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Touching Cottonwood

Page 27

by Randall Simpson


  “We did have a car theft last night,” said the sheriff.

  “A stolen car?” asked the mayor. “You didn’t mention that this morning.”

  “Must’ve slipped my mind. I guess my attention’s been focused on Old Blind Carl.”

  Gwendolyn leaned forward. “How could someone steal a car right now?”

  “It was the town’s only all-electric vehicle,” replied the sheriff. “It was stolen from right out here in front of the town hall last night. We were having a meeting, and when we came out, no car.”

  “Did you report it to the state patrol?” asked Gwendolyn.

  The sheriff paused before answering. “Uh…actually, not yet…with the missing person case and all…but I intend to, right away.”

  “Well, please do report it right away,” said Gwendolyn, more as a command than a suggestion. “I’m sure they can help.”

  The sheriff nodded with his face a bit reddened.

  “And Sheriff,” continued Gwendolyn, “has it occurred to you that the missing person, Carl, I think you said his name was…has it occurred to you that the stolen car and this missing person case could somehow be related? Maybe your missing person left Cottonwood in that stolen car?”

  The Cottonwood contingency in the room let out a small but discernable chuckle. Mayor Gilmore chuckled louder than anyone else, and it was quickly met with a scowl from Gwendolyn.

  “Ms. Mercer,” the mayor said, after quieting down his last little chuckle, “perhaps you didn’t pick up on his name, but Old Blind Carl is just that…blind! I hardly think that he’s stolen a car and driven off somewhere!”

  Gwendolyn was looking for some kind of out. She had uncharacteristically failed to notice the use of the adjective blind in the name the sheriff had mentioned. She was, however, quick-witted and had survived many worse potential embarrassments by thinking on her feet.

  “I wasn’t insinuating that Old Blind Carl had taken the vehicle,” she said, looking sternly right at the mayor. She then turned to the sheriff. “I simply think the two could be connected somehow and was merely suggesting that maybe whoever took the vehicle also took Old Blind Carl with them. Obviously, blind men don’t drive cars, but the stolen vehicle appears to be the only way that someone could have left this town last night.”

  The group remained silent for a brief moment, and then the sheriff spoke: “That’s an interesting thought, I guess. I really hadn’t considered it, but in the meantime, I’m going to be asking for volunteers later on today, to help us check more thoroughly along the river for him. We’ve gotten reports that he was down at the park near the river yesterday. He could’ve fallen in—or something.”

  “Well, good luck with that, Sheriff,” replied Gwendolyn. “We hope it turns out for the best. Anything else you’d like to report regarding public safety?”

  “Nothing else, really. I think that about covers it for right now—though we sure could use at least one electric patrol vehicle.”

  “We’re looking into that. We’ll see what we can do. Thank you, Sheriff.”

  The meeting lasted the better part of two hours, with most of the remaining discussion focusing on “what if” scenarios—the possible need for emergency evacuations of sick or injured people from the area; locations for helicopters to land, if necessary; and drop-off locations for food supplies, if they should start running low. Time was also spent discussing the possible cause of this strange event. The mayor was interested in learning what the state knew regarding possible military causes. Gwendolyn assured him it was being researched. She was completely truthful in this regard, for at that very moment, a team of mechanics and technicians were using electric tow trucks to haul several vehicles out of the Dead Zone and to a garage in Montrose for analysis.

  Gwendolyn ended the meeting by suggesting that the whole group meet again later in the afternoon for a final recap of the day and to discuss any new information that may come to light throughout the day. First, though, the CDEM team would be having lunch, and Ernie’s was quickly recommended by the Cottonwood contingent.

  The meeting ended shortly before lunchtime, and the entire CDEM team, and most of the Cottonwood group as well, headed for Ernie’s Diner. The exceptions were Mayor Gilmore and Sheriff O’Neil. The two men stayed behind, alone in the now silent meeting room.

  “She’s a typical state bureaucrat,” said the mayor. “Another pushy know-it-all.”

