Before Evil

Chapter 5

5 Warren County, VirginiaFrom his perch on the pasture road Stucky had watched the black pickup turn into a long winding driveway just on the other side of the curve. The officer obviously knew where the pickup was headed because he moved at a leisurely pace. In fact, Stucky had parked his car and waited for a good ten minutes before the cruiser came by then parked at the end of that driveway.

Through the trees Stucky could see a double-wide trailer and a couple of other outbuildings. He pushed aside the small cooler and grabbed his duffle bag from the floor on the passenger side. Without dipping his eyes from the cruiser or the double-wide, he let his hand dig deep until he felt the binoculars. The pickup was parked alongside a dirty tan SUV in the front yard. Sheets whipped on a clothesline like bright sails in the breeze. He couldn’t see beyond the trailer’s curtained windows.

The asshole stayed parked on the side of the blacktop about twenty feet from the driveway’s entrance. Stucky wondered what the occupants of that black pickup had done to warrant such attention. And rile such emotion.

He checked his watch. Susan R. Fuller wasn’t going anywhere even if she woke up. He started the car and slowly backed farther uphill on the pasture road, careful to keep to the tires to the worn tracks. He didn’t need to get stuck in the mud out here in the middle of nowhere. There was a line of trees on one side of the path and on the other were thick woods that would hide him and the vehicle from view.

He cranked the steering wheel and the front tires to the right then shoved the parking brake into place so the car wouldn’t roll back down the hill. He wanted to get a better look from up here. Just as he grabbed his binoculars and climbed out, he saw the cruiser making its way over the winding driveway.

What the hell are you up to?

He hurried into the thick growth of trees now scrambling for a better view of the front yard and the double-wide. He saw movement and shoved at the branches in front of him. The officer was out of his vehicle, walking to the front door of the trailer.

Damn it!

Stucky couldn’t see the front door. There were too many trees and they stretched all the way down to the property. He could only see slivers—bits and pieces.

Maybe if he climbed a bit higher.

He rushed now, anxious and breathing hard. Branches slapped in his face. Vines snagged his pant-legs. Pine needles crunched underfoot. He needed to see what this asshole was up to.

What made you so angry?

It was a long way to go just to give somebody a ticket.

Finally Stucky found an opening and swung the binoculars to his eyes. He pinched and turned the focus knob, frustrated that it was taking too long. The magnified blur was making him dizzy, and he leaned against a tree trunk. The trailer became crystal clear. But he still couldn’t see through the curtains. Once he thought he saw a shadow move, but that was all. He was too far away to see or hear anything.

Stucky checked his watch. Fifteen minutes passed but no one came out the front door. Back behind the trailer he saw motion. Maybe it was only the laundry whipping around on the clothesline. The binoculars gave him tunnel vision only showing him magnified pieces. When he pulled them away from his eyes he was certain something or someone was back behind the trailer.

Damn it!

He was missing whatever was happening.

His eyes searched the forest. Farther downhill he noticed another pasture road. This one was closer to the property. There’d be enough trees to hide his vehicle. He needed to see what this asshole was up to.

He jogged now, watching his feet as he weaved through the trees and jumped over fallen branches. By the time he got back to his vehicle his heart was thumping, his pulse raced. He climbed in and immediately heard a tapping sound coming from the trunk.

“Go ahead and kick out the other taillight, Susan,” he yelled over his shoulder. “No one can hear you.”

When the engine started, the tapping stopped. He thought about a second injection. Glanced at the duffle bag on the floor. Checked his watch. No time if he wanted to see what was going on over at that double-wide.

His excitement rammed the accelerator. The mud sucked at the tires and sent the car swerving.

Slow down, he told himself while he lifted his foot off the pedal and kept it from slamming on the brakes. He hadn’t realized how steep the incline was when he had backed up the hill. Coming down was starting to feel like a mudslide. He jerked the gearshift into neutral. The tires continued to slide but the momentum slowed the car until finally it skidded to a stop. And that’s when he heard a banging coming from the trunk.

He shoved the gearshift into park. Slammed down the parking brake and shut off the engine. With teeth clenched he grabbed the duffle bag, digging into the side pocket where he kept an extra loaded syringe. Then he swiped his hand under the driver’s seat and picked up the hunting knife. Before he opened the car door he noticed movement out of the corner of his eyes. Down below on the main road. It was the police cruiser.

Son of a b***h.

Stucky slouched down in the seat until he could barely see over the steering wheel. His vehicle was only about a hundred feet from the main road. Would the trees be enough to hide him? Because the bastard was headed back this way.

The banging grew louder.

He swore he could feel the entire car rock with each thud. And yet he caught himself holding his breath as if that would make a difference as he watched the cruiser getting closer and closer. He sat perfectly still, clutching the syringe in one hand and the hunting knife in the other, prepared to use both.

Sweat slid down his back. His jaw was clenched so tight it began to ache. And now the thump of his heartbeat joined the tempo coming from the rear of the car. Then suddenly he saw the cruiser speed up. In seconds it flashed by the entrance to the pasture road. Stucky could see the silhouette behind the wheel, the officer’s hat still in place, low over his brow. The sunglasses facing straight ahead. He didn’t even glance Stucky’s way.

He watched the taillights blink only for a second before they disappeared around the curve. Then he was gone.

Stucky stayed put, waiting, almost expecting the asshole to backtrack. He checked his watch and endured another five minutes. He was used to waiting and watching. Used to blending in and becoming invisible. Although Susan R. Fuller was unraveling his last bit of patience.

Another five minutes passed and the cruiser never returned.

Stucky tossed the syringe back into the duffle bag. He slid the hunting knife into his jacket pocket. Then he shifted into gear.

“Okay, let’s see what the hell you did.”