by Kate Merrill
Matthew reached across the seat and squeezed her hand. At the same time, he watched the needle on the thermostat as it climbed dangerously high on the gauge. “Hope she won’t boil over,” he muttered as he downshifted.
Soon they were shrouded in fog. Inching forward at a crawl, they entered a dense forest where weak shafts of gray light penetrated the heavy green canopy above their heads. Again she sensed the presence of Juan and offered up a prayer in that dark, natural cathedral.
Matthew turned off the air conditioning and asked her to roll down the windows. She smelled heavy moss on fallen logs and rain hanging in the air.
“Look up ahead…” Matthew nodded towards a sudden brilliant light stabbing through a tunnel in the forest.
As they drove into a haze of sunlight, he braked abruptly at the very edge of a mountain. Through the shimmering mist, they saw the deadly drop. “That was way too close for comfort,” he growled. “Hope we can navigate these darn curves without breaking our necks…”
The sun receded as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving them both shaken and lost in the fog.
“Why don’t I walk out ahead?” Diana offered, although her legs trembled at the prospect. “You can drive slow and follow me, then I’ll yell if we come to another precipice. I hate to say it, but according to Flake’s map, this is the road to Mattie’s.”
Matthew frowned. “Okay, but you drive, I’ll walk.”
Diana sniffed the air and detected a distinct electrical odor, like the truck was overheating. “If it’s all the same to you, Matthew, I’d feel safer walking than driving.”
They made the bargain, then she climbed gingerly from the passenger seat. The trek was slow going. Her legs ached, and once the truck stalled and rolled backwards. By the time they reached the top of the rise, she had lost all sense of time.
But then she saw it and pounded hard on the truck’s hood to get Matthew’s attention. “There it is! Mattie’s house is straight ahead!”
The old Ford lurched and sputtered when Matthew cut the ignition a good distance from the crooked little structure. Through the fog, Diana saw that the weathered wood walls and tin roof hadn’t been painted in years.
“We call that a dog trot cabin.” Matthew joined her. “The rooms are laid out in a single row, so it’s a straight shot clean through. That way, the old hound can chase a rabbit up the stoop, through the house, and out the back door without breaking stride.”
Diana was more concerned about the small, intent figure moving quietly from the house and into the shadows on the front porch. The old woman had a shotgun cradled in her arms like a baby. “You won’t have to halloo the house, Matthew,” she whispered. “Mattie already knows we’re here.”
He guided her gently behind him, shielding her with his body, and then he started calling and waving as they approached the shack.
“You two best turn around and go back where you came from!” Mattie hollered as she brought the gun around and pointed it in their direction.
“Take it easy, Miz Birdsong.” Matthew held out both hands. “We’ve come a long way. Can you spare us one minute of your time?”
“I don’t know you, Mister.” She stepped off the porch and aimed at Matthew’s boots.
Diana searched the woman’s face, but Mattie’s eyes were hidden under the bill of a red baseball cap.
“I’m a friend of Leona’s…” Diana stepped clear of Matthew’s protection. “She’s in trouble, ma’am, and we want to help her.” Diana ducked when Matthew tried to pull her back behind his wing. She willed her feet to move towards the woman. “Please, Mother Mattie, won’t you let me talk to you?”
“You’re lying, Missy. Leona don’t have no friends!” Mattie swung the gun towards Diana. “Even if she did, I ain’t seen Leona in years.”
Diana’s stomach did flip-flops. The only other time someone pointed a gun at her, she had landed in the hospital with a bullet through her shoulder. “If you won’t talk about Leona, then help us find the boy,” she pleaded through dry lips. “You’re a mother, just like me, Miss Mattie, and I knowyou don’t want that boy coming to harm.”
Ignoring Matthew’s angry calls, she closed in on the woman and sensed the gradual lowering of the shotgun, as Mattie seemed to sink into herself. Diana smelled the acrid odor of the woman’s fear and noticed the unhealthy gray pallor of her skin. “Are you ill, Miss Mattie?”
