Hi Friends! The writing juices are flowing again, so here’s the next chapter. Enjoy!
Sheri Schofield
Chapter 12
Rain poured and thunder rumbled in the late hours on Friday night. A cool breeze flowed through the room, touching my cheek as I lay curled up in Aaron's old bedroom. It took a minute to remember where I was and why Ethan had brought me to his home. I pulled the homemade quilt up to my chin and lay looking out the window at the flashes of lightning, glad for the storm which brought water to our town.
Boom! Thunder and lightning came at the same time. It must have hit a nearby tree, I thought, sitting up in bed.
In the next room, I heard Ramie cry out in fear. I slipped out of bed, reached for my robe, and donned it as I hurried toward his cry.
"Mommy! Mommy!" he cried when I opened the door.
"Ramie, it's me, Skye." I went to the child and sat on the edge of his bed. Ethan had moved the child into a room adjoining his own, with toys and space to play.
"'Kye!" Ramie whimpered, clutching me tightly.
"It's okay, honey. It's just a storm. God is watering the grass tonight so it will grow tall and feed the horses and cows. The lightning makes the grass green."
Lightning flashed through the sky again, followed by a crash of thunder. I stroked Ramie's hair. "It's okay. The storm is going away."
"It is?"
"Yes. You can tell how many miles away it is by counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder."
"What's a mile?"
"It's the distance between this house and your daddy's office."
"Oh! That's a long way."
Lightning flashed again. "One, two, three," I said, measuring the time. Thunder crashed. "It's still close, but not over us. When the lightning and thunder crash at the same time, it's very close. But when there's some time between the lightning flash and the thunder, it means the storm is moving away."
Another flash filled the sky. "One, two, three, four, five, six..." Ramie listened as I counted. Thunder rumbled on six.
"It sis! It sis!" Ramie said.
"Yes. Now, we cut the number in half, and that tells us how many miles away it is. Half of six is three. That means the lightning was three miles away."
Ethan moved silently into the room and sat at the foot of Ramie's bed.
"Daddy! I'm countin' the lightnin'!" he exclaimed, tumbling over the covers to reach Ethan, who scooped him into his arms.
Another lightning strike slashed the night sky.
Ramie counted with me nodding with each word. "One, two, fwee, foe, fite, sis, sebben, eight..." Boom!
"Eight!" Ramie exclaimed, smiling up at Ethan.
"And half of eight is four. The lightning was four miles away," I said.
Ethan's face lit up in a sweet smile as his eyes met mine. "Thanks, Skye," he said softly.
"Maybe we should have some hot chocolate to help us get back to sleep." I said and moved toward the bedroom door.
"Yay!" Ramie said, staying right where he was in Ethan's arms.
"Good idea." Ethan stood and followed me, a cheerful Ramie in his arms.
"Daddy, I knows how to count lightnin’ smiles!" he announced.
Ethan and I laughed, our gaze meeting over Ramie's head.
I touched the kitchen light switch, but nothing happened. "No electricity."
"There's candles in the cupboard." Ethan reached up with his free hand and retrieved a box of candles. Setting Ramie in his highchair, he went back for candle holders and matches. He lit three candles, set two on the counter and one on the table, then walked over to the refrigerator and retrieved milk.
A few minutes later, I lifted a kettle of warm milk from the flames of the gas stove. Adding chocolate, I poured it into the cups Ethan had lifted down from the cupboard and carried them to the table.
While lightning flashed and thunder roared, Ramie lost his fear as he counted the seconds, sitting safely on his father's lap. The hot chocolate soon worked its charm, and the child's eyelids began to droop.
Ethan looked at me, smiled and stood. He carried Ramie to his room, tucked him into bed, and returned to the kitchen, where I was washing dishes by candlelight.
"Well done, Skye," he said softly, reaching for a towel to dry the dishes. "I never would have thought of counting the time between lightning strikes and thunder to help calm Ramie's fear. That was a good distraction."
