Deadly vendetta, p.11
Deadly Vendetta, page 11
“Doctor, I swear to you, when I came from seeing you, Luke was talking nonsense and looked like a cadaver. He didn’t even know who I was and was asking where his wife was. Might I add that she has been dead for close to fifty years.”
Now it was my turn to answer questions; as Luke looked on, concern flooded his eyes. I was positive about what I had seen and heard, so the only explanation was exhaustion. I had woken Luke from a much-needed nap and caught him off guard. He was probably dreaming about his wife, Claire, like he frequently did, and, in his dazed state, he had spoken before he was fully awake.
Thankfully, to err on the side of caution, the doctor took Luke back into the examining room, while I—not too patiently—waited, pacing back and forth. Was I the root cause of this, too? I had always prided myself on being a stand-up guy, but, with all that had happened, I was beginning to doubt my own morality at this point in time.
By the time Luke returned, I had all but worn a hole in the carpet. My mind was back to thinking negatively, and I was left wondering how I could go on if something happened to Luke. I wasn’t a worst-case-scenario kinda guy, and my glass was always half full. But, I was human, after all, and everyone has their tipping point—the point where they call it quits and wallow in self-pity. I would fight that tooth and nail, but I knew myself well enough to know that I could never, ever forgive myself if I inadvertently caused Luke harm.
I wanted to scream for joy when the doctor reassured me that all was fine on the Luke front; he was probably suffering only from pure exhaustion. The past couple of weeks had taken their toll on him. He had barely slept a wink, between worrying about me, dealing with my Dad’s relapse and trying to come to terms with my Dad’s death, not to mention the firebombing of his truck. He admitted that he was putting on a brave face and that, inside, he was crumbling right before my eyes, afraid to sleep. Having these creeps watching our every move was not only frightening, but now it had also become detrimental to our health.
Refusing to let Luke drive me back to the cabin, I got behind the wheel to drive us home. I planned a pit stop to pick up shakes, and homeward bound we were, until I noticed the car was off kilter. Pulling over, I got out to inspect the car, only to find two of the tires had been slashed. I second-guessed my flipping off the guy at my doctor’s appointment because this may have been his retaliation. Or maybe not. These guys were taking every opportunity to act out against us, and I was fed up with it all.
I practically had to threaten Luke within an inch of his life to get him to stay seat-belted in while I called AAA and addressed the tire situation. I was getting better at not being self-conscious of my appearance, at least with strangers, anyway. I knew I looked something short of human, but it was what it was. I visualized random people who came into contact with me, not knowing my backstory, getting together with their friends and trying to explain the monster they’d met that day. I figured, What the heck—let them have a laugh at my expense. Or a nightmare. I was fine with either one.
I was all but convinced the slashers were one and the same as the arsonists, murderers and lowlife scum-suckers extraordinaire. I promised myself that, as soon as I got home, I was going to pull out a journal and document this stuff. There had been so many incidents that I was afraid I’d leave something out. Then, when the time came to bring these jerks down, I wouldn’t have my ducks in a row. Visions of them dying in the electric chair danced in my head as I headed back to the cabin.
As we pulled up front, there was a surprise waiting for us. Sitting on the bench on the porch was none other than Lux and Quinn, with a happy Autumn, wagging her tail and standing by their feet. I tried to contain my giddiness, but Luke caught me with a shit-eating grin on my face and chuckled.
“Go get your girl, son!” he said.
Had I been that transparent? She had been occupying a good portion of my waking moments—and dreams, too, for that matter. I had to admit: I was smitten.
She looked every bit as beautiful as I remembered from the other night. Her strawberry-blond hair hung loosely down to her shoulders, blowing slightly in the breeze. She was wearing cat’s-eye sunglasses, but I knew that, under those, her beautiful green eyes twinkled. As we got out of the car, she waved. Her smile—not to mention those dimples—was so beautiful that it took my breath away. At that moment, I knew she was the one for me—the one I would fall in love with and build a life with. Years ago, I’d heard my Mom and Dad talk about love at first sight, and now I knew firsthand what they had experienced. Now, more than ever, I ached for my parents to be alive so that they could meet my future wife and watch our life together unfold.
