Sitting in the back Indian style they munched the pizza and chased it with a coke. Amy had a can of her favorite dog food outside the door in a new dog dish. Ron had turned the motor on and the heater on full to keep the cold out with the sliding door open. While eating he took a notebook out of his inside coat pocket and made some notes about his series of pictures from memory. Sue after stuffing herself with pizza opened her lap top and typed whatever she was entering as Ron scratched his head hoping to see what she was doing, but knew patience was the better part of valor. He could wait.
Sue spoke up saying, “Let’s head down to the east side and see what awaits us. My battery is running low and need to charge it up somewhere.”
“Let’s roll honey and do you to make love before we go?
“Are you kidding? No way am I getting naked in this cold place. Maybe a campground is somewhere we can spend the night in. I’m sure National Campgrounds abound in these mountains,” as she put her hands in her pockets for warmth.
Ron put away the left over pizza and washed up Amy’s dog dish. Camera and equipment stored, down the backside of the North Cascade heading east to the Wenatchee Valley happy and content listening to a tape of soft music playing. It wasn’t long before he saw Sue nodding off and he smiled as he rubbed her arm feeling how small and fragile it was.
****
On the west side of the Cascades aunt Bee sat at the loan officer’s desk signing the final papers on an equity loan. The loan officer smiled through false teeth that had tendency to slip down while he talked aggravating the hell out of aunt Bee who couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The middle aged man bald as a billiard ball told her the money would be transferred to her bank in Arizona in a few days time. Aunt Bee stood up and with a nod left the man standing with his hand hanging out. She was in a hurry to see Peter at the bank and get a cash advance on the credit card. Then off to the travel agent to make arrangements to fly to Phoenix. Aunt Bee never used bad language but under her breath after leaving Peter stammering and saying this could be the end of a very long career: fuck you all. Tomorrow she would be under the warm sun of Arizona.
Ron followed highway 20 to highway 97 where he turned south to Chelan. Sue woke up when he turned onto 97 and asked where they were rubbing her eyes like a person who could see. Ron told her they were not far from a town called Chelan and they would stop there and ask around for a place to camp out in. Sue stretched and Ron noticed her small breasts poke out of her sweatshirt making him a little wanting, but later. Now he wanted to fill up the van with fuel and maybe a supermarket for dinner. He wanted to try out the camp stove and maybe with Sue’s help he could cook a hot dog or something like that. Following the highway into town he saw a Chevron Shell and pulled in noticing a food mart next to it. Sue stayed in the van as he asked the young guy who said this was self service, but helped Ron with the fill up. The guy said a nice park called Chelan State Park was not far down the side of the lake. That was good news and he looked around for hardware store for a long extension cord to charge Sue’s lap top with and maybe a drop cord light for use inside the van after it got dark.
After he told Sue the news she thought for a minute and said, “Ron people can see in the windows and what can we use for curtains?”
“Beats me, but surely a hardware store could provide us with some temporary things to keep out the curious looking at your naked body while I play with your gorgeous tits.”
With a smile she slapped at him not knowing where it would land as Ron ducked laughing and Amy entering the fun with a woof. They drove to a True Value and both entered the store. A nice looking grey haired man waited on them politely listening to Ron telling him what they needed for camping out at the park. Joey, it said on his clean white shirt with the True Value logo said, “I think I can fix you right up,” as he motioned them to follow him first to the extension cord of fifty feet to a drop cord that rolled up in a spring case, then to a isle where black tarp in a large roll sat waiting for someone to cut it to proper size. Ron gave him a rough idea of size and with a roll of both duct tape and masking tape along with a Stanley retractable razor cutter they were good to go. In addition to the drop cord, Ron eyed a battery powered fluorescent light with Velcro and with a big thank you left the store ready for a nights romp in the van. But first a stop at the supermarket and loaded up with snacks and hotdogs along with the appropriate condiments off they went to camp on Lake Chelan. The weather was not much warmer as the breeze of the lake had a bite to it. However their camping spot was protected with pine trees and the restroom/showers were close by. It was special due to being a handicap spot and Ron sure thought someone had the right mind set for all comers.
It was late afternoon and sun had dipped beyond the mountains to the west as Ron set up the camp stove on the picnic table. Sue sat listening him talk about what he was doing while her laptop was charging its battery. Amy had on her lease as required, but seemed happy enough watching Ron work on getting the stove fired up. Twenty minutes later after reading the directions ten times he finally got it working. With a sigh of relief he told Sue they needed some more practice at being campers or they should buy a motor home as he looked around the park seeing mostly motor homes and only a few cars or van likes theirs.
Sue said, “I like the idea of a motor home instead of a van for camping and let’s look into it when we get home.”
