by Dana Taylor
Another baby.
His mind shifted back to Maddie and the kaleidoscope whirred in his brain again. He traveled to that moonstruck August night, and as he counted the weeks, the realization of his potential paternity smashed him over the head.
Another baby.
He slapped his forehead. "I am such a friggin' idiot!"
"What's the matter?" Pam asked.
He gazed at her, heat rising in his veins as he recalled the years of fighting for every moment he spent with his daughter. The thought of another woman stealing a child away from him really burned his butt. If the lady thought she could call the shots when she carried his baby, she had another thing coming. There was something called DNA testing nowadays. And, brother, did he know his way around the custody courts.
"I gotta get over to the gym right away. They expect me in the photo booth. Pictures-with-the-Coach is supposed to be a big money earner this year."
She grabbed his arm. "Melissa's going to spend the night at a girl friend's. Maybe you could come by my house after this deal is over for a special Halloween treat."
Phil peeled off her fingers. "Uh, I'm still making my way through the leftovers you sent a couple days ago."
A jagged crease formed between her eyebrows. "I wasn't talking about food, dumb shit."
"I really gotta go." The modern day caveman needed to seek out a certain honey blonde who might very well be carrying his child.
"I'll come by the booth and we can take a picture together. What do you say, Fred?"
Phil rolled his eyes as he shoved the door open. "Yabba-dabba-do."
* * *
By the time Phil arrived at the photo booth, the haunted house was packed. Randy, dressed as Harry Potter with a cape and round glasses, flitted in a dither dealing with all the anxious fans.
"Coach, thank God you're here! The natives are getting restless." He patted his hands together. "You look marvelous! Doesn't he look downright primitive, Maddie?"
Maddie, now completely garbed as Morticia with a black wig, had rounded the corner to the makeshift photography studio. A Beaver Cove scrim and an American Flag surrounded Phil with a fabulously corny Americana backdrop for pictures with hometown fans.
Seeing Phil's hairy legs topped off by the Neanderthal over-the-shoulder fur garment struck Maddie's funny bone and she hooted with laughter. "Oh, Coach, I believe you're a bit bow-legged."
Phil squinted and said through gritted teeth, "Keep it up, sweetheart."
Randy pushed Phil into place. "Now don't get your prehistoric hackles up. Maddie, you direct the crowd and just keep them moving along. I've got to go check on the Dracula set."
Maddie took over the organization of Phil's photo booth for the next hour, arranging adoring fans around the continually scowling coach. At least he scowled every time he looked at her. He put a polite front on for total strangers, but when his attention focused on her, she could feel animosity pouring out of him. She didn't know what his problem was, but between his grumpiness, the continual canned screams and the chemical smell from fake fog, Maddie desperately needed a break and fresh air. She grabbed the wandering axe murder victim, Stu, and put him in charge of the photo set.
When she escaped out a side door, brisk evening air filled her lungs. A bright orange harvest moon cast a pumpkin glow in the All Hallow's Eve night sky. Grateful to be several yards away from the crowded Haunted Forest trail, she found herself near the wooded edge of the gym and looked about for somewhere to sit down and rest her weary feet. Thinking she'd surely find a fallen log or large boulder in the near vicinity, she minced her way up the hill into the trees. Holding onto her wig and cape was a trick, but she managed fairly well, despite the wind that rustled through the barren branches and made whipping sounds appropriate for Halloween.
Unfortunately, the crackling forest noises hid the hushed undertones of human voices. Keeping her concentration on the ground, Maddie didn't stop walking until she saw scuffed boots and jeans come into view. She pushed dangling black hair out of her eyes and looked up to see Wade and a couple of kids standing before her. A big, black dog with yellow eyes gazed at her.
Focused on plastic baggies in the kids' hands, Maddie immediately recognized a drug deal. Angry indignation sparked fearless confrontation. "Wade Finn, I don't care if you're related to every police officer between here and Bentonville, I am not going to allow you to come on this campus and do your dirty dealings."
The kids lit out in a flash. Wade took a moment to focus in on her. Then he smiled a big, predatory wolfish grin and began taking slow steps in her direction.
