Wings In Darkness

by Gregory Kay

  Fiona nodded thoughtfully, still unconvinced.

  “I understand what you’re saying, but what other answer makes sense?”

  Luke could only shake his head and give another frustrated sigh.

  “There isn’t one; that’s the problem. Nothing about this whole thing makes any damned sense.”

  Other than occasional small talk, they thought much and said little while Luke drove back to Point Pleasant and turned toward the Ohio, going to Shore Street, running along a high bank above the river’s edge. As they pulled into a driveway, his headlights picked out the modest home with a motor boat and a yellow Jeep Wrangler parked ahead of them.

  “Looks like your neighbor has a primo spot for a home here; it’s got a great view of the water.”

  She was startled when Luke told her, “This one is mine,” before pointing to a generally similar house next door and informing her that it was the one belonging to Benny Pickens, the owner of the pole saw they were after.

  Luke got out to go track down Benny, and left Fiona in the car watching the stars dancing on the river while he went in to borrow the tool. She took the time to study his house, a white single story with a big front porch, and, looking from it back to the river, she decided she just had to sample the view.

  I wonder if he’d mind...

  Opening the cruiser door, she closed it behind her and walked gingerly up the concrete steps on the shallow embankment that was part of his walk, and then up a second set to his porch, feeling somehow uneasy and sneaky, like she was doing something wrong, although she couldn’t say exactly what. Once she was standing on the tongue-and-groove boards, she spotted a white wooden porch swing hanging from a pair of chains to her left, and it looked so comfortable and inviting that she couldn’t help herself, and sat down in it. Pushing herself gently with toes that barely reached the floor – it’s adjusted for his legs, I guess – she swung slowly, back and forth, looking out over the black water framed by the blacker shadows of the trees along the bank. On the opposite side – Ohio, she realized – there were twinkling houselights and the headlights of the occasional vehicle, and the moon overhead cut the river with a shiny streak of luminescence that rippled on the waves.

  The chains creaked faintly, and Fiona had the overwhelming feeling Luke spent hours doing what she was doing right now, just swinging and looking out at the water flowing by his front door. It was so relaxing, so beautiful, and yet there was a strange melancholy to it that couldn’t be denied; there was a ghost of sadness to it.

  I wish he was here beside me, came the unbidden thought, followed immediately by her good sense chastising her severely, telling her not to be an idiot and hurt herself, because pain was the only possible destination in the direction she suddenly seemed bound and determined to go.

  “Fiona?”

  Upon hearing his voice, she realized she hadn’t noticed him coming out, and called, “I’m up here.” She jumped up like the swing was hot, and that feeling like she had just been caught doing something she shouldn’t have been intensified. She supposed, maybe in a way she had been. “Sorry,” she said, coming quickly down the walk, “but your swing just looked so comfortable.”

  He laughed, just a little, showing her he was not angry, but she couldn’t deny there was a strange look in his eyes, at least as much as she could make out in the darkness.

  “It is that. How did you like the view?”

  Stepping down onto the drive, she told him, “I love it!”

  “Me too; that’s what I liked best about growing up in this place. My wife and I used to sit out here for hours, just watching the river.”

  His words made her stumble, and she would have fallen if she hadn’t caught herself on the cruiser fender.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I...I didn’t know you were married!” she blurted out before she could stop herself, and saw a flicker of anguish pass across his face like the bat’s shadow she had seen a few moments before in the streetlight.

  “I’m not; not anymore.”

  “Oh...” Her breath suddenly came back while they got in the car, making her realize it had gone in the first place. That makes sense, then. “How long have you been divorced?”

  He carefully didn’t look at her as he turned the key and the engine roared to life.

  “I’m not divorced. Linda died two years ago.”

  Fiona managed an “I’m sorry,” and they lapsed into an awkward silence for a moment, and he was the one to finally break it.

