by Andy Rane
“Better get our boogie-shoes on, Doc. The po-leece are on their way.”
Taylor hurried after him into the parking lot and toward the Barracuda that was slowly accumulating a new layer of snow powder. He walked over to the passenger side of the car. He waited for the man in black to enter the car, but he didn’t. He was staring over Taylor’s shoulder. Taylor spun around, but saw nothing. Nothing at all.
“What…?” blurted Taylor, just as he realized what it was. “I thought you said you shot him? Where the hell is he?”
The man in black walked to the front of the car, peering around the parking lot. He could see several sets of tracks. There was no body. And there was barely a sign that the man had been there at all. No pool of blood. No red-streaked snow. The sirens were growing louder. The man in black smacked the hood of his car, then ran back to the driver’s door and jumped in.
“God dammit, how could I be so dumb. God dammit! Must’ve had a vest on or something. God dammit. You stupid mother…God…dammit!”
They pulled out of the parking lot just in time to avoid immediate pursuit. The man in black pounded the steering wheel, cursing so furiously that it made Taylor fear for his own life. He imagined asking the man if he was still as sure as he was before. He also imagined the beating he would receive for it. It could wait. His time would come.
Chapter 18
“Where are you headed?” James asked.
“No clue,” Nicole said.
“Maybe you should pull over,” James said.
“No,” Kevin and Nicole said at the same time.
“Okay. Maybe we should at least try and find out where the hell we are.”
“Where’s that map?” Nicole asked.
There was a feeble search for it, but the three seemed comfortable with just getting away from where they were. Nicole continued to drive, though with less emphasis on speed. She gripped the wheel so hard that James thought her hands might go numb. She broke out every so often in a fresh set of tears. Kevin stared out into space, occasionally uttering the same phrase, “Unfuckingbelieveable.” James didn’t know what to say to either of them. He felt stupid. He felt like he’d been shown a set of choices that should have seemed obvious and yet he had chosen poorly anyway. He wasn’t used to that. He had never needed to make the tough decisions. Not these kinds of decisions at least. James had been suddenly ripped out of the comfortable world of easy decisions to one where every decision could turn the course of his life…or what was left of it.
“Turn right!” shouted James, startling Nicole into a turn that nearly ran them into the ditch on the far side of the road.
She struggled with the car, allowing it to come to a complete stop in the middle of the road. The windshield wipers squeaked against the glass, brushing uselessly at the heavy wet flakes still falling. Kevin looked over at Nicole. Then they both looked back at James.
“Next time,” Kevin said, looking back at Nicole, “don’t listen to him. Jesus, James! Could you be a little more…oh, I dunno…timely, with your directions?”
“We’ve got to keep going,” she said.
“I know, but let me drive,” James said.
She nodded and opened the door to get out. James climbed out of the car after her, grasped her hands and was surprised by how cold they were. She was shaking and he couldn’t be certain it was from the cold night air. Tear streaks had dried on her cheeks, but her eyes looked ready to provide fresh ones. The snow was catching in her hair. Everything he had felt in the last few hours seemed to be reflecting back at him in her face. Something had changed. She would never look the same to him, and something that had existed for her inside of him had died. He turned to pull the driver’s seat back for her, afraid that she might see that feeling in his face.
She climbed into the back seat. He looked to her for some sort of response, but she simply curled herself into her jacket and turned her back to them. He looked to Kevin, but he was staring blankly out the front window. Kevin looked like he was ready to cry himself. James told himself that their reaction was natural and completely understandable given the circumstances. But, despite what he tried to think, he felt that they were really turning their backs on him and leaving him alone when he needed them the most. Then he felt guilty for thinking that. The stress was starting to affect them all. He put the car in drive, but only inched forward a foot before stopping again.
He looked around at the sign that had made him turn. The familiar blue and red shield of the interstate system. The same one that had brought them here in the first place. He assumed this because the snow obscured exactly which interstate highway that it was. Being Pennsylvania, the choices were limited. James considered the situation. There was a state of emergency declared, which made driving a problem. At least on a major highway. He stared back over at the sign. It wasn’t clear from where he sat. He gingerly reversed the car several feet to the corner. Interstate to the left. State highway 44 to the right. He reversed some more, hearing the tires struggling to grip the increasingly snowy road. It hadn’t seen a snow plow in at least an hour if not more.
“Heads or tails?” James asked.
Kevin just shook his head.
“Unbelievable,” he said.
James hunkered down behind the wheel and focused on what he could see of the road. With sunrise still several hours off, it would be a long, dark, and quiet remainder of the night.
Chapter 19
Agent John Norris awoke to the sound of a disturbingly loud telephone placed too close to the head of the bed. An accompanying light flashed along with the ring, in case he was so deaf that he could not hear the ear-splitting bell. Only the cheapest motel in the area could provide this added bonus of discomfort. His rapid attempt to silence the racket was nearly fatal for the phone. His crumpled pants cushioned the three-foot fall that the phone made to the floor. He pressed the receiver to his head and spoke, or at least tried to.
