Red Mountain (20 page)

Okay, maybe I’m being overly paranoid. It’s just that horrible looking mouth…

“You don’t need to feed us, you know. We don’t want to be a burden.”

Wilbur reached out and gently squeezed Peggy’s hand. She smelled mint mouthwash on his breath, and knew in his case he probably needed it often.

“Please. It’s no trouble at all. If you knew my wife you’d know she’d drop everything to feed an empty stomach.”

Peggy smiled. “Well thank you then.”

****

Betty kept the pancakes and bacon coming until they begged her to stop cooking any more. The food had made them aware of how tired and sleepy they were. Connor and Krista were already asleep on the sofa. Peggy and Jan sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee while Wilbur quietly finished yesterday’s newspaper.

Peggy thought it was weird they hadn’t asked them many questions about their ordeal. Maybe they thought it was impolite.

“Thanks for the meal, Betty, it was delicious,” Jan said.

“Think nothing of it,” Betty said with a wave of her hand, “I’m glad we could help you and your young ones. I’d hate to think of what might have happened if you hadn’t chosen to stop by here instead of another house.”

Wilbur lowered his paper and glared. “Come on, Bet. You make it sound as if all our neighbors are bad people.”

Betty’s eyes lowered to her cup of coffee. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. But they never seem to be around. Not really neighbors in my book. All I’m saying is that you girls would still be knocking on doors if we hadn’t been home.”

Peggy excused herself and went to the bathroom. On her way back through the hall she noticed an old rotary-style phone sitting on a shelf next to a pile of crumbling phonebooks. She picked up the receiver and listened for a dial tone. The line was dead.

He’s telling the truth. Happy now?

When she returned to the kitchen she asked Wilbur if he was ready to drive them into town. The sun had risen over an hour ago and it looked like they were in store for another hot day.

“I’m all ready to go if you are,” Wilbur said, rising from the table. “I guess the others can rest until we get back.”

Peggy shook her head. “No, we’re all leaving together.”

“Well I’m afraid that’s not possible. The sedan is in the shop right now, trying to bankrupt me. That just leaves the water truck, and it only has enough room for one person up front with me.”

Peggy glanced at Jan and then back to Wilbur. “I don’t think it’s a good idea that we get separated right now. Those men could come here looking for us.”

“Nobody’s going to come now,” Wilbur said. “Not in broad daylight.”

“Are you kidding me?” Peggy felt herself losing patience with the farmer. How could someone be so naïve to think that bad people had to wait until after dark to do anything?

Wilbur lowered his eyes and moved his head softly from side to side. “I’m sorry lady. I don’t know what else I can do.”

Jan reached out and grasped Peggy’s arm. Her voice was thin and wavering. “We don’t have much choice Peg. Unless we all walk to town together. But you know that wouldn’t be any safer. I’ll go with Wilbur and you stay here with the kids.”

I’m not staying here, Peggy thought. I know how cops think, and what it will take to get them fired up and headed out to that old farmhouse. I was married to one after all…

“No Jan. I think it would be better if you stayed here. We’ll go with Wilbur.”

“
Who's we
?” Wilbur asked, irritated.

Peggy shot the farmer a look that caused his jowls to turn a bluish shade. His piggish eyes danced nervously within deep pinholes of flesh.

“Connor is going with us. And that’s how it’s going to be.”

****

She woke up Connor with a kiss. He lay on the couch, snuggled beside Krista under a handmade quilt. They looked so adorable with their heads lying next to each other that she wished she could sit down and simply watch them sleep.

“Mom?” Connor asked. He blinked his eyes and frowned. Peggy knelt down and took his hands and helped him slide off the couch. His legs were unsteady at first, but she held him upright with his arms looped around her neck.

“What are we doing, mom? I was asleep.”

“It’s time to go honey. We’re going to town to find some help.”

Krista stirred as if she were about to wake. Jan adjusted the quilt and stroked the top of the girl’s head. It took less than thirty seconds to send her back to sleep.

The three of them tiptoed to the front door. Betty emerged from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. Her smile looked strained.

“We’ll get through this,” Peggy whispered to Jan. “I promise I’ll be back here with cops as soon as I can. Then we’ll help them find our husbands.”

Jan’s face was streaked with tears. “Thanks for everything. You saved our lives back there.”

The two women hugged tightly before Peggy took Connor by the hand and led him out to the porch. Wilbur was waiting in the truck. The engine was belching black exhaust. He was digging an ear with his finger and examining what it found there.

Peggy could see that the farmer had told the truth once again. Mounted behind the cab of the pickup was an enormous water storage tank equipped with hoses. It would have been impossible to take any more than two adult passengers, but Connor wasn’t so big yet that he couldn’t still sit on her lap.

As soon as Peggy and Connor hopped inside Wilbur got the truck moving. She pulled Connor up on her lap and he leaned against the open window. Betty and Jan stood on the front porch waving and they waved back. A brown dust billowed up from below the truck and forced them to roll up the windows.

The morning was already hot. Wilbur flicked on the air conditioning but Peggy only felt warm air coming through the vents. She figured they could last until they reached the highway.

“So what’s the name of the closest town?”

Wilbur chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you already? Wrath Butte. About thirteen miles or so from here. Ever hear of it?”

“Sure I have. Isn’t there a big resort there?”

“You’ve got it. And for some reason I can never remember what they call it. Maybe because it’s so fancy I’d never go there myself. I hear the new mayor is trying to get the town’s name changed. He’s worried it might turn off all the folks who drive up from Portland to play golf.”

