the posse was assembling. Two deputies from Jackson County, Oregon, had flown in to take control of the prisoner. They hoped to escort the fugitive back to Medford where he would stand trial.
A deputy was already cruising the alley behind the man’s home and soon reported back: “Too late. His work truck is gone.” Now they would have to wait. And hunt. Patrol the neighborhood. Perhaps he was still in town. They couldn’t ask his boss. If the fugitive got word of their pursuit, he might leave his family and run.
It was the middle of the morning. The children had gone to school, and Jeannie had switched to drinking hot tea when Tina’s sharp bark sounded an alarm. Looking out the back door, Jeannie thought she caught a glimpse of a police car driving down the alley before it disappeared behind their long shed. Or was it a sheriff s car? She shivered.
Why would a police car be here? Jeannie wondered. They certainly hadn’t committed a crime. Their worst brush with the law, so far as she knew, was when Jimmy had received a ticket for not having an inspection sticker on their car. They hadn’t paid it yet. They don’t send officers to your house for that, she told herself. Don’t be paranoid, she told herself.
She looked out the back door again. Jeannie thought the view out front to be somewhat rustic. Their front yard was small but had a flowering redbud tree and narrow, rough-hewn stone steps leading down to the street. The steps were quaint-looking but treacherous, and kept intruders away. Once again, she experienced that ominous feeling she had earlier.
Something wasn’t right. The police had to be searching for someone. Why would they be looking toward her house? Or was it her imagination?
It was early afternoon when Jeannie’s phone rang. She plucked the handset from its cradle and spoke a low, “Hello.” Her voice carried a worried inflection.
“Hey, Babe, you sound kind of down.”
“I’m about to go batty, Jim.”
“What’s the problem?”
“I feel as though something bad is about to happen. I’m feeling that way more and more. Police cars keep driving by like they’re looking for something. What do you think it is?”
“Who knows? Can’t be us.”
“Where are you working?”
“Piedmont. I’ve been all over today.”
“What time will you be in?”
“I dunno. Probably about six. We get back to town, I’ll drop Matt off and then I’ll be home as quickly as I can.”
“I’ll be glad when you’re here. Every time I look outdoors, there’s another police car driving by. They keep driving up and down the alley, up and down. Out front, too. Maybe some criminal got loose.”
“Jeannie, your imagination is getting away.”
“No, Jim, I know what I see.”
“Hell, we’re not criminals, and the chance that some fugitive comes around our place is remote. Hang in there, Babe. Don’t let it get to you.”
“I wish I could,” murmured Jeannie, as she hung up the phone.
A visible noose was tightening. Every officer who would be involved with the arrest knew where the fugitive lived. Also, they knew he was driving a blue Ford pickup with identifying letters on each door. Some overzealous cop had already stopped a similar pickup and frightened an innocent citizen.
Sheriff’s department and police cars watched the home. They knew he wasn’t there. They did not know where he was and they did not know when he would return. Whenever, they would be ready. At the appropriate time, a dispatcher would phone just to be certain.
The hours ticked away, a minute at a time. Jeannie looked out the back door to see yet another car with a star on its door drive by. She hurried to the front but the street was empty. Just then, Andy came home from school. “Hi, Mom,” he called out. He headed for the living room and plopped down on a chair.
“How was your day?” Jeannie asked.
“It was okay.”
“You want something to eat?”
“No. Why’s a police car in the alley?”
Jeannie shivered. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just don’t know.”
The girls came in and went straight to their bedroom to change into play clothes. Soon Julie went outdoors with Andy to play.
They returned to the house and Julie said, “Mamma, there’s a police car out back. It looked like it wanted to turn in and then it went on. What’s it doing?”
Jeannie shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Some time later, Jimmy shuffled tiredly through the kitchen door. “Hey, Babe, how’s it going?” he asked.
She frowned. “Hon, you’re going to think I’m crazy now, but there’s one of those police cars parked outside in the back.”
“Aw, you’re worrying over nothing.”
Jeannie followed Jimmy into the living room. Suddenly the phone rang. Jimmy picked it up. “Is this Jimmy Taylor?” a man’s voice asked.
“That’s me.”
Jimmy heard a click as the line went dead. He replaced the handset. “Whoever it was, they hung up,” he said, puzzled. “Sounded like it was me they wanted to talk to, but then they hung up.”
Jeannie wondered, is this another omen?
Andy sat in a corner chair, eyeing his parents. Grownups were always getting upset over nothing. He shrugged and decided to go out back again and play. Three police cars were in the alley, pulling into their back yard. For a few moments, the boy stood and stared.
Inside, Jimmy dropped onto the couch, lit a cigarette and shared it with Jeannie. Only three remained in the pack. “I need to get some more,” he said.
“You want to pick up some fast food, too?” asked Jeannie. “I’ve been so worried something was going to happen that I didn’t take out anything for dinner.”
He squeezed her hand. “It’s okay, Babe. Let me rest a minute or two and then I’ll go out and get some burgers or something.”
Within moments there were traffic sounds out front. They looked at one another as they heard car doors slam and anxious voices.
“What the . . .?” Jimmy said.
Jeannie was first to reach the door and open it. She peered outside. A large man adjusting his rimless glasses stood there; others were nearby. Not one of them was smiling. “Is your husband home?” the man with the eyeglasses asked.
“He’s home.”
“Ask him to come out here, please.”
Jimmy pushed past Jeannie, out through the door. “What the devil’s going on?”
