HOME OF THE RED FOX - Segment Six

Chapter 26

         Trying to hide Randall from view to surprise the children, Walker and Samantha entered first. Nothing prepared them, however, for the fast, red shape racing past, aiming for the open door. It slipped through Randall’s legs, tripping and making him fall backwards. Randall’s arms windmilled as he grabbed for the doorjamb, but he missed it by inches. However, it slowed his fall enough so it damaged only his dignity and not his body.

         Lying there on the floor, he turned to look behind him as the red shape returned. Randall was startled to find a fox coming towards him. It trotted over to him when he sat up, and crouched down about two feet away, just watching. Randall looked up at the two adults, waiting for an explanation. Something, though, again knocked him flat on his back. This time it was a small human shape.

         Walker winced as he watched Sue Beth put her painful stranglehold hug around the other man’s neck, having felt it many times himself. Randall remained sitting on the floor, laughing at the little girl’s enthusiastic greeting, which included little butterfly kisses all over his face. He looked up to see the second child standing quietly next to him. With a big grin, he reached up and pulled Joshua down to join them, the three ending in a tangle of arms and legs. The boy’s laughter thrilled all the adults in the room. It was a rare sound from the serious child.

         After a few minutes, Samantha moved in. “Come on, munchkins, let the poor man get up.” Walker stepped forward and peeled the two children off Randall then helped him to his feet. He noticed Joshua instinctively stayed close to Randall and wondered why. In all the months the two children had been living in the mansion, Walker had never seen Joshua more than a few feet away from his younger sister. Since Jack and Samantha failed to give him information about the children’s background, Walker decided he would find out from Randall while he was here. For now, he just watched the three of them enjoying themselves. Samantha closed the door to keep Zorro inside and joined Randall and the children. Walker turned and finally saw the adult who was baby-sitting.

         Edith Cartwright, his birth mother, stood there watching the noisy meeting with tears of laughter rolling down her face. Never in her long, lonely life had she witnessed such an uproarious scene, a grown man on the floor lovingly wrestling with two boisterous children.

         She wanted to thank the man who had made her feeling of happiness possible, the tall man standing silently across the room. Walker had an odd look on his face while he looked at her, making Edith wonder what he was thinking. Again, she had the feeling he reminded her of someone, something about the set of his eyes, the shape of his mouth. She frowned, trying to remember, drawing on distant memories.

         “Edith, you’re wonderful to help take care of the kids for me.” Instead of Walker’s voice, when he walked up next to her, she suddenly heard a familiar one from her past. As if through a thick mist, she listened to a younger man speaking to her in soft words of love and seduction. It was the voice of the man she once loved, the man who abandoned her when she needed him most. She would have fallen in shock if Walker had not caught her.

         “Howard?” Walker heard his mother’s whisper, as he held her in his arms. She was trembling violently while looking at his face, seeing his features that reminded her so much of his father, Howard Newton. Could he be Howard’s son, her son? Walker’s arms closed around her more tightly as he heard the words he had longed for all his life. “I never forgot you, never stopped missing you, not for one day.”

         Everything and everyone disappeared around them. They no longer heard the sounds of the other people in the room. Mother and son clung together for fear the miracle of finding each other would disappear if they let go, even for a moment.

Chapter 27

         Slowly, the world around them reappeared. Walker looked over his mother’s head to see Samantha staring at them in disbelief. Randall was standing with his arms around the two children, all three wondering what was going on, but knowing something important had just happened.

         Walker turned Edith to face them. “I’d like you to meet my mother, Edith Cartwright.” The older woman stood there with her son practically holding her up. He leaned down to whisper, “May I call you Mom just once?” At her shaky nod, he quietly said so only she heard, “Hello, Mom! Welcome home.”

         The reality of finally finding the child given up so many years ago was slowly penetrating her spinning mind. Even though she knew other people were in the room, she could just think of him and of all the lost years between them. Turning around, she reached up to touch his face, so like the man she had loved many years ago.

         Sue Beth shattered the moment when she left Randall and ran over to tug on Walker’s trouser leg. “How can Mrs. Cartwright be your mama, Mr. Walker?” The question by the innocent child was one Samantha had wanted to ask. She slowly walked over to her friend of many years, feeling betrayed by a secret he had kept from her and not understanding why she felt this way. Walker ignored the child when he saw the hurt look on Samantha’s face. His mother’s intervening saved him from trying to explain.

