Revival of this story coming in 2020!

When I conceived the idea for this story, I was really excited.  Life got between me and the ending I had envisioned, so I wound it down in a rather hurried ending.  Now, I have reread it and become inspired so I am going to work on the story I know is buried deep in my head and more importantly in my heart.

I will of course, continue with my Words of Wisdom.  Those pages are written early in the mornings because I wake up thinking about things that mostly happened in my day to day life and mostly back when I was growing up in a dog eat dog world.

I hope you will follow "The World Is Not My Home" as a purely fictional effort on my part.  You can also sign up to get in sent to your email.  Just go to the left column under the followers.

I look forward to entertaining you in a purely fictional rendering

#12 The annual meeting. rerun

I awoke with a sense of anticipation.  Something was different!  Sysnyck and Charmin were not with me.  That in itself was strange, but not troubling.  They had found me on their own and they would be back of that I was sure.  I hurried to the opening and to my amazement the area was filled with people none of whom I recognized and yet I somehow felt I knew them all.  One thing was sure, we were all in the same place for the same reason.  I did not see where they could have come from and as I turned to my mossy little room, I found it was not there!  So were all these people living around me and I could not see them?  This was indeed strange.

I found a man with whom I felt a complete sense of peace.  He was wearing a pair of bib overalls and sporting a full, gray beard and a head of frowzy gray hair.  As I approached him he turned and looked me full in the face.  I was astounded to see his  eyes that were neither hazel nor blue and yet were both hazel and blue.  My mothers eyes!  The high cheekbones!

"Grandpa Haas?"  He smiled and as he smiled I could hear angels sing.  What the hell?

"No, my child, but you are close.  I am your great grandfather.  I brought your grandfather to Ellis Island when he was but a wee lad."  My heart sang.  'Wee Lad'.  That was Scottish or Irish or something I knew ran through my veins.

My great grandfather.  I felt so very safe with this man.  I could feel the bond in the bottom of my soul and as I was enveloped in a sense of love like one I had never known I could see and feel the ship landing at the pier at Ellis Island.  I could see the long hall teeming with humanity.  I could see my grandfather in his bib overalls holding the hand of an older girl I felt to be his sister.  An older brother I recognized as Uncle Goll.  No, that would be a great uncle.  As I watched the rag tag lot of them making their way down the hall, my heart was swollen with love for these people who I did not know, but knew that I would learn of them through the history of our family.

Christoph Adam Haas would someday be my grandfather.  I would not remember meeting him, but I would live with his wife who was my grandmother Josie Emma Miller Haas and my Great Grandmother Helen Gagnebein Hatfield.  My heart was swollen with love for this family who had traveled so very far to the shores of the United States of America.  I stood very close to my Great Grandfather as he reached down and rested his hand on my shoulder.  I felt very young and vulnerable at that moment.  I was beginning to get the hang of this being whatever age I needed to be at any given time.  But the crowd was beginning to swirl and seperate and then come together as I clung to my grandfather.

A hush fell over the crowd as a voice spoke.  It was not loud, but everyone seemed to hear it and obey.  As a name was called all the members of that family name seemed to be circled by a golden rope that was completely ethereal.

"Johann Jacob Haas of Dettengin, Germany!"  My great grandfather straightened with pride.  I saw my group being circled with the golden lasso.  Mother, Jake, Grandma Haas, Uncle Goll, Josephine, Mary, Dorothy, Aunt Mabel.....  I clung to my great grandfather.  The reading of the names was soon over and I found myself alone as the reading of another list began.

 Delbert Bartholomew, Reuben Bartholomew, Earl Duane Seeger.......I soon knew this was the list for the next 50 years.  The ones who had gone before that disappeared and I found myself now standing with my family I had grown up with.  This was a smaller group. I somehow knew this list would soon narrow down.  The whole process was not taking long and soon I found myself alone.  I was apparently the last one to pass in my family.

And then I became "aware".  There was no other way to explain it.  I knew that this was the supreme beings way of knowing who was here and who was not.  I suddenly understood it all.  We were all here all the way back to the beginning of time.  The judgement would come some time in the future.  In the meantime, we all existed on a plain of time that was sort of a holding pattern.  This was how it was.  We could roam and do what we wanted.  We could visit.  We could probably even play games if we so choose, but we were here until the judgement day.  Maybe there was a place that I could go to find out all this stuff.  The thought had no more then occurred to me when a small, light blue cloud appeared to me.  To my amazement, it appeared to be a woman, but spoke as a man.

"Welcome!  I am Rompano.  I am your guide in the hereafter.  I will answer all your questions and guide you along the path to your salvation.  Are you ready?"

And with that statement, I realized I was in my mossy little room and it was time for my nap. 

#11 The Aurora Boreales.rerun

I did not see Sysnyck and Charmin any where so I concluded that had gone on some sort of outing.  For some reason I started think about the Aurora Borealis.  I have no idea where that came from, but on a whim I decided I should see it.  I had heard talk of it all my life, but being in Kansas and Colorado, I had never encountered it myself.  I think it is some sort of magnetic field and I had heard of the slow, dancing lights and how enthralling the sight was, but I had never bothered loading into the car and going North in case it was actually happening.  Now that I have all this time on my hands, I think I shall investigate the phenomenon.  I stood upright, or at least it seemed upright in my mind and thought about what I knew about the light show that occurred at times.  Slowly I felt myself moving and then with a burst of speed that had I actually been alive, would have probably ripped my head off my body, I was transported.

I am here to tell you, I did not have to view the Aurora Borealis from a distance.  Oh, no.  I was right smack dab in the middle of the light show.  I was so close I could not see it, so I pulled back a little ways, and stared at the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.  Bands of color swayed before me.  Mostly a dark limish green, and then blue, and pink.  The colors changed as I watched.  There were all shades and all hues.  Pale green gave way to a bright blue, which changed into a purple swirling mass.  It undulated before me and I swear I could hear the angels singing.

Once I was coming back from Denver and it was dark and cold.  As I started down Monument hill the lights picked up what looked like fairy dust in the headlights.  I figured it was probably frost in the air that had not fallen yet and my lights caught it.  This light show was similar to that.  It was nothing tangible, but it was there.  I was afraid to close my eyes because I feared the show would stop when I did.  I do not know how long I was there nor did I know where I was.  The Northern Lights, it was called, so I assumed I was North, but north of where?

