A Roux of Revenge

by Connie Archer

  Remy walked the length of the barn, peeking into each stall, shining his flashlight into corners and gently murmuring to the horses. Eamon skirted the inside perimeter, looking into darkened spaces, examining old tarps hanging from beams along the wall. He reached the corner and continued along the next wall. Lucky and Remy watched him in silence.

  “What’s up there?” Eamon asked, pointing to the loft.

  “No idea, but you can get up there on the ladder,” Remy replied.

  Eamon silently climbed the wooden ladder to the loft. Lucky and Remy waited, listening to Eamon’s boots stomping above them on the wooden flooring. After a few minutes he descended the ladder. He shook his head. “Nothing. No one’s been up there at all.”

  “Are you sure?” Lucky asked.

  “There’d be something. Some scuff marks, things moved. If she were held in this barn, there’d be something to see. Don’t think she was ever here.”

  Lucky’s nervousness was growing by the minute. What if Joe Conrad or Jim Devlin or whatever his name was had left Janie tied up without water or someplace without enough air to breathe? Janie must have come here and been overpowered the night before. Was she outside in the elements with only a sweater or a thin jacket? It was still warm during the day, but the nights were growing colder. Lucky hated to think of Janie shivering somewhere for a second night or worse.

  “Remy, you’ve been working here every day. Do you know if there’s another barn or building nearby?”

  “Just this one. It’s the only one I know of.”

  “So you haven’t noticed anyone hanging around? You put the horses in last night and tonight?”

  “That’s right. I’m sure no one’s been in here.”

  “And there’s no other place he could have taken her?”

  “Who’s ‘he’?” Remy asked.

  Lucky took a deep breath. “A man claiming to be an insurance investigator has been hanging around town. He’s kidnapped Janie.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I promise to fill you in. Right now there’s no time to waste. Just help us.”

  “Of course. I will. Other than my trailer, I can’t think of any other hiding places. Well, maybe behind the stage area.”

  “We have to search everywhere. She’s got to be somewhere around here,” Eamon said.

  Lucky turned to him. “Eamon, you know the stage area. You take that. Remy and I will go through the vendor stalls, check any storage bins, check underneath the tables . . . everywhere. It’s unlikely that she’d be there, but we have to look. Even if we call Nate in, it’ll take too long. There are three of us and only one of him. Besides, I’m sure Nate’s busy at the Stones with Jack right now.”

  Eamon turned without a word and left the barn. Lucky stayed and waited for Remy to turn off the overhead lights and lock the door behind him, replacing the padlock as best he could.

  “Why didn’t Nate search out here before?” Remy asked as they headed toward the vendor stalls.

  “He may have done that. I don’t know. He found out Janie’s car was parked here, but no one even noticed it or thought to report it. He must have questioned people. Maybe he showed Janie’s picture around.”

  “I didn’t see him,” Remy said. “But I had to pick up some supplies in Lincoln Falls yesterday. I might have missed him. Let’s each take a side of the walkway.”

  “Make sure you look under the tables; it’ll be hard because people store boxes and stuff underneath. We just need to make sure to check everything.”

  Remy followed Lucky to the vendor area. They moved slowly from one stall to the next, shining their flashlights under the tables, shifting mostly empty boxes to be sure nothing was concealed. There was no food to be found, but there were plenty of storage containers, all empty. They finally reached the end of the walkway and the vendor area.

  In frustration, Lucky called out, “Janie! Can you hear me?” She waited, listening to the silence of the night. No response came.

  She turned to Remy. “Let’s catch up with Eamon. I have no idea how big that backstage area is.” They approached the stage, and Lucky called out to Eamon. She saw a flickering light behind a makeshift wing to the right of the stage. They heard his footsteps approach.

  “Find anything?” she asked. Lucky couldn’t see his face, only the beam of his flashlight.

  “Nothing,” he said. “Looks just as we left it earlier tonight.” Eamon swung down from the front of the stage and nervously ran a hand through his hair.

