Stormwatch - Dark Autumn

by Duleigh

©Copyright 2025 by Duleigh

Chapter 1

Josh and Veronica had spent Saturday at Paul and Andi’s house, helping with a project for Children’s Sunday, the Sunday on Labor Day weekend. It was called Children’s Sunday because schools in Erie County opened up on the Wednesday following Labor Day. Pastor John Jarecki would ask parents to give him the supply list the schools publish for their students. His brother Paul, owner and CEO of Jarecki Motors, supplies the equipment that is handed out on Children’s Sunday. It’s open to all children K through 12, but John believed in spoiling the kindergarten children. He believed that giving them a positive start would launch a positive scholastic career.

There was an assembly line at Paul and Andi Jarecki’s house. Andi’s mother, Heather, was putting the students’ names on backpacks for the kindergarteners and tote bags for the rest with a Cricut device that made name tags. Then the bag would have a list attached and be passed around the big dining room table where friends and family members would have school supplies. When the bag or backpack came to them, they’d see if the teacher of that student required the items they had. If so, they’d put it in the bag, check off the list and hand the bag to the next station.

They had a stack of blue and neon pink backpacks, and Springville Congregational Church tote bags they needed to fill with school equipment. Josh and Veronica were helping along with Lucy Kosis and Gus Didomissio and many others. Josh had highlighters, pencil erasers, and Kleenex. Every backpack that was passed to him needed Kleenex, some needed pencil erasers, and only a few needed highlighters. He got a backpack with a list attached, looked for highlighters, pencil erasers, and Kleenex and if they were on the list, he put them in the backpack, checked off the item and passed the backpack to Lucy who had loose leaf folders, rulers, and band aids.

“How is Miss Yi doing?” Josh asked as Veronica handed him a backpack.

“She’s trout fishing with Kenny right now,” said Andi. “She’s got a black eye and several bruises.”

“How is Kenny doing?” asked Veronica.

“I think caring for Yi is helping him take his mind off of his problems,” said Andi. Yi had been raped and robbed by Craig Larsson who took her business credit card, cash, and phone then tried to buy a high end shotgun at Johnson’s feed store after he dumped Yi on the street.

“They’re having some serious financial problems over there,” said Paul. “The landlord keeps raising the rent on the building and their house, Kenny’s entire family could all end up homeless and he’s worried sick about it. I’ve offered to look at their rental agreement, lease, and business license but Dave Johnson is too proud.” Years ago, when Paul took over Jarecki Motors from his ailing father he realized that his board certification as a cardiologist did little to help him sell cars, so he got a business law degree to help him, and he was damn good at finding loopholes and cheats in business agreements.

“Who’s the landlord?” asked Josh.

“Wehrle Halloway,” said Gus. “He and Dave Johnson used to be partners and somehow Wehrle ended up with the lease on the building and he’s been nothing but a bastard to Dave and Angie Johnson ever since.”

“Isn’t he Craig Larson’s uncle?” asked Josh as he eased a pack of Kleenex into the front pouch of a neon pink backpack.

“That’s right, Craig is Wehrle Halloway’s nephew,” said Macy. “Craig works for Charles Lee. Both Lee and Halloway are buddies with Samael Windecker.”

“A conspiracy of ignorance,” muttered Josh.

Veronica shook her head as she put construction paper in a baby blue backpack. “Wehrle Halloway, Samael Windecker, Craig Larson, Frank Rosetti, Charles Lee… what happened to my little town? It’s becoming scumbag central.”

“Frank?” asked Andi, her eyes wide in terror. “Is Frank here?”

Josh gently placed his foot on top of Veronica’s for a warning. Paul covered quickly and said, “I mentioned his name and the problems we’ve had in the past with him. He seems to fit in with that bunch.” He didn’t want Andi to panic. Frank Rosetti has numerous warrants out for his arrest. The Denver County DA in Colorado let him slip through their fingers with warrants for rape and unlawful restraint and a dozen others… all on video. But does Andi need to know that? Paul let her enjoy her day and he would tell her about Frank after church tomorrow. She’ll want to stay locked up in the house, but that would be fine.

Josh helped carry the back packs out to Macy’s SUV and piled them up in the back. This was something that Paul had done every year for the elementary school children of John’s church. He provided them with a new backpack and school supplies based on the list of supplies their teacher published and the kid’s parents gave to John or Macy. Andi found out and dug in wholeheartedly. Her girls were starting school this year. They’re a year behind because of their tiny size, but intellectually they’re far ahead of their peers.

After everything was packed, dinner was on John and Paul for all the helpers. “We want to thank you but we have plans,” said Veronica.

“Date night!” said Josh, and he wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

“Where too?” asked John.

“We have tickets for The Outsiders, The Musical at Shae’s Performing Art Center, so we’re going to grab dinner downtown,” said Veronica.

“T-shirt or tux?” asked Lucy, as she leaned back against Gus and smiled. Lucy couldn’t believe that she found love this late in life, but here they were, she and Gus, as different as different could be, and madly loving it.

“Tuxedo!” said Veronica.

“With that damn medal,” groaned Josh.

“You’re wearing the medal?” cried Andi. “I want pictures!”

“Me too!” said Macy.

“Me three,” said Paul.

“We’re goin’ to a show, not the prom,” muttered Josh.

They walked the two blocks home, spent too much time showering and giggling, and then dressed up. “Ah never in my life woulda believed that I’d ever own a tux,” said Josh as he put on the tux Veronica purchased for him.

“You look incredible in a tux. A real redneck James Bond,” said Veronica as she pulled on a gold lame gown she danced in often.

“Please don’t say Roger Moore or Daniel Craig,” said Josh as he tied his bow tie. He practiced over and over and he was eventually able to tie it without looking up the instructions on YouTube.

“Nope, Sean Connery, From Russia With Love. I’d get so hot for him watching that movie with my dad,” sighed Veronica.

“That is before he lost his hair,” said Josh as Veronica tugged Josh’s bow tie into position. She turned to their dresser and took a box out of the top drawer and opened it. In there was his medal of honor on the baby blue ribbon spangled with stars. She clearly wanted him to wear it with his tux, which was allowable by the US code.

“Seriously lil’ darlin’?”

“For me?” she said and batted her big brown eyes. “You promised.”

“Oh, all right. Here, you put it on.”

With all due reverence, she put the ribbon around his neck and had him hold the medal right beneath the bow tie then she took a paper clip, folded the ribbon over behind his neck and held it in place with the paper clip and tucked it under his collar. The medal hung perfect under his bow tie. “Can we go now, dearie?”

“Wait.” She took out her camera and held it out and arm’s length and took a selfie of them standing in front of the living room fireplace. They looked spectacular together. Josh had let his hair grow out a bit from the military style he normally wore, and his beard was trimmed perfectly. Veronica was wearing her hair swept up in a stylish do, but it still touched her shoulders. He in his tux and she in her form flattering gown looked spectacular. Together, they looked like they were on the short list at the Oscars. Their smiles told the world of their love for each other, and Veronica immediately shared the picture with Andi and Macy.

