Sweet Corn Conclusion, page 13
The scarecrow took a step back away from Billy. “You can’t win—”
“Shut up and bring it, boy,” Billy hollered and began bouncing around like a basketball. “My fat rolls may be a jingling, but my fists are lean and mean. Bring it on!”
The scarecrow backed away from Billy with frightened eyes. “You can’t win. It’s impossible. The curse is real. The corn is dead—”
“No, boy, the corn is just sick is all,” Billy told the scarecrow, still bouncing around as his fat rolls jingled. “The Good Lord heals the land and heals the heart.”
The scarecrow stepped back into the corn. As he did, his body slowly transformed back into the Japanese woman. “Save the corn… save us,” she pleaded and then ran off into the corn. As she did, a bright light exploded. When the light vanished, Billy was standing back in the snowy, warm donut shop. “Well, I’ll be,” he said, shook his head, and grabbed a peppermint donut. “Now, if that wasn’t something.” Billy began to take a bite of his donut but then… woke up.
Poor Billy.
Riley didn’t hear Billy wake up. He had drifted off into deep sleep; age, fatigue, and sleep deprivation had finally taken their toll, or so it seemed. What Billy didn’t know was that a strange smell had entered the shack that had put Riley to sleep; yes, mighty strange things were happening in the corn. His head was propped forward on his chest and his arms were laying limp in his lap. Billy, feeling a little dazed, took a second to get his bearings, studied the layout of the shack, listened to the heavy falling rain, and then focused on Riley. “Why, that rat is asleep,” he whispered and slowly began to ease up to his knees. Riley didn’t move. “If I can make it out into that there corn, I just might have a chance.”
Billy silently eased up to his legs, which wasn’t easy because his hands were handcuffed behind his back. Once on his legs, he moved toward the shack door, keeping a careful eye on Riley. Billy knew if Riley bounced awake and saw him trying to escape, he was a dead man. “Like daddy always told me… walk real slow away from a snake,” he whispered, taking one silent step at a time toward the shack door. When Billy reached the door, he used his back to push the flimsy door open one painful inch at a time, certain that the creaking and fussing the door was making was going to wake Riley up. When Riley didn’t stir, not even an inch, Billy cautiously stepped out into the rain, used his handcuffed hands to ease the door shut, and then charged off into a shadowy, wet cornfield. “Boy howdy, if angels ain’t watching over Billy Northfield,” he whispered and said a deep prayer of thanks as he ran off into the corn. “Now all I gotta do is remember my way back to the diner….”
Billy stopped running for a second, looked around in all directions, and then nodded. “Diner is that way,” he said and took off running again. Now, usually Billy had a good sense of direction, but the poor man was awful tired. Instead of running toward the diner, poor Billy aimed his body toward a stretch of lonely road that eventually led into town. He ran right out of the cornfield and stumbled onto the road just as Steve’s farm truck appeared. Poor Billy, bless his heart, saw a pair of headlights flying at him and knew he was about to become mashed potatoes.
“Billy!” Rita screamed.
Steve hit the brakes as hard as he could and turned the steering wheel so sharp that he ran off into the corn, missing poor Billy by mere inches. Billy, who was standing frozen with his eyes squeezed shut, felt Steve’s truck rush past his body and hit the cornfield. He slowly let one eye open, saw that he was still in one piece, and then turned to face the farm truck. That’s when he saw Rita jump out of the passenger side screaming his name. “Billy!”
“Well, I’ll be!” Billy hollered and let out a happy shout. “It’s my lady!”
Rita ran to Billy, wrapped her arms around him, and—just like in a movie—began kissing him all over. “Oh, I thought I would never see you again… oh… I thought you were going to die… my heart was broken.” Rita stopped kissing Billy and began crying. “Billy… never leave my side again… never ever… do you hear me… never ever!”
Billy stared into Rita’s beautiful tears and fell in love with the woman all over again. “I sure ain’t never gonna know why you love old Billy, but he sure loves you,” he told Rita and gently kissed her. Steve worked his farm truck back onto the road and ordered Rita and Billy into the truck. Billy smiled. “Maybe you can take these off first?” he asked Rita and showed him the handcuffs.
