HOME OF THE RED FOX - Segment Eight

Chapter 36

         Sue Beth started screaming hysterically, racing for Walker’s bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

         A figure passing in the shadows outside Walker’s office and coming towards them alerted Samantha and Edith for Sue Beth’s behavior. The figure materialized into a man, a stranger to the two women, but evidently not to the child. He was of average height and weight. There was nothing average, though, about the gun he held loosely in his hand.

         “Ladies, let’s just stay calm, and nobody gets hurt.” These words spoken softly still held an unmistakable threat. “First, get the animal away from me, unless you want a dead pet on your hands.” He waved the .357 Magnum towards the fox crouched down in preparation for an attack.

         Edith quickly reached down and pulled the animal away and towards its kit. She stayed sitting on the floor, holding on to it tightly as she asked, “Who are you? What do you want here?”

         The man ignored the fox and Edith while looking at Samantha. He had quickly figured out the younger woman presented the most danger to him and kept his gun aimed in her direction. “I’m here for the kids. Get them out, and I won’t have to shoot anyone. I just want them.” He started getting agitated when Samantha shook her head and slowly moved away from Edith and the foxes.

         “Stay put, lady, I’ll shoot if I have to.” He dared to look around, raising his voice angrily. “Where’d the kid go?” Samantha could see the man was almost over the edge and out of control. She dared to move a bit further away from the group on the floor, trying to get his attention off Edith, who had one of her hands around a heavy vase on the table next to her.

         “I mean it. Get that brat out here…now!” He continued waving the gun in her direction, not seeing Edith rising to her knees with the vase in her hands. “I saw the girl. Where’s her brother? I want both of them, and I’ve nothing to lose by killing anyone who gets in my way.” He was practically foaming at the mouth in his anger and frustration. Ken Milton’s neat plan of abducting the children and killing the two witnesses to his crimes was falling apart, thanks to the woman standing in front of him.

         Suddenly sensing someone behind him, he whirled around to see Edith finally on her feet, ready to strike him with the heavy vase. A shot rang out followed by a loud crash when the vase landed on the floor in shattered pieces. Edith, unhurt, stared in horror as Milton pointed the gun in her direction. Before the man could get off another shot, an enraged Samantha tackled him for possession of the still smoking gun.

         Knowing her life and the lives of Edith and Sue Beth depended on what happened next, Samantha used all her strength to wrestle the weapon from his hand. It was a struggle to the death, done in what seemed like slow motion, with first the man then the woman gaining control of the gun, each refusing to let go. With a finger on the trigger, the gun went off once more. A body fell to the floor with blood flowing out of the head wound.

         After the loud explosion, only the sound of blood dripping onto the hardwood floor broke the sudden silence.

Chapter 37

         Finally giving up on the wooden door, the three men looked around the cavern for another exit. Just seeing the three limestone tunnels they had already explored, the seriousness of their predicament at last sunk in.

         Randall looked at the other men and asked quietly, “Did either of you see another way out of here? My route just doubled back on itself with no offshoots.”

         “Well,” said Walker, trying to think, “I didn’t see anything except the waterfall and pool. There might have been more back there.” He did not look too hopeful, though.

         Jack remembered the many pathways leading off the large room he had discovered. Perhaps one of them was a way to reach the surface. It seemed their only hope, unless someone aboveground thought to look for them. In time, either Samantha or Edith would miss them and send out a search party. Until then, they were on their own.

         With Jack leading the way, the three of them headed down the tunnel pathway, ducking to avoid the low overhangs. Randall, being the tallest, found it difficult to walk through. He was practically crawling at times, muttering under his breath he hated this. An inch or so shorter than Randall, Walker grumbled as he once more hit his head on the rock above him.

         “Come on, guys,” said a grinning Jack, the shortest and most comfortable of the three men. “Quit your bitchin’. Wait until you see what I found.” He finally came out of the tunnel into the large room and waited impatiently for the others to join him.

         Randall, being the third in line, almost fell over Walker as they left the tunnel. The owner of the mansion stood there, looking around in awe at the large second cavern. Never had he imagined such a place to be underneath his home. “It’s magnificent!” he whispered, more words failing him.

         Jack had failed to tell them of the cavern’s beauty, with quartz crystals of many sizes embedded throughout its walls. The beams from their flashlights made prisms of the crystals, causing rainbows of color to surround the men. Even to Randall, a man not given to whimsical flights of fancy, it appeared as if they were in a room filled with jewels.

         “The tunnels I mentioned are in back,” said Jack, breaking the silence. “Maybe one of them will get us out of here.” He headed through the large cavern, being careful not to disturb any of the animal bones lying on the uneven floor. The other two slowly followed him until all three were standing in front of half a dozen tunnels of various sizes.

         “Those animals could have come in any of these,” Walker said, stating the obvious. “There’s no way we can get through these two smaller ones.” He walked over to one of the others that looked big enough to let them at least enter it. “Want to try this one?” Without waiting for a response, he stepped into the tunnel and started walking. Within a few yards, he turned back, calling out to the two still waiting outside, “Dead end.” That left only three more possibilities for escape.

