Page 13 of Barron

“You did say that to me. That we couldn’t have any children. Yes, I remember that. It was when you asked me to marry you. You’re getting things all messed up in your head, Barron. You have to marry me. You have no idea…that’s who that was. I remember him now. The man that I sold my house and business to was…it was the president of the United States. I did meet him in the restaurant, and you told him that we were going to get married then. He offered us the White House. Remember?” Barron just shook his head. “Well, whatever. You’re going to marry me, and we’ll be the happiest…my goodness, we can have the president in our home. Wait…I don’t have a home. I sold it to him. Or someone with him. Who was that?” Barron said that his name had been David Rugby, an FBI agent was the second man, but she’d sold it all to him. “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but he can come to the wedding too. He cleans up very well, don’t you think?

“You’re going to be arrested and then—” Caitlynn stopped talking when he literally shoved her out of the way when she heard someone call him Uncle Barron. There were two fucking girls up in the barn. She was right. The little fuckers were going to pay and pay big for that. “You little shits.”

Slapping them both, Caitlynn heard the sharp inhalation of breath before she started on the girls.

“I told you there were three of you brats. I was right. See if I don’t punish you bad, you little fuckers. All you’ve done is made my life a living hell since I found you playing with that brat. And here you both are standing there like you’ve been out to a party.” One of them mentioned that she’d broken her leg. “You’re just lucky that I was trying to impress your uncle with what a great person I am, or I would have strangled you and left you for the animals to eat. Christ, I hate you kids. All kids are nothing but little fuckers, and I hope you both die for what you did to me.”

It was then that she realized what she’d been saying. The silence around her was deafening, turning slowly, she smiled at Barron as he held the one with the broken leg in his arms. The other little fucker was clinging to his leg like he was some kind of hero. Well, she was the hero, not him, damn it. He was going to marry her too, by god.

“She told Becky if she cried anymore that she was going to chop her tongue out and feed it to the fish. Her, too, with a rock tied around her leg.” Caitlynn told her to shut her mouth. “I will not. Did Thad find you guys? He sure is hurt, almost like when that man would take us from Mom. Uncle Barron, you’re squeezing Belle too tight right now.”

“I’m sorry, honey.” He loosened his grip on the kid and knelt down at the other girl’s level. “Why don’t you climb up on my back and shoulders, honey? That way, I can take you both out of here. I don’t want you around her any more than you want to be. All right. Your parents are on their way in the next chopper.”

She didn’t speak to anyone, but she did follow Barron towards the helicopter when it landed. The kid in his arms was taken from him as soon as the blades stopped rotating so fast, and she reached for the one on his back. As soon as she touched the little girl, it was like she was tangling with a wild animal. And no one seemed to care either that she was getting the shit knocked out of her.

When the little girl was finally lifted off her, it had to have been at least twenty minutes before anyone else moved. Caitlynn laid on the ground without moving. She knew her face was bloodied and that there would be scars all over her. The blood that was running down her forehead was getting into her eyes and mouth. Wiping it off and looking at the kid, she saw too that she’d pulled out hanks of hair, big wads of it that would take forever to grow back.

“Look what you’ve done to me.” She laughed and lunged at her again. Lucky for…well, she didn’t know if it was lucky for her or the kid, but she was glad that Barron had still had a tight hold on her. “You little monster. You’re going to pay for this. I don’t care if they put you in kiddy prison for the rest of your life, either.”

One of the medics came to where Barron and the brat were. He checked her out, acting like she’d been somewhat of a savior who had killed the ugly beast. While Barron held onto the child, the medic told them what he was going to be doing with each step he took with the child. When the handful of hair was dislodged from her clenched fingers, it was put into a baggie with the word evidence written on it.

“See that, girly? They’re going to bring that to the courtroom to show as evidence that you tore out my hair.” The child said that she wished she’d been able to snatch her bald. Sitting up and going after her one more time, Caitlynn was knocked back, and a boot was put on her chest. “What are you doing? That little monster is the one that attacked me. I was just trying to help her get to the ambulance thing.”

“I think she’s showing us how much she hates you, Caitlynn. Does she have good reason to?” Caitlynn didn’t answer Barron but let it go for now. She’d just decided that she was going to have herself and Barron move to another part of the world. In fact, with his money, she was going to go to the moon with him. That way, she’d have him…no, no, that’d not work. No one would be there to admire her with Barron if she did that.” Her mind was working hard, and it took her some time to realize that someone was saying her name.

Turning to look at the men behind her, she put on her best smile. She never got smart with people wearing guns, nor did she ever try to run from them. That was a good way to get yourself shot up. Asking the first man standing there if she could help him, she tried not to notice that all the other men had their guns pointed directly at her head.

“I don’t know what is going on here, but I saved these children, and I won’t have you saying otherwise.” No one moved and she stomped her foot at them. “Do you have any idea how much money my future husband has? If you don’t lower those guns, I’m going to make sure that we have all your money and then have you put into prison for the rest of your lives.” She looked at Barron. “Well? Are you going to do anything about this?”

