When the Wolf Prowls

by Vanessa Prelatte

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah – but I don’t think my phone is.”

  Dawn reached toward her pocket to check on her phone, keenly aware that Rick was maintaining his grip on her arms. She could feel the heat of his hands, right through her jacket and her shirt.

  “Uh – you can let me go now.”

  He released her abruptly, and Dawn inserted her hand into her pocket, fishing out her Satphone. Just as she had suspected, it hadn’t survived the fall.

  “If you’re okay, we’d better start moving again,” Rick said. “Luke didn’t stop. He’s already out of sight. And at the rate he’s moving, it’s going to be hard to catch up to him again.”

  Dawn examined the ground below the spot where they stood.

  “Even if we don’t catch up to him, tracking him will be a cinch in these conditions. No one can travel through this kind of muddy terrain without leaving some pretty clear tracks.” Dusting herself off, she moved forward again. Part of her was annoyed that Luke hadn’t waited for them, but another part of her understood his decision perfectly. She might have made the same decision if it had been her niece and nephew who were in danger, she reflected.

  *****

  The sun was low in the sky as Danny, Kit, and Sherri made their way down the gentle slope into the valley. Although he was trying to hide it from the others, Danny was chafing internally. It had been slow-going all day. They hadn’t been able to leave their improvised shelter until the early afternoon sun had dried the mountain path enough for them to negotiate it safely. The winding trail had terminated at the head of a valley that was quite a bit south of the cabin, so he had to lead the others north again along a different path for quite a way. Finally, however, they had reached a point where they were within striking distance of the cabin. Danny led the others down a path that meandered down to the floor of the valley.

  Stands of Ponderosa pine intermingled with chokecherry shrubs grew part way down the slope, but at the bottom was a clearing. Lush patches of grass grew there, dotted with pink and blue wildflowers. A small stream snaked across the floor of the valley. It wouldn’t be difficult to cross – even Sherri could leap across it with ease. Then up the slope on the reverse side, where the tree line began again. Into the trees just a short distance. Then the path up the cliff face to the cabin.

  For the first time in days, Danny smiled. Almost there, he said to himself. Almost there. But the smile was wiped from his face a minute later. A shot rang out, slamming into the tree in front of him with a loud thwack.

  “Down!” he shouted to the others. “Get down, and follow me!”

  Danny bellied his way into the undergrowth at the side of the path, Kit and Sherri right behind him. A minute later they were all hidden amidst a clump of chokecherry bushes. Then Danny heard the voice he dreaded, saying almost conversationally, “Now, Danny boy, you shouldn’t have done that. Should have stopped dead in your tracks when you heard the warning shot. Instead, you had to try to hide. Don’t put me to the trouble of finding you. You wouldn’t like what the result of that would be. Didn’t I warn you what would happen if you defied me and tried to run again?”

  Danny considered his options. It took him only seconds to decide. Turning to Kit, he whispered, “I’m going to cut through those bushes over there and head back for the path up above. When I show myself, he’ll go after me. Once his attention is distracted, you take Sherri and head that way.” He gestured down the valley toward the stream at the bottom.

  “No! I can’t let you do that,” Kit responded. “I’ll make the distraction. You take off with Sherri.”

  Sherri must have agreed with Kit, for she caught Danny’s arm in a death grip. Danny gently pried her fingers loose and addressed both of them.

  “No. It has to be me. He won’t hurt me. For some reason, he never has. But he’ll hurt Sherri. And he’ll kill you, Kit, if he catches you.”

  Sherri shook her head frantically. Danny leaned over and said softly. “Sherri, do you trust me?”

  A nod.

  “Then do what I ask you to do. Go with Kit. I’ll be okay, as long as I know that you’re okay.”

  Sherri hung her head, but she nodded in assent.

