Talisman (41 page)

I walked over to the fireplace and stared
at the burning flames.  As I watched them dance and flicker along the logs, I recalled seeing something burning last night, but I couldn’t tell what it was.  Dr. Whitley and Samuel were calling my name, but I was too busy piecing together last night’s events to acknowledge them.

“
Who found him?” I asked listlessly.

“I did,” Officer Pete Ryan spoke up.  “
He looked to have been…well,
that way
…for a couple of hours.  I found him around 4:30 AM this morning, when I was on patrol.  I saw his truck from the road and went to check on him, what with that
freak
snowstorm we had last night.  He must’ve been putting something up in the bed of his truck when it happened.”

My eyes widened as I looked at the glowing
flames.  I caught a glimpse of my father lying in the bed of his truck, convulsing as his veins pulsated against the surface of his skin.  They were a strange blue color.  Daddy was grimacing, and I noticed the blue handprints fading on each side of his neck.  I remembered it perfectly, as if it had just happened a few seconds ago.

I spun around to Officer Ryan. 
“What about the
handprints
around his neck?  How can you be so sure there wasn’t any foul play?  How else would they have gotten there?” I countered.

Abruptly, the room became still.  No one said a word.  Even C
harlotte stopped sniveling and formally acknowledged my presence with a strange expression.  Both officers looked at each other oddly, and then back over to me with a fixed stare of confusion.  In fact, as my eyes swept around the room, I noticed that everyone had the same look on their face.  It was evident.  They all thought I was insane.

“
Um
, Shiloh…there
weren’t
any marks, of any kind around his neck.  I’m a little confused as to why you think there were?” Officer Ryan rebutted as his eyes narrowed, casting a clear look of doubt my way.

My mouth flew open.

Chief Roberts was next to chime in.  “I was close by and got there within a minute.  We didn’t see
anything
on Caiden’s neck, or anywhere else on his body for that matter,” the Chief added, trying to reassure me.   He was quick to come to the aid of his fellow officer and put any doubts I had to rest.

“But I
SAW
the
blue handprints!
” I lashed out at both of them.  “They were around his neck!  The horrid look in his eyes…Even the amount of pain he was in!  His veins were popping out of his skin!  It wasn’t natural!  Someone did…
SOMETHING TO HIM!”
  Their lack of competence as investigators had grated my last nerve.  I wanted answers, and I was determined to get them.

Samuel a
nd Dr. Whitley looked puzzled.

“Shiloh, you were
there?
  Weren’t you at the dance?” Samuel asked.

“
Yes
, I was there!  I was in the bed of the truck…holding his hand.  He was dying, right there in front of me!”  My body trembled as I relived the agonizing moment all over again.  I suddenly remembered the tracks I’d seen coming out of the mine.  “What about the tracks that were left at the scene?” I snapped at Officer Ryan.  Surely their keen detective skills would’ve picked up on that observation.

“There weren’t
any
tracks!” Officer Ryan barked.  “The entrance and parking lot were untouched.  No one had been in or out of there.  The only tracks were the one’s I made when I got there, and then the Chief’s a few minutes later!”  Officer Ryan was clearly growing tired of my questions regarding his sleuthing abilities.

The Chief
rushed over to Officer Ryan.  “Now Pete, don’t get so worked up,” he scolded.  “It’s obvious she’s in shock or possibly had a bad dream last night.”

“
A bad dream?
” I raged.  “Your police work is the only
BAD DREAM
I wish I could wake up from!  I know what I saw!  I was there…
Dammit!”

“
Listen here, Shiloh!
” Charlotte growled as she jumped to her feet. “I’ll not have you cursing like that in
MY
HOUSE!”
  She sashayed over to Chief Roberts and placed her hands on his chest.  Charlotte halted her crocodile tears long enough to scold me some more.  “These officers have been so courteous to us this morning and have done their job above and beyond their duties.”  Charlotte ran her fingers through her over-processed hair and threw both lawmen one of her award-winning smiles from her pageant days.

I pushed my way through the room and leaned into her face.  I was
livid
.

“You can save those
fake tears
for my father.  He wouldn’t want you to cry for him.  Oh, and by the looks of it, you sure don’t need the added wrinkles around your eyes from them!”

Without delay, Charlotte’s hand flew up, and she gave me a
swift
“smack”
across my face.
Funny thing though, I saw her do it, but my head stayed in place, and it only felt like a light breeze had simply caressed it. 
However
, Charlotte was now hunched over, screaming and clutching her hand.

I wasn’t as inter
ested in her theatrical display as much as I was with the image that had popped in my mind as her hand struck my cheek.  I saw myself lying in my father’s truck.  I’d just gotten backhanded —
but it wasn’t by Charlotte
.  I couldn’t quite tell who it was.  I started rubbing the side of my face, remembering how painful it was when it had happened last night.  I awoke from my daze to hear Dr. Whitley announcing that Charlotte’s hand was likely broken.

“
ARE YOU
HAPPY NOW?
” my mother screamed at me.  “IT’S
BROKEN!
  Why did you do that to me?”

Her hand was already turning blue.  Unconsciously, I rubbed my hand across my cheek.  Dr. Whitley hu
rried over to examine me.

“Shiloh, you don’t seem to have a
mark on you.  Not one mark
at all
.”  Dr. Whitley looked befuddled.  He started to examine my cheek further when I halted his hand.

“I’m
fine
,” I assured him.  Charlotte continued to rant, milking all the extra attention for everything it was worth (though the words she shot out would’ve made the foulest-mouthed trucker blush).

“Shiloh, why’d you go and do a thing like that to y
our mother? 
On all possible days?
” Officer Ryan scolded. “She’s been through a lot this morning!”

