Fractured Eden

by Steven Gossington

  “I hate to ask. Does it say how she hurt the poor child?”

  Aaron studied the reports. “They weren’t absolutely sure that she was abusing her child, but they suspected she overmedicated or poisoned him once. Another time, he had suspicious cuts on him, like from a knife. Her story was that he’d fallen and cut himself on broken glass in the carpet. I guess the doctors believed her.”

  “Do you know her son, Dr. Rovsing?”

  “She has a son who lives in her house. I assume that’s the child we’re talking about. I don’t know this family very well yet.”

  “She may be one sick lady.”

  “I have a feeling that’s true.” Aaron stood and shook her hand. “Thanks for your time.”

  He noticed deep dimples at the corners of her smile.

  Aaron fired up the Volvo. This is getting very interesting.

  He stopped at a roadside cafe for lunch and ordered a large lettuce salad with walnuts and cranberries. As he drove back to his town, he hatched a plan. He pulled into a parking place in front of the diner where Wanda worked and walked up to the front entrance. Wanda was there, waiting on a customer.

  Aaron hurried back to his car, dropped by his house to pick up his medical bag and drove to Wanda’s house. He climbed the steps to the front door and punched the doorbell. After a minute, he knocked but still heard no response, and since the front door was locked, he walked around the side of the house and peered into several windows. Curtains were pulled closed, and he gained no visual perspective until he reached a window at the rear of the house. He could see through a slit at one side of the curtain, and with multiple viewing angles, he was able to make out a bed in the middle of a room. A portable toilet was nearby, and a person lay in the bed, covered up to the head with a sheet.

  Aaron tapped on the window, but the person didn’t stir. He tapped louder, and then he saw movement. A man pulled himself up in bed, turned his head, and looked toward the window.

  “Open the back door,” Aaron shouted, then he trotted over to the door.

  He heard movement and then the release of latches, and the door creaked open a crack.

  Sid Taggett was on his knees, his shoulder propped against the doorjamb.

  “I’m Dr. Aaron Rovsing. Can I talk with you?”

  Sid swung the door open wide, and Aaron stepped into the house. He winced at the smell of urine as he helped Sid to his feet.

  Aaron looked up at a frail man, about six feet tall, with sunken eyes and skin hanging from his cheekbones like beige crepe on a skeleton.

  Sid collapsed into Aaron’s arms. “You’re just skin and bones,” Aaron said.

  “I used to be strong.”

  Aaron helped him back to the edge of his bed.

  “Does Wanda know you’re here?” Sid said.

  “No.”

  “You’ve got to help me, Doc.”

  “What’s happening to you? Why are you sick?”

  “I don’t know. I’m real weak.” Sid struggled to speak. “I fall asleep all the time … and I’m getting these horrible headaches when I’m awake.” He took several breaths and lowered his head. “Look. In the last few weeks, my hair has been falling out.”

  Aaron noticed his scalp with random swatches of white hair among patches of baldness.

  As he raised his balding head, Aaron’s eyes widened. Sid had no eyelashes.

  “How long have you been feeling bad?” Aaron said.

  “I can’t remember exactly. I have trouble remembering things … It’s got to be months and months.” He put his hand on Aaron’s shoulder and took several deep breaths. “I feel like I’m dying. I can’t go on like this.”

  “What did the hospital doctors tell you?”

  “That I have some kind of nerve disease … Wanda says they don’t know which one.”

  “Are you on any medications?”

  “I think I was, once … Now, Wanda gives me a liquid medicine.”

  “What kind of medicine?”

  “She says it’s strong vitamins, to build my strength.”

  “Where does she keep it?”

  “She locks it in a cabinet … in the kitchen, I think.”

  Aaron walked to the kitchen area and spotted a cabinet with a lock. He pulled on the cabinet knobs, but the doors wouldn’t open. “Do you know where she keeps the key?”

  “I’m sure she keeps it with her.”

  Aaron looked around the area and opened a few drawers but didn’t find any keys.

  “Doc, I need to lie down.”