         Walker glanced down at his suddenly flickering flashlight, realizing the batteries were running low. Looking over at the other two men, he saw Jack’s light had already died without anyone noticing it. When Randall’s flashlight went out next, it left just Walker’s quickly fading light. A few minutes later, the men found themselves entombed in total darkness.

         Their breathing, however, was not the only sound they heard. Something or someone was there with them.

Chapter 38

         With the men searching for a way out of the underground cavern and the women facing a homicidal maniac on the fourth floor, life went on throughout the rest of the mansion.

         Because it was late afternoon, the sun slowly disappeared over the horizon. Guests and staff headed towards the dining room for the last meal of the day. The tantalizing aroma of the night’s specialty, lasagna with garlic bread, drew them in. When Geoffrey, the head chef, put this on the menu, there was always a packed room.

         Outside, the rain had changed to snow, the first snow of the season, even though it was still early October. It was a light dusting at first, but quickly changed to a steady and heavy snowfall. The trees and bushes outside the mansion, soon covered, became eerie shapes in the approaching twilight. The wind increased to pile the snow up against the mansion and moaned its displeasure at hitting the stone barrier of the walls. Small animals scuttling for shelter left prints in the pristine snow.

         Those inside the mansion, however, felt warm and safe from the elements as they went about their evening routines. Samantha had earlier in the day arranged to show a movie in the ballroom. It was an old black and white classic, “Goodbye, Mr. Chips.” The weekly Bingo game already was going in one of the game rooms. People crossing the main entrance area heard excited voices calling out “Bingo!” now and then.

         The elevator saw action as guests left their rooms for dinner and the various evening entertainments. No one took the elevator above the third floor. No one passed the young boy making his way up the stairs to the fourth floor with its open door and silence beyond.

         Joshua slowly entered the apartment’s short dark hallway. He hugged the wall as he passed by Walker’s office. The stillness inside told him something bad had happened while he and the men were away. He went quietly into the office and came out carrying one of Walker’s prized possessions. It was a heavy onyx and silver paperweight given by a previous president of the United States to celebrate Walker’s 49th birthday.

Chapter 39

         The sounds of something scampering about in the darkness startled the men until they realized creatures probably came in for shelter through one of the smaller tunnels. As long as the animals left them alone, the men felt safe. The darkness, however, was starting to become oppressive and wear on their nerves.

         Because of the pitch-blackness of the cavern, the men decided to explore the remaining tunnels at another time. They made the long, dark, and dangerous trek back to the original cavern, trying to come up with another plan of rescue. While they sat quietly discussing options, the wooden door suddenly slammed open. Light from a flashlight poured in, temporarily blinding them after being in the dark for so long.

         Still unable to see, Randall heard the terrified voice of Joshua screaming just one word, “Ken!” The child repeated the word endlessly, hysterically until Randall found him and wrapped him in his arms. Finally calming down a bit, Joshua was able to point up the stairs and got out, “He’s there, blood all over, hurry!”

         Randall, his sight fully returned, let loose of Joshua and started racing up the long flight of stairs. Walker was close on his heels, worry about the three females in his apartment adding speed to his feet. Jack, with Joshua’s hand in his, trailed behind. In near panic, the first two men reached the third floor room and raced up the last set of stairs to Walker’s suite. A minute or so later, the other two followed them into the apartment.

         What awaited them had the hardened forensic agent swearing in anger while Walker just fell to his knees beside the bloody body on the floor. Red hair spread out in the pool of blood seeping from the wound on the right side of her head. Hazel eyes, filled with pain, looked up at the stunned man.

         Jack took charge and used the phone to call an ambulance for Samantha. Randall walked over to the other body on the floor and saw Ken Milton was also still alive, only unconscious. “Did I kill him?” a little voice behind him asked. He swung around to see Joshua looking down at his mother’s murderer.

         On hearing the men’s voices, Edith and Sue Beth came out of Walker’s bedroom. Earlier, the shock of seeing Samantha shot and the fear of what the deranged man would do next had Edith running into Walker’s bedroom to protect the young girl. They had huddled together through the noise that followed and the ominous thud of another body falling to the floor.

         Randall quickly took charge of Milton, using some duct tape he found in Walker’s office to bind the killer’s hands and feet. He used the phone to call the local police once Jack finished with it. Edith gathered the two children to her. The three of them went to sit at the table by the window, out of the way.

         While waiting for the ambulance to take Samantha to the nearby hospital, Joshua filled everyone in on what had happened. He had crept up behind the man whose back was towards him. Without warning, Milton turned around, so Joshua struck out and slammed the heavy paperweight against his knee. When Milton fell in agony, his kneecap fractured, Joshua managed to crash the paperweight once more against the killer. This time it was across his chin, causing instant unconsciousness. Joshua next raced down to the cavern for help from the men.

