CHAPTER ELEVEN

 

 

The falling snow painted a layer of clean on the city. Henry didn't have time to take in the loveliness of it all. Despite being in a rush, he did notice the two children holding hands and spinning around, mouths open, laughing as they drank in the flakes. Their parents watched with pride. He assumed they were tourists from Florida; real New Yorkers just hunkered down and got on with their day.

Henry walked down the street towards his car. He had his eyes open for the thugs, though he couldn't imagine they would have guessed where he was heading. His pace was brisk but not so quick that it looked out of place. It was still early enough that rush hour hadn't started, so Henry expected he might be able to get out of the city without too much fuss. He was right. He headed north and, 90 minutes later, pulled up the lane at the Alexander house. It was a modest but elegant place set back in the woods.

Henry's tracks were the only ones in the snow. He felt a bit better. All he knew for sure was that nobody had driven up the drive in the last hour or so. There didn't seem to be any lights on. He got out of the car, turned up his collar and, with one hand on his hat, used the other to knock on the door. He waited. No sound, no movement, just silence and a feeling of dread welling up inside him. He knocked louder. When he began pounding his fists on the door, his mind raced, and fear replaced the dread.

There wasn't any sound. No wind, no storm, just the millions of flakes streaming down, narrowing the world to a space of about 20 feet. If it got any worse, Henry wouldn't even be able to see his car. He didn't know what he should do next. The barely audible creek of the door handle was deafening. Henry spun around to see the door open just enough for him to see two eyes peering out. As soon as Luna saw who it was, she flung the door open and yelped, "Henry!" He was relieved. She waved for him to come in, and, as soon as he crossed the threshold, she threw her arms around him.

"Henry! I have been so alone and afraid. I'm glad you are here. Have you found Daddy?"

Henry returned the hug. He couldn't help but notice how warm she was and how nice it felt to hold her. It was a good hug. "I haven't found him yet, but I have found another clue. I will tell you all about it. But right now we need to leave."

"In this storm?" she said, looking up at him. Her eyes were warm, but there was a bit of fear around the edges.

"Yes, I am afraid so. I have a house. Nobody knows about it. My neighbors don't know who I really am. It is a good place. You will be safe there."

"I feel safe with you." She hugged him again.

"Ok, now go pack a bag. Do it quickly; the storm is not going to let up, and we need to get on our way."

Henry locked the front door, mostly out of habit.

Henry watched her walk up the stairs. He stood in front of the fire to knock the chill off while he tried to think one step ahead. It seemed like a run of good luck that nobody had gone after Luna yet. He wondered if they were on their way. He put out the fire after lighting a couple of candles. Luna had been napping on the couch. He folded the blanket and put it on the arm of the sofa. Henry walked to the front door and peered out the window. The car was barely visible. Luna was coming down the stairs when he saw the headlights. He stepped away from the window and instinctively felt for the six-shot cobra under his jacket. It was a bad time for a shoot-out as they would certainly have a lot more firepower. The car pulled up behind Henry's. Henry grinned and put the chain across the door.

He whispered to Luna, "There are some dangerous people outside. Soon they will be inside. We need another way out."

"Who's out there?" She sounded frightened.

"I will tell you when we are safe. Now where are the doors?"

There was a pounding at the front door. Someone tried the handle.

"There is a back door to the patio and the side door by the kitchen."

"Side door will do," Henry said, taking her by the hand.

It was dark inside; there were only the candles, which Henry had lit. The door erupted as one of the thugs kicked it open. As soon as he heard the front door being kicked in, Henry opened the side door in the kitchen, and he and Luna ran out into the storm.

Inside, the thugs spread out. One had run upstairs; the other was checking the cellar while the third one was in the living room and heading towards the kitchen. Luna and Henry rushed to the car. She slipped into the passenger seat, and Henry stopped long enough to shoot out both the tires on the driver's side of the other car. He hopped into the car and fired it up. His car wasn't great in the snow, but it would do better than one with two flat tires. They were gone before the thugs made it back outside.

While the car crept back to Henry's place over the next two hours, he explained how he had found the journal and told her about the trouble her father was in at the firm. When they got to Henry's home, Luna was so tired that she looked like she was about to drop. Henry grabbed her bag and showed her inside. A quick tour ended at the bedroom. Henry grabbed a blanket and pillow. He would sleep on the couch. Normally, Luna would have objected, but she was too tired. Henry told her he would be downstairs if she needed anything.

Twenty minutes later Henry had pulled out some 1 x 2 maple he had lying around. He hadn't gotten back to the lumberyard, so he would just have to use some scraps to make something. He didn't care what he made; he just needed to create. He had seen an article by George Johnson of Canton, Oklahoma in which George had made a set of adjustable panel cauls. Henry measured each one carefully and used his Japanese handsaw to cut them. The spacers for the cauls needed to be one and one half inches, and he needed 12 of them. The handsaw worked fine for those as well. He was rather happy with how good he was getting with hand tools.

Henry was extremely focused; he didn't even notice Luna sitting on the stairs watching. Her hair was pulled back, and she wore a big wool sweater and had her legs pulled up to her chest. She was a tiny ball of quiet, but she felt safe. Henry's precision and attention to detail reminded her of her father. She thought about him. She wondered where he was and if he was ok.

Henry finished the half of the first caul before he looked up and saw her sitting there. She was peeking over her knees. He saw the corner of her eyes go up and he knew she was smiling. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Do you like Chinese?" He asked, walking around to the stairs.

"I love Chinese food, but can we get it with the storm?" Luna said, poking her head up over her knees.

"Mr. Wong fears nothing! And it's only two blocks, so I think we are ok," Henry said with a wink. Luna gave a little clap.

They ate and talked. Luna fell asleep on the couch. Henry pulled the blanket up over her shoulder, then got a blanket for himself. A few minutes later, he was asleep in the chair next to the couch.