Chapter Two
1892 Words
Beauty & The Beast
Emily took another look at the map on the passenger seat of her car and sighed in frustration. She was three days into her search for the elusive David Rossi - famous author and suspected murderer - and she was no closer to her destination than when she first started the journey.
Ever road finished in a dead end. It was almost as though he had vanished from the face of the earth.
It was a good thing she had called Nick and told him her two days promise was going to be two weeks. He had protested, but she explained the obstacles and how there was absolutely nothing on David Rossi. Reluctantly he agreed and told her that when she got back they would plan their wedding.
She shook her head. "Come on, Em, there is no evidence that he is a murderer. He was found not guilty by a jury of his peers." At least that is what the court transcripts confirmed. Still….there had to be some reason why the man who had everything decided to disappear without a word to anyone. But in her book, actions spoke louder than words, and innocent men didn"t run off and disappear.
Never taking her eyes off the road, she turned up the radio. The wonderful strains of Dean Martin"s "Everybody Loves Somebody" blared out of the speakers. Unable to stop herself, she began singing along. At least the music was good - even if this latest trail had grown cold. Well, there was always tomorrow…after she spent the night searching out more possible locations he could be.
Just then a droplet of something hit the windshield. Then another. And another. Snow?! "Oh no!" she muttered under her breath. Of all the times for bad weather... She did not need this.
"What did you expect, Em? After all, it"s not been the most normal of cases, and it is September in the mountains," she scolded herself. Then she remembered she was wearing high heeled boots and groaned inwardly. This was not going to turn out well.
"That was Dean Martin, for all the oldies lovers out there, with the eternal message that everybody loves somebody sometime…and that sometime should be now, so find yourself somebody to love," announced the DJ in a over-enthusiastic tone that was too happy to be real.
"Thank you, but I already have somebody," Emily replied back in an under-enthusiastic tone.
"But until then, let"s get the weather update. It looks like a beautiful day is planned for us here in the mountains. Unseasonably warm temperatures for this time of year with clear skies and sunshine…so, pull out those shorts and sunscreen and soak it all in while you can because old man winter is right around the corner."
Emily looked out the window at the snowflakes hitting her car. Sunshine? Warm weather? Clear skies? Where? In which alternate universe was great weather occurring in?
"I don"t know what window you"re looking out, buddy, but old man winter had definitely hit this area!"
"To help start off our glorious weekend, let"s get ready with a block from Perry Como," the DJ enthused. A moment later "Round and Round" filled the interior of the car, as the snow came down faster.
"Find a wheel and it goes round, round, round; as it skims along with a happy sound...." crooned the legendary singer with the gorgeous baritone voice.
"Round and Round should be "Down and Down"," Emily muttered, squinting thru the glass. She was going to have to turn around eventually, but where? Somebody had to live around here who had a phone…and a bathroom she could use. Taking a deep breath, she tried to keep her mind off her semi-full bladder. A few more minutes, she promised herself.
As a few more minutes turned into another twenty miles, Emily realized she couldn"t wait. She had to pull over. But where? Her eyes searched for a suitable area to make a U-turn, but the shoulder of the road was either unsuitable or non-existent.
A dirt road appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She could travel down that for a little while and then find a secluded spot somewhere and take care of business. Not the best idea she had, but it had to work. Anything was better than nothing.
As the gravel crunched under the tires, she tried to see where she was, but the snow obstructed the view.
"Just a little further, Doris. Please," she urged the car in a breathless prayer. "Come on, girl. Come on." Suddenly the car came to a halt as the engine died. Putting the gears in park, Emily tried turning the key. Nothing. Pumping the gas pedal, she tried again. And again. Still nothing.
Just like the many promising leads on David Rossi, the car was dead, too.
Slapping the steering wheel in frustration, she looked around. She should stay still -that was the rule - but without a heater, and her bladder begging for relief, that was not going to be possible. She was going to have to walk and find help.
Getting out of the car, she grabbed her purse and windbreaker, then locked the door. Looking around for something to indicate the direction she should take, she sighed and decided to keep trudging forward. At this point, what could it hurt?
"One foot in front of the other," she chanted as the sound of gravel under her feet was quickly muffled by the snow that kept falling faster. Shivering to maintain body heat, she wondered how far she had traveled and if she was ever going to see another human again.