         Walker stayed on the floor beside the still bleeding woman. He tried unsuccessfully to staunch the flow of blood. He held a white towel against the wound and watched it turn bright red, becoming soaked immediately. “Where the hell is the ambulance?” he called out in anguish.

         Finally, two orderlies from the hospital arrived wheeling a gurney between them. They gently placed Samantha on it and took her down in the elevator to the waiting ambulance. Walker refused to leave her side and insisted on riding in the ambulance with her. It was merely a short distance over the hill to the hospital, but the piles of drifting snow slowed their progress.

         Rounding a sharp corner halfway between the mansion and the hospital, the ambulance lost traction on the road and skidded sideways into the ditch. With the ambulance tilted onto its side, it was going no further.

         Slowly, the cold from outside crept into the vehicle to chill those trapped inside.

Chapter 40

         The falling snow slowly drifted over the stalled ambulance, but not before Jack found it. He had been traveling behind in the SUV, ready to bring Walker back to the mansion once Samantha was safely out of danger.

         Pulling with all of his strength, he managed to open the back door of the ambulance, only to see one orderly, Walker, and Samantha all tumbled together on the slanted floor of the vehicle. The other orderly, who had been driving, was squirming to get out of the front seat. Jack grabbed Walker’s long legs first, managed to extricate him from the pileup, and pulled him out of the ambulance.

         Walker reached in to ease Samantha out and carried her to Jack’s waiting vehicle. He put her in the backseat and got in, gently holding the unwounded side of her head against his chest. When the two orderlies joined them, Jack started the SUV, and they finished the ride to the hospital without further delays.

         Seeing the mansion’s distinctive green and white SUV drive into the ambulance bay, doctors and nurses came out into the snow to help. They quickly took Samantha from Walker’s protective embrace and brought her into the emergency room for examination.

         The time passed slowly in the ER waiting room, where Jack tried repeatedly to reassure his friend that Samantha would be all right. Blood from her head wound covered Walker’s clothes, but he did not notice. He would sit for a few minutes, get up to pace back and forth, and then sit back down again once more. His hair became messed as he ran his fingers through it in his frustration. Walker was not a man who handled waiting well.

         Randall eventually joined the two men after he first turned over the mass murderer to the local police. He had arranged to transport Milton back to San Francisco the following afternoon and wanted to know Samantha’s condition before he left. He had only met the beautiful redhead a few days ago, but knew he would like to get to know her better. Returning to the mansion was on his future agenda. Looking at Walker, he realized he might have a rival for Samantha’s affection.

         Soon, the waiting room clock showed midnight, with Jack and Randall asleep in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Surrounding the men were empty, or nearly empty, Styrofoam cups containing cold, stale coffee. Walker, finally worn out from pacing, just sat there staring numbly ahead. He almost did not hear the doctor when she came out to join them.

         “Walker,” he heard a soft voice from a woman who sat down next to him. He recognized Dr. Harriet Ellison, the head of the ER trauma team.

         Suddenly wide-awake, he looked over at her. “Sam? Is she okay? Can I see her?”

         Dr. Ellison laughed to hear the usually calm and emotionally steady man shooting the questions rapidly at her, not waiting to let her answer. “She lost blood, but is out of danger. Head wounds look much worse than they usually are.

         “The transfusion brought her hematocrit back up. We had to give her a few stitches, and her hair will grow out again. The bullet simply creased her skull, so we didn’t have to operate. You’ll probably find the bullet in your apartment some place. I have to say Samantha was one lucky woman.”

         “When can I see her?” The relief he felt at the news showed in his voice, and the doctor decided to take pity on him.

         “She’s being transferred to the medical floor, a private room, so you can go up in a few minutes.” With a few last words of comfort, the doctor left to return to work. Walker woke up Jack and Randall to tell them the good news. He watched them leave together to return to the mansion in Randall’s rental car. Jack left the mansion’s SUV behind for Walker’s use.

         He nearly ran up the stairs to the medical floor, but had to stop at the nurses’ station to find where Samantha’s room was. The night nurses, all familiar with the man who had founded the hospital, stared after the exhausted man whose clothes were disheveled and bloody. One nurse commented to the other, whispering so Walker would not hear, “He looks like he’s been ridden hard and put away wet.” They earlier had recognized Samantha from the many times she had visited sick or injured residents and staff.

         Coming into her room, Walker felt a pain in his chest at seeing Samantha lying so small and pale on the hospital bed. A wide bandage circled her head, and dark smudges of exhaustion and pain were under her closed eyes. Until he saw her, Walker had refused to admit even to himself what a large part of his life would be missing if Samantha had died.

         During the night, into the small hours of the morning, he sat beside her bed as she had done during his illness weeks earlier. The nurses came and went, checking her vital signs, changing the bandage on her head. He hardly noticed them while he waited there for her to open her eyes and let him know she was all right.

         The dawn found him still waiting.

Continued in next segment.

HOME OF THE RED FOX - Segment Nine  (18+) Chapters 41 thru 45 #1082906 by J. A. Buxton