Installment 39 Fred

Installment #39

Fred

Fred switched on the miner’s light on his hat. Damn glad he had it on there. Well, it was always on his head except when he was sleeping. You just never knew when you might need a light and right now he sure needed one. This tunnel was black as old Coty’s ….well it was black alright. He took a few tentative steps forward. The tunnel was dark, and damp, and musty. He would have bet there were lots of spiders and centipedes and Lord only knew what. It was hard to believe that just a foot above his head the sun was shining very brightly, because down here it was another world. Well, this was no place to wishy wash about something. Just do it. Sooner you do it the sooner it was done. And Fred, although every fiber of his being wanted to turn and run out into the bright sunlight, pointed his lantern forward and walked determinedly forward.  Something was not right and by God in Heaven, Fred Himes was going to find out what it was and for once in his life, set it right.

He was amazed at how quickly he arrived at the back entrance to the house.  Sure seemed a lot further when he was digging the silly thing. He pressed his ear to the door and listened. Not a sound.  He knew the man was gone, but still the cabin was deathly quiet. Very slowly he eased the door inward. Nothing. Not even a drippy faucet. Absolute silence. Now the door was completely open. He looked around at the kitchen. Not a dish out of place. The towel hung on the oven door handle. The clock hand moved jerkily around. Fred stepped in the kitchen and closed the tunnel door behind himself. He moved stealthily across the kitchen to the bathroom. Empty. Living room. Undisturbed and empty.

There had to be a woman here somewhere. He had seen the man bring her inside. He very slowly opened the bedroom door and peered inside. No one. Fred stared in consternation at his face in the mirror. Where was she? He canvassed the house once more and then his eyes fell on the door beside the door he had come through. The root cellar! That had to be the root cellar. After he had dug the tunnel the man had altered it and instead of coming up the tunnel to the root cellar, he had come up the tunnel to the back door. Why had he changed that? Fred reached for the door and froze.

How many times had he pictured his father doing this exact samething? Only when he pictured his father he also pictured his mother. His dear, dead mother being placed in the wall of the root cellar by his father. How many times had he gone to the root cellar to get beets, or potatoes, or onions. How many times when the tornado sirens were screaming had he and his father gone to the root cellar knowing that was the one place the tornado could not touch. And not once had he even thought about what might be in the wall of the root cellar.

Never once had he dreamt that his dear sainted mother was sleeping her death sleep just a few feet from him and his father. His father knew. He knew all along and never said a word. When Fred had wished his mother would come back to them and voiced that desire to his father, his father had only said, “Quit dreaming, Freddie, if she was coming back she never would have left.”

Fred often wondered what had happened the night she died. Or was it day? He never even  remembered them ever fighting. Just mom looking sad and dad reading the paper. They never talked. How could his father have ever worked up enough emotion to kill his mother? His father and mother were both unemotional people. He stared at the door.  He was going to have to open it and see what was behind it. Slowly he grasped the knob and turned it. Well, not turning. Locked. Locked! That meant the woman, probably Meg Parker was behind that door and she was locked in there. If she was locked in there she was not a willing participant that was clear. He scoured the door frame for a key. None. The man must have the key.

Think! Think! He remembered back to when he dug the tunnel. At that time it had been through the root cellar. Now it was not. He jerked the tunnel door open, took a few steps and reached his hand out and felt the wall. A little further down.  More. There! The dirt was soft. The man had removed the dirt over there, placing it over here. By doing that he had altered the location of the tunnel. Not much, but enough so the root cellar could now be used as a prison for someone. Or a place to bury her. Maybe she was dead. With a furor he never knew he had Fred unsnapped the folding shovel that hung from his waist and began to dig frantically in the soft dirt. Very soon he had a hole through and could see inside the root cellar. All he could see was another wall, but he would be in the room very soon. And like a man fighting for his very life, he continued to throw dirt over his shoulder until at last the hole was big enough for him to slide through.

As he stood up and looked around he saw her clearly. Meg Parker lay on a small cot with a soft cloth on her shoulder. Chloroform! He moved the cloth, but Meg did not stir. Fred was unsure of anything at that moment. As he gazed down at the sleeping woman something stirred in his soul. Something very far back in the deep recesses of his mind fluttered and made him feel wanted. Something made him feel warm. He touched her cheek tentatively, then smiled. Funny, he did not remember smiling in a very long time, but now it felt rather natural. He knew what he had to do and as he reached for
the woman he felt like he had just come home from a very long and bitter war.

Meg Parker. Darling.

