Blue Macabre Page 9

  “Right. That’s one thing I love about you, your total honesty.”

  She straightened up and grinned. “Maybe it’s the uniform.”

  “I can take it off.”

  “I want you to.”

  “I will.” He chuckled.

  “Have they located Beisner yet?”

  “They hadn’t when I left the Post late this afternoon. I’m sure he’ll probably be difficult. If I were him, I wouldn’t wait around. Look for a non-extradition state. A lot of people liked Sally and she was especially friendly with all the cops. If we get a fix, he’ll need to be digging a deep fucking hole big enough for him and that bike of his.” As an afterthought he added, “I haven’t told Andy yet – they went to the beach this afternoon. No sense in wrecking their evening.”

  Cougar, Washington is a tiny town located in the southern foothills of Mt. St. Helens. It gained notoriety during the 1980 eruption due to its proximity to a volcanic neighbor. It offered little except a few tourist motels and shops. Besides its jewel-like setting, its main redeeming feature was a small restaurant on the south side of the highway predictably named Mountainwood Inn. The cuisine consisted of giant cheeseburgers, curly fries, slabs of steak, football-sized baked potatoes, and ice-cold beer served in frosted mugs. Dave ordered the last three items for them both, the owner smiling as he patted Dave’s shoulder.

  The interior of the place was as rough as its remote location. The walls were hand cut slab wood from a local mill, the carpet threadbare, the counter top and stools left over from the Ice Age. Fastened to the walls and ceiling were hats of every description, model airplanes, and vintage chainsaws. Scattered about the counters stood locally made toy logging trucks. The walls were hung with photos and amateur paintings of the fateful day their neighbor blew her mountainous stack. Spanning the backside of the ‘dining room’ was a handmade wooden bar, fashioned from stripped and polished tree trunks; taller stumps served as stools. A tiny dance floor and archaic juke box were tucked away in a far corner. A niche near the cash register held more Mt. St. Helens memorabilia – nothing was sacred, everything for sale – from music boxes glazed with volcanic ash to baggies filled with authentic eruptives.

  Dave and Kim loved it. The steaks had quite a reputation for quality and quantity. They shared a pitcher of beer as their meal cooked; several loggers and area toughs, some of who knew Dave on a professional basis, hung by the bar.

  “I did have one interesting thing happen today,” Dave mumbled, his mouth full of potato. “As I was coming off shift I stopped at the Village Grocery.” He paused to swallow. “The cashier nearly fell over herself to tell me Sally had been seen in there with Jenny’s brother Chris.” He poured them each another mug.

  “Was that supposed to be suspicious?”

  “Nah, probably just sinister.” They both laughed.

  “Do you know him?”

  “No – haven’t met him yet, Andy said he just came into town.”

  “If he was with Sally, he was probably doing his good deed for the day.”

  “A real mercy fuck.” They laughed harder.

  After dinner they drove back to Silver Lake. Dave used his key on Andy’s glass door and they made themselves at home on the couch. She crossed her legs and her short, tight skirt rode high on her thigh. He settled back into the upholstery; she turned to him, unbuttoned his shirt, and began to massage his neck with a loving touch. He pulled her onto his lap. “Dance?” he asked.

  He was happy to see his friend remembered to change the sheets.

  She laughed at him as he performed his Bigfoot routine – one of her favorites. “Here, woman,” he growled. She lay on her back, looking up at him and giggling as he straddled her. “Me Bigfoot. You BigPussy.”

  “Okay, Bigfoot. Show BigPussy what Bigfoot got.” They laughed together, and he almost lost his balance, grabbing hold of Andy’s headboard to steady himself. As he did, something outside caught his eye as he glanced out the window. He froze in mid-motion and said “What the fuck.”

  She was startled by his sudden terseness and wriggled out from beneath him. “What?” He remained kneeling, looking out the window, his dick now limp.

  “Fuck. I just saw all of the windows in Jenny’s house light up.”

  “No fucking way!” She giggled, but then sat up as he continued to stare out the window.

  “Yes, way. Seriously. Strangest damned thing.”

  She pinched him on the butt. “You sure you’re not just kidding?”

  “Fuck no. Look!” He pointed.

  She rose up on her knees and held on to the headboard beside him. Her eyes grew wide as they watched Jenny’s windows develop a faint blue glow.

  “What the hell is that?” she whispered.

  “I don’t have a fucking clue. Come on, babe, let’s get dressed. Better go take a look.” They jumped from the bed and quickly threw on their clothes.

  Stepping out on Andy’s deck together, Kim stayed close and peered from behind Dave’s shoulder at the great room windows of Jenny’s house, a soft blue light filtering through the glass. He drew his service revolver and they edged down the steps to the grass between the houses. “Stay close.”

  “You’re not losing me!”

  They crept toward the kitchen door, but as they got closer the glow seemed to be brighter at the other end of the house. “Stay with me.” She clutched his arm tightly.

