Never Ending Spring

by Darrell Case

  "Can I give him something to eat?" Emily asked, her voice muffled by the scarf wrapped around her face.

  "Gramps will feed him; you need to get in where it's warm."

  "Can I help you, Gramps? Pleeease?"

  Jack glanced at Ruth. "Okay, you can help but then you have to get in out of the cold."

  Things were going so well, Emily decided to push it.

  "Can I ride him to the barn?"

  "NO!" Jack and Ruth said in unison.

  "Not until he gets used to us," Jack explained.

  When it was time for bed, Ruth came running into the living room.

  "Where's Emily?" Ruth asked weakly.

  "What? What do you mean, where's Emily? Isn't she in her room?" Jack said, throwing down the newspaper in alarm.

  "No, her bed's empty, I've looked everywhere. I can't find her."

  "Go over the whole house, Ruth, the attic to the basement. I'm going to look for her outside."

  A terrified thought raced through Ruth's mind. She covered her mouth with her hand.

  "Oh dear Lord! Could he have her?"

  Jack ran to the closet. Grabbing the shotgun and breaking it open, he checked the loads. Snapping it closed, he hurried out the door still struggling into his coat. It was a rare night. A bright full moon was rising in the east with a light snow falling. A small set of footprints led in the direction of the barn. What Jack saw next made the hair stand up on the back of his neck! Another set of prints joined Emily's. Jack could tell by the size they were a man's.

  Cocking both hammers on the gun, Jack crept toward the open door of the barn. Both prints stopped at the entrance.

  "They're in the barn," Jack thought, his heart pounding. Carefully he opened the door. He stood still, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness.

  Suddenly a shaft of moonlight stole across the floor then disappeared. Moving quickly, Jack opened the back door. Fifty feet away, a man in dark clothing was running through the barn lot. Coming to the fence, he grasped the top board and easily swung himself over.

  Landing on the other side, he sprinted around the pond. Pointing at the fleeing shadow, Jack emptied both barrels. Twin explosions split the quiet night but the man melted in among the trees unscathed. Reloading, Jack started after him when he heard Ruth.

  "Jack! Jack! Where are you?"

  "I'm back here!"

  "I was so worried," she said, hugging him. "Who were you shooting at? Did he have Emily?"

  "I don't know who he was but he followed Emily into the barn. He didn't have her so she must be inside somewhere."

  Turning the lights on, he heard sounds from Gideon's stall. Emily lay curled up against the giant horse's side.

  "Gideon was lonely," she said, yawning.

  Snatching her up, Ruth started to cry as Gideon looked on with gentle eyes. Examining her from head to toe, Ruth began scolding Emily. "Don't you ever do anything like this again."

  After escorting Ruth and Emily back to the house, Jack returned to the barn to follow the tracks of the murderer.

  Chapter 23

  It had stopped snowing and the moon spread its full light on the pasture making the landscape as bright as a cloudy day.

  Approaching the church, Jack thought he heard voices.

  "You did it again, didn't you?"

  "I can't kill the little girl."

  "What, are you getting soft? You always were a weasel."

  Jack's blood froze in his veins. Both voices were coming from the same person. One was low-pitched and gruff while the other was in almost the normal tone of a child.

  "She saw you."

  "No she didn't. I was very careful."

  "You better take care of them tonight."

  "I will, I will, don't worry."

  Edging along the side of the church, Jack peered in the windows but the interior was too dark. Rounding the back corner, he raised the shotgun.

  "Hold it right there! Put down that gun!" Obediently, Jack laid the shotgun down on the ground and raised his hands in the air.

  "Now turn around."

  Billy Bob was pointing his service revolver at Jack's middle. Relaxing, Jack began to lower his arms.

  "Get your hands back up!" Billy Bob ordered. "What are you doing out here?"

  "I was chasing a man who was in my barn."

  "I'll bet you were, Mr. Johnson. This is the second time I caught you sneaking around this church at night. I think I'll just run you in."

  "Wait. I heard a voice coming from inside the church," Jack said, starting to pick up the shotgun.

  "You stay here while I check it out," Billy Bob ordered.

  "I'll go with you," Jack said, reaching for the shotgun.

  "No!" Billy Bob shouted, snatching away the gun. "And Jack, you'd better be here when I come out or I'll hunt you down like a dog."

  ****

  In the sheriff's office, Ike examined the report again; he shook his head in disbelief. Having seen the lights in Curry's quarters go out, Ike knew Bob was in bed. Okay, maybe he should wait until morning. No, if his friend in the FBI lab was right, he knew who the killer was and it wasn't Eric! Solemnly he picked up the phone.

  Five minutes later when he hung up, all his doubts were extinguished. Deep in thought, Jimmy had to call Ike twice.

  "Mrs. Johnson just called in; Jack is following an intruder. He was in their barn."

  Curry emphasized his door was always open, yet none of his staff disturbed him unless it was a dire emergency. Ike's hesitant knock brought an instant response.

