Starlight Starbright
These good fellows don't belong to me but I promise when I'm done to pick um up, dust um off and with a kiss on the cheek return them safely home.
"In time of test, family is best." Burmese Proverb.
Chapter 15
"Mike?"
Static…..
"It's Johnny."
Static….
"We need help…Kern Canyon Ranger …station …#12"
Static…
"Roy!"
Static…
"Help us…She's been shot…I'm sick…"
Static…
"Roy?"
Static…
"Please…"
Static…
"Call Bruce…number at …my apartment…"
Static…
"He'll know where…we …are…"
Then the coughing started and he wasn't able to stop. The static was endless now and they didn't know if anyone was hearing them at all. Amy grabbed the mike and tried too.
"We're at the Ranger Station, please help us." She looked to Johnny since she really had no idea where they were. "We were at a cabin and hiked here. Please help us, he's very sick. Hello?"
"Please," she started to cry. It was too much now. She was in pain, her shoulder bleeding again from helping him. His head was lying on the desk, coughs shaking his body.
Then the power button went black. So that was it. She only hoped someone out there heard enough to find them now. With her last bit of energy she helped Johnny to his shaky feet and got him to the fireplace. The last of the dry wood was on the coals and the embers were burning low. The snow had changed to rain outside and all the gathered wood was now soaking wet.
She poked the coals to stir them up a little then went to the bedroom and got the sleeping bag that Johnny had carried her here in. Placing the sleeping bag in front of the fireplace she got him in it. He was dead weight now as he had lapsed into unconsciousness. She could hear his ragged breathing and the audible rattling from his chest. His skin was hot as fire but moist at the same time chilling him.
All she could do now was keep him warm. Taking all the blankets in the house she laid close to him and let the exhaustion take over her body also, falling fast asleep.
"Look, I can't offer you any kind of deal unless you help us find the woman alive. If she's hurt then the longer you hold out the more likely is she won't make it. Then it's a full murder rap for both of you."
The Lt paced the floor while Red squirmed in the chair, running his fingers through his hair. "A deal huh?"
Marcos paused and leaned on the table, "Yep, but only if we find her alive." He watched the hardened man think hard. He had spent a lot of petty time behind bars but never a long hard time, much less life.
Red looked at the cop, "Okay."
"Start talking."
"We didn't mean to even take her but Carl was afraid to leave her after he accidentally shot her."
Marco's cringed inside, he had been right. "Keep going."
"Carl knew this cabin in the mountains. Its real deep in the woods where no one would find us. But when we got back from making the ransom call she was gone."
He furrowed his brow, "What do you mean gone? She was shot and in the middle of the woods. Where would she go alone?"
Red shifted in his seat. "Well, she wasn't alone."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, when we got there someone was using the cabin. Carl worked him over real good," he smiled until he caught the Lt's eye. "I didn't touch him. Something about him made Carl real pissed off. Guess he don't like firemen." He laughed at his own private joke.
Marcos stood up straight, "He was a fireman?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture. "Is he one of these men?"
Red immediately pointed to the dark headed younger man, "Hey, that's him."
"What was he doing up there alone?"
Red scowled, "I don't know, didn't ask him. He said something about a vacation. I guess he's the one that took her off." Then he smiled again, a dark look crossed his face. "Don't speck they would get very far in the snow huh?"
Marco's wanted to slap the man seeing the satisfaction on his face. "You'd better hope they made it out."
Red stopped smiling at that, "Well, wasn't my fault they left."
"I want to know exactly where that cabin is."
"Carl drove there," he shook his head. "I'd never find it again; it was like in the middle of nowhere."
Carl then was next on his list. The information was getting him closer to finding her and now apparently a fireman. He turned to his Captain, "Where are those missing person reports at?"
He was directed to a corner desk with a fax machine. Picking up the stack of papers he sat down and began sifting through them, one at a time. He sighed, only a few hundred more to go through.
Roy stood at the sink helping Marco wash up the breakfast dishes while Chet cleaned off the table.
"That was a good casserole Marco, tell your mother thanks," Hank said as he sifted through the paper.
"Sure thing Cap. You know my mama, she loves to cook."
Mike looked up from the couch, "It's a good thing, cause after eating Chet's cooking this shift we all need a stomach transplant."
Chet looked offended, "Hey now, there was nothing wrong with my Hungarian Stew."
"So that's what that was huh?" Roy said.
Mike looked up at Roy's joke and smiled. It was the pretty much the first thing he had said all shift. Being closest to the phone Mike jumped up and grabbed it.
"Station 51."
Static…
"Hello?"
Static…
"Johnny?"
Roy about dropped the dish he was drying, "What?" Mike now had everyone's full attention as they gathered around the phone.
Mike looked back, "The connection is terrible, here." He immediately passed the phone to Roy knowing that Roy was about to have a stroke to get his hands on it.
Static…
"Johnny are you there? It's Roy."
Static…
"You're where?" He was yelling into the phone.
Static…
"12? Johnny 12 what?"
Static…
"Yes, it's Roy. Johnny! I can't hear you. Where are you?"
Static…
"Shot?" Roy felt the blood drain from his face. He knew he heard the word shot.
Static…
"Call who? Uce?"
Static…
"Johnny, we're trying to find you! Where are you?"
Static…
"Who is this?" It was a woman's voice? What the hell?
Static…
"Sick? Who's sick?"
Static…
"JOHNNY!"
But the line was dead.