The Plague Doctor (19 page)

Chapter Thirty-eight

We were almost an hour ahead of schedule, but Cassie was anxious to see Ethan, so we didn't waste a minute while we were on the flat even ground of the lane—we ran. We would have to be more careful crossing the field to reach the lake where we were supposed to meet him. The hay was almost waist high, and the ground was soft and loamy. Moles and groundhogs burrowed for hundreds of feet around the shore line. It would be easy to step into a hole in the dark and break an ankle.

Still, it was a beautiful night. The sky was clear with only a few fleeting clouds across the moon. I could even see the fuzzy white edge of the Milky Way as it reached across the heavens. The wind rustled softly through the leaves and the tall grass and carried the scent of wild honeysuckle from the vines along the fencerows. We started nervously as a hoot owl called to his mate from the top of the hickory nut tree on the hill, and then laughed together as we walked on.

“Gosh, I wish we had a tent. We could bring it back here and camp out.”

“Not me!”

“Mom! You used to go camping with me two or three times a year when I was a Girl Scout in San Romero. I thought you loved it. You always had fun.”

“I'm glad you thought so. That was the whole point. I did it so you could do it.

We were pretty short on leaders. Not many pampered Latin mothers wanted to take off their high heels and risk snake bite and God knows what in the jungle. I wanted you to have the experience. And we did see some pretty neat things. Remember the anaconda?”

“Wow, do I!”

“Shhhhh, did you hear something?”

As I hunkered down in the tall grass, I found myself wishing we had taken the long way around the edge of the field instead of walking across the middle. In the bright moonlight we were sitting ducks for anyone who might be watching.

“Get down,” I urged. “Let's crawl the rest of the way.”

“Don't you think that's a bit silly? I didn't hear anything, but if somebody is out there they saw us a long time ago when we started across the field. Crawling on our hands and knees through this grass isn't going to get us anything but chiggers and ticks.”

“Oh, well,” I sighed as I stood up. “I guess you're right. Leonard is going to have to get a lot better at this clandestine nighttime stuff.”

“We've done pretty good up until now, Mom.”

She looked at her watch. She had a Timex with a dial that glowed like a beacon in the dark.

“It's only ten minutes till one-thirty.”

I laughed. Cassie had always told time that way. It was almost a direct translation from the Spanish.

We reached the edge of the field and walked along the fence for about two hundred feet until we came to a place where we could crawl under without snagging our clothes.

Cassie led the way as we crept through the underbrush of thicket that we used to call the jungle. My father had built a tree house here for Velvet and me when we were children. He had not used any nails. His building supplies were the vines and limbs of sassafras and young willow that grew near the lake. When we played here every day I knew this wild area like the back of my hand. My hand was a lot bigger now. Cassie was closer to childhood, and she used to play over here, too. I let her take the lead.

Pounding footsteps echoed the heart-shaking sound in my chest as we surprised two deer drinking at the water's edge. We held on to each other for a minute in fear.

“Whew! Bambi almost ran over me!” I gasped.

“Yeah,” laughed Cass. “That would be a switch—like man bites dog.”

“There's the big cedar tree up on the hill. Isn't that where we're supposed to meet Ethan?”

“Where
I'm
supposed to meet Ethan, Mom.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Don't get funny on me now, please, Mom. Ethan doesn't know you're coming. He asked me to meet him alone.”

“Cassie, I can't allow you to…”

“Mom, I have to see him alone first,” she insisted. “I promise I'll call you after I explain everything. It won't take long.”

“Okay,” I agreed grudgingly. “But don't call, whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you? You…”

“Yeah, yeah,” she laughed softly. “Henry Bogart and all that old movie stuff.”

“Humphrey,” I corrected. “Be careful!”

I squatted down next to a big fallen tree stump and watched as she picked her way around the shore of the lake. As more clouds covered the moon it got harder and harder to see her tall, slender figure. After a while I lost sight of her altogether.