I was not cold, but then this afterlife was neither cold, nor hot, nor anything really.  I had no idea how long I gazed at the Northern Lights and my only awareness was that I was totally unaware of anything.  Time stood still.  There had to be more to it than this.  I was totally alone as near as I could tell, but that could not be right.  I wanted to learn about this place that I now called home.  There had to be others here.  I had seen mom and Jake.  I had talked with Kenny. I had seen the woman pick up her dog, so I knew there was more to it than what I had seen.  With that thought in mind, the Aurora Borealis faded from my vision and was no more.

I was in my room.  My room.  While the afterlife was pleasant enough. I wanted more.  I wanted answers.  As I drifted on a cloud to sleep, I prayed the prayer I had prayed when I was alive.  "Now I lay me down to sleep.  I pray the Lord , my soul to keep.  If I...."  I never finished that line, because I had already died before I woke.

Installment #44 Epilogue

Installment #44

 Epilogue

Jack and Leroy watched as the body was brought out and placed in the back of the ambulance. As the tow truck secured the Jeep, Jack remembered the black Jeep that turned into an obscure road 30 minutes up the road. When he mentioned it to Leroy, he recalled the same black Jeep following them down to the farm. Perhaps Marshall’s keys would be found there. And Ambrose. And Jeffery. And some where in Denver, Jennifer would be thanking her lucky stars that she was born a lesbian and had never even looked at her boss “that way”.

A man in Brattleboro, Vermont was boarding a plane for Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado to assist in looking for his lost son.  Or so he thought. When he landed he would find that the lost son had been found and the other son that was found was now completely lost, forever. Knowing that the men would be down from the mountain soon, Meg got the Bunn ready and poured the water through.


Her mind flashed to that morning when she had made coffee. She remembered reaching for the panel that was in the doggie door.  She jumped when the door bell rang.

Kevin gave her a hug.  “It will take time, mom.” She hurried to the door and was surprised to find Fred there, and it looked like he had trimmed his beard! He held his hat in his hands and smiled timidly at Meg. A simple man, she thought. A very simple man. Like her Tommy. Meg smiled and held the door open wider as he entered and she looked into his very dark eyes; Kevin’s eyes. She realized that he was also freshly showered and carried the scent of the great out doors. The fresh clean scent of…… Irish Spring.

The end....for now.

Installment #43 Marshall

Installment #43

Marshall

Marshall realized when he pulled into his yard that he did not have a key to his house on his key ring since his keys were God only knew where and would need to enter through the tunnel entrance. Parking near the front door he left the door of the Jeep open. He was not going to be here very long. He was just going to grab Meg and slip back down the mountain before the Johnny laws decided to spread out; start searching the area. And he sure did not want to be standing there with his arms full of Meg Parker when they popped into the yard.

“Oh, gee, look what I found sleeping in my bed!” He quickly reached the edge of the clearing and without a look around, he slid the door over, stepped inside and slid it back into place. No sense tempting fate. He flipped the switch that illuminated the tunnel and was amazed to see Meg standing in the middle of the tunnel being held erect by Fred, the idiot handyman.
“What in the hell are you doing in my tunnel This is my property! Where are you taking that woman?”

Fred stared at the livid man.
“What are you doing with this woman? You are holding her against her will! I ain’t stupid. I dug her out of your root cellar. I am taking her to her home. You have no right doing this. This is just wrong.” A tear slid down Fred’s face and Marshall laughed.

“You damn simpleton! You have meddled where you have no business. How do you think you are going to stop me from what I want? Look at her! She is sound asleep. Are you going to drop her and then what? You under fed little faggot, you are not going to get out of this tunnel. At least not alive. Now I will wait while you put her down very gently over there against the wall and then I am going to very quietly break your f-ing neck. Or I will just break your neck and catch her when she falls. Your choice, simple simon.”

Fred knew there was no way out of this one. He knew that he did not stand a chance in hell against this giant before him. He would do what he could to protect Meg with his last breathe, but he had to put her out of harms way.
“Let me put her down.  I don’t want her to get hurt. I will put her right over there and then we will settle this man to man. At least I will try.  Momma always said I should do my very best.”
Marshall flushed beet red.  “Your momma? What in the hell is wrong with you? Your momma should have told you about the big bad boogie man that lives in the tunnel, you little wooze. Now put her down!”

Fred eased Meg against the wall and let her slide gently to the ground.  He bent and kissed her on top of the head and straigtened just in time to see a look of horror on Marshall Purcell’s face. He saw his glass eye pop out and fall to the floor. He saw Marshall turn and move toward the open door. What Marshall had seen was Kevin who had just thrown a huge rock and hit him in the back of the head. What Marshall did not see was the razor sharp Machete raised in the air and propelled though the air with a force that even Freddie Himes, Jr did not know he had in his body. When the downward thrust was finished the jugular vein that had fed the evil mind of Marshall Purcell was completely severed.

Kevin and Fred locked eyes above the now inert body that lay on the floor of the tunnel. Kevin rushed to Meg. He gathered her in his arms and together the three of them skirted past the dead man and hurried to the door.  When they were outside Fred closed the door and twisted the lock. He was shaking and sweating. He looked at Kevin and began to cry.

 “Oh, man I was so scared! I knew I had to get her out of there when I found her. I knew he was a bad man and then when he caught me, I figured we were both goners. Where did you come from? You are her kid, right? How did you know she was in there? Oh, we got to tell somebody!”

Kevin looked at the sad little man and knew he had to do something with Meg so he could do something with Fred.  He located a big boulder nearby and nodded toward it with his head.

“Set down over there, Fred and I will put mom beside you and you hold her while I make a call.”

 And Fred, the innocent little child he was, did as he was told. Fred sat and Kevin gently placed Meg beside him.
“Hold her so she doesn’t fall while I call the guys down at the farm.”

Meg was just beginning to stir when the sheriff cars rolled up Storm Lake road and onto the Purcell property. When Jack came out of the tunnel he looked at Kevin and Fred.
“Who swung that machete? It is stuck in his bone and probably not ever gonna come out. Now who goes first? Not Meg. She looks like she is still pretty out of it. That Adavan is some potent shit. Fred, is it? You start. Try to remember everything that happened. How did you find Mrs. Parker? Do you know this guy? Oh, go ahead, just tell it like it happened.”

 “Well, I shot me a little deer. Oh, God, now I am going to jail for sure. Damn! Damn!”

