by Glenn Trust
Leaning back and stretching as he turned, he scanned three hundred and sixty degrees. Building corners, light poles, everywhere. No cameras. Phase one of the plan was completed.
Of course, ‘plan’ was really a misnomer. This was a stalk and a hunt. Like all hunts, there was a dynamic element. He could set the trap, but what would follow would be fluid and changing, depending upon the actions of the prey.
Each bounding spring of the gazelle caused the lion to change and adapt its attack. It was a part of the hunt that thrilled him. Confident in his skills, a tingle of anticipation went up his back at what was about to follow.
Walking quietly down the side to the front of the building, he moved quickly. Timing was important…swiftness while appearing unhurried.
Although the side of the building was secluded now, the dynamics of the hunt meant that could change. A passerby might pull in near his car looking for a blow job from some truck stop whore. An employee might go there to take a smoke break. Things could change. Right now, they were as near to perfect as he could get them, but that would not last. Phase two had to be executed without delay.
Lylee walked through the front door and scanned the store quickly. She was not there. Moving to the doorway that passed from the store into the cafe, he saw her instantly.
She was seated at the far end of the counter. There were three empty seats to her right and then a cluster of drivers, drinking coffee and talking loudly. The waitress was leaning against the counter laughing and talking with the drivers, coffee pot in hand. Lylee could see that she hadn’t noticed the girl at the end. Without thinking about it, this was automatically factored into the plan.
Walking across the cafe to the counter, he took a seat. Leaving the one directly next to the girl open, he took the one beside it. Close enough, but not too close.
“Well, hello again.” Lylee’s face bore the broad, charming smile he could turn on and off at will.
Lyn looked up from her lap. She was startled to see the man who had saved her from Henry. The memory of the violence of his attack on the big man was slightly eerie. She had been almost as frightened of him as she had been of Henry.
“Hello.” Her voice was timid and soft. She returned her gaze to her lap.
Lylee saw the apprehension in her eyes. He spoke softly, to dispel her concerns. “Listen, I wanted to apologize. I know I got a little carried away out there earlier with…”
He took a deep breath as if he were struggling with his feelings and went on.
“Well, with that big truck driver. You know, I saw him…and he was going to, well it wasn’t good what he wanted to do, and I just…well I just lost it, you know. I couldn’t control myself.”
Lylee lowered his head and looked down at his own lap as if struggling with what to say and how to explain it to her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lyn saw him lower his head. She said, “That’s okay. It just scared me.” She raised her head and looked at him.
Lylee, kept his head lowered, not looking at her. He knew that she was now focused on him. “I just, well,” he continued in a contrite way, “It’s just that my sister was attacked once by some men. They did… things to her, and I…well, anyway…” He shrugged and looked up. “I just lost it when I saw that guy with you. I knew what would happen. I couldn’t stand it, so I…well you know. You saw.”
Lyn smiled just slightly at him. “It’s okay. It scared me, but I’m glad. I mean, I’m glad you did what you did and helped me.”
Lylee turned and looked her in the eye. This time he put a look of gratitude on his face, accented with a soft, caring smile.
“Those other two men were looking for you. You know the ones who stopped you from…well you know, those men who came by,” Lyn said, not knowing what else to say.
“Yeah, I know,” Lylee said. He shook his head again. “I just had to clear my head and walk around for a while. I was pretty pissed…sorry, I mean I was pretty mad, and I needed to calm down.”
Lylee looked directly at Lyn. The charming smile was back. She smiled back at him for real this time.
“Look,” he said lightly as if to change the subject. “Do you want something to drink or eat. My treat.”
“No that’s okay. I was going to get a Coke, but the waitress hasn’t seen me yet.” Lyn shrugged.
“Oh, she hasn’t, has she?” Lylee said taking control like her big brother. He turned towards the waitress laughing with the truck drivers. “Miss,” he said loudly, “we’d like to order.”
