Deadly as the Driven Snow Read online

  “Sure, Sheriff.”

  Jason motioned me to follow him into the bedroom. He paused at the door, closed it and put his arm around me. “You’re shaking,” he said. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. It just frightened me.”

  “As soon as I get everyone out of here, why don’t you get dressed and maybe go over to your Mom’s?”

  “I’ll be fine here, Jason. It was a shock to see that bloody man standing there. I don’t want to go to my parents’ house.”

  “If that’s what you want.” He kissed me on the top of my head then went into our bathroom. I watched as he washed his hands and checked to see if there was any blood on his clothes. There wasn’t. He put on the rest of his uniform, including the bulletproof vest and gun.

  “I better get out there and see what’s going on. You don’t have to come unless you want to,” he said.

  “I want to,” I said and followed him. I guess my ex-PI experience had kicked in.

  Charles stood by the kitchen sink. “They took him out the back door to the ambulance,” he said. “He’s in pretty bad shape and they didn’t want to get any more blood in your house.”

  “That was thoughtful,” I said.

  “Did you find any identification?” Jason asked.

  “Nope. No wallet or anything. He was dressed shabbily, and there’s no vehicle around, either. It looks like he came to your back door from that field over there.” Charles indicated the garden area. “I guess we won’t find out what happened until he wakes up, if he does.”

  Jason nodded. “I don’t think you’ve ever met my wife.” When he shook his head, Jason said, “This is June.” To me, he said, “And this is Charles Easton.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Striker. I think I went to school with your brother.”

  “Please, call me June,” I said. Then I added, “You must mean, Toby.” That’s the name everyone calls my younger brother, October.

  “Thank you, ma’am. How’s Toby doing?”

  “As far as I know he’s doing well. When he was home for Christmas, he said he loved it at NC State.” I glanced at Jason. “Would you two like some coffee? It’s an awfully cold morning out there.”

  Charles glanced at Jason as if he was asking for permission. Jason said, “Sure, we’ll have a cup. While you make it, we’ll take some pictures of the mess in the mud room, then we’ll go outside and check around a bit.”

  After they went out, I put a full pot of coffee on to make, then went into the bedroom to get dressed. I didn’t want to be in my robe when they came back inside.

  It didn’t take long to put on my brown velour jogging suit and my leather tennis shoes. I brushed my hair again and decided I didn’t need to freshen my make-up. It was holding up well. I had a habit of getting up, brushing my teeth and putting on my make-up before having breakfast with my husband. He seemed to appreciate the effort. I don’t mind doing it for him, because he often beats me to the kitchen and cooks.

  When I went back to the kitchen, the coffee was ready. I poured myself a cup and walked to the mud room. I expected to see a mess where they’d worked on the bleeding man, but it was freshly mopped and looked as if nothing had happened in there. Even the window in the door was clean. “Bless Jason’s heart,” I said aloud.

  The laundry room door was open. I spied the can of cat food and remembered Dingo. I let him out of the bathroom and brought him back to the laundry room to eat. He seemed to appreciate the food, but not the fact I’d closed him up. When he finished eating, he didn’t linger in the kitchen with me as he usually did. He haughtily flipped his fluffy tail over his back and marched down the hall. I knew he was going to sprawl out on the foot of our bed and take a nap. He always did this when he was irritated at me.

  I chose to ignore him. I put a pan of pre-made sweet rolls in the oven, then went back to the laundry room. I got another can of cat food and went into the garage to feed Buzzy. He was eager to eat, too.

  When Jason and Charles came inside, I could tell they were cold. I put mugs of coffee on the table and took the sweet rolls out of the oven. They both smiled at me.

  “It looks like somebody must have shoved the victim out of a vehicle in our garden area, June,” Jason said. “There were some spots of blood on the edge of the road. I suspect they thought he was dead, but I have an idea he was disoriented and wondered around in the garden. We found some tracks where weeds were bent and there were spatters of blood here and there.”

