Outrunning Villainy

Chapter 12: The Subterranean Escape

Chapter 12: The Subterranean Escape





“This is as far as I go.” He pushed open the door. Engrid peeked through. There was a very dark, dank smelling corridor. It had a bare concrete floor, bare cement walls. The ceiling consisted of concrete and lots of metal pipes running down its length. She looked back and forth. There were no doors or windows visible. It just progressed off into darkness in both directions. “You’ll need this,” he pulled a flashlight off his utility belt and handed it to Andrew.


“What for?”


“Go down to the left about forty feet. You’ll see a round metal object in the wall. It’s on a hinge. Open it and turn left. Just keep going as far as you can. You’ll figure out how to get back to the surface.”


Andrew and Engrid looked at each other, “The surface?”


“Yes. You are about 50 feet below street level.”


Engrid said, “Dare I ask but where does that round metal door lead?”


“It’s a storm drain. You’ll reach the surface at the river. You’ll be about five miles downriver of the park where you were earlier. You must hurry. All our lives depend on it.”


Engrid just looked horror stricken. Andrew clicked on the flashlight and walked into the corridor. Engrid quickly gathered her wits and took off after him.


“What on God’s green earth could have prompted this?”


“It’s an escape route.”


“No kidding. But what are we escaping from?”


“I would guess that the general wants us to make a clean getaway in case anyone is watching the police station.”


“That’s brilliant!”


“The general is a very bright man. He was a covert operative for about 25 years and never even got shot. He’s incredibly good at strategy and figuring out how to get out of tight spots.”


“I’m glad he’s on our side.”


“You and me both,” Andrew agreed, “Let’s just pray that the people chasing us aren’t as smart.”


“You just had to say that, didn’t you?”


They arrived at their departure point. Andrew reached up and grasped a metal handle that had been welded onto what appeared to be an oversized manhole cover. The cover came loose surprisingly easily and he lowered it down until it hung from its hinge and rested against the wall. He shone the flashlight inside. There was a small stream of water running in the middle of the brick and concrete tunnel about ten feet in diameter.


“Is there any rain in for forecast for tonight?”


She rolled her eyes, “I have no idea.”


“Hmmm…I wish we knew. If there was going to be rain, this could get pretty nasty pretty fast. I don’t want to get caught in the wash and get lost.”


“Neither do I, but we really don’t have a choice. We have to get out of here.”


Andrew handed Engrid the flashlight. He grasped the edges of the entrance and hoisted himself up and disappeared inside. He dropped to the bottom of the tunnel and stood up. Engrid’s bony, slightly arthritic fingers appeared around the ledge. Her wrinkled, white face and hair appeared next. She slowly and rather uncomfortably lifted herself through the hole in the wall and Andrew assisted her in lowering down to the bottom of the tunnel.


“He did say go to the left, correct?”


“Yes,” she replied, “He just said to keep going. I have no idea how far it will be.”


The two struck out and walked along the edge of the stream of water in the bottom of the storm drain tunnel hoping to hear the sounds of the river very soon. Those rushing water sounds would be the signal that they were near the end of their journey.


“I hope we won’t get lost down here.”


“We’ll be fine. We just need to keep following the water.”


“Why?”


“That sergeant said that this empties out into the river. So, barring the use of pumps that’s the lowest point in the system. Water never naturally flows uphill. So, if we keep following this little stream here, we should arrive at the river eventually.”


“Okay,” Andrew kept shining his light back and forth against the sides of their cavern-like escape route. They passed a few turnoffs with more water flowing into the main stream making it bigger and harder to stay dry. The sound of the rushing water gurgling past made it difficult if not impossible to tell if the river was up ahead. Since it was nighttime, there would be no light at the end of the tunnel to reassure them of success. Nonetheless, they slowly forged ahead.


                                                 #


Evan and Dora were beside themselves. Dora had dropped by to see if Evan had any updates. Now they both were pacing back and forth in the main hallway of Andrew and Evan’s house.


“Do you think we should call the police?” Dora asked.


“I don’t know. That seems to cause a lot of trouble lately.”


“They might know where they are.”


“Since the police were supposed to be supervising the whole operation, surely they do.”


“Then call Agent Sørenson and find out what’s going on.”


Evan picked up the portable phone handset. He now had Agent Sørenson’s phone number in his electronic directory. He pressed the appropriate buttons and held the receiver up to his ear.


“Richard? Yes, this is Evan Grayson, how are you?”


“I’m fine, what’s the matter?”


“Well, I can’t get a hold of Engrid or Andrew. Do you know where they are?”


“No, I don’t.”


“Aren’t you supposed to be watching them?”


“Not anymore. The mission was a success and we caught the real kidnapper and he’s now in custody with the state police here in Columbia. Engrid and Andrew gave their official statements to the police and they left.”


“I wonder why they haven’t called me back.”


“I don’t know. All I can tell you is that they left the police station about 45 minutes ago.”


“Then they should be back any minute.”


“Yes, unless they stopped off for some reason.”


“I’m sure they’re just waiting to get home to tell us all about it.”


“I hope that’s all it is.”


“Well, if I hear anything else about them, I’ll be sure to give you a call.”


“Thanks.”


He ended the phone call. Evan didn’t look pleased.


“Let me guess- they aren’t there?”


“No. The left the police station 45 minutes ago. They should be back by now.”


Dora and Evan exchanged nervous glances. This didn’t look promising, but hopefully their imaginations were just getting the better of them and that there was a completely innocuous explanation for their tardiness.


“I’m going to go home,” Dora said, “I’m tired. If you hear anything from them, let me know.”


“I will. You go home and get some rest.”


