Dempster Road

Chapter21

The old truck chugged much slower up the Dempster Road, and Fred scanned both sides and in the mirrors, as he steered with the rifle across his lap and the barrel out the window. The sight of another body on the shoulder of the road gave Fred a shiver of fear. Beyond he could see the farm truck blocking the road north but nothing else.

He climbed out of the truck and went to the body, alarmed to see that it was Barney, and that in spite of some ugly cuts and abrasions, he was breathing. He set the rifle down and rolled Barney onto his back, patting his cheek and calling to him. The familiar sound of Tony's tow truck arriving had him up and running toward the wreckage.

****

Belinda had taken a few whacks from Adelaine when she was forced into the back with Stan's tarp covered body. The horror of the memory of his slashed throat made her gag and she cried until her chest ached. Her face was stinging from the cuts from the mesh divider in the patrol car and her entire body felt achy and years older.

Adelaine seemed completely unaware of events, and it wasn't until Belinda recognized some of the scenery that she realized Adelaine had turned north toward Hurston. She began to force herself to think of a plan, a means of escaping from this deranged woman before she wound up like the others.

The image of Barney bouncing away from the car and onto the road brought another bout of tears and Adelaine suddenly screamed at her to shut up.

When the Hurston Hotel came into view, the wagon slowed and Belinda could see the obvious puzzlement on Adelaine's face; she really didn't know where she was. She pulled into the parking lot and sat staring at the building; Belinda stayed quiet and didn't move. Adelaine pressed her fingertips to her temples and made a soft moaning sound, wagging her head back and forth.

When she looked up her eyes found Belinda in the mirror, and she smiled.

"We're here. Sorry it took so long to get the car checked." She shut off the engine and climbed out, opening the rear door and offering Belinda her hand. Belinda hesitated and then realized that this might be her only chance, and she held out hers and exited from the wagon.

"What's that? You want to bring that inside?"

Belinda froze as Adelaine leaned in to look at the tarp covering Stan. Adelaine's hand holding the keys was supporting her on the frame as she looked inside, and all in one swift move, Belinda snatched them from her fingers and shoved Adelaine into the wagon, then she turned and made a dash for the hotel doors.

Emily came from behind the desk, her face a study in panicky surprise. "Miss Talltree! What the devil--"

"Lock the door! She's out there! She's killed the doctor and maybe the sheriff!" Belinda was holding the door shut as she screamed at Emily, and the shattering of the window beside her face increased the volume as she staggered away, holding her bleeding cheek where shards of glass had peppered her face.

Emily ducked and ran to the door, slamming the night bolts home and dragging the opaque window coverings over the glass.

"Get into the kitchen," she yelled. "Quick!"

The two women darted through the dining room and into the kitchen shutting and barring the door. Emily did the same with the rear door, and then she went to a cupboard and pulled out a twin-barrelled shotgun and a handful of shells.

"Get on that phone and call your Dempster office, we're gonna need some help."

****

Tony helped Fred carry Barney to Fred's truck then ran back and speedily hauled the bear and the wrecked car to the side of the road so that traffic could pass ,and then he drove down and hauled the patrol car to a safer place off the roadway and waited until Fred drove up with a groggy Barney slouched in the passenger seat of his truck.

"Hop in here, Tony, I'm deputizin' you to help me an' the sheriff."

"What am I supposed to do? I don't know nuthin' about deputy'n."

"Then you're in luck; you got the best teacher – me. Now get in here."

Tony climbed in and helped prop Barney up as Fred gunned the old truck back down the Dempster Road. "How do you know where they went?"

"Well they didn't pass me on the way here, how about you?"

"Nope."

"Then they could only have headed for Hwy. 6."

"Yeah but then what? They coulda gone north or south."

"We'll make that decision when we get there."

Barney groaned, and his eyes opened momentarily then he sagged sideways into Tony. "There's a part bottle o' warm water in the glove compartment. See if he can get some down."

Tony popped the door and took out the bottle, unscrewing the cap and holding it to Barney's lips. He stirred and turned away, then a hand came up and weakly supported the bottle as he took a small swallow.

"Barney? Can ya hear me?" Tony held the bottle for him and watched as the Sheriff shook himself back into focus. "Are ya okay?"

"Where- what happened?" He rubbed his face and winced from the stings of scratches from the roadway. "Fred? What the hell are you doin' down here?"

"Rescuin' you, Barney. Somethin' I seemed to have to do every now and then." The older man turned a teasing smile on the sheriff. "We're headin' to Six to see if we can pick up the Doc's wagon."

Barney suddenly felt his mind clear some, and he sat up, chest aching and sore from a number of other cuts and scrapes. "Where's Doc?"

"Sorry Barney, he's gone. Run over like some piece o' road kill."

"Oh Jesus . . ."

"Yer car's all whacked up too. Busted windshield and a blown tire."

"What about Belinda and the Curtis woman?" He was focusing more each minute and his mind began to churn.

"That's why we're headin' this way. They never passed Tony or me so they hadda come this way."

Barney looked down at his feet and frowned. "What the hell is that?"

"My old radio. Found it in the office cupboard."

"Does it work?" He picked it up and hit the switch, listening to the static hum.

"Give her a try."

"Stella? This is Barney, do you read, over?"

"BARNEY!" Her voice came over like an explosion, and he whipped it away from his ear.

"Jesus, is there a volume control on this thing?"

Fred reached over and pointed and then chuckled as Barney began his explanation to Stella. He didn't get far before he pressed his ear to the phone and listened to her frantic report. Belinda had called from the Hurston Hotel and she and the owner were trapped in the kitchen. The Curtis woman was outside shooting at them.

"What about other guests?" Barney managed to squeeze in between her flurry of words.

"Belinda says the place is empty right now. Just a couple of cleaning staff people, and they don't know where they are at the moment."

"Call her back and tell her we'll be there in about fifteen minutes." He clicked off and looked at Fred. "You hear that, Deputy, fifteen minutes," he groaned and held a hand to his chest.

"You're the Sheriff, Fred said, tramping down on the gas pedal and feeling the old truck shudder forward, parts rattling and banging ominously.