The gun clattered to the ground as Mattie wilted into her arms.
“It’s my heart,” Mattie gasped. “Blamed thing’s been skipping beats all day.”
Suddenly Matthew was at her side. Together they helped the stricken woman into the dark house and made her sit down at the table.
“Where are your pills, ma’am?” Matthew was clearly alarmed.
Mattie dragged the baseball cap off her head. “Don’t have no pills, but a glass of cold water would be welcome…” She waved Diana towards the sink.
As Diana held her finger under the tap, waiting for the water to run cold, she noticed the sink was full of dirty dishes. She saw three of everything---three cups, three glasses, and three sets of silverware. Diana couldn’t speak for other women who lived alone, but Diana tended to rinse and use the same dishes again and again rather than bring clean ones out each time. If Mother Mattie lived alone, as she claimed, then this behavior was odd indeed.
“Thank you kindly, Miss.” Mattie drank the water in slow, grateful sips. “Now I’m feeling like myself again.”
Impulsively, Diana held her cool hand against the old woman’s forehead. Mattie’s skin was clammy, but color had returned to her cheeks. “Maybe we should call a doctor?” she gently suggested.
“I don’t hold with doctors, young lady. To my way of thinking, they’ll make you sick before they’ll make you well. This old heart of mine’s been acting up long as I can remember, but it keeps on ticking. I wager it’ll go on that way ’til someone up and breaks it.”
“Who would break your heart, Miss Mattie?” Matthew lowered himself onto a chair right across from Mrs. Birdsong and looked her straight in the eye. “Would your daughter Leona do that? The way she stole that boy’s enough to break my heart.”
The old woman stiffened and pulled away from Diana’s touch. She pounded a gnarled fist hard on the table. “I don’t know you, young man. So far, I ain’t heard the names of either one of you, and here you are sitting at my table like invited guests.”
Matthew apologized, then formally introduced himself and Diana. “Now, can I fetch you another glass of water, ma’am? We mean no harm to you and yours, but we do aim to find that boy.”
“Already told you, I ain’t seen Leona, and I don’t know nothing about no boy. If you say otherwise, you’re barking up the wrong tree.” Mattie’s parchment cheeks flamed. “’Less you want me to pick up that shotgun, you best leave my house.”
Diana shot Matthew a warning glance. This time his famous charm was not working. “She’s right. Why don’t you step outside while Mattie and I talk?”
Matthew was startled, but climbed respectfully to his feet. “I’m sorry, Miz Birdsong, didn’t mean to offend you. You and Diana enjoy your chat, while I mosey out to the barn.”
Fear flashed across the old woman’s face, but she quickly recovered. “Mosey to the outhouse, for all I care. I got nothing to hide.”
Left alone, the two women appraised one another, and Diana was struck by Mattie’s beauty. Her handsome jaw and snapping dark eyes had softened with the years, and her wild mane of white hair retained only a few strands of raven black, but the power of her spirit transcended time. The memory of her face was etched in Diana’s brain. Mattie was the proud grandmother standing before a mountain range, her hands resting on little Leona’s shoulders---the photo from the Clontz trailer.
“Please tell me about Leona…” she urged.
The ancient mantle clock chimed five, so Diana calculated they had been talking for over an hour. Although Mattie seemed anxious to confide, Di
ana was getting no closer to the truth.
“You’re not really Leona’s friend, are you?” Mattie demanded.
“No, but I havemet her. I visited her trailer and saw her doll collection.”
“If you’re not her friend….” Mattie’s breathing became ragged and agitated. “I should’ve run you off this place whilst I still had my gun!”
“But I honestly want to help your granddaughter, Miss Mattie. Leona and the boy are staying here with you, aren’t they?”
“No!” The woman’s cheeks blanched white, while an angry blotch of red crawled up her throat.
Diana worried she might cause the old woman to have a heart attack, but on the other hand, Mattie’s resistance was weakening. “I saw the extra dishes in your sink, so I know you’ve been cooking for three.”