Dora stood and left. A moment after she left, the phone rang again.





                                                 #





Andrew swished the flashlight back and forth as they slowly progressed through the rising waters in the storm drain. He thought he saw something moving up ahead. He genuinely hoped it was just his imagination playing tricks on him. He dared not think what creatures might lurk down here.


“This is ironic,” Engrid stated out of the blue.


“Ironic?”


“Yes. We ran from the law, now we’re running from the outlaws. We went from being the outlaws to being the justice seekers.”


“I guess that is pretty ironic if you stop to think about it.”


“I don’t know about you, but I’d rather think about the irony of the overall situation than to think concretely about where we are and what might be living down here.”


“I agree with that.”


They arrived at the exit of the storm drain. Engrid peered around Andrew to get a clearer view of what they would have to do next to effect their escape. It was a few foot drop down to the river, but the drain put them right into the current of the Saluda River, not safely on the bank as Engrid had been hoping.


“What are we going to do?”


“We have to jump.”


“I’m not jumping into a river.”


“It’s not that far. It’s only three or four feet.”


“Then you jump first and then help me get down.”


“I can do that.”


Andrew handed her the flashlight. “Once I’m in the water, toss this down to me.”


“I want to keep it.”


“You’ll need both hands to climb down.”


“Fine,” she took the flashlight from him and shone its beam onto the rippling river water. Fortunately there hadn’t been that much rain lately, so the river wasn’t a rushing torrent that it sometimes is in the spring when the rain and snowmelt wash downstream. Andrew sat down and threw his feet over the edge of the storm drain opening.


“Be careful,” she warned.


“I will.”


He slipped off the edge. There was a split-second of silence before the splash indicating his descent into the river. Its waters were deeper than he anticipated. He disappeared under the water and came up sputtering.


“It’s deep!” he shouted. He went under again as a wave washed over him. He came up coughing.


There were no foot or hand holds as the strong current swept him away from the riverbank. Engrid watched helplessly from her perch at the end of the storm drain as Andrew was swept downstream.


“What’ll I do!?” she said to herself. She panicked for a moment deciding what on earth she could do. She knew she couldn’t rescue Andrew by herself. He was on his own. But she couldn’t very well stay in the storm drain for the rest of her life. How was she going to get down? She thought for a moment and decided that the only way she was going to get out of this was to jump too. So she sat down on the edge of the tunnel and looked down at the water. The water seemed much more dangerous and menacing than it had just moments ago. She now knew that it was deep and the current was strong.


She thought she saw movement overhead. There was a beam of light. Someone had found them. More panic gripped her throat. After all this, they were going to die anyway. The villains had somehow found them out. Maybe there was a spy in the police department who gave them away. There was no way to know who would have done such a dastardly thing. Whoever it was, though, the light was jostling indicating that they were running. The light seemed to be approaching quickly which confirmed that death was near. She looked down at the swirling mass of black water and back up at the speedily approaching flashlight beam. Should she face her attacker or should she jump into the river and attempt a death defying escape? It was a matter of picking your poison.


So, making the difficult choice, she slipped off the edge. The flashlight flew out of her hand and she was plunged into the dark, cold, swirling waters of the Saluda River. The water came up over her face and mouth. She wanted to scream but the coldness of the water took her breath away. She clawed at the water, trying desperately to stay afloat. Her eyes adjusted and she watched the silhouette of the edge of the storm drain fade into the night. She tried to swim towards shore, but the current kept pulling her out into the middle of the river. She began to panic even more as she was unable to swim ashore. The cold water of the river was sapping her energy fast. She had to get to shore soon or she would surely die.


The holder of the other flashlight arrived at the riverbank. The beam of light scanned across the darkened water. It passed over her face momentarily blinding her. She held up her hand to block the light. The beam flew back and settled on her. It followed her as the current swept her farther and farther downstream. The person was yelling at her, but with the rushing water in her ears, she couldn’t tell what he was saying. She remembered that to get to shore, you have to swim parallel and slowing move towards the bank. The problem was now that there was an assailant waiting for her on the riverbank. The river was exceedingly wide so she wasn’t sure if she could make it to the far shore before hypothermia set in and she passed away to be swept into the Congaree River and from there  possibly to the Wateree River then to the Santee River through Lake Marion and then into the Atlantic Ocean. So, if she swam ashore she would be shot and killed. If she stayed in the river much longer, she would freeze to death and be swept away never to be seen or heard from again.


Andrew was also in a desperate situation. The river was far stronger than he was or that he expected it to be. It seemed that all of creation was out to get him. Among the police, the villains and the natural world, it seemed something or someone was intent on killing him and Engrid. He pawed at the water as the tall lanky pine trees that lined the shore sped by. A sharp pain splintered his side as he smashed into against something tall and hard. He had no idea where he was or what it was that he crashed into so unexpectedly. He clung to the concrete piling that held up the westbound lane of Interstate 20 as it passed over the river on its way to Atlanta from Florence. He gasped and heaved, trying to catch his breath. The coldness of the water was replaced by the chilly November air sweeping down the river valley. A light evening breeze rustled the trees, but it felt like ice cubes to him. He began to shiver in the cold late autumn air. There was a small ledge that he was able to crawl up on to get out of the rushing water. He curled up into the fetal position on there to try to keep his body as warm as possible. He was beginning to lose the ability to think clearly. He could barely remember what had just happened over the last few minutes. Then things began to fade. He wasn’t sure if he was passing out, falling asleep, dying, going into shock or what. All he knew what that the world was fading and he didn’t care. He forgot who he was and where he was and just rested his weary bones on that pile of concrete beneath I-20.





