by A.L. Crouch
When I opened my eyes again I was in the back of the ambulance on the side of the mountain road. A cluster of lights and movements surrounded me and it took me a minute to process all of them. A paramedic was hovering over me, dabbing my thigh with a wet cotton ball, which stung but I was too disoriented to complain. Beyond the opening of the ambulance I could see Sulley talking to Jones and another man, who I guessed was Mr. Henley because he was leaning up against a pickup full of wriggling Bloodhounds.
Sulley nodded in agreement with whatever was being said. I sat up and we locked eyes before the paramedic bade me to lay back down. I refused and was about to stand up when Sulley appeared at the ambulance doorway.
“Please tell him that I am fine. I can walk, I don’t need to be laying in the back of an ambulance when Will is still out there!”
Sulley gave the paramedic a dismissive nod and the paramedic threw his hands up in defeat before walking away to give us a minute.
“You’ve been through a lot tonight, you need to do what the paramedics say.”
“I’m just a little woozie,” I argued. “Some water and I’ll be fine.”
Sulley shook his head. “You need to go on to the hospital and let them check you out.”
I got up defiantly, wrapping Sulley’s jacket around me and stood firm even though a strong gust of wind threatened to knock me off balance. We were parked further up the road from the crash site. I saw from the headlights of the nearest squad car that the drop to the ridge was only a slight slope here. It would be an easy hike from this spot.
“There’s no way in hell that’s happening. There’s nothing wrong with me other than a few cuts and scrapes.” The paramedic handed me a bottle of water and I thanked him and then turned my attention back to Sulley. “We have to go back out there and look for Will.”
“You’ll be safer at the hospital for the rest of the night. Whoever is after you could still be out there too.” He looked into my eyes. “Did you see anything Alex? Can you give me a description? Anything at all?”
I took a swig from the bottle and then bowed my head. “I ran before I saw anything. Will screamed for me to run. I looked back, but I didn’t see anything. There were gunshots and then I fell down the embankment and hid under some brush. I couldn’t see his face, just the knife.”
“Knife?”
I looked him dead in the face. “It was the same knife Uncle Sulley. It was the same man, I know it.”
“But did you see him at all? Anything that could help us identify him? Any scars, distinguishing marks? What was he wearing?”
“No. All I saw were his hands because I was covered in all the debris. He had on gloves,” I grimaced, furious with myself. “He was right there . . . and I couldn’t see him without giving myself away. He was right there!”
Sulley put his arm around me and hugged me to him.
“I’m glad you did what you had to do in order to stay safe. You need to let us take care of this guy. This is why I told you not to come out here. Damn it Alex, why didn’t you just listen to me? I’m trying to protect you.”
I hung my head. “I just wanted to remember something . . . anything that could pin the accident to Brightman. Will was trying to help me remember, and now he’s missing. Have you tracked down Brightman? Has anyone questioned him?”
Sulley sighed and let me go.
“I sent Conely to track down Brightman. He’ll call me if he finds anything. We’ll find Will. In the meantime, you need to let these paramedics take you to get checked out.”
“I told you I’m not going,” I hissed.
Sulley glared at me. When I didn’t back down he sighed and shook his head.
“Fine, no hospital,” he agreed. “But you are coming home with me right now so I can keep an eye on you myself.”
“No,” I cried. “We have to get back out there and find Will. He could be out there hurt. We can’t give up yet.”
“I told you, we made a wide sweep of the area. There’s not much else we can do until morning, it’s too dark. We’ll send the dogs back out at first light if he haven’t heard from him, when we have a better visual. There’s no way you are going back out there Alex. You look like you could fall right over. When was the last time you ate anything?”
I thought for a minute. The last thing I had eaten had been the part of the muffin Will had given me that morning. I had to admit, I was famished and unsteady, but none of that mattered as much as finding Will safe and alive. It was my fault that he was even out there.
“I can’t leave him out here Uncle Sulley.” My voice was a plea and I looked into Sulley’s eyes urging him to understand.
Sulley sighed. He looked from me to the pickup full of eager, whining hounds. He patted me on the shoulder and nodded.
“Okay Kiddo,” he said. “Henley and I will take another pass across the ridge with the dogs. Jones!” he yelled and the officer jogged up to us, his breath trailing in white wisps behind him.
“I want you to take Alex home to get her stuff and then take her straight to my place. I want you by her side every minute, do you understand? Do not leave her until I get there.”
Jones nodded but I started to protest. Sulley cut me off.
“You’re not doing Will or myself any good by being out here. If you want me to find him then I need you safely out of the way. Henley!” he called behind us.
“Yessir?” Henley yelled back from his pickup.
“Your dogs fit for another pass?”
I watched Mr. Henley remove his cap and wipe his forehead with the back of his hand.
“I’d give ‘em another hour before I need to get ‘em inside and fed. There’s a storm coming too. Best get moving,” he said and began to gather the leashes.
Sulley turned to me and placed both hands on my shoulders.
“One hour. That’s all you get. If we haven’t found him by then, we’ll have to call it until morning. I’ll meet you at my place exactly an hour from now. Jones doesn’t leave your side.”
I thought about arguing, but I knew there was nothing else I could do. Sulley was being gracious by giving me this much.
“Okay,” I said and with one final pat, Sulley walked to the pickup.
I followed Jones to his squad car and climbed in the passenger side as the first smattering of rain began to fall.
“Wait,” I called as we rolled up to Sulley and Mr. Henley before they started down to the ridge.
Sulley turned and I shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it to him through my window. Sulley grabbed it and flung it over his shoulder.
“You need this more than I do,” I said. “Find him Uncle Sulley.”
“One hour.” He hollered back before he disappeared down the slope and Jones pulled the cruiser onto the road towards town.