“
ME?
  Why did ‘I’ do that to ‘HER’
?
  Especially…
‘TODAY’?
”  Disgusted by his remarks, I found myself pacing around the room, grunting uncontrollably and arms flailing about mechanically.  I scowled at Officer Ryan.  “You’ve got to be kidding,
right?
” I snapped at him.  The smartass in me took over and before I knew it, out came, “Well, it is
my birthday
…I thought I’d give myself a
present!”

Samuel rushed
to my side and gave me a scrutinizing stare.  “
Shiloh?
  What’s going on with you, honey?”  His deep brown eyes were filled with heartfelt worry.  His concern was evident in every line on his weathered face.

My emotions were ragin
g and making me antsy, so I pulled away from him.

“I’m fine, Samuel.  I’m just
fine!”
  More tears welled in my eyes.  “I just learned that my father’s dead, by a
supposed
‘heart attack’, or a ‘stroke’ — which I don’t buy for a second…My mother is over there fussin’ about her hand that
she broke
by hitting
my face
…and a cop is telling me how
I
should be ashamed of
myself
…Yeah, I’m really fine, Samuel! 
Everything’s all sunshine & lollipops!”
I bellowed.

My body dropped to the floor faster than the tears falling from my eyes.  Automatically, I lowered my head and wrapped my arms around my knees, curling up into a ball, right in the middle of the living room floor.

I overheard the Chief suggesting to Dr. Whitley that, “Giving me a sedative might be in order”.  I wiped my eyes and glowered at them.

“I don’t need anything!  Just leave me
alone!”
I snapped.

Then my mother chimed in. 
“Give her one!  I don’t know what she’s capable of…in the state she’s in,”
Charlotte insisted, taking the opportunity to assert her opinion.

I noticed
that Dr. Whitley had already drawn a syringe from a vial he’d retrieved from his medical bag.  I whipped my head around towards Charlotte and sharpened my glare.

“After all,”
Charlotte added, “I’d hate for Chloe to be an
orphan
by the end of the day.”

That did i
t!
  I sprang to my feet and hurled myself at Charlotte, only to be restrained by both Chief Roberts and Officer Ryan.

Dr. Whitley grabbed my arm. 
“Hold her steady while I stick her,” he hollered, sounding a bit winded.

As soon as
I felt the cold swipe of the alcohol pad hit my skin, I knew what was going to happen next. 
These idiots are hell-bent on sedating me!
  I looked over to see Dr. Whitley preparing to swiftly inject my arm.  He attempted to stab the long, thin needle into my skin, but oddly
, it broke
.

“Keep her down, guys,”
Dr. Whitley called out.  “I’ll draw another one.”  He drew the second needle even quicker than the first.  “Damn,” I heard him say under his breath, “This one broke, too.”  He started to grab another syringe from his bag when I wiggled free from both officers’ clutches.  I rose to my feet and headed for the door.

Officer Ryan grabbed my ankle and attempted to trip me.  Instinctively, I kicked my leg sideways to break free.  My mouth dropped open when I looked back to see Officer Ryan go flying across the liv
ing room — just before he crash-landed into Charlotte’s curio cabinet.  I was paralyzed by the sight him rolling around the base of the cabinet with a barrage of glass cascading around him.  He was covered in fragments of glass and cheap wine.

OOOH CRAP
!

Chief Roberts
appeared equally stunned by what he had witnessed — one of his best and brawniest officers had just been taken down by an eighteen year-old “girl”.

“
Shiloh
…Now, you need to calm down!” Chief Roberts demanded, sounding just as shaky as he looked.  “Just let us help you do that.”

“
I’m fine
.  I think you guys are the one’s who need to take it down a notch,” I called back, taking a defensive stance.

Char
lotte ran over to Chief Roberts waving Officer Ryan’s stun gun that had landed on the floor.

“
Here! 
Use this!”
my mother insisted.  I gave them both a look like they were crazy.

Chie
f Roberts seemed apprehensive.  “I can’t do that to Shiloh, Charlotte.  Put that thing down!” he ordered.  Samuel hurried over and snatched it out of my mother’s hand.

“I’m leaving now,” I called out
as I stormed towards the door.  I looked back to see Chief Roberts charging at me.  Again, my reflexes took hold, and I threw my arms up, pushing forward in an attempt to block his grasp.  As soon as his body hit my hands, the force of the blow miraculously catapulted Chief Roberts over my head, where he crashed into the staircase.  He took out most of the lower banister and then rolled down the steps in a stupor.  I gasped at the sight of a second officer down in my house —
by my hands!

I grasped the knob and flew out the front door.  I heard Samuel calling my name as I slammed it shut, but I couldn’t stay.  I had to get out of here.  My car keys were up in my room, so I no choice but to run —
anywhere
— just to get away.

A
n ominous roar of thunder rolled throughout the sky, and the clouds flashed violently with flares of sporadic light.  It began
pouring
rain. “Cats and dogs” would have been an understatement.  The torrential rainfall was washing away the snow at an uncanny rate.  With no keys and nowhere else to go, I hopped off the porch and started off down our road, heading around the mountain.  I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going.  Several cars had to swerve out of my path.  The drivers screamed out a few obscenities as I bolted down the road.  The sounds of the car horns blaring in my head were maddening, so I blindly veered off the street and raced into the woods.

Thunder continued to r
umble as the harsh, chilly raindrops steadily pounded my skin.  I ran as hard and as fast as I could, needing to escape from everything.  I was like a ticking time bomb, and my emotions were acting as the detonator.  Charlotte’s wicked tongue, people who didn’t believe me (as well as giving me crazy looks), and the inescapable thought that I had witnessed my father’s death and for some unknown reason,
couldn’t
or
wouldn’t
help him — those thoughts coursed through my head like a spark searing its way along a fuse with no end in sight.