“I have a set of handcuff keys in my purse back at the diner,” Rita promised, hugged Billy again, and then helped the man into Steve’s truck. Once Rita was safely in the cab, Steve hit the gas. “Now, take it easy… this here road is mighty slippery.”
“Billy, how did you get free?” Rita asked, ignoring Steve’s driving. She figured the man knew the road better than anyone.
“That rat who came out of the corn and took me fell right asleep,” Billy explained, sitting in between Rita and Steve like a big, clumsy kid. “Now, I admit old Billy dropped off too,” he continued. “Had a mighty strange dream. When I woke up, that rat who came out of the corn was asleep. I sneaked myself right out of that there shack I was being held in and ran off into the corn, and the next thing I know… well, here I sit.”
“Can you take us to the location you were being held at?” Steve asked Billy.
“Well… I thought I was running toward the diner, and I ended up nearly being roadkill. I reckon I best not try,” Billy admitted in an embarrassed voice. “I can find my way around the woods back home with my eyes shut… but this here corn is mighty confusing.”
Rita hugged Billy. “I have you back, and that’s all that matters,” she told Billy. “I also found the missing letter,” she added. “Now that I have you… the rules have changed.” Rita leaned her head down onto Billy’s shoulder. “When Riley O’Connery wakes up, he’s going to be very upset, and he might try to sneak into town. We’ll be ready.” Rita closed her eyes and saw Michelle Ikeda cooking a thick corn chowder. Michelle turned to Rita and offered a very sorrowful expression, as if she were… trying to offer an apology. Rita stared into Michelle’s face and then… saw the aroma of the corn chowder flowing into a shack holding Riley O’Connery. Rita saw Riley asleep on an old wooden chair. Before she could say anything, the hideous scarecrow appeared and began shaking Riley awake. Rita jerked her eyes open. “We need to hurry, Steve. Step on it.”
Steve pressed down harder on the gas pedal. The farm truck picked up speed and raced through a deep puddle of water in the road and then hightailed it back to town. As the farm truck sped away from the cornfield Billy had run out of, Riley O’Connery slowly opened his eyes, leaving a horrifying dream. For a minute all his eyes saw was a dark dungeon, and then his mind slipped back into reality.
“My… prisoner!” he yelled, seeing nothing but an empty corner instead of Billy. Riley jumped to his feet and checked the shack and then ran outside into the pouring rain. “No… my prisoner. I fell asleep!” Riley kicked the ground and then ran off into the corn in search of Billy—and for the first time in his life Riley became lost in the corn. How? He didn’t know. It was as if his mind was trapped in a horrible daze, unable to focus, running around in circles. With no other option, Riley turned back toward the shack and somehow managed to find his way back through the corn. “No. This can’t be happening. I’ve come too far!” Riley ran into the shack and yanked out a worn-down diary that Michelle Ikeda had written down her misery in. “This was all for you… for all of our people. I can’t fail!” he yelled, closed his eyes, and saw Mrs. Taylor’s image appear before his eyes. “Yes, of course,” he hissed and threw his eyes north. Mrs. Taylor’s spooky house was only a mile north of the shack. Surely, Riley thought, he could find his way through the corn… all he had to do was… focus. “Stay focused… walk a straight line… move,” he ordered his legs.
Riley put the diary back into the front pocket of the black assault uniform he was wearing and tore back out into the storm and ran into the corn. At first it seemed that his sense of direction was going to fail again, but then his mind somehow managed to lock on to a northern route. Riley ran north until he reached Mrs. Taylor’s home. He narrowed his eyes and slithered around to the front porch and knocked on the front door. When Mrs. Taylor answered the front door and saw Riley’s deadly face, she screamed. Riley threw his hands over her mouth and shoved the old woman into the foyer. “What have you done?” he hissed and slammed the front door closed.
Mrs. Taylor dropped down onto her knees. “She forced me. I had no choice!” she cried out. “But does it matter? The curse ends; it ends with us, boy. It has to end.” Riley stared at Mrs. Taylor’s terrified face and then narrowed his eyes. It was time to get some answers.
