The Raven Mocker (28 page)

“
Hopefully Evelyn’s actually at the cabin when we get there,” said David, his tone reserved, unsure how to approach anything that dealt with John’s eldest granddaughter.

Luckily this time Miriam’s response was a positive nod to affirm she hoped the same thing.

“
So, you do remember how to get there, right?” she asked.

The road into the park had become increasingly icy, and it surprised David it was even open. He noticed the barred gates on either side of the narrow highway, which could be closed at any time, upon their arrival at the park’s entrance. Of course, the road runs all the way through to North Carolina, so closing it would present problems for other travelers relying on the thoroughfare to get them to the other side of the Great Smokies. Still, he preferred traveling along this lonely stretch in the safer light of day. No use arguing that point now.

“
The dirt road we’ll turn on is coming up ahead…right around this bend. I think.”

He joined her in squinting to better see through the windshield, peering into the thick darkness. The headlights provided only faint illumination of the forest tonight.

“
What do you mean by ‘I think’?” This time her response seemed more worried than sarcastic. “You said you remembered how to get there!”

“
Yeah, I do remember,” he replied, determined to remain calm and not be drawn into an argument he would surely lose—either factually or emotionally, and frankly either way just as bad. “But, that was in the full light of day, when I can actually see the landmarks that point to the correct road.”

“
That’s just frigging great!” she whispered, harsh, shaking her head while she leaned her face closer to the windshield.

He did the same, patting her arm once he thought he saw something familiar in the headlight beams’ glow.

“
There—that’s it.”

“
Are you sure—
what the hell??”

A sudden gust of wind slammed into the Odyssey, almost pushing them off the road. Surprised, Miriam let out a frightened gasp and briefly lost control on the pavement’s slick surface. The vehicle careened from side to side and swerved into a shallow ditch on the right side of the road. They both were jerked forward in their seats.

“
Are you okay?” he asked, gently this time, turning on the front dome light.

She looked okay, though a little unnerved. He motioned to take over for the rest of the trip, but she waved him off.

“
I’m fine,” she said, her tone abrasive. But the glance she shot him was softened, like she realized her tone was a severe response to his kind gesture. “I should be okay…as long as we’re getting close to John’s cabin.”

“
It’s just ahead…beyond that advisory sign,” said David, pointing to the snow-covered signboard detailing the mileage to several park destinations, including Cades Cove. “You’ll turn right and it’s just a few miles south of here.”

She responded to his confidence, and began to pull out of the ditch and back onto the road. The back right tire was stuck, spinning freely while sending a shower of muddy snow and ice behind the van. Despite trying to maneuver the gears back and forth in drive and reverse, the vehicle stayed put.

“
Let me get out there and push,” he suggested. “Just keep an eye out for my signal on when to gun it”

He didn’t wait for her reply, knowing there was no other way out of this situation. Hell, it wasn’t like they could count on a park ranger or patrol officer to help them at this late hour. And if one showed up, he figured a cop would just as likely hand out a ticket or arrest them on the spot for being on restricted park property.

He stepped out of the vehicle, zipping up his parka when another chilled gust greeted him. Tricky footing, he made it to the back of the minivan without landing on his ass. The right side of the Odyssey’s back end leaned over the ditch, leaving the tire barely visible. David motioned to Miriam while she watched him from her side-view mirror, and he began to rock the rear while she hit the gas in rhythm with his efforts.

It took a few minutes to finally make some progress while being careful not to drive the tire any deeper into the rut. Their surroundings desolate and creepy, it started getting colder...especially noticeable when the wind picked up again.

He became aware of footsteps crunching through the snow, approaching the minivan from the deep shadows on the other side of the road. He saw Miriam’s attention drawn to the noise as well, since she had the driver-side window rolled down in order to better communicate with him.

“
Why-y-y-y are ya here, Billy-y-y Ra-a-y-y-y?”

The voice sounded hollow and at the same time weirdly sultry…an unsettling combination. Familiar, and one he hoped to never, ever hear again after what happened two months ago. Allie Mae McCormick.

“
Why-y-y-y did ya come back, again-n-n-n??”

This time, the voice sounded less sultry and more menacing, its owner perturbed.

“
David—get back in here!
Hurry!!”

Miriam’s urgency spurred him on. One good push should do it. One last—.

“
Go ba-a-ck-k!!…back to yer home, Billy Ray-y-y-y!!!”

It sounded like the invisible owner of the voice now hovered in the middle of the road. But then creaking ice on the road warned of footsteps coming closer...toward the back of the Odyssey where he pushed with all of his might to get the damned thing back on the road.

“
Gun it, Miriam! Floor the van
now!!”

Bravely, he ignored the encroaching frigid presence while Miriam hollered ‘
I am!!
’ in response to his gruff command.

“
Le-e-e-av-v-v-ve h-e-r-r-e-e NOW-W-W!!!!”
the spirit suddenly shrieked in his ear.

David recoiled, but seeing the tire finally grip a patch of earth below the snow and climb out of the ditch, he gave it one last push before scurrying back to the passenger side door, swinging it open and jumping inside the Caravan. Before he closed the door, he leaned his head out through the doorway, facing the icy presence that pursued him stealthily from the rear of the vehicle.

“
I CAN’T!!”
he shouted defiantly.
“My friend needs me and there’s nothing YOU can do to STOP ME!!! ‘You hear me, Allie Mae?? Leave me the hell ALONE!!!”

A heavy sigh filled the air around the van.

“
That was really
stupid
of you just now, David!” Miriam scolded him, after she pulled the van back on the road. She had rolled up her window and now glanced nervously around her. “Didn’t you learn
anything
from the last time we dealt with her??”

