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

by RM Brewer

  "I'm not sure yet. What I do know is someone was following us earlier today. I don't know who they were or who they were looking for. That's why we stopped. I was going to tell you and Nick about it on our way out of town, but did you say you’re off for the next four days?"

  "Yeah, we work four days on, four off. We were done for the week when the other crew showed up," Mei said.

  "That's great. Say, I'd feel a lot better if we could all get together and talk about recent events. That way, I can keep a close eye on you and Nick for the evening, too." Pointing to the two cars parked behind the Camaro, Jodie said, "I'm having some company. Would you like to come up to the cabin and stay the night with us?"

  "Can we pick up Hunter on the way?" Nick's massive figure suddenly filled the frame of the door.

  Jodie laughed at his eagerness. "Sure, Nick. Who's Hunter?"

  "My dog. I don't like to leave him alone."

  "More like, you don't like him to leave you alone," Mei said, laughing. "Those two are best buddies. Who's in the cars?"

  "Christy St. John and her son, Noah. Noah was the other boy who came into contact with the man in the river. There's also a woman we all just met, named Leah, in the other car. And you already know Bob," Jodie said, pointing to the Camaro. "We'll do introductions when we get to the cabin."

  "Well, okay, we'll lock up here," Mei said. "I need to pick up some clothes and then we can head over to Nick's. Our places are only about ten minutes away. Can you follow us?"

  "Sure. We'll wait for you right here." Jodie was already looking forward to having everyone together at the cabin, regardless of the situation they were in. They already felt like family.

  About two minutes later, the garage door of the EMT station opened and a four-wheel drive pickup truck pulled out, with Nick driving and Mei in the passenger seat. Jodie pulled out to follow them with the rest of the caravan in tow. As they drove past the police station, Wending stood by the front door, hands on his hips, glaring in their direction. Jodie wondered if they should have been so obvious with their movements. Maybe they shouldn’t have tipped anyone off to the fact that they were all together now. They drove for about ten minutes and turned onto an unpaved forest road. About a mile up the road, they came to a little cabin set back in the woods and Nick pulled in the driveway. Mei jumped out of the truck ahead.

  Jodie escorted Mei into her house to gather supplies. The cabin was set on the top of a ravine leading down to the river. Jodie checked the rooms. After she was sure they were secure, she waited in the living room for Mei to pack. She liked this room. It smelled of lavender, sage and wood smoke. The windows were screened by a variety of plants and hanging glass prisms and ornaments. The walls were covered in bookshelves surrounding a massive fireplace. She stood in the center of the room, listening to the river, thinking this was one of the calmest, most relaxing places she'd ever been. When Mei was finished, Jodie helped her pack her things in the truck and they moved on to Nick's place.

  Nick's cabin was a few miles up the road and the atmosphere was a little less relaxing. Hunter made his presence known immediately from inside the cabin with non-stop barking. Once Nick let him outside, Hunter followed up the barking with uninterrupted greeting and licking of everyone in the caravan. At his mother's insistence, Noah remained sitting in the back seat of the car, but he opened the door when Hunter approached. The dog laid his head down on Noah's lap, apparently understanding the bandages meant jumping was out of the question. Noah stroked Hunter's face gently. Watching her son, Christy said to Jodie, "He's always wanted a dog. Maybe when this is all over with, we can take care of that."

  "He's a great kid. I think a dog would be lucky to have him," Jodie said.

  Christy nodded. "He's had a lot to deal with, but you'd never know. He's so strong, he surprises me."

  "It's probably coming from you," Mei said. "Most good men are created by their mothers. Then again, I've met a few who were ruined by their mothers, too."

  Jodie felt good, sharing a laugh with Mei and Christy as they nodded in agreement. She looked up as Bob followed Nick into the cabin to retrieve his gear. Nick brought out a large duffel bag and threw it in the back of the truck, along with his suitcase and a bag of dog food. He called out to Hunter, who complied by jumping in the truck bed. "We're good to go. Lead the way, Agent Watts," Nick said.

