Author: K.L. Barnes
Category: Suspense
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Deputy Jameson started the engine and put the car in gear, driving slowly down the road while keeping an eye out for any sign of the suspects in question.
The wind had started to blow earlier in the evening and the swaying branches created eerie shadows cast by the light of the brightly glowing moon.
Jameson stepped out of his vehicle and walked steadily up the steps of the front deck, then knocked on the door and waited through the sounds of footsteps as they approached from the other side.
Joseph Binyon opened the door and offered that same grimace that Jameson supposed was meant to be a smile.
“Well hello, Deputy,” he greeted in surprise. “What brings you back here this time of night?”
Jameson returned the smile and started on the story he’d settled on while debating the wisdom of what he wanted to do.
“We had a little problem in town and it’s real important that we get in touch with Ralph Ralston,” he lied. “The trouble is, we can’t seem to locate him. We thought that since you’re renting from him and all, we’d just stop by and get his contact information from you.”
Joseph stepped back and opened the door wide, inviting Jameson to step inside.
“Come on in and I’ll get it for you,” he said and then added, “it’s just in the kitchen if you want to follow me.”
Jameson was reluctant to enter the house where he might find himself hemmed in if, in fact, these two had something going on that could cause them some trouble. Jameson was intelligent enough, but he’d never been all that quick on his feet. He searched his thoughts for a moment but couldn’t think of a plausible excuse to stay on the front porch, so he followed Joseph through the living room and into the kitchen, panning his eyes around for any sign that he might be walking into a bad situation.
Joseph walked straight to the counter and opened a drawer, shuffling around in a pile of loose papers and the usual accumulation of odds and ends that every household seems to collect.
“I keep saying I’m going to clean this out one day,” he said with a self deprecating laugh.
Jameson gave him an understanding smile that turned to shocked disbelief, and then to alarm, as Joseph turned from the drawer with a small pistol in his hand.
“Hold on now,” he said, holding his hands out in a protective gesture. “I don’t want any trouble here. You have a permit for that thing?” He tried another smile and nodded toward the gun that was pointed directly at his chest.
“It’s not going to matter to you whether I do or I don’t,” Joseph said quietly and Jameson felt his bowels clench at the thought that he was going to die right here. A movement caught Joseph’s attention and he glanced away suddenly. Jameson reacted in a split second, flinging his hand out to deflect the barrel of the gun, only to stop in mid motion, his own attention captured by the second gun that was pressing into the back of his skull. He remembered the kid then and cursed himself for what a fool he had been.
“Carl, No!” Joseph screamed, but Jameson knew, somehow, that it was already too late.
*****
Maeve sat with the girls on the bed, trying not to show how afraid she was about Joseph’s words to her just now. What was she going to do if he forced her to leave the kids behind? Maybe Joe would be chosen to stay and guard them. He would have the perfect opportunity to get the girls all safely away while she and Glenn were dealing with Joseph and Carl.
She had to prepare them for every possibility, but she didn’t want to frighten them any more than they already were. They had been so strong and brave and it just didn’t seem fair to ask any more of them than what they had already given.
“We’re not going with you tonight are we?” Claire asked, but Maeve could tell she already knew the answer.
“I don’t know,” Maeve hedged. “But Joseph said something to me just now that makes me think you’ll be staying here. How did you know?”
“In my dream I always see Torei and Faye, Joe and Carl and Jason too, but you’re never there. In my dream I mean.” Her voice was trembling and tears were beginning to run down her cheeks.
Claire was hunched over, her shoulders beginning to shake, the sobs racking her thin body as she tried to put her fears into words.
“I thought it was just a dream, you know? But I had it again last night and I think it’s a real dream, like before. Why is all this happening, Mama? I don’t understand.”
Maeve’s heart was being squeezed by a mammoth fist and it was hard for her to breathe. She couldn’t bear to see her little girl hurting like this. All of the anger that she had pushed aside came rushing back with tremendous force.
What good were these fucking dreams and visions anyway if she couldn’t understand them or use them to make a difference? They didn’t change her circumstances and it was useless to think that she was being provided with knowledge that would help in any way. She told herself that she had just been surviving by creating some ridiculous fantasy. Just continuing to torture herself mentally over her naïve beliefs.
The muffled but unmistakable sound of a gunshot made them all jump and Maeve reacted by shoving both of the girls behind her in an effort to shelter them with her body.
Maeve could feel her pulse racing, breath coming in short gasps as she counted the seconds waiting for the door to open at the top of the stairs. Her anxiety grew as the time passed and her mind created a hundred different scenarios that would explain the sudden, terrifying silence.
What if Joe or Faye had been hurt? Had Glenn tried to escape? Or had Joseph decided to kill them all before he was discovered? Oh God, how were they going to get through this? Maeve lost all of her resolve as the trauma of the past few days overwhelmed her, robbing her of the ability to move or think or feel anything but terror and grief.