“Don’t forget to lock up,” she said as they stepped out. After Thursday night and catching a peeping tom peering at them through the basement window, Veronica called a local alarm company. It’s going to be two weeks, but in two weeks, they’ll be secure. Until then, she was nervous. She wasn’t nervous about somebody breaking in, she was nervous about Josh killing someone that broke in.

They got in her Lincoln Navigator and drove into Buffalo. It was date night, their night to dress up and do something awesome, and leave the routine world behind. They parked at the University of Buffalo and took the subway into the city, and stepped off the train on Franklin street.

They started date night with dinner at Che Ami on Franklin street in the Curtis Hotel. There they shared a rack of lamb with pistachio cruse, a cherry demi-glace, grilled fennel wedge and crispy roast potatoes with a basil pistou. Josh couldn’t remember much about dinner because Veronica looked so beautiful. He was afraid to look down at his food, and the mirage would be gone. For Veronica, she had never felt so alive. She was wearing an old dress that barely fit her anymore, and if more of her breast spilled out, the cops would drag her off for lewd and lascivious exposure. But Josh’s eyes weren’t on her breasts, they were on hers, and she felt like a royal princess with the captain of the king’s guard protecting her from all evil.

After that, they walked hand in hand to Shae’s Performing Arts Center. It was just a couple of blocks up Franklin Ave. Together they looked like a couple from an old time musical come to life. Not Fred and Ginger, Fred Astaire was too skinny. Josh looked more like Gene Kelly, with a beard. They were headed to the beautiful old art deco style theater for the debut performance of The Outsiders, the musical.

For Veronica, the show was beautiful. It was the novel come to life. Veronica was overcome with every bit of the performance, from the singing to the obvious friendship the cast had with each other. The sets were not lavish, but they told the story; it was the outsiders come to life. Josh enjoyed it, but he hated gangs. Gangs had tormented him in his youth, but in upper middle class south Georgia Josh had a far different experience than Ponyboy had. Josh faced the Socs all by himself. There wasn’t a passel of greasers to back up the silent, moody, broke kid who smelled like a shrimp boat.

He kept this to himself because Veronica was overwhelmed by the performance. It was all she could talk about as they rode the subway back to Amherst, where her SUV was parked. “I couldn’t help crying when Johnny tells Ponyboy to ‘stay gold’ and dies. I think I cried harder tonight than I did watching the movie in junior high when I had such a crush on Johnny. What part did you like the most?” she asked.

Before he could respond, Josh received a salute from an old fellow wearing a hat that proclaimed him to be a Vietnam Veteran. “No, thank you sir,” said Josh as he stood up, sharply returned the salute, and shook the fellow’s hand.

“I’ve only seen pictures of those,” said the old veteran and he pointed to the medal of honor Josh was wearing.

“Me too,” said Josh. “Thank you for being there, it were a bit before my time.”

“Do you mind if I ask how you got that?” asked the old guy.

Josh was silent for a long moment then said, “I was on an AC-130, we were over…”

”Stinger coming up!” shouted Lt. Booker Rafferty, the electronic warfare officer, call sign Librarian. “Flares Away!”

”It’s not tracking them!” called Lt. Mort Goldthwait, the Electro Optics operator, call sign Mad Dog.

At the same moment, Josh got the ammo chute connected to the feed unit properly. He hooked up the firing control cable, then stood up and closed the GAU-12 circuit breaker. “Equalizer back online!” he shouted, but suddenly the plane lurched. There was a bright flash and all the lights went out. His intercom went silent, and he was thrown against the operator’s booth. Smoke filled the ship and the roaring of the wind was all that he could hear…

… Josh realized he was back in Buffalo riding a subway. With a shaky sigh, he said, “I’m sorry.”

“I understand, don’t push yourself,” said the old fellow. “There’s a lot I can’t talk about either.”

A few minutes later they were at their Lincoln and Josh was still considering Veronica’s talk of Johnny’s death scene. To Josh, death scenes don’t happen like that. One minute your life is set, the next minute somebody was missing. “Ah never had a movin’ scene like that in my life. Mosta my death scenes were boring, so ah didn’t get to worked up none.”

“You never told me; how did you lose your parents?”

“Ah didn’t lose ‘em, I left ‘em right where they belong.”

“Seriously,” said Veronica. “You never tell me anything. I always tell you about me and dad, you never talk about your childhood.”

“Remember what ah said about ‘that look’ when I told you I had cancer? Same thing.” When Josh told Veronica about his bout with cancer, she stopped looking at him like the man in her life, and more like a dying kitten she brought home to comfort until it died. The sad pitying looks drove Josh crazy.

“I won’t give you that look… I want to know what makes my man tick.”

“What’s to tell? Ah had two folks and a sister and together they could out drink a fire hall. Ah was an unwanted child, an’ they made sure ah was aware of that fact. Weren’t a month go by that my sister didn’t say, ‘they never wanted you,’ or ‘you ruined everything.’” Josh sighed and stared at the road ahead. “Ah played every sport I could sign up for so ah didn’t have to go home after school. When we didn’t have school ah took swimmin’ lessons and when I was old enough I worked on the shrimp boats.”

“What did you do on the shrimp boats?” asked Veronica.

“Ah were a taint tosser,” he said, like it was a common thing.

“A what?” she said with a whoop of laughter. She knew what a taint was on a woman. Josh called it that very special place that taint pussy and taint asshole. He called his bicycle seat The Taint Masher. A tosser was a masturbator, so taint tosser struck her as hilarious.

“That’s what Captain Ed called me anyhow. They’d reel in the nets and spill everything on deck. I’d toss overboard anything taint shrimp. Not a lot of money but we ate good. Lots of flounder.”

“Was it fun?” asked Veronica.

“No, ah hated every minute of it.”

“So why did you do it?”

Josh shrugged. “ah hated every minute of being home worse.” He was quiet for a long time then said, “My parents never hit me, but sometimes ah wish they did, then ah’d know if they cared or not. One afternoon at baseball practice my coach sent me home. My dad had died that morning, they just thought at four thirty that afternoon to tell me. The next year, my junior year, ah bought Grandpa. Ma hated that thing, but I didn’t have to listen to her bitching long. I came home from school one day and she was dead.”

“God, I’m sorry. Is that why you’re so nice to children?”

“Sort of, ah never knew how to treat a child so ah guess ah’m trainin’ myself up on the neighbors kids.”

<><><><><>

”Where’s my Equalizer?” came the demand from Captain Hal “Hailstorm” Rainey, the fire control officer of Ghost Rider Zero Four.

”We got a mess, working it.” Josh had a real mess on his hands. A round jammed in the feed system of the GAU-12 Equalizer, the fierce 25mm Gatling gun and that caused a huge break in the high-speed ammo loading system. When he removed the feed chute, links and live rounds spilled everywhere and were laying all over the deck. He had to take apart the feed unit, and the broken round came out and spilled loose powder on the deck. He was racing the clock to reassemble the semi-disassembled feed unit and get it back on the gun.

