Authors: Steven Gossington
Chapter 13
Late that evening, Race Taggett stood in the trees outside a crowded lounge. His body was still as he watched, except his long hair, which swayed at times in the breeze. At one point, he slid over to another tree, and a crow screeched as it flapped away.
Race was close to a particular car in the parking lot, which was about half-full with trucks and cars. People came and went through the entrance door of the lounge, and some folks wobbled or needed support to make it to their vehicles.
After an hour or so, two young women walked out to the parking area. They stopped and talked with each other for several minutes and then separated to their respective cars. As the shorter woman approached her car at the rear of the lot, she reached into her purse, looking for her keys.
Race held up a long, round bat-shaped object and swung it against the woman’s temple, the impact causing a hollow thud, as if her head was a coconut. Catching her as she groaned and collapsed, he lifted her limp body and draped it across his shoulder, and then he trotted into the trees. In the inky shadows of the Big Thicket, he alternated walking fast and jogging for several miles along a narrow, zigzag path through the thick trees and underbrush, beneath faint moonlight that filtered at intervals through the tree canopy. He exploded into a small clearing and laid the bat and the unconscious woman on the ground near a tree. Although his shirt was splotched with sweat, he was not out of breath.
Race covered the woman’s mouth with duct tape, pulled her arms behind her, and wrapped her wrists and lower legs with tape. A heavy chain was secured around a tree near the woman. He encircled her waist with one end of the chain and joined chain links behind her back with a metal clasp. He tested the chain; it was snug around her waist.
Race tossed dry wood into a campfire pit in the center of the clearing. After a few minutes, a blazing fire lit the clearing. He turned as the woman opened her eyes and moaned, his body and face reflecting the flickering yellows and reds from the flames.
He pulled a long knife out of a nearby backpack and swaggered over to her, smirking as he held the gleaming knife in front of him. He leaned down, his contorted face inches away from her wide-open eyes.
“Remember me? You were mean to me in school.” He spat on her. “You’re not mean to me now, are you?”
Chapter 14
The big day has arrived,
Aaron thought as he walked into his clinic. He pumped his fist in the air.
My date with Marley is tonight.
Midafternoon, Stella approached Aaron in the hallway. “Dale McCorkindale is here. He wants to ask you something.”
“That’s Boots, the car dealer, right?”
“One and the same. He likes to be called Dale.”
Aaron walked to the waiting room and spotted Dale sitting in a chair.
Dale stood and they shook hands. “What can I do for you today?” Aaron said.
“You ever been fishing?”
“No.” Aaron raised his hand. “Well, I take that back. I went once as a Boy Scout. I don’t remember much about it.”
“I like to take new folks fishing. Why don’t you and I go one weekend morning?”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
“Good. You’ll find it relaxing.”
Dale stopped at the front door. “Don’t forget about my offer on the pickup truck.”
Aaron snorted. “I won’t. Maybe someday.”
Aaron was about to enter a patient room when Stella stopped him.
“This guy is an odd one,” she whispered. “Be ready for a wacky story.”
“What was his name? I saw it on the computer.”
“Cam Fillmore.”
Aaron nodded and walked into the room. A lanky man with long dirty blond hair sat on the examination table, a guitar hanging from his neck.
“How can I help you, Mr. Fillmore?” Aaron said.
Cam strummed a few chords. “I’m out of my medicine. I haven’t taken it for a while. My doctor says I need it.”
That’s easy enough,
Aaron thought. He’d read in the patient record that the man was on an antipsychotic medication.
“I can help you with that, and I’m glad you’re following your doctor’s wishes.”
He strummed a few more chords. “Sometimes I don’t think I really need the medicine.”
“Just remember, it helps you think straight.”
“I guess so.”
“Where is your doctor?”
“Montana.”
“You’re a long way from home.”
“I moved here not too long ago.”
“Montana must be a nice place. Why did you move away?”
Cam strummed more chords, louder this time. “I had to get away.”
“So it was time for a change.”
“I had to get away from them.”
Aaron raised his eyebrows. “I see. Anyone in particular?”
“The police.”
A fugitive from justice?
“They follow me everywhere. They try to zap me with beams.”
