The Strategists of Timber Falls

by David Fenton

  ***

  What a disaster! Meriam thought.

  Meriam plodded down the side of the road. She had wrapped her arms around herself for protection against the cold, but she still shivered. Her dress had multiple tears in it, and her hair was dishevelled. Streaks of eye shadow played down her face. She was crying, from pain and anguish. She had just been through the most horrifying experience in her life. After she had leaped out of the SUV, she had crawled back up the hill to the road hoping for a ride, but nobody had come and night had fallen quickly. The only thing that lit her way was the emerging moon. She walked on in darkness and silence.

  It was not supposed to be like this, she thought. He was supposed to attack me! She was not used to the idea of killing, and this twist to her plan had surprised her. Now she didn’t know what to do.

  A long time passed. She began to feel tired and wanted a place to rest. At that moment a beam of light illuminated her path. She turned around to see a green and white police car pull up beside her.

  The ranger who stepped out of the car wore a wide brimmed hat and was smoking a cigarette. As he walked towards her, he pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his shirt pocket and put them on. He was tall and broad shouldered, a man who looked like he could have anything he wanted whenever he wanted it.

  You think you’re more intimidating with those sunglasses on, she thought.

  “You alright, ma’am? You shouldn’t be out here at night. Where’s your jacket? Don’t tell me you came out here without a jacket!” His wide mustache bristled and puffed up. He threw his cigarette to the ground, then slowly removed his sunglasses and stuffed them in his breast pocket.

  At first, Meriam had been so surprised to see the trooper that she had no problem controlling herself. But as she stood there facing him, relief flooded through her, and she could not hold her grief in any longer. She began crying and leaned against the police car to support herself. The ranger came over and put his hands on her shoulders. She flinched, but she decided to allow him do what he wished.

  “You’re freezing! Here, take my coat.” He wrapped his coat around her and then opened the car door. “There you go. You’re safe with me now.” He offered a reassuring smile, but his eyes seemed to pierce her soul.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled. Her tongue had swelled up somewhat. Her speech sounded muffled, but she was surprised to learn that she could still talk reasonably well. The bleeding had stopped soon after she started climbing the hill, and he pain had subsided a little. The swelling hadn’t started until after she reached the road.

  They got into the car. It had a brown leather interior that smelled faintly of whiskey. The back seat had wire mesh between it and the front. She adjusted her feet, but her foot hit a long, metal shaft. It made a loud clunking sound.

  The trooper reached down and lifted a shotgun off the floor and put it beside his seat. “Sorry about that. You can’t be too careful around here, what with bears and all.”

  They drove in silence for a while. “So miss, how did you end up out here? You look like a bear’s whore!” He winced. He regretted saying the words as soon as they left his mouth.

  She ignored his comment. “I…my husband. He went mad. I don’t know what happened.” Looks like I can still salvage my plan, she thought. “He…he was drinking. We got in an argument…and…and…he decided he had had enough. He wanted to end it all, so he drove into the trees. I jumped out, but he…” She bowed her head. What a jerk, she thought.

  The ranger arched his eyebrow. Meriam wasn’t sure whether he was confused or just didn’t understand her. “Officer…,” she looked quickly at the name printed on his right shirt pocket,” …Jermaine? Could…could you please go back and find my husband?” She looked at him pleadingly.

  Jermaine turned from her to the road. His mustache bristled again and a cold fury seemed to be burning inside him. His face twitched and he looked at her with a strained smile. “Let’s get you someplace warm first. Where do you live?”

  “Timber Falls,” she said.

  “Ah, Timber falls.” A smile flashed across his face. “A beautiful town that is. My little boy lives there. Haven’t seen him in ages.”

  “That’s…nice,” she said. I think he thinks I’m flirting with him, she thought.

  They drove on down the road. Eventually the mountains gave way to a series of rivers that converged in a gorge. Large rocks and pools of still water dotted the gorge. Several waterfalls fed into it. The town itself was built on the rocks that lined the rivers. There were a number of bridges throughout the town and boardwalks along the rivers. Docks for fishing boats reached out into the rivers and bait shops could be seen at every intersection. All buildings were made of wood and looked like hunting lodges; some had a cozy look, others looked like abandoned, lonely places. One large bridge spanned the combined rivers. The car crossed this bridge and headed down a dirt path shortly after. The path led to a number of large houses built within the trees.

  Meriam pointed. “That’s my house.”

  The house Meriam pointed to was a large, rust coloured building that sprawled over rocks and was built right by the river’s edge. A wooden patio ran about the entire perimeter of the house, and a stone stairway led to the front door. Lamps lighted the stairs and the patio, and winter-bare gardens ran the entire length of the house.

  Jermaine twitched when he saw the house. “I guess I’ll drop you off here. Let me walk you to the door.”

  They walked in silence to the front of the house where Meriam handed back the coat Jermaine had given her. She then opened the door and went in. It seemed the trooper was about to follow her, but he stopped at the last second. He had a hard look on his face. She turned to face him in the doorway. “Thank you, Jermaine. You’ve been so sweet.” That ought to rile him up, she thought.

  The ranger nodded. “It’s been my pleasure, ma’am. And don’t you worry about your husband. I’ll go find him for you.”

  She nodded. Then she closed the door and sat down on a chair in the foyer.

  All those months of constant prodding and nagging, and he snaps in the wrong way, she thought. Her plan had been simple: make him get angry with her, so angry he would attack and she could kill him but, instead, he goes insane and decides to go over a hill. How did it happen? He wasn’t supposed to do that!

  Multiple explanations raced through her head, but she soon fell fast asleep.

  ***

  Jermaine remained on the porch. He did not move for some time after Meriam shut the door. Finally, he turned and hustled back to his car. He grabbed the shotgun and loaded it. “It looks like hunting season is opening a little bit early this year,” he said to himself.