continued to count as he ran through the thick brush. Seven...eight...nine...ten. If he was lucky he would be able to vanish into the forest within another ten seconds. He knew they would be coming after him and this time they wouldn’t wait for a hole to be dug, they would shoot him on sight. His only weapon now was the handful of rocks and the shovel. Fifteen...sixteen...seventeen. He never looked back, he just kept running.
The brush was thick and sharp brambles tore at his legs and arms as he ran through the cover. He was pleased the brambles and thicket were so dense. It would help slow down his inevitable pursers. They would not be so eager to chase him through it as fast as they could run. Twenty-three...twenty-four...twenty-five. He came to a tree with a forked trunk and thought this was the time to rid himself of the handcuffed shovel. While he still needed a weapon, it would be easier to swing if unrestricted. He placed the wooden shovel handle between the forked trunk and pulled back on it as hard as he could. The seasoned oak handle snapped in two making a loud cracking noise as it did. His release meant that his escape was no longer a secret. If they hadn’t realized that he was gone before, they surly would know it now. He still had the handcuff attached to his right wrist but he could fight okay with it there. He picked up the two shovel pieces and ran. His time had run out. He had to find a hiding place to ambush the two attackers. Exhausted from the physical labor of digging, his adrenaline was in overdrive knowing that he was running for his life. Deeper into the forest he ran looking for the right opportunity. He came to a small stream and following it downstream seemed like the logical way to go. He splashed into the knee deep water try to move quickly yet quietly. The water was cool and soothing on his scratched legs. He couldn’t resist splashing the cool water onto his face and over his head. It gave him the boost he needed. He felt more sure of himself now and confident that he would be able to out do the two thugs.
After wading a small distance he noticed a path that ran along the right bank of the stream. The pursuers would surely use the foot path instead of wading through the water. If he could find the correct spot along the bank, he could surprise them. He saw a small rocky ravine with a large fallen tree suspended above that blocks the path. Thinking this will be the best opportunity, he decided to lay in wait on the tree branch assuming that as they make their way along the path they will have to duck down under the branch to pass. He will then use the shovel blade as a club on the back of their heads.
Quickly forming a plan, he turned around and started back up stream to the spot where he entered it. He climbed out of the water to back track to a place where he remembered seeing tall grass. He had avoided walking through the grass before because he knew it would be any easy trail to follow. He wanted to lead them into his ambush. He hurried through the grass toward the stream bank and the rocky ravine. When he to got to the fallen tree he squatted down and crawled under it and continued running through the tall grass along the stream’s edge. He looked over his shoulder from time to time until he could no longer see the rocky ravine. Turning to the right he circled back to the fallen tree and positioned himself on the tree branch.
Rudy tried to slow is his breathing so that the approaching men would not hear his panting as they passed below him. He hoped that only one of them would be following his well laid-out trail. It would be much easier to take one out at a time.
Patiently, Rudy kept his perch while he visualized using the shovel on the back of the men. His only regret was that his revenge would be one quick numbing blow. He wanted to reciprocate with the punishing jabs they had inflicted on him.
His wait was short, and soon he could hear the heavy footsteps of one of them coming down the path. Just as Rudy had speculated, the larger of the two men was bent over as he made his way under the fallen three. Rudy swung the shovel blade down hard and hit him in the back of the head. With a groan, the man fell to the bottom of the rocky ravine. Rudy froze holding the shovel blade, ready to swing again if the man moved. After a moment Rudy was convinced that he had knocked the guy unconscious. He threw down the blade and pulled the pistol out of the man’s limp hand. Rudy quickly took cover behind the tree stump and surveyed the area for the man’s accomplice. There was no sign of him. Obviously the two men had split up to hunt for him.
Rudy returned his attention to the man lying beside him. He went through his pockets until he found the car keys, handcuff keys and a cell phone. Rudy used the little handcuff key and removed the cuffs from his right wrist. Having unlocked the other cuff, he placed it on the big man’s ankle, rolled him over to the side of the tree, swung the man’s left arm around the tree trunk and fastened the remaining cuff to the man’s left wrist. Rudy hoped that he had the only set of keys to the handcuffs.
He did not want to encounter the other man out in the open between here and the car but trying to find a new route back could take hours and be more dangerous than crossing through the tall grass again. At least now he had a gun and that would be to his advantage if he did meet up with the other guy. Wasting no more time, he stood up and started running in the direction of the car. In a few minutes he reached the pit he had been forced to dig. He stopped to survey the clearing where the car was parked. Everything was quiet and there was no one in sight. He needed to use caution here and not be lured into a trap due to his eagerness to get back to New York City.
At that moment Rudy could hear shouting in the distance. He knew that the man he had knocked out was now conscious and the other man had found him cuffed to the tree. He pulled the car keys from his pocket and hurried to the car. Rudy turned the key in the ignition, shifted into drive and pushed the accelerator to the floor. A cloud of dust and rocks sprayed out from the rear wheels as Rudy spun the big car around and headed down the dirt road. He didn’t know where the road would lead and he didn’t much care, as long as he was leaving the mountain. Grateful to be free and alive, his thoughts returned to Pamela. He was anxious to see her again.
Chapter Three
Rudy raced the Lincoln down the rutted dirt road at a jarring speed. If the car did not survive after the drive back to New York City that was of no concern to him. He was determined to make it back before night fall. He fished the cell phone out of his front trouser pocket and dialed information for the number for New York General Hospital. After the operator had connected him with the hospital he asked to speak to Dr. Pamela Bean. “I’m sorry, she has not checked in,” the woman replied.
“What time is she due in?” Rudy asked.
“I believe she’s scheduled for the late night shift,” she answered.
“I thought she said she’d be working a double shift today,” Rudy insisted. “I’m sorry sir, she has not checked in,” she repeated. “Okay, thank you, I’ll try back later.” he said and ended the call.
Maybe she was still at home. He dialed information again and asked for New York City and the number for Doctor P. I. Bean. The operator read the number and then connected him and he waited for someone to answer. “You have reached the home answering system of Doctor Pamela Bean. If you are calling with a medical emergency, I can be reached at 212-555-0277. All other callers may leave a message and I’ll return the call as soon as possible. Thank you.”
Rudy suddenly thought that maybe it was too late. Maybe the killers had already been to her house. Maybe they would hear his message. Maybe she had already told them about having had breakfast with him and that she had a dinner date with him. She would be in grave danger if they decided to use her as a way to get to him. He decided to leave a more formal doctor-patient type message. “Yes...hello Doctor Bean. This is Rudolph Rodriguez. You may not remember me. You attended to my shoulder wound last night in the emergency room. I’m having a big problem and will need to see you immediately. Please check your caller I.D. for this cell number and call me back as soon as you receive this message. It’s very important.” He ended the call and dialed the number she had given in her message. It rang twice and then went dead. He re- dialed and the same thing happened, two rings and the line went dead. “This is not a good sign, something is wrong,” he said out loud. He must be farther from the city than he thought. At that moment the dirt road came to an abrupt end. He slammed on the brakes and the Lincoln slid to a dust clouded stop. Rudy sat motionless, gripping the steering wheel, waiting for the dust to settle for what seemed like minutes. The dirt road ended and became a two lane blacktop road.