Chapter 13: The stag hunt and mysteries unraveled.
Fern and I waited in my apartment for Attorney Lawson's limo to arrive. He said it would take a couple of hours, but that was over three hours ago, and it was getting dark. We had been staring out the window at the parking lot for the past 2 hours, looking for the headlights in the parking lot.
"Where is he?" Fern asked for the twentieth time.
Just then, my phone rang.
"Doctor Monroe? This is Malcom Lawson, are you alright?" the voice on the line asked.
"We're fine here, and please call me Skyler," I answered, "But we haven't seen any sign of the limo you said you were sending."
"That's why I'm calling," Lawson said, "The driver got stopped at the town line. It seems that a police officer named... (the sound of papers rustling) ...Pierce ... stopped the car at the town line and wouldn't let him in. He threatened to arrest him if he tried to cross the town line. Isn't that the same officer that falsely accused you?"
"It is," I answered, "The state police are investigating him on rape complaints."
There was a brief pause on the line.
"I see," Lawson said, slowly, "So he's already neck deep in it and has nothing to lose. You need to stay put and barricade the door. I'll call the Governor's office again and see what I can do. It seems the state senator father of that mayor of yours is causing all sorts of troubles, which is the reason for the problems and delays."
"We figured as much," I said, looking at Fern.
"I'll try to get help out to you as soon as I can," Lawson said, "But whatever you do, please stay put."
"Okay, thank you Mr. Lawson," I said.
"It's Malcom, and I'll be in touch," he replied before hanging up.
***
Wednesday.
It was a little past 5 AM and the sound of rain was outside the window. It only added to the overall feeling of gloom and doom.
There was plenty to feel gloomy about. We heard nothing further from Malcom Lawson during the night, although on the bright side, we also heard nothing from Mason, Randy, or Mayor Knox either. Neither Fern nor I slept well, fearful that they would try something while we were asleep.
"There's still some coffee here, shall I make us a pot?" Fern asked, looking though what was left of my food pantry.
She was barefoot in the kitchen wearing a lacy green nightie that she bought at the Rutland Mall. Her silhouette was clearly seen through the gauzy material of her outfit by what little light there was coming through the window behind her and left nothing to the imagination. I got up and wrapped my arms around her, giving her a hug and placing kisses on her cheek and neck.
"That would be perfect," I said with my arms still wrapped around her.
"What's all this for?" she asked.
"Just for being you," I replied, "And the fact that your naked body can be clearly seen through that nightie when the light is behind you."
Fern smiled and gave me a peck on the lips.
"I don't know if it's the real you or the Pixie King in you, but you've become sexually bolder since the full moon," she said, smiling.
"Is that a complaint?" I asked.
"No," she said, "but maybe I should put on something a little less revealing or we're going to be caught literally with our pants down when Randy and his father show up."
After coffee, we unbarricaded the door and went downstairs to clean up the clinic. It was a way of keeping ourselves busy and taking our mind off of things even though we both felt that we would have to leave Greenwood forever soon. Hopefully, we'd still be alive when that happened.
Fern swept up the glass and cleaned the counters and chairs, while I worked on the files, surveillance cameras, and computers. The latter were all damaged beyond repair, but at least to the untrained eye, they looked operational.
After the two of us did two and a half hours' worth of work, the clinic was functional enough for simple procedures. Of course, the computers, cameras, x-ray equipment and autoclave all needed to be replaced, but at least the clinic didn't look like a disaster zone.
It was nearly 9 AM when we were interrupted by a familiar voice from the doorway.
"Well, I thought I'd find you two here."
There was Vix at human height with her Swallowtail wings on full display standing at the doorway wearing her green frock and a sneer-like smile.
Fern was standing in the middle of the waiting room holding a broom while I was near the front counter, farthest away from Vix.
"Vix!" Fern and I said almost at the same time.
"Surprised to see me here?" she said, "I've been waiting for you for the past two days."
"Vix," Fern began, "I don't know what toβ"
"Vix, it's time you and I had a talk," I said, interrupting Fern. I moved rapidly from behind the counter and stood next to Fern. "We need to come to an amicable agreement."
"I agree," Vix said, she then looked at Fern, "As soon as I get my sister out of the way."
She took a couple of steps into the room.
