The Dragon's Song

by Claire Fogel

  We got out at Kevin’s Jeep and just stood there, looking at it for a few seconds. Everyone looked at me. I walked around the car, waiting for my antenna to go up, but when that didn’t happen, I said, “It feels okay now.”

  Kevin’s car wasn’t really designed to hold six, so I sat on Adam’s lap. Even then, it was a tight squeeze. I felt a little guilty because I was perfectly comfortable although Adam didn’t seem to be. He barely looked at me on the ride home.

  We’d just pulled up in front of Amy’s house when my cell phone rang. It was Chief O’Donnell.

  “Are you still with your friends?” I said I was. “It might be a good idea for you to stick together for a few hours. I’ll need to talk to all of you. Can you all stay in one place for a while?”

  I asked him to hold on while I relayed what he’d said and asked Kevin and Amy if they’d like to come to my house.

  They agreed; Amy just wanted to run into her house and let her parents know where she’d be. She wanted Neal to stay there with her parents. I told the Chief we’d all be at my house, and he said he’d see us in about an hour.

  As soon as Amy returned, Kevin headed to my house. I said, “The Chief may have information about the shooter and about David’s condition. It’ll probably be easier for him to talk to all of us together.”

  Amy added, “I hope it’s not bad news.” I didn’t say anything; I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  We reached my house just as a police car pulled up in front. It must have been one of the cars called to the football field earlier. The driver waved to us as we got out of the Jeep. Patrick ran around the corner to keep an eye on Kevin’s house, and Adam sat down in a chair on the front porch, after giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

  My parents were sitting in the kitchen enjoying Mom’s favorite red wine. My father stood up when we walked into the kitchen. “How was the game?” he asked, smiling.

  Amy and Kevin both looked at me. “There was a serious problem. The game was cancelled.” My mother put her glass down, closing her eyes for a few seconds.

  She forced herself back to normal hostess mode quickly. “Amy, Kevin, please sit down. Would you all like coffee?”

  “Don’t get up, Mom. I’ll make coffee and a pot of tea. We’ll need it. Chief O’Donnell is coming over. He said he has news for us.”

  As I made a fresh pot of coffee and boiled water for tea, I began telling them about the shooting at the game. Kevin told them what he knew about David, and that he’d been shot when he ran in front of Sean, which suggested that Sean was the real target.

  My parents looked shocked, then sick. My father’s eyes again turned into green lasers, and his face looked like it had been chiseled out of stone.

  I put the coffee pot and cups on the table. “I’m afraid there’s more.”

  Mom just put her head in her hands, and Dad stood up and began to pace.

  When I didn’t say anything, Mom lifted her head and said, “Talk to us, Cara. We’d better hear it all.”

  Amy was sitting next to Mom and she put her hand over Mom’s. Kevin had been next to my father. I wasn’t sure how to explain my extrasensory experience with Kevin’s car.

  Kevin began, “Cara saved us from being blown up in my car. During the game, a bomb had been placed under the rear bumper.” He gave me a strange look. “I don’t know how she did it, but she knew there was something wrong with the car. She wouldn’t even let me unlock the door. I brought a cop back to where I’d parked and he called for their bomb specialist. We waited on the field until they’d gone over my car thoroughly, found the bomb and disabled it.”

  I sat down on Mom’s other side and she grabbed my hand. I could see she was trying to hold back tears. “Mom, it’s okay. I think we’re all kind of shaky, but thankfully none of us was hurt. We’re still waiting to find out how David is. Maybe the Chief will have news when he gets here.”

  Meanwhile, my father paced from one end of the kitchen to the other, his hands clenched at his side. I sent him a mental message: Dad, please calm down. You’re making me nervous.

  He turned around, looked at me, let out a deep breath and seemed to relax a little. He nodded, said, “Sorry,” and sat down.

  I refilled coffee cups, poured myself a cup of Kathleen’s calming tea and sat down just as we heard a car door slam out front. Every muscle in my body tensed.

