but, mercury's not in retrograde!

by McCarthy, G. L.

  “Not to worry. I was a hundred feet or more from the cabin when it went up, lying on my back admiring the stars. But my backside is covered in mud and it’s getting all over your seats.” Sam could feel it squishing whenever she shifted gears.

  “I don’t care about mud. I care about you getting blown to pieces looking for that creep. Where are you?” Alex wished she’d come back soon.

  “I’m on the road Richard pulled out on from the woods. I could only follow his tracks for a short distance with just headlights. Right now I think we’ll have to leave it to the state troopers to pick him up from the APB.” Sam figured if she did stay on this road she might get lucky and overtake him if he thought no one was looking for him. “Are you all right hanging with the Sheriff for a while?”

  “No problem. He’s off checking on the fire and hopefully, since the paramedics are here, having his head checked too.” Alex had stopped shaking and was walking towards the gazebo where several students were standing watching the fire. “Don’t you girls need to get some sleep? I’m going to want you all bright eyed and bushy tailed for class tomorrow.”

  “Yes, Ms. Whitney,” replied several of the girls as they slowly left Alex in the gazebo.

  “Who are you talking to?” Sam hadn’t realized what a show was going on at school.

  “Apparently the explosion woke up quite a few girls. Did you see anyone coming out when you left?” Alex was sure Frederick had to have heard it.

  “Frederick met me at the truck. He waited for the fire department and was going to try to keep the girls away. I don’t know how successful he was.” Sam was now a good twenty minutes away from the school. Suddenly something ran out in front of her causing her to slam on the breaks and almost drop the phone. Sam was quite certain it had been a black wolf. “Damn it, Anna, are you trying to get me killed?”

  “What’s wrong?” Alex could hear the brakes screeching.

  “Your beloved spirit guide just ran in front of the truck. You know, a black wolf is hard to see at this time of the night.” Sam couldn’t imagine why Anna had done that.

  “Black wolf. Sam, that’s not Anna, it’s Ramon. If he’s with you then that means Anna’s with me but where?” Alex started to look around when she saw him. He was standing at the entrance of the gazebo, watching her.

  “There’s no one here but you and me, Ms. Whitney.” Richard gripped the straight razor tightly. He knew he could reach her and have her throat cut before she could utter another word.

  “Mr. Greenway, I presume.” Alex held the phone up hoping that Sam could hear her. “When did you crawl out from under your rock?”

  “Sticks and stones, Ms. Whitney, sticks and stones. You have caused me a lot of trouble and now I have to leave. But first I intend to make sure you will never bother me again, no matter where I go.” Richard stepped towards Alex, who realized she had nowhere to go.

  Sam had heard Alex’s comments to Richard, had turned around, and was pushing the old truck to get her back to school. She couldn’t call the Sheriff because Alex had his phone, so she had to call 911 and hope they could get a hold of someone at school. But if they were all out of their cars who would hear the call? She prayed Anna was with her.

  “Oh, Mr. Greenway, what makes you think I’m going to let you kill me? I intend to kick your ass back into the hole you crawled out of.” Alex was trying to get mad, as she knew she would need every ounce of strength she could muster.

  “You think you’re one tough bitch, don’t you?” As Richard lunged forward swinging across Alex, he was hit from the side and stumbled into the rail. “Where did that come from?”

  “That would be my bodyguard, who’s going to help me kick your ass.” Alex was never so happy to see a white wolf in her life.

  “Your dog’s not going to save you. I’ll kill it too.” Richard lunged again and this time was hit straight on by a black wolf who appeared to come right through Alex, knocking him back into the rail.

  “Oh they’re not dogs, Mr. Greenway. They’re wolves.” Alex was slowly working her way around to the entrance of the gazebo as a snarling Anna and Ramon had Richard pinned against the railing.

  As they moved closer Richard swung wildly at them and then threw himself over the railing, landing in a heap. Getting up, he took off running as both wolves jumped over the rail and were hot on his trail. Alex bolted out of the gazebo and headed in the direction of the fire, hoping to find the Sheriff. She didn’t feel the warm blood running down her arm and chest as she ran towards the smoldering fire, or realize she was screaming for help the whole time. A deputy was the first to reach her. As she nearly collapsed in his arms, the Sheriff ran up to them. She told him Richard had attacked her in the gazebo and that he took off running when she got away from him. As Alex went to wipe the sweat from her face it was apparent she was hurt as her hand was dripping blood.

