by Roxe Anne
I stand in the dark at the top of the stairs waiting for old Frank to leave again. I hear him yelling at poor Sandy. She is going to be in trouble for sure if she doesn’t leave him alone this time.
“Get out of my way, you mangy mutt. Let me finish my beer. What? Are you in a hurry for me to kill you? Just wait. I’ll get around to killing you soon enough you aggravating, ugly dog. God, how I hate animals!”
Old Frank must not have heard me climb the stairs, or he wouldn’t be drinking his beer. Maybe he will just drink all six of those beers and pass out like he sometimes does. Then maybe we can sneak out and hide somewhere by the river until we spot Mama’s car. Even the river by the dock doesn’t scare me as much as old Frank at this moment!
“How did you get loose, Sandy? Did someone let you loose? Come here, girl. Come to your old buddy, Frank. Let me look at your collar!”
Sandy growls at old Frank. She isn’t falling for any of his lies.
• • •
I hear old Frank trying to catch Sandy. He is chasing her around the living room and kitchen. He will never catch her like that. I wish I could yell, and tell her to run outside and hide.
“When I catch you, I’m going to kill you, Sandy. Hold still now and let me see your collar!”
Old Frank must have reached for Sandy as she moved. I hear something big fall to the floor. Maybe old Frank broke his leg or even better; broke his neck!
“Don’t you ever try tripping me again! When I get a hold of you, you’re dead!”
I guess old Frank didn’t get injured from his fall. Poor Sandy! I hear him chasing her around the house again. I hope she’s smart enough not to let him get close.
“That’s it! I’m tired of chasing you! I am not playing your games anymore! Come on, Sandy. Come to Frank. Get close enough I can throw this old knife into your sorry belly, you fool!”
No, Frank can’t do that to Sandy. That’s not even fair. I should have left her tied up. She might have been safe. If he kills her, it will be all my fault! Oh, poor Sandy.
I hear Sandy yelp, then a loud thump. I hope old Frank just kicked her again and didn’t actually kill her.
Frank screams at Sandy. “Serves you right you damn dog!” Sandy lets out anther yelp, then another. They are the most ear piercing yelps I have ever heard. I try covering my ears, but I still hear her agonizing cries.
Old Frank must be stabbing her like he did the red velvet overstuffed chair of Mama’s. I hope she doesn’t suffer!
Frank begins pacing the floor. I hope he wears himself out. That might give both Sandy and me a chance to run from him.
“Who let you loose, Sandy? Are those kids in this house? Maybe we better take a look around. It doesn’t look like you broke your collar, girl. Are those kids outside? Too bad you can’t tell me. Too bad you didn’t put up a better fight!” Old Frank screams.
He wants us kids to know he killed Sandy and we are next. If he finds me, I’m going to fight with everything I have to save Billie, Katie and myself. He’s not going to kill us so easy!
“I think I’ll just sit here and watch old Sandy’s blood flow onto the floor while I drink another beer. She sure does have a lot of it. You kids have a lot of blood, too? It’s probably yellow by now. Yellow like the cowards you all are!”
It gets quiet for a minute. I peek through the floor register to see what old Frank’s up to next. He heads for the refrigerator. As if he needs more beer. Why can’t he just pass out? He sits down at the kitchen table and smokes a cigarette. When he finishes, he begins screaming again.
“You kids afraid of little old Frank? What have I ever done to you? It’s your Mama I hate. Who’s going to be first? Do any of you want to volunteer to be the first one I kill? Or are all of you cowards like your tramp of a Mama? I guess I’ll just have to start with whoever is in this house.”
I see Frank go toward the bathroom. Maybe I can run out of the house? Frank came out so quick he must have missed that toilet for sure. He heads to the living room and begins pacing again.
“Did Sandy follow you all in here? What were you in the house for? Were you getting a little hungry? If you’re upstairs, Missy, I should have killed you when I found you at the cemetery! Your Mama made me go and get you, you little baby! You are too much of a coward to be sitting in the dark alone!
