by John Mathews
Maria looked perplexed. “But why would he sneak inside the cabin without saying anything?”
“I’m afraid that he’s planning something terrible for the both of us and wants to hurt us.”
Maria jerked her head back in disbelief. “Are you crazy, Tammy? Have you even seen dad? Where is he and why would he want to hurt us?”
Tammy shrugged. “I’ve been asking myself the same dang thing. I think he planned this entire weekend to do something awful. Look, I found his signature lighter down in the wine cellar. There ain’t no other way that would be there if he hadn’t gone down there. And I think he was the one that put the cinder block down the chimney, which almost made us die from smoke inhalation. That block didn’t just fall on its own. I don’t know what else to tell you, Maria. I haven’t seen him but he’s been inside the cabin. If he didn’t want to hurt us, then why has he been sneaking around like that?”
Maria looked up at Tammy with a sneer. “It was your big idea to come here in the first place, Tammy. Maybe dad doesn’t want to be here with you. Maybe he just doesn’t trust you. Did you ever think of that?”
Tammy turned her palms up with a look of perplexity on her face. “So then if he loves you so much, why isn’t he coming in to check on his daughter? Why would he leave you here freezing in the cold? It wouldn’t make any sense unless he’s just completely lost all of his marbles. Don’t argue with me Maria. We have no choice but to defend ourselves, even if that means taking desperate action.”
“Defend ourselves from WHAT? If you didn’t even see him how do you know where he is? Don’t you dare hurt dad. When are the police gonna get here?” Maria shouted at Tammy sitting on the edge of the sofa cushion.
Tammy walked closer to Maria and put her foot on the sofa cushion next to her. She carefully rolled up her pant leg and unwrapped the gauze bandage. Maria cringed at seeing the swelling in the calf and dried blood. “Do you see this fucking wound? That was from an animal trap that your father must have put outside the cabin to hurt me. And down in the wine cellar, the heating ducts have been cut which is why there is no heat coming inside the cabin. Who do you think cut them, Maria?”
“How should I know! But dad wouldn’t...”
“He’s not inside the cabin here with us, so how do you know what he would do? And then there is also a covered pit full of spikes that damn near killed me. He set this deadly trap up in the wine cellar and covered it up with hay so that I would fall into it. Is that enough evidence for you? He brought me out here to murder me.”
Maria scowled at Tammy. “But how do you even KNOW dad did those things if you didn’t see him? Maybe someone else is out there and did something to awful to him!”
“There ain’t nobody else that would be out here in this kind of snowstorm, Maria. And finding his dang lighter down in the wine cellar was proof that he came inside.”
Maria looked up angrily and stared Tammy right in the eye. “If you are so sure that dad is out there, then go find him. And was dad the one who killed the white owl with your nail file, Tammy?”
Tammy wrapped the gauze bandage back around her leg and squinted with a look of disbelief. “What white owl?”
“The one on the roof just outside my bedroom window. Its eye was pierced. Someone stabbed it and killed it.”
“I have no damn idea what you are talking about, Maria. Whoever did that was probably the same person who killed the fox that I saw outside in the woods – your father.”
“I saw the owl when I looked outside my bedroom window. It was killed with a purple and pink nail file, just like the one you carry in your purse.”
“Then that just proves that Stephen is outside wanting to harm us! He must have taken the file from my purse after dinner. He used something of mine to make it seem like I did it. How would I even go out and catch an owl, Maria? Do you honestly think I’m able to do that?”
“Ok Tammy, whatever you say.” Maria spoke incredulously. “Why would dad want to be stuck out in the cold anyways? And why wouldn’t he say something to me if he was out to get you?” Maria quickly got up from the sofa and started to walk away.
Tammy grabbed her by the arm. “Don’t you walk away from me, little lady. We are not done talking yet.”
Maria jerked her arm away from Tammy. “Don’t you dare touch me! My dad and I are closer than anyone. We never had any problems until now that you came into our life.”
Tammy smirked. “Well we obviously have a problem now. And if you are so sure that he wouldn’t hurt you, then why don’t we find out. I’ll just tell you when I need you and what I want you to do.”
“Oh will you now, Tammy? I think you need to take your headache medication again.” Maria stood in the doorway to her bedroom giving Tammy a dead stare. Then she turned abruptly, went inside, and slammed the door behind her.
EIGHT
Tammy collapsed on the sofa. This is so out of character for Stephen. I’ve known that little man long enough, and he’s not confrontational, and rarely aggressive. It just don’t make sense that all of a sudden he’s totally on to me, and sneaking inside the cabin. If he knew about anything in advance then why would he even come on the trip in the first place? WHY? A sudden migraine attack had her reeling in pain. It was a sharp, needling pain on the sides of her temples. Goosebumps spread rapidly over her skin. She placed the palms of her hands over her eyes, blocking out her thoughts and trying to relax. She lost her sense of reality, drifting off slowly into a dream-like state. She could not stop remembering what happened, in that court room, when she was seventeen…
***
“Ms. Caldwell, do you have anything else to say on your behalf before we impose a sentence?” The judge looked right at Tammy from behind the bench.