The waitress looked up, turned, and placed the coffee pot on the hot plate behind her. Pulling an order pad out of her apron, she said indifferently, “What can I get you?”
53. “I’ll call you later”
Clay released the trigger, and the circular saw whined down to silence once more. He carried the freshly cut lumber to where Cy was framing up the header on a door. In the dense, dead silence, he heard the beep from his cell phone.
Dropping the lumber next to Cy, he reached for the phone on his belt. He had a missed call, two actually, from the same number. It was not a number Clay knew. There was also a voice mail message.
Clay dialed in to retrieve the message. His heart pounded when he heard her timid voice.
“This is Lyn…I’ll be at the truck stop,” the voice said.
Cy looked up and saw the look on his brother’s face.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Lyn. She left a message, said she would be waiting at the truck stop.”
“Well that’s great,” Cy said smiling at his younger brother.
“Yeah,” Clay replied, “but she sounded scared. Like something happened.”
“Well, we can go pick her up when we get off. She said she’d be waiting, right? We can run her back down to home, drop her off with Mama and head back up here,” Cy said and then added, “Won’t get much sleep tonight you know. You can be a pain in the ass for a little brother.”
Clay nodded back “Yeah, that sounds like a plan. She just didn’t sound right though.”
“Well, call her back. She probably called from the pay phone. She might still be around it waiting.”
“Yea, good idea, but the number doesn’t look like a Georgia number.”
Clay used his thumb to redial the number Lyn had called from.
Even through the rumble of the big rig’s tires, big Leon felt the vibration of the phone in his shirt pocket. He plunged two large fingers, all that would fit, into the pocket and retrieved the phone.
Glancing away from the road, Leon studied the number on the screen. Not his wife or anyone else he knew. Probably someone with business, and they called him by mistake. They should have called Bob, who was a half mile ahead in his rig. As always, Leon would just as soon let Bob do the talking and arranging. He put it back in his pocket. Whoever it was would get his voice mail and would call Bob’s number.
“This is Leon. Leave a message.”
The deep, gruff voice on the phone startled Clay, who was expecting Lyn’s soft, timid voice. Who the hell was Leon, he thought. Damn. This wasn’t good.
Clay dialed the number again.
Leon was annoyed as the vibration started in his pocket again. He didn’t like talking much, and didn’t like talking on the phone even more. Still it might be something about one of his kids or his wife from a number he didn’t know.
“Leon!”
Clay recognized the voice from the voicemail announcement. The voice sounded pissed off. Too bad.
“Hi Leon, this is Clay Purcell. I’m looking for a girl, Lyn. She called me from your number.”
Oh, Leon thought. Forgot about that. Clay couldn’t see it, but the big man’s face softened.
“Yeah. She did. Are you the friend she called?”
Clay detected the softer tone in Leon’s voice.
“Yes, I am. I mean I guess I am. Is she with you?”
“No, she was at the truck stop last I saw her. Waiting for you. Are you the friend that was g
onna pick her up?”
Clay answered with more confidence now. “Yes. Yes I am. I told her to call, and I would come get her.”
“Well, that’s good son,” Leon’s deep voice resonated in Clay’s phone. “She needs someone to get her away from there.”
“Why?” Clay felt the anxiety rise in his chest. “Is something wrong?”
Big Leon remembered the little girl standing beside the pay phones at the truck stop when they left. She may have been eighteen and full grown in the eyes of the law, but that little girl didn’t need to be alone there.
Leon felt an ache inside. They should have done more. Something. But there wasn’t anything they could do. She had called her friend, and they had to drop a load in Birmingham. Leon could never have put words to all of this. He said what he could.
“She had some trouble with a trucker. Another fella helped her out, and then we took her in to the truck stop. Bob wanted…”
“We? Bob? Who’s Bob” Clay asked, his anxiety growing.
