“No, we haven’t either,” answered Mike.
“My one responsibility was to get Lacey and take her to David’s. Then we thought it best to take the Cromwell’s up there. Then Chris joined us,” explained Demi.
“Oh, Chris!” Susan said. The two never met, but Demi told everything there was to tell about Chris to Susan. Chris was not supposed to get through any of the screened calls so Demi was certain Susan recognized the name.
He had introduced himself along with the group, but Demi could tell that Susan did not make the connection until now. Adam stood with his arm around Susan, a completely different man than she met in Caesar’s Palace, who introduced himself as Adam Greenberg, former U.S. Marine Corp.
“My dad has me selling whatever working vehicles we have in our lot,” explained Susan, looking at the papers on her desk.
“Oh, do you have any?” Mike asked with enthusiasm.
“I’m not certain what is working since the heavy rain,” stated Susan. “Wasn’t that wild?” she added.
“Yeah, we were caught in a flash flood over at Riverdale Park,” responded Demi.
“Oh wow! That park is much lower than where we are here. And it is right next to the Crown River,” said Susan. “Glad you guys are all right.”
“Our trucks are not,” said Mike.
“Well, let me see what I can come up with,” said Susan. She turned to Trevor and Adam, “Guys, we need to find several working vehicles.” Susan opened the cabinet with the keys. “Grab a few and see what works.”
“Right away,” said Trevor.
Mike asked, “You work here now?”
“For the time being. Man, I owe Susan everything. When everything is back up, we’ll get the band back together and resume our North American tour,” explained Trevor as he headed out to the lot with a hand full of keys.
The group rested in Susan’s office while they went to search for working vehicles. They had a tumultuous night, and hardly anyone had slept.
Several hours later, Susan, Trevor, and Adam came back. The group sprawled out on the portable office, Chris used his backpack as a pillow while he laid and rested. Demi’s eyes lit up when she saw that Susan did have a smile on her face. She grew concerned that this took so long.
“Well, I have good news and bad news,” said Susan, taking the keys from the men and hanging them up in the locking cabinet on the wall.
“Let’s have the bad news,” requested Mike. He sat close to his sister and mother and tended to Lily allowing Lacey to rest.
“All right. The bad news is we did not find any car that worked.”
Demi felt a pain shoot through her spine. Defeat had overcome her and she frantically was trying to work out how to fix the trucks, at least one of them in her head. Mike then requested, “OK, that’s pretty bad. How about the good news.”
“I found four working ATVs and three trailers we can attach to them so you can pull your supplies, kids, and dog,” explained Susan.
“Wow! That could work,” said Demi working out how traveling through the Rocky Mountains would work on ATVs. “How far can they go on a tank of gas, we are almost three hundred miles out.”
“About a hundred miles on a tank,” answered Susan. “But, we can load you up with two tanks per ATV. We’ll mount them on the lock and ride racks, they’d fit perfectly just below the headlights. That should get you to David’s.”
Impressed that Susan had thought of everything, Demi said, “Susan, thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” replied Susan. “I haven’t told you about the price.”
“How much?” Demi asked trying to reason that somewhere under one hundred grand was a deal.
“I’m just kidding,” answered Susan. “I’d never charge you. You gave me a job when no one else in Hollywood did. I owe you everything.”
Demi got up from where she was sitting and hugged Susan, “No, I owe you everything. What are your guys’ plans? Want to come with us?”
Adam interjected, and answered, “No, we are set here. Susan’s dad has a fairly good business and as long as that store in town is stocked, we’ll make it.”
“We’re fine. My dad has us working here until things get back to normal, and we go between here and my dad’s house. We have a pretty good, easy life,” added Susan. “Oh, speaking of which, why don’t you guys come over for dinner and stay the night. You all can leave early in the morning when you’re fresh.”
