I marched out the door onto the balcony walkway. Instead of heading for the door to the room I shared with Laurel, I turned toward the stairway leading down to the ground floor. Time for a fucking walk.
Duke stood in the doorway of his room and watched me go. "I'm sorry, Gaia. I swear I had no choice."
I stopped and turned back. "Are you sure about that? Are you sure you couldn't have let something slip out? Something that would've led me to order you to tell me the truth?" I took an angry step toward him, jabbing an index finger at him. "Like tonight, when you accidentally mentioned letting me kill myself in my past life?"
Duke looked around like he was afraid someone might be listening. "That was an accident. I could never have said that intentionally without a direct order from you."
"Sure, Duke." I flashed him a glare, then spun on my heel and marched toward the stairs. "See you later."
He hollered after me. "See you first thing in the morning, right? We have to be at Late Jim's diner at six."
I kept walking and didn't answer him. Let him be the one left guessing for a change, I thought.
I kept walking down the stairs and across the parking lot and into the warm West Virginia night.
*****
There was a stream a half-mile away, at the edge of town. One of the tributaries of the river, Rough Run, cutting through a culvert under the road.
I found it on my walk from the motel. Felt drawn by the sound of the trickling water, the sight of the moonlight gleaming on the rippling surface.
I scrambled down the bank from the road to get a closer look. Stood for a while with my sneakers sinking in the mud, watching the stream meander through a scrubby field.
It took me a while to relax, but I finally did. The rage seeped out of me and ran off with the stream, escaping into the night. Leaving me with the sound of the water and the wind and the chirping crickets, the occasional whisper of a passing car on the road above.
I felt like a stranger to myself. Utterly strange in my own skin. Full up with contradictory thoughts and feelings. Weighed down and rootless all at once.
I found myself wishing for the return of blissful ignorance. Wanted to go back to the freedom I'd taken for granted, the way it had always been for me. Memories all in a row, straight as a railroad track. Clear purpose and trust in my guardian. A friendly relationship with my crimefighting buddy, Sheriff Briar, that never crossed into new territory. A life that never left me vulnerable.
And now here I was. Feeling betrayed, in different ways, by both of them. Let down by Duke, who'd kept the truth of my life secret for so many years. Rejected by Briar, who'd scolded me for pushing Laurel off the deep end at The Tipple.
I felt like just walking away from both of them, from everyone. Wandering off along the course of that meandering stream, following it all the way down to the sea. Disappearing. For good. Maybe even going the way of my past self, killing myself. After all, I'd done it before, hadn't I?
The allure of giving up. Escaping the pain. Embracing sweet nothingness. Except for one problem. If Duke was right, I'd just end up starting over. Starting a new life.
So much for that idea. As if I could've given up without finding the answers, anyway. As if I wanted anything in the world more than finding out the whole truth about my life. And the truth behind Aggie's murder, of course.
As bent out of shape as I was, as hurt and let down, I knew I had to finish what I'd started. I had to press forward and find the killer and the answers about my life, which I believed were intertwined. Find one, and I would surely find the other.
Like the tributaries of a river. Follow them back, they all come from the same source. They all have the same beginning.
And no matter how rough the run, that source can eventually be found, and the course of the tributaries changed forever.
*****
Chapter 36
By the time I walked into Late Jim's diner the next morning, everyone else was already there, plus two strangers—a young guy and girl in battered leather jackets and bluejeans. It was pretty much as I'd expected, since I was arriving fifteen minutes late, at a quarter after six.
No big deal, as far as I was concerned. Let them wait, especially Duke. He'd kept me waiting long enough for answers, hadn't he?
"Gaia!" He waved me over to the counter, where he, Laurel, Corinne, and the strangers were gathered. "I want you to meet someone."
See if you can guess what kind of mood I was in that morning. "If his name isn't 'big cup of coffee,' he can wait." You guessed it: "Sinking fast." My meeting with Duke the night before had left me spinning in free-fall. I'd gotten all of two hours' worth of sleep after my walk, so I had just the right edge of pissed-offness and unpredictability to make me a perfect loose cannon. Just when I most needed to be calm, cool, and in control.