He got the mess cleared from the feed unit and reattached it to the gun. Then he connected the ammo belt to the gun’s feed unit. The damn thing wouldn’t line up and with the jerking of the plane from the constant firing of the 105mm howitzer and the barking of the 30mm Bushmaster… there! He spun the gun slowly by hand until a live round spit out the exit chute. Now all he had to do was connect the ammo chute to the feed unit and… it wouldn’t reach! It was a foot and a half too short and the more he tugged on it, the shorter it got. “Son of a bitch!”

”Just calm down and get it done,” came the calm voice of the pilot, Major Emory Hancock. “One step at a…”

There was an ear splitting ‘Thump’ of air pressure changing and everything went dark. All lights on the gun deck went out, and the intercom was filled with a loud screeching that went silent with a click. Josh looked to his left and the tail of the big AC-130 was gone. He was looking at a moonless sky as the rushing wind sucked him out of the back of the aircraft, and now he was falling. He could see the forward half of the aircraft below him streaming smoke and bodies as it fell. A burning wing bent back, then tore off as Ghost Rider 04 plunged to its death.

His headphone crackled to life and Josh heard, “Where were you Hondo?” It was Hailstorm, the ‘trigger man’ of the ship. “I needed that gun. We’d be alive if I had that gun. I woulda shot that camel fucker with the stinger.”

”I’m sorry,” Josh shouted over the intercom. “I tried…”

”Your dicking around killed your team!”

Josh saw the ground rushing up at him, that barren, heartless desert reaching up to slap the life out of him. “I’m sorry…”

Josh hit the bedroom floor with a thump and a grunt and the shock jolted him awake. “Oh my god, are you ok?” cried Veronica as she joined him on the floor. Like Josh she was naked, and she began gently running her hands over him.

“I’m ok, give me a moment,” he said. The urge to scream ‘leave me alone’ filled his head, but at the same time the urge to scream ‘please hold me’ filled his heart.

“This was a bad one, wasn’t it?” she asked as she kissed his forehead and cheeks.

“I just fell out of bed. That’s all.”

“You were fighting and arguing with someone. Here, let me help you up.”

“No, I’m fine,” but he let her help him up. They settled in the big comfortable bed, and Josh remained sitting up, staring at the embers in the fireplace. They had made beautiful, passionate love by the light of the fire earlier. There should be no reason for his brain to rewind back seven years and playback the horrors of that night. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” asked Josh. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life picking me up off the floor?”

“No,” she said as she kissed his hip. “I want to spend the rest of my life looking back and saying, ‘we got over it together.’”

“Good answer.” He got up and put a couple of sticks of wood on the glowing embers, and returned to bed. When the wood finally burst into flames, Veronica was asleep, so he picked up his phone and hit the speed dial.

“Hey Hondo, or should I call you Bounce?”

“The gang changed my callsign from Hondo to Bounce when I got back from Wilford Hall, they had a big ceremony for it and everything. I guess it’s official.”

“Don’t you ever sleep Bounce,” came the familiar voice. Her Chicago accent was fading, but it was still Ellie.

“No. Not when I have you to wake up.”

“What is it? Are you ok?”

Josh paused then said, “Ah jes got a touch of nerves. Ah gotta sing in church in a couple of hours…”

“Is that it? Singing in church?” asked Ellie.

“Yeah, ya know, all your friends and neighbors watching… it’s nerve wracking.”

“You wanna know what else is nerve wracking? The fact that you can’t lie for shit,” said Ellie.

“Ok, that’s not the entire truth,” said Josh. “Singing in front of people and playing the guitar too.”

“Yeah, right. Guitar. Enough Josh. Emory sent me a link to your contest. I saw you hamming it up. I will get you for what you did to my favorite John Denver song.”

“Ah ain’t afraid of no one what can’t run,” said Josh.

“Now that’s the Bounce I know. Are you really going to come down? I want to meet this saint that you’re seeing… saint Veronica, right?”

“Saint?”

“Anyone that would put up with you has got to be a saint.”

“Ah don’t trust your taste Ellinor. If ah remember rat, ya liked Yesenia quite a bit.”

“That was before she went super-slut,” said Ellie. “Now if I see her on the street, I’ll stick this pegleg of mine up her ass and break it off.”

“You were always a sweet talker Ellie.”

“Go to sleep Josh.”

“Thanks honey, and ah forgive you for wakin’ me up with your late night phone calls.”

“Fuck you Josh.”

“Fuck you Ellie.”

He didn’t talk about the dream that was tearing him up, but just hearing her voice… someone from the back end of Ghost Rider 04 is still alive… he saved somebody.

<><><><><>

Veronica woke up as the sun rose, and she saw Josh sitting in the “reading chair” next to the bedroom fireplace. She got up and kissed him on the forehead. “No sleep tonight?”

He sadly shook his head and pulled Veronica into his lap. “Ellie called me and woke me up.”

“You are such a liar, you called her. You lie!” she said as she tried to get up, but Josh held her down and tickled her. “I’ll call the police! Help!” she called as she kicked her perfect legs, but her laughter made her threats weak. They settled down and kissed, then got up, showered, dressed, and headed off to church.

As always, ‘the girls’ clustered in the vestibule before the service, Andi Jarecki, Lucy Kosis, Macy Jarecki, Veronica von Köster and more. Andi Jarecki’s mother Heather was there, her hand on her tiny daughter’s shoulder. Like the other women, she was excited about Andi and Macy’s babies, the due date now just two months away. Macy continued to insist that Andi had experience because of the twins, but Andi insisted, “Caesarian sections don’t count as experience.”

As they talked, Yi and Kenny entered. Yi was heavily made up and wearing oversize sunglasses to hide the black eye that Craig Larson gave her when he assaulted her on Thursday evening. Yi listened to the girls talk excitedly about the plans for Macy’s nursery and listened to anything else that got her mind off the horror of her attack.

Yi was a fool. She was mad at Kenny and she couldn’t even remember why, so when Craig asked her out, she said yes. Craig was drunk when he picked her up and it went downhill from there. She was home three hours later, raped, beaten, robbed, and when Kenny found out about it, he was angry, but not at Yi. He ran from the feed store to Jarecki’s house and held her all night long as she cried away the pain and humiliation. The next day, he took her trout fishing, something he has no love for, but she absolutely loves.

Eventually, the entire crowd moved into the sanctuary and sat down. As usual, Andi, Paul, and the twins sat with Pastor John and Macy, and Heather was having a hard time believing that this delightful young man they had spent the last few days with was the pastor. He didn’t wear a clerical collar or any vestments, and he had a black wife who was of impeccable academic standing! It’s not that Heather was racist. She firmly believed that anyone in America could succeed, even black Canadians with a funny accent. Andi and Macy were working on Heather, and she no longer winces when Macy calls her ‘Mom.’

It was time to start the service. Paul Jarecki read the announcements, and the worship leader, Dante Reese, along with the pianist Melissa Kraft, took their positions. They led two worship songs, then Dante paused and said, “Josh? Would you like to join us?”

