Winds of Fate Page 7

  Jodie decided immediately that she most likely would not be going out to search for Mel’s cell phone unless she was fully armed. Why didn’t we see that beast when we came in? Where was it?

  Deciding the question was immaterial to the situation, she didn’t wait for an answer. She dropped the curtain back into place and stood running her hand through tangled hair while considering her next move. At this moment, not much was stacking up toward anything near a Sunday picnic, but the added presence of that beast had thrown a monkey-wrench into her cogs of hope.

  Jodie’s realization that she had been living as a civilized being for several years was far from comforting. She wondered how much of her old skills she could rely on if push came to shove and she had to handle an explosive situation alone. She knew she was still very strong physically. But did she still possess all the instincts and lightening speed reactions she once had? She feared she was going to find out all too soon.

  Jodie heard a groan and turned back to where Mel had begun to move about. He was obviously in pain and there was little she could do for him short of overdosing him with painkillers, and that was not an option.

  When she reached the bed, Mel was trying to sit up. Jodie placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back onto his pillow. He opened eyes that were red veined with fever and looked directly at her, but she wasn’t sure he saw her, or for that matter, anything else. She found a washcloth, ran cold water over it, squeezed it and placed it on his forehead. After a few minutes had passed, he relaxed onto his pillow and seemed to be sleeping almost normally, except for his shallow, rapid breathing. She checked his pulse rate again. It had not changed since she checked it ten minutes ago.

  Once more, she thought about trying to make a dash to Mel’s car, she really needed that cell phone. She had not heard anything from outside during the past five minutes and wondered if she were letting her imagination rule her thinking, if there was even a breeze stirring it was undetectable. And maybe that animal had moved on. It was probably only a stray searching for food, and why would it stick around after discovering there was nothing to stay around for?

  Jodie’s concern for Mel grew by the minute. Due to the eerie quiet all around her, her nerves were pulling lose from their moorings. Deciding it would be safe enough to search Mel’s car if she took one of Mel’s fully loaded handguns along, she rose with a new determination. She had no desire to shoot an animal that was not bothering her, but if that sucker decided to get nasty, well... that would be a different story...

  Jodie pulled the small flashlight from her pocket, checked it to be certain it would work if she needed it, and then pushed it back into her pocket. She picked up a Colt Python .357 Magnum, one of three handguns within easy reach, and checked its cylinder. It held a full load.

  Jodie’s eyes had long since become accustomed to the darkness of the room and knew where everything was located. She tiptoed softly toward the front entrance, eased the door open and stepped quietly into the darkness. As she neared Mel’s car, her earlier concern for the situation had rebounded; the light would come on inside Mel’s car the moment she opened the door. Any person or animal near the shack would see the light and know someone was entering the vehicle. If there were people out there waiting for her to make a move, it was reasonable to assume they would begin firing at an easy target caught in the overhead light. If she decided to search the premises before opening the car’s door, would she encounter the large animal that she had seen in the yard earlier?

  Regardless of the outcome, she had to try to get help for Mel. Just hoping he would recover was not enough. His condition had not improved a whit, and was not likely to without medical attention. Her supplies and ability were much too limited; she had to find that damned cell phone...

  Jodie looked right and left as she dashed through the door and moved swiftly to Mel’s car. After reaching the driver’s side of the automobile, she stood for a minute searching the darkness as thoroughly as possible. There were just too many damned trees and wild shrubs growing around the shack, and even though the moon was casting a glow over the area, she could not see objects fifty feet away.

  The animal was gone, or at least it had moved from its original place beneath the cottonwood tree. Jodie was mentally working a plan to disengage the overhead light in the car. But she knew there was no way to prevent it from illuminating her position for a few seconds before she could press the button to shut it off. She was reaching for the door handle when she felt the presence of a body behind her.

  Jodie had been concentrating so thoroughly on the overhead light that she had let her mind wander from dangers of the moment. She surprised the gunman by turning so quickly he didn’t have time to anticipate the action. She didn’t wait to ask him what he was doing there, she kicked the weapon from his hand and before it hit the ground, she had him out cold with well-placed kick to his solar plexus. To insure that he remained out for a spell, she gave him another sharp kick to the head. She turned back to the car and quickly opened the door. She already knew where the button was located that would douse the overhead light. She pushed the button in and held it until she felt inside the console for the cell phone. The phone was there. With one hand she pulled it lose from its charger and pushed it into her shirt pocket just as a barrage of bullets came through the window opposite the open door.

  She took out the overhead light with a single shot and began firing at the flashes in the darkness. The gunman was secluded near a heavy growth of shrubs about ninety feet to the south. Then suddenly the animal was back in action. Jodie couldn’t see it but it was obviously on the run and making a sound that was neither a growl or bark but a combination of both.

  She heard a car door slam and seconds later a vehicle was racing away. Now what? Are the bastards gone?