Installment #38 Marshall

Installment #38

Marshall

Marshall opened the back of the Jeep and began throwing wood off to the side. When Ambrose lay before him he took a deep breathe and  hoisted the big man unceremoniously to the ground. Well this was going to be a dragging act because he sure could not lift him. Oh, yeah, there was the snow shovel!  Glad he had bought that. It would come in handy for this task. He wedged the handle under a nearby boulder and pulled Ambrose into position. There we go!  Brains over brawn any day of the week. He grasped the handle, maneuvered into position and was amazed at how easily the load went up the hill, through the opening and as he neared the hole ahead he turned the handle and pushed the body near the hole. Now, how to unload it without getting too close. Marshall studied the site for a moment and then laughed. All he had to do was get the body a little further and then raise the handle and off into the eternal never land of sleep the cop would go!

Very carefully he moved the body forward until he felt it start to pull the shovel down.  He slowly raised the handle just an inch or two and Holy Shit! In the hole it all went, shovel, body and damn near Marshall. In just the briefest moment of clarity, he released the shovel handle right before it jerked him over the side. There was the first thud as the body hit the wall. He waited. He waited. The second thud never came. He crept closer to the edge and shined his light over the side. Holy Mother! The man was straddling the shovel which was wedged into a crevice. He stared closer. That rat bastard was laughing at him!  He played his light around the walls. There was no way down and no way up.  He was just going to have to stay there and laugh, because there was nothing Marshall could do at this point. The corpse had stolen his shovel and was now hanging above the abyss laughing at him. This was not good. This was not good at all. Marshall contemplated his options. Let’s see, he could climb to the bottom and what? Stay there the rest of his life? Or he could take the high road and do nothing. That seemed the way to go. If some idiot happened to stumble on his little cavern here, the bodies on the bottom might go unnoticed, but Brome Hilda there on the shovel handle was practically begging to be seen. Oh, well, that was a problem he could do nothing about.

Oh, and that shovel handle. He had not left a fingerprint on anyone in the bottom there, but that shovel handle would be a treasure trove of DNA and the little dealy with the ISBN number on it could be traced to the hardware store and right to Mr. Marshall Purcell. A trickle of sweat began to run down his neck and on down his back. Felt like a damn Centipede! He stood erect and hurried from the cavern into the bright Colorado sunlight.

As he hurried down the hill and the Jeep came in sight he reached in his pocket for the keys. Other pocket. He stopped and patted himself from top to bottom. Every pocket he had. Crap! Not again! He had just had this talk with himself about not locking his keys in the car and now, when he was in a hurry, he had done the very thing he had warned himself about. He stopped and went through the pockets again. They had to be in the Jeep. He had to have them to get here so they were not on him, they had to be in there. Just in case he got lucky he walked to the back of the Jeep and stared at the empty lock. Not there. Nope, definitely not there. He walked to the passenger door.  Locked. He looked in the ignition. Not there. Oh, no!  Had that cop somehow managed to pick his pocket? Dead people did very strange things. He knew that for a fact.

There was that whore he had picked up on Larimer Street that one afternoon. He had checked them all out and she appeared to be the cleanest one of the bunch. She was wearing a skirt so short he thought he could see her panties. Or not panties. She had huge breasts. They were so big he thought they must be false.  He pulled the Jeep to the curb and looked directly at her. She came and leaned in the window and he reached over and touched her cleavage.
“How much?”
 “For what, sweetie? An hour? A blow job? All day? You got to tell Flo what you want.”
“All afternoon. A walk in the forest. I want to screw on the forest floor on a pile of pine needles."
 “You ain’t kinky are you? You won’t hurt me will you? Johnny doesn’t like me to leave this area, so it gonna cost you extra. Johnny gets mean sometimes.”
“Get in Flo. I will make it worth your time. “

He opened the door and settled back behind the wheel. Flo climbed in and nestled back into the leather seat. “Nice,” she said and smiled showing a mouth full of yellow teeth. Marshall slipped the Jeep into drive and pulled out into the traffic headed west toward the mountains. It did not take long to reach the area he sought. Flo was enjoying the act of being a lady and waited for him to open her door.  He took her hand and led her to a nearby blanket of pine needles. She giggled as he spread a sheet over the top of the aromatic bed provided by Mother Nature. He removed her sunglasses and stared into her eyes. Yes, he had chosen well. He settled himself on the newly made bed.  He removed his slacks and indicated what he wanted.
“And look at me while you are doing it. Look me right in the eyes.”
She began her work and she was very good at it. Her eyes never left his.
“Oh, Mother!” he murmured as she worked on him and as he felt his release he screamed the words, “MOTHER, MOTHER, MOTHER!” And then it was over and he was spent.
He felt the tears spilling down his cheeks. And then she laughed. Damned whore! Who was she to laugh at him? He grabbed her tit and bit down with all the force he had as she screamed and tried to pull away. He spit the nipple across the forest floor and grabbed her head and snapped her neck. Bitch! She had made something so beautiful, dirty. Marshall wrenched his mind away from that afternoon and focused, slowly on the problem at hand.