         “Samantha, I know you’re confused,” the older woman said softly. “Everything is happening too fast for me, too, but he is my son, my baby boy.” These last three words contained 50 years of heartache, and Edith gasped as the pain of those lonely years overcame her. Samantha reached forward and embraced the other woman, pushing Walker away.

         “Don’t just stand there like a big lump doing nothing,” she ordered. “Go upstairs and get your mother some brandy. Don’t you see she’s upset?” She walked Edith over to sit in an armchair and turned to Randall. “Would you mind taking the children downstairs for about an hour? I’ll come and get you afterwards, if it’s all right with you.”

         Randall nodded and shooed the children ahead of him out the door. He made sure to close the door behind them, remembering to keep Zorro safely inside. Seeing Walker still standing silently, not moving, Samantha again demanded he get some brandy from upstairs. He reluctantly left, nervous about Edith being alone with an irritated Samantha.

          Until Walker returned, Samantha listened to the mother of the man she thought she knew, learning for the first time how Edith gave up her baby for adoption.

Chapter 28

         On Walker’s return with the brandy bottle, Samantha left mother and son alone to have some private time together. She tracked down Randall in the dining room with Joshua and Sue Beth, all three talking at once and messily eating hot fudge sundaes. She smiled as she watched, unnoticed, from the doorway. For a grown man, she thought, he sure has a lot of the child left in him. Joshua spotted her and, running over, practically dragged her back to their table. Randall and Sue Beth stopped eating long enough to make her feel welcome and went back to spooning up their melting ice cream. Randall had a smear of whipped cream on the side of his mouth, and Samantha wondered if she dared reach out and remove it.

         Randall glanced up to see Samantha gazing at his mouth. “Is something wrong?” She shook her head then handed him a napkin so he could wipe away the cream. So much for daydreams and wishful thinking, she thought. When he smiled his thanks, Samantha quickly looked away, afraid Randall could read her thoughts as Walker so often seemed able to do.

         “Well, are you enjoying seeing Mr. Randall again?” Thinking this was a much safer subject, Samantha asked the two children who were finishing their sundaes. Sue Beth just gave Randall a big smile for an answer.

         Joshua, however, looked at Samantha and asked, “Are we going to go back to San Francisco? Doesn’t Mr. Walker want us any more?” He turned towards Randall. “Have you caught Ken yet?”

         Samantha answered first. “Here is your home, Joshua, yours and your sister’s. Mr. Walker would miss you too much if you left him.” She next asked Randall, “Who is Ken?” He shook his head slightly to let her know he would tell her later.

         Randall looked at the little boy. “Much as I’d love to have you and your sister come back to live with me, you know it’s safer for you here.” He had Joshua’s full attention. “Captain Steele still hasn’t found Ken, so you always stay close to Sue Beth, you hear?”

         “Yes, sir,” Joshua said quickly. The laughter gone from the child, he looked over at his sister who was sitting there, fright filling her eyes. Randall reached over and pulled her onto his lap. His arm held her protectively, and she hid her face in his shirt.

         “Samantha, I need to talk with Walker as soon as possible.” The man put his free arm around Joshua, who was standing quietly next to him. Even though Randall feared for the children’s safety with their mother’s killer still on the loose, it felt good to have the children near him after all these months. ”It’s important you know of the danger these two are in, even here.”

         He looked over at the dining room doorway as he heard a familiar voice calling out, “Samantha, what the heck is going on with Walker?” Coming towards them, Jack still had not recognized the San Franciscan sitting with Samantha and the children. “I just dropped by the kids’ room, and there was Walker holding hands with Edith Cartwright. He as much as told me to ‘get lost!’ What gives?”

         “Aren’t you even going to say hello?” Jack finally looked closely at the man who had spoken those words. No one had remembered to tell him Randall was coming for a visit. It surprised Jack to see the man who had rather reluctantly given over the care of the children to him.

         Randall put Sue Beth back on her chair and stood up to shake hands with Jack. The men, who had become friends on Jack’s trip to visit Captain Steele, pounded each other on the back in welcome, causing Samantha to wince. The children, soon bored, left to find something more interesting to do, Joshua never letting Sue Beth out of his sight. Time passed as Samantha filled Jack in on the surprising event that had just occurred between Walker and Edith.