“And what about that old station wagon out in the barn?” Matthew startled them both as he walked in from the shadows.
“That’s my car!” Mattie insisted, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Beg pardon, ma’am, but that vehicle has an out-of-state license tag.” He lowered himself into a chair. Matthew’s hair was wet from the rain now clattering on the tin roof. “And by the looks of it, someone’s been driving it hard. The engine’s still warm.”
The old woman lowered her face into her arms. Her sobbing racked her thin shoulders, and Diana pleaded with her eyes for Matthew to go easy.
“And what’s this little gadget?” He pulled a piece of twine from his pocket, with odd bits of twig and straw attached. “Looks to be a homemade toy. I reckon Juan made it for those pups out in the barn.”
Had Matthew lost his mind? Yet his words had an immediate effect on Miss Mattie, who lifted her red, haunted eyes. “You don’t understand,” she moaned. It’s too late…” She dragged the little toy across the table and fondled it lovingly. “The boy’s a sweet little thing, but they need to hide. He’s coming for them. He’ll be here any minute to kill us all!”
Her terror was infectious. Diana couldn’t deny its stark reality. “You mean Floyd Clontz? He’s coming here?”
Mattie’s shrill keening wail said it all. “Please help me!” she begged.
FORTY-SEVEN
As the crow flies…
The rain stopped suddenly, as though a heavenly hand had drawn back the gray curtain to reveal a stage set sky of shredded silver and gold. As the three wandered into the barnyard, the washed panorama of mountains and valleys sparkled like glass.
“The weather makes no promises…” Mattie picked up her shotgun to carry along. “But I ′spect it’ll stay clear until nightfall.”
Diana and Matthew followed her into a stall where an elderly white mule swished its tail. Mattie rested her hand on the animal’s neck. “This is Haw. Leona and the boy rode out on Gee long before the storm came.”
Mattie had already told them how Leona had intended to hand Juan over to the Boone police, but then she spotted Floyd in town. Apparently, the girl panicked and ran home to Mattie, thinking the old woman could best protect them. In response, Mattie sent Leona and Juan into hiding, equipped with a two-day supply of water and canned goods, riding the other old mule. Mattie figured when Flake showed up on Friday, she’d hitch a ride into Boone, explain the situation to the police, and then ask for help.
“But where did Leona and Juan go?” Diana scanned the pasture and rocky ridge for signs of a bridle path as she tried to get a handle on the whole bizarre turn of events. It was like a plot from a B movie.
“She was heading for high ground, up to the secret place where my husband made the whiskey,” Mattie said.
“Where exactly is this still?” Matthew was also perplexed, scratching his head and searching the horizon for some kind of road.
“The shack’s hid real good, three miles, give or take, as the crow flies…” Mattie pointed her shotgun at the setting sun. “Which one of you city folks can ride?”
Diana eyed the mule skeptically. Sure, she had won her share of blue ribbons at the Devon Horse Show, but Haw presented a new challenge. “I think I can handle him,” she told Mattie.
Matthew scowled at the mule. “What about me? Even if this old fella couldcarry two, I don’t get along with horses of any kind. We’ll have to take the truck, Diana.”
Mattie cackled. “You can’t drive that sorry thing up the mountain, Mister. You might make it to the second ridge, but from then on you’d have to travel on the two feet God gave you.”
“I’ll ride the mule up there, Matthew,” Diana volunteered. “Miss Mattie’s not feeling well, so maybe you could drive her into town?”
“You can’t go alone, Diana.” Matthew stubbornly folded his arms across his chest. “I won’t allow it.”
“But what if Floyd comes looking for Leona and Juan? We can’t leave Mattie alone here to face him.”
“Now that’s just plain foolish!” The old woman stomped her foot. “I been taking care of myself long before either of you was born. As for Floyd Clontz…” She hefted the shotgun. “See that feed bag over on the post? I’ll show you how I deal with the likes of him…”
“Never mind, Miss Mattie.” Matthew reached out and eased the gun’s barrel down. “You convinced us, no demonstration is necessary.”
