"With the driest spring and summer on record leaving dust storms brewing in the south, an advisory has gone out for all highways east of Flagstaff, and south of the Arizona/Nevada state line."
As Rick snapped the radio off, he looked worriedly at the skyline.
"Sweetheart, are you sure you don't want me to stay, I'm sure Ramona wouldn't mind waiting one more day."
Laurie came up behind him, then wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back.
"I'm sure, darling….Ramona's finally ready to sell her mother's house…so I want her to get cleaning it over with." Rick heard a sniff from in back of him and frowned.
"Laurie, did you take your cold medicine? I hear a stuffy nose."
"Yes, Rick, I did. I still think it's allergies from all this wind. If I thought you wouldn't catch this cold or whatever from me, I'd kiss you for being so thoughtful." Laurie murmured, then squealed as he turned in her arms and picked her up.
"I'm not afraid of a little germ…bring it on!" he teased, then kissed his wife before setting her down. "It won't take that long, darlin'…I promise to come right home when we're finished. But you call me, Laurie…if anything happens…"
"I will, darling..I promise. Just be very careful driving with this wind." She cautioned.
A loud honk made them both laugh, as Robbie's van pulled up to the gate.
Rick opened the front door and hollered, "Hang on, son, be right out."
Giggling, she gave him one more hug, then shooed him out the door. After she watched the two of them leave, Laurie closed the door and set about picking up their laundry and sorting it. When she was done, she decided to get Jack in and give him a bath. Just then the banging of a shutter sent her running to their bedroom, where she saw the left shutter had completely come off the wood frame. Seeing the window was cracked, Laurie pulled the shades down to prevent any further damage.
"Oh, boy…" she thought, knowing the wind had picked up again. Just then Jack's barking let her know he wanted in, and she went to the back door. Opening the door, she froze, seeing the little dog on the steps, barking at a vaguely familiar man, clad in jeans and a work shirt.
"Jack, get in here! Who are you?" she called out, waiting until Jack streaked in and attempting to slam the door after him. The man, tall and beefy, stuck his hand in the door, saying, "Now, Mrs. Simon, that's no way to treat a guest."
"You're trespassing! Get out or I'll call the sheriff!" Laurie yelled, pounding the door against the man's fingers. As he swore and jerked back his hand, she shut the door and locked it, then ran for the phone. Suddenly Jack dashed into the living room, growling, as Laurie picked up the extension. "Operator, give me the sheriff's office, hurry.."
A click sounded on the other end, then Laurie felt cold inside as Jack's bark turned into a yelp of pain.
"Jacky!" she screamed, running into the front room. All at once a hand was over her mouth, as arms grabbed her up and threw her into her chair. The extension dropped from her hand, and was instantly crushed underfoot. Furious, she bit down hard and the hand disappeared from her face.
"Don't make a sound, Mrs. Simon…." Floyd Redwing appeared in front of her, Jack being dangled threateningly by his collar. Seeing the front door wide open, fear struck Laurie as she realized it was Redwing's son who had distracted her in the back.
"Please, don't hurt him…." She cried, then saw that Mark Travis stood on the threshold, a panicked look on his weathered face.
"What the hell are you doing? Put the dog down…this was supposed to be a talk, remember?"
"All right, but keep him quiet, or else." Redwing reluctantly dropped the panting Jack into her lap. At once Laurie clutched him to her, petting him as he growled at his tormentor. She smelled alcohol, realizing one or both men had been drinking.
"What do you want, you jerks!" Laurie said angrily. "Trespassing in our home, threatening my dog, putting your hands on me…"
"Simmer down, Mrs. Simon, we just want to have a little chat with you and the mister about the casino project, now where is he?" Redwing plopped down on the sofa opposite of her, smiling like a cobra.
"He's due back any moment, he just went to town." Laurie fibbed, then cried out as Tom Redwing seized her hair from behind and twisted it.
"You're lying, his truck is in the driveway….where is he, hiding?"
"No…he's not here, and I won't tell you where he is, anyway!" she yelled back.
As the older Redwing rose to his feet and came towards her, Travis shouted,
"Stop, she's probably telling the truth! Don't you think he would be out here, protecting her if he was in the house? He probably got a ride with Gamez's son."
"Just in case, search the rooms…" Floyd Redwing ordered, glaring at Laurie. Angrily she "called" to Rick, then Steve, telling them of the intruders. The words "Gamez's son" hung in the air, and she feared the three men going after Robbie.
As the sound of doors opening, then closing came closer and closer, the wind suddenly picked up. Crashing noises told her that tables and chairs in the patio were being blown around, and the barn door slammed several times.
"He's not here….want me to check the barn?" Redwing Junior came back into the room, eagerly clutching one of Rick's rifles in his hand.
"Put that down, we're not robbers, you idiot!" his father yelled. Facing Mark Travis, he added, "Let's give her something to think about, while we wait for her husband."
Fearing they were about to attack her, Laurie clutched Jack as she sprang up from her chair, and made a dash for the open door. Behind her there was a shout of "Grab her!"
Suddenly she saw Travis pick up the throw that rested on the front sofa, then throw it at her. At once the material blinded her, then a steely grip lifted her up, as she struggled against her unseen assailant.
"Put her in the closet, and lock her in. That'll teach Mrs. Simon a lesson …while we wait for her husband." Immediately she and Jack was dropped onto the floor, then the little light she could make out disappeared as the closet door was closed.
A scraping noise and a thump told Laurie that one of the chairs had been placed against the door, and frantically she pulled the throw off her face.
"No! Let me out!" she cried, then a loud "Bang" sounded against the door. Jack started barking loudly and Laurie tried to find him in the dark.
"Shut up, or we'll burn this place down and make your husband a widower!" Redwing's muffled snarl only intensified her desire to get out and warn Rick. Quickly she found the little dog and picked him up.
At once there was a new sound…a whooshing noise that seemed to take the three men by surprise. There was a yell of "no…get away from me!" then Travis's horrified "She's alive…let's get out of here…it's haunted!" Another voice shouted, "leave that, you fool!" Laurie was confused, it was a deeper voice then the Redwings or Travis.
Instantly the sound of pounding footsteps sounded, then the slamming of the front door.
As the wind howled even louder around the ranch house, Laurie fought the urge to scream. Already terrified at the intruders' reactions to the storm, now it seemed Mother Nature had joined in the destruction, with banging noises and the sound of glass breaking. Shaking, she prayed quietly as tears streamed down her face. Suddenly the little dog started to whimper, and it penetrated the fear that was paralyzing her.
"It's okay, Jacky, good boy…." She murmured, stroking him. He turned in his arms and licked her face, and she cuddled him even closer. "Such a good dog, now let me try to get a hold of Daddy." Closing her eyes, she tried to reach out again to Rick…only she was too afraid. Taking a deep breath, Laurie fumbled with her watch in the near-darkness, then saw the lighted dial blink on.
"Rick? Darling, it's Laurie."