Chapter 3

I wasn't sure what was going on but had the impression that Dad didn't want Claudia around that much. Then I remembered. Mom had teased him about some of her friends saying that they thought he was a stud. Claudia was the only one Mom had mentioned by name. I had noticed that Claudia and one other looked at him pretty hard and that would make Dad very uncomfortable. I guess it would me, too.

We went to the dealer in Marietta. I quickly found a Jeep Liberty in a gold color. It had a lot of options but not any that were too superfluous. We figured out the keys and started charging its dead battery. Once it started, I told Dad that I was going to fill the tank. I took our siphoning stuff and left. Pat got in the passenger seat.

I pulled out, getting the feel of the car, truck, SUV, or whatever. We stopped at a gas station that had power and I jimmied the pump to let me pump gas. Pat watched quietly. Once the pump started, she said, "Mark, I don't think your Dad likes Claudia. I don't think you dislike me. I ask you two things. Would you help me bury my parents and would you help me get set on my own? I don't want to be a burden to anyone or push myself on anyone."

"Dad and I can and will do that. I think his problem is that Claudia has had the hots for him for a long time and he never cared for that or her. On the other hand, if you had the hots for me, that would be fine." I grinned until I looked at her face. "I'm sorry. Pat, I was just kidding. We will be glad to help you with no strings attached."

"Thanks, Mark. I wouldn't mind going with you but not that way. After the first rapes, I had decided that next time would be the last because I would fight. Living that way is not living."

"I think I understand. Anyway, we'll help you with your parents. Unless Dad objects, we will take you with us to learn how to live, too. There won't be any strings attached."

"Thank you, Mark." We returned to the dealership. Dad took the siphon kit and said, "Watch things. We'll be back." He and Claudia left with her driving a fancy Chrysler 300. I started transferring things from my old car into the Liberty. Pat came over and helped me.

We finished and were sitting on the back under the rear deck lid. She said, "You two had a lot of gear to go shopping?"

"We planned for the new car and like to be prepared. It's good practice."

"Mark, should I go car shopping? My parents had a SUV and I have a Miata. Neither are very practical like this Liberty."

"It's not a bad idea. Should we look for another Liberty?"

"Yes, I liked riding with you and I could handle one of them well." We went searching and found one similar to mine in silver. We retrieved the keys and it cranked. Pat pulled it out and parked it next to my new car. "Mark, I feel comfortable in it. It has a fourth of a tank of gas. We can get more when we leave."

I nodded. Claudia drove up with Dad. He got out with the siphon kit and she drove off after shooting him a bird. "Dad, what happened?"

"She didn't like it when I said, 'No.' She had figured that with Mary out of the way, she had a clear shot. She was wrong."

Pat said, "Mister Dillard, Mark said I could come with you two to learn. We have a Liberty for me pulled out and ready. If you will permit it, that is."

Dad looked at me. I said, "I told her there were no strings attached. She wants us to help bury her parents and teach her how to protect herself and live successfully."

Dad nodded. He said, "Is everything transferred?" I nodded. "Let's go then. Pat, you need to lead us to your parents. On the way, stop somewhere that sold blankets."

She got in her car and Dad got in with me. "Dad, why the blankets?"

"We will need to wrap the bodies for transporting. I would think she will want to bury them at her house. We'll dig a grave while she packs. Once they're buried, we can head back to our farm. I sent Claudia away though that wasn't hard after I declined her advances. Pat seems like a nice girl. We'll see how this works out. At least, she can learn how to shoot." We drove the next mile in silence until Pat pulled in at an old K-Mart. We went inside carefully and picked out two pretty blankets. We left and continued on.

We stopped at a street where a SUV was sitting. Cutting our motors off, we went to it and saw the two dead bodies. Dad and I took the blankets and spread them out. We laid Pat's father on one and her mother on the other and wrapped them gently. We carried them to the back of Pat's Liberty. We drove off and arrived at Pat's home not far from our old neighborhood.

We pulled the bodies out and carried them to the backyard. Pat showed us where to dig a grave. We found shovels and a pick and began. Before we started digging, Dad told Pat to pack her things because we would leave after the burial. She nodded and went inside.

We managed a four foot deep hole and laid her parents side by side in it. Pat came out and put a few things on their bodies. We filled in the hole and packed the dirt at the top. Dad said a prayer. Pat cried quietly.

We went around front and Pat's Liberty was fairly full. Dad said, "Follow us. I want to go by our old house. Then, we'll head out of town." She just nodded. We got in the cars again. "She has no weapons, Son. We will get your mother's rifle and pistol from the house, say our goodbyes to her, and head out. I will ride with her then."

We stopped at our house and did that. Dad rode with Pat. He talked to her getting to know her and giving her a chance to get to know him. Pat later told me that he talked about Mom a lot. I wasn't surprised. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived back at the valley.

Our telltales were still in place meaning that no one had entered or that they were smarter than we were. After I was beyond them, Dad had Pat pull over and he replaced our telltales including the tree that seemed to be blocking the road. We pulled down to our farmhouse and pulled in. As I got out and approached them, Dad was telling Pat that she could have my bedroom tonight and could pick a house tomorrow. When she looked surprised, he added that there were only two bedrooms in this house.

Dad cooked supper and we ate together in the kitchen. Pat talked and we listened. It wasn't hard to do. She is pretty with a pleasant voice. She was positive about our valley.

Finally she asked, "Mister Dan, how long could I stay at one of these houses? I have always liked and respected Mark even though I thought Cathy was wrong for him. My friends and I left him alone. It wouldn't have been right to try to break them up.

"I lost touch with everyone when I left for college. I didn't come home often because we had family in North Carolina and I would meet my parents up there. In the summers, I worked as an intern though nothing real in the way of a job ever materialized."

Dad gave a slow, gentle smile. "Here, everyone pulls their weight. As long as you're willing to do your share and we can get along, you are welcome to stay. If we part company, we'll help you get established somewhere safe that suits you."

"Thank you. That's all I could ask and more than I would expect. I'm a worker and will carry my share of whatever duties there might be."

Pat and I did the dishes since Dad had cooked. Then, it was time for bed. She came into the living room with a sheet, blanket, and a pillow from her car. She put them on the couch. She said, "I'm sleeping here. Mark shouldn't give up his bed."