Roche Harbor Rogue

by D. W. Ulsterman

  “Yeah. So, let’s start climbing.”

  They walked in silence for nearly twenty minutes until Fin stopped and turned in a complete circle. Adele asked him if something was wrong. He shook his head.

  “Not sure. You feel that?”

  Adele was about to say no when she noticed a very faint vibration under her feet. She leaned down and put her hand against the ground while recalling Delroy’s story that Ophelia had shared with them, including his description of hearing a strange humming coming from the earth.

  Thump-thump-thump, it went.

  “It’s the same as what my father told your nun friend,” Fin said.

  Adele stood and then kept walking. “C’mon.”

  After another ten minutes they came upon the clearing. Fin’s eyes lit up as he spotted the top of the shack’s roof. “It’s still here,” he exclaimed right before he took off running toward it. Adele waited and looked around to make sure they were alone. The humming under her feet had gone away. The grass was nearly up to her waist. The tall evergreen trees that encircled the clearing reminded Adele of a wall. She wondered if it was to keep things out or to keep them in.

  “Come over here,” Fin shouted.

  Adele walked toward the shack and found its door hanging open. “Where are you?”

  Fin’s head popped out. “Right here. You got to see this. I’m serious. You really have to see it.”

  Adele stepped into the shack. A single cot lay against the wall, partially lit by a narrow beam of daylight that shined down through a hole in the roof. Fin closed the door and then used his cell phone to illuminate the inside. He was grinning like a madman as he pointed at the door.

  “The words are right there.”

  Fin was right. Though badly faded, the same message Delroy had shared with Ophelia and that she had then shared with them were carved into the wood.

  Be a slave to the truth or know freedom from the lie.

  Fin was nearly crying as he traced the words with his fingers. “It’s just like the story. I wonder if I’m the first to see it since my father was here? Wouldn’t that be something?”

  Adele thought it unlikely but didn’t want to tell Fin that and ruin the moment for him. “You could be,” she said instead.

  “Ah, I’m being silly. Of course others have been here. Still, what a thing to be in this place where Delroy had such a remarkable experience. What a thing indeed.” He sat down on the cot and looked up at Adele. “Now what?”

  “We try to find the trail that leads to the cave. The one Delroy couldn’t find himself the day after Bloodbone took him there.”

  Fin clapped his hands together. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He got up and pushed the door open. “Any ideas on where we should start?”

  Adele stepped outside and looked around some more as Ophelia’s voice whispered inside her head.

  They took a path Delroy had never seen before. He didn’t have time to ponder how that was possible as he struggled to keep up as they climbed the side of a hill. Up they went, through brush and bramble that inexplicably appeared to make way for Bloodbone as he approached.

  Adele turned to the east, to the west, to the north, and to the south. Fin’s brows lifted as he watched her. “Well?”

  “This way,” Adele answered while pointing north. “Where the undergrowth is thickest.” She walked directly toward two of the biggest trees that bordered the clearing and then stopped. “There.”

  Fin squinted at the mass of brush. “Eh?”

  “There’s an opening between those two trees. It’s small but it’s there. See?”

  Fin shook his head. “No, not really.”

  Adele kept walking. “Follow me.”

  “Ah,” Fin hissed. “I’m stuck.”

  Adele turned around and saw Fin trying to remove a thorny branch from his pants leg. “Are you hurt?” she asked.

  “No, I’m fine. There, I got it. Okay, let’s keep going.”

  The barely visible path was steep and narrow. Adele stopped to catch her breath while Fin appeared unfazed by the difficult climb.

  “You do this kind of thing often?”

  “What?” Fin said. “Hiking? Not really.”

  “Well, you’re in good shape.”

  Fin tipped his cap. “I’ll take that as a compliment. You think we’re close to the cave?”

  “I’m not sure. I guess we just keep going.”