He was locked out of his jeep in a very bad place. His keys were probably down at the bottom of the cavern along with lots of bones, the whore included. Well, he sure as hell could not call Triple AAA. Well, he could, but that move would not be wise at all. Then he smiled. Then he chuckled. He was not screwed yet. He had a key hidden in the Jeep under the seat. He had done that because this was not his first rodeo. He would simply pick up a rock and break the window, reach in and open the door and get the key and drive his little self home. Life was good. He quickly located a rock that was satisfactory for the purpose and slammed it into the window. Not quite as easy as he thought, but soon he was inside the Jeep and had the key in the ignition and disarmed the shrill alarm that was quickly destroying his ear drums.

He backed the Jeep around until he was positioned for the downhill descent, slowly released the clutch and moved forward, never once looking at the ring of keys laying in the dirt not 10 feet from the back of the Jeep. He was intent on getting home to the woman he loved.

Installment #37 Jack

Installment #37 Jack

Jack cursed as the phone in his hand continued to ring. “Answer Ambrose! Where in the hell are you?”  He dialed Meg again and still the busy signal. Where was she or who was she talking too? No. Women could talk but not for hours. They had tiny bladders and would be afraid someone could hear them pee. Traffic was light this morning, but he still held to pretty much the speed limit. Still 30 minutes from the Parker place and then he would know the score.

He gripped the wheel as a black Jeep came around the curve with one wheel in his lane, but before they met the Jeep turned onto an obscure little road. Kind of hard to make that turn without swinging a little wide. So he forgave the driver. When he finally pulled in the yard at Meg’s house he was almost relieved. Everything looked alright. Well, almost alright. The dogs were in the yard, so Meg must have put them out. No, there was a doggie door!  So why weren’t they inside waiting at the kitchen door to bark at this intruder?

 He jumped quickly from his car and ran to the house. The back door was open. He entered and began calling. No answers. The doggie door had a panel keeping the dogs out! He raised the panel and they ran in and began searching frantically for Meg. Upstairs, through the house, back out in the yard. Inside, outside. There was no reason for him to search. The dogs would have alerted him if anything turned up, good or bad.

He keyed his mike and waited for the signal and then spoke into the radio, “This is unit 17 and we have a problem. Ambrose is gone and the lady of the house is missing. I want all available units up here stat! And tell Leroy to move mountains. I need the name of whoever was in Meg Parker’s computer and we don’t have a minute to waste. This is no longer a stalking case, it is probably a hostage or homicide. Or a hostage and a homicide.”

He leaned to the floor and picked up a black shiny flat rock. Ambrose had dropped his worry stone.  He called it his lucky worry stone, but Jack could not stop the next thought, “Well, Ambrose, I think your luck just ran out.”

Installment #29

Meg

Meg let her computer boot up as she changed into her
pajamas. It had been a long day. A long and completely wasted
day. She had left home this morning thinking that maybe tonight
she would be in Eldon’s arms, but that had not happened. A
wasted trip to Denver and a long, lonely drive home. Daisy and
Elvira were happy to see her and that cheered her up a little.
They were such simple creatures. She would let them stay out of
the crates until she finished her computer work.

Forty-eight emails. She scanned the list and nothing from
redranger. Well, she was not going to write him. He had been
the one who did not show up and he owed her an apology at the
very least. She answered six questions. She had sold eight items
so she printed out the PayPal receipts, deleted the Item sold and
copies of the pay for your items. The remaining 18 were mostly
advertisements that had escaped the Spam filter and a few
newsletters and three forwards, “You have to read this it is really
funny! ” They weren’t.

She closed her email and put the computer into the sleep
mode and stood and pushed her chair into the desk. She got
the dog treats and walked to the crates. The dogs took their
bribes and ran into the crates to devour them. Meg looked at her
big, lonely bed and for the first time in a very long time she felt
totally and completely alone. She had never met Eldon, the
redranger, but she missed him. She felt that a very vital piece
of Meg Parker was missing. She switched on the television
knowing full well she would not sleep this night. Too bad
Johnny Carson was not on anymore. He had always made her
laugh. The television was programmed to turn off after one
hour if she did not tap the action button. Saved energy that way.
She watched the end of CSI and then burrowed into the big
lonely bed as the weather man started pointing at different low
fronts.

She did not get the details of the week ahead as her
head nodded and when the perky little blonde announced that
the Architect who was coming to Denver to add his expertise to
the new addition at Invesco Field had left Brattleboro,
Vermont, arrived in Denver had then disappeared into thin air.
But her ears were deaf and her body completely relaxed. Had
she been awake she might have made the connection between
Jeffery Eldon Purcell and the redranger, but she was not. She
was dreaming of a tall dark stranger who was eluding her even
in her dreams.

Installment #27

Installment #27

Him

Marshall Purcell doused his lights and pulled to the side
of the road. He watched as Meg drove into the garage and the
door closed behind her. First the kitchen light came on. She
would be greeting the dogs if the idiot that took care of the place
had not locked them in their crates. Then he saw the light at the
top of the stairs and he watched as the kitchen light went dark.