  Jodie didn’t have long to debate the question, she was straightening up from her crouching position with the intentions of returning to the shack to call for help and had not heard the gunman sneaking up behind her. The man clubbed her gun hand, knocking the weapon from her hand and at the same time placing her in a chokehold that was squeezing the life from her. Jodie knew she would not last long unless she could break the hold. With her life rapidly slipping away, she tried desperately to break away. With her last bit of energy, she managed to bring her boot up far enough with a backward kick to catch her antagonist in the crotch. He let out a yelp and loosened his hold long enough to give Jodie the advantage she badly needed. She pulled in a deep breath and sent her elbow into the man’s rib cage with such force she felt the impact clean to her midriff. The man went out like a light and she guessed he would be out for a while.

  She didn’t have time to wonder how many more gunmen were lurking around the shack before hearing the sound of metal not ten feet to her right. The gunman said in a growling voice, “Now ain’t this just what makes life worth living? I knew if I waited long enough that fate would eventually deal me a good hand, and here it is. Now, woman, you and I are going to have us a little talk and you are going to tell me where you’re keeping something that belongs to me. Then you’re going bye-bye.”

  “That doesn’t make good sense, you stupid bastard. You’re not even promising me my freedom if I corporate, so why should I?”

  “Mainly because the longer you hold out, the longer you’re going to watch as I slice neat little strips of hide from your body and force it down your throat... or up your... private parts. Yes, you’ll be glad to tell me just so I’ll kill you quickly. Now, in case you’re still harboring doubts, maybe you should just let your imagination run wild and free for a moment, I’ll bet when you see the big picture, you’ll beg me for an opportunity to talk.”

  Against her will, Jodie was feeling some genuine fear now, not just for herself, but for Mel, too. She was sure they would kill him before he regained consciousness so there was no possibility of him surviving and coming after them later.

  They had her now and that was what they had wanted from the start. Thi
s crew would not believe for a second that she didn’t know where their loot was, or who might have it now. She would not have told them even if she did know. This bastard was being honest with her; he planned to kill her and Mel no matter what she said or did.

  Jodie was hoping against hope that she could get close enough for one good kick to the gunman’s crotch before he pulled the trigger on that automatic weapon he held so confidently. But he was not giving her the satisfaction of making a single wrong move. He had the upper hand and he was not about to willingly relinquish it.

  In spite of her reluctance to do so, Jodie was mentally planning her next move: All she had to do was make the first move herself to end it all here and now; at least she would die quickly. She knew this bastard would go after Mel the minute she was incapacitated, but Mel was so near death already that anything they did to him would finish him off quickly.

  Before the gunman could weld his position into an irreversible status, she stepped bravely toward him, but somehow he had anticipated her move and was stepping backward to gain a moment to think. His plan fell completely apart when a hundred pounds of growling, salivating animal sprang from a dark corner of the house and knocked the gunman to the ground with a bounding leap. The animal was all over the gunman as he tried in vain to reach the weapon that had fallen from his hand during the attack.

  Jodie quickly kicked the weapon from his reach and followed it to a skidding stop some ten feet away. She quickly gathered the weapon as she wondered how many gunmen were left to deal with. She guessed that at least one had sped away when the dog had zeroed in on him. At least, she was feeling more confident about her chances of defeating them, now.

  In a salivating frenzy, the animal chewed on the gunman. Jodie gave the animal’s action one quick glance and then pointed the confiscated weapon into a darkened area across the yard and punched a few rounds into the shrubs. After determining the weapon was still working, she stepped back inside the weathered shack and locked the door behind her, vehemently hoping the dog would eat the gunman.

  With the weapon in hand, Jodie rushed to Mel’s bedside, leaned over and felt for a pulse. He was still alive and that was about all she could say for him. She opened the cell phone with one hand, not daring to put the weapon down for a minute. She called the sheriff’s office, identified herself, and asked to speak to Chalky Calkins. She had gotten to know him pretty well over the past few years and liked him. When Chalky picked up, she quickly told him what had taken place at the shack, and then informed him that at least one of the gunmen had likely fled the scene. Then she mentioned that Mel believed one of the gunmen was a deputy sheriff.

  Before hanging up, Jodie stressed the importance of getting help for Mel out to the shack as quickly as possible. She gave the deputy the name of a physician she trusted, emphasizing the fact that Mel did not want to be in a hospital where the gunmen could get at him.

  Chalky agreed to her wishes and told her he was sending help immediately. Within ten minutes, Jodie saw the lights speeding down the dirt road. She laid the cumbersome automatic weapon on the table with the other guns, and then on second thought pushed one of the smaller nine-millimeter handguns into her pocket just a split second before someone banged on the door.

  Jodie asked who was there just as a precaution, even though she had seen the flashing lights. The deputy identified himself and she opened the door. He rushed in and headed straight to the bed where Mel lay sleeping. Jodie noticed that Mel was moving restlessly now and sounded as if he were trying to say something. She moved closer to his bed just as the deputy leaned over Mel.