  "What is it, Ike? What's wrong?"

  Silently, the chief deputy handed the report to the sheriff. After scanning the papers, Curry called down to the dispatcher.

  "Jimmy do we have a location on Billy Bob?"

  "Yes sir, He just left Elm Grove Church."

  "Where is he headed? Back to Elm Grove?"

  "No, he's on his way to the Johnson farm. He has Mr. Johnson with him. He fou ---."

  "Oh Lord no."

  "Jimmy, call everyone! Use the phone. If you have to radio them, tell them to go to a pay phones and call in. On duty, off duty, have them meet at the south end of Elm Grove. Tell them lights and sirens but to cut their sirens three miles from Elm Grove and maintain strict radio silence. Call Detective Phillips," the sheriff said gravely. Anticipating the dispatcher's next question, he said, "Don't call Billy Bob."

  Turning to Harris, he said, "Ike, tell Phillips what we know, I'll be with you in two minutes."

  Dressing quickly he returned to the dispatcher's office.

  "I've alerted everyone but Mr. Strickland. No luck on Detective Phillips, he's off duty tonight," Jimmy explained. "Ike is waiting for you out front."

  "Keep on trying Phillips and make sure everyone stays off the radio."

  Jumping into the car, Curry said, "Step on it, Ike, and pray we're not too late!"

  They exited Sullivan on S.R. 154 doing 110.

  ****

  "I tell you there was someone in the church,"

  After searching the church, Billy Bob had come back in a sour mood.

  "You said you heard a voice," Billy Bob said, pulling the patrol car into the Johnson's driveway. "Now it's voices."

  "No I didn't," Jack insisted. "I heard one person using two voices."

  Having seen the headlights, Ruth stepped out onto the porch.

  "What happened?" she asked as the two men mounted the steps.

  "Your husband was sneaking around the church again. He says he was following someone," Billy Bob said sarcastically.

  "Young man I happen to be a member of that church and my husband is welcome there anytime day or night!" Ruth said firmly. "Someone was in our barn and Jack was following them."

  And then a little voice said, "I saw you in the barn!"

  All eyes turned to Emily standing just inside the open door, her robe wrapped tightly around her. In one motion, Billy Bob pulled the .38 from its holster. Pointing it at Jack and Ruth, he thumbed back the hammer.


  ****

  In Elm Grove, Janice Hardesty was up late. Normally, she went to bed at ten but the novel she was reading was nearing an exciting conclusion! She had to finish it. Janice heard the roar of the engines before she saw them.

  "Tom! Tom, do you hear that?"

  Rolling over in bed, Tom said, "Sounds like a race."

  From the window of their apartment over the store, they watched a line of police cars fly through Elm Grove. Like ghosts in the night, their flashing lights bathed the town in an eerie red glow.

  "Everyone's here," Ike informed the sheriff when they pulled to a stop a mile from the Johnson farm. Curry addressed the small band of officers.

  "Men, we're going after the most dangerous of criminals. One of our own so I don't want any of you taking chances. However, I want Billy Bob taken alive if at all possible."

  Laying a county map on the hood of his car, he said, "This is how we're going to do it."

  ****

  Billy Bob herded Jack, Ruth, and Emily into the living room.

  "It was you who killed them, wasn't it?" Jack demanded.

  "Yah, I took care of your fancy pants son-in-law," Billy Bob sneered.

  "But why?" Ruth cried. "What did they ever do to you?"

  "Jim knew I killed Denny Brown, Kristie just got in the way. Lonnie, he knew it was me. He said he didn't, but he knew."

  Suddenly a deep voice emitted from Billy Bob, "Don't tell them anymore, you idiot!"

  "I'll them everything if I want," Billy Bob answered defiantly, his voice becoming high-pitched like a child.

  "If you do, you'd better kill them all."

  "I will! I will! Just give me time. You want to know how I killed Denny Brown?" Billy Bob asked, his voice normal again.

  Unable to speak, Jack and Ruth nodded.

  "I drowned him yet the coroner didn't find a drop of water in his lungs," Billy Bob laughed. "They couldn't outsmart me; I fooled them all."

  Jack's mouth was getting dry. He knew their time was running out.

  "No you didn't." He tried to sound convincing. "You didn't fool me. I put the evidence in a safe deposit box with instructions to Randy Farley to open it in case of my death."

  "What evidence, old man? Tell me now or she dies," Billy Bob said, aiming the pistol at Ruth's head.

  "You leave my Gram alone!" Emily said. Running at Billy Bob, she kicked him in the shin.

  Seeing his opportunity, Jack grabbed Billy Bob's hand which held the gun, driving the fist of his other hand into his jaw.

  At that moment, the door burst open. Uniformed men with their guns drawn seemed to be everywhere. Still managing to hold on to the .38, Billy Bob squeezed the trigger. The first bullet grazed Sheriff Curry's arm, then passed through the wall into the kitchen and slammed into a cabinet.

