“Did you say something?” he asked. He leaned toward her.
“Moonie, moonie, doonie, doomie, doom, broom, brebble, pebble, debble, devil, devil.”
“What did you say?” Keller bent down closer.
Keller’s screams echoed in the forest as Wanda chomped on his ear. Everyone ran out from the trees and back to the house.
Wanda had Keller in a headlock, and he was hitting her with his fist. “Get her off me.”
One paramedic grabbed Wanda’s arms and pulled them behind her. Another paramedic grabbed her chin and forehead to force her mouth open. Keller moaned and fell to the ground with his hand over his left ear. Blood trickled onto his hand and cheek.
Wanda screamed, blood dripping from her lips. “Give heavy hurt, burt, beat, heat, heal, hill, kill, thrill, rickett, ticket, thicket, thicket.”
Keller sat up holding his ear. “Damn, that hurts.” He managed to get to his feet. “You guys be careful of her teeth. Can you take her to the hospital?”
Two muscled paramedics struggled to restrain her. One of them turned to Keller. “Sure. She definitely needs help. Is she schizophrenic?”
“She’s something strange.”
“You need to get that ear looked at,” the paramedic said, and then he pointed at Keller’s neck bandage. “It looks like you’ve had a bad week.”
“Tell me about it. At least we have a doctor in town now.” Keller moaned. “I hope my ear doesn’t fall off.” He nodded at Wanda. “That crazy woman put a voodoo curse on me.”
Chapter 30
Aaron paced around his house that evening and felt his wrist pulse at times. It was more rapid than usual.
One hundred and ten beats a minute. What’s going on with my heart?
As he settled into bed for the night, he winced at the buzzing in his ears.
It must be stress getting to me.
A vision popped into his head: a silver machete poised in the air.
Aaron and Stella walked into a patient room the next morning, Wednesday. Constable Greevy sat in a chair. Stella had removed the bandages from his head and neck.
“You’ve got another injury. What happened?” Aaron said.
Keller updated Aaron about his recent encounters with Race and Wanda.
Aaron examined the wounds and prescribed an antibiotic to prevent infection. Stella cleaned and bandaged the injuries.
Keller shook his head. “I thought Wanda would bite my ear clean off. Are you sure it’ll be all right?”
“I think you’ll be fine,” Aaron said.
“I’m worried. I’ve never been voodoo cursed before.”
Stella laughed. “Wanda cursed you?”
Keller nodded. “With her voodoo doll and a gris-gris.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. I don’t think she’s for real,” Stella said.
“I agree,” Aaron said. “Wanda has a serious mental illness, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she spouts bizarre curses all the time.”
“I’ll bet she’s cursing up a storm now,” Keller said.
Aaron sighed. “So Wanda is hospitalized and Race, a serial killer, is on the loose.” He shivered as he saw Race’s eyes. I guess I’m not surprised he’s a killer.
Keller grimaced when he turned his head, holding the ear bandage. “Catching that guy is like trying to corner an angry mountain lion.”
“He might show up in a hospital ER somewhere,” Aaron said.
“We’re checking all that.”
A man stopped Aaron outside a patient room. “I’m Daniel’s father,” the man said. “You saw him recently. He’s in the Army.”
“Oh, yes.” Aaron shook his hand. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s getting more sleep now thanks to your prescription, but I don’t think his mental health is good.”
“He’s going to counseling, right?”
“I make sure of that, but the wife and I are worried sick about him. He’s not getting better.”
“It can take time.”
“We just found out that a soldier from his unit committed suicide. That makes two suicides of guys he knew and fought alongside.”
Aaron shook his head. “That’s tragic.”
“That’s our worst fear since he came back. We keep a close eye on him.”
“Try to get him involved with the community in some way.”
“That’s really why I’m here. I wondered if you could give us any advice. He wanted to be a paramedic. He was always helping others. He’d give the shirt off his back to help someone.”
“I’ll bet the ambulance or firefighter guys would help him out. They like soldiers. Maybe he could hang out around their quarters and get to know them.”
“I’ll look into that.”
“Let me know if I can help.”
As Aaron pulled into his driveway that evening, he spotted a vehicle in the shadows at the side of the road, in front of the grove of trees next to his house. He stopped in the garage and watched the rearview and side view mirrors as the garage door closed behind him. Seeing nothing suspicious, he sighed and stepped out.
After closing the car door, he heard a noise behind him and something struck the side of his head.
Aaron gasped and opened his eyes. Swaying branches of tall trees came into focus, and he felt grass and hard ground beneath him. He lifted his head and looked around, and a pounding ache in his head intensified. A thick cloth filled his mouth and wrapped around the back of his neck. His arms were behind him, his wrists and ankles bound with what felt like twine or rope. After several attempts, he managed to sit up with his back against a tree. He heard a rustle in the grass, and a bald man walked up to him.
“Hello, Doc. I hope you got your beauty rest. It’ll be your last.”
The bald man kneeled in front of Aaron and grabbed his chin. “Do you know who I am?”
Aaron nodded, his eyes wide.
“You ruined my life, you know. Or maybe you don’t know. Maybe you don’t give a damn.”