Ah, if he were there now she would be coming down the
hallway to him. He would be laying on the bed reading.

NO!  He would be IN the bed reading. He would be naked under the
lavender sheets. NO! That was not right! He would be setting in
the overstuffed chair, fully dressed. He would be reading
Tolstoy or something just as boring. She would come in and kiss
him lightly on top of the head and then touch him lightly on the
shoulder. And he would grab her and pull her to him!

NO! My God what was he thinking! If he were to kiss
her she would no doubt part her lips slightly and he might touch
the tip of her tongue with his. NO! This was wrong! This
whole thing was getting out of control! He hated sex! He
groaned as he felt the hardness pushing against the crotch of his
suit pants. If that thing was going to keep acting like this he
would cut it off! “If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out.“
Well that was already plucked out and by God, no less.

He started the Jeep and pulled onto the road as he began to sob.

Installment #28

Installement #28

Fred

Her farm was a small one and not really a farm at all. Just a
house, chicken house and that was it. The garage was attached
to the house.

Meg Parker was a fine figure of a woman, he had to give
her that. She pretty much kept to herself and not much traffic
that he had ever seen. Sure thing no men running in and out.
Dogs pretty well had the run of the place now that he had
installed the doggie door. Hadn’t needed the cage on the
outside. Little bitty doggie door and you’d have to be a damn
string bean to get through it and into the house what with the
dog leg he had installed inside. Guy could get trapped and
starve to death in a deal like that.

As Fred neared the edge of the clearing he saw car lights
coming up the road. And back further a second car. Lot of
traffic for this area and this time of night. The first car slowed
and turned into the Parker place. Hmmm. Meg must be home
from wherever she had gone. Was that other car going to her
place? Meg drove into the garage and lowered the door. The
second car drove slowly past her drive and then its lights went
out and he watched as it parked on the side of the road. What
was that all about? Was Meg in danger? He touched his 44
Magnum, reassuring himself that it was there. And the machete.
He watched as the light came on in the kitchen. Then he
watched as the light went on upstairs and the kitchen light went
out. And he watched the car. Well not a car, some kind of big
vehicle. Hey wait! That vehicle looked familiar. He crept
closer. It was a Black Jeep. Like that fella over west of him.
The guy who had him dig that long tunnel into the forest. Jeez
that had been a job and a half. Damn near got the best of him
all those rocks and roots.

Fred waited, wondering what the guy was doing. Spying
on Meg Parker? What could he see? Nothing. Needed to take a
leak? Gonna have to get out of the car to do that! Nothing was
happening. Nothing. Whoops! The car started suddenly and Fred
jumped guiltily. At least he was behind it so he probably had
gone undetected. Then the Jeep pulled onto Bonner Road and the
lights came on along with the blinker turning left onto Storm
Lake Road. It was that crazy bastard! This was very strange, but
along with the feeling of bewilderment came a growing sense of
dread. Something was not right here and he did not like it. He
had dealt with this character and not been comfortable at all when
he did. And the tunnel. What was that all about? He had
wondered, but only a little. Now it took on new meaning. Why
was the guy parked there watching Meg’s house? Better be on
our toes, Freddy boy.

And he turned back and headed North to his little cabin in
the big woods.

Installment #26

Installment #26

Meg

Meg stepped out of the little silver Ford and took the
parking stub from the valet. She smiled as she walked into
the lobby of the Sheraton and spotted the entrance to the
restaurant. She smiled at the maitre de and told him she was
meeting some one. “Is he here yet? His name is Eldon.”

“No one by that name has checked in yet. Perhaps
madam would like to wait at the bar and I will let you know
when he arrives?”
 Meg agreed and soon found herself seated
at the bar. She checked her watch and saw that it was already
12:20. Eldon had said noon. He was already 20 minutes late.
Well maybe he had gotten tied up. Things do have a way of
doing that. She ordered a glass of white wine and began her
favorite pastime of people watching. By one o’clock she was
fidgeting and by 2:00 she was fuming. The clientele in the
lounge had turned over at least once. The waiter was
beginning to look askance at her. She knew how many
glasses of wine she had sipped and that she really needed to
get something in her stomach before she started the long drive
home. She caught the waiter’s eye.

“ I guess my friend is tied up. Might I have a small
table, preferably by a window? I really should eat something
before I drive my car.” She smiled at the sad young man.

“Certainly, ma’am. I have just the table for you. Great
view of the garden and if you stretch your neck to the right you
can see the fountain.”

“Then I shall ‘stretch my neck’!” She laughed as she rose
to follow him to the table. Once more she was seated, but this
time with a glass of Raspberry Iced Tea instead of wine and a
blackened tilapia served on wild rice with pinon and basil,
recommended by Jerome, the waiter who reminded her very
much of her dear Kevin. She had craned her neck and managed
to see the fountain, which was indeed a work of art. But then so
were the gardens.