         Fascinated by the events of the day, Randall just sat there. He had come here simply to check on the children and wandered into a place filled with mysteries. What will happen next in this crazy place? he thought. If only there were a murder to solve, I’d feel right at home.

Chapter 29

         Rain continued to come down in torrents for the fifth day in a row, making Walker’s living room feel cozy and warm. He had invited all of these people who were close to him for an English fry-up breakfast to welcome his mother into his life, finally. When the dining room waiters arrived with the hot food, they had a rare glimpse of their employer relaxing, completely recovered from his recent illness.

         After breakfast, while the two children played at the opposite side of the room, Randall filled Walker and Edith in on what had happened months earlier in San Francisco. Samantha and Jack had already heard some of the story from Captain Steele. Both had failed to tell Walker, thinking the other had already done it.

         “They lived in the Noe Valley area of San Francisco with their mother. After her divorce and subsequent disappearance of her ex, she took up company with a local bad boy, Ken Milton.” He looked over to make sure the children were not within hearing distance. On seeing the adults were all listening closely, he continued.

         “The kids were watching from another room and saw everything when the Milton bastard killed their mother.” He heard a shocked sound from Edith. “He killed her with blows to her head by a blue glass candlestick. She also received multiple stab wounds on her body even after her death. Anyway, he realized the kids saw him, but Joshua got Sue Beth next door to neighbors before he could catch them.”

         Unnoticed, the children had returned to the table to stand behind Randall. Samantha started to say something, but Walker put his hand on her arm to keep her quiet. “How did you get involved?” Walker’s question brought back memories of the bloody night to the SFPD forensic agent. The sadness in his eyes increased as he went on.

         “The kids stayed with their grandmother for a few days until she ended in the hospital with a fatal stroke.” Randall suddenly sensed the children behind him and turned to face them. “Do you honestly think you need to hear this?” Joshua nodded without saying a word. Meanwhile, Sue Beth climbed into his lap, which was her favorite place of safety.

         “These two had been attending a school for exceptional children for some time, and a neighbor brought them there after taking their grandmother to the hospital.” The adults around the table watched Joshua step even closer to Randall.

         “Milton had followed them down to the school and came back that evening.” Randall tightened his hold on the little girl. Joshua just stood there, so close to Randall he could feel the boy trembling from the remembered terror. “When Joshua saw his mother’s boyfriend drive up to the school, he hid with his sister in the school’s laboratory where other students were attending a night class.”

         Joshua spoke for the first time since returning to the table. “He killed them. He killed them all.” His young voice rose in anger at the injustice done by the adult. “There was no reason for him to do that.” Turning to Randall, he yelled. “Was there?” He broke down into loud, angry sobs.

         Walker quickly stood up to take Sue Beth from Randall, allowing the other man to comfort Joshua. For a few minutes, everyone just watched Randall kneeling on the floor with the hysterically crying child in his arms. Although he hated to see the boy suffering, Randall knew it was a cathartic release and the start of the healing process.

         When Joshua’s crying quieted a bit, Samantha walked over to him. With Walker holding Sue Beth and Samantha standing with an emotional exhausted boy, Randall returned to his chair and continued his narration.

         “Captain Steele called my forensic crew to the school. We found the headmistress, a couple there to enroll their daughter, and five children all massacred.” He looked over at Joshua, who seemed content to stay with Samantha. “We eventually found the two children hiding, and I took them home with me to keep them out of foster care.”

         Jack interrupted at this point, “That must have been when Bob, Captain Steele, convinced me to bring them to the safety of your mansion, Walker.” Randall nodded, glad to have them all know the whole story and why it was imperative they keep someone close to Joshua and Sue Beth always.

         From where he was sitting, Walker looked over Sue Beth’s head at Randall. “You don’t have to worry any more. We won’t let anything happen to them, I promise.” To try to banish the somber mood of the past half hour, he phoned down to have the returning waiters bring up the misnamed Zorro and her recently born kit. These animals were favorites of the children, Joshua in particular.

         The three men and Samantha gathered around the blueprints on Walker’s table by the window. Randall was returning to San Francisco on Monday, but he was determined to find and explore the cavern shown on one of the blueprints. He pointed out to Jack what he had seen the day before while Walker and Samantha peppered him with questions about where the location might be.