“Go get ‘em tiger,” Veronica whispered in his ear. He had been practicing constantly for this one song and was more nervous than Veronica had ever seen him. Even before the big contest, when his quartet was totally unprepared for being selected to perform in the final round, he was cool, calm, and collected compared to today.

Josh slowly rose and walked up to the front of the sanctuary and joined Dante and Melissa. Instead of standing at a microphone, he stepped behind them where several instruments were standing at the ready. He was supposed to pick up the ‘church guitar’ but instead he picked Paul Jarecki’s beloved guitarone. A guitarone is a huge acoustic guitar with a deep bass voice. It’s primarily a Mexican instrument, but Paul uses it to fill in as a bass. As Josh put a capo on the neck of the guitarone, Paul joined him, and picked up the ‘church guitar’ and put a capo on that instrument.

Josh finally stepped up to a microphone and said, “Ah’m concerned with the lack of classical music bein’ played here. Ah’m here to educate y’all. The composer of this piece considered this a worship song, so that’s why ah’m gonna enlighten y’all.” Then he lifted the guitarone and played. He knew two notes, but that’s all he needed. E. A. E. A. E. A… the two notes were a rhythmic meter and Paul and Melissa joined in as Josh began to sing in his deep baritone voice.

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine

I keep my eyes wide open all the time

I keep the ends out for the tie that binds

Because you’re mine, I walk the line…

When he was done, he returned to his seat. Halfway there, his best friend rose and gave him a hug. “That was great, thanks Josh.”

“Thanks for letting me do that in your church, pastor.”

“I don’t believe Paul let you use his precious guitarone,” said John into Josh’s ear.

“To be honest, we ain’t rightly talked about it yet.”

Laughing, the passionate pastor patted the battle-scarred veteran on the back and headed up to the pulpit to give his sermon. Three days ago, John had finally ridden the Maid of the Mist to the foot of Niagara Falls and he was still filled with the power and majesty of one of God’s glorious creations. He hoped he could put the revelation he had into words properly.

Over the summer, John Jarecki and Josh Gravely became close friends. John saw Josh as a lost soul living in sin with another lost soul and he tried to ‘save’ Josh. But he soon realized that saving Josh was far beyond what he was trained for and let his wife Macy, a trained psychologist, do the hard work and John relaxed and let his friendship with Josh blossom.

Back in the vestibule, a dark figure watched through the window between the sanctuary and the vestibule as Pastor Jarecki waxed eloquently on the miracles of creation. He somehow made a connection between the might of Niagara Falls and the miracle of a child. “You can go in and sit down,” offered Lars Hanson, the trustee who was performing security for the day. “It’s going to be a long service, they’re recognizing the kids heading off to school.”

“No, I’m just church shopping,” said the rumpled figure. “I want to make sure pastor Jarecki isn’t a tv kind of pastor.”

Lars was disappointed, but he tried not to show it. The stranger mispronounced Pastor John’s last name. It shouldn’t have rankled Lars. It was a common mistake for someone who isn’t familiar with the Eastern European community. The stranger pronounced John’s last name Jar-ekey. It’s pronounced yerret-ski.

“No one will ever accuse Pastor John of being in league with million-dollar preachers. He preaches the word and has taken an oath of poverty,” said Lars.

“When is confession?” asked the rumpled man. To Lars, this guy looked like a gambler in the middle of a losing streak. Lars was addicted to gambling, so he knew all the signs. This fellow was hedging his bets on everything, including a choice of church. The fellow was short, soft, and greasy. Balding, with black thinning hair and a bad comb-over, a three-day beard and that cheap suit. He’s clearly been living in that suit. The guy’s nose had been broken in the past, probably from not paying his debts, and he smelled of cheap whiskey and cheaper cigars.

Lars fixed his smile. This unshaven man in a rumpled suit was another lapsed Catholic. “We believe that confession is between you and God. If you need help, you can talk to Pastor John or Pastor Macy.”

“Pastor Macy?”

“Yes, Pastor John’s wife, she’s an ordained pastor too. She’s the black woman in the third row, she’s in the beige dress.”

“The pastor is married to a black woman?” The rumpled man stormed out of the vestibule muttering, “you people are sick.” You can call Andi’s mother, Heather, racist if you want, but she doesn’t hold a candle to Frank Rosetti.

Frank stormed back to his car and waited in the rented Toyota. The September sun was warm, probably one of the last shirtsleeve days of the year. Inside the church, John and Macy were happily handing out backpacks to the children of Springville Congregational Church. This would be their last childless Children’s Day, and they were excited about their future.

Josh’s hope that Andi’s twins would clown Pastor John was fulfilled as Sandy held her backpack over her head and loudly proclaimed all the subjects she would take with her pink backpack, and her sister Madeline made an inventory of the back pack’s contents, holding up each item shouting, “Crayons! Just what I needed! Ruler! I can measure now! Glue Sticks! I can…”

“You can sit down,” said Andi sternly as she collected her girls and herded them back to their seats. When the laughter died down, the rest of the backpacks were handed out, one more worship song was sung, and the congregation headed home. They stepped outside, where Frank Rosetti was waiting.

Frank was leaning against the building next to the main door, still making his plans to kill Andi Roberts, now Andi Jarecki. Maybe he would take care of her and stab that bitch mother of hers. He eased his Bowie knife with an 8.75 inch blade out of its sheath. The blade was honed to a razor’s edge, and he ran his thumb over the edge to admire it. It cost him forty bucks to get it sharpened razor-sharp. He figured as the people came out, he could slide up to her and slide the knife between her ribs, then a few jabs in her mother and a few more in the surrounding folks to cause an uproar, then escape into the panicked crowd.

He waited by the door, but she didn’t come out. He watched every person come out until the crowd dissipated, but he didn’t see her or her close friends that he had watched as they went into the church an hour earlier. He didn’t look, but if he had peered inside the church, he would have seen them in the vestibule gathered around Lucy Kosis (another woman that Frank despised) and Gus Didomissio. Lucy just let their friends know that Gus had proposed to her, and Lucy asked Andi to be her matron of honor, while Gus asked Paul to be his best man.

Frank returned to his rented Toyota and sat glumly, making plans for sneaking into their house and slitting her throat as she slept, when he saw her coming out of the church. She wasn’t with her mother; she was with that cunt, Lucy! Frank hated “that damn Jew bitch,” as he called her. And she was there at a Christian church… they’ll let anyone in! Something inside Frank snapped. He focused on Andi as she and Lucy chattered in the middle of the driveway under the overhang at the main entrance. Frank realized that he would never have another chance, so he slammed it into drive and hit the gas.

John and Macy were brimming with joy and excitement for their friends, Lucy and Gus, and they were looking forward to meeting with them and planning the wedding. John was almost in tears. He was so happy for their friends. Gus Didomissio was the first congregant that John and Macy met when they first came to Springville Congregational in response to a request for an interview. He was also the first congregant they counseled over the loss of a loved one. He had lost his wife shortly before they were hired. And now, so long after the horrible passing of his wife due to cancer, Gus had found love again. Gus and Lucy were so perfect for each other. Both were highly intelligent people, and both had a passionate love for hot cars. Lucy loved to run, swim, and bike, and Gus loved acting as her trainer. The issue that concerned John and Macy was that Gus was a devout Christian and Lucy was a devoutly agnostic Jew.