  * * *

  Once they arrived at the cabin, Jodie made introductions and ushered the group inside. Bob and Nick stayed outside, telling Jodie they had a few things to take care of. The rest of the group carried their bags and food indoors, taking stock of their supplies and organizing. Hunter followed Noah in and laid down at his feet as Noah sat in a chair in the living room. Thanks to contributions from everyone in the group, the kitchen was overflowing with groceries.

  "Bob will be happy to see this," Jodie said, holding up a bundle of kale.

  Leah laughed. "You'll have to try it, Jodie. That and everything else here, so that you can put some weight on those bones."

  Jodie smiled. At the same time, she tried to shake off the feeling of dread that was creeping into her. She didn't know why she was feeling this way. One thing was for sure. She didn't think putting on weight was her biggest priority at the moment.

  Bob and Nick came through the front door, looking very pleased with themselves. Nick set a bag down on the kitchen table. He pulled out a laptop. "Let's see how everything is working, shall we, Bob?"

  "Most definitely, Nick," Bob said, heading back out the door.

  "What are you two up to?" Jodie asked, knowing they had something in the works.

  "You'll see. Just be patient." The computer screen flickered on and Nick clicked on an icon. The screen turned black. Everyone gathered around the table, watching.

  Jodie laughed. "That's very interesting, Nick. What are we looking at?"

  "Just a few more seconds before it activates ... there we go," Nick said. Bob appeared before them in the computer screen, waving and walking back and forth. "Looks like it's working."

  "I don't understand. What is that? Do you have a camera out there?" Leah asked.

  "Yup. Got six of 'em. My dad used these for hunting to find out where the deer were traveling. Saved him a walk out into the woods. They're motion activated. They send a digital video to your computer and cell phone," Nick said.

  Bob came back in the cabin. "How's it looking?" he asked.

  Nick's pocket started buzzing. He pulled out his cell phone and retrieved a video of Bob, holding it up for everyone to see. "We're good to go. We should probably try all six to make sure they're working. It's been awhile since I've had them out."

  "Not much of a deer hunter, huh, Nick?" Jodie asked.

  "Well, my family used to hunt quite a bit. I never really liked it. He absolutely hates it," Nick said, pointing to his dog.

  "Let me get this straight. You have a dog named Hunter who hates to go hunting?" Christy asked.

  Nick laughed. "Yeah, he loves to run in the woods, but the sound of a gun makes him pee all over himself. I had him in the front seat of my dad's truck when we were target shooting one time. When we checked him later, that's when I found out how scared the noise made him. Had to take the truck and have it detailed. But I didn't name him. My dad did. Dad thought he could turn us both - me and the dog - into hunters, but he failed on both accounts. Hunter's great, though. He would protect you with his life. Just doesn't like guns."

  "Well, hopefully, we'll keep the shooting to a minimum, old boy," Bob said, patting Hunter on the back. The dog remained at Noah's feet.

  Jodie thought everyone probably had the same wish for minimal gunfire. She knew she could use a quiet night with her new friends.

  "I'll go back to the cameras one by one. Call me on my cell when you see my handsome face appear at each stop, okay?" Bob gave Nick his cell number and went back out the front door.

  Jodie glanced into the living room to see Noah nodding off in the chair. "Should we put him to bed for awhile?" she as
ked. Nick looked up, nodded, and went over to Noah, picking him up off the chair as if he weighed nothing. Noah grunted and yawned in response.

  "Mei, can you watch for Bob while we put Noah to bed?" Nick said.

  "Sure thing," Mei said, sitting down in front of the laptop.

  Jodie led Christy and Nick into one of the bedrooms and Nick laid Noah down on the bed. Jodie brought out a blanket and draped it over him. They turned to leave the room as Hunter lay down over Noah's feet. Noah reached down and dozed off with his hand falling gently on the back of the dog's neck.

  "Looks like those two are gonna get along well," Nick said, gazing at Christy with a warm look.

  "Thanks, Nick," Christy said, reaching out and touching his arm.

  Their exchange made Jodie smile.

  "I better get back to the computer to help Mei or Bob will think we're all taking a nap in here," Nick said.