Jack laughed. “We will let this one slide, just tell us what happened here.”
“Well, I shot me a little deer and the shot was off a bit so I tracked it over here. Found it right by that tree over there.  I looked through the trees and saw this big guy carry a woman into the house and then leave. I kind of thought it looked like the Parker woman but I wasn’t real sure. Well, I trussed up the deer and hung it and slit it’s throat and then field dressed it so it would be good to eat. When I wrapped the sheet around it to keep the flies off  I got to thinking that if it was her she might be in trouble. Well, I knew this tunnel was here cause I dug it. I knew that would be the only way I could get in the house, so I went there.  The tunnel is different now than it used to be so it took me a while to figure out that he had changed it. I knew she was somewhere in there so I figured it had to be in the root cellar. I found the soft dirt and dug it out and went in and there she was! And it was her! And I knew I had to get her out of there and quick cause he would be back. And he was. Caught us right out there where you found him. Would have been me if this guy had not come along.”

He indicated Kevin.   Jack looked at Kevin expectantly.

 “Well, I just happened to walk up here and I saw that deer hanging in the tree and it scared hell out of me. Then I climbed a tree and saw that I could see the farm from the top of it. While I was up there I saw the guy get out of the black Jeep and walk around in the yard and then head towards the tree. I figured I was a goner, but he opened a door or something and disappeared inside. I thought that was weirder than weird so I crept a little closer and I picked up a rock just in case. The door did not make a sound and I was damn glad of that! When I peered in there I seen him and Fred and mom. Did not take much to figure out who the bad guy was. When Fred was putting mom down the guy was intent on that and when Fred kissed the top of her head I threw that rock with everything I had and prayed like a demon. But Fred is the real hero here.” He beamed at Fred.

 Meg stirred and looked at Fred in bewilderment. A gurney appeared and it was clear Meg was going to be checked out in the back of the ambulance. She was like a little girl as they placed her on the cot and put the oxygen over her nose. The last thing she could remember was reaching to lift up the doggie door.

“Well you two are going to need to undergo a complete debriefing at the house so Leroy will give you a ride down.”
Fred suddenly looked very agitated.  “Look, I ain’t done nothing wrong, except that deer. I got that deer and I can’t let that meat go to waste.  That would be just wrong!  Can I just take it home and cut it up some and stick it in the cooler? Then I could come down there.”

Jack smiled at the rough country man. “Yeah, go ahead. If you leave it hanging there you are going to get in trouble for sure. But come down as quick as you can.” And Fred hurried away into the forest, intent on his job. Meg and Kevin walked down the mountain instead of riding. Meg thought the exercise would do her good.  Clear her head. As they neared the farm the dogs caught sight of her and ran to meet them.  She laughed as she held the two squirming bodies and caught sight of the calico cat watching them with a haughty air. This was home.

Installment #42 Kevin

Installment #42

Kevin

Jack quickly caught Kevin up to speed with what he knew, which was not much. Meg was missing. A man she had planned on meeting in Denver was missing. Someone had hacked into her email. That person lived either in Denver or near here. Or both. What did Kevin know? Nothing. He had not even known about the man in Denver. Mom had been a widow for over three years now, so it did not surprise him. Could the man in Denver have done something to Mom?
No.  Jeffery Purcell was missing first.
Had Meg seemed different in any way when he last spoke to her?
No, she was always just mom.

Suddenly the door burst open and Leroy and Ferrel hurried across the yard. “Jack! You are not going to believe this! The computer in Denver belongs to a man named Marshall Purcell! Marshall Purcell is Jeffery Purcell’s twin brother. They have been estranged for years. The father is in Brattleboro, Vermont.  He has not seen either son in several years.  No contact at all with Marshall since before the mother died.  Marshall never went back for the funeral. The father remarried and moved to Vermont or moved to Vermont and then remarried, but shortly after the marriage Jeffery wrote him out of his life.”

Jack frowned as he digested this bit of news.  “This is just getting worse.  Have someone pick up Marshall Purcell and take him in for questioning.  He is going to have some explaining to do about hacking Parkers’ computer.”  He turned to Kevin.  “How does your mom know Marshall Purcell? Who is he?”
Kevin shook his head. “ I have no clue. I never heard her mention him at all. What does he do?  Mom never goes to Denver unless it is business. What does this Purcell guy do?”

Ferrel glanced at his notes. “He is a stock broker. Quite successful. Your mom have stock?”
 “Yeah, but I bought it through my broker. I keep her portfolio and she does not buy anything any more. We are just kind of riding the sinking ship and hoping it makes a comeback.”

Who in the hell was this guy and why was he spying on his mother?  Mom would surely have told him if she were interested in someone.  And she would have told him if she had someone playing inside her computer.  Well, she would have told him had she known it. Leroy disconnected from his call on the cell phone and turned to face the group.  He was very solemn.

“Well, they sent a team to Purcell’s office.  He was not there, but Jennifer, the office manager was and she was quite helpful.  Seems Purcell left the office on Thursday morning and has not been heard from since.  When she went to transfer money from the main account into the payroll account, she found there was nothing to transfer. Seems Marshall Purcell had already transferred it somewhere.  She went to his apartment to confront him, but that is gone too.  Nothing there.  Like he fell off the face of the earth.”

 Kevin sat down on the small patch of grass by the back porch.  Immediately Daisy and Elvira were in his lap.  He laughed as he saw Icarus, Miss Independent cat, watching the dogs.  These three animals had the same disposition as Meg,  all love and happiness.  He stared at the mountain.  What secrets did it hold?  He and Greg had known something was amiss, but never dreamed it would lead to this.  Mom was way to trusting. Meeting a guy on the Internet was absurd.  Making plans to meet him in Denver was even more out of character.  He watched as the fingerprint guy came out and walked to his van. Jack intercepted him. Kevin watched them with their heads together. Goodbyes were said and Jack approached Kevin.

No good news there.  Says a preliminary turned up a lot of prints, but they all seem to be accounted for and he does not have much hope.”

Somehow Kevin was not surprised by this.  He suddenly felt like he was smothering.  “Jack, I am going for a short walk.  Probably up the mountain a ways.  I need to call California and the reception here is not the best.”
Jack nodded.  “ I hear you buddy.   Here is my cell phone number if you need me or see anything unusual just give me a jingle.” Kevin slipped the card into his cell phone case, nodded at the dogs to stay and headed north, up the mountain in the direction Meg had refused to go just a week earlier.  The dogs watched him go a ways and then settled down in the grass and the cat lay in the grass twitching her tail and contemplating a nap.

