Banner Elk Breeze

by Ed Robinson

  I tried desperately to identify any sound or smell of Banner but came up with nothing. I could see no signs of human activity, either from him or Brody. I knew I wasn’t alone, so I crept onward, feeling the air for information that would lead me to one of them. My shoes were soft and quiet. My clothes smelled like the woods. I moved like smoke on a path to meet my destiny. Brody’s scent grew stronger, but she was being extremely quiet. I was having a hard time zeroing in on her position. I hoped that Banner would have the same problem.

  I knew that I was closing in, but I was still uncertain. I thought I caught of whiff of gun oil, but that could be either one of them. Suddenly an unnatural whack rang out, like a bat hitting a ball. There was a crumpling of leaves and a grunt. Was it two bucks fighting it out? I froze in my tracks, begging for more information. Banner yelled out for the entire mountain to hear.

  “I know you can hear me, Breeze,” he yelled. “You want to come watch your women get fucked by a real man? Maybe you like that sort of thing.”

  I couldn’t imagine that he’d moved in on Brody without me sensing his presence. It seemed impossible. Maybe it was a trap, but there he was, a little higher up towards the ridge. He’d managed to avoid being detected, but did he really have Brody? I had to move quickly, but I didn’t want to give away my position in the process. I pictured the landscape ahead of me. Where would Brody likely go? How would he attack her without her seeing him coming? I kept moving and thinking as I went. She’d come up on the ridge near the tree stand on our side. If Banner was lying in wait, not moving, he could ambush her on her way to the pot farm. That had to be what happened. I kept moving and planning, my heart beating a mile a minute. The best vantage point was the rock that Banner had used to shoot Pop. The plateau was void of trees to block your line of sight.

  I altered course to come up behind the big rock.

  “Oh, she’s even sweeter than I thought,” said Banner. “This is gonna be a real bonus. You coming coward?”

  There was no sound from Brody. I still didn’t know if it was a trap. I moved as fast as I could without revealing my presence. I came up from the west and low-crawled to Banner’s rock. I slid the barrel of my rifle onto a flat spot and looked through the scope. Brody was unconscious and Banner was on top of her. Her shirt had been ripped open and he was working on her pants. His own pants were already down, white ass exposed.

  One side of Brody’s face was bloated and red. She made no effort to resist. Her body was limp and lifeless.

  “You thought you were going to show up here and piss on Cody Banner?” he yelled. “Who’s the big dog now, Breeze? I hereby claim this piece of ass. When I’m done, I’m coming to fuck you too.”

  I put the crosshairs on his back. There was no moment of truth. This is what he’d done to my friend. I wouldn’t allow him to take Brody. If I charged him with my fists, there was a good chance that I’d lose and he’d take Brody anyway. I had but one option. I didn’t hesitate except to calm my breathing. There was no slowing my beating heart.

  “God forgive me,” I said. I calmly squeezed the trigger. Blam! Through the scope, I saw Banner go down in a heap. My aim had been perfect. A neat red hole appeared in the back of his jacket. From my experience with Pop, I knew what his chest would look like. He was still lying partially on top of Brody, with his face in the dirt.

  I rose from behind the rock, racked another round into the chamber and collected my shell casing. I walked purposely but carefully towards the two of them. I used my foot to shove Banner’s body off of Brody. He rolled onto his back, exposing the gore that I’d caused. Brody had his flesh and blood on her chest and face. She was still unresponsive. I wanted to break down and cry but there was work to be done. I had to get her medical attention. I had to make some attempt to cover my tracks as far as Banner’s death. Saving Brody was of foremost importance, but I really didn’t want to go to jail when this was all said and done.

  I saw that she had the SAT phone clipped onto her belt. I barely knew how to use the thing, but I knew that Bowdich’s number was programmed in. The Deputy Director of the FBI had made it clear that he was done helping us, but I hoped that he could summon help for Brody. I prayed that he cared enough to send her aid.

  “It’s gone down,” I said. “Banner is dead. Brody is hurt real bad. We need a chopper up here to fly her out. Like now.”

  “Damn you, Breeze,” he said. “I knew this would end badly.”

  “I’m not asking you to help me,” I said. “But Brody is in a bad way. You will help her, won’t you?”

  “Stand by while we get a position on your phone,” he said. “Can we land a chopper?”

  “There’s a flat spot just above our position,” I said. “It’s where the pot farm was. Otherwise, it’s miles down the mountain. We don’t have the time.”

  “Stand by,” he said. “Stay with me.”

  A good minute passed until he spoke again. Brody still hadn’t stirred. I was holding her head in my hands and attempting to clean her up when he finally responded.

  “We’ve got your location,” he said. “Help is on the way. The chopper is going to leave a team on the ground with you. Do what they say, you understand?”

  “I’d rather go with Brody,” I said.

  “I appreciate that,” he said. “But my men will take over the situation on the ground. They don’t know the lay of the land. I need you to assist them so that they can assist you. Just do it, Breeze.”

  “I follow,” I said. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”

  “I’m doing it for Brody,” he said. “But this is the last time. After this is done, we don’t know either of you.”

