The Dark Rift: Ascension (The Dark Rift Book Series 1) (14 page)

Exactly what I was thinking, Jodie said to herself. It never took the Bureau two days to do anything. Something or someone was impeding their investigation. That something or someone was putting them all in danger.

Christy put her arm around Noah's shoulders. "Well, then. That's settled, I guess. Tell us what you want to do, Jodie."

Jodie walked over to the set of maps on the table. "No time like the present to make some preparations in case we need to go and look for ourselves. We need to develop a plan. If Isaiah doesn't have answers, we'll have to find out for ourselves if any of that military installation is still in use and who’s using it. We have to find something to report back to get the attention of law enforcement. We need them to help find Fester."

Leah brought the laptop displaying the output from Nick's cameras over to the table, watching the screen as she set it down. "Okay, Jodie, what can we do?" Christy, Nick, Noah and Mei sat down at the table with Leah.

"I think Bob and I should take Nick’s truck up the hill tomorrow, if that’s okay, Nick, since it’s four wheel drive. We’ll have about a mile walk from where the forest road ends. I’m assuming if the site is still in use, access to it is from the other side of the mountain, since there doesn’t appear to be traffic coming through Mountain City to get to it."

Jodie's head jerked toward the screen as the laptop flickered on and Nick’s cell phone buzzed. She heard a collective gasp from her guests.

"We just took a video. It should start any minute," Nick said.

Bob lowered his phone and rushed to the window, scanning the front of the cabin.

"Looks like we’ve got a positive ID on Bambi."

The group exhaled as a unit, watching a grazing white-tailed deer filling the laptop screen. This is going to be a long night, Jodie thought.

"Thanks. No, just a deer. Talk to you soon," Bob said, closing his phone. "Isaiah said he's on to something and he'll call us back as soon as he can."

"What did he mean by that? On to something?" Jodie asked.

"I'm not sure. He couldn't really talk. He said he'd call you back as soon as he has something to tell us." Bob looked out at the forest. "I don’t want to wait until dark. I’m going out to about where our deer suspect is standing right now and camouflage myself. If I see anything unusual, I’ll signal you from there. Nick, will join me on the first watch?" Bob said.

"Sure, Bob." Nick pulled his duffel bag from the cabinet where Jodie stowed it earlier. "Jodie, I'm taking a little extra protection, okay by you?"

"You might want to let Bob handle that for the time being. I want you both to come back from your watch in one piece." Nick nodded and handed the bag to Bob.

Bob looked in the bag, grinning. "You shouldn't have. It's lovely."

Jodie overheard the two men laughing on the way out the door. "It goes with your outfit and everything," Nick said.

Boys will definitely be boys, Jodie thought. When they were out the door, she turned to look at the rest of the group. Anxious expressions greeted her.

"Jodie, we're not staying here in some cabin without you," Leah said.

"I don’t care what anyone else is doing, but I don't want Noah up there," Christy said. "Leah, how do you think you can travel over that kind of terrain?"

"I can go, Mom. I feel a lot better now," Noah said as he stood, puffing out his chest ever so slightly.

Jodie looked at him, thinking his attempt at bravery was adorable. She realized he was being driven by concern for his friend. "No offense to you or Leah, but you would just slow us down. Neither of you are up for that kind of hiking."

Noah looked down at the table.

"None taken, Jodie, but I wish we could help more," Leah said.

"It’s going to be safer for you if you take someone with you," Mei said. "I think I should go along. If you’re going in there, you’ll need to have somebody watch to see if anyone follows. We’ve got cameras here. Who knows what kind of equipment they might have up there?"

"Point taken, Mei. I’ll talk to Bob when he comes in from his watch. As for the rest of you, I do understand your apprehension about being on your own. Regardless of who goes, we’ll probably be gone less than a day. You’ve got surveillance equipment and weapons here and we’ll be fairly close, but we'll discuss this as a group later and decide together. For now, if you want to help, you can gather some supplies. We’ll need some food, flashlights, first aid and water for each of us. Christy, I’d like you to help me with something," Jodie said, walking toward the hallway. She motioned for Christy to follow her and they walked to the back of the cabin.