  “Poor fellow. I hope he’s going to be all right.” I couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.

  “I know it must have scared you when you saw his bloody face, June.” Charles glanced at Jason, probably to see if it was okay to use my first name. Jason didn’t indicate whether he approved or not, so Charles went on. “I guess it was a good thing you saw him. If he’d been out there much longer, I don’t think he would’ve had a chance to make it.”

  “If it saved his life, I’m glad I went out there, too, even if it did scare the bejeebies out of me.”

  Jason didn’t say anything, just sipped his coffee as if he was thinking things over.

  It began to sleet harder, and the ice pellets sounded loudly on the window above the sink. “I hope we’re not going to have a bad ice storm,” I muttered.

  “I saw the weather last night,” Charles said. “They warned there was a possibility of a storm that could last through today and into the night.”

  “I hope Mom and Dad have everything they need from the store,” I said. “I don’t want them driving in bad weather.”

  “Why don’t you call them and see?” Jason suggested. “You might want to check with April, too. She shouldn’t be out with the twins, either. I can go get anything they need and take it to them.”

  I nodded and took the portable phone off the wall and went into the adjoining room and called Mom. Yes, she had everything she needed. Yes, they had plenty of firewood for the fireplace if the power went off. Not to worry, they were not going anywhere. They were in for the day.

  I then called April, my eldest sibling. Since the six of us are named after the month in which we were born, we were often referred to as the Calendar Clan when we were in school. The fact that we’re all grown hasn’t made a difference. The name still sticks.

  “We’re fine, June,” April said when I reached her. “I went to the store yesterday and bought extra groceries. How about you?”

  “We’re good. Jason cut firewood this weekend and I bought groceries a couple of days ago, so we’re set.”

  “I’m praying the power doesn’t go off. If it does, we’ll have to go to Mom and Dad’s since I don’t have a fireplace.”

  “Maybe you should go over there before it gets worse, April. There’s no need to take a chance with the kids.” I could see her soon-to-be five-year-old twins cold and fussy. “If it’s too bad for you to drive, I’m sure Jason will be glad to come and take you.”

  “I’m not…Wait a minute, June. There’s someone at the door.”

  I waited.

  Finally, she came back. “It’s Larry Smithers. He thinks we should go to Mom and Dad’s, too. I’ve got to get the kids’ things together. He’s going to drive us over.”

  I hung up and smiled to myself as I went back into the kitchen. “I volunteered you to take April and the kids to Mom and Dad’s, but you won’t have to do it. It seems the Reverend Larry Smithers has taken it upon himself to look after them.”

  “I do believe there’s a romance there.” Glancing at Charles, he added, “June’s sister is a widow and has two small children. We all hope she and the reverend will end up together.”

  Charles nodded. “I see.”

  I walked to the counter. “Do you fellows want more coffee?”

  “I think we’d better go,” Jason said. “There’ll probably be a lot going on today. I imagine we’ll have our hands full, and we might as well get started.”

  “I wouldn’t doubt that,” Charles said as he stood. “Thanks for the
coffee and the sweet rolls, June. They really hit the spot.”

  “Glad to do it.” I took the thermos from under the sink where we kept it. “I’m going to fill this for you, Jason. You might need something hot if you have to get out and mess with traffic.”

  “Thanks, honey. I appreciate it.” He looked at Charles. “If you have a thermos, I’m sure there’s enough coffee to share with you. June made a big pot.”

  “That’s great. I do have a thermos in the car. I’ll get it and be right back.”

  Jason lingered a few minutes after Charles left with his thermos full. “I know you don’t like for me to tell you what to do, June, but please don’t go out today. It’s much too dangerous to be out on the road.”

  I didn’t tell him I’d always been afraid to drive on icy roads and had no intention of going anywhere. I simply said, “I won’t go out. I promise.”

