie yell that breakfast was ready, she could hardly wait to eat, get the kitchen cleaned up, and get into town. She had a list of things she needed for her archaeological dig charade and for building Alex’s miniature ranch. It helped that Carol’s store seemed to have everything. She remembered seeing it all when they picked up the new barbeque. After locking the workroom, Sam was heading for the back door when she spotted a raven sitting in a nearby tree.

  “We’ll meet you in town by the hardware store, okay?” Sam wanted to believe as strongly as Alex and when the raven squawked at her and flew in the direction of town, she was beginning to have a little more faith.

  “Who are you yelling at?” Jessie asked as she put Sam’s plate on the table.

  “Anna. She was waiting in a tree, so I told her to meet

  us at the hardware store.” Sam said it very matter of fact, as

  she wanted Jessie to think that she was a true believer. “Anna was in a tree? Oh, the raven. I see, so now

  you’re talking to her, too?” Jessie knew Sam loved Alex but

  this might be going overboard.

  “Yep. Alex told me she would be my guide today and

  I believe her.” Sam knew her cousin wasn’t a hundred percent

  sure about the raven, but maybe ninety-five percent. “Okay, but you be sure and listen to her. She’s older

  and wiser than all of us, so pay attention.” Jessie didn’t want

  Sam to think she didn’t have any faith in the old woman. Sam tried to eat at a moderate rate and not appear to be

  rushing, but she was. She finished and started cleaning up the

  kitchen while Jessie finished her coffee and went in to get

  dressed. Sam decided to change into an older pair of jeans,

  knowing she was going to get very muddy digging near the

  creek bed, thanks to all the past rain.

  Jessie could tell Sam was becoming anxious and

  wanted to get going. She had faith in her ability to take care of

  herself, but she still worried about how all of this was going to

  end. She had today, and then tomorrow she would leave for

  home. She wished she could have stayed over the weekend to

  have more time with Alex and Sam, but she had a husband and

  a business to take care of back in New Mexico. She was

  grateful for these few days and knew she could come back

  whenever she wanted to. Hopefully by then this drama would

  be over and Alex and Sam would be settled in.

  As Jessie came out of the guest room she could hear

  Sam warming up the truck and pulling it out of the garage. Not

  wanting to hold her up any longer, Jessie quickly grabbed her

  sunglasses, just in case the sun decided to come out, wallet and

  phone. She locked the door, jogged to the truck, and jumped

  in.

  “Are you sure TJ will be off work this early?” Jessie

  knew they’d be in town in twenty minutes and it was only tenthirty.

  “I need some things at the hardware store and by then

  she should be ready to go. Besides I don’t want Anna to think I

  got lost.” Sam smiled at her cousin as she pulled out onto the

  road and headed for town.

  “I’m sure Anna won’t think that. What are you

  buying? Is it something I can pick up for you?” Jessie wanted

  to contribute a little bit.

  “Well, you can buy the lumber for Alex’s miniature

  ranch. I wanted to make sure I picked out nice dry pieces of

  pine that were straight, so it could take you a while to fill the

  order. Do you mind?” Sam wanted to get the things she and TJ

  would need and get going.

  “No problem. I love the smell of wood. I can take my

  time and I’m sure if Carol isn’t busy she’ll keep me company.”

  Jessie loved fun jobs like this.

  “Excellent. I owe you one. But then I owe you so

  much. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for all you’ve

  done for me.” Sam didn’t want to get emotional, but she would

  miss her cousin very much.

  “Just make sure you two give it your all. That’s

  enough payback for me.” Jessie wondered if someday Sam

  would be able to get Alex to move to New Mexico so they

  could be one big happy family again.

  “Not to worry about that. We both want this to work

  and are willing to give a hundred and ten percent, if not more.”

  Sam couldn’t imagine her life now without Alex in it. “I know if it doesn’t work out it won’t be for lack of

  trying. I just want you two to always be there for each other

  and keep communicating. After Alex left I looked at my own

  marriage and Dawson and I both agreed that we’ve let a few

  things slide. We’re going to keep making the effort to keep our

  marriage fresh and we have you two to thank for that.” Jessie

  would do her best to stay on top of this issue.

  “Wow, I’m sure Alex would be surprised to hear that.