"Okay, what can I do?" Christy said.

"I’d sure feel a lot better if we secured some of these windows. I’d like you to nail them shut."

"Is that such a great idea? I mean, what if we have to get out of here in a hurry?"

"I’ve got just the thing for that." Jodie pointed to a rug on the bedroom floor.

"So, what? You want us to hide under the rug?" Christy asked, laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's funny, but no, not really. But also, yes, kind of." Jodie pulled the rug back to reveal a trap door with a recessed handle. "This goes to the crawl space. You can get out underneath from any side of the cabin. What we’ll need to do is attach the rug to it so it's covered after we go through, just in case."

"Okay, I see your point," Christy said. "Best to be prepared. If Fester wasn't missing and Noah hadn't been injured by this, I might actually be having fun right now. But, this is exhausting in a way, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Jodie said. "Most police work is. People think it's glamorous. They have no idea." Keeping everyone out of harm's way would be excitement enough. She said a silent thank you they were all safe for the moment. She'd do her best to prepare them for whatever was coming. She didn't know what that would be, but they would be ready.

Officer Charles, 'Chuck,' Oliver Wending, the Third waited at his desk. He'd felt that tingle in his crotch since earlier in the day when the State Police arrived and he told them how he'd solved the case, or at least where they should look to solve the case. After all, there were already three dead people and a missing family. He couldn't be expected to do everything by himself now, could he? Having State assistance left him freed up to develop his own plan, and the information he had would get him a ticket outta this one horse town. There was no doubt in his mind. Solving the case might add enough to his resume to help him start over somewhere else.

He'd gone to the city, attended community college, and graduated with a Police Science certificate over ten years ago. His first assignment was in Wild River, California, a city that would tax even the most seasoned law enforcement professional. Wild River's 150,000 residents experienced a higher crime rate than any other city of its size in the U.S., with murders, arson, robbery and drug-related crimes topping the list of offenses.

During his first week on patrol, Officer Wending came face to face with a tweaked-out addict, brandishing an automatic weapon the size of a mini-bike. At first, Officer Wending couldn't quite comprehend what he was seeing. By the time it finally did register, he realized he was scared shitless. Literally. His bowels released, his breakfast liquefied, filling his Armani boxers with intensely foul-smelling half-digested food. The Sunny Morning Special -- Two Eggs, Bacon, Waffles and Syrup, and Your Choice of Beverage, Only $2.99! -- from Shep's Home Cookin', all right there, streaming down his legs, overflowing in his comfortable walking shoes.

The man lowered his weapon. "Aw, fuck, that's gross," he said, screwing up his face at the sight of the pool of pulverized eggs forming by Wending's foot.

Yet, Officer Wending had the presence of mind to move quickly while the man was distracted. He disarmed, arrested, and handcuffed his suspect, placing him in the back of his cruiser. Wending's partner, Jason Redman, called for backup. When two other squads arrived, Redman told Wending to take the man to the station himself and he would remain to take witness statements. Wending pulled a large plastic evidence bag out of the trunk, set it down on the driver's seat and sat down, looking at his passenger in the rear view mirror.

The suspect in the back seat sounded none too happy about his situation. "Jeeezus Christ! You can't make me ride in this car with you. I can't even cover my face. Man, you're rotting from the inside out. Take the cuffs off ... I think ... I think I'm gonna be sick." With that, the man bent over and threw up all over his shoes.

Wending glared at him in the mirror. "You keep that up and I'll take the long way back to the station. Maybe even close the window and turn on the heat. How would you like that, you little prick?" Wending tried not to look out the window, but could see his fellow officers out of the corner of his eye, laughing so hard, it looked to him like they were having problems standing.

Following issuance of a new uniform, everything went smoothly for a couple of weeks. Just when Chuck Wending was thinking most of the Wild River PD was finally over him shitting his pants, he responded to another dangerous call. This time, he and three other officers had to climb up five flights of stairs to check out what appeared to be, from the screaming and sounds of breaking glass coming from behind the apartment door, a very heated domestic disturbance.

By the time they got to the top of the fifth floor and moved toward the door, Chuck was out of breath. Not just a little winded, but completely out of breath. He was thinking, guess I shoulda watched how much weight I was puttin' on over the past couple of months, when the dark edges of his vision started closing in.