Instalmment # 41 Marshall

Installment #41
Marshall

Marshall bounced out of the dirt road and almost broadsided the sheriff car. He immediately applied brakes and then relaxed as he noticed it was not this county sheriff. Might have been a stroke of luck there. But he had immediately seen that he was going to follow this guy for a while and as much as every fiber of his being longed to hold his darling Meg, he was not going to wind up with the sheriff going through his vehicle and delaying his return.
Ah, she was sleeping so peacefully when he left her. And he knew she would wait for him. All of his life he had yearned for a woman just like her. One who would understand him. One who would listen when he told her what his mother made him do. The secrets he had kept for all these years. The evil that lived in the home where he grew up. The father and brother that never knew that while they were at work or school or at the basketball game that he was home sucking on Mother’s tits and screwing her brains out.
She knew it was wrong and she did not care. “Marshall, come here. Dad and Jeffery went to  the movies and will not be home for hours.  Come in here and talk to me. Feel my skin! Feel how soft it is. Do you know what keeps a woman’s skin soft? This.” She reached down and laid her hand inside his crotch. “ This keeps me alive and vibrant. Your father does not understand. Slam, bam, thank you, ma’am.”
 As she spoke her hands worked his zipper and soon his jeans were around his knees. Her open mouth encircled him and her black eyes watched his face. Marshall jerked the wheel just in time to avoid a very bumpy ride down the side of a very steep cliff.
 Damn! Hope those guys up ahead were not watching the rear view mirror. “Ah, gee officer, I was just remembering a blow job from my mother and got a little inattentive there.” That ought to hold them. Marshall always tried to not let the hard on happen, but it did.  It always did. After she was satisfied he would take a long hot bath and then a hot shower, but still, the image of Mother with her lips slightly parted and her eyes watching his face as he mounted her and found the shooting stars that only she could bring was before him.
He liked it when she wanted “doggie style” because then he did not have to look at her. But still when he bucked and drove into her it was her face that was before him. It was mother he had seen with all the whores in Denver and Viet Nam and all points between and beyond. But he had found peace in the eyes of Meg Parker. At least he thought he had. Would. Could. Meg would be his salvation. Their union would be pure. Meg had a good heart. He had watched her with the dogs.  He had watched her with a wounded bird. With her son. Alone in her bedroom when nobody was around. She read her Bible.
She listened to Classic Country. He had always preferred Heavy Metal and stuff like that, but he found himself turning to Garth Brooks more often. Willie Nelson.  Kenny Rogers. Country guys knew how to rip your heart out. Not the women though. Dolly was a perfect example of what he did not want in a woman. Red lips and bleached hair. Meg did not dye her hair. She only wore a little lipstick and that only some of the time. As Marshall drove he pictured her lying on her cot waiting for him.

When he unlocked the door she would rush to him. Well if the Adavan had worn off, she would.
Maybe she would fall at his feet and cling to his knees. That would be a nice touch. Subservient. He would slowly take her hands and raise her to her feet.
“Oh, darling! Do not worship me so. We are equal, you and I.  I need you as much as you need me. Together! Together! Here, lie on the bed. Let me run you a nice bath. I am so sorry I had to leave you here all alone. Let me make it up to you.  Oh, I have been bad. Very bad. Do you want to spank me? You can. Oh, yes you can. Here. Let me lower my slacks and you can spank me. Oh, let me bend over. Spank me! Spank your baby boy!…..What the hell!”

 Marshall applied the brakes just in time to avoid a dung green helicopter landing on the road in front of him. The was no missing the big Colorado Law Enforcement stenciled across the side. He noted that he was right in front of Meg’s farm. Damn! Seven minutes and he would have been home. But here he sat. He watched as the door opened and a big burly guy that smelled of cop all over the place stepped down to the ground and then turned and held up his hand for Kevin Jackson, Meg’s son. The little queer guy from California. They both ducked and ran across the drive way to the yard. As they cleared the yard, the pilot gunned the rotor, dipped slightly and then the runners began to raise.

Marshall waited a bit as he surveyed the gathering in the yard. Oh, they had made the connection between Meg and Jeffery and the hunt was on. Well, let them look. He was very good at hide and seek. Jeffery was very well hidden as was the cop. Meg was a different story, but soon they would be in the Jeep headed south. A stop in Colorado Springs at the First National Bank to empty his safe deposit box and then Mexico. He had already bought property in Julisco, Mexico, an American retirement community on a lake that was straight out of a picture book. Living was easy down there. Cheap. Meg might resist at first, but when she accepted how much he loved her and how much she needed him, she would come around. As the dust settled he dropped the lever to Drive, released the brake and moved slowly forward. He briefly made eye contact with the guy who seemed to be in charge, so he lifted his hand in a neighborly wave and headed up the hill and home.

Installment #40 Jack

Installment #40

Jack

Jack hurried to the first sheriff car that pulled on the scene. Leroy! Computer expert and hopefully the man with the answer. Formalities.  “Jack, I want you to meet Ferrel Buford. Ferrel has been a very big help. Has all this fancy equipment and lots of info coming over the wire on the way up here.”

Jack shook the proffered hand as he turned toward the house.
“Pleased to meet you, Jack. I think I have what you need.” He pulled a small notebook out of his pocket. “Well, at least it is sure going to help. But first, I got to pee. Some jerk driving like a maniac about ran us off the road. Damn hairpin curves scare the shit out of me anyway.”
Jack indicated the door Ferrel needed and poured coffee in a cup and offered it to Leroy. Ferrel returned very quickly and took the coffee Jack offered him.
“Now. The hacker is in Denver, but he is also around here close. Unless there are two of them, which I can not see, but there are two computers. The first one is in an office complex in downtown Denver. I have my company working on narrowing that one down.  Should have an answer on that in about an hour.  So the other one is up here on this mountain, but it is wireless and operates on a “hot wire” off of a satellite. Those are really hard to pinpoint.”
Leroy chimed in, “Is there any way we can get information on the people that live up here on this mountain? You know, where and if they work.  If they go into Denver regular. Things like that?”
But Leroy and Jack both knew the mountain backwoods code. Live here, do what you want, bother nobody and you become invisible.
“Oh, I got hold of the kid, Kevin. He is flying into Stapleton about right now.  George will pick him up and the helicopter will shuttle him down here. Don’t know what good he will be since he lives clear out in California, but he might know something, and it is his mother. Maybe she confided something to him that will give us a clue.”

Jack turned back to Ferrel. “Show me what you have. I sure hope we can get something out of it.” Ferrel opened the note book.
 “Red stars are on the Denver computer. Black are on the mountain computer. He started pinging in on her about 5 months ago. Not often. Just occasionally. Goes in, checks her emails, reads them, marks them new, and leaves. Cannot see where he does anything else at all, but he sure is keeping tabs on the redranger.” Jack stared at the dates.

“Do you by any chance have copies of the emails that were sent on these days? Especially….” He stopped as Ferrel stood and went to the car, returning with a folder which he handed to Jack. Quickly he found the one he wanted.

