Page 1 of Guarding Fable

1

Leo

Ibolt out of bed, my lungs on fire. Sweat trickles down my back as I drag air into my lungs. It’s been two months since I had one of my nightmares. I thought I had finally conquered them. Two years since I left the Air Force, and while I feel at peace most of the time, I can’t escape my memories in my dreams.

My phone buzzes on the table next to my bed, and I shake off the last dredges of my nightmare and get into work mode. I’m the sheriff for a small town in the Shenandoah Valley, the place of my youth. The text is from my deputy on duty tonight.

Frank:We found a woman off route 33. Barely conscious, no belongings.

Frank:On the way to County Hospital.

Me:Meet you there.

Our department doesn’t get much business. Most of it is either domestic disturbance or something dealing with drugs or alcohol. There are only a little over two thousand souls I keep watch over, so most of the job is about dealing with natural disasters. We have a lot of flash floods and snowstorms through this area. Something this odd needs to be handled just right and that means I need to get there.

I get out of bed and start to get ready. Ten minutes later, I’m out the door of my cabin, a freshly brewed cup of coffee inmy hand, and my mind on the task. As I head down the mountain road, I think about what could have brought the woman here. We’re not a tourist destination. Most of the inhabitants are farmers or ranchers. We use the County Hospital because we don’t even have a clinic other than Doc Walters’ office. And if Frank, who was a year behind me in school and knows every flipping person in town, doesn’t know her, sheisa stranger.

Less than twenty minutes later, I’m parking my truck in front of the hospital and making my way into the ER. Frank is standing at the desk, gossiping with the nurse. She looks vaguely familiar, but that’s the thing about living here. We all know each other, even if we move out of town. My high school class only had fifty people.

“Hey, Leo,” Frank says with a smile.

“So, any information on the woman?”

He shakes his head. “She had a gash on her head, so the doctor wanted to check for a concussion.”

I nod. “Anything else?”

“Nothing much. She can’t weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. I figured you would want to put out a statement about her, so I posted it on our page. Thought maybe someone might have family visiting or something.”

“But nothing else? No car?”

“Nope. She was found by the side of the road by Sandy Jenkins.”

Great. Ms. Jenkins is a gossipy old woman. “Okay.”

The doors that lead back to the treatment rooms open and a nurse steps out. “Hey, Frank. Sheriff. The doctor wants to talk to you.”

I look at Frank. “Did you put a picture on the post?”

Frank shakes his head. “I didn’t have a good pic of her. Do you want me to take one?”

Normally, I would, but something in my gut tells me not to.“No. Until we find out what’s going on, I don’t want her pic out there. Get back to the office and check to see if there have been any missing persons reports filed with someone fitting her description.”

“No problem.”

He heads out as I follow the nurse back to the doc. I’ve had one other dealing with him before this for a DUI crash. He’s competent, but he always looks exhausted.

“Hey, Sheriff Nilson. I wanted to talk to you about the woman we found. She had a really hard hit on the head and has a slight concussion. I want to keep her at least a day to keep an eye on her. She’s dehydrated a bit too.”

“Anything else? Did you do a rape kit?”

He shook his head. “She refused.”

I frown, but we can’t force her to do it. “Can I talk to her?”

“Yes. Just remember to be gentle.”

I want to roll my eyes, but I let it go. He’s never acted like this before.

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