Woodsman Ch. 01

There had been no spare clothes, also I had just realized, there had been no underwear. No bra, no panties.

Not knowing what to do but not wanting to disturb her rest I considered calling the sheriff but at this time of night they would be hesitant to come all the way out here for a non emergency. I took all her stuff and left her a note.

It said;

Dear Trespasser, I have your clothes, boots and knapsack. You are in my bed so I will sleep in one of the other rooms. Also your clothes are filthy so I am going to wash them.

Do not be alarmed, I have no plans to hurt you but I am curious about you. See you in the morning, Red.

I carefully closed the door after turning on a night light. I went to my laundry and emptied her pockets again in a small wicker basket. Not much to go on I thought. Girls her age should be with their parents or texting their boyfriends. They shouldn't be breaking into someone's home in the middle of the forest.

I had to give her points for doing the important things though. First she ate and cleaned herself then she got some rest.

I had a thought that she might be a runaway so I went to my computer terminal and booted it up. Since I was the only one here I didn't have a password to go online so on a hunch I first went to the history. Sure enough she had used my computer. She had went to google maps page. There was no way to check what she had been searching for so I then did a search for missing children.

There were so many I had to narrow my search to females in the 12-19 year old age group. Since I was so near Canada I included the northern country as well. 465,676 missing females in her age group. I was appalled. I further narrowed the search to just include red haired females. 13,573! Damn where are all these kids disappearing to? I typed in suspected runaways and got it down to 259. I thought that was close enough so I started looking through the ones with pictures. Nothing. There was one from Vermont but the report was two years old. The pic was of a pretty little teen girl in a cute party dress. She looked similar and the hair was the right shade of red but I couldn't be sure. To compound it she was 16 at the time of her disappearance. That would mean the girl upstairs was 18. Not nearly as young as I first thought. The only identifying feature was an oddly shaped birthmark between her breasts. I wasn't sure. There was a close up pic of the birthmark. I also had a possible name. Vivian Peterson. I printed the report and shut the computer down.

I needed to think so I poured a pale ale and started a fire in the fireplace. A while later I moved her clothes from the washer to the dryer. 45 minutes later I heard the dryer buzz so I put her clothes into her knapsack and put everything including my pistol and the printout of the missing girl in the gun safe. I hoped all would be revealed in the morning so I picked a bedroom and went to bed.

Mornings in the deep forest are so peaceful that I had come to believe that no human problem can survive the breeze moaning through the pines. I awoke slowly with a feeling that all is right in the world even though I knew that could never happen. For some reason, when I awoke in a strange bed I felt at peace. I also felt my bladder telling me to pay attention to my body's functions so I went to the guest bathroom to drain the pale ale.

Completing my morning ritual I wondered how my guest had fared so I padded over to the master and peeked in the door. She was still curled up into a ball though she had turned over to her other side so her back was facing me.

Not wanting to disturb her I quietly closed the door. I realised that I was roaming my home totally nude so I went back to the guest room and took my morning shower. I couldn't brush my teeth, comb my hair or shave but I still felt human as I dressed and made my way to the kitchen and the blessed coffee maker. Once I had everything going I filled the cats food and water dish, (where had he been yesterday when I had returned?), then tidied up the small mess that she had left. Pouring my morning elixir I sat in thought while waiting for Vivian, (I felt that it was she), to join the living.

I finished my coffee and still nothing from upstairs so feeling restless I walked out back to my wood pile. I had a small mountain of logs that needed splitting and stacking and I loved the exercise routine of a mindless chore with the benefits of exercise.

My shoulders and arms had developed into big knots of muscle in the past five years from the almost daily use of the axe. When I first started my movements were uncoordinated and with a lot of wasted energy. Now I could swing an axe on par with the best lumberjack I felt. My wood pile grew slowly until I had to stop and stack. This was another mindless chore that I never minded. The constant bending over kept my back muscles fit and stretched as well.