  Lucky sat heavily on the wooden stairway that led up to the stage. “What was it Devlin said?” She rubbed her temples.

  Eamon stared at her. “I’m not sure. Something about ‘she’s at the farmers’ market.’”

  “No. Not that. It was after that.” Lucky closed her eyes in an attempt to remember. “He said, ‘Your corn-fed girl’s right where she should be.’ Wasn’t that it? Oh!” She gasped. “The cornfield! Is that what he meant?”

  “Hey,” Remy said. “I just remembered something. There’s a storage shed on the other side of that cornfield.”

  “Where is it?” Eamon demanded.

  “I’ll show you. It’s kind of a hike—way on the other side.”

  “Let’s go,” Eamon said.

  Chapter 45

  IN SINGLE FILE with Remy leading the way, they headed diagonally across the cornfield. It was slow going. Lucky felt many times as if she were sinking into the earth. She wished she had worn more serviceable shoes. They pushed their way through the tall stalks of corn, some as high as eight to ten feet. The leaves of the stalks hit their cheeks as they passed. The hike seemed to take forever but Remy appeared to know the way and cheered them on. Lucky wasn’t sure where they were headed, but the line of trees was now slightly darker against the night sky, a sky that was just beginning to show the barest promise of sunrise. Her muscles ached from tension and lack of sleep, but she refused to give in. She couldn’t rest until they found Janie. The ground felt harder now and easier to cross. She spotted a small rectangular building just a few yards away.

  “This is the rear of the farmer’s property,” Remy said. “If we kept going in this direction, we’d eventually reach his house.”

  “Do you have a key to this building?”

  Remy shook his head. “No. They just gave me the barn to use for the horses. I’m not sure what’s in here. I think it’s just tool storage.”

  “We have to get inside.”

  Eamon approached the flimsy door. He stopped suddenly and aimed his flashlight. The door stood open. Remy pushed ahead of Eamon and tried to rush in.

  “Wait.” Eamon pulled him back. “Be careful. Let me go first.” Eamon stepped up to the threshold and swung the beam around the inside of the room.

  “Okay,” he said. “It’s safe.” He stepped into the dark interior of the shed. Lucky and Remy followed. A musty odor assailed their nostrils. She shone the beam of the flashlight up to the rafters. They were covered with spider webs.

  Remy spoke first. “Can we find a light in here?”

  “Don’t know,” Eamon replied. He turned in a circle, shining the light near the doorjamb and finally at the center of the tall ceiling. A thin chain hung down, too high for Lucky to reach, but Eamon pulled it easily. The interior was flooded with light. Lucky squinted, willing her eyes to adjust to the change.

  Inside the storage shed were pieces of farm equipment Lucky knew she couldn’t possibly name. Rakes, heavy construction hoses and tools hung on the bare wooden walls. Eamon moved to the corner of the shed. He was silent for a long minute.

  “Eamon?” Lucky called. “What is it?” She suspected he had discovered something.

  “Over here,” he replied quietly.

  Lucky and Remy picked their way around the parts and equipment and joined Eamon.

  “She was here. Look.” He pointed his flashlight at a section of flooring, free of dust. “And this,” he said, reaching down and holding up a dark blue sneaker.

  “Oh!”
Lucky exclaimed. “That’s Janie’s shoe. She wears them all the time. But where is she? Did she get away or was she moved?”

  The overhead light was bright, but the corner of the shed was in shadow. Eamon shone the light on a length of rope wrapped around a wooden beam. “He tied her up—like an animal. He tied my little girl up. I’ll make sure he pays for this,” Eamon growled. He looked around and bent down. Then stood, holding a thin plastic binding in his hands. “She got free.”

  “What now?” Remy asked.

  “We track her. That’s if we haven’t messed up her prints on the way in.” Eamon turned away and headed back to the entry door. Lucky hurried to catch up. He stood on the threshold, aiming the beam of his flashlight on the ground outside the doorway. The dampness of the night had made several prints visible. “Don’t move. Don’t step outside. She’s out here somewhere. We’ll find her.”

