Sumo man unleashed an evil-looking smile at Alexa. “Now you, honey, are a gift. You might be the wild card that gets this little hellcat to talk.”
He nodded at the silent man behind Alexa. Alexa turned enough to see her assailant holster his gun and pull a huge folding knife from his pocket. She gasped a ragged breath, tensing for the coming slice of the knife.
At that moment, the soft click, click, click of dog toenails on wood approached down the hallway. Scout was awake and had entered the house.
She caught Melissa’s eye and hoped her friend would understand as she mouthed the word “Scout” and inclined her head toward the hall. Then, everything exploded.
Screaming like a banshee, Alexa chopped the thug’s wrist. The unopened knife clattered to the floor as Alexa leapt toward her friend.
Melissa catapulted her chair backward into her captor’s midsection and ducked beneath the big farmhouse table. Caught off balance, the huge man grabbed at a large hutch to keep from falling.
“You bitch,” the man in the ski mask roared as he tried to seize Alexa.
“Get off me!” Alexa yanked away and shrieked again, eyes searching for the fallen knife.
Gentle Scout reacted to the panicked tone of his mistress’ voice and dashed from the hallway to charge her attacker. The terrified man scuttled like a crab across the kitchen floor with Scout in pursuit. His gun dropped out of its holster and skittered under the stove. Scout bit into the man’s thick calf, shaking his head back and forth like he was playing tug with his rope.
“Get this fucking animal off me,” he pleaded to his partner.
“Off, you goddamn monster.” The Asian spokesman recovered from Melissa’s shove, scrambled back onto his feet, and took aim at Scout.
Alexa picked up a glass pitcher from the table and hurled it in Sumo man’s direction. “Scout, come,” she commanded, trying to get the dog out of harm’s way.
The man ducked the pitcher, but the distraction gave Scout just enough time to ignore Alexa and launch an attack at the Asian man’s crotch. Cursing, he again turned his gun at Scout.
“No!” Alexa protested just as Melissa popped up from beneath the table and slammed the blade of the open knife into the man’s gun arm. His pistol dropped to the floor, and Melissa scooped it up. Across the kitchen, the guy in the ski mask was moaning and trying to sit up.
Both men were injured and bleeding, but Alexa didn’t think either one was out of commission for long. “Let’s get out of here,” Alexa yelled. “Scout, come.”
Melissa clambered out from beneath the table, gripping the pistol. This time the dog obeyed Alexa’s command, and all three raced out of the house, slamming the door behind them. The minute Scout jumped into the back of the Land Rover, Alexa pushed the tailgate shut. She gunned the engine as soon as Melissa plopped into the passenger seat and took the quickest route to the road, driving straight over the lawn.
Out on the road, Alexa floored the gas. “Call the police,” she gasped at Melissa. “My phone’s in the console.”
Five miles down the road, Alexa turned into the Sheetz gas station and convenience store, crowded as always. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to control her breathing.
“The police are on their way.” Melissa burst into tears, the confiscated pistol still clutched carefully in her hand. “Did you see what those bastards did to my house? Liars. They probably are the animals who killed Cecily. What do they want from me? Why does this keep happening?”
Alexa patted Melissa’s shoulder until a cold nose lifted her arm. Scout had a bewildered expression on his face. “Oh, baby dog. Thank you for saving us. I wasn’t sure you had it in you, but you gave those two assholes a run for their money.” Alexa turned and hugged the mastiff.
“Good boy,” Melissa kissed the bridge of Scout’s nose. “You lived up to your mastiff heritage. Didn’t they use ancient mastiffs to fight gladiators and elephants—or was it bears?”
“All three, I think. But this guy has never hurt a flea. I guess his protective instinct kicked in. Lucky for us.” Alexa shuddered. “I hate to think what could have happened without him.”
Melissa said in a flat voice, “That does it. I’m going to pack up what I need and leave. I’ll pay someone to come in and clean up the mess and sell the house as soon as I can. I’ll never spend another night in that place. I’ll stay at Jim’s until we find a new house.”
