Fractured Eden (17 page)

                                         
Chapter 29

Constable Greevy locked his briefcase in his car, and then he and the other two officers searched around outside the Taggett’s house. They inspected two large garbage cans and sifted through several piles of trash at the edge of the back yard. While walking along the perimeter of the yard, Keller came across a small trailhead between two trees.

Keller motioned to the other officers. “Let’s go in. Stay alert. Race Taggett is dangerous.” They headed off into the pines along a narrow trail that traveled in the general direction of the path that Keller had followed the day before to find Valerie bound and gagged.

I’ll bet Race has used this trail
, Keller thought.

By his watch, they’d walked for about twenty minutes when they came to an intersecting path. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and he wiped his burning eyes with a handkerchief to clear his vision.

This looks like the same trail I found yesterday.

They turned on the path in a direction away from the road that ended at the Taggett’s house. Soon Keller came to the familiar clearing with the tent and campfire pit. He stopped and listened and heard nothing sinister. The officers looked inside the tent and around the periphery of the clearing. They were alone.

Near the tree to which Valerie had been chained was another small trailhead. Keller merged into the trees and followed this new trail about twenty yards to another clearing, larger than the first one. He stopped and caught his breath. Along the perimeter of the clearing were three trees with chains around their trunks, and the ground had been disturbed in the middle of the clearing. He winced at the smell of rotten meat.

Looks like two graves.
Cupping his hand to his mouth, Keller turned and yelled. “I’ve got something here.”

Keller called the medical examiner’s office, and the three men, vigilant and with guns drawn, walked back to the Taggett’s house. In less than an hour, a forensics van pulled up in the cul-de-sac in front of the house. Keller and the two other officers led the forensics team to the site with the disturbed dirt, where the team arranged their equipment, examined the scene, and began to dig with shovels. Within a short time, two decaying bodies were exposed in their graves.

“Two females,” one of the team said.

“The work of Race Taggett,” Keller said. He looked toward the trees. “I wonder where the hell he is.”

Feeling nauseated from the sight and the stench, Keller turned and walked away.

He returned to the Taggett’s house and waited. The forensics team loaded their van with the bodies and other evidence collected from the burial site and then left for the morgue. In the dim moonlight, Keller could see no clear details around the house. He heard the hooting of an owl from trees nearby.

Damn, this place is spooky.

He jumped as his phone rang. “Hello.”

“We think we’ve spotted Race Taggett,” a deputy said. “He’s running in the direction of his house. He’s less than two miles from the house now.”

“I’m at the Taggett’s house. We’ll wait for him. Keep tailing him.”

The three officers walked to trees at the perimeter of the yard and close to the street.

After a short while, Keller saw the headlights of a fast-moving vehicle coming from the direction of Dr. Rovsing’s clinic. Another car slowed to a stop at the intersection of the Rovsing clinic road and allowed the speeding car to pass in front of it and through the intersection. Flashing lights split the darkness and a siren shriek erupted from the stopped car, which turned left and sped after the first car, and the two vehicles closed in on the Taggett’s house.

The three officers stepped out from the trees and walked toward the road and the cars. Keller stopped and caught his breath as he saw something leap out into the road in front of the cars. Tires screeched as the driver of the lead car slammed the brakes and tried to avoid contact. Keller heard a thud as the lead car struck the figure, which was propelled over the hood and into the windshield and then over the vehicle, bouncing and skidding on the road before coming to rest. Swerving and braking, the police car managed to steer clear of the first car. Keller jogged to the scene as people jumped out of the vehicles and into the street. He recognized Wanda’s screams.

“No, no.” Wanda ran up to the heap in the road. She kneeled and cradled a head and torso in her arms, crying and rocking back and forth.

“Oh, my son, my son. I’ve killed my son.”

Keller crouched next to Wanda. Race took feeble breaths in her arms, his eyes closed. Keller noticed blood splattered over Race’s hair, face, and shirt.

“Lay him flat. We may need to breathe for him,” Keller said. He called 911 and reported the injury. “An ambulance is on the way,” he said to Wanda, who continued to wail and rock back and forth with her son in her arms.

Keller stood and turned to the officer standing next to him. “How did you find him?”

“A report came in. A woman thought someone was acting strange outside a bar. You were busy, so I was dispatched to the scene. When I got there, he ran off.”

