"Have ye been there before?" Hamish asked.
"A couple of college friends and I took that route on the way to British Columbia on a camping trip. There is a lot of traffic on I5 going through Seattle. We should try to get through there before or after rush hour. It's murder."
"How far is it from tha border tae Mount Baker?" He asked.
"About six hundred miles altogether from the California border. We must go through Oregon and cross Washington State to get to the border crossing at Blaine Washington. Mount Baker is quite close to the Canadian border. Too close if we're spotted."
Hamish accelerated to pass a slower vehicle. Lori waited until he had passed the older car and was back into the slow lane to continue her explanation.
"We can camp out at a campground I remember, about halfway between Medford and Grant's Pass, Oregon. That should leave us with about the same distance to cover tomorrow as we will have covered today."
H.M. reached back to give the inside of her thigh a squeeze. "You willna fall asleep on me will ye?"
"Don't worry. I'll be O.K. The scenery is beautiful and it will be getting cooler once we get into the mountains in Oregon. We could stop in Medford for dinner then go on to the campground. It's a really good sized camping area. We should have no trouble finding a spot. If we get up early, hopefully we can miss the worst of the Seattle traffic."
Without a word, H.M. cranked the throttle on the bike, increasing their speed by another ten miles per hour. They roared down the freeway toward Oregon, and climbed deeper into the mountains. Flying past Shasta Lake, Mount Shasta was left behind as they hurried toward the border between California and its neighbor, Oregon.
The border station at Weed intrigued H.M. He asked Lori if they would have to go through that procedure on the Oregon side of the border and she assured him they would not.
"The California station has been set up to try to keep insect pests and the like out of California's bread basket. The other states aren't quite so paranoid."
As the sun was setting they rode up a steep pass. Lori watched the last of the sunlight touch the trees on either side of the road. In other parts of the state, manzanita was only a bush. Here, it grew into tall, reddish brown trees.
Once through the pass, they were on the down hill side and made good time into Medford. Stopping in a place just off the highway, they grabbed a quick burger before continuing on toward the campground Lori recalled.
Located in the Rogue River valley, the camping area was spread out. Large trees and lush grass carpeted the valley. The night was cool, riding was enjoyable. They found the campground. Hamish pulled the bike into it eagerly.
Near the edge of the manicured grass, which stretched out before them, there were several large bushes. By the light of the moon and the headlights of the vehicles headed south, they were able to get the bike over the curb and into the shelter of the shrubbery.
Lori took off her helmet. She tossed it contemptuously to the ground. Hamish threw his in the same general direction. Lori started to move past him to the luggage rack. H.M. reached out one arm to grab her.
He lifted her up, placing her sideways on his seat before raising the hem of her tee shirt. Hamish began to suck on one nipple. Lori clutched his head, twisting her fingers into his hair.
A small sound escaped her when he switched to her other breast. At the same time Hamish was tugging at the snap on the waistband of her pants. With one hand, Lori felt for the crotch of his jeans. She rubbed him through the material. H.M. made a rumbling sound deep in his throat.
Having unsnapped his jeans, Lori pushed the cloth past his hips. He rubbed against her hand and Lori chuckled. They were both very needy. She stripped off one shoe, and he helped her pull off one pant leg.
The vibration had been teasing her all day, he was quite aware of it. From experience, he knew Lori would be moist. Spreading her legs, H.M. entered her in one quick lunge.
Lori gasped in pleasure as he began to move inside her. She clung to the bitch bar with one hand and the center of the handlebars with the other. It was hot, hard and quick. The proximity of the other vehicles just on the other side of the bushes along with the possibility of discovery excited her, making Lori's climax, when it came, even more pleasurable.
When they were finished, Hamish reached over, released the bungee cords and ripped open the sleeping bag. Unrolling it with a flip of his wrist, Hamish threw the bag on the grass and flopped on top of it.
There on the sleeping bag, he sat down to pull off his pants. Lori tugged off her jeans the rest of the way. Jerking the zipper down, he slid over and pulled the top half of the cloth to one side. Hamish wiggled over to the far side of the double bag.