  * * *

  Two hours later, after all of the cameras were set up, working, and camouflaged, Bob and Mei started cooking dinner. The rest of the group was going through maps, old newspaper clippings provided by Leah, and Christy's research. Jodie thought it might take them a month to go through the mountain of information they had in front of them.

  "You know, you two, we do want to eat something besides kale," Jodie said, trying to keep the mood light.

  "You got it, Jodie. I've got some great-looking kelp here, too," Mei said.

  "That sounds really gross," a small voice called out from the back of the room.

  Jodie looked up to see Noah standing in the living room, rubbing his eyes. Hunter stood next to him, yawning.

  Jodie laughed. She found herself appreciating the boy's candor.

  "Well, look at you two. Up just in time for dinner," Christy said.

  Nick stood up and called to Hunter. "Come on, boy, we'd better go outside for a minute."

  "I'll come along. I could use a little fresh air," Jodie said. She thought now would be a good time to take a few minutes to make sure everything was secure outside. And she didn’t want anybody going out without protection, either.

  Leah took Nick's vacated chair. "I'll keep an eye on the computer."

  Hunter ran past Jodie and Nick down the front steps. He made his way from tree to tree, marking his territory.

  "I really appreciate all the coverage," Jodie said, pointing to a camera mounted in a tree near them. "But, I’d like to know, what else is in the back of your truck?"

  "Noticed that, did you? Well, better bring it in, anyway. Don’t want it getting into the wrong hands," Nick said, walking over to the truck. "It's my dad’s. He lent it to me when we had a bear up around the cabin. I never used it and hope I don’t ever have to." Nick handed a duffle bag to Jodie. She opened it to reveal a semi-automatic rifle.

  "Good God, Nick. This is serious weaponry. What did you plan to do to that bear, turn him into meatballs?" Jodie asked.

  "Well, Dad bought it for protection. That's what he said, anyway. I have it because my mom made him get rid of it. She said he was more likely to shoot one of the neighbors than a bear, and she didn’t want it in the house."

  "Smart woman, your mother. Let’s take it inside. I’ll put it in the gun cabinet." The last thing she wanted right now was an automatic weapon in the wrong hands. "But before we do that, why don't you, me and Hunter go for a drive and park your truck at my neighbor's house? No need to let everybody in on who's all here."

  "Sure, great idea. I guess dinner can wait a few minutes."

  Jodie went inside the cabin, telling Bob what her plan was and grabbed a bottle of wine for the neighbor. Nick drove up the forest road about a mile and turned off where Jodie directed him. A small deserted-looking cabin sat before them.

  "Doesn't look like anybody's home," Nick said.

  "I'll go check. If he's not here, I'll leave a note about the truck. He's such a nice old guy, he won't mind," Jodie said. She walked up to the cabin and knocked several times. When there was no response, Jodie leaned over and peeked in the front window. The place appeared deserted. She went around the back to see if anyone was in the garden. It looked well tended, but there was no sign of her neighbor, so she left a note and the bottle of wine sitting by the front door. Nick and Jodie headed back to her cabin, watching Hunter run through the forest.

  "So, Jodie, is your life always this exciting?"

  Jodie laughed. "To tell you the truth, this isn't excitement to me. I'd rather sit in the woods and watch deer and butterflies. Now, that would be exciting." And very welcome at this point, Jodie thought. She felt unsettled in a way she didn't understand. Maybe it's just exhaustion, she told herself. But something was very strange. It was almost as if someone was watching them.

  "I see your point. I love being out in the woods, watching all the wildlife," Nick said.

  "What's your story, anyway? Why hasn't some Mountain City beauty grabbed you up and made an honest man of you? Not that you need another person to do that, but you seem like such a family man." Jodie hoped she hadn't said too much.

  "Yeah, I know what you're talking about, but I never found the right girl."

  Jodie noticed his face was starting to flush.

  "I was kinda wondering, though, what do you think of Christy? I mean, not that she'd want a guy like me. But, God, those amazing green eyes with the little gold flecks are makin' me crazy."