  After a minute Eamon exclaimed, “There!”

  “Where?” Lucky asked.

  “Right there. Look.” Eamon stepped outside. The sky was lined with a hint of lavender. Daybreak was coming. “Oh dear Lord. Her feet are tied. She’s shuffling and jumping.”

  Lucky could now clearly see two footprints very close together. One print of a shoe with rubber striations—Janie’s sneaker—the other a bare foot.

  “And here. Look.” Lucky and Remy followed the beam of Eamon’s flashlight. Eamon looked across the field. “She went this way.”

  The sound of a deep throbbing motor reached their ears.

  “What’s that?” Remy asked.

  “Oh, no!” Lucky cried. “They’re harvesting. They’ll never see her if she’s out there.”

  Chapter 46

  THEY STOOD TOGETHER, surrounded by the corn stalks. “I heard the farmer arguing with Ernie about the corn maze,” Lucky shouted above the noise. “He said he couldn’t wait any longer. His crop would be spoiled.”

  In the distance, two intense lights were visible at the top of the combine. A second engine roar throbbed through the ground. Lucky felt the vibrations under the soles of her shoes. Two vehicles—a combine that would slice the corn stalks off at the base and separate the cobs, grinding the rest of the crop for silage. The second truck would follow the combine in a parallel course to catch the harvest.

  “How close are they?” Eamon asked.

  “I can’t tell. But they’re coming this way,” Remy said. He attempted to jump high enough to see over the stalks.

  “She could be anywhere,” Lucky cried. “Help me look. We have to find her.”

  “I’ll stop the trucks,” Remy said. “They can’t do this now. Those blades would cut her to ribbons.” Remy started running in the direction of the combine, waving his arms and shouting at the top of his lungs.

  “They’ll never hear him over that noise,” Eamon said. “They might not even be able to see him.”

  “Let’s follow her tracks. That’s all we can do. I’ll stay behind you and look in either direction. She’s got to be in here somewhere,” Lucky said.

  Eamon stared at the ground, flashlight in hand, straining to see which way Janie had gone. A pale haze was lighting the tops of the tallest trees that stood in the distance around the field. The roar of the farm machinery was louder. The combine was headed their way. The machines were moving fast, too fast. She couldn’t hear anything over the deep throb of the engines. The ground was vibrating beneath her feet. Would Remy be able to get their attention? Whatever he was doing, it wasn’t stopping the mammoth vehicles.

  “I’ve lost her trail. I can’t see it,” Eamon called out, panic in his voice.

  Lucky could barely make out his words. She shouted, “She’s got to be close. Maybe she fell, maybe she . . .” Lucky tripped and fell headlong between two rows. The breath was knocked out of her. She reached out and felt something soft, a form and some kind of fabric. She pushed herself to her knees to get a better look. It was an arm.

  Lucky shouted as loud as she could, “I found her, Eamon! I found her! Help me move her.” Lucky stepped over Janie’s prostrate form. She felt her neck. It was warm. Janie was alive. Had she been knocked out? Was she drugged? Or had something worse happened?

  “Janie! Can you hear me? Janie, you’ve got to wake up,” she screamed.

  Janie’s eyes fluttered, but she made no response. Eamon pushed through the cornstalks and arrived at Lucky’s side.

  Lucky dug her heels in to gain purchase and grabbed Janie’s shoulders. She looked up, trying to gauge how quickly the combine and the truck were moving. She heard the crunch and snap of the stalks being cut and ground up.

  “We’ve got to get her out of here.” She pulled Janie into a sitting position. Her feet were still bound. Lucky reached around and felt the binding with her fingers. It was plastic and tight. Something a professional would use. How could Devlin have done this to Janie? Lucky struggled to keep the girl in an upright position. She reached under Janie’s arms and held tight, managing to drag her through the next row of corn. It took all her strength to move Janie just a few feet. She looked around for Eamon to help her, but he had disappeared. The harsh lights of the combine were bearing down on them. In another minute it would be too late. Too late for both of them.