Then John heard an engine revving, and he looked. It was the beige Toyota Corolla that he and Macy saw after their last dinner at Giardini’s with Paul and Andi. Now it was roaring across the lawn and was bearing down on Andi. John didn’t think about the consequences when he dove for her. “ANDI!” he shouted, and the little blond turned the wrong way. She never saw the car bearing down on her. John reached her a split second before the car did, and he shoved her.

Frank barreled across the lawn toward the front door of the church. He bounced over the rock garden that lined the driveway and headed right toward that fat blond. Pregnant again? Probably. Frank glanced to the right and saw that tall doctor that she married. He was staring at him and holding the twins by the hands. Then he saw a man appear from behind the tall doctor, and the man was running toward him. Frank felt something hit the Toyota hard and a bump as he ran over something, and he headed for the exit, but he was looking at the mirrors, watching the angry man running after him. For some reason, the running man terrified Frank. There was another rock garden on the other side of the doorways, but he wasn’t paying attention. He was watching the hate-filled man running after him. Frank hit the rock garden, and he was thrown to the steering wheel as the Toyota hit the rock garden and hung up on a large rock.

Andi didn’t understand what was going on. She had been making wedding plans with Lucy, and Lucy said, “Hang on, I have to give Gus his bible.” Lucy turned to give Gus his Bible when John started screaming at Andi. Both Lucy and Andi thought, “what was wrong with John?” He dove and shoved Andi hard and knocked her to the ground just as a car that Andi never saw roared by. John had pushed her out of the way, mostly. She felt a blinding pain in her left ankle as the car ran over her. But John was in front of the car and was hit hard. Andi saw him sail through the air and hit the driveway, then bounce and roll to a stop. Through her pain-addled mind, it reminded her of Madeline’s Strawberry Shortcake doll and how it flops around when she throws it.

Macy saw her husband dive forward and push Andi, but what Macy will see in her horror filled nightmares was John’s body bouncing off the front of the car, then he was airborne, then he hit the ground and rolled on the pavement like a discarded rag doll. And then he was deathly still.

That’s when the screaming started.

Dr. Lucy Kocis, known to her interns as the “Queen of the ER,” immediately went into fighting mode. Seeing Andi writhe in agony, she mentally marked Andi as “Injured, functional” and dashed over to John. “I’m here John, let me take a look at you.”

Josh Gravely and Veronica von Köster were there too. They had joined the conversation after the service and chatted with Gus and Lucy until everyone was almost gone. Just as they stepped outside of the church, the Toyota roared toward them. Josh saw Andi was going to be hit and possibly Lucy too, so he ran. Everything sank into slow motion. He was focused on the driver of the car, who wasn’t watching where he was driving. The driver was looking at Paul and the twins. Out of the corner of his eye, Josh saw John’s body bounce off the car and fly to the curb. Before John’s body hit the ground, Josh had sentenced the driver of the car to death.

Time slowed almost to a stop for Josh. While everyone else was trying to understand what had happened, Josh was moving. Josh knew he couldn’t help the injured, and he wasn’t the type to stand and scream. He kept his eye on the Toyota and saw that it was going to hit the rock garden. Hopefully, he’ll catch the car and pull the driver out. The thought made him run harder.

It was the same damn car that had been outside their house on Friday night, spying on Andi and Paul’s house. Josh was closing in on the Toyota as the driver tried to negotiate the curving driveway back into the parking lot, but his right front wheel got hung up in the rock garden. The Toyota got pulled onto the rocks and was soon over-centered on huge rocks placed there by Gus when he built the church. Frank was stuck, and Josh was within arm’s reach of him.

Josh had no skill in healing human bodies, but he was very good at busting them up, so he crouched and moved toward the Toyota’s driver-side door. Josh had some anger issues, and he wanted to work them out on somebody’s face.

All the time this was going on, Paul was frozen in horror. He held the twin’s hands as they squealed and screamed for their mommy. His mind went blank as the world churned and seethed around him. Macy’s piercing, heart-shattering shriek didn’t even move him. Finally, Lucy’s shout of “DOCTOR JARECKI! GET IN THE GAME GOD DAMN IT!”

That did it. As if he were waking from a deep sleep, Paul turned to his mother-in-law, Heather. “Hold the twins,” and he handed the weeping twins to the horror-stricken woman. “Take them inside.” Then he turned to Veronica, who was brushing past him. Veronica was following Josh. She knew that look on his face, and she had to stop him before he went to prison. Paul grabbed her arm and handed her his keys and said, “Go to my van and get my doctor’s bag, it’s right behind the driver’s seat. We need it STAT!” Then he went and checked on Andi.

Josh peered into the Toyota’s side window and recognized the driver. “Oh, it’s you, the fucking pervert. Wanna take some more pictures? Be a man, step on out here chum.”

The driver’s window rolled down, and Frank’s arm extended, brandishing a snub-nosed .38 caliber revolver. “Get back! I’ll use it.”

“Like fuck you will,” snarled Josh. He didn’t move. The door opened, and Frank moved to get out, and that’s when Josh made his move. He grasped Frank’s gun hand in a powerful grip and twisted hard, trying to snap his wrist and rip his hand off. In agony, Frank dropped the pistol, but Josh didn’t let go. He pulled Frank out of the car and with his right hand, Josh grabbed Frank’s neck and squeezed hard while he drove his knee into Frank’s testicles.

Frank was in blinding pain and he realized he was in danger, but he didn’t realize how much danger until Josh growled in his deep southern drawl, “Ah killed hundreds of men, an’ each one had more fuckin’ honor and dignity than you. Ah ain’t going to blink when you die, you’re just gonna be a shit stain on my boot.”

Bob Alice, an off-duty Town of Concord Police Department patrolman, a member of John’s church for several years, ran up and flashed his badge. In horror, he realized Josh had lifted Frank off his feet by the throat. “You need to let him go.”

“Ah was jus helpin’ him outta his car officer.”

“He’s turning blue, he might die!” said the cop.

“What’s yer point?” said Josh without taking his eyes from Frank’s agonized glare.

“Let him go, I’ll cuff him.”

“If ah let him go he may pull another gun,” said Josh as he gestured to Franks .38 laying on the rocks. “This here’s the pervert that was taking pictures of Doctor Jarecki’s house Friday night. We called it in and filed a complaint.” Josh only loosened his grip on Frank when Officer Alice tightly cuffed Frank’s wrists. “Doctor Jarecki told me this feller followed him from Niagara Falls to Cheektowaga on Thursday.”

“I’m sure the detectives will be happy to meet this fellow.” Officer Alice pulled his cellphone out and called the department requesting police and ambulance, but the sound of distant sirens told him that call had already been made. “Mister Gravely, I need you to step away.”