"Get in here!" He commanded. "I havnae finished yet."
Lori joined him in the bag and H.M. drew her into his arms.
1They ate breakfast at a truck stop somewhere north of Grant's Pass, Oregon. Being in a hurry to get back on the road, they ate silently. Now, that the state line had been crossed, H.M. felt the clock ticking.
Every moment which passed brought the inevitable confrontation with the polis closer, without the benefit of the information he needed.
It was a feeling he had experienced before. He felt much like a small mouse, trying to sneak past a cat. The cat he was trying to avoid was quite awake and doing its best to locate him. Time was not on his side.
Somehow, he felt Alice O'Connor had seen something he desperately needed to know to discover the identity of Vince's murderer. Lori was unfortunately correct in her diagnosis. He could not let it go as he was still having difficulty with her part in this affair. Her lack of candor regarding past relationships had created suspicions which refused to stay banished.
H.M. did not think she had killed Vince, but that did not rule out a prior involvement which could leave her venerable in dealing with the polis. He was frightened for her. With each mile, anxiety ratcheted up another notch in his already strained nervous system. H.M. was partially afraid of Alice's knowledge; therefore, he needed to have the whole thing over with as quickly as possible.
The lush green Oregon countryside rolled away behind them with amazing speed. When passing through small towns, he made a point of slowing down. He kept his speed just under that of the larger trucks, but still pushed both himself and the bike as far as possible without going over the fine line which would eliminate their safety margin. Certain speeds on a motorcycle are on the absolute edge. H.M. had no intention of crossing the line, not with Lori as a passenger.
The possibility of getting stopped by the polis was always on his mind. Getting a ticket at this point would lead to jail certainly. Neither situation would help anything.
Lori whispered in his ear that Oregon reminded her of the U.K. Hamish agreed absently.
Shortly before noon, they stopped for a burger outside of Salem, Oregon. H.M. was impatient to be on the go, so Lori didn't talk much. They devoured their meal then returned to I5. Portland area traffic was somewhat heavy. H.M. found himself far too impatient with the reduction in speed he was forced to make.
Lori felt his impatience and leaned away from him. He was in no mood for lighthearted play. She wished they could have bypassed the city altogether.
The map had shown a small detour which went around through Oregon City. It had been so many years ago since she had come this way, Lori was reluctant to mention it. She was unsure of the distance or any possible traffic problems which might exist now, but had not years ago. The straight route seemed the best.
As they crossed the Columbia River into Washington, she breathed a sigh of relief. The traffic thinned out somewhat allowing H.M. to crank the throttle. With a roar the Harley slipped into the fast lane as they left Oregon behind.
H.M.'s fears decreased for the moment. He knew they were only a few hours from their destination. It appeared they would be able to get through Seattle shortly before rush hour traffic commenced. Lori had mentioned to him there were a couple of places where they coul
d take a side road around the town.
But, if they kept to the main road, the traffic would mask them somewhat, or so he hoped. Hamish decided so long as he held down the speed and stayed in the main flow of traffic, they were safer in the thick of things. Calling attention to them in any way was to be avoided at all costs.
The objective was approximately two hundred miles away. Hamish was beginning to think they would be able to accomplish the interview with the O'Connor girl without the polis becoming aware of her existence.
Pre-rush hour traffic was fairly heavy, however nothing he was not able to handle after Glasgow and London. Cruising through the heart of the city was interesting as the freeway was multi-level.
Lori leaned forward. "I don't like this! What if there's an earthquake?"
She clung as tightly to him as the helmet would allow.
"Dinna fash yerself. If there is an earth quake, we would probably feel absolutely nothin."
Lori smacked him on the leg. She didn't care for his observation. When they were back on the regular freeway, she leaned forward again. "On the way back, we are going to take the highway around Seattle."
H.M. nodded in acknowledgment of her comment. "Watch for tha road ta Mount Baker."
