Riddle (28 page)

Chapter 49

              Butch hustled Norma into the back of his patrol car. She had stopped struggling but cast a sullen look at him. He glanced into his rearview mirror as he slid behind the wheel. As he backed out of her driveway he notified the jail he was transporting the prisoner. When he turned onto the road he took another look in the mirror. “What the hell are you thinking involving me in your crime spree?” he hissed through clenched teeth.

              “You are involved,” she shot back angrily. “You helped me move that guy’s body; you know I had to defend myself against him.”

              “I didn’t know you murdered Desiree! You killed my girlfriend you crazy bitch!” Butch was shouting now.

              “I didn’t. They are trying to pin it on me. I told you…”

              Butch suddenly pulled off the road and into a small dirt access road behind the high school parking lot. Throwing open his door he jumped out, then yanked open the back door and jerked Norma out of the car. She stumbled slightly then caught herself. Shoving her against the car he slapped her hard across the face. “You’re a liar! And I’m not going to let you drag me down with you.”

              “That’s police brutality Butch.” She laughed in his face. “You’re going down alright. And it’s going to be a lot worse for you in prison than it will be for me. A cop in jail? You know the stories.”

              Infuriated he slapped her again. Then he pressed his body against hers until their faces were inches apart. “I’m going to take the cuffs off. Then you’re going to take off. I don’t care where you go or how you get there. But you will never mention my name again. Do you understand?”

              “How will you explain that?” Norma bent her body away from his trying to put some space between them.

              “Don’t worry about it. I have a plan.” He spun her around and unlocked the handcuffs, then turned her again to face him.

              “How am I supposed to get anywhere? I have no money. I have no clothes.”

              “Neither did
The Fugitive,
but he managed to survive.” Butch’s hand moved down to his holster. “I suggest you start moving before I change my mind.”

              Norma had noticed his hand hovering above the butt of his gun. She immediately sensed what his plan was. As soon as she took off he was going to shoot her. He would say she tried to escape. Eyes narrowed, she spit at him. His hands instinctively went to his face and she was on him in a flash, clawing at his eyes. He fought to get free but she wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her thumbs into his eye sockets. Grabbing her hair he tried to push her away but she clung like a leech. Even with her head bent back at a sharp angle she held on. Suddenly she moved her fingers from his eyes and grabbed hold of his ears pulling his head toward her face. Letting go of her hair, Butch’s hands went to her shoulders, trying desperately now to get her body off his. With her legs still wrapped around him she buried her teeth into his throat and tossing her head from side to side began ripping it open. The rich coppery taste of blood filled her mouth and he clawed at her back desperately trying to get free. Amazingly, she held tighter, the strength in her legs incredible. Years of martial arts gave her both strength and stamina Blood began spurting as she connected with his carotid artery and he felt the heat of his life force shooting away. Releasing her he tried to stem the geyser exploding from his throat, his hands clutching and pressing at the slickness. It was then that she released her hold and jumped back, stumbling slightly as she hit the ground. Butch stumbled back, tripping over his feet, and landed hard on the uneven ground. He tried to grab for his radio but it had been ripped from his uniform and dangled down his back well out of his reach.

              Norma slid along the side of the car, not bothering to wipe the blood from her face. Her eyes were wide and terrified. The “bing bing bing” from inside the car indicating the keys were still in the ignition drew her attention. She got into the front seat, pulled the door closed and put the car in drive. Looking out the window she saw Butch’s body twitching slightly in the ever spreading pool of blood around his head. Even from the distance between them she could see his eyes staring blankly at the sky. Shaking her head, she knew had to find somewhere to hide and think things through. Driving up past the school, she paid no attention to the students who watched the police cruiser pass slowly by, noting the oddity of a non-uniformed woman driving.

              Steering on to back roads she made her way as far up the hills as she could before cutting across to the mountain road. Halfway up the road was a line of traffic that was being alternated with traffic on the other side allowing five or six cars to pass at one time. Two state police cruisers were directing traffic. Checking the rearview mirror she made a quick u-turn and headed back down the mountain. Out of sight of the cruisers she pulled off on the river side of the road. Suddenly the two way radio crackled to life and she jumped at the sound of the voices that filled the car. It took only a few minutes to learn they had not found Grace’s body and were searching for her. Furious, Norma began punching the steering wheel. Then she heard them discussing their inability to raise Butch on the radio.

