Holliday's Gold

by Steeven R. Orr

  The store, the Brick House Gas and Groceries, was gone. It was just no longer there. There was nothing but a streak of black ash where the building once stood. No frame, no glass, no water pipes spraying water into the air, no wires spitting sparks. Nothing at all. And that meant, no Colin.

  Carl stood dazed as he contemplated what had just happened. A stranger, guns that shot fire, and Colin dead. Plus, the Brick House was just gone. That doesn’t happen from a simple gas explosion. Yet, there it was – or wasn’t, as the case may be. What was he dealing with here?

  Carl checked his belt, he still had his gun and a few spare magazines, but he needed more. He needed a lot more. He made his way over to Gilbert’s cruiser. The car lay on its passenger side, and the driver’s side window was down. He leaned in and retrieved the shotgun from its cradle on the dashboard. Then, using the lever on the console, popped the trunk. In the trunk was a large, black duffel bag. He pulled it out, set it on the ground, knelt, and unzipped it. Inside were three boxes of shells for the shotgun, twelve spare (and fully loaded) magazines for a Glock 21 (the standard issue side arm for the entire department), and a half dozen flash bangs – grenades designed to stun and disorient.

  Carl loaded the guns, zipped up the duffle, and stood. He shouldered the duffle, holstered his pistol, and holding the shotgun Carl realized that he had no idea where the man in black went.

  Just then, from up the road, over by Griswold House at the top of the hill, the sound of gunfire erupted, lasting for nearly two minutes.

  Officer Carl Friendly, ignoring all involuntary human instincts to avoid danger whenever possible, walked toward the sound of the gunfire, and possibly, the man in black.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ONCE UPON A TIME, before a man dressed in black destroyed the Brick House Gas and Groceries, before a Pig named Colin had given a burrito to a woman who had stolen his car, and before a small bear named Danny did a dance on his front lawn for shooting his dad with a suction cup dart, there lived a beautiful young woman named Lucy Goodnight.

  Lucy Goodnight was a bright, warm, caring, and selfless girl who had always strived to be the best she could be. She had been at the top of her class in high school, helped little old ladies cross the street, and volunteered at her local animal shelter.

  Then one day, Lucy met a man, an older man, and fell in love. His name was John, but everyone called him Doc, and so did she.

  They soon married and Lucy could not imagine a life with more happiness. He was a kind man. Loving, dependable, honorable, and forthright. Everything she looked for, everything she desired. He was also fabulously wealthy, cultured, and refined, but Lucy didn’t care about the money. She didn’t care about the big house, the fancy car, the stables, the expensive clothes, and jewelry. She cared about her man, and he cared about her. That’s all Lucy needed.

  Unfortunately for Lucy, it was all a lie.

  The marriage was about control, not love. It was about her husband’s desire to have a beautiful young woman on his arm, a beautiful young woman he could show off and dominate. She was just another possession to him. Something that other men desired, but only he could attain. He was cruel to Lucy. He punished her for the smallest of transgressions. He would lock her in a small closet for the night if she neglected to laugh at one of his jokes during a dinner party. If she dared to interrupt him while he spoke, he would make her sleep outside in the rain, with nothing but the clothes she had on for shelter. He was not the man she thought he was. So she got out.

  It was one of those nights he had made her sleep outside on the back lawn. She had to sleep on the grass. No shelter. No pillow. No blanket. Just the clothes on her back. It took nearly three hours of restlessness, lying there in the grass, before she had finally realized a hard truth. Nothing kept her there. Nothing could stop her from just getting up and walking away. Nothing at all. Doc was asleep, he had no one watching her, no wall nor gate barred her way, she could just simply … walk away.

  It hurt her to understand that she was in a prison of her own making. She had made the walls, the lock, the cell. Doc didn’t need to watch her, didn’t need to lock her in, he was confident that she wouldn’t leave because she was told not to. It was that simple. She would stay because Doc had told her to stay. And with that her hurt turned to anger. The anger made her brave. So she got up from the grass she had been sleeping on, brushed herself off, and walked away.