“Ah’m just makin’ sure he doesn’t make a run for it, sir.”

“He’s not going anywhere while he’s puking.”

Just then, Josh was yanked aside and almost fell over backward. It was Gus Didomissio. Gus’s Italian blood lust was up and there wasn’t much to stop him. He was going to rip Frank Rosetti’s head off. Bob Alice didn’t recognize the danger Gus presented, but being a warrior, Josh recognized it, as did Frank Rosetti. “He’s mine!” shouted Gus.

“Oh, hell no!” yelled Josh. “Ah caught him, ah get to kill him.” He joined the struggle with Officer Alice, trying to keep Gus from killing Frank. Gus was incredibly strong, and he was manhandling Officer Alice and Josh. Years of hard labor as a carpenter honed Gus’s strength to a fine edge, and Josh and Bob Alice were overpowered by him.

“Why are you protecting him?” bellowed Gus.

“Ah ain’t protectin’ him, ah’m tryin’ to keep your dumb ass out of jail!”

Gus had the strength, but Josh had combat training, and he finally got Gus in a wrist lock hold, and Gus paused. Josh was terrified that when Gus got his breath back, he was going to dropkick Josh over the car and stomp the life out of Rosetti.

“He killed John!” shouted Gus. “Let me at him.”

“Killing this turd ain’t no way to honor a good man like John,” said Josh, who was so exhausted from his struggle with Gus that he felt like he was going to puke. “Ah’m already goin’ ta hell, let me finish this piece a shit for you.” Just then, Veronica ran up and put a hand on Gus’s shoulder.

“Paul wants you, he asked me to get you back to the church. He said it’s vitally important.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, he and Lucy are busy working together on John. He wants you too, dear,” she said to Josh.

“Why does he want me?”

“You speak French. Macy is hysterical and isn’t grasping English and Paul keeps messing up. He told Macy that John was going to be puppy.”

“Go help Paul, partner,” panted Josh, and he released Gus. “Ah’ll help Macy.” Gus wordlessly walked back to the church and Josh collapsed to his knees in exhaustion next to where Frank Rosetti was kneeling.

“Gee what’s wrong with that guy?” said Frank.

“You!” said Josh. Then, as an afterthought, he punched Frank in the back of the head. “Shut the fuck up!” The punch knocked Frank off balance, which caused him to fall forward and hit his head on the pavement.

“Gravely! I warned you!” said Officer Alice. “You sit right there and don’t move!”

Josh looked up at Veronica and said, “You go, ah’ll catch up later.” The look of terror in Veronica’s eyes struck horror in Josh’s heart. She saw him at his worst; she saw him try to kill a man. She saw him hit a man chained up in handcuffs. Josh was sure he was going to get home and find his bags and Tigger set out on the curb. He couldn’t blame her if she tossed him out.

An ambulance had pulled in and several cop cars wheeled into the parking lot. Two cop cars pulled over to where Josh was sitting. “Laying down boss!” said Josh, and he laid back and closed his eyes.

“Tired southern boy?” snickered Frank.

“Ah’m just imagining all the fun ah’m gonna have with your virgin asshole after they lock us in together. Seein’ as you’ve been boned a few times by Paul Jarecki, you should be used to it by now.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?”

“We’re plannin’ a git away cruise on that sweet boat he gave Andi fer Christmas. Ah’ll send you a post card from the Bahamas an’ tell you how nice it is.”

“That’s MY boat!” roared Frank as the cops hoisted him up and loaded him into a cop car.

“What a dumb ass,” muttered Josh. “He couldn’t afford the diesel it would take to get that thing out of the marina.”

“What the hell you doing down there redneck?” came a familiar voice.

“Me? Waiting to be locked up, boss! Can you put me in the same cell as my buddy Frank? We’re gettin’ to be real close.” Josh opened his eyes and recognized the cop looking down at him. It was Rick Hansen, a sergeant with the Town of Concord PD and the Sergeant of Arms at the VFW.

Rick helped him up and said, “You got Bob Alice pretty worked up, he wants to charge you with assaulting a prisoner.”

“Me? Ah don’t rightly remember that… ah ain’t been gitn’ much sleep lately. Ah do remember stoppin’ his prisoner from runnin’ off before Bob finished his donut and waddled over here. Ah also remember saving his prisoner’s life when a six foot four monster attacked for runnin’ over his apprentice carpenter.”

“Gus? You held back Gus Didomissio?” Rick looked around and said, “I can’t lock up a hero for tripping over that dirt bag, but if we come for you, don’t make it worse, ok?”

“Yes boss. Getting up boss.” Josh walked over to the church and found Andi writhing in agony. Paul was trying to encourage her and said, “I’m here honey, we’re going to be fine,” before she finally opened her eyes.

“Danny! He’s hurt!” wailed Andi, clutching her tummy.

“Why do you think he’s hurt?” asked Paul as he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a stethoscope, then shoved his bag over to Lucy.

“He’s kicking hard, he’s hurt!” she started wailing.

“Ok hold still, be quiet so I can hear what he’s saying,” Paul listened to Andi’s heart and lungs first, and she sounded healthy there, he was worried about a broken rib puncturing a lung, then he pulled up her dress and placed the chest piece of his stethoscope on her abdomen and for the first time he heard the heartbeat of his son without a sonogram’s audio interference. His little heart was purring away fine, and it sounded like he was rolling around. Paul felt the little pushes he made against Andi’s abdomen. Before, it was barely noticeable, but now these are fine and strong pushes. “He’s ok, he’s just worried about his mommy.”

Paul turned to hand his stethoscope to Lucy and saw Macy kneeling next to her, weeping and crying over John’s twisted, broken body. “Jean, s’il te plaît, réveille-toi!” (John please wake up!)

Josh finally arrived, crouched down next to Macy and whispered softly, ”Marie-Claude, laisse Lucy travailler.” (Marie-Claude, let Lucy work.) His French was horrible, and his accent made him barely understandable to the panicked Canadian.

Her reaction was instantaneous and heartbreaking. ”Non! Je ne peux pas être seule! Jean! Ne me quitte pas!” (No! I can’t be alone! John! Don’t leave me!)

Josh suddenly felt nauseous. How many widows did he make? How many women cried for their lost husbands thanks to him? He fought back the tears and said slowly, ”Lucy est la meilleure, elle emmènera Jean à l’hôpital où ils le soigneront.” (Lucy is the best, she’ll get John to the hospital where they’ll fix him) He spoke slowly because his French was awful and it had been a couple of years since he finished his course at Buff State.

Macy wept and clung to Josh and he urged her back a bit when the EMTs arrived with the backboard. “Lay it right here boys,” said Lucy.

The EMT puffed up his chest and said, “Ma’am, you need to step aside and let us…”

Josh grabbed him by the upper arm and said quietly, “Buddy, that is Doctor Evangeline Kosis, board certified thoracic surgeon at the Emergency Department of Erie County Medical Center. Y’all just listen and do what she says and the life you save, may be your own.”

