Justice at Dawn

by Valerie Massey Goree

  The youth hopped and cussed and fell to the floor. “Let…me…go.”

  He rammed the rifle butt at her head, but she ducked and threw her torso over his bare legs. Although he attempted to kick her off, he only managed to knee her in the gut a couple of times. Out-weighing him and trained in defensive tactics, she should have been able to overpower him. But he was as slick as a fish coated in olive oil.

  “Quit struggling, kid. The game’s—”

  This time the rifle butt hit her squarely on the upper arm. Her left arm. He repeated the assault over and over. To conclude his attack, he rammed the butt at her head again. Dazed, she couldn’t avoid the impact this time.

  She rolled off him, blood oozing down her sleeve as she gasped for breath.

  37

  Satisfied Sadie escaped safely, Cooper had crept along the wall to the rear of the cabin. No human movement but faint voices and scuffles emanated from inside. What was KC up to? He retraced his steps, rifle ready. When he reached the porch, he peered around the corner, but the open door blocked his view. He’d have to climb up, but without his cane—which he’d lost in the confusion—the stairs were the only option.

  Assessing his surroundings, he approached the railing. A grunt, and then a kid ran out the door, pushed past him, knocking him off balance. The youth disappeared into the dense growth alongside the cabin.

  Travis. But where was KC? He righted himself and hobbled up the steps. She sat on the floor and rested against the counter, cradling her bloodied left arm.

  “KC, what happened?” He fell beside her as kneeling was out of the question. “Look at me.”

  She raised her head, a weak smile on her lips. A trickle of blood oozed from her temple. “He came in the back door. He’s quick and wiry. And by the size of his pupils, I’d guess he’s high on something. He bashed me with the rifle butt, and I couldn’t stop him.”

  Muscles in his gut clenched. If he got his hands on that kid, he’d— Don’t go there. “You’ve lost a lot of blood. I’ll get my first aid kit.”

  “No.” Shaking her head, she pointed to the bedroom. “Use a bedsheet. Besides, your backpack’s with Sadie.”

  “Of course.” He struggled to stand but ignored the pain. “I’ll help you to a chair.” Both armchairs were filled with Irene’s belongings. “To the sofa.”

  Once she was settled, he yanked a sheet off the bed, found a frayed hem and ripped the sheet into strips, which he wound around her upper arm and then secured her bent arm to her body. Next, he wrapped strips around her head. “I should probably have washed the areas first, but we need to be on the alert. Who knows what Travis might do next? He’s been playing cat and mouse with his aunts and he’s proven to be evasive.”

  “Yup.” She grimaced and closed her eyes. “I’m thirsty.”

  He slung the rifle strap over his shoulder and limped into the kitchen where he locked the back door. No more unwanted visitors. The refrigerator revealed several bottles of sweet tea. Aha. Sugar. Just what she needed. He opened two bottles, handed her one, and walked to the doorway while he took a swig of his drink. Putting distance between him and KC kept him from making a fool of himself. He wanted to hold her in his arms and ease her pain.

  Focus, Cooper. Where was Travis now? Another ten-year-old. He should have guessed he’d have a run-in with him. Had the kid retreated to the other cabin? Would he and Vicky return and attack? Using the jamb as protection, he scanned the driveway and as much of the shrubbery as he could see without exposing himself. Patches of the fog layer lifted. He glanced at his watch. Sadie had only been gone ten, fifteen minutes, but surely, she’d reached the café by now and contacted the cops. He should hear sirens any second.

  “Coop?”

  KC’s voice drew him back to the sofa. He sat beside her and held her hand. “Can I get you anything else?” He chuckled. “There’s chocolate cake in the refrigerator.”

  “Ha ha. Very funny. I heard a strange noise coming from the bedroom.”

  “I’ll check.” He started toward the bedroom then stopped and pulled his handgun from its ankle holster. “Here. Just in case.”

  She nodded and took the pistol. “Thanks.”

  There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary in the room, but the bathroom window was open. He slammed it shut, noting the broken lock, and returned to the living room. “When you helped Sadie pack, did you notice if the bathroom window was open?”