  It wasn’t long before Adele had to stop and rest and again. She took out a bottle of water from her backpack and then noticed Fin was still barely breathing hard. “C’mon, what’s the deal? Are you a runner or something?”

  “I hate running,” Fin replied. “I guess I’m just blessed with good lungs.”

  Adele glanced up at the sky. “We better find it soon. It’ll start getting dark before too long.”

  “That wouldn’t be so bad. We could make a campfire and stay the night in the shack.”

  “That cot won’t sleep two.”

  Fin shrugged. “No worries. I’ll sleep under the stars. You brought water and snacks, right?”

  Adele held up the water bottle and gave it a little shake. “Sure.”

  “Then we’ll be good for the night if necessary.”

  “I’d much rather sleep in a real bed so let’s find the cave sooner rather than later.”

  “Hey, I’m the one following you, remember?”

  Adele put her water away and resumed the hike up the hill until she came to the top and looked around. Fin whistled at the spectacular view. “My goodness,” he said. “Check out all that green and blue.”

  Trees stretched out for miles below until they reached the water that extended even further beyond. “That’s Mount Baker over there,” Adele said.

  Fin brought out his phone and took a picture of the great snowcapped giant that rose up into the clouds in the east. “It looks like a place the gods would happily call home. Is that steam coming off it or are my eyes playing tricks?”

  “No, you’re right. It’s a volcano that regularly lets off geothermal steam throughout the year. Most people mistake it for mist. I studied it a little in college. The last major eruption was in 1880. My geology professor was convinced it was due for another one soon.”

  “Not today I hope.”

  “No. He said it could be tomorrow or a thousand years from now. I guess that’s soon by geological standards.”

  Fin continued to stare at the mountain. “Yeah, I guess. Thankfully we don’t have such monsters in Ireland.”

  “We must have missed the entrance to the cave,” Adele said. I guess we retrace our steps and see if we can find it. You want to lead the way this time? A different set of eyes might help.”

  “Sure. I’ll see what I can see.”

  Fin moved down the trail with far more speed and confidence than Adele. The first time she slipped Fin looked back, asked if she was okay, and then continued. The second time she slipped he looked back and she wasn’t there. “I’m alright,” she yelled, not wanting him to worry.

  “Where you at?” he called out. She could hear him coming back up the hill toward her. Then his smiling face appeared over the opening. “Ah, there you are. Well done. You’ve found it.”

  Adele got up and wiped the dirt off her backside. “Purely by accident I assure you. My butt found it first.”

  Fin hopped into the cave. They both lit up their phones and looked around. The stone walls were nearly black. Fin cocked his head.

  “There it is again—the vibration.”

  Adele heard and felt it as well. She peered down the dark passage that disappeared into the hillside. “Full disclosure,” she said. “I’m a little claustrophobic.”

  Fin put his arm around her shoulders. “Nothing to worry about. We’ll be in and out of here in no time.” When he started to move forward, Adele pulled away.

  “Wait. Give me a second.”

  “Take all the time you need,” Fin replied. “If you want to wait here that’s okay. I can go in
alone. It shouldn’t take long.”

  “No, I’m coming with you. We should stick together. Just keep the light on. If it goes dark in here, I might have a serious freak out.”

  “I doubt that. Don’t forget I’ve read all your articles. You’ve been in far tougher situations than this. We’re just having ourselves a leisurely stroll.”

  The further they moved into the cave, the lower and narrower it became until Fin had to crouch to avoid hitting his head. The stale air smelled of dirt and rock and something else Adele couldn’t yet place. She noticed her hand was shaking and willed it to stop.

  Fin paused. “How are you doing?”

  Adele scowled as she nodded. “I’m good. Keep going.”

  Deeper and deeper they went. “You smell that?” Fin said.

  “Yeah. Been smelling it since we got in here.” The smell was getting stronger, making it hard to breathe.

  Fin scrunched his face. “It’s sour, like rotting fish. Maybe something crawled in here and died.”