“Bob? Bob’s my partner,” Leon paused to get the story back on track. “Bob’s my partner. We saw the trouble with the trucker, but this other fella stepped in first, then he left, so we took the little girl back in the truck stop. Bob called the police, but they said she was grown so she could do what she wanted. I let her use my phone to call a friend to come get her. She must have called you,” Leon concluded. He was relieved to get it all out. He added, “Then you called me.”
Clay was overwhelmed. There were too many questions.
“So you left her?” Clay asked.
Big Leon didn’t sound or feel so intimidating now. His voice sounded contrite. “Yeah, we did. Sorry. I hope that’s all right. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to her. She seems like a nice girl. Someone should go get her and take her home. Is that you?”
“Yes,” Clay said firmly. “Yes it is. Is she okay?”
“Last we saw she was standing by the pay phones outside the store waiting. For you, I reckon.” Leon’s conscience and concern made him add, “There wasn’t anything else we could do. Least it seemed that way.”
Clay took a breath. It was lucky for Lyn that Leon and his partner Bob had come along. Not their fault. They hadn’t done anything different than he and Cy had done, leaving her at the truck stop. His conscience twinged painfully.
“Well, Leon thanks for helping her out. I’ll get her at the truck stop. Thanks.”
All Leon could say was, “Okay then. Thanks.” The conversation ended. There wasn’t anything else to say.
Clay looked at Cy and said, “I gotta go.”
Cy looked up, nail gun in his hand, surprised. “What, now?”
“I gotta go,” was all Clay said.
Cy wasn’t happy. “Why do you have to go now? We got to get these walls framed. We have responsibilities, Clay.”
Clay dialed his voice mail back and handed the phone to Cy. He listened intently. The look of annoyance on his face became one of resignation.
“Okay, okay. Take the truck,” Cy said.
“Thanks.” Clay hesitated, “You know I’ll have to…”
Cy cut him off, “I know. You’re gonna take her to Mama. No reason to come back here for me. I’ll catch a ride to the motel with one of the guys. Grab dinner and a couple of beers and go to bed.” Resignation plastered across his face. Cy reached in the pocket of his blue jeans, and tossed the truck keys to Clay. “Go on. Do what you gotta do.”
Catching them in midair, Clay turned and walked away.
Opening the door, he shouted back to his brother, “I’ll call you later.”
Cy didn’t hear. The circular saw was screeching through another piece of pine.
54. Delicious
“Sure you’re not hungry?” Lylee asked between large bites of a cheeseburger.
“No, I’m fine,” Lyn said, making wet circles on the counter with the ice filled glass of Coke. She looked up and smiled appreciatively. “Thanks for the drink.” The Coke was the least of things he had done for her. “And for, what happened earlier,” she added.
Lylee reached for some fries and shoved them in his mouth, then took a sip of his own Coke. His attitude was that of a hungry man focused on his food. Mouth full, he looked sideways at Lyn, smiled, and then swallowed.
Shaking his head modestly he said, “No need to thank me. I told you why. Just sorry I got so carried away. I know that must have scared you some.” He lifted the cheeseburger to his mouth and then stopped and added, “You really do remind me of my little sister.”
Lylee’s words received the desired effect. Lyn smiled broadly at him. Good, he thought. Soon, very soon.
He turned back to his food. He really was hungry. And with what was to come, no telling when he would get a chance to eat next. Another big bite of the cheeseburger disappeared in his open mouth.
Lyn leaned forward over her drink, elbows on the counter. There was an empty seat still between them. After a moment, she looked at Lylee and said, “You know I do have a brother.”
Lylee showed mild interest and said, “Really?” Inwardly, he was on fire. He tingled with anticipation. Outwardly, he was the stalking cat, moving ever so closer to the catch. A brother. He sensed, he knew, that he could use this. He awaited the opportunity.
“Yeah,” Lyn said. “My brother Sam. My big brother.”
“That’s great,” Lylee said, cleaning up some ketchup with a french fry. “Well, what does he think about you being here. I mean he must not like it, huh?”
“He doesn’t know.”
“No? How come?,” Lylee asked, playing the interested friend, the protector.