"Gosh, Miz Bailey, your timing couldn't be better. I was just ready to close up shop and come a callin' for you. I've been hankering for a real sweet piece of Halloween candy like you."
Good grief, what kind of mess had she gotten herself into this time? A rush of fear-and-flight adrenaline hit her blood stream. She turned on her heels and began running as fast as her tight dress would allow.
Wade barked, "Get her, Lucifer."
Maddie glanced over her shoulder to see the huge hound from hell rise out of the shadows and lope in her direction.
Love a duck, as Grammy would say.
Pure panic propelled her as she bent down and pulled up the imprisoning hem of her dress as high as it would go. Her screams rang in the air, mingled with the periodic taped screams pouring through the loud speakers. The dog seemed sure of the kill and kept a steady pace with her as she zig-zagged down the hill and then stumbled onto the blacktop of the parking lot. The entrance of the Haunted Forest loomed before her and she dashed for the safety of civilization.
"Help! It's going to get me!" she yelled.
People lined up to enter the outdoor maze moved out of her way and smiled as she entered the path.
"Isn't that the drama teacher's new wife? This must be part of the show."
"Oh, look," one lady said. "There's a trained dog pretending to track her down."
Maddie screamed and clawed her way through the trail. Lucifer growled and bared his teeth as he closed in on her. Following the man-made tunnel of prison-like walls, Maddie began destroying the displays, seeking any obstacle that might impede the murderous canine's pursuit. She pelted him with jack-o-lanterns, bleeding heads and a life-sized cardboard likeness of Freddie Kruger. At one point, Lucifer gripped the back of her dress with his teeth, eliciting a huge yelp from her throat and a round of applause from her growing audience. Her dress ripped, freeing her legs slightly. She grabbed the annoying wig from her head and threw it in the dog's face, temporarily blinding him.
She turned to the crowd and yelled, "What is wrong with you people? Won't any of you help me?'
But seeing the now bewigged dog shaking his head was so amusing that people just laughed and Maddie took off again. Lucifer grew more agitated and began a fierce barking that brought terror to her bones. The phony walls of the path offered her no protection from the demon close on her heels. Blindly, she rounded a corner straight into a massive, spider web display.
"Ahh!" She tore at the engulfing sticky strings.
That did it. Total panic. The dog barked and backed her into a corner. Phony, spider threads tangled across her face and arms. Her breath came in sharp gasps and her head started buzzing.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God," she muttered as the world spun.
A sharp whistle followed by a crisp command silenced the dog. "Down, boy."
Maddie felt wiry arms grab her. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Wade Finn’s snarky grin.
“Don’t worry, lady. I’ll help you,” he said.
Wade acknowledged the crowd’s cheer and played the redneck hero saving a damsel in distress.
"Show's over, folks! Ya'll have a safe drive home!"
His boots crunched on the rocky pavement as he carried his captive toward his truck with the cur close at heel. The crowd clapped appreciatively as the trio disappeared into the shadows.
One spectator wasn't taken in b
y the show. She knew something really bad was happening. Reba turned and ran in the direction of the gym. She had to find help fast, before her Pa took Mrs. Bailey into his truck and disappeared into the hills.
Reba banged open the closest gym door, which unfortunately took her into a crowd moving the opposite direction she needed to go.
She pushed and shoved people out of her way all the time yelling, "Mr. Bailey! Mr. Bailey!"
She asked three monsters if they'd seen him. Finally, she rounded a corner and found herself in the well-lit photo booth where the coach and drama teacher were smiling for a camera.
Reba broke in on the pose, speaking through frightened tears. "Mr. Bailey! My Pa's done taken your wife in his truck! He's been talking funny about her ever time we pass her house. He's just plumb crazy nowadays and I don't know what he might do to her."
Phil and Randy exchanged a wordless communication and then Phil said, "I'll drive," and they both broke into a run.
Phil took the baseball bat for a weapon and yelled at Reba over his shoulder. "Call the police."