  Aaron returned to Sid’s bed and helped him recline.

  “Wanda checks on me every few hours … Sometimes she calls, but sometimes she comes home.” He took several breaths. “I don’t think she’d be happy to find you here.”

  “Can I do a quick physical exam on you?”

  “Sure. Let me know if you find anything.”

  Aaron opened his medical bag, pulled out his stethoscope, and applied it to Sid’s bony chest. He then palpated the abdomen and extremities. “You’ve definitely got some unusual, wasting illness.”

  “That’s how I feel, like I’m wasting away.”

  Aaron saw something under the edge of Sid’s pillow. “What’s this?” He held up a black cloth pouch, tied at the top with cord.

  “I don’t know. Wanda puts it under my pillow. She says it’ll help me get better.”

  Aaron felt hard round objects in the pouch. He loosened the cord and looked inside. Mixed in with dust were several stones of various bright colors, long strands of white hair, small bones, and a dried lizard.

  Some kind of witchcraft? Aaron thought. His palm began to feel heat from the pouch. “Geez.” He retied the pouch and thrust it under Sid’s pillow. I’ll leave that thing alone for now.

  “I’m leaving,” Aaron said. “I’ll research this to see if any tests are indicated that I can do. I’d like to find out what’s really wrong with you.”

  If Wanda’s his legal caretaker, I’ll probably have to get her consent to test him.

  Aaron repacked his medical bag and looked at Sid. “Do you need to lock up behind me?”

  “No, she’ll just think Race came in.”

  “Race is your son?”

  “He’s my stepson, Wanda’s son. I adopted him when he was a child.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Probably at work at the cemetery … I don’t talk to him much anymore.”

  “What does he do at the cemetery?”

  “Odd jobs whenever they need him … He digs graves.” Sid took a deep breath. “Most people steer clear of him. You probably should, too.”

  Aaron walked toward the back door and stopped. He looked back at Sid. “I’ll do my best to help you.”

  He saw a flicker of a smile on Sid’s face.

  As Aaron stepped out the back door, he heard soft snoring from Sid’s bed. He stopped at his car and stared back at the Taggett’s house.

  Something’s not right in there. Why would she lock up vitamins, and what is that pouch under the pillow?

  He glanced in his rearview mirror as he drove away. Why would Sid say that I should avoid his stepson, Race Taggett?

  Aaron remembered what the car dealer Dale McCorkindale had recommended, so for dinner he savored spicy Tex-Mex chicken enchiladas and a fruity margarita at a restaurant about twenty minutes from his house.

  After the meal, he explored country roads that bordered his town and the Big Thicket nearby. At one point, he stopped his car at the side of the road and stepped out. He was alone on the road, and the wind ruffled his hair as he looked up at towering trees swaying in tight rows just a few feet from the road shoulder. At times, he heard the breeze moan from deep within the forest. A chill passed over him.

  He lifted a hand up to the trees. “Why am I even here? I’m a New Englander. What the hell am I doing in this strange place?”

  A gust of stale wind blasted his face and knocked him back.

  Aaron jumped back into his car and sped off
to town with his windows down, eventually turning onto the road to his house. His car headlights were on low beam, and the moon over him was almost full. He hummed along with a country song on the radio. “Wow, that is one vengeful lover.” He glanced at the radio song information: ‘Tornado,’ by Little Big Town. “That poor sap sure picked the wrong woman to cheat on.”

  As he approached the intersection near his home, he saw Marley and Cristal Brighton walking up their driveway. Pulling his car to the side of the road in front of their house, he waved and walked over to them.

  “I saw you two out here and thought I’d stop and say hello.”

  “How are you? We had a good day, didn’t we Cristal?” Marley said.

  “We played in the park,” Cristal said.

  “I wonder if I could have a neighborly chat with you,” Aaron said to Marley.

  “Sure, come on inside.” She unlocked the front door, and a large Golden Retriever barked greetings at them. “This is Princess.”

  Princess jumped up and put her front paws on Aaron. “I’ll bet I know who named her,” Aaron said.

