House of Fallen Trees

CHAPTER FIVE

The cross-country non-stop flight was uneventful and Karen spent most of it buried in the laptop she’d forced herself to bring/carry/open/work on. She drank several glasses of white wine and became completely lost in her fictitious world, barely glancing up when the captain announced the time and weather in Spokane. It wasn’t until the captain insisted everyone shut off all electrical devices that she closed the computer and looked around at her traveling companions, a dazed expression on her face.

It was Tuesday, 5:50 pm PST.

She was surprised by how dark and cold it was when she crossed the tarmac, canvas bag slung over one shoulder, computer bag slung over the other.

Rory had said he would meet her in baggage claim and not to worry about the fact that she had no idea what he looked like.

“I’ll know you,” he’d said over the phone. “I’ve seen pictures.”

She was surprised to hear Sean even owned any pictures from his past life, never mind actually showed them to people.

Once she arrived at baggage claim, she felt odd and conspicuous. He could have been anyone, watching her from afar or standing right beside her. For the first time, she began to wonder about the wisdom in traveling across the country to meet a man she didn’t know, had only spoken to on the phone, both times only briefly.

“Karen,” a voice spoke from behind her.

She turned, already smiling politely.

Rory Luden was quite handsome, as she’d known he would be. Maybe mid-thirties, tall, receding dark blond hair, blue eyes, and the full lips of a movie star. He held out his hand. “I’m Rory. Good to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Karen said as they shook, eyeing another man who stood beside Rory regarding her quizzically.

“This is my friend, Saul,” Rory said. “He just came along for the ride.”

Saul was shorter than Rory, darker and stockier. “Nice to meet you,” Karen said, inwardly cringing. Now she was about to get into a car with two strange men. This instantly brought back the phrase that had been taunting her: Two men have the carcass.

Were these the two men?

She tried to keep her face neutral while her mind raced. Was her phone in the computer bag?

“You’re definitely a Lewis,” Saul told her, suddenly smiling with impossibly bright teeth. “I would have known it even if I didn’t know it.”

She looked at him blankly.

“You look just like your brother,” he explained, giving Rory a quick, concerned glance.

“That she does,” Rory agreed. “Can I take your bags for you?”

Maybe the phone was in the bag with her clothes and toiletries? “Uh…no, thank you. I’m fine.”

“You’re sure? They look pretty heavy.”

“You must be beat from the flight,” Saul added, reaching for the computer bag. “Let us help you.” He tugged the bag from her shoulder, their eyes meeting for an instant when she wouldn’t let the bag go. She saw something flash in those dark eyes. Suspicion? Offense? She couldn’t be sure…

And then Rory was helping himself to her other bag and she relented to both of them.

“Thank you,” she said awkwardly.

“The car isn’t too far,” Rory said and began walking towards the airport exit.

“I’ll even let you have shotgun.” Saul smiled at her from over his shoulder.

“Thanks.” Karen returned the smile weakly.

She trailed behind them slowly, doing her best to calm herself. She knew she was being ridiculous — at least, she hoped she was. After all, this Rory guy was someone who Sean had held very dear and though she and Sean were never what you’d call best friends, she thought she knew him pretty well.

But what proof do you have that these guys even knew Sean? This Rory character just called you up out of the blue. You’d never heard of him before. For all you know, this could be one of those writer/stalker deals. You could end up like that poor bastard in Misery.

This last thought made her laugh aloud, causing the men to turn back to her, their faces puzzled.

“Sorry,” she said. “I guess I’m a little jetlagged.”

“Been there, done that,” Saul said. “The time zones are a bitch.”

They were outside in the brisk air, crossing a crowded parking garage. Her breath puffed out before her in wispy plumes. The cold made her feel better, less claustrophobic and nervous. She took great gulps of it as discreetly as possible.

“We have to take an elevator up a couple of decks,” Rory said, aiming them towards the side of the garage.

This is it, she thought, now more amused by her wild imagination than actually frightened. If they’re gonna rape and murder you, it will probably be in the elevator. Another, less amused voice, responded: Not if they’re going to take you to some secluded house in the woods and torture you first. What if they’re into making snuff films, for Christ’s sake? You don’t know these guys from Adam.

Then, the most disturbing voice of all: Don’t forget, girly. Two men have the carcass.

It took every fiber of willpower in her body not to run screaming for the nearest exit. But part of her remained rational, knew she had seen way too many horror movies, read way too many horror books. Couple that with already having a vivid imagination, being in a very odd circumstance, and you were bound to breed paranoia.

At the elevator, Rory pushed the Up button and the three of them were joined by a middle-aged couple pulling suitcases behind themselves. The couple offered tired smiles to the trio but said nothing.

The five of them stepped into the elevator, Karen secretly breathing a sigh of relief, though she had no idea why she should. She was about to get into a car with these two strangers and be taken God knew where.