Keenly aware of my appearance, I tried to hide behind Luke as we made our way up the walkway, but he was having no part of it. He playfully pushed me toward her and chuckled, while giving me a thumbs-up and mumbling something inaudible under his breath. As we approached, Lux and Quinn stood and walked toward us, while Autumn came barreling full steam ahead, shrieking and carrying on as if we’d been gone for a month. She couldn’t contain her excitement and jumped up on Luke, catching him off guard and making him stumble. I barely caught him before he hit the ground. Another broken bone or trip to the emergency room was not something either one of us wanted. Knowing Luke was fine, my eyes focused on Quinn. I looked her up and down in complete awe and admiration. She stood about 5'7", with a thin build but not skinny. She looked athletic under her boyfriend jeans and navy-blue cardigan that she had smartly placed over a plain, white, button-up Oxford shirt. In all her simplicity, she was still breathtakingly, drop-dead gorgeous.
“What a pleasant surprise to see you two. I hope you haven’t been waiting too long,” I said, trying to camouflage my enthusiasm.
I really couldn’t have cared less if Lux was there or not, but, since they were a package deal, I figured I might as well be cordial to him. Wanting to look debonair, I was ever so thankful that I had been to the doctor and the nose packing had been removed. As every hour went by, I was slowly but surely starting to resemble my old self, one I was hoping she would find handsome and irresistible. The dried blood that had been caked around my nose and the corners of my mouth had been cleaned up, and I looked human—in an apocalyptic kind of way, at least.
The closer I got to her, the more the butterflies started their mating dance within my stomach. I caught a whiff of her perfume, and I was immediately transported back twenty-plus years ago. Lavender with a hint of vanilla wafted through my now-freed-up nostrils, and I felt a tear form in the corner of my eye. It was the same perfume my mother used to wear. I was flooded with memories of my Mom and of our time together as a family as well as our time we had sharing special Mom-and-son moments. It was as if time was standing still as I made my way down memory lane, and it was Luke’s turn to shake me and ask me if I was all right.
Coming out of my trance, I was greeted with concerned looks from Luke, Quinn and Lux. Autumn pawed at my leg while whimpering.
With a quavering voice, Luke asked, “Jonathan, are you all right? You have me worried, son.”
One of the many reasons that Luke and I got along so well was because we were two peas in a pod. We were both in touch with our feminine side, not afraid to wear our heart on our sleeve—or any other cliches you could think of to explain sensitivity in a guy. For a second, I considered making up a lie as to why I had wandered off into LaLa Land, but I wanted to start off my relationship with Quinn on a positive, honest note.
“I’m sorry, you guys. I didn’t mean to concern any of you, but, quite honestly, Quinn’s perfume is the same one my Mom used to wear, and it caught me off guard. I took a trip down memory lane for a second,” I confessed.
Turns out honesty was the best decision, because Quinn reached out and pulled me into the most gentle, caring hug I had ever felt. If hugs could talk, this one would have said, “I’m so sorry for your loss, and I’m here for you, no matter what.” I didn’t want it to end, but neither did I want to seem like a creeper, so I pulled away. I was on cloud ten, because clearly cloud nine wasn’t high enough for the way I was feeling. We locked eyes, and, at that moment, I knew she felt the same pull that I did. To say I was ecstatic wouldn’t have been adequate to explain how I was feeling. Our pull toward each other must have been stronger than I’d thought, if she was able to see past my present state and visualize who I really was. At that moment, I wanted more than anything to be alone with her, without a care in the world. Unfortunately, I was keenly aware of Luke and Lux looming in the background, acting like we were invisible, talking between themselves.
Autumn sat impatiently by my feet, waiting for her pets, while I continued to hold Quinn’s hand in mine. “Would you like to come inside so that Luke and I can catch you up on the latest?” At the mention of his name, Luke turned and hobbled toward us, with Lux in tow. There was a lot that had happened in a short time that needed to be addressed, and there was no time like the present.