I tried to read the fading dial on my watch and cursed at it for its lack of brightness.

“Damn Rolex! Damn attempt at conspicuous consumption. I'm getting a Timex like Cassie's.”

But I knew I never would. Rafe had given me this watch on our first anniversary. It would be buried with me.

My knees were getting stiff, so I struggled up and moved over to sit on a stump. I was almost past caring whether Joiner or his men were watching us. This was probably one of the stupider things I had ever done. My beloved daughter was somewhere on the other side of the lake in the arms of a suspected rapist and murderer, and I had allowed it. Hell! I had engineered it. What kind of mother was I? Damn! Why didn't she whistle?

And then I heard it—sweet and pure over the little lapping sounds of the water against the shore. My baby was fine and dandy!

My knees creaked and popped as I pushed myself off the log and set out across the rough path around the lake. In places, the underbrush grew out past the water's edge, and my feet slipped in wet mud and algae. My toes grew numb as my sneakers filled with cold water. The wind picked up, and I shivered as it blew across the lake and found the moth holes in my sweater. I wished for a jacket and wondered if Cassie needed one, too.

“Enough of this nonsense,” I mumbled crossly. “Sneaking around in the dead of night, hummpff.” And then I laughed, “Henry Bogart!”

Poor little Cassie knew so much, but she was definitely missing some important facts of popular North American folk culture. Someday we would have an old movie marathon. I would find all of the great oldies,
The Thin Man, To Have and To Have Not, Frankenstein.
She had seen
Casablanca,
I was almost sure. But,
The Uninvited,
now there was a scary…

I heard the whistle again. It was much closer. I pulled my right shoe out of the mud and grimaced in disgust. I hated being uncomfortable, and I was rapidly reaching that stage. I was cold and wet and…The high-pitched scream finished it off for me. Now I could add “scared” to my list.

“Cassie, I'm coming!” I shouted, as I stumbled the rest of the way around the lake.

The big old cedar tree stood tall and dark against the white face of the moon. It was up on a hill overlooking the rocky spillway where the lake overflowed into a creek below.

As I got closer, I could see Ethan sitting at the base of the cedar. He was leaning back against the trunk with his legs stretched out in front of him. His arms hung limply from his upper body, and his head sagged on his chest. He looked like a discarded rag doll. Alarmed, I ran up the hill and fell on my knees in front of him gasping for breath. I raised my head as I struggled to breathe and saw the white face and pale bald pate. It wasn't Ethan after all. It was Porky Pig. And he was dead, dead, shot in the head.

Chapter Thirty-nine

My mind went all fuzzy for a moment. I sat down hard on the cold damp ground. There was something very important I had to do, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was. And then clarity returned and with it the overwhelming fear that something really, really, terrible had happened to Cassie.

I struggled to get up, but a cramp in my thigh held me down. I kneaded the muscle as hard as I could to restore the circulation and winced as the pain ebbed and flowed. At least I could still feel pain, I thought, as I examined Porky's body while I waited for the cramp to subside. He was wearing jeans and a plaid flannel shirt, and he was barefoot. That was odd, I thought, especially since the bottoms of his feet were white and clean.

After a minute or two, the cramping pain degenerated into a burning ache. I crawled awkwardly to the bottom of the big tree. I couldn't bring myself to touch the body, but I wanted to see the wound in the middle of his forehead. It was odd—not round and circular like a bullet hole—but more like an “x” with only one leg.

“It's from an arrow.”

The deep voice scared the shit out of me. I scrambled wildly, flailing my arms and one good leg as I tried to get up and run. A heavy body descended on mine and a big rough hand covered my mouth.

“Don't scream,” the man whispered harshly. “We're expecting a visitor. Mustn't frighten him away.”

I briefly struggled against the superior strength, then sagged back in exhaustion against his chest. Metal buttons from his overalls poked through my sweater and scratched the tender skin under my shoulders.

“Barry!” I squeaked through his fingers.

