The Dark Rift: Ascension (The Dark Rift Book Series 1) (10 page)

Relieved, Jodie said, "Hi, Dad. Just calling to say hello. How are you?"

"Well, fine, Jodie, but I should ask you that question. This isn’t really like you, calling in the middle of the day. What's up?" he asked.

"I wanted to let you know I'm taking a break for a few weeks. I’m up at the cabin. I'm taking some time away from the Nelson case. Thought it would help to clear my head."

"Well, Jodie, nothing clears your head better than work. I best get back to mine."

"I, uh, okay, Dad, but I need to ask you about Gypsum Aeronautics. Is there an office or facility around Mountain City?" 

"Why do you ask? Thinking of a new career?"

Wow, Jodie thought. He's got some pent up sarcasm. "No, Dad. We found some evidence at a crime scene. One piece of it was a business card from someone at Gypsum. The name isn't legible, but I recognized the logo in the corner of the card."

"No, there's nothing up there anymore. There was a remote facility constructed in the 1950s, but it's been shut down for years. What kind of crime scene? Not from that Nelson character, I hope."

"I can't tell you the details, mostly because I don't understand a lot of them myself, but it came off of a deceased male. No one missing you know of, I hope?"

"No, Jodie. We're all safe and sound here, but I have to get to a meeting. Call me again sometime, okay?"

"Thanks, Dad. Talk to you soon," Jodie said. On one hand, she was relieved her father wasn’t the unidentified male in the river. On the other hand, she hated his dismissiveness and self-absorption. She wondered what it would cost him to set down the work for a few minutes and talk to his only child. She walked back into the station, anxious to move the investigation along.

"Well, Agent Watts, got everything figured out yet?" Wending asked.

Before Jodie could answer, her phone rang. She thought briefly that her father was calling back to apologize, but realized that wasn't the case when she looked at the number on the caller ID. A number she didn't recognize. "Jodie Watts."

A woman responded. "Hi, Jodie, this is Christy St. John. We met in the police station last night."

"Hi, Christy. I was going to call you today, but it’s been a pretty busy morning." Jodie thought that was quite an understatement. But, regardless of how busy the day was becoming, she liked Christy and her son and wanted to try to help them whatever way she could.

"Yes, I’m sorry to bother you with this, but I wanted your advice on something. I received a strange call this morning and was wondering what I should do."

"What do you mean, a strange call? From someone you know?"

"No, it was a woman I’ve never met. She seemed to know some details about the rash or burn ... what Noah has. She said some things that were upsetting. She wants to meet with us."

Jodie could sense fear in Christy St. John’s voice. "What did you tell her?"

"I got her number and said I’d call her back."

Knowing clues to the cases before her were pretty slim, Jodie said, "Why don’t you give me your address. I need to finish up a few things here and go to pick up my car. Then I’ll come over and call her back with you."

Christy waited on her screened front porch. She wanted to talk without Noah overhearing and find out what Jodie thought was really happening in their town. This was one of those days Christy felt like she could really use Noah’s dad for support. She didn't feel bitter about losing him, just sad and empty at times. Now was one of those times. Tears welled in her eyes. Tom St. John was gone almost ten years.

She remembered watching as the soldier walked up the sidewalk. She stood motionless; hearing the doorbell ring, feeling like the sound was coming from inside her head. She knew what he would tell her. This would be the last moment she would ever be able to say Tom was still alive and she wanted it to last as long as it could. Finally, she opened the door and accepted the telegram. The soldier was speaking. He held his hat underneath his arm and dropped it as he reached out to catch her when she fell to the floor. He helped her to the couch.

She recalled feeling hopeful when he told her they couldn't find Tom's body. They just assumed he was dead. The soldier told her no one could have survived the attack. No one except Tom, Christy thought. He would never leave her and Noah. All that time, she held onto the hope he’d just show up one day. After three years, Christy realized this hope was killing her and depriving her son of a mother, too. She knew she had to let go.

She'd checked on Noah earlier, peeking into his room, feeling peaceful in the knowledge he was resting quietly. Christy knew if recent events turned out badly, if Fester wasn't okay, he would carry the pain that went with it for a long time, possibly the rest of his life. So, she was determined to do whatever she could to find answers and she wasn’t about to give in to fear. She looked up as a car with tinted windows parked down the street from her house. From the other direction, a Camaro pulled into her driveway. Agent Jodie Watts got out and walked up to her door.

"Hi, Christy," Jodie said, extending her hand.

Christy reached out. "I’m glad you’re here, Jodie. I’ve got lots of questions and, so far, you’re the only person interested in helping. Please sit down, won't you? I'd like to talk out here at the table if that's okay. My son is sleeping inside and I don't want to wake him."

