Northern Moonlight

by Anisa Claire West

  By the eighth ring, he realized that her phone was going to ring off the hook, so he set it down with a disappointed grimace and got his fishing gear out of the closet. After the atrocious night he had spent laboring to the bizarre dream that still reverberated in his head, he desperately needed some fresh air that the river and its surrounding greenery could provide. He resolved to telephone Sabrina in the evening when he returned from his therapeutic excursion.

  Chapter 13

  Precisely as Gio was loading his truck to go fishing, Sabrina was dragging two carry-on bags into her car. She had no idea where she was going, but the spontaneity and mystery made her eyes sparkle with eagerness to tackle the open road. Mentally running a checklist, she recalled leaving an enormous basin of water for Softy along with a trough-sized plastic container of dry food. All she needed to do was tell Mrs. Benjamin that she was going away and she could be gone!

  Knocking on the woman’s door a hesitantly, hoping that the loquacious lady wouldn’t haul her into a lengthy conversation, she waited no more than an instant before the door swung open. There stood the old woman in green sponge curlers and a polka dotted housedress. Was she watching me from outside, waiting to see what I would do next? Sabrina wondered. Sometimes the woman was simply predatory.

  “Hello Mrs. Benjamin. How are you?” She said in a single breath.

  “Fine, dear, just fine…are you taking a little trip?”

  “Yes,” Sabrina replied quickly, “Yes, I am, and I’d appreciate if you would be so kind as to watch the house like you did when I was in Paris.”

  “Of course, dear. But where are you going this time, Miss Vagabond?” She pried.

  “Not Paris.” She tried unsuccessfully to hedge the question that had no definitive answer.

  But Mrs. Benjamin simply wasn’t having it. “Not Paris, no not with such a scant amount of luggage, but where are you going? Someplace local?”

  “Yes!” Sabrina responded, quickly concocting an answer. “I’m going to visit my parents in New York.”

  “Oh, isn’t that nice? A girl like you should see her parents more often. They must miss you unspeakably! I know that my own daughter and my son rarely ever come up to Vermont to see me. Cheryl lives in North Carolina and complains that it’s too far, and Wally…”

  Sabrina interrupted Mrs. Benjamin, knowing that this monologue could go on for hours if it weren’t stopped. “You are so right, Mrs. Benjamin. I should see my parents more…and I’d like to get there before dark…so bye, and thank you for taking care of the house! You’ll have a fruit basket on your doorstep when I return next week!” Her voice trailed off as she sprinted to her car, aching to get on the road and away from the staggeringly inquisitive woman who stared after her.

  Sabrina sighed heavily as she plopped down on the driver’s seat, knowing her travels would take her nowhere near New York, nowhere near any city. And that was all she knew of her destination. Without a roadmap, Sabrina was prepared for an adventure to make her forget the fickle, non-committal man who possessed her stormy heart.

  It was not yet three o’clock, so Sabrina estimated that she had plenty of time to stop at the bank and make a sizable withdrawal. She didn’t like the idea of carrying excessive amounts of cash, but she need to have the money liquid should an emergency arise on the road. After withdrawing several hundred dollars from her savings account, Sabrina made another quick stop at a convenience store for a bottle of ginger ale, bag of pretzels, and a banana to tide her over until a roadside dinner later on. At the convenience store, she eyed some maps on a rack by the register, but firmly decided against purchasing one. No, she was embarking on a voyage of impulse, one where a road map had no place.

  She tried to keep that ideal firmly in mind as she boarded the vehicle, securing her seat belt in place and affixing her hands in a death grip on the steering wheel, determined to reclaim her independence, foolishly surrendered to a man who would sooner jump through a hoop of fire than open his heart to a woman. Well, she was through jumping through hoops for him. As Sabrina stared at the dashboard, turning the key in the ignition, she felt the need for some musical companionship. Not on a popular station, though, not where she would risk hearing a love song that would remind her of Gio. Instead, she set the dial to the classical music channel, instantly relaxing as the wordless notes of a sonata filled the air.

  Sabrina maneuvered her car around one of the many winding back roads she would encounter before making her way to the Interstate. She almost laughed as she thought that she had no clue which direction on the highway she would take. West? North? East? She giggled aloud and felt butterflies rustling in her stomach at her utter aimlessness.

  When she finally reached the Interstate, she decided upon traveling eastbound. This route would bring her into New Hampshire, at which point she would change direction to north. Ultimately, she would reach the state of Maine. With minimal stops, Sabrina estimated that she could be in Maine before night fell. Traffic moved steadily along as Sabrina reluctantly switched the radio to a popular station and began to sing along. She was in the middle of happily belting out the lyrics to a 1970’s disco hit when a huge animal suddenly darted into the road.

