by Donna Cain
Hunter said, “I know it sounds crazy. But it’s true. If we had time to tell you the whole story, we would. Listen, can you surf the web while you’re doing detention?”
Mr. Just said, “Sure, no problem.”
Hunter went from the door to Mr. Just’s desk at the front of his classroom and scribbled something down on a scrap piece of paper. He came back to where Eli and Phillip Just were standing and held the paper out for Mr. Just. “Here. Do this, please. Look this up. This is what we have. It was dug up behind our neighborhood, and Eli and I brought it back to our houses. We shouldn’t have, but we did. And now we need help, we’re desperate. We’ll go grab something to eat and come back when detention is over. Hopefully, by then you’ll believe us and you’ll know what we can do.”
Mr. Just looked at the kids. He knew these guys weren’t the ones always making trouble. They didn’t goof off; they made good grades, and one look at Eli told him that something other than grief was at play here. He had made up his mind.
“Absolutely. You got it, Man. Come back in an hour and I’ll do what I can to help.”
Eli looked at him and said, “This shouldn’t be happening, and it’s my fault that my sister’s dead. We have to end this.”
Mr. Just put a hand on his shoulder and said, “I’ll do whatever I can, Eli. Hold it together, Dude, hold on. I’ll see you in a little while.”
He watched Eli and Hunter walk down the hallway to the doors to the student parking lot. He could definitely tell the two were seriously freaked. Seeing them like that, when Mr. Just knew that they were usually laid back and light hearted, really made him curious. Maybe there was something at work here other than coincidence. When they had gone, Mr. Just opened the scrap of paper and read what Hunter had scribbled – “The Rock Of Varuupi” and “Professor Preston Monroe”. He frowned and went in to take roll for detention. It was still a few minutes early but he wanted to get started. He had heard that professor’s name before and had an uneasy feeling. He had read the man’s obituary just this morning along with a short article on his life.
By then, Hunter and Eli were back inside the Tomato. They had decided to go to the Hot Dog Hut and grab a snack. Hunter was a little reluctant, though.
“Hey, Eli,” he said. “What if we’re too close to people at the Hut? It’s always so crowded after school.”
Eli was surprised that they had overlooked that. “You’re right. It’s too risky.”
Eli noticed they were low on gas. There was no getting around that. “We need gas, though. How’re we going to do that without getting too close to anyone?”
The boys drove past the Gas N Go a few times before it looked empty enough to pull in. Eli parked on the far side of the mini mart while they waited for the last car to fill up and leave. A few minutes later, the opportunity presented itself. All of the bays were free of cars. Eli hurriedly pulled the car into the bay furthest from the mini mart and closest to the exit back to Main Street. He hopped out and stuck his debit card into the self-pay pump. He was jittery as he waited for the machine to tell him to select fuel type and begin pumping. He groaned loudly as he saw the familiar words pop up on the pump’s screen, “Please see attendant”.
Eli opened the door and told Hunter, “It says I have to go inside. I’m gonna throw him a twenty. Start pumping when you see me through the glass.” He turned and ran to the mini mart.
Hunter hopped out of the car and put the hose into the fuel tank of the Fusion. Watching through the window, he saw the attendant take Eli’s money and then an audible click came from the pump. Hunter squeezed the handle and the fuel started dispensing. By then, Eli was running back toward the car.
Both boys were feeling a little more relieved as the price clicker ascended. $10.49…$11.01…$12.34…$13.45. They were silent, willing it to go faster, with their eyes glued to the pump. They didn’t see Ms. Leezil’s car pull into the bay beside them until she had almost parked.
The boys looked at each other in fear as she got out of her car and said, “Hey, guys! How’s your Monday?”
Hunter kept his eyes on the pump as Eli replied, “Um, good. We’re just in a hurry.” He looked at Hunter who instinctively knew what Eli was trying to say. Hunter stopped the pump at $16.87 and replaced the nozzle. He ran around to the passenger side and got in.