“And Leona’s a better shot than me,” Mattie bragged. “She inherited her daddy’s semiautomatic Enfield rifle, the one he carried in Nam. She took that gun with her, and she could shoot your balls off from one hundred yards distance.” Mattie gave Matthew a frank appraisal. “What kind of weapon do you carry on your truck, Mister?”
Matthew cleared his throat. “I don’t own a gun, ma’am.”
The old woman gaped at Matthew in open disbelief, while Diana gave him a smile of encouragement. Maybe men from the Tar Heel State were supposed to come armed and dangerous, but Diana was proud that Matthew was an exception.
“Well, son, I don’t hold it against you.” Suddenly Mattie’s face sagged and she looked old beyond her years. “The two of you are good to help me like this. The Lord must have sent you.”
Diana hugged the older woman, yet she was terrified that whatever assistance Matthew and she could offer was maybe be too little, too late.
Mattie lifted her eyes to Diana. “My Leona never meant to do wrong. She loves that boy, and she’d never hurt him.”
“We believe you, Miss Mattie,” Matthew said. “But I can’t allow Diana to ride into those mountains without me. We will take the truck, and if it breaks down, we’ll travel on foot, you hear? Now, can you give us directions…?”
Diana clung to the armrest as Matthew’s Ford lurched upwards across the brutal terrain. In her opinion, attempting this journey on four tires was far more risky than trusting a mule’s four steady hooves, but she knew not to argue with Matthew once he made up his mind. He was more stubborn than any mule on God’s green earth.
“She’s fixing to boil over,” Matthew grumbled as low-lying branches clawed at the truck’s fenders. “Would you calculate this is the first, or the second ridge?”
Diana had no idea. She only knew what Mattie had told them. “Drive into the sunset. Once you can’t go any farther, leave the truck and keep heading west. Follow the bluebird trail.”
“Mattie’s directions leave somethi
ng to be desired,” Matthew said. “If we don’t make better time, we’ll lose the light and get stranded on some boulder with just the bears to keep us company.”
Or else they’d be looking up the wrong end of Leona’s rifle. “I wish I had my cell phone,” Diana said.
“You hate your cell phone, Diana.”
“Yeah, but right now I’d welcome a little contact with civilization.”
“Who would you call first---local police, Agent Grim, or the National Guard?”
Diana sighed as she pictured her little phone locked safely in her car back at the condo, along with her first aid kit, including a bottle of aspirins, which could save Miss Mattie’s life in case of a heart attack.
Be prepared. As of that moment, she had flunked the first rule of scouting. As things stood, Liz was the only person who knew where they had gone. Unfortunately, Liz believed they had embarked on a romantic getaway, so if they disappeared for weeks, Liz would be delighted. In other words, Liz wouldn’t raise any red flags.
Under different circumstances, Diana would have been awed by the dramatic sunset reflected on the windshield and enchanted by the prospect of spending a lost night in the mountains with Matthew. But they were trapped in a nightmare, so that even the lovemaking they shared last night now seemed like an almost-forgotten dream. “What’s the plan, Matthew?”
He smiled from the corners of his eyes, but Diana sensed the tension around his mouth. “Very simple. We’ll find them, and then we’ll toss them in the bed of the truck and get the hell outta here.”
She longed to believe him. They had discussed the pros and cons of driving back to Boone and putting the rescue into the hands of the police, but they had also agree that time was running out for Leona and Juan. If Floyd was truly on their trail, perhaps Matthew and she could help defend them against the danger? But how, armed with only a rusty truck and a heartfelt prayer, could they protect anyone?
Matthew downshifted. In order to proceed west, they climbed the next cliff at an extremely steep angle, exposing their rear to a sheer drop-off. Her stomach clenched with fear as the truck’s back wheels spun for traction on the bald rock ledge.