She shook her head disgustedly while he glowered at her from the passenger seat. He locked the passenger door, more as a distraction to keep things civil between them. He didn’t allow himself to think about what the wraith might attempt next. In the headlights’ beam he saw the edge of the road that headed south to John’s place.

“
The road’s just ahead. Turn here!”

Miriam glanced one more time into the rearview mirror before making the turn. She gasped, almost sliding off the road again. David warily looked over his shoulder in response. A mist-like form pursued them, coming up fast, the bottom of the form bluish with a pair of porcelain-white feet hitting the ice-covered road in patted rhythm. He recalled the blue gown that Allie Mae’s spirit often appeared in, and when his mind understood that she now ran to catch up to them, he urged Miriam to floor the accelerator.

“
Don’t look anymore—just drive!” he told her, forcing himself to stay as calm as possible. She looked over at him with pleading eyes, as whatever hardness had seized her since last night completely melted away. “You’ve got to trust me, darlin’!”

She nodded worriedly, but without looking back she raced down the road, careful to maneuver the road’s curves smartly. He kept his eyes trained on his side-view mirror. When he could no longer make out the outline of the mist behind them, and they neared the fork that would take them to John’s doorstep, he returned his attention to Miriam once more. Her knuckles were ghastly white from her tight grip on the steering wheel.

“
Okay…we’re almost there,” he said, making sure his tone and delivery stayed confident and reassuring. “Turn here and this road will take us right up to John’s cabin.”

The name of the road was Beaver Falls Trail, though only the ‘Beaver’ and the first two letters of ‘Falls’ were visible when the headlights flashed across the road sign. The rest of it was covered with snow. Another iced-over dirt road, Miriam squealed the tires as she pulled the vehicle onto it. She kept the pedal pinned to the floorboard, taking no chances for anything to catch them from behind.

John Running Deer’s cabin came into view, illuminated by security lamps. Several lights on inside the cabin as well, in all likelihood Evelyn was there. Miriam parked the Odyssey next to Miriam’s sporty Nissan, and cut the engine. For a moment, they listened to the wind that pushed flurried snowflakes against the windows.

“
Let’s not wait for Allie Mae to show up again,” said David, drawing another worried look from Miriam.

Liking this so much better than the disdain he’d dealt with lately, he hoped things would get cleared up once and for all when she saw absolutely nothing romantic going on between him and Evelyn. Hence his readiness to go on up to the door and get on with this business.

“
Yeah, that’s a good idea,” she agreed, allowing a deep sigh to escape her before glancing one last time into the rearview mirror. “I suppose we should wait to take the bags with us.” She opened the driver side door and jumped down from her seat.

“
That would be my assumption,” he agreed, joining her outside the minivan.

They shut their doors in near unison and walked up to the front door.

He recalled how warm and inviting the cabin had been when fighting for his life two months ago. John’s home became David’s safe-haven. But something had changed since then. Pretty sure Miriam felt it too; she hovered close to his side as they climbed onto the front porch. She drew even closer as he rang the doorbell.

Shawn’s barks greeted them, followed by an awkward few minutes listening to footsteps that came close to the door and then moved away before approaching the door again, this time much more confident. Finally, Evelyn opened the door, after twice peering through the curtains of the window next to the door.

“
David?” she asked, as soon as she opened the door, shielding her eyes from the porch light’s glare. “What are you doing here??”

“
Uh…well, we came as soon as we could,” he replied, curious as to why she would ask such a question.
What do you mean ‘what are you doing here?’ YOU begged me to come here and as a result, my wife has been pissed as hell at me—THAT’S what I’M doing here
. “Are you okay?”

He looked over at Miriam, making sure he had her approval before moving forward in this discussion.

“
You must be Miriam,” said Evelyn, warmly. She opened the door, moving an object from her right hand to her left, kept hidden behind her back. She then extended her free hand to Miriam, who shook it politely. “Oh, come on in—both of you.”

Now that he had a better look at her, he noticed the dark circles around Evelyn’s eyes—the tell-tale sign of a recent string of troubled nights. Her smile almost as lovely as he recalled from two months earlier, it had since been touched by sadness. He motioned for Miriam to go inside the cabin first and then he followed. Shawn brushed up against them both, wagging his tail.

“
So what brings you to Gatlinburg?” asked Evelyn, closing the door behind them and offering to take their coats.

Miriam looked puzzled as if sorting through some discrepancy between what she expected to find here and the actual reality. David knew his look reflected the awkwardness he felt, since he couldn’t predict how Miriam would react to him being anything beyond cordial to John’s lovely granddaughter.

“
You asked me to come here last night,” he sought to confirm, to which she offered only a blank expression. “You were emphatic that I come here right away...so we brought the whole family—the kids and my aunt are holed up in a chalet in Gatlinburg.”

Now Evelyn looked confused. “What are you talking about, David?”

“
On the phone,” he said, after trading perplexed glances with Miriam. “You called us late last night, and said that John was in serious trouble and needed me. That’s why we came here tonight.”

“
But, David, how can that be?” she asked, bewildered. She seemingly forgot about the carving knife she held behind her back, casually setting it down on a small table near the door, where John liked to keep his daily mail. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“
What??
How so?” asked David, even more surprised. . Miriam wore a similar expression to Evelyn’s after she and David watched her set the knife down.

“
Because it’s impossible,” Evelyn replied to David, glancing briefly at Miriam. “It’s impossible because I’ve never called you—ever.”

Chapter Twenty-eight