Why doesn’t he stop screaming? I can’t take him screaming about killing Sandy and Daddy. Please, God, make old Frank leave us alone! Mama, where are you? I begin softly crying.
“Ow! Damn dog, you’re still tripping me when you’re dead!
“Maybe you are the one in here, Katie. You need to call your little boyfriend? Too bad I already got rid of the phone. No one is going to help you kids. You’re all going to die. It’s not like you’ll be the first person I have killed with my bare hands. You brats remember that man you found drowned. I killed him, too! He was going to be using everything I bought for my last wife. You probably didn’t even know I was married before, did you? Henry McDougall would have lived in the house I bought for me and my ex-wife, Rhonda. No one takes my stuff and lives to tell about it! No one! That includes that tramp of a woman you all call your Mama! And no damn man is going to take my woman! Do you hear me?” He continues screaming.
• • •
What am I going to do? I can’t let him kill Billie, Katie, or Mama if she’s still alive. I don’t have any cast-iron skillets up here to hit him with. There aren’t any guns or knives upstairs. There is nothing to use for a weapon. Billie does have a wooden baseball bat in the corner of his room. Maybe it will at least knock him out. I have to try something. I can’t let him kill anyone else.
I go into Billie’s bedroom to look for his bat. I sure hope he didn’t leave it outside the last time he played with it. He is good at not putting his things away. Making my way around his room in the dark, I trip on some of his army men lying all over his floor. I hope old Frank didn’t hear me downstairs. I feel around and finally find Billie’s bat. I grab hold of it real tight and make my way to the top of the stairs in the dark. My heart is pounding outside my chest. If I knew what a heart attack feels like, it might be what I am feeling right now, in the dark, at the top of these stairs!
“You kids upstairs? You’re not really scared of me, are you? I’m just teasing you. You know I haven’t really killed anyone. Your mangy dog deserved to die!”
I didn’t answer old Frank. I’m not falling for any of his lines. He killed Calico’s kittens and Sandy. I’m sure he killed Henry McDougall, and Roger. I sure hope he isn’t serious about forcing Daddy into the telephone pole. Mama told us the only thing that helped her get through Daddy’s death was that he died instantly, and didn’t have time to think about leaving us behind.
“If you kids don’t come down here now, I’m coming up there. There is no place to escape. You can jump out one of those windows up there and then you’ll die anyway!”
I sure wish I listened to Katie and stayed outside. At least we all had a chance to run if he found us. Now I can’t let him find them. It is better if he finds me first and they at least have a chance to escape. Maybe he won’t see me in the dark and he will just leave. No matter what, I can’t let him find my sister and brother!
I hear old Frank stagger to the stairway. Too bad he didn’t drink enough to pass out. Maybe his vision is blurred and I can just run past him. Maybe he is so drunk he will just fall down these stairs.
“I hear you up there. Come down, now!” He screams as he steps on the first stair. If you tell me where your Mama is, I might let Billie live. What? I don’t have any takers. Maybe I should just kill Billie first so you girls can watch.”
I hear him trying to turn on the light. It doesn’t work. I’m glad I took the light bulb out.
“How come this damn light switch doesn’t work? What did you kids do to it?”
I don’t answer him. I just stand at the top of the stairs with Billie’s baseball bat and wait for old Frank to reach the top. My first swing at old
Frank will be for Daddy!
“I have my knife ready for when I find you. You can’t escape from me! It’s going to be such a pleasure watching your blood flow all down your young body!”
I hear Frank climb each step. I know the last three steps squeak. He won’t be alert enough to worry about any noise. He doesn’t know I am ready for him, in the dark, with Billie’s bat, at the top of these stairs. I have to protect my family. I’m not going to let old Frank hurt one more person. He doesn’t frighten me anymore!
Old Frank steps on the first stair that squeaks. I know there is only one more step to go before I’m face-to-face with the devil himself. I can smell Frank’s beer breath he is so close. If he reaches the last step that squeaks, I won’t have a prayer. I will only be able to hit him in his chest. I have to hit him the minute the second stair squeaks.
