Broken Road (30 page)

He was gone. The peaceful sleep she had experienced the night before that followed Riley’s horrific nightmare had been disrupted by his sudden escape. At first she thought he had gone out for a walk, although she desperately hoped that he hadn’t, especially in an area that neither of them knew very well. But when she went to inquire at the desk about possible places she could search she was told by the clerk that Riley had left of his own accord and that they had ordered him a taxi. He was headed to the Greyhound station over in the next town. That was all the clerk knew. Frantic, Brenda called Louis Montgomery and explained what had happened.

“You start for home. I’ll go through his file and see if there’s anyone he knows from the service that he might reach out to or any place I can think of that he might have gone. You call Doreen and see if he’s made it back. If we don’t find him after all of that we’ll call the police and file a missing persons report, okay?”

“Louis, I’m so scared for him!”

“Can you remember anything at all that might have set him off?”

“I don’t know if it set him off but when we got here we went to a local bar and they recognized him. Tried to get him up on stage that sort of stuff and then last night he had a nightmare.”

“What sort of nightmare? Be specific.”

“I don’t know. But it was loud, he was screaming something about fire. I went though the door to our adjoining room to see if I could help him.”

“Did you?”

“I know what you told me about the nightmares. He wasn’t trying to hurt me. He was paralyzed. He couldn’t move and he was scared. So scared!”
 

“Calm down. That’s the best thing you can do for yourself now, okay? You get home and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Okay.” She agreed. When they hung up Brenda couldn’t help but think of the worst case scenarios where Riley was concerned. She felt so badly for the part of him that was still stuck overseas and for the broken parts of him that he was trying to put back together. Brenda played the conversations and the moments from the previous night over and over in her head. What could she have done differently? How could she have helped him? What could she have said to prevent him from running away like this? But the more she thought about it the more she was at a loss.
 

She called Doreen as Louis asked and did her best to calm the older woman down. Before long they were both crying and Brenda knew that they had to find a way to focus on finding Riley. That’s what mattered most. When she finally made it back to town she saw that Louis was waiting for her and as soon as she parked she jumped out of the car and ran to him.

“It’s going to be okay.” He reassured her but she wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Have you heard from him?” she asked and he shook his head.

“He hasn’t been gone long enough to report him missing yet either but the Sheriff’s been nice enough to go out looking anyway. Doreen called him right away and he and a group of guys from town are at the café right now making a plan to search some of the more obscure places.”

“Do you think we should go down there?” She said and started to pull away so she could go back to the car.

“Not just yet. Look, we need to talk.” Louis said and his voice took on a serious tone. Brenda stopped and looked at him. Something about his whole demeanor had suddenly changed.

“Louis, what’s wrong? You look like something’s wrong. What is it? Tell me.” She said and he cleared his throat, fidgeted a little with his hands and then looked her directly in the eye.

“I got a call.”

“A call? About what? Riley?”

“About you.” He said and she got quiet. She stepped back and waited. Louis Montgomery looked away for a moment and then he continued.

“Someone named Jon Procter called my office this morning.” Brenda’s blood ran cold at the sound of Jon’s name. She stepped back further and crossed her arms in front of her.

“Really?”

“Yes. He was looking for Riley but he said he was doing it on behalf of someone else.”

“Who?” She asked even though she knew the answer. Brenda was starting to shake and she put her arms around herself to stop it.

“Captain Shane Jenner’s widow and did I know anything because she was eager to thank him for trying to save her husbands life.”

“Louis. . .”

“I didn’t know it was you he was talking about. Not at first. I found out when I looked up your name on the internet and there you were with your boys. Hair color’s different of course. It’s shorter too. But I never forget a face.”

“It’s not what you think, really.” Brenda started to explain but the older man interrupted her.

“It doesn’t matter what I think. At the end of the day I’m not the one that needs the explanation, Renae, or should I say
Brenda
?”

“Please, Louis. I wanted to. . .help.” She wished even now she could tell him the whole truth.

“I believe you, but why couldn’t you tell Riley the truth? Why this big charade?”

“He doesn’t want anything to do with what happened that night. It’s a big burden. He never would have talked to me if he’d known who I was and I needed him to talk to me.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell him anything. It’s not my place. I see the good that you’ve done for him although I’m not sure how he or everyone else is going to feel about the fact you lied to them.”

“I know. I’ve thought it from the moment I got here, but you see, I never expected him to be here. That’s why Jon Procter called you. I asked him to search for the soldier who was with my husband that night. I never dreamed in a million years that I’d find him here. I came here because my husband’s family owned this farm and I needed to get away from the media and take some time to think. Then, I went into the café and I offered Doreen some help waiting on tables and there he was! The person I was looking for and things just snowballed from there.”

Louis’ eyes softened as he looked at Brenda.
 

“I’m not going to give away your secret. I don’t pretend to understand it all but then who can?” She felt immensely relieved. “But you’ve got to tell him sooner or later. It’s the right thing to do you know that. I’ll help if you want but it’s got to be done.” She nodded in agreement.

“What did you tell Jon Procter?”

“That I couldn’t tell him what he wanted to know for reasons of privacy. He didn’t fight me too hard on it.”
 
Louis said.
Of course he wouldn’t.

“So now what do we do?” She asked and Louis looked up at the house.
 

“I pulled up just before you did so if you don’t mind why don’t we go in and see if he didn’t change his mind and came home. It happens sometimes. They run out of money or they just see reason. Let’s hope for that.” He said and she took the steps up the porch to the door taking the key out of her pocket. She sincerely hoped he was right because the thought of Riley out in the elements, homeless or in a shelter somewhere broke her heart. If something happened to him out there she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to forgive herself. She had come to care for Riley much more than she ever could have imagined.