  The Chief was here.

  My father went to the door and let in Chief O’Donnell. His expression was grim. The tension in my stomach had turned to nausea, but I did my best to appear calm.

  I heard my father ask Adam to come in too. The Chief sat down at the table and Adam took a seat at the breakfast bar. Mom quickly poured the Chief a cup of coffee. He thanked her without saying anything else.

  I took a cup of tea over to Adam and sat down at the bar with him. Being close to Adam’s warmth seemed to relax my stomach a little.

  The Chief was still silent. I think we all knew the news wasn’t going to be good. Kevin and Amy exchanged worried glances.

  Mom finally broke the silence by saying, “Tommy, we’re all on edge. Please tell us why you’re here.”

  Finally, he looked up at us and said, “We’ve got the man who took a shot from the hill. We found his rifle too.” He picked up his cup for another sip of coffee, as though he was reluctant to continue.

  My father said, “Who is he? Who sent him?”

  The Chief said, “It hurts to admit this, but he was one of my men. He only joined the force a year ago. He’d been a Chicago cop before moving to Thornewood. While Gaynes was here trying to purchase land for his planned development, they became friends. That friendship didn’t end when Gaynes started threatening you and Cara and making trouble for your friends.” He looked disgusted. “We’ve had a snake in our midst all this time, feeding information to Gaynes.”

  My father asked, “So he’s in jail now? Will you be able to keep him there? Does he know where Gaynes is?”

  “He’ll be in jail for the rest of his life. He refused to tell me where Gaynes is, but I’m not finished with him yet.”

  Kevin asked, “What about David Somers? Is he going to be okay?”

  The Chief closed his eyes for a second. I knew the worst had happened.

  He looked up at us and just shook his head. “I’m sorry to tell you this. David Somers died at the hospital shortly after he arrived there. The bullet pierced his helmet.”

  No one said a word. Suddenly Amy ran upstairs, looking green. I heard her throwing up in the bathroom. Mom got up and followed her upstairs.

  I think my heart stopped briefly. If it hadn’t been for Adam’s warm hand holding mine, it might not have started beating again.

  After a few minutes of silence, the Chief said, “I thought the McKays would be here too. I haven’t spoken to them yet.” He sighed deeply.

  Kevin still looked dazed. “Was the shooter the same person who placed the bomb under my car?”

  “I think so. I believe you actually told him where you’d parked your Jeep.”

  Kevin groaned. “That must have been the cop standing by the refreshment stand.” He snorted. “I was afraid I’d get towed.” He slapped himself in the head.

  I was wondering if Sean and I had been right about who the intended target was. “Chief, Sean and David looked a lot alike in their uniforms. They were the same size, same height, same build. We think David might have been shot by mistake. The shooter might have aimed at Sean and David simply got in the way. What do you think?”

  The Chief nodded, looking even sadder. “That thought crossed my mind too.” He stood slowly. “Thanks for the coffee. I have to go talk to the McKays now.” We heard his deep sigh.

  My father stood and walked out with the Chief. I could hear their voices from the front porch.

  Mom and Amy came back downstairs. Amy was paler than usual.

  I saw tears running down her face. Kevin wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his head close to hers.

&nbs
p; Mom had tears in her eyes when she said, “That innocent young boy, his life cut down for no reason. It’s tragic. And it could happen to any one of you. That man has to be stopped!”

  She sprang out of her chair and rushed to the front door. When the door closed, I could hear her voice. She was actually shouting at the Chief. I could barely hear my father’s voice or the Chief’s. Mom was really on a rant.

  Adam leaned over and whispered, “I always knew that getting on your mother’s bad side would be a very bad idea.”

  “She’s afraid for all of us,” I said. “So am I. I dream of guns and fires almost every night, and I wake up sweating. It’s just that I don’t know what else the police and Dad’s men can do that they’re not already doing.”

  Adam added, “They’ll come up with something. I have a great deal of faith in your father and in Chief O’Donnell.”