She would reserve judgment on Eldon aka “redranger”
until she heard from him. He might have a very good excuse.
Or he might be what the Internet warned us all about, a faceless
little creep hiding behind the boiler in a prison somewhere
figuring out a way to get to Meg Parker. She made a silent vow
to herself to find out more about this man that she had become so
attached to through her computer. But right now she just wanted
to go home, back to her part of the mountain where she felt safe
and not so vulnerable as here in the middle of Denver, Colorado,
waiting for a man that she knew was not coming.

She put her money with the bill and closed the cover,
leaving a very generous tip for Jerome. She crossed the lobby
and handed her ticket stub to the valet and waited. When the
little silver car arrived, she tipped the valet and climbed inside.
She adjusted the seat, checked the mirror and pulled into traffic.
She did not notice the black Jeep pull onto the street at the same
time. Nor did she notice the black Jeep when she took the ramp
to I 25 South. Nor as she turned on the Johnny Mathis CD, one
of her deviations from Country Western.

She began to sing along with him “There is someone,
watching your footsteps , Turn around, look at me! There is
someone waiting to hold you, Turn around, look at me. For I
have waited, and I‘ll wait forever, for you to come to me.
Turn around, look at me!”

And she was completely oblivious when she turned into
her yard and pulled into her garage.

But He was not.

Installment #19 Sunday Morning

Meg quickly made a large blender full of her smoothie recipe, blue berries, yogurt, coconut milk, a fresh peach and wheat germ. She poured it into three glasses, put them on a tray beside the scones and carried them to the patio. The boys were intent on watching the sun creeping up over the horizon.

 “See, Greg. It is not at all like California. Even the colors are different. And see how quick it pops up? Not like California at all.”

 “No, but that is because of the humidity, the colors I mean. Colorado is dry.  So the colors are more muted and more reds and oranges. California has humidity so they appear brighter and there are more greens and blues. Ask anyone. Google it. And it pops up because the mountains are there. California is flat. So it goes down real slow.”

 They turned and looked at Meg as if seeking a final opinion. “Yep” was all she said as she picked up her glass, a scone and settled down in the cushioned chair facing the sunrise.

“This is one of the things that keeps me here on this place, right here at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Heaven on earth. Just ask the chickens.” As if on cue the Rhode Island Red Rooster announced to the world that it was now morning, albeit a bit late. They all laughed. As Kevin set his empty glass back on the tray and dusted the crumbs off his shirt, he turned to Meg with a very serious look on his face.

“Now, mom, you should know how it is with Kevin and I. We have decided to move in together. We have actually found a house we like that is convenient to both of our jobs. When we get back we are going to list his house and I have money from my last home sale, so we are in good shape.”

As an afterthought he added, “ The pub does really well. Especially in this economy.”

Meg digested this little announcement and then smiled. “Well, this is great! I mean really. If one of you were a female, I could throw an engagement party!” She laughed, but the boys did not. “Ok, that is not what I meant to say. What I meant is this, I am very happy for both of you.  I know better than most how hard real love is to come by and I think you two make a great couple. It is a shame that society can not accept, but I think someday they will. Until then, we will just celebrate here at home and I probably will not announce it in church today. Hey!  Let’s just skip church this morning and go into town and celebrate with a lovely lunch!” Church would keep, but Kevin and Greg would not.

They would leave early in the morning and she was selfish. Greg spoke first. “Meg, you will always have a home with us. You are not loosing a son, you are gaining one.” Tears welled up in Meg’s eyes as she silently thanked her God for bringing this kind soul into her son’s life.

Installment #15 & #16

Installment #15

 Kevin and Greg

“Greg! You are as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. She is my mother, for crying out loud, not the Queen of England!” Kevin laughed as he caught Greg around the waist planted a big one near his eye. Then they both laughed. This was going to be fun. They were driving to Colorado this weekend and work was far away. This was a weekend to just cut loose and enjoy life. “Well, that is easy enough for you to say because she is your mother. What if she doesn’t like me? Have you thought of that?” Greg threw a sweater at the suitcase. “No. Why wouldn’t she like you? Besides I am going to be the one living with you, not her.” He stood behind Greg at the mirror and met his eyes. He smiled. “Damn! Don’t we make a great couple?” Then as an after thought, “ You take the wheel the first hundred miles and then we will switch. Where are we stopping for breakfast? I am already hungry.” Greg reached for the keys and picked up the suitcase with the other hand. “You did call her, didn’t you? She does know we are coming?” “Of course and she is making a big pot of Green Chile for you, white boy!  Mom is a great cook!” Kevin pulled the door shut and heard the lock catch. They hurried down the sidewalk to the drive and the car, ready for a big adventure like the overgrown kids that they were.