  “Oh my. I guess he was closer than I thought.” Alex’s knees started to buckle as she felt light headed and needed to sit down.

  “Get the paramedics for Alex and we’ll head for the gazebo. We should be able to follow his tracks in the wet grass.” The Sheriff had used this trick once before to track someone from the gazebo.

  The deputy, knowing they needed to stop the bleeding, grabbed Alex around the waist and was practically carrying her out of the woods and back to the parking lot where the paramedics truck was parked. The Sheriff took his deputies, who had been helping put out the last remaining embers, and headed for the gazebo. Just as they reached it, they heard a scream coming from Old Woman Hill and headed towards the slide area. When they arrived, there was no sign of anyone. The yellow barrier tape was down and there were footprints in the mud leading to the edge. As the Sheriff looked closer, he realized what had happened to Richard. The hair on the back of his neck went up. Not only were there footprints, but also paw prints seeming to follow him over the edge of the cliff. Telling his men to secure the area, once again he needed to call air rescue to look for a body that had gone over Old Woman Hill.

  Alex hadn’t lost consciousness, but the dash back to the ambulance was making her wounds bleed even more as her heart was pounding. Back at the parking lot, the paramedics removed her bloody jacket to reveal she’d been cut across her arm and chest. Wrapping her arm and applying pressure to her chest wound they told her she would need stitches for both. They started an IV and put her on the gurney. They wanted to get her to the hospital as soon as possible to get her sewn up, not knowing exactly how deep either wound was. They were about to load her into the ambulance when Frederick ran up.

  “Alex, what happened?” He had been escorting the last of the students to their rooms.

  “Once again I didn’t move fast enough. I’m fine, Frederick. Please tell Sam that and I’ll see her at the hospital, okay? And tell her Anna and Ramon saved my ass too.” Alex kissed Frederick on the cheek.

  As the ambulance peeled out of the parking lot, Sam came screaming in and headed straight towards where Frederick was standing. He waved her off as she heard him yelling that Alex was in the ambulance, but she was okay and to follow her to the hospital. He’d handle the clean up at this end.

  Turning around, Sam was wondering how Alex could be all right and still need a ride to the hospital in an ambulance that was flying with sirens blaring. She would have to wait and see not to mention the fact that she had no idea where the hospital was, so it was great she could follow them. Trying to keep up in a truck that wasn’t built for speed wasn’t going to be easy. Then Sam realized she should call Cyn and Jessie. But first she needed to know Alex’s condition and then she could tell them how she was and what the prognosis would be. Just then her cell phone rang. It was the Sheriff, wanting to know exactly what had happened. Sam answered with a question.

  “What the hell happened Sheriff, and how’s your head?” Sam hoped he could fill her in now.

  “My head is fine, now that Greenway is at the bottom of the ravine or it will be as soon as I see his body laying d
own at the morgue. He doubled back and surprised Alex in the gazebo. Somehow she got away, but not before he cut her with a knife of some kind. We went to the gazebo to pick up his tracks and then heard a scream up at Old Woman Hill. It looks like he ran through the barrier tape I put up after the slide from Alex’s run in with Sally Jennings, and went over the edge. But the oddest thing is that there are animal tracks following him right off the edge. I’ll be able to get a better look tomorrow in the daylight, but it looks like he was chased and the animals went over with him. Do you have any idea what type of animal it could be?” The Sheriff only knew about a talking raven and those weren’t raven tracks. If he didn’t know better he’d bet large dog or wolf.

  “Well, hold on to your shorts. It was two wolves. More specifically, Anna and Ramon taking care of Richard Greenway for Alex. It was Ramon who kept me from being blown to bits and I’m sure they both kept Richard from killing Alex. I just wish I’d stayed closer to her. I should have realized if he saw her alone he would want some type of revenge. Ramon tried to get me to stop. Luckily I was on the phone with Alex when Greenway cornered her in the gazebo. Ramon must have left me to help Anna finish him off. I hope you do find his body so Alex can rest easy that he’s not still out there.” Sam was starting to see lights ahead and hoped she was getting closer to the hospital.

