by Ed Robinson
A successful fishing trip led to a decent dinner. It would keep me going for another day. A full belly led to a good night’s sleep, and I was ready to hike in the morning. I moved quickly until I could pick up where I left off. I slowed down and went silent as I took a river fork to follow Bullhead Creek. There was a housing development to the east, and I didn’t think Pennington would be there. Eventually, I turned back west towards Garden Creek and Devils Garden. My senses began to pick up on human activity where there shouldn’t have been any. I went into super stealth mode and snuck carefully through the brush until I could see the tattered tent that Pennington used. I did not approach him. Instead, I settled in and observed. I’d been out of contact with him for days, so he probably thought he was in the clear.
He’d made camp quite deep in the wilderness. It was a good hike to the nearest campground or the state park. Only by stubborn determination had I found him. Now I had to decide what to do about it. I had no more food and was down to my last bottle of water. If I spooked him, there would be no more following him. I’d have to give up and go home. I made a waypoint on the GPS and slithered away from his camp. I knew where to find him. I needed to regroup before trying to reason with him again. Once I was well clear of the area, I picked up the pace and made my way to the trail that led back out of the woods to Longbottom Road. I dug the phone out of my pack and turned it on. I had enough signal to call Brody.
“There’s a park service road by the Little Stone Mountain Baptist Church,” I told her. “I’ll be coming out there.”
“On my way,” she said. “You okay?”
“All good,” I said. “Tired and hungry.”
“Okay, be safe.”
The hike out of there became drudgery. I was no longer on the hunt. I had no goal to accomplish but to get home to a hot shower and a warm bed. I don’t know how young Pennington did it day in and day out for so many months. He must sneak into camp showers occasionally. I kept putting one foot in front of the other until I made the service road. It was easy walking from there. Brody was waiting when I got out close to the road. Seeing her warmed my heart, and made me question why I’d ever leave her for so long, especially to sleep out in the woods.
“What’s the verdict?” she asked as I got in the car.
“I’m on him,” I said. “But I’m out of everything. He’ll keep.”
“So, you’re coming back here again?”
“I talked to him a couple of times,” I said. “He moved his camp, and I found him again. Then I lost him for a while, but now I know where he is.”
“How are you going to bring him in if he keeps running?”
“I’ve got an idea,” I said. “But first, get me something to eat and take me home.”
We stopped at Five Guys in Boone on the way home. Normally I hate fast food, but I woofed down a pretty good burger. I could have eaten half a cow, but I couldn’t wait for a sit-down restaurant to cook me a steak. I hit the shower as soon as we got to the cabin. I had an urge for a glass of whiskey afterward, but I resisted. I paid some attention to Red before it got dark. I had planned to pay some attention to Brody before bed, but I fell asleep on the couch. She put a blanket over me and let me sleep, knowing that I needed it.
I made up for it in the morning, even before coffee. I was rewarded with a good old fashioned country breakfast of sausage gravy and biscuits. It was good to be home. Pennington could eat his stolen cold cuts and sleep on the ground, but I didn’t have to. All I had to do was figure out a way to get him out of there without having to spend the night in the woods again. This consumed my thoughts for the next few days.
Brody presented me with a backlog of potential customers for Creekside Investigations.
“If we keep ignoring the calls we’ll be out of business,” she said. “We need to start chopping away at this list.”
“I’m close to ending this with the running man,” I said. “I think I can bring him home.”
“How?”
“I use Red to distract him,” I said. “He loves animals. He won’t be able to resist old Red. As soon as he lets his guard down, I nab him.”
“You can’t hurt him,” she said.
“I was thinking of handcuffs,” I said. “However I can use them. Cuff us together, cuff his feet, whatever works.”
“What if he gets away before you can restrain him?”
“Then me and Red meet you back at the trailhead,” I said. “But that will be my last shot at him. He won’t trust me again if I fail.”
“What if I come with you?” she asked. “I can carry cuffs too. Double our chances.”
“You sure you want to do that?”
“Can’t let you and Red have all the fun,” she said. “You know where he is. I don’t have to slink all through the wilderness. We let Red approach him and hope he stays still long enough for one of us to grab him.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Seventeen
We did not pack for a long stay. We took enough water for the two of us with a little extra for Red. We had the GPS, handcuffs borrowed from Rominger, and our weapons. Traveling light allowed us to move faster. We made a beeline for Pennington’s location, allowing Red to run freely. We stopped to catch our breath and drink before we got too close. Red was happy to be out in the woods again. He lived for this stuff. I think he even knew that he was part of a mission. He didn’t chase after squirrels or even wander far from our side.
We moved a little slower after that, sneaking up on Pennington’s camp. I kept Red on a short leash until we were within striking distance. I whispered to him as I took the leash off.
“Go in there and play nice, boy,” I said. “Make nice with him. It’s okay, go ahead.”
He cocked his head sideways as I spoke, trying to understand. I gave him a little pat on the rump.
“Go play,” I said. “Go on, now.”
He trotted off in front of us, and we followed carefully, making sure we weren’t seen. Red found the camp and ambled in, sniffing everything in sight. The running man came out of his tent and smiled.