  “I won’t be able to borrow the saw until tomorrow. Benny is across the river at his brother’s place squirrel hunting and Midge doesn't have the key to his tool shed, but he has a doctor’s appointment Wednesday, so he’ll be back in the afternoon. Unless you want to try it with a ladder and a handsaw...”

  Fiona reluctantly shook her head; she wasn’t happy, but she really didn’t want to go climbing again either. At that thought, her mood abruptly perked up enough that she snickered before she could catch herself.

  “What?”

  “I was just thinking we’d better wait; after that three-ring circus act we did out there in the daytime, I don’t know if you’d survive trying to do it again in the dark.”

  Luke laughed along with her.

  “I can just see it now; Mason County Deputy killed by a lady reporter at a local lovers’ lane in a misadventure involving a tree. Think of the picture that would leave in people’s minds!”

  “What a way to be remembered!”

  “Ah well,” he said with a shrug, “Could do worse, I reckon.” Before she could decide just how to take that and, more importantly, how to react to it, he saved her the trouble. “Where to now?”

  “Back to the hotel, I guess. I need to get the information I’ve got arranged into something that at least looks like a coherent document, and then get my daily report sent off so Sidney doesn’t shit a brick. Besides, I got to bed so late last night, I’m a little tired.” What went unsaid was that she also needed to get her mind off Luke Carter and back on her job before she did something both of them would eventually regret.

  He nodded his agreement, but she didn’t miss the flicker of sad disappointment in his eyes, and knew good and well what it meant. He felt exactly the same way she did.

  “Okay. Look, you told me you have to be up and rolling by eight. If you want to get up a little earlier, we can go out for a good country breakfast, then go interview Johnny at school.”

  “What kind of breakfast do you have in mind? I’ll warn you up front, I don’t eat grits.”

  “Relax; you’re pretty much out of the ‘grit belt’ up here. I was thinking of Bob Evans.”

  “Okay, I’ve seen those! They’re a pretty big chain, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, but I was going to take you to the original one that started it all.”

  Her brows furrowed.

  “I didn’t know that was in West Virginia.”

  “It’s not; it’s a few miles over the river into Ohio, in Rio Grande.” She frowned slightly at the local pronunciation – Rye-oh Grand – but let it pass. “It’s Bob’s family farm.”

  Fiona fixed him with an exasperated glare.

  “Okay, I might be from New York,” she informed him, a little miffed, “but I know what a snipe hunt is.”

  It was his turn to frown and ask her what she meant.

  “There’s no real Bob Evans; he’s just a mascot, like Colonel Saunders from KFC!” When Luke laughed out loud at that, she demanded, “What?”

  “Colonel Harland Saunders is a real person too...well, was a real person. He and Bob Evans both died awhile back.”

  “How? Were they in a car wreck with Ronald McDonald?”

  Luke pursed his lips to keep from grinning too much as he nodded.

  “Alright, little Miss Smarty Pants, you want to put your money where your mouth is?”

  Despite a niggling feeling that she might just be making a mistake, Fiona quickly inquired, “Okay, hot shot; what’s the bet?
”

  “Loser buys breakfast.”

  “Done! And get ready to pony up, because, while I might not be too big, I can eat a lot.” She was happy the bet was so innocuous, but a part of her was disappointed that he hadn’t asked for something else like –

  “I was going to suggest a kiss as the payoff,” he told her, snatching the words right out of her thoughts so fast it left her momentarily breathless, “but that wouldn’t have been fair.”

  Fiona managed a weak grin and asked, “Why not?”

  “Because I would have won either way,” he told her, making sure he was looking into her eyes when he said it.

  “Thanks,” she whispered, flushed and looking down.

  Maybe we’d both have been winners...and that would make the losing hurt all the more!