“But WHY am I being found guilty?” Tammy sobbed. “All I done was use mom’s credit card for some shopping.”
“Ms. Caldwell, you stole that card without your parents knowing anything about it. You proceeded to charge more than three thousand dollars to that card in less than a week before you were caught. Then you tried to pose as your mother when confronted with the charges by the credit card company. That is fraud and identity theft to which there is no excuse.”
“But I just went shopping for some clothes! I deserved them because I had just been through a really tough break-up with my boyfriend and needed something to calm down. And I saw these beautiful designer dresses at the mall and knew that I had to have them! You were a teenager once. Don’t you ever see something that you know you gotta have and decide to go and get it? It’s my parents fault for not getting me the clothes that I need to be happy!”
The judge looked sternly at Tammy. “You never have the right to lie, steal, or impersonate, Ms. Caldwell. You are almost an adult and need to start behaving like one. There are consequences to your actions for which you will now take responsibility.”
Tears streamed down Tammy’s face. “But my mom doesn’t even LISTEN when I talk to her about boys. All she cares about is my damn modeling career which is going to shit anyways. She only cares about me if there’s something in it for herself.”
“Watch your language or I will add a contempt of court charge as well.”
Tammy wiped her eyes and regained her composure. “Just ask my mother why dad cheated on her for two years, can you do that for me? If she thinks she knows everything, then why didn’t she please her man enough to keep him home? Maybe if she did that, our family wouldn’t have gone to crap.”
“Enough, Ms. Caldwell!” The judge slammed the gavel down.
“Fine then, do what you want to. You seem like you know it all anyways. I’m just a dumb country girl.” She looked at her mother. “I’m sorry that I was bad. I won’t ever do it again. We’ll just see what happens later, now won’t we, mommy.”
***
Tammy snapped out of the paralyzing spell and the pain slowly went away. She rubbed her hands through her hair, took a few deep breaths, and tried to control her thoughts of rage. So that s
on of a bitch is trying to make me look like the crazy one to Maria. Well I am not about to let him make me seem like the damn fool. He’s got heat blowing into the den so he must’ve come in through there when I was sleeping. He must’ve slept in there with the door locked last night. Does he really think that he can just keep coming in and out without me catching him? That window to the den is on the other side of the cabin and I bet I’ll find Stephen somewhere close by.
She went and took the hunting knife from the den. She grinned at the blood stains on its blade and stuck it into her pocket. With her winter coat and snow boots back on, she headed out the front door into the wintry evening. This time she turned to her left off the front porch and moved slowly along the icy ground. Having learned her lesson from the last fall, Tammy was careful to look before stepping ahead and be sure that the terrain was level. She made her way to the edge of the cabin and peered around it to see what was on the other side. The ground near the side of the cabin sloped steadily downward and continued like this all the way to the edge of the forest. On the right side, the ground rose up drastically at the line of pine trees. A thick pile of snow had formed clinging to the large roots of the trees.
There ain’t no way I’m gonna slide down that dang slope again. Tammy moved more to the right and just into the pine tree forest where the ground was higher and more level. There was less snow under the dense canopy and she was able to move along more easily. After a few moments she came to a spot more or less in front of where the window in the den would be. Tammy crept closer to the edge of the trees and peeked out between two of them. A couple feet to the right of the window there was a wooden board placed on top of a stack of concrete cinder blocks. This hand-made bridge rose several feet above the base of the sloped ground. Tammy estimated the board to be around just five feet below the level of the roof.
So he built this to get up on and come inside the den. But that’s a long reach from there, and it isn’t even in front of the damn window. If there is one thing Stephen ain’t it’s athletic. I know he’s been camping before but never realized he was able to build anything like this.
Tammy stepped between the trees and onto the wooden board which served as a bridge. It was wobbly so she bent her knees to keep her balance better. She crept up to the wall next to the window and stood up slowly to see over the edge of the roof. It was slanted in different directions and covered in snow except for a few spots where some had been removed and pushed into piles. A two by four board was pushed up against one of the small piles. There was also something else sticking partially up out of the snow. She moved her head up closer to the edge of the roof and squinted to examine the object more closely. She recognized the edge of a tan ostrich cap toe dress shoe from Barker Black. Well that is definitely Stephen’s shoe, he wore them to dinner. So he climbed up on the roof still in his dress shoes and lost one in the snow. And then what? I can’t see him moving around with one shoe, so he must have wanted me to see it there. But his winter boots are still packed in his damn luggage! Did he just come in through the window from on top of the roof? Where in the hell is he now?
She turned around and went back down away from the wooden bridge and through the opening into the forest. Tammy paused a moment to catch her breath and gazed into a canopy of pines where the last few rays of sunlight filtered through the trees. She noticed something glistening a bit off into the forest. Curious, she walked cautiously through the trees. Then she came to a big thick tree where very little snow had managed to fall onto the surrounding ground. Near the trunk of the tree was a large cage made from wooden boards. The cage was low to the ground, but long and wide. It was covered with a thin wire mesh and inside some leaves and stones were scattered about. That looks like an animal cage. I dunno what kind of animal would be kept inside it, but somebody sure as hell put it out here for a reason. It looks practically brand spanking new and there isn’t even any dirt or snow on it. Around the cage were some winding, curved marks in the soil.
