circled the room, checking and rechecking.
'I can't believe I hadn't thought of it,' she blurted, excitedly. 'Elwood, do you have a cell, a cell phone?'
'I don't.' His doleful tone filled the room. 'I'm afraid I don't exactly keep up with technology, there's no need for me. I can't use those damned things.'
Marilyn's arms fell to her sides, slapping against her hips. She made fists with her hands and patted them on her thighs.
'Shit. Shit.'
'Jesus, but what I do have.' Elwood remembered with his biggest smile of the night, 'I have an old CB radio back at the motel. It's a little dusty and could probably use a repair, but I think I could get it working. It may take a little while. I can't believe I forgot about that. I could try and reach the sheriff over in the next town. Let him know what's happened, tell him to keep an eye out for a man travelling with a young boy.' He paused. 'The sheriff, he's new, not long been appointed, but he's a good man, from the city. Takes his job very seriously, not like the last guy.'
Marilyn leaped at Elwood, throwing her arms around his neck, kissing his forehead
'Oh, thank you. Thank you. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for any of this.' She squeezed tighter, not giving in. 'You don't know how much all this means to me, honestly.'
'Hey, hey, don't be silly.' He blushed. 'You don't have to thank me. Let's just concentrate on finding Jack, you can thank me when we get him back safe, OK?'
Marilyn released Elwood from her thankful grip and smiled her beautiful smile.
'OK.'
'Good. Right. Let’s get to that radio. You can help me pack some things, too. It will save us some time.' Thunder roared, cutting him off. 'Then we go and get that bastard and string him up.'
FIFTEEN
Marilyn and Elwood marched across the property, ignoring the shelter this time. They cut straight through and over the path, the ground squelching under their feet, mud and gravel sticking to the bottoms and sides of their shoes. Elwood cleared the mist from his glasses with the cuff of his shirt before opening the main door and stepping back inside.
The motel was deceptively small looking from the outside, looking as if it only contained a small number of rooms and a reception area. Before his wife died, Elwood had had the building renovated and two extra rooms added at the back. The builders kept the same old fashioned style, making it almost impossible to tell that any changes had been made. They meandered through the narrow hallways, past obscure paintings that decorated the walls, past the room where they spoke and drunk coffee, walking to the music of their footsteps. They stopped at the back of the motel, opposite a curtain-less window. Marilyn looked confused.
'Where are we going? Why have we stopped here?'
'The attic.'
Elwood, looked up and pointed with his long, bony finger and smiled.
'See?' Above them, a trap door, about three to four feet wide with gold hinges and a pint-sized handle hid amongst the artexed ceiling.
Marilyn nodded, a smile also crossing her face. She modelled her spotless teeth, white, straight, perfect.
'Let me just get the stick.'
Elwood toddled across to the window and pulled off a homemade hooked timber pole from the frame. He stretched, standing on the tips of his arthritic toes.
'I swear I'm shrinking in my old age,' he joked.
Elwood held his breath, concentrating, trying to finally master the art of attic opening. The hook caught the handle, making a clinking noise.
'Watch out, Marilyn. Can you move to the side, please? These stairs drop like a lead weight in the sea.'
She obliged.
He gave one almighty tug and the door opened. The stairs fell from the heavens, clanking and sliding all the way to the floor, landing with a deafening crash on the laminated floor. The stairs marked an unsteady and splintery path into darkness.
'OK, these stairs are not the safest, or steadiest, for that matter,' he half-heartedly
'I can't believe I hadn't thought of it,' she blurted, excitedly. 'Elwood, do you have a cell, a cell phone?'
'I don't.' His doleful tone filled the room. 'I'm afraid I don't exactly keep up with technology, there's no need for me. I can't use those damned things.'
Marilyn's arms fell to her sides, slapping against her hips. She made fists with her hands and patted them on her thighs.
'Shit. Shit.'
'Jesus, but what I do have.' Elwood remembered with his biggest smile of the night, 'I have an old CB radio back at the motel. It's a little dusty and could probably use a repair, but I think I could get it working. It may take a little while. I can't believe I forgot about that. I could try and reach the sheriff over in the next town. Let him know what's happened, tell him to keep an eye out for a man travelling with a young boy.' He paused. 'The sheriff, he's new, not long been appointed, but he's a good man, from the city. Takes his job very seriously, not like the last guy.'
Marilyn leaped at Elwood, throwing her arms around his neck, kissing his forehead
'Oh, thank you. Thank you. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for any of this.' She squeezed tighter, not giving in. 'You don't know how much all this means to me, honestly.'
'Hey, hey, don't be silly.' He blushed. 'You don't have to thank me. Let's just concentrate on finding Jack, you can thank me when we get him back safe, OK?'
Marilyn released Elwood from her thankful grip and smiled her beautiful smile.
'OK.'
'Good. Right. Let’s get to that radio. You can help me pack some things, too. It will save us some time.' Thunder roared, cutting him off. 'Then we go and get that bastard and string him up.'
FIFTEEN
Marilyn and Elwood marched across the property, ignoring the shelter this time. They cut straight through and over the path, the ground squelching under their feet, mud and gravel sticking to the bottoms and sides of their shoes. Elwood cleared the mist from his glasses with the cuff of his shirt before opening the main door and stepping back inside.
The motel was deceptively small looking from the outside, looking as if it only contained a small number of rooms and a reception area. Before his wife died, Elwood had had the building renovated and two extra rooms added at the back. The builders kept the same old fashioned style, making it almost impossible to tell that any changes had been made. They meandered through the narrow hallways, past obscure paintings that decorated the walls, past the room where they spoke and drunk coffee, walking to the music of their footsteps. They stopped at the back of the motel, opposite a curtain-less window. Marilyn looked confused.
'Where are we going? Why have we stopped here?'
'The attic.'
Elwood, looked up and pointed with his long, bony finger and smiled.
'See?' Above them, a trap door, about three to four feet wide with gold hinges and a pint-sized handle hid amongst the artexed ceiling.
Marilyn nodded, a smile also crossing her face. She modelled her spotless teeth, white, straight, perfect.
'Let me just get the stick.'
Elwood toddled across to the window and pulled off a homemade hooked timber pole from the frame. He stretched, standing on the tips of his arthritic toes.
'I swear I'm shrinking in my old age,' he joked.
Elwood held his breath, concentrating, trying to finally master the art of attic opening. The hook caught the handle, making a clinking noise.
'Watch out, Marilyn. Can you move to the side, please? These stairs drop like a lead weight in the sea.'
She obliged.
He gave one almighty tug and the door opened. The stairs fell from the heavens, clanking and sliding all the way to the floor, landing with a deafening crash on the laminated floor. The stairs marked an unsteady and splintery path into darkness.
'OK, these stairs are not the safest, or steadiest, for that matter,' he half-heartedly
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