Chapter 28 - HOSTAGES

Dunk worried over what to do the whole time he was sorting his wrinks. He finally decided it was best to warn Sum and Mrs. Dow about the yachtsmen and the gun, even if it meant nosing round in someone else's business. The next problem was how to tell them without spreading tales all over town. Sum's phone was on a party line, and anything Dunk said would be around town in a heartbeat. He'd have to be circumspect, but it was worth trying.

"Maybe I'm already too late," he thought.

"Kin I use th' phone, Bill," he asked, as they set the last sack of snails into the car.

"Go ahead, Dunk," Wild Bill replied. "You know where it is."

Dunk climbed the ladder and went round to Bill's office. He didn't have to look up the number, because he'd gotten in the habit of calling Mrs. Dow to discuss the special school projects she gave him. "6 - 7 - 3 - 4" he repeated as he dialed.

"Hello?" the warm voice of his science teacher came on the line, along with a click Dunk knew to be someone listening in.

"Mrs. Dow?" Dunk said.

"Why hello Lest.. or should I say Dunk? And you can call me Liz now you're out of school."

"Thank you Miss.. ah.. Liz." Dunk was momentarily stalled.

"Yes?" Liz asked kindly. "Is there something I can do for you, Dunk?"

The it all came out in a rush. "There's a couple men off a sailboat lookin for Sumner, Mam.. ah.. Liz. One dressed like a gent and the other like a cowboy. I didn't know if twas right to tellum, they looked kinda ugly." He stopped.

There was a long silence at the other end, and Dunk could hear gulls walking round on top of Bill's office, nattering.

"Ugly?" She asked.

"I dunno," Dunk said. "They said they'd gone to school with Sum.. I mean Sumner.. but the cowboy, he.." Dunk didn't want to mention the gun on the phone. THAT would set all the hens clucking. "I thought Sumner'd like to know."

"Yes. Thank you Dunk. He would like to know," Liz said slowly, wondering what it was Dunk was trying to warn her about. If these men were from the boat that was supposed to get the drugs, they were probably very dangerous, and Dunk had a sharp eye.

"Liz?" Dunk asked. "Is Sum there?"

"No, he's gone to Machias," Liz answered.

Dunk decided to go way out on a limb. "You could come down here, Liz, with Jesse."

Even worried as she was Liz had to smile. "Who says there are no gentlemen left?" she thought. "And too careful to say what he's thinking right out on a party line."

"No. That's OK, Dunk. We'll be fine here, and Sumner will be home soon to meet his friends. I'm glad you called to warn us, though. Surprise visitors sure can mess up your plans." Liz said.

"Uh.. OK then.. and uh.. Liz?"

"Yes, Dunk?"

"I'm.. I'll .. um .. I'll be with Mary.. uh Miss Marianne this evening. Is there anything you want me to tell her?"

"Ah ha!" Liz thought. "The friend. Well, they both couldn't find better ones. In many ways they're the same age, and have the same needs for gentle caring. But Dunk must know we talk on the CB. He's looking for some signal."

"Tell her not to come in until she hears from me, Dunk."

"So these men do mean trouble," Dunk thought. And he immediately began to worry about Mary's safety out there alone near their boat.

"OK," Dunk said hurriedly, "I'll tell her, right away .. uh.. be careful Mis.. eh .. Liz."

"I will Dunk," she said, and broke the connection.

"Very careful. But I won't let anyone scare me out of my home," she pledged, looking out the front windows. What she saw chilled her.Two figures were materializing out of the fog, crossing Sawyer's meadow. One was wearing a cowboy hat.

"Jesse," she called, "JESSE?" The boy came running to the back door, puppy in hot pursuit. He must have heard the fear in her voice. "Momma?" he asked.

"Yes, dear," she forced her voice to sound calm. "Could you come in for a bit? I think we're going to have visitors."

Jesse and Tug came in the back door, and the puppy began lapping water out of his dish. Liz poured out a glass of milk for Jesse, then suddenly grabbed a piece of paper and quickly wrote: SUM -- TWO MEN FROM SAILBOAT -- ASK DUNK -- BE CAREFUL -- YOUR ALWAYS LOVE -- LIZ. She quickly folded the note, grabbed an heirloom china vase off the top shelf of the cupboard, pushed the note inside, and stood the vase upside down on the kitchen table.

As she straightened up, she could hear the two men coming up the front steps, and rapping at the door.

"Yes?" she called out. "Who is it?"

"Some old friends of Sumner's," came the answer, and with trembling hands, she opened the door.

"Wehl, awl be. If it ain't Miz Lizzie-Brew?" Walker said sweeping off his Stetson. "Is yo man aroun, Miz Lizzie? Some ol frens would lahk to lay ahs on im."

