The Good Reaper (18 page)

The Lodge had a small dining area but no room service but we
were able to purchase two bottles of wine to bring back to the room after
dinner. We spent the evening sitting out on the balcony sipping wine and
looking at
Parashant
. The sun was setting on the
opposite side of the hotel but the shadows of the setting sun did help to make
the view more spectacular.

“I’m getting sleepy and I’m feeling kind of grimy so I’m
going to take a shower,” LeAnne said.

“Okay. I’ll take a shower after you.”

I sat thinking as I heard the shower start. “This is it,” I
thought. “It’s a beautiful, peaceful, romantic setting. There is nothing to
worry about. Our trail is cold. If CIPE does catch up with us, it won’t be for
a while. After I take my shower, it will be the right time. I’m not too sure
how to start, so I’ll just hope that it happens naturally and without too much
awkwardness.”

A few minutes later LeAnne came to the balcony wearing a
robe she had packed. “It’s your turn,” she said with a slightly awkward smile.

I continued thinking of all the possibilities while washing
up in the shower. I didn’t have a robe. My bedroom clothing consisted of just a
pair of gym shorts and a white tee shirt. When I stepped out into the room,
LeAnne was sitting on the bed closest to the bathroom with the pillows propped
up behind her, blindly staring at the TV with the volume turned off. I sat on
the opposite bed and faced her.

“How are you feeling LeAnne?”

LeAnne swung her legs around and off the bed so she was
facing me. “Right now, at this very moment this is the happiest I have ever
been. I am happier now than I was when I was nine years old on Christmas
morning. It is all too perfect. Sometimes I think I’m in a dream and I’m going
to wake up and be sick and alone again.”

“It is not a dream LeAnne. You will never be sick again and
you will never, ever be alone again.” I reached forward and took both of
LeAnne’s hands in mine. There was no awkwardness. We both leaned forward until
we were inches apart. We looked into each other’s eyes for several long moments
before leaning in for our first truly relaxed and intimate kiss. The kissing
became more passionate as we continued to lean forward until I slipped and hit
the floor. LeAnne giggled for a moment and helped me up and guided me to sit
next to her where we continued kissing. We stopped long enough to look into
each other’s eyes for a moment. It was time. Lifting my legs I rolled myself
around to LeAnne’s far side and rested back on the pillow. LeAnne turned and
rolled over toward me, resting her head on my chest for a moment before looking
up at me. I slid down while she shifted herself up where we were face to face
again. No words needed to be spoken. We just kissed and kissed for a long time.

Finally I got up and turned the bathroom sink light off and
left the little night light on. Before returning to the bed, I took my shirt
and shorts off. LeAnne opened her robe. There was just enough light to see her
beautiful body which I had been imagining for many months. She was softer and
more beautiful than I had ever imagined. We continued kissing for several more
minutes before exploring each other, first with our hands and then with our
lips and tongues. It was amazing and natural and wonderful.

We were so overwhelmed discovering each other that I had
forgotten to close the curtains. We awoke together in each other’s arms with
the morning sunrise sending wake-up beams of light into the room like laser
beams.

I turned to face LeAnne. “I love you LeAnne.”

“I love you too
Naos,
and I think
we have made history here.”

“Do you want to make more history right now?” I asked. 

“Let’s make history all day Naos. I’ve waited for this
history for a long time. Let’s make history and let’s make memories.”

After spending two days making history and memories at the
Mesquite Lodge, we decided we needed to move on. We needed to find a place to
settle in, at least for a while so we bought a cheap laptop in town and did
some research before heading north again. The best route would take us on a
meandering path through the most populated areas of Utah and on to Idaho. Idaho
has a lot of small and mid-sized towns and we thought we could blend into one
of them. We drove all day and into the night, driving through Twin Falls. We
stopped at a rest area outside Boise where I grabbed several of those little
tourist pamphlets they always have in the rest area lobbies. One of them caught
my attention. It was a two page folder published by the Idaho City Chamber of
Commerce. “Check this out,” I said as I handed the folder to LeAnne.

“It looks like it might work for us. Let’s check it out,”
LeAnne agreed.

Idaho City seemed like the perfect place for an alien
fugitive to go un-noticed. With a population of about five hundred people, it
was small enough to make a few friends but big enough so that people wouldn’t
become too curious about us.

It was late in the night when we arrived so we just napped
in the car for a few hours. When the sun was up, we drove around, ate and tried
to get a feel for the people and culture. Nestled in among the mountains it was
beautiful and the people seemed friendly so after spending the day just driving
around we decided we would stay so we checked into an old hotel.

We had hoped to rent a cabin off the beaten path but all we
found after living in the Idaho Hotel for four weeks was a mobile home set on
three acres. Boise was too far of a commute so I got a job in a vitamin
distributer and LeAnne got a job as a Home Care Aide. Fortunately we weren’t
actually fugitives or missing persons since LeAnne had contacted her family a
few times. Thomas had sent letters to LeAnne’s parents that were postmarked
from London. We were only fugitives in the eyes of
CIPE
Code Exaction Forces
(CCEF) and they had no Earthly legal access to our
information. The CCEF was a very small security force that monitored the
activity of CIPE Phase II agents. I wasn’t worried about getting caught. I knew
it would be almost impossible for the CCEF to find me. But there was still that
nagging question about how they found out about us living at Cooper’s house in
Tucson.