“Great idea!” Demi exclaimed, feeling guilty that she did not remember that Susan had lived in Butte, Montana, the very reason she hired her in the first place. Susan was the first person Demi ran across who was from the same state as her. She expected Susan to remember every detail about her life, but she didn’t really know Susan all that well. Good thing for Mike to pay attention to these things.
The group walked to Susan’s dad’s house down the way for supper and a good night’s sleep. They would leave early in the morning.
Chapter Thirteen
Demi Thicke
“So, you guys can ride two-up on these ATVs,” explained Susan as she showed the group the ATVs, fully gassed with the trailers attached to three of them. “You could also cut through the mountains and off-road some. Probably would save you some time,” she added.
Demi inspected the Argo Xplorers XRTs, these were expensive vehicles. Demi noted the tanks of gas rigged to the front of the ATVs. Susan thought of everything. Demi turned to Susan and said, “Let me pay you for these.”
“No way!” Susan responded. “Add it to my Christmas bonus if you feel the need.” Susan touched the handles of one of the ATVs and said, “The electronic power steering, which standard on these models is shot. They still steer with more effort, though,” explained Susan.
“Wow! Just Wow!” Demi exclaimed, surprised and impressed that Susan had the means to get the group to David’s. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you,” said Demi, embracing Susan. “Promise me you’ll be safe.”
“I will. I have Adam here to protect us,” replied Susan as she grabbed for Adam’s arm. The new couple held each other while the group mounted their ATVs.
Jack got on his ATV with Sophie on the back. Jack pulled his two kids on the trailer behind him. Demi and Lacey got on their ATVs, Lacey had Lily strapped to her chest as she sat behind Demi. Lacey had taken over being the primary caregiver of Lily since Sophie barely held on. Demi feared that she would pull a stunt like Helene, and she constantly kept her eye on her. Thankfully, her depression made her sleep most of the time, which meant she didn’t have the energy to try and kill herself.
Mike and Helene mounted their ATV and pulled the bulk of the supplies in their trailer. Chris mounted his ATV and pulled Rufus behind him in the trailer with the remainder of the supplies.
“Looks like we are ready to go,” announced Demi.
“Travel safe,” said Trevor with a wave as he stood next to Susan and Adam. “I’ll be in touch when the power is back. Be ready for the world’s biggest welcome back tour I’ve ever put on!”
The thought of touring again sent chills down Demi’s spine. She longed to be back on the stage, sharing her music, her creations with her fans. “I look forward to it,” she answered, tears nearly coming to her eyes.
Demi turned to the group and asked, “Well, are we ready to do this?” Her tone filled with enthusiasm and excitement. Demi was ready to get to Whitefish, Montana, even if that meant seeing David for a moment. After she led the group to his compound, she would decide what her next move would be. Perhaps she could camp for some time at Glacier National Park and live off of fresh fish until the government restored the power.
Demi started up the ATV along with the rest of the group, the roar of the engines reassured Demi that they were going to make it. With a wave, the group started with Demi leading the way. They pulled out onto Main Street, which was the main drag of the downtown area before heading on to the I-90 heading north.
With the two tank fill-ups, for once, everything
went as planned. Susan had calculated the mileage and the gallons needed perfectly for the group to reach Whitefish, Montana.
Whitefish was a small resort town located in the Rocky Mountains. This town was the start of where Demi grew up since Whitefish had the most commerce than the small surrounding towns. David’s compound was in Springfield, Montana. Springfield, a small town located just under twenty miles north of Whitefish. Springfield was an unincorporated community in Flathead County of Montana, just the way David liked to do things, with little government oversight. The only form of government Springfield, Montana had was a post office, and that was almost too much for David.
The group stopped in Whitefish to pick up more supplies before heading to David’s mountain retreat.
“It’s almost dark,” said Lacey over Demi’s shoulder.
“We’ll get to David’s later tonight. We should stop and get some supplies if we can in Whitefish. I don’t want David to think we are putting him in a bad position by having the Cromwell’s stay with him,” explained Demi.