Ms. Leezil looked confused as she watched the boys hurry to get in the car. Then, almost out of nowhere, she stumbled sideways. Her hand reached out to steady herself and found the side of her car. She had broken out in a cold sweat and was feeling faint.
Eli had just gotten into the driver’s side when he saw her stumble. Hunter saw it too and yelled, “Go, Go, Go! Hurry!”
Eli’s sweaty fingers were fumbling with the key, and he couldn’t make it fit into the ignition. Out of the corner of his eye, he could make out Julie Leezil falling to the ground. Panicked, now, he shoved the key in and turned it making the engine come to life. He stepped on the gas, and the car bolted forward out of the bay and down to the street. He narrowly missed another car as he swerved to get back onto Main Street.
Hunter was looking behind them. “Oh,God! She’s on the ground, ELI, SHE’S ON THE GROUND!”
Eli knew. He had seen her fall. The despair that filled him was almost too much. He gritted his teeth and tried not to cry. He drove straight to the high school and parked on the far side of the baseball field. There was no one to be seen. They were completely alone.
Breathing heavily, Hunter slumped against the seat. He was exhausted. The stress of the last few days was just too much. His body was rebelling against him. He had put on a brave front for Eli’s sake the last few days, but he was just too tired to continue.
They sat, not speaking, in the car, each trying to gain composure. The sight of Ms. Leezil falling to the ground was still fresh in their minds. Was she alive? Did they leave fast enough?
Eli looked at the clock on the dashboard of the car. They had left school only twenty minutes ago. Another forty until they could talk to Mr. Just. He closed his eyes and prayed for the time to pass quickly.
CHAPTER 27
Sheriff Buchanon
Sheriff Buchanon was worried about his town. In just over a week, three people had died. Claymont was first, followed by Hansen and then Heather Andrews. He remembered seeing Heather at the game the Friday that Claymont had died. She had looked so healthy and happy. Then Hansen died. No one had seen that coming either, or had they?
Donald had been bothered by the coincidence even before the last two deaths. He didn’t like the way that he and Deputy Clay had gotten so sick at the construction site, the kids, too. No one at the site had escaped without feeling some sort of illness. The more he thought about it; the more he was convinced there was a connection.
After Claymont’s funeral on Monday, Sheriff Buchanon had sought out the paramedics that had been on the scene. They worked out of Community Hospital and were easy to find. The sheriff had asked them a number of questions about that Friday night, but what he really wanted to know was how each of them had felt physically. Danny Kurr was one of the paramedics that night. He said that he remembered feeling extremely hot and dizzy. Jeremy Listle, his partner, had been nauseated and had vomited most of the way to the morgue. That was one reason it had taken so long to get Claymont’s body there that night. They’d had to keep stopping for Jeremy to throw up. Both men had thought they were reacting to the amount of blood at the scene. That can happen sometimes. Even professionals who deal with death on a regular basis can have sensitivity to it occasionally.
Sheriff Buchanon didn’t think they were being sensitive. He thought they were affected the same way that he, Deputy Clay and the kids were.
Tuesday had been a busy one at the department and he hadn’t had much free time, so it wasn’t until Wednesday afternoon that he’d had a chance to return to the site. The bulldozer had been removed. Gary Sam Construction had hauled it off to be cleaned. That was going to be a tough job. The inside of that cab was a
mess. He didn’t envy the guy in charge of that. He didn’t have any trouble finding the clump of maples that Claymont had been clearing when he’d had his attack.
Sheriff Buchanon walked slowly around, waiting for a headache to begin or to feel sick to his stomach. Nothing happened. He felt right as rain. He wandered over to the spot where the bulldozer had sat. He stood right on the spot and felt nothing. Walking back over to the clump of maples, he noticed a hole in the ground – not a scrape made by the Cat, a hole. Looking closer, he could tell that something had been dug up. The hole was at least two feet deep and a foot and a half to two feet wide as well. It looked oddly out of place. The ground around it had been scraped with the bucket of the bulldozer and where the bucket had pulled vegetation out of the ground, roots and brush were left. He could tell the hole was different. The sides were clean, and there were marks left behind by a small shovel or spade.