  Jodie smiled and felt comforted by the thought that some things never changed, regardless of the situation people found themselves in. "I don't know. I just met her, too. I understand her husband was killed in Iraq, so you might have some pretty big shoes to fill. Good news on that is, you've got amazingly large feet." Jodie was embarrassed at her lack of tact for a moment until Nick let loose with a hearty laugh.

  The cabin was in sight. They continued walking, scanning the forest for any signs of something out of the ordinary, looking for movement. Under different circumstances, it would have been a wonderful day to spend in the woods. But today, Jodie found herself glancing back as she walked up to the front door of the cabin, wondering if she hadn't led them all into a trap. She paused on the porch and looked out into the dim light. "It’ll be getting dark in a few hours. After dinner, I have this feeling we better be ready for company."

  Chapter 15

  Jodie wished she could turn off her thoughts. They shared a wonderful dinner, her first good meal in longer than she could remember. She glanced around at Nick and Christy sitting with Noah, Hunter begging for scraps, Leah and Bob laughing at the table, swapping recipes, and Mei sitting close to her on the couch, watching the fire. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought this was a celebration, a gathering of friends and family, like normal people had. It was years since she felt this kind of warmth from a group of people.

  "Jodie … Jodie," Mei said, tapping gently on her shoulder. "You know, your phone is ringing."

  "What? Uh ... oh, yeah. Thanks." Jodie took the call and excused herself, went into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. "What did you find out?" She waited as Isaiah went through the list of matching dental work and other evidence found on the body. She sat on the bed and felt the tension momentarily release from her body. "Thank you so much, Isaiah. Say, can you check on a few other things for me, kind of off the record?"

  "Sure, I can do that. What do you need?" Isaiah said.

  "There was a military facility up the mountain from my cabin. I was wondering if you could find out if it’s still being used and what for. We’ve got some strange concurring evidence from two separate sources pointing to that installation. Whatever you can find out would be great."

  "Will do. Given we don't have to worry about Nelson any more, I can get on that right away. I’ll call you as soon as I have something. Give my regards to Bob, won’t you?"

  "Sure. We’ll wait to hear from you." She walked over to Bob in the kitchen, where he was looking over maps with Leah. "Isaiah called. It was him."

  Bob stood up and turned to Jodie. He pulled he
r toward him, putting his hands on her shoulders as the others in the group looked on. "One chapter closed, another begins," Bob said softly.

  "What is it?" Mei asked.

  "John Nelson, the serial killer Jodie was looking for, was verified dead," Bob said.

  Jodie slowly pulled away, even though she really wanted someone to hold her right then. "I told Isaiah where we are and what's happening. The San Francisco field office is going to follow up with the State Police and see what they can find out about the coroner and the missing bodies. Isaiah is going to make a casual inquiry about the facility at the top of the mountain. He said he'd call us back when he finds out something."

  "I take it we don’t need to worry about the psycho killer anymore, but who’s responsible for everything else?" Christy asked.

  Good question, Jodie thought. She walked into the living room, wiped out, but energized at the same time from finally obtaining the closure she needed. Like Bob said, close one chapter and open the next, she thought. "Well, let's see. We've got three bodies. A man, the woman I found, and the coroner - and a missing family - Noah's friend, Tim, and his mom and dad. Technically, we don't know if the dad is missing because he supposedly went away on business. Is that right, Noah?"

  Noah nodded. "His name is Fester, though."

  "Right. Noah calls his friend Fester. Sorry, Noah. Fester was with Noah in the river and took a watch from a deceased man. He found numbers inscribed on the back. We've all agreed those numbers represent coordinates of an area northeast of here. Plus, the woman I hit on the forest road coming up here had the same coordinates. The coroner made notes of what condition she was in--" Jodie stopped mid-sentence, realizing she shouldn't describe the woman's condition in front of Noah. The same thing might be happening to Fester and his family. "Then, we've got a Gypsum Aeronautics business card. Taken by itself, it may not have any significance to the case whatsoever, but it was the only piece of evidence collected from the man in the river, other than the numbers on the watch. It's hard to say what else could have been gleaned off of the body. I guess we'll never know."