They went through the entire house and found nothing. Finally, Brenda decided to take a look outside.
 

“Is there someplace he could be hiding on the property?”

“Well, I don’t know about hiding but he did have sort of a makeshift workshop out in the old barn.”

“Let’s take a look.” Louis said and followed Brenda out the side door leading from the kitchen into the backyard. There were large flagstones that made a path from the edge of the rickety old steps to the door of the barn. Brenda made her way to the door and opened it.
 

“Brenda, wait!” Louis called at her from the steps just as she felt a rough pair of hands grab her and yank her inside.

"Get down!" Riley was yelling as he motioned with the barrel of the gun. Brenda was stunned. What was happening? How did he end up back here at the farmhouse? He had grabbed her, pulled her inside and thrown her on the floor just as Louis had tried to warn her not to go inside. She had been in such a hurry that she hadn’t waited for
 
him and now she was in a terrible predicament.

"Riley, are you okay? It's me.” She tried to get up but he cut her off and pointed the gun at her again.

"Shut up and get down on the ground! Face down, hands behind your back now! He commanded and charged toward her aggressively.
 

" What’s wrong with you? Don't you know who I am? Riley, please!"

"I said shut up!" This time he lowered the gun long enough to grab her by the shoulder and shove her down to the ground and using his free hand he clamped both of her wrists together placing pressure on the small of her back with one knee to keep her still. But it was the moment she felt the cold barrel of the rifle at the base of her head that she began to cry.

"How many more of you are there? How many?" He growled applying pressure with his knee causing her to cry out in pain.

"Riley! Let me go, Riley! You’re hurting me!" She begged but he didn’t hear her. He couldn’t hear her because Riley wasn’t there. Brenda knew he had to be back on the road somewhere clearing it or worse going house to house looking for insurgents,informants or God knows what else. She was sure he was seeing things she didn’t want to imagine. Was this what Shane had been holding inside all these years? Trying so hard to pretend he was fine in order to keep his mind from breaking like Riley’s had?

"Riley, please. Please come back! Please! I’m not one of them. I promise."

"You’re lying!" He pressed the barrel into the back of her head again.

“No! No, I’m not! I promise!” But he tightened his grip on her wrists.

“You’re staying right where you are until you tell me the truth!” Brenda could only cry dumbfounded by what had happened to Riley. How could she have thought that she could
fix
what had happened to him? There was no
fixing
him at this point she’d be lucky to survive her encounter with him. Brenda tried to focus her thoughts on any possible ways she could get away from Riley or things she could say that might persuade him to let her go but all she could think about were Callan and Taylor and how she wished she had never come to Nebraska, never sought out the soldier from Bess. As she lay face down in the dirt Brenda was startled to here another voice in the barn with them.
 

“Riley, put the gun down.” It was Louis and his voice sounded calm and neutral. He didn’t sound angry or panicked but his voice was firm just the same. Riley must have turned around because Brenda could feel the pressure of his knee swivel around but the his grip on her wrists remained like steel.

“She’s with
them
.” Riley was saying. Brenda closed her eyes tight as she felt the gun press against the back of her head again.

“Specialist Favreau, put the gun down. That’s an order!” Louis spoke with an authority he must have used on the battle field when he served in Vietnam. It was clear that he had commanded men by the tone he was using to speak to Riley.

“I’ve been watching them. They knew we were coming!
She
told them! She’s one of their informants!” Riley insisted.

“She’s
not
an informant. She’s a civilian. Lower your weapon and let her up.”

“Louis!” Brenda cried out as Riley lowered his knee onto her back again.

“Don’t talk, Brenda. Let me take care of this.”

“No! They killed Ricky because she told them we were coming!”

“Let her up.”

“No!”

“Since when do you disobey a direct order, Favreau?” Louis demanded and this seemed to confuse Riley for a moment. He didn’t answer.

“Lower your weapon. Let her up.”

“I can’t.” Riley’s voice sounded desperate.

“You can and you will.” Louis commanded.

“But if I let her go. They’ll know we’re here.”

“I promise that won’t happen.”

“How do you know that?”

“We have eyes on the street. If you’re worried about it just give her to me and I’ll make sure she’s detained and questioned.”

The pressure on Brenda’s back seemed to recede again and then just as quickly it slammed back down again.

“No!” Riley screamed, “ I don’t know you! I don’t take orders from
you
!” Brenda was having trouble breathing.

“You have to let her go!” Louis screamed back.

“Why?”

“Because Goddammit, Riley, that’s Captain Jenner’s widow you’ve got lying face down in the dirt! That’s why! That’s his
wife
!”
 

Riley seemed stunned by Louis’ words and for a moment he fell back, rifle in one hand, loosening the vice grip he had on her wrists. That’s all it took for the next series chaotic of events to unfold. The moment Riley sat back the doors to the barn swung open and three deputies all brandishing weapons stormed into the building while Louis, who had entered from the side entrance tackled him and took the old rifle out of his hands. One of the deputies rushed forward and grabbed Brenda dragging her out of the building forcing her out into the cold where members of the Bess Volunteer Fire and Rescue were waiting.
 
They threw a thick blanket around her shoulders and led her to the back of the truck where one of them began to check her vitals and treat the cuts and bruises she had sustained during the ordeal. She could hear the sounds of the scuffle and Riley’s screams as he was subdued by Louis and all the remaining deputies. She was sobbing as they carried him out of the barn flailing and fighting them every step of the way. His face was contorted into something dark and menacing, his eyes were bulging and he was screaming at the top of his lungs. And though she knew that she should be grateful that she was still alive and that Riley was being taken away, all she could do was cry and wrap her arms around herself to keep from reaching out to put her arms around him.