Aaron tried to talk but could only groan.
“Yep. Everyone knows about pill mills and prescription drug ODs, and you did that to my daughter. You killed her. The only person I had in the world. Now, nothing matters. My life isn’t worth crap.” He stood and smiled at Aaron. “And neither is yours.”
He walked over to a backpack on the ground and pulled out a coil of rope. Aaron moved his back from the tree and flopped flat on the ground, bent his knees, and pushed himself away along the grass.
“No, you don’t,” the man said as he ran over to Aaron, dragged him back, and slammed him against the tree trunk. He wrapped the rope again and again around Aaron’s chest, securing him to the tree. Aaron had to take shallow breaths, as he couldn’t fully inhale against the tight rope.
How can I get out of this?
The man returned to the backpack, and Aaron saw a glint from the machete as the man turned around.
“I missed last time. But now, you’re a sitting duck. You don’t know how much I’ve been looking forward to this.” His eyes gleamed as he crept closer.
Aaron moaned and shook his head, his heart thumping and skipping beats.
I’m not ready to die.
He stood over Aaron and raised the machete. Aaron looked up at the shiny metal and squinted his eyes.
Holding the machete in midair, the man hesitated and sighed.
Aaron heard a rustle in the brush. Something smashed into the side of the man, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground. The machete skidded away and bounced off a tree. Aaron watched the struggle in the grass and saw a flicker of rope.
A figure stood and walked over to Aaron.
Damn. Race Taggett? Aaron thought. Now what?
Race frowned as he untied Aaron from the tree and loosened his ankle and wrist bindings. He shook his finger at Aaron. “Can’t stay away from the Taggetts, can you?” He unwrapped the cloth from Aaron’s mouth and neck. “Well, you’re lucky. It’s not your time yet.”
A
aron coughed and took deep breaths, and his voice croaked. “How did you find …?” Race whirled around and vanished into the trees.
Aaron removed the ropes from his arms and legs, and he trotted over to the trees at the edge of the clearing. What am I doing? I don’t really expect to find Race.
He took more deep breaths, stretched his arms, and massaged his head. Calm down. At least I’m still alive.
Aaron walked over to the man lying on the ground on his side. His wrists were tied behind him and his ankles were bound together.
It’s like Race was roping a calf.
The man rolled over on his back and looked up. He scowled at Aaron as he spoke, “I guess you can butcher me now. Go ahead, get it over with.”
Aaron coughed. “I’m not a killer.” He sat down on the ground beside the man.
“It’s okay. Put me out of my misery.” He glanced at the sky. “I want to go where she is.”
“Listen. I’m very sorry about what happened to your daughter. I’m sure you miss her.”
“You have no idea.”
“I made a mistake. I’m not perfect. I was only trying to help her.”
Aaron heard a breeze in the trees.
“I don’t think you’re a killer, either,” Aaron said.
“She was a beautiful little girl. I used to take her swimming, and we hiked in the hills when she was a Girl Scout.” He talked more about his daughter’s childhood and teen years. “Then my job got crazy, and I wasn’t at home much anymore. I don’t know when she got into drugs. I should’ve been there for her.” His voice broke and his eyes were moist. “I want to see her and tell her that I love her.”
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
He raised his head. “Do you have a daughter?”
“No.”
“Then you can’t know what it’s like.”
They were quiet for several minutes. Aaron heard soft sloshing from a stream nearby.
He untied the man’s ankles and wrists.
“Who the hell hog-tied me?” the man said.
Aaron chuckled. “A local guy. Very athletic.”
“I didn’t think anyone would bother us out here.”
“Where are we?”
“Deep in the Big Thicket. I tied you up and dragged you out here in a tarp.”
“I might’ve never been found.”
“That was the idea. I researched this place, but I didn’t count on your athletic guardian angel.”
An angel? No way, Aaron thought. But why would Race Taggett, of all people, save my life? He recalled the hurt he’d seen before in Race’s eyes.
Is there any hope for him?
Aaron helped the man to his feet. As the machete guy walked around in the clearing, he favored the right side of his chest. He picked up the long knife and stared at it, turning it in his hands, then he looked at Aaron and shook his head. With a yell that reverberated through the forest, he arched his arm back and heaved the machete through an opening in the trees. He flinched and held a hand against his chest.
“Why a machete?” Aaron said.
He walked over to Aaron. “A long time ago, a friend of mine sold me his, when I needed to clear some brush around my house. I got mighty good at swinging it. I still had it in my garage.” He glanced at Aaron’s scar. “It’s great for slicing things up, and the handle knocked you out cold.”
Aaron felt the scar on his jaw. It sure did a number on me.
“I thought revenge would be sweet, even after my sister got you fired.”
Aaron’s eyes flew open. “What’re you talking about?”
“My sister is a doctor at the hospital you were at. After my daughter died, she complained about you to the higher-ups. She told me she got you fired.”
Aaron nodded. “Thanks for letting me know.” So, that charge against me of patient endangerment may’ve been a big fat lie.
“Let’s get out of here,” the man said. He pulled a compass from his backpack and studied it, then swung the backpack onto his shoulders. “Follow me out.”