  Desperate to avoid a collision, Sabrina wrenched the steering wheel clockwise, guiding her car onto the shoulder of the road. In order to do this, she had to cross hazardously over two lanes, as drivers behind her honked repeatedly. Sabrina held her breath as the car slid crookedly onto the shoulder, narrowly missing a downhill entrance to a thickly wooded ravine. With the emergency brake fully extended, she knew that she was out of immediate danger.

  Daring to look over her shoulder, she was thankful to see that the moose had safely reached the other side of the highway and, while the drivers were frazzled by her sudden careening onto the shoulder, she had not caused an accident. She touched her forehead to the steering wheel, breathing shakily as the realization of what could have just happened flooded her mind. It was common all over New England for moose and deer to prance into oncoming traffic, but Sabrina had never experienced such a close call. It was a terrifying episode that made her wary about continuing all the way to Maine. More wild animals populated the area that she was poised to enter, and the same terror could be waiting for her just a few miles up the road.

  She gave herself a few moments to recover from the crisis, leaning over the passenger side to get her ginger ale. Sabrina took a long swig of the soda, glad she had the foresight to pick up a few food items before taking on the road. Setting the soda bottle aside, Sabrina pushed her hair behind her ears, mentally preparing herself to get back on the road. Time was running out if she wanted to get to Maine before the sun vanished. As she merged again with traffic, she glanced at her dashboard to make sure nothing was awry with the vehicle.

  Registering the near empty level of the gas tank, Sabrina blinked in disbelief. “Why didn’t I notice this before?” She shouted, close to hysterics. The tank was barely an eighth full, perhaps less, and Sabrina did not recall recently seeing any signs for a rest stop. If she didn’t want the car to break down, her only option would be to exit the highway and drive around town looking for a gas station. Hoping the next exit would not be far, she slammed her foot on the gas pedal. To her relief, the neon sign of a gas station was just ahead. She put on her blinker and turned into the station, positioning her car in front of the pump.

  Sabrina looked around, as there were no other cars at the gas pump and no attendant in sight. She waited briefly and then got out of the car, careful to take her keys and purse along. She had no idea what town she was in, but she was aware that she had crossed over into New Hampshire, and it appeared even more desolate than most rural areas in Vermont. With a shiver, Sabrina perused the sidewalks, searching in vain for pedestrians. There were no stores or other indications of commerce nearby as she turned and walked into the station hut. Bells sounded as she swung the door open and called, “Hello? Is anyone in here?”

  No one answered her call, and she beg
an to feel very nervous. Were it not for the nearly empty tank of her car, Sabrina would have run from that sinister gas station without looking behind her. Disconcerted by the utter stillness inside the hut, Sabrina did not call out again, but instead surveyed her surroundings. There were no lights inside the hut, but she could see snack wrappers strewn all around. A half-crushed beer can perched on the counter, and an empty pack of cigarettes was squashed on the dirty floor. Heeding a warning sign in the pit of her stomach, Sabrina turned around towards her car, determined to venture deeper into town and hopefully reach a bustling commercial center. As she turned, a voice behind her called, “You need something, Miss?”

  Sabrina faced the man, dressed in an unkempt jumpsuit and dangling a lit cigarette from his mouth.

  “I need some gas, please.” Sabrina said softly, gesturing towards the car with her arm.

  “Do you know what I need?” The man asked suggestively. She shook her head cautiously. “I need to see a hot lady like you more often. Let’s go fill up your tank.” He snickered. Sabrina was appalled by his innuendo and unsure whether he meant her any harm.

  With no further discussion, she stepped outside the hut and trotted quickly back to her car. She could feel the man’s eyes like cement on her body, and she hastily got back into the vehicle, pulling the lever to open the gas tank. Sabrina stared down at her hands and wrung them absently until the attendant appeared at the driver’s side window. “Pay up, sexpot.”

  Refusing to meet his glance, she completed the transaction with a five dollar bill.

  “I hope you’re in my neck of the woods again soon, doll.” The attendant winked at her as she drove away, feeling as though she just escaped prison.

  As she signaled the blinker to get back on the highway, Sabrina thought how this road trip had not been a smart idea. With only a vague conception of how to drive the remainder of the way to Maine, she warded off a fresh onslaught of anxiety. As picturesque as New England was, its back roads were not constructed for a solo female traveler. She thought fleetingly of Gio’s dog, Pal, and what a wonderful companion he would make on a trip like this. A better companion than his owner, she laughed. With a resolute sigh, Sabrina promised herself that she would not stop again until she was safely at a hotel in Maine.

  Chapter 14

  Gio returned to his loft after sunset. His fishing trip had not resulted in a substantial catch, but he had enjoyed the brisk springtime air and mood-lifting effects of the sun. Now, as he reached into the cooler for a can of beer, he glanced at the telephone with the intention of calling Sabrina. Though he had tried not to ponder over the dream too much, as he had sat by the river all afternoon, the vision of her would not leave him. The last thing he had wanted to do last night was run out on an emergency call, but such crises were beyond his control. The best he could do now was to make it up to her by spending an uninterrupted night and morning in her arms.