They were to meet at the Sheraton. That was the last communication between the redranger and Meg Parker. Redranger, aka Jeffery Eldon Purcell had arrived in Denver. They knew that much. They knew he had not kept his rendevous with Meg at the Sheraton. He looked back at the dates on the sheet.

There had been no action since the plans were made. Was it possible that the hacker did not need to check on Meg because he knew exactly where both she and Jeffery were now?

“This guy has Meg and Jeffery Purcell!” It was a wild guess and it was also a statement of fact. Jack Farley felt a cold hard knot forming in the pit of his stomach. He hated it when he was right and he knew he was right. And he knew the son was on his way. And he knew he needed answers. No, he needed Meg Parker to be standing in the yard waving when the helicopter landed. That was what he needed, but more than that, he needed to know how to make that happen. He needed computer locations and names on leases and, oh God, this was not looking good at all.

He turned to Ferrel Buford with a pleading look in his eyes. “We need a miracle. We are trying to chase waves in the air that we cannot see. I am afraid if we are not quick enough this woman and the man she was meeting will both die. You are the man that can make it happen.”

As he turned away, he knew that miracles do not always happen just because you want them to. And in the far distance he heard the beating rotor of a helicopter headed towards the little farm on the side of the mountain.

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 34 Meg

Installment #34

Meg

Meg awoke well before dawn. She stretched in the dark
and began to organize her thoughts. She did not need to turn
on the computer this morning because it was not here. This
was a first in a long time. No reason to hurry into the office.
No eBay, no redranger, no computer. Then she remembered
the other thing that was lurking in the corner of her mind; she
was not alone in the house. Ambrose was downstairs guarding
the front door or something. Or maybe while she slept
someone had come and relieved Ambrose and someone else
would be down there. Well, she was up here in her bed and she
was not ready to go down and face whatever this day would
bring. What day was it?

Let’s see. Denver was Thursday. Friday had been a
recover and feel sorry for herself because she had been stood up
day, and then Saturday brought the detectives and the news that
the man she had contemplated having sex with was married.
Hell, not only married, but missing. The redranger was Jeffery
Eldon Purcell. She pulled the covers over her head as she
realized that today was Sunday. Sunday meant church. But Jack
had told her she had to stay in the house. Well, that was not
going to happen. Somebody had to move the eggs into the
cooler. Somebody had to check the feeders. And today was
Sunday and Sunday and church were part of her routine. Well,
Ambrose better be ready to go to church and gather eggs. She
pushed the covers down and turned and put her feet over the
side of the bed. A quick look at the clock told her it was almost
5:30. The sun would be peeking over the horizon very soon.
Guiltily she remembered that she had not spoken to
Kevin since the first part of the week. She reached for the phone
in the charger by the bed. It was not there. Strange. In all the
activity yesterday she must have left it downstairs. Anyway it
was 4:30 in California and it was Sunday and Kevin liked to
sleep in on the weekend. Well, not that late, but sure not 4:30.
Nobody got up at that time of day. Well, she did, but she had no
life. It was pretty early to go downstairs, but surely Ambrose
was awake and would want coffee. He was guarding her so he
should be awake. She took her robe off the end of the bed and
pulled it on. As she pulled it around her shoulders, she hugged
herself. Tommy had bought this for her and it was very
practical for Colorado mornings, although not a bit sexy. She
stroked the fabric which reminded her of a satin rabbit she had
as a pet when she was very young. Wonder what this fabric is,
other than polyester? Such a general term.

Sliding her feet into her slippers, she ran her fingers
through her hair. She belted the robe and walked across the floor
to the crates. As she opened the door on Daisy’s crate, Daisy
stirred and came out, waiting to have her ears scratched. Elvira
was slower, but the same ritual as Daisy. They waited for their
“getting up treat”. If they had one for going to bed, they also
needed one for getting up. Nothing spoiled about these dogs.
They bounded down the stairs , made a left turn , and
were out the doggie door. Meg made a right turn and walked
into a brightly lit kitchen. But where was Ambrose? Must be in
the bathroom, or maybe asleep on the couch. She glanced
around the kitchen and did not see her cell phone. This charger
was also empty. Where was that phone? Then she saw the note
on the counter. She picked it up and read the few words. “ Meg
Parker. I have been called back to Denver. Everything here is
alright.”
That was strange. He should have woke her up and told
her he was leaving. How was he leaving? He had no car.
Someone must have came and got him. Yes, that was it. Well,
that made two inconsiderate oafs! And the dogs. Why had they
not barked? They barked at every leaf that blew across the yard
and every fox that came within a mile of the place, but men
walking around in the kitchen was nothing to be alarmed about.
She poured the water through the Bunn that she had set
up the night before in case Ambrose wanted coffee. As she took
her favorite cup off the cup rack, she glanced idly towards the
back of the house. Those dogs were sure taking their sweet time
this morning. On cue, she heard scratching at the doggie door.
Scratching? All they had to do was come inside. Nothing to
stop them. She walked through the dining room to the sun
porch. The inside door to the doggie door was firmly in place!
How in the hell had that happened? It was kept beside the
doggie door. As she stared in disbelief she felt a strong arm
around her shoulders and soft cloth on her face. What was that
odor? As her whole body slumped against the warmth of what
she knew not, Tommy’s face rose before her.

Installment #33 Fred

Installment #33

Fred

Fred threw the last piece of wood he chopped onto the
pile he had been working on for the past hour. Not much sense in
piling it up like he had done back home. Just going to burn it
anyway. He sat on the stump and reflected back over the
incident with the Jeep with the scary looking guy in it. The guy
had to be watching Meg. But the important part of the whole
thing was how long had the big guy been watching her? And
why? Or was he just setting there? Things began to click inside
his mind. The tunnel. What was that about? Why would anyone
want a tunnel to a tree? Well, when he found the little nesting
part of the tree and the telescope and how this zeroed right in on
the Parker place things began to click. The Jeep on the road was
a big click. Stumbling on him spying on Meg was the clincher.
He had read books. He watched the news. He knew this man
was a stalker! He was a stalker and he was stalking Meg Parker.
But wait! Stalkers usually had a reason. What did this man want
from Meg?

As Fred entered his small cabin and placed his gun and
machete on the shelf his head began to hurt. He was not used to
all this thinking. His life was very simple and required no
planning or decision making and he did not like this at all. He
resented the big scar faced man for doing this to him. Something
was going on and he knew it, but did not know what to do about
it. As he lay on his small cot fully clothed, he tried to sort it out,
but he could not. Finally a blissful oblivion flew him away to his
boyhood home and a mother and father who loved him, but not
each other.