                                                 #


Evan slammed on the gas pedal and tore off down the street. He had to get to Columbia and fast. That phone call just after Dora’s departure was from Agent Sørenson who had a change of heart and called to confess what had really become of Andrew and Engrid. Agent Sørenson told him where along the river the storm drain emptied. It was just upstream from where the Saluda River and the Broad River converge to form the Congaree River. It was about a thirty minute drive to get to the picnic area and then who knew how long to find the storm drain. He doubted there were tourism signs pointing the way. There was a lot of turbulent water and rocks at the confluence. He had to reach them before they reached the end of the storm drain and dove off into oblivion. He flew down the interstate highway as fast as he dared. He had no idea how long it would take them to walk from the police station to the riverbank via a storm drain, so there wasn’t a moment to lose. It had to be a fairly decent length of time because the station where they were being held was a few miles from the river. If walking through a storm drain was as slow going at Evan hoped, it would be a couple of hours before they reached that point. If they were panicking and knew they were running for their lives, then they might hurry and even run. If that was the case, he might already be too late. Engrid might be an antique person, but she could move when her life depended on it. He just hoped she wasn’t moving too fast.


He pulled off on an exit and drove down a small tar and gravel road towards the riverbank. He knew where the picnic area was because he’d been to several cookouts there over the years. His headlamps illuminated some picnic shelters with their green painted tin roofs. Agent Sørenson said that the storm drain ended about 200 yards from the cluster of picnic shelters. He drove to the edge of the clearing and parked his black Cherokee. His eyes scanned the dense tree forest looking for the footpath that Agent Sørenson said would be there. Evan decided that he would wonder later how Richard Sørenson knew such exact detail about where a storm drain on the outskirts of Columbia would empty out into the river.


He spotted an opening in the trees. That had to be the beginning of the path. He shut off the engine and pulled a flashlight out from under his seat. He jumped from the car and hurried towards the path. He just hoped he was there in time. He got to the edge of the trail and shone his flashlight down it. Was this it? Was there another path he didn’t see? He could hear the faint roaring sound of the river water. This must be it. He took off down the path stumbling over tree roots and slipping on fallen, half rotted leaves. He made his way as quickly as he could without twisting an ankle. The river noises were growing louder, so he must be headed in the right direction. He thought he saw a faint light up ahead. That gave him courage that perhaps they were still there. He hurried faster, sliding and running down the hill, whizzing past pine, oak, and hickory trees. He arrived at the shore and scanned his light over the swirling, gurgling water of the river. At first he saw nothing, then he caught a glimpse of something pale and round in the water. He scanned his light back across the water and caught sight of it again. It was Engrid’s head bobbing in the water. He knew those waters must be immensely cold so he knew he had little time to get the little old lady out of the river and into a warm place.


“Engrid! Engrid!” he yelled to her.


She waved her hand in the air. It wasn’t clear if she was acknowledging him or just shielding her eyes from the light beam. She was quickly headed downstream in the strong current. Evan followed her on the riverbank. He kept shouting at her, but he couldn’t tell if she could hear him or realize who he was as she flailed helplessly in the icy water. Evan tried to keep up, but jumping over rocks, tree roots and briars, he was losing ground. He snatched his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed 911. Evan reported what was going on and told them that they might be able to intercept her at the I-20 Bridge. The dispatcher said that she would send an ambulance and a water rescue team there immediately. He stopped when he cell phone made a beep sound. He pulled it away from his ear and looked at the now deceased cell phone. His battery was dead. Poor Evan was so upset and frustrated. He’d killed his battery with all those fruitless calls to Andrew’s cell phone earlier in the evening.


Evan began sweating as the physical exertion began to take its toll. The cold night air stung his lungs as he struggled to breath. Engrid was fading into the night as she was swept beyond the reach of his flashlight. Then another frightful thought occurred to him. He’d seen no evidence of Andrew. Evan had to fight the urge to hyperventilate as his rapid running slowed to little more than a crawl when he realized that Andrew probably jumped first and thus was further down the river. Evan did a quick geographic calculation in his head. If they missed him at the I-20 Bridge, it was only a few miles until the river passed under I-26. If they missed him there, he would be dead of hypothermia before they had another chance at the pedestrian bridge spanning the river between Riverbanks Zoo and the attached Botanical Gardens. The park would be closed, but surely the police would be able to gain access in a hurry. His legs began to tire and the terrain began to get rougher and more densely forested. There was no way he could keep up. He could only pray that the water rescue team could get in position in time. He stopped. His legs went to rubber and he crumpled onto the soft dirt of the forest floor. He gasped and tried to catch his breath as he crawled up and rested against a tree. He hoped that Andrew and Engrid would be able to survive this awful ordeal. They’d had a lot of ordeals to survive lately, but this one just might be the last straw. His heart rate began to slow and he was able to breathe normally again.


The fire trucks, ambulances and police cars began to converge blocking two of the three lanes of westbound I-20. Cones and a perimeter were established. Since it was almost 11:00 at night, there weren’t many cars on the road, so fortunately traffic didn’t back up much. The searchlights scanned the water looking for a cotton-topped old woman floating by. All they could see was rough water and darkness. One of the rescuers happened to shine his light directly down and see someone curled up on the base of the piling below.


“Look!” he shouted, “There’s someone down there!”


Another rescuer leaned over, “That’s not an old woman…that looks like a young guy.”


“Why is he sleeping down there?”


“More than likely he’s dead. No one called in a jumper, though.”


The supervisor of the operation overheard the exchange, “Get down there and get him up here. We’ll keep a lookout for the other person.”