  As he prepared in his head what he would say to her, the phone rang, causing Pal to bark loudly. Gio smiled to himself, hoping the telepathy he seemed to share with Sabrina was at work again as he answered the line. “Hello?”

  “Gio, it’s Max. I really need to talk to you.”

  Frowning, hoping to hustle Max off the phone, Gio replied, “OK Max, but make it fast. I was about to make an important phone call.”

  “This is an important phone call, believe me. It’s about Glen Cooper.”

  Now Max had Gio’s attention. Tightly, he seethed into the receiver, “What about Cooper?”

  Max took a deep breath, knowing that he was about to become the messenger of some very unpleasant news. “Try not to get too upset when I tell you this. Today, I worked with some of my informants and had them tail Cooper. Unfortunately, the result of their surveillance is that Cooper has left the country.”

  This revelation enraged Gio, as he recalled Cooper’s cowardice and attempt at deception when they had met face to face. “Tell me what happened.” He commanded gravely.

  “Apparently, he left Vermont yesterday via bus. The bus was headed south and had a terminus of Grand Central Station in New York City. From there, Cooper took a connecting bus to El Paso, Texas. You can assume where he went from there.”

  “He’s in Mexico?” Gio asked, already knowing the answer.

  “According to my informant, yes, he crossed the border into Mexico. But that’s not even the most consequential part of the story.” Max said urgently.

  “Don’t leave me with a cliffhanger, Max! Tell me everything you know!” Gio shouted.

  “Yesterday, around the same time that the bus rolled into El Paso, there was a bank heist down there. A masked man stole more than $100,000 from a local bank. According to police, he was armed and worked alone. There was no getaway car because the robber ran out on foot. That would coincide with Cooper’s lack of a vehicle. He could have gone directly from the bus station to the bank and then to the border.” Max sounded certain of his theory.

  “Isn’t that a long shot?” Gio asked doubtfully, still angrily focused on the fact that Cooper had evaded him and left Vermont.

  “Not at all! I think all the pieces fit together. If he’s planning on living in Mexico, then he would need all the money he could get. Anyway, I wasn’t finished with my story. After I heard that Cooper had left the country, I called his old phone number posing as a friend of his. A woman named Kate answered the phone crying, saying he had left her a note that he was never coming back to Vermont. I’d like to speak to her further at some point.”

  “Forget about that woman. She knows even less than we do. I met her at the gallery, and she was as deceived by Cooper as the rest of us. As far as the bank robbery, if it was him and he successfully crossed over into Mexico, he may never be caught.”

  Gio hung his head in despair, feeling farther than ever from achieving justice for his family. If Cooper had been involved in the arson, as Gio unequivocally believed he was, then how could the man sleep at night? How could he dig the hole even deeper by committing armed robbery and fleeing the country?

  “Are you still there?” Max asked, and Gio grunted in reply. “I’m so sorry that he slipped through our fingers. At the very least, though, this picture has just been made clearer. If Cooper isn’t a guilty man, then he would not be behaving this way. And if he is the culprit in that hold-up, he’ll be caught eventually. You just hang on and justice will find its way to you.” Max encouraged, and Gio wanted to believe him, but was not that naïve.

  “Anything else going on?” Gio asked, not really caring to hear Max’s reply.

  “Actually, yes, Sabrina probably told you how I’m going to New York this weekend to be with Cara. She is amazing, Gio. We spent hours talking on our first date and, man, not only is she a knock-out, but she’s got some head on her shoulders! I just wish she didn’t live all the way in New York City.” Max sounded genuinely blue on that last note.

  “Relax, Max. Don’t you think you’re rushing into things a little? You’ve only had dinner with her once.” Gio reasoned.

  “I thought you would understand, man! You’re with Sabrina after all, and they’re sisters. There’s something about those Montrouge women that’s irresistible. Do you disagree?” Max challenged.

  “I can’t vouch for Cara’s allure, but Sabrina has done a number on me. Speaking of which, let me go now, so I can give that woman a ring. I had to leave her house last night because of an emergency call.” Gio said, beginning to lose patience with his friend.

  “You work way too much, man. Seems like you’ve finally got a reason to enjoy life, but you’re not letting yourself. Go to her and forget about work for once.”

  With that advice, Max hung up the phone, leaving Gio to reflect on the truth of what he had just said. Maybe his job did occupy too much of his time. How many evenings had he been interrupted by an emergency since he and Sabrina were together? Resolving to stop volunteering for overtime hours and take a few days off from work to spend with Sabrina, he began dialing her number. On
the twelfth ring, he slammed the phone down in frustration, wondering where she was. Feeling too restless to stay home, he grabbed his keys and set out to drive to Sabrina’s house, hoping she would be there by the time he arrived.