Chapter Nine
Riley left his mother’s house with vicious eyes. Instead of going back to the shack, he simply walked into the cornfield dressed as a hideous scarecrow and started making his way toward town. The storm had grown worse, and a tornado watch had been issued for the area. The sky was low, dark, and threatening, throwing down heavy sheets of blinding rain that was being thrown in every direction by a tormenting wind. “So you have the letter, cop. It’s time to get what I need and kill you all,” he hissed, walking through the corn like a scary monster preparing to slither out of a dark closet. “Time to make a call.”
Rita hugged Rhonda and Zach just as the diner’s telephone rang. Mac, who was sure grateful that Billy was alive and safe, looked at Rita. “Answer the call,” she told the worried man. “It’s him.”
Mac drew in a deep breath and looked at his upset wife. Maureen was sitting at a booth with Billy, forcing the man to drink a cup of coffee and eat a hot plate of breakfast. Billy sure didn’t mind being pampered—and he sure was hungry. A hot plate full of pancakes, eggs, and turkey sausage was sure making his hungry tummy feel better. “Okay,” he said and answered the call. “Maureen’s diner?”
“Put the cop on the phone,” Riley hissed at Mac.
Mac held out the phone to Rita. “It’s Riley,” he stated in a scared voice.
Rita looked into Rhonda’s exhausted eyes. “Take Zach, go back outside, and get up on the roof of the post office and stay out of sight. Call me when you see Riley leave the corn. Make sure your rental car is out of sight too.”
“Where do I park the car?” Rhonda asked, glanced down at the purple raincoat she had bought at the airport, and sighed. “I look like a plum.”
“You do not,” Rita promised and threw her eyes at Steve. “Where can Rhonda park the rental car?”
“Are you sure Riley will be coming out of the corn on the post office side?” Steve asked in a hurried voice. Rita nodded. “Then the only place is in the corn behind the diner.” Steve looked at Zach. Zach, who looked tense and uncertain, was focused on the storm outside. “Drive the rental car into the cornfield behind the diner.”
“Yeah, sure.” Zach nodded, feeling rainwater dripping from his hair. “I wish I had more answers to all the questions running around in my mind.”
“Later,” Rita promised. “Now hurry.” Rhonda gave Rita a quick hug, grabbed Zach’s hand, and hurried back out into the storm. Rita watched her sister vanish and then ran to the phone. “I have the letter, Riley.”
“I know,” Riley growled, slowly walking through the corn like a snake in search of prey, struggling to keep his route clear. Something was in the corn with him… something was in the wind trying to confuse his way, or so Riley felt. In all truth, Riley was secretly paranoid. Jack Taylor had worked for Zarstat Green and forced Michelle Ikeda to marry him. In return, Michelle Ikeda had put a curse on Jack Taylor and his family before she realized she was pregnant. The curse, Riley read in the diary, could not be altered. If only Riley could carry out Michelle’s hunger for vengeance, then perhaps he would be free of the curse—a curse that had haunted him all of his life. “Leave me alone,” he hissed, speaking into the wind.
“What?” Rita asked.
Riley stopped walking, searched the dark corn, and then shook his head. “Give me the letter and I will let you live,” he warned as the wind forced tall cornstalks to sway dangerously from side to side. “If you don’t give me the letter, I’m going to start killing innocent people.”
Rita knew Riley was bluffing. The monster was heading straight toward town. “Riley—”
“I’m looking at a farm right now,” Riley lied. “I know the family who lives in the farm. They will be my first victims.” Riley’s intention was to draw Rita and Steve out of town while he attacked the diner and took Mac and Maureen hostage and killed Billy. “Tell the constable that I’m at the Hillcap Farm. The constable is good friends with the Hillcaps.”
Rita held up a cautious hand at Steve and relayed Riley’s message, then shook her head. “Okay, I told him.”
“Come alone to the farm… just you,” Riley growled and started walking through the corn again. “No games or people will die.”
“And if I don’t?” Rita asked.
“People will die.”
Rita closed her eyes and saw Michelle Ikeda’s face appear in her mind. “I have Billy. I could call the FBI—”
“If you do, I will hunt you down for the rest of my life,” Riley threatened Rita. “All I want is the letter, and then you can leave Cornville with that backwoods farmer. If you betray me, I will dedicate my life to making sure you both… die,” Riley hissed. “Are you prepared for that, cop?”
