Chapter 18 #2
“I’ve taken a leave. My son’s grandfather recently passed away, and I’m caring for his son. I doubt customers even know I exist,” she explained. “He rifled through my desk and threw papers all over my house. Did you see my furniture?” she asked, pointing to the slashed cushions.
“He most likely searched for money,” the officer suggested. “Did you find anything missing?”
“I didn’t check. I spent my time fighting off an intruder,” she spat angrily. “If my son, Tucker, didn’t hear us and hit him with a baseball bat, I might be dead,” she hissed to avoid the boys overhearing her.
“We’ll take the report. Did you get the make of his car?” the officer asked, sounding bored with her hysterics.
Biting her tongue, she counted to ten. “No. I didn’t. As you can tell, we don’t have any streetlights out here.”
“Here’s my card. If you think of anything else, you can reach me at this number. In the meantime, lock the doors and windows. I’m sure he won’t return anytime soon,” he assured her, not making her feel any better.
“Thanks,” she said, taking his card.
As soon as they left, she entered the kitchen. Conner gazed up at her with teary eyes. Tucker ran and hugged her around her waist, and she held her throbbing arm out for Conner. Kissing them both on the head, she hurried them to put their cups in the sink.
Opening the door, she scanned the dark yard and the wooded area before motioning for the boys to get into her truck.
Locking the door, she jogged to the vehicle and locked the doors.
She turned the key, and the engine didn’t crank.
Placing her head on the steering wheel, she murmured a little prayer before she tried again. The truck refused to start.
“What will we do now?” Conner whispered fearfully.
“How do you feel about taking a bike ride adventure?” she asked, excitedly, trying to keep them from worrying.
“It’s dark. We can’t see,” Conner pointed out.
“Do you recall when we played flashlight tag? We’ll use them to stay on the road,” she explained. “You can ride your bike, or I can hook the wagon to mine. It’ll be an adventure.”
“I’ll ride mine,” he said. “What if the bad guy’s out there?”
“He overheard the policeman,” Tucker informed her. “I’ll get them out of the shed.”
“No. Stay in the truck. I’ll bring them out and run inside for the flashlights.
Lock the door after I get out and stay down until I return,” she instructed.
“You heard the officer. He said the man got lost. We’ve ridden to Grandpa’s plenty of times.
We can probably do it in our sleep,” she said, attempting to sound positive.
“Tucker will lead the way, and you’ll stay in the middle of us. I’ll be the caboose.”
Conner glanced at Tucker, who nodded his agreement. “We might even see a couple of animals who only come out at night. Whoever spots a possum first has to make breakfast in the morning.”
“You’re on,” Conner said, feeling a bit better.
She got out and tapped the window, reminding them to lock the doors.
Walking toward the shed, she put the gun in front of her, hiding the weapon from the boys.
She flung open the door and nearly screamed as one of the cats ran out.
Catching her breath, she rolled the bikes toward the side of the house.
Opening the back door, she jerked open the drawer and grabbed three flashlights.
Rushing back, she tapped the glass. Conner opened the door and slid out, and Tucker followed.
Her heart raced as she scanned the darkened areas, then turned on the flashlight and handed it to Tucker.
“If anything happens, you call Owen. Do you hear me?” she said quietly. “I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t know who broke into our house. If something happens on our way to Grandpa’s, you make Conner go with you and hide in one of the cabins. Owen or I will find you.”
“Do you think he’s still out there?” he asked, scanning the yard.
“I doubt it, but we’ll want to keep our ears and eyes open. Don’t say anything to Conner. Let’s make it a fun adventure and have a backup plan,” she instructed him. “Will you be all right?”
“Yeah. Grandpa said there’ll come a day when we must defend ourselves. I put our knives in our backpacks. It’s too hard to carry my bat, but I can grab a piece of wood easily enough,” Tucker said, searching for any threats.
Walking toward Conner, she attached the flashlight to the handles with a zip tie. “All right, buddy. We’re ready to go. Follow Tucker and listen to him.”
“Will you be right behind me?” he asked.
“Absolutely. Stay close to Tucker, and then we’ll be at your house soon,” she assured him. Getting on her bike, she nodded for Tucker to start. She peered up ahead and stayed close as they made the trek up the mountain in the dark. A coyote howled in the night as she pushed them faster.
Her arm throbbed, and she felt the soaked towel against her skin.
Ignoring it, she focused on their surroundings, determined to keep her boys safe.
Her heart pounded as she thought of the intruder.
She didn’t own anything of value. The house stayed in a state of disrepair.
Jeremiah tried to get her to move into one of the cabins, saying Tucker deserved to grow up on his family’s mountain.
She didn’t know if she refused out of pure stubbornness or because the memories of her and Owen overwhelmed her there.
Halfway up the mountain, she heard a vehicle coming up the road toward them.
