Coming Home (Norris Lake Series) (24 page)

Out of breath, her lungs burning, she stopped and wrapped her arms around the trunk of a tree.  She leaned her cheek against the rough wet bark.  Resting she could hear her heart beating against the walls of her chest.  “Crash. Crash. Crash.”  There was sound of someone moving through the woods toward her.  She leaned her head back, took a deep breath and pushed herself away from the tree and scrambled up the hill.  The trees were as thick as weeds in an untended garden. 

She pushed and pulled herself up from trunk to trunk trying to make her way up the 60 degree grade.  Her feet slid in the wet leaves and she fell to her knees several times sliding backward down the hill.  Grabbing the bottom of a nearby tree she stopped her descent and pulled herself up behind its spreading roots.  Exhaustion began to set in making her arms and mind numb. 

Suddenly, a gray form crashed through the trees into view.  Caitlyn could barely see it through the pouring rain.  It wasn’t a man at all, but something that looked like a huge ape or no....maybe a dog.  Walking on all fours it shuffled forward and then stood up on its back legs sniffing the air.  Though it looked like an animal, she had a feeling that it was human, but not completely human.  As it turned its head toward her she could sense it looking towards her, its eyes filled with hate.  All she knew was that she had to get away.  A whole new surge of adrenalin flowed through her veins.

On her hands and knees, she turned frantically crawling up the hill as the sounds behind her grew louder.  As she neared the top of the hill, she stood up and stepped on a mossy pathway.  There was an instant when she realized that the foothold was a mistake.  In slow motion her foot slipped off of the wet moss and she landed heavily on the ground.  Her mind screamed in protest as she slid down the hill.  She reached out with her hands trying to grasp passing branches and trees.  Digging her nails into the leaves and dirt, she couldn’t stop herself.  Behind her the sounds of pursuit grew louder until they echoed in her ears like the thunder that boomed overhead. 

Tumbling down the hill her mind screamed in terror and she squeezed her eyes shut against the impending doom.  The wind blew across her face while the raindrops dotted her face.  "Sssstzzzz"  a flash of lighting erupted through the sky. 

"Bark.  Bark..   Bark" the sound was out of place.  "Bark.  Bark.  Rrrruff."

"Pattycake?" Caitlyn cried opening her eyes and looking wildly around.  One of the French doors swung open banging against the edge of a rocking chair.  A light rain whipped through the opening onto her bed.  Flash the lighting exploded in light against the clouds.  Sweat and rain had soaked her pajamas.  One. Two. Three. "Kaboom,” the thunder shook the window panes and rattled them like an earthquake might. 

"Oh, Patty!  It was a horrible nightmare.”  Hugging the puppy-dog close to her chest, she buried her nose in Patty’s warm black fur.  She could feel the dog’s heartbeat pound as she squeezed.  Patty looked up at her with brown eyes and licked her face.  "I’ve got to close that door, baby,” she said setting Patty on the bed, flipping on her bedside lamp, and then shuffling across the floor to shut and lock the door.  "Boy, this floor is wet.  I’d better get this up or it may ruin it." Caitlyn continued talking to herself.  She stepped into the bathroom grabbed a towel and dropped it onto the floor.  Standing on the towel she mopped up the water and tossed it back into the tub. 

"Rrrrrr.  Rrrrrr." Patty growled. 

"What is it?" Caitlyn said pulling her gray pajama top off and then peeling the pants down around her ankles.  She pulled open a dresser drawer and selected a pink flannel nightgown.  Climbing back into bed, she leaned over and snapped off the light. 

"Rrrrr. Bark." Patty climbed onto the pillow backing against the wall.  Caitlyn looked around the room and spotted the closet door ajar.  For a moment, Caitlyn hesitated the nightmare lingering at the edge of her sensible side which reminded her that it had been just a dream. 

Striding purposefully across the room, she reached for the doorknob.  As she reached for it the door swung open.   Startled, Caitlyn screamed backing toward her bed.  In the darkness, she saw the huge form from her dream staring at her from the doorway.  Its red eyes flickered and it shuffled towards her.  The air soured like spoiled milk. 

"Patty come here," Caitlyn screamed.  The little dog scurried across the bed and up onto one of the shelves of the headboard.  Caitlyn lunged towards Patty grabbing her by a forepaw and dragging her back across the bed.  Lying prone, Caitlyn turned her head towards the monster.  Its long almost-human arms reached for her, the finger nails on the hands curling back upon themselves.  She grabbed the blankets and pulled them over both her and the dog.  Clenching her eyes shut, she pressed her face into the bed tucking Patty beneath her.   A pair of hands gripped her arms dragging her from the bed. 