Before Rita could answer, Brad walked out of the bathroom. Whether by chance or design, Brad had landed at the Omaha airport the same time Rhonda and Zach had arrived. Rita was pretty certain Brad’s exact arrival was by design. “No,” Rita told Riley. “All I want to do is leave the corn. I will meet you at the Hillcap Farm.”
Riley assumed Rita was intending to try and trap him in the corn. The one thing he was sure of was that the woman had not called any outside agency. The wind...something in the wind...told Riley that Rita was keeping the fight local. “When you get to the farm, go to the west field and wait,” he ordered. “I’ll be around. No games.” Riley ended the call and put his cell phone away. “Come running with the constable, cop. I won’t be there. And by the time you realize what’s happened, the hillbilly will be dead, and I’ll have two more hostages.” Of course, you won’t know the hillbilly will be dead… no, I’ll make you think he’s alive until I have the letter.” Riley narrowed his eyes and continued toward town.
“Brad, get outside, go across the street, and hide in the corn. Steve, go with him. Stay out of sight,” Rita ordered. “You know the corn, Steve. Hide where you can’t be seen. But don’t shoot. We have to know where Riley hid the virus and those chemicals before we take him down.”
“Got it,” Steve told Rita and nodded at Brad. Steve took an immediate liking to Brad. Brad kinda reminded Steve of himself. “Ready?”
Brad walked over to Rita and put his hand on her shoulder. “You look plum put out,” he said in a worried voice. “Are you sure you can handle this? One shot can take out the scarecrow.”
“We have to locate the virus and the chemicals,” Rita assured Brad. “Also, I’m sure there’s a missing DOD agent around this town someplace… as well as a very scared Willis Ambles.”
“Why would Riley keep those two men alive?” Mac asked.
“To make them be the first to eat the poison corn and then release them,” Rita explained. “Of course, no one will know he poisoned the corn. Riley is going to make it appear that he infected his enemies in order to make the authorities look the other way. At least that’s what I’m feeling in my gut, guys.” Rita looked at Mac. “Mac, you sit at that back booth with Billy. Hurry now. We don’t have much time.” Rita checked her watch. Riley would be showing up very soon.
“Let’s move,” Steve told Brad and dashed out into the storm. Brad chased after Steve, ran across the street, saw Rhonda and Zach appear on the roof of the post office drenched with rain, and then jogged off into the dark corn feeling like a lost man. There was something very strange about the corn that scared him. What? Brad didn’t know.
Rita checked her watch again and then walked to Billy. “You know the plan, honey?”
“Sure do,” Billy promised as he stuffed a bite of pancakes into his mouth. “Old Billy is to play real dumb… act really scared… and don’t put up a fight.”
“I’ll be in the bathroom,” Rita promised. “Make sure you get Riley to talk. My cell phone will be on the front counter to record the entire scene, okay?”
Maureen looked up at Rita and studied the woman’s scared eyes. “You saw her, didn’t you?” she signed.
“Yes,” Rita signed back. “In my dream.”
Maureen sighed. “Years ago, I saw her too, in a dream. I had hoped she had gone away. Maybe she will when the storm is over?” Maureen reached out and patted Rita’s hand. “It would be lovely to have a friend to talk to. When this storm ends, I do hope you will stay for a visit.”
All Rita wanted was to leave Cornville as soon as possible. The idea of staying in the corn made her heart feel imprisoned. And then, before Rita could think another thought, she looked down into Billy’s eyes and saw the man giving her a strange look. “What?” she asked.
“This here corn was mighty pretty when we drove in; don’t let an ugly old snake make the corn stay ugly forever.” Billy put down his breakfast fork. “Sometimes the Good Lord makes us see the ugly in order to see the beauty.” Billy took Rita’s shaky hand. “All I ever wanted to do was help you see past the black, gray, and white that you seem to trap yourself in. I don’t mean no harm. You sure know old Billy loves you.”
Rita felt a tear slip from her eye. “Billy—”
“I know there is something mighty ugly out there in that corn, but if we don’t work on cleaning up the stain, then there will never be much healing done to the heart,” Billy continued in a warm, loving voice. “See past the storm and see the beauty we saw driving in… see the beauty in all the fine people of this here little town… see the beauty of hope.” Billy wiped Rita’s tear away. “I admit that what happened here was enough to darken the heart, but we sure can’t stay in the darkness forever.”
