[Alaskan Quest 02] - Under the Northern Lights (10 page)

‘‘So she’s at least allowed that much freedom,’’ Jayce said, analyzing the situation. ‘‘Still, I wonder why she hasn’t tried to get away from Chase.’’

‘‘No doubt he’s keeping her tied up most of the time,’’ Jacob offered. ‘‘I can’t see him allowing her any real freedom. He has to know she’s dangerous—at least in the sense of being able to care for herself.’’

‘‘I’m betting he’s threatening her as well.’’ Jayce shook his head and walked back to the sled. ‘‘He’s probably told her that if she so much as raises a finger against him, he’ll kill her.’’

‘‘But Leah wouldn’t be afraid of that.’’ Jacob came to where his own dog team waited. ‘‘I’m guessing that if there’s a threat, it’s against us or Helaina. Leah wouldn’t be cautious in regard to herself, but she would endure hell itself to see you or me safe.’’

‘‘Yeah, you’re probably right.’’ Jayce was in no mood to contemplate his brother’s way of doing things, but he knew it was important that they keep a clear picture in mind when dealing with Chase. The more they considered what was driving him and why, the better off they’d be in the long run.

‘‘Where do you suppose he’s going?’’ Jacob asked.

‘‘I keep asking myself that. We know Chase spent time up north this past summer; he must be returning to a place he’s familiar with.’’

‘‘I can’t figure out how he knows so much. It’s almost as if he can read your mind. He’s able to mimic your interests and abilities enough that he took your place on the
Homestead
last summer.’’

Jayce nodded. ‘‘All I can figure is that he’s been watching me. Maybe shadowing me throughout Alaska. Maybe he’s even lived up here for a time.’’

‘‘Well, we know he hasn’t spent all of his time up here. After all, you’ve been sighted all over the world . . . or rather Chase has been sighted.’’

‘‘I know.’’ Jayce sat on the edge of the basket and pulled out some jerked meat to eat. ‘‘I guess none of it makes sense—maybe it never will.’’

‘‘Right now the only thing I care to make sense out of,’’ Jacob said, moving toward his dogs, ‘‘is where he’s heading and what he plans to do once he gets there.’’

Leah took the bowl from Frank and nodded. ‘‘Thank you.’’

‘‘Why are you thanking him. That . . . that . . . meat,’’ Helaina said in a tone that wavered between disbelief and disgust, ‘‘is spoiled.’’

Leah waited until Frank left the room before answering. ‘‘It’s seal meat and yes, it’s gone a little rancid, but it will give you strength. It’s part of the supplies I brought, and it won’t be that bad. You need to eat it.’’

‘‘I won’t.’’ Helaina turned up her nose and fell back against the wall.

‘‘You have to or you’ll never have the strength to leave when the time comes.’’

‘‘I already told you—without Chase, I won’t go.’’

Leah frowned and popped a piece of the seal in her mouth. ‘‘Suit yourself.’’

Helaina said nothing for several minutes, then finally she reached out to take a piece of the seal. ‘‘I can’t go without him, Leah. You need to understand this and help me.’’

‘‘I won’t risk our lives to capture him. That is a job I’m happy to leave in the hands of Jacob and Jayce. They are stronger and better equipped to deal with someone like Chase. I would think that by now you would have learned that lesson. Your brother and several other Pinkerton agents were unable to keep up with Chase, much less capture him. You should know it won’t be easy to turn the tables on him and take him captive. He has ammunition and weapons, and he’s not afraid to do what he must in order to serve his own purpose.’’

‘‘It doesn’t matter.’’ Helaina coughed quietly. ‘‘I can’t leave without him.’’

‘‘Then you’ll most likely die on the trail.’’

Chase chose that moment to come into the cabin. Leah was relieved to see that he’d brought her pack. ‘‘Is this what you wanted?’’

Leah nodded. ‘‘Feel free to go through it. I have no weapons. There are just herbs and remedies that I thought we might need on the trip. I believe Mrs. Beecham has pneumonia, and I would like to give her some medicines to help her. Would that be all right?’’

Chase opened the bag and began to rummage through it. ‘‘I don’t know why you should bother.’’ He looked up at Helaina, his expression void of emotion. ‘‘If she dies naturally, it’s one less murder in my name.’’

‘‘You can’t just keep killing, Chase. You have to stop this madness and—’’ ‘‘And what? And they’ll overlook the other murders and let me go? If I let you save Mrs. Beecham, will they show me mercy and only put me in prison to rot away the rest of my life instead of hang me?’’