“John?” said a somewhat familiar, though tinny, voice on the other end.
Norris pulled the receiver away and coughed out the night’s congestion. This took several hacks that a chain-smoking emphysema sufferer would have been proud of. He tried again.
“Hello?” he said.
“John? You ok?” came the familiar voice.
“Damn cold. Started coming on last Tuesday. Can’t seem to shake it,” Norris said
This was followed by another round of phlegm-dislodging coughs. He placed the receiver down, went into the bathroom, and proceeded to spit the contents of his lungs into the toilet. He returned to find that the familiar voice had begun talking to the end table.
“Den? Start over.”
“Why’d you turn your cell off?” Dennis asked.
“Because I didn’t want to talk to anyone,” Norris said honestly.
“Well, I had a hell of a time tracking you down, but I have my ways,” Dennis said.
“Careful, Den. That’s misappropriation of…errr…something I’m sure,” Norris said.
“I thought you’d approve,” Dennis said.
“What’s going on, Den?”
“We have something in your area.”
“You gotta be kidding,” Norris said.
“No. Something came in over the wire this morning. ‘Round five. When I found out where you were, well…with the storm and all, it’ll be a bit before they can get someone in from Pittsburgh or Cleveland.”
“Out here?” Norris asked.
“Listen, it’s not far up the road from where you are. A place called Springfield.”
“And the locals can’t handle it?” Norris said.
“Well…according to the police, witnesses saw a man get shot.”
“Wow. A shooting. Go figure,” Norris cracked.
“Point blank in the chest,” said Dennis.
Norris put his glasses on and took two deep swallows from the glass of water at the side of the bed. He knew that the water was clean because it tasted just like chlorine.
“Imp
ressive,” Norris said, picking up the remote and turning the TV on.
“Then he got up and walked away,” Dennis added.
“Nice. Why are they wasting my time with this sort of shit, Den. Just because I got stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere in a snow storm, they gotta go and throw something like this in my lap? I’m supposed to be reporting to the Cleveland office today, remember? You know, Cleveland? Where the real crime happens?”
“John, c’mon, don’t shoot the messenger,” Dennis said.
“Nice pun. I’m sorry, Den. I’m just not in the mood to go looking for a body. Can’t they just follow the blood trail?” Norris said.
He flicked between Headline News and The Weather Channel. Neither seemed to offer any good news.
“There wasn’t one,” Dennis said.
There was a moment while Norris waited for the explanation. There wasn’t one.
“And?” Norris said.
“And, there’s a slim chance it’s our man,” Dennis said.
“How’s that?” Norris said. He turned off the TV.
“Someone spotted a ’69 Barracuda. Could be a coincidence, but--” Dennis said.
“How far am I?” Norris coughed again, the phlegm refusing to cooperate with this sudden burst of conversation.
“Couple miles. Listen, there’s a couple witnesses.”
“How many?”
“Three.”
“How many saw the shot?” Norris asked.
“One…from about a hundred and fifty yards…through a thin curtain,” Dennis said.
“That’ll be useful,” Norris said.
“Saw the shot. Saw the victim fall.”
“Didn’t see him get up and mosey on away?” Norris mocked.
“Nope.”
“Of course not. Too busy trying to dial 911 on his rotary phone. Any descriptions?”
“Vague. It was at three this morning. Poorly lit parking lot. The other two who saw something gave conflicting reports as to how many people were there.”
“Great.”
“The only solid stuff we have is the description of the vehicles.”
“Who’s the contact?”
“A lieutenant by the name of Fields. Chief’s out of town on vacation or something like that. Sounded like the kind of guy who joined the police force in his home town for the uniform and not the potential gunplay.”
Norris laughed harshly, which then turned into a cough and another fit.
“Great. A small town Buford and a walking dead man. Where’s Mulder and Scully when you need ‘em.”
“And John, keep your head up on this one.”
“Oh?”
“They don’t know I’m calling you on this.”
“Seemed a little small for bureau work,” said Norris.
“Yeah, so don’t stir the pot too much. A flash of the badge and then in and out. Don’t go pissing ‘em off. You haven’t even checked in yet for Christ’s sake.”
“Alright, Den. I’ll check it out. I’ll call you in a couple of hours. Let you know what’s going on,” Norris said.
“Okay. Keep your nose clean, alright?”
Norris reeled with a volley of chest-splitting coughs.
“And, Jesus, do something about that, will you?”
“Yeah, hey, no problem.”
Norris hung up the phone and placed it back onto the end table. He sat on the edge of the bed, boxers and a t-shirt on from the day before. His pants, shirt, tie and jacket lay in a pile on the floor. He breathed deep and felt the air catch in his lungs. He coughed again, the phlegm deep within his chest. Some cold, he thought.
He stood and walked to the curtains. They were that triple-layered burlap design that managed to block out all possible light no matter what time of day. He pulled back the circa 70s fabric. The light from outside was more snow than sun, but he was pleased to see that the abundance of falling flakes had abated. He was less pleased to look down into the parking lot and see that his car was now beneath three feet of snow along with several others parked right next to him.