His words of approval filled my heart as I returned to bed. I remembered how Ethan had always watched out for me when we were kids. He was still watching out for me now. And approving.
I'd forgotten just how safe I'd always felt when I was with Ethan. How safe I feel now. But is that all I want from him? A protector? No. I need true love. Not the love of a good friend, but the passion of romance. I don't want the conditional, uncommitted love Dale gave me. But will Ethan ever feel true love for me? I think he still sees me as the young girl next door whom he played with as a child. When he kissed me in front of Dale, I remembered the times he’d kissed my cheek when I'd skinned a knee or when I'd been hurt playing. He's always been sweet and kind toward me. When he kissed me in the park, I knew it was to discourage Dale, to make him go away and leave me alone. But it didn't mean anything between us. Or did it?
I sighed and closed my eyes.
***
The next morning dawned over fields and trees freshly washed by the storm. Deputy Liam Webster couldn't resist the call of the mountain rising between the Big Horns and the town. Walking out to the corral behind his garage, he opened the gate and walked toward his horse. Seeing his master, the dapple-gray gelding ambled toward Liam and nuzzled his shoulder.
"Here you go, Dapple." He held the apple on the palm of his hand. The horse's soft muzzle brushed Liam's palm as he accepted the treat. "Let's go for a ride up the mountain," Liam said, stroking the horse's neck.
Twenty minutes later, Liam was riding through the trees up a rutted dirt road. "I wonder where this goes," he spoke softly into the restful silence. He'd been checking out all the roads into the mountains on his days off, getting to know the terrain in his new home.
After following the winding road up the mountain for what he thought was probably three miles, he said softly, "Let's go back home, boy." He reined up and was about to turn back, when he heard a car door slam not far ahead followed by an engine coming to life. "Okay, maybe not." He nudged the horse forward, guiding it into the trees alongside the road where they wouldn't be seen.
A Chevy Silverado pickup roared past. Liam caught a glimpse of a dark-haired, unshaven man in the driver's seat. Once the dust settled, he turned Dapple back to the road and followed it further up the mountain. A clearing came into view with an old log house, gray with the years. Next to the house, the garage door remained open.
Liam moved the horse back into the trees, reached down and pulled his binoculars from his saddlebag. He saw a jeep in the shadow of the garage. Behind it was another large vehicle, but he couldn't make out what it was. An SUV? A van? Could this be what they were looking for?
The door of the house opened again. A well-muscled man with brown hair stepped out, stopped, and called back into the house...something about a garden.
Liam studied his face as he strode out to the garage and climbed into the jeep. The engine roared to life. The jeep zipped out of the garage, blocking Liam's view of the other vehicle. The driver climbed out of the jeep and closed the door. Liam waited for him to drive past him before he moved his horse out into the open and headed for the house.
A rifle appeared at a window.
"Get outta here! This is private land!" The rifle barked. The bullet hit dirt in front of the horse, which began to struggle.
Holding tightly to the reins, Liam steered Dapple back to the forest road and raced away. "I'll be back," he promised himself. "There's something fishy there."
Inside the house, Chet swore and kicked a chair across the room.
Ramona, Jenny and Sammie crowded together in fear on the other side of the room, hoping Chet's fury would not affect them.
Seeing the girls huddled together, Chet stomped over, grabbed Jenny and threw her to the floor. It was just the beginning.
Meanwhile, Liam galloped into town, slowing to watch for cars, and went straight to the police station. Dismounting, he tied Dapple to a pole outside the front door, then went inside.
Aaron, sitting at his desk with his first coffee of the day, came to his feet when he saw Liam enter, hair in disarray, in civilian clothes.
"What's up?"