  Amy muttered, “It’s gonna take more than faith, Adam.”

  With David’s death, the situation had become unbearable. I think we were all wondering who would be next.

  When Mom and Dad came back inside, they seemed surprised to find us sitting quietly. After one shock too many, I was kind of numb. Amy and Kevin weren’t talking at all.

  My father looked at us. “The Chief knows more has to be done to protect all of you.” Glancing at my mother, he said, “Alicia has made that point quite clearly.”

  Kevin said, “Mr. Blackthorne, the entire police force is already working ‘round the clock. Your men are all over town, staying out of sight, but watching everyone. What more can be done? The Chief can’t call out the National Guard.”

  My dad shook his head. “I wish I had an answer. We’re going to meet again in the morning. The Chief mentioned getting additional help from the Highway Patrol, but I don’t know what additional steps can be taken.” Turning to me, he asked, “Sean thinks that David was shot by mistake, doesn’t he?”

  “We all do. Sean was terribly angry, and I’m sure he’s feeling guilty. He’s going to be devastated when he learns that David didn’t make it.”

  Mom was still standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. Finally, she walked over to each of us and hugged us tightly. Amy started crying again. Kevin said, “Please don’t worry, Mrs. C. We’re all going to be okay.”

  After she hugged me, my father put his arms around her. “We’ll figure this out, Alicia. We won’t let any more of our children get hurt.”

  Mom just shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I’m going upstairs to try to calm down. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset any of you. It’s late. I think we all need to get some rest.” She tried to smile. “Maybe things will look a little brighter tomorrow. I’ll say good night now.” She turned and climbed the stairs slowly.

  Adam stood. “Kevin, I’ll ride with you while you take Amy home. I believe Patrick is still at your house.”

  I walked Amy and Kevin to the door and promised to call them as soon as there was any more news. It was a sad end to what had started as a fun night at a football game.

  My father still sat at the kitchen table, looking like his world had just imploded.

  I poured him a cup of tea and sat down with him. “Dad, this isn’t your fault, you know.”

  He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. “It all started with me, Cara. Simply because I refused to sell a piece of the forest.” He sounded sick at heart.

  “No, Dad. It started because Donald Gaynes thinks he should get everything he wants. The man is clearly insane. He’s responsible for two deaths now. You’re not responsible for any of the things he’s done.”

  He took my hand and held it. “In my mind I know you’re right. But my heart feels otherwise. And I’m afraid your mother feels I’m at least partially to blame.” He closed his eyes and squeezed my hand.

  “Gaynes is a psychopath. No way are you responsible for him.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart.” He gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s late. You should go up to bed. I’ll be down here for a while. I need to send a few messages to my men.”

  He kissed my cheek and I went up to my room. I stood in the shower until the water began to run cold.

  Meditating in the shower helped a little. By the time I got into my pajamas, the knots in my stomach were almost gone, but the sadness over David Somers’ death remained. By now, Sean had been told, and was probably in a great deal of emotional pain. It was late, but I had to call him.

  When he picked up his phone, all he said was, “Cara.” I could hear the pain in his deep voice.

  “Sean, is Chief O’Donnell still there?”

  “No, he left a little while ago. My father’s still downstairs, but I needed some space so I’m in my room.”

  “Yeah, me too. I know it’s late, but I had to call you. I think I know what you’re feeling. I just wanted to let you know that I’m here if you want to talk. Amy and Kevin went home a little while ago. We’re all sick about David. And my father feels like everything that’s happened is his fault.”

  I heard a deep sigh. “I know how he feels. An innocent kid is dead because he ran too close to me. I can’t help feeling responsible.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. I wish I could convince you and my father of that. Every bad thing that’s happened is because a psychopath didn’t get what he wanted and now wants to hurt as many people in Thornewood as he can. Sean, do you think it would be better if you’d been killed?”