  They rounded the corner and saw the guest room window was indeed ablaze, the grass and shrubbery below glistening with blue shimmers. They stayed as close to the wall as the bushes would allow, and as they were able to see into the room through the glass their faces were painted with iridescence. Nothing was visible to them except the brilliance. Shadows from the open louvered shutters inside the window frame striped their faces, mouths agape.

  They both jumped as the shutters snapped shut.

  Chapter Nine

  Jenny snuggled into her down coat, tugging on the sleeves to cover her hands. The breeze coming across the surf nipped at her face. The fire blazed and crackled as they lounged around it; Trooper was hidden from view beneath the pickup, content with treats of chicken remnants and larger bones. Jenny rose and dusted herself off, went to the pickup and fetched an extra coat she’d brought. She handed it to Karin. “This might feel pretty good.” She sat back down and Andy snuggled with her in their blanket.

  A bit later, Chris stood up, brushing sand away and tucking Karin into their blanket. “I’ll be back in a bit.” His eyes were sad.

  Karin looked up at him. “Don’t you want us to come with you?”

  He shook his head and held his hand up to her. “No, I’ll be okay. I’ll be back soon.” He stepped over to the truck and carefully removed the urn from the back seat.

  “You sure,” asked his sister.

  “Really, I’m okay. Don’t worry.” He turned away from the fire. They watched as he made his way down the beach, clutching the urn in his arms, his figure gradually fading away into the dark.

  The moon cast its beams across the waves, the water liquid sapphire with crystal caplets. The colors of the sand and the beach grasses melded into vague shadows, the softness soothing him as he followed the edge of the surf. He watched as headlights of a van passed by and then headed for the vehicle access, the body of the van trailing a dark shadow. He looked up and down the beach and could see no other people or cars. He continued walking until he could no longer see his own campfire, and all within his field of vision was shadow.

  He turned to face the ocean, and pressed the urn to his breast. Breeze chilled the tears on his cheeks. He gently removed the top of the vase, closed his eyes, and with one sweeping motion let loose the ashes of his wife and beloved child. He felt the tiny particles caress his skin; a brief gust across the water swirled them around him. He let the urn slip from his fingers and drop to the sand, and walked away from the water. Sitting on the beach, his back against an enormous weathered log lying half-buried in the sand, he watched silently as t
he ocean glistened with moonlight.

  The windows of Jenny’s house were dark and black.

  The glare of headlights signaled the departure of their last neighbor from the beach. Surf and sand remained shadowy and obscure around them. As if she’d just recalled something long forgotten, Jenny craned her neck to look around from her vantage point near the truck. She’d gotten up to grab a soda. “Andy, what time is it? How long has he been gone?” Her two questions were in the same breath, and she peered through the darkness, trying to see up and down the beach. Karin stood and brushed off sand, shaking out her blanket.

  Andy pushed a button to illuminate his watch. “He’s been gone almost an hour – doesn’t seem possible. Seems like he just left. You see him anywhere?”

  “No, I don’t. Do you?” Karin looked in all directions, the shoreline of grass shapeless and obscure. “Matter of fact, I can’t see much of anything at all.”

  “Didn’t he head north? We can load up and drive that way.” Andy drained his beer and dropped it into the trash sack.

  Jenny helped him pick up the rest of their things and shake off sand. “I know he’s not my little brother anymore – I know he’s grown with his own set of problems. But I still feel like I have to look out for him – especially now.”

  “What about the fire?” Karin picked up the oven rack that had been set aside to cool and pulled a black trash sack over it. She wedged it behind the cab.

  “Let’s leave it going until we find him,” said Andy. He stowed the blankets and weighted them. “Since it’s gotten so dark, it’ll give us a marker back to the road access.” He waved toward the shadowy cleft in the beach head.

  The girls brushed some final sand from their jeans and boots as they climbed in. Andy secured Trooper in the bed of the truck with his leash, not gambling on having to chase after a black dog on a dark night. He headed the truck north and put it in 4WD Low, letting it pull itself along so they would be able to stop easily without fear of burying it to the axles. The tide had started coming back in, and the same spots over which he’d easily driven that afternoon were now shifting underneath his tires. His wheels behaved as if they preferred to sink rather than spin. The edge of the surf would soon stretch out fluid fingers to grasp the majority of the beach.

  Andy kept one eye on the odometer as Jenny and Karin anxiously peered through the windshield and the open side windows. They passed no other people or vehicles. Jenny held her neck stiffly as she tried to spot something recognizable in the darkness. The gauge below the odometer rolled three miles at the same time Karin cried “There he is!” and pointed straight ahead. Andy cautiously sped up – and Karin gasped as they reached Chris and illuminated him with the headlights.

  He was absolutely drenched, sitting cross-legged by the drifted tree, the edge of the surf having advanced to the point where incoming ripples washed over him. Hair dripping, face bright red with cold, he sat as a stone and stared at nothing. Jenny jumped from the truck and was first to his side, alarmed as she touched his frigid skin. “CHRIS!” she cried, trying to shake him.