I figured that I had been working out for an hour or so when I decided that breakfast sounded good. I put my shirt on and walked into the cabin.

Still no Vivian. I went quietly upstairs to check on her and she had moved again. She was on her stomach now and the afghan had moved partially off her body. I could see a small bulge of a breast under her and and the bulge of an ass only partially under the cover. I was right. She was naked.

I suddenly felt like a perv so I once again closed the door.

The bacon was almost ready when I heard the sound of feet padding towards me. Not wanting to turn and confront a naked girl I faced the stove.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked.

Not turning I said, "Did you see the note?"

"Yes. You didn't have to wash them you know. I could have done that if you would have let me. Are you angry that I broke into your house?"

I turned from the stove. She had wrapped herself in the afghan almost totally. I thought last night that she was smaller than she was. She looked to be about 5'8", her legs peeked from under the covering. Nice shapely calves appeared moving down to a pair of dainty feet. A pair of the prettiest green eyes stared at me.

"Well are you?"

"No," I answered

She spied the pot and asked, "Is there coffee? I haven't had coffee in almost a year."

I grabbed a mug and asked, "Cream or sugar?"

"Black, thank you."

I turned with the mug and gestured with it to the table and said, "Sit."

She sat on a stool and reached for the mug. When she did she accidentally let the cover open slightly. There wasn't much exposure. She quickly pulled the cover closed but I had seen enough. An oddly shaped birthmark peeked out between her breasts.

Vivian.

Saying nothing about my discovery I asked her how she wanted her eggs and would she like toast and home fries. She said yes to all and scrambled, so I whipped up my version of a country breakfast.

When everything was ready I served her the eggs while putting the home fries, bacon,and toast between us. I also put a few different jars of jelly from the stash I had purchased from the farmers market in town.

"Thank you," she said and proceeded to destroy everything in sight. The only way I could describe it was that she ate 'with abandon'. She never looked up as she ate. Finally she said, "Is there more coffee?"

Grabbing her mug I filled it and sat down across from her. She seemed to relax in the way that only a person can when their hunger is finally sated

"Do you want to tell me about it Vivian?" I said softly.

She looked up at me quickly as her face paled. "I knew this was a mistake. How did you find out?"

"It doesn't matter. I figure when a sixteen year old girl runs away she has a reason. I may not agree with that reason but there is one. Now I ask you again do you want to tell me about it? I promise I won't judge."

She looked at me with...what... hopefulness, or sadness or maybe it was fear for her safety? I couldn't tell.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

I looked at her silently with a compassionate look and nodded.

"Would you like a more comfortable setting? The great room maybe?" I suggested.

She just gathered the cover about her and padded to my couch, sat down and patted the seat next to her.

"Before I begin I want to know how you found out. I have nothing linking me to them. No papers, no id and it's been so long. How did you know before we even talked,"

I went to my office and recovered her things and the missing person printout.

Returning I put her back pack down in front of her and showed her the sheet. She scanned it and said "I remember the day that pic was taken. It was a week before my 16th birthday."

"Look at your physical description," I told her.

She read it and looked baffled. I reached over and slowly moved the cover away until I could see her odd shaped birthmark.

"I wasn't sure till you briefly flashed me when you reached for your mug. Actually I was leaning towards that not being you but the birthmark confirmed it." I moved the cover back over her cleavage and said, "Ok your turn, spill Vivian Peterson. By the way my name is Robert McCoy, you can call me Rob," I said with a friendly smile.

She slowly leaned back and closed her eyes, remembering.

"I grew up on a small rural farm. My father used to take me camping when I was little. I learned about survival from him but he never intentionally taught me anything. I just watched everything my father did and I tried to mimic him. I learned how to build a fire, how to snare or stalk game animals, how to dress game animals before cooking. I learned how to set up a camp for comfort. I learned how to break a camp so as to leave no trace that I was there. I learned how to hide in plain sight or under cover. I was completely at home in a forest. I used to play a game with my father. We would split up in the woods and the one that arrived at a predetermined spot first would be waited on by the other. I loved my daddy."