  He didn’t say anything for several seconds. “No. I don’t have a death wish. I understand the logic in everything you’re saying. It just hurts so bad, knowing that a kid I barely knew is dead. And shouldn’t be. And wouldn’t be if he didn’t look like me in the uniform.” I heard his voice break.

  A few seconds of silence, then he whispered, “I’m sorry, but all my walls are down tonight. You know what I need right now? I wish I could be with you, holding you in my arms, kissing your sweet face. You’re what I need, Cara. You’re the only one who can heal my heart.”

  My heart was pounding. I felt so much for this boy, even though I couldn’t tell him exactly what he wanted to hear. And I was feeling some guilt too.

  “Sean, I feel sort of responsible for what you’re going through.”

  “Why?” He sounded bewildered.

  “If you’d never met me, never met my father, never gotten involved in our problems, you wouldn’t be going through all of this now.” I took a deep breath. “You don’t deserve any of this.”

  His voice was soft. “The walls are still down tonight so I can tell you this. Knowing you has been worth anything I had to go through. I feel as though my whole life has been about loving you. Nothing else has been as important.”

  His words brought tears to my eyes, and a need deep inside of me that I didn’t know what to do with.

  “I’m here for you, whenever you need me.

  His voice sounded better. “Thanks, beautiful. Just talking to you tonight has helped. But I’d better let you get to bed. Maybe we’ll both be able to sleep now.”

  “I hope so. Listen, I don’t know what will be going on here tomorrow, but if you don’t have other plans, why don’t you grab Gabe and come on over here. Plan to spend the day with me.”

  “That sounds really good. There’s no one I’d rather be with. I’ll call you in the morning, okay?”

  “Okay. Try to get some sleep.”

  We said good night and I realized I felt a lot better than I had before I called him.

  My sleep was full of dreams that night. I kept hearing a gun shot and seeing a boy in a red and white football uniform fall to the ground. I saw Sean standing over the boy’s body, his helmet in one hand and tears running down his face.

  That scene repeated, over and over, until I finally said, “Enough.”

  I got up just as the sky grew light and the forest birds began to sing their cheerful morning songs. They reminded me that life goes on, despite the grief, pain, and evil that at times seemed
to be all around us.

  I was up earlier than usual, so I didn’t expect to find anyone in the kitchen when I went downstairs. I was surprised to find my father standing in front of the coffee maker, just staring at it. I couldn’t help smiling. “You have to do more than look at it to make coffee.” He turned around, with a frustrated look on his face.

  I hugged him. “Today I’ll teach you how to make coffee.” I handed him the coffee pot and had him fill it with water. He put in a fresh filter, scooped coffee out of the can, and within seconds, fresh coffee started dripping into the pot and there was a satisfied smile on my father’s face.

  “I still think it’s easier to boil water in my fireplace. But making coffee isn’t really that difficult.” He dropped a kiss on my head. “Thank you, dear.”

  Mom came down the stairs and seemed surprised to find us both smiling. Dad said, “Can I pour you some coffee, Alicia? With a little help from Cara, I made it myself.”

  That put a smile on Mom’s face. “It’s really nice to come downstairs and find coffee waiting for me.” She had a cup of Dad’s first pot of coffee and still smiling, went upstairs to get dressed for work.

  “Are you meeting with the Chief this morning, Dad?”

  He nodded. “I’m waiting to hear from him. I’m not sure where we’re meeting; it might be here. Are you feeling better this morning?”

  “A little. I called Sean last night. He was really upset but I think talking about it helped both of us. I invited him to spend the day here. Maybe that will help too.”

  “Good idea. You and your friends can help each other recover from this tragedy.”

  There was a knock on the back door and I opened it to find Conor and Arlynn on the back porch.

  I invited them in and was immediately wrapped up in Conor’s arms.

  “I was so sorry to hear about the shooting last night. Was the boy who was shot a friend?”

  “He was new to Thornewood. I’m afraid no one knew him very well. Even the other football players didn’t know much about him except that he was quiet. Sean feels terrible.” I explained why Sean thought David had been shot by mistake.