  Ruth pushed Emily to the floor, dropping down on top of her. Fighting for control of the gun, Billy Bob continued to pull the trigger. Clamping an iron fist around the murderer's hand, Jack shoved the barrel of the gun up. Pieces of plaster showered them as bullets tore holes into the ceiling.

  When the hammer clicked on an empty chamber, Billy Bob collapsed into a sobbing heap. Several hands grabbed him. Jack slammed him to the floor as Ike secured handcuffs on Billy Bob's wrists. Hauling him to his feet, Bob Curry stood before the man he had counted as a son as blood dripped down his injured arm and formed a small puddle on the floor. He said, "Billy Bob, you're under arrest for the murders of James and Kristie Mays, Dennis Brown, and Lonnie Greggs!"

  Curry's voice was strong and clear, only his eyes betrayed the pain he felt in his heart.

  Chapter 24

  Ike and Billy Bob set at the kitchen table in the Sheriff's Quarters, Sullivan County's version of the Interrogation Room. Bob Curry paced the old linoleum floor, the bandage swelling his left arm.

  "Why? I want to know why. I trusted you like my own son. After your dad was killed, I took you fishing and played baseball with you. I tried to be a father to you and do things with you like he would have."

  Billy Bob snorted, "My dad! You didn't know nothing about him. Oh sure, he was a perfect gentleman around you, but you didn't see him at home. Nothing I did was good enough."

  "He only wanted the best for you," Ike said.

  "Is that why he beat me till I was black and blue? Is that why my mother was always running into doors or falling downstairs? Do you know what it's like to see your mother beat till she's unconscious and not be able to do anything about it?"

  "No I don't," Bob said quietly, realizing how little he knew about David Strickland.

  "So you had a rough time growing up; a lot people do but they don't go out and kill four people," Ike said.

  "Why did you kill them? What about Dennis Brown?" Curry asked, setting down. Picking up a pen, he began to write.

  "I did it for you, sir," Billy Bob said, taking on the demeanor Curry knew so well.

  "What do you mean, you did it for me?" he asked, turning pale.

  "You said you knew Dennis was involved in the burglary ring but you couldn't prove it. So I brought him out here and tied him to a chair. I held his head back, put a towel over his mouth, and poured water on it. I tried to get a confession out of him, but he was stubborn. He kept saying he didn't have anything to do with it. I held the towel over his face longer and longer each time. I must have held it on too long the last time. So I took his pants, tied one leg around his neck and the other around the bars of his cell."

  "What about Lonnie, did he help you?" Ike asked.

  Billy Bob laughed. "That drunk? He didn't have the guts. I gave him some knock out drops in his coffee. It worked pretty good; by the time I had hung Dennis up, he was beginning to come out of it. He said he didn't see anything but I knew better. He was just waiting for the right time and then he'd be a big hero. Well, I fixed him. I would have taken care of the old man too, if that semi hadn't gotten in the way. I'm sorry about the Mays," Billy Bob replied as he hung his head.

  "Sure you are," Ike sneered.

  "I am! I never meant to kill them, especially her. I was drinking one night in May and went to the church. I hadn't had anyone to talk to since mom passed away and Jim was easy to talk to. Next thing I knew, I was telling him the truth about Dennis's death."

  "Was Kristie present?" Curry prompted.

  "No, and he said he wouldn't say anything. He urged me to come to you and confess. Can you imagine? That would have been the end of my career in law enforcement. I was in your office the first of June," he said to Bob. "I saw on your calendar you had an appointment with him and knew he was going to tell you even after he said he wouldn't. Some preacher, but he didn't tell anybody after I got him."

  "My meeting with Pastor Jim was to discuss what color to paint the Sunday School rooms," Curry said softly.

  ****

  The news media carried the story of Billy Bob's capture and confession nationwide.

  "What has America become when we have senseless killings such as the Elm Grove murders and then later the slaughter of the Harris children and their father in Mississippi?" one editor from the Indianapolis Star asked.

  The people of Elm Grove were interviewed time and again until they became exasperated. When a stranger would enter a business or the restaurant, all conversation would cease until after the intruder left.

  At the request of both prisoners and jailers, Billy Bob was moved to a private cell in the basement. They reported hearing him speaking to someone in the middle of the night. Constant searches proved fruitless.

  Having learned that all charges had been dropped, Eric reappeared at the store one morning in April with no explanation of where he had come from. Later that same day, he called an attorney and engaged him to petition the court to change his name officially from Warren to Gray.

  Emily was honored in a ceremony before a packed audience at Elm Grove School. In his speech, Sheriff Curry made her an honorary deputy, speaking of her bravery in attacking Billy Bob. Several reporters requested a re-ena
ctment, suggesting Emily tap Sheriff Curry's leg. As she started her kick, one of the men holding a microphone called out, "Look this way honey!"

  Misjudging the distance, Emily hit Curry's shin full force. The audience erupted in a roar of laughter. UPI carried the pictures of Bob Curry dancing around the stage on one leg holding his shin.