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ROGUES: TALES FROM THE VALLEY Episode 21: An interview with a zombie Comment By Lyda Woods DailyTidings.com By Lyda Woods Posted Feb. 9, 2015 at 7:28 PM Updated Feb 10, 2015 at 10:19 AM By Lyda Woods Posted Feb. 9, 2015 at 7:28 PM Updated Feb 10, 2015 at 10:19 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Barely bearing a brother's poetry • Yoga class ends with a bang, not a whimper • Sibling rivalry spices lunch, but affection sweetens it » Social News Episode 21 of the fictionalized adventures of two sisters, Dawn and Sherry, one Ashland-loving, the other Medford-bred, and their adventures across the Rogue Valley. Find prior episodes at www.dailytidings.com. Josh, Jackson, Rusty and I were participating in a protest at the college when we ran into someone who smelled suspicious. Although we were puppeteering a giant zombie head, we decided to stake out our suspect, a skinny man in black jeans who’d just met with my brother-in-law, Raymond, a mortgage broker and Sherry’s husband. As we watched Raymond and our suspect talk on a bench, I thought back to Sherry’s gruff manner on the phone, and her earlier suspicions about the bombed, abandoned homes. “Sherry knew. She knew that Raymond was involved somehow,” I said. “Who’s Raymond? Who’s Sherry? I’m lost,” said Rusty. “Sherry is Dawn’s sister, who was kidnapped by two guys around Halloween. Dawn rescued her,” said Josh. “Wow. But why was she kidnapped?” said Jackson. “It has something to do with the abandoned houses that got bombed,” I said. “Oh, yeah. I read about that,” said Rusty. “Look, Raymond’s leaving. What do we do?” I said. “I say we follow the black jeans guy. He’s getting up too,” said Josh. So, we followed him down Siskiyou onto a side street, the zombie head bumping into tree branches and snagging on bushes. He disappeared into a dilapidated little cottage. “Well, that’s all we can do,” I said. “No it’s not. Let’s knock on the door,” said Rusty, a little too eagerly. “I don’t know. Why take the risk?” said Jackson. “Hey, there’s four of us, plus a zombie. We’ll be fine. Let’s go,” urged Rusty. After more discussion, we knocked on the door. “Hello? Whoa that’s quite a zombie you’ve got there. Didn’t I see you on Siskiyou?” said the man in the black jeans when he opened the door. “Yes, uh, we’re going door to door asking folks to join our flash mob protest in the student plaza,” said Josh. “I see. Well that’s not really my thing,” said our suspect. "What is your thing?” I blurted out. “Look, I’m not interested. Take your zombie elsewhere. Goodbye.” He slammed the door in our faces. We walked back up the street towards the college in silence. But I was not going to give up so easily. “At least we’ve got an address now. That’s going to help your investigation, right?” said Josh. “Look, you guys can manage without me. I want to stake out the house,” I said. “Dawn, that could be dangerous,” said Josh. “I won’t approach him. I’ll call Blue for backup,” I said. "OK, but call me later to let me know you’re okay." So, after leaving a message for Blue, I set myself up across the street, squatting in a bush, looking like an idiot. After a few hours, I got up and walked down the street to stretch my legs. It was getting dark. Where was Blue? I walked back up the street and ran smack into Raymond, getting out of his car. “Dawn, what are you doing here?” “Hey, Raymond, I’m just going for a walk.” “Strange place for a walk when you live across town,” Raymond smiled coldly, his Rolex glinting on his wrist. “I was helping out with a protest at the college,” my voice tight and dry. “I see.” His eyes sharpened. “What are you doing here?” My heart was galloping. “I’m just visiting a friend,” Raymond put his hands in his coat pockets. “Really? What kind of friend?” I asked. “I think you already know what kind of friend.” “What makes you say that?” “I have a gun in my pocket Dawn. I want you to walk ahead of me, calmly, and do what I say. Do you understand?” “Raymond, please. Don’t do this.” Run, I thought. Just run. “Dawn, why couldn’t you leave it alone? Spinner, do it.” Something hard crashed into the back of my skull and everything went too bright and sharp, and then I fell into blackness. Next week: Dawn wakes up to Toby Keith, and meets Spinner.   By Lyda Woods DailyTidings.com By Lyda Woods Posted Feb. 9, 2015 at 7:28 PM Updated Feb 10, 2015 at 10:19 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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