I stood in front of Fern, blocking Vix's way. "That's not going to happen," I said, "if any harm comes to Fern, then all deals are off the table."
"What do you suggest?" Vix asked.
"A cease-fire," I said, "You remain Queen of the pixies and restore Fern's full power as a pixie and I will remove my pixie spell on you."
"Absolutely not!" Vix spat, "I'll never agree to restore her pixie powers."
"Be reasonable, Vix. Fern hasn't done anything to you. If you won't restore her powers for me, then at least do it for the good of the pixie community."
"Never!" Vix retorted.
"You must really enjoy being fucked up the ass, although now that I think about it, it seems kind of fitting," I taunted.
Vix absently reached around and rubbed her butt at the reminder. "Well, at least I can still cum, but Fern will never get her powers back," Vix replied.
Just then, the sound of a truck engine was heard in the parking lot. Randy's large black pick-up pulled into the parking lot.
"Vix, hide quick!" I said.
Vix shrunk herself down to butterfly size and hid herself against one of the shelves in the waiting room, out of sight just as Randy walked through the door with Max and Crusher, his two injured deerhounds. He was wearing his camo raincoat and had his rifle in his hand.
"Well, this place looks a lot cleaner than the last time I saw it," he said, looking around.
"The only way you would know that is if you had something to do with the mess that was here when I was gone," I said, "It was locked up when I left."
"You can't prove that," he said, "The computers and security cameras were brokeβ"
He stopped in mid-sentence when he looked up and saw the cameras. He had no way of knowing that they weren't working.
"Why are you here, Randy?" I asked.
"My dogs," he said, looking at his two hounds, "I want you to take their stitches out."
"Fine," I said, "Fern and I will take them in the back room and take the stitches out, but because my instruments aren't sterile and my autoclave has been broken, I'm going to have to give you an ointment to put on them for a few days to prevent the chance of an infection. In the meantime, wait here and put down that rifle."
Randy stayed in the waiting area while Fern and I took the hounds back and removed the stitches.
"How are you guys feeling?" Fern asked Max and Crusher.
"We're fine," Crusher said, "But those stitches were starting to get itchy."
"We tried not to scratch them, like you said," Max added.
"You did fine," I reassured them.
"I heard that stag never made it," Crusher said, "The one that gored us."
"Yeah, Artemis told us that he just vanished," Max added.
"That's true," I said, "It was magic."
"That's what Artemis said," Max said.
When we got back to the waiting area, Randy was there with his rifle still in his hands; but a human sized Vix with her wings on full display was there as well. Vix was talking to Randy when we came out.
"They're back," Randy said quickly to Vix when he saw us emerge.
The two dogs started barking and growling at Vix.
"There she is again! I recognize her from the farm. She was that fox that keeps coming around," Crusher barked.
"She's nasty! I want to tear her to pieces," Max growled, baring his teeth.
"But Max, Master won't let us," Crusher growled.
"Damn, why doesn't he see how evil she is?" Max growled back.
"Vix! What are you doing?" Fern asked above the din.
"Now!" Vix said to Randy but pointing at Fern, "I want you to get rid of her now."
"What about him?" Randy asked, raising his rifle, and pointing it at me, "I don't want any witnesses."
"Maybe you're right," Vix said, "I thought I could deal with him once she was out of the way, but now I think you should kill them both."
"Randy, don't listen to her!" I pleaded, "You'll be charged with murder! She doesn't care about you."
"She told me she's the Queen of the Pixies, now that I killed off that doe," Randy said with a sneer, "Between her, my father, and my grandfather, no one can touch me, just like when we raped those women."
"Your father never raised you to be a murderer," I said, trying to buy time, "He'll be here any minute. What do you think he'll say?"
"He's been delayed," Randy said, "He's been on the phone with Montpelier and told me to come here and keep an eye on you two. He'll be here in a little while."
"Don't let him stall you," Vix yelled at Randy, "Kill them both now."
"Outside you two," Randy said, motioning to the door with his rifle, "I don't want to shoot you in front of those cameras."
I placed myself between Fern and Randy as we walked towards the door. Randy had the rifle to my back with the two hounds Max and Crusher by his side and Vix was behind him. Just as we got to the door, my phone went off. Out of instinct, I reached for it.