The Wash Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Info

  Dedication Page

  Preface - Late October

  Part I - November

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Part II - December

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Part III - January

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Acknowledgements

  The Wash

  by Cary Christopher

  Copyright © 2009 by Cary Christopher

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2017

  For printing information, contact the author at

  [email protected]

  For Karen - my favorite partner in crime

  Late October

  The shadow from the peak of the two-story house stretched all the way to the edge of the yard, pointing like an arrow right to the spot where nine-year-old Katie Anderson lay hidden. Her breath came in small, rapid bursts as she lay flat in the three-foot high grass at the edge of her parents’ property. Through her long cotton dress the cold crept into her legs and she could feel the sharp prickle of a sand spur digging into her thigh but she didn’t move.

  “KATIE!”

  There was a crispness to the air that signaled the end of October was settling down on Ogden Wash. It drifted over Katie like a blanket of temptation and so she lay hidden, ignoring her mother’s calls, ignoring the deepening violet sky and waiting for an opportunity to get further away. It was time for evening Bible study. Katie knew her mother wouldn’t give up easily. If anything, she’d go back inside and recruit one of the other mothers to help her look. Katie just needed one chance to run back toward the trees by the cemetery. She figured if she could get that far, she could stay hidden until after dark and that was so much more important than Bible study. Bible study was boring.

  Her father insisted the whole family be inside before dark. It was like he was afraid of something. Katie wasn’t afraid though. She loved looking out at the stars from her bedroom window. In Ogden Wash, the land lay flat for miles, but was bordered by mountains in every direction. Huge slabs of rock rose at awkward slants in what eventually became the westerly side of the Zion National Forest. During the summer, the skies were almost always clear, but they seemed to get even clearer with the first hints of colder weather. From her bed in the late summer and early fall, Katie could look up and out of the small window and see hundreds of stars. However those clear nights were coming to an end. Soon the weather would move in and it would be gray skies and snow for months.

  From the moment she went outside this morning, she knew today was the day to make a serious run for it. The sky was clear as far as she could see. Tonight would be a perfect night for star gazing and for once, she wanted to see the whole sky instead of that four by three view. She’d worked out this plan over weeks. Today she played with her sisters as she always did. If they got suspicious they would tell her mother. As the day went on, she drifted further and further from the yard. She made sure her oldest sister, Emily, could see her heading toward the berry bushes in the tall grass to the east of the house, then as soon as Emily’s attention was back on the other girls she got low and doubled back, into the tall grass. She’d crept slowly away from the yard, wriggling like a snake on her belly.

  “Katie Elizabeth Anderson! You get back in this house, right now!”

  Her mother’s voice was still well away from her. Judging from the sound, she was close to the house, probably looking under the crawlspace or behind the propane tank. The Anderson house sat on five acres of land but Katie’s father only mowed two acres of it. The rest, he let grow wild, which in this part of Utah mostly meant tall brownish green grass and a few old cedars. The kids were allowed to roam all five acres but rarely did, preferring to stay in the well-kept yard and play on the swing set or in the sand box. Katie was the exception. She loved walking in the tall grass, looking for insects, dreaming of what must come out when all the people were inside. For her, the Anderson property was magical.

  Katie slowly lifted her head to risk a peek. She caught sight of her mother, walking around the edge of the house toward the front yard. This was her chance. She was 150 yards from the tree line. She rose to her feet and started running. Ahead lay the small break of trees which marked the back of her father’s land. She could hear her mother’s voice coming back toward her from the front of the house. She stretched out the last few strides, her long cotton dress flying up around her thighs, and dove down behind a large cedar. Struggling to stay quiet, she closed her eyes and pushed long blond hairs from her lightly freckled cheeks as her breath flew out of her mouth in huge gusts.

  This was the longest she’d ever gone unnoticed. In literally a dozen tries her mother had always been able to quickly find her. Each time, Katie paid the price no matter how many times she pleaded her case. It was usually the belt from her father and no supper. It never really deterred her. Her curiosity was too great for that. All she ever got to see was the house, the yard and up until she was grounded she occasionally got to go with one of the moms to the market. When she complained to her father that she never got to see anything new, he always replied the same way.

  “There’s nothing out there for you.”

  Even if she really pressed him, the most she would get was, “Study your Bible, read its teachings and God will show you all you need to know.”

  Katie found that advice hard to follow and tonight, she was determined not to be found.

  “Oh, she’ll find you, child.”