"When I was 12 he was killed when a tractor overturned on him crushing his chest. He lay out in the field for most of the day before my mom found him. I was inconsolable. My mom tried to soothe me but nothing she said could ease my grief."

"A few weeks after the funeral a fat man showed up at our house about dinner time. My mom seemed to know him so I stayed quiet. It was just as well because they both ignored me while talking so I ignored them. Maybe an hour after dinner I was sent to bed and told not to come out until breakfast. I didn't care so I just closed the door to my room and cried holding my father's picture. I heard some noises later that night coming from my mom's bedroom and I almost went to check on her but then the noises ended."

"The fat man came frequently to our house. Sometimes he stayed a few hours sometimes he stayed all night. I was young and naive so I didn't know what was happening and I was so consumed in grief over my father's death that I didn't pay attention to adult talk."

"One day the fat man came to our house with an old decrepit man. I didn't like either of them. The old man smelled bad and had a fetid smell to his breath. He scared me by the way he looked at me but my mom said to be nice to the gentlemen. They were all drinking whisky and talking about nothing I understood so I was ignoring them while finishing my homework. I felt better when they left but when they were walking out the door the decrepit old man grabbed me and said, "You'll do sweetheart." I asked my mom what he meant by that remark but she told me never mind and to get ready for bed.

I was out of school for the summer when the fat man came over once again. He was arguing with my mom about something to do with the farm. I heard him tell her he would hire her at the bank and let us live in a house he had foreclosed on. Then he wouldn't have to pay her anymore."

I saw a tear running down Vivian's cheek. "I think my mom was prostituting herself so that we could live." She was silent for a full minute.

"When he left that day my mom told me that we would have to move into town so she could work at the bank. I could still have my own room and won't that be exciting? I wanted to live in our old house but I was just a kid and had no say so I packed my stuff and one day some men came over with a truck and we moved to a house in town."

"Despite what my mom told me, life in the new house was horrible. My mom worked every day while I walked to and from school. She tried, I think, to make my life better by buying me pretty dresses and shoes and allowing me to use makeup for the first time. I never felt comfortable or safe when she had men over though. I was always sent to my room or told to play outside while the men were with my mom. The fat man came frequently usually to spend the night."

"I knew by then that they were fucking my mom. I accidentally came home early from a girlfriend's house and caught them with his dick in her backside while she was bent over our couch. They didn't see me but I had heard from other girls in town about fucking. I was about 13 I think."

"Shortly before my 16th birthday I overheard another conversation about me. I was used to being ignored by most of the men but some of them gave me 'that look' as I came to describe it."

"One man asked my mom in front of me if he could have me, be my first. She slapped him and kicked him out. Later that day the fat man came over started yelling at my mom. Then he told my mom that he thought I was ready to be bred anyway and he could get $1,000 from the guy that popped my cherry. He said, "Don't be a fool a fresh young girl is a gold mine."

"I knew what they were talking about so I went to my room and found my small hunting knife that my father had given me. It strapped to my thigh. I knew my mom was going to let somebody fuck me at some point, soon probably. There was just too much money for her to protect my virginity forever. That was when I first considered running."

"For the next few weeks I made my plans. I had dug our camping gear out in secret and prepared a waterproof pack with everything I needed for an extended stay in the outdoors. I felt I could hide during the day and travel by night. My father taught me that someday I might have to sustain myself and not have anyone to depend on so I would have to do it myself. I felt I was ready when the time came."

"I found out it was to be the next Friday night. My mom had plans for my 16th birthday party and I would be the guest of honor. She told me that she was planning a small get together with some of her friends and they were going to celebrate my recent birthday but I knew the real reason. The fat man had sold my virginity to the old man that had come with him to our farm that day. He was the highest bidder. I was to be the fat man's whore just like my mom had become."