I felt my own body relax against his big strong one in relief. Thank God! Sometimes a woman, even an independent woman like me, just really needs a big strong man. I figured this was one of those times. I tried to turn in his arms.

“Be still!” He whispered angrily.

I was confused. He was supposed to save me and Cassie. But how could he do that if I couldn't tell him that she was in danger—that I had heard her scream?

The big hand tightened painfully over my lips. I could smell him now. His clothes held the fetid odor of old perspiration. I smelled unwashed soil and something else, the coppery stench of blood. I gagged. My stomach heaved as I came to the distinct realization that Barry wasn't here to rescue me and Cassie after all. He was the one we needed to be rescued from!

He held me so closely that I could feel his muscles tighten with impatience. His hot breath filled my ear as he swore softly.

“Damnation, where is that skinny bastard?”

Ethan! He was waiting for Ethan. Suddenly I was filled with an overwhelming curiosity. Amazingly enough, it gave me the strength I needed. There was no way I was going to lie here like a weak whinny wisp and maybe even die before I found out just what was going on. And where was Cassie? That last thought gave me the strength I needed for action. Especially since it came at a moment when Barry relaxed his grip just for a second.

I whipped my body like an eel on the end of a fishing line. With my free hand I pulled off my wet muddy sneaker and slammed it hard across the hand over my face. At the same time I kicked him in the crotch with all of my might. He gasped loudly in pain and let go of me. I jumped up and stomped him viciously in the face with my other muddy sneaker. Then I took off running.

He was right behind me. I heard him crashing through the thicket like an angry bull—snorting and cursing. He must have decided catching me was more important than lying silently in wait for Ethan. I ran.

I made it to the top of the hill and stood there for a moment as I caught my breath, knowing that my silhouette made me a perfect target against the moonlit sky. Then I remembered the triangular hole in Porky's forehead and Barry saying, “Arrow.” I jumped with reckless abandon off the top of the spillway and onto the sharp rocks below.

Pain shot up through my one bare foot as I landed heavily. I turned to look behind me and saw the huge figure of Bartholomew Sedmonds standing on the spillway above. He raised his arms and screamed in rage.

“You bitch!”

I took off. The rocky stream meandered down through the field and beyond. The water was shallow now—only ankle deep—but during the heavy summer rains it became a small creek. At places, the bank was as high as my head and I couldn't see over it. I had no idea where I was, and I was getting tired. Barry would catch me soon. I couldn't go on much farther.

Suddenly the stream bed disappeared altogether. I fell heavily over the last big rock into the soft grassy meadow. I lay there panting—certain that I was a goner. Barry was right on my heels. He would be here any moment, but I couldn't run any more. I rolled over on my back and prayed for Cassie while I waited.

Something grabbed me around the waist and pulled me down into darkness. This time the hand over my mouth was firm but gentle and the voice in my ear was full of love.

“Oh, Mommy, Mommy, thank God you're okay!” cried Cassie softly.

“Shhh, he's coming,” warned Ethan.

I heard the big man's footsteps as he ran past the cave mouth and on through the grass in the meadow beyond. Ethan released his hold on me as he whispered another warning.

“He's bound to come back. He'll soon realize there's no place out there for you to hide, and he'll come back looking for us.”

“What'll we do?” cried Cassie. “We can't go up. He'll see us!”

“Then we'll just have to go down,” decided Ethan.

“Down where?” I croaked.

I was still out of breath and on the ragged edge of exhaustion.

“Down through the cave,” he answered.

I looked around me in the darkness. This was no cave, it was just a big hole in the ground, and I told him so.

“What do you think a cave is?” he laughed. “Follow me.”

Ethan squirmed and turned until he was headfirst in the hole. His bony knees bruised my ribs as he pushed and pulled himself down deeper. Soon all we could see of him were the soles of his shoes.

“Mom? Do we have to?” asked Cassie tremulously, as she stared into the dark pit below.