“Well, let’s head downtown and see if we can find something open on Central Avenue,” suggested Lacey, Lily strapped to her chest with a scarf, that she held for added protection.
“Good plan,” affirmed Demi, steering the ATV off of the I-93 and toward Central Ave. The three ATVs that trailed followed.
Demi found an open shop down Central Avenue and parked the ATV in front. The three other ATVs parked right behind her. Chris followed closely behind, then Mike and Jack brought up the rear. “We are going to load up on supplies,” announced Demi to the group had gotten off of their ATVs and assembled in front of the store. “We are twenty miles out, and this is the last place we can get things before we arrive at David’s.”
The group headed into the store, where shelves appeared to be fully stocked and people went in and out of the store. The store lit with lanterns all around the place, making a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. The Downtown Whitefish shops and cafes were rustic and darling as they catered to a clientele that came into the town from their chalet on the mountain.
The place must have been getting their inventory from a trucker or something, as the items were overpriced, but not outrageous. “We are focusing on food and water,” yelled Demi to the group. She added, “There are plenty of blankets and sheltering items where we are headed.”
Chris nodded while he scoured the shelves of the large, yet quaint Downtown Whitefish store. The store appeared to have once sold souvenirs and trinkets so visitors and tourists could remember their ski trips and snow days. Seemed as though the store took advantage of the disaster as lanterns and other camping equipment lined the shelves where chotchkies used to be.
While the group went from aisle to aisle picking up items to take to Davids, Demi made her way to the cashier to find if they took credit cards. While she walked up to the counter, the cashier spoke with a customer and Demi overheard the conversation. “Hear about David Thicke?” the cashier said to the customer.
“No, what about?” the customer replied. Demi made herself look busy while she listened in on the conversation. The last thing she wanted anyone to know was that she was David’s oldest child.
“Guess he has a fully functional compound with solar electricity, some way to heat his buildings, and plenty of water tanks,” the cashier described to the customer. Demi hung back but was still in earshot as she looked at the variety of energy bars the store carried.
“Oh, wow!” the customer said. “Seems like he was prepared for something like this.”
“Oh, he was. The only problem is he’s not sharing. The entire town of Whitefish could easily head up there and live. It would be communal, but a few people could do all the cooking, others could hunt, some could farm. We could all live there in harmony if he would let us,” explained the cashier.
As she heard this, anger fueled Demi’s veins. David had worked his entire life to have something like that in case a disaster of this magnitude. Demi was well aware of the fact that David was never popular, especially among the Whitefish folk, who were too snobby for his liking. Being a resort town, and the gateway to the jagged peaks, lakes, and glacier-carved valleys of Glacier National Park where skiers, mountain bikers, and hikers found themselves enjoying what Mother Nature had to offer yet be wrapped in the lap of luxury was not his cup of tea. Not to mention the businesses who thrived on tourism at the risk of our ecosystem. David found their businesses as threatening to the wildlife and wanted visitors to stay away. He was a curmudgeon when it came to other people, not his finest quality.
Yet, David did have a point when he always told Demi to never rely on someone else to help. To have her means of survival and to always be prepared. Those were qualities that she carried with her, always. Why did the cashier feel entitled to David’s hard work? If it wasn’t for David, Demi would not have a place to take Lacey nor the Cromwell’s to safety. As much as she despised David, she was grateful that he had a compound, a safe harbor in the tempest.
“How can I help you, little lady?” the scrawny cashier asked Demi.
The cashier startled Demi as she was still eavesdropping on his conversation. She hoped she did not come across suspicious. “Oh, do you guys take credit cards?” Demi asked.
“We do,” answered the cashier. “We’ll run the amounts once the power is back.”
“Oh, good. My friends and I will be picking up somethings,” replied Demi.
Demi had no idea people were resentful of what David had and the notion that he refused to share his resources. It seemed odd to Demi, but then she thought about how during desperate times that people did desperate things.