  She still had her purse on her, so she walked to the closest ATM and took out as much money as was allowed, which was more than the average limit. Doc owned the bank, so he got considerations that others simply did not.

  With cash in hand she walked to the bus station and bought a ticket for whichever bus left soonest. She slept soundly on the bus as it trundled along the dark highway. It had been easier than she expected. She was out, and she had managed to stay out for years.

  Not legally. Technically, in the eyes of the law, she was still married to the man … the monster. She understood that running was the only way out. Her husband would not allow a divorce. People didn’t leave him. It just didn’t happen. She knew that had she gone that route, had she perused the legal option, she would now be dead. So she got out the only way she knew how. She ran.

  She’d bleached her hair, changed her look, and changed her entire lifestyle. She went from fashionably bland and refined to trendy and flashy. She went from jet black to blonde. She hit the clubs. She wore the clothes. Once she was honest, forthright, and honorable. Now she lied, cheated, and stole. She changed her entire persona to escape, to stay away, to keep from being found. Once, she was the shy and bookish Lucy Goodnight. Now she was Goldilocks. She had become someone else entirely, the opposite of Lucy Goodnight. She knew that Lucy wouldn’t like Goldilocks. But she didn’t have a choice if she wanted to stay alive.

  Goldilocks was a materialistic club girl who wouldn’t think twice about stealing a man’s wallet while she stole his heart. She trashed public restrooms, wore tasteless and revealing clothing, and keyed expensive cars whenever the mood struck.

  Goldilocks lived the good life, using her looks and her lies to go from place to place, getting what she needed, and staying hidden in plain sight. It turned out to be quite easy, provided that she not stay in one place too long.

  But then she got stupid. She got comfortable. She met a man and everything changed. This man wasn’t like the others. He made her want to be better. Better than Goldilocks. He made her want to be Lucy again. He could see Lucy through Goldilocks, and it was Lucy he fell in love with, though Goldilocks was how he knew her. She couldn’t help herself. She got close to the guy. Allowed him in. She didn’t tell him the truth about herself, but she would have, if it hadn’t have been for the rat, she would have told him everything.

  She’d been running for just over three years. She thought she was safe. So she stopped running and settled down into her new life with her new man. All was good again. All was as it should be. But good things never last. She was over two thousand miles away, on the other side of the county, but still her husband found her. All because she broke her own rule. She stayed put.

  Goldilocks was at the mall, shopping for the kind of jeans that are made to look old and worn out, though they were new. She found the jeans she wanted in a store called Trendy Trends. Making her way to the front register, jeans in hand, she froze when she saw one of her husband’s goons. He was a real rat. Actually, he was in fact, a genuine rat. He was just over a foot tall and wore a cheap suit. Furthermore, she recognized this rat. His name was Phil. He was in charge of retail operations for one of her husband’s companies here on the East Coast. He walked along the concourse of the mall, just outside Trendy Trends. He hadn’t spotted her yet, he was too busy doing what everyone else around him was doing; walking with his head down, looking into his pho
ne, and texting. If she was lucky enough, he wouldn’t see her at all.

  Goldilocks put the jeans back on the rack and slowly backed away. She turned and walked to the back of the store and went right for the dressing rooms. She just had a hand on a handle to one of the dressing room doors when she heard the voice behind her.

  “Excuse me, young lady. You work here?”

  “No, no I don’t,” Goldilocks said, keeping her back to him. She recognized Phil’s high pitched voice.

  “Hey, you know it ain’t polite to talk to someone without looking at ‘em. Turn around there, let’s get us a good look at you.”

  Goldilocks didn’t reply.

  “Aw, come on now. I like what I’m seeing from here,” at a foot tall Phil would have a great view of her rear end, “but let’s see if the front is as good as the back.”