“Shut up and bring it, boy,” Billy hollered and began bouncing around like a basketball. “My fat rolls may be a jingling, but my fists are lean and mean. Bring it on!”
The scarecrow backed away from Billy with frightened eyes. “You can’t win. It’s impossible. The curse is real. The corn is dead—”
“No, boy, the corn is just sick is all,” Billy told the scarecrow, still bouncing around as his fat rolls jingled. “The Good Lord heals the land and heals the heart.”
The scarecrow stepped back into the corn. As he did, his body slowly transformed back into the Japanese woman. “Save the corn… save us,” she pleaded and then ran off into the corn. As she did, a bright light exploded. When the light vanished, Billy was standing back in the snowy, warm donut shop. “Well, I’ll be,” he said, shook his head, and grabbed a peppermint donut. “Now, if that wasn’t something.” Billy began to take a bite of his donut but then… woke up.
Poor Billy.
Riley didn’t hear Billy wake up. He had drifted off into deep sleep; age, fatigue, and sleep deprivation had finally taken their toll, or so it seemed. What Billy didn’t know was that a strange smell had entered the shack that had put Riley to sleep; yes, mighty strange things were happening in the corn. His head was propped forward on his chest and his arms were laying limp in his lap. Billy, feeling a little dazed, took a second to get his bearings, studied the layout of the shack, listened to the heavy falling rain, and then focused on Riley. “Why, that rat is asleep,” he whispered and slowly began to ease up to his knees. Riley didn’t move. “If I can make it out into that there corn, I just might have a chance.”
Billy silently eased up to his legs, which wasn’t easy because his hands were handcuffed behind his back. Once on his legs, he moved toward the shack door, keeping a careful eye on Riley. Billy knew if Riley bounced awake and saw him trying to escape, he was a dead man. “Like daddy always told me… walk real slow away from a snake,” he whispered, taking one silent step at a time toward the shack door. When Billy reached the door, he used his back to push the flimsy door open one painful inch at a time, certain that the creaking and fussing the door was making was going to wake Riley up. When Riley didn’t stir, not even an inch, Billy cautiously stepped out into the rain, used his handcuffed hands to ease the door shut, and then charged off into a shadowy, wet cornfield. “Boy howdy, if angels ain’t watching over Billy Northfield,” he whispered and said a deep prayer of thanks as he ran off into the corn. “Now all I gotta do is remember my way back to the diner….”
Billy stopped running for a second, looked around in all directions, and then nodded. “Diner is that way,” he said and took off running again. Now, usually Billy had a good sense of direction, but the poor man was awful tired. Instead of running toward the diner, poor Billy aimed his body toward a stretch of lonely road that eventually led into town. He ran right out of the cornfield and stumbled onto the road just as Steve’s farm truck appeared. Poor Billy, bless his heart, saw a pair of headlights flying at him and knew he was about to become mashed potatoes.
“Billy!” Rita screamed.
Steve hit the brakes as hard as he could and turned the steering wheel so sharp that he ran off into the corn, missing poor Billy by mere inches. Billy, who was standing frozen with his eyes squeezed shut, felt Steve’s truck rush past his body and hit the cornfield. He slowly let one eye open, saw that he was still in one piece, and then turned to face the farm truck. That’s when he saw Rita jump out of the passenger side screaming his name. “Billy!”
“Well, I’ll be!” Billy hollered and let out a happy shout. “It’s my lady!”
Rita ran to Billy, wrapped her arms around him, and—just like in a movie—began kissing him all over. “Oh, I thought I would never see you again… oh… I thought you were going to die… my heart was broken.” Rita stopped kissing Billy and began crying. “Billy… never leave my side again… never ever… do you hear me… never ever!”
Billy stared into Rita’s beautiful tears and fell in love with the woman all over again. “I sure ain’t never gonna know why you love old Billy, but he sure loves you,” he told Rita and gently kissed her. Steve worked his farm truck back onto the road and ordered Rita and Billy into the truck. Billy smiled. “Maybe you can take these off first?” he asked Rita and showed him the handcuffs.
“I have a set of handcuff keys in my purse back at the diner,” Rita promised, hugged Billy again, and then helped the man into Steve’s truck. Once Rita was safely in the cab, Steve hit the gas. “Now, take it easy… this here road is mighty slippery.”