After another round with the police, Alexa and Scout finally made their way home. Alexa stopped at the foot of the South Mountain at Keck’s store for a sandwich. While she waited for the turkey sub, she walked the worn wooden floors, cruising the shelves for junk food. She barely had enough energy to exchange the usual pleasantries with the store’s proprietor.
“Thanks, Doris. Scout and I have had a long day. He’s out in the car waiting. This sandwich will be perfect. I’m too tired to even think about cooking. ”
The aftermath of the melee at Melissa’s house didn’t fully hit Alexa until she walked into the cabin and started to shake. But when she noticed Scout hunched over with his tail between his legs, concern for the dog took over.
“You don’t know whether you did a good thing or a bad thing in attacking those men, do you? You were a good dog, buddy. A hero dog who saved the day.” She collapsed onto the couch and snuggled under an afghan for warmth. She was cold despite the ninety-degree day.
“Come here.” Alexa patted the rug beside the couch. When Scout sidled toward the couch and lowered his big body onto the floor, Alexa hugged his head and continued to try to soothe him with a stream of soft words.
“You did save us. You were a good dog to bite them because they were bad men. The police took them away and will lock them up for a long time. Melissa is safe and sound at Jim’s house. We all survived with nothing but scrapes and bruises. Grandma Williams used to say ‘You’ll be black and blue tomorrow.’ I imagine we’ll both have some aches and pains tomorrow. I should probably have Dr. Buck check you out, just in case you broke a tooth or something.” Alexa grabbed the dog’s snout and looked into his mouth. “I don’t see anything, but I think I’ll take you in . . .”
Alexa fell asleep in the middle of the sentence. When she woke, dusk had fallen and Scout was snoring, still lying on the rug beside her. She called her parents in case they saw something on the news about the afternoon’s ordeal.
“I’m fine, Dad. Melissa’s not hurt, but she’s shattered at the way they trashed her house. I’m afraid for her. Whoever killed Cecily seems to think Melissa knows or has something relating to Cecily’s death. I don’t think she’ll be safe until the police figure out what’s going on.”
Norris suggested, “Maybe these two brutes will talk now that they’re in jail.”
“Not that I’ve had a lot of experience with this type of thing, but they seemed like professionals to me. One guy could have been Thai.”
“Which makes me wonder, what has Melissa gotten herself mixed up in?”
“I know, Dad. I’m worried about her safety.”
“And I’m worried about yours. I’m losing count of the number of times you’ve been interviewed by the police. This is the second time you’ve been assaulted in a little over a month.”
“It’s like the other time at her house. They weren’t after me. Melissa is clearly their target.”
“You still need to be careful. Why don’t your mother and I come out to the cabin tomorrow. We’ll bring lunch. I’m sure she’s going to want to see for herself that you’re OK.”
“That sounds good, Dad. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
BRIAN STEWART WALKED INTO the break room where Alexa was making herself a cup of tea. “Williams. I just heard Melinda searching for you over at my end of the office. Something about a policeman looking for you.” He smirked. “That offer about legal representation still stands. With the parade of local law enforcement in and out of your office, it’s only a matter of time before they charge you wit
h something.”
Alexa’s heart flip-flopped when she saw John Taylor standing in her office. She couldn’t help but remember both the scorching kiss and their agreement to treat it as ‘hypothetical.’
“Trooper.” She offered her hand.
“Ms. Williams. I’m here to follow up on the incident at Ms. Lambert’s home on Saturday. I am assisting Trooper Cannon and investigating ties between that incident and Cecily Townes’ death.”
They sat side by side in front of Alexa’s desk. After walking Alexa through everything that had happened once again, Taylor commented, “You and Melissa did a real number on those guys. Scout did enough damage to slow both of them down. I hear the one guy’s leg was pretty ugly. Judging from the toothmarks on his inner thigh, the other one dodged an even uglier fate. They hadn’t even made it to their car when the troopers arrived. I’m glad Cannon caught the assignment on Saturday. I don’t know what I would have done, seeing those bastards on the scene and knowing what they tried to do to you. Are you OK?” He touched Alexa’s wrist.
