Devil Moon (22 page)

Oh, yeah, he thought. It was real good seeing you, hot tits. He hadn't forgotten his night exploring her clean, sweet smelling cabin. In fact, he still had the quilt in his truck. The flower smell had greeted him for about a week whenever he entered the cab, until the stink of dog and tobacco overwhelmed it. Now Lucifer huddled on his new doggie bed in the back seat.

God, the thought of getting his hands on those brimming breasts made Wade's fingers itch and his crotch rise. Maybe he could pull a trick on Mrs. Bailey and get himself a sweet treat. If she had married the drama teacher, she'd welcome a poke from a real man. And Wade Finn was just the man for the job. He grabbed his merchandise and ordered the dog out of the truck. Business first, and then he looked forward to a little Halloween fun with the honey-assed assistant principal.

* * *

Phil sat in the locker room utterly confused. Maddie had behaved so matter of fact about the night on the beach; acted as if they'd shared a mild picnic in the park. Damn, the woman seemed to always have his balls in a squeeze. Didn't she remember the trip to the moon?

"Hello-oo? Phil, are you there?" Pam's voice bounced off the concrete walls as she pushed the door open.

Great, just what I need.

"Hi, honey," Pam said. Wearing a coat, cinched tight at the waist, she carried in a clothes bag. "I picked you up an outfit at the costume shop. It's fantastic."

"Oh, hell, I'm just going as a football coach."

"No way, Jose. You gotta have a costume. Look, this is so
you
." She pulled off the paper to reveal a fake-fur costume. "Ta-da! You're a perfect Fred Flintstone."

She stripped off her coat and struck a pose. "And I'm Wilma!" She strutted in a circle and wiggled her fur-covered fanny.

He shook his head. "Not on your life."

Using baby talk, she cozied up to him. "Come on, Philly-Willy, you know Melissa will love seeing her Mommy and Daddy dressed up together."

Oh crap, she really knows how to play the Melissa card.

He grabbed the costume out of her hand. "Fine. I'll just be a minute." He went back to his office to change.

As he switched clothes, he thought again about Maddie and their bizarre conversation. And the night under the bewitching moon. His mind shifted like a kaleidoscope trying to fit all the pieces together. She'd been by the lake, alone, crying her heart out. It would be like Maddie to give over to private bursts of emotion. He'd seen that side of her a time or two.

He'd been fascinated by the vulnerable figure; utterly drawn, completely attracted. And hadn't he been just as attracted to the woman in the light of day—even covered up by her pain-in-the-ass assistant principal persona?

How could she talk of it so lightly? Had she actually been asleep and only vaguely knew what had gone on? Jesus, he wanted some answers.

Phil shrugged into the get-up and swiveled before a mirror. To be honest, he made a damn good Fred Flintstone. His wide chest and short auburn hair fit the character, but the serious glint in his eye gave old Fred a decidedly dangerous edge. He grabbed a baseball bat to act as a caveman club. Of course, his big running shoes looked a bit out of character, but he wasn't going barefoot over the sticker-filled grassy field, even for Melissa. He stepped back into the main locker room where Pam primped before a mirror.

She flapped her hands in the air. "Sweetie, you look fabulous! I knew you would. Come stand in front of the mirror with me."

He sighed and sidled next to her, staring balefully at their reflection. No magic spells appeared. Just Phil and Pam, looking like a couple of pre-historic dumb asses. Maybe they were a perfect couple. Maybe he should let the Moon Goddess go her merry way and stay with somebody in his class.

Pam slipped her arm under his. "We look good together, don't we? You know, Phil, I've always felt bad that Melissa is an only child. Having a brother or sister would give her someone all her life. Families stick together."

"What are you talking about? You haven't spoken to your sister in ten years."

Pam squinshed her nose. "She's a bitch. But, it wouldn't be like that for Melissa and another child of ours. We'd give our children a happy childhood."

Oh man, she was hinting marriage again. When had he gone from bum to bridegroom? Now, she offered another baby to sweeten the deal.

Another baby
.

His mind shifted back to Maddie and the kaleidoscope whirred in his brain again. He traveled to that moonstruck August night, and as he counted the weeks, the realization of his potential paternity smashed him over the head.

Another baby.

He slapped his forehead. "I am such a friggin' idiot!"

"What's the matter?" Pam asked.

He gazed at her, heat rising in his veins as he recalled the years of fighting for every moment he spent with his daughter. The thought of another woman stealing a child away from him really burned his butt. If the lady thought she could call the shots when she carried
his
baby, she had another thing coming. There was something called DNA testing nowadays. And, brother, did he know his way around the custody courts.

"I gotta get over to the gym right away. They expect me in the photo booth. Pictures-with-the-Coach is supposed to be a big money earner this year."

She grabbed his arm. "Melissa's going to spend the night at a girl friend's. Maybe you could come by my house after this deal is over for a special Halloween treat."

Phil peeled off her fingers. "Uh, I'm still making my way through the leftovers you sent a couple days ago."

A jagged crease formed between her eyebrows. "I wasn't talking about food, dumb shit."

"I really gotta go." The modern day caveman needed to seek out a certain honey blonde who might very well be carrying his child.

"I'll come by the booth and we can take a picture together. What do you say, Fred?"

Phil rolled his eyes as he shoved the door open. "Yabba-dabba-do."

* * *

By the time Phil arrived at the photo booth, the haunted house was packed. Randy, dressed as Harry Potter with a cape and round glasses, flitted in a dither dealing with all the anxious fans.

"Coach, thank God you're here! The natives are getting restless." He patted his hands together. "You look marvelous! Doesn't he look downright primitive, Maddie?"

Maddie, now completely garbed as Morticia with a black wig, had rounded the corner to the makeshift photography studio. A Beaver Cove scrim and an American Flag surrounded Phil with a fabulously corny Americana backdrop for pictures with hometown fans.