A rescuer strapped himself into the ropes, and attached gurney tested the rope strength and hefted himself and the equipment over the ledge and descended towards the man below. It was slow going and the wind was picking up and getting colder by the minute. Only one rescuer could go because the ledge was so small, it couldn’t accommodate a second one. The base jumping rescuer started to swing himself back and forth since he the base of the bridge piling was underneath the bridge, not directly beside it. He managed to swing himself over enough and plant himself on the ledge. He shook the man. Andrew stirred slightly and looked confused.


“Let’s get you out of here!” the man shouted at Andrew.


Andrew nodded weakly. The rescuer grabbed him by his armpits and lifted him into the stretcher and quickly applied the straps. He radioed up that the stretcher was secure and to start lifting. The others at the top started the pulley system that cranked the stretcher up off the ledge and up towards safety.


“Here comes the other one,” the radio crackled, “Can you catch her?”


“I think so.”


“Then get to it,” the supervisor barked.


The rescuer shone his light across the water to get his bearings on where the next victim was trapped. He spotted her in the water, approaching rapidly. He hitched the flashlight back to his belt, steadied his feet on the edge of the concrete and lunged himself out into the water. He managed to sail further than he thought he would and landed relatively close to where Engrid was still thrashing. He swam across the current, going under the bridge trying to intercept her as the approached. She was present-minded enough to reach out towards him and he grasped her by the wrists. Pulling her to himself, he wrapped a rope around her and tried to secure her as best he could. Neither said anything as the rescue commenced. Engrid was utterly exhausted from all of the recent events and in particular being caught in a frigid river. The rescuer signaled his teammates up on the bridge and they began reeling him in. The rope brought them back under the bridge and back up through the air to the edge of the railing. The wind kept swishing them back and forth and they narrowly missed the concrete column several times. Engrid closed her eyes and refused to watch her ascent. She did look up momentarily to see the bottom of the bridge coming up fast. She worried that they would hit the bridge and injure themselves, but the rescuer was able to swing out just enough to clear the edge and get them up onto the top. She breathed a huge sigh of relief as her feet were planted on the asphalt of the road surface. She was promptly unhitched from the ropes and carabiners. A blanket was wrapped around her and ushered off to a waiting ambulance.


“Where’s Andrew?” She asked reaching out of a cup of warm tea that was being offered by a polite young female paramedic with long blonde hair tied up in a bun under her cap.


“Was he with you?”


“Yes. He and I were together. Have you found him yet?”


“Yes, we did. He’s in the other ambulance. He’s in pretty bad shape but he’ll be fine.”


“What do you mean ‘bad shape’?”


“He was disoriented and barely responsive when we found him. But once he gets warmed up, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”


“Can I go see him?”


“They’re about to leave for the hospital. We need to get you warmed up.”


“This tea is a nice start,” she said lightly rubbing the sides of the warm, ceramic mug, “I’m feeling better already.”


“Good, I’m glad to hear it. Is there anyone you would like to call?”


“Yes.”


A cell phone was produced and handed to her.


“Thank you,” she took the phone, flipped it open and stared at it for a moment, “I must be worse off than I realized, I have no idea what the number is.”


“Well you just think about it for a while.”


The paramedic climbed into the ambulance and started rambling around in some plastic containers. Engrid continued to remember Evan’s phone number. It was too late in the evening to call Dora but Evan was probably beside himself with worry. The bond between those two young men was far stronger than any she’d seen between a couple of guys. Engrid continued to sit on the edge of the ambulance recuperating from her misfortune. In a flash, she remembered Evan’s cell phone number. She punched it in and waited for an answer. It went straight to voicemail. Why on earth was Evan’s phone off? Surely he was expecting them to call him. It just didn’t add up and that made her worry. Maybe the villains tried a different tactic and had kidnapped Evan.


She tried to stand up, but her feet wouldn’t support her and she almost fell. A nearby police officer saw her attempting to stand up. He approached and arrived just in time to catch her before she plummeted to the pavement.


“You might want to wait a little longer before you get up and walk around,” he gently advised.


“I guess I’ll have to,” she said resigning herself once again to the bumper on the rear of the ambulance. Can I ask you a question?”


“Yes ma’am.”


“Who called you?”


“I don’t know. The dispatcher didn’t give a name for the caller. She just said to come here and prepare for a water rescue of an elderly woman. Which I presume is you.”


“Presumably…I wonder if it was a man named Evan.”


“I can call the station and find out.”


“Would you?”


“Sure, just give me a few minutes.”


The officer walked away talking to his radio. Engrid couldn’t figure out who would have called. No one on earth knew where they would be. How could the caller possibly know that they would be passing under the I-20 Bridge at precisely that moment? Then it dawned on her. Whoever was shouting at her from the riverbank must have been the person who called the police. It was the only logical explanation. The trouble was who it could be. She’d only assumed that it was one of her many pursuers. But if he or she called the police, it must have been Evan. No one else would have known. She couldn’t fathom how Evan would have found out where they were. She was with Andrew the whole time and he never called Evan. He intended to, but the situation deteriorated so quickly he hadn’t had a chance. Unless there was some random person hanging out by the riverbank, there was no other explanation. She also wanted desperately to talk to Andrew. She wanted to make sure he was okay. This had to be pretty traumatic for him too.


