Dreams: Part Two (20 page)

“He’s going to have to wait a while longer. I get first crack at that bastard in the ‘vette.“

“Figured that’s what you’d say. Well, good luck, Colby. But, then, you always did get all the breaks.“ Eddy turned and walked out of the door to where his multicolored old Camaro sat in the drive.

Colby opened the closet door.

“Colby? What are you doing?“ Genuinely alarmed, Diana struggled to get out of the deep sofa.

“Don’t worry, Diana. I’ll be back as soon as I get this settled.“ Colby was hauling his jacket out of the closet as he spoke.

“Where are you going?“ she demanded, seizing the arm of the sofa to lever herself to her feet, “River Road.“

“You can’t. Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t go after that ‘vette by yourself. What do you think you’re going to do?

Have some sort of macho showdown? Colby, you said that whoever was driving that car last summer was probably a little crazy.“

“Don’t worry, Diana,“ Brandon said soothingly as he reached for his own jacket. “I’ll go with Dad.“

Colby swung around to confront his son. He started to argue but something he saw in Brandon’s set expression must have changed his mind. Perhaps it reminded him of himself. Colby nodded brusquely. “Let’s go.“

“Colby, please, listen to me. At least check with Gil Thorp or contact the sheriff’s department. This is police business.“

“No, it’s not,“ Colby said as he dug out his keys. “It’s personal. You’ll be fine here with Specter, honey. Just sit tight.“

He and Brandon were gone before Diana could think of any way to make them see reason. She was left standing at the door with Specter, listening to the sound of her Buick roaring out of the drive.

“When I drive that car the tires never squeal like that. Bunch of idiot, macho males. What am I going to do with them. Specter?“

Specter leaned against her, offering silent comfort, it his muzzle was pointed in the same direction Colby and Brandon had just taken. The dog looked faintly wistful at being left behind.

River Road was a twisting ribbon of darkness that paralleled the snaking black band of water that curved alongside it.

The night was cold, ebony dark and eerily still. Chained Lady Falls was over a mile away from this point, hidden behind the bends and turns of the gorge walls.

Colby eased his foot off the accelerator as he guided the Buick into the empty turnout under the cliff.

“You think we’ll find him?“ Brandon asked.

“Who knows? From what Eddy told me he’s been getting bolder lately. He said the kids have been coming down here to race more frequently and the black ‘vette has been showing up fairly often. With any luck, we’ll snag him tonight.“

“I know this probably isn’t the time to ask but, what exactly are we going to do with him if we do catch him?“

“First, I’m going to beat the crap out of him for what he tried to do last summer. Then I think I’ll hunt up Gil Thorp.

Gil always had a way of seeing that justice got done, even if it was a little off the record.“

“You think we’ll have to run down the ‘vette first?“

“We can’t. Not in this tin can. One of these days I’m going to have to get Diana something with some zip under the hood.“ Colby slid the Buick into the shadow of the looming granite cliff and switched off the engine. He sat contemplating the night for a moment. “Feels like old times.“

Brandon’s teeth flashed in a brief, knowing grin. “Hard to believe you’re an old married man with one grown son and another baby on the way, huh?“

“You’re wrong,“ Colby said. “I don’t have any trouble believing it at all. The reminders are all around me. And I’ll tell you something, kid. I wouldn’t go back. Not for anything.“

“Things are a lot better now?“

“Things are infinitely better now.“ Colby’s mouth curved faintly. “The best they’ve ever been, in fact.“

“I can tell. I’m glad you found Diana.“

“Not half as glad as I am.“

Brandon nodded. “What do we do now?“

“We wait.“

“Where’s Eddy? Why did he take off and let us come out here alone?“

“This isn’t his fight. Eddy tries to keep a low profile. He always has, poor bastard. He’s probably home by now.“

Brandon nodded and unfastened his seat belt. “I know how you feel about wanting to get this dude. Thanks for letting me come along.“

Colby reached up to unsnap the cover of the dome light. “I’m not completely stupid,“ he informed his son as he unscrewed the tiny bulb, “in spite of Diana’s probable opinion to the contrary this evening. I know enough not to turn down reliable help when I can get it. There isn’t anyone else I’d rather have watching my back than you, Brandon.“