  “She definitely likes to be in control,” replied the sheriff. Then he grinned. “Though I did enjoy the expression on her face when you pointed out that Old Blind Carl could not have driven the car away because he was blind! You could just see the little wheels turnin’ and grindin’ in her head.”

  “Yeah, but she was pretty fast with a comeback. You gotta admit that.”

  “I don’t gotta admit anything when it comes to Ms. Gwendolyn Mercer,” said the sheriff, “except that maybe she’s the most tightly wound control freak I’ve ever seen.”

  The mayor looked like he was going to say something but stopped himself. After a pause, he finally said, “As long as she takes care of our needs here, I don’t care about her personality…and by the way, why didn’t you tell me about Ned’s car being stolen, when we talked this morning?”

  “Honestly, it just slipped my mind,” said the sheriff. “I’ve been focused on Old Carl since late last night.”

  “So what kind of leads do you have?”

  “His house…or, at least, his bedroom was trashed. It looked like whoever trashed it also robbed him, ‘cause a money box in his room was open and empty.”

  “Maybe one of the many visitors staying in Cottonwood right now?”

  “Not exactly a town visitor,” said the sheriff, “but not exactly a town regular either. My number one suspect is the same person who suggested to you last night that Cottonwood might be better off with the transportation shut down.”

  “Matthew Duncan?!” asked the mayor. “What’s his link to Old Blind Carl?”

  “Of course, this is just between you and me,” said the sheriff, now lowering his voice even though they were alone, “but it appears that Mr. Duncan was the last person to see Carl. He actually had his cane and was walking around town with it last night, before he gave it away to someone else.”

  The mayor paused a moment and shook his head. “He had Carl’s cane? That’s pretty incriminating—if the old guy’s really gone missing.”

  “Yep,” said the sheriff. “I agree.”

  “Well, where’s the cane now?”

  “I probably told you more than I should’ve already, but let’s just say…we now have the cane in our possession, and we’ll definitely be talking with Mr. Duncan later on today.”

  The mayor shook his head again as he stood up. “Jesus, what a couple of crazy god-damn days we’re having. I hope to hell you don’t find Old Carl floatin’ face down in the river…God, we sure don’t need that. What I need is a stiff drink…something with a little more spirit to it than they have at Ernie’s. Care to join me in my office?”

  “Nope, thanks though,” said the sheriff. “Maybe when this is all over with. Right now I need to go get my search party together and grab some lunch.”

  The mayor went to his office on the top floor of the town hall building, and the sheriff went back toward his office across the street. As he was just about to cross the street, from a tree behind him on the town hall lawn, he heard a star-tail sing out a happy sounding song that echoed clearly over the silent town:

  Tweeta…tweet…tweet…tweetatweet.

  Hidden inside those sweet notes was more meaning and relevancy to the apparent crisis that Cottonwood now faced than was contained in most of the words that had flowed all morning at the town hall. The sheriff, however, scarcely noticed the song as he continued across the street and into his office.

  Thirty-Four

  The Light of Day

  Waking in the arms of a naked man was something of a new experience for Rebecca D’Arcy. More than that
, waking in the arms of the man she had loved for most of her teen and adult life was, in her mind, the best way she’d ever awakened.

  Bright sunlight filled the bedroom and was refracted through a crystal Rebecca had hung in the window. The room was splashed and painted with multiple colors as tiny rainbows danced among the flowers on the wallpaper.

  The two newlyweds lay there in the softness of the late morning for a long while. Matthew stroked her hair, and she moved her smooth hands over his broad chest. Few words were exchanged, but many meanings were shared. It was another timeless moment for the two lovers—a dandelion with tiny delicate umbrella wings, floating as a miracle in the morning light that washed over them.