  Danny then turned and gave instructions to Kit. “Head for those tall trees there at the base of the cliff. Behind the tallest one, you’ll find a path up the cliff. Close to the top, it gets really steep, but don’t worry, you can make it. When you get to the top, there will be a clearing, and you’ll be able to see the cabin. It’s not locked. Once you’re inside, there’s a bar you can use to secure the door. In the main room, you’ll find a short-wave radio on a stand against the far wall. The instructions on how to use it in case of emergency are printed on a sheet beside it. Follow the instructions and call for help. Then look to your left. You’ll see a couple of rifles hanging on a rack on the back wall. The ammunition for them is in the top drawer of the bureau in the corner. Load one of the rifles and go stand watch by the front window. If I manage to elude Marc and make it up to the cabin before he gets me, lift up the bar on the door. If you see him, use the rifle to hold him off. Don’t let him in. Not even if he threatens to kill me, Kit.”

  Without giving Kit time for further argument, Danny whispered, “Get ready.” He pulled himself up into a crouch. Near his right hand was a sizable rock. He grasped it, then hissed to the others, “Wait until you hear him yell. That will mean he’s seen me. I’ll head back up the hill, and he’ll follow me. That will be your chance. Run as fast as you can, get across the stream and into the trees on the other side. Make for the cabin.”

  Danny shot out of the bushes and scrambled up the hill. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure on the path, up and to his left. He aimed the rock at the figure and heard it connect with its target. After a few muffled curses, he heard, “You’re going to be sorry for that, Danny. Real sorry.”

  The terrain got tougher, forcing him back on the path, just a short distance from where he had last seen Marc. Danny hit the path running, sprinting back up the hill as quickly as he could. He could hear the footsteps behind him as Marc gave pursuit. A tide of satisfaction washed over him. The plan had worked. Marc now had his back to the floor of the valley, giving Kit and Sherri their chance to make a break for it.

  Danny spotted a clearing in the underbrush to his right and veered off into it, playing for more time. After a few paces, however, he realized that he was heading for the very brink of the bluff he was negotiating. There was no gentle path down this part of the slope – just a sharp drop-off, all the way to the bottom.

  It was too late to change direction now. With any luck, he thought, he might be able to catch the monster off guard and send him over the edge. At the thought, however, his luck gave out. Before he’d reached the edge, he felt hands on his back, shoving him. The next minute he went flying, landing face down on the ground.

  Danny felt his rib cage being prodded by something round and circular. The barrel of a pistol, he thought.

  “Get up,” he heard the hated voice say. “We need to catch up with the woman and your little sister. It’s time for the reckoning, Danny. Time to pay.”

  Danny rolled over on his back and confronted his pursuer. Play for time, he thought. He took a breath, grimaced, and reached for his leg. Wincing, he began to probe his ankle with his fingers.

  “You shoved me too hard!” he shouted. “I think I’ve broken my ankle!”

  Marc reached down and pulled Danny roughly to his feet.

  “Don’t play games with me, boy. Stay on your feet. You’re coming with me.”

  Danny opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get any words out, he heard another voice, this one as strong and clear as a trumpet sounding a battle charge.

  “He’s not going anywhere with you, you son-of-a-bitch. Get your hands off the boy, Foxe!”

  The hard, tight knot that had resided in Danny’s gut for so long dissolved, and his shoulders shook as he heaved out a great, s
huddering sigh. For he knew that voice.

  The cavalry had arrived at last.

  Chapter 41

  Marc grabbed Danny, pulled the boy in front of him, and held the pistol to his head. “Stay back!” he warned.

  Luke Coalbank emerged from behind the tree where he had taken cover, the barrel of his rifle aimed at Marc’s head.

  Ignoring Marc, Luke questioned his nephew, his voice full of urgency. “Danny. Where’s your sister?”

  “She’s safe,” Danny asserted, a note of triumph in his voice. “She’s with a woman named Kit. I told them to take off and make a run for it while I distracted the S.O.B. They’ll have made it to the cabin by now, Uncle Luke.”

  Luke opened his mouth to respond, but a shout from behind squelched his intention.

  “Police! Drop your weapon! Now!”

  Danny’s eyes widened with astonishment as two additional people arrived on the scene, a man and a woman, both with guns drawn. Before Danny had time to process this unexpected turn of events, however, Marc shouted, “Don’t come any closer! Put your guns down!”

