by John Mathews
Out of curiosity, Maria checked the drawers in the writing desk. They had a strong musty smell and all of them were empty except for one that had a pad of paper and a fancy ink pen. The back of the writing desk had some small compartments surrounding four rectangular wood pieces with little knobs on them. Inside one of the compartments there was a lead pencil. She tried pulling on the knobs, but didn’t find any other openings.
She gave up her exploration as she desperately had to go to the bathroom. Taking the blankets with her, she peeped out of the bedroom to see if her stepmother was in the living room. Not seeing her, she went through the living room and into the half bath. After using the toilet, she tried to flush it but there was no water flow. Maria turned to the sink to wash her hands and saw the Chloroform bottle. She was curious but didn’t touch the bottle when she saw a thin, clear liquid running down the side. Instead, she bent down and smelled the liquid, finding it almost odorless. Then she turned on the faucets to wash her hands. Nothing happened - no water came out. Maria went back into the living room to look for her stepmother.
***
Tammy closed the door inside the walk-in closet, and pushed the two stools in front of it and between the clothes shelves to jam it. She interlocked the legs of the stools so they would be difficult to move away from the door. Then she kicked the stools firmly in place. That should keep that door securely shut. If someone’s down there they sure as hell ain’t getting back in through here too easily. Then she then went back into the living room to see Maria sitting on the sofa.
“Maria, what are you doing out of your bedroom?”
“I had to go to the bathroom, Tammy. But I tried to flush the toilet and wash my hands and the water is broke.”
“What do you mean the water is broke?”
“Nothing comes out.”
Tammy went into the small bathroom and turned the faucets on in the sink. There was not one drop of water. Then she checked the Jacuzzi faucets in the master bathroom, and the faucets in the kitchen. Sure enough – they were now without running water. Feeling flustered, she hurried back into the living room.
She looked directly at Maria and grabbed her shoulders. “The water lines must be frozen. I need to go check the pipes and water shutoff valve. There are a few sips of tea here in my glass. Bring that into your room and stay warm. I want you to stay in your room with the door locked. Got it?”
“Why? I’m too cold in my room. Where is dad? He will know what to do!” replied Maria, jerking her arms away and keeping the blanket around her.
“I don’t know where your father is, honey. Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be all right. I need you to just do as I say and don’t ask me anything again. I need to go check out what is happening with the water. Now please – go to your room.”
Tammy went into the kitchen and opened the cabinet underneath the sink. She found the water stop valve and opened it to help thaw out the water lines. Then she opened the faucets on the sink so the water flow was on. She looked again inside the refrigerator. There were a few cans of coca-cola and no other beverages. She removed the cans of soda and hid them in the back of one of the cupboards. The water meter must be down in the basement. I dunno if there is a way to get down there from outside, but with all the snow piled up, I sure as hell ain’t gonna find it too easily. If the stair from the closet goes down there, I’d need a light to even be able to see anything. She lit up a Capri while pondering her options. What if the police find Stephen and he’s onto me? I could be in big fucking trouble. But there ain’t no way Stephen could’ve shut off the heat and the water. How would he even know where the water shutoff is located? So the lines must’ve just frozen during the storm.
She let out a puff of smoke, and started drinking the rest of the soda. She leaned back on the kitchen chair. Her eyes were squinted as she rapped her fingers against the table. I need to go out and find Stephen myself to see what he thinks happened. I gotta know if he’s just scared or if he knows what’s going on. But if he didn’t suspect me, wouldn’t he have called me or knocked on the front door? I gotta play this like I don’t know anything and am scared and desperate to find my husband. I can easily play the victim to get rid of any accusations that he might have. But if that bastard thinks that HE can scare me, he’s got another thing comin’. She put out her cigarette, finished the can of soda, and went back into the living room.