"I’ll kill you, bitch." a familiar voice screamed  as the thunder crashed.  Trying to move she realized that her arms were pinned against her side.  She opened her eyes.  There was no beast....no monster.  Patty lay nestled against her side on top of the quilt pinning her arms underneath the covers. 

"Oh my God!  What a nightmare," she sighed.    "I don’t know if I can go through this again.  Please let me be awake this time," pleading with the lord.  Her heart beat thumped and droplets of sweat ran down her chest.  "Patty....Patty....move,” she said pushing the little dog off the blanket.  Patty looked around at Caitlyn, yawned and rolled on to her back to have her stomach rubbed.  Caitlyn sat up the edges of the dream threatening on the edges of her memory.  "What did I eat before I went to bed?" she asked herself.  "Lord, she said looking at the sky "I won’t ever eat peanut butter, mayonnaise and dill pickles ever again.  Boy do I promise that.  Not if it makes dreams like that one.  Geez. What was that anyway?  A werewolf?" 

Caitlyn swung her legs off the edge of the bed and sat there for a moment catching her breath.  The tears flowed until they became dry sobs.  Exhausted, she leaned over towards the nightstand and fumbled for the switch.  The light spread and she looked intently into every corner of the room.  The rain still tapped against the window panes as the thunderstorm endured.  The closet door stood slightly ajar, with who knows what lying in wait. 

"There is no way that I am tempting fate, or another nightmare.  Come on Patty,” she said grabbing a pillow and the edge of the quilt.  Patty yawned and leaped off the bed following her out of the bedroom.  "We’re sleeping downstairs from now on with the lights on.   Caitlyn padded down the staircase stopping to slide the safety chain into place on the front door.   She even avoided looking out the windows in case something out there might be peeking in.

Chapter 22

“Hell, who is that coming up the drive?” Robert Tarlington grumbled as he sat in the easy chair in front of the new big screen TV.  He couldn’t really turn around easily given that he was still in both a leg and arm cast.  Homebound recuperation was as easy for him as being a porcupine in a balloon factory.   A gregarious, social individual, he wasn’t used to sitting still much less corralled into a single space with his housekeeper, Camille, acting as a prison warden. 

Camille was a large black woman with the look of Queen Latifah and the attitude of Nurse Cratchet.  Her skin was a dark chocolate and she had light green eyes. Speaking in a slight French accent that belied her Creole heritage, she stood in the kitchen making him a lunch of salmon with ginger sauce and tossed Caesar salad.  Looking out the kitchen doorway, she kept a hawk eye making sure he didn’t try to get up and move around.  

Across from Robert, Caitlyn sat at her father’s computer sifting through financial statements and project plans, taking a minute to make sure the old man was all right and keeping him apprised of the status of their venture.

Hearing Robert grumble and the crunch of the gravel out front, Camille wiped her hands on a yellow towel tucking it into her starched white apron.  Putting her hands to her hair to make sure it was still snuggly captured in the bun at the back of her head she smoothed her collar and walked toward the front door not waiting for the door bell

“Youze stays right theres, Mr. Bob.  I’ll gets the door.”

Opening the door, she welcomed the young man into the house.  “Wipe your feet, young’un.  What’s youze name and I will let them knows you here?”

The young man smiled and handed her a business card.

She looked at it for a moment. “Okay, honey.  One moment.  She walked away holding the card in her hand.”

“Mr. Bob, Miss Caitlyn, there’s a Mr. Stephen Kane in the hallway to see youse.  Here’s his card.”  She handed the card to Robert Tarlington.  “I’ll go get some food and drink.”  She stepped out into the hallway and gestured to the visitor.  “Boy, come here and set a spell,” she said pointing to a blue straight back chair across from Mr. Tarlington’s easy chair.

Stephen Kane lowered himself into the chair as instructed and sat back folding his hands in his lap. 

Mr. Tarlington reached to his right and moved the lever on the easy chair so he was in the sitting position, one casted arm laying on the armrest and a casted leg on the floor.  Caitlyn looked up from her work and clicked Ctrl-Alt-Delete then locked the computer.  She turned her chair towards Stephen and her father. 

“What do you want here Mr. Kane?” Caitlyn said in a short terse voice.

“Caitlyn,” Mr. Tarlington said in a rough whisper.  “Mind your manners, girl.  He’s a guest in my house and you’ll treat him with courtesy.” 

“Mr. Kane.  You’ve come into my home for a purpose.   I give you the courtesy of hearing what you have to say.  What can I do for you?”