Installment #16

 Meg


Meg signed in to her email account and was rewarded with a note from redranger. “Meg, I have news. I will be in Denver next week and I would love to meet you.  Can you free up some time for me?”
Well, that was not at all what she expected. They had decided early in the correspondence that they would be friends and neither one wanted entanglements. Was Eldon changing the rules? She was tempted to act like she had not received the email, but then thought better of it.  Eldon was moody and knew how much time she spent on the computer. She decided that honesty was the best course in this case. So she hit the reply button.
“ Are you changing the rules? I thought this was going to be Internet Only.”
"I thought so too, but this opportunity has come up there in Denver and it seems rude to not meet you since I will be that close and I will have time on my hands. Nothing serious, just a cup of coffee on the fly. We are friends aren’t we? We have fun together on the net, we could surely have a few laughs in a coffee house.”
Meg chuckled. Of course he was right. What was she afraid of anyway? It wasn’t like it was a lifetime commitment. It was a lousy cup of coffee. “You are right. But when? My son is coming for a few days and I don’t want to run off and leave him.”
“I will be there next Thursday, the 15th and not leave until the following Wednesday. When will Kevin be there? I don’t want to step on his toes.”
 “Kevin will be here tomorrow and will leave Monday, so that is good.” She flushed at the thought of meeting a real live man. Eldon had intrigued her from the first email and now she wondered just what would be bringing him to Denver. But that would wait.
“Are you flying into Denver?”
“Sure am. Got a rental car thing so I have transportation. This is going to be great, Meg. Oh, gotta run. We will talk next week.” And he was gone.
He certainly was a man of few words. Meg headed to the kitchen to make a batch of cookies before Kevin and Greg arrived in the morning.

The pork was in the meat drawer so the Green Chile could be made in short order. She had gotten Kevin’s email and knew that Greg ran a pub and was a chef so she wanted it to be good.  It would be, but not the gourmet stuff that Greg did. She took a deep breathe and vowed that this would be a very pleasant weekend. Two days was not long, but it was all the boys could spare. It was an 14 hour drive so they would be tired. But they would split the driving so maybe not. As she emptied the last cookie sheet she realized that she was very tired . As she climbed the stairs she thought about all the bars on the windows and doors. Well, Kevin would know now. Well, not everything. She would tell him she was just getting old and wanting to feel secure. Surely he could understand that. She was living out here all alone. She suddenly remembered the tree and the perfect view that it afforded to her home. Was that just something bizarre or what? Why would anyone watch her? But her last thought as she lay in her bed before sleep over took her was not of the tree, or the path, or any of that stuff. It was of redranger and a man named Eldon that she would meet in less than a week. Sweet dreams tonight as angel wings swept over her bringing blissful sleep.

Installment #14

Installment #14

Him

He parked the Jeep Cherokee close to the cabin door. He
thought briefly what a beautiful afternoon it was and then
grabbed his Laptop, the sack, and hurried inside. Setting his
load on the table he hurried into the kitchen. He opened the
small door beside the door that led to the root cellar and peered
inside. It was dark and very quiet. He took the flash light off the
shelf and pushed the button to turn it on. Light flooded the tunnel
and he moved quickly forward. He had been in town for almost
the whole week and a lot can change in a few days. He must see.
The fruit loop who dug this for him had done a great job and he
reached the forest very quickly. He pushed sideways on the lid
that covered the opening and it slid away easily. He stepped up
the two steps into the clearing. Leaving the opening he hurried
forward to his tree. Three steps up and one over and he was in
his place.

He reached high in the branches and caught hold of the
telescope that he stored there. He put it to his eye, turned a
knob and gazed at the small farm below. Meg was just coming
out of the walk-in refrigerator. She had gathered the eggs for the
day. Oh, the joy of good luck. He watched her lithe frame as
she walked to the house. She had to be the most beautiful
woman in the world. And she was his. All his. He loved to
watch her when she did not know he was there. Something
erotic about the act and he vaguely wondered if it would be the
same when she was in his arms. A country song came to mind
“Who Are You When I’m Not Lookin?” “My oh, my you’re so
good lookin. Held together like a pair of book ends. Something
something.” Some idiot singer. He tittered to himself. Soon.
When she went into the house he surveyed the work that
had been done there while he was gone. Looked very secure.
Looks were deceiving. There was not a lock or a bar that would
keep him from her world. He would simply have her invite him
in. Yes, that was best. Just how to make it happen may prove a
challenge at first, but not an insurmountable one that was for
sure. “Where there is a will there is a way,” he thought to
himself as he felt the key that dangled from a string around his
neck. If worst came to worst, he would just unlock the door and
walk inside.

He replaced the telescope in the niche in the back of the
tree trunk and hurried down the self-made ladder to the ground.
He noticed the ground was getting a little trampled at the base of
the tree. He found a few loose branches and tossed them there.
Looked a lot better. He hurried to his tunnel, stepped inside and
twisted the cover in place. Soon he stepped out into his kitchen.

