Something Bad, page 25
Deena Lee kneeled by the couch with a glass of water. “Here you go, sweetie. Here’s your pain pill. It’ll make you a little drowsy. We’ll take Cory Dean upstairs so he won’t be a bother. You just try to get some sleep.”
Gabe swallowed his pill and Deena Lee helped him lay back down. He was asleep within ten minutes, but instead of dreaming about his upcoming adventure, he reflected on his home and happiness. In his dream, Thibideaux was nowhere to be found.
CHAPTER
49
GABE’S X-RAYS DISCLOSED three cracked ribs, and the trip to the clinic and back told him he would need at least a second day of inactivity before heading to Chicago. But he wasn’t idle on his second day of rest—a plan had to be set in motion and it would require rather tricky negotiations at home.
First thing in the morning, Gabe called Wes Worthing and set up an appointment to discuss an important county tax matter. He arranged the meeting for eight the next morning, at Wes’ house. Next, it was time to grease the skids at home during lunch.
Gabe came into the kitchen and lowered himself onto one of the chairs, determined to eat his lunch without showing any of the pain.
Wanna was on him first.
“What are you doing out here? You should be resting up on your back. You sure you’re okay to be sitting already?”
“I got to get up and move around to get some of the circulation back in my legs. If you’ll be kind enough to help me, I’ll put my leg up on that chair.” He nodded to the one unoccupied chair.
Deena Lee jumped up and pulled the chair over to Gabe’s side, and helped lift his leg up onto the seat. “Do you want me to get a pillow for your knee?”
“No. This if fine. Thank you, baby.” He smiled through the pain.
“I think I agree with Wanna,” Deena Lee said as she sat back down. “You should be on the couch. I’m glad you’re feeling better, but you still need your rest.”
Gabe followed with a lie, and it bothered him. It wasn’t right, deceiving anyone, especially his family, but the phrase “the end justifies the means” made sense. The vacation of truthfulness ripped his emotions. Better not become habit, he thought.
“I’m really feeling good. The pain’s nearly gone, and with the pills I hardly notice it.” A quick gaze out the kitchen window revealed bright sunshine. It didn’t matter on this one. “Besides, I’m needing to do something about that tax stuff. I already called Wes. I’m heading out to his place first thing tomorrow.”
Wanna jumped up, her voice an octave above normal. “You’re doing what? I don’t think so. There ain’t no tax stuff this time of year that’s so important you have to risk hurting yourself.”
Deena Lee nodded.
Gabe turned to face Wanna a little too quickly and a sharp pain shot through his chest. He paused, hoping the twinge in his facial muscles wasn’t noticed. “I’m feeling a lot better. Besides, I have to get out of here before I go crazy. And the tax problem is one we got to get on right away.” Another lie, this time carefully rehearsed. “If we don’t find a solution, there’ll be a need to raise the property taxes. We don’t want to do that because some of the local folks are living on the edge, money-wise.” On the fly, he thought of a good addition to rally his side. “You can blame it on Rother. They sold us some emergency trucks a few years back and they’re calling in the loan. They’re trying their best to keep their own taxes down and their idea is to dump it off on us. So, me and Wes need to get together to figure out a plan to come up with the extra money.” The proverbial ice underneath Gabe’s feet was thick and solid. But still a little slippery.
“I don’t like it,” Wanna said. She sat back down and blotted her mouth with her napkin. “You should stay in bed for a couple more days. I’ll give Doc a call and see what he says.”
Deena Lee nodded again.
Gabe counter attacked before Wanna got up again. “I made you a promise about the papers yesterday. Now you have to let me get to them. I’m not going to run out right now. I’ll be in bed for the rest of today and tonight. By tomorrow I’ll be feeling even better, so I shouldn’t have any problems. This is really important. Wes needs my help.”
Gabe thought he was off the ice and on solid ground until Wanna made his footing slick again.
“How you going to get over to Wes’? You going to drive? And how do you expect to work the clutch with that bad knee all braced up? Did you think of that, Mister Tax Man?”