“Billy, how did you get free?” Rita asked, ignoring Steve’s driving. She figured the man knew the road better than anyone.
“That rat who came out of the corn and took me fell right asleep,” Billy explained, sitting in between Rita and Steve like a big, clumsy kid. “Now, I admit old Billy dropped off too,” he continued. “Had a mighty strange dream. When I woke up, that rat who came out of the corn was asleep. I sneaked myself right out of that there shack I was being held in and ran off into the corn, and the next thing I know… well, here I sit.”
“Can you take us to the location you were being held at?” Steve asked Billy.
“Well… I thought I was running toward the diner, and I ended up nearly being roadkill. I reckon I best not try,” Billy admitted in an embarrassed voice. “I can find my way around the woods back home with my eyes shut… but this here corn is mighty confusing.”
Rita hugged Billy. “I have you back, and that’s all that matters,” she told Billy. “I also found the missing letter,” she added. “Now that I have you… the rules have changed.” Rita leaned her head down onto Billy’s shoulder. “When Riley O’Connery wakes up, he’s going to be very upset, and he might try to sneak into town. We’ll be ready.” Rita closed her eyes and saw Michelle Ikeda cooking a thick corn chowder. Michelle turned to Rita and offered a very sorrowful expression, as if she were… trying to offer an apology. Rita stared into Michelle’s face and then… saw the aroma of the corn chowder flowing into a shack holding Riley O’Connery. Rita saw Riley asleep on an old wooden chair. Before she could say anything, the hideous scarecrow appeared and began shaking Riley awake. Rita jerked her eyes open. “We need to hurry, Steve. Step on it.”
Steve pressed down harder on the gas pedal. The farm truck picked up speed and raced through a deep puddle of water in the road and then hightailed it back to town. As the farm truck sped away from the cornfield Billy had run out of, Riley O’Connery slowly opened his eyes, leaving a horrifying dream. For a minute all his eyes saw was a dark dungeon, and then his mind slipped back into reality.
“My… prisoner!” he yelled, seeing nothing but an empty corner instead of Billy. Riley jumped to his feet and checked the shack and then ran outside into the pouring rain. “No… my prisoner. I fell asleep!” Riley kicked the ground and then ran off into the corn in search of Billy—and for the first time in his life Riley became lost in the corn. How? He didn’t know. It was as if his mind was trapped in a horrible daze, unable to focus, running around in circles. With no other option, Riley turned back toward the shack and somehow managed to find his way back through the corn. “No. This can’t be happening. I’ve come too far!” Riley ran into the shack and yanked out a worn-down diary that Michelle Ikeda had written down her misery in. “This was all for you… for all of our people. I can’t fail!” he yelled, closed his eyes, and saw Mrs. Taylor’s image appear before his eyes. “Yes, of course,” he hissed and threw his eyes north. Mrs. Taylor’s spooky house was only a mile north of the shack. Surely, Riley thought, he could find his way through the corn… all he had to do was… focus. “Stay focused… walk a straight line… move,” he ordered his legs.
Riley put the diary back into the front pocket of the black assault uniform he was wearing and tore back out into the storm and ran into the corn. At first it seemed that his sense of direction was going to fail again, but then his mind somehow managed to lock on to a northern route. Riley ran north until he reached Mrs. Taylor’s home. He narrowed his eyes and slithered around to the front porch and knocked on the front door. When Mrs. Taylor answered the front door and saw Riley’s deadly face, she screamed. Riley threw his hands over her mouth and shoved the old woman into the foyer. “What have you done?” he hissed and slammed the front door closed.
Mrs. Taylor dropped down onto her knees. “She forced me. I had no choice!” she cried out. “But does it matter? The curse ends; it ends with us, boy. It has to end.” Riley stared at Mrs. Taylor’s terrified face and then narrowed his eyes. It was time to get some answers.
Chapter Nine
Riley left his mother’s house with vicious eyes. Instead of going back to the shack, he simply walked into the cornfield dressed as a hideous scarecrow and started making his way toward town. The storm had grown worse, and a tornado watch had been issued for the area. The sky was low, dark, and threatening, throwing down heavy sheets of blinding rain that was being thrown in every direction by a tormenting wind. “So you have the letter, cop. It’s time to get what I need and kill you all,” he hissed, walking through the corn like a scary monster preparing to slither out of a dark closet. “Time to make a call.”