  Luke stood motionless as Dawn and Rick moved forward to stand on either side of him. But the rifle he had trained on Marc Foxe never wavered.

  “Let the boy go, Foxe,” Rick ordered.

  “Not a chance. If you come any closer, I’ll kill him!”

  “You do that, and you’ll end up dead. I’m thinking you want to live, instead.”

  Rick took a few steps closer. Marc backed up, hauling Danny with him.

  “I mean it!” Marc warned. “If I have to die, I’m taking him with me.”

  In an attempt to distract the killer, Rick asked him, “Is that what you were thinking when you murdered your sister Samantha? Were you originally planning on killing yourself after you killed her?”

  “No. That was different. And she wasn’t my sister. Just my step-sister. She had to be punished, be made to pay for what she did. She got what she deserved. But this is different. This time, if I have to die, we’ll go out together, like a father and son should.”

  “Father and son? What the hell are you talking about?” It was Luke, rifle still aimed at Marc’s head, who asked the question.

  “I mean that I’m Danny’s father. Maybe not legally, but I’m his biological father.”

  Luke shook his head. He spoke not to Marc but to his nephew, who had gone absolutely white.

  “It’s a lie, Danny. He’s not your father. You’re my brother’s son. No question about it.”

  “That’s what you think,” Marc retorted. “I was with Hannah right before she hooked up with your brother. And Danny was born nine months to the day after the last time we were together.”

  Seeing the look on Danny’s face, Luke said, “Her name isn’t Hannah. My sister-in-law’s name is Alison.”

  Luke spoke again directly to his nephew. “You’re not his son, Danny. You’re Ben’s son. I swear it. It’s true that Marc was with your mother the year before you were born, but she broke up with him and met Ben not long after. When she discovered she was pregnant a month or two later, she wasn’t sure who the father was. That’s why she refused to marry Ben immediately, even though he begged her to. She said she wouldn’t marry him if she was pregnant with another man’s child.

  “When you were born, she was almost certain that Foxe was the father. The timing was right, after all, just like he said. But Ben pointed out that you were mighty small when you were born. You weighed only five and a half pounds. There was a chance that you were premature. So they did a paternity test. When the DNA came back, it was conclusive. You’re a Coalbank, Danny. Through and through.”

  Danny slumped a little, as if with relief. The shock had also caused Marc to loosen his grip a little, and the gun was no longer placed as tightly against Danny’s temple. As his uncle and the two detectives watched, Danny’s hand crept into his pocket. Something bright flashed in his hand, and then Foxe was howling in pain as a pool of blood appeared on his upper thigh. He dropped his gun and grabbed Danny’s wrist, trying to wrestle the knife from the boy’s hand. But before Dawn or Rick or Luke could take advantage of the situation, Marc lost his balance. Still clutching Danny, he tumbled backward over the edge of the cliff.

  Chapter 42

  Kit disengaged the short-wave radio and sighed with relief. Glancing over her shoulder, she opened her mouth to tell Sherri the good news: help was on the way. But her mouth snapped shut again as Kit realized that there was no sign of Sherri. And the front door of the cabin, which she had barred behind her, stood wide open.

  *****

  The drop-off was not as steep as it appeared, Dawn realized with relief. Maybe fifteen feet, at most. A fall from that distance was easily survivable. Rick was beside her as they scanned the tall grass at the bottom of the drop-off.

  She spotted Danny first. He was down and not moving. Crawling toward him, a knife in his hand and rage on his face, was Marc Foxe. But they were not the only individuals on the scene. To her horror, she saw that a path snaked its way down the opposite cliff, and tearing down the path at high speed was a small girl. Only seconds later, she reached the foot of the path, jumped across the stream that bisected the terrain at the foot of the cliff, and ran pell-mell toward Marc, screaming, “No! No!”

  Dawn and Rick lowered their weapons. The child was now in the line of fire. They couldn’t risk taking the shot.