He was momentarily stumped. For all of this preparation, he forgot about the clutch. Fortunately, his newfound penchant for fabrication was honed to razor sharpness. Pretending to adjust his knee on the chair gave him more time to think.
“I’ve been trying to put pressure on the knee to see how it reacts, and it’s okay if I keep it straight and put pressure on that way. It only hurts if it’s bent and I pressure it, or if the pressure comes from the side. I’ll prop myself up in the seat with a pillow so my leg stays straight and I’ll be all right.” Gabe made direct eye contact with Wanna. She usually dropped hers in response, but not this time. “Tell you what. I’ll give it a try after supper tonight. If it pains me, I’ll wait another day. Deal?” No matter how much it hurt, he’d hide the pain from Wanna and Deena Lee.
Wanna shook her head. “Why don’t you let me drive you? I ain’t jawed with Thelma for some time. I’m sure we could pass the time.”
“That wouldn’t do. The meeting will probably take all morning and go into the afternoon.” He turned his head. “Deena Lee, you were planning to go in to the Herndon’s Edge tomorrow afternoon, right?”
Deena Lee smiled and nodded.
“See there? You need to watch over Cory Dean tomorrow. It’d be better if I just drove myself over. It’s only a few miles. If I have any trouble, I can have Wes drive me back.”
“Why don’t Wes come over here?” Deena Lee said.
Gabe smiled. He felt a sense of pride over his preparation, until he remembered about the clutch. The dent in his confidence made him lose his train of thought.
“Well …” It clicked in. “I mentioned that to Wes, but he said he has all the files out at his place. It’d be easier for me just to go there. He’s not sure which files he’ll need, so he’d have to carry the whole lot over here. Even though he offered, I thought it would be imposing.”
“I’m still going to give Doc a call to see what he thinks.” Wanna said.
Gabe put on his best angry face and boomed his voice, scaring Cory Dean into a cry. “Don’t you dare. He’ll do anything to keep me in bed. He don’t understand how important this tax thing is. I won’t let him jeopardize money matters for the entire Tri-counties just so he can keep my knee from swelling a little. You call him and I’ll go anyway, so I wouldn’t bother if I was you.”
Wanna backed off while Deena Lee calmed Cory Dean.
Gabe’s confidence returned, this time due to good acting. All of the ice was gone and he was free to plot the rest of his plan. “If all that’s settled, I need to lay down to get some rest. I have a big day tomorrow.”
Gabe pulled his leg from the chair and Deena Lee popped up from hers. “Let me help you.”
He held his hand out to her and grimaced through a hug. “Thank you, baby. I’ll be all right.”
When no one was looking, Gabe tossed two pain pills into his mouth. Sleep followed.
Gabe awakened before the roosters, cleaned up and dressed before anyone else so the women wouldn’t see him struggle with his clothes. He pulled the curtains back. All clear. There was another reason for the early rise. He didn’t want them to see him pack his clothes bag.
The “tax” envelope went into the bag first, followed by enough clothing for three days. He grabbed his sleeping bag, then loaded Wanna’s pill dispenser with vitamins, leaving them in plain view on the counter. The crutches worked better, but they still hurt his chest and armpits. And carrying the bags out to the pickup was a pain of a different kind. Finished preparing the truck, he went back inside and reclined on the couch.
When the household was up, Gabe came into the kitchen with a huge smile on his face. He planted a kiss on Cory Dean’s chubby cheek and did the same for Deena Lee. “I’m feeling really good this morning. I’m looking forward to getting out. How’re you all doing?”
Wanna was at the stove with her back turned, but her tone gave away her feelings. “We’re not convinced you’re doing a good thing. I’m going to call out to Wes’ a few times to make sure you’re okay. Thelma’ll tell me the truth. She gives me a ‘no’ and I’ll be there faster than a firefly flash.”
“You didn’t even move that fast when you were chasing Johnny Robertson. Maybe I’ll tell Thelma to give a bad report just to see you hustling over.” Gabe and Deena Lee burst into laughter but Wanna only snickered. A retort was on its way—the wait was short.