"I went out for a ride on my horse and checked out another road. This one led up the mountain a few miles. Maybe three or four miles. I hid in the forest and watched a pickup go by. The driver had dark hair. Unshaven. Grubby. Afterward, I kept going. There's an old log cabin up there. A man with light brown hair and beard came out to the garage and got into a jeep. I thought I saw a dark SUV or van in the garage, but couldn't tell for sure, because he closed the door. So I rode closer. Some man in the house ordered me off the property and fired a shot that almost hit Dapple. I came straight here to let you know."
"Show me where this was on the map." Aaron led the way to a large map on the wall.
"I took this road," Liam said, his finger tracing it. "The cabin was here at the end of it."
"Hm. That's old man Alders' place. He died about two years ago. I didn't keep track of who moved in there afterward. It was a busy time. Let's look up the property over at the courthouse."
"I need to take Dapple home first," Liam said. "I'll need to brush him down. Can you wait a few minutes?"
"Sure. I'll drive over to your place and meet you there."
"Thanks."
Half an hour later, Aaron and Liam were headed toward the courthouse in Sheridan.
"Maybe we'll catch a break," Aaron said.
"I hope so."
Once at the courthouse, it didn't take long to locate the deed.
"Looks like he left his house and property to his grandson, Joseph Alders," Liam commented.
"Joe's got dark hair. He usually looks scruffy. He could be the man you saw in the pickup."
"I haven't met him yet."
"You sure? He tanks up at the bar on Saturday nights and often causes a ruckus."
"Ooooh. That Joe." Liam nodded his head. "He's a handful. Tough guy."
"That's Joe. He has a job somewhere in Sheridan, but I'm not sure where." Aaron paused then nodded. "Okay. We should ask the Sheridan police department for backup.”
"Do you think the Crow girls might be at that location?" Liam asked as they drove back to Chisum.
"It's hard to say at this point. We don't know enough. But it's a possibility."
Liam sighed. "I'm asking God to help us rescue them."
"Me too. We do know someone tried to kidnap Skye. It may be the same man. Or men. We don't know if he's working alone or with others. But the danger is real. And it's our town." Aaron fell silent thinking of his own children and how devastated he would feel if they were taken. "We need to catch these men, and we'll need backup." He reached for the phone. "I'll call the Sheridan office now." He reached for the car's mobile phone.
Forty-five minutes later, four police from Sheridan joined them back in Chisum.
"Here's where we're going," Aaron told them, showing the location on the wall map. "I'll lead. Someone in the house fired a shot at Deputy Webster this morning. We are hoping to locate the men who have been kidnapping girls. A few months ago, they took two teenage girls from the Crow reservation. Recently, someone tried to kidnap a young local woman. It could well be the same man or men."
"What do they look like?" a Sheridan deputy asked.
"Liam, tell what you saw this morning." Aaron nodded toward him.
"I saw one man--unshaven, dark hair-- driving a green Chevy Silverado truck, and another man with brown hair driving a gray and black jeep. There was a third man inside the house I didn't see. And I saw what looked like a dark van in the garage before the brown-haired man closed the garage door. I didn't see the man who shot the rifle at me. All I saw was the gun barrel and a tan cowboy hat on the man's head."
"Okay. Let's head up there. Lights and sirens off. Turn your lights on when you see mine turn on." Aaron led the way outside to the three police cars. Once they were all ready, he led the way up the mountain as far as the paved road went, then followed a dirt road that angled upward into the forest following Liam's directions.
"There's the house," Liam said, pointing through the trees.
A man with bright red hair came out of the house and threw what looked like a basketful of things into an idling jeep.
Aaron drove the patrol car up behind the jeep and skidded to a halt. He hit the siren briefly and the lights. The following patrol cars turned their lights on as well.
Seeing the police, the man dashed into the house and slammed the door shut.
Aaron opened his door and dropped to one knee behind it, pointing his gun at the house.
As soon as the other patrol cars pulled up and the additional deputies were in position, he held the bullhorn to his mouth and shouted, "This is the police. Come out with your hands up!"