  “I did.” Cristal hugged her dog. “Genie told me to.”

  “Down, Princess. Calm down,” Marley said.

  “That’s okay. I like dogs,” Aaron said.

  Marley smiled. “She can tell.”

  Aaron followed Marley into the living room.

  Marley stroked Cristal’s hair. “Go check on Genie and get ready for bed.” Cristal and Princess ran to her bedroom.

  Marley motioned toward a chair. “Please sit down. Do you want some water or a soda?”

  “No, thanks,” Aaron said.

  They settled into soft living room chairs next to each other.

  “How has your first week been?” Marley said.

  Aaron sighed. “It’s an adjustment. The country life is all new to me.”

  “I like it.”

  “It seems more relaxed. Some songs talk about the low-key country lifestyle.”

  Marley stood up. “What kind of music do you like?”

  “I’ve been listening to country music.”

  “Good. I’ll put some on.” She walked over to a stereo.

  “I just heard a sad song on the radio,” Aaron said. “It talked about falling in love with an illusion. The real person turned out to be quite different from the illusion.”

  Marley sat down in the chair, one leg bent under her. “Shades of ‘The Great Gatsby.’ ”

  Aaron sat forward and touched her hand. “You’ve read ‘The Great Gatsby’?”

  Marley chuckled. “I know you think we’re all hicks—”

  “No. I didn’t mean to imply—”

  “That’s all right. We get that a lot from strangers. We’re used to it.”

  She looked at Aaron and smiled. “Your face is bright red. Don’t be embarrassed.”

  Aaron nodded. “It gives me away. Everyone knows when I’m embarrassed.”

  “Well, I think that’s cute.”

  He took a few deep breaths and turned to face her. “Do I look okay now?”

  “You look fine.”

  “Good. You made an interesting point about the book. Some songs talk about falling in love with someone you put on a pedestal, like the book does. People are far from perfect.”

  “How well do I know that.”

  They talked more about country music and good books.

  “I hear songs about beer and whiskey and tequila and Southern Comfort. Do cowboys drink a lot?” Aaron said.

  Marley laughed. “No more than anybody else.”

  “And I’ll think twice about cheating on a cowgirl. At least in the songs, those guys have bad ends.”

  Marley frowned and looked down.

  Oops, I hit a raw nerve, Aaron thought.

  He took a deep breath. “Would you like to have dinner some evening?”

  Marley stood. “I’ll have to think about that.”

  Okay, I’m not doing very well here. Aaron followed her to the front door. Try something else, Aaron.

  He took another deep breath. “Well, at least you could show me around these parts. Let’s take a drive tomorrow. It’s the neighborly thing to do.”

  Marley smiled. “Okay.”

  Aaron exhaled. Good move.

  “I’ll pick you up around one o’clock?” he said.

  “We’ll be ready.”

  Aaron’s heart raced as he started his car and pulled out into the road. He pumped his fist in the air. “Yes. I think she likes me.” He drove down the road toward his house.

  “Yikes.” He jerked the steering wheel to the left and slammed his brakes as something darted in front of his car. He screeched to a stop at an angle in the road. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a figure disappear around the side of a house.

  Another near miss. I’m going to have a heart attack driving on these roads.

  He steered the car over to the side of the road and jumped out. Sprinting in the direction of the running figure, he rounded the corner of the house and spotted a man vaulting over the fence that bordered Grant Belkin’s ranch.

  He cleared that fence by several feet.

  Aaron stopped to catch his breath as the man bounded away, his hair flaring up in the air. Who the heck was that?

  Chapter 8

  Aaron awoke with a start early Sunday morning.

  He lay in bed for a minute but didn’t hear any unusual sounds. It was before dawn.

  After pulling on shorts and a T-shirt, he searched the house. Finding no cause for alarm, his jitters subsided. In the kitchen, he punched on the coffee brewer, walked to a rear window, and pulled back one side of the window blinds.

  Just outside the glass, two wide-open eyes stared at him.