  “No. It was closed.”

  Apprehension crept up his spine and rippled against his neck. He rubbed his nape. Why would Travis open the window? There was no place for someone to hide in the small bathroom. Nonetheless, he tromped back to the room, gathered what items were visible and balanced them on the windowsill. A jar of makeup remover, an air freshener spray can, two plastic mugs, and a small vase of plastic flowers. If Travis tried to open the window again, some of the things might fall onto the floor, alerting them to his action.

  Back in the living room, Cooper surveyed the area. Although all drapes were drawn, Travis or Vicky knew the layout of the cabin. Good thing KC rested on the sofa against the inner wall, out of the line of fire from the windows.

  “I’m going to peek out.” Nothing suspicious. He left the curtains open so he would know if anyone tried to sneak up to the porch. “Our best bet is to wait inside.”

  “Agreed. How’s your knee?” KC’s tight lips indicated the level of pain she endured.

  “It aches. At least I’m not losing blood. You need to stay still but don’t fall asleep. You might have a concussion.” Beside her again, he clasped her hand and slid his arm around her shoulders. “Seriously, can I get you anything? The cops should be here soon.”

  She shook her head. “Do you think Travis will come back?”

  From his position on the sofa, he had a clear view of the porch. But he eased up, checked the side vegetation, and then closed the perforated door. “He can’t get in without our knowledge. Unless he frees Vicky, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”

  Before returning to the sofa, he checked Irene’s wrist. “She’s still out, but her pulse is strong.”

  Seated on her uninjured side, Cooper melted when she leaned against him and lay her head on his shoulder. He couldn’t help but sigh. “You rest. I’ll keep watch.”

  They sat in silence for a minute or two, and although Cooper never wanted the experience to end, his ears were alert to any unusual sound.

  KC’s strained voice was not on his list. “Coop, I know the authorities will be here real soon, but I have to talk to you before they arrive.” Her grip on his hand tightened for a second.

  “Sure. Let me check outside again, and I’ll be right back.” Why the apparent urgency? He first looked through the living room windows, then the kitchen, and finally the bedroom and bathroom. All quiet under the wispy fog.

  “What’s so important?” he asked, settling as close to her as possible.

  “You probably won’t like what I have to say, but who knows if we’ll get out of this in one piece.”

  “Don’t—”

  She moved away and turned to face him. “Hush and listen. We don’t have much time, and I will say what’s on my heart. Let me finish before you interrupt.”

  Her tone brooked no argument. “OK.”

  “One time you told me that you used to ‘go to church’. Well, I’ve been thinking about that statement ever since. Even after you visited my folks’ house church and we had a chat about forgiveness, I’ve been anxious to have this conversation. Just because a person goes to church doesn’t mean he has a relationship with Christ. As the name implies, a Christian is a follower of Christ. And how do we know what that entails? We have to read and follow the guidebook, the Bible.”

  He opened his mouth but clamped it shut when she raised her hand. Her words jab-jab-jabbed at his conscience.

  “My thoughts are all mixed up. Bear with me and think about this. Why are you a Christian? Is it because your parents were? If they�
��d been atheists, would you be an atheist?”

  He’d never had to face such a soul-searching question before. Would she give him time to answer?

  “I have a theory that if a person can’t readily answer that question, they might as well not profess to follow Christ. After all, if you don’t know why you’re doing something then why do it?” She pursed her lips and gave him a nod. “OK, your turn.”

  Although her gray eyes were narrowed by pain, the intensity of her gaze hurt worse than his knee. He had to get away before his shirt caught fire.

  He began to pace but had to stop because it aggravated his injury. With his back to KC, he pondered her words. Truth be told, he had been thinking about his relationship with Christ since his visit to her home church. Brian’s lesson on forgiveness had seeped into his soul, and he knew he needed to forgive himself for the death of Roy, his childhood friend, so many years ago.

