by Alex Archer
Chapter 17
"We need to get out of here," Annja said, glancing into the woods.
David shook his head. "Are you kidding me? I've got to stay and figure out what happened. In case you didn't notice, my truck exploded."
"Of course I noticed," Annja said. "I was just pinned under it."
"What's going on, Annja?" Jenny asked.
"Don't you think that explosion happened for a reason? Like maybe to target someone?"
"Me?" David shrugged. "Why would anyone want to see me dead?"
"I don't know," Annja said. "Maybe we could start with what you supposedly know about the existence of the Sasquatch."
David fell silent. Annja pressed her attack. "Maybe someone thinks you know a few things that you shouldn't. Rather than shoot you, they could just blow you up."
"That would be as obvious as shooting him, though," Jenny said. "It would still be a homicide."
"Maybe not," Annja said. "It really depends on what blew up. Was it a road mine or some type of improvised explosive device? Or was it something faulty in the mechanics of the truck itself?"
David leaned against a nearby tree. "You really think someone wants to see me dead?"
Annja shrugged. "Look, this is what I know. There are armed men in those woods who seem determined to run off everyone in this area. I have no idea what their game is. All I know is they've been making life hell. And this explosion seems to fit in with their plans."
Jenny stood close to David. "So what do we do?"
"Right now? I'd suggest we vanish. I think that explosion will probably act like chum for these guys and we can count on them making an appearance sooner than later," Annja replied.
David unholstered his gun. "In that case, I can arrest them."
Annja shook her head. "They'd kill you before you got the chance. There are three of them, remember? And I don't think they'll come out nice and neat for you to order them to drop the guns and put their hands up."
David frowned. "I suppose you're right."
"We need to regroup. Find our way into town and call for backup. That's the best thing to do right now."
David nodded. "Let's do it. We aren't much more than a mile or two from town. We were cruising along pretty quick when we blew up."
Annja wiped her hands on her pants and then carefully stood. She took a few steps and decided she felt fine, all things considered. "We need to go now."
David started walking down the road but Annja stopped him. "Is there a path we can use through the woods? Staying on the road probably isn't the smartest thing to do right now. Those guys will be looking for us here."
David pointed. "There's a footpath that runs alongside a stream and tracks back to town. But do you think you can do it?"
"I'm good," Annja said.
David led them into the woods on the opposite side of the road. He kept his gun out, which Annja appreciated. No telling if those three goons would make a sudden appearance. Better safe than sorry.
They followed the footpath, and the stream that flowed to their right ran brisk with cold water coming down from the mountains that surrounded the area. Tall pines stretched up toward the sky, their branches extending to the warm rays just beginning to reach down from the sun.
As hard as she tried to wrap her head around it, Annja couldn't quite fathom the explosion. Why take a chance that someone else would trigger the bomb? If it even was a bomb at all. Was it mechanical failure? Had they sabotaged David's fuel tank?
She frowned. "Is your truck usually in good condition, David?"
He glanced back with a grin. "Not currently."
"Before the explosion."
He nodded. "Absolutely. Not much good being the sheriff if your vehicle isn't in top condition. I took care of that thing like it was my baby."
"Poor truck," Jenny said.
Annja rolled her eyes. "So do you think this was an actual bomb in the road?"
David shrugged. "Who knows? I'm not exactly a forensic specialist. I can call one of the state crime lab guys to come down and take a look at the wreckage. They can get swabs and send them to the lab for analysis. That should give us an idea of what we're dealing with."
"That'll take a long time," Annja said.
"Probably."
"Was that the route you drove every single day?"
"Any day I was working, which is…yeah, every day."
"That's the main road into town, right?"
"Yep." David stopped and checked on Jenny before looking back at Annja. "There's a couple of other ways to get into town by back roads and whatnot, but the road is what we all use."
Annja frowned. "How many people in town?"
"Only about two hundred. We're small. We like it that way. Everyone knows one another. Even folks who leave somehow seem to find their way back after a few years. There's about a thousand more people scattered around the area that I have jurisdiction over."
David moved off again and they followed him. Annja could feel the sun's rays starting to warm her through her shirt. The day promised to be rather hot, which in contrast to the cold of the night before, was a welcome change.
The stream bubbled along beside them, running over moss-slicked rocks. Annja could smell the water and the sweet fragrance of the pines around her. She inhaled deeply and felt her body relax as the beauty of the surrounding woods enveloped her.
