Chapter 48: Take a Little

Gotz ran through the forest as fast as he could, disregarding all safety. His axe was hefted over his shoulder. Mary was in danger, he had to tell her what Jack was. That Jack was the murderer.

Gotz was out doing what he did best that morning, working his hands to the bone chopping wood, and just because it was raining didn't mean he could take a day off. The job didn't make much money, and he needed every penny he could scrap together by working every day. So he went out into the deep, thicker woods, where the branches of the trees themselves blocked out enough of the rain that he could work in a relatively dry enough environment.

He had gotten a good sized pile of dry lumber cut up and stacked under a particularly sheltering tree and was about ready to tie them in the traveling tarp for the long dragging home. Then he saw a flash of lightning followed by the first thunderclap of the storm. Working in the rain was one thing, but being in the forest during a thunderstorm was just plain stupid. He left the wood where it was, hopefully, it would be undamaged when he returned for it tomorrow.

When he had traveled out here, he had searched for the driest route, but on the way out, he didn't care about getting wet, just about getting home without being struck by lightning. He judged roughly which way was home and took the straightest line possible.

Gotz had hardly gone any distance when he stumbled across the dead body of Zack. Strung upside down from a tree by his ankle, his stomach was sliced open, and it appeared that some animals had been feasting upon his flesh. The same Zack that the whole town thought was the murderer.

That was when he started running. His mind put together the puzzle pieces easily. Harris, before he had been killed, had said that while he thought Zack was the murderer, but that Jack was also a suspect. Somehow, in the confusion after Harris had been killed, with Jack offering to temporarily act as the town's guardian, the whole town forgot that that Jack was also supposed to be a suspect. Then, when Jack was incapacitated for a week, and the murders suddenly stopped, why didn't anyone put two and two together? Because of Mary's new defensive plan, that's why. They all thought they that the murderer was being discouraged, when in reality, he was incapable of killing anyone in his state of health.

Gotz burst forth onto the road near the lake at the foot of Mother Hill. He wasn't far from his home, but that wasn't where he was headed any longer. He feared for Mary's life. Now that she was married to Jack, he didn't know what would happen. Would she be safer because Jack truly did love her, or would she be in great danger of being the closest target for Jack's rage? He didn't know why Jack killed, only that he was the murderer. Either way, the first thing he had to do was warn her first.

Gotz swung his ax experimentally, imagining Jack trying to kill him. He was armed and ready, unlike Jack's previous victims, who were not very strong and had been caught off guard. If he had to, he could take Jack out, Gotz was certain of it.

Thunder crashed again; Gotz lost count of how many times he had heard it. The road cut it's way into Jack's farm. With his ax on his shoulder, rain running off him in streams, Gotz went up to the front door of Jack's farmhouse. He didn't want Jack to know what was going on. He wanted to surprise him. Without warning, he threw the door open and ran inside.

Mary quickly turned to the intruder. She fell back a step and screamed. Gotz stood just inside the open doorway, wind and rain roaring into the house, his ax gripped tightly in his hands. Elli had said she suspected that there was a second murderer, Gotz. Now she knew that Elli was right. She was going to die by Gotz's hand.

Lightning flashed in the sky through the open door, momentarily blackening Gotz's face. He took another step towards Mary and brought the ax away from his shoulder. She screamed again and back away to the wall. Heart pounding in her chest, she watched Gotz approach. She didn't want to die. She closed her eyes tightly and cowered away.

"Where is he?" Gotz panted, clearly out of breath.

"What?" Mary asked cautiously, opening one eye.

"Jack, where is Jack? He's the real murderer. I stumbled across Zack's dead body in the woods."

"It's not true!" Mary refused to believe it.

"Tell me where he is. I have to stop this now before he kills again."

"He's been gone for hours," Mary lied, "He went to warn the townsfolk, and with how long he's been gone, he's probably searching the woods for you, to tell you about the hurricane." Mary couldn't tell him the whole truth. That Jack had left only maybe ten minutes ago, and would likely be back any minute. She had to get Gotz away from here before he made a big mistake. Jack was innocent, she knew it. No cold blooded killer could love her so completely. She had to protect Jack.

"This storm is part of a hurricane?"

"Yes, the full force of it will hit tonight. It will only keep getting worse as the day goes on."

Gotz's face blanched, a sight that would have been funny if the situation wasn't so serious. He had to know if she was telling the truth. He studied her face for a moment, but he couldn't see anything wrong in there, "Alright then. I'll go back to my house and get some wood to help board up people's windows. Lock the door behind me, and don't let anyone in for any reason. That includes Jack. Stay inside, your life may depend on it.

"I will," Mary lied again. Gotz hefted his ax back onto his shoulder before going back out into the storm.

"Jack's innocent. I know he is. I have to find him and warn him about Gotz." Mary waited just long enough for Gotz to have left the farm before running out into the wind and rain, "I know you are innocent Jack."