“I’m fine. I really am,” she reassured him, hastily withdrawing her hand as Graham burst into the room with a perfunctory knock on the closed door.
“Trooper Taylor.” Graham nodded and threw a peeved look at his sister.
“I thought I should be present if Alexa is being questioned.” Rather than taking a seat, Graham stood, hovering over Alexa and the trooper.
“This is just a routine follow-up to Saturday’s incident.” John pushed his chair back to look at both Alexa and Graham as he spoke. “Sometimes victims remember additional details in the aftermath of a crime.”
“We’re nearly finished.” She looked at the trooper. “Right?”
“Yes. I do want to advise you to exercise extreme caution. There is no specific reason to believe that these men were targeting you. It appears that their interest is in Ms. Lambert. However, Alexa, you have been present at three incidents that may relate to Cecily Townes’ death. You were with Melissa when you found the body. You were assaulted during the first breakin at Melissa’s home, and you narrowly escaped harm on Saturday.”
Graham’s expression was grim. “If Scout hadn’t been there, you and Melissa might both be dead.”
“But we’re not. We trounced their asses.”
Graham raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Who exactly trounced their asses?”
Alexa’s voice faltered. “Mostly, it was Scout.”
“Right.”
John’s look of concern had not wavered during the brother-sister exchange. “Was the dog injured?”
“No. The vet checked him out first thing yesterday morning. Opened up the office on a Sunday. Scout is fine.”
“Glad to hear that. We understand that Ms. Lambert has left the country for a week or so.”
“Yeah, Jim took her to the Greek islands. They moved up their scheduled trip a few weeks. His boss was quite understanding about taking time off even though this is peak season for the park.”
“I’m not suggesting that you need to leave the country. But, until we can get our suspects to cooperate or make further progress in our investigation, you need exercise caution at all times.”
Graham gave Alexa another pointed look.
“Message received, guys. I sure don’t want a repeat of Saturday or anything close to it. The cabin has a security system—plus Scout. I promise not to go wandering off on my own while this is still up in the air. I will be careful. John, I hope you catch whoever is behind all of this. Soon.”
“Yes. Let me walk you to the door, Trooper.” Graham hustled the policeman out of the office, leaving Alexa alone to consider the question: Was she in danger?
Chapter Thirty-eight
August 17, 1969
There’s always a little heaven in a disaster area.
—Wavy Gravy
Raised voices outside the tent woke Sukie. She rubbed her eyes and tried to separate her parched lips. The air in the tent was stale and warm.
“I’m so thirsty.” She flailed about for her canteen but couldn’t locate it. So she decided to go outside and see what all the commotion was about.
She rolled out of her sleeping bag and realized she was fully dressed.
“You must have been totally wasted when you went to bed last night,” she exclaimed to the empty tent. As she untangled her braids and ran a hasty brush through her hair, Sukie tried to remember the night before but was drawing a big blank. She climbed out of the tent, hoping some fresh air would clear the cobwebs from her head. And she needed water.
In the middle of the campsite, Robbie stood toe-to-toe with Levi Bloom. His bandmates, Manny and Diesel, flanked the singer. Robbie’s tone was belligerent. “I told you, man. The five of us just left the concert. We stayed up there until the Airplane finished. We were eating breakfast until you guys showed up. None of us have seen Willow.
Phil hurried over to stand by Robbie. “Wasn’t she with you?”
“No. She stayed back while we went to the concert. I told her not to wander around alone at night, but we thought she might have come over here.”
Ben looked up at the sky. “News bulletin: it’s morning now. I’m not sure why you’re so freaked out. The kid probably woke up and headed to the Hog Farm for breakfast. Have you checked over there for her?”
“What’s going on?” Sukie asked. The group had been so involved in their conversation, no one seemed to notice her emerge from the tent.
Nina responded. “Willow’s missing. Levi and his group are worried.”
“Can I get some coffee? My head’s so fuzzy that I can’t think. You say Willow’s gone?”