Tammy picked up the jade dagger from the book case and examined it. It was made from dark green jade stone, and the handle was in the shape of a monkey. It was rather heavy and cold to the touch. She ran her finger along the side of the dagger and it was quite sharp. She put the dagger in the back pocket of her pants. Then she went into her bedroom, and put on a pair of snow boots that she had taken out from her travel bag. Wearing a thick red sweater, she put on and zipped up her winter coat. Not having any gloves, she grabbed a small hand towel and shoved it into a coat pocket. She gazed out the window into the pine tree forest. The trees were growing close together, and with the snow covering them, she could not see past the first row of pines. She checked once more on Maria to see that she was in her room, and then headed out the front door.
Tammy closed the door to the cabin behind her, locking it, and putting the key in her pocket. She stepped gingerly as the front porch outside the door was icy and slippery. She looked quickly to her left where the strange tracks had been. Now they were practically gone as more fallen snow had covered them. Looking straight ahead she saw the icy front walkway winding down to the steep mountain roadway. On all other sides around the cabin was a dense pine tree forest.
She turned to her right and started to walk along the side of the cabin. Snow had already piled up more than 2 feet and made walking very difficult. Looking up, she saw the chimney along the side of the cabin and extending out from the rooftop. It was made entirely of brick and had a ring of cinder blocks around the base. Now those cinder blocks are at the bottom of the chimney. Who would be able to carry one of those up to the rooftop and put it down the chimney? Stephen is not capable of that. She continued along, and as she got more towards the back, the ground began to slope downward.
She peeked around the back side of the cabin. There was a walking space underneath the cabin floor where the ground sloped drastically downward. The floor above this space was supported by four columns. The ground was slippery and dangerous and she was having trouble keeping her balance. She took the towel out of her jacket pocket and used it to hold onto one of the columns. I’ve got to try and get in that crawl space. But the ground is hard and frozen and if I try to step on it I’m gonna fall. I hope I have the damn strength to pull myself around the corner.
Tammy held on as hard as she could to the column while carefully trying to pull herself around the corner. As she stepped around the support column, her foot flew out from under her on a slippery patch of ice, and she fell hard to the ground. She hit her face against the cold hard ground, and her legs stung sharply. She still clung to the column to keep from sliding down the incline. She slid her left leg over more, bent at the knee, and tried to stand up. But the ground in this spot was nearly frictionless and she slowly lost her grip. Finally, her hands let go of the column, and Tammy slid a few yards down the icy slope, landing between two large pine trees at the edge of the forest.
She winced in pain from the collision with the base of the trees and then sat up to collect her thoughts and get her bearings. Goddam that hurt. That is one big patch of ice. That was stupid of me to try and get under there. She rubbed her head and took some ice out of her hair. There ain’t no way I can get back up to the cabin from here.
The tree line on the right side of the cabin went upwards along the slope all the way to the roadway. Around the other side, the slope looked less dangerous. She reached down with her hands to support herself to stand, and felt a cold piece of metal. Digging in the snow, Tammy pulled out part of an old and rusty chain. Goddam, my hands are freezing. At least I can use this to keep my balance bette
r. She dug further to pull up some more of the chain and found that it was quite long, not knowing where either end of it led to. After blowing some warm air onto her hands, she used the chain to hold on to while walking slowly in the deep snow. With each difficult step, her boots sunk into the snow, and her pants quickly became cold and wet. Her legs stung from the icy fabric sticking to them. As she went further around the back side of the cabin, she got to a point where the chain stopped coming up from under the snow.
Tammy yanked on the chain but it didn’t budge. She rested for a moment, breathing the frigid air in through her nose. Is this connected to something else or just stuck under all the damn snow? I’ve gotta get around to the other side of the cabin before I damn well freeze to death. She started to dig into the snow. She used her feet to move the snow aside while exposing more of the chain. She stepped over the chain to brace herself to try and pull it up completely. As she pulled with all her might, there was a loud cracking noise. She roared in agony as the still razor sharp teeth of an old rusty animal trap snapped shut around her lower leg. Although her boot protected her foot, some of the teeth went through her pants and into her leg, and blood started to ooze out. Goddam that was so stupid Tammy! I shoulda dug down in the fucking snow more carefully before yanking the chain. But who in the hell would leave this trap sitting out here anyways?