“What are you doing here?” he said to the dog. “Are you a good boy?”
Red went right for him. Pennington was still on his knees as the dog approached him. Red gave him a big wet doggy kiss right on the face, which made his smile grow even bigger. He reached out to pet Red, who sat down and let the petting commence.
“You’re such a pretty dog,” Pennington said. “We need to find your owner. Where did you come from?”
Red gave him another lick, which caused him to giggle like a child. Soon the two of them were rolling around on the ground, alternately wrestling and hugging. I looked at Brody and gave her a nod. It was time to move in.
Pennington was oblivious to our presence. He was having a grand old time playing with Red. He didn’t spot us until we were almost on top of him. He froze when he saw us, but didn’t run.
“That’s our dog,” I said. “He likes you. It’s okay, you can play with him.”
“You sure it’s okay?” he asked.
“He loves attention,” I said. “He’ll keep that up all day.”
“Why did you bring him here?”
“To meet you,” I said. “I thought you two might hit it off.”
“Mom never let me have a dog,” he said. “She said I wouldn’t take care of one.”
“I bet you’d take great care of a dog,” Brody said. “And Red does seem to like you.”
“And I like him,” he said. “I love animals, and they love me. It’s a gift, you know.”
“Clearly,” Brody said. “Do you mind if we sit for a while?”
“Long as I can keep playing with Red,” he said.
We got comfortable while Pennington tossed a stick for Red to fetch. I knew that this could go on for hours. Red would retrieve it as many times as it was thrown.
“He ain’t Red,” Pennington said. “Why’d you name him that?”
“It’s after a dog in a country
song,” I said. “Red was the warden’s dog who thought chasing escaped prisoners was fun, but a pretty little female hound dog ruined his career. They had red headed, blue tick puppies.”
“I heard that song,” he said. “I ain’t no escaped prisoner though.”
“You sure can run,” I said.
“I’ve always been a runner,” he said. “That’s my thing.”
“I bet the coach could use you to help with the team,” I said.
“Coach never liked me much.”
“That’s not what he told me,” I said.
“What did he tell you?”
“Said he had a soft spot for you,” I said. “Wanted us to make sure you were all right.”
“You talked to my mom, too?”
“I’ve spoken with her several times,” Brody said. “She loves you and wants you to come home.”
“Ain’t folks mad that I’ve been stealing stuff?”
“That’s no way to live,” I said. “You’ll get in real trouble sooner or later if you keep it up.”
“It will be winter soon,” Brody added. “There won’t be campers out here then. You’ll need a warm place to sleep and some of mom’s cooking.”
“What are you going to do when it gets cold?” I asked.
He kept throwing the stick, and Red kept bringing it back, eager for more. Pennington seemed delighted each time the stick returned. After it was dropped at his feet, he’d rub Red’s head and throw it again.
“I thought I could get into one of those cabins across the road from the park,” he said.
“That will get you caught for sure,” I said. “Plus they don’t leave the heat on when no one is around. There’s no food or clothes there when they aren’t rented. That’s a trap you won’t get out of.”
“What am I supposed to do then?” he asked. “I like it out here with no people. People ain’t nice.”
“I’m a pretty nice person,” Brody said. “I want to help you.”
“What about him?” he asked, pointing at me.
“He can be nice when he wants to,” she said. “Red absolutely adores him, so he can’t be all bad.”
“Dogs know if a person is mean or not,” he said. “They can tell.”
“We both want to help,” she said. “We wouldn’t be out here if we didn’t.”
“You’ve gone to a lot of trouble,” he said. “Why?”
“Your mother and your coach convinced us you were worth it,” Brody said. “We think we have some ideas to help you.”
“Help me what?”
“Deal with people a little better,” she said. “Then, you won’t have to live out here forever.”
“People don’t like me much.”
“They don’t understand you,” she said. “But lots of people are nice, just like us.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Is your mom nice? Was your coach nice?” Brody asked.
“Momma is just as nice as she can be,” he said. “Coach let me do my own thing. He didn’t bother me like the rest of them at school. He was okay, I guess.”
“Counting us you’ve got four friends,” she said.
“That’s more than I’ve got,” I said. “You don’t have it so bad.”
He thought about that one for a minute. He was holding onto the stick, and Red was getting impatient. He finally threw it and looked straight at me.
“How come you don’t have no friends?” he asked.
“I don’t like people much either,” I said. “But I make out okay in the world. Finding the good ones, like Brody here, makes putting up with the bad ones tolerable.”
“She seems real nice,” he said.
“She puts up with me and Red,” I said. “Treats us real good.”
“Will you bring Red to visit me?”
“Red would like that,” I said. “He wants to play more than I can handle sometimes.”
“I will play with him all day,” he said.
“We’ll bring him over once in a while,” I said. “Maybe talk your mom into letting you get your own dog.”
“You would do that?”
“Looks like you can handle one to me,” I said. “I’ll talk to her about it if you’ll come out of the woods with us.”