  That possibility did nothing to calm Adele’s nerves. She thought of stopping and turning back but seeing Fin’s light moving farther into the black void made her keep going. She didn’t want to be left alone.

  “Hey.” Fin looked back at Adele. “I think we made it.”

  Adele quickened her pace until she stood next to Fin. The width of the passage was nearly double what it had been, but the smell was even worse. Adele had to focus on not throwing up. Fin held his phone light out in front of him. Covering her nose, Adele did the same.

  A massive crystal wall greeted them. It absorbed the light from the phones and reflected it back in a multi-colored wave. The grin on Fin’s face suddenly dropped away.

  “What the hell is that?”

  It was a dark pyramid-shaped pile of something that was nearly as tall as Adele. The very top of it appeared to be wet. Fin shined more light on it. “That’s where the smell is coming from,” he said.

  Something stirred. Adele thought she felt a gust of warm air wash over her.

  Fin turned around. “You hear that?” he asked.

  Adele refused to lift her head. “I don’t think we want to know.”

  Fin chuckled. “It’ll be fine.” He looked up and then raised his phone.

  It wasn’t fine.

  The cave ceiling was a swirling, leathery mass that shrieked its rage at being disturbed. Adele opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her phone fell from her hand and hit the ground with a loud crack.

  Fin blinked his eyes multiple times as he shuffled backwards. “My God,” he whispered.

  Adele ran.

  It only took a few strides for her to realize how dangerous it was to be running so fast in the dark. She warned herself to slow down. To be more careful. To wait for Fin.

  But it was too late.

  17.

  “H ey, kid,” Delroy said. “How’s it going?”

  “You’re not supposed to be here,” Adele replied. “You’re dead.”

  “That’s right. I wasn’t asking about me though.”

  “Am I dead too?”

  Delroy laughed. “No, of course not. It’s just a bump to the head, remember?”

  “No, not really.”

  “That’s not true. Wanna know how I know?”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re going to tell me anyway.”

  “Yeah, I suppose that’s true. Anyway, you were running too fast in the dark. Running from all those bats in that cave because you allowed the fear to take over and that’s never good. You know better.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  Delroy sat at the end of the cot Adele was lying on. He reached over and poked the golf ball-sized lump on her head. “That hurt?”

  “Ouch. Yeah it hurts. Geez.”

  “Sorry. Just checking. It’s good you felt that. Means you’re going to be okay. Me? I don’t feel anything anymore. You’d think that would be nice, right? No pain, no hunger. Nothing is too hot or too cold. Thing is, I’d give anything to stub my toe and feel something. I miss it. I miss all of it—the good, the bad, and everything in between.”

  Adele tried to sit up, but her chest felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. “You’re dead and I’m dreaming.”

  “Shh, take it easy. You’ll wake up when you’re ready.”

  “Where’s Fin?”

  “I believe he went back into the cave.”

  Again, Adele tried to sit up but couldn’t. “The cave? Why?”

  Delroy cocked an eyebrow. “If I knew that so would you because you’re me.”

  “What? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Sure, it does. You said it yourself. I’m dead and you’re dreaming. So, whatever I know you know because it’s your dream not mine.”

  “Scoot down so I can get a look at you.”

  Delroy slid toward Adele and smiled. “How’s that?”

  “Better. You look good.”

  “I look how you remember me—old and dying. Could have used a few pounds, but all in all I suppose I was holding my own. Lived a good life. Saw a lot of things. Did a lot of things. I was quite the hedonist for most of that time. Wasn’t much I didn’t want to experience at least once.”

  “Including having a child you never knew about.”

  Delroy’s face darkened. “His mother should have told me. I would have done right by him. Even at my very worst I would have been man enough to see him properly supported and loved.”

  “I know you would have. It’s okay. Fin is a lot like you.”

  “Is he? Be careful then. Don’t miss something important.”

  “All I miss right now is you.”

