THE POOL – Part Twenty-nine Grace showered and left for work. Randy went back outside to look at the hole and wait for Mike to arrive. He squatted down to once again look. He reached inside, through the hole and felt the edge of the shattered sheetrock on the inside of the garage. He stood and went into the garage to study the hole from the inside. As he bent down, he saw small strands of what looked like hair, just one or two, hanging on the edge of the hole. “What the—” He left them there and went back outside. He stood on the patio and looked out across the yard. Grace’s property backed up to the Ouachita National Forest and the sub-division which had been built just ten years ago was actually closer to the lake than town. Being one of the nicer neighborhoods in town, all the properties were surrounded by an eight-foot concrete and brick wall. The acre of grass and trees made for a nice shady backyard but also provided for plenty places for someone to hide… if they were trying to. He walked down off the patio and out into the hard and slowly surveyed the area. He walked up to a couple of trees and noticed a large place on a pine tree where the bark looked like it had been torn away—like it had been sheared away with a sharp ax blade or something. He was studying another tree when he heard Mike call his name. He looked up and Mike was coming in the back gate. “Hey man, what’s up?” Randy started toward him and shook his hand. Thanks for coming.” “So, did you have a prowler?” “She had something—look!” Randy pointed to the wall and Mike stared at it for a second and then turned to look at Randy before slowly walking over to the gaping hole. “How in the—” He squatted down and studied it more closely. “If I didn’t know better I’d think someone put their fist through here.” He slowly raised his head to stare at Randy who was nodding his head. “That’s exactly what I thought. And come here, I wanna show you something.” Randy took him into the garage and told him to bend down and study the hole from that angle. He purposefully didn’t mention the hairs; Mike again squatted down. He reached out his forefinger toward the two hairs caught on the edge of the sheetrock. He timidly touched them stood back up. “What is that?” “You tell me.” “Well, again, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that was some sort of hair.” “Yep, that’s what it looks like to me.” “What happened here last night?” “Let’s go back in the kitchen; I need some more coffee.” Juanita pulled out of her driveway and pointed the Cadillac toward town. The road was curvy between her estate and the interstate and she had a habit of talking on her cell phone instead of watching what she was doing half the time. This morning, though, she was on a mission. She was going to purchase another freezer, this time an upright, to put out in the garage alongside the chest freezer that was now filled to the brim with purple hull peas, butterbeans, corn, okra, squash, Crowder peas, green beans and a side of beef. She’d nearly fainted when the truck drove up last month and unloaded that half of a cow. She stood there, while Idell drove up and got out of the car… “Whachu think?” “Where did you get that meat?” “I done passed a man sellin’ it in the parkin’ lot of the Wal-Mart.” “So tell me something… do you know the first thing about cutting it up?” “No’m, I’s neva done it ‘fore but they’s always a fuest time. Ain’t dey?” “Dey is. That side of beef is gonna take up the whole freezer.” “But I know’s how you likes yur steaks.” “How much did this set me back?” Juanita was thinking back to that day and didn’t even see the pothole in the highway. WHAM! Her right front tire went down in it and exploded right there. She swerved from side to side and found herself going down into the ditch, a good five feet lower than the surface of the highway. Once the car stopped, she slammed her hands on the steering wheel and hollered, “DAD BLAME HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT. CAN’T THEY FIX THESE PLACES?” She put the car in reverse and tried backing out but couldn’t get enough traction. She opened her door which was hard to do since the car was at an angle, leaning to the right. She took her foot and pushed it all the way open, grabbed her purse and her cell phone and half walked, half crawled up to the road and called the house. “Keef residence.” “IDELL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” “I’s gettin’ all the stuff out to start all dat bakin’. Whatchu durin’?” “I RAN OFF THE ROAD.” “LAWSE ME MS KEEF, YOU HUH-EET?” “NO, I’M FINE.” “Why you holl’rin’ fo’?” “I DON’T… I don’t know. Listen, I gotta call a tow truck to get me outa here. You just go on and start those cookies and I’ll be there when I get there.” “Yes’m. You be’s careful now.” “I will.” Juanita punched the number for Randy and began to pace. Brice leaned back against the headboard and clicked on the television. He heard her turn on the water in the shower and the sound of the shower door open and then close. He waited a moment before getting out of bed. He walked in, opened the door and joined her. Her back was to him and he let his hands encircle her small waist and move around and up to cup her breasts as her head fell back against his chest. She reached backwards and around his buttocks and pulled him against her as she languished in the feel of his touch on her. He massaged her, first with both hands and then with just one as the other left a breast and slowly traveled down across her flat belly and lower, into that region he’d already visited much earlier that morning in bed. She moaned and rolled her head from side to side pulling him even harder against her. She felt his throbbing against