  Luke dropped her off, and insisted on walking her to the lobby doors, making her feel silly and flattered at the same time. It wasn’t like someone was going to attack her – this was Point Pleasant, after all – but it was just his way, and a part of her appreciated it, just as she appreciated the gentle warmth of his palm on the small of her back, guiding her inside while he held the door open, and his fleeting squeeze on her hand as he told her goodnight, and made her promise, if she needed anything at all, she would call him immediately, no matter what time it was. He hesitated momentarily, as if there was something else he wanted to say or do, then turned and left as she went in through the glass front doors, and she watched him go with a sigh, both at the impossibility of what she wanted, and at herself, for the fact that she wanted it in the first place, under the circumstances and on such short acquaintance.

  Luke disappeared around the corner of the building where he’d parked the car, and Fiona had just begun to turn away when something caught her eye, something that didn’t belong.

  She'd only been in town a day, but in that time she had quickly developed a general feel for the general population: what they looked like and how they dressed. She wondered if that was it, or if the man watching from beneath the street light on the opposite corner would have stood out even back in New York.

  He was nondescript, just the short side of medium height, with what looked like dark hair, what she could see of it beneath a narrow brimmed black hat that matched the color of his suit, shoes, and the sunglasses he wore despite it being fully dark. The only break in the ebony was his olive complexion and the flash of a white shirt collar visible under his coat. Although she couldn’t see his eyes, she had the absolute, unshakable conviction that he was staring right at her.

  As Fiona stared back, she felt her skin begin to crawl, but she couldn’t put her finger on the reason why, other than that the man seemed to exude a sense of wrongness that terrified her on some visceral level. As a native of one of the largest cities in the world, she had seen her share of crazies, of course, and had developed an instinct for recognizing and avoiding such potentially dangerous individuals, but this one was not like exactly like them. There was something else, something different...something familiar.

  Three seconds later, she flashed back to her wreck, and realized the watching man looked exactly like the dark figure she had seen in the woods near where the deer had bolted from. She had thought it was a hallucination then – even now, she knew logically it had to be – but she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling.

  Then another flash hit her; he also looked like the figure she had seen in the brush near the turn-off only a few hours ago.

  As if sensing her thoughts, the watching man smiled wide enough to show his teeth.

  Fiona had enough discipline not to run through the lobby on the way to the elevator, but she didn’t waste any time either.

  WEDNESDAY

  CHAPTER 12

  Fiona ended up paying for breakfast; she wasn’t surprised, as she had checked online before bed after sending Sidney her daily report a day early, and, sure enough, Bob and the Colonel were both real, and probably sitting up there in foodie heaven laughing their asses off at her.

  That’ll teach me to be fooled by that big country boy persona, I guess!

  Still, the food was good, and Luke softened the minor blow by taking her on a short tour of the farm, which, to a city girl, was fascinating in its way, even if it was a little smelly around the barns.

  “Don’t forget to call your mom,” he reminded her as they walked back to the car.

  Fiona shot him a dirty look and said, “Very funny!”

  “Seriously; she’s worried about you.”

  “Are you going to nag me until I do this?”

  He shrugged.

  “Do you really want her to call me? I’ll be happy to talk to her, but...” He let his voice trail off meaningfully and she threw up her hands.

  “Alright already! Let me get my phone.”

  Luke held the door open for her even as she dialed the number while getting inside. Putting the receiver to her hear, she silently mouthed, “I hope you’re happy now!” at him, and his grin only grew larger as he walked around and got in the driver’s side.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey Mom,” Fiona said, glaring at her driver, “I was just calling to check in.”

  “This early? I’ll bet Deputy Luke reminded you, didn’t he?”

  Not wanting to lie, she fell back on, “Whatever. Look, I’m still down here, still in one piece, and everything is fine, okay?”

  “You’re with him right now, aren’t you?”

  She sighed, “Yes, Mom; we just had breakfast at Bob Evans – the original one.”

  “Hi, Mrs. Pelligatti,” Luke broke in jovially, in a voice loud enough for her to hear, causing Fiona to point at him and mouth, “I’ll get you for this!” and he responded by making an exaggerated little boy pout while pointing at the fading zipper mark still visible on his nose and silently responding with, “You already did.”