The EMT saw the hate and anger burning in Josh’s eyes but he snapped out of it when Lucy yelled, “HEY! We got work to do here Dale! Get with it!”

The redneck was right; he recognized her voice, and she knew him. He brought many ‘customers’ to her when she was working at ECMC. Not a great way to start the response. “What do we have?” asked the EMT.

“I have a fireman in my light!” snapped Lucy.

“Two victims,” started Paul as he cleaned the dirt from an abrasion on Andi’s arm. “Female victim, early thirties, initial examination revealed a fractured medial malleolus, talus, and calcaneus with possible fracture to the navicular, cuboid, and lateral cuneiform bones. She’s six months pregnant and the fetus is viable.”

Josh whispered in the fireman’s ear, “Your life may depend on that fetus remaining viable.”

“Josh, stop!” snapped Andi through her pain. “Let them do their jobs.”

“Oh yeah, she’s a doctor too. It would behoove you to listen to her.”

“JOSH!”

“What! Somebody had to say it!”

Josh stayed with Macy, explaining in his heavily accented French what they were doing. Finally, they got John onto a stretcher and wheeled him over to the ambulance as a second ambulance arrived for Andi. “Macy, give me your keys and call me or Ronnie and we’ll get what you need and come pick you up.” She handed Josh her keys and steeled herself to climb into the ambulance with John once they got him set.

A cop came by and said to Paul, “do you have any questions?”

“Yeah, how does a man with multiple felony warrants out for him in Colorado wind up in New York, rent a car, stalk a family, and nearly kill several people?”

“We found no warrants for Gilberto Battaglia.”

“What?” asked Paul.

“That’s what’s on his ID,” said the cop, looking at Frank’s driver’s license. “We checked his wants and warrants and he wasn’t listed. This is pre-real ID, but it’s valid.”

“Then it’s a fake,” groaned Andi. “Colorado was one of the first states issuing Real ID licenses.”

The cop pulled his radio and called, “Dispatch, Fourteen seventy eight, request NCIC on Battaglia, Gilberto A. Four fifty five, seventh avenue northwest, Brighton Colorado.”

Dispatch returned quickly. “Unit Fourteen seventy eight, Gilberto Battaglia… signal two March seventh, twenty twenty two.”

“Fourteen seventy eight copy.” The cop turned to Paul and said, “I apologize, you’re right. Signal two means dead, he’s been dead since covid.”

“His real name is Frank Rosetti. You’ll find out when you get him to the station, and you fingerprint him.”

“You know him?” asked the cop.

“Yes, I know him. He’s my wife’s ex. Andi, Gus, and Ernie Kraft knows him.”

“He’s a sleazy, greasy useless jamoke,” said Lucy. She was fighting hard to keep her anger down as she prepared John for the ambulance ride.

“Oh yeah, Doctor Kocis knows him also.”

“Fuck,” hissed the cop under his breath. “How do you spell Rosetti?”

“R-O-S-E-T-T-I,” said Andi.

The cop made a call on his radio, “Dispatch Fourteen seventy eight, can you run an NCIC on a Frank Rosetti of Denver Colorado? One S two Ts…” he waited less than a minute when the dispatcher came back with the list.

“Fourteen seventy eight, Rosetti, Francesco G, wants and warrants… Rape in the third degree… assault… battery… solicitation… pimping… sex trafficking…”

“Roger dispatch.” He turned to Paul and said, “We’ll probably add attempted murder, attempted vehicular homicide, assaulting a law enforcement officer, unlawful possession of a firearm, and possession of category two narcotics and unlawful use of a state identification.”

“Don’t forget stalking,” said Veronica. The cop looked at her oddly, and Veronica continued. “We caught him on Friday night taking pictures of people coming and going over at Doctor Jarecki’s house.”

The cop nodded and said on his radio, “The neighbors positively identify him as the person they reported on Friday night when he was casing the Jarecki residence.”

“He was casing our house?” Paul demanded from Josh.

“Veronica showed him her attention getter,” said Josh in his defense. “He decided to do something else.”

“I think the camera we found in his possession will show premeditation, which will get him free room and board for an extremely long time.”

Then Josh felt a tap on his shoulders and it was Paul. He looked like hell. “Here’s my keys, can you get the kids home?”

“No problem,” said Josh. Paul got in the ambulance with Andi and they wheeled out of the parking lot, lights flashing. The unreality of everything that had happened crashed down on Josh as the last cop car wheeled away. The only evidence that a near double murder happened was a rented Toyota and the police flatbed was getting ready to take it to the impound lot.

Josh walked into the church and found Yi, Kenny, Heather, and the twins sitting in a corner quietly weeping. He gave them Paul’s keys and said, “He’ll call when he finds something out. Do you need me to drive?”

“I can drive,” said Heather, and they went out and headed toward the van.

Josh saw Paul’s doctor bag sitting on the sidewalk, wide open. The last evidence that something happened. “Wait!” He grabbed the bag and zipped it up, and gave it to Heather. “This goes behind the driver’s seat.” She took the bag and nodded sadly and headed to the van with the children.

He went back into the church and saw where Gus had disappeared to. He was leading a prayer group. Josh looked at the men in a circle praying and he felt left out… hurt too badly… too alone… Josh still wanted to murder Frank. He wanted to tear Frank’s beating heart out and stuff it in his mouth. He wanted to hear Frank’s dying gasps and see the look of horror on Frank’s face when he saw the gates of hell were flung wide open for him.

Josh realized he couldn’t poison the prayers of those fine men with his black heart like he did with his relationship with Veronica, so he left.

<><><><><>

Veronica found Josh in the backyard. He had been picking leaves out of the rock garden and tossing them in the creek. The rock gardens were clear of leaves and he was staring into the creek. Veronica was reminded of a jumper up at Niagara Falls. The description she read of the look in his eye before he jumped matched the look she saw in Josh’s eyes. “Come on,” and she led him back to the house, and he followed her meekly. She led him to an Adirondack chair, and he sank into it. Veronica curled up in his lap and gave him little kisses. “Lucy says John is going to be ok, he’s out of surgery now. They’re going to keep him sedated for a few days so they can monitor him.”

“Good.”

“Andi only has a broken ankle, she goes in for surgery tomorrow and will be home soon,” said Veronica.

“Better.”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I’m avoiding everyone,” said Josh.

“Why?” she asked, trying to calm Josh.

“Because y’all saw me for what ah really am, a blood thirsty murderous bastard.”

“We were all angry, shocked and scared,” said Veronica.

“Ah weren’t. Ah knew exactly what ah was gonna do. Ah planned to chase him down and rip out his heart. Ah caught up with him and damn near strangled him to death in front of a cop. But ah come back to John and heard Macy cryin’ and I realized that’s what ah did for a livin’… I earned my keep makin’ orphans. I slaughtered men and made women and babies cry. He weren’t no better than me, just… ah did it from seven thousand feet up. Ah watched Lucy and Paul healing, putting bodies and lives back together from what my spiritual brother ripped apart.”

“They’re doctors, you’re a warrior.

He stared off into the distance, not seeing anything. “What good am I?”