the lower region of her back and slowly turned into his arms as he reached down around her bottom and picked her up. She put her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts into his hard chest. He gently leaned them both against the wall of the shower as the water showered overhead. His lips found hers and they kissed tenderly at first and then with wild abandon—he entered her and she pressed harder against his mouth. The sounds of the water swirling around in the drain help muffle the sounds of love-making and housekeeping avoided the door with the do-not-disturb tag hanging on the handle. “Grace, are you okay?” Buzz was standing in the doorway and she hadn’t even noticed him. She was simply staring at her desk. “You seem a bit pre-occupied. Have you finished that document yet?” “I’m sorry, I guess I was. I’m fine, just got a lot on my mind.” “That guy?” “Yeah,” she smiled, “That guy! Almost, I’ll run it in when I do.” “Great, thanks!” Grace called Randy but it went to voice mail. Mike was already on the phone with somebody at the university when Randy’s phone rang. “Hello?” “RANDY IS THIS YOU?” “Ms. Keith?” “HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I GOT TO TELL YOU TO CALL ME JUANITA?” “I’m sorry, Juanita, what can I do for you?” “LISTEN, I’M OUT HERE ON OLD MILITARY ROAD AND I’VE GONE IN THE DITCH!” “Ms.—” “UNT—” “I’m sorry, Juanita, why are you yellin’?” “Oh, sorry, that’s the second time I’ve been accused of that this morning—guess I need to see an audiologist.” “Is okay, are you hurt?” “I’m just fine but I’m going to need a tow truck to pull me out. Can you see someone out here?” “Well, I can but can you tell me sort of where you are?” “I’m walking now to try and find some sort of landmark. It’s that deserted section just before you cross the interstate not too far from the river.” “Oh, okay, that’s not too far and easy to find. I’ll call right now.” He noticed that Grace was calling in. “Will you be okay until they get there or do you want me to come out and wait with you.” “I’ll be just fine. I probably need to walk a little anyway.” “Okay, just hang tight and someone will be there soon.” “Bye Sweetie Boy!” He called Rosco’s and had a truck sent right out. He then called Grace. “Hey, I was on the phone when you called. Are you okay?” “I’m okay, just wondering what Mike said.” “We’re still talking about it. I’ll let you know as soon as we know something.” “Thanks baby.” “It’s all gonna be all right.” He hung up but wasn’t sure he’d just told her the truth. He turned to Mike who was off the phone now and just standing there. “Did you talk with someone?” “I did. A Dr. Hemingway is coming out here.” “What kind of doctor is he?” “A zoologist.” “You think he’ll be able to tell what kind of animal did this?” “I sure hope so. Whatever it was, I sure don’t wanna run into it.” They looked at each other and weren’t smiling. Juanita hung up, put the phone in her purse and started ambling her way down the deserted highway. She hadn’t seen a single car since she ran in the ditch. She thought she’d walk up the road about a hundred yards and then come back. She missed her walks that she’d started several years ago. Her doctors said for a woman her age, she had the legs of a forty-year-old. She appreciated that, considering the fact that they were closer to eighty than to seventy. She smiled as she enjoyed the cool breeze that had suddenly come up and tossed her multi-colored scarf across her face. She stopped and looked back down the road to see if there was a car coming. She did a little minuet step and laughed to herself, thinking back to long years ago when she and Edgar used to go to the country club dances. They sure knew how to cut a rug back then and again, she smiled to herself as she remembered— She was pulled out of her reverie by the sound of a cry off in the woods. She stopped and listened intently. She thought to herself, ‘what was that?’ It wasn’t exactly like the sound of a wildcat. Wha— There it was again! This time, it was longer, deeper, more guttural than before and when it stopped, it echoed through the woods for a few seconds. Juanita was a little nervous now. There had still been no cars and she was all alone. She turned and started back toward her car. In the distance she could see the tail end of it just in her line of vision. Suddenly, it began moving up and down. She stopped and reached for the gun in her purse. She walked down into the ditch from her vantage point and tried to see through the brush to the front part of the car but too much of it was hidden from view. The backend of the car continued to bounce up and down, with larger arcs back and forth. Finally it stopped and she heard a loud crash, like the sound of something hitting metal. She stuck her pistol in the air and fired two shots! Just as the sound began to dissipate, she heard the motor of a large vehicle approaching her from behind and turned in time to see a Rosco’s Towing truck slowing down. She walked over to the window and stuck her hand into the cab. “Thank you so much for coming. I haven’t seen a single car pass since I’ve been out here and then I—” The cry that both of them heard this time was even closer than before, loud, strong and enough to send chills up both their spines. Frank Baucom’s eyes got as big as saucers and whispered, “What the hell was that?” Juanita was physically shaking now and said, “I don’t know but that’s the third time I’ve heard it.” She was walking around to get in the truck. “Oh no, Ms. Keith, this truck is too dirty for you to git in.” “Forget the dirt. I’m getting IN!”
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 13:08:58 +0000
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