Rita hugged Rhonda and Zach just as the diner’s telephone rang. Mac, who was sure grateful that Billy was alive and safe, looked at Rita. “Answer the call,” she told the worried man. “It’s him.”
Mac drew in a deep breath and looked at his upset wife. Maureen was sitting at a booth with Billy, forcing the man to drink a cup of coffee and eat a hot plate of breakfast. Billy sure didn’t mind being pampered—and he sure was hungry. A hot plate full of pancakes, eggs, and turkey sausage was sure making his hungry tummy feel better. “Okay,” he said and answered the call. “Maureen’s diner?”
“Put the cop on the phone,” Riley hissed at Mac.
Mac held out the phone to Rita. “It’s Riley,” he stated in a scared voice.
Rita looked into Rhonda’s exhausted eyes. “Take Zach, go back outside, and get up on the roof of the post office and stay out of sight. Call me when you see Riley leave the corn. Make sure your rental car is out of sight too.”
“Where do I park the car?” Rhonda asked, glanced down at the purple raincoat she had bought at the airport, and sighed. “I look like a plum.”
“You do not,” Rita promised and threw her eyes at Steve. “Where can Rhonda park the rental car?”
“Are you sure Riley will be coming out of the corn on the post office side?” Steve asked in a hurried voice. Rita nodded. “Then the only place is in the corn behind the diner.” Steve looked at Zach. Zach, who looked tense and uncertain, was focused on the storm outside. “Drive the rental car into the cornfield behind the diner.”
“Yeah, sure.” Zach nodded, feeling rainwater dripping from his hair. “I wish I had more answers to all the questions running around in my mind.”
“Later,” Rita promised. “Now hurry.” Rhonda gave Rita a quick hug, grabbed Zach’s hand, and hurried back out into the storm. Rita watched her sister vanish and then ran to the phone. “I have the letter, Riley.”
“I know,” Riley growled, slowly walking through the corn like a snake in search of prey, struggling to keep his route clear. Something was in the corn with him… something was in the wind trying to confuse his way, or so Riley felt. In all truth, Riley was secretly paranoid. Jack Taylor had worked for Zarstat Green and forced Michelle Ikeda to marry him. In return, Michelle Ikeda had put a curse on Jack Taylor and his family before she realized she was pregnant. The curse, Riley read in the diary, could not be altered. If only Riley could carry out Michelle’s hunger for vengeance, then perhaps he would be free of the curse—a curse that had haunted him all of his life. “Leave me alone,” he hissed, speaking into the wind.
“What?” Rita asked.
Riley stopped walking, searched the dark corn, and then shook his head. “Give me the letter and I will let you live,” he warned as the wind forced tall cornstalks to sway dangerously from side to side. “If you don’t give me the letter, I’m going to start killing innocent people.”
Rita knew Riley was bluffing. The monster was heading straight toward town. “Riley—”
“I’m looking at a farm right now,” Riley lied. “I know the family who lives in the farm. They will be my first victims.” Riley’s intention was to draw Rita and Steve out of town while he attacked the diner and took Mac and Maureen hostage and killed Billy. “Tell the constable that I’m at the Hillcap Farm. The constable is good friends with the Hillcaps.”
Rita held up a cautious hand at Steve and relayed Riley’s message, then shook her head. “Okay, I told him.”
“Come alone to the farm… just you,” Riley growled and started walking through the corn again. “No games or people will die.”
“And if I don’t?” Rita asked.
“People will die.”
Rita closed her eyes and saw Michelle Ikeda’s face appear in her mind. “I have Billy. I could call the FBI—”
“If you do, I will hunt you down for the rest of my life,” Riley threatened Rita. “All I want is the letter, and then you can leave Cornville with that backwoods farmer. If you betray me, I will dedicate my life to making sure you both… die,” Riley hissed. “Are you prepared for that, cop?”