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.

Installlment #25 Him

Installment #25
Him

Marshall Purcell steered the Jeep Cherokee back onto the
dirt road that would take him back to the Interstate. He had almost weakened but then he
remembered the Jeffery of long ago; the one his mother had loved
instead of him. They were twins, for God’s sake! Why couldn’t
she have loved him just a little bit? It had been downhill ever
since the day he had caught her in the kitchen with the neighbor
man’s dick buried in her. He had tried to tell Jeffery, but he had
told her what he had seen and she had hated him even more.

They may have been born on the same day at the same time, but they were nothing
alike in her eyes. And Jeffery had used it all to his advantage to
get what he wanted. And he was still the same selfish lying little bastard today as he was then. Dad
had seen through him, but even the old man had never had guts
enough to stand up to Mother. So Marshall sucked the hind tit.

Jeffery had been all for the slight detour to check out the
old mine shaft. He was getting paid the same whether he worked
or not so a little time on the side was no big deal. John had not
cared enough to have a car at the airport, so what the hell! It was
a nice drive up the mountain and Jeffery began to relax with
Marshall.

“Well, right after we left Oklahoma I met a great woman
in Brattleboro. Smart, and sexy as hell. Yeah got myself a son
right out of the gate and then twin girls. Judy is a wonderful
mother and life is great, but she is kind of busy so sometimes I
have to take little side trips, know what I mean?” He winked and
laughed. Marshall Purcell looked sideways at redranger and
knew exactly what he meant. And he knew this side trip would
be ending up with Meg Parker bagged and bedded before he
went back East. Well, it would be over his dead body. Well, not
so much his dead body, but there would be a dead body
involved, that was for sure.

They had walked up the short incline to the mouth of the
mine. Jeffery had always been fascinated with things like this.
It was no different now.
“How did you find this place?” “ How far down does
the shaft go?” “We won’t fall in will we? “ Does it have a
barrier? “ And he stayed right behind Marshall.

As they entered the mouth of mine and Marshall
explained, “ I found this quite by accident about a year ago. It
used to have a big fence around it, but it has kind of fallen
down over the years. We will be all right as long as we watch
where we are going. Here, I brought a flashlight.” He
switched it on and handed it to Jeffery.
“You carry it and go ahead. I am right behind you.”

They entered the cavern and Jeffery flashed the light from
side to side and top to bottom, like a little kid. As they went
deeper into the abyss Marshall remembered his
first trip up here and a 17 year old kid named something that he
had picked up on the highway hitchhiking somewhere. That was
all innocent enough until the kid had reached over and put his
hand on his crotch and smiled at him with a mouthful of rotten
teeth.
His response had been instant and deadly. In three
seconds it was over and the kid lay against the door with his neck
broken and his eyes staring vacantly at nothing in particular.
Marshall panicked and dragged the kid out the door and
threw him over his shoulder. He started up the mountain seeking
somewhere to stick the body. The cavern yawned before him and
he entered the opening. He dropped the kid on the ground and
went back to get a flashlight. Soon all was revealed to him and
he had rolled the body over the edge and listened as it bounced
off the wall and then a dull thud as it struck the floor of the mine
and then dead silence.

His mind jerked back to the present as he watched Jeffery
near the shaft.
"OK, Jeff, it is right ahead of you. Get down on
your hands and knees and crawl forward about four feet. Then
you can kind of lean over the side and see all the way to the
bottom. It is straight down, so be careful. Here let me hold your
feet to make sure you don’t slip.”

He sat down and took a foot in
each hand realizing as he did so that they were genuine leather
shoes and no doubt very expensive. “So can you see the bottom?
I got you bro’, don’t worry.”

He felt Jeff strain a little and then heard him say, “My
God! There are bones down there! They look like a human!
Ah shit! There are more than one!” But that was pretty much
the end of that one sided conversation as Marshall Purcell
shoved the feet of his twin brother , Jeffery Purcell over the
side of the mine shaft, leather shoes and all. A brief gasp, a
split second and he hit the wall and then another and he heard
the dull thud as he hit the floor. Marshall stood and dusted off
the knees of his pants. Then he cursed softly as he realized he
would have to buy another flashlight, turned and walked out
into the bright sunlight and headed down the hill to the Jeep.

#23

Installment #23

Meg

Meg did not turn her computer on Monday after her trip
up the mountain, so it was Tuesday morning when she read the
email from Eldon. She answered right away and soon the plans
were made and everything was in place. Eldon would arrive
Wednesday right after lunch. The driver would pick him up and
he would be busy with John until late, late that night and until
noon on Thursday. Then he was free until Monday. Business
she knew nothing about. She would meet him in the lobby of
the Sheraton at 12:30 and they would have lunch somewhere
and then just sight see until later when they would decide what
to do next. Sounded like a loosely woven plan they could both
live with. She realized that she was actually almost giddy at the
thought of meeting a man. And having lunch and then deciding
what to do next. That was the part that rather made her feel
warm and anxious. But Thursday was two days away. Lot
could happen in two days.

But she hummed as she did her chores that day. Then
she remembered the dogs rather guiltily. She phoned the friend
who watched them before. She explained that she was not sure
how long she would be gone. Maybe not even one night, but
maybe more. He laughed. Yes, he was available and yes, he
was flexible. Yes he would come Thursday afternoon and
evening and continue his chores until she told him he was done.
That taken care of she began to rifle the closet for
clothes for her trip into Denver. She realized she had nothing
sexy, but she did not want anything sexy. Nothing old maidy
either. She finally settled on a pair of black tailored slacks and a
red long sleeved clingy shirt with a high vee neckline. Little
black pumps. Then she realized that those were too dark for
summer. But it was not really summer and Denver is high and
cool so she thought it best not to obsess. And as she climbed
into her bed that night she found herself wishing that Thursday
would hurry up and get here! Sweet dreams found her that
evening and a tall stranger stood in the mist as she ran toward
him.

Installment #18

Installment #18

Meg, Kevin, Greg

The walk had been a long one. They only jogged a little of the four miles. The conversation was easy and Meg and Greg warmed to each other. The Green Chile was simmering in the crock pot and when they returned to the house the spicy aroma greeted them. They were immediately ravenous. Meg heated the refried beans and the tortillas. She spooned the beans into the tortilla, sprinkled it with grated cheddar cheese, spooned on sour cream and rolled it up.  She ladled a generous amount of the Green Chile over it, put a little chopped lettuce on the plate and handed it to Greg.  She quickly made a plate for Kevin and herself. They sat at the table and looked at the steaming plates.