Home. Yes, Home Sweet Home.

Installment #13

Installment #13

Fred


Fred frowned as he hung up the phone. Damn pesky
woman. What was she so afraid of anyway? If anybody was
small enough to get in that doggie door, they were sure as hell
too little to hurt anybody and the dogs could eat them in two
bites. He held the Hershey can in his left hand as he placed the
phone back on the wall with his right. He was not ready to let
this one go. For some reason this one was special.

Usually the money went into a hole in the yard as soon as
he had the time to dig the hole, but he wanted to keep this one for
a while. People would think he was nuts if they knew. Well,
what was nuts about keeping money in cans at home? Made a lot
more sense than handing it over to one of the twits at the bank
who would put it in a drawer and give it out to other people. It
was his and they should not have his money. They had explained
to him that every month he would get a total of how much he
had, much like the account his dad had set up for him when he
was very young. Only that was once a year. He had to go in and
set across the big mahogany desk from some white haired old
fart who droned on about the investments and the check he got
every month and how wonderful his father had been to do this.
Like he was a simpleton!

How much was in that account his dad still controlled
from the grave? He did not remember. More than when it
started. He snorted. Some day the state of Colorado was going
to get a shit pot full of money, courtesy of Fred Himes, Jr. via
Fredric Himes, Sr. He really should leave a note about the cans
in the yard, but why? They were his. Earned by the sweat of his
brow. If he wanted to bury them he could. He could burn that
money if he so chose, but no, he had made a memorial to his
god, who ever that was. Apparently, it was the almighty dollar.
No, because money had never brought him any happiness either.
It was the memory of where the money came from. Like the
$16,450 that was the money for the big barn he had built for that
gimp legged guy over the draw east of him.

Then there was $19,000 from that scar faced guy just
north of Meg’s farm. Now that was crazy. Dug a tunnel from his
root cellar straight west to the edge of the forest. Well, dug a
trench, covered it with planks and then dirt. Nobody knew it was
there. Well, he knew. And the scar faced guy knew. Seemed like
a damn waste of money to him. No equipment! No one must
know. Ok, fella, what ever you say. Wonder where he got that
big scar? It was a gruesome looking thing for sure. Ran from
above his left eye, well where his left eye used to be, across his
cheek and mouth to his right jawbone. What ever it was sure had
to have hurt. Didn’t bother Fred, though. He looked past stuff
like that, but he couldn’t help but wonder. Guy was a definite
loner. Or seemed to be. But he did go into Denver several times
a week. Sometimes he stayed there. Fred knew ‘cause they
shared the road in and out. Funny that he did not seem to have a
name. No mail box either.

Fred sat deep in thought at the kitchen table as he stroked
the Hershey can. His eyes stared into the darkness of the forest.
But he did not see the trees or the tiny forest creatures. He saw
his mother. His mother in her pretty red dress and her white
patent leather shoes. He saw the slash of bright red lipstick on
her mouth and heard her laugh. He heard the radio playing a
lively tune. “Come here, Freddie, come dance with Momma!
Make Momma happy!” And he rose and followed her to the
middle of the wooden kitchen floor. His Momma was so
innocent. She asked for so little, just to be happy. As much as he
tried not to, he would always love his Momma. A tear slid
slowly down his cheek and was lost in his beard.

Installment #10

Installment #10

Kevin/Meg

Kevin stopped on the trail and fished the cell phone out
of his pocket. M o m . “Hey mom! What’s up? You never call
this early.”
“Just wanted to tell you that I miss our little morning
runs. I knew you would be out this morning. I guess I am just
a little lonely for you.”
“Well, yeah, but if you moved out here you would not
need to miss me, would you?” He hesitated briefly, then forged
ahead. “Mom, I have met someone. I want you to meet him. If
we can work it out we will fly out the end of the month. He
owns a pub here and will need to get someone to take care of it
while he is gone. And he has a cat. And his own house.” Kevin
suddenly stopped as he realized he was rambling. “Mom? You
there?”
“Yes, dear. Just give me a minute. This is not what I
expected this morning.” She took a deep breathe. “ I am so
happy you have someone. I just need a moment to gather my
thoughts.” Thoughts she must never let him know she had. She
waved the phone in the air as she crumpled a leaf. “Kevin, my
phone is acting up. Let me call you this evening.” As they rang
off, Meg sank into the chair at the kitchen table and broke into
sobs.
She had known for years that Kevin was gay. But he had
no steady friend, so there was hope. Now it all came into a
reality that she was not prepared for. There were so many
ramifications in the words “I have met someone.” I have met a
man and you will never be a grandmother. I have met someone
and I will never be your little boy again. I will turn to him and
turn away from you. You will never hold a grandchild. Never.
Never, ever. She watched the truck bringing another load of the
steel bars and it suddenly dawned on her that while she was
building a wall to keep the world out, she was also building a
wall to keep herself in. Kevin had a right to be happy and if this
man made him happy wasn’t that more important than her selfish
wants? And how selfish that she had not even asked his name.