“I guess we have no choice, pumpkin. Follow that man.”

It was easier for Cassie and me to turn around, but pushing and pulling along the dark rocky walls of the narrow passage was terrifying. I wasn't aware that I had any phobias—spiders, maybe—but the terror I felt in that dark confined space beat anything I had ever experienced before. I'll take a Latin American revolution any day over a damp, narrow underground cave.

Just when I thought I would lose my mind in the darkness, the walls widened and the going got easier. In places it was actually possible to quit slithering like a snake on my belly and crawl on my hands and knees.

Abruptly, the cave opened into a large underground cavern. Even Ethan was taken by surprise. He tumbled out of the narrow passage to splash headfirst into the natural spring basin below. Cassie and I followed in quick succession.

The water wasn't deep, but it was clear and very cold. All three of us came up gasping.

“Brrrrr! Oh, my God, I'm freezing. Mom, are you okay?”

I squirted half a pint of spring water out of my mouth so I could reassure her.

“Just hunky-dory! As a matter of fact, I don't know when I've had so much fun.”

Ethan laughed a big booming laugh which resounded off the walls of the confined space. I looked around and realized that it wasn't dark any more. Everything glowed with a faint green light.

“Where's that light coming from?” I asked Ethan.

He was, after all, an expert on caves. Weren't we just the lucky ones to be trapped down here with an expert, I thought cynically.

“Phosphorescence. This water has tiny little animals that glow when we brush up against them. They give off that faint greenish light.”

“Little green animals? Ethan, get me out of here,” squeaked Cassie.

“Relax, honey. They won't hurt you. Even if we weren't here the fish would cause them to give off light by their swimming action.”

“Fish? What kind of fish? Big fish?” she asked in a scared little voice.

“Maybe, but don't worry. They're blind.”

“That's it! I've had it. Blind fish, green animals, suitors with murderous intent. Damn it all!” I shouted.

I splashed clumsily over to the rock ledge that ran around the pool and pulled myself painfully up until I could throw one leg over the edge. Slowly, I managed to lift my whole body up. I lay there panting and feeling as vulnerable as a beached whale.

“Watch out for snakes,” warned Ethan.

“Don't you understand?” I croaked. “I, Paisley Sterling DeLeon, no longer give a shit.”

Cassie waded over to my side. She reached up to rub my shoulders.

“Poor Mommy, you're so tired,” she acknowledged. “But I love you. And when this is all over we'll sit out on the patio and laugh while we're telling Gran all about it. You'll see, everything will be okay.”

She sounded so grown up, so authentically mature. She sounded like me. I should be the one to tell her those things. The world was all upside down, and we were inside and should be out. I started laughing. I laughed for a while and then I cried. When I was finished, I felt much better.

“Well,” I hiccoughed. “That's over with. What's next on the agenda?”

During my little emotional outburst Ethan had climbed up on my ledge and pulled Cassie up beside him.

“I guess we wait down here until morning and then go back up and get some help. Find the police and…”

“Wait, aren't you hiding from the police? Maybe I forgot something in my delirium, but didn't you escape from prison last night? Aren't you ‘on the lam' as they say in jailhouse parlance?”

Ethan let out a big heartfelt sigh before he answered me.

“I guess it's time for me to explain some things.”

“Ethan, you don't have to explain anything to me,” said Cassie.

“The hell he doesn't!”

“You're quite right, as usual, Mrs. DeLeon. I do have some explaining to do. Especially to you, Cassie. First of all, let me thank you both for standing by me when I gave you so little to go on. And out of curiosity may I ask why you trusted me so much? Was it woman's intuition?”

“Yeah, I got great woman's intuition!” I snorted. “I almost fell head over heels for that mountain of murderous muscle in overalls.”

“Barry Sedmonds. Yes, he is quite likable,” admitted Ethan. “He had me fooled, too.”

“Yeah?” I asked. “I bet you weren't wondering what he'd be like in bed.”