“Sounds good to me, but tonight should be warm and cozy and I can’t wait to play with those cute boobs of yours,” he said while walking over and giving her a big hug and a playful squeeze of her breast. Sue responded by grabbing his crotch and squeezed it till he cried uncle. Ron then opened up the ice chest for hotdogs and with the new bought tongs, cooked off six dogs. The buns were cold and he asked Sue how to warm the buns up and she told him to set the buns on top of the dogs. It wasn’t long and they were huddled in the van trying to stay warm eating hot dogs and chips washing it down with cokes. After dinner Ron cleaned up while Sue worked on the computer entering what she remembered. After cleaning up Ron hung up the tarp with duct tape and soon the outside was shut out completely. Ron had some photo mags with him and with the new Velcro light he laid down on the floor layered with blankets and read while Sue did her work.
A couple hours later they gave it up for the night and walked to the restrooms and gave Amy her turn in a designated dog place. Sue clung to Ron and he could feel the tension in her body as they slowly walked back to their van. Inside he tried to make her feel better taking about how much fun it was to be out in the fresh air with her relaxing snug in their locked doors with Amy keeping guard watch. Nothing he could say would cheer her up and the fear of not being in a known environment was too much for her.
Finally she said, “I’m sorry honey I just need time to adjust to this very different place other than my home of so many years. What I want to do now is cuddle up to you and sleep and hopefully tomorrow will bring more confidence being on the outside world. Guide me to our bed will you and hold me tight.” Ron did as she wanted and soon the warmth of the two bags zipped together made it very snug and warm. Ron had stripped down to his shorts, but Sue left her sweat pants on from the change in the restroom and also her sweat shirt. He ran his hand up her sweatshirt and cupped one breast and fell asleep.
Chapter X
Aunt Bee prowled around Sue’s house snooping into here and there. What she was looking for in her deranged mind she didn’t know. In the kitchen she saw the new coffee maker and gave off a sneer. Then a thought came to her head, why not burn the place down and blame it on Ron and his new coffee maker he absently left on starting an electrical fire. Good idea, she thought. Completely unaware a neighbor saw her old car out front and later after he called the fire department, he told the firemen he saw Sue’s aunt here for about an hour before the fire started. At that point no one thought about arson only somehow a fire started in the kitchen. Lucky for Sue and Ron the damaged was limited to the kitchen and the rest of the house, except for smoke
damage all else was relatively unscathed.
After a stop for breakfast Ron knew it was their only option was to go home and let Sue find her feet on the ground. She was silent sitting in the passenger seat head held high as if she was staring at the road through her sunglasses. Every once in a while Ron reached out to her giving her arm squeeze of love to just make sure he understood her hurt. Nothing he could say would cheer her up and he felt her remorse deep in his own body. From his experience being alone on the road to nowhere, alone without a friend to talk to, struggling with the demons of alcohol withdrawal, hunger pangs that mixed with aches far deeper than he wanted to remember, he thought while driving towards Wenatchee to connect eventually to I-90 west to Seattle.
Much later crossing the I-90 Bridge from Bellevue to Seattle Ron spoke up telling Sue they were in Seattle and soon would be home. Sue sat up and Ron felt life coming back to his precious woman. He gave her a running commentary on their way north to Green Lake Park and the few blocks home. Sue was jabbering about coming home and putting her work together when Ron first saw yellow crime scene tape around the house. Confusion made him go silent and Sue felt something was wrong and asked him to talk to her. Ron said, “There is some police tape around the house and maybe a burglar robbed our house while we were gone. Stay here for a minute and let me check it out and I’ll be right back I promise.” She told him go ahead and she would wait for him.
Ron went first to the front door where a fire department said no entry and a number to call for information. Puzzled, Ron walked around the side of the house when the smell of fire long since out hit his nose. The back door was open and charred black siding around the door gave him a sinking feeling. The smell was overwhelming as he picked his way into the kitchen seeing the total destruction and glass crunching under his feet made his way into the hall way seeing only scorched walls knowing the fire department arrived quickly. Ron quickly made his way to the front door noting no fire reached the living room and he walked to the van with no clue how to tell Sue her house was all but destroyed from fire and smoke damage.
He opened her door and the sliding door for Amy telling Sue to wait a minute while he told her what was going on. “Honey no way to tell you but exactly what happened. A fire and it looks like it started in the kitchen but the rest of the house appears fine except smoke damage. It’s fixable and don’t panic. I have a phone number to call and find out what happened. I suggest you stay here as it is not a place for walking around inside. Water damage and glass are all over where the firemen put out the blaze.
Ron felt sick to his stomach as he saw tears running down her face and moment’s later great sobs of grief attacked her. She was sitting sideways in her seat and Ron moved to her and held her while she buried her head in his shoulder while her whole body shook from the only thing she felt comfortable in was her house where she lived her whole life. Now it was gone and so was her life, she thought. Ron whispered in her ear, “Honey don’t worry the house can be rebuilt just like it was before. I promise you we will be back in the house before Christmas if I have to hire half the carpenters in Seattle to make it so.”