"Sure. Thank you," Jodie said, sitting in a wicker chair at a large wood table. "I’m sorry to hear about the bad experience you're having. I know police assistance up in this part of the state is a little bit scarce."

"A little bit inept, I think is what you mean, but you seem too nice to say that," Christy responded.

Jodie smiled. "I think we’re agreed on the capabilities of law enforcement here. Let’s talk about what’s going on with you, though. First of all, have you heard from or been in contact with your friends who were missing yesterday?"

"I called over to their house this morning. Still no answer. Tim would have called Noah by now if they were back from wherever they went. Those two are inseparable," Christy said.

"How about the phone call from this morning? You said something about a woman calling you … that she might know something about Noah’s rash?"

Picking up a pad of paper she took notes on, Christy said, "Yes, she said her name was Leah Fenton. She lives between here and Crescent City. She saw a newspaper with Noah’s picture in it. Our pictures were in the paper the day after the boys were at the dam. Noah’s arm wasn’t bandaged yet and it was red and blistered, not like anything I’d ever seen before. She said it looked like something she had on her arm forty or so years ago when she was a little girl. At first, I thought she was some kind of kook. It was ridiculous to think she could remember what something on her arm over forty years ago looked like. But then she told me her cousin disappeared the same day she got the rash. They never found the cousin, but the family doctor told her the rash was actually a burn caused by exposure to radiation."

Jodie pulled up her sleeve, showing Christy her bandaged wrist and forearm. "Looks like we’ve all got something in common."

"Oh, my God. I forgot. You showed us that at the station last night. Did it get worse?" Christy asked.

"Sure did. I saw some EMTs in town this morning and they told me it was a burn, too."

"Noah said Tim, you know, his friend, Fester, had the same thing all over his legs. What in the world is going on here?" Christy asked, fearful for Noah and concerned about the potential threat to the entire town. It looked like the burns were starting to affect a lot of people.

"I wish I knew. Maybe we’d better give Leah a call," Jodie said.

"I’ll do that right now. She said she’d be happy to come over. I didn’t feel good about talking with her alone with the Martins missing, but I sure would like to find out what Noah’s been exposed to. And you, too." Christy picked up her cell phone and dialed Leah’s number. Jodie stood up to stretch while Christy gave Leah directions to her house. After hanging up the phone, Christy said, "How about some coffee? You look exhausted."

"Coffee would be wonderful. That originally was my plan for the day, anyway. Sit on the porch, drink coffee, read dirty books," Jodie said, with a laugh.

"Now, that would have been an excellent morning. I’m sorry we took you away from it."

"Oh, it wasn’t you. You’re going to hear about this anyway, so I should probably tell you right now. I went with Officer Wending and two agents to the coroner’s office this morning. We were going to do a preliminary exam on a deceased woman, and the body of the man in the river with Noah and Tim. The woman was in the middle of the road last night and I hit her with my car. She'd been dead for some time. If that isn't strange enough, when we arrived, not only were the bodies gone, but the coroner was in the freezer, dead. It looks like his death was no accident."

"Oh, my Lord. What happened to the coroner?" Christy felt shocked over the number of tragedies she'd heard of over the past few days.

"We don't know. We've got someone examining him right now. Did you know him, Christy?"

"No, not at all. Do you really think he was murdered?" Yesterday, Christy was mostly concerned about Noah. Today, she was starting to feel an overall uneasiness and fear she didn't understand. She wondered why these terrible things were happening so close together.

"I know this might be upsetting, but all I can tell you is nothing is making sense. Until we’re sure about what’s happening, I’d like you and Noah to get some protection. I'm going to order surveillance for you," Jodie said.

"What do you mean, we need protection? Do you really think we’re in danger? Noah doesn't even know who the man in the river was. If his body’s missing, how will they ever find out who he is?" Christy was starting to feel helpless. Nothing was making sense and she didn't understand what any of it had to do with how sick her son was becoming.

"First of all, we don’t know if what happened to the coroner is even related to anything else going on. I didn’t mean to scare you, Christy. I came up here because I needed to get away from a case we were working on. I know you’ve probably heard of John Nelson."

"That’s where I’ve heard your name before," Christy said. "You’re the agent who was in charge of that case?" And I sure hope nothing from that case followed you up here, she thought.

"Yes, indeed, I am. What I wanted to say is, in all likelihood, what’s been happening around here for the past week has nothing to do with Nelson. Nothing about his case explains what happened to Noah, Tim or the man in the river. The woman I hit on the forest road doesn’t fit his MO either," Jodie said.

Christy rubbed her forehead. "I don't understand any of this, Jodie. Why would someone kill a coroner?"

"Unfortunately, I can't answer that. I wish I could, though."

"Well, at least they got here fast."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

Pointing to the vehicle parked down the street, Christy said, "The surveillance you ordered ... that's them, isn't it?"