Evan stared in blank disbelief at the river that stole Andrew and Engrid from him. He slowly stood up, his body tired and beginning to ache from the physical exertion of running through the woods and dense underbrush that grew along the edges of the river. He turned to go back to his Cherokee. The only hope now was to get back on the interstate and drive to the bridge and see if the rescue workers were able to find anything. He wasn’t sure quite how far downstream he’d run so he hoped that he could find his vehicle quickly without needing to be rescued himself. He shone his flashlight beam up and down trying to recognize something. He’d been so focused on Engrid that he’d failed to mark his own path in anyway. Soon, though, he found the exit point of the storm drain and he looked around hoping to find the footpath that had led him this far. After a few frantic minutes of stifling the rising panic in this throat, he managed to find the end of the path and started following it back up towards the picnic area. He hurried more now that he was confident about where he was going. Up ahead, he saw a break in the trees and he rushed forward, holding the flashlight with one hand and desperately digging the keys out of his pocket with the other. He unlocked the door threw himself inside and started the engine. Dirt, rocks and blades of grass flew up as he spun the Jeep in reverse, barely missing a 6x6 support post for one of the picnic shelters. Shifting to drive, a similar rain of dirt and gravel came up as he floored the accelerator and the big machine roar into motion down the dirt road back out to the main road which would then lead him to the interstate. The worry was almost overwhelming as he sailed down the onramp and merged with the few cars that were passing by. As the minutes ticked by, he could feel his blood pressure rising as he drew closer to the Saluda River Bridge. He only hoped that the rescue attempt had been successful. Up ahead, there was a sea of flashing lights from the myriad police cars, fire trucks and ambulances. Apparently, the dispatcher had taken him seriously even if his phone had died before he was able to give her any contact information or verification that he wasn’t just pulling a prank. He was forever grateful for her trust in a total stranger. As he approached, the cars were merging to the left so that they could pass with the right two lanes being blocked off. He pulled to the edge of the scene and got out. An officer guarding the perimeter approached.


“Please get back in your vehicle and keep going.”


“I’m the one who called it in. My name is Evan and the two people you are looking for are Engrid Matthews and Andrew Grayson. Just tell me if they are okay.”


The officer looked him up and down. He was clearly more distrustful than the dispatcher on the phone. He turned and radioed someone. He turned the speaker volume down and mumbled into the receiver so that Evan couldn’t hear the exchange. Evan strained to hear what was being said between the two officers of the law. The officer turned back to face him.


“Follow me.” He lifted up the crime scene tape and allowed Evan to duck underneath it.


Evan followed the man as he quickly walked through the maze of man and machinery to reach the first ambulance. Engrid spotted him over her third cup of hot tea. She waved him over.


She looked at him startled and asked, “What happened to you?”


“What do you mean?”


“You look like you went two rounds with a gladiator.”


In the pressure of horror of the moment, Evan had failed to notice that in chasing Engrid down the riverbank, his face was scratched up from the briars and low hanging branches and his clothes were dirty and muddy.


“I’m just glad you are okay.”


“How did you know where we were?”


“Agent Sørenson told me what happened, so I came to bring you home once you got out of the storm drain but I was too late. You guys were too fast for me. Where’s Andrew?”


“I’m not sure. They said he was in pretty bad shape.”


“That doesn’t sound good.”


“No, it’s not,” she confirmed, “He jumped first so he was in the water longer than I was which was plenty long enough I can assure you.”


The pleasant young paramedic came over. “Ma’am, are you able to make a positive ID of your friend?”


“Positive ID! You mean he’s dead?”


“Not yet, but he’s not rousing up as quickly as you.”


“He was in the water longer than I was. Is he going to make it?”


“I don’t know, we’ve got him stabilized and we’ll be transporting him to the hospital shortly. You will be going too, just so we can make sure everything’s okay. We did not find any ID on his person so we need to make sure we’re dealing with who we think we’re dealing with and that there’s not a third person involved.”


“There isn’t.”


“There could be. It would be completely coincidence, but we just want to make sure.”


“I’m not sure I’m up for it,” Engrid conceded, “Evan will you do it?”


“Yes.” He swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure how he was going to react to seeing Andrew in such bad condition and so near death. But, not all of life was a wonderful trip. Sometimes, hard things have to be done.


“Follow me,” the paramedic took him by the arm and led him over to the other ambulance. Evan hung back for a moment, not wanting to move forward. He was afraid of what he might witness. Slowly and unwillingly, he stepped forward. Inside the ambulance, a body lay. It looks pale and weak. Evan climbed up inside the ambulance. Andrew responded weakly with a smile of recognition. Evan let out a sob at seeing Andrew like that.


“Is it Andrew?”


“Yes,” Evan replied. He sat on a bench and held Andrew’s hand.


“Is it okay if I stay with him?”


“That would be best. A familiar face will help him recover.”


The paramedic walked away for a few minutes. Evan leaned down and kissed Andrew on the cheek.


“It’s going to be fine,” Evan whispered in his ear, “You’re going to be all better.”


Andrew smiled again and lightly squeezed Evan’s hand. The tears were pouring from Evan as he looked down at his injured lover.





                                                 #





Evan sat by Andrew’s side all the way to the hospital, then into the emergency room. Andrew was sleeping peacefully on a gurney behind a curtain in the ER. Evan waited for him to rouse up. The cold had taken its toll but Andrew was strong, and able bodied and Evan was convinced that with a little love, support and advanced medical care, he would recover from hypothermia. Engrid’s hand reached around and pulled back the curtain. She was leaning on a walker.


“Are you okay?” She asked, looking at Evan.


“Oh Engrid, he looks so pitiful. I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t make it.”


“He’ll be fine, I’ve seen much worse in my day. Andrew’s tough- he’s a fighter.”


“Are you okay? I’ve never seen you with a walker before.”


“And hopefully never again…I was still a little woozy but I wanted to check on you both. The nurse said this was the only way I would be allowed to get up. If anyone asks, I’m on my way to the bathroom.”


“Why is he in such bad shape and you’re not?”


