Lone Wolf

9

“SO WHAT WERE YOU AND THE DOC talking about?” Dad asked when I returned to the cabin. He was still on the couch.

“We need to talk,” I said.

“Look, if this is about Lana, I don’t need any lectures from my son about my sex life.”

I closed my eyes, but then, when the images started appearing, I reopened them. “God, no, I do not want to talk to you about your sex life.”

“Because it’s my business,” Dad said.

“I don’t want to talk about your sex life, okay? I can’t imagine anything I want to talk about less.”

“But in case you’re wondering, it’s pretty good,” Dad said. He made a fist and shoved it forward slowly. “I still got it. Although this ankle’s gonna slow me down a little bit for a while.”

“That’s great, Dad. I’m thrilled. You can do ads for the little blue pill.”

Instant umbrage. “Who said I need that? Did Dr. Heath tell you I need that, because he’s got no business spreading that kind of thing around. There’s such a thing as doctor-patient confidentiality, you know.”

“Dad! I don’t give a shit about your sex life, okay? There are more important matters to discuss than that.”

Dad sat quietly, waiting.

“I’m not totally convinced that you’ve got a bear problem,” I said.

“Aww, jeez…”

“Listen to me. I couldn’t sleep all night, thinking about what Betty said. She’s seen a lot, you know, in her line of work. She doesn’t think it was a bear at all-”

“Okay, so maybe it’s a wolf or a coyote or something like that?”

“Have you seen a lot of wolves and coyotes? And when’s the last time you heard of them bringing down a man and killing him? But if it was dogs, like Betty seemed to think, well, you don’t have to look far to find a couple of those. You weren’t there yesterday, you didn’t see how those little beasts came after me, they were-”

“Look,” Dad protested, “Betty doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She means well, but really, I’ve known her a few years now, and she’s a worrier, that’s all. That was a bear that did that, and we’ve got our bear spray, so if he comes around again, we’ll be okay. And Lana was telling me that Orville, her nephew, is talking to the wildlife people, maybe getting some people to hunt down this bear before it hurts anyone else.”

“There’s another thing, Dad. I walked around out there this morning, where they found the body. The Wickenses, they say he’d gone out hunting for a bear, but if that’s true, then where’s the rifle? I don’t think Orville found one, and I kind of doubt the bear took it with him.”

“Aw, you’re full of it. Did you come up here to help me or make my life difficult?”

“You know what I think? I think you’d rather have a killer bear out there than a couple of killer dogs, because if it’s a bear, it’s out of your hands. But if it’s those dogs, acting with their owner’s blessing, living in a house that belongs to you, right up there on your property, it’s a problem you have to deal with.”

Dad said nothing. He bit his lip, looked away from me and out the window, toward the lake. I took a seat in a recliner across from the couch, leaned back, made no attempt to interrupt the silence. We sat there, the two of us, for about a minute, until Dad finally spoke.

“I got some coffee going over there. You mind getting me a cup? Help yourself if you want some.”

I got up. “Black, right?” Dad nodded. I poured us two cups of coffee, brought them back over, and plopped back into the recliner. I took a sip. “Good coffee,” I said.

Dad drank some of his. “Catch any fish with Bob this morning?”

“No. But Audrey hit my line.”

“Jesus, seriously? Bob’s been after Audrey for years.”

“Didn’t get her, though. We each caught a pickerel, otherwise nothing. Nice of him to take me out, though.”

“Yeah,” said Dad. “He’s a good guy, Bob is.”

Then we were quiet again for a while. Dad took another sip, looked out over the lake again, and said, “I don’t know what to do.”

I nodded. “I can understand that. It’s a tricky situation.”

“I want them out,” Dad said. “I can’t sleep.”

I didn’t say anything.

“There’s always gunfire up there,” he said. “Shooting all the time, like, target practice or something. I can handle a bit of that, you know? You have to expect it, up here in the mountains. But it goes on and on some days. One time, I thought I heard a machine gun. Who needs a fucking machine gun? And they wear all this camouflage garb? What do they think they are? Who do they think’s coming to get them? What are they taking a stand against?”

“Have you done anything about this so far?”

Dad sighed. “A few weeks ago, after an afternoon of nonstop shooting, I called Orville.”

“Oh.”

“Look, it’s kind of complicated. He’s Lana’s nephew, and, well, there’s more to it than I can explain. He tries to do his job, but he’s a bit lacking in the intimidation department.”

“What happened when you called him?”

Another sigh. “He went up there. He thought it would be better, I didn’t go with him, maybe the Wickenses would hold it against me if they knew I’d placed the call. Orville said he could say that there’d been some general calls about gunfire, without mentioning my name, and he was just checking into it. I kind of walked up through the woods, watched what happened. They let him inside the gate, and those boys of Charlene’s, Timmy’s wife, Darryl and Darryl I call them, although not to their faces, their real names are Wendell and Dougie, they took Orville’s hat, started tossing it back and forth, Orville running back and forth between them.”

“Monkey in the middle,” I said.

Dad nodded. “It was pitiful to watch. The boys were giggling and laughing, and finally their old man, Timmy, he says, okay now, boys, let’s stop this. And he hands Orville his hat back, but not his dignity. He scurried out of there with his tail between his legs.”