“Stop it. Think,” she instructed herself. Once again she checked the rearview mirror then quickly got out of the car and headed for the river. As far as Norma was concerned it wasn’t over yet. She would find Grace before they did and she would finish it. If she was caught and sent to jail, so be it. But she would have her revenge; revenge on Grace, revenge on Kort for rejecting her, revenge on all of them. Pushing her way through the brush and the undergrowth she reached the river. Kneeling down she splashed cold water on her face and arms to wash away Butch’s blood. The, standing, she squinted upriver and downriver. Finally her eyes rested on the other riverbank. Knowing that it was only a short distance to the old bridge she turned toward it and began to make her way to the crossing point. Along the way she listened closely for sounds of any searchers. Although it was cold a thin layer of perspiration lined her lip. Her heart beat steadily, her endorphins carrying her forward. In her mind was a single purpose.

Chapter 50

              The water was freezing and Grace’s clothes were becoming water logged, weighing her body down. Hoping she had drifted far enough away from Norma to be out of sight she reached up and her hand closed around the object that had fallen onto her chest. At the same time she rolled over on the water and began to struggle toward the riverbank. Looking up she saw she had drifted closer to the other bank and began kicking hard in that direction. Still being dragged downstream by the current, she fought her way to the riverbank until she was finally able to touch bottom. The current threw her off balance a couple of times but she regained her footing and at last collapsed on the bank. After a few minutes she began to crawl up the incline toward the trees and the bushes that would hide her from view, certain that Norma would be looking for her. Amazingly the knife remained clutched in her hand. Exhausted, she closed her eyes and lay in a pile of leaves oblivious to the small rocks that pressed into her back. “I just need to rest for a few minutes. I just need to catch my breath.” The trees waved over her head, weaving slightly in the mountain breeze and soon her eyes closed. Catching herself falling asleep she struggled to sit up. Resisting the urge to sleep for a few minutes, she took several deep breaths before getting to her feet.

              Grace managed to pull herself up the small incline putting distance between her and the river. One time her jeans got caught up in some downed tree branches and she had to use the knife to cut her jeans. The cold was penetrating her soaked clothing and she wished she had some way of drying off. Exhausted she lay at the foot of a tall tree in a bed of pine needles, staring up through the branches at a starry sky. “If I can just rest for a few minutes I’ll be able to move on.” Her eyelids heavy, she drifted into an uneasy sleep. Suddenly she was awakened by a small animal scurrying across her legs and she jumped up kicking at the unseen creature. A squeal had escaped her lips and she slapped her hand over her mouth wondering if the sound had carried. Uncertain whether Norma was still out there she stood very still and listened for any sounds of her approach. The only noises that cut through the night were the rustling of nocturnal animals searching for food.

              “I can’t just stay here,” she thought. She got ready to move on down river, then realized she no longer held the knife. Falling to her knees she felt around for it and finally her fingers closed around the cold metal. Wrapping tit in the piece of denim she had cut from her jeans she tucked it into her waistband. “Hopefully I won’t fall and stab myself.”

              Moving as quietly as she could through the brush she headed downstream. There were times when she had to climb higher up the hill and others when she moved down toward the river. At one point she went right down to the riverbank and stared across the water trying to judge how far she had traveled, hoping she was close to town. But the night was still dark and clouds now covered the moon and stars making it even blacker. Although she was convinced Norma believed she was dead she continued to be cautious.

              Propping herself up against a tree she slid down to a sitting position. Her legs felt sore and she could feel cuts and scrapes on her exposed skin. Reaching up to her hair she tried to untangle the knots and remove some of the debris that had caught in it. Closing her eyes for a few moments she tried to guess how far she’d drifted in the water and how much farther she had trekked through the woods. She might have drifted off again but something splashed in the river not far from where she sat and she sat up quickly. The clouds parted for a few seconds and she could see the other side of the river. It looked as though there were lights high up on the other side and she wondered if they were passing cars. If she could be certain Norma had left she would try calling out or maybe even swimming across. But if Norma was still out there somewhere she would never have the strength to fight her off.

              Once again she struggled to her feet and began to slowly make her way down river. Concentrating on where she stepped she was surprised when she looked up a short time later to see what looked like a ray of daylight peeking over the trees. A low fog had begun to gather on the surface of the river and around the base of some of the trees giving everything an ethereal appearance.