As soon as we got set up in the mobile home, I continued the
chat sessions with the Tseen Ke group. Although I would no longer be performing
Tseen Ke on anyone, I was still able to contribute my opinions about possible
candidates. We were all convinced that it was Manny from Chile who reported us
to CIPE. There was no other explanation. He knew what we were doing and he had
never followed up with Cooper when he was asked to help. Cooper never heard
from him again.

During the chat sessions I learned that Cooper’s punishment
was just about as I expected. He was sent back to Ranjisan, permanently
suspended from CIPE and sentenced to two years at a minimum security prison. I
knew this would be my fate also, if I was caught. 

We were friendly toward people in Idaho City, up to a point.
We didn’t want to get too close to anyone for a while, at least not until we
really felt like we were safe. So life became almost normal, consisting of the
usual things people do in their daily lives. LeAnne worked odd hours in nursing
and there were days we only spent a few hours together. But we made the best of
the time we did spend together. All in all, we were comfortable and happy.
LeAnne missed her family but our closeness helped. I was convinced that she had
no regrets. Two people from distant worlds were truly meant to be together.

***

The mind works in mysterious ways. The loud crash I heard
was woven into my dream. Whatever I was dreaming about suddenly changed into a
dream where I was working at a Saw Mill. I wasn’t sure why I was dreaming about
a Saw Mill. For a fraction of a second during that period between being asleep
and awake, I had a brief thought that it had something to do with all the
lumber companies and mills in Idaho. In the dream, there was some kind of
accident and someone I thought I knew was hurt. The loud crash in my dream had
woken me up but I was in such a deep sleep, it took me a few seconds to realize
what was happening. I wasn’t in a Saw Mill. I was in my bed and the loud crash
was coming from the living room. LeAnne sat straight up and although she was in
a deep sleep a few seconds earlier, she appeared wide awake. Someone was in the
house. Thoughts of survival were racing through my mind as I swung around and
placed my feet on the floor. For some reason I knew there wasn’t enough time to
get to the closet to grab the only weapon I had. I wasn’t even sure I wanted
the baseball bat in my hand. From the sound of the noise, I guessed there was
more than one person. They could take the baseball bat and use it against me. I
knew it would be wiser to just let them take what they wanted.

I was right. Three men barged into the bedroom. All of my
survival instincts had been focused on fighting off a home invasion. I was
filled with panic as I focused on how I would defend myself and LeAnne with
just my fists. So many thoughts raced through my mind in a fraction of a
second. I was thinking
,
this probably happens to
people occasionally who live out in the middle of nowhere. That’s probably why
they keep loaded shotguns next to their beds. But if they are locals just
looking to rob us, I thought it might not be so bad. They were probably not
really violent. They were probably just desperate. They would take our money
and some valuables and leave. All these thoughts raced through my head in a
fraction of a second.

But my adrenalin based fear quickly turned into full blown
panic when I got a better look at the men. They weren’t there to rob us. There
was no doubt about it. They were Ranjisi. There could only be one explanation.
They were there to arrest me. Somehow they had found out where we were. The
thoughts were still racing through my head. Did they work with human law
enforcement? Did Manny from Chile somehow find out where I was? My mind was
spinning in overdrive and I had a feeling of unreality, like I wasn’t actually
there or I wasn’t actually alive. I could hear their voices but I was in a sort
of surreal fog and I didn’t respond.

“Naos Oriel-
Achernar
, aka Luke
Riley?”

I was beginning to come back to reality but before I could
respond, the officer began reciting the traditional Ranjisan arrest notice:
“From this moment forward, you have no rights and you are the property of the
CIPE Code Exaction Forces. You will be delivered to the
Ranjisi People’s Detention Center at
Cepheus
Island
where you will stand trial.”

One of the officers knelt down in
front of me and attached a small devise to both of my ankles. It was hidden
under my pants and socks so no one would be able to see it when they escorted
me through public areas filled with humans. I guessed they would be taking me
through airport terminals on our trip back to the CIPE Center on Easter Island.
If I tried to escape, the ankle devices would send electric charges through my
upper legs which would cause me to fall to the floor in pain. Once the charge
is released, it would take a half hour to an hour to get enough strength back
in my legs to stand.

When I glanced over at LeAnne, I
was overcome with a deep sick feeling that seemed to begin in my stomach and
spread out into my chest and arms. LeAnne was terrified and tried to speak as
they began leading me toward the front door. “Where are you taking him? Will I
be able to go with you? Can I see him again?”

“You should have heard the arrest
notice. Say goodbye now. You will never see
Naos Oriel-
Achernar
again.”

“What about me?” LeAnne asked. “Shouldn’t you be arresting
me also?”