The Sheriff thought back to that night. Had the hole been there? It had been too dark to see, but he had used his flashlight to poke around while the paramedics had worked to release Claymont. He remembered nothing out of the ordinary. He supposed that the bucket could have made the hole, but no. The bucket of the Cat was much larger than that.
Then he remembered the kids. Hunter had sat next to Eli on the fallen tree. Hunter was dry-heaving and Eli had his head in his hands. Bug was white and clammy and looked like she was in a daze. They had a back-pack with them and something else. He had asked the deputy. He remembered it was one of those metal boxes with a hinge for a padlock. If he remembered correctly, it had been secured with chains as well. He had asked Michael about it and had been told that the kids had it with them all along. He wondered if they had lied to the deputy. But then, what could it be? Nothing he could think of would have affected people that way just by being in its proximity. Could it be some kind of chemical? He knew the boy’s reputation of playing with science experiments sometimes. Could they have concocted something so strong that it would be able to make them all sick? He decided it was worth a trip to talk to them.
That’s when Rachel had radioed and told him about Heather Andrews. She said that she had just gotten another emergency call about Hansen Reynolds and thought there might be a connection. It had taken him a couple of minutes to get back to his car, so, by the time he made it to Meadowview Acres, the ambulance was already pulling into the drive. He noticed a deputy talking to a man in a Jeep and a young girl. The paramedic was headed in the direction of the boy on the ground. The sheriff started toward the Andrews house.
Inside was a flurry of activity. Heather’s mom and her friend were holding onto each other as the paramedic worked to start Heather’s heart. He looked around for Eli, but didn’t see him. He turned to look outside the door and almost ran right into the other paramedic rushing in. The two guys were different than the ones who had worked Claymont’s scene.
The paramedic that had just come on the scene said, “Nothing to do for the boy. Allergic reaction, he’s gone.”
The paramedic working on Heather sat back on his heels and looked up at Mrs. Andrews. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, there’s nothing more we can do for her.”
There was a moment of complete silence and then the screams came. Lara Andrews was inconsolable as her friend, who was also crying loudly, tried to comfort her. The two women clung to each other as the paramedics went to the ambulance to get the gurney.
Sheriff Buchanon walked slowly down the drive toward the deputy’s car. Another one was just pulling up behind. “Good,” he thought. “It’s Michael.” He changed direction and met Deputy Clay as he was exiting his squad car.
“Sheriff,” Deputy Clay tipped his hat. “What’s the status here?”
“I’ll be damned if I know, Michael. We’ve got little Heather Andrews dead in her kitchen and this boy, Hansen, over here I haven’t looked at yet. He’s one of Jeff’s friends. Paramedic says it was an allergic reaction. Looks like Stephens is getting statements from a couple of witnesses.”
“Wish I knew what was happening around here,” Michael responded. “Seems to me the whole town’s goin’ ta hell.” He looked from the Andrews’ house back over to where Hansen lay on the ground.
Sheriff Buchanon felt the same way. As Deputy Clay went to the Andrews’ house to get the information, Sheriff Buchanon looked around. He was searching for Eli, Hunter or Bug. He saw no signs of any of them, so he went back to his car and called dispatch.
Rachel’s voice crackled to life. “What can I do for you, Sheriff?”
“Rachel, have there been any more calls today? Has anyone else been sick, needing an ambulance?”
“No, Sheriff. Missy Davis over on Plum Street caught a dishtowel on fire and panicked, but the Volunteer FD got her under control without much trouble. That was my only call today besides Meadowview.”
“What about yesterday, anything out of the ordinary?” He was still looking for some kind of connection.
“No, Sir, nothing remarkable. Same stuff as usual.” Rachel was beginning to get curious. “Is there something I should be on the lookout for, Don?”
He didn’t want to start a panic. “No, Rach, not at all. I’m just trying to fit something together in my head is all. Let me know if you have anything else come in that involves more than one person, alright?”
“Yessir, over ‘n out.”