  The voice made Katie jump. Stifling a yell and hoping her mother hadn’t heard, she looked around her. In the fading light there seemed to be a veil of fog near her. Squinting, her eyes picked out the shape of a dog laying with its back to her by a scrub oak. It stared off toward Katie’s house, intently watching Katie’s mother. It turned its head to look at her and Katie realized it wasn’t a dog. It was too scrawny. Even as it lay there, its ribs were visible under its brownish gray coat. It was a coyote. In the failing light, it shimmered like smoke in the long shadow of the tree. She squinted and tried to make out its face but only its eyes stood out bright and clear. They stared directly at her with a hint of a grin in them.

  “Did you say that?” she whispe
red under her breath.

  “Who else did you think it was?” asked the coyote. It rose to all fours and turned to face her; head slunk low but its voice amiable.

  “Coyotes don’t talk,” whispered Katie. She started to stand up; her back still against the tree but the coyote pursed its lips.

  “Shhhh, child,” it said. “Don’t be alarmed. You’re much too large for my tastes. Besides, if you stand, your mother will see you.”

  Katie slid back down on her butt and stared. She heard her mother calling again. This time she sounded much closer.

  “She’s at the edge of the yard,” said the coyote as he sat back down on his haunches. His body seemed to flicker for a moment and Katie wondered if she was dreaming.

  “So tell me,” he asked, “why is a beautiful girl such as yourself hiding from her mother?”

  “I-I-I want to stay out after dark,” stammered Katie.

  “Why do you want to do that?”

  “Because I’m never allowed to. I want to see the stars.”

  The coyote seemed to shake its wispy head in disbelief, “You’ve never seen them?”

  “No,” replied Katie in a whisper. “I’ve only seen the sky through my window. My father doesn’t allow us out after dark.”

  “That seems strict.”

  “He says it’s dangerous for us to be out. He says The Devil lives here.”

  The coyote rolled its eyes and barked a short laugh, “The Devil?”

  Katie nodded nervously, “You could be The Devil the way Daddy tells it. He says The Devil can look and act like anything in the world.”

  The coyote shook its head in disbelief, “Seriously, a man as big and God-fearing as your father is worried about The Devil?”

  “You know my father?” asked Katie incredulously.

  It raised a paw and licked the tip nonchalantly, then settled down and looked back toward Katie’s house.

  “I don’t talk to him but I’ve seen him here and there. He seems like a strong man. Surely he would go to great lengths to protect a daughter as pretty as you. Even so, I think it’s a bit much to keep you locked away.

  “You know, I take being outside for granted,” the coyote continued, “I lose track of just how big and beautiful all those constellations really are. If I were a big girl like you and I’d never been allowed to see the night sky, I suppose I would be running away too.”

  “KATIE!!!”

  She hugged the tree tighter. Her mother was probably a hundred yards away and moving in their direction.

  “Your mother certainly does want to find you.”.

  “She always finds me.”

  “That’s because she wants you to be safe and happy. I don’t think you should worry her.”

  “But I don’t want to go inside. I want to see the stars!” Katie whined.

  The coyote studied her for a long moment and sighed.

  “Perhaps I can help.”

  Katie watched as the coyote rose on all fours and lifting one paw, motioned her toward the tree he was under.

  “Crawl over here, you’ll need to take a piece of my fur.”

  Katie stayed put and shook her head no.

  “Don’t be afraid. Have I done anything to try to harm you? If I’d wanted to hurt you, I could have ripped your throat out by now. That’s not the way I am. Now, come take this tuft of fur.”

  The coyote reached back and pulled a chunk of fur from his tail. He held it in his mouth and stood still.

  Cautiously, Katie pulled herself away from the tree and crawled to him. As she got closer, the coyote became more solid, the lines and markings on its fur coming into focus. It stood completely still and calmly watched her approach. Gingerly, she reached out her hand, ready to pull it back if the animal snapped at her. She pinched the fur, the coyote’s hot breath moist on her fingers and the coyote gently let go.

  “Now, grab a piece of this tree branch and break it off.”

  Katie broke off a small twig about six inches long.

  “Wrap the fur around it and go back to your mother. Tell her you followed a dog and show her this as proof. If you tell her you were at the back of the property and couldn’t hear her, she’ll be easier on you.”

  “How does this help me?” asked Katie nervously. “I want to stay out.”

  “Shush, child,” the coyote began walking away from her toward the trunk of the tree. “Tonight, place the fur beneath your pillow. I’m going to tell you a very special word that you have to memorize. Are you ready?”

  Katie nodded.

  “Iz-Poo-Tay-Kay,” the coyote said.

  “Iz-Poo-Tay-Kay,” Katie repeated.

  “Do you have it memorized?”

  “I think so.”

  “Good,” said the coyote. “Once everyone is asleep, say that word three times while my fur is under your pillow and I promise I will come get you. Tonight, you will be my guest under the stars.”