As the men jumped into the seats of the trusty 1981 Skylark, the truck fishtailed out of the parking lot. Fred Flintstone and Harry Potter took off in hot pursuit of the kidnapped Morticia Adams.
And the spirits of Halloween laughed in the howling autumn darkness.
Chapter Fourteen
When the hurlyburly's done,
When the battle's lost and won
Second Witch from Macbeth
Maddie came to as she jostled around the backseat of the extended cab. Where in the world?...
Light and shadow flickered across the torn vinyl seat. A heavy panting sound beside her drew her attention. She swiveled her head to see the undeniable outline of a canine sharing the back bench seat with her. She jerked back and scrunched as far away from Lucifer as possible.
He rested on his haunches and stared at her like a gargoyle from the castle in Beauty and the Beast. His fetid breath filled the cab with a sickening doggy stench that threatened her stomach's equilibrium. A blanket lay at her feet and she pulled it up to cover her nose and cut down on the offensive odor.
Maddie began to gather her wits and assess her situation as she forced herself to look forward and ignore the black hound. Wade's skinny neck and shaggy hair was silhouetted in the blue light. He drove with one hand casually resting on the steering wheel.
Be logical, be assertive. Don't show him you're scared.
She rested the blanket in her lap and spoke calmly into Wade's ear. "Mr. Finn, I think you've carried this joke just a little too far. There are laws against kidnapping, you know, and there's a whole school of witnesses who saw you abduct me. Now just pull into that McDonald's and let me out before this situation gets any worse."
Surely the key to bringing sanity to the moment lay in simple reason and logic. Then she glanced into the rearview mirror and met Wade's crazed stare. His eyes nearly twirled in their sockets. He smiled a jack-o-lantern grin.
I've been abducted by the Hillbilly from Hell.
Wade's gaze seemed to glow red with evil. Hopped-up nervous lunacy rattled his voice. "We're going to a special place I know. It's so deep in the hills a pack of coon dogs couldn't find us, let alone a bunch of dumbass cops. You're going to be my private guest for our personal Halloween party. Yessiree, Wade is gettin' some tonight! I've seen the way you look at me. You want it bad."
Maddie's eyes widened indignantly. "What!? I certainly don't want you in any way, shape or form. You're severely mistaken, Mr. Finn. Now, I am ordering you this very moment to stop this vehicle and let me disembark."
Wade laughed in demented delight. "Shit, I love the way you talk with all them big, fancy words. I can't hardly wait to hear the long words you'll use when I'm screwing your brains out."
Frustrated beyond fear, Maddie began slapping the back of Wade's head. "Stop… and…let me out!"
Wade jerked his head to get away from her assaults as Lucifer sprang into action. His loud barks blasted the inside of the cab as he thrust his hot body upon Maddie and forced her against the side of the truck.
"Grrrr," the dog growled in her ear as he held her pinned beneath him.
Maddie emitted a high-pitched plea. "Please get him off of me!"
"Sit, Lucifer," Wade ordered in a guttural tone. "If you try that shit again, I'll let him tear your skinny throat out. You got that, teacher lady? Now lean back and enjoy the ride. I think we got us some company, so we're gonna have us a game of chicken." He emitted a country whoop. "Damn, this is my lucky night."
With that, Wade swerved the truck, tossing Maddie against the hard side again. She moaned and pulled the blanket about her for protection.
Suddenly, Grammy's face appeared in the window. "Don't worry, I'll take care of this pissant."
Oh great, Maddie thought, what a time to completely crack up.
* * *
Phil slammed on his brakes to keep from hurtling over the side of the mountain road when Wade swerved the truck, trying to run them off the road.
"Son of a bitch!"
He stomped on the accelerator again, determined to keep the truck in his sights. The lights of Beaver Cove disappeared behind them as they headed out of the valley onto the curvy mountain road.
Randy spoke up. "I'm sure I saw her in the back seat and I think there's a dog back there with her."
"Great," Phil said as he took a fast turn. "She's scared to death of dogs."
"How do you know that? She doesn't share her weaknesses with just everybody."
"I've got news for you, pal. I know a lot more about her than you ever imagined. In fact, I think your wife is having my baby."