  Turning slowly, he said, “KC, you are one mighty ambassador for Christ. I know why I’m a Christian. I believe the Son of God came to earth and died on the cross to save humankind from their sins. Not only do I intend to become an active participant in worship again, I want to serve the Lord, and I’m hoping you can help me in that quest.” He expected her to smile or react in some other positive manner, but she rested her head against the sofa, eyes closed, as if she hadn’t heard him. “KC.” He sat beside her and held her hand again.

  “That’s good, Coop.”

  And? But she said nothing else.

  “Don’t go to sleep, KC.”

  “I’m not.”

  Content to be near her, he prayed. Father God, thank You for KC’s faith and her persistence in getting after me. Keep Sadie and her kids safe, and—

  “Coop.” She squeezed his hand. “I feel weird.”

  “You’ve been shot, battered, and by your symptoms, have a concussion.”

  “Maybe. I’m jittery, light-headed. And my abdomen hurts.” She rubbed her belly.

  “You’ve lost a lot of blood and haven’t eaten a substantial meal for a long time. I can whip up something real quick.”

  She groaned. “Ugh. The thought of food makes me queasy.”

  “I told you. Concussion.”

  “What if my cancer’s back?”

  Where had that idea come from? He gave himself a mental kick. You dimwitted oaf. You told her about her mother.

  “Oh, KC—”

  “Not back exactly, because I can’t get ovarian cancer again, but you know what I mean. What if it’s spread?”

  Sailing uncharted territory, he had no idea how to answer. Then he remembered their discussion during her initial interview. “Your checkups have all been fine so far. When’s the next one?”

  “Three months. But a lot can happen in three months.”

  “Can’t you request one earlier?”

  “Yes, but I’m fighting for my life right here, right now.”

  The rapid change in topic confused and frightened Cooper. First, she had been preaching about following Christ, now she was fearful of a return of her cancer. What was going on? Was she delirious? He felt her forehead. No fever.

  “Before you know it, we’ll be out of here, being treated in a hospital.” His light tone fooled no one, least of all himself.

  “What if I don’t make it?”

  “You’ll make it, rookie.” He stroked her cheek. “KC, I know you’ll make it because I lo—”

  Shattering glass crashed to the kitchen floor. Acrid, biting smoke drifted over the counter and snaked toward them.

  38

  Underestimating the foe—talk about a rookie move! Cooper sprang up, rifle ready and alternately checked the living room windows and the kitchen. No human movement, but the intensity of the smoke increased. He coughed and covered his mouth and nose with his jacket. The smoke emanated from a wad of dirty rags, wrapped around a large object. As he approached the device, a shot through the kitchen window whizzed over his head. He ducked and backed toward the sofa.

  “Come on, KC, we need to get out of here. The smoke may be toxic. We’ll have to take our chances outside.” What about Irene? No way would he release her, but he also didn’t want her to suffocate.

  KC stood behind him, gun drawn. “Assuming Travis is on his own, we can exit through the bathroom window. He’ll be expecting us to leave via the front door.” Such articulate and sensible sentences from someone, who seconds ago, had been on the brink of despair.

  “Yeah, I thought the same. Once we’re outside, we’ll tell Travis about his aunt, so he can extinguish the fire and rescue her. As much as I don’t want her to be free…” Upon entering the bedroom, he stopped and indicated KC do the same. Although he heard nothing out of the ordinary, his caution meter ran high.

  Yes. A shadow flitted crossed the bathroom window, followed by another crash of glass as a second incendiary device hit the floor.

  KC retreated, coughing.

  “Cover your nose and mouth.” Cooper held his jacket in place and headed to the front door.

  Meanwhile KC shoved the pistol in her waistband and yanked on the long tail of her sweater to act as a mask. “I can’t hold this in place and use the gun.”

  He opened the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll cover you. Travis might still be on the west side of the cabin, so let’s head into the brush on the east side. It’s thicker there too. Keep alert and wait for me while I drag Irene’s chair out.”

  She patted his shoulder and stepped aside.

  Ignoring the nagging pain that pierced his knee, he scooted Irene’s chair onto the porch. He and KC clambered down the steps and ran into the shrubbery where they sank to the ground.