Once inside, we again all settled around the kitchen table as Luke busied himself with grinding fresh coffee beans for a pot of coffee and putting together a charcuterie board that would rival anything Julia Child had ever whipped up. I guess it was time to add creativity to his long list of talents. As I longingly looked on as they all devoured olives, cheeses, crackers, salami, and such, I wiped saliva from the corner of my mouth before it landed on the table and caused me embarrassment. I would have to be satisfied with Ensure through a straw for the time being, but I was thinking, Watch out, everyone—don’t get in my way once I’m given the green light to eat again.
I sat, mesmerized by Quinn’s beauty, soaking up all her mannerisms as she munched on crackers and nonchalantly brushed a crumb off the corner of her mouth. She must have felt my gaze, because she stopped what she was doing and looked my way with an innocent smile. There was something easy about the way she carried herself and in the way she spoke. I was left wondering if I was the only one that was noticing or if she had that effect on everyone. We had so many things to discuss—my life had been a complete whirlwind lately, but all I wanted to do was sit and talk to her for hours about the little things that made her who she was. I felt an indescribable desire to know her favorite color, what she ate for breakfast and where she last went on vacation. I wanted to know every single fact in great detail that made her the woman I was already head over heels for.
To my dismay, this would have to wait. Luke got up and was pacing back and forth as he cleared his throat to get my attention. I had never known him to be an impatient man, but the stress of the past weeks, coupled with his lack of sleep, had definitely begun to take its toll on him. What nerves he had left were frayed and frazzled, at best. I understood, because I was feeling the same way, except for Quinn getting my mind and heart thinking differently. For the first time in weeks, I was hopeful that my life was taking a turn for the better. That is, until there was an extra loud bang at the door and a whole bunch of commotion outside drew my attention elsewhere.
We all four heard it at the same time and jumped out of our skin, looking puzzled at one another. “What in tarnation is all the racket outside?” Luke questioned as he ran toward the window to peek out. “Oh, for the love of God, there are at least ten Sheriff’s cars by the barn.”
He sounded pissed as he limped to the door, cursing under his breath. I was almost afraid to follow, not knowing what had happened this time, but noticing Quinn’s interest was piqued, I put on a brave face and followed close behind Luke.
Luke opened the door to none other than Mr. Cranky Pants himself, Deputy Sheriff Osborne. He stood leaning all his weight against the door frame, looking smug like the cat who had just swallowed the canary. I’m not sure how many deputies were employed with the Sheriff’s Department, but with him was someone whom I had not had the displeasure of meeting in the past. Osborne hovered over him while the other guy stood visibly shaking with what I could only imagine was intimidation. It was a good thing Osborne had chosen this line of work, because I kept thinking about what a horrible bedside manner he would have if he were a doctor.
“It is imperative that you two, pointing to Luke and myself, follow me to the barn because you have some serious explaining to do. And you, Elliott, no funny business. In fact, you need to come up in front where I can keep an eye on you,” Osborne spat out.
Before I could object, he grabbed my arm and jerked me to his side, knocking Quinn over.
“Get your hands off of me,” I angrily yelled, trying desperately to get to Quinn’s side as she lay in the bush that adorned Luke’s cabin.
He wasn’t letting go, and I pleaded with Lux to go assist her. “Who do you think you are—coming over here and raising havoc? This is personal property, and you’re not welcome!”
I didn’t often get mad, but I was pissed and saw stars. Before I knew it, Luke was in Osborne’s face faster than I could say boo. For such a big guy, he was surprisingly agile, which came as a complete shock to me. Screaming in Osborne’s face, spit flying everywhere, Luke was bright red and angrier than I ever imagined he could get.
“Get your filthy hands off of him NOW. How dare you come on my property and manhandle my son? If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now, while you can!”
While tightening his grip on me, Osborne stood his ground, looking at Luke like he had lost his mind and gone too far.