“He jumped first. He was in the water a lot longer than I was. Then he crawled up on that bridge piling and nearly froze to death. I’m better off because he got the worst of it.”


Evan fell silent. Engrid said, “Well I actually do need to go to the restroom, so I’ll check back on you in a little while. She released the curtain and Evan heard her shuffling feet and the slide of the walker across the white tiled floor.


Andrew began to wake up a little, “What’s going on?”


Evan snapped back to attention, “You’re okay?”


“Where am I?”


“You’re in the hospital in Lexington.”


“The last thing I remember is jumping in that river. It was so cold.”


“I’m sure it was,” Evan lovingly patted his hand.


“Where’s Engrid? Is she okay?”


“She’s fine. She just stopped by to check on you.”


“Good. I guess it takes a lot more than my shenanigans to kill her.”


“It does. She’s a survivor, that’s for sure.”


“What on earth were you two doing in that storm drain?”


“They found out.”


“Who found out what?”


“I can’t tell you everything, but remember the ‘professors’ project I did? I shouldn’t have told you about it but I did.”


“Yes. What about it?”


“They found me,”


“That’s not good.”


“No, it isn’t.”


“They set up the whole thing. Why they went through so much trouble I don’t know, but the whole thing with Dylan was a setup.”


“Why not just kill you?”


“I don’t know.”


“I’ll bet they tried and failed.”


Andrew looked confused.


“When Dylan came with the gun and tried to kill mom and me, I bet he was after you.”


“Probably, that would make sense if any of this does.”


“So, what are we going to do now?”


“I called the general who is in charge of the project. He told me what to tell the police. I relayed the information after the guy in the park was arrested. Then the police got all crazy and we were shown an escape route underneath the building. I have no idea what happened to prompt that reaction from them. All I know is that the desk sergeant took us down to some sort of sub-basement. He opened up a hatch to the storm drain, gave us a flashlight and told us to make a run for it.”


“Something obviously went wrong.”


“Yes. But I have no idea what it could have been.”


“Was there any way for you to make it to land from the end of the storm drain?”


“I don’t remember. I’m sure there wasn’t because we would have taken that rather than jump into the river.”


“Did they collect your ID and stuff?”


“Yes…they took everything we had in our wallets and they collected Engrid’s purse. Why? What are you getting at?”


“Maybe the police were under orders to get rid of you. They figured that if you jumped into the river with no ID you would be classified as a suicide or an accidental death. Evading assassins would provide plenty of motivation to keep going and enough desperation on your part to actually jump. They intercept any missing person’s reports that Dora or I would file. That way when your bodies washed ashore downstream, there would be no connection to the police and you would just go down as another John and Jane Doe.”


Andrew looked astonished. Evan stood up and started pacing slowly. Engrid appeared in the curtain again. She’s been passing by on her way back from the bathroom and heard their voices. Evan filled Engrid in on his theory. She flopped down in the chair Evan vacated.


“That’s terrible. Perfectly logical and unthinkably true,” Engrid stated, sliding her walker off to one side so she had an unobstructed view of the boys.


“Do you think the police know we’re here?”


“I’d almost guarantee it. If I called 911, I know the police are aware that you’re here.”


“Then we aren’t safe here. We have to go.”


“Where are we going to go?”


“I need a phone and some privacy,” Andrew stated. Evan withdrew his cell phoned and plugged it into the wall.


“Come back in fifteen minutes,” he said.


Evan and Engrid looked at each other and nodded. They stepped outside and walked down the corridor towards her bed. She crawled back onto her hospital bed and relaxed. Evan sat down in the chair beside her.


“I wonder what Andrew is up to.”


“My guess is getting us some phony identification.”


“What makes you think he can do that?”


“I know he can because he’s done it before. For a while, while we were making a run for it across the country, I was Rebecca Peterson.”


“I didn’t realize that.”


“Andrew has some pretty good connections in this world.”


“Apparently…Andrew sure is full of surprises. Every time I think I know him, it turns out there’s a whole other universe I didn’t know about.”


“I know that feeling. Who knew that wiry ole Andrew was a spy and helped to break up an international heroine cartel in Africa? That’s just astonishing.” Engrid shook her head.


Evan just shook his head in bewilderment.


“Keep an eye on the time; we don’t want to be late.”


Evan leaned back in his chair and Engrid settled onto her flat, lifeless hospital pillows. The clock slowly ticked passed. Engrid could barely see it in the crack of the curtain. It was a standard, round metal institutional wall clock. After 14 minutes passed, Andrew appeared at the curtain leaning against a cane, a brown trench coat draped over his threadbare hospital gown “We have to go…now.”


“Why?”


“Just follow me,” he demanded, tossing Engrid a white lab coat and surgical bottoms.


Engrid rolled to the side of the bed, “I may still need that walker for a little bit longer.”


“Whatever…just do it now!”


Andrew limped, cane in hand, down the corridor. Engrid donned her new outfit and walked as quickly as she could. The doctors and nurses were busy scurrying here and there and somehow didn’t notice them. Andrew hobbled quickly and Engrid slid her walker quietly over the tile floor. Evan wondered how on earth they were going to make a smooth getaway since he was the only able bodied one of the three. Plus he wasn’t sure how to get to his Cherokee which as far as he knew was still parked on the bridge over the Saluda River.


They managed to effectively escape the emergency department staff and quickly made their way down the corridor towards a service entrance near the cafeteria. Once there, they pushed through and disappeared into the night. Engrid and Evan froze as they heard a vehicle approaching. A blue Ford Explorer lurched around the corner. Dora had come to their rescue.


Evan assisted his invalid charges into the vehicle. Andrew sat up front.


“Dora, get to the interstate as fast as you can.”