“Excuse me for a minute. I have to go out to the dog run and get the sausages to go with your eggs. By the way, that may not be apple juice in your cup. We were a little low, so I whipped something up.”
By seven-thirty the dishes were cleared from the table. Gabe made his way to the front door and announced his departure. He returned Deena Lee’s hug and kiss, and gave Cory Dean a snuggle. Turning in Wanna’s direction, he said. “You got anything for me?”
Wanna passed an evil smile and shook her right fist in the air. “It’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”
Gabe clamored into the pickup and started it up. He kept the smile on his face as he let the pressure off the clutch, even though the pain was intense. The pickup rumbled down the gravel driveway, winding out first gear nearly to the red line, and turned left onto the county road. The house shrank in the rearview mirror, and then disappeared as a bank of fog surrounded the truck. The mist accompanied it all the way to the edge of Wes Worthing’s property.
Gabe steered up the gravel drive, but skidded to a stop and swung his head around. A vertical wall of fog hovered at the edge of Wes’s property.
CHAPTER
50
THE MEETING WITH Wes lasted three-quarters of an hour. A curtain of fog waited as the pickup headed back out of Wes’s drive. The truck’s wheels stirred up a cloud of dust that was dwarfed by the massive fogbank.
Gabe had always commented that his old truck had traveled the roads of the Tri-counties so often it knew its way around without his intervention. In fact, there were two or three times, when he had nights out with his buddies, that he was sure it was the truck that had found its way home, not him.
This trip home was a slow, deliberate one due to the dense fog and the slow shifting of the truck. It was used to being driven around ten miles an hour below the posted speed limit, but today it was more like fifteen.
The truck pulled up to the front of the farmhouse and a surprised Deena Lee and Wanna crowded together in the open front doorway. The pickup door opened as they hustled down the steps. They stopped short of the bumper.
A tall figure stepped out without the aid of crutches or even a hint of knee pain. The figure wore Gabe’s coat, and the bill of Gabe’s hat was pulled down low over his face.
Wanna registered the startle of surprised recognition. “Wes? Good Lord. What you doing in Gabe’s clothes? And his truck?” She peered into the truck cab. “Where’s Gabe? What the hell’s going on?”
Deena Lee chimed in, “Is Gabe in some kind of trouble?” Her voice wavered.
The dense fog receded so fast it drew the breath out of the three. They gasped in unison and stood in total silence, turning their heads to follow the disappearing mist into the distance.
“Wes, what the hell’s going on around here?” Wanna said, scared. “Where’s Gabe?”
Wes put his arm on Wanna’s shoulder. He looked at Deena Lee and hooked his other arm over her shoulders. He turned the women toward the porch. “Come sit with me on the porch. I’ll explain as best I can. Gabe has some instructions for the two of you—he said you need to follow them to a ‘T’“
The three sat on the porch.
“He said it’s really important, so he wrote everything down for you. I’ll tell you what I know, then you’ll have to read the rest. He said you should destroy the letter after you read it. He’ll be back in about three days—”
“What?” Wanna shifted away from Wes. “Where’d he go that’ll take three days? What the hell’s going on, Wes?”
Wes scanned the horizon in the direction of the receded fog. “He went back up to Chicago to see Father Costello again. He explained a little of it to me, but I don’t know all the details. Said it had something to do with Thibideaux. He needed to see the priest so he could stop Thibideaux. He didn’t explain what it was he was going to stop, though.” Wes looked at the horizon. “He told me one other thing to tell you that didn’t make any sense until now. He said if there’s a fog around the house, don’t talk about where he is or what he’s there for. If you mention Chicago or Gabe’s trip, make sure you check out the windows first. He said Thibideaux snoops on everyone in the fogs. I didn’t believe him until now. You saw it. It disappeared in an instant when you all recognized me. If Gabe’s right, something really strange is going on around here.”