  “Understood,” I said. “My thanks. Tell that chopper pilot to hurry.”

  I cradled Brody’s head in my lap and rocked her gently. I continually assured her that she would be okay. I used a bottle of water and a handkerchief to clean up her face. The red swelling was turning an angry purple. Dried blood caked in her hair near the temple. It looked like Banner had used the butt of his rifle to smash her in the side of the head. His body lay there cold and still, right next to us.

  I scooped Brody up in my arms and carried her up onto the plateau. I didn’t know how long it would take for a helicopter to arrive from D.C. or Langley or wherever it was leaving from. I took off my jacket and made a pillow for her head. I felt the urgent need to piss. I left Brody’s side and walked back down to my victim’s body. In the ultimate act of dominance, I soaked him with my urine.

  “Fuck you, Cody Banner.”

  The mountain was mine, but it may have cost me the love of my life. It was a hollow victory. I was only there to make her happy. I’d given up the only life I’d ever known to come here with her and make a new life. If she didn’t pull through, the mountain would only be a bad reminder of her demise. It would tell me every day how I’d let her die. I stood there waiting for the sound of a helicopter, contemplating how I’d kill myself if she didn’t survive.

  Eighteen

  Several hours passed before I heard the first faint churning sounds of chopper blades. Brody stirred ever so slightly. I put my ear to her mouth to listen. It was so faint it should have been inaudible, but my ears heard her.

  “I love you,” she said. “I will always love you.”

  “I know baby,” I said. “Hang in there for me. I love you so much it hurts. Shit’s gonna work out. I promise. Shit will work out.”

  I stayed with Brody, down below the plateau, until the chopper landed. Six men piled out. I took them to Brody, and Banner’s body. The dead man was placed in a body bag and Brody was carefully put on a stretcher.

  “She’ll be at Watauga Medical Center in Boone,” the leader told me. “Cars are on the way to your house. These men will take care of things here.”

  I nodded in understanding. The chopper took off to the east, leaving me with four FBI agents whom I’d never met.

  “Take us down to your cabin,” a man said. “We’ll follow with the bo
dy.”

  “What happens then?” I asked.

  “You don’t need to know the details,” he said. “But it will be like this never happened.”

  “How soon can I leave for the hospital?”

  “As soon as our cars arrive,” he said. “They might beat us there.”

  “Let’s go then,” I said. “It’s a long way, but it’s not too bad going downhill.”

  The men took turns lugging Banner’s dead weight down the mountain. I moved deliberately, tolerating their slow progress. Banner was dead, but all I could think about was Brody’s welfare. She’d taken a mean hit to the head, not to mention the humiliation she’d suffered. The trek down seemed to take forever, but we made it to the cabin long before dark. Two big, black SUVs came down the drive soon after we arrived. The body was loaded, my escorts got in the cars, and they turned around and drove back out. I was alone.

  I was desperate to get to the hospital, but I realized how bad I must have looked and smelled. I took a quick shower and changed into some decent, clean clothes before departing for Boone. I got a quick rundown from the attending doctor before being let in to see her. There was no skull fracture, but she’d suffered a concussion. She was conscious but was currently sleeping. I was told to let her sleep, but I could stay with her and talk to her when she woke.

  I sat beside her bed and held her hand. She’d been cleaned up nicely. A soft ice pack rested on one side of her face, secured loosely with gauze. Other than a large nasty bruise and swelling, she was as lovely as ever. As I sat in the quiet room, fatigue overtook me. The adrenaline was gone and I was as tired as I’d ever been. I pulled another chair up to rest my feet on and dozed off at her bedside.

  I replayed the shot in my dreams. Banner was in my crosshairs over and over again. I was at peace with what I'd done. His killing was justified. I shot him another dozen times. I never once wavered. Just to be sure, I replayed his killing of Pop Sutton. I saw him ravaging the woman I loved. Yes, I’d asked the Lord to forgive me, but I’d already forgiven myself.

  Brody stirred just before daylight. I spoke to her softly in the dim light of the machines attached to her.

  “It’s okay, baby,” I said. “You’re going to be all right.”

  “Thank god you’re here,” she said. “I’ve missed you.”

  “How do you feel?”

  “My head hurts,” she said. “I’m terribly thirsty.”

  “I’ll get some water and a nurse,” I said.

  The staff came in and checked her out. She was given a painkiller and plenty to drink. After they left, Brody had questions. She didn’t remember everything that had happened.

  “I shouldn’t have gone up there alone,” she said. “I was still so tired. I didn’t stay aware. I was just walking in a stupor when a bomb went off in my head.”

  “Banner clubbed you with the butt of his rifle,” I said. “Ambushed you.”

  “I thought I saw him lying beside me, but it’s all a blur,” she said.

  “He’s dead.”

  “I’m so sorry, Breeze,” she said. “Are you okay?”

  “Don’t worry about me,” I said. “I did what I had to do.”

  “It’s your mountain now,” she said. “It’s all over.”