‘‘I can’t say what they’ll do or not do,’’ Leah admitted. ‘‘I just thought maybe you were tired of such things. Wouldn’t you like to stop killing?’’

He threw her the bag and laughed. ‘‘Killing people is no more or less important to me than any other survival skill. Do you tire of trapping and killing animals for meat or does the possibility of an empty belly or death on the trail keep you going? I won’t be taken alive—you both must know that by now. I’m backed into a corner by those who hunt me. And you, Leah, above all others, should know what trapped animals are capable of doing.’’

He was right. She did know. A trapped animal was capable of chewing off its own leg to get itself out of the trap. Chase Kincaid was the kind of man who would do whatever it took to keep himself free.

‘‘Fix her whatever you have to, but then we’re going to be on our way. I can’t just sit around here and wait for Jayce and your brother to catch up to me. I figure once we put a few more days and storms behind us, they will be hard-pressed to find any kind of tracks.’’

Leah knew the storm from the night before had probably obscured any sign of their trail. She could only hope that the bits of cloth she’d tied to the dwarf birch near their camp the night before had survived the winds and snows.

‘‘I’ll need some hot water,’’ Leah said before Chase exited the house.

He turned to look at her, sizing up the situation. ‘‘I’ll have Frank bring you some.’’

With that he was gone and Leah took up the pack to search its contents. ‘‘Well, are you any more convinced of the futility of staying?’’

Helaina shook her head. ‘‘I cannot go without him. You do what you have to do, and I will do what I have to do.’’

‘‘If you’re still alive to do it,’’ Leah said rather dryly.

‘‘I’ve been thinking about what you said regarding the railroad job,’’ Karen said as she poured Adrik a cup of coffee. ‘‘I think if you believe it to be the best thing, we should do it. I think the boys might actually enjoy going north. Ashlie will be difficult about it, but she would give us trouble even if we did nothing more than stay here.’’

‘‘I’ll talk to her,’’ Adrik said, smiling. ‘‘She’ll come around.’’

‘‘When do you want to make the move?’’

‘‘We should probably go before it gets too cold. We don’t have to worry about the harbor freezing, but the waters will get rough. I don’t want to place anyone’s life in jeopardy.’’

‘‘Well, after praying about this, it seems to be the right thing to do,’’ Karen said.

‘‘I think we have to accept the very real possibility that Alaska will be a completely different place in a few short years. We might as well do what we can to have a say in its development. After all, we know the land better than those from the States.’’

‘‘True. I think there are those, however, who won’t care what the truth is about this land. Besides that, what about the war in Europe? It shows no signs of letting up and being resolved. Did you see the article in the paper from Seattle? The one about that English nurse the Germans murdered?’’

‘‘How could I not?’’

‘‘What kind of people does it take to kill a woman who worked to help so many? Edith Cavell was the head of the nursing staff there in Brussels.’’

‘‘Yes, but she aided the enemy, as far as Germany was concerned.’’ ‘‘She helped her countrymen and others to escape prison camps and certain death. I know she was an enemy to the Germans, but she’s a hero in this country. I just can’t believe that anyone would put a woman to death for simply helping people to live.’’

‘‘The situation seems to be escalating out of control. Boys are dying and the world seems to be in the fight of its life. Makes me glad to be so far removed.’’

‘‘But with aeroplanes and trains coming to Alaska, it won’t be that way for long.’’

Adrik tossed back the coffee and got to his feet. ‘‘No, I suppose it won’t. Still, I’d rather have some kind of say in what’s happening than to turn away and pretend it won’t come if we ignore it.’’

‘‘I agree,’’ Karen said with a sigh. ‘‘I just wish it weren’t the case. I’ve truly come to love the north, just as my parents loved it. Their missions work up here to the Tlingit people was something I didn’t completely understand. In my youth I thought them rather mad for leaving the comforts of the real world.’’ She grinned at this reference. Ashlie often chided her parents that she deserved to at least try life in the ‘‘real world’’ before being forced to spend the rest of her life in the frozen north.

‘‘The real world,’’ Adrik repeated and nodded. ‘‘I can’t say I’ve ever seen such a place, other than what we have right here.’’ He frowned and looked at Karen. ‘‘Perhaps we should consider sending Ashlie to live with some of your family in the States.’’

Karen could see he was serious. It was the first time they’d really discussed the possibility. ‘‘She won’t be happy with the move to Seward—that much is true. Still, I hate to see our family separated.’’

‘‘She’s almost grown. Maybe we could get her into a regular school down there and let her see just how the
real
world operates.’’