As they turned onto the side road leading to Mount Baker, H.M. felt a sharp rush of adrenaline. The race was almost won. In a very short time he would have the answers he sought. He had no idea why he felt Alice was the key to the puzzle, but somehow he knew he was on the right track.
A few miles outside the town of Everson, they reached a dirt turnoff. After a quick conference, Lori and H.M. agreed it must be the driveway leading to the O'Connor farm back in the hills. They decided to camp out in a layby a mile or so back down the road. It was mutually decided a daylight approach would be best.
When they reached the pull off, H.M. steered the motorcycle off the road. Lori climbed off, removed her helmet then ran her fingers through her hair.
Swinging his leg over the seat, H.M. dismounted before turning to Lori. "Look behind tha bushes there. Do ye think we can push tha bike through them?"
Striding over to the brush, Lori used the helmet to push the branches to one side. "Yes. It looks as if there is enough room for the bike and the sleeping bag. We should be well hidden from the road in here."
Hamish began to push the motorcycle through the bushes. "Hold tha branches out of tha way if ye can. We wouldnae want tae scratch tha paint."
Once the bike was positioned, Lori took the sleeping bag and their jackets off the luggage rack. Before unrolling the bag, they both brushed all the loose rocks out of the place where the sleeping bag would be lying. After removing Lori's shoes and Hamish's boots, both of them slid into the bag with their clothes on.
Lori snuggled up to H.M. "It's a bit chilly."
"Aye. An likely tae be colder before tha night is through. In tha morning we will see about Alice."
Lori lay in his arms. "I agree. I don't think it would be wise to ride up there in the dark, unannounced."
Hamish's fingers wiggled her shirt free of the waistband of Lori's jeans. "Have we ever managed tae make love with almost all our clothing on?"
Lori ran her fingers through his hair. "Don't think so. Would you like to see if it can be done?"
"Ah scientific experiment? Certainly!"
Their goal accomplished, Lori rolled over on her side. She promptly fell asleep. H.M. lay awake. In the morning he intended to sneak off. He had no intention of taking Lori along with him when he rode up to Alice's place. Hamish had an uneasy feeling about the coming meeting.
If Lori slept late as usual, he could be back before she even knew he had left her. He did not like leaving her asleep by the side of the road, but their campsite was well concealed. Nor had they encountered much traffic on the highway.
If Lori needed to, she could walk back to town. His decision made, H.M. tried to rest. Sometime before dawn, he managed a few hours. Lori was still asleep when he slid out of the sleeping bag. Quietly, he pushed the bike out of its hiding place, and then down the road.
Pushing it a couple of hundred feet away from their campsite, MacGrough mounted up. When he hit the starter button, the motorcycle turned over immediately.
Hamish rode away with a deep feeling of unease. He hated leaving Lori, but he had heard some unsettling things about the dope growing industry along the west coast. Tatterson's comment about the O'Connor father and brothers also bothered him.
Then, there was the feeling he used to get as a young lad, living in Pollokshields. The feeling in his gut told him this was to be avoided if possible. As it was not possible, he did not want to expose Lori to any more danger than was necessary.
Lori would be terribly angry with him, but he would deal with it later. Slowing the bike down to make the turn onto the dirt driveway, Hamish had to concentrate all his attention on keeping the motorcycle upright while negotiating the deeply rutted narrow track.
H.M. estimated the driveway was about five kilometers long. It wound up onto a ridge. The track on the top of the ridge led upward to a house perched on the crest above him. It was clear that whoever lived in the house had an unobstructed view of the driveway and anyone approaching.
Riding into the yard, Hamish killed the ignition and parked the bike. When he looked up, after turning the key to the off position, two very large men stood blocking the approach to the house.
"What are you doing up here mister? Have you got a real good reason for being here? Neither of us recognizes you." The smaller man had spoken. He then glanced at the large one for confirmation of his statement.
"Nah." The larger man shook his head. "We don't know you. So what are you doing here?"