A few minutes later, the group returned with armfuls upon armfuls of supplies. Cases of water bottles, crackers, and pop tarts stacked on the counter in front of the cashier. “You guys are stocking up,” said the cashier, sounding amazed at the volume they would purchase.
He rang up the items, which were over a thousand as the group had learned to maximize their supply acquisition when they had the chance. The cashier rang up the items and Chris and Mike loaded the trailers attached to the ATVs. Chris whispered to Demi, “We can buy more than the last time since we have the trailers with us.” Demi nodded with a smile on her face as she stood at the counter, monitoring the cashier counting the items and writing a hand receipt.
“You are good for this?” the scrawny cashier asked, peering over his glasses.
“Don’t worry,” answered Demi.
“You know, there’s no way I’ll know if your card goes through or not until after the power grid is restore,” the cashier shot back, appearing frustrated at the number of items he was adding up. “People have not been buying that much because of the marked-up prices, but you don’t seem to care.”
Demi thought back to the twenty thousand dollar tanks of gas she unknowingly purchased and mused, “Whatever the price is, it will be well worth it. Also, I’ll give you my phone number and address if that would make you feel more comfortable. I’m good for the purchase, I promise.”
“Yeah, write those down on a sheet of paper,” ordered the cashier while he handed her a blank sheet of paper and a pen.
Demi wrote down Chris’ address in Salt Lake City, her phone number, and noted that she would be camping at Glacier National Park until power was restored. She made sure to leave off David’s address, for one she didn’t plan on staying there past the night and second with the tension growing against him. He did not need any more trouble. She just hoped that the cashier didn’t make the connection when she would hand him her credit card.
Around an hour later, the cashier added up the amount and Chris and Mike had everything loaded. Thankfully the group only had twenty miles to go and plenty of gas to pull the load. Mike and Chris joined Demi as she paid for everything. The rest of the group got on their respective ATVs, Jack and Lacey helping Sophie and Helene.
“Well, that’s it,” announced the cashier. “Your total is ten thousand, three hundre
d, twenty-eight dollars, and forty-nine cents,” he stated. “This will be on your credit card?”
“Yes,” answered Demi handing him her Black Amex.
He looked at the card while he wrote down the credit card numbers. “Demi Thicke,” he said. “Wait! You’re Demi Thicke!”
“I am,” Demi responded sheepishly, still hoping the cashier did not make the connection.
“Oh, and you’re Mike Cromwell,” the cashier said as he turned to Mike. “You’re not Blake, are you?” he asked Chris.
“No, I’m not in the band,” answered Chris appearing sad that he let the cashier down.
Demi jested, “But many, many songs were written about him.” Demi pulled Chris’ arm so he moved closer to her.
“There are?” Chris whispered in Demi’s ear.
“More than you know,” she whispered back.
The cashier started again, “No wonder you weren’t worried about the price. You could buy the entire store a hundred times over.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” said Demi trying to stop the fanatic talk.
The cashier hesitated when he handed back Demi’s card. “Demi Thicke,” he muttered. “You know, I never made the connection before. Are you related to David Thicke?” the cashier asked.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” answered Demi, taking back her card. She turned to Chris and Mike and said, “We are ready to go! Let’s get started!” Demi ushered them out of the store before they gave up her cover.
When the three of them got out of the store, Demi whispered, “The community resents David for what he has. I overheard a discussion in the store. We have to be careful.” Mike and Chris heeded the warning with a nod and got on their ATVs.
The group started on the final twenty miles north to David’s mountain retreat.
Arriving in the darkness, Demi steered her ATV down the dirt road that led to David’s compound. David owned at least a hundred acres of land that backed up to a stream. Seeing the house she grew up in brought up horrible memories for Demi. However, she needed to bury those, at least for the night as David provided a refuge for Lacey, Jack and his kids, and the Cromwell’s.
Lights Out (Book 2): Power Trip Page 13