         Meanwhile, Edith sat on the nearby sofa, unable to stop watching her son with his friends. On the floor in front of her, Sue Beth and Joshua played with Zorro and her fast-growing kit, Toronado. It was the young animal’s first time inside, and he was busily exploring the room, tracked by two equally inquisitive children.

         Their arrival brought back Joshua’s tentative smile. The adults all watched them for a while, vowing to keep them safe from harm.

Chapter 30

         With the meal cleared off the table and replaced by the fragile blueprints, Randall asked, “Anyone game for finding the cavern?” Once again, Samantha thought Randall had much of the child about him. His excitement at trying to find the cavern was infectious, though, and she watched Jack and Walker caught up in it.

         “I think I’ll just stay here,” she said, walking over to join the older woman, “and have a cozy visit with Edith.” The look Walker gave her more than made up for missing the adventure. “Have you found where the entrance is yet?”

         Walker answered her question before Randall or Jack could. “Do you remember the room just below this one? Well, it appears the entrance to what Randall calls a cavern is in that room somewhere.”

         “Come on, guys,” said Jack, heading for the door. “What are we waiting for?” Randall followed him with little Joshua close behind. Walker was about to object to including the child, but said nothing. He realized the three men could keep him safe, no matter what they found. He looked over to see Sue Beth, content to stay behind with the women and animals.

         “Okay, then. Onward and upward. I mean downward.” With one last look at the three favorite females in his life, Walker followed the others out the door to what would be one of the longest days of his life.

         On entering what he called his hidden room on the third floor, Walker immediately went to the huge desk that seemed to call him whenever he came here. Jack and Randall matched the layout of the room to the marks on the blueprint they had brought with them and headed for the corner of the room nearest the outside wall. Meanwhile, Joshua looked around at the boxes and trunks, finally deciding to pull out the items in one of them. It turned out to be the box Walker had originally found containing the items belonging to a young girl.

         “Mr. Walker?” He carried over an old fashioned dress and small china doll to the desk. “Whose are these?” Walker took the doll from Joshua before answering.

         “I think they probably belonged to Jason Edgeworth’s daughter, Hannah. A picture of her is here somewhere.” He and Joshua walked over to the oil paintings still stacked near the windows. Walker pulled one after another forward until he found the painting he wanted. It was a well-preserved oil of a handsome couple. The seated woman was holding a child of about five, who had long brown curls. The man, wearing an elegant turn-of-the-century suit, was standing behind her chair with one hand on her shoulder.

         It was clear the child was a girl from the long dress she was wearing, the exact match to the one Joshua was holding. She smiled up at the beautiful, blonde woman who had on a low-cut, emerald green gown that complemented an exquisite diamond-and-emerald necklace around her throat. Walker easily imagined it around the neck of the redhead sitting upstairs. A loud shout from one of the men at the other end of the wall rudely interrupted his pleasant and slightly erotic daydream.

         “We found a door latch on the floor.” Jack waved Walker and Joshua over to where Randall was kneeling as he pulled at a thick metal ring. Helped by the other two men, he managed to pull up a large square of the floor, revealing a narrow staircase descending into the stygian darkness below. With thunderstorms being so prevalent, the old house often lost electricity. Walker had bought and stored flashlights in every room throughout the mansion after the first storm. He found the box where he had put half a dozen and handed them out. With four bright flashlights to guide them, they felt comfortable climbing down onto the stairway.

         Since it was Walker’s home, he led the way. Randall followed with Jack bringing up the last position behind Joshua. Slowly they climbed down the stairs within a narrow space crossing from one side of the building to the other until they reached what had to be the second floor. Here, the stairway twisted and crossed back until they reached the first floor of the building. The stairway, closed off for over a century, smelled musty. Dust coated the steps and the clothing of the four who were unknowingly about to go spelunking.

         At the level beneath the first floor, Walker opened a plain wooden door at the bottom of the stairway. With the four of them advancing slowly through the doorway with flashlights shining ahead of them, it was as if they entered an Alice in Wonderland world. The only thing missing was a Cheshire cat.

Continued in next segment.

HOME OF THE RED FOX - Segment Seven  (18+) Chapters 31 thru 35 #1082909 by J. A. Buxton