  Chapter 47

  EAMON RAN STRAIGHT toward the combine, waving his arms and shouting above the noise. The brilliant spotlights cut through the early morning light. Eamon spotted Remy running along the far side of the truck. Blood covered the side of his face. He looked winded, but he tried to climb on the running board of the container truck to get the driver’s attention. The truck gave a lurch, and Remy lost his grip and was thrown to the ground.

  • • •

  LUCKY TOOK A deep breath and pulled Janie across the soft earth and into the next row. Sweat was pouring down her face in spite of the chill. No one could possibly see them here. She dragged Janie again, managing to move her another foot. Janie’s head lolled forward. Lucky was dragging a dead weight, and she didn’t know how far she’d have to go to be safe from the wheels of the truck and the blades of the combine. Was she going in the right direction or was she dragging Janie straight into the path of the deadly machine? There was no choice. She couldn’t leave her here to be mauled to death. The sound of the blades crunching through the stalks was deafening now. Grunting, she pulled Janie another few feet. She stopped and raised her head. The harsh light blinded her.

  A swift shadow passed in front of the lights. A moment later all sound stopped. Silence. Eamon had somehow stopped them. He must have climbed into the cab of the combine and shut the vehicle down. Lucky cried in relief. She fell to her knees, still holding Janie upright. The rising sun cast its light through the windshield of the combine. A man sat in the high cab of the vehicle, his jaw slack, and stared at the large man who had suddenly appeared next to him.

  A few feet from where Janie lay, the light glinted off the blades of the machinery, its metal maw constructed of five long, almost triangular, blades. Between the long blades were shorter thick ones topped by layers of rotating metal teeth like a prehistoric beast—a terrifying sight. Lucky didn’t want to think what those blades could have done to them.

  The farmer climbed down from his cab and with Eamon following headed for the spot where Lucky struggled with an unconscious Janie. Lucky recognized the same man she had seen arguing with Ernie White at the festival.

  “What the . . . ?” he said. “What’s going on? You folks have no business fooling around out here like this. You could’ve all been killed. I wouldn’t have seen you until it was too late.”

  Remy caught up with them, breathless from running and falling off the truck. “I tried to stop you. Couldn’t you hear me?”

  The farmer turned to him. “Can’t hear a thing in there. I wear these,” he said, indicating large ear covers slung around his neck to muffle the sound. “Can’t see very much either. This corn is too tall. I’m just glad this fellow jumped on the combine in time.”

  Eamon knelt and gently put
his arms around Janie. Without a word he lifted her and carried her across the field heading for the parking lot.

  “You gonna take that little girl to the hospital?” the farmer called after them.

  “That’s where we’re headed,” Remy replied, running to keep up with Eamon and Lucky.

  Lucky rushed ahead of Eamon and opened the back door of her car. Eamon, still holding Janie, slid into the backseat. He cradled Janie’s upper body in his arms. Lucky supported Janie’s legs and once both of them were safely inside, she shut the car door.

  She turned to Remy. “You’re coming with us?”

  “Of course.” He jumped into the front seat, wiping blood from his face with his shirttail. “Where are we taking her? The Clinic?”

  Lucky had already considered their options. “I think we should go straight to Lincoln Falls. We don’t know what’s in her system or what injuries she has.” Lucky was relieved she wouldn’t have to see Elias, but more importantly, the emergency room at the hospital would be faster and better equipped to deal with Janie’s condition. “We’re almost halfway there.”

  “She’s hit her head,” Eamon said from the backseat. “She must have fallen. There’s some blood. We just don’t know how long she’s been out in that field.” He gently pushed Janie’s hair away from her face. “How long will it take to get there?”

  Lucky glanced in the rearview mirror. “Not long. We’re five miles from the hospital. She’ll need an X-ray, maybe a lot more. But they’ll be able to run tests right away. And she might be in shock and dehydrated. The ER’s the best place now.”