The Strategists of Timber Falls

by David Fenton

  ***

  The sky was very dark. Soon the river would be shrouded in a thick blanket of darkness. Donovan was getting cold and hungry, and his little campfire hadn’t worked out too well. He tried to build camp around the SUV, but the car had gotten cold. Restless, he decided that the best thing he could do was to try and drive out of there.

  He re-examined the scratches and the growing puddle of fluid on the ground but, because the holes were small, there wasn’t much fluid. With the right patches, the SUV should be able to hold up long enough to reach Timber Falls. He just needed something to seal the holes.

  Donovan opened the back of the SUV and began digging through the loose items: a chessboard, some rope, a first aid kit, a make up kit, and a few other things until he found some glue. He then cut up the rope with a piece of broken glass from the make up kit and glued the rope into the holes. He used cloth from an old blanket in the backseat to make wedges for the larger holes. Once that was completed, he got behind the wheel and turned the key. When the engine caught, he threw it into reverse and hit the gas.

  The SUV lurched backwards but quickly settled back into position. He tried again, and this time the SUV surged out of the rut and away from the boulder.

  His next problem was figuring out how to get back to the road. Spending time by the river had made him realize how shallow it was. He also knew the river eventually reached a small bridge. The bridge was for an old jeep trail. The jeep trail eventually crossed the road. All he needed to do was drive down the river to the bridge.

  He hit the gas and switched to four-wheel drive. The car bounced and shook a little, but not like it had on the hillside. He followed the edge of the river but, eventually, the rocky beached disappeared and Donovan was forced to drive in the river itself. The SUV did surprisingly well under those conditions, and as long as he managed to avoid any large rocks or holes, he was fine. The water started to deepen, however, as he neared the point of convergence of the three rivers in Timber Falls, but by then the jeep trail had appeared. The trail was old and overgrown, and it was on the wrong side of the road, but it was more than enough for Donovan. He drove out of the river and onto the trail.

  He followed the trail along the river’s edge and managed to cross the bridge before the SUV stalled. Fortunately, the SUV was close enough to the road to be seen by passing drivers. Nobody seemed to be coming from either direction, so he turned on his high beams and sat in the car.

  A long time passed. The car’s heat soon dissipated, and Donovan could see his breath. He started to shiver.

  Not too long after that, a car appeared down the road. It was coming his way. The car was moving fast and soon reached him. When it stopped, he could see it was a police car.

  Donovan got out of the SUV. “Hey! Can you give me a lift back to town?” he yelled at the car’s driver. “My car stalled and I can’t stay out here much longer. I’m cold and hungry.”

  The ranger was out of his car before Donovan finished speaking. He marched down the jeep trail towards the SUV with a cold and hard look, like a hunter considering its prey. He was carrying a shotgun in his left hand. As he approached Donovan, the ranger pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.

  I wonder why he did that, Donovan thought. It’s too dark for sunglasses.

  “You Donovan?” he asked.

  Donovan hesitated for a second. “Yeah.”

  “I picked up your wife not too far back. Says you tried to kill her.” His voice was very direct, but not stern. He had shifted the shotgun to his right hand. “She says you drove off the road. I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re coming with me.”

  Donovan felt the ranger was unsure of himself. This provided him with an opening.

  Donovan frowned. “So, you met her. I don’t know what she told you, but I can assure you it was all her. She’s the one who tried to kill me, not the other way around.”

  I’m so clever, he thought. I should be a strategist.

  The ranger’s face twisted. “What?”

  Donovan wanted to smile, but he needed to be in control. “Oh, come on! Why would I want to kill her? And why would I kill myself in the process? And why drive down a hillside? There are many other ways to kill someone. Why go out in all that pain?” The ranger flinched with every word. “She tried to kill me, I tell you! She told me I couldn’t do anything, and I wasn’t good enough for her. We argued, and she tried to grab the wheel. Crazy bitch.”

  The trooper was wringing the barrel of the shotgun. He seemed perplexed. “I…all right. I’ll give you a ride back into town. We’ll settle this matter there.”

  Donovan was glad to climb into the ranger’s car. He had never enjoyed warmth so much, nor did he ever appreciate leather so much. That’s the next thing he was going to get: a nice big car with a leather interior. And a full set of fishing tackle. Donovan can’t remember the last time he went fishing.

  The two drove in silence for a long while. The trooper seemed to get progressively angrier as they drove. “You know, she flirted with me,” he said suddenly. “I tried to make it look like I had no interest in her, but she didn’t take the hint. She still looked pretty in that torn up dress, though. Why would she want to kill you?” The ranger seemed hopeful.

  “I guess she doesn’t love me anymore…or maybe it was for my life insurance? I’m a pretty valuable man, you know,” Donovan lied.

  The ranger did not respond.

  They drove on down the road until they reached Timber Falls. They crossed the bridge and turned down the dirt road. They eventually reached the rust coloured house by the side of the river. The ranger lit a cigarette before getting out of the car and then strode towards the front door. Donovan hustled to keep up. The ranger had his handcuffs out.