“Tucker, get in the ditch now,” she ordered as she pulled Conner from the bike and ducked into the shadows. The bikes slid down beside them as they hugged the grass.
“What’s the matter?” Conner said, gripping her shirt tightly.
“Shhh,” Tucker said. “There’s a truck coming. We have to stay quiet. We’re on a mission, Conner. Follow orders.”
The vehicle slowed as it came around the curve. Someone searched for them. They knew her enough to know she’d head to Jeremiah’s. Her heart sped up as they flashed their lights into the trees. They stopped in front of her, and she reached for the gun, ready to protect them.
“I don’t see anyone. Maybe she went to a hotel?” the stranger said, flashing the light to and fro.
“How can she go anywhere if her truck’s disabled?” his partner argued.
“You don’t think she went into the woods and stayed, do you? Bears and mountain lions live up here,” the stranger asked.
“I don’t know. We have our orders to get rid of her after we find the map and those records,” the partner said. “We’ll search the house since she’s gone.”
The truck slowly pulled away, and she rose from the ditch to catch the license plate number.
“Leave the bikes here. We’ll get them tomorrow,” she said softly. “We’ll have to hike the rest of the way.”
Conner gripped her hand and pulled away. “Mom, your hand’s all wet.”
“I must’ve scratched it from the bushes,” she said, pulling him from the ditch. “We’ll need to stay quiet until we get to your house. If we hear anything, we’ll jump down into the ditch and keep our heads down.”
The three of them walked in the still night. Conner grew tired and leaned heavily on her as they grew closer. Two cars sat in the driveway, and she didn’t recognize them. Pulling the boys close, she motioned for them to go toward the hiking trails.
They went around the back of the house and disappeared up the trail.
“Where do we go?” Conner cried.
“It’s all right,” Leslie soothed. “We’ll stay in the cave. As soon as we get there, we’ll call Owen. He’ll come and get you.”
“I’m scared,” Conner whispered.
“It’s all right,” Tucker soothed. “We got each other. I brought our knives, and Mom will keep us safe. Do you remember when Grandpa taught Mom to shoot? He said she couldn’t hit a broad side of a barn,” he laughed. “Last time she shot, he said she can hit the tit on a bull.”
“Tucker,” she warned.
“What? I’m trying to make him feel better. You’re a good shot, Mom,” he said. “I don’t like the man who came to our house tonight.”
“I’m not too pleased with him myself,” she grumbled.
“I’ve seen him before,” Tucker said, walking closer to Conner.
“Where did you see him?” she asked.
“Grandpa always said to always check people’s feet. They can change outfits, but they rarely think about their shoes,” Tucker informed her. “He’s wearing a special kind. I’ve never seen them before on anyone else.”
“We’ll talk about it later. Let’s make it to the cave,” she said, shivering from the dampness. “We’ll make a fire and have a campout. We’ll see what Jeremiah left us to eat and have a picnic,” she said, hoping she alleviated their fears.
When they arrived, Tucker turned on the flashlight and went to the steel box Jeremiah added a long time ago. Teaching them survival tactics, he took them to the caves for special campouts. The box held sleeping bags, food, flashlights, nightsticks, and an array of tools.
Conner walked past him and set up the firewood under the open circle between the rocks.
From the inside, someone might smell the fire, but from the outside, the smoke dissipated before it reached the peak.
Bending down, he struck the match, lighting the fire.
Tucker moved toward her and held out a first aid box.
“Mom, you’re bleeding through your shirt,” he said. “You know what Grandpa said about injuries in the outdoors.”
“It’s not bad,” she assured him. “Why don’t you help Conner with the sleeping bags?”
“Will you call Owen?” he asked.
“Yeah. As soon as I bandage my arm,” she promised. “Will you help me?
“Sure. Do you think he’ll come?” Tucker asked, peering at her.
“Of course,” she replied, giving him a squeeze.
The cut appeared deeper than she first thought, making her grimace.
Opening the box, she took out antiseptic, gauze, and a wrap.
Tucker poured the liquid onto her arm and she hissed as the excess dripped onto the ground.
It stung like hell. She patted the area, and Tucker helped wrap it while Conner pulled out a bag of freeze-dried candy.
“Can we eat a little?” he asked.
“We need to get some water from the spring. Do you have the purifier?” she asked, stifling a yawn.
“I’ll get the water. Conner needs to pee,” Tucker told her.
“I’ll go with you,” she said, pushing herself off the cave wall.
They walked to the back of the cave and slipped to the side, collecting water from the hidden spring. She didn’t think anyone knew of this place, but she didn’t plan on risking the boys.
When they settled into the sleeping bags, she walked toward the cave’s entrance and dialed Owen’s number.
When he didn’t answer, she said, “It’s Leslie.
We need you. Call me back.” Leaning against the cold, damp rock, she stood vigilant over her boys until she figured out who to trust. Like Tucker, she wondered if Owen would return her call.
After all, he left her once before to figure things out on her own.