  “Come on, mister, I just want to buy some jeans,” said Goldilocks, staying where she was.

  “Is there a problem here?” A woman in a Trendy Trends smock said, walking up to Goldilocks.

  “Yes,” said Goldilocks. “This rat is bothering me.”

  The woman looked from Goldilocks to Phil, and Goldilocks saw a mixture of recognition and fear.

  “Good morning, Giselle,” came Phil’s voice behind Goldilocks.

  “Mr. Jenner, what a pleasant surprise.” Giselle didn’t look pleased.

  “I need to go over this month’s books, Giselle.”

  “Of course, sir, whatever you need.”

  Goldilocks tried to use the opportunity to slip away. She turned and ran right into the chest of a man in a suit that looked even cheaper than Phil’s. A man that was built like the Great Wall of China, thick and wide.

  “Where you off to there, sweets?” Phil said as the Great Wall took her by the arm.

  Phil walked around her and looked up into her face. “Well now, you are a pretty one, aren’t you.” And then a look of recognition sparked in his eyes. “Lucy? Lucy Goodnight? Is it really you?” He smiled, and if you’ve ever seen a rat smile, you’ll know it’s not a pleasant thing to see. “I don’t believe it, it is you. Where you been, Luce? Everybody’s been looking for ya.”

  “Phil. You didn’t see me.”

  “Hey, whatchoo saying there, Luce? You know I see you. You see me seeing you. Why you gotta say I ain’t seeing you?”

  Goldilocks sighed and said, “Come on, Phil. Just keep this between us, okay. He can’t know.”

  “Oh, he’s gonna know this, toots. Ain’t no way he ain’t gonna know this. He’s paying big money to anyone who can tell him where you are. You broke his heart, little girl. What did you expect would happen?”

  “Come on, Phil. We’re friends, right? At least we used to be, sort of.”

  “Yeah, we friends. But I ain’t stupid. I ain’t gonna cross him. I like life a little too much. Sorry, Luce.”

  Phil pulled a tiny cell phone from an inside jacket pocket, flipped it open, and began to dial. Goldilocks panicked. She tried to pull herself from the Great Wall’s grip, but she might as well have had her hand in a forty ton block of cement.

  Goldilocks looked to Giselle. Their eyes met. Goldilocks could see in Giselle’s eyes that she wanted to help, and she would have, but she couldn’t. Like Phil, Giselle liked life a little too much as well.

  So Goldilocks kicked Phil. Kicked him like she was a professional field goal kicker for a big name NFL team and the rat was the football. Phil, she noticed with amusement, was about the size of a football. He dropped his phone as he sailed through the air. There was a wet sound as he smacked against the wall of the store. His body hung there for a moment, stuck to the wall. Then, with a little pop, it fell back and landed with a thud on the carpeted floor.

  Giselle screamed. The Great Wall was so stunned that for a moment, he loosened his grip. A moment was all Goldilocks needed. She swiveled and gave the Great Wall a kick in his special place. He let go of her arm and crumpled.

  Goldilocks ran. She didn’t go home. She didn’t call the new guy in her life. She just dropped her phone in a nearby trashcan, hailed a cab, and told the driver to take her to the airport. An hour later she was on a Boeing 717 and on her way to the heartland.

  She didn’t have a destination in mind. She just had to keep moving. No more stopping. No more staying put. She had learned her lesson. Her life would be always on the run until she died, or he did. But knowing her husband the way she did, that wouldn’t be happening anytime in the next few thousand years.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “WELL, I SURE HOPE you’re proud of yourself, Burt,” Beatrice said, coming up the stairs and kneeling down to take the girl’s hand in her own. “You’ve frightened this poor girl half to death.”

  “She’s the one that defiled the sanctity of our home, Bea,” Burt said in a growl.

  “Yes, yes, but look at her, Burt. She’s just a girl.”

  “You were just as angry as me, Bea,” Burt said.