  His expression struck Fiona as so hilarious she burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “It’s his fault,” she choked, trying to get her breath back through her giggling fit, “He made a face at me!”

  Luke gasped and treated her to a look of exaggerated shock.

  “You told your mommy on me! Tattletale!” he whispered under his breath, and that just made her laugh harder, until finally she noticed her mother laughing with her.

  “Oh, you two have it bad, don’t you?”

  “Mom!” she hissed through clenched teeth, knowing full well her mother’s voice had been loud enough for Luke to hear, and the fact that his grin seemed to be doing its best to stretch from ear to ear confirmed it.

  “Don’t be silly, Fiona; be happy. I’m happy you’re with someone who can make you laugh.”

  “Mom, I’m not...” Her voice trailed off before she could say, “...with him,” since he was sitting right beside her.

  “Uh-huh. If you’re not, you’re not as smart as your father and I like to think you are. We Googled him last night, and I saw his picture; he looks yummy.”

  “Mom! Stop it!”

  “I’m just saying. Now I’ll let you get back to it; tell him I said ‘hi.’ Bye-bye.”

  When she thankfully clicked the disconnect button, Fiona’s face was so hot she was sure she would have been able to fry eggs on her cheeks.

  “So, how’s your mom?” Luke asked with studied innocence that somehow failed to affect his twinkling eyes or his grin.

  “Fine,” she muttered, and he nodded.

  “Good. I just wanted to make sure she was in her right mind; after all, I’ve never been called ‘yummy’ before.”

  Fiona slapped him hard on the arm, he burst out laughing, and she suddenly joined him, howling until she had to bend her knees and pull her feet up in the seat to ease the cramping in her stomach.

  It was a minute or two after she’d finally gotten herself back under control that she realized she couldn’t remember ever feeling this good.

  Point Pleasant’s High School and Junior High School were combined into a
huge, single-story building that sprawled over the grounds in a series of wings emanating from a central hub; although small by New York standards, Fiona was surprised by just how large and modern it was, and how well-secured. No one could simply walk in; instead Luke had to press a buzzer with the eye of a hidden camera peering at him before whoever was on the other side of the lens decided he was safe and activated the lock with a loud click.

  As it turned out, the process was a little anti-climactic; they were inside for less than a minute, long enough for Luke to ask the receptionist to please page Johnny Robinson and send him out to the parking lot where they’d be waiting.

  “Hey, Deputy Carter! You wanted to see me?”

  Fiona and Luke watched the boy walk across the school parking lot, waving a hand. He looked just as she’d pictured him in her mind; tall, with short dark hair, lean and muscular in his blue jeans and black tee shirt beneath a red and black letterman jacket. What she hadn’t pictured was his swollen jaw; it was sporting a large black lump on the left side, and there were a few other minor bruises and abrasions scattered here and there.

  “What happened to you?” Luke asked with a frown, having obviously noticed it too.

  “Nothing.”

  Taking the boy’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, he turned his head to the side to get a better look at it, he said, “Nothing, my ass.”

  “Look, I don’t want to press charges or anything...”

  “You don’t have to press charges, but I want to know what the hell happened.” Johnny started to open his mouth but Luke cut him off. “You can tell me here, or you can tell me downtown; your choice.”

  “Alright,” he sighed, realizing the Luke would do exactly that, “I kind of got into it with Mr. Parks.”

  “To be honest, I'm not surprised. What happened?”

  “Well, I took Allie home way late after we’d been to see you, and we told him what had happened. He was going to whip her for being out there with me, right then and there; yanked his belt off and everything, so I jumped between them and told him I wasn’t going to let him do that.” Johnny chuckled, rubbing his jaw. “That got his attention, alright; he slapped me across the face with the belt, so I popped him a good one in the nose, and it was on.”