  The serenity of the moment was suddenly broken by the ringing of the phone in the living room. Rebecca let her answering machine receive the call. She always left the volume up so that she could screen phone calls to decide if they were worth getting out of bed for or not. The voice on the other end was clearly audible in the bedroom:

  “Rebecca, this is Doctor Reese,” the caller said. “I hope you’re doing okay with this transportation crisis we’re having. I hate to ask, since it’s your day off, but we really need you here at work today. Yesterday’s staff pulled a double shift overnight, and they certainly need relief. Could you come in sometime soon today? Now, you’re probably wondering how you’re supposed to get here, but don’t worry, we’ll send one of our electric golf carts for you. They’re slower than a car, but the trip should only take fifteen to twenty minutes. Please give me a call as soon as you get this message, and we’ll arrange a time for your pick up. Thank you. Bye.”

  The caller hung up, and Rebecca let out a big sigh and looked at her new husband. “Doesn’t he know that I’m on my honeymoon?” she said as she gave Matthew a smile, followed by a tender and long kiss on the lips.

  “He better not know, or we truly didn’t get any wedding presents at all,” said Matthew, gently stroking her cheek.

  “Well, don’t forget about Yankee!” she said. “Yankee knows, and she’s the biggest gossip in town—at least of the canine variety. Why, I’ll bet by now, most of the dogs in Cottonwood know we got married last night!”

  Matthew laughed lightly. “I guess I’d better go have a talk with Yankee later on and make her promise to keep our secret as well.”

  Rebecca raised her left hand up to her face and looked closely at her new diamond ring. “Oh, I thought you and Yankee had some kind of understanding already…since she kept this ring for you so well last night. Of course, I wasn’t fooled and knew right away the sneaky thing you must have done when we were all out of the room—but I looked at my mother and the Reynolds and could see they were completely clueless. You’re such a bad boy….” She turned and gave him another long kiss and then rolled over on top of him.

  “Am I bad?” he asked.

  “Very,” she said, “in all the ways I’d hoped you were—and good in the ways I’d hoped as well.”

  They kissed again, deeply and tenderly, but then Matthew cut it short, long before Rebecca wanted to. “They need you at work today,” he said. “I will have you always. You should go.”

  “What?! Not on your life! “I’m going to have my honey—”

  Matthew put his fingers on her lips and stopped her from completing the sentence. “If you stay here with me today, you know we’ll have a rotten day together,” he said softly to her. “The whole time, you’ll be thinking about your fellow employees at the Home who will have to keep working because no one will come in to relieve them.”

  “I wouldn’t be thinking about them,” she said, gliding her hand along his shoulders and then along the sides of his body. “I promise I’d be thinking about much more interesting things.”

  Matthew smiled, but it faded as he cupped his hands tenderly on both sides of her face and looked into her eyes. “You know we’ll have many days and many nights together now, but others need you, too. I wouldn’t feel right about your co-workers suffering when you could help out. I truly want you here by me…but they need you now.”

  Rebecca was not prepared for Matthew’s sudden seriousness or for his insistence that she go to work on their first married day together. Still, in his words she found truth, and in his eyes she found compassion.

  “Okay, and what will you be doing today?” she asked in a pretend seriousness. “I have some ideas. You could go look for a job, or I’ve got a garden out back that needs some weeding, and then I’ve got some laundry you could do. And don’t forget to fix something for dinner.”

  Matthew smiled. “Those all sound fine with me. I don’t mind doing laundry or gardening, and I was even thinking of going over and talking with Amida later on, just to let him know I’m back in town and to see if he could use some extra help on the farm.”

  “I was only kidding about the laundry and weeding, you know,” she replied when she sensed he was serious. “I can give you a little reprieve during your first day as a married man. One of us might as well continue enjoying our honeymoon.”

  He kissed her gently. “As long as you’re going to work, I’ll work as well. Let’s just agree that we’ll put our honeymoon on temporary hold and pick it up later where we left off.”

  She hesitated for a moment. “Okay, so long as we do pick it up later,” she finally replied, before they once more kissed and held each other close enough to nearly be one heartbeat.

  Rebecca called Dr. Reese back and arranged to be picked up in one hour. She and Matthew then showered together, and she enjoyed the experience of having someone else wash her back for a change, as she had bathed so many people in her career as a nurse.