Suddenly, there was a rustling noise coming from deeper in the forest. It sounded as if something dry was being crushed. Tammy stood still, trying to look through the trees to see what was there. There was silence for a few moments and then she heard the noise again – the crisp, crunching of leaves and branches. Tammy grabbed the hunting knife from her coat pocket and held it firmly. If that was Stephen out there, he was going to get a very rude awakening, she thought.
She stepped very carefully, trying to avoid making any noise. The crunching sound got steadily louder and Tammy noticed some kind of movement off in the distance. She moved from tree trunk to tree trunk, hiding behind them to make sure that she wouldn’t be easily detected. As she got closer to the source of the noise, she could make out the silhouette of a man, kneeling down and doing something with his hands. His back was to Tammy, so she kept moving closer to him with long slow strides. She held the hunting knife firmly in her sweaty palm, ready to strike if necessary.
***
Maria slowly opened the door to her room and peeked into the living room. She was sure that she had heard Tammy go outside and was relieved when she saw that the living room was empty. She went through the living room and snuck into the master bedroom. Then she looked around for Tammy’s cell phone and found it sitting on top of the end table. Maria took the cell phone so that she could call the police. To her dismay, the key pad was locked and she didn’t know the four digit code. She punched in some random combinations of numbers hoping to get lucky. Frustrated, she put the phone back on top of the table, and returned to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
***
She got within several feet of this man and realized that is certainly was not Stephen. Whoever was kneeling down had long, dirty black hair, and was wearing a heavily soiled coat. She could also smell a bit of a foul stench coming from him. He must have heard her last step, and jumped to his feet in a couple of seconds, standing face to face with Tammy, just a few feet away. His face was weather-beaten and lined and his beady eyes stared her down like a cowboy facing off before a gunfight.
Tammy tried to keep from panicking. “I – I’m sorry. I heard something and didn’t know who was there. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
The man stayed still, huffing and puffing deep breaths of cold air, with his hands held out in front of him. Next to him was a small pit with ashes in it. It appeared that he had been breaking up some sticks to start a fire. Next to the fire pit was the carcass of a small animal. The man bent his knees slowly and reached down next to the carcass to grab a steel knife with a long, sharp blade. He never took his eyes off of Tammy.
Tammy moved back a step. She fought off the urge to run away as fast as she could. “Please – I’m not looking for any trouble. I just, well...I’m renting the cabin out here for the weekend. I’m just a visitor here and I sure didn’t want to disturb you. It’s just that my husband is missing so I was out looking for him. Can you understand me?”
The man pointed to her hand. “The knife. DROP it.”
Tammy slowly put the knife back in her coat pocket and opened her empty hands in front of her. “There, it’s put away. I didn’t know who you were, that was the only reason I was holding it.”
He pointed at her again. “So who are YOU? That your cabin? Where you from?”
“No, no. I’m just visiting Colorado with my family. The owners of this cabin rent it out as a vacation spot. Do you live somewhere out here? What are you doing stuck out in the cold?”
The haggard looking man carefully set his knife back on top of the animal carcass. He took a step towards Tammy moving with a noticeable limp. He took a deep whiff and curled his nostrils at the smell of her perfume. “I live here, lady. Out in these woods. Ain’t got no home. I’m a hunter. A natural man the way God made me.”
Tammy nodded faintly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that anyone else was out here. I would offer to fix you some food, but there really ain’t much of anything left back inside…”
“Yo
u want to offer ME some food? Ain’t that a joke. I been using that cabin when nobody else is taking it. The owner knows me and lets me stay on this property. He put them meats down there to cure some time ago. Those meats come from game that I hunted. I gave them to him as a gift for letting me live on his land. Must be well and good by now. Did you eat them? They delicious, ain’t they? I know how to take care of myself.”
“I’m sure you do. Probably better than me. I wasn’t doubting that. I haven’t eaten the meats but thought that they looked delicious. But you’re telling me that you’ve actually been inside the cabin?”
“NO, lady. Don’t you listen?” The hunter pointed at Tammy. “I give them fresh meats to the guy who owns this place. He cures them himself. Anyone can eat them. That way he lets me live out here without trouble. Sure, I’ve snuck in a few times when the cabin is empty, but not in some months.”
“I see. Did you by chance kill a brown fox in the woods on the other side of the cabin and leave it hanging from the trees?”
“No, lady, I didn’t. I don’t leave nothing just laying around after I kill it.”
“Okay. The cured meats are still hanging in the cellar. Do you want me to bring them back to you, if you’re hungry?”
The man chuckled. “No thanks, I’m good for now. As you can see I got me plenty of meat right here ready to cook.” He reached over and patted the dead carcass. “Them meats that I hung down there are for an emergency when I ain’t got nothing else to eat. You sure is a pretty little thing. You still didn’t tell me where you from.”
Tammy feigned a smile. “Um – thank you sir. I’m visiting from California. I have to ask you for a small favor. Please, if you can help me – have you seen anyone else outside the cabin or in these woods yesterday or today? I’m looking for my husband.”