“The feeling is mutual.“

“Good. You want to flip a coin to see who gets out of the car to fetch the lug nut wrench?“

“Geez, Dad,“ Brandon’s voice was laced with mocking innocence. “They didn’t teach us how to use a lug nut wrench in that karate class you signed us up for a few years ago.“

“The beauty of a lug nut wrench is that just about any fool can figure out how to use it in a pinch. No special training required.“

The waiting lasted another two hours. It got very cold in the car. Once or twice Colby started the engine and turned on the heater. But mostly he and Brandon just sat talking quietly and waiting. Nothing moved out on River Road.

Colby had about given up when he saw a pair of headlights in the distance. They arced around a curve, disappeared briefly and reappeared much closer.

Brandon stirred in the seat. “Anybody we know?“

“Can’t tell yet. Could be just a kid looking to put his car up against the ‘vette.“

The car cruised slowly toward the falls, skimming along the ribbon of blacktop, its identity hidden behind the glare of its headlights.

And suddenly Colby had a premonition. He’d seen those headlights before. “Get down, Brandon. I don’t want him to catch sight of you in his lights.“

Brandon wedged himself down under the edge of the dash. The approaching lights angled off to the left as the vehicle eased into the parking area. Cold starlight gleamed off a familiar large shape.

Colby draped his arms over the Buick’s steering wheel and watched intently. “Well, hell,“ he finally said. He could feel the surge of adrenaline through his veins.

“Who is it?“ Brandon asked.

“It’s Margaret Fulbrook’s Cadillac.“

“Not the ‘vette? What’s going on, Dad?“

“That’s what I intend to find out. I wonder when Harry the Ox started cruising River Road. When I get out of the car, you slide out on your side. He won’t see your door open because I removed the dome light. But stay out of sight on the far side of the Buick for a while until I see what’s going on.“

“What the hell for?“ Brandon whispered, an angry young male animal spoiling for battle. “You brought me along to back you up.“

“I told you once the only intelligent way to go up against someone like Harry is with a good sucker punch. This time around you’re it. When you get out of the car, take the wrench with you.“

Colby opened the door on his side and got out. Brandon followed suit on the opposite side, staying below the level of the windows. In the darkness, with no dome light to illuminate the small action, Brandon’s movements on the far side of the car were virtually invisible.

Just to make certain Harry’s attention was focused where Colby wanted it to be focused, Colby made himself very obvious. He walked straight up to the window on the driver’s side of the Cadillac. He could see the vague outline of Harry’s beefy shoulders and broad face. Small, mean eyes glittered at him from the shadows. They made Colby think of a rat.

The driver’s window slowly lowered. Colby looked down into the car.

“Things get so boring waiting around for your employer to die that you had to come out here and look for trouble, Harry? What kind of game are you playing these days?“

“One I can win, Savagar.“ Without any warning the barrel of a revolver appeared in the open window. Harry’s vicious smile was just barely visible in the glow of the dashboard lights.

Colby stood unmoving. Now he knew how a highway patrolman felt when he stopped a car for speeding and got a gun in the face instead of a lot of excuses.

“I think I’m beginning to get the picture,“ Colby said softly. He stepped back.

“Are you, Savagar? About time. Sure taken you long enough. Too bad it’s gonna be the last picture you ever see.“

Harry opened the Cadillac’s door and climbed out. The revolver never wavered. The gun gleamed in the icy starlight.

Colby took another step backward. “You want to tell me what this is all about, Harry, old pal?“

“Don’t move, you bastard. You always thought you were real slick, didn’t you? Thought you could keep just out of range and get away with anything. Twenty years ago you almost walked off with the brass ring. But you blew it.