Seeing Phil's hairy legs topped off by the Neanderthal over-the-shoulder fur garment struck Maddie's funny bone and she hooted with laughter. "Oh, Coach, I believe you're a bit bow-legged."

Phil squinted and said through gritted teeth, "Keep it up, sweetheart."

Randy pushed Phil into place. "Now don't get your prehistoric hackles up. Maddie, you direct the crowd and just keep them moving along. I've got to go check on the Dracula set."

Maddie took over the organization of Phil's photo booth for the next hour, arranging adoring fans around the continually scowling coach. At least he scowled every time he looked at her. He put a polite front on for total strangers, but when his attention focused on her, she could feel animosity pouring out of him. She didn't know what his problem was, but between his grumpiness, the continual canned screams and the chemical smell from fake fog, Maddie desperately needed a break and fresh air. She grabbed the wandering axe murder victim, Stu, and put him in charge of the photo set.

When she escaped out a side door, brisk evening air filled her lungs. A bright orange harvest moon cast a pumpkin glow in the All Hallow's Eve night sky. Grateful to be several yards away from the crowded Haunted Forest trail, she found herself near the wooded edge of the gym and looked about for somewhere to sit down and rest her weary feet. Thinking she'd surely find a fallen log or large boulder in the near vicinity, she minced her way up the hill into the trees. Holding onto her wig and cape was a trick, but she managed fairly well, despite the wind that rustled through the barren branches and made whipping sounds appropriate for Halloween.

Unfortunately, the crackling forest noises hid the hushed undertones of human voices. Keeping her concentration on the ground, Maddie didn't stop walking until she saw scuffed boots and jeans come into view. She pushed dangling black hair out of her eyes and looked up to see Wade and a couple of kids standing before her. A big, black dog with yellow eyes gazed at her.

Focused on plastic baggies in the kids' hands, Maddie immediately recognized a drug deal. Angry indignation sparked fearless confrontation. "Wade Finn, I don't care if you're related to every police officer between here and Bentonville, I am not going to allow you to come on this campus and do your dirty dealings."

The kids lit out in a flash. Wade took a moment to focus in on her. Then he smiled a big, predatory wolfish grin and began taking slow steps in her direction.

"Gosh, Miz Bailey, your timing couldn't be better. I was just ready to close up shop and come a callin' for you. I've been hankering for a real sweet piece of Halloween candy like you."

Good grief, what kind of mess had she gotten herself into this time? A rush of fear-and-flight adrenaline hit her blood stream. She turned on her heels and began running as fast as her tight dress would allow.

Wade barked, "Get her, Lucifer."

Maddie glanced over her shoulder to see the huge hound from hell rise out of the shadows and lope in her direction.

Love a duck
, as Grammy would say.

Pure panic propelled her as she bent down and pulled up the imprisoning hem of her dress as high as it would go. Her screams rang in the air, mingled with the periodic taped screams pouring through the loud speakers. The dog seemed sure of the kill and kept a steady pace with her as she zig-zagged down the hill and then stumbled onto the blacktop of the parking lot. The entrance of the Haunted Forest loomed before her and she dashed for the safety of civilization.

"Help! It's going to get me!" she yelled.

People lined up to enter the outdoor maze moved out of her way and smiled as she entered the path.

"Isn't that the drama teacher's new wife? This must be part of the show."

"Oh, look," one lady said. "There's a trained dog pretending to track her down."

Maddie screamed and clawed her way through the trail. Lucifer growled and bared his teeth as he closed in on her. Following the man-made tunnel of prison-like walls, Maddie began destroying the displays, seeking any obstacle that might impede the murderous canine's pursuit. She pelted him with jack-o-lanterns, bleeding heads and a life-sized cardboard likeness of Freddie Kruger. At one point, Lucifer gripped the back of her dress with his teeth, eliciting a huge yelp from her throat and a round of applause from her growing audience. Her dress ripped, freeing her legs slightly. She grabbed the annoying wig from her head and threw it in the dog's face, temporarily blinding him.

She turned to the crowd and yelled, "What is wrong with you people? Won't any of you help me?'

But seeing the now bewigged dog shaking his head was so amusing that people just laughed and Maddie took off again. Lucifer grew more agitated and began a fierce barking that brought terror to her bones. The phony walls of the path offered her no protection from the demon close on her heels. Blindly, she rounded a corner straight into a massive, spider web display.

"Ahh!" She tore at the engulfing sticky strings.

That did it. Total panic. The dog barked and backed her into a corner. Phony, spider threads tangled across her face and arms. Her breath came in sharp gasps and her head started buzzing.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," she muttered as the world spun.

A sharp whistle followed by a crisp command silenced the dog. "Down, boy."

Maddie felt wiry arms grab her. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Wade Finn’s snarky grin.

“
Don’t worry, lady. I’ll help you,” he said.

Wade acknowledged the crowd’s cheer and played the redneck hero saving a damsel in distress.

"Show's over, folks! Ya'll have a safe drive home!"

His boots crunched on the rocky pavement as he carried his captive toward his truck with the cur close at heel. The crowd clapped appreciatively as the trio disappeared into the shadows.

One spectator wasn't taken in by the show. She knew something really bad was happening. Reba turned and ran in the direction of the gym. She had to find help fast, before her Pa took Mrs. Bailey into his truck and disappeared into the hills.

Reba banged open the closest gym door, which unfortunately took her into a crowd moving the opposite direction she needed to go.

She pushed and shoved people out of her way all the time yelling, "Mr. Bailey! Mr. Bailey!"

She asked three monsters if they'd seen him. Finally, she rounded a corner and found herself in the well-lit photo booth where the coach and drama teacher were smiling for a camera.