Paper Alley, page 24
“It is, but so is God—we find whichever we look for.”
As they walked, Dan recognized a small tributary he had followed on his first excursion down the Stony. It was a slight diversion, about a quarter-mile walk or so. The tributary came off a sheer face at the Gorge’s high wall edge, dropping into an impenetrable forest of laurel, a quarter mile deep and three miles long. The cascade pooled at the base; resting in full sun, it warmed before continuing to the Stony. Walking the creek bed offered the only access, and the rocks were treacherous.
“Let’s go up the side creek. You think what you have seen so far is beautiful? Trust me, you haven’t seen anything yet. Are you with me?”
“Wherever you want me to go.”
“Come on then.”
The laurel offered a jungle look. The stream was lined in a tangle of twisted stems and green verdure. They stretched from stone to stone as they made their way upstream. Dan chose the path and Julie followed. They didn’t speak. They just listened to the sounds of the forest.
When Dan first glimpsed the tumbling cascade falling into the pool, he grabbed Julie’s hand. They slowed to a stroll along the deep pool. Where the water went shallow, only knee high, they took off their shoes and pulled up their pant legs. The water didn’t cause an ache in their feet, like when they put their hands in earlier. This water felt inviting. They sat on a rock on the opposite shore dusting wet sand from the bottoms of their feet, enjoying the warmth in a patch of sun. Dan hesitated to put on his socks and shoes. He rolled down his pant legs, which had gotten wet anyway. Julie’s pant legs were also wet.
“You know, we might as well go barefoot the rest of the way. Let’s just carry our shoes. The rocks on this side creek are slippery, but there are a lot of sandy places to step on. I think we’ll be fine.”
“You know me, I love going barefoot.”
They made their way a little farther up the creek bed. More than once Julie slipped and grabbed Dan for support. Dan used his inhaler once. The laurel forest exuded a sultry ambience. There were no weeds or underbrush below the thick canopy of broad laurel leaves. Large boulders, debris from ancient landslides, mingled with the laurel. Eventually, the narrow ribbon of water brought them to its source, a crystal-clear pool at the base of a sheer stone face towering above them.
Water tumbled from the precipice into the deep pool at the base, its clarity allowing a wide stretch of the bottom to be seen, small fish shimmering near the edge. The pool’s dimensions, perhaps thirty by sixty feet, were entirely illuminated by the sun. Huge boulders sloped into the edges of the pool. A fine mist filled the air, creating a rainbow effect.
“Come on, let’s sit and listen to the water.” Dan held Julie’s hand as they made their way onto a boulder about midway toward the falls. At first the stone seemed too hot to the touch, but he spread out towels from their backpack. Containers of food for lunch came out next as well as the green tea. The perfect place for a picnic and his stomach said it was time. Julie retrieved hand wipes from her small pack. After they ate, she lay back looking up at the cascade. Individual droplets sparkled in the sun.
“This is the most perfect day. This will be our secret place. I’m so glad I agreed to come with you. I should have come that first day. I should always go with you. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no you don’t—don’t start with the sorry stuff. Just enjoy this moment.”
They savored their lunch. A bird stopped by, and Julie threw some crumbs its way. Dan tossed nuts to a squirrel. Overhead a hawk circled above the precipice. Not one cloud blemished the sky. They drank green tea, toasting the glory of the day. Dan removed his shirt to absorb the heat of the sun. It felt good on his chest, the warm rock on his back.
“I call this real therapy. It’s better than any health spa.”
She ran her hand over his chest, stopping to feel him breathe. He was falling asleep. Realizing he had gone into a deep sleep, she stopped caressing his chest, not wanting to disturb him.
She didn’t want to think about anything but the here and now. She admired the lush laurel surrounding them, the rock formations, and the clear water. She moved away from Dan, down to where the water touched their boulder. She sat with her feet just touching the water; it was warm, inviting. She watched fish darting below the surface. Little fingerlings approached her feet, kissing them. She let her legs slide deeper in the water without disturbing the fish. Her head dropped back between her shoulders, allowing the warmth of the sun to caress her face. She felt secure, loved, and safe. There was no future here, no past, just this moment.