Deputy Clay was approaching his squad car, so he let the window down. “What’d you find out, Mike?”
“This sounds just like Mr. Jackson. The girl’s fine until she goes down. Happened real fast, though not nearly as much blood as Claymont. No history of any problems, just came outta the blue.” He looked over at the paramedics removing Hansen. The second ambulance had arrived by then and they had already assessed the situation. The two paramedics were struggling under Hansen’s bulk to get him onto the gurney. “This one over here is clearly an allergic reaction. Maybe somethin’ he ate, could even be somethin’ growin’ around here. No big mystery, though.”
That made Don feel a little better, at least the two weren’t related. Maybe there was some kind of virus going around. He would have to check with the doctors at Community. His theory of the kids having some weird chemical in that box didn’t seem very realistic anymore. He would still talk to them but not today. Not with Eli losing his sister like that.
He gave Deputy Clay orders to wrap up the two investigations as quickly as possible. He would see him back at the station. He also wanted autopsy reports on his desk in the morning. Deputy Clay assured him that it was handled, and Sheriff Buchanon left Meadowview Acres.
The autopsy reports last Thursday hadn’t shown any unusual signs. The cause of death for Heather had been listed as an aneurysm. Hansen’s death had been classified as an acute allergic reaction to an unknown substance. The contents of his stomach were so vast and varied, it was all but impossible to differentiate the culprit. His parents had not wanted to prolong the investigation and were satisfied with the findings. It was obvious that his throat had closed, and that was the cause of his death.
Sheriff Buchanon had gone to both funerals and paid his respects to both families. He had seen Eli and Hunter briefly while at Heather’s but was no longer interested in interviewing them. The box theory just didn’t hold up under scrutiny. He believed it was just a very harrowing coincidence for the community of Hallston. It was jolting for such a quiet town to experience the deaths of three citizens.
He had heard from Bill Port that Shasta had been keeping the Jackson’s company. They were still deeply grieving but dealing with their loss. He knew the community would rally around the other two families as well.
Monday had been quiet. Everyone seemed to be getting back to business as usual. A couple of petty thefts and a drunk behind the wheel on Saturday night had been the work of the weekend. With that having been cleaned up, Sheriff Buchanon had decided to leave work a little early and catch up on raking the leaves that had started to litter his front lawn. He didn’t see the note asking him t
o call Mark Hamilton at the Hallston Daily Journal.
He said his goodbyes and headed for the cruiser. It was another bright, crisp fall day, but still not too cold. He loved the fall weather. He didn’t even mind the winter. Hallston didn’t get really cold through the winter, and, it never snowed, but some of the nights could get pretty chilly.
He stopped at Hardware on Main for some biodegradable lawn bags and a new pair of gloves. He had gotten a nasty cut last year when he had scooped up a mound of leaves only to be sliced by a rusty piece of discarded metal. He had ended up getting a tetanus shot and a couple of stitches.
He left the hardware store and started down Main toward home. Passing by the Gas N Go, he noticed Randy Garner from the mini mart squatting down beside someone who was leaning against a car. He pulled in at the last minute and swung around to park. He noticed, as he got out, that it was one of the teachers from the high school.
“Hey Randy, need some help?” He asked as he approached.
“Hi Sheriff. I think we’re doing a little better now. Ms. Leezil had a little fainting spell.”
The Sheriff looked at the woman on the ground and recognized her as Jeff’s English teacher. That’s it, Ms. Leezil.
“How’re you feeling, Ms. Leezil?” He asked, noticing her pale complexion and the sweat on her brow. He had seen the same symptoms on someone else recently.
She sat up a little straighter and accepted the water bottle from Randy with a sweet smile. “I’m feeling better, Sheriff. I just don’t know what happened. One second I was about to pump my gas, and the next I just couldn’t keep my footing. I felt so hot, too. It was really unusual.” She took another sip from the bottle.
The sheriff was remembering Bug Hamilton sitting on the fallen tree in the clearing. She looked exactly like that, damp hair clinging to her forehead, ghostly white and weak. “Have you been feeling this way all day?” He asked.