The Victim and I Pt. 02

The TV News said that the report of a horrible accident far out in the country had been confirmed and that the accident had claimed the lives of three of the area's citizens. No further information had been released at the time. I decided to get my coffee and to let Beverly sleep as she had had a rough day the day before and could probably use the sleep. I also had the thought that as she was the chief hostess and assistant manager at the restaurant that she was probably used to staying up late and then sleeping late. We had no place to go right then so it did not matter to me how long she slept, as restful sleep would help heal her.

I took my coffee back to the office area and resumed watching the morning news and weather and saw that the worst of the snow had passed and that sunshine was expected later in the week. However, continued cold would prevail, especially after the clouds left as clear skies always mean colder weather. Didn't matter to me as it was plenty warm inside the cabin.

Two days later the snow on the roads had melted enough or had been plowed enough to allow Beverly and I to get out and go to a medium sized town about 70 miles away and buy several different clothing outfits for Beverly along with underwear, socks, and even thermal underwear. I added some coveralls, winter boots, gloves, and a waterproof winter coat, too. We also bought all the personal items she might need. I paid cash for everything as Beverly did not have her purse or any money, but even more importantly, my cash would not leave a trail for anyone to follow like a credit card might do.

When we were finished clothes shopping, I said that we would go for dinner and then stop at a convenience store and fill up my SUV and pick up a couple of phones, then go to a different store and buy a couple more burner phones and then go at least one more and get a few more. While we were at the café, Beverly looked at me and said that while she was ever so appreciative of what I was doing for her, she was very concerned about what it was costing me and my time away from work. I told her that I had plenty of money and that I was on an early retirement due to selling my business for enough to live on for a long time. I neglected to tell her that that could be very, very long time before I had to even think about needing a job.

It was the same way for the next four days, then the second blizzard hit, dropping snow by the foot instead of by the inch it seemed. Snow and more snow and now to be forever known as the blizzard of 2017 and forever to be remembered as the one with the deep, deep snows. Beverly and I had become quite familiar and very comfortable with each other during this time and now had no secrets about ourselves. Beverly had confided in me that while she liked her job at the restaurant it was not where she wanted to be in another couple of years. She desperately wanted a college education and a degree and get into some portion of the business world as some type of manager where she could be a part of the decision-making process. She really thought she would be good at that as she was good at supervising people and planning their work.

Our friendship had developed into a budding relationship, finding us holding hands or just touching one another quite often, or giving each other impromptu hugs and quick kisses when we passed or were near. However, we had not developed into physical love making as yet, although the thought had cross both their minds many, many times over the past few days but both know it was a bit early to take that step just yet as neither wanted to make a mistake or take a wrong step.

That particular morning I was up and on my second cup of coffee when I heard the toilet in Beverly's room flush and then the shower start. Knowing that Beverly was up, I went to the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast after putting a clean cup by the coffee maker for Beverly. I was taking the food off the stove when Beverly came out of the bedroom and into the kitchen and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and a longer one on his lips, then a cheerful "good morning" before taking her coffee to the table where she sat down and asked if there was any new news about the situation.

"No, nothing new at all. In fact, it was hardly mentioned so I wonder if Steflano is trying to let it go away quietly so that it slips from everyone's mind."

"Do we have a phone or internet signal so I can try to contact Clarence and see if he knows anything?"

"Yes. Both in fact so pick one and let us see what we can find out but I prefer to use the cell phone as it does not have a return address the way an email does. Let's do it this way to be safe until we know where everyone's loyalties lie. Let me get you another cup of coffee while you place your call."