“Sam was in Afghanistan, in the Army. He was killed. He’s buried back at the church at home.”
“So, why are you here? Because your brother was killed?” Lylee asked with the greatest sympathy and interest, and then added politely, “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry into your business.”
In reality, he couldn’t have cared less why she was there. He was only interested that she was there.
Her story provided information that would bring her closer, ever closer to the trap…close enough for him to spring. Listening intently, he sought that one piece of information, the key that would open the door to what was to come next.
“I had some trouble at home.” Lyn looked down again. She really didn’t want to go into all that had happened last night.
And again, Lylee couldn’t have cared less about her trouble at home, but he saw her withdraw on this topic. He had to keep her talking, bringing her closer.
He smiled broadly at Lyn, “Well let’s not talk about the trouble. My name’s Bruce, Bruce Starns.”
Lylee made the name up on the spot. Initials BS, he thought seemed perfect for the occasion. He found the irony humorous. It was even more humorous that she was unaware of the bullshit he threw her way with every bit of information he provided and every answer to her questions. He stuck his hand out to shake her hand in the way new acquaintances do.
Lyn shook the ends of his fingers the way a young girl who never shook hands would and said, “I’m Lyn.”
“So how come you are here in the big city in this delightful place?” he said letting go of her hand and waving his arm around at the truck stop, laughing. As he did so, he saw it happen. He saw the barrier come down. She got too close, and the best part was she didn’t even know it, and when she did realize it, it would be too late.
Why not just tell him, she thought. “Me and Sam always had a dream of going to Canada.” She shrugged and then added, “So I thought I would go to Canada.” She paused self-consciously and then continued, “I know it sounds crazy.”
The broad, charming smile was back. “Are you kidding? Canada’s great. Beautiful place. I think that’s a perfect place to dream of going.”
“Really?” Lyn asked. “You been there?”
“Sure. I was there just last year. I took a little runaround there on vacation.” Lylee laughed inwardly again at the use of his specia
l word for these trips. If she only knew…but she would know, soon enough.
“Really?” Lyn knew she was repeating herself. “I mean what’s it like? In my dreams, our dreams, me and Sam thought it would be…beautiful.”
“It is beautiful. Big and full of trees and mountains. And lakes, lot’s of lakes.” Lylee’s only real knowledge of Canada was what you might gather watching television or looking at travel magazines, but Lyn didn’t know that. Lylee knew that she didn’t know, and her innocence only increased his desire and whetted his appetite for what would come. Soon now, very soon.
Lylee watched Lyn look at the wall behind the counter as if she were staring at some far away lake. She was imagining what Canada was like. Trees and mountains and fresh air.
Oh yes, he thought, and by the way, don’t forget the grizzly bears and the mountain lions. Claws that would tear into her soft flesh. Teeth that would sink into her throat as she sat happily beside some mountain lake. The inward laughing was uncontainable, and it became a smile on his face.
Seeing the smile, Lyn was embarrassed. She didn’t understand the smile. She had no clue that the smile was her cue to run for her life.
“Sorry,” she said. “I know I sound silly.”
“Nope. Not at all,” Lylee said bringing the smile under control, pushing the laughter deep inside where she wouldn’t see it and maybe realize that all was not right. “So, you’re headed to Canada then. That’s why you were with that truck driver, huh? Ride to Canada?”
Lyn’s face changed slightly. The memory of what had happened, or almost happened if it hadn’t been for this man, was a sharp pain.
Lylee saw the change. It was what he had intended. Remind her of what he had done to help her, to protect her.
“Yeah. He was gonna give me a ride north. Not all the way, but closer. I guess I was pretty stupid.”
“It’s never stupid to follow your dreams,” Lylee said smiling again, this time at the banality of what he had just said.
This was too good. Follow your dreams. Reach for the stars. Climb every mountain. And so on and so on. Her innocence was delicious, irresistible. He savored it. Soon he would feed on it.