I'd almost failed to notice how beautiful it is here, she thought. All this stuff with bombs and guns and big foot completely took my awareness away.
She stopped and squatted near the stream, watching bits of leaf debris flow quickly past her. By the edge of the stream, the mud glistened in the moisture. She spotted rabbit tracks and what looked like those of a fox. Had the rabbit escaped the fox or wound up being a meal? She smiled at the flow of life and how it continued, oblivious to the machinations of mankind. In a way, it was almost reassuring. Whatever they were going through, nature took little heed of it and continued doing what it did best.
"Annja?"
She glanced up. Jenny and David were staring at her.
"Sorry. I just got caught up being here. For the first time, actually. It's kind of nice forgetting for a minute that there are dangerous people out there looking for us."
David smiled. "We get this stuff all settled, I'll take you two to some really amazing vistas around here. You won't believe your eyes."
Annja smiled. "Sounds great."
"It's a date," Jenny said, squeezing David's arm.
"Let's keep going. We shouldn't be much more than ten minutes away from town," he said.
The footpath widened and Annja walked next to Jenny behind David. Jenny smiled at her. "It is nice here, isn't it?"
"Definitely."
"Makes all the rest of the world seem, I don't know, somehow unimportant, doesn't it?"
Annja knew what she was getting at. The thought of leaving the stress behind and just hiding out in a place like this that seemed immune from all the chaos of the modern world was very appealing. The problem was, could Annja ever do that? Could she ever escape?
With my luck, she thought, I'd move out to someplace like this, only to have the chaos follow me.
"Maybe someday," Annja said.
"Someday what?"
"Maybe someday a place like this will be possible. But for now, I don't belong here. I've got other things to do first."
Jenny frowned. "Is that you talking or the sword?"
"Both," Annja said. "I don't think I can separate myself from it if I tried."
Jenny shook her head. "I don't envy you."
David stopped. "What's this about a sword?"
Jenny glanced quickly at Annja. "Nothing. Just two history fanatics talking about our past digs."
"That archaeology stuff?"
"Yeah."
David nodded. "We're almost there."
Annja looked up ahead and could see small breaks in the trees. The footpath itself seemed a lot more worn, as well. There was evidence
of more human traffic than animal. But the stream kept bubbling along next to them.
Jenny pointed. "Look at the bridge."
David nodded. "We had it built. It's not much, but a few of us got together and put it up, figuring it would make for a nice place to walk with that special someone." He smiled. "You like it?"
"Definitely," she said.
"We cross that bridge and we're in town."
Annja looked at the bridge as they approached. Rough-hewn beams created a neat archway and they'd covered it like the old-style bridges. It was just wide enough for two people to walk through abreast.
"Nice work," Annja said.
David nodded. "We have many craftsmen in town. The kind of people who take a lot of pride in their work."
On the other side of the bridge, the footpath changed to gravel and then a bit of asphalt led up to the main road. The three of them stepped out onto the street.
About a dozen buildings lined the street on both sides. She spotted four cars in total and there were even a few places where you could tie up a horse if you had ridden into town.
"You weren't kidding. This place is a bit old-fashioned."
David pointed. "My office is over there."
They crossed the street and headed toward the police building. Annja felt a twinge in her gut and decided that a hot cup of coffee would be just the thing to make her feel worlds better.
David held the door open for them. "Come on in."
Annja and Jenny stepped into the station and David came in behind them. "Coffee?"
"That's the magic word," Jenny said.
"Annja?"
"Please."
A side door opened and a trim woman in her forties walked out. She smiled at David. "I wondered when you might be in."
David grinned. "That's it?"
"What?"
"That's all you have to say?"
The woman eyed him up and down. "Well, you look like hell, if that's what you're angling for."
David smiled. "Annja, Jenny, this is Ellen. She helps me out on the admin side."
"And dispatch, and occasionally I strap on a pistol and back him up. But you know, don't let that keep him from making me seem like his personal secretary."
David held up his hands. "Hey, we've got guests. Is the coffee hot?"
"Scalding. I burned my tongue on it."
"Great. You guys help yourselves."
Ellen stopped him. "Speaking of guests, you've got some waiting in your office."
"Really?"
Ellen nodded. "They seemed anxious to see you."
"All right," David said. "In the meantime, can you raise the State Police in Southville? Someone tried to blow us up on the way in this morning."
Ellen's eyebrows jumped. "You're serious?"
"Absolutely."