  But if we can keep each other on track then we will all live

  happily ever after. That is, as soon as we catch th
is slime ball

  and put him away for a good long time.” Sam wondered if they

  would be able to pin some major charges on Richard

  Greenway for what they thought he was planning on doing. “I hope you can catch him soon for everyone’s sake.

  Do you really think you’ll be able to find him today?” Jessie

  would like to know that he was locked up.

  “TJ and I are going to give it our best shot. And don’t

  forget, we have Anna to help, so I’m really optimistic we will

  get our perp.” Sam had always wanted to use that word. “Okay, Deputy, I hope you’re right.” Jessie could only

  hope that their “perp” wasn’t a homicidal maniac.

  As they approached town, they spotted a raven flying

  just up ahead and both women smiled at each other and

  wondered if Anna had a plan of her own. Parking in front of

  Carol’s store, Sam put a call in to TJ to let her know she would

  be ready to go in about twenty minutes. She then went in with

  Jessie to get the few items she needed. On the list was a spade,

  rope, flashlights, bucket, lighter, extra long cable ties, stakes

  and a hunting knife. Alex had a tarp, hammer and small

  folding hand saw in the bed of the truck. Luckily, the store

  wasn’t crowded so the women could talk candidly about the

  plan for trying to find Richard in the woods near school. Carol

  thought the archaeological dig story was very good and that

  they should have no trouble pulling it off if they ran into him

  in the woods. She was glad they had briefed her just in case

  someone came asking questions. One thing all three of them

  agreed on was the outside chance that Richard may not be

  working alone.

  Looking at her watch, Sam handed Jessie the keys to

  the truck and took her shovel and bucket with everything else

  in it and headed for the door. Both women asked her and TJ to

  be extra careful and call if they were able to as soon as they

  knew anything or needed anything, like the Sheriff to come quick. Sam acknowledged them and went to get the rest of the supplies from the bed of the truck. Figuring TJ could carry the bucket or tarp they could easily haul this stuff all over the

  place.

  TJ called Sam to let her know she was ready to go and

  would be by to pick her up. Sam suddenly remembered Anna

  and looked around to see where she was. She spotted her

  sitting on a branch looking rather bored. Sam was amazed and

  walked closer to see if she would fly away. Looking down

  from her perch, Anna cocked her head as if she was expecting

  Sam to say something so she did.

  “We’re taking TJ’s truck around the back of the woods

  so it won’t be spotted. Follow us and then you can lead us in

  from there.” Sam really hoped no one saw her talking to the

  bird or they would think she was one crazy woman. The only person who did see the exchange was TJ who

  was driving up just as Sam finished her conversation. Seeing

  TJ smiling, Sam knew she better be firm in her conviction

  about believing in this spirit. Jumping in the truck, it took all

  of Sam’s will power to keep a straight face.

  “She’s going to follow us around to the back of the

  woods and then she’ll lead the way.” Sam got the words out

  and really hoped TJ didn’t start laughing.

  “Sounds good. I sure hope we catch this guy today.

  It’s good she’ll lead us in because I haven’t been there in quite

  a long time.” TJ didn’t want to appear to be a non-believer and

  she wanted to be dazzled by this spirit.

  “I do too. I hope we can spook him enough to run and

  then they can pick him up. Now, have you ever met this guy?

  Did you ever do any work for him? My reasoning being that if

  there’s a chance he may know you, we’ll need to tell the truth

  from the minute we run into him. I can say you’re the only

  local I could find that knew these woods. So let’s just go with

  that to be on the safe side, just in case he’s seen you at the

  garage.” Sam planned on using her real name just in case he

  wanted to see some ID.

  “I don’t remember his face, but then when I’m

  working I don’t pay attention to the customers. I know his

  mother because I do her SUV. I even had a plan of hooking her

  up with my dad, but they both work too much so I gave up.”

  TJ wasn’t as sneaky as her father.

  “Okay, so we need to act like we’re not looking for his

  cabin, but for mounds of earth. Then if he asks, we look legit.”

  Sam had used this tactic on her cousins before when they

  played hide and go seek. She would pretend to be looking in

  one direction when she was really looking the other way.

  Chapter 35

  TJ turned off onto what was usually an old dusty dirt road. It was a good thing her truck had four-wheel drive as it was now very muddy and obvious someone else had been back here too. Pulling off before they went too far, TJ wanted to park the truck close to where she believed the tunnel came out near the creek bed. It had been quite a few years since she was back here, but the bigger trees still looked the same. They grabbed the bucket and shovel and decided to leave the tarp until they needed it. Looking around for Anna, they both laughed. The raven was sitting on a large branch watching their every move.