I sat at the table and listened to Beverly for a minute and then stopped her and asked her to put the call onto speaker so I could hear firsthand and ask questions if necessary. She did and by the time the call was finished talking with Clarence, we had learned that Steflano was very worried and was trying hard to find and silence Beverly before she could cause him more trouble. Clarence told them that somehow word had gotten out that, based on the tracks around the wreck site, that someone had picked Beverly up and had taken her away with them and that a search was on everywhere for them and that they were not sparing anything at all. Air searches were going to start now that the clouds were breaking up. The word on the street was that a huge reward was being offered for information on the whereabouts of Beverly and her companion, no questions asked. They thanked Clarence and he promised to keep his ears open for anything else. Feeling a little more comfortable with after talking with him, I told him that I would keep this one phone solely for him so he to use the number on his caller ID to call us anytime day or night with any information, but to please not give the number to anyone and we disconnected and sat back to think.

I thought for a few minutes and then told Beverly to go fix her face and makeup as she had a movie to make. She looked at me real funny like before the light of recognition came on. She did not say anything, just smiled, and quickly left to do as she was asked. When she returned, I was at the kitchen table with my laptop plugged in and on. A notebook beside the computer for her write prompts on.

"Beverly, we are going to start the fires burning to cook a goose, feathers and all. Now, first, make an outline of the points you need to make in order, either chronological or in order of importance. Then I want you to sit here in front of the web cam and tell the camera who you are and todays date and time and then describe in detail what you personally saw and heard that day along with any other information you personally have of events prior to the murder, and then tell what happened to you, leaving out where you are now or who you are with, other than that you are with a friend someplace safe. We will make a couple of calls to the FBI and maybe to the newspapers and TV stations and then send them a copy of your movie and your typed declaration of facts. That should start the ball rolling. We will download it all to flash drives and then we can go to some public access Wi-Fi point and send the information."

"I think that you are right so let me get started." And with that, she started making notes on the pad.

While Beverly was making her video deposition I heard a helicopter circling overhead repeatedly, as if in a grid by grid search pattern. As I was listening, my cell phone rang and when I answered it was Clarence saying that the word on the street was that someone had seen my SUV or one like it near the wreck site and that the helicopter had found our cabin with the SUV parked in front. There was supposedly an army of Steflano's goons enroute there right then to see it Beverly was there or if the occupant there knew where she was. I thanked him and said I would take care of it and disconnected to get busy with my welcome for the expected visitors. I wrote a note to Beverly and slipped it to her, as she was still giving her deposition.

It read: "Looks like company is on the way so I have to make their welcome ready. Don't worry You are safe so keep going as you are doing fine." I gave that one to her and then wrote another, folded it with a note on top to open and read only after her video deposition was finished and slid it across to her. It said, "Are you going to be all right for a bit? You need to be thinking about whether or not you want to hide and ride this out safe or help out and maybe get your hands dirty... all the way up to your elbows kind of dirty, as the saying goes. Your choice. I will keep you safe either way."

Beverly had hit the pause button and had read the note even though I had told her to wait. Women!! Do they always do things their way? She turned to me and said, "I think I told you that I would not let you do this all alone and that if you have weapons I can use, then I will be right there with you and if you don't then I will ask if I can throw rocks, dishes or pots and pans or something at them. I feel like I need to help, especially since this is my life here and you saved it once already and have treated me like someone special. Besides, this is my damn life they are trying to end and for that they need to pay and pay dearly. I know how to shoot and for this, I damn sure will."

"If you are at a stopping point in your deposition, then come on then." I said while smiling broadly at her as I led her to the coat closet where I outfitted her with her new waterproof winter clothing before leading her out to my barn. Once there I opened what looked like a hidden panel where I punched a couple of buttons before the door hidden in the wooden floor of a stall lifted and swung upwards to open revealing a set of stairs going down to what looked like a large and well-lit room below.

Taking Beverly's hand, I cautioned her to watch her step as she descended and then led her into my secret stash of mostly ill-gotten goods. "We have enough stuff here to defeat a pretty good sized and modestly equipped army but a lot of it I may have trouble explaining how I came to possess it as this stuff you cannot find at your average flea market. In fact, most of it is illegal as Hell for civilians to own or possess.