Randy's eyes popped behind his Harry Potter glasses. "What?"
"That's right, buddy. I'm the guy that walked off with her quilt last summer."
* * *
Wade kept an eye on the rearview mirror, figuring a way to lose his pursuers.
"Those jerkoffs think they can keep up with me, but I'm gonna lose ‘em, just you wait and see. Nobody can handle a rig like Wade Finn. So, just wrap up cozy-like in your pretty quilt and sit tight. You do recognize it, don't you? Since I grabbed it out of your bedroom, I've imagined the two of us lyin’ on it and doin’ you good."
His words crashed in Maddie's brain as if he'd bludgeoned her with a club. Had she understood him correctly? She slowly lifted the edge of the blanket against the cab window and tried to get a better look at its detail. Her fingers traced the outlined stitches of a homemade quilt. At that moment a beam of yellow moonlight illuminated the material in her hands, causing it to mysteriously glow, and she unequivocally recognized Grammy's quilt stolen from her bedroom.
"Oh good lord, you were the intruder in my house? You stood in my bedroom and ran your dirty fingers across my comforter and photographs?"
She imagined a slimy trail left behind like snail residue marking a clean window. He'd probably dropped vermin in his wake. "I'm calling an exterminator the minute I get home."
The truck jerked wildly as Wade yelled, "Hee-ha! Take that, assholes!"
Maddie attempted to sit upright in the swaying cab as Wade's revelation swirled in her mind. "Wait a minute. Phil told me he took the quilt. If you took the quilt, then how could…"
Maddie's attention was drawn to the full orange moon that appeared to be following them across the autumn sky. She blinked as a grinning jack-o-lantern face materialized on the surface of the sphere. "OH…MY…GOD!"
The summer night came back to her in sharp detail. She'd felt utterly wretched, lonely beyond description. The sentimental movies, the wine and chocolate had only served to deepen her mood. When the moon called her toward the lake, her body and soul ached for relief and fulfillment.
Come to me, he'd whispered. Every fiber in her being yearned for contact and comfort. She must have drifted into a fitful, teary sleep on the quilt because she remembered dreaming of Thomas and suddenly being in his arms. But then the image of Thomas shifted into someon
e else. The smell was different, so much better. His feel so different, so much warmer. And his touch, oh Lord, his touch inflamed and soothed her at the same time. Yes! She'd longed for this passion to end her lonely torture.
Come on, Dream Man, fly me to the moon. And he did, beyond her wildest imaginings. The unity had been physical, emotional and spiritual, an all-encompassing life-altering event buried in her subconscious until this moment of awakening.
Maddie focused again on the mischievous moon, whose face appeared to be laughing at his own cosmic prank. "Think you're pretty funny, don't you?"
She shook her head in amazement. The attraction in the light of day had been almost as strong as the midnight encounter, but she'd been utterly blind. It had been Phil all along.
Phil was the Dream Man.
* * *
Randy whipped off his fake glasses. "Let me get this straight. You took the quilt from the beach last summer and you broke into her house two weeks ago and made off with another one? What are you doing? Starting a collection?"
Phil pressed the accelerator as far as it could go, but the sharp incline of the road stressed the car's engine and the truck pulled farther away from them. "Damn…What the hell are you talking about? I've never broken into her house. I'm not some perverted thief."
"I told her it didn't sound in character to me, but she convinced herself you were the culprit." Randy banged his elbow into the car door as they took a wild curve. "Ow! I hope your insurance is paid up."
Phil tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Okay, this is actually beginning to make a little sense to me. Some joker breaks into her place, makes off with her quilt and she automatically thinks I've gone off the deep end and did the deed. That explains all the comments about cat burglars, sneak thieves, and kleptomaniacs. It also brings her speech in the locker room tonight into focus. Randy, I've gotta know. Am I the father of Maddie's baby?"
Randy sighed. "If you're the Dream Man, then, yeah, you're the guy." He went into a Perry Mason persona. "Where were you on the night of August 26th from approximately two to four am, Coach Wilcox?"