Ellen busied herself with the phone while David winked at Jenny. "This shouldn't take too long. You guys relax and I'll be out soon." He stepped into his office and, as he did so, Annja caught a glimpse of the two men sitting there.
One of them looked exactly like the lead gunman who'd terrorized the camp.
Chapter 18
Jenny stirred some creamer into her coffee. She looked up as Annja approached. "You want some of this?"
Annja shook her head. "Those guys David is meeting with—you recognize any of them?"
Jenny tried to look over Annja's shoulder. "Blinds are drawn on his office windows. I can't tell who is in there."
Annja frowned. "Well, I do."
"You do?"
"Yeah, one of them is the guy who ran us off your campsite yesterday and has been presumably prowling the woods, looking for trouble."
Jenny sipped the coffee and yanked her lips away. "Ellen wasn't kidding, this stuff is boiling."
"Jenny, I'm being serious here. If that guy is in David's office, what if it means that David is one of them?"
Jenny frowned. "You're joking, right? David? Annja, unless I'm seriously mistaken and I'm not, you were just riding in the truck that blew up with all of us in it. Remember?"
"Vividly. But still—"
"And you say I have a crazy imagination. Tell me, why on earth would David rig his own truck to explode? He could have killed himself."
Annja glanced around the office. Ellen seemed absorbed in the file she was poring over. "I don't know. There are plenty of skilled people who can rig an explosion so it blows a certain way."
"Annja, the truck somersaulted about a half dozen times before coming to rest. David could have been seriously injured. We all could have been killed. I don't see the likelihood of him doing something like that. It just seems absolutely crazy to me."
Annja sighed. "Yeah, I know it does sound insane. But why on earth is that guy in his office?"
Jenny shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe David doesn't know he's a bad guy."
Annja sat down on the bench across from Ellen's desk. "Have they been waiting long to see the sheriff?"
Ellen looked up. "Sorry?"
"The men in his office. They've been waiting a long time?"
"They were here when I arrived about an hour ago. They smell like smoke. Probably been camping the past few days. Got that kind of funk to them. You know, sort of like how you and Jenny smell."
Annja laughed. "We could do with hot showers."
Ellen smiled and looked back at her report. Annja leaned forward. "Have you seen them before? Around here, I mean."
Ellen frowned. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"
"I'm curious by nature," Annja said.
"Nope. I've never seen them around these parts before. Of course, that doesn't mean much. We have a lot of folks who live sorta off the grid, so to speak. They make their own way in life and every once in a while turn up. Could be these guys are like that, too."
Annja took a breath. "I doubt that."
Jenny sat down next to her. "So what do you want to do? Barge in and confront them?"
"Well, they did hold a gun on me yesterday," Annja said. She stood.
Jenny grabbed her arm. "You're not serious."
"Why not? No time like the present to figure out exactly what the hell is going on around here."
Jenny shook her head. "Annja, you can't just barge in there. What if—"
"What if what?" Annja jerked her arm free. "I'm tired of wandering through the woods. You've got big-foot fever. I've had guns held on me. You nearly died from exposure. A fourteen-year-old kid who can communicate with wolves is off on his own. I took some sort of weird spirit trip."
"You did?"
"Don't ask." Annja shook her head. "No, I want to know what is going on and I want to know now."
Ellen looked up. "Everything okay with you two?"
Annja smiled at Ellen. "Does David's office door have a lock on it?"
Ellen frowned. "What would make you ask a thing like that?"
Annja shook her head. "Never mind. I'll find out."
She walked across the office and kicked David's door open.
The door banged against the inside wall and the blinds rattled. David and the two men jumped out of their seats as Annja blocked the doorway. "Hi, guys. I've got some questions I'd like answered."
David started to stand behind his desk. "Annja, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
She kept herself in the doorway. While the gunman had initially jumped at her entrance, he had regained his composure and sat staring at Annja with an expression of mild amusement.
Annja glared at him and then looked back at David. "That guy's the one who came into Jenny's camp yesterday and made us all leave at gunpoint."
David frowned. "Annja."
"And now you're sitting here with him in your office and I don't particularly like it. I see this and I have to think that's something is rotten in Denmark. And I want to know exactly what it is."
The gunman cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should leave, Sheriff."
David held up his hand. "No one's going anywhere. Stay put." He looked
at Annja. "You shouldn't have come in here, Annja. This doesn't concern you."
"Gun-toting jerks always seem to concern me," Annja said. "And I'll be damned if I don't say something about this."