As I walked over to the counter, Corinne poured me a cup from the coffee pot. "Order up!" She plunked the cup down on the countertop and put the pot beside it. "I'm guessing you take it black."
"This morning, I do." I whisked the cup from the counter and had a long drink. It wasn't exactly Duke's, but that was probably for the best. My anger might've killed the taste, if you know what I mean.
Not that Duke was about to stay out of my face. "Gaia." He got off the stool he was sitting on and pulled over the young strangers. "This is Roy and Rusty."
I shook their hands without smiling. Figured they were there for my own good, but I couldn't help my lousy mood. "Nice to meet you."
"Roy and Rusty, meet Gaia Charmer." Duke was pouring on the personality, like always, but I could tell he had an edge. Seemed to me he hadn't walked away from last night unscathed, and I was glad of it.
"Roy's my son," said Corinne.
"Hi, Gaia." Roy had red hair and freckles like his mother. Similar all around, except younger and skinnier. I guessed he was no older than twenty and at least sixteen, though I could've been all wet on that one. "Rusty's my girlfriend."
"Charmed, Ms. Charmer." Rusty crinkled her nose when she laughed. Watched sharply from ice blue eyes under shimmering blonde bangs. I knew in an instant she had a mind like a lightning bolt.
But like I said, I was grouchy. "Say, that's funny. I've never heard that one before."
"You don't have a daughter named Lucky, do you?" said Rusty. "She didn't marry a boy with the last name Bracelet, I hope."
"Sorry, no." I sipped my coffee. "But my brother's first name is Snake."
Rusty's gleaming blonde hair shook when she laughed. "Good one, Gaia."
Corinne cleared her throat. "Would you like something to eat, Gaia? Breakfast's on the house."
I glanced at the breakfast dishes in front of Duke and Laurel. Nothing left but toast crumbs and smears of egg and jelly. "Maybe later. How're things coming along?"
"Roy and Rusty have offered to take us into Parapets," said Duke. "They know a way onto the property."
"We ride our quads around there all the time," said Roy. "We found a hole in the Great Wall, all right." Grinning, he high-fived Rusty.
"How far in have you gone?" I said. "Have you scouted the whole compound?"
"If by 'whole compound,' you mean the far corner by the hole in the fence," said Rusty, "then hell yes."
Roy shrugged. "We can get you in, though."
I emptied my cup and reached for the pot on the counter. "When can we leave?"
"As soon as you make with the ching." Rusty held out her hand, palm up, and jabbed a finger at the palm. "Fill 'er up, guys."
Duke dug into his pants pockets and came up with a rolled-up wad of cash. Hundred-dollar bills, actually. "How's this for a downpayment?" He dusted a little dirt off the cash and dropped it square in Rusty's palm.
Rusty didn't blink. "A little on the light side, dontcha think?"
"Downpayment?" Roy gaped at the cash. "That's a downpayment?"
Suddenly, Corinne scooted out from behind the counter and grabbed the wad of bills from Rusty's hand. "This is too much." She trie
d to hand it back to Duke.
But Duke wouldn't take it. "I think it's fair, ma'am. This is a risky job. They could get in trouble or worse." His expression was grim. "We don't know what kind of security they have up there. People could get hurt."
Corinne stared at the money, then looked at me. "We want to help you find whoever killed your best friend." She looked at Laurel. "And your lover. We're not interested in cashing in on your grief."
"Thank you." Laurel's serene smile was firmly in place. She was back to the role of the benevolent mountain range incarnate. "Bless you. But this is the least we can do."
"We can't take this." Corinne tried again to hand back the wad of money.
Rusty cleared her throat loudly and hip-checked Roy, who almost fell over. "We can't?" said Roy.
"It's fair," said Duke. "We insist."
"Now wait a minute." I took the money from Corinne. "Shouldn't we wait till we talk to Mahoney?"