“What beams?”
“Beams of radiation. They’re trying to boil my blood with their beams. Here, feel my arm. Feel the heat from my hot blood.” He looked at Aaron with wide eyes.
Aaron touched the man’s forearm. “They followed you here?”
“Yep. They were outside my house a few days ago. They didn’t know I was home.”
“Where are they now?”
“Gone. As long as I’m behind my beam blockers, I’m okay.”
“Beam blockers?”
“Sure. Drive by my house and I’ll show them to you.”
“I might do that. Thanks.”
A few minutes later, Aaron handed him a prescription. “Be sure and take your medicine.”
“That’s what everyone tells me.” He jammed the prescription into his pocket.
“By the way, is Cam short for something?”
Cam strummed one last chord. “No.”
After work, Aaron drove to Rocky Donnigan’s auto shop on the outskirts of town. He checked his rearview mirror more than usual but saw nothing suspicious.
Aaron parked near the door to the small lobby of the shop and walked inside. Rocky stood by the counter. “Hi, Doc.”
“Can I get maintenance on my car?”
“No problem. I’ll take care of it,” Rocky said.
“My Volvo is a good car, but I’ll bet you miss the old days. It must have been easier to work on cars back in the day.”
Rocky looked out the window. “I do miss the old classics. They were fun to fiddle with.”
“What’s your favorite classic car?”
Rocky scratched his chin. “Can’t go wrong with a ‘57 Chevy. That was a beauty. But if I could have only one, I’d make it a red ‘64 Pontiac GTO two-door convertible with a four-speed transmission. Those were fun cars to work on and drive.”
“You have fond memories of that car?”
“One of my good buddies back then had one, and we used to drive around town showing off.” Rocky sighed. “Well, back to work. I’ll get to your car soon.”
“No problem. Take your time.”
Rocky finished work on a Toyota Camry, and then he drove Aaron’s car into the garage and power-lifted it off the ground.
He motioned Aaron to walk to the edge of the car bay. “Volvo is a real sturdy car,” Rocky said. “They’re like tanks.” He walked around and underneath the car, checking various parts. “You’re going to need new tires soon.”
Aaron nodded. “I’m not surprised.”
“Folks go through lots of tires around here.”
Aaron watched as Rocky maneuvered around the car and through the engine, every step and hand action choreographed with no wasted motion.
After a short while, Rocky straightened and stood tall, wiping his hands on a towel. “I’ll clean it up, and you’re good to go.”
On his way home, Aaron slowed his car in front of a house set back from the road.
What in the world is that?
Several shiny silver rectangular partitions stood upright in the front yard. Aaron stopped at the side of the road, and a gangly man walked between the partitions and waved, a guitar hanging from his neck.
It’s Cam Fillmore, my schizophrenic patient.
Aaron pulled into the driveway, and Cam leaned down to Aaron’s window.
“Hi, Doc. How do you like my beam blockers?”
“Do they work?”
“They sure do. I covered some wooden planks with aluminum foil, and they do the job real good. My skin doesn’t heat up when I’m behind them.”
Aaron studied the foil-covered partitions. “They look sturdy, put together well.”
“It was a snap. I’m a carpenter.”
“Are you taking your medicine?”
“Sometimes I forget.”
“You should remember. The medicine helps you think clearly.”
“That’s what they tell me.”
“Did you recognize my car just now?”
“Yep. I know your car, and I watch the cars on this road, for my own protection.”
“But you can’t possibly spot every car that passes by.”
“I don’t have to. When bad guys get close, my beam blockers signal me. They start to jiggle.”
“I see.”
Aaron shook hands with Cam. “I’ve got to move along. Stay healthy.” As he backed into the road, pleasant chords from Cam’s guitar floated on the air through his window. He felt Cam’s eyes on him as he drove away.
Aaron pulled into Marley’s driveway that evening, singing words from a song he’d just heard on the radio: ‘Begin Again,’ by Taylor Swift.
He rang Marley’s front doorbell, and his heart pounded as the door opened.
Marley stood in the threshold in a flowery sundress, a black cowgirl hat, and red boots.
Aaron caught his breath. “You look great.”