“Stuff like that drives me nuts,” Peggy said, pleased that they were opening up to each other. “Can’t people ever leave things alone?”

Wilbur nodded. “Even the poor rock takes its share of abuse. The teenagers muck it up with spray paint, and just last year a company stuck a cell phone tower on top of it so that the rock now looks like it’s giving the town the finger. And they call that progress.

Peggy shook her head. “There’s just nothing sacred anymore is there?”

“Oh that’s not all of it. Don’t even get me started about the new casino.”

“Well you’re sure lucky to be way out here. Must be nice to be surrounded by all this beautiful scenery. I bet you wish you had something more convenient to drive right now.”

“Oh I don’t mind. This truck has served me well. Rarely gives me any trouble. It’s helped my popularity too. I’ve lost count of how many folks I’ve helped put out brush fires over the years.”

“I’m sure you have.” Peggy glanced down at the floor and realized her feet had been resting on some envelopes. “Oh my god,” she said, reaching down and scooping them up with one hand while balancing Connor on her knee. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even see your mail down there.”

Wilbur stuck out his hand and his eyes narrowed.

“Give them to me.”

There was dirt on them from the soles of her shoes, and she tried to dust them off. “Just a second… At least give me a chance to clean off the mess I’ve made.”

“Put them in my goddamn hand. Do it now!”

Wilbur’s tone was scaring her. Connor instinctively scrunched himself close to the passenger door.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see your mail down there when we got in.” She finished brushing the envelopes and began to hand them over, until she scanned the address of the one on top.

It was a phone bill.
A cell phone bill.

Wilbur snatched the envelopes from her hand and the truck swerved. He was breathing rapidly, filling the cab with the sour smell of his rotted teeth.

“Wait a minute!” Peggy shouted. “You never said anything about having a cell phone.”

Wilbur glared at her. “Maybe that’s none of your goddamn business.”

Peggy turned to face him while her hand snaked around Connor and felt for the door handle.

“You could have called the police the minute we showed up. Why didn’t you, Wilbur? Why did you lie to me?”

Wilbur shoved the envelopes behind the seat and scowled at her. “You’ve got some nerve, Peggy. Or is Peggy even your real name?”

“What are you talking about?”

Wilbur wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He was sweating like a pig. That combined with his stinking teeth was starting to choke her.

“My neighbor Walker Marsh called me before you showed up at my place. He told me an interesting story. Said he’d felt sorry for you because you’d run away from some men in Portland who were looking for you. Thought he trusted you too, gave you a place to stay while things cooled off. Then yesterday he discovers his bank account has been cleaned out and while he’s gone you try and steal his truck so you can skip town.”

Peggy stared at Wilbur’s hooded eyes in disbelief. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, she was overcome by a wave of furious anger. She turned sideways so that her body shielded her son.

“That’s bullshit. Jan and I never met until last night. Do you really believe we’re the kind of people who’d do something like that? And bring our children into it?”

“I’ve heard of worse on the news,” Wilbur said. “Every day you hear about some folks doing something bad. But to tell you the truth, we never saw anything on the television about you and the children missing. At the time Bet and thought it would be best to play along until Marsh arrived. We didn’t want you to get suspicious.”

Peggy gasped. She kicked herself for falling into his trap. She’d felt the warning signs and had talked herself out of taking them seriously. Now she understood why the bedroom light was on before they’d arrived. Marsh had been on the phone with him.

Wilbur pulled the truck over to the side of the road. Peggy turned back to Connor and mouthed at him to be ready to run. She’d take his hand and they would run all the way back to the house if they had to…

And then do what?

Suddenly her attention was drawn toward a pickup truck moving up the road in the opposite direction.

Walker’s pickup…

As it drew closer she recognized the driver with the black cowboy hat. A fat wet cigar hung from his yellowed teeth.

****

Peggy tried to open the door but Wilbur grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back.

“And where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“Let go of me!”

She struggled to free herself from Wilbur’s large hand. His skin felt like the belly of a dead fish. He grinned at her and yanked her closer. She slapped him hard across the face and it left a bright red mark.

The blow appeared to have stung the big man. Peggy looked down and saw that Connor was huddled below the dashboard. His eyes were shut tight and his lips were trembling. He looked like he was retreating back to the place he’d been earlier.

“Stay with me, baby…”

Still in a daze, Wilbur reached up and touched his face with his palm. Then his hand curled into a fist and before Peggy could move out of the way it connected with her jaw. The impact sent her flying into the window behind her. She’d heard glass crack against her head.
Or was it her skull?

The cab swirled around her while she fought back the urge to vomit. She dropped her arm and grabbed Connor’s shoulder, hoping he hadn’t seen what had happened. Her jaw was numb and she tasted blood. She tried to ignore the searing headache creeping up from the bottom of her skull, knew that it was only a matter of time before the pain took control.

She watched Marsh’s blurry form emerge from his truck. At his side she saw something long and shiny and blue-black. A rifle…

“Please Wilbur, listen to me. Marsh is lying. He’s a lunatic and he has others following his orders. I think there is some kind of cult ritual involved. People have been murdered…”

“That’s a tall tale if I ever heard one before,” Wilbur spat. “You mean to tell me that man out there is into some kind of devil worship?”

Marsh was leaning against his truck and fanning his face with his hat. He didn’t appear to be in any particular hurry.