Beverly Barton - The Outcast

"O'Grady! My God, Reece, go upstairs and wait. O'Grady will be here in a few minutes."

"How the hell do you know..." Reece grinned. "I've got to get used to this sixth sense of yours."

"When O'Grady leaves, I want to talk to you about our calling Sam to help us," Elizabeth said.

"No way. This guy may be your step-uncle, your family and friend, but I don't know him from Adam."

"Sam will help us."

"I said no." Grabbing her by the shoulders, he gazed into her eyes. "Understand me, Lizzie. I don't want you calling Sam Dundee."

"You can trust him."

"I don't trust anybody, lady, you should know that by now."

"Even me, Reece?"

He hesitated momentarily. "I'm not sure, Elizabeth. I want to trust you, but-"

The sound of a horn alerted Elizabeth to the fact that O'Grady had arrived. "Go upstairs and stay there until I come and get you."

Reece followed her instructions, and Elizabeth opened the front door, stepping out into the frosty wind, waving at O'Grady as he exited the passenger side of his grandson's Ford Explorer. An eighteen-year-old Rod O'Grady waved at Elizabeth but made no move to leave the warmth of his vehicle. The deafening boom boom boom of the boy's stereo system threatened to bring the icicles down from the roof overhang.

Elizabeth gave O'Grady a big hug, then rushed him inside to the warmth of her cabin. "I told Aunt Margaret that there was no need for you to come all the way up here with the roads so bad."

Elizabeth motioned MacDatho out of the open doorway, then closed the front door.

"You know Margaret. She got one of her notions. Thought somebody was up here with you." O'Grady glanced around the hallway before venturing into the living room. "There's an escaped convict on the loose. I think hearing about the man sent Margaret's imagination into overdrive."

"Did you say there's an escaped convict around Dover's Mill?" Elizabeth asked.

"Reece Landry. Young fellow. Killed a guy down in Newell. Escaped after the sheriff's car took a bad spill off the road and into the side of a mountain near Deaton Crossing."

"Are you staying long enough for coffee?" Elizabeth nodded in the direction of the kitchen.

"No, child, I can't stay. Rod's itching to get back home. Got a date tonight, I guess. He's been cooped up during the storm."

"Are the authorities looking for this Landry man?"

"They used bloodhounds, but didn't have much luck. They figure the guy's probably frozen to death in the woods somewhere by now. The day he escaped they tracked him to the falls, but they didn't figure there was much point going on from there since the storm was getting worse. They saw where he'd fallen through the ice in the stream, but had no idea where he went once he got out of the water. Snow was falling so hard they couldn't see two feet in front of them, and the dogs seemed to be losing the scent."

"Do you suppose they'll be coming up this way soon?"

"Why are you asking me? I figure you already know the answer if you want to know."

Elizabeth smiled. "Humor me, O'Grady."

"Well, your aunt Margaret says they'll be at your door by tomorrow evening. And my guess is she's right. I heard they planned to search the woods for his body tomorrow, and they're already setting up roadblocks on all the major roads and doing a house-by-house search in Dover's Mill. If they don't find his body, they'll keep searching until they wind up in Sequana Falls." O'Grady removed his brown checkered wool cap with dangling earflaps. "Why are you so interested in what the sheriff's doing to find this Landry fellow?"

"Just curious." Elizabeth smiled.

O'Grady scratched his partially bald head, mussing the thin strands of white hair that stuck out around his ears. "I figure I can get back up here with the van in a few days and get deliveries back on schedule. Anything you need me to take down the mountain today? I can get Rod to help me load the back of his Explorer."

"No, there's nothing that urgent. Deliveries can wait a few more days."

"Any message you want to send Margaret?" O'Grady warmed his hands by the fireplace, then turned to face Elizabeth. "She sent you a message."

"Did she?"

"Yep. She said to tell you that you wasn't to leave Sequana Falls without letting her know."

Elizabeth stood deadly still, a chilling sense of foreboding rushing through her body. If Aunt Margaret had seen her leaving Sequana Falls, then there was every possibility that she would be going. She'd made no plans to leave the sanctuary of her home, and had no premonitions about her future travel plans.

"Tell Aunt Margaret that I'll call her if I decide to take a trip."

O'Grady gave Elizabeth a fatherly pat on the back. "Well, I'll report in to your aunt. You sure you're alone here?"

"I'm never alone with Mac around."

As he walked out of the living room, Elizabeth following him, O'Grady glanced at MacDatho, stretched out on the rug in front of the sofa. "Yeah, I guess he's a good guard dog. Don't figure nobody could get past Mac, could they? Not unless you gave him the okay."

Elizabeth opened the front door, waving goodbye to O'Grady as he crossed the porch, went down the steps and got into his grandson's Explorer. She watched until they disappeared down the road, then she turned and went back into the cabin.

Standing at the foot of the stairs, Elizabeth called Reece's name. When he answered, she told him that O'Grady was gone and it was safe for him to come down.

"I'm going to finish that shave I started earlier when I heard the phone ring," Reece told her. "I've still got a lot of beard left."

"I'll put on a fresh pot of coffee. Take your time."

Elizabeth hurried into the kitchen, ground some coffee beans and put them on to brew. Knowing what she had to do and that there was no time like the present, she went back into the living room, picked up the telephone and dialed Sam's Atlanta business number. As soon as she gave her name, she was put through directly to Sam.

Maybe Reece didn't trust Sam, but she did. Sam would never do anything to hurt her, and if she told him she believed Reece Landry was an innocent man, Sam would listen to her.

"Elizabeth, is everything all right?" Sam asked. "I've heard a bad winter storm hit the mountains. I tried to call, but your phone was out. I finally got in touch with Aunt Margaret."

"Did you also hear about an escaped convict named Reece Landry?"

"I'm afraid that bit of information hasn't been on the Atlanta news. What's this Landry guy got to do with your calling me?"

"Reece is here with me, at the cabin. He nearly died getting to me, but I took care of him and he's-"

"Dammit all, Elizabeth, are you telling me you're harboring a fugitive? Have you lost your mind? Has the man been holding you at gunpoint? Get off this phone now and call Howard Gilbert."

"I don't need to call the sheriff," Elizabeth huffed, shaking her head with disgust. Sam wasn't being as reasonable as she'd hoped he would be. "As a matter of fact, I'm trying to prevent the authorities from capturing Reece."

"Elizabeth, tell me what the hell's going on?"

"I've been trying to do that. If you'll just calm down and listen, I'll tell you what I want you to do." Elizabeth told Sam every detail of Reece's life that he'd shared with her up to the point where the sheriff's car had wrecked in the winter storm. "Reece never stood a chance, Sam. The sheriff's department never tried to find any other suspects."

"What makes you think this man is innocent?"

"My instincts."

"You've looked into his mind, is that it?"

"I've had visions about Reece for the past five months, but I didn't tell anyone. Not you or Aunt Margaret, although I think she suspected something." Elizabeth paused, taking a deep breath. "Reece has been in my heart and mind since the day his father was murdered. I know he's innocent, Sam. He needs your help."