“Babe, how’s the headache?” Ben rushed over and kissed her forehead. “You still look a little rough around the edges.”
“Smooth, Ben. What a way to hand out the compliments.” Cheryl handed Sukie a cup. “Coffee, but there’s no more milk.”
“Thanks.” She turned back to Ben. “The headache’s gone.” Like seeing shadowy forms in the dim light of a tunnel, she recalled snatches of the night before. She remembered leaving the concert area and trekking back to camp. Seeing a lighted tent.
“Oh, that’s right. Eskimo gave me a pill that knocked me out. It was pretty strong, but no more migraine.”
“When did you see Eskimo?” Ben asked.
“It must have been when I got back here. I can’t really remember much. I think JJ was with him.”
Levi looked at her. “Did you see Willow?”
Sukie turned to the tall musician. “I don’t think so . . . Or maybe she was there, too, with JJ and Eskimo? Yes, I think I saw her?” Sukie shook her head. “Wow, I can’t believe that everything is such a blur.”
“This is important,” Levi barked.“Maybe she’s still with those two.” He addressed the group. “Have you seen them this morning?”
“No, but they’ll show up eventually.” Phil rolled his eyes.
Nina looked at Sukie before she turned to Levi. “Did you check out the shops in the woods? Willow was telling Sukie and me about a guy there who invited her to get high.”
“Yeah. She said the guy was older with a black braid. She didn’t give us a name. Hey, I’m sorry that I can’t remember what happened. My brain is still fried.” It scared Sukie that she was blanking on several hours of her life.
Robbie spread his hands out in a conciliatory gesture. “Why don’t you guys sleep for a while? That’s our plan. By the time you wake up, Willow will probably be back.”
“OK, people.” Levi sank back into his usual laid-back persona. “We’re tired. Maybe we overreacted. But I feel responsible for the kid. She didn’t even tell her mother she was leaving the city. We’ll check in later.” He led his group back to the bread truck.
“That was strange.” Robbie dug into a carton of dry Kix cereal.
“I’m not sure why they’re concerned now. The kid’s been floating around on her own for most of three days.” Nina poured the dregs of her coffee into the fire pit. “S
he’s probably at the Hog Farm learning more about communes.”
Cheryl laughed. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Willow has already booked a seat on the Hog Farm bus when it leaves here.”
Ben drew Sukie aside. “Are you sure you’re OK? I feel guilty that I let you leave on your own last night.”
“I must have been pretty convincing when you shoved me through the door in the stage. A security guy tried to take me to the medical tent. But I talked him out of it and made it back here fine. Then Eskimo gave me this pill that completely knocked me out.”
“What kind of pill?”
“He said it was for migraines. He gave me two, but I just took one.” Sukie dug into her front pocket. “Here’s the other one.”
Ben examined the pill. “That preppie fucker. This isn’t headache medicine. He gave you Ludes.”
“What?”
“Quaaludes. They’re a pretty strong sedative. People take them to come down from uppers or sometimes just for a mellow high. It’s good you didn’t take the second one. You would still be out cold.”
“I should never have trusted him. There’s something about the guy that’s a little off.”
Ben rubbed his red-rimmed eyes. “I’m dead on my feet, babe. I’ve got to get some sleep. Wake me up in a couple of hours, and we can go back to the concert.”
Sukie followed Ben into the tent. “I’m still feeling pretty fuzzy. Maybe a few more hours’ sleep would help me, too.”
When Sukie and Ben rolled out of the tent around one o’clock, Nina and Phil were lounging by the van. The skies had turned gray again; the earlier sunshine was gone.
“Good afternoon, sleepyheads,” Nina chirped. “Is your migraine all better, Sukie?”
“Yes. And, I don’t feel fuzzy anymore from that pill I took last night.”
Ben made a beeline for the boxes of food in the van. “What’s left to eat?”
“Not a whole lot.” Phil joined him and began rifling through a box. “We’ve still got some Hershey bars. Lots of baked beans.”
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