“We have no jurisdiction here regarding humans. You are not
subject to our laws.  Say goodbye now.”

LeAnne hurried over to me. The
officers stood and watched for a few moments while we kissed for the last time.
There were no words that seemed appropriate. It was such a final and
devastating feeling. We both knew it was really the end. What do you say to
someone who is the most important thing in the world to you, when you are
saying a final goodbye?

LeAnne followed us out the front
door and stood on the front porch watching and crying while they put me into
the back seat. The last thing I remember from that day was turning around to
see LeAnne standing there looking lost and alone while we drove down the gravel
driveway. It was the first time I wondered if I could have done something
different to prevent our capture. I wondered if we should have gone to Mexico
or Central America instead of driving north to Idaho. Either way, my life was
over. I hoped that LeAnne would return to her family in New York. My mind
continued to spin with random thoughts but every few seconds the thought of
never seeing LeAnne again seemed to look like a giant billboard in my mind. It
was a billboard like you might see on the side of the interstate back east. The
billboard read, “
Naos Oriel-
Achernar
you will
never ever see LeAnne again!”

***

LeAnne was slow to make the decision to return home to her
family. She continued going through the motions of normal life. It was okay for
a while. LeAnne was in a kind of depressed numbness. It was an especially
difficult situation since she couldn’t really talk honestly about what had
happened. When her co-workers asked her what was wrong, she told them that we
had broken up. She couldn’t tell them I was taken back to a distant planet to
serve a jail sentence for curing her of cancer.

Finally after spending a few weeks in a state of depressed
limbo, LeAnne decided to return home. As she thought about it more and more she
realized that she had hurt her parents by being dishonest with them. Talking to
them on the phone would be too painful so she decided that the best thing to do
would be to return home unannounced. LeAnne realized that it would be shocking
for her parents but in the long run, seeing LeAnne healthy and cured would
strip away any hurt or resentment her parents felt. So she worked out her
2-week notice at her job, said goodbye to her co-workers and set out one cold
winter morning for New York.

LeAnne spent the long 3-day drive thinking about what she
would say when her parents answered the door. Her heart kicked into double-time
the moment she turned off of State Road 30 and onto County Rd. 43. By the time
she turned onto the nameless gravel road that led to the Pearson family home,
she had to pull over to catch her breath. After five minutes sitting there
trying to control her breathing, she realized she had to go forward and get it
all over with. She put the car in “drive” and crept forward.

When she left Idaho City three days earlier, it was a
chilly, dry 18 degrees but there in the upper Catskill Mountains of New York,
it was a typical winter afternoon with a cold, raw, misty drizzle making
everything seem even colder. The same truck which her father had bought new
twelve years earlier was parked near the barn next to a car she had never seen
before. She wondered if they had company. She knew that would make the whole
scene even more awkward and dramatic.

LeAnne gathered up her courage and stepped out of the car,
pushing the car door quietly closed. “No one noticed me yet,” she thought. “I
could jump back in the car and leave now. But where would I go?” LeAnne walked
slowly and quietly up to the front porch and stood there looking at the front
door for a few moments. She took a deep breath and knocked lightly. She could
hear the muffled sound of voices and footsteps getting closer. By the time the
doorknob begin turning, it felt as if her heart would explode.

“LeAnne?” He sounded like he was in a daze. “It’s me Roy.”

LeAnne squeezed Roy so tightly that he found it hard to take
a deep breath to call out to his parents, “Mom, dad, it’s LeAnne!”

Carl and Madeline Pearson came from different directions in
the house. Madeline covered her mouth as if she was about to scream. Carl
didn’t hold back. He screamed as he ran to his daughter. “LeAnne, you’re here,
you’re really here.”

LeAnne smiled and took her wool hat off. Her hair had grown
in just long enough to be combed. It was the first time in a very long time
that LeAnne’s family had seen her looking healthy and standing on her own two
legs. Her parents hugged her from both sides while her brother Roy hugged the
three of them from behind.

“You look amazing,” Roy said. “You look completely healthy.
Are you in remission?”

As Roy came around in front of LeAnne, Carl and Madeline
backed up a few feet to get a better look at her. “It’s better than that Roy.
I’m cancer free. I’m cured.”

“So that was a doctor in Germany that cured you?” Carl
asked.

LeAnne wished she could tell the truth but she had made a
promise to Naos. She found it odd that the security people who arrested Naos
never asked her to keep quiet about it but she had made a promise to Naos and
she would keep it.

“Yes.
Doctor Schueneman in Berlin.”
During her drive east, LeAnne had rehearsed saying the name of the imaginary
doctor.

“Why was it such a secret?” Madeline asked while wiping the
tears away from her eyes and then added, “Forget that. I’m just glad you’re
home and you’re cured. Thank god for this doctor, whoever he is.”

“So did the orderly from the hospital have something to do
with this?” Carl asked. “Before we got that message that you were in Germany,
we filed a ‘Missing Persons’ report which we later cancelled. The police wanted
to question that orderly and they couldn’t find him so we figured he was
involved.”