  “Okay, we’re ready whenever you are.” Sam motioned for Anna to lead the way.

  Flying straight into the woods, Anna had to stop often so the two women could catch up. It was slow going as the ground was soggy and very deep in some places. It wasn’t long before they could make out the cabin sitting in a small clearing. Anna came back and sat in a tree just above them cocking her head as if wanting to see what the two women were going to do next.

  There was a faint sound of a motor running and both figured Richard had a generator in the cellar to run his heater and lights. TJ then judged about how long the tunnel ran and headed for the spot where she hoped they would find the other entrance. The area looked totally different, being overgrown and changed by time. The creek was usually a small steady stream during the winter, but a few years back the main river overflowed and this area was changed by the fast moving water. Looking up and down the bank, she remembered the trees, so it had to be around here somewhere. Then she noticed Anna perched on a rock. She tried to remember back when she was a kid and picture the opening in her mind. They never really played at this end and then she remembered why. The opening had a large steel door that was very hard to open when you’re only ten. But she did remember it was near a big rock formation. So this must be the spot, even though only part of the rock was showing after all this time. Grabbing the shovel, TJ climbed up to the top of the bank and started to scrape the mud away. About two feet down from where she started, the top of a metal door frame could be seen. Looking up at Anna, who was still sitting on the rock, TJ thanked her for the assistance then both women took turns moving the mud and debris away. Sam was very excited and checked her phone, but they were too far into the woods to get any kind of service. It only took them forty-five minutes to move enough out of the way to see if they could get the door to open. Years of rust had taken its toll on the hinges, but luckily they were really big hinges and looked like they still worked. But how would they get the door open without making too much noise and tipping Richard off?

  “Anna, is he in the cabin or is it safe to make some noise?” Sam figured she may as well ask the question.

  Coc
king her head, Anna took off in the direction of the cabin as if to see if he was in there.

  “So, what if we act like we’re just curious about where this door goes. He won’t know that I played here as a kid and that I know about the tunnel. The property belongs to Mrs. Greenway. She bought this piece in hopes of expanding the school someday. Richard would have known that if he worked for her. But I bet he won’t give us any trouble if we tell him we have her permission to be here. What’s he going to do call her and check out our story? Besides, do you think he’ll hear us over the generator?” TJ figured they could make as much noise as they wanted.

  Anna flew back and landed on the rock, cocking her head from side to side.

  “Okay, so he’s not in there, correct?” Sam wanted to make sure she understood.

  “Can you let us know if he’s coming back so we won’t be caught off guard?” TJ hated being surprised and realized she was putting a lot of faith in this spirit.

  Sam took the hammer and gave the three hinges a few good whacks hoping to loosen them up a bit. Then, taking the claw end, she tried to get it in behind the lip of the door. It creaked loudly but it was opening a little at a time as she moved the claw up and down the door, putting equal pressure on all points. She remembered they had left the tarp back in the truck, but figured there wasn’t enough light to worry about, as it was very gray and overcast. Opening it just enough for them to squeeze through, Sam let TJ go first since she knew the way, sort of. Waiting for their eyes to adjust, Sam reached out to find where TJ was so she could whisper to her.

  “Let’s take it really slow and keep the flashlight aimed about a foot in front of you. Do you remember if there are any low beams we need to feel for?” Sam figured that back when she was a kid, the ceiling clearance wouldn’t have been an issue.

  “To be honest, I don’t. But I’ll keep the shovel handle up and that should let us know if we’re about to run into anything.” TJ wasn’t a big fan of walking through spider webs either.

  After a few minutes, they figured their eyes were as adjusted as they were going to get so they proceeded very slowly. Anna, not being able to follow, took off for the cabin to wait for them to arrive. As they inched their way along, the sound of a generator could definitely be heard up ahead. A dim stationary light could be seen in the distance. When they finally did arrive at the generator, there was no sign of anyone and they could see the other tunnel opening on the other side of the cellar. If Richard wasn’t in the cabin he must be watching the school, or not here at all. The trap door leading to the cabin was open so TJ slowly climbed the stairs. Half way up she was able to confirm that Richard wasn’t in the cabin, so she went back down.