"Damn you, Nick," she cursed under her breath, "I could be home right now with my cat and fireplace, watching a movie. But no, I had to feel obligated to take this case and find a hermit who probably is dead or doesn"t want to be found - for whatever reason he has. No matter what you are paying me, it"s not worth what I am going through right now."
The lonesome sound of a wolf howling in the distance caused a shiver down her spine. Wolves? No one said anything about wolves! Oh, dear God! Picking up her pace, Emily stopped and looked where she had just come from. Maybe she should head back to the car. Yeah, that seemed like the safest idea. But as she looked around, she couldn"t remember which direction she had just taken.
Spinning in a circle, she studied the trees and tried to recognize something - anything - to tell her where she was. The wolf howled again, but this time his voice was joined by another in chorus. Feeling the hair rise on the back of her neck, Emily didn"t have to be told twice; she was getting out of there!
Starting with a fast, steady walk, she picked up the pace to a trot - then a jog. And when the bush beside her rustled, and the howls got louder, Em hiked her purse higher on her shoulder and started to run. Through the brush and around trees, she tried to dodge the low branches - some successfully - others not so much. Intent on trying to find a safe place, she didn"t see the branch on the ground as it appeared out of nowhere and sent her sprawling.
Landing with a hard thud, despite the cushion of the snow, she felt the air get knocked out of her lungs. Winded, and in shock, Emily tried to get her bearings as she lay on the snow covered ground. Ouch! was her first thought as she tried to sit up and take a deep breath. Where was she? Pulling her phone out, she hit talk. No Signal! flashed on the bright blue screen.
Groaning, she threw it back in the purse and tried to stand up. In pain and scared, she stepped forward and felt a sharp throbbing in her ankle. "Not this," she groaned. "Anything but this." Gingerly she tried to put weight on her foot, but couldn"t.
"Great, Em. Really great. Hurt, lost, no bathroom, and now you"re stuck in the woods in the middle of nowhere with a possible broken ankle, in the snow. Could this day get any better?" she chastised herself. for being greedy. No amount of money was worth this!
A hoot owl cried a warning before flying toward Emily"s head. Screaming in shock and fear, she covered her head. Another howl - only this time it was closer. She didn"t care about the pain; she had to get the hell out of there. Now!
Limping awkwardly, she lost track of time as the scenery rushed by and the sky became darker. Blinded by the snowflakes, she tried to see where she was going but realized that she was desperately and hopelessly going around in circles. There was no other way to sugar coat it: she was lost.
Trying to suppress the sob wanting to break free, and in pain, Emily kept moving forward. "Just a few more feet and you can get back to the car. Just a few more feet, Em," she chanted in faux encouragement. But it was no use. She was lost, and now she was going to die in the woods. She never got to call her mother and tell her that she loved her. If only she could get a miracle…she would call her mother immediately.
Suddenly a dark figure stepped out of the brush and growled. Emily froze in her tracks. Oh, dear God! It was a wolf. Her fingers searched frantically for the mace she kept in her purse, but between the freezing temperatures and fear, she had lost all feeling in her fingers. She was toast!
Sobbing softly, she resigned herself to the fact that this was the end. She closed her eyes and hoped it didn"t hurt too badly when the fangs ripped into her.
"Mudgie! Mudgie! Back down, boy!" spoke the deep baritone voice from out of the dark. Torn between his master"s voice and the stranger standing in front of him, Mudgie warily turned his head between the two, undecided which instinct he should act on. Crouching low, ready to spring in an instant, the animal kept an eye on the woman who was shaking from fear and cold.
"Mudgie, I"m not telling you again. Now what did you find? A deer?" the voice asked, his footsteps getting closer. Emily looked around and tried to plan an escape, when a tall imposing figure stepped out of the snow covered foliage carrying a double barrel shot gun. Mudgie looked up at his master and shifted his tone between low growls and high pitched whining.
"Who are you?" the man demanded gruffly, leveling his weapon at Emily. Unable to speak, she wondered if she could make a break for it. "I asked you a question: Who are you? What are you doing in my woods?"
Emily opened her mouth, but could only squeak a response.
"I"m not going to ask you again."
Just then a loud crash sounded in the distance, causing Mudgie to lunge forward.
Letting out a scream of fright, Emily felt her world spin, and then go black.
- Writer