Keller pointed at Wanda. “I wonder why she’s here.”

“Maybe she has a police scanner,” the officer said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. I know she was out looking for Race.”

“Well, she found him all right.”

Keller watched Race. He still took feeble breaths and appeared unconscious.

       After about ten minutes, Race was still breathing. Keller heard a siren up the street. He and the officers walked past the cars to direct the ambulance with their flashlights.

They led the paramedics to park at the side of the road, and then Keller walked back to Wanda. “What the …”

Wanda and Race were gone. Keller looked up and spotted Wanda dragging Race around a back corner of their house. He motioned to the paramedics, who ran behind Keller and the other officers toward the back yard.

Keller turned the corner out of breath. Wanda sat on the back steps, and he hurried to her.

Light from the moon cast a grayish pall over her body. She stared up at the moon, and Keller caught a flicker of a smile on her face.

“Where’s Race?” he said.

She pointed to the trees, without lowering her eyes from the sky.

“How could he be gone? He looked nearly dead.” Keller jogged toward the forest, and he and the others searched around the border trees without finding anything.

Keller returned to Wanda. He heard her giggle and mumble, as she gazed up at the moon.

“Did you say something?” he asked. He leaned toward her.

“Moonie, moonie, doonie, doomie, doom, broom, brebble, pebble, debble, devil, devil.”

“What did you say?” Keller bent down closer.

Keller’s screams echoed in the forest as Wanda chomped on his ear. Everyone ran out from the trees and back to the house.

Wanda had Keller in a headlock, and he was hitting her with his fist. “Get her off me.”

One paramedic grabbed Wanda’s arms and pulled them behind her. Another paramedic grabbed her chin and forehead to force her mouth open. Keller moaned and fell to the ground with his hand over his left ear. Blood trickled onto his hand and cheek.

Wanda screamed, blood dripping from her lips. “Give heavy hurt, burt, beat, heat, heal, hill, kill, thrill, rickett, ticket, thicket, thicket.”

Keller sat up holding his ear. “Damn, that hurts.” He managed to get to his feet. “You guys be careful of her teeth. Can you take her to the hospital?”

Two muscled paramedics struggled to restrain her. One of them turned to Keller. “Sure. She definitely needs help. Is she schizophrenic?”

“She’s something strange.”

“You need to get that ear looked at,” the paramedic said, and then he pointed at Keller’s neck bandage. “It looks like you’ve had a bad week.”

“Tell me about it. At least we have a doctor in town now.” Keller moaned. “I hope my ear doesn’t fall off.” He nodded at Wanda. “That crazy woman put a voodoo curse on me.”

                                         
Chapter 30

Aaron paced around his house that evening and felt his wrist pulse at times. It was more rapid than usual.

One hundred and ten beats a minute. What’s going on with my heart?

As he settled into bed for the night, he winced at the buzzing in his ears.

It must be stress getting to me.

A vision popped into his head: a silver machete poised in the air.

Aaron and Stella walked into a patient room the next morning, Wednesday. Constable Greevy sat in a chair. Stella had removed the bandages from his head and neck.

“You’ve got another injury. What happened?” Aaron said.

Keller updated Aaron about his recent encounters with Race and Wanda.

Aaron examined the wounds and prescribed an antibiotic to prevent infection. Stella cleaned and bandaged the injuries.

Keller shook his head. “I thought Wanda would bite my ear clean off. Are you sure it’ll be all right?”

“I think you’ll be fine,” Aaron said.

“I’m worried. I’ve never been voodoo cursed before.”

Stella laughed. “Wanda cursed you?”

Keller nodded. “With her voodoo doll and a gris-gris.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. I don’t think she’s for real,” Stella said.

“I agree,” Aaron said. “Wanda has a serious mental illness, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she spouts bizarre curses all the time.”

“I’ll bet she’s cursing up a storm now,” Keller said.

Aaron sighed. “So Wanda is hospitalized and Race, a serial killer, is on the loose.” He shivered as he saw Race’s eyes.
I guess I’m not surprised he’s a killer.

Keller grimaced when he turned his head, holding the ear bandage. “Catching that guy is like trying to corner an angry mountain lion.”

“He might show up in a hospital ER somewhere,” Aaron said.

“We’re checking all that.”