  “I’ll need to take a statement and figure out how to write all this up in a report. No one will believe that a raven and two wolves were responsible for finding Richard Greenway and then sending him to his death at the bottom of Old Woman Hill. I’m not even sure I believe it. Call me with Alex’s condition as soon as you find out. Talk to you later.” The Sheriff signed off just as he heard the air rescue helicopter heading his way.

  Chapter 41

  Pulling up to the hospital, Sam was impressed with its size. It was a lot bigger than she thought a town the size of Hastings would need. But then she really didn’t know how many people lived in this area. Running into the emergency entrance, she was met by one of the paramedics. He said Alex had lost consciousness on the way in but her vitals were good and she had gone into surgery to get sewn up.

  Sam looked at the clock and couldn’t believe the time. It was amazing how much could happen in only a couple of hours that would affect your whole life. Alex was going to be fine, but she could just as easily have been killed and Sam would have been devastated as well as quite a few other people. Sam chose not to call anyone until she knew more. They couldn’t really do anything and Alex wouldn’t be in a room for quite a while. Finding a nurse, Sam asked if she could let her know when Alex was out of surgery. The nurse asked her if she could help fill out some paperwork about Alex, the usual insurance information and who was her employer and next of kin. As Sam sat on a old towel and answered questions to the best of her ability, she wondered how the Sheriff was going to tell Mrs. Greenway that her son had tried to kill Alex and was probably dead at the bottom of Old Woman Hill. She didn’t envy him that task at all. When she was done with the paperwork, she walked back into the emergency waiting room and tried to get comfortable. She managed to doze off for an hour or so before she was awakened by the nurse informing her that Alex was in recovery, and doing fine.

  Sam wondered how the Sheriff was doing. Had they been able to find Richard’s body and was the Sheriff ever going to come and get his head checked? Staring off into space for several minutes Sam was brought back by the sound of beeping. The paramedics ambulance was backing up to the entrance. They weren’t rushing as she watched them open the doors and pull out the gurney. The body was completely covered. They rolled it in as the Sheriff came walking up. Sam got up and headed towards him hoping it was good news that the body was Richard’s and this whole drama was over.

  “Hey, Sheriff. Is that who I hope it is under that sheet?” Sam could see a twinkle in the Sheriff’s eye.

  “Damn right. I can’t say I’m sorry he’s dead. Saved the county the trouble and expense of having to prosecute him. Not sure if the fall or the fact that he landed on his razor was the cause of death. That’s why he’s here. The county coroner will have to let us know. Either way, the son of a bitch is dead and I couldn’t be happier, although I’d never say that to his mother. How’s Alex doing?” The Sheriff assumed by Sam’s demeanor that her injuries weren’t serious.

  “She’s out of surgery and doing fine. Not that it’s any of my business, but are you going to get checked out yourself? By this time I would say you’re not going to die, but you might want to make sure.” Smiling at the Sheriff, Sam hoped he would at least let them give him some aspirin.

  “That was the next thing on my ‘to do list’.” The Sheriff turned to see if there was a nurse around he could check in with.

  “Glad to hear it. Is there anything else you need from me right now? If not, I’m going to go back and see if I can get a few more winks in before Alex is awake and in her room.” Sam felt relieved now that she knew Richard was no longer a problem and she and Alex could get on with their lives.

  “I can get your statement when I get Alex’s. You get some rest. Today is going to be a very long and busy day.” The Sheriff needed to call Judge Bob at first light and brief him on all the events that went down. He hoped Bob would be able to keep a few of the facts quiet for Mrs. Greenway’s sake, like the fact that her only child was a stalker and homicidal maniac who plunged to his death from being chased off a cliff by two wolves that were guardian spirits of the woman he tried to kill. Even he wasn’t sure he could put any of that in a report and not have people wonder about his mental health.