"Luckily, I have a commission in the Army Reserves but I do not know how much that will help if the authorities want to push things, so I need to be careful what all I use. I also can try to pin the blame on Grandfather and his paranoia and say I knew nothing of these items. Pick out several things that you know or think you want to know how to use and if we have a few minutes I will teach you how to use them. Make sure you get lots of magazines for your pistols and spare ammo for anything else you take. Use a rucksack to carry all the ammo you take.

Beverly took a couple of automatic pistols she thought she could use due to her hand size. She also found and took a Winchester 1200 shotgun and a couple of boxes of 00 buckshot that she had heard of and knew they could spray lethal balls in an arc and do massive amounts of damage to anything or anyone they hit. Maybe this could be her primary weapon as it would be more accurate for her she thought, but would have both pistols handy just in case.

Beverly watched me and did as I did, clipping the two automatic pistols and clip on holsters onto her waistband like I had done, then loaded a small rucksack she had found with the weapons with extra magazines and then took one of the other shotguns that had a pistol grip on it and another two boxes of 00 shells. 100 rounds of 12-gauge OO buckshot and a half dozen large capacity .40 caliber magazines made for a heavy load for her to take back upstairs and to the house. She noticed that I had a couple of pistols on my belt in front and one more in back and decided to do the same. I also took a shotgun and then after an internal battle decided to not take one of the .308 Remingtons, instead choosing the heavier but more powerful .338 Lupua Magnum and put a box of shells into my rucksack. I now had a long-range rifle with a scope on it slung over my shoulder and then took several things that looked like pieces of 3-inch pipe upstairs and then I asked if she had everything she wanted and after she said she did, we went upstairs and went to the panel and flipped a couple of switches and once more the door in the stall floor closed and was almost invisible. After I kicked a little dirt and straw back over the boards you could not even tell it was there.

We took our weapons to the house and I showed Beverly how to field strip each weapon and clean and oil it and then properly load each. I told her to put on latex gloves anytime she was going to handle ammunition of any kind, then showed her how to unload each magazine and clean and oil it and to also wipe each bullet clean then reload each magazine using clean latex gloves so there would not be any oil or fingerprints on the shells. Beverly asked why she needed to use gloves to do the handling of the ammunition.

"Because of possible fingerprints on either the bullet or shell, or even worse, both." I had her place one pistol and the shotgun and her ammo where it could be reached easily and instructed her to keep at least the other pistols and at least two extra magazines for each with her at all times until this was over but that I would prefer she wore the two clip on holsters, each with a pistol and to put the other one where she could get to it easily or else wear it also, whichever she was most comfortable with. "If they are with you, then you don't have to take the time to go look for them. Seconds can mean the difference between life and death. Simple, but true."

"James, you have scared me to no end with all these guns. Do you really think they would send an army to find and kill us? And what are those pipe looking things you brought up with you?"

"Beverly, I have no idea what those types of people will do but I have read and heard of what they can do and I think we need to prepare for the worst case scenario just in case. Subtle isn't in their vocabulary as they have a 'bigger is better' mentality. It seems as though they love to use intimidation and scare tactics. I am sorry if I scared you as it was never my intent, not at all, I just wanted to protect you and to help you protect yourself no matter what. And those pipe things are a serious surprise for our visitors. The military calls them the M72 light anti-tank weapon and if they will stop a tank, just think what one could do to one of those SUVs your friends love so much. If they start anything, we will finish it as they will quickly discover that we do not play nice with other children, not at all when those other children intend to do us harm. Those that live will have to walk or crawl out of here, if they can and if they get a chance to, but most will leave in a black bag, if they leave here at all.

"As I see it, they may send a small force to kind of look us over and see how we react and then send in the bulk of his soldiers if needed, which they will be. Hope he has a bunch as it will take a bunch or a lucky shot to get either of us so don't worry, Honey. All will be well, I promise."

