The Seventh Taking: A Mountain Mystery
Page 21
“You know,” Mable said, “I do remember him sleeping underground once. He seemed real anxious that night. He kept going up the ladder and peeking out the hatch. We didn’t know what was up. That must’ve been the night of the twenty-first. Anyway, they said all the disappearances happened within five miles of Ranger Station Whiskey—”
“That cabin was a ranger station?” Charlie asked. “We were under a ranger station?”
“Yep,” Mable said, “and Dan was in charge of it. In fact, he supervised all the searches in that area, which was why we were never found.”
I scowled. “You’d think the park rangers would’ve suspected something when all of y’all were going missing in Dan’s area and y’all were never found.”
“More than thirty people go missing every year in Dan’s territory,” Mable said. “And they’ve all been found except for the six of us. So, when you break it down, only six out of more than two hundred people were never found, so those odds are pretty good and it wasn’t enough to arouse any suspicion.”
“What about the other ranger locations?” Charlie asked.
“They all have their fair share of