  Sam walked back to her towel covered chair and then began to think about getting Jessie. She could get packed and then come and spend as much time as she could with Alex before they needed to leave for the airport. While trying to decide the best way to go, the nurse came and told her Alex’s vitals were good and that she’d been taken to a critical care room, but would still be out for several more hours. If Sam wanted to leave for a bit, the nurse would be sure to call her if Alex woke up before she got back. Deciding that would be the best way to do it, Sam thanked the nurse and headed back home to pick up Jessie and to call Cyn since she should be getting up soon for work. Wanting to tell her about Alex before she arrived at school and heard it from Frederick, she decided to call now, as she would need all the time it took driving home to fill her in on the details.

  “Good morning, Cyn. This is Sam.”

  “Morning, Sam. Is everything all right?” Cyn was getting a sick feeling in her stomach.

  “First off, Alex is in the hospital, but she’ll be fine. Secondly Richard Greenway was killed early this morning after falling from Old Woman Hill. Now, to fill you in with the details.” Sam started at the stakeout and laid everything out in the order it happened. The only facts she didn’t know were what happened to Alex after she hung up with her when she was in the gazebo. Cyn was walking around her house as she listened to Sam and wished they’d let her know their plans about the stakeout. She wasn’t sure what she could have done to help, but the thought of all this happening while she was sleeping was very upsetting.

  “Does Mrs. Greenway know any of this yet?” Cyn figured not.

  “I don’t know when the Sheriff is going to tell her. I’m going to assume that Alex’s classes may be cancelled for today, and possibly until they find someone to substitute?” Sam figured they had to have someone other than Mrs. Greenway to fill in.

  “That may be the best way to go. I’m not sure how Mrs. Greenway will take the news. He was her only child. But then again, it seemed she washed her hands of him after she told him to leave.” Cyn was making some toast, but wasn’t sure she would be able to eat it. Her stomach was in knots as she realized that if Anna and Ramon hadn’t saved Alex, she’d be dead right now and a homicidal killer would be roaming around Taylorwood. Sam told her she would call her back and let her know when Alex was awake and accepting visitors. As she hung up with Cyn, she realized it was a good thing she had answ
ered those questions from the nurse. She wasn’t a blood relative, but put herself down as the emergency contact and next of kin.

  Pulling up to the little house, Sam just sat in the truck and stared. There were two wolves lying on the front porch. One black and one white. Sam got out and slowly walked up as both just cocked their heads at her.

  “Alex will be fine, but then I’m sure you already knew that. I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for all you’ve done. You saved us and we’ll owe you both forever. Thank you.” As Sam finished her sentiment both wolves disappeared into a mist.

  Walking into the house, Sam began to cry deeply, partly from the stress of the night’s events and now the emotion of seeing Anna and Ramon. Not wanting to have Jessie see her in this state, she headed for the bedroom, but ran into her coming out of the bathroom.

  “Sam, what’s wrong? Where’s Alex?” Jessie had never seen Sam this upset before.

  “Oh, Jess. She’s in the hospital. He almost killed her.” Sam grabbed her cousin and continued to cry on her shoulder as Jessie held her tightly.

  Jessie let her cry only because Sam used the word “almost” when describing what happened. After several minutes of sobbing, Sam was able to pull it together and fill Jessie in on the events of last night. Jessie listened, not saying a word, but wondering how this would affect Alex’s state of mind. Knowing Alex as she did, having Richard out of the picture was one thing, but having him dead was different. Not to mention, he was the son of her employer. Time would tell and maybe her wish of having Alex and Sam back in New Mexico would become a reality sooner rather than later.

  As Sam finished telling Jessie everything, she started to take off the mud covered clothes she was wearing. Trying to remove her jeans, she became aware they were stuck to her legs in several places from dried blood. Several large gashes were revealed that began to bleed again. Thinking for a minute, she remembered being hit by the debris from the cabin, but hadn’t realized at the time it had pierced her jeans. Jessie told her she would clean the wounds after she finished taking a shower and suggested she get a tetanus shot when they returned to the hospital. Jessie had packed most of her stuff when Alex and Sam had gone to bed earlier the night before, so she only had a few things left to throw in her bag. While Sam showered, she made a light breakfast for the two of them remembering hospital cafeteria food wasn’t all that great and she needed something before her flight home. Looking out the kitchen window, Jessie wondered if this was the end of all the drama Alex had seemed to attract lately.