The door to the house opened slowly. Seeing he was outnumbered, the redheaded man came out, his hands raised. Liam and one of the Sheridan deputies rushed forward and cuffed his hands behind his back.
"You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning if you wish," Liam said as he and the other deputy hauled the man to the car.
"I don't know what this is all about!" the man whined. "Would somebody please enlighten me?"
"I'd be glad to," Liam said. "I was riding up here this morning, and you fired at me from a window."
"That wasn't me! I wasn't even here this morning. It was probably Joe."
"No, it wasn't," Liam said. "I saw Joe drive off before I approached the house."
"Well, this is private property! We've had problems with people trying to break in! We--I--have the right to protect my property!" the man protested.
"Tell it to the judge," Liam said, pulling out his pad. "Name?"
"Chet Tyler." The man scowled and stared at Liam and began cussing.
While Aaron put Chet into the back of the police car and stood guard, Liam and the other deputies searched the house and garage.
"There's nobody else in the house," the lead deputy from Sheridan reported.
"Okay. You stay with the prisoner, and I'll do a walk-through." Aaron headed toward the garage first. No van. But there were oil spots where two vehicles had been parked. He knelt and touched them. Fresh, but it was impossible to tell what kind vehicles had been there.
He walked into the house, pulling on a fresh pair of thin rubber gloves. The house was neatly kept. There were three bedrooms. Two had queen-sized beds, one had a king. He stripped the sheets off and folded them, put them into bags, and set them by the bedroom door. Searching the drawers, he found some clothing jumbled together as though rifled through in a hurry. Prenatal vitamins lay in the jumble of clothing. There were two bathrooms with six towels total. Toothbrushes for six. In the back of one closet, he found a pair of girls' tennis shoes. In the kitchen were six coffee cups. He put all the items into plastic evidence bags, sealed and labeled them. There would be plenty of DNA evidence. He handed them off to the two deputies who had followed him. "Put these in the trunk of my car, if you would. Thanks."
"Sure thing." The deputies nodded and took the bags out.
Looking back to see if there might be something else he should take, he noticed a fiction book on an end table by the couch. Walking over, he picked it up and thumbed through the pages. A folded piece of paper lodged in the middle of the book. A bookmark? He opened the folds of the paper. Inside was a note. It was a prayer:
Dear Father in heaven, please hear me! I am a captive in this house. My baby is due soon. I'm afraid! After what happened to Sammie's baby, I suspect Joe will take mine away, too. Please help me! Please save us! I ask in Jesus's name, amen. I, Ramona, trust you.
Ramona! So the girls were here!
Aaron motioned to the deputies to gather in the garage, out of earshot from their prisoner. "Thank you for your help. I think we struck gold. Ramona White Swan was one of the teenage girls taken from the Crow reservation. She was here!" He passed the note around. "I'll have to send out an all-points bulletin. We will find her and the others, I'm sure. We don't know where the men took the girls. But we'll have one suspect to question. In the meantime, we'll post one of our own deputies as a guard in the woods near this house to see if the others return. I don't think they will, but you never know."
"Glad we could help," the lead Sheridan deputy nodded. He turned along with the other deputies and headed toward the cars.
Aaron and Liam were silent on the way back to the police station, not willing to let anything slip to their passenger in the back seat, who grumbled and cussed under his breath all the way back. Once he was locked up, they compared notes.
"It looks like there were six people living in that house. Three couples. Ramona was one of the girls. Jenny Little Bear was probably there, too. There were prenatal vitamins in each room. The girls were all pregnant," Aaron told Liam. "But we need to keep this information to ourselves until we get further evidence. We need to find Joe and whoever the other man is, too."
"Okay, boss."
"I'm going to try talking to our prisoner. He might give us some answers."
"What if he demands an attorney?"
"Then I'll get him one. But I'm hoping he will want to make a deal."
"I wonder who the third girl in the house was?"