              Squinting she thought she could see some sort of structure not far away. As she drew nearer she realized it was a bridge and that meant she could get to the other side and find her way to the road. Everything grew brighter as the sun slowly rose although drifts of fog still clung to trees and the river’s surface. Grace pressed harder to reach the bridge. Focusing on putting one foot in front of the other she didn’t notice the figure that crept along parallel to her. When she reached the steps that led up to the bridge she saw they were well worn and looking across realized many of the slats were missing. She set one foot gingerly on the first step and felt it give a little. Holding on to the railing she watched at the bridge swung from side to side, creaking loudly. As she debated whether or not to risk it she heard the cracking of branches and crunching of leaves behind her. Before she could turn completely around she was shoved hard from the rear. Clutching at the rail she fell forward onto the steps. One gave way entirely and the broken wood ripped through her sleeve.

              Grace tried to twist to see who had attacked her although she had no doubt it was Norma. But her arm was stuck in the broken step and her jacket was caught securely on the shattered wood. As she struggled her hand closed around a rock. Norma’s hands grabbed her hair and began trying to slam her head against the bridge but the angle prevented her from making contact. Suddenly Grace’s hand came free and she turned enough to smash the rock into Norma’s face. The attacker stumbled back, her nose gushing bright red blood. Her hands instinctively went to her face and when she pulled them away she was stunned to see the blood running through her fingers.

              “You bitch!” she screamed, launching herself at Grace once again. Now that she was free Grace scrambled to the side but she slipped on the wet muddy ground and slid toward the river. Norma was on her in a flash, her hands like claws grabbing at her hair, her face, and her clothing. But she also slipped and soon the two women were wrestling at the river’s edge, pulling hair and scratching at faces. Finally Grace pulled back her fist and slammed it into Norma’s already damaged nose sending her flying backward. As Norma slid head first toward the river Grace regained her footing. It was then she saw the silvery shine of the knife partially buried in the mud. As her fingers closed around the handle, Norma managed to grab her foot and yanking hard, knocked her off balance. The knife slipped from her hand and she scrambled to reach it. Climbing up the length of Grace’s body Norma raised her fist to punch Grace. Grace’s hands once again closed around a rock, larger than the one she’s had before. Slamming the rock against Norma’s temple she then drew back and smashed it into her nose once again.

              A look of shocked surprise crossed her face. Looking down Norma saw blood rushing down over her chest. Her hands moved slowly toward her face and hovered there as though she was trying to understand where the red river was flowing from. Her eyes shifted up to Grace’s, puzzled. “How?” Her head cocked to one side and Grace squirmed until she had gotten out from under Norma’s body. Without the support of Grace’s body beneath her she fell slowly forward and a strange grunt escaped her as her forehead connected with the rock which had fallen from Grace’s hand.

              Shaking uncontrollably, Grace continued to scoot away, half expecting Norma to rise again. She was only stopped by the base of the bridge blocking her movement. Cautiously she pulled herself to her feet, the creaking of the bridge finally drawing her attention. The sun was up now and the scene seemed surreal. Grace carefully stepped onto the bridge and holding tightly to the rope railing began to cross the river. Once she caught sight of her bloody hands but she quickly looked away and concentrated instead on her feet and the delicate steps she needed to take to get safely to the other side.

              Several times she had to stop and wait until the bridge stopped swinging. Often she had to step over empty spaces where slats had fallen away into the rushing waters. Less than three feet from the end of the bridge a board fell away beneath her and she just managed to make it to the next board and to the safety of the steps on the far side.

              Stumbling down to the riverbank she collapsed in a heap and finally allowed herself to cry. Casting one look back at Norma’s body on the other side she dragged herself to higher ground before using a tree for balance and getting to her feet. There were several downed trees between her and the road. Rather than climb over them she continued along the bank for some distance before beginning the ascent to the road. Halfway there she sat down heavily and tried to catch her breath. Thinking she heard voices she looked toward the road. Part of her wanted to call out but no one would hear her. The world seemed to swim around her and a wave of nausea swept over her. If she could just sit for a few minutes she could make it to the road and stop a passing car

“Just a few minutes…” The thought went through her mind and she closed her eyes once again