“I was wondering. What color were her eyes?” Aaron said.
The bald man stopped and smiled. “Green. Bright green.”
Aaron walked behind him for what seemed like thirty minutes or more. Branches from low brush jabbed his pants and scraped his lower legs. They sloshed around several shallow marshes, and at times, Aaron heard critters darting away. They stopped at the edge of a rutted road. An SUV was parked a few feet away.
“I’ll drop you off at your house.”
They were quiet on the return trip. In his driveway, Aaron opened the passenger door. He hesitated and turned to the man. “Where are you going?” he said.
“Out west somewhere. Alaska maybe. My wife left me after our daughter’s death, so I’ll try to start over. I have friends that might help me.”
Aaron took a deep breath. “What about the lawsuit?”
He snorted. “There’s no lawsuit. Those things take too long. My lawyer said you might win anyway. That’s why I came after you. I couldn’t wait.”
As Aaron stepped out of the SUV, the man leaned toward him. He grimaced and held his right chest. “If you call the police, they won’t find me. I know how to stay out of sight.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Aaron pointed at the man’s chest. “You might need to get that injury checked out.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve been through worse.”
Aaron shut the door and watched the man drive away. He took in a deep breath of fresh night air. His headache was gone, but when he was still, the buzzing in his head was deafening. It sounded like bees were flying around inside his ears.
Chapter 31
Aaron stopped just inside the front door of his clinic the next morning. He took a deep breath and spread his arms. “It’s great to be here.”
“You look terrible,” Stella said. “Are you sick?”
“No, but I am lucky to be alive.”
“Were you in an accident? You’ve got bruises on your face.”
Aaron grimaced. His lower legs burned from numerous abrasions. “I had a battle with the Big Thicket last night.”
“What in the world happened in the Big Thicket?”
Aaron sighed. “I’ll tell you all about it someday. Right now, it hurts to talk, so I’ll speak in a soft voice today. If anyone asks, tell them I had a minor accident and that I’m okay.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
Aaron nodded. “Oh, yeah. Things are much better now.”
“And just how are things better? You don’t look better.”
“Let me put it this way. Some bad things in my life are over and behind me now.”
Back in his office, Aaron counted on his fingers his good fortunes.
One, I probably didn’t endanger any patients back in Connecticut after all. Two, my lawsuit is over and my would-be killer has gone away.
He leaned back in his chair with his fingers together. Three, I’m still alive.
A shiver passed over him as he walked to his window and looked out to the Big Thicket trees across the road. But how do I deal with Race Taggett?
A swirling breeze flushed a flock of birds from the trees. Maybe I won’t have to deal with him at all. Maybe he’ll just go away, or the police will catch him.
Race’s frowning face appeared before Aaron. Why did he say to me, “It’s not your time yet”?
Near noon, Aaron heard loud talking in the waiting room.
“Our Cajun patient, Tucker Boudreaux, is in the lobby talking with the other patients,” Stella said. “I think they’re getting annoyed with him. His bipolar mania must be worse today.”
Aaron walked to the front of the clinic. Tucker stood and held a poster in front of him as he addressed the four people in the lobby. His words were rapid fire and his short hair danced on his head. From their chairs, the patients looked at Aaron with wide eyes.
Aaron walked up to Tucker. “Will you come back to my office where we can talk?�
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“Sure, Doc. I want you to hear this, too. I’ve created a design for a rocket that can carry people into orbit and even to the moon. I’m looking for investors …” His words tumbled into each other and the sentences didn’t always make sense.
Aaron stepped toward Stella. “Try to find his mother.”
He led Tucker to his office in the back. Tucker paced around the room, flailing his arms and pouring out his theories about rocket fuel and hull construction.
I’ve never heard a person talk so fast, Aaron thought. He can’t get some of the words out. His brain is moving faster than his mouth can.
After a short while, Stella opened the office door and Tucker’s mother hurried into the room.
She clasped her hands in front of her. “I’m so sorry. I can’t control him. His psychiatrist added a new medication last week, and it seemed to help at first. Since yesterday, though, he’s been like this.”
Tucker slammed his hands on Aaron’s desk. “What are you guys worried about? I’ll build the first colony on the moon, I know what food will grow there, I’ll organize moon sports leagues, …”
His mother stepped closer to Aaron and raised her voice so she could be heard over Tucker’s monologue. “He’s washed our car every day this week, and yesterday he came home with over twenty pairs of shoes. I had to freeze his credit card.” She took hold of Tucker’s arm. “As soon as we leave here, I’ll call his psychiatrist and drive Tucker over to see him.”
“Lune, Lune, moon, moon, lagoon, baboon. I wonder if baboons could live on the moon …”
She led Tucker out of the office and then stopped in the hallway and leaned toward Aaron behind her.
“Sometimes …”
“Yes,” Aaron said.
“I feel strange saying this to you, but sometimes when he rants on and on like this, he says something that makes sense.”
Aaron nodded and waited.
“What I mean is, sometimes he says something … that comes true later.”
“Like a prediction?”
She scratched her cheek. “Well, a prediction, or a warning, and he might remember what he said and he might not.” She cocked her head. “Have you ever heard of that?”
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