“Where are we going?”


“Atlanta.”


“It’s three o’clock in the morning.”


“Just go. We’ll get there just in the nick of time.”


Dora hit the gas and the Explorer took off into the darkness. She made her way onto west bound interstate 20 per Andrew’s instructions; they passed Evan’s Cherokee without stopping.


“Dora, I need you to get off at the Georgia welcome station.”


“Why?”


“We need to pick up some documents.”


Dora shrugged, “Whatever you say.”


They continued to drive in silence. Dora zoomed across the Georgia state line, leaving South Carolina in the dust. She pulled off the interstate at the welcome station. It was closed, but they could still park.


“Don’t pull into a space.”


Andrew jumped out of the car the moment it stopped, “If anybody besides me approaches this car, drive away- fast.”


Dora nodded her understanding and gunned the engine dramatically. Andrew stepped onto the sidewalk and disappeared behind the bathrooms. All occupants of the car stared in various directions keeping a lookout for any swarthy characters approaching. Moments after disappearing, Andrew reappeared with a padded envelope in his hand and got inside. “Go!”


Dora released the brake and the vehicle sailed down the onramp into the Georgian night.


“Did you get what you needed?” Engrid asked.


“Yes.”


He took the padded envelope and opened it. He handed a packet to each of them.


“Um, Andrew,” Engrid said holding up a sheet of paper, “What’s in Brazil?”


“We have to lay low for at least a month. The general is working on resolving the issues with what’s happened in Deerfield. We may never know the details and I don’t want to know. We are supposed to stay out of the way for a month while he does damage control.”


“That doesn’t answer my question.”


Andrew didn’t say anything for a few moments, “This is a secret of mine…”


         “Another secret?”


         “Yes, but once you know this one; you will be in the inner sanctum of Andrew Michael Garrison.”


Dora, Evan and Engrid just stared at each other.


“We’re going to Manaus, Brazil.”


“What’s there?”


Andrew swallowed hard, “My parents…”


Engrid coughed, “Your parents?”


“Yes. They are missionaries in Brazil. They are Lewis and Marian Garrison. They have been in Brazil for years. They’ve been missionaries all over South America.”


“Then why were you raised by your uncle? I’d just assumed your parents were dead.”


“They aren’t…they’re alive and well.”


“Why did you live with your Uncle Ray?”


“It was because I caught every disease that came around. I’ve had malaria, I’ve had typhoid, and I’ve had diphtheria. My parents didn’t want to give up the mission field, so they gave up me.”


“So I take it that they aren’t too big on the ‘gay’ thing?” Dora queried.


“They weren’t particularly pleased.”


“So we are going to visit your parents,” Evans stated, “I guess it’s only fair since you’ve met my mother.”


“Andrew Garrison, you never fail to shock and amaze me,” Engrid said shaking her head back and forth, “This is just par for the course…as if Fargo, North Dakota wasn’t obscure enough.”


“What part of Brazil is Manaus?”


“It’s right on the Amazon River.”


Engrid tensed, “You mean the Amazon…as in pythons, piranhas and such?”


“Yes…hence why I was sent to live with Uncle Ray in San Diego. Can you imagine me roughing it in the jungle?”


“No, but I take it we’re about to.”


“Yes, you are about to see another side to me.”


“I’ve seen just about every side of you there is to see,” Evan stated, then blushed realizing how that sounded.


Engrid stated, “I’d be excited it I wasn’t so thunderstruck by all this. When we left home twelve hours ago, I thought we were headed out to put a stop to all of this. But instead, we have to go on the run again.”


Engrid’s tired mind tried to kick into gear again. She was determined that she was not going to go on the lamb again.


“No,” she stated flatly.


“What?” Evan asked.


“I’m not going to Brazil. I’m not running again. It nearly killed me the last time it happened and I am not putting myself through that torture again. There just has to be a way out of it. We just have to put our minds to it.”


“Engrid, I don’t think you understand how dangerous these people are.”


“I do. Don’t forget, I was in that park earlier tonight too. I went down that rat infested storm drain same as you. I was swimming in the same frigid river you were. I understand that this might kill me. But I’ll be confounded if I’m going to spend the rest of my life in some Amazonian village.”


Dora kept her foot on the accelerator. She didn’t know what else to do.


“What are we going to do?” Evan said, looking at Andrew.


“We stick to the plan.”


“You mean the plan to hideout in Brazil?”


“Yes. This is only for a month, and then we will be able to go back and continue our lives in Deerfield and put all this behind us. What do you say?”


Engrid scowled, “I say no dice. I want to go home.”


“I want to go home too, but we can’t.”


“Yes we can. Dora, do you have your cell phone?”


“Yes.”


“Call Myrtle and tell her where we are. She’ll come get us and take us back to Deerfield. If you want to go on with this stupid idea, then you just do that. As for me, I’m going to stay and fight. I might die, but it’ll be on my own turf.”


Andrew sat quietly. All eyes were on him.


“Evan, do you want to come with me, or do you want to stay here with Engrid and Dora?”


Evan swallowed hard, “Where you go, I go. Your people will be my people.”


Engrid rolled her eyes, “Fine…you two have fun.”


Dora spoke up, “I’ll take you to the airport then Engrid and I are going home.”


Andrew sat drumming his fingers and thinking…panicking really. He wasn’t sure what to do. Engrid was right- they should stay and fight but every time they did that, things only seemed to get worse. But then, things deteriorated pretty fast when they’d made a run for it before. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking.


“You’re right,” Andrew spoke up, his voice quivering with fear and uncertainty, “Engrid’s right, we have to go back.”


“I’m glad you finally started listening to some sense.”