A man stopped Aaron outside a patient room. “I’m Daniel’s father,” the man said. “You saw him recently. He’s in the Army.”

“Oh, yes.” Aaron shook his hand. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s getting more sleep now thanks to your prescription, but I don’t think his mental health is good.”

“He’s going to counseling, right?”

“I make sure of that, but the wife and I are worried sick about him. He’s not getting better.”

“It can take time.”

“We just found out that a soldier from his unit committed suicide. That makes two suicides of guys he knew and fought alongside.”

Aaron shook his head. “That’s tragic.”

“That’s our worst fear since he came back. We keep a close eye on him.”

“Try to get him involved with the community in some way.”

“That’s really why I’m here. I wondered if you could give us any advice. He wanted to be a paramedic. He was always helping others. He’d give the shirt off his back to help someone.”

“I’ll bet the ambulance or firefighter guys would help him out. They like soldiers. Maybe he could hang out around their quarters and get to know them.”

“I’ll look into that.”

“Let me know if I can help.”  

As Aaron pulled into his driveway that evening, he spotted a vehicle in the shadows at the side of the road, in front of the grove of trees next to his house. He
stopped in the garage and watched the rearview and side view mirrors as the garage door closed behind him. Seeing nothing suspicious, he sighed and stepped out.

After closing the car door, he heard a noise behind him and something struck the side of his head.

Aaron gasped and opened his eyes. Swaying branches of tall trees came into focus, and he felt grass and hard ground beneath him. He lifted his head and looked around, and a pounding ache in his head intensified. A thick cloth filled his mouth and wrapped around the back of his neck. His arms were behind him, his wrists and ankles bound with what felt like twine or rope. After several attempts, he managed to sit up with his back against a tree. He heard a rustle in the grass, and a bald man walked up to him.

“Hello, Doc. I hope you got your beauty rest. It’ll be your last.”

The bald man kneeled in front of Aaron and grabbed his chin. “Do you know who I am?”

Aaron nodded, his eyes wide.

“You ruined my life, you know. Or maybe you don’t know. Maybe you don’t give a damn.”

Aaron tried to talk but could only groan.

“Yep. Everyone knows about pill mills and prescription drug ODs, and you did that to my daughter. You killed her. The only person I had in the world. Now, nothing matters. My life isn’t worth crap.” He stood and smiled at Aaron. “And neither is yours.”

He walked over to a backpack on the ground and pulled out a coil of rope. Aaron moved his back from the tree and flopped flat on the ground, bent his knees, and pushed himself away along the grass.

“No, you don’t,” the man said as he ran over to Aaron, dragged him back, and slammed him against the tree trunk. He wrapped the rope again and again around Aaron’s chest, securing him to the tree. Aaron had to take shallow breaths, as he couldn’t fully inhale against the tight rope.

How can I get out of this?

The man returned to the backpack, and Aaron saw a glint from the machete as the man turned around.

“I missed last time. But now, you’re a sitting duck. You don’t know how much I’ve been looking forward to this.” His eyes gleamed as he crept closer.

Aaron moaned and shook his head, his heart thumping and skipping beats.

I’m not ready to die.

He stood over Aaron and raised the machete. Aaron looked up at the shiny metal and squinted his eyes.

Holding the machete in midair, the man hesitated and sighed.

Aaron heard a rustle in the brush. Something smashed into the side of the man, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground. The machete skidded away and bounced off a tree. Aaron watched the struggle in the grass and saw a flicker of rope.

A figure stood and walked over to Aaron.

Damn. Race Taggett?
Aaron thought.
Now what?

Race frowned as he untied Aaron from the tree and loosened his ankle and wrist bindings. He shook his finger at Aaron. “Can’t stay away from the Taggetts, can you?” He unwrapped the cloth from Aaron’s mouth and neck. “Well, you’re lucky. It’s not your time yet.” 

Aaron coughed and took deep breaths, and his voice croaked. “How did you find . . .?” Race whirled around and vanished into the trees.

Aaron removed the ropes from his arms and legs, and he trotted over to the trees at the edge of the clearing.
What am I doing? I don’t really expect to find Race.

He took more deep breaths, stretched his arms, and massaged his head.
Calm down. At least I’m still alive.

Aaron walked over to the man lying on the ground on his side. His wrists were tied behind him and his ankles were bound together.