  “I know. I know I was. But that was until you bullied the poor thing into catatonia.”

  Burt sighed heavily and tried to calm down. He was having a hard time of it. He wasn’t like his wife. She was quick to forgive. To forget. To get on with things and get the job done. Burt, on the other hand, had trouble letting things go. Burt could hold on to an insult or a slight like a starving rat held on to cheese. Burt stored away each and every little offense and could recall them like a computer, even after everyone else involved had forgotten all about it. Back in grade school, second grade, Fredric Bollington had stolen Burt’s lunch from his desk and ate it. Actually, it turned out that Fredric had just gotten confused and took Burt’s lunch by accident. The two did have the exact same A-Team lunch box after all, and the two did sit right next each other. So Burt could understand how Fredric could have made the mistake. But to this day, Burt still holds a grudge. He doesn’t really have a choice. It’s how he’s wired.

  “Well, what do you think should we do, Bea?” Burt said.

  “Is the lady dead?” Danny asked, coming up the steps and peaking around Burt at Goldilocks.

  “No, bud,” Burt said. “She’s just sleeping.

  “I want some gum,” Danny said.

  Beatrice handed Burt her purse and said, “Danny’s gum is in my purse.”

  Burt gave Danny some gum and the two stood off to the side as Beatrice tried to get Goldilocks to wake up.

  “Go get the girl some water, Burt,” Beatrice said.

  And so, grumbling to himself the entire way to the kitchen and back, Burt got Goldilocks a glass of water. By the time he got back, Goldilocks had come to.

  “There, there,” Beatrice was saying, helping Goldilocks sit up. “You’re going to be okay.”

  Burt handed the glass of water to Beatrice, who then handed it over to Goldilocks. Goldilocks drank slowly and looked around, her eyes bulging with terror when they met Burt’s. Burt looked over at Beatrice who was looking back at him with a stern expression. Burt looked back to Goldilocks.

  “Look,” Burt began, looking down and rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I frightened you, young lady.” He looked back at Beatrice. Her gazed had softened a bit.

  “No,” Goldilocks said. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I never should have come into your home this way. It’s just,” Goldilocks stopped and looked down.

  “What’s wrong, dear?” Beatrice asked, holding the girl’s hand.

  Goldilocks was silent. She thought back over her life. All the choices she’s made. All the people she’s hurt. Her failed marriage. The one true light in her life and how she left it behind. She couldn’t continue living this way anymore. But she’
d been on the run now for so long that she wasn’t sure if she knew any other way.

  Beatrice looked from Goldilocks to Burt. Burt looked from Beatrice to Goldilocks. Danny chewed his gum and looked to all three. Danny then walked over to Goldilocks, knelt down beside her and gave her the one thing in the world she just happened to need right at that very moment.

  Danny gave Goldilocks a hug.

  * * * * * * * * *

  Goldilocks burst into tears and clung to Danny as he patted her back.

  “It’s okay, lady,” Danny said as he held on to her. “Do you want some gum?”

  At these words, Goldilocks moaned in despair and pulled herself from Danny’s embrace, her face wet with her own tears. She continued to sob, and for the first time since becoming this person she had created for herself, this shell inside which she hid from the world, this … Goldilocks , she began to see the mistake she had made of her life. She looked to the three bears before her and felt shame, and it burned so hot that she flinched.

  “Are you alright, dear?” The female bear asked.

  Goldilocks wasn’t sure how to answer. She was suddenly confused. Why was she here? Lucy would never do anything like this.

  No, but Goldilocks would.

  But who was she?

  Was she Goldilocks or Lucy?

  She didn’t know anymore. In her confusion she took a step backwards up the staircase and away from the bears.

  “Goldilocks?” The female bear said, taking a step toward her.

  “No! Not Goldilocks! Never again!” and with that, Lucy Goodnight turned, ran up the staircase, and disappeared deeper into Griswold House.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN