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It had been one hell of a year for Bruce Cheever. He knew relationships with his wife, Janice had been on a wane for months but never expected her to up and walk out on him, especially after losing his principal's position. This would have never happened when he began teaching. It was a profession that was respected and teachers were protected with such things as priority rights to new positions when schools closed. He shook his head in self-pity and took his frustration out on the car as he accelerated, rather than braked, at the end of the seal. The car vibrated and rattled with clouds of gravel dust pouring in to the air but somehow, the drunken man maintained control and headed for the big saddle that separated Junction and Long Valley Roads.
He stared bleary eyed at the 'S' shaped bend ahead. Bugger! He was going the wrong way. Oh, what the hell. He'd keep going back out through the valley. It wasn't a lot further and by the time he found somewhere to turn it would actually take less time.
"Damn the woman," he muttered and wasn't quite sure whether he meant his wife or that toffee nosed bitch who had wormed her way into his school. "Damn all women!" He clarified his emotions and braked, far too severely on the top bend.
The back of the car swung out across the road with gravel flying everywhere. Bruce over compensated and avoided the inside cliff face by mere centimetres. With a lurch, the car's front wheel drive gripped the gravel and bounced over the top ridge and up to an intersection. Straight ahead, Top Ridge Road wound back along the high ground behind the Newson and Berg farms while, to the right, Long Valley Road descended into the valley it was named after.
"Oh what the hell," Bruce grunted and swung down towards the valley. He changed down and the motor screamed as the vehicle slowed but he managed to navigate another tight bend.
The man never appreciated it but the view of the valley below was as picturesque as a postcard with the bright green valley surrounded by steep wooded ranges and, in the far distance, the snow covered Mount Egmont and deep blue Tasman Sea. The closer Mount Ruapehu was out of sight behind his vehicle. Houses and farm buildings were dotted, matchbox size, along the valley with the one blemish in the idyllic scene being the scared hillside that had buried Long Valley Road School at the far end of the valley.
"Bloody slip," Bruce cursed. Even it helped stab him in the back. If it wasn't for the bloody avalanche, the other school there would still be open and that Berg woman wouldn't be in his position. He rubbed a hand over a two-day stubble.
"Yeah, Janice," he snorted. "You too, Kylena Berg. Just wait and see. Old Bruce Cheever may be down but he is not out."
He reached across the front seat, found the square shaped bottle and glared at the contents. Jesus, it was nearly all gone! Only a centimetre of the clear liquid sloshed around the bottom. Oh well! Might as well put the stuff out of its misery. He unscrewed the top and gulped in the fiery liquid, half of it missed the upturned lips and ran down his chin but a quick wipe with his jersey sleeve cleaned that up.
Oh shit! A truck was coming. He yanked the steering wheel to the left, hit the grass verge and bounced into the air, hit the road surface in a jaw shuddering crunch but managed to miss the oncoming vehicle.
"Same to you Buddy!" he screamed at the blaring horn and clenched fist shaking out the truck window.
He straightened his vehicle and accelerated away in a cloud of dust. It was two kilometres to the old school site and the temporary road across the avalanche face.
*
The truck driver stared in his rear vision mirror at the cloud of dust swaying in the distance. "The bastard will kill himself." Kelvin Newson cursed.
He slowed and stopped, considered his options for a moment and decided to turn and follow the car back. There was no hope of catching the guy but, with that driving, he wouldn't get far anyway. Once he caught up to the bugger, he'd give him a piece of his mind.
Road rage was the modern terminology for Kelvin's emotions but he was really just being his typical bad-tempered self. No bastard was going to drive like a maniac in his nick of the woods.
*
Bruce covered two kilometres in about ninety seconds. He ignored the orange danger sign before the road works and chuckled as the car bounced on the heavy gravel that had been carted in to help reconstruct the road across the slip face. To the left was the carved out hillside while the right dipped away with piles of earth and debris covering the old school.
"Bastard!" Bruce screamed yet again at nobody in particular and spun the steering wheel slightly so the rear end swung out to send gravel into the air. He grinned. This was fun.
He accelerated, wobbled the wheel and sent the vehicle into another sideways skid. Brakes screamed, wheels gripped and the car accelerated forward once more.
Bruce was about to try the manoeuvre once again when something caught his eye. Holly shit! A car was in front of him and it was travelling fast, too. In those few microseconds he could see it sort of float in the air as it bore down on him.
The man swerved but there was nowhere to go on that narrow one lane road. A scream of metal joined the agony he felt as the other car crumpled into his. The road disappeared and he could see the deep blue sky and smell gas fumes. His own shrieks of terror accompanied the explosion and were followed by ... oblivion!
*
Kelvin could see and smell the black smoke and orange flames bellowing into the air before he even stopped his truck. He braked and was outside, with the motor still running and driver's door swinging ajar before the truck had even stopped. He ran along the road toward the crash site but stopped when he realized there was nothing he could do. On the road shoulder, two converging sets of tire marks in the gravel showed where the opposing vehicles had attempted to avoid each other. Both marks stopped at the top of the abyss as if the vehicles had struck before both toppled over the edge.
It was impossible to see anything through the wall of fire and rancid black smoke. Even on the road itself the heat was so intense Kelvin had to hold his hands to protect his face. The roar of the inferno was punctuated by human screams. He stood stupefied with revulsion as another violent explosion shook the air and fireball hissed vertically into the air. Black smoke engulfed him and he was heaved backwards by a rush of superheated air. He found himself, coughing and spluttering across the road in a small ditch while a roar of a thousand cannons sent his head reeling and his bloody hand came away from a gashed cheek.
The farmer staggered back across the road again and focused on the smoke. Yes, he could see the two vehicles crunched together like two sardines cans that some giant had stepped on. Nobody could have survived that carnage!
Kelvin realized it was futile trying to reach the vehicles so returned to the truck. He had recently purchased one of those new fangled mobile phones. He found it under a pile of papers behind the front seat and called the emergency number.
*
When the two school buses left Matakaka Valley School at three twenty, Helen decided to go return home on her bus.
"See you later, Mommy," she waved as she climbed in the tiny, van like, blue bus. The other pupils aboard all grinned and waved at their teachers. The first day of the term was over.
This bus carried most of the children who used to attend the Long Valley Road School and followed Ridge Road for two kilometres beyond the junction before turning back to descend into the valley. At the same time, the second larger bus went in the opposite direction to drop the Junction Road children off before heading further into the hills with Leanne and the old Matakaka School children.
"The novelty will wear off but, right now, I don't really mind Helen going on the bus. I can have an hour or so to do work without her pestering me," Kylena said to Diane as the pair turned to go back inside, "And how was your day?"
"Fine," Diane replied. She glanced up at the sound of a vehicle approaching. “Who’s this?" she asked. "All the kids have gone."
Kylena's eyes followed her companion's gaze. "It’s our neighbour. Kelvin Newson. He’s a bit of a grouch, you know what the Newson family’s like?' Diane nodded and Kylena continued talking. "Mind you, we get on okay now."
Kelvin screeched to a stop and stuck his head out the old vehicle's window. Something in his eyes made Kylena frown. It wasn't grouchiness or anger but more like compassion.
"Have the police contacted you, Kylena?" he asked in a gruff but quiet voice.
"No," she replied. Something was wrong. She knew it!
"The bastards," Kelvin grunted. "They should have."
"Why Kevin, what's wrong?"
"That stupid bugger, Bruce Cheever ploughed his car into another one on the avalanche in front of your farm. I was there seconds later but could do nothing." He wiped his sweating brow. "I'm sorry, Lass," he added tenderly.
Blood drained from Kylena's face. "Who was in the other car?"
"I couldn't get to it, you see," Kelvin muttered. "The cars just blew up. I did what I could."
"Who was it!" yelled the distraught woman.
"The police and rescue helicopter arrived. When I left to come here, the cops had just managed to get the second car examined." His eyes were wide in sympathy. "I heard the cop mention it was your husband. It must be John."
"My baby!" sobbed Kylena. "Did they mention my baby?"
"No, lass," Kelvin muttered. "Look, hope in. I'll take you back there."
"You go," Diane replied to Kylena's desperate pleading eyes. "I'll lock up the school and follow."
"Do you mind?" Kylena whispered. Her hands were shaking without control and her chest heaved.
Kelvin swung the vehicle around and after a quick, "I'll keep an eye on her, lass," to Diane, drove back up the road.
The teacher, who felt ill herself, rushed into the grounds and almost collided with Courtney coming out.
"The police are on the phone and want to speak to Kylena. There's been an accident..." the new arrival spouted then saw Diane's drained face. “You heard?" she gasped.
Diane nodded. "It sounds bad. Kylena's gone with Kelvin Newson. I'd better talk to the police."
*
The journey up over the saddle was like hell incarnated. Kylena gripped the handhold above the door and stared straight ahead while Kevin drove in silence. At the top junction, the young woman gave an anguished gasp. Black smoke towered into the sky above the valley and, even as they watched, a ball of orange flames shot into the air.
"We'll get you there, Kylena," Kelvin muttered and cast an eye across at her. “It mightn't be as bad..." his voice trailed off. Words were useless now.
As they approached she saw a blue rescue helicopter parked on the only level land, the road itself. It was like the avalanche tragedy all over again.
"Mrs. Kylena Berg?" An unknown police sergeant opened the truck door after it skidded to a halt. 'We need you to identify the bodies.'” He saw her face and coughed. "If you'd rather we left it, we have a medical team here."
"No," the woman replied. “I’ll come, sergeant."
She walked up to the first helicopter to where two body bags lay on stretchers. A nurse in rescue gear glanced up. "Are you sure, Mrs. Berg?" she asked in a concerned voice after the sergeant had introduced the new arrival. "It's not a pleasant sight, I'm afraid."
"I'll be okay," Kylena's bottom lip trembled and her eyes were wide as she watched the woman unzipped the body bags.
The face was blackened but recognizable. It was Bruce Cheever.
When the second body bag was unzipped Kylena staggered and almost fell. She sobbed hysterically. Her mind attempted to cope with the latest information it had been feed. The dead man wasn't John! Her baby wasn't there either. Thank God! It wasn't John!
"Would you like to sit down, Kylena," the nurse said in an empathic voice and guided her to the opened door of the helicopter.
"No, I'm okay," Kylena muttered. "Yes, I can identify both bodies. The one on the left is Bruce Cheever and the second is Mic Werner, my first husband."
She glanced up the road where something caught her eye. She began to run up the road with her arms waving. Another vehicle had just appeared around the top corner. It was their Fairmont and she could see John driving.
*
John recognized his wife running towards him, stopped the Fairmont and found her, kissing and crying, in his arms.
"John," she cried between the sobs, "I thought it was you. When they said my husband I thought it was you."
She clung on and frantically kissed his cheeks, lips and hair while he just held on.
"You're safe!" Kylena sobbed. She raised a tear-stained face and saw that Fiona had lifted Caroline from the backseat safety cot. "Oh God, my baby’s safe!"
She buried her head in he husband's chest and erupted back into shuddering tears. It took several moments and a tranquilizer injection from the doctor before Kylena, now in the back of their car with a blanket around her became coherent and could explain what happened.
"Damn Kelvin," John muttered after he heard the full episode of the events.
"No, he was as concerned as myself, my love," Kylena explained." He couldn't have been more helpful. It wasn't his fault." She sucked on her top lip. "It was nobody's fault. Who would expect Mic Werner to be here?"
"Nobody," John replied and held his wife close.
*
It was eleven fifteen the next morning when Melanie answered the knock on the classroom door, gazed almost indignantly at the uniformed policeman with a plain clothed man beside him and listened to their request.
"It is somewhat inconvenient," she said. "However, I shall check to see if Mrs. Berg is available to talk to you."
"That's telling you, Terry," the constable said to the detective when the girl left.
"Yes," replied Detective Sergeant Terry Craven. “In my day we would have been shit scared if cops turned up at the classroom door."
Melanie returned with a confident smile. "Mrs. Berg will be with you in a moment and invites you to wait in the staffroom." She nodded to an adjacent door. "Our office lady doesn't work on Tuesdays."
Five minutes later Kylena walked in, apologized for the delay and invited her guests to sit.
After introducing himself and Constable Peter Alexander, the detective continued. "First we came to apologize for the unnecessary stress you went through, yesterday, Mrs. Berg. We should have contacted you earlier. We would also like to explain why Mic Werner was in the area."
"Your apology is accepted, sergeant," Kylena replied. "It was just the country district hot line working on overtime, I guess." She frowned and sat down. "I must admit I am curious about Mic. The last I'd heard he was still in jail waiting for the trial."
"Oh he was," Craven almost snorted. "However, it is amazing what smart lawyers can do these days. Werner was released on bail three weeks back. There were restrictions, of course, but the events of yesterday proved he just ignored them."
"I see, so he was after me again?"
"Worse than that," the detective admitted. "We had him under surveillance since his release from remand prison and one of our informants reported Werner said he was out to get you once and for all. We found the burnt out remains of a shotgun in the hulk of his car. Forensic experts believe it was loaded when the car exploded."
"Oh shit!" Kylena gasped and Terry glanced across at Peter as if to say the teachers were different from his day, too.
"We believe Werner was heading here when the accident occurred."
"So he was about to attack me again?" Kylena gasped.
"He would not have got this far, though, Mrs. Berg," the detective stated in a quiet voice and broke into a soft smile.
"Why not?"
"Our informant rang us earlier and the armed offender's squad were being flown in by helicopter to set up a road block on Long Valley Road when the news of the accident came through."
"It was a bit close wasn't it sergeant?" Kylena asked.
The man frowned. "What do you mean, Mrs. Berg?"
"If Mic hadn't been in the accident with Bruce Cheever, he'd have been here fifteen minutes later. Hardly time for a road block to be set up, I'd say?"
"Possibly." the detective admitted. "We were about to call you and tell you of the situation but were confident we had time to intercept him."
"Okay." Kylena replied and stood up. 'I appreciate what you have done. It's a pity Bruce had to be killed because of this man, though.'
"Cheever was over twice the legal alcohol limit and shouldn't have been driving." Detective Craven replied. "He was not an innocent victim. Our initial findings show his car caused the accident."
"But a sad event never-the-less," Kylena replied. She shook the detective's hand who after a few courtesy remarks, left.
Kylena sighed and gazed out the window to where she could see Helen's class having a swimming lesson. It was a beautiful hot day and the rural view seemed so at peace with the world. Deep in thought, she returned to own room to find the children all engrossed in assignment work. They glanced up as she walked in and continued working.
"Trouble, Mrs. Berg?" Ken asked.
"No Ken," Kylena replied. "Everything is fine now."
*
Dawn had just arrived when the telephone jarred John awake. Even before his eyes were opened he grabbed the instrument and had it to his ear.
"John Bern speaking." His eyes blinked opened to see Kylena feeding Caroline.
"Daddy, are you all right?" It was Julie. "I just heard on the local radio news that two people were killed just outside our place."
"Yes, we're fine, Sweetheart. It didn't involve us." He flushed at the white lie, covered the mouthpiece and whispered "Julie," to Kylena's inquiring gaze.
"You could have rung me," Julie growled but there was obvious relief in her voice. “Is Kylena there?"
"Yes, she's feeding the baby."
"Grandma and Helen okay?"
"Yes, we're all fine, Sweetheart. And how about you?"
"No problem but call me if anything important happens, next time. I have to get to the showers before the rush. See you!" The phone went dead.
"Julie heard about the accident on the radio. I guess no names were given out and she was worried."
"Our big little girl," Kylena said. Her eyes fixed on her husband. "I love our family, John. Every single member of it."
"Even Bella?"
"Yes, even Bella and Ginger the cat." She laughed and moved Caroline slightly aside so she could reach up and kiss the hulk of a man beside her.
*