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Josh had a stump set up just for splitting firewood. He set the eighteen-inch slice of a log known as a round on it, then consider where to place the wedge, then with a couple of taps from the sledgehammer, he’d start the wedge. Once the wedge was set, he’d step back, grasp the sledgehammer’s handle at the end, and take a swing that would make Jawn Henry proud. Over and over, Veronica watched slices of trees explode into pieces. Josh’s anger drove that wedge through the round and into the stump. He’d then split the halves into quarters, and the quarters into eighths. With a big round he could split the wood into sixteenths. As he split the wood, he would toss the split pieces of firewood into the bucket of the front-end loader on Little John.

He had a woodshed back here by the cabins and another woodshed behind the main cabin, but this load was going in the back end of Spartacus, his jeep Gladiator pickup. He placed a large round on the stump; it was very heavy, but it was nicely dry. He picked up the sledgehammer, holding it right behind the eight-pound head, and set the wedge with a few taps, then stepped back. He glared at the shiny top of the wedge; it was mushrooming from the use he’s given it over the past two years, and he imagined that the wedge was Frank Rosetti’s broken nose. With a powerful swing, he drove the wedge into the round. He had to take three more swings and pry the round apart to complete the split, but that happens a lot with those big rounds.

He took a half round and set the wedge and stepped back. This time he pictured Bob Alice’s whiny donut filled gut as the head of the wedge. He swung, and with a dull ‘clank!’ the wedge was driven through the round half. That left two big quarters. He may need to split them twice each because they’re so big. He set the wedge again and this time he pictured Charles Lee when he swung. He split the wood cleanly with one swing and the wedge was driven through so fiercely it stuck in the stump. As he wiggled the wedge to get it out of the stump, Josh heard Veronica clearing her throat.

“Yes?” asked Josh.

“John needs you.”

“He’s awake?”

“Yes, and he wants to talk to you.”

“He does?”

“Yes, now pick up your mess and get cleaned up, you’re not going to the ICU all filthy.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Josh finished splitting that round, stacked all the wood in the bucket, then turned to pick up the wedge and the sledge. As he did that, Veronica hopped on Little John and drove off. “Every time…” grumbled Josh. He loved driving that tractor, but Veronica loved driving it even more.

<><><><><>

John was weak and pale. He had tubes and cables attached to him. Josh knew it was all monitoring and nurturing, but it still looked like a 1950s horror movie experiment. He pulled a chair up next to the bed and said, “John?”

John smiled and turned toward Josh, but he didn’t open his eyes. “I had this dream that I was a catholic priest,” he said in a whisper. “I dreamed I was saying confession, but every time I opened the curtain, it was you, and you spoke to me of the sins of the heart. Isn’t that silly?”

“Yeah, hilarious,” said Josh. That’s exactly what he had been doing. He’d come over and while Macy went to eat, walk, or rest on a more comfortable sofa, Josh would talk to the unconscious pastor of his problems with killing so many people and almost killing Frank. He spent every moment he could in the hospital in the intensive care unit sitting next to John, confessing his sins, from beating up Martin Rolls in third grade to every live fire mission he flew. But John was sedated. He didn’t hear a word. Or did he?

“Don’t talk to me with these problems unless you’re just shooting the breeze around the campfire,” said Josh softly. “Talk to Doctor Lennox about everything that’s bothering you, including Frank, that’s what she’s there for. I’m not exactly objective in that matter,” said John with a weak cough.

“But Frank isn’t PTSD related,” insisted Josh.

“But it’s something that bothers you, and that’s her job. What did we say about compartmentalization?”

“Nuthin. At’s the first time ah ever heard that chestnut.”

“Oh. Well, we will. Josh, she’s there for everything that goes on in your head. I can talk to you about sin and guilt and doubt, but let her fix the hard stuff… I’m not quite up to it.”

“I will. Is there anything I can do for you?” asked Josh.

“There’s a wedding I want you to go to. Macy hasn’t done a wedding on her own in a very long time. She needs support.”

“How did you find out about that?” asked Josh.

John actually heard about it from Josh during one of his late night confessions. “I have my ways. Just go and smile, hold her sheet music if she asks, and sing with her. You and she can do the Wedding Song so well… Tell Ron and Stacy it’s a gift from me.”

“Will do.”

“And do me a favor, track down Dexter Humbolt and ask him what he has against my wife.”

“And then… ?” asked a confused Josh.

“You’ll figure it out. You’re a much better man then you give yourself credit for.”

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 2

The colors of autumn in Western New York were incredible, brilliant red and orange, yellow and green. In Zoar valley, the viewer was surrounded by colors and Veronica was overwhelmed by the colors. This was the first time she took time to enjoy them, and looking at the colors seemed to soothe Josh’s nerves. The beautiful colors of autumn even entered the old wooden church that John and Macy had entered for the first time years ago. This time it was Macy standing up front.

Macy wore a light cream and coffee brown dress, Andi wore peach, pink, and yellow, and Yi wore crimson and brown. All three dresses were the same design. Veronica wore a beautiful gown in burnt umber with sienna trim, which caused many women to gasp. “I guess they don’t know what I used to do for a living,” she whispered to Josh, who was in his tuxedo.

Veronica was a little upset that he didn’t wear his medal, but Josh simply said, “All salutes should be given to the bride. Ah’ll wear it at my wedding, deal?”

“Deal,” she chuckled.

Paul was there in his matching tuxedo, but he sat behind the pianist Melissa Kraft. He played guitar accompaniment.

Macy stepped out from the room behind the podium and stood alone in her beautiful new dress, and smiled. It was a bit of a shock to the congregation that Macy was performing the ceremony. They had never seen her do anything like this, and if she spoke during a service, it was to address the women of the congregation.

”Bon après-midi, good afternoon. Originally, my husband Jean was supposed to perform the ceremony, but he cannot make it.” She placed her hand on her tummy and said, “I hope you don’t mind if I brought our daughter instead.” When the chuckles settled down, she continued. “Stacy and Ron love this beautiful old building and it means much to me as well; this is where they first met and I was there to watch. It is where I first met the wonderful people of Springville. When we mentioned to Ron and Stacy that John was not able to make it, Stacy asked me to fill in for him and I am overjoyed to do so. In case you wonder, I am an ordained minister and have a Ph.D. in theology, and I am the one that taught John how to perform wedding ceremonies at Divinity School.”

Her statement raised a few chuckles and a smiling Macy gestured to the side, and Ron and his best man and groomsmen took their place. She whispered to the groom, Ron. “Smile, mon ami, your bride approaches and your journey begins.” She said that, trying to get him to smile as the bridesmaids came down the aisle. In fact, she was there in the rickety old church when Ron and the bride Stacy met. He was the new kid in town and Stacy was the widow Angela’s daughter. John was the new pastor and Macy was the pastor’s wife who was still nervous about living in America. She looked at the boys in their tuxedos, simple black tuxedos that matched Josh and Paul. “You were so young when we met! What happened to you?” Macy whispered, which finally caused Ron to loosen up and smile.