"Is that you Walker Gonzales?" Liz tried to sound surprised and delighted, but her voice cracked. "And Caldwell? Aren't you Caldwell Hackmatack? What brings you all the way downeast?"

"I think you know, Lizzie-Brew," Walker said coldly, and she trembled. "Yes, I do believe you know." Liz remained silent. Jesse was sitting absolutely still at the table, hugging Tug, who was fast asleep. Walker's eyes traversed the room.

"This muz be the lil Dowsah," he smirked. "Ain't he th' dahlin chile?"

Liz stepped between them. "What do you want, Walker?"

"O, ah fancy y'all know what I'm aftah. Only question is: will it come easy, oh wid a world ah hurt?" Walker took the 45 out from inside his jacket, and Liz blanched. Caldwell's blood ran cold, as well.

"What do you mean," Liz asked stiffly.

Caldwell jumped in, "We think Sumner has something which belongs to us. All he has to do is give it back, and keep his mouth shut."

"What if he can't get it back?" Liz asked. Now her knees were shaking uncontrollably.

"Momma?" Jesse asked. Liz took a deep breath, then she went and sat beside the boy, wrapping her arms around him and the puppy.

"Den we got us a prob-lem, Lizzie-Brew," Walker said. "Y'all best hope we kin come t'a happy so-lution."

"Where's Sumner?" Caldwell asked.

"He's not here," Liz said in a small voice.

"We can see that." Caldwell persisted. "When will he be back?"

"Not til tomorrow," Liz said, hoping that would send them away.

"Then y'all woane mine comin along wi' two ol frens, while we wait fuh his re-turn." Walker stated.

"I won't be dragged out of my house. Not by you, Walker Gonzales, or by any man." Liz snapped.

Walker took a step forward and slapped Liz hard across the face. Jesse screamed, dropping the puppy, who yelped and cowered under the table.

"Y'all be nahce, nah," Walker warned, "oh we'll have ta learn yuh beddah."

"You bastard," Liz said, holding her bloody nose, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Ahve been called that, befowah, Miz Lizzie-Brew, but ahl mek y'all hurt a lot woise if y'all say it evah again." Walker threatened.

Caldwell was stunned. Beating women wasn't his idea of how the game was played, but he didn't dare cross Walker with this mood upon him.

"Nahw. Jes get a blanket fuh da wee chile, an some wahm clothes, cause we going fuh a lil rahde."

Liz went into their bedroom, with Walker trailing along to watch her. She pulled a pair of jeans on, under her skirt and slipped into a sweater. She got a sweater off the hooks beside the back door, and put it on Jesse, who was shaking in fear. Then Liz took two waterproof jackets off the hooks. Tug had overcome his fright, and was tugging at Walker's pantleg.

"What about the dog?" Liz asked.

"Whagh he's a dahlin dog. He kin come rahdin, too."

"Then he'll need food," Liz declared. "Unless you plan to starve us."

"O no, Miz Lizzie-Brew,' Walker sneered again,"we nevah spoil da merchandahse."

Liz took a cookie tin out from under the sink and filled it with kibble.

"You hurt my momma," Jesse declared, looking hard at Walker.

"Thaz da spirit, chile," Walker said. "Y'all jes keep hatin me. Ah know all about good hatin."

"You'd even hurt this child to get back your precious coke, wouldn't you?" Liz asked bitterly.

"Y'all bes hope ah doane have tuh," Walker warned.

He took the pad of paper from beside the phone and wrote in block letters: SUMDUM -- WILL TRADE ONE BARREL FOR YOUR WIFE AND KID -- STAY BY THE PHONE -- NO HEAT, NO SWEAT -- AN OLD FRIEND. Then he reached out and grabbed a lock of Liz's unruly red hair, and yanked it out of her head. She cried aloud at the sudden pain. Walker set the paper down on the kitchen counter, put the lock of hair on top of it and set a drinking glass over the hair.

"Head 'em up," Walker said sweeping his Stetson toward the door. Liz took Jesse in her arms, then reached down and scooped up Tug, nestling the wriggling puppy between them. Just as they were going out the door, a car came along the road, and Walker roughly grabbed her, pulling her back inside, shoving her against the wall.

"We-all doane wan no acciden, do we Lizzie-brew?" he whispered in her ear as he rubbed the back of her neck, leaning his weight against her. The touch of his hand made her skin crawl, and she shuddered.

"It's all clear," Caldwell said, deeply disturbed by what he'd seen, and eager to get Walker away from poor Liz. Walker nodded. The two men and their hostages crossed the road and went down the meadow into the fog.