I aim Billie’s bat ready to strike my target. The second step squeaks. I swing Billie’s bat so hard I almost fall face down those stairs in the dark myself. The bat connected with something hard, jerking me backwards.
I hear old Frank land on each step as he tumbles down the stairs. I hope I hit him hard enough he can’t get back up and come after me. He will be madder than a bull around a cow in heat with a fence between them if he is still alive. Anyway that’s what Roy always tells us when he is mad.
There isn’t any noise. Old Frank isn’t screaming that he is going to kill us. He hasn’t climbed back up the stairs after me. Is he pretending to be hurt or did I really kill him? I wait for a few minutes more before deciding to climb down those dark stairs. There isn’t a sound to be heard except my heart pounding. My hands are sweating. I feel like I can’t breathe. If old Frank isn’t dead, I have to run to Billie and Katie fast. I take Billie’s baseball bat with me as I walk down the dark stairs; stepping over old Frank’s body. If he is alive, he might grab my leg pulling me down. I will be an easy target. It doesn’t matter now. There is no turning back. I step carefully over Frank. He doesn’t move. His neck is in a funny position. Blood is oozing out from under him. I thought I only hit his head. His eyes are rolled back into his head. He looks dead! For our safety, I hope so. If he is dead, he won’t be able to harm anyone else ever again!
I walk to the living room to see if Sandy is dead. Old Frank cut her throat with his knife. He stabbed her several times with his shiny knife. Her blood is all over the floor. “Oh Sandy, I’ll never be able to give you a buggy ride again. I’m so sorry, girl. Thanks for protecting us. I’ll never forget you. I promise!”
I run out of the porch to where I left Katie and Billie hiding. Katie grabs me and gives me a big hug. Tears flow down their face.
“We thought you were dead. We heard Frank kill Sandy. We heard every word he screamed at you and poor Sandy. We thought Frank killed you, too.”
“Oh, Missy, I’m so glad to see you,” Katie says, crying and hugging the life out of me. “Are you hurt? Did he injure you? Where is Frank, Missy?”
“I killed him! He came after me at the top of the stairs. I waited until he reached the top and then I batted his head with Billie’s baseball bat. He’s lying at the bottom of the stairs with his head in a strange position. There’s a lot of blood. Do you think I’ll go to jail for murder?”
“No, I don’t think so, Missy! Frank said he already killed three people and you were only trying to protect yourself!”
“Do you think he killed Mama?” Billie asks crying.
“I don’t know, Billie. He never said he did. We’ll just have to wait and see if she shows up,” Katie tells him.
“Missy, you’re bleeding!” Billie screams.
“No, Billie, it’s okay. It’s old Frank’s blood not mine!”
“Let’s go in the house and make sure Frank’s dead,” Katie suggests.
“No, Katie. I’m pretty sure old Frank’s dead. We don’t want Billie to see old Frank’s bloody body or poor Sandy’s. I think we should go to one of the neighbors and call Uncle Riley now. I think he needs to know what happened here tonight. We don’t even know if Mama is really alive so it doesn’t matter if she gets mad at us for calling him. I sure hope we don’t get separated or have to go to the orphanage!”
I feel numb. I’ll never be frightened anymore of the dark. Vampires will never be as frightening as old Frank. I will never have to sleep with a pillow or blanket over my head.
• • •
The first door we knock on no one answers. The second door we knock on no one answers. We keep knocking on doors until we are a couple of blocks away. Finally, some little old woman answers her door.
“What are you kids doing out at three in the morning? Where is your mother for goodness sake? Does she know you’re out at this hour? Oh my, how did you get all of that blood on you, child? Are you okay? Come on in. Let me have a look! Did you have a car accident?”
“No, we had an accident at our house, and I’m okay. Can we use your phone, please?” I ask.
“Sure, honey. You kids want something to drink?”
“That would be real nice, Ma’am. I’m really thirsty. Can I use your bathroom, too?” Billie asks.