Contrary to his thinking she would stop crying, she cried louder and a flood of tears soaked his shirt. Never did his heart hurt so much than at that moment when his very heart and soul sat there crying at the loss of her sightless base of life. How this happened, he wondered. He’d double check everything to make sure all the lights were off and appliances unplugged. Sue’s bag lay on the floor and he reached down and found her cell phone. He had a hard time holding her and punching the buttons to find out what happened. After identifying him as her fiancé and giving the person the street address, the person on the other end told him to wait a minute and he would be connected with the Fire Chief. In no time a deep voice saying his name and who was calling? Ron gave him the particulars and told him Sue Lyons was in no condition to speak to him but they had just returned to Seattle and were now sitting outside the house. The Fire Chief, Bill Swift said, “Mr. Filbert the fire was arson and we have been trying to reach you or from what your neighbor said was an aunt who visited regular, but didn’t know her name. The fire station is not far from you and if you could take the time, please come to make a statement and I’ll fill you in on the details.” Ron said they would be there in a few minutes and they rang off.
“Honey we need to see the Fire Chief and please take your seat.” Ron waited for her to buckle up and he called Amy who came running. Ron’s emotions were running high as his vision was not so clear while he drove slowly following the directions from Bill. It was easy to find the new fire station at the end of the park. Ron pulled into the handicap spot and ran around to help Sue out. She had quit crying but never said a word as he led her into the office area where a nice looking lady stood behind her counter with a pain look of sympathy knowing who they were. She led them to the back of the station to the Fire Chiefs office where they found a very tall chief with a kindly face and stout body. They shook hands and Ron guided Sue to a chair in front of his desk. His office Ron thought later was very inviting with walls of pictures of men in uniform and groups of guys smiling with soot uniforms and faces.
“We are very sorry Ms. Lyons for your home. The damage looks worse than it really is. A remodel job could have you back in your home in no time. The fire didn’t damage the roof, but the kitchen is a total loss. New carpet and walls will rid the smoke damage. Now I must tell you of our finding as to the cause of the fire. A coffee maker overheated and next to it were traces of fibers noting a kitchen towel was used to accelerate the blaze. I’m afraid our number one suspect is what your neighbor across the street has identified as your aunt who was seen there just a few hours before his call to our station.” He let that sink in as Sue sat like a statue and then he continued by saying, “We need her address and her full name for our records which will be turned over to the arson department of the Seattle Police.”
Sue heard every word he said with shock and disbelief. No way would her aunt deliberately set fire to her house. She didn’t want to believe aunt Bee would be so vindictive to cause her grief knowing how important for her it was being sightless and now homeless. Once again tears streamed down her lovely cheeks making her nose red. Ron broke the silence saying, “Her aunt’s name is Bee, but her full name I have no idea and no idea where she lives. Sue, you must be brave and give Bill here your aunt’s name and address please.”
Sue through sobs gave the Fire Chief her aunt’s full name and address along with her phone number. Bill wrote quickly and then suggested they not contact aunt Bee until the investigation was under way. From his desk he handed Ron a card telling him this person from the arson squad would be their future contact person. He also told them to call anytime when they recovered from the shock of their loss. Ron stood and shook the Chief’s hand and helped Sue out to the van. Sue meekly allowed him to take her wherever he went.
Now sitting in the van as the late afternoon sun was dipping down to the west, he had to decide where to sleep for the night. The first name that came to his was a Hilton Hotel and he plugged the name into the dash computer and quickly found the address and directions back to downtown Seattle. Sue sat in silence while he told her the plan for the night and she nodded her head and surprisingly grabbed his arm and gave it a powerful squeeze blubbering she trusted him to take care of her.
Forty five minutes later they checked in to the Hilton with the best suite available. Amy loved the elevator and the attention the porter gave her while riding up to their floor and into a lovely spacious suite. Ron tipped the guy generously as Sue made her way to the king size bed. She lay face down and in no time was fast asleep to escape her hurt realizing her aunt had betrayed her. Ron meanwhile sat at large round table thinking about what he’d heard from the Fire Chief and the number he’d called on the card Bill had given him. The arson investigator whose name was Gary Chapman was due for an appointment at seven pm. That was in two hours time and Ron never moved looking at ever
y angle and possibility. The only conclusion he came to was some sort of scheme to extort money from Sue. Ron looked at his watch and calculated it was about eleven pm on the east coast. Not too late, he thought to call his father.
Ron’s father answered the phone on the third ring. He sounded awake and alert. Ron stated his case from aunt Bee to the banker to the lawyer giving names and firms. His father, silent on the other end for what seemed minutes, but probably only seconds said, “Son I smell a rat and I’m on it in the morning. Call me or I’ll call you tomorrow with some information. At that he hung up and moved to the bed to nestle with his love who would be soon his wife. Sue woke up and wrapped her arms around him holding on tight. She said with a broken little girl voice, “What are we to do. We have no house and what about my computer and all my things. Won’t an open house invite vandals and what about the garage where father’s sculptors are? Ron we need a guard on the house.”
Ron thought a minute and knew she was right. He got up to use the phone and called a security agency ordering twenty four seven security at the house. The man on the other end said he needed a contract and Ron told him to send it the Hilton Hotel under his name. He told the guy that tomorrow was too late and wanted someone out there tonight. The man assured him after he ran Ron’s credit card that they would have the place under guard by eight pm. Sue heard the conversation and felt a lot better. Ron came back to lie on his back and she made a place next to him that a playing card would not fit head to toe.
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