“Son of a bitch,” he said and closed the curtain as a fresh wave of coughing hit him.
Chapter 20
“Nic.”
It took a moment for the response, but eventually she responded in a quiet, hidden voice.
“Yeah.”
“I need you to be with me, here,” James said. “I need both of you to be with me on this.”
Kevin stirred and looked at him and he could hear her turn around in the back seat. She had been still for at least an hour. James had let her do it. Had given her that chance to come back by herself. She hadn’t, though, and it was starting to bother him. The road was still dark, though the snow had let up. And on more than one occasion, he had considered finding the interstate and just turning back. Forget the whole thing. Just drive back to Jersey and live in his parents’ house for the rest of his life, as short as it might be. At least he’d be comfortable. But, then he knew it wasn’t that easy. Knew he wouldn’t just be left alone. And besides, that house would always await his return. It and nothing else awaited him back there. At least while he was out here, wherever here was, he was not alone. At least not yet.
“Are you ok? Are you lost?” Nicole said in a voice that was not completely her own.
“You could say that,” James said, “I think we passed into Ohio a ways back and…and I just need to hear a voice…something. The radio’s just not doing it for me anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry, bro, that shit was…well, it was fucked up back there,” Kevin said.
“Don’t I know it. But, don’t apologize…I won’t hold it against you. I just really need you to both be with me in spirit as well, instead of just in body.” She grasped his shoulder and he could hear the hesitation in her voice.
“Pull over,” she said. “Kevin, can I sit up front?”
Kevin nodded.
James pulled over, finding as clear a spot as he could on what little shoulder there was. He put the car in park and helped her as best he could with the seat. She climbed in and wrapped him around the head with both arms. He returned the hug and they just sat like that for a while, awkward as it was with Kevin in the back. He inhaled deeply of her and felt himself relax for the first time that night. There was something he was chasing here. There was something to be found at the end of it, and it might not just be the promised other brother, or the remote hope of family. Nicole let go first and as she sat back, James could see fresh tears streaking her cheeks.
“It was my fault,” she said, choking back a sob.
“Oh Nic, you couldn’t have done anything--” James started.
“I must’ve…pushed the dial button…on my cell phone…sometime in the night,” she gasped.
“But…” she wouldn’t let him speak though.
“It was to my home number and the answering machine is unplugged. I have the ringer on so low, you have to be on top of the phone to hear it. It just kept ringing. It was nearly dead by the time I got in the car. It had been ringing for over two hours.” She couldn’t hold anything back and began sobbing furiously. James sat looking at her, the pieces trying to work their way together through the clouds of sleeplessness.
“The signal,” Kevin said and Nicole nodded her head without looking up. “They could have triangulated the position within a couple miles depending on where the nearest towers were.”
James looked back at Kevin, an eyebrow cocked.
“I watch a lot of Discovery Channel,” Kevin said.
“Right. But, how would they know to be looking for you, Nic? There’s got to be another explanation,” James said and leaned out to Nicole and gently stroked the side of her head.
The sobs were coming less frequently now. She pulled his hand to her face and rubbed her cheek against it. Her face was warm and damp. The lights that suddenly appeared behind the car startled James.
“Get down,” he hissed and they obeyed.
He looked back at the road and realized that, despite his attempt to pull over, he still took up most of the lane. He rolled down his window enough to stick his arm out and wave the car by. They didn’t seem to notice, or care. The car pulled up right behind the 300M.
“No way,” James said, “No fucking way. Sit back up…slowly” and as if to answer, the car was suddenly flooded with red and blue flashing lights. James felt sick as his body moved hurriedly from fear to relief and back in a matter of moments. Paynter’s voice was still clear in his head, ‘They are the police.’
Nicole made to straighten her face and hair in vain. Her eyes were red and puffy from all of the crying she had done that night, and her hair was everywhere. She sat forward and pulled on her seatbelt. Kevin looked especially nervous. His hands rummaged in his pockets for something that wasn’t there. He turned away from the driver’s side door as James rolled the window down the rest of the way. He watched in the side view as the officer got out of his car and made the slow walk up. He tried to move the shifter into drive as smoothly as he could. The car gave it away with a loud “Thunk!” The officer stopped short of the door, his hand suddenly at his holster.
“Put the car into park, sir.” James hesitated for only a moment then did as he had been told. He made a split decision that he wasn’t feeling that brave.
“Sorry officer,” he said, placing both hands up on the wheel.
The officer, a local from what James could make of his uniform, relaxed his position only slightly.
“Bit far from Florida tonight?”
“Florida?” James said, his mind trying to make some sense out of the word.
“Yes…yes it is, officer,” Kevin said from the back seat.
He shone a large black flashlight into the back seat. Kevin waved as cheerily as he could.
“Are you aware of the current state of emergency, sir?”
“State of Emergency?” James said, wishing he could do more than spit out a question to answer a question.
The officer moved closer to the window, bent down and got a good look at Nicole.