"Mahoney?" Rusty planted her hands on her hips and thrust out her chin. "What about Mahoney?"
"He's looking into arranging a visit to Parapets," I said. "He knows his way around the place."
I noticed a flicker of emotion in Corinne's eyes. Did she have a history with Mahoney? "He might be able to help you," she said.
"'Scuse me." Rusty put her hand on Corinne's shoulder. "You're talking us out of a job here, y'know."
"Gaia." Laurel was practically glowing with tranquil wisdom. "Maybe all of them could help us." She said it like she was the one who'd come up with the idea in the first place. Like it had just then popped into her head.
I was starting to think the two of us were doomed to a love/hate relationship. Mostly hate. "Why not?" I said it with sarcastic enthusiasm. "The more, the merrier!"
"And the more people who get a share of the money." Rusty said it under her breath.
"Don't worry, young lady." Duke said it with a fatherly smile. "There's plenty to go around."
Rusty waved off his reassurance and crossed her arms over her chest with a vengeance. "It's not fair. Mahoney's always stealing our business. R&R Quadmania was the only one doing guided tours of Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob on quad-back, till that mope set up shop."
"R&R Quadmania's our company," Roy said by way of explanation.
"A serious company," said Rusty. "Not just a tax write-off."
"They have a company." Corinne ruffled Roy's hair. "I'm so proud of them."
Just then, the bell on the door jingled, and two customers walked in. I took it as my cue to get moving. "Thanks for the coffee." I plunked my empty cup on the counter beside the almost-empty pot.
As Laurel, Duke, and I headed for the door, Rusty called out behind us. "See you later," she said. "If we're still here."
I pushed the door open. "Okay then."
"If we don't take another job first," said Rusty.
"Sounds good," I said as the three of us walked outside.
"And you can tell Mahoney I said..." The rest of Rusty's words were lost behind the closing door.
*****
Chapter 37
Mahoney was packing off a group of hikers when we walked into Going Somewhere? He looked over as we walked in the door, setting off the elephant's roar door chime. "Hey, guys!" He gave us a big thumbs-up and a super-sized grin. "Be right with you!" Then went back to cinching straps on backpacks and telling the four young women a story about a bear scat sandwich.
I wandered through the store while I waited, checking out photos on the walls. There were plenty starring Mahoney himself, always in the woods or on a river, usually with a group of people. Customers, I guessed. But there were some of just Mahoney and one other person, a woman. A different woman each time, always pretty, always outdoorsy. I counted at least a dozen just on one wall, and that made me wonder if our man was a serial offender. By that, I mean a player.
As I watched his easy familiarity with the four hikers—two blondes, one brunette, one redhead—I thought the chances were pretty good. Lots of smiles, eye contact, and touchy-feely. In other words, the kind of guy I'd usually go out of my way to avoid.
So why was I intrigued by him? Other than being fit and muscular, he wasn't like Briar at all. Maybe that was what appealed to me.
Or maybe, as I think back on it, I was just looking for someone to grab onto. Someone to pull me through the shit now that Briar and Duke had both let me down.
Mahoney ushered the backpack-laden women out the door to the sound of the elephant's roar, then spun to grin in our direction. "Am I good or what?"
"Did you come through?" I said.
"Don't ask me how!" Mahoney threw himself into a chair, then bounced right back out of it. Zipped to the counter at the back of the room and grabbed a sheet of paper. "Just call me Mister Miracle Worker!"
Mahoney flapped the sheet in front of me, and I took it. It was a business letter with a Parapets logo printed in the letterhead. My heart raced as I scanned the contents. "You did it," I said. "You got us a pass."
"I didn't even have to work hard to convince them." Mahoney spread his arms and wagged his head in disbelief. "All it took was a little sweet talk, and voila. Instant visitors' pass."
What he said concerned me. Especially because earlier, he'd made it sound like we were asking the impossible. "No more ban on goodwill tours?"
"There's still a ban," said Mahoney. "But it doesn't apply to us. Apparently, we're VIPs now."