  “I can’t see him, can you?” she asked.

  Smoke drifted out the front door, swirling to mix with remnants of the fog. “No. We need to distance ourselves from the smoke. Are you feeling well enough to head north?”

  KC nodded and crouch-walked ten feet or so.

  Before Cooper could follow, another shot zinged overhead and splintered a branch on a tree she’d been hiding behind. Either Travis wasn’t intent on wounding them, or he was a lousy shot. But pinned down, neither of them could advance at any speed. Where’s a blanket of fog when you need it?

  Obviously, Travis knew where they were.

  Cooper hollered, “Your aunt is on the porch. Be careful where you aim.”

  “I don’t care what happens to her. I could have rescued her when I attacked your partner, but I didn’t.” A high-pitched voice floated across the driveway. The kid whooped and showed himself around the corner of the cabin. He waved then disappeared.

  Cooper inched forward on his stomach and when he reached KC, he settled against a large rock. The meds he took earlier had either worn off or he’d aggravated his knee to such an extent that nothing short of an ER visit would alleviate his pain. But he wasn’t alone. KC’s skin had taken on a grayish tinge and the bandages he applied were stained with blood. At this rate, she might lose consciousness any minute.

  Her eyelids flickered.

  “Don’t fall asleep, KC,” he whispered, giving her uninjured shoulder a nudge.

  “I’m trying not to, but I really don’t feel good.” She rubbed her abdomen. “This hurts worse than my arm. Where’re the cops?”

  Good question. “They should be here any minute.” Cooper’s attempt to sound assuring fell flat. Why the delay? Surely, Sadie had contacted the authorities by now.

  However, if she hadn’t, what were their options? If they neutralized Travis, they could try to make it to the highway. Ha. Who was he kidding? He’d never be able to walk, uh, hobble the three miles, and KC might keel over any second. Stopping Travis might keep them alive at best.

  “If he shows himself again, we need to…incapacitate him somehow.”

  “Give me the rifle.” KC was wide awake now. “I’m sure you don’t want his death on your hands, so I’ll hit him in a non-life-threatening spot.”

  “No. Let’s see if we can talk him down first. If
he’s high on drugs as you suspect, he might crash any minute. And while we wait, we can try to play on his sympathies. His callousness toward Irene might be a big act.”

  She scooted close and shared his rock. “You know what we haven’t done for a long time? We haven’t tried our phones.” She extracted hers from her back pocket and set it on her knee while she operated it with one hand.

  Cooper kept the rifle aimed at the cabin. “Any luck?”

  “Nope. It was worth a try.” She sighed and seemed to wither. Whatever sparked her energy a second ago had dissipated. “I’m not sleeping, just resting my eyes.”

  Sure, rookie. Cooper would have to check his phone later. He forced his gaze from KC’s face to the cabin. Where was Travis? A thud from inside answered his question. The kid must have climbed in through the bathroom window. Sure enough, he appeared in the doorway and ducked behind Irene while he dragged her chair to the opening. Cooper had no time to get off a shot as Travis used Irene’s body as a shield.

  “KC, open your eyes. Travis is in the cabin.”

  She squinted across the driveway. “Smart kid. We—”

  In rapid succession, the fizzling smoke bombs flew out of the door and landed fifteen yards from their sheltered spot. A soft breeze curled the smoke away from them.

  “It’s time to have a serious chat with that kid.” He elbowed KC. “Keep watch on the bombs. We don’t want to start a forest fire.”

  “OK.”

  “Hey, Travis.” Cooper noted the boy by the doorjamb hovering behind Irene. “The cops will be here soon. Throw out the rifle and then exit with your hands up. We’ll tell the authorities how you cooperated.”

  “Not gonna happen, old man.”

  KC sniggered beside him.

  “You should hear sirens any minute.” Cooper paused. Where were they? “Come on, kid. Your aunts have been tied up long enough.”

  “You don’t know nothing. Who says Vicky is still tied up?”

  A gentle pat on the shoulder. KC leaned forward. “Why not ask a question he can answer about the rope you used? Or something else that will confirm his claim.”