For the first time since she met Wes, Wanna thought she saw an expression of fear in him. He was the one everyone counted on to be steady in any emergency. If he was scared, something must be wrong. She needed some reassurance.
“Wes, is Gabe all right?”
Wes took a deep breath and looked directly into Wanna’s eyes. Then into Deena Lee’s. “He’s fine.” He patted Deena Lee’s knee. “Fact is, he’s probably better than me right now.” He looked down at his hands and fumbled with the letter, then handed it to Deena Lee. “Here. Don’t read it if there’s a fog out, and remember to burn it up when you’re finished.”
Deena Lee lifted the flap.
“Don’t open it now,” Wes said. “I’m not supposed to see it either.” He took another deep breath. “I’ll be off back to my place. Sorry to startle you all.”
Deena Lee stopped Wes before he could get in the truck. “If you’re driving the truck, how’s Gabe getting to Chicago?”
Wes did a three-sixty spin, scanning the horizon. Worry creased his face. “Deena Lee, you got to be careful. Look around before you talk about Gabe’s trip. Look for the fog.” He looked around again. “He’s driving my truck. It’s got an automatic transmission so he can drive it without hurting his knee. I’ll keep his truck until he gets back. You have something to get around?”
“We got my car,” Deena Lee said, pointing to her Volkswagen parked around the side of the house. “And Wanna has another in the shed. We’ll be okay, but I’m scared. You sure Gabe’s not in any trouble?”
“I don’t know what you call what he’s doing. You have any problems, you give me a call and I’ll be here as fast as this heap of junk can get me here. Gabe told me to tell you to keep a close eye on Cory Dean. Where is he, anyway?”
“Just put him down for a nap,” Deena Lee said. “I’d better check on him.”
Wes got in the truck and turned it down the gravel road. There wasn’t a vapor of fog around during the entire trip home.
CHAPTER
51
GABE PULLED ONTO the interstate and headed north, astonished at how large Wes’ truck was in comparison to his old pickup. It seemed to be as powerful as an eighteen-wheeler. He had seen the new four-door trucks, but he had never been in one. With all the room, both inside and in the truck bed, he decided right then it was time he bought a new truck for the farm, and for the family. Cory Dean would be safe strapped in his infant chair in the back seat of a truck like this, and the vehicle could still be put to work like the old pickup.
The ride was so smooth, it seemed like the truck slipped through the air free of drag. “Holy sh …,” he said. “No way I’m going over ninety.” Backing off the accelerator, the truck’s speed dipped, then settled, nine miles over the posted limit. Keep the excess in single figures and the state troopers won’t bother, he thought.
Gabe’s mind went as frictionless as the truck. He debated what to say to Father Costello when they met again. A glance at the speedometer. He was getting used to the truck’s speed, but he had to squint a little to see the numbers. The light of day was decreasing. But it was too early.
His head jerked upward, his eyes squinting at the rear-view mirror. His heart galloped so hard it hurt his ribs. A bank of fog billowed directly behind the truck, about two hundred yards back, and the distance seemed to be closing. Fast. The wall of mist moved as if by intent, rather than being pushed by prevailing breezes. In a single minute that seemed like an hour, the vapor halved the distance between its leading edge and the truck.
The daylight faded as if it were being sucked into the cloud. Gabe tensed in the seat, bringing his back up away from the upholstery. He stomped on the accelerator so hard it slapped the floorboard, and the truck responded with a downshift and lurch forward that pushed Gabe back into the seat. His heart pumped so hard and fast it seemed to be in his throat—he could hear each beat in his ears. Even though his breathing was fast and shallow, the pain he normally felt with each breath was subdued by the adrenaline coursing through his body. A trickle of sweat ran down his forehead even though it was cold enough to require a light jacket.
His heart gave an extra beat, then another, and then the long pause. A wave of dizziness spread over his head in slow motion—he tracked its leading edge.
The speedometer crept over the century mark but the fog continued to gain on the truck, although not as fast as before. Another extra beat. “Not now,” Gabe shouted.