Tammy grimaced and reached down to try and pry the teeth apart. The cold, rusty metal held together like a vice. Wincing and grunting, she pulled with all her might to dislodge the trap, until finally it opened. Some of the skin on her lower leg was broken and the calf had started to swell. She applied some pressure to the exposed part of her leg to reduce the bleeding. She took the small towel and wrapped it around the leg underneath the pant leg. She then put some snow between the towel and her pants to reduce the swelling. With the cold snow pressed against it she felt a numbing sensation. That’s gonna have to fucking do until I get back inside the cabin. At least I should be able to walk on it. Angry and in pain, Tammy continued to trudge along.
***
Maria opened the door of her bedroom to look for her stepmother. “Tammy? I need something to drink.” Not getting a response, she went into the living room and called for her again. After a few moments, she headed into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and found it empty with nothing to drink. She tried turning the faucets on and off but not a drop of water came out. Opening the antique tea cabinet, Maria brought out the teapot, cups, and saucers in hope that one of them might be filled with tea. She removed the top to the teapot, and saw inside a small, metal skeleton key. She examined the peculiar silver object, admiring its ornately decorated bow, and set it on the table. Then she opened one of the lower cupboards and found inside a bag of dirt, some old workers gloves, and a bottle marked “Strychnine. Poison – caution.” The bottle had inside it a fine white powder. Frustrated at not finding anything to drink, Maria left the kitchen to go back to her room. She took with her the bottle of poison to show to her stepmother.
***
In back and near the other side of the cabin, there was a small clearing before the dense forest continued. Tammy made her way to the edge of the clearing and peeped between the trees. A small path led into the forest. With the tree tops providing a canopy, the ground along the path was less snow-covered. Looking for a spot to rest, she stepped in between the trees, and found a stump to sit on and catch her breath. The air was still and frigid and there was a dead silence around her. Grinding her teeth nervously, she lit a cigarette from her pocket and stayed still engrossed in thought.
That animal trap must have been there for ages. But why the hell would the owner of this place allow it to be there? That’s a danger to whoever comes to stay here. I am gonna sue that asshole when this shit is all done. And the sides around the cabin are a death trap in the snow. So there’s no way that someone can get into the cabin from either side. They would have to come through the front door, a cellar entrance, or down the damn chimney.
There was a rustling sound of leaves blowing in the distance and Tammy whipped her head around to make sure she was alone. A black and white snow owl flew quickly past her from between the trees. He’s done got me paranoid. Get a hold of yourself, Tammy. There ain’t nobody else out there, it’s all in your mind. She finished her cigarette and flicked it into the snow.
Standing up again, she felt a rush of pain go down her left leg from the injury. As she turned around to head back to the clearing, Tammy noticed something hanging from one of the trees. She went to get a closer look and grimaced at the sight of what was in front of her. A beautiful, sandy-brown fox had been caught, killed, and was hung from a tree branch by a rope tied around its neck. Its pointy ears stuck out and fresh blood still dripped from the gash that had been cut in its throat. Well what the hell are hunters doing around here? Does someone else live up in these woods?
Feeling unnerved, Tammy quickly headed out from the path back to the clearing. She stayed clear of the incline and got closer to the back of the house around the other side. She was able to get underneath the support columns below the floor of the back of the cabin to look for an entrance to the basement. Tammy took a handful of snow and threw it out and away from the covered space. She continued to chuck snow out from the small area until she could begin to see the floor. After clearing the area completely, Tammy saw that she was standing on a concrete slab.
She scoured every inch of the slab, but there was no visible door or outside entry into the cabin. At the base of the slab where it met the retaining wall was a small metal grating. She tugged on the grating but was not able to move it. She looked inside and saw a small handle that controlled the water supply. Removing the jade dagger from her pocket, Tammy inserted it between the slats of the grating and yanked until finally it came off. She turned the handle to the off position. Well that should stop the damn lines from freezing even more. The best I can hope for is to turn that back on tomorrow and that the water will be working again.