Vivian stopped at this point. I could tell it was a very emotional tale for her to relate. I didn't try to rush her. I hoped that she would continue but I had already worked the story out in my mind. She had only to provide the details. I asked her if she would like to take a break for a drink.

"Would it be ok if I got dressed?" she asked.

"Use the first guest room. You can shower if you need to refresh," I told her.

She left me carrying her backpack and slowly walked upstairs. I heard the shower start and I went into action. I went online and fired an email to my attorney. I gave him my code word then my password. Then I gave him some very specific instructions. I sent him a digital copy of the missing persons report along with details as I understood them. I told him to contact my PI firm and have them get all the details of the farm transaction including the bank involved along with every detail on Vivian's mother and pimp. I suspected foul play but I wasn't going off half cocked. If there was anything I could do for this sweet girl I would do it I suddenly decided.

I was sitting in my place on my couch with a soda for each of us when she returned. I had an idea but I needed some answers first.

"Vivian before you begin again may I ask where the final destination in your travels is?"

"I was planning for Oregon but I am beginning to think that was a bit ambitious. Honestly I can't say now. You were able to identify me without ever speaking to me. I thought I could travel anonymously. I guess I was wrong."

"Why Oregon?"

"No real reason. I saw some pictures in school of the pacific northwest once. They were beautiful. Also Oregon is far from Vermont."

I was lost in thought. I could send her anywhere she might want to go by any means she might want to travel but I suspected she just wanted to go to a place where she felt safe. Her life had been horribly disrupted by the death of her father. What happened with her mother was unclear. What was clear was that she felt threatened at home so she ran. She had been hiding for over two years successfully. Maybe we could work something out.

"Do you want to continue your journey? Or would you rather hide out here for a while?" I asked. I noticed that she had dressed in her clean but ragged clothes but left her backpack in the room.

"If it's all the same to you I would like to spend the day here and consider my options. Could we continue later?"

"Yes and you can stay for as long as you want." I hesitated. "Vivian I have a proposition for you. Don't give me an answer until I am through with my story. Ok?"

She had that frown on her face again. I wondered if she was carrying the small knife strapped to her thigh. She nodded yes so I began.

"First let me give you some background on me. I am a divorced ex businessman that has chosen to live alone here. My divorce was kind of a defining point in my life. I had made myself into a rich and powerful man but at the expense of my marriage. My ex wife had gotten involved in some serious drug use and had multiple affairs so the split was not a hard one to make."

"About a year before our split I started making plans for my escape from the business world. Contrary to what most people think a high profile businessman like I was cannot just disappear without the authorities taking notice. That's why I had to plan so far in advance. When I decided to pull the plug on my marriage I wanted the split to be sudden and permanent. I'm pretty sure I was successful. I have only the barest connection to the old life I once had and that's by choice. My life here is simple and was fulfilling for five years. I had no one and wanted no one."

"Then I found you sleeping in my bed. You looked so young and innocent all curled up. I was curious more than anything so I invaded your privacy by going through your things. What I found made me more curious. I thought you were younger than you are so I did the missing persons search to find out if someone was looking for you or if you had been abducted. You saw the report."

"Then you told me your story. I felt a connection with you in that we are both hiding from our past. We are both broken emotionally in a way. Although for different reasons."

"Here is my proposal. You can stay here for as long as you want with no strings. You can leave at any time but for your safety you must let me help you with travel arrangements. No more traipsing through the forest."

"If you choose to stay you can have free access to everything here with my blessing. I told you I have chosen to live as I am but I'll admit to needing some human interaction occasionally so you would be helping me as I will be helping you. I am not talking sex just normal day to day human interaction with you. I feel a need to help you. You need clothes and other things a young girl needs and I want to help you with that."

"The internet should be sufficient to get you some new clothing. I have accounts with most of the major sites that provide clothing for outdoor use and we can open accounts for other types of clothing online. Whatever you need or want I can buy covertly so there should be no way for anyone to trace you there."