You got into Cynthia Fulbrook’s hot little pants long enough to get her pregnant, but you didn’t get anything out of it except the baby she left you holding. You didn’t get one thin dime out of the Fulbrooks, did you? I told Eddy you weren’t nearly as smart as he always said you were. I told him last summer that things were gonna be different next time.“

“That was a long time ago, Harry.“

“I’m not likely to forget. I wanted her, Savagar. I wanted her real bad. I’d watched her all those years I’d worked for the Fulbrooks. All those years I spent fetchin’ and carryin’ like some slave. I had plans for her. She liked me, you know. Flirted with me. Used to wiggle that little rear of hers whenever she walked past me. She wanted me bad, I could tell.“

“Harry, get real.“

“I
was gonna make sure it was me she had to marry. Her folks liked me. I always did everything they told me to do.

They would have let me marry her if I’d gotten her pregnant. They might not have liked it at first, but they’d have tolerated it. Eventually they’d have made me a real member of the family.“

“Christ, Harry, you’re crazy, you know that?“

“Shut up. I had it all planned. I was gonna become a real Fulbrook. I’d have been in line for all that money. But then you breezed into Cynthia’s life, and she couldn’t resist adding your scalp to all the others on her belt. You were a real prize. The town’s one and only legend. Only this time she made a mistake and got knocked up. The Fulbrooks were gonna take care of that mistake. They had a doctor all lined up. But you talked Cynthia into marrying you, instead.“

“Harry, that was twenty years ago. It’s over. It’s been over for a long time. The Fulbrooks wouldn’t have tolerated you marrying her any more than they tolerated my marrying her.“

“I’d have made them put up with me,“ Harry exploded. “I did everything they told me to do. I did all their dirty work.“

“That doesn’t mean they would have let you marry their one and only daughter.“ Colby almost felt sorry for the man. “As far as they were concerned neither of us would have been good enough for her. And I’ll tell you something else, they weren’t the only ones who felt that way. Cynthia herself didn’t think either of us was good enough for her.“

“She married you.“

“Only because she was confused and scared. When she finally came to her senses and realized what a mess she was in, she jumped in the car and headed back to Mom and Dad. She had no intention of staying married to a guy from the wrong side of the falls.“

“I could have made her stay with me. I wouldn’t have screwed up the way you did. But you’re right. It’s over. I’ve got other plans now, though, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you ruin everything for me a second time, Savagar.“

“What plans, Harry?“ Out of the corner of his eye, Colby saw the shadow moving among deeper shadows.

Brandon was slipping through the darkness, leaving the cover of Diana’s Buick to slide behind the Cadillac on the passenger side.

“Don’t you see?“ Harry raised the barrel of the gun. “There was no one left after Cynthia got killed. No one left to inherit all that money, except me. The old lady changed her will after Cynthia died. She said she planned to leave a lot of money to me because I’d stayed loyal all these years. She said she owed me something. She wasn’t going to leave you or that kid of yours a cent. She hated you. But last summer you came back with your son and wrecked everything.

She started changing her mind the day she met Brandon and saw those goddamned eyes of his.“

Colby stared at him. “You think Margaret Fulbrook was going to leave you all her money? Harry, you’re a bigger fool than I thought.“

“She told me she’d put me in the will, damn you! Oh, she was gonna leave a chunk to the hospital, but I was also going to get some dough. A lot of it. She was grateful to me, you see. I was the only one left. I was the only one who’d take her orders – did what she said, no questions asked. Then she met that boy of yours and all of a sudden she couldn’t talk about nothin’ except her grandson. She went to see a lawyer, and that’s when I knew I had to do something.“

“There’s nothing you can do, Harry. Margaret’s got a mind of her own. You ought to know that by now.“

“You’re wrong, Savagar. There is something I can do. I can get rid of you and the boy. Then there won’t be anyone left again except me. I’ve been thinkin’ about this for months. Ever since last summer, in fact. I started makin’

plans then. I was just gettin’ some ideas together when you suddenly left town and I had to wait. But when old lady Fulbrook went into the hospital with the heart attack night before last, I knew it wouldn’t be long before she sent for you.“

“And you figured this would be your big chance?“

“Damn right. So I got you out here alone. I decided to take care of you first, you see. You’re the one I got to watch, you and your damned sneaky sucker punches. I can handle your kid later.“

“You really think you can kill me and Brandon and get away with it, Harry? Come on. Gil Thorp will be around asking questions before you can blink. And he’ll go straight to that new sheriff.“