Jodie turned to look in the direction Christy was pointing. "Well, no, that can't be ours. I haven't even called yet. How long has that car been here?"

"I saw it pull up right before you did."

They both watched as the car with dark tinted windows slowly started moving, making a U-turn in the middle of the roadway, going back from where it came. Christy tried to read the license plate, but the car was too far away. She turned to go in the house. "Must have been lost or something. I think I’ll get that coffee now."

* * *

Beads of sweat formed on Jodie's forehead. She pulled out her phone. "Hi, Bob. I'm over at Christy St. John's house. I need you to get over here right away. You know the car following us in the ambulance? I think it was just parked down the street. I didn't notice it when I drove in, but, apparently, it was already here. I think we need a protection detail for the St. John's. Will you call the field office on the way over and see if we can get some help?"

"Sure, Jodie, we're just finishing up. Officer Wending and I are going to drop Isaiah at the airport on the way, unless you think we should get there faster."

"I think we'll be okay for the time being. The car drove off just a minute ago. Could you also put out a request for information on a woman named Leah Fenton? She should be about fifty or a little older. There should be some info about her and a missing cousin from the 1960s." Jodie recited Christy's address to Bob and hung up as Christy appeared with two large mugs of coffee and a small creamer.

"Bet you take yours black though, don’t you?"

"Why, yes, thank you. How would you know that?"

"Oh, I just don’t think you like any part of your life watered down. Say, there’s something I should probably tell you. Noah will be mad at me, but it might help us find Tim and his family. When Tim went over the waterfall, I mean, the dam, and was waiting for Noah to come back with help, he took a watch off of the dead man."

"You’re kidding. Does Noah have it?"

"No. Noah said Tim told him his mother and father saw the watch, and that his father took it."

"And, you think the father’s missing too, right? This is all so very strange. Too bad Tim's dad took the watch. That might have helped us identify the man in the river," Jodie said, wondering if they'd ever get a break on this case.

"Well, that's why I brought it up. Tim told Noah there were numbers on the back of the watch. He wrote them down and gave them to Noah. I’ll go get them." Christy went back into the house.

Jodie thought anything would be helpful at this point in the investigation. Even an inscription on a watch. Maybe the FBI could track down the engraver and find out who the man was.

Looking out at the street, Jodie saw a small red pickup truck drive up and park. The driver, a woman with slightly graying red hair, got out. Jodie could see she was using a cane, yet she moved steadily and with purpose. Christy came out on the porch in time to open the door for the woman.

"Hi, I’m Leah Fenton. We talked on the phone," she said.

"Hi, Leah, I’m Christy St. John and this is Jodie Watts. Jodie is an FBI agent who came up for vacation this week from San Francisco," Christy said. Jodie watched for any sign of fear or apprehension on the woman’s face at the introduction of her as an FBI agent, but she thought the woman's expression indicated she was pleased more than anything.

"An FBI agent? That’s wonderful. Maybe you can help," Leah said.

"Maybe we can all help each other," Jodie said, holding up her bandaged hand.

"Is that what I think it is?" Leah asked.

Jodie nodded.

"Looks like we’ve got a lot to talk about," Leah said.

"Please, sit down, Leah." Christy pulled out a chair and Leah lowered herself into it with some effort.

"Why don’t we start with why you contacted Christy? You said you had a rash, or something similar, on your forearms as a child?" Jodie asked.

Leah rolled up her sleeves, revealing two badly scarred forearms. "This happened when I was eight years old. My cousin, Kari, and I were picking strawberries. She went into the woods and never came out again. The only thing we found, well, actually, I found it, was her shoe. I ended up with burns on my arms from something."

"I’m assuming there was an investigation related to your cousin’s disappearance, but what did they tell you was the source of the burns on your arms?" Jodie asked.

"A rash showed up within an hour or so after Kari disappeared and then it got worse and worse. Eventually, we all realized I was burned. To this day, I don't know what could have been the cause, but I was sick for quite some time. At first, our family doctor said it was a reaction to a plant, but then he said I was exposed to radiation. He didn’t have any explanation for how that could have happened. There was no EPA or any kind of state or county agency dealing with that type of thing back then. Well, there might have been, but my parents were so involved in trying to find Kari that what happened to me kind of took a back seat to the search for her."

"Did you ever find out anything about what happened to your cousin?" Christy asked.

"Not really. I looked everywhere for her. I read a lot of case studies telling me there was about a zero percent chance I would ever find her, alive or dead. I studied serial killers. You know, their movements, who they usually preyed on, thinking she might have been taken by one, but that didn’t seem to make sense either, given the burns on my arms. I think I read about you, Agent Watts. Something about a serial killer in San Francisco."