“God,” I said, picturing it. “There’s something about Orville, Dad.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. When I first saw him, he reminded me of someone, and he still does. Did he hang around in our old neighborhood, visiting his aunt Lana? But he looks ten or more years younger than me anyway, so he’d only have been a baby.”

“I don’t know,” Dad said cautiously. “Who does he remind you of?”

I shrugged. “I just feel I know him from somewhere. Maybe from the city? I worked for that other paper years ago, maybe I interviewed him back then.”

“Could be,” Dad said. “What difference does it make?” He seemed annoyed by how I’d sidetracked the conversation.

“Forget it,” I said. “Okay, let’s get back to the matter at hand. There may be other avenues to pursue with regard to the Wickenses without dragging Orville into it. You should see a lawyer. Get a letter drawn up, tell them they have to leave. Give them a month’s notice, after that, they’re in violation of a court order, anything.”

Dad mulled that one over. “A lawyer.”

“Yeah.”

“I hate lawyers.”

“Everyone does, Dad. Sarah maybe even more than you. But this might be one of those times when one could be useful.”

“I guess it’s an idea. Suppose it wouldn’t hurt to talk to someone.”

“Sure,” I said. “There must be a few lawyers in Braynor.”

Dad nodded, thinking. “There’s the one who handled this real estate deal for me. I guess I’d start with him.”

“Why don’t you call him, see if you can get an appointment, maybe tomorrow?” I suggested. “Where’s your phone book?”

“Just leave it with me. It’s in my study. I’ll do it, I’ll call him.” He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Okay. That’s good. I feel like we’re making progress.”

He reached for his crutches, got himself up off the couch. “Yeah, this is a plan.” He shoved the crutches under his arms, moved toward the door of his study. Suddenly, he was a man with a mission. “I think his name’s Bert Trench. That’s it. He’s got an office on the main street of Braynor.”

He was in the study now, settling into his chair in front of his computer, reaching for the phone book. He was shouting, figuring I couldn’t hear him fifteen feet away by the kitchen counter. “I’ll bet he can get some kind of injunction! No, not an injunction. An eviction! He can get an eviction notice! You think?”

“Possibly,” I said.

“Okay, here’s the number.” I heard Dad pushing some buttons on the phone, then, “Yeah, hi, it’s Arlen Walker? Mr. Trench handled everything when I bought Denny’s Cabins… That’s right, yeah… I was wondering, could I make an appointment with him, soon as possible?…Tomorrow would be fine, sure… That’s perfect, thank you so much.”

He hung up. “Tomorrow at ten-thirty!”

“That’s great, Dad. I’ll drive you in.”

“You’ll come in, too, won’t you? To talk to the lawyer with me?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“This is very good. Maybe I can get rid of those bastards once and for all, the whole goddamn lot of them! Then, once the house is empty, I’ll get it cleaned up. We’ll have to rent a Dumpster, throw out all that crap up there, the rusting appliances, that old rusty bed, Jesus I can’t believe the way they’ve let the place-”

There was a knock at the back door. I walked the two steps over and swung it wide.

It was Timmy Wickens.

Dad was still shouting. “Those sons of bitches will just have to look-”

“Dad!” I shouted.

“Huh?”

“Mr. Wickens is here.”

Wickens, in black boots, work pants, and a padded hunting vest, his bald head gleaming, smiled. “I wanted to have a word with Mr. Walker.”

“Sure,” I said. Dad was already hobbling out of the study. “Won’t you step inside?” I said to Wickens, who accepted the invitation.

“Mr. Walker?” Wickens said as Dad made his way to the door. “How’s your ankle?”

“Oh, you know, it smarts a bit,” Dad said. “I’m sorry to hear about your trouble. That young man.”

Wickens nodded. “Tragic,” he said. “Just tragic. Can’t ever remember something like that happening up here.”

“Yeah,” I said. “How’s your daughter doing?”

There was a glint in Wickens’s eye, like maybe I’d crossed some line, daring to ask a question about her.

“She’s good,” he said. “She’s going to be just fine. May’s a strong girl. So you’re Mr. Walker’s son, right?”

“Yes,” I said. “I’m staying with Dad a few days, helping him out till his ankle gets a bit stronger.”

“He’s taken over cabin three,” Dad said. “Making himself right at home.”

“What I was wondering,” Timmy Wickens said to Dad, “Charlene and I, that’s my wife,” he looked at me when he said it, “we were wondering could you join us for dinner tonight? The two of you.”

I looked at Dad.

“I know it’s short notice and all,” Timmy said, “but we’d be much obliged if the two of you joined us for dinner. Our misfortune kind of turned your life upside down, too, and we’d like to make it right.”

Dad appeared stunned. “Zachary, are we, are we doing something tonight?”

I shrugged. “Not that I know of.”

Dad’s eyes widened. “I, I guess, I don’t think we’ve got anything on for tonight.”

Wickens smiled. “That’s great, then. Why don’t you stroll up around six-thirty or so?”

“That sounds great, Timmy,” Dad said. “Isn’t that great, son?”

I nodded. “Sounds terrific.”

“Settled then,” said Wickens, turning and heading back out the door.

Once I had it closed behind him, Dad and I stared at each other for several seconds without speaking.

“Sarah,” I finally said, “would tell me, in social situations like this, that we should take some kind of hostess gift.”

“Okay,” Dad said. “Got any ideas?”

“I was thinking, a case of Alpo. We give the dogs something to eat, maybe they won’t eat us.”