Ten minutes later Tammy had carefully made her way back around to the front of the house. Weary, in pain, and desperately thirsty, she grabbed two armfuls of snow to bring inside. I gotta melt and drink this shit until someone can get to the cabin. There aint no way that anyone else can get inside now, and I’m gonna keep it that way. She opened the front door, went inside carrying the pile of snow, and locked it securely behind her.
SIX
Tammy dumped the pile of snow into the sink in the half bath, removed small bits of dirt and tree leaves, and tossed them into the toilet. She sat down on the toilet seat and propped her left foot up. Then she slowly rolled up her pant leg and removed the snow boot. She brushed the snow out from inside her pant leg and unwrapped the towel. Spots on the calf had started to turn a darker color where there were deep indentations into the flesh. She winced at the site of the injury and wanted to wipe off some dried blood. She opened the medicine cabinet and found some rubbing alcohol and cotton balls. Dabbing the cotton lightly with just a touch of alcohol, she screamed in pain while trying to clean the wounds as best she could, until it was eventually just too much for her to bear. Tears came streaming down her cheeks but she knew it was for her own good. Goddam that hurts like a bitch. I’ve got to be able to walk on this leg and have it start to heal. At least it doesn’t look like an infection is starting. She looked again inside the medicine cabinet and found a roll of white gauze. She took the gauze and wrapped the lower part of her leg. She continued to wrap it in layers until the leg was totally covered and kept it in place with two small safety pins.
Tammy opened the door to Maria’s room to see her sitting on the bed all covered up. Maria’s freckled face peered up from under the covers. “Tammy, why are you walking so funny?”
Tammy sat down gingerly at the edge of the bed. “I was outside looking for the water shutoff because the pipes are frozen, and I hurt my dang leg. I am worried that – someone might be outside trying to get into the cabin.”
Maria sa
t up attentively. “Someone is outside? Did you see who it is? Maybe it’s dad! Maybe he is stuck out in the snow and can’t get inside.”
“I don’t know who it is, Maria. But whoever is out there could be dangerous and may try to hurt us. I hope that it’s only a hunter and everything will be all right. But just to be safe, we’ve got to stay inside from now on and keep all of the doors and windows secured.”
“But dad would never hurt us and we don’t know where he is. We have to see if he is out there! What if someone out there is trying to hurt him? What if he needs help?” Maria leapt up trying to look out the window.
“Maria, listen to me,” Tammy shouted, “whoever is out there is dangerous. They set up a trap hidden under the snow that injured my leg badly. Do you want to get hurt? I’ve already done called the police. They told me to do everything that I can to make sure that we are safe and to stay inside the cabin. Eventually they will arrive and take care of everything.”
“Ok Tammy.” Maria had a look of bewilderment on her face. “Oh, I found this in the kitchen.” She showed the bottle of Strychnine poison to her stepmom.
“Let me see that.” Tammy grabbed it from her hand to examine it. “This looks like rat poison, which is very dangerous. I’ll put it somewhere safe and I don’t want you to touch it. But what were you doing in the kitchen, Maria? I thought I told you very clearly to stay in your room with the door locked.”
“I was thirsty and went into the kitchen to try and find something to drink.”
Tammy wiped her forehead and brushed back her hair from in front of her eyes. “Okay well, I just brought some snow in from outside and put it in the sink in the small bathroom to melt. If you need water you’ll have to get a glass from the kitchen and drink that. Keep the stopper in that sink and check for any bits of dirt or leaves. Got it?” Maria nodded. “Ok then. And there are snack foods in the kitchen cupboards if you get hungry. I saw some chips, cookies, crackers, jams, and canned goods. Otherwise I expect to see you staying here in your room. Do what I tell you to, little lady.”