  Luke, meanwhile, had scrambled to the bottom of the drop-off, shouting, “Sherri! Go back!”

  Sherri ignored him and continued on, intent on getting to her brother before Marc, who was almost upon him, reached Danny.

  But then another voice called out, “Sherri! Get down! Now!”

  This time the child obeyed, dropping to the ground with the speed of a shooting star. A mini-second later a shot rang out.

  Luke watched as Marc dropped like a stone, felled by a rifle shot. The knife flew out of his hand. Even before he checked on his niece and nephew, Luke made a beeline for the body. He checked for vital signs, but the man was quite dead.

  Turning back toward Danny, he stopped. Sherri had gotten there before him, and she had snatched the knife up from the ground. Now she planted herself in front of her fallen brother, a wild look in her eyes. There she stood, a tiny yet somehow indomitable figure, knife in hand, intent on defending Danny from any further threats.

  Luke stopped a couple of feet away from the pair and fell to his knees.

  “Sherri? It’s okay, honey. It’s okay. It’s Uncle Luke. Don’t you remember me?”

  Some of the wild glare faded from her eyes as Sherri got her first good look at the man.

  “Uncle Luke?” she whispered.

  “Yeah, it’s me, Sherri. It’s Uncle Luke. Put the knife down, sweetheart, and let me take a look at your brother. I need to check him over, see how badly he’s hurt.”

  Sherri dropped the knife immediately and crouched down beside her brother, giving him a little shake. “Danny? Danny? Wake up!”

  Luke was also there, taking Danny’s pulse, noting in relief that it was strong and steady. He was about to check the boy’s head when suddenly his eyes fluttered open.

  “Sherri?” Danny said. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be up in the cabin!” He looked around wildly, struggling to sit up. Luke pushed him back gently.

  “Lie still, son. Are you hurt bad?”

  Danny leaned back and shook his head. “I don’t think so. Just had the wind knocked out of me, that’s all.” He looked around again, took in the sight of Marc’s body, lying not far away. His eyes met his uncle’s, an unspoken question in his eyes.

  “Yes, he’s dead,” Luke said. “You don’t have to worry about him ever again.”

  “Did you kill him?”

  “Unfortunately, no. I think one of the police officers did.” He indicated Dawn and Rick, who had reached the little party in the ravine just at that point.

  Both still had their weapons drawn. And both weapons were leveled at a fig
ure making its way down the winding path that led up to the cabin.

  “No. Neither of us killed him,” Rick said grimly. Nodding at the woman descending the cliff, he said, “She did.”

  Danny was furious when he realized where the two cops had their guns trained.

  “Put those guns down,” he shouted. “That’s Kit! She’s with us!”

  Dawn replied, her eyes still on the woman, her gun steady, “We can’t do that, Danny. Not until she drops her rifle. She’s already killed a man, and we can’t take any chances.”

  “She only killed him because he was trying to kill us! And he was a murderer. He killed our mother, and Kit’s friend, too! He admitted it to us!”

  “We understand, Danny. But we have to follow procedure. We won’t hurt Kit. As soon as she drops the rifle, we’ll put our own guns away. You have my word. And I have some good news for you. Your mother isn’t dead. She’s in the hospital. It may take her awhile to get better, but she isn’t dead.”

  Danny and Sherri both looked at Luke for confirmation. He nodded. “It’s true,” he said. I’ll take you to see her as soon as possible.”

  Danny swallowed hard and clutched Sherri’s hand. “She’s really going to be okay?”

  “Yeah. Don’t worry. I’m here, and I’ll take care of you until your mom is back on her feet.”

  Kit had reached the stream. Jumping across the narrow stretch of water, she landed on the near side, and for the first time, noticed the guns trained on her. She hesitated for a minute.

  “Kit!” Danny called. “It’s okay! They’re cops. And Uncle Luke is here too. You can put the rifle down.”

  He watched with relief as Kit lowered the rifle, placing it carefully on the ground at the edge of the stream. Then she made her way over toward the rest of them.

  “Katherine Blakewood?” Rick inquired.