“It’s down the hall to your right, young man.”
• • •
“Is this Dixon Police Station? Do you have Chief Riley’s phone number? This is Katie Canfield, Dot’s daughter. Chief Riley and my mama used to go together and I really need to talk to him. He told us kids we could call him anytime!”
Katie had a hard time convincing the operator to give her Riley’s number. But she was insistent and wouldn’t give up.
Finally, she convinces the operator to give her his phone number. When she reaches Riley, she tells him everything she knows. He told her he will take care of everything and for us not to worry. He is going to meet us at our house in twenty minutes. We are to stay put until then, if the very kind neighbor will allow us to wait here.
“Sure you kids can stay as long as you need. How about I get you all some blankets. You just sit down on my couch and don’t worry about a thing. You’re safe with me!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
We wait twenty minutes and head back home. There is enough moonlight left to see each others’ faces. I think we all aged a couple of years tonight. Even Billie looks like he has dark circles under his eyes and wrinkles on his little face. It will be different going home without Sandy to greet us. I just hope Mama is able to greet us again.
Sirens blare in the distance. It won’t be long before the whole neighborhood is awake. Then they will all know I killed old Frank. I’m not sorry I killed him. He sure wasn’t sorry he killed Daddy, Roger, Henry McDougall and Sandy. And he sure wouldn’t have felt bad for killing me either. I always knew he didn’t like me!
Maybe Uncle Riley won’t throw me in jail. I don’t want to be in prison with murderers. Everyone says the food is really bad, too. I know I will miss Mama’s cooking if she is still alive and ever comes back home again. Maybe she can bring some of her fried chicken or frog legs for me to eat when she visits.
Uncle Riley is the first to arrive at our house. He arrives in twenty minutes just like he promised Katie. He knows how long it takes to get to our house from all his trips to visit Mama.
“Are you kids okay? You sure none of you are hurt?”
“We’re fine, Uncle Riley!” Katie tells him, exhausted from no sleep and from stress.
“Come here you kids. Let me give you all a big hug. Just because I’m not going with your Mama anymore doesn’t mean I still don’t care about you. You’ll always be a part of my life. Missy, you have to show me where Frank’s body is, sweetheart. Can you go inside with me?”
“I’m okay. I’ll show you, but don’t make Katie and Billie go inside. Please? I don’t want them to see Sandy’s and old Frank’s bodies. And, Uncle Riley, Frank said he forced Mama’s friend Roger off the road the night he was killed. He also said he forced Daddy’s car into that telephone pole. He wanted Mama all to himself. And I think I found my daddy’s missing wedding ban
d in our study. I was going to ask Mama about it when she returns home, if she ever does!”
“Your Mama will be fine. You know she can take care of herself!” Uncle Riley gave me a hug. “You sure are grown up, Missy. You’re not the frightened girl I remember. Come on, I’ll follow close behind. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again. Katie, you and Billie can wait in my car. We won’t be long.”
I show Uncle Riley Sandy’s body first. Then I take him to the bottom of our stairway. Frank hasn’t moved. His lifeless body is still where I left it. I almost expected him to get up and scream at me some more waving his knife. There is a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs where it trickled down the steps. The smell is as bad as when Grandma Irene kills her chickens. The smell of plucking the chickens was about the worst smell ever until I smelled old Frank’s blood. This is what death must smell like. But, Henry McDougall didn’t smell like this, he had been in the river for days before we found his body. He smelled more like dead fish.
“Where did you put the baseball bat, Missy?” I show Uncle Riley where I left Billie’s bat out on our porch. I left it there in case old Frank wasn’t really dead and I had to use it on him again to protect us!
Uncle Riley grabs my hand and holds it tight. He walks beside me back to his car where Katie and Billie are waiting. “Missy, it’s my pleasure to know such a brave little girl like you. You saved your brother and sister’s life tonight!”
I wish I could have saved Sandy’s life, too. It is my fault she is dead. I should have never let her loose. Katie was right!