“OK, Greg, dig in!” Kevin laughed. He had told Greg what Green Chile was and now he was seeing it first hand. Brown the small bits of pork, add garlic, tomatoes, the Pueblo Chiles chopped and then water.  Simmer and the longer it simmered the hotter it would get. Greg had heard about the Pueblo Chiles, but this was his first encounter with the food that was such a part of Kevin’s heritage in Colorado. He dipped his spoon in gingerly and raised it to his mouth. He felt the top of his head bead up with the heat of something he had never encountered before. Tears stung his eyes. He gasped for breathe.
"What in the hell is that!” Meg and Kevin stared in amazement. Never had they seen the likes of this out of quiet retiring Greg.
Kevin stammered.  “Oh, I am sorry.  I told you it would be hot. That is the peppers. Mom?”
“Greg, dear, this is not hot. This is mild. I did not want your first taste of Colorado Mexican food to be a bad one. Here. Do it this way.” She took her spoon and cut off a small piece of burrito and covered it with Green Chile. She put it in her mouth, chewed and smiled. “ You just don’t eat the Green Chile alone. Let me get you a glass of milk. That will help.”
She left the table and returned with a large glass of milk which she placed in front of him. He immediately took a drink of it. Then he smiled at Kevin and Meg.
“ I am not going to let a damn pepper beat me. If you can eat it, I can eat it. “ He then cut off a small piece as Meg had done and shook off most of the Chile. In his mouth and he chewed slowly.  “Hey, that ain’t bad at all. But I gotta say, you two are a couple sadists!”
But very soon he was holding his plate and heading for the stove and a second burrito! Kevin smiled and silently thanked the God above for leading him into Your Little Pub  that rainy day not so very long ago. If ever a match was blessed from above it had to be this one. Meg smiled at her son and nodded. Mother’s just had a way of knowing this stuff. When dessert was brought to the table Kevin whooped and jumped up. 
“Oh, Greg! You are in for a treat. This is the Italian part of Colorado. Tiramusu! Mom! Tell him how to make it.  Oh, God are you in for a treat.”
Meg stared at her son.  “Ok, the first thing you need is Lady Fingers and they are dry. Then you mix coffee with Kahlua. Meanwhile you whip heavy whipping cream with sugar and egg yolks. Then you fold in Marscapone cheese which is a lot like cream cheese only it is from Italy and very expensive. Then you dip the Lady Fingers in the coffee and Kahlua and put them in the bottom of the pan. One layer of that. Then cover this with the whipped cream mixture. Then another layer of Lady Fingers and more whipped cream. Then sprinkle on some cocoa. Stick it in the fridge and then impress everyone for dessert.”
“Oh, yeah,” laughed Kevin, “but you should have seen it the first time she made it. She thought the Lady Fingers were really dry so she held them under until they quit bubbling. She had to mix coffee and Kahlua three times and she used almost a quart of Kahlua! I was 16 and so damn drunk I couldn’t even get up the stairs. Everybody was! We ate the whole thing that night. Way to go Mom!” Greg smiled as he held out his dessert plate for seconds. “Guess you must be part Italian too!”
The boys tidied the kitchen as Meg checked her email Nothing from redranger.  She felt a little disappointed, but knew that he was giving her space to spend time with Kevin. He was very considerate that way.  She had three sales, so she printed the labels for those, affixed them to the boxes, shut down the computer and turned out the light. As she closed the door to the office and stepped into the hall, she found Kevin and Greg sharing a kiss. She stopped and then realized that this did not bother her. She had been afraid that it would, but now that the moment was here it seemed ludicrous that she had even thought about it. She smiled to herself.
“Hey you two! It is bedtime.” The boys jumped apart at her words and laughed nervously. She kissed each one lightly on the cheek and then turned into her own room. There would just be tomorrow and then they would leave. “Church tomorrow. You boys going with me?”
“Well, if you think it is alright.”
“Of course it is!” But as she closed her door she wondered. “At least I hope it is .“ were her last thoughts before she reached for her nightgown.

Installment #12

Installment #12

Meg

Meg walked around the house. The workmen were gone.
She was alone. She had handed Fred the roll of bills and then
insisted he count it for herself as well as for him. She knew it
was there, but she wanted him to know as well. As she watched
him she was suddenly struck by how innocent and child like he
seemed. There was more to Fred Himes then anyone would ever
know. She had asked for a tour around the house so he could
show her what he had done. He explained about the double
welding and that it would take a cutting torch for anyone to get
inside. “So don’t lose your key or you will be sleeping in the
yard.” He had suddenly become agitated when he said that.
Strange. She turned back into the house then turned and watched
him climb into his Toyota pick up. Man that big had no business
in a little truck like that.

She checked her eBay sales and then frowned because
there were none. Business was sure down for some reason. She
clicked through to her store and then to the mark down manager.
Of course she had to sign in again. Ebay was very careful about
that. She selected several vinyls and then changed her mind and
selected them all. She marked them 50% off, selected the start
and end date and then clicked to save. That done she checked
her emails. Nothing very interesting there. She wandered to the
kitchen and stood at the sink. She really should fix some lunch,
but suddenly the idea of eating alone brought tears to her eyes.
Was this how the rest of her life would be? Eating alone,
sleeping alone, walking alone? What was the point? She
opened the refrigerator and picked out an apple. Then she
grabbed a handful of Cheddar Cheese squares. She took her
keys off the hook behind the door. At the clink of the keys,
Daisy and Elvira appeared, fresh from a nap!

“Come on girls! Let’s go for a little walk up the
mountain.” She picked her knap sack off the hook, put two
bottles of water and an empty plastic sour cream tub inside. “
Got everything you ladies need, so let’s hit it!” She put the
keys in her pocket, the knap sack over her shoulder, got a bottle
of water for herself, and lastly took her walking stick down
from over the door. It was a gift from Tom many years ago. It
was very sturdy and had a hummingbird etched on the side with
flowers. Very good for stabilizing herself as she walked and
sturdy enough that she could defend herself if need be.
The dogs ran ahead and sniffed everything in sight. Of
course they also had to mark their territory, because that is what
dogs do. It was a beautiful day and while warm it had a cool
breeze blowing down from the mountain. She picked a trail that
looked sort of worn and the dogs immediately joined her. Birds
flitted in the canopy overhead as they walked. Meg was always
alert to the possibility of a timber rattler so she kept the dogs
close.