Marley smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”
Thank goodness I wore my boots,
he thought.
Aaron drove to a popular steakhouse restaurant about twenty minutes away. He held the entrance door for Marley and glanced around inside the dining room. He didn’t spot any suspicious bald men.
They were escorted to a table and Aaron pulled out her chair.
“I read ‘The Great Gatsby’ again,” Aaron said as their Caesar salads were served.
Marley shook her head. “Daisy had problems. She didn’t seem to care much for her child.”
“You wonder how that child would’ve turned out later in life.”
“I’ll bet an unhappy person, because Daisy was probably not a good mother.” Marley put down her fork. “I don’t want to be like her.”
Aaron nodded. “And Daisy got away with murder, or at least manslaughter.”
“She let someone else take the blame. I wonder if I’d be weak like that.”
Aaron shook his head. “Somehow I don’t think so.”
Marley’s face beamed.
She sipped her iced tea and then leaned toward him. “Race Taggett had a difficult childhood. Have you been able to check on that family?”
Aaron coughed into his hand. “Race is one disturbed man.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t let that stop you. You might make a real difference with them.”
Aaron’s chest swelled. “Thanks for the vote of confidence. I am checking on some things about Sid Taggett.” He didn’t remember later how his entree tasted.
“Are you ready for some line dancing?” Marley said as they left the restaurant.
“Let’s do it.”
Marley directed him south of their town to a dance hall and saloon in Beaumont. As they walked to the entrance, Aaron heard music and laughter from the festive dancers inside.
“Let’s watch first, so you can get the hang of it,” Marley said.
They sat at a small table and ordered drinks. Aaron studied the dancers as they stepped and turned to the music. “They don’t touch each other while they dance,” Aaron said.
“Usually not.”
They watched the dancers through several songs, then Marley grabbed Aaron’s arm. “We’ve seen enough. Let’s join in. This song is a dance classic: ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie,’ by Brooks & Dunn.”
Aaron got into the flow of the synchronous leg and body motion.
“You catch on quick,” Marley said.
Aaron pointed at her. “I’ve got a good teacher.”
After several songs, Aaron was a bit out of breath. “This is fun, and it’s good exercise, too.”
“I figured you’d enjoy it.”
“I’m glad the AC works good in here. I haven’t even broken a sweat.”
They walked back to their table.
Aaron clapped his hands. “I’m getting into this. Let’s close this place down.”
Marley laughed. “That would be fun, but it’s time for me to get back home.”
Aaron smiled. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
As Aaron walked Marley out of the dance hall, he didn't notice Constable Keller Greevy following them out into the parking lot.
Aaron drove back to Marley’s house. “How much time do we have?” he said as they walked in the front door.
“I have to pick up Cristal in thirty minutes.” Marley turned on her stereo with country music.
Aaron embraced her, and she responded with a tight hug. He sensed a faint pleasant perfume.
Some kind of flower
.
Maybe honeysuckle?
She laid her head on his shoulder as they slow-danced. He felt wetness through his shirt.
“What’s wrong?” Aaron said.
She lifted her head. “I don’t know. I need more time.”
“I don’t want to let you go.”
“I don’t know what’s happening.”
“Are you really expecting him to come back?”
“I think I want him to. I know Cristal wants him to.”
They danced to the music of several songs.
Marley sighed. “He was always attractive to women, since high school. He can’t say no. But I think he still loves me.”
“Has he called you since he left?”
“No, but he’s done this before.”
Aaron stopped dancing. He held her hands. “How can you put up with him?”
“I know him better than anyone else does. He always comes back. Other women get tired of him.”
“I’m not sorry to say this. I think he’s an idiot.”
Marley led Aaron to the living room chairs. Aaron noticed that she sat in her characteristic position with her leg bent beneath her. “He was our high school quarterback, and he got a bad concussion and had to quit football. He was in a coma for several days.”
“Wow, that was a serious injury.”
“It changed him. It affected his thinking. He was embarrassed in school, his grades got worse, and he didn’t even try for college. The high school just let him graduate.”
“What kind of future can you have with him?”
“Deep down, he’s a good man and only I know how to take care of him.” She looked down. “I know he’ll settle down someday.”