  “If the power goes off, call me on my cell. I’ll come home and start a fire and carry in some wood. I’ve put a supply on the back porch, but if the power goes out, we may need more.”

  I nodded, knowing full well that it’d take more than the power going off for me to bother him on a day he’d be covered with work. I could start a fire just as well as he could, but this was our first winter together, and he didn’t know that.

  “I’ll be fine, Jason. You be careful and do me a favor. Please call me a couple of times today to let me know you’re all right.”

  “I’ll call.” He put his arm around me. “It sure is nice to have someone who cares about me.”

  “You know I care, you big lug. Now that we’re finally together, I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I kissed him. “I want to be Mrs. Striker for a long, long time.”

  “How does forever sound?”

  “Wonderful.”

  “I think so, too.” He kissed me and headed to his patrol car.

  Chapter Two

  By noon, the freezing rain turned to sleet. It was getting colder, too. I turned the furnace up a few degrees and went into the kitchen to check the pot of stew I was making. It was done. I turned it to low, so it would stay hot. I’d already finished cooking some other things which I thought would help us get through the next day or so if the power did fail. I baked a cake and some peanut butter cookies, because Jason like something sweet with his meals. I then made potato salad and boiled some eggs to devil later. After finishing the cooking, I washed and dried some extra blankets and spread Jason’s double sleeping bag out in the laundry room to air. So, he wouldn’t have to, I brought in wood to stack in the basket by the fireplace. I checked the batteries in the flashlight and the portable radio and was looking for extra candles in the hall closet when the phone rang.

  “Honey,” Jason said. “I’m cold and hungry. Would you happen to have something a man could come by and eat and get warmed up?”

  “A stew is waiting for you,” I said. “I’ll have a bowl on the table when you get here.”

  “I knew there was a reason I chose my wife from the Calendar Clan.”

  “I hope it wasn’t only my cooking.”

  “Absolutely not.” He chuckled. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  When Jason arrived, I met him in the mud room. He looked cold and wet. “Let me take your coat. I’ll hang it up while you take your boots off.”

  “It’s a mess out there. We’ve had dozens of bump-ups and one serious accident.” He followed me into the kitchen. “Boy, something smells good,” he said as he washed his hands at the kitchen sink. “I can’t wait to get something hot in me. I’m chilled to the bone, as they say.”

  The salads were already on the table and I brought two bowls of steaming stew. I put the biggest bowl in front of Jason, though I knew he’d probably ask for seconds.

  “It looks as good as it smells.” He smiled and reached for my hand. He said a short blessing, then began to eat.

  “You said there was one serious accident. Was it really bad?”

  “We had to send a couple of people to the hospital, but I don’t think the injuries were life threatening.”

  I didn’t want to think about something bad happening on the road, so I changed the subject. “Honey, I’m trying to prepare in case we have a power outage. I’ve been looking for some candles. Do you know if we have any other than the ones on the table?”

  “Look in the closet in the guest room. I think I put some there.”

  “Have you heard anything about the man who was at our door this morning?”

  Jason shook his head. “I called the hospital, but they said they were going to have him flown to the trauma center in Winston-Salem. His chance of making it are slim.” He took a bite. “I’m going to get some people out here to look around as soon as we can spare them. The highway patrol, the Edison police, and our department are all tied up with wrecks.” He sighed. “I wish people would use their heads and stay in on days like today. There’s no sense in taking a chance unless there’s an emergency and you have to get out.”

  “I agree with you.” I noticed his bowl was getting empty. “Do you want some more stew?”

  “I’ll get it.” He stood and asked, “Do you want some while I’m up?”

  “Thanks, but I think I have all I want.”

  He filled his bowl and sat back down. “You should’ve heard something I overheard in the office this morning.”

  “What was that?”

  “Charles was talking about you to Allen Ledbetter.”

  “I remember Allen was one of your best friends in school.”