“Mr. Tarlington. Thank you for accepting me into your home.  I won’t take up too much of your time.  Caitlyn, you are looking especially beautiful today.  I hope you are doing well.”

“I can’t believe you have the gall to come into this house and speak to me after what you tried to do.”  

“Why, Ms. Lawson, what do you mean?” he said with a wink in her direction.

Camille walked into the room with a silver tray containing a pitcher of cold ice tea and a plate of cucumber and chicken salad finger sandwiches.  “I hope you have an appetite.  I’z made these special from my granny’s recipe. They be real good.” 

“Thank you Camille,” Mr. Tarlington said.  “That will be all.”

Camille leaned down next to Mr. Tarlington’s chair and whispered. “Hrumph. Don’t you dismiss me in that way.  You’d better stay in that chair Mr. Bob.  If Iz comes out and you are moved, I will have your hide.  You may be actin all high and mighty in front your guest, but you knows you’re fraid of what I will dooze to you.  Now stays put.” 

Standing up, she moved away from the group.  “Yes sir, Mr. Bob.  Anything youze say,” she said for the benefit of her larger audience.  Wagging her finger at Mr. Tarlington, she left the room.

Caitlyn waited for Camille to leave the room.  “Let’s speak bluntly, Mr. Kane.  You tried to have my father killed and then me.  You had someone try to force me off the road. You weren’t successful. You want this condo project to fail so you can purchase the interest out from under my father and force us into bankruptcy.  It’s vengeance you want Mr. Kane and you know it.” 

“Now, now, Caitlyn.  You don’t know that it was Mr. Kane who was behind these incidents.  Mr. Kane, what is it that you want from us?”

“I want you to sell me the condos.  I will take over the project and your contract as it sits.  I will make sure you realize a fair profit.  It will ensure the project is done on time and you will not only be able to forestall bankruptcy but also to make let’s say 10% profit.  It’s a fair deal and Caitlyn, I had nothing to do with your so-called accident.  You can take my word for that.”

“I can’t take your word for anything, Mr. Kane.  To me your word isn’t worth spit.  You’re probably lying.”

“Now Caitlyn, temper. We don’t know that he was involved.”  He waved asking her to come towards him.  As she leaned down over him, he whispered.  “Sit quietly and hold your tongue, child and let’s see where the serpent goes.”  Turning once more towards Stephen he continued. “Why would I want to sell you my property when I am full capable of finishing this project on time, on target and on budget?  With that, I stand to make much more than a 10% profit.”

“Sir, I respect you, but it’s not you managing the project.  Given the recent history associated with the property and the threats on your family, you may not have a viable project manager.” 

“Are you trying to tell me something, Mr. Kane?”

“No Mr. Tarlington.  I don’t know anything for certain.  Let’s talk plainly.  Caitlyn did before and now so will I.  I know that you don’t see me as an honorable man because of what happened with your son and my sister.  I don’t have a vendetta planned.  I left that incident in the past long ago.  All I want is to be successful both for myself and what’s left of my family.”

Caitlyn seethed sitting silently. 

Robert Tarlington reached forward for a cucumber sandwich and watched the TV while eating it.  “Have some Mr. Kane.  They are very good.” 

Stephen reached for a sandwich tasting it and taking a long swallow of tea.  “Yes, very tasty.”

Caitlyn, have some. 

“No thank you.  I seem to have lost my appetite.”

“Temperamental.  All women are temperamental.  Hard to live with and even harder to understand them.  Seems they were more black and white, simpler when I was a young man,” Mr. Tarlington reminisced. “Well, Mr. Kane.  You have two choices.  There is a Tennessee football game coming on in about ten minutes.  I can’t make the decision to sell in that amount of time.  It’s something that I would have to stew on.  You can stay and watch the game with me or you can go and come back by for my answer.  Right now I have a pre-game to watch.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, picked up her papers and in a huff walked out of the room, muttering something unfavorable about the male species.

As she left through the door way making her way upstairs, Stephen turned to Mr. Tarlington.  “I haven’t seen a good UT game in a while in fact.  I think UT and Alabama are playing today.  It should be a good match up.  If you can have Camille make some more sandwiches and rustle up a couple of beers, I think I will stay and watch the game.” 

Mr. Tarlington smiled at the young man and nodded his head.  “You’re right.  We need some man food and drink here.”  Camille, he yelled.  “Come here.”

Camille stuck her head around the corner of the door jamb.  “What is it youze want?”

“Nachos. Beer.  Hot dogs.  That would be a good start.  Give your husband a call.  He can come join us.   Get to it woman.”

“Yes, sir,” she said with a smile.