  “Oh, my little Adele. All grown up and finding her own way. And look at you now on this cot—my cot. It’s another adventure that’s come full circle by way of your being here.”

  “Speaking of which, is Karl Bloodbone somehow still alive? Could such a thing really be possible?”

  Delroy shrugged. “You tell me. It’s your—”

  “I know. I know. It’s my dream.”

  Delroy pulled his fedora down low over his eyes and smiled. “Life is but a dream, Adele. As for Karl Bloodbone, he was always more of an idea than an actual man. Sure, there was the flesh and bone personification of all that, but it was the spiritual possibilities of what he represented that I found most interesting. It’s very much like any great religion. There’s this little kernel of truth that over time expanded and enveloped people and events far beyond its original conception. My life was spent trying to understand the spaces between the who, the how, and, most importantly, the why of such transformative human phenomena.”

  “So, you’re saying the rumors that Bloodbone is still alive are false?”

  “Not quite. I’m saying it doesn’t really matter if he is or isn’t. What people believe is what matters because it’s those beliefs that will shape and motivate the actions and consequences that follow.”

  “You’re losing me.”

  “No, you’re losing yourself. I’m just a reflection of your own subconscious.”

  “The Delroy Hicks version of my subconscious.”

  “Indeed, in all its contradictory glory. I’ll say this. You’ve read my textbooks, you’ve known me personally, so you have my disposition down pretty good. If there was ever to be a Church of Delroy movement around here, you’d be a more than capable original disciple. Even Christ needed Paul to spread the word after his abrupt departure.”

  “I don’t know if I should be offended or annoyed by that comment.”

  “You should be amused. It’s a joke. Perhaps not a good one but an intended joke nevertheless.”

  Adele looked at Delroy’s long and lean face, making note of every line, crack, and beautiful flaw. She started to cry. “I really do miss you.”

  Delroy put his hand over hers. “I know. This isn’t only to be a sentimental visit though. You have work to do. Mysteries to solve. People to be made more whole—including yourself.”
>
  “I don’t understand.”

  “Yes, you do, or you wouldn’t have had me say it.”

  “We came here because Fin wanted to retrace some of your steps.”

  “That’s only part of it. You came here for more than that. You came here because it’s what you do. If there’s an unknown, you can’t let it be. Something in you demands to discover the answer. You sense connections yet to be revealed.”

  “You sure that’s me talking and not just you?”

  Delroy’s eyes reflected Adele’s image back to her as he squeezed her hand. “I wish that were so. Still, in a way, yes, I’m speaking to you. The mind is a very powerful thing. All that you know of me, everything we experienced together and that you have since experienced on your own are part of this conversation with yourself.”

  “That’s deep.”

  “You’re being sarcastic.”

  Adele closed her eyes and smiled. “I know.”

  “Do you remember the day you found Calista Stone in that horrible black pit below the old sheriff’s house?”

  Adele’s eyes opened. “Of course.” She would never forget the day Martin Speaks took the life of his son, Will, before turning the gun on himself.

  “Think back to the moment Calista crept up those stairs. How filthy she was, how weak, and yet somehow still so strong. All those many years forced to live in that hole. How does one survive such an experience and then manage to recover from it so quickly?”

  “She’s a strong woman and wanted to be with Decklan again. You say the mind is a powerful thing. So is the heart.”

  “Yes, that’s certainly part of it, but could it also have been something more? Think about it, Adele. You found Calista on this island, a prisoner held captive deep down in the earth in a place not far from this shack. She should have died in that pit. She should have but she didn’t. Why not?”

  “I don’t know. She wasn’t meant to. She didn’t allow it. She was too strong a woman to let death have her.”

  “You’re merely reciting easy explanations. That’s not who you are. That’s not how you think. You’re a seeker of truth. A solver of riddles. I would have done it myself, but unlike Calista death took me. It’s now up to you. Go there and see for yourself. I know you’ve thought of it. Now’s the time.”