Before Rita could answer, Brad walked out of the bathroom. Whether by chance or design, Brad had landed at the Omaha airport the same time Rhonda and Zach had arrived. Rita was pretty certain Brad’s exact arrival was by design. “No,” Rita told Riley. “All I want to do is leave the corn. I will meet you at the Hillcap Farm.”
Riley assumed Rita was intending to try and trap him in the corn. The one thing he was sure of was that the woman had not called any outside agency. The wind...something in the wind...told Riley that Rita was keeping the fight local. “When you get to the farm, go to the west field and wait,” he ordered. “I’ll be around. No games.” Riley ended the call and put his cell phone away. “Come running with the constable, cop. I won’t be there. And by the time you realize what’s happened, the hillbilly will be dead, and I’ll have two more hostages.” Of course, you won’t know the hillbilly will be dead… no, I’ll make you think he’s alive until I have the letter.” Riley narrowed his eyes and continued toward town.
“Brad, get outside, go across the street, and hide in the corn. Steve, go with him. Stay out of sight,” Rita ordered. “You know the corn, Steve. Hide where you can’t be seen. But don’t shoot. We have to know where Riley hid the virus and those chemicals before we take him down.”
“Got it,” Steve told Rita and nodded at Brad. Steve took an immediate liking to Brad. Brad kinda reminded Steve of himself. “Ready?”
Brad walked over to Rita and put his hand on her shoulder. “You look plum put out,” he said in a worried voice. “Are you sure you can handle this? One shot can take out the scarecrow.”
“We have to locate the virus and the chemicals,” Rita assured Brad. “Also, I’m sure there’s a missing DOD agent around this town someplace… as well as a very scared Willis Ambles.”
“Why would Riley keep those two men alive?” Mac asked.
“To make them be the first to eat the poison corn and then release them,” Rita explained. “Of course, no one will know he poisoned the corn. Riley is going to make it appear that he infected his enemies in order to make the authorities look the other way. At least that’s what I’m feeling in my gut, guys.” Rita looked at Mac. “Mac, you sit at that back booth with Billy. Hurry now. We don’t have much time.” Rita checked her watch. Riley would be showing up very soon.
“Let’s move,” Steve told Brad and dashed out into the storm. Brad chased after Steve, ran across the street, saw Rhonda and Zach appear on the roof of the post office drenched with rain, and then jogged off into the dark corn feeling like a lost man. There was something very strange about the corn that scared him. What? Brad didn’t know.
Rita checked her watch again and then walked to Billy. “You know the plan, honey?”
“Sure do,” Billy promised as he stuffed a bite of pancakes into his mouth. “Old Billy is to play real dumb… act really scared… and don’t put up a fight.”
“I’ll be in the bathroom,” Rita promised. “Make sure you get Riley to talk. My cell phone will be on the front counter to record the entire scene, okay?”
Maureen looked up at Rita and studied the woman’s scared eyes. “You saw her, didn’t you?” she signed.
“Yes,” Rita signed back. “In my dream.”
Maureen sighed. “Years ago, I saw her too, in a dream. I had hoped she had gone away. Maybe she will when the storm is over?” Maureen reached out and patted Rita’s hand. “It would be lovely to have a friend to talk to. When this storm ends, I do hope you will stay for a visit.”
All Rita wanted was to leave Cornville as soon as possible. The idea of staying in the corn made her heart feel imprisoned. And then, before Rita could think another thought, she looked down into Billy’s eyes and saw the man giving her a strange look. “What?” she asked.
“This here corn was mighty pretty when we drove in; don’t let an ugly old snake make the corn stay ugly forever.” Billy put down his breakfast fork. “Sometimes the Good Lord makes us see the ugly in order to see the beauty.” Billy took Rita’s shaky hand. “All I ever wanted to do was help you see past the black, gray, and white that you seem to trap yourself in. I don’t mean no harm. You sure know old Billy loves you.”
Rita felt a tear slip from her eye. “Billy—”
“I know there is something mighty ugly out there in that corn, but if we don’t work on cleaning up the stain, then there will never be much healing done to the heart,” Billy continued in a warm, loving voice. “See past the storm and see the beauty we saw driving in… see the beauty in all the fine people of this here little town… see the beauty of hope.” Billy wiped Rita’s tear away. “I admit that what happened here was enough to darken the heart, but we sure can’t stay in the darkness forever.”