H.M. slipped the keys to the bike into his jean pocket. "I would like tae see Alice. She gave her address tae Jim Tatterson at tha Seattle concert. He told me where tae find her. I wouldnae wish tae disturb her. However, I do need tae speak with her for a few minutes."
"Where you from man? You sure ain't American." The larger man spoke as he moved closer to H.M.
The smaller man came toward Hamish after circling around from the other side. "We don't let just anybody bother our little sister."
H.M. moved away from the bike and backed up slightly, trying to keep both of them in sight. It seemed as if his instinct was correct. He had the distinct feeling they intended to make things difficult.
"If you would just speak tae Alice an ask her if she knows Mr. Tatterson, I think ye will find she will speak with me."
With a swift motion the smaller man reached down to grab a handful of dirt. He tried to throw it in H.M.'s face. Dodging to one side, MacGrough covered his face with one hand. He saw the larger man coming toward him with his fist cocked back.
Twisting to one side, he pushed forward, knocking the larger man down with a shoulder to the chest. The smaller man charged forward, head down. With one swift kick, H.M. knocked his feet from under him. An arm slipped around his leg and he was suddenly on the ground. The small man jumped up to deliver a swift kick to H.M.'s ribs.
The larger man, while still on the ground, punched H.M. in the side of his head, scraping his forehead. Another kick was delivered to his rib cage. H.M. felt as if he would pass out at any moment, when a girl's voice was heard.
"Damn it all! Back off, Larry. You too, Ernie."
H.M. watched as a red haired fury, half the size of anyone of them waded into the fight.
"One of these days you two are going to have the whole sheriff's department up here with your stupid assed ways!"
She reached down to help H.M. up. "These two are like a couple of junk yard dogs, all snap and no brain."
H.M. struggled to his feet and glared at the two men who shuffled around behind Alice. "Lack of manners appears tae be tha main problem. Jim Tatterson sent me here. He said he dinna think ye would mind having ah wee chat with me."
Alice looked at him closely, then took one of his hands for a moment. The girl dropped Hamish's hand before
turning to her protectors. "Boys, I think you've done it this time. This gentleman is the keyboard player for the band, Bushmaster. If you don't wind up doing time, and I don't lose the farm, it'll be a wonder!"
"Alice, we didn't recognize him." One of the brother's whined out.
"Damn all!" The smaller man pushed forward. "How were we to know he was some big shot? He didn't even tell us his name. Are you sure you know who he is? He hasn't told you."
H.M. spoke up. "I'm Hamish MacGrough. I did play keyboard for Bushmaster. I would have told Alice. My business is with her."
"Don't you boys have something to do out by the barn? I'll call you if I need you. I don't think this gentleman is any danger to me or either of you."
"Yeah, see that you're right. Dad is due back in a couple of hours. If anything is wrong, he'll take care of it." The taller of the two shook his head then turned to the smaller man. "Come on Larry, let her handle it. She can explain it to Dad. I sure don't intend to."
Alice was staring at him, a frown creased her forehead. "You O.K.? Come on in the house. Do you need any help?"
H.M. took her hand off his arm, as he took an experimental step forward. "I think ah shot of scotch would be welcome. Do you happen tae have any?"
Alice turned to smile at him. H.M. looked at her. He knew Jim Tatterson had stood no chance against the girl. Wild red hair accented green eyes which tilted slightly up at the corners. Her facial structure was delicate, her skin pale and translucent. At fifteen, Alice was all woman and well aware of it.
"I don't have any scotch. Will some whiskey do?"
"Och, Aye. A shot of schnapps would do at tha moment."
They walked up the steps to the porch. Alice held the door open for him. The house was neat and tidy. The girl led him through the sitting room and into the kitchen. "Have a seat. I'll get the blood off of you."
She turned on the tap then moistened a cloth. "The boys don't really mean any harm you know. They are just too protective."
"Dinnae worry about tha coppers Alice. I have nae intention of turning your brothers in." He took the cloth from her then began to wipe his face.
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