It’s like Race was roping a calf
.

The man rolled over on his back and looked up. He scowled at Aaron as he spoke, “I guess you can butcher me now. Go ahead, get it over with.”

Aaron coughed. “I’m not a killer.” He sat down on the ground beside the man.

“It’s okay. Put me out of my misery.” He glanced at the sky. “I want to go where she is.”

“Listen. I’m very sorry about what happened to your daughter. I’m sure you miss her.”

“You have no idea.”

“I made a mistake. I’m not perfect. I was only trying to help her.”

Aaron heard a breeze in the trees.

“I don’t think you’re a killer, either,” Aaron said.

“She was a beautiful little girl. I used to take her swimming, and we hiked in the hills when she was a Girl Scout.” He talked more about his daughter’s childhood and teen years. “Then my job got crazy, and I wasn’t at home much anymore. I don’t know when she got into drugs. I should’ve been there for her.” His voice broke and his eyes were moist. “I want to see her and tell her that I love her.”

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

He raised his head. “Do you have a daughter?”

“No.”

“Then you can’t know what it’s like.”

They were quiet for several minutes. Aaron heard soft sloshing from a stream nearby.

He untied the man’s ankles and wrists.

“Who the hell hog-tied me?” the man said.

Aaron chuckled. “A local guy. Very athletic.”

“I didn’t think anyone would bother us out here.”

“Where are we?”

“Deep in the Big Thicket. I tied you up and dragged you out here in a tarp.”

“I might’ve never been found.”

“That was the idea. I researched this place, but I didn’t count on your athletic guardian angel.”

An angel? No way,
Aaron thought.
But why would Race Taggett, of all people, save my life?
He recalled the hurt he’d seen before in Race’s eyes.

Is there any hope for him?

Aaron helped the man to his feet. As the machete guy walked around in the clearing, he favored the right side of his chest. He picked up the long knife and stared at it, turning it in his hands, then he looked at Aaron and shook his head. With a yell that reverberated through the forest, he arched his arm back and heaved the machete through an opening in the trees. He flinched and held a hand against his chest.

“Why a machete?” Aaron said.

He walked over to Aaron. “A long time ago, a friend of mine sold me his, when I needed to clear some brush around my house. I got mighty good at swinging it. I still had it in my garage.” He glanced at Aaron’s scar. “It’s great for slicing things up, and the handle knocked you out cold.”

Aaron felt the scar on his jaw.
It sure did a number on me.

“I thought revenge would be sweet, even after my sister got you fired.”

Aaron’s eyes flew open. “What’re you talking about?”

“My sister is a doctor at the hospital you were at. After my daughter died, she complained about you to the higher-ups. She told me she got you fired.”

Aaron nodded. “Thanks for letting me know.”
So, that charge against me of patient endangerment may’ve been a big fat lie.

“Let’s get out of here,” the man said. He pulled a compass from his backpack and studied it, then swung the backpack onto his shoulders. “Follow me out.”

“I was wondering. What color were her eyes?” Aaron said.

The bald man stopped and smiled. “Green. Bright green.”

Aaron walked behind him for what seemed like thirty minutes or more. Branches from low brush jabbed his pants and scraped his lower legs. They sloshed around several shallow marshes, and at times, Aaron heard critters darting away. They stopped at the edge of a rutted road. An SUV was parked a few feet away.

“I’ll drop you off at your house.”

They were quiet on the return trip. In his driveway, Aaron opened the passenger door. He hesitated and turned to the man. “Where are you going?” he said.

“Out west somewhere. Alaska maybe. My wife left me after our daughter’s death, so I’ll try to start over. I have friends that might help me.”

Aaron took a deep breath. “What about the lawsuit?”

He snorted. “There’s no lawsuit. Those things take too long. My lawyer said you might win anyway. That’s why I came after you. I couldn’t wait.”

As Aaron stepped out of the SUV, the man leaned toward him. He grimaced and held his right chest. “If you call the police, they won’t find me. I know how to stay out of sight.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” Aaron pointed at the man’s chest. “You might need to get that injury checked out.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve been through worse.”

Aaron shut the door and watched the man drive away. He took in a deep breath of fresh night air. His headache was gone, but when he was still, the buzzing in his head was deafening. It sounded like bees were flying around inside his ears.