East Bum Fuck, remember?

Yes. East Bum Fuck. Where, for whatever reason, her brother had chosen to settle and live his life, far away from his past, in a place where it couldn’t touch him, no matter how long and spidery its fingers were.

On the third level of the parking garage, the men led her to an older model red Jeep Cherokee. Once she’d settled into the front passenger seat and fastened the seatbelt, she realized just how exhausted she was. It was tempting to just close her eyes and tell Rory to wake her when they arrived, but she fought against it.

“I’m anxious to see Fallen Trees,” she said, not liking the silence as Rory started the engine and drove out of the garage.

“We’re probably not going to get there tonight,” Rory said. “May as well just stay in Indigo Bend at Saul’s house. It’s a lot closer and you’ll have a room all to yourself. We’ll head up to Fallen Trees in the morning.”

Karen was surprised by this turn of events, but tried not to show it. “Sounds good to me,” she said, too tired to think of anything more conversational. She was beginning to relax and get a grip on her paranoia. After all, she had been the one to call Rory and tell him she was coming out, not the other way around. She was imposing herself on him, with little regard to how he felt about the situation. She simply hadn’t given him a choice in the matter. Rory turned the radio on. Soft jazz drifted from the speakers, further lulling Karen into relaxation. Gazing out at the night as it sped by, she took in as much of the scenery as the darkness allowed. This was her brother’s chosen place. His chosen state. She waited to see if she could feel his spirit here somehow, but after concentrating for several moments, all she could really feel was a chill.

“Would you mind turning on the heat?” she asked Rory.

“No problem.”

The Jeep’s heater kicked on and slowly her chill began to dissipate. She also began to wake up a little more. Unlike a lot of people she knew, it was the cold that made her sleepy, rather than warmth. She sat up straighter in her seat, watching the freeway unravel before them.

“Lots of trees,” she marveled aloud.

“Yeah, for now,” Rory said. “Can’t say what future Washington residents will have if the lumber companies have their way.”

Karen turned to look at him. “Oh?”

“The further away from the city we get, you’ll see what I mean.”

“Clear-cutting,” Saul put in from the backseat. “If you care anything at all about nature, the sight of it can break your heart.”

“What’s clear-cutting?” she asked.

Saul went on to explain to her the decimation of entire forests for the mighty buck. It was obvious how he felt about it: enraged. He talked for a long time and as he did so, Karen wondered if her brother had become an environmentalist while he’d been out here. Saul paused and she was just about to ask them that when Rory jumped in and announced, “Welcome to Indigo Bend, home of the Indy 500’s high school football team. They’re county champs.”

Karen nodded, trying to look impressed.

The town was dark as they drove along what appeared to be a main drag. Shops lined either side of the road, all locked up tight for the night.

“Things roll up early around here, I see,” she said.

“Pretty much, yeah,” Saul replied. “Except for a few bars. They stay open till at least two. Sometimes later, if the owner feels like it. No one pays much attention to the rules around here.”

“No police?” she asked.

Saul laughed. “Well, technically, yeah, we have a sheriff and a couple other bumblers in brown but dollars to donuts, all four of them are in one of the bars as we speak.”

Karen raised an eyebrow. “That must do wonders for your feelings of safety. I take it that means your neighborhood watches must be working double-time.”

He laughed again. “I guess you could say that, if your idea of a neighborhood watch is if someone gets woken up by hearing a raccoon tip over their trash can and comes running outside in their tighty-whities holding a shotgun and ready to blast away anything that moves.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Must be a pretty low raccoon population then, eh?”

This time the three of them laughed as Rory turned down a dark side street and, seconds later, pulled into a short driveway behind a Toyota pickup.

“Home, sweet home,” Saul said as Rory turned off the engine.

“That wasn’t too bad of a drive,” Karen remarked. “I figured we’d be on the road for hours.”

“One hour,” Rory said. “You probably didn’t notice since Saul was talking your ear off about clear-cutting and all the injustices humanity thrusts upon the natural world.”

“Hey, it’s important shit,” Saul said, climbing out of the Jeep. Rory and Karen followed suit, the guys grabbing her bags for her.

Saul’s house looked a little worse for wear, but was neat and small, a little clapboard number with a modest front porch.

“Watch your step,” Saul told her. “A couple of those slate slabs are cracked.”

She did as she was told, though she was more interested in the towering pine trees surrounding the house. Hell, they seemed to surround the entire town, or at least what she had seen of it on the drive in.

Before entering the house, she gave the autumn air one final sniff, relishing the pine scent and general cleanness of the place. If one could judge a town solely on its smell, then she could completely understand why Sean loved it here. There was something invigorating about it and she looked forward to seeing the place — as well as Fallen Trees — in the daylight.