"What did you just call me?"

"I called you Beverly like always, why?"

"It sure sounded like you called me Honey. Did you mean it? It sounded nice."

I just looked at her for a moment and then swallowed and said, "Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag as they say. It was inadvertent, but yes, I did mean it. In this short time since we met, I have developed a fondness for you that stretches way beyond like or even lust. I have never in my life had anything even resembling the feelings I have developed for you, and it scares me as nothing like this has never happened before. I have no experience with women, so this is all new to me. It is not just a matter of me helping you, it is a matter of you being you, and that is who I love to be with. I think I could fall in love with you so easy it scares me because I have never been in love before. Do you have any similar feelings for me, if I can ask without embarrassing you or putting you on the spot to much?"

"James, Oh, James... What took you so long to say something? I was ready for you to say this a couple of days ago, and have been trying to think of a good way to bring it up and tell you I had fallen in love with you when I first awoke and saw you and what you were doing for me. You are a special, special man and don't even know it. Have you ever hugged anyone wearing a bunch of guns? Let's give it a good try. I think we might like it and would probably like some kissing also. Whatcha think there, Sport?"

"I think you need to take about three steps my way and meet me in the middle of this room for some explorational activities is what I think, now get over here." She did and after a couple of soft and tender loving kisses, Beverly gave him one that could have curled his toes and he said "Whew!! In a few minutes when I think my legs will work again and my mind functions again, I am going to show you some of the defensive positions we will use to surround and vanquish our enemy."

"Vanquish? Golly, I just thought we would simply beat them off with our proverbial stick. Wow! We are actually going to vanquish them."

"Anyone ever tell you that you can be a smart ass? You are as bad as I am, I fear."

"Yeah, so? That's not a bad thing, is it?

"Nope, not at all. At least not to me anyhow. Now let's go and I will show you a few things we have to give a surprise welcome to our nice Italian guests when they arrive." I took her hand after handing her a shotgun and taking one for myself led her outside and down the gravel drive towards the gate at the bottom of the hill. Once there, I showed her most of the concealed electronic intruder detection devices and then a few of the claymore mines either Grandfather or I had hidden in the brush along the drive and told her what they could do if they were triggered. I wished I had a few more of them and had them positioned around the cabin in a ring. I did have those extra 4 in the underground vault, but those were to be used as replacements if they were needed. Oh, well, if wishes were horses we could all ride he thought.

Beverly was in awe of what all she had been shown and was a little worried about me and my attitude now and thought she would have to talk to me about it before totally committing to me the way she had thought she would. She did not need someone in her life that was still living in the hell of war as she had heard to many stories of veterans who suddenly went off the deep end after being discharged for a while. This saddened and worried her to no end as she really had developed deep feelings for me already.

After I had shown her the hidden claymores and the triggering mechanisms I showed her some very well hidden fighting positions, as I called them, hidden in the rocks and boulders around the cabin. I told her that one person in one of those positions should be able to fend off an attack by 10 or 12 people quite easily if necessary without exposing themselves to very much danger from the enemy. I also told her that the thick logs of the cabin should stop most of the rounds the mobsters would use and that the window glass was a polycarbonate bulletproof glass also.

At this Beverly decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and ask me why I had all those weapons and security devices. Was I afraid or still fighting the war or what?

When she asked me those questions, I looked at her for a moment and then said, "Beverly, Honey, I guess I must have come on like an overzealous nutcase. I am sorry if I did. Yes, I did have a bit of a hard time over there and have some memories I wish I didn't have but no, I do not have PTSD or anything similar and I do not have flashbacks or bad dreams, at least so far anyhow. Grandfather was a CIA agent during the cold war and was paranoid as could be about the Russians wanting him dead, so he started to assemble these weapons years ago. So, if anyone should ever ask, they were all his and I didn't know of them. Might not work completely, but well worth a try and it might work if we stick to the same story.