“Old man, I don’t know who you think you are talking to me that way, because I have every reason to be here. I am a man of the law, and there has been a murder on your property. I have reason to believe Elliott is responsible, and I’m not giving him the opportunity to run.”
“A what? A . . . murder? On Luke’s property? What are you talking about?” I managed to eek out, looking on, not believing my ears.
I must have looked as shocked as I felt because Quinn, Luke and Lux in unison all asked if I was all right. Before I could say another word, Luke punched Osborne with the best left jab I had ever seen. In all fairness, I hadn’t seen a ton, but this was impressive, nonetheless. Osborne had not seen it coming and fell like a deck of cards. As I stood there dumbfounded and at a loss for what to do next, Lux pulled Luke off of Osborne before any more damage could take place. Luke had a look of hatred in his eyes, and a crazy-huge vein had popped out on his forehead.
“Luke, what have you done? Have you gone mad? I appreciate you coming to my defense, but I’m pretty sure violence is not the answer here,” I said, imploring him to come to his senses.
The other deputy was bent down on the ground, trying to slap Osborne awake, when another Sheriff’s car came buzzing toward us, sirens blaring, stopping abruptly, and leaving us all in a cloud of dust. Everything had happened so fast, I hadn’t had a second to check on Quinn, but when I looked around, I saw her standing off to the side with a concerned look on her face. What the hell had just happened? The bigger question was Why?
Osborne was out cold, and I was starting to get concerned about what this could mean for Luke. I knew we were all innocent of the supposed murder, but Luke could easily be charged with aggravated assault if push came to shove, and I wouldn’t put anything past Osborne. He was a man on a mission to bring us down, once and for all. For what, I still wasn’t sure, but what I did know was that people on missions were the hardest to deal with. They rarely listen to reason and most always end up causing more harm than good. We had trouble brewing, and I wasn’t a bit happy about it.
As I looked at all the chaos going on, I contemplated Osborne being behind the killings and the other heinous acts that had been going on. It was a possibility worth investigating, but my gut was telling me otherwise. My gut was wise, and I had no reason to doubt it now. Which left me with the ever-present looming question . . . then, who?
Feeling something brush against my side and smelling lavender and vanilla, I turned to see Quinn standing next to me. She took my hand in hers and gave me a reassuring squeeze. At least that’s the way I was interpreting it. Whatever the reason, it felt good. Warm and soft, like it belonged there. I felt goosebumps make the hair on my arms stand up, like I was a teenager again. I had missed this feeling. The warmness in the pit of your stomach, the joy in your heart, but, most of all, the wanting to be alone with just that person, shutting out the world and becoming one.
My mind had wandered, so I was surprised when Luke spoke. “So—you three, what are your thoughts?” That was a loaded question that needed a minute or two to decipher. Was he referring to Osborne, who was now sitting up, looking more pissed than ever, brushing dirt off his uniform and massaging his jaw? Was he referring to the so-called murder in the barn? Or did he really know who the mastermind was behind this craziness?
This prompted me to look toward the barn, and all I saw was a sea of khaki swarming in and out of the barn, spooking the horses. I could hear a lot of talking, but I couldn’t make out any words. Whatever they were saying, I was more than positive it was not going to be good news for me—or Luke, for that matter. Today was turning out to be a shitshow—except for my hug from Quinn. I looked her way and gave her a wink before meandering toward the barn. She, Luke and Lux followed close behind.
There was no time like the present to find out once and for all what had supposedly happened and what we were up against. But finding out why would have to wait for another day. The wind had picked up and was swirling around, creating little tornadoes of dirt and hay. I had to laugh as I saw a couple of campaign hats getting caught up, causing the deputies to run after them, like kids chasing a ball on the playground. I guess we are all kids at heart, to a certain degree.
Having Osborne momentarily out of the picture was, hopefully, my opportunity to be treated with respect and their chance to be forthcoming with information before jumping to conclusions. I wasn’t in any kind of mood to be playing mind games, and I certainly was not about to be accused of something I had no part in.