"You don't look too good, Chuck," Jason Redman said, moving toward him.

He started to lose his balance and his partner reached out too late to stop him from falling. The last thing he remembered was a dense thud as he hit the floor.

Not altogether conscious, he realized he could vaguely hear a man screaming on the other side of the door.

"Who the fuck is that?" the man bellowed. "What the fuck do you want?"

Chuck Wending could feel the vibration of the man's footsteps as he paced back and forth. Suddenly, the door flew open and the man came charging out, baseball bat held high. The man's foot hit Chuck as he lay in the doorway and he lost his balance, briefly regained it again, but snagged his other foot on Chuck's holster. The man pushed off with the first foot and launched himself into a mid-air half somersault, clearing the stair railing by a good six inches. Chuck looked up as the man flew down and out of his vision, followed by a sickening smacking, splattering noise a few seconds later. The sound of a baseball bat hitting the tile floor followed.

Toxicology reports indicated the man was filled to the brim with PCP. While his drug-induced free fall led to his demise, it also cleared Chuck of any wrongdoing. With the capture of two suspects on his record, he was not surprised when his commanding officer recommended he take a position in his hometown, saying it would give him a chance for advancement of his career.

"Chuck, you've got just the right stuff for this job," his superior said, handing him a set of forms. "We've filled out all the paperwork for you. It's an application for a position right in the same town you went to high school in. All you need to do is sign on the dotted line and we can send it in, along with our recommendations. It's about time you reaped the rewards of all your hard work."

Although Chuck was a bit surprised over the sudden opportunity, he was also happy to be presented with an option to flee the vermin-ridden city. So it happened that, with one pen stroke and seven letters of support from his colleagues, Chuck became Mountain City's new Police Chief. Actually, the title was Senior Officer, but since he was the only officer there, Chuck found it fitting to redesign his title. "A little adjustment here and there won't matter," he said to himself. That was when Mountain City had 1,007 residents. He would be resident number 1,008.

With increased development, the number of permanent occupants in Mountain City doubled in five years. Add to that all the tourists pouring into town every summer, and Chuck's one-man operation became severely strained. He decided to call on family for help. His brother-in-law, who was on the Mountain City Board, recommended that he get whatever assistance he needed, so Chuck made sure that the County Sherriff took over traffic enforcement on all but the forest roads and the State Police assumed the responsibility of crowd management during the summer months. This left him with about one call per month, to help someone whose car broke down in the woods or to pick up a volunteer fire fighter to get a cat out of a tree. Truth be told, Chuck was pretty happy in his little town with his meet n' greet job. That was, until he read about Jodie Watts.

He read in the paper that she'd been an FBI agent for some time now. He thought it seemed like the whole world knew about her and the case she'd been working on. Sounded like she was still single, too. "Serves her right," Chuck said to the newspaper.

At first, reading about Jodie made him feel lonely and pathetic. Hearing about her made him face the fact he was an underachiever. Yet, he appealed to his better qualities, deciding that maybe it would be best to find a way to start over somewhere else. Maybe he could move to the Midwest and get a job as a security guard somewhere. Maybe he would find a woman he could start a new life with. It all seemed like a great plan until he got a call the other night. He thought he was in for another round of pants-shitting action when all the dead bodies started showing up. But, it must have been destiny, Jodie showing up when she did, in need of his help.

Now, he had information, valuable information. Information that would have been lost, had it not been for him jumping on the evidence like that, removing it from harm's way. Sure, Jodie and the rest of them figured out what the numbers meant, but he was responsible for protecting the evidence that probably would have been lost. Not probably, Chuck thought as he mumbled to himself. "Absolutely, it woulda been stolen by whoever killed the coroner. Nobody in the Department knows anything about the matching numbers from the watch that kid took off the floater. I'm takin' full credit for this one. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Not me."

Certainly, he reasoned, if something was found up at the top of that mountain to help the case, he'd be up for another promotion. Therefore, it was with a great level of confidence that Chuck told the State Police he would lead them up the mountain in the morning. He was in charge of forest roads, after all, and knew the territory better than anyone. But he was frustrated with their reaction. No one seemed to take him seriously about the coordinates found on the dead woman.