She dried her eyes and watched the workman carrying the bars
toward the house. She would not share this with Kevin.
Kevin was just getting back to stride when the phone rang
again. Mom. What now? “Hi Mom. Did you forget
something?”
“No, dear. I just want you to know that I am happy you
have someone and I would love to meet him. But does he have a
name and what does he do and all the things I should have asked
before? “
Kevin suddenly laughed out loud. “Oh, Mom! I am so glad you
lost your connection a bit ago, cause it sure sounds like you have
a solid one now! This is the mom I know. I will email you all
about him when I get off tonight. Have a good day and I love
you.”
“And I love you, Kevin.” They both smiled as they broke
the connection. Meg turned back to the window and Kevin
turned back to the trail.

Installment #5...

INSTALLMENT #5
Kevin
Kevin breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the big
American Airlines plane lift off headed west and then bank to
the left and disappear in the Eastern sky. It had been great
having mom here for the four days. It was especially nice to
have her to run with early in the morning. And the fact that a
piece of fruit, or a bowl of soup, or crackers and cheese could
constitute a meal was even better. She understood his current
passion for being a vegetarian and she could take meat or leave
it. He had tried to show her a good time in hopes that she might
sell the farm and move to California. They could afford a house
if it were the two of them. And it did not have to be California.
They could go back to Boston or back to Dallas or maybe up to
Seattle. There was really nothing holding her in Colorado
except memories. No family. Just the farm. Her sisters were in
15
Kansas and he was just not comfortable with her being alone on
the farm.
It was a lot of work and while there was room for a hired
man and the chickens brought in enough to afford help, she still
refused. It was good that she was occupied with her little store
on eBay. He checked in from time to time and her merchandise
seemed to move well. Her descriptions were written like she was
talking to an old friend. Meg Parker was definitely a force to be
reckoned with in the technology department.
Kevin pulled his little Subaru into a parking place in
front of Your Little Pub. Guess it was all right to have a brew
since it was almost noon. And he wanted to see Greg. He had
not talked to him while mom was here. Not quite sure he was
ready for mom to meet a male friend. It could be awkward.
When Greg caught sight of Kevin walking across the floor and
up to the bar, he smiled and changed directions. He had been
taking a tub of dishes to the kitchen but that could wait. He
smiled shyly at Kevin. He had never met a man before that
could turn his knees to jelly and his insides to butterflies, but
this man did. Kevin was so sure. So aloof, but when he turned
his brown eyes on him, Greg was done. He felt like the man
looked into the very depths of his soul. Eyes of brown did that
to him. “Hey, Greg, how goes it?”
“Great Kevin. And how did your mom’s visit go? I guess
she is gone now?”
“Yeah, I just put her on the plane. It was all good. I
should have had you over, but ..”
“I know. You don’t need to say any more. You have not
met my mom either!” They both laughed uneasily. They had
discussed the mother thing before and were both sure they
needed more time to adjust and accept themselves as a couple
before holding each other out to the family. Greg was more sure
then Kevin, but then he had been out in San Francisco while
Kevin had never held hands in public with a man. It would take
some getting used to that was for sure.
“Hey, Kevin, I picked up that old Loretta Lynn movie
with Sissie Spacek, you know Coal Miners Daughter. Don’t
16
know how good of shape it is in. Got it at the junk store.
Want to come by tonight and watch it? “ Kevin hesitated and
sat his brew back on the bar.
“Can I bring the eats? You do know I don‘t do the meat thing,
don’t you?”
“Hey man, I was there way before you! That is no
problem at all with me.”
“I’ll pick up a bottle of wine.” He turned back to his brew
and thought to himself, “This just gets better all the time!” No
one else would ever understand his deep love for country music.
It just did not fit in with his lifestyle, but here was Greg
understanding him so well. Not only understanding, but
accepting him just as he was. Life indeed was good. Maybe
Greg would get to meet his mom yet!

Installment #4

INSTALLMENT #4
Him


He stepped quickly from the Jeep Cherokee and hurried
across the parking lot and into the airport. He better not miss this
flight or he would be setting right in her lap and that would never
do. It was so much easier before 9-11. Then it was just catch a
flight. Now there was all the security and everything to go
through. Damned inconvenience was about all it was to him. He
emptied his pockets into the tray and stepped into the machine
that would show anything he had missed. Lot better then being
groped, but there was a lot to be said for that also. He smiled to
himself and the security guard smiled back at him. Damn fool.
Like a man of his standing would ever give someone like her a
second look. He belonged to Meg, heart and soul and very soon
she would know it. As the big jet lifted off and the earth fell
behind and below him, he closed his eyes and envisioned the
perfect world that would soon be his. And for the briefest of
moments he thought he felt her breathe on his cheek.