  Katie looked at the animal and then back at the fur, wondering if she could trust him to keep his word.

  “I’m not lying. I promise I will show you everything and have you back, safe and sound by morning.”

  Katie took a deep breath and then nodded. She shoved the fur and the twig in the pocket of her dress and ran to her mother.

  It was one a.m. when Katie awoke with a start. She’d tried to stay up until everyone was asleep but had drifted off. Listening closely, she could hear the sounds of her sisters breathing. She could hear her father snoring from his bedroom. She snuck a hand under her pillow to make sure the fur was still there.

  “Iz-Poo-Tay-Kay,” she said softly. “Iz-Poo-Tay-Kay. Iz-Poo-Tay-Kay.”

  At first there was nothing. Then there was a shift, as if the air became a little crisper in her nose, sharper on her tongue. Beyond the bedroom door, she heard the faintest padding sound, like paws on wood. The glow of the night light seeping under the door darkened.

  Then came the soft scratching of a paw.

  Part I

  NOVEMBER

  I

  “Living in Ogden Wash is like living on the Island of Misfit Toys,” Robert Jiminez once told his landlady.

  The more he thought about it, the more he agreed it was the perfect analogy. No one living in Ogden Wash would comfortably fit anywhere else on Earth and Robert felt more at home here than any place he’d ever been. That seemed peculiar to him because he hadn’t come to The Wash to meet people. He’d come to start a business, make some money and move on.

  The Wash (as it was affectionately known by the locals) was a small community that existed in spite of itself. About 20 miles from Panguitch, Utah, it was less of a town than a collection of outsiders who didn’t mind living near each other. It was unincorporated, had no mayor, no city council and no community by-laws. It had nothing to attract visitors except a warm meal along the highway to Salt Lake City or Flagstaff, Arizona. It sat in a strange patch of land about 30 miles south of Sevier, and the famous Big Rock Candy Mountain. The only thing bringing new life to it was the beaten two-lane blacktop of Hwy 89 that eventually led to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Brian Head Ski Resort and a number of smaller attractions. No one jumped on Hwy 89 with a mind to visit Ogden Wash and yet people did, if only for an hour or so.

  Today, the sky was still fairly bright as Robert pedaled his mountain bike to Jim’s Bar at the other end of town. The weather was cool, not cold; perfect for mid-November. As he came up on the first business along his route, he again wondered how Anderson’s Used Cars could stay in business. He was pretty sure no one actually ever bought a car there. As usual, it looked empty except for the twenty or thirty automobiles stacked bumper to bumper in the lot.

  Robert looked for Anderson himself but the man didn’t seem to be in. That wasn’t unusual either. He was practically a recluse and if rumors were true, he was the leader of some fringe Mormon sect.

  ‘Another misfit toy,’ Robert thought.

  Just up ahead, Sara Cohn, the waitress he’d first met eight years befo
re when he visited The Wash, stood outside Dora’s restaurant. She waved as he got closer.

  “Slow?” he called back.

  “Too slow. You’ll have some business though. Steve said he and Wendell were heading to your place when they close up.”

  Robert pulled up to a stop next to her.

  “You should come by too. I’ll throw you a couple of free drinks.”

  “Thanks for offering,” Sara smiled back. “But not tonight. Steve could use a night away from me. He needs to let off some steam. Besides, it’ll make him better to be around the next couple of days.”

  Robert started pedaling again and called over his shoulder, “Well, if you change your mind, the offer stands.”

  “Thanks!” Sara waved.

  He continued through the intersection and passed the white washed block buildings that housed RJ’s Farm Supplies and the Redline Feed Store. There were a few cars parked in the dirt lot between them but Robert knew they belonged to employees. Both places existed solely to service the Sevier River Dairy Farm further up Hwy 89. He’d likely see one or two of their finest in his establishment tonight, and the Thompson boys from the Dairy itself would definitely be there.

  He cranked the pedals faster to cover the last stretch to Jim’s as a brisk gust kicked up in his face. J.B.’s car was already there when he pulled around back. He hopped off the bike and leaned it against the wall.

  As he stepped through the back door into the kitchen, the familiar sight of the big man greeted him. He was filling peanut baskets.

  “You’re early today,” Robert said.

  “Got bored,” he casually tossed a peanut toward Robert who snapped it out of the air.

  “Plus Cindy got a little pissed at me.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I broke up with her,” J.B. smiled sheepishly.

  “You broke up with her?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing really. I just… let’s just say it wasn’t going anywhere and leave it at that.”

  “But I thought you two were doing good.”