The State Police produced maps and argued with him the majority of the afternoon, telling him that there was nothing up there but trees. They told him, maybe it was a place the dead woman used to picnic or something, but they weren't wasting manpower on a nature hike. Finally, after hours of listening to Chuck plead his case, they relented, telling him they were sending him two officers in a four-wheel drive vehicle for assistance.

Chuck was disappointed at the lack of manpower assigned to him, but was more bothered that they didn't treat him as if he was in charge. He figured that would all change for sure tomorrow, though. He didn't really know what was up on the mountain, but thought if it was important enough for Jodie to be interested, it must be something big. He closed up shop for the day and headed over to the diner for a pre-victory dinner.

* * *

Jodie's phone buzzed. "Hey, boss, it's gettin' real dark out here. You wanna come out and play now?" Bob asked.

Laughing to herself, Jodie said, "Yeah, I'll be out in a few minutes. I'll go out the back door and Nick can come in the same way."

Jodie told the group inside the cabin what was going on. She went into her bedroom, collected her gun and put on her jacket. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror over her dresser, thinking, wow, you've put on some years, girl. She couldn't remember the last time she'd really looked in a mirror, but almost didn't recognize the face staring back at her. Guess I do need to gain some weight, she thought, running her fingers over the hollowness of her cheeks. Yet, she felt happy. Her bedroom always felt warm and safe. It was a cocoon made of dense, massive logs where she'd hidden away from the world when she needed to.

Jodie was never a girly-girl. Where her friends kept perfume on top of their dressers, she stored piles of pinecones, feathers, and interesting-looking stones. Her grandmother put them all in a clear glass jar for her to admire. Jodie opened the jar and picked out a pinecone, bringing it up to smell, the pine resin still aromatic after years. Glancing upwards, she jumped at the unexpected reflection of Mei standing in the bedroom doorway and turned to her.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Jodie. I thought you might want these." Mei held up two water bottles.

"Uh, thanks, Mei. Sorry, I guess I was lost in a memory there."

Mei moved forward, set the water bottles down on the bed, and took Jodie's hand, bringing the pinecone up to her face. "I've always loved that, too. You know, when you're in the forest on a summer day and the sun is heating up the pinesap, that sweet smell?"

"Yes, I know it very well." For a moment, Jodie couldn't take her eyes off of Mei. She could feel the heat rising off of her own body as their eyes met. She let herself start to move forward, closer … a gun blast made them both jump, sending the pinecone skittering across the floor. Jodie grabbed Mei's arm and pulled her into the hallway and toward the living room.

"Everybody down. Now," Jodie commanded. She crept along the hallway, taking out her phone, waiting for Bob to call. Mei followed and crouched next to her. Hunter barked and jumped at the front door and Mei called him over to calm him. Christy shrouded Noah, who lay on the floor underneath her. Jodie thought she looked terrified. "Christy, take Noah to the bedroom with the trap door. Leah, where are you?"

Christy and Noah retreated to the bedroom on all fours. A loud whisper came from the living room. "I'm here."

"Can you crawl?" Jodie asked.

"I sure as hell can give it a go."

"Okay, come to the hallway and into the first bedroom on the left. Christy will show you where to go. Look at your path, because I'm going to turn off the lights now. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

Jodie reached up and flicked the light switch off in the living room. The hallway was still dimly illuminated by the lamp in her bedroom. She heard Leah dropping to the floor, pulling her cane along with her. When Leah came close enough, Jodie took the cane and handed it to Christy, who was leaning out of the bedroom door. Jodie jerked when her phone buzzed.

"Bob, what the hell is going on out there?" Jodie whispered.

"There's four of them out here,” Bob said in a barely audible voice. I thought they were Special Ops or something when we first noticed them. All geared up. I was about to call you, but one of them shot into the forest and gave their position away, which Ops would never do. I think they heard a deer and thought it was one of us. They haven't seen either Nick or me yet. They're about ten feet from Nick right now. Look at camera four if you can. They just moved into view. You should be looking right at them."