She pulled her legs out of the water and instantly felt them drying. Cool currents had brushed her legs as she had dangled them in the water, and she wondered if it was colder out from the boulder. She stood and looked around, taking a deep breath, sweet and fresh. She walked back to the towel next to Dan and sat down, gathering her courage. He had been napping twenty minutes. Long enough.
Her squeal woke him. He reached for Julie. Or at least where she had been, but she wasn’t there. Just a pile of clothing. Dan sat up looking toward the pool. Julie was bobbing up and down in the middle of it. She waved to him to join her.
“What are you doing, are you crazy?”
“I’m doing what you have been bugging me to do for the last twenty years.”
“It was just a fantasy.”
“No, it’s not, it’s for real. Come on, I called your bluff.”
“I’ll say. Isn’t it cold?”
“Nah, I’m already used to it. Come on. It’s quite pleasant.”
Dan stood and quickly prepared to join her. He gave a rebel yell and splashed into the water. She threw her head back and laughed. It was a secret place hidden in the laurel, a place far from evil. They were in a healing light and a healing place. Their thoughts were only for each other.
THIRTY
Dan and Julie walked into the ruins of the old resort as they continued their hike through the Gorge. Both felt energized by their mountain water swim followed by basking in the hot sun to dry before dressing. Now in the shade of the hemlocks, they could smell their own heated flesh as they walked with their arms around each other. Dan showed her the foundations of the old lodge, cabins, and swimming pool. He told her of Lee’s speculations and what he knew of its history.
“These ruins represent someone’s dream, a broken dream. You know, when I first came into this place, all I could think about were the guys I knew in the service. The guys I laughed with, suffered with, and shared dreams with. The guys I watched get broken, their dreams shattered. Life is tough.”
“Dan, I’ve been there, too, remember?”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just all so sad what men can do to each other.”
###
The black Escalade stopped in front of the Winslow house. Its dark tinted window sluggishly lowered. Val studied the uprooted posts with yellow caution ribbons strewn across Fred’s lawn. He was Val Wentreck, grandson of Dimitri, life was not meant to go this way. He was the last Wentreck. He looked at Fred’s house and cursed him. He looked toward the Winslows’ house and cursed them. His thoughts had become twisted and tortured, the forty-five resting on his lap. I’ll show everyone.
He had always been impulsive, but lately he had become almost purely reactive. Looking at the Winslow house, he thought, You’ve ruined everything. Impulse told him to shoot any Winslow he saw.
Trent had plans to meet Uncle Tim at the local diner, but he had a chore list. Zane cleaned an upstairs bathroom while Trent did the kitchen. He was quick about it. He was running late. He finished and started for the front door.
“See ya. I’m heading out to meet Uncle Tim,” Trent called to Zane as his hand grabbed the doorknob on the front door.
“Oh, no you don’t, hold on a minute!” Zane bounded down the stairs.
“What?”
“You aren’t leaving until I inspect the kitchen. I’m in charge. You aren’t leaving anything for me to do!”
Outside, Val took his foot off the brake and coasted down the street away from the Winslows—for now.
After Zane carefully scanned the kitchen, Trent announced, “See . . . spotless!”
“Good job, my brother.” Zane grabbed Trent in a headlock. “Say hi to Uncle Tim for me.”
“I will . . . see ya later.”
###
Julie put her arms around Dan. They sat on the edge of a foundation stone to rest, sipping water. Butterflies fluttered through rays of sunlight streaming through the pine branches overhead. He had been suppressing his thoughts all day, but in this place he could no longer contain them. In this place of broken dreams and broken men he had to think of Lee.
“Julie, do you think it was Lee they were talking about on the news this morning?”
“You know him, I only know of him. Would he be out on his horse in the middle of the night?”
“It’s hard to say. I can’t help thinking of him. Let’s go down to the bait shop. It’s not much farther.” Dan checked the time on his cell phone. “We have plenty of time.”