  When they got out of the shower, Matthew found a bottle of lotion on the bathroom counter and asked Rebecca to take off her wedding ring. She laid it on the counter and stood before him while he kneeled on one knee, lovingly massaging the lotion into both of her hands, carefully caressing them while working the lotion between each finger.

  “That’s exquisite,” she said “Where did you learn how to do that?”

  “Takara Yamamoto,” said Matthew. “She used to massage all of our hands after we worked the long hours in the fields and greenhouses. I told her she had the ‘fingers of an angel.’ She always laughed, but I was serious. I had new hands after Takara was done with them.”

  Rebecca’s hands felt relaxed but tingled with energy. “She taught you well. Do you also give full body massages?”

  “For you,” Matthew said as he looked up at her, “I’ll learn.”

  “We’ve got a date then, right?”

  “Many,” he replied, raising her tingling hands up and kissing them before moving to kiss her lips.

  They enjoyed a light lunch together on the back patio of the house. Rebecca’s garden was impeccably maintained, without a weed in sight. Her flowers, herbs, and ornamental grasses were all as healthy, radiant, and beautiful as the gardener who so lovingly tended them.

  At a little past noon, the doorbell rang and Rebecca stood up. “I guess that’s my ride,” she said, staring down at Matthew who didn’t stand up right away but seemed momentarily lost in thought. He then stood up and held her close for a moment, before kissing her.

  “There’ll be a lot of time for this later,” said Matthew after a moment, pulling himself away and looking into Rebecca’s eyes. “We’d better not keep them waiting—there’s work to be done.” He then motioned toward the sliding door into the house.

  “We?” asked Rebecca. “You’re coming in? I thought we were trying to keep this a secret?”

  “It’ll be fine. I’ve just stopped in to visit an old friend that I’ve not seen in many years.”

  The two went into the house and through the kitchen and living room, to the front door. There on the front porch stood Eddie Flynn. At first, before he saw Matthew, Eddie was smiling. That smile seemed to melt right off his face onto the sun-drenched concrete porch when Matthew stepped beside Rebecca into the doorway.

  “Hi, Eddie,” R
ebecca said, opening the door and stepping onto the porch with Matthew right beside her.

  “Oh, I figured you were alone, Becky,” Eddie said as he looked carefully at Matthew. No one else called her Becky anymore, as it had been her nickname in high school. She didn’t like it, but, oddly, she couldn’t imagine Eddie calling her anything else. It would be uncomfortable for her if Eddie started calling her Rebecca. As long as he called her Becky, he remained at a safe distance, forever in the past in high school.

  At first, Eddie didn’t seem to recognize Matthew. Certainly, Matthew had filled out and become more muscular than he’d been in high school. Eddie, on the other hand, had changed relatively little. His body was about the same, lean and muscular, only his features were now more severe and his face somewhat drawn into itself. His eyes also seemed smaller than Matthew had remembered.

  As soon as Rebecca was about to introduce Matthew, the light of recognition passed across Eddie’s face, and his features changed immediately.

  “Oh my god,” said Eddie, his face lighting up. “Matt Duncan?!”

  Matthew reached out to give Eddie a handshake, but Eddie stepped forward and gave him a hug.

  “Yes, it’s me,” said Matthew, pulling back and ending the hug.

  “Wow,” said Eddie, “for a moment I thought Becky had started shacking up with some guy. You almost gave me a heart attack!”

  At that moment, Rebecca looked down at her ring finger and realized that she had forgotten to put it back on after the hand massage. Already she felt naked without it.

  Rebecca looked over at Matthew. She knew from his look that, for now, Eddie would join the majority in Cottonwood and wouldn’t know the truth.

  “What if Rebecca was ‘shacking up’ with some guy?” asked Matthew.

  “I would be jealous as hell!” quipped Eddie without thinking. “Once you moved away, I figured I had an open field to the most beautiful woman in Cottonwood. You’ve been gone so long that I thought for sure you’d gone and married someone else—and maybe even had a few kids by now. At least that’s what I was hoping.”

 

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