“Ed, Buster’s been shot; it’s pretty bad I think. We need to get him to a hospital fast!”
“The State Police are on their way, they’ll have a medic and some first aid kits with them.”
“I don’t think he’s got that long, I stopped the leg wound but he’s got a hole in his gut too!”
“Shoot! That sounds bad, okay I’ll go and see if I can help Buster, you go back to the clearing and get John and someone else. Between the four of us, we should be able to carry him to John’s pick-up and get him down the hill. Get Linda to call 911 and have an ambulance meet us at the bottom.”
An engine started somewhere in the distance and roared loudly as it headed away from them.
“Rosen and Willets!” exclaimed Ed.
“No, just Rosen, Willets is dead. Buster ran him over, literally.”
“Oh, okay well that’s one less arsehole in the world I guess. Right get going George.”
“Follow this track straight back about half a mile, you’ll find Buster, but be careful, he’s got Willets gun.” With no other words, they turned and went in opposite directions as fast as their legs would carry them.
THIRTY-THREE
The Sheriff saw Willets shoot the dumb nigger and get tossed out the way like he was made of tumbleweed or something, but that was fine by him, the old coot was slowing him down anyway. Jeeze, he was as slow as molasses in January and speed was going to be important now. He still didn’t understand how that dumb-assed salesman had found out about the black girl or where she was buried for that matter, but it was too late now, he had to get back to his place, pack and git the hell out of this one whore town. He was still ahead of the game though. He had a secret stash of money, a gun and some clothes in the barn just in case something like this ever happened and if time allows, he knew where Willets’ safe was and the combination to get into the thing. Now that old coot was loaded, but not as half as smart as he thought he was. Just a damn shame he never got to take that librarian bitch up the ass before wringing her scrawny neck, but you never know how things will turn out, he might still get a chance yet. Just gotta get off this damn hill.
By this point, Rosen had reached his Ford Crown Vic. His keys were still in the ignition, he turned the engine on, bashed Willet’s Caddy out of the way as he backed up then spun his car around and rammed his foot down on the gas pedal. The engine protested until he finally grabbed the gear shifter and rammed it into second then third. He wasn’t worried about ruts or potholes now. He banged his head several times as the car bounced out of a dip but he never released the gas pedal until he came close to the end of the first track and he barely slowed for that either. Now on the paved road, he went faster still, looking as far ahead as the headlamps allowed. He was coming out of the hills and onto one of the main county roads. His frequent looks in the rear-view mirror told him that he wasn’t being followed, yet, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. He was coming up to the left turn to take him towards the rail crossing. The car fish-tailed as he took it at speed, jerking the wheel around viciously but he kept the pedal to the metal throughout. Now it was just a straight run back through town to his place.
“Oh craps, what now!” he exclaimed as he looked ahead. A few miles off in the distance he saw the flashing red and blue lights of an emergency vehicle, or maybe more than one. If it was Hodiak his deputy it was no problem, he would just order him to turn around and head back to the station because he had already sorted out the issue. He didn’t trust the numbnuts monkey as his moral compass was set rigidly north, and he was a Polack to boot. No way was he ever going to be invited to be part of the brotherhood. But from this distance, he couldn’t be sure. He doused the lights on the car but kept going at full speed, just making out the center line on the blacktop. His options were running out as he flew passed a small clump of trees and thicket on the right. He hammered his right foot down on the brake and was forcing the gear lever into reverse before the car had become stationary. Tires squealed as he reversed a hundred yards up the road then back into first gear and pulled the car down off the road onto the rutted, dusty earth of the ploughed field behind the trees. He put the car in neutral so he could take his foot off the brake pedal and extinguish the brake lights but kept the engine running. He had to wait less than a minute before an ambulance came speeding by with lights flashing but no sirens on. In a moment it had gone and was just a colorful blur in Rosen’s rearview mirror. He waited another long thirty seconds then selected first gear and started towards the road but no sooner than he had got the Crown Vic into motion than he jammed his foot on the brake, got it back into reverse and put it back behind the trees. Ahead of him he saw a small cavalcade of more flashing lights that had just bridged the mound where the rail tracks crossed the road. They were away off but getting closer quickly and this was the only cover he could see. He sat patiently as the lights came towards him. Instinctively he ducked down as four Police Dodge Chargers, two vans and another EMT wagon raced passed his place of concealment. They never slowed, just kept going straight on down the road. Again he waited for another half a minute then bounced the car back onto the road and hit the gas back towards Ludlow. He couldn’t help but smile to himself, he knew he was going to make a clean getaway and leave these dumb shmucks sniffing around their own backsides looking for clues. He hit the gas harder then shifted into top gear.
THIRTY-FOUR
“Urgh, I think I just found something.” said the taller of the two men digging. John moved closer to the hole in the ground and was joined by Linda as he shone the torchlight down. The beam clearly illuminated a lock of blonde hair.
“Put the spades down and use your hands now; I don’t want her damaged any more than she is already.” Linda said to the two diggers. They didn’t move, they just looked up at John and Linda in shock. John pulled back the bolt on his hunting rifle and pointed it directly at the man who had found the girl.
“Do it now, before I decide I don’t need you two anymore and do it myself.”
The two men looked at each, nodded and dropped to their knees. The hole was now wide enough that they could work side by side. They started scooping out big clumps of clay-like earth from around where the hair showed through and threw it behind them. Within seconds a pale face appeared through the muck, the face of a little girl. She looked as she did before when Ed and Linda had found her, as if she were just sleeping, with hardly any decay at all. The clay-like soil had preserved them as if they had been mummified.
“Don’t touch her, don’t move her,” warned Linda. “Just work down and find her body.”
They did as they were told and started shuffling backwards to clear around the small body grunting with the effort. After just a couple of minutes the girl’s torso, clad in a pretty dress was clearly visible. The shorter of the two men scraped a big lump of clay away from the body’s right arm and as he pulled, a small brown hand and forearm flopped out onto the man’s knee. He screamed and jumped up. The whole group turned to see what was happening, captive and captures alike.
Linda knelt down beside the grave as John poured light over that part of the uncovered body. Linda looked at John and said one word. “Grace!”
Saunders reached Buster in just a few minutes. The big guys head was on his lap as if he were just having an afternoon nap. Ed gently took the barrel of the pistol and pointed it away from both of them then tugged it gently from Buster’s big hands. The metal felt sticky to the touch. Buster’s head came up as he stirred. Even in the near complete darkness under the canopy of trees, the big guy looked smaller and paler than before.