  “Still a good friend. Anyway, Charles was telling him how nice you were and how you looked after us this morning. Allen laughed and said he was shocked.”

  “Why should he be shocked?”

  “He told Charles it almost blew his mind when he heard you and I had married. He said if a woman had ever been as mean to him as you were to me, the world would fall out of orbit before he’d marry her.”

  I made a face and Jason laughed. “Let me finish. Allen went on to say it would probably make a difference, though, if the woman was as good looking as June March had always been. He said he could forgive a lot of past misdeeds to find a woman as pretty as you are in his bed every morning.”

  “That’s kind of a back-handed compliment, but I like it.” I took another bite of stew. “But it stings when everyone only remembers how mean I was to you in school.”

  “You weren’t always mean. There were some good times, too.”

  “Yeah. Name one.”

  “All right. How about the time we were in fourth or fifth grade and those ninth-grade boys grabbed the model army tank my dad sent me? They kept throwing it over my head and laughing and pushing me from one to the other. After a while, the biggest boy threw my tank on the ground and shattered it. I wanted to cry, but I tried to fight the guy. I was big for my age, but he was bigger and stronger. He pushed me to the ground and put his foot on my chest, holding me down. They all kept laughing at me.”

  “Do you recall what you did?” I shook my head, and he went on. “You were playing with some girls, but when you saw what happened, you came running over and kicked him in the shins, calling him a bully and telling him he needed to pick on someone his own size. I think he started to hit you, but one of his buddies convince him it wouldn’t be cool to hit a girl.”

  I smiled. “I’d forgotten about that.”

  “I figured you had. Of course, when the guys walked off that day, you turned to me and told me I was an idiot for not playing ball with the boys. You also told me I should stop messing with that old army tank and act normal.” He took another bite and grinned. “That same afternoon, you came over to my house. You’d swiped the glue Toby used to make his car models and you spent all afternoon helping me glue my tank back together.”

  “Maybe I did have a few good instincts in me.” I stood, leaned over and kissed his cheek so he wouldn’t see my misty eyes. “I made you a cake today. Want a piece? I also made fresh coffee.”

&nbs
p; He took hold of my arm and pulled me next to his side. “See what good instincts you have? You know I’m a sucker for cake and coffee, especially when you make them for me.”

  “You’re so good to me, how can I resist cooking what you like.” I wiggled away from him and cut a small piece of cake for me and an extra big hunk for him. It was chocolate, his favorite.

  He looked at the cake on the plate in front of him. “And after a few months of marriage, the feisty June March is treating me like a king.”

  I thumped his arm. “Can’t you remember anything? She’s the feisty June Striker now.”

  He chuckled. “That she is.” He reached out and touched my cheek. “It’s still hard for me to believe she actually fell in love with me.”

  I wrinkled my nose at him. “Maybe she’s just a sucker for a man in uniform. It could all be lust, you know.”

  “Lust is good, too.”

  I couldn’t help laughing. “Finish your lunch before—”

  “Before what?”

  “Never mind. It can wait until tonight.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.”

  When Jason went back to work, I cleaned up the kitchen then went into the guest room to look for the candles. We put the bedroom furniture I had when I moved back home in the extra room and used my spread and curtains to decorate. It turned out looking nice. Before me, Jason had used the room for storage. He wanted to keep some of the boxes in the corner, but I convinced him to put them in the attic. He gave in because he knew his house had now become ours, but he did keep some things stored in the closet which he thought might be damaged in the attic. I gave in on this.

  I found the candles where he said they’d be and turned to leave the room. A box under the bed caught my eye. I reached down and pulled it out. I didn’t think I’d ever seen it before. It was heavy, and I had to struggle to lift it, but I finally got it on the dresser and removed the lid.

  A sudden feeling made me I’d fallen into the past. Sitting on top of the items in the box was the plastic army tank Jason and I had crudely glued back together. I couldn’t help it. I began to cry.