Karen considered it for a moment. ‘‘If you think it’s for the best.’’

‘‘What do you think?’’

Karen got to her feet and came to where her husband stood. ‘‘I think Ashlie will leave us no matter what. Perhaps if we send her on our terms and with our blessing, she’ll feel less rebellious and more appreciative of what she already has.’’

Adrik nodded. ‘‘Why don’t you send a telegram and make some arrangements? We’ll send some extra money with her. That should see to her physical needs.’’

‘‘My family would never take money from us—you know that.’’ She was still surprised by Adrik’s sudden turnaround. Never before had he advocated sending their daughter south. Perhaps it was all God’s timing, she thought.

‘‘Well, try to send it anyway. If nothing else, tell them to keep it for Ashlie’s return trip home.’’

Karen sighed. ‘‘If she ever does come home.’’

Leah helped Helaina into the sled basket. Chase had demanded they leave immediately, and while Leah knew Helaina was in no shape to travel, there was nothing she could say or do to persuade Chase to stay.

‘‘My brother will be closing in. I can feel him coming.’’

Leah shook her head. ‘‘He won’t stop just because you keep pressing on. You’ve crossed a line this time. You have to know that.’’

Chase shrugged. ‘‘I was always crossing lines as far as Jayce was concerned.’’ He motioned to Helaina. ‘‘Is she going to make it?’’

‘‘I doubt it,’’ Leah stated matter-of-factly. ‘‘You’re taking her out into the elements, and the trip will only get rougher. She’s very sick. I think you should leave her here.’’

‘‘I can’t. Besides, Frank would kill her for sure. He says she talks too much. He’d cut her tongue out at the very least.’’

Leah refused to show any shock at what Chase said, but inwardly she shuddered. ‘‘Very well. I’ll do my best to help her. But it won’t be easy.’’

‘‘Nothing in my life has ever been easy,’’ Chase said bitterly. ‘‘I don’t know why this should be any different.’’

‘‘Did you get my traps repacked?’’ Leah asked, looking at the sled basket.

‘‘They’re near the back. Can you both ride in that basket?’’

Leah looked at the sled and nodded. ‘‘It’ll be hard on the dogs. The going will be slower.’’

‘‘I’ve added the dogs I stole out of Nome. They aren’t the quality that your brother has raised, but they’ll get by and give us a better time of it—at least for a while.’’

‘‘All right, but they’re also going to require more food. Does Frank have some for you to take along?’’

Chase laughed. ‘‘Frank has very little to spare for any reason. We’ll get by. You’ll trap us something nice and perhaps I can shoot us a caribou or bear. Bear seem to be plentiful around these parts, and they make good eating.’’

Leah nodded. ‘‘It’ll take a bear to keep this brood in decent shape to make the trip. I don’t know where you plan to take us, but be advised, these dogs won’t last long without a decent supply of food.’’

‘‘It’s duly noted. Now get in that basket with Mrs. Beecham. Perhaps your added warmth will help her to heal.’’

‘‘And if she dies?’’ Leah questioned.

‘‘Then let me know so we can dispose of the body.’’ His callous attitude reflected the deep void in his soul. ‘‘I’m sure the dogs would love it.’’

They moved out quickly, Chase sparing no consideration of the team. Leah felt sorry for the brood. They were well rested, but their rations had been quite meager. Chase hadn’t even allowed Leah to care for them; instead, he’d relegated her to play nursemaid to the fading Helaina.

‘‘Where does he intend to take us?’’ Helaina asked groggily. The medicine Leah had given her had caused her to breathe a bit easier, but it also induced sleep. Frankly, Leah was glad for the silence.

‘‘I don’t know. I tried to get him to leave you behind. I thought maybe Frank could get you to safety, but Chase insisted you be a part of this journey.’’

‘‘Good.’’ Helaina nodded. ‘‘I can . . . watch . . . him that way.’’

Leah shook her head and eased back against the basket. ‘‘You can hardly watch the passing scenery, much less keep track of Chase Kincaid.’’

‘‘I haven’t found anything,’’ Jayce said in complete frustration. ‘‘How about you?’’

Jacob studied the landscape a few more minutes, then answered. ‘‘There’s nothing here. Maybe John will have had a better time of it. He really is the best tracker. He should be back soon.’’

Jayce pulled off his eye protection and stared out across the white landscape. He was grateful for the little wooden slit goggles Jacob had given him, but at the same time he felt they restricted his vision too much for close-up work like tracking. ‘‘There’s got to be some signs . . . somewhere. Two, three people can’t just disappear without a trace.’’