“But what about your general, didn’t he say to leave?”


“Yes, but he’s not responsible for what happens to us. I doubt anyone will ever know what he did. So, it’s up to us to truly clear our names.”


“Okay, then,” Evan said.


“I’ll turn around at the next exit,” Dora stated.


“Good. We should be back in Deerfield before sunrise.”


Engrid shook her head, “I don’t know when I’ve been out all night. I must have been a teenager if I even did it then.”


Dora did as she said and shortly they were back on the road headed home.


“I guess we’re back at square one,” Dora said.


“What do you mean?”


“We have to talk to Amanda.”


“This has nothing to do with Amanda,” Andrew said, “This is all because of my shady past. The stuff with Amanda’s kidnapping is over. Now we have to deal with something even worse.”


Dora rolled her bleary, sleepy eyes, “I think this still does have to do with Amanda.”


“How so?”


“I’ll bet you just about anything that the guy you shot in the park is the guy who kidnapped her. I don’t know how he knew who you were or where your storage unit is, but I’ll bet he knows Amanda and I’ll bet he could lead us to the people responsible for trying to kill you.”


“We already know that…it was a frame,” Engrid explained, “I heard the whole thing. It was all a plot- Dylan included, to get to Andrew.”


“Oh yeah…it’s getting late and my ancient brain has turned off. I’m going to sleep for days once this is over,” Dora said, refocusing her attention to the road.”





                                       #





It was very early in the morning. Dylan sat in his jail cell charged with attempted murder. They authorities were coming shortly to haul him off to a federal prison. He would no longer be confined to the solitude of this city jail cell but instead cast into the sea of ruffians and gangs that he was convinced would kill him. Then the panic set in. His heart raced, his mind whirled trying to formulate a plan. He couldn’t let this happen. It couldn’t end like this. He heard the keys jingling on their large, iron ring that Jimmy kept on him at all times while in the police station. They were coming for him. They shackled him and walked him out in the empty pre-dawn darkness toward a converted school bus with metal wiring over all the doors and windows. The town of Deerfield slumbered lazily as Dylan was being carted off to pay his debt to society. There were other prisoners already in that iron cage on wheels when boarded but everyone sat silent and orderly as headstones. Dylan needed a diversion in order for his plan to work. It would be an hour to an hour and a half drive to the prison. It would be at least that long before he was missed. He slipped to the back row which was vacant. He’d waited until they were passing on oncoming semi and the driver was distracted making sure there would be no collision. The other prisons failed to notice or didn’t care that he’d moved. What difference does it make now? They might have wondered. Our fate is sealed and so is yours. Dylan reached behind him to the metal bar that held the door latch in place. Surely they would have secured it against a breach. It moved slightly. They were approaching a red traffic light. This was his chance. This was the last traffic light before they left town and drove out on to the lonely country highway. Dylan pushed hard with his hands tied behind his back by handcuffs. The door lever gave just a little bit but it was enough to release the rear door. When the bus rolled to a stop, he pushed the door open just enough and half fell half jumped down onto the ground. He pushed the door closed with his forehead. Fate was on his side because the vibrations of the machine caused the bar to settle just enough to latch the door in place. He ran into a stand of pine trees beside the road as the light turned green and the bus drove off into the sunrise.


He had to get rid of the handcuffs. He had a pair of bolt cutters and side grinders in his garage, but how to get there? Then he saw the solution. Trusting old people was the answer. There was a church up ahead with cars in the parking lot. It must be an early morning Bible study group. Surely one of them would be old fashioned enough to leave their keys in their car. Or be so foggy minded this early in the morning to have forgotten. He sneaked to the edge of the paved parking area and scoped out possibilities. He settled on a late 90’s model blue Buick Regal. It was new enough not to breakdown but old enough to be inconspicuous.  It would attract little attention on Maple Avenue.


It took a while for him to formulate a plan. Ever since he was a child, he’d enjoyed a good conspiracy theory. Why he’d been filled with hatred when he saw Andrew and Evan shopping together at the grocery store. For some unknown reason, he came unhinged and wanted to kill them one of them and make the other live the rest of his life in anguish. After a while, he randomly picked the black-haired one as his victim. The blonde was the stronger of the two and he wanted to reduce that flaxen-haired Adonis to a weeping wreck. Why he did just do that he wasn’t sure, he just wanted it to be more elaborate than that.


He followed them home and came even more unhinged when he found out they lived together. He watched them for a while but he knew he’d have to be sneaky about it. He’d also discerned by observation that the middle-aged woman down the street was the blonde one’s mother. He’d followed her the night she went to PFLAG and they met. He hadn’t found the plain-faced, average Myrtle to be particularly interesting, but he had to deal with her to get to her son’s lover because he wanted several layers of separation. It didn’t need to be that convoluted, but he liked a challenge and his devious self wanted to hurt as many people as possible. He’s loved the idea of collateral damage. Then he got bored with his plan and decided to just shoot Andrew outright and get it over with. He would shoot him right between the eyes and walk away leaving Evan or Engrid or someone to discover the bullet-ravaged body. He didn’t see how anyone would pin the murder on him.


His mistake was confusing their cars. He thought Andrew was home, not Evan. They both drove black SUV’s, one a Nissan Pathfinder the other a Jeep Cherokee…it was an honest mistake for a dishonest man. That was when his plan unraveled. Somehow the police got involved and instead of walking away scot free, he ended up in jail on two counts of attempted murder. Now his time to exact revenge had come. He walked up to the Cutlass and sure enough, the keys were still in the ignition. He sat down, started the car and drove off. All the good Christian men and women sat in their church and knew nothing of the evil afoot.