He stopped throwing the stick. Red plopped down at his feet, panting but happy. He rubbed Red’s fur softly, thinking. He looked like a little boy, lost in his thoughts. I couldn’t predict what he would decide. I looked at Brody. She had her fingers crossed. Nothing was said for five minutes. He stood up and threw the stick one more time.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll go home with you, but you better keep your promises.”
“Your mother will be so happy,” Brody said.
“You made a good choice,” I said. “You won’t want to be out here this winter.”
“I get to play with your dog, right?”
“Sure man,” I said. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Pennington and Red played fetch all the way back to the trailhead. My dog was going to sleep well that night. We carried only a few things from his camp, leaving the tent to rot in the woods. He needed a shower and some clean clothes badly, but we figured his mother wouldn’t mind. He didn’t talk during the drive to her house. When we got out of the car, he stayed seated. I could see the reluctance on his face. I stayed with him while Brody went to get his mother.
“You’re going to be fine,” I told him. “Trust me, I know the world can be overwhelming at times, but you can do this.”
“It’s a lot different than the woods,” he said.
“I like the woods too,” I said. “Sometimes I go out in the wilderness just to get away from people. I need to get away from all the noise.”
“But you always go home,” he said.
“I like Brody too,” I said. “And a warm bed. We’re not meant to stay in the woods forever.”
“I kind of knew that,” he said. “But I had to get away.”
“I understand,” I said. “You call me when you get the urge to get away. We can go out in the woods together.”
He gave me a smile. His mother came out of the house with an even bigger smile. He got out of the car, and she gave him a monstrous hug.
“I’m sorry, momma,” he said. “I didn’t want to cause you no trouble.”
“Welcome home,” she said. “Let’s get you cleaned up and fed.”
“That would be nice.”
She turned to us with tears running down her cheeks. Brody gave her a hug.
“Thank you is not enough,” she said. “You’re angels, both of you.”
I handed her a business card, and she pulled me in for a hug too.
“We promised to bring the dog over for visits,” I said. “Give us a call when it’s okay.”
“I will,” she said. “He loves dogs.”
“Please consider letting him get one of his own,” I said. “That was part of our deal.”
“I’ll think it over,” she said. “God bless you.”
Ed Pennington had already gone inside. Mrs. Pennington turned and ran after him, leaving us alone on the sidewalk. Our mission was complete.
Eighteen
We kept our end of the bargain, taking Red to see young Pennington every few weeks. Brody arranged for a counselor to help him better deal with society. He went to his sessions willingly. I talked to his old coach, who agreed to let Ed run with the team and to call him his assistant. Brody was proud of me for going the extra mile for a complete stranger. I think maybe it was a form of therapy for me. It was certainly out of character. Maybe I wasn’t too old to learn new tricks.
One day I was alone with Ed, and I took the opportunity to ask him a question.
“All that time you spent out in the wilderness,” I said. “Did you ever see any little people?”
“Little people?”
“Real white skin with big eyes,” I said. “Maybe three or four feet tall.”
“I’m a little slow sometimes,�
� he said. “But I ain’t crazy.”
“So, no little people?”
“Not that I saw.”
We returned to work on behalf of suspicious spouses, which was easier but less rewarding. Our clientele continued to be almost exclusively women. Roughly half of them were right about their husband’s behavior. Not all the wives whose husbands were deemed innocent seemed happy about our findings, but they all paid the bill.
Local police departments had little use for our skills for the rest of that summer. There were no lost children to find. The meth cookers kept a low profile or moved out of the area. No inmates escaped from prison. The only tracking I did was done in the car, following men who were meeting their mistresses. Our area of operation expanded as word spread. Money was rolling in, but the cheating spouse industry left me with a hollow feeling.
I didn’t get a kick out of putting the final nail in the coffin of a failing marriage. I didn’t have much respect for the women who were wrong about their husbands either. Relationships can be damn tough. I was no expert, but these people were plain dysfunctional. I learned that I was naïve to the ways of the modern world in that regard. Brody had seen it all before. Our work didn’t seem to bother her, so I soldiered on.
Red began to look forward to his trips to West Jefferson to play with Ed Pennington. The two of them would run around the yard and wrestle on the ground for hours. Brody would sit with Mrs. Pennington and chat. The coach had reported that Ed was doing well with his team, even helping some of the boys when needed, not just running along with them. On one of our visits, she confided that she was probably going to let her son get his own dog. We let her know that none of the campers had pressed charges over lost food or damaged tents. The county Sheriff felt no need to pursue charges either, now that the looting had stopped.
We discussed setting a wedding date. The decision was made to do the deed the following spring when the azaleas and rhododendrons were in full bloom. We even booked a date with a popular local venue just outside of Banner Elk. I purchased a ring, and offered it to my future bride one fine summer evening out on the porch, overlooking the creek. We held each other in a long embrace. Brody had tears in her eyes as we separated. She was never more beautiful in my eyes. We celebrated with an expensive stay on Topsail Island. The sand and the sea made me a bit nostalgic for my previous life, but the experience refreshed me before our return to the mountains.