Almost imperceptibly a change came over Meg. Her
footsteps slowed and the dogs came closer. What was it? She
could feel eyes on her. She turned around. Nothing. Daisy
stopped and her hackles rose. She stared ahead into the
underbrush. Meg stopped and strained her eyes. Nothing. No,
wait, there was something. Something about that big Pine tree.
The growth at the bottom of it was mashed down. Had a bear
been here? Could very well have been. It was wilderness and
there were bears. But the limbs had been removed. No, not
removed. Only some of them. It looked like a ladder the way
they were staggered. She stepped on the first one. Then up
another one. One more. She could set up here and be quite
alone. This branch made a nice broad setting place. She sat and
turned. Her eyes fell on her farm. A cold feeling of dread settled
over her. Was she the only one that knew about this place? She
quickly scampered down the limbs again and when she reached
the ground the dogs were staring at her quizzically.
She turned quickly and started back down the path. The
dogs fell in step behind her and did not run and sniff. They
could barely keep up with her. When she reached the edge of
the clearing she stopped. She opened the knapsack and got the
bowl and water. The dogs lapped greedily. Meg gave them each
a piece of cheese and then ate the rest of the cheese and the
apple. Her nerves began to relax and her mind began to clear.
Maybe it was just the spell of the forest. She looked down the
mountain. She could not see her farm from here. She looked up
to see if she could see the tree she had climbed. No. She was
going to need to delve into this a little further. Where did the
trail lead? Was there a house up there? If so, who lived there?
Who could she ask? Fred. Of course. He had been on this
mountain for years. He would know.

She knew she needed to proceed with caution when she
talked to Fred because he was one skittish little fellow. That was
all right. She was just curious. Now how to get Fred to the
house without alerting him. Of course! Now the only way
anyone could get into her house was if they used the doggie door.
It was in the wall going to the back yard. True her dogs were
small and so was the doggie door, but it could be possible. She
would have Fred build a metal cage that the dogs would exit into
for their “personal needs.” She would have plenty of time to
visit with him while that was being done. She glanced back over
her shoulder as she hurried down the mountain. She could not
shake the feeling that eyes were boring into her back.
When she reached the house she quickly entered and
slammed the door behind her. With shaking hands she found
Fred’s number, but before she dialed she took several deep
breathes and composed herself. The phone rang several times
before she finally gave up. She would try later. He did not seem
to have an answering machine. After several hours, he answered.
She explained her plan to him and he promised to come by the
next morning. She smiled as she hung up the phone. Fred was
so easy.

Installment #11

Installment #11

Fred

Ah, yes, this was going to be a good job. Even after he
paid for the wrought iron and the delivery he was going to pocket
over $3,000. He thought briefly of where to hide it. He had an
empty Hershey’s can on the shelf. That would work perfectly to
hold the bills, but where in the yard. He thought of all the little
cans buried here and there.  The area around the cabin was getting pretty filled up, but
he owned 12 acres so he was not going to run out of room any
time soon. It was just that he had a plan. The money he got from
his trust fund was plenty to live on. And dad had built this little
cabin and then left it to him when he died. No one else to leave
it to since his bitch of a mother had taken off with some salesman
and left him and dad to figure it out. He had been an
impressionable teenager when she did that. Both Fredric Himes,
Jr and his father, Fredric Himes Sr. had mourned the loss of
Marybeth Himes. It was not that it was a shock, quite the
contrary. Fredric Himes worked long hours in the factory and
then at his accounting job on the side and Marybeth was a young
woman and full of life. And she loved to dance and hang out with
party people.

So she was gone one day. Just gone. No note, no tearful
goodbye, just a slamming door while Freddie was in school and
Fredric was at the factory. Fredric donated her belongings to
charity and never spoke her name again. Freddie just envied the
boys who had a mother and wished someone would make him
cookies. No one seemed too surprised that he never dated. Girls
were not to be trusted. He learned to cook and keep house and
what good would a woman be anyway? He hung out in the
saloon and learned the tricks of the trade there.

He was a misfit in school so when he turned 16 years
old, he just quit going. Big waste of time. He mowed yards and
shoveled snow. He painted and fixed roofs and mended fences
and became quite the handyman. Very dependable. Did great
work and charged a reasonable fee. Strange bird, but honest as
the day was long. Then Dad built the house halfway up the
mountain not far from Denver. Built it for a vacation home.
Just somewhere to get away from the rat race that was his life.
But it was more to Freddie. To him it was an oasis away from
the pitying eyes of the people in Denver. The ones who never
had forgotten about how Marybeth had just walked away and
never looked back. Poor Freddie, raised by his Dad. No woman
in his life.

So they lived; the father in Denver and the son on the
mountain until one day the father stepped in front of a train.
Some said it was an accident and some said it was on purpose.
So young, only 47 years old. He had left a will and a very large
Life Insurance. The executor took over and a trust fund was
established for Freddie. The home on Larimer street was sold to
a developer. And then Freddie was dealt the crowning blow.
The house was demolished and the reason Marybeth had for
leaving was revealed. Her bones behind the wall in the root
cellar spoke volumes and her son now saw it clearly. His father
had not let her go quietly. He had not let her go at all. For all
the years Freddie had missed his mother, she was right out there
in the yard. And his benevolent father had put her there.

Yes, the mountain was where he must remain. The
mountain and his solitary life. Oh, and the cans of money. Those
were his monuments. When he buried one, he never dug it up. He
knew it was there. He knew who had given it to him and why.
That was all he needed. He had been doing this for 20 years and
he had no idea how much was there. It did not matter. What did
matter was that when he buried something of value, he
remembered. Not like his father. No, not at all like his father.
Freddie looked at his reflection in the window. He was
not a bad looking man at all. Just over six feet tall and a body
hardened by hard work and primal living. A diet of natural foods
grown in his own yard kept him healthy. Lots of water to drink.
A tender yearling deer on occasion, or a rabbit, or a dove
furnished him with needed protein. His dark brown hair was
shoulder length and his beard was full. His dark brown eyes were
alert, but they covered the confusion in his mind.

No woman was not exactly the truth. There had been that
one in Kansas when he was working construction. That was
back when he thought he was normal, before they found the
bones. He liked to travel the country and just taste life. He had
tasted that woman very deeply. He had wanted to stay, but he
couldn’t. Women were evil. They would tie you down and you
would have to work in a factory and be tired all the time. Then
they would just leave. She had been warm and willing and he
had thought about telling her about his mom and asking if she
was that way, but he knew better. She would just lie. He wished
he could remember her name. He could remember her body and
how she moved beneath him, but he could not remember her
face. When the last day of work came he was relieved. He had
grabbed his gear and headed back to Denver, secure in the
knowledge that she could never find him. He was right.

Then he smiled as he remembered her name. It was
Darling.

Yes, that was it, Darling.