“I think that they’re doing a splendid job with what they’re doing right now.” She said that they were pointing their guns at her. “Yes, and you’re just lucky that I’m not holding a gun on you right now. I’d be willing to go to prison for the rest of my life and blow your head off for what you’ve done to my family.”

“I haven’t any idea what you’re talking about.” She was pissed off that he didn’t clarify what he was talking about. “Barron, you can’t let a little thing like this ruin what we had, can you? I mean, I have…no, we’ve made plans, and you’re going to stick to them.”

“Nope.” She hated that word and hated it even more when it was used when talking to her. “I don’t want anything to do with you. As I’ve said to you several times now, I don’t love you. I never have. I am married to a wonderful woman who doesn’t manipulate everything that I say around to benefit her. So, as far as I’m concerned, you can rot in hell for the rest of your days. I have only hatred toward you and want nothing more to do with you.”

When the helicopter took off, a third one was landing. The kids were all gone, as well as what she assumed was their mother. That was when she realized that she was going to lose it all if she didn’t think of something fast. But before she could come up with a plan, she was being handcuffed and shackled around her legs. Even if she wanted to run, there wasn’t any way that she’d get all that far before they’d catch her. Looking around for Barron, she noticed that he was talking to someone she’d not noticed before. A very beautiful woman that looked perfect next to him. However, when they kissed, like they were lovers, Caitlynn lost control and lunged at them.

She’d forgotten that she was chained up, and when she hit the ground, it was almost as if water sprouted all around her, and she was tossed around in water and rocks. As soon as her head was above the water, she’d hit something else, and under she’d go again.

Getting glimpses of people putting out their hands to grab her, she felt herself tumble over and over the big rocks. As suddenly as she felt like she was floating in the air, with water flowing quickly around her, she was under again. Christ, this wasn’t the way she wanted to get out of going to prison.

Every time she felt the air, not water, around her face, she tried to grab as much air as she could. But all she got was water in her face, and on some level, she knew that she was going to be disfigured for the rest of her life when she got out of this mess.

Seeing a large rock in front of her, she tried grabbing it with her chained hands just as the rock disappeared. Caitlynn hurt everywhere on her body. She was sure she had broken a lot of bones. Going under again, she was tangled up on some logs that had long since been buried in the water and mud beneath it. Her head, below the surface of the water, made her think that perhaps she was going to die. Christ, she wasn’t ever going to see all her plans come to fruition if she became fishy food.

Chapter 7

“Yes, sir. Everyone there tried to save her, but the rapids with the spring fall coming along made the water deeper and quicker than usual. One of the men who was trying to save her lost his life when he slipped into the fast-moving water and drowned before we could find him.” Barron wanted to stretch his neck and let go of the pressure that was building up behind his eyes. “We were able to recover both bodies, that of the ranger and Ms. Royce. We’re awaiting word from the FBI to figure out if she has any family left that wants to claim her body. Ranger Cauldwell’s family is going to have him cremated as soon as the body is released to them. I’m to understand that there had been a fund set up for his family as well. He and his wife had just had their first child a few weeks prior to this incident.”

Incident? What a mundane word to call the tragic death of three people. There had been no reason for any of the deaths but the greed and stupidity of one woman. He had to ask the man in charge of this inquiry what he’d said.

“I’m sorry, young man. I bet you’d rather be anywhere but here with us at this time. I’m to understand that the tribe has taken care of their own family member.” He told him that he was the brother of his wife. “Yes, let me offer you both congratulations as well as condolences, and I have just one more question for you before we finish this up. Do you have any reason to believe that Ms. Royce had anything to do with the deaths of her parents? It is said around town where she was from that she is responsible for the deaths of a great many children.”

Caitlynn could, and he hoped that she would rot in hell for all that she’d done, but it wouldn’t help anyone to exhume the bodies of her parents and he told the man that.

“I think, and this is just me thinking out loud, that she should be charged with every unexplained death of anyone in that little town she was from. You’d ask why, and I would as well. But if she’s charged with their murders, dead or not, it will, hopefully, give closure to a great many parents who lost their children to her not getting what she wanted.” He thought that was an excellent idea. “Thank you, sir. I’m sure you would have come up with it sooner or later. It would, for me, as well give some people a chance to blame someone else for the deaths of their children rather than thinking that they’d failed them in some way.”

“Yes, most excellent. That’s what we’re going to do then.” When the men at the table stood up, he did as well. He just wanted to go home, make love to his wife, and sleep for about a thousand years. “Ranger Cross, I do hope that in the future, we can depend on you for help on matters like this. Finding those bodies was a good thing, and we, as part of the National Park Service can’t thank you enough for all that you and your family have done for this park and others like it. Thank you again.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com