“We have to face it sometime. I’m going to be praying for him.”
They climbed the bank near the old iron bridge down the road from the bait shop. A Stony Grove patrol car sat in the parking lot. Dan could see someone sat in the driver’s seat but could not make out his face. Julie hesitated.
“Come on, Julie. Let’s see what he can tell us.”
“What if it’s Peterson?”
“Maybe I’ll kick his butt.”
“Oh, Dan, you’re talking stupid. I’m serious.”
“Let’s see, we have a fifty-fifty shot it’s Jack Monroe.”
It was in fact Jack in the patrol car, writing on a clipboard. He placed it on the dash when he saw them and stepped out of the patrol car.
“Jack, how are you doing? We just hiked through the Gorge. We were stopping to visit with Lee.”
“Hi, Julie . . . Dan.” Jack tipped his hat. “Did you know Lee?”
“I stop down here once in a while to sit on the porch with him.”
“Sorry to tell you but he had a tragic accident last night.”
“Oh no,” Julie put her hand to her mouth.
“Seems his wife must have been suffering badly last night. We speculate he was heading for the bait shop to use the phone. Seems he came down an embankment off a trail onto the road. It was on a straight section, but just after a blind curve. There was a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. There weren’t even any skid marks. We figure Lee and the old mare died instantly. I guess it hit him without even slowing down. Peterson was the driver of the vehicle. It’s why I’m not on this case. The State boys will handle everything. I just have to fill out a report for the office.”
“What about Peterson?”
“He’s in bad shape. He hit a couple of trees after he hit Lee. I can’t believe he even survived. I guess his orneriness is what kept him alive. I think he would be better off dead. He has massive brain damage and a broken back. Those are the most serious injuries, but he has a lot of internal injuries as well. Maybe he’ll die before it’s over . . . which might be best. Initial reports were—and this is off the record—he had left a bar over in Castleton. He liked his booze. I think it was the only thing he liked.”
“How sad.” Julie put her arm around Dan and rested her head against him.
“I have Lee’s dog in the back of the car. He was watching over Lee’s wife. We had a heck of a time calming him down enough to get into the cabin. We found Lee’s wife had also passed away during the night. She had been suffering for quite a while. My wife used to check on her. Did you know her?”
“No, I never met her. Your wife was a friend of Lee’s wife?”
“Well, she was my wife’s great-aunt. She reached out to Lee’s wife a couple of years back, before she took ill. My wife’s grandmother was Lee’s wife’s sister.
“Lee had told me she was ill.”
“She was a sweet lady, a saint if you ask me. She put up with Lee. They were high school sweethearts. When she was young, she was beautiful, could have had her pick. She picked Lee, and she always told my wife she wouldn’t have had it any different, even if she could go back and do it all over again. She said nobody knew Lee like she did. She gave up everything for him.
“She was a God-fearing woman, but she wouldn’t go into town even to go to church. She read the Bible and prayed every day. I know the Lord will do right by her. She and Lee never had any children. My wife said she didn’t want to bring any into this vile world. Kind of sad, but if you knew some of the goings-on around here, you’d start to understand.
“The Haines family wouldn’t have anything to do with her once she married Lee. My wife said her beauty was nothing short of a curse. It was the best thing when her family turned their back on her. My wife never spoke to me about the details of her troubles, and I don’t ask. There are a lot of skeletons around, some are best left to rest. Some families in these parts hold on to grudges the way a dog holds on to an old soup bone. It doesn’t even matter if the bone has any meat to it. You know what I mean?”
The Haines family . . . Julie’s mind drifted. Louise was also a Haines, maybe Lee’s wife’s aunt. Louise held the keys to the undeveloped land at the end of the “paper alley.” Land owned by her father and brothers, so . . . the vengeance wasn’t initially just against Dimitri. She hated her brothers just like Lee’s wife hated the male side of the Haines family. The letter had hinted at some sort of family trouble. I wonder if Dan is putting all this together. We’ll talk later . . .