  Andy rushed to his other side, and with the girls helping managed to get him on his feet. He seemed to snap out of it a bit and he looked at them through bleary eyes. “Hey,” he said weakly. They half carried him to the side of the truck, Andy managing to hold him upright as Jen and Karin wrapped the blankets around him. His head lolled on his neck.

  “Chris!” Jenny rubbed his face and chafed his shoulders. “Chris?” He looked at her for a moment in full recognition and tried to speak, but all that came out was the incessant chattering sound from his teeth. Andy grabbed him and began to jostle him into the front seat. “Let’s get going. We’ve got to get him home and out of these clothes and warm him up. Help me here.”

  Together they positioned him, wedging the blankets in around his feet and shoulders. Jenny and Karin climbed into the back seat, as Andy jumped in and turned on the heater full blast. He piloted toward the speck of the campfire’s glow. He drove cautiously, as the sand bed continued to soften with the incoming tide. Chris shivered constantly; Jenny leaned toward the front and put her hands on his shoulders to comfort him. As they reached their former campsite Andy stopped and jumped out, kicking damp sand over the low flames and embers which quickly extinguished. He got back in, heading for the narrow vehicle access. They breathed a common sigh of relief as the wheels grabbed pavement. Andy pushed the 2WD-high button and sped to the highway.

  They made one brief stop to purchase hot coffee from a convenience store. Familiar with the roads from years of patrols, Andy pushed his truck to the limits of the curvy highway.

  In their distress, they’d failed to notice the faint blue glow that remained in the sand where Chris had been sitting.

  It slowly faded away and joined the darkness.

  Andy coasted to a stop in Jenny’s driveway and helped the girls out of the back. He went around to the passenger side to assist Chris, who was still shivering and having some trouble. Jenny unlocked the kitchen door and they helped carry him to his room, flipping on lights as they went, Chris leaning heavily on Andy.

  Karin helped him out of his wet denim jacket and sweatshirt, at which point with hand signals he wordlessly insisted she leave the room so he could get out of the rest of his clothes on his own. She placed her palm on his neck and forehead, feeling for fever, and said “I’m gonna go make you some hot tea, okay?” He squeezed her hand weakly, sat down on the bed, and closed his eyes without further comment. She turned on the baseboard heater in his room to ward off chills.

  As she walked back into the kitchen, Andy had started a pot of coffee and was getting out mugs. Jenny was hugging Rebecca. “Thanks so much for all your help. What a night.”

  Karin looked in the pantry for tea bags. “He’s getting into bed – I just want to take him some tea. Sometimes tea sits better in your stomach.” She placed a mug of water to heat in the microwave.

  Jenny bent down to let the cat go, and Andy held her close for a moment and then steered her toward the table. “Come sit and get some more hot coffee in you. I don’t want you turning sick on me too.” He gathered the cups and joined her. Rebecca jumped to her lap and refused to be dislodged, purring as Jenny stroked her back and tail.

  “I never thought something like this would happen, even with the problem of Donna,” Jenny said as she sipped her coffee.

  Karin removed the heated water and dropped in a tea bag, dunking it. She added some sugar and listened.

  “I see lots of problems – not always like this, of course – but others, and worse,” said Andy. He reached out to Jenny’s hand. “Do you have any idea what caused the accident? Does he feel guilty?”

  Jenny picked up the cat and held her to her shoulder as a mother holds her infant. “I just don’t know. I really wasn’t that close to Donna – seems like I never had much of a chance. She and Chris spent all their time together before they actually married – but they were always gone somewhere. Never hung around the house much. After they moved away he and I talked on the phone – but I never went to see them.” She looked at Andy, puzzled. “You know, I don’t think I was ever invited, anyhow.” The cat turned her face to Jenny and licked her neck gently, an expression of pet therapy. Her tail swung back and forth, brushing Jenny’s legs.

  “I wish I had answers for you. It’s just something he’s going to have to work through.”

  Karin said, “I’m gonna take this to him and see if he needs anything.” She headed down the hall. Andy watched her leave, and as Jenny reached for her cup the cat sprang from her lap.

  He finished his coffee. “I’m going home now so you can get to bed and get some rest. After tonight I think we all need some.”

  “You sure? You don’t have to leave.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t forget you – love you.” She walked him out.

  He left his truck in her drive, and unleashed Trooper and watched him vanish around the corner of Jenny’s house. Crossing the yards, he
lugged the ice chest up onto his deck. Stuck on the glass door was a note signed by Dave. It asked Andy to call him when they got in, no matter how late. As he unlocked the door the dog reappeared and they went inside. Andy switched on his living room light as he reached for his phone. It beeped at him before he could dial; he retrieved a voice mail from Dave identical to his note.

  Andy dialed, and after several rings Dave answered in a raspy voice. “We just got home. What’s up?”

  “Hey Jack – sorry, I dropped off here on the couch.”

  “Anything wrong?”

  “Shit happens, and there’s been tons today for some reason. Can you meet me at Pete’s?”

  “Yeah, forty-five minutes? I still got too much sand on me.”

  Andy hopped into the shower. Quickly free of the beach and in clean clothes, he put out fresh food and water for the dog and left for Castle Rock.