I smiled and nodded, but I knew it was too easy. "You didn't give them our names?"
"How could I?" said Mahoney. "I don't know them."
"Did you describe us in some way?" I said.
"I just told them I have a group who wants to visit," said Mahoney. "Two women and a man. That's it. Now will you quit looking a gift horse in the butt?"
I read the letter again, more closely this time. "Hold on." I reread a sentence. "This pass is for three people, all right...and you're one of them."
"No, no." Mahoney lunged over and read the letter in my hands. "See, it says...shit. Ah, shit. You're right."
I read the line out loud. "'Permission is hereby granted for one tour guide, Mr. Mahoney Wells, and two guests to enter Parapets.'"
"Sorry," said Mahoney. "The fax came in this morning, and then I got busy, and...sorry."
"So only two of us can go," said Laurel.
"Which isn't a bad thing." I shook the letter over my head. "Clearly, they're expecting us."
"Well, sure," said Mahoney. "Because we requested permission to visit."
"What I mean is, they're expecting us specifically." I gestured to take in Laurel, Duke, and myself.
"They might have issued the pass for only two of us to whittle down our group," said Duke. "To weaken us. Make us more manageable."
"Right." I glanced at Mahoney, and it occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't trust him with every detail. Just in case. "Excuse me a moment." I walked over and huddled with Duke and Laurel. "This actually plays in our favor."
"How so?" said Laurel.
"We have another way in, right?" I raised my eyebrows and nodded. "So we split up. Two of us go in the front door with Mahoney, and one of us comes in the back way. Just like we talked about."
"But who goes in the back way?" said Laurel.
"Duke." I hiked a thumb at him. "Those of us with extra talents go in the front door, which'll be more heavily guarded."
"Makes sense," said Duke.
I didn't tell him my being pissed at him factored into the equation...but of course it did. Laurel got on my nerves, too, but Duke was higher on my shit list by far. "Good." I turned back to Mahoney. "Got any two-way radios?"
Mahoney nodded. "Sure, I've got walkies."
"How soon can we leave?" I said.
"Half-hour sound good to you?" Mahoney looked around the agency. "I've gotta close this place up."
"That's fine." I headed for the door, gesturing for Duke and Laurel to follow. "We have to take care of some business of our own."
"Leave your Martian
detector here, please," said Mahoney. "And your zombie caster and your mind-control slime!"
"Will do," I said.
"And I almost forgot," said Mahoney. "No cameras or cell phones. They'll pat us down at the gate."
I stopped in my tracks. "So forget the two-way radios."
"That's all right. I know a way to stay in touch." Laurel smiled with such self-possessed poise and inner strength, it was hard to believe she was dying. "After all, we're still in the Alleghenies, aren't we? As long as we're in my mountains, I can still call to you. We can communicate through the rock and earth themselves."
"Great." I reached for the door. Didn't have as much faith in Laurel as Laurel did, but what else could I do? Waiting around for another solution wasn't an option. Every minute we wasted increased the chance the killer would get away.
"Meet back here in thirty minutes, okay?" said Mahoney.
"We'll be here sooner than that, don't worry," I said on my way out the door.
*****
Chapter 38
As promised, Laurel and I were back at Going Somewhere? in less than a half-hour—twenty minutes, to be exact. We'd left Duke at Late Jim's to start his own trip to Parapets with Rusty and Roy. Good riddance, at least for the time being.
Mahoney wasn't ready to roll for another fifteen minutes. He emerged from the back of the agency wearing a black ball cap with a Going Somewhere? logo that matched his black t-shirt. Carried a six-pack cooler and a black jacket slung over his shoulder.
As Mahoney locked the front door of the agency, he announced he was driving. We piled into his burgundy Jeep out front and took off down the street.
Laurel was riding shotgun and did most of the talking for a while. I hunkered down in the back seat, hoping to sulk in peace—but I admit, I wasn't completely P.O.'d when Mahoney turned his attention my way. As shitty as my mood was that day, I even enjoyed it.
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