I didn’t bother knocking. It was after four a.m. and knocking would probably go unnoticed. So I let myself in the back—I had to break the window to do this, reach inside and unlock the door—and then sat down at the kitchen table. I didn’t move for several minutes. I let my heart rate slow. I let my breathing become calm. Finally, I got up and grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured myself some water. It was then I heard the creak on the stairs as Darrell made his way downstairs.
“What the hell?”
He stood in the doorway in his robe, an old hunting rifle in his hands.
“I thought you were an intruder.”
I didn’t respond to this. In many ways, I was an intruder. I finished off the glass and filled it again and returned to my seat.
Darrell squinted at me in the dark.
“What’s that at your feet?”
“A duffel bag.”
“What’s in the duffel bag?”
“Stuff.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass.”
He set the rifle aside and went to flick the switch for the lights.
I said, “Don’t.”
“Why not?”
“It’s best the light stays off.”
He wandered deeper into the kitchen. He didn’t have his cane and had to hold onto the counter for support. When he was close enough, he squinted again.
“What’s that on your clothes?”
“Blood.”
He didn’t even blink.
“Your blood?”
“Some of it.”
He didn’t question this and lowered himself down on one of the chairs across from me.
“What happened?”
“I need a favor.”
“I’m listening.”
“Actually, I need a couple of favors.”
“I’m still listening.”
“I need to take a shower. I need to shave. And I need some clothes.”
“Is that it?”
“For now.”
“I think I can allow that. Now are you going to tell me just what the hell is going on?”
“It’s probably best you don’t know.”
“Like hell it is.”
He paused, sniffing the air.
“Why do you smell like smoke?”
I smelled like smoke because I’d stood close enough to the cabin while it was going up in flames. Despite the snow, I wanted to make sure the fire was controlled and didn’t spread into the trees. I’d left the men’s bodies where they were in the snow. Zelda I had buried in the front yard.
“I think I’d like to take that shower now.”
“Sure. I’ll make sure to put chocolate on your pillow while you’re at it.”
Despite everything that had happened tonight, I found myself smiling.
“Thanks, Darrell.”
“No problem. Though I would like to know what the hell is going on.”
And just how was I supposed to explain it to him? My friend—my only friend in the world—wanted to know what had happened, and just what was I supposed to say?
“Okay, I’ll tell you.”
This seemed to surprise him.
“Really?”
“Yes, but I also need another favor.”
“What’s that?”
“I need your sharpest steak knife.”
I glanced at the stack of dishes in the sink.
“Preferably one that’s clean.”
The bathroom light was stark and bright. I pulled off the bloodstained sweatshirt.
Darrell said, “You brought me up here for a striptease?”
I held out my hand for the knife. He placed it in my palm, handle facing toward me. Under normal circumstances, I would disinfect the blade, but it wasn’t like it would matter. Not for me. The blade could be covered in a dozen different diseases and none of them would affect me.
Without a word, I stuck the blade in my shoulder. Darrell cried out in surprise. I pushed the blade in deeper and twisted it until I could feel it connect with the bullet. Very gently I dug the bullet out with the tip of the blade until it was close enough to the surface. I set the knife aside, pinched the bullet out with two fingers, and dropped it in the sink. The clatter of the round on the porcelain in the silent house was just as loud as a gunshot.
Darrell leaned forward, looked into the sink, then incredulously looked at me.
“Someone shot you?”
“Many someones.”
“Why?”
“That’s what I wanted to show you.”
“Show me what? Christ, aren’t you going to do anything about that? You’re bleeding!”
It was such an obvious statement, but Darrell looked at me in disbelief. I wasn’t even flinching in pain. Blood trickled down my chest and side, but it wasn’t much. By now the bleeding had stopped. The itching was in full force as the skin began to stitch itself back together.
I ran the water in the sink, soaked a washcloth, and wiped the blood away. Where I had sliced my skin moments ago, there was only a slight scar.
The incredulous expression hadn’t left Darrell’s face.
“What … how … I don’t understand.”
“In another couple minutes the scar will be completely gone.”
Darrell shook his head slowly, at a loss for words.
“I’m going to tell you the basics. I can’t tell you the whole story because we don’t have time, and quite honestly, I don’t think you’d believe me anyway.”
He swallowed, his eyes still wide.
“I think at this point I’m apt to believe just about anything.”
“Some men came up to the cabin tonight. They were professionals. The lead guy’s rifle had a tranquilizer dart loaded. I think they meant to abduct me, and when that failed, they meant to kill me.”
“What men?”
“I’m not sure. I searched each of them, but none had any identification on them. There wasn’t even anything in their vehicles.”
Another SUV had been parked a mile down the drive, cold and empty.
Darrell frowned.
“Speaking of which, how did you get here anyway? I didn’t see your truck outside.”
“I got here on foot.”
“On foot? It’s practically fifteen miles!”
He paused again as something occurred to him.
“Where’s Zelda?”
I only shook my head.
He cursed, sighed, bit his lower lip.
“I feel like there’s something you’re leaving out.”
“There are a lot of things I’m leaving out. The main thing is I need to take a shower, and while I do, I want you to pack.”
“Pack?”
“Pack as much as you can. You need to disappear.”
“I can’t do that. Who will run the store?”
“Darrell, your life is in danger.”
“How so?”
“You’re a known associate of mine.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I have no idea how these men found me, but somehow they did. And if they found me, they probably knew I was friends with you. And if they knew that, the people who sent them know it too.”
“People that sent them?”
He shook his head as if to clear it.
“You’re not making any sense.”
“I don’t want you to die. Does that make enough sense for you?”
He didn’t answer right away. He just stared back at me. I was sorry to do this to him, but I didn’t have any choice. I cared about him too much to let him become collateral damage. Zelda had been more than enough.
Finally he nodded.
“Okay, I’ll start packing. I have no idea where to go, though. Maybe I’ll—”
“Don’t say it. I don’t want to know. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. Just go.”
He nodded again.
“I’m hoping that’s your last favor.”
“There’s only a few more.”
“Good God, what more can you ask of me?”
I looked at myself in the mirror. The shaggy hair, the unkempt beard. Like Dr. Snyder had said, I looked like a mountain man.
“Can I borrow your razor?”