  “What are you going to do?” Donovan asked.

  “I’m going to deal with her myself. I’ve had enough of this crap.” The ranger walked up to the door and pounded on it. The knocking seemed to shake the whole house.

  “Shouldn’t there be an investigation or something?” Donovan pulled his coat tighter around himself.

  “I’ve heard enough.” The ranger took off his sunglasses. His mustache was all puffed up.

  It was a few minutes before they heard someone moving around inside. Then the door opened to reveal Meriam, still in her torn dress. She had not cleaned herself up. She stepped out of the house and closed the door before looking at the trooper, then Donovan. She saw the handcuffs in the trooper’s hands.

  “Jermaine, what’s this all about?” she said.

  The ranger flashed a triumphant smile, but it quickly melted away, replaced by a look of irritation. “You’re under arrest for attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent. You…”

  “Now, hold on a minute!” Donovan interrupted. “That’s going too far! Let’s think this over.”

  They stared at each other. No one moved. Their exhalations mixed and formed a wraith-like cloud between the three. It hovered and danced, and soon it rose to the heavens. Meriam had stopped breathing. She stood, frozen as the ice itself. She had no expression on her face. Tears suddenly began to roll down her cheeks. She lifted her wrists for the ranger. “I…I won’t make scene. You figured me out. I’ll go quietly.”

  The trooper escorted Meriam to his car, but all the while, Donovan stood rooted to the patio by the front door. He was shocked. He could not move. He could not think. He continued to stare blindly into the darkness. He could not believe what he had just done.

  She was trying to kill me? I thought I made it up, Donovan thought.

  He began looking at his hands. They were trembling. He began running after the ranger. “Wait! I’m going with you!”

  ***

  The police station was a small building on the edge of town. The structure was no more than a small, square one storey edifice placed neatly against the side of the road. It had a clean, well-organized look to it. The small parking area was along the left side of the building. It
was empty when they arrived.

  Inside the building, everything was white, except the floor, which was made up of small, brown tiles. A few chairs and desks were strewn out throughout the station. There weren’t many officers around, and only one secretary.

  Donovan sat on one of the chairs. Meriam sat in another directly beside him. They did not speak to each other, nor did they exchange glances.

  Donovan was content with studying the clock on the secretary’s desk, but after exactly fifty-six minutes, he decided to question his wife. He could not go any longer without knowing.

  “You were trying to kill me?” he asked. She nodded. “Why? I thought everything was fine.”

  Meriam did not respond for a moment, then said, “I didn’t want to be a servant anymore.” She paused for a minute, “I’ve been serving people all my life. I’m so sick of serving people all the time.”

  “But, I’m not…”

  “Yes, you are!” She had more heat in her voice now. “You aren’t much different than my customers! They tell me what they want, and I go get it for them. My boss is the same way.” She took a moment to regain her breath. “I wanted to be the one in charge for a change. I wanted to open my own restaurant.”

  Donovan continued to stare at his wife. “So, you were after my money, huh? Why not just divorce me, or ask for the money and take off?”

  She looked at the floor. “I wanted to see if I…if I could do it. I didn’t want to leave anything behind that could return to haunt me.”

  “Can’t we make this work?” Donovan asked.

  Meriam wiped a tear from her eye. “I just want to go home.”

  Donovan searched his pocket for a tissue. “If…if you really want to, we can get divorced. I don’t have a problem with that. I’ll even give you half of all the money.”

  Meriam finally turned to Donovan. “No. I realize what I have now. I don’t want to lose it.” Meriam made a weak smile. “I really do enjoy being with you…”

  A large, gruff man interrupted them. He wore a jean shirt and a brimmed hat. He was very overweight and carried a pile of papers in his hands. A sheriff’s badge decorated his shirt. “I’m the chief of this station. My name’s Captain Howell. Nice to meet you.” He did not appear to mean it. “I’ve been informed of the situation and I’ve talked to officer Jermaine. I must apologize. My neph…I mean, officer Jermaine acted in haste. He’s a nice kid, but sometimes he’s a little rash.”

  “Nice kid my ass,” the secretary added. “That guy should be thrown in jail.”

  Howell gave the secretary a stern glance before returning to the couple. “Now, he may be reckless, but attempted murder is still a serious charge. That is, if it is a charge.” His eyebrow rose as he turned to face Donovan.

  “No, you’re right. He just came to some strange conclusions,” Donovan said.

  “We simply ran off the road,” Meriam added.

  Captain Howell nodded. “Okay. You’re free to go.”

  When they got up to leave, Meriam leaned her head on Donovan’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. He decided to allow it.

  She’s going to try again, he thought. She’s just buying time. That trooper is going to come after us too. There is no way he will let us get away with making him look like a fool, but I don’t mind. I’ll be ready for both of them!

  Then the couple stepped through the police stations doors, and the darkness enveloped them.