  “Whoa.” Aaron lurched back and fell into a small dining table. He righted himself and stumbled back to the window, flipping the blinds open.

  The eyes aren’t there. Was it an illusion?

  His heart pounded as he slid into running shoes and peered out into the back yard. He strained his ears but heard only the hooting of an owl, so he ventured out into the dim moonlight. Standing still next to his fence, he sensed no movement in the yard or the pasture.

  A voice rang out, “Stay away from the Taggetts.”

  Aaron jumped and fell against a fence pole. He looked toward the source of the voice and saw glinting eyes, the same eyes that were at his window, and the silhouette of a figure.

  Aaron took a deep breath. “Why?”

  “You can’t help. No doctors can help us. Stay away or you’ll be sorry.”

  Then the eyes were gone.

  Aaron looked around the yard and walked back through the house to the front door. Noticing nothing unusual in the front yard or street, he glanced at the nearby tree grove and listened. The owl was quiet.

  He locked all the doors and windows of the house and sat in the living room until he spotted the faint glow of sunrise.

  After two cups of coffee, he ventured outside again and wandered around the house. Familiar objects emerged into view in the early dawn.

  Aaron dwelled on those strange eyes.

  That had to be Race Taggett, and he’s hurting.

  A shiver passed over him.

  He’s also one hell of a scary dude.

  Aaron spent the rest of the morning unpacking boxes and arranging his home. Despite the soreness in his leg muscles, a pleasant reminder of his jog the day before, he danced from box to box to the sound of country music from a small radio.

  Maybe I’ll take country-dance lessons with Marley.

  He nourished himself with a breakfast of juice and cereal with soy milk, then he decked out in blue jeans, a dark blue-and-gold cowboy shirt, and his new boots.

  He pulled into Marley’s driveway right at 1:00 p.m. She and Cristal walked out to his car, and Marley slid a picnic basket into the back seat.

  “A picnic. Great idea,” Aaron said.

  “We love picnics, don’t we Cristal?”

  In the
back seat, Cristal raised her arms. “Picnics are fun.”

  Aaron turned to Marley. “I’ll drive, but you can be the tour guide, okay?”

  Marley smiled. “Sure, I’ve got a route in mind. Get ready for some interesting sights in the Big Thicket.”

  Aaron backed out of the driveway and headed out of town on a county road as Marley pointed the way.

  They cruised north and south and sometimes east and west on two-lane roads bordered by pastures and marshes and piney woods, crossing several creeks on their journey. Marley pointed out various birds and four-legged creatures along the side of the road.

  “You’re a careful driver,” Marley said.

  “Well, since I moved here, I’ve become much more alert for surprises in the road.”

  Aaron slowed and stopped near a sign. “What’s this?”

  “The entrance to Bragg Road. A lot of folks call it Ghost Road.” Marley turned to him. “Don’t come here at night.” She pushed the car AC to the max setting.

  Aaron moaned like a ghost. “Is it scary?”

  She turned up the radio volume so Cristal couldn’t hear her speak. “At times, along the road, a strange light appears at night out of nowhere. People think it’s a lantern carried by a ghost looking around for his head, the ghost of a railroad worker who was decapitated.”

  Aaron turned onto the dirt road and crept along in the car, studying the forest and the ruins of an old railroad track. After several miles, a shiver gripped him. “It does feel creepy out here, alone in the trees.”

  “Mommy, let’s go back,” Cristal said.

  Marley nodded and touched Aaron’s shoulder. “We should turn around.”

  “You got it,” Aaron said. “The air is heavy in here. It’s hard to breathe.” As soon as Aaron returned to the paved roads, he stopped the car and jumped out.

  “What’s wrong?” Marley said.

  Aaron gasped for air with his hands on his hips. “Whew. I couldn’t breathe back there.” He calmed down, stepped back into the car, and turned to Marley, pointing to Ghost Road. “I’m adding that to my bucket list.”

  Marley laughed. “Join the club.”

  After another hour of cruising around East Texas, he turned onto a road that led into a state park. “We can picnic here,” Marley said.