Mama. She hadn’t heard that in such a very long time. The memory of her daughter’s shattered voice calling to her like a small child jarred her away from the overwhelming despair. The anger began to well up again, filling her with the strength she would need to end this thing.
Maeve would use Claire’s dream as well as her own and she would take every advantage she was given to put an end to this nightmare.
She and Glenn had only planned to escape and run with the children as fast and as far as they could, but there was no doubt now that if they hoped to live through the night, Joseph and Carl would have to die.
*****
Chapter 29
Joseph was angrier than he had ever been in his life. He stood in the kitchen staring down at the body of the young deputy while blood and something gelatinous clung to his clothes and ran from his hair down over his face. What a little fuck up Carl had turned out to be.
The vision he’d once had for himself and his son was long gone. His feelings for the boy had been the closest thing he’d ever felt to love, or so he guessed. Now that feeling was being replaced by loathing and a touch of fear. Joseph would have killed him right then and there if it hadn’t been for the ceremony that he had so carefully planned. Besides, he wasn’t going to clean up this mess. He would make Carl do it while Joe kept an eye on the Tidewell kids.
It was already late and Joseph would need to move fast now to get Maeve and the doctor in place at the ancient wall.
“You will never gain divine understanding,” he said coldly, “by killing without thought or care for the spirit that dwells within.”
Carl had bandaged the damaged eye and wrapped a bandana around his head, then swallowed a hand full of aspirin to dull the terrible pain. Now he stood facing his father, the gun hot in his hand as he stared at the fascinating array of blood, bone and brain matter that had splayed grotesquely across the room.
“I’m tired of hearing about your power and your spirits and all your other bullshit!” Carl cried out in anger and frustration. “It isn’t like it used to be, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be at all.” His voice was quivering now and there was such a look of devastation on his face that Joseph almost felt sorry for him. He could
vaguely remember the young eager boy who had followed him everywhere, and who had been interested rather than repulsed by the prospect of witnessing violent death.
Oh yes, he had once had the highest hopes for he and his son. Maybe it wasn’t too late after all. He would show the boy some mercy and he would use this weakness of fear and grief to try one more time to demonstrate exactly how he perceived the workings of the universe.
“Okay, okay now. We’ll talk about it later but right now I need you to help me get him out to the cellar,” Joseph said, nodding his head toward the lifeless man lying at his feet.
He patted Carl awkwardly on the shoulder in encouragement, then bent down to lift Jameson’s body by the shoulders while Carl grabbed the legs behind the knees and hefted them up.
Jesus, this guy was heavy. Carl was struggling to keep a grip on the weighty legs and figured if he’d had to move him alone he would have had a rough go of it. At least the struggle to move the corpse was occupying enough of his mind that he didn’t have to dwell on the tears that had threatened to overwhelm him. He didn’t know where all of that had come from, but the emotions were foreign to him and the whole thing made him uncomfortable. Maybe he would think about it all later, after he had his fun with the girls downstairs. He would stay in his father’s good graces and only take one of them as he had been told, but which one would he choose?
*****
“Holy shit!” Ben gasped. There was no doubt that the sound had been a gun shot. The question was, who was doing the shooting? And who was getting shot?
It was colder than a whore’s heart in the dark woods. The wind was kicking up and clouds rolled in to partially obscure the moon that had risen high above the trees.
Ben had been sitting in the same spot all day and was considering changing positions when the sheriff’s car pulled up in front of the cabin. Ben didn’t think he would be spotted, but didn’t want to take a chance that the lone deputy might catch a glimpse of him and give him away. He could see the hefty young officer talking politely with the goon at the door. The conversation seemed friendly enough and when they all moved into the house, Ben decided to take himself out of harm’s way. He crept carefully through the dark to the back of the property and out of sight of the cruiser.
He was just settling in near a stand of fallen trees when the shot was fired and he hit the ground, covering his head in hopes that the next shot would pass him by as well.
Ben realized almost immediately that the blast had been contained inside the house. The silence that surrounded him was thick and heavy after the echoing boom and he stayed put, careful not to make the slightest sound.
A full minute ticked by, and then another as he waited for some kind of activity. This didn’t look good, and he was trying to decide if he should try for the car where he could call for help on the radio when the back door opened.
Light spilled through the open doorway and Ben could clearly see the big man carrying a very dead looking sheriff’s deputy. The kid followed holding up the poor bastard’s legs, grunting with the effort of keeping a grip on the resistant limbs.
Ben didn’t need to think for one more second. He had begun to move before he even realized what he was doing. He was up and running quietly, headed through the trees on the shortest route to the deputy’s car.
The two murderers were occupied for at least a few more minutes and Ben didn’t even try to hide once they were out of sight in the shed. He ran full tilt across the open yard and skidded to a stop, throwing the passenger’s side door open and flinging himself across the seat, then pulling the door quietly shut behind him all in one fluid motion.
Grabbing the radio, he held down the speaker button. “May day, May day” he said as quietly as he could. “Officer down!” He rasped urgently into the microphone, desperately trying to recall what he knew about emergency radio procedure.