  “Mine and yours,” I said. “Peace be upon us.”

  “Peace sounds nice.”

  I explained how she was transported to the hospital by an FBI helicopter. I told her what Bowdich had said about our future relationship with the Bureau. I told her about the cleanup crew that had accompanied the medics.

  “Has law enforcement been here?” she asked.

  “Nope,” I told her. “Haven’t heard a peep.”

  “David must have taken over the whole thing,” she said. “The Sheriff won’t like it, but there’s not much he can do about it.”

  “I’m more worried about the Senator,” I said. “He seems to pull all the strings.”

  “I suspect David will have gotten to him too,” she said. “Turn on the TV. See if there’s any news.”

  We watched the morning headlines before the broadcast was switched to a live feed from the statehouse in Raleigh. It was Senator Banner.

  It is with deep regret and sadness that I report the death of my grandson, Cody Banner. There was a hunting accident in the mountains of western North Carolina that claimed his life too soon. We pray that he finds peace in the afterlife and absolution for his soul. The family asks that you respect our privacy during this trying time. Thank you all. No questions, please.

  The FBI had used whatever leverage they had to silence the old man. If he was accepting this outcome, then law enforcement would follow. I expect some of them were relieved. There was no further need to worry about investigating the death of Pop Sutton. Justice had been brought to his killer. The weed had vanished. Nothing to see here. All was quiet on McGuire Mountain.

  Nineteen

  Soon I was able to bring Brody home to our quiet cabin in the woods. She recovered quickly and found an even greater appreciation for mountain living. She never asked about what Banner had done to her. I was content not to talk about it. She was a strong-willed and capable woman who was going to be just fine.

  Eventually, she felt strong enough to do a little hiking. She wanted to return to the scene of Banner’s death. I couldn’t stop her so we went together. She showed no ill-effects from her ordeal on the way up. When we reached the spot she stopped and stood still. I watched her breath in the mountain air. Her nostrils flared as she took in the smells of the earth. I could tell she was listening intently to the sounds of nature and the babbling of the creek.

  “I know what happened here,” she said. “But that’s behind me now. I won’t let it continue to hurt me, or stand in the way of our life together.”

  “You’re an amazing woman, Brody,” I said. “I’m proud to share all of this with you.”

  “I’m sorry for what you had to do,” she said. “But I’d have done the same.”

  “I know you would,” I said. “We’re a team.”

  “Now I want to come back up here with my rifle,” she said. “I’m going to kill a big buck before the season ends.”

  “That’s the spirit,” I said.

  It took a few days, but Brody got her buck. We cleaned the rifles and put them away. We hoped to never use them again. The doe and her yearlings were free to eat all the apples our trees could provide.

  We settled in for the winter with a freezer full of venison, love in our hearts, and plenty of firewood. No one bothered us, not the police, not the FBI, and most certainly not Cody Banner.

  Peace.

  Author’s Thoughts

  Popcorn Sutton was a legendary Appalachian moonshiner and bootlegger. In 2009, he opted to commit suicide rather than go to jail. He did have a daughter named Sky, but as far as I know, he never had a son. There are several books and a movie about his life.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_Sutton

  My wife and I lived aboard our boat in Florida for almost eight years. Recently we moved to a log cabin in the mountains of western North Carolina. We are enjoying our new life in the High Country. For more details on how this life-changing decision was made, read my previous book,

  Benevolent Breeze

  https://amzn.to/2IeIjbL

  There have been several psychological studies over the past few years linking proximity to nature with increased awareness and heightened senses. Exposure to nature increases energy and one’s sense of well-being. “Nature is fuel for the soul.”

  I was busy splitting wood and preparing for winter when Hurricane Florence threatened to flood our little piece of paradise. The forecasts for the Blue Ridge Mountains were calling for up to a foot of rain. Our cabin sits beside a creek and we were worried. I accelerated my wood splitting schedule and moved all of it to higher ground. We readied our generator and took on supplies. The heavy rains never came. Nearby locations received up to six inches of rain, but we barely got an inch.
The folks in the eastern part of the state didn’t fare so well. We are thankful to have been spared. The irony is that we thought leaving Florida would make us immune to hurricanes.

  *If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review at Amazon.

  Acknowledgements

  Proofreaders

  Dave Calhoun

  Jeanene Olson

  Kai Rabenstein

  Editor

  John Corbin

  Cover Design

  https://ebooklaunch.com/

  Interior Formatting

  https://ebooklaunch.com/

  Other Books by Ed Robinson

  Trawler Trash; Confessions of a Boat Bum

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  Following Breeze

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  Free Breeze

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  Redeeming Breeze

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  Bahama Breeze

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  Cool Breeze

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  True Breeze

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  Ominous Breeze

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  Restless Breeze

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  Enduring Breeze

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  Benevolent Breeze

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  Nonfiction by Ed Robinson

  Leap of Faith; Quit Your Job and Live on a Boat

  https://amzn.to/2NGxLYK

  Poop, Booze, and Bikinis

  https://amzn.to/2xCeqOj

  The Untold Story of Kim

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