Jane Darcy Mini-Novel – Chapter XX!

As Jane approached the man in the chair, he lifted his head and she let out a stifled cry of surprise.  It wasn’t Zack after all, it was Ted Hayden!  Jane recognized him from his photograph next to Trooper in the newspaper, as well as the man who was photographed in the same picture as Sadie.

The man in the chair regarded her with steady and glittering eyes, before he shook his head back and forth and tried to speak from behind the cloth that gagged him.

Jane hesitantly approached, her steps quickening when her ears detected Trooper’s barking in the distance.  The man in the chair looked hopeful, and Jane removed the gag:

“Give me one good reason why I should set you free.”  She said, a second glance at him was quite sufficient to confirm her suspicions; he was a jewel robber, an escaped convict, and a member to this den of thieves; his guilty expression conveyed everything in an instant.

Yet there was a slight doubt at the back of her mind, that made her question her original impression of him.

“Because – because I’m innocent!” he stammered with staring eyes.

Jane’s thoughts were interrupted by the quickening pitter-patter of falling rain.  The sound of the droplets echoed faintly in the little room as she hastened to the window and peered out; instantly spotting the man’s black silhouette as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky with a loud thunderous clap.  She turned round and knelt to the floor, and with a practiced hand she untied the ropes about the man’s feet.

“This is for Trooper!” she said, “If he hadn’t gone for help, I wouldn’t be here right now.  I’ll get you out of here, but you’ve got a lot of explaining to do!”

“I can’t thank you enough,” he said.

She untied the ropes that bound him to the chair, then knotted one end around the cords that clung tightly to his hands and gave it a tug.

“Nevertheless, I still don’t trust you.  I don’t want to lose you out there in the storm, either.  We have to move fast.”

He rose from the chair eagerly with his hands tied, and faithfully trailed behind her as she wound the rope about her wrist which connected her to her prisoner. She yanked open the cabin door; sending light out into the sheets of water beyond.  Springing into the wet black world outside, she pulled at the man who reluctantly left the dry interior.

The rain had increased, and droplets fell heavy all about them; pushing the dark thickets and overgrowth to the earth with a heavy invisible force.  Lightning flashed again, and she could see the rifled figure once more, this time much closer; and nearly to the lit cabin door.  Leading Ted Hayden by the rope into the woods, they dodged behind a cluster of trees and watched as the rifled man tromped into the wooden room and slammed the door shut.

Jane looked down at her soaked towel jacket that clung weightily to her bathing suit beneath, realizing for the first time that she hadn’t changed since her swim in the lake.  At least she was suitably dressed for this expedition, she thought.

“Jane, I can explain-” the man behind her said.

“How do you know my name?” Jane questioned,

“I know all about you – you see, I had to get back those photos.”

“You didn’t have to sneak into my room and steal them!”

“You don’t understand what I’m up against, I had to-” he rallied in his defense,

“Wait until we get to shelter.  I have to get you out of here, and most importantly; we have to find Trooper.” She said, as she realized Trooper had ceased barking.

Onward they pushed through the blinding storm, their maddening journey growing monotonous as they wound through that dark labyrinth of trunks.  All the while, Jane was hoping against hope that she would find Trooper safe and sound.

It wasn’t long before the rain had let up to a light trickle, and the trees grew further apart.  Jane slowed her step and stopped to catch her breath, when she heard a bark nearby.

“Trooper!” She exclaimed, greeting the wagging animal with a broad smile and a welcoming hand.  He passed straight by her, and jumped up on Ted and then circled him energetically. 

The happy reunion touched her, and she watched as he bent down to greet the dog. His clothing resembled a pile of wet laundry, and it dripped unceasingly on the German Shepherd’s face.

“He’s happy to see you!” She said with a beaming smile, “you must mean a lot to him.”

Ted Hayden stood upright, and the dog glowed with self satisfaction and triumph.

“We worked as a team at the jewelry store, before that dreadful day.” He said with a sigh, “I’ve sure missed him.”

“So that’s why you stole him from the museum?” Jane asked with a questioning stare.

The man shook his head,

“I didn’t steal him.  He followed me when he saw me there.”

Jane didn’t know whether or not to believe him; but she decided to save further inquiries until she had Margaret and Josh as witnesses.  They continued their slow, arduous trudge through the forest.  She felt confident that the path they were taking would bring them back to Margaret’s cabin; but it certainly wasn’t the same one she had taken previously.

Passing beneath tall dripping trees and pushing through damp brush, they emerged to behold a dreary endless railroad track, vanishing in the distant moonlight in both directions.  The rain had started to fall again, and the storm clouds above seemed to unzip with a pent-up downpour.

“I’m tired,” Ted hollered through the thunderous rain, “let’s stop a while and wait for the storm to pass!”

“Nonsense, we’re not far from the cabin.  Surely you can make it!”

Trooper bounded ahead, and waited for them, wagging on the train tracks.  Jane scuttled up the gravel surrounding the track after Ted.  She watched as he stepped across the bars, when he unexpectedly tripped and fell; pulling her arm, the rope attached to his hands wrenched her wrist.

“What’s the matter?” She called, pushing the strands of wet untamed hair from her face.

“My shoe is stuck, I can’t move!”

Jane hurried to his side and crouched down, squinting in the moonlight to pinpoint the problem; when the last sound in the world she wished to hear came shrieking through the darkness; the sound of a train!  She looked up the railroad, and before her eyes shone a bright light from afar, chugging headlong towards them!

…To be continued, next week on Sunday, September 19th! Jane Darcy needs your help to solve the hair-raising mystery surrounding Pinecrest; keep your magnifying glass handy, and don’t miss the next exciting chapter!