He lifted his finger off the button and a crackling female voice came blasting over the air. “Who’s this, what’s your position?” And then without waiting for a response, “Pete, is that you?”
The sound of other voices drifted through the quiet night and Ben knew he was out of time.
Peeking over the dash, he could see the big man and his son talking, their backs turned to him for the moment. He dropped the mike and slithered back out of the car, crawling away on his belly into the trees. Seconds later the son walked over and drove the sheriff’s car into the woods.
*****
Jason was hiding less than ten feet away from Ben at the other end of the same stand of fallen trees. He couldn’t see the front of the cabin from his position behind the house and had not been aware of the unfortunate visitor.
The gunshot scared the bejeezus out of him and he sat there, frozen, unable to decide if he should try to move in for a closer look or run like hell.
Jason caught a movement to his left and searched the dark recesses for a view of the intruder. He hoped to hell it wasn’t a bear or maybe even a mountain lion creeping up in hopes of catching a late dinner.
The two men coming out of the cabin grabbed his attention and he turned back to see them carrying something to the shed.
Was that a body? Jesus Christ, he’d almost cried out at the gory sight. He was thinking that they had found his father and that it was his body they hauled across the yard. But no, this man was a lot heavier and shorter than his dad. He wished his father were here with him now.
Jason watched the two killers struggle across the patchy grass and it occurred to him that if they were both out here, then there was no one inside the house.
Not even thinking about what he was doing, the next thing he knew, he found himself running across the broken ground heading for the back door. He slid inside and let the screen door close softly behind him, searching the hallway for signs that there was anyone else in the house.
The sounds of muffled sobs came to him from a door on the right and he listened quietly. He couldn’t be certain but it sounded like a young girl, and she sounded like she was alone.
Jason heard the sound of footsteps coming back on to the porch and quickly opened the door and stepped inside the room. Faye Binyon looked up, startled by the intrusion.
Jason put his finger to his lips signaling her to be quiet and she nodded slowly, never taking her eyes from his face.
*****
Glenn was concentrating very hard. He had a picture in his mind of how he wanted things to turn out tonight and he put every ounce of his mental energy into holding on to that vision.
He had met a lot of brave people in his forty-eight years, people with life threatening illnesses who faced the world with a smile on their face and who fought every day to make it one more week, or month, or even just one more day. Maeve Tidewell was such a person.
Before he met her he had never given much thought to how he would face this kind of challenge. Well now he was staring a colossal one right in the eye and he intended to fight. It wasn’t just his life that was at stake, and even though he still had yet to meet Claire and Torei, he knew that he would do everything in his power to get them home safe.
Glenn heard the scraping of footsteps and then the unmistakable sounds of Carl sliding the cistern pump away from the trap door. They had hollowed out the pump to make it easy to move and then used the heavy looking shell to hide the fact that there was a cellar beneath the shed.
It must be time. Glenn had prepared an extra surprise for Joseph and he was anxious to get out in the open where he could maneuver and get the upper hand. He stood in total darkness, waiting for the door to open and the ladder to fall. The hatch finally lifted and Glenn looked up into the light, ready to catch the ladder as it was dropped down for him.
But no ladder was lowered for him to climb out. As Glenn looked up into the light he saw the body fall over the edge of the opening and was barely able to move out of the way before it landed heavily on the floor where he had been standing.
Horrified at the grisly sight, he nearly came ung
lued. His breath was coming in shallow gasps, his vision blurring from the rush of fearful tears.
“I’ll be back for you shortly,” Joseph called before he dropped the door and Glenn was once again surrounded by darkness.
But this time he wasn’t alone. Joseph’s words had jarred him out of the nightmare and he suddenly felt an overwhelming need to preserve life if it were at all possible. He knelt down and tried to find a pulse but he already knew there was no hope for this man.
Who was he? It was possible Glenn would never know. The thought seemed to trigger a response that nothing else in this heinous experience had. He finally let the tears flow, crying out of fear and sadness, love and outrage as he stood over the body of a once living, breathing human being.
As the minutes passed and the anguish faded, Glenn felt a heat growing around and inside him that invaded his mind and his heart, filling his soul with a burning hatred for the man who had done this.
Yes, he would look this challenge full in the face and he would fight for his life. He not only intended to fight, he intended to win.
*****
Maeve closed her eyes and tried not to panic when she heard the door opening at the top of the stairs. She could not possibly leave her girls if that was what Joseph had in mind, but they had assured her there was help for them here. They would be safe and she shouldn’t worry.
Claire was positive that everything would unfold just as her dream had shown her. Neither one of the girls seemed to fear for their own safety at all.
The tears and anxiety were for her since they couldn’t see her part in the unfolding drama and she tried again to reassure them that she and Glenn would be just fine.
Joseph came heavily down the stairs and greeted the three of them politely, as he always did. “We need to be leaving now,” he said, “if we are to complete our journey before the moon reaches its highest point.”