“Yeah, Jack, I know what you mean.” Dan noticed something strange about Julie’s expression, as if she’d had an epiphany.
“I had to bring my wife over to the cabin to calm old Buck down. She was the only one he would trust. I got her there just in time. The State boys were about to shoot old Buck. I guess he’s mine now. The wife says he doesn’t have any other family. I’ve already got a pack of critters. I don’t need old Buck, but what are ya going to do? Darndest thing, when I was driving down here, we went through where the accident happened. He just went to whimpering, kind of uncontrollable. It was just like he knew something or maybe he smelled something. Whatever it was, he started scratching at the back door. He wanted out in the worst way. I never saw anything like it.”
“Well, if you don’t have room, let me know. I would love to have him,” Dan said.
Dan and Julie walked to the rear door of the patrol car with Jack. Jack opened the door, and Buck sat with a panting smile as Dan and Julie fussed over him.
“I’ll talk to my wife. She’s a real animal lover, a vegan for the reason. I go along with her. It’s a shame how they raise animals these days, just for slaughter. In a factory farm they have no chance to even gain a spirit.”
“Okay, well, let me know, Jack.” Dan scratched Buck behind his ear.
“Things are going to start changing around here. You folks hang in there. I’m telling you, the next election is going to be interesting, and did you hear? When the university president resigned, it started a domino effect.” Jack opened the driver’s door of the squad car.
“Yep, I’ve been watching.”
“Oh yeah, it was said he was resigning to spend time with his family and to write a book. Don’t believe it for a second. The heat is on. Times are finally changing.”
“You know, Lee knew a lot about the history of this place. It’s like a door has slammed shut. We may never know all the details, but I find comfort in truth and knowing it exists whether it is known or not.”
“Lee was no dummy. He watched the dealings of a lot of powerful people in these parts. He never made a difference in this world, but if he would have ever talked, a lot of people would have been sweating it. I’m sure his wife knew all the Haines family secrets as well. She probably knew who burned the Stratton resort up in the Gorge. Between the two of them, I’ll bet they could have put half the county in prison for a long, long time.”
“Did the Haines family have something to do with it?” Julie gave Jack a serious look.
“For the record, I can’t say. There’s small-town speculation they did. Nobody has any proof of it. So, I guess I can buy into it, unofficially.”
“Jack, you have a future in politics.” Dan offered Jack his hand, and they shook. Dan felt a cough coming on. He fumbled for his inhaler, unable to retrieve it before the coughing started. It was his worst attack yet. He coughed until he nearly passed out. White flashes surged in his eyes. Julie and Jack both grabbed his arms to hold him steady. Julie searched for his inhaler with her free hand. She held it near Dan’s face and prompted him to open his mouth and inhale. Dan continued to struggle, finally catching on to Julie’s pleas, then opened his mouth while Julie sprayed. He sucked in and held for a moment. He exhaled with relief. Jack and Julie lowered him to the ground next to the patrol car. Buck jumped out of the open door, sitting and offering Dan his paw.
“Are you going to be all right, partner? Bad cough you have there.”
Dan continued to try to regulate his breathing without responding.
“He’s doctoring for it. He’s going to be fine. It’s just going to take some time. I think we might have overdone it today.”
“Are you planning to walk back to town?”
“That was the plan.”
“Well, the department guidelines say I’m not running a taxi service. They tell me I’m not allowed to give people rides, but this seems like a medical emergency to me. Besides, my boss is in no condition to question what I do. I’m kinda my own boss now. How about if I give you two a lift back to town? If you don’t mind riding with old Buck . . . or I can take you to a hospital if you would prefer.”
“Town works. I don’t think Dan wants to go to a hospital.” Julie gave Dan a smirk.
“No . . . no hospitals, I’m feeling a lot better. We could probably even walk back.”
“No way, you get halfway up the Gorge and have an attack, what is Julie going to do? It would take hours to get you help. No, this is an emergency. I’ll drive you two home.”