  “What are you doing? You can’t move him. Deputy Calkins is sending a doctor out here to see to his injuries.”

  “There’s been a change in plans. I am taking him to the hospital. You can help me get him into my vehicle. It’s only a short ride and he’ll make it just fine.”

  “No. He is not going anywhere tonight. I made that clear, and deputy Calkins agreed with me.”

  “You don’t understand, lady, deputy Calkins is not running this show. I am in charge and I say he is going to the hospital. Now help me move him into my car.”

  “Sorry, deputy, but I’m running this show. This man is my responsibility until he is well enough to speak for himself. You’re not taking him anywhere.”

  The deputy turned to curse at Jodie, and then she noticed the gun in his hand. She still had her hand on the gun in her pocket but didn’t know if it had a bullet in the chamber or if it had been left in the safety mode. She knew better than to try bluffing her way through a showdown with an officer of the law, and especially not with an empty gun. If she so much as pulled the gun for show, he could shoot her on the spot and be justified in the shooting.

  The deputy had his back to Mel as he spoke with Jodie. Jodie noticed that Mel had suddenly opened his eyes and was trying hard to focus on the deputy. After several seconds, his stare became steady and Jodie saw a look of surprise, and then fear in his eyes. Why was he afraid of the deputy?

  Suddenly Jodie knew what had been bothering her from the moment the deputy entered the shack. This deputy worked for the henchmen who wanted her and Mel dead. This deputy planned to kill them both, and if he could do it soon enough, he could get away with it. He would simply blame the killing on the gunman who had escaped there in the car earlier that evening. Nobody knew who he was, and it was not likely he would ever be found. The deputy could claim she and Mel were dead when he arrived. Better still, not admit he had ever been here. If he could make it back to the road before the doctor and crew arrived, he could make it work.

  “Hand me the gun that you have in your pocket.” The deputy said sternly. And make it snappy, I don’t have all day to mess around here.”

  “And if I don’t,” Jodie said while trying to stare him down. She was stalling, hoping... praying... that Mel could get the gun he was reaching for, if only she could keep the deputy involved in a conversation long enough.

  “You’re supposed to be an officer of the law, why are you acting like one of the gunmen who tried to kill us?”

  “Just shut the hell up, bitch, and hand over the gun before I put a bullet between your eyes, and if you think I won’t do it, just stand there blabbing and watch; but I can assure you it’ll be the last thing you do on this earth.”

  “Oh, I doubt it,” Jody told him calmly. Why don’t you look behind you? I think it might cause you to reconsider your whole plan for the evening.”

  “What are you talking about? There’s nothing behind me except a half dead man whose going to be fully dead very shortly.”

  The deputy was raising his gun to carry out his threat when the bullet from Mel’s pistol caught him between the shoulder blades at an angle that allowed the bullet to bypass Jodie when it came through the deputy’s chest and lodged in a wall.

  Jodie saw the lights from the doctors automobile approaching just as she ended her phone conversation with Deputy Calkins.

  She learned that Calkins had not sent the deputy to the shack. Deputy Streeter had overheard Deputy Calkins’ earlier conversation with Jodie and had learned that Mel could identify him. That was sufficient motivation to take Mel out.

  Deputy Calkins was in charge of the cleanup operation and arrived with an ambulance with a full crew to remove the dead and take statements. He told Jodie that she could come by the office and give her statement after Mel was out of crisis. He also mentioned that deputy Streeter had been on the force’s watch list for several weeks. The other deputies had noticed actions from him that were not up to standard for a deputy sheriff.

  The force had been keeping him under observation as much as possible without arousing his suspicions. Now they would obtain a court order to investigate his bank accounts and any other material holdings that looked suspicious. Streeter had not earned the salary as a deputy sheriff that offered the lifestyle he had been living the past two years.

  Jodie held the phone between her shoulder and chin as she talked with a local
welfare agent while plastering new bandages on Mel’s body. Mel told her to leave him be and go attend to her business that needed her more than he did. Jodie completed her call, turned off the phone and said calmly, “Fuck you Mel Baker. You need me. You couldn’t begin to take care of yourself ... or your monster dog without me and you know it.”

  “Now there you go again, getting all romantic and starry-eyed while I’m in no condition to take advantage of it. How can a man win with such rotten luck sticking to him like a bag of barnacles?”

  “Oh, you’ll think of something my hairy-chested pet. I have faith in you...”

  Jodie sat on her porch looking out across the desert at the setting sun. A very large and shaggy dog was snoozing peacefully at her feet. She sipped a glass of tea and for the first time, in a long time, she had nothing to do and no place to go. Mel was on the mend, the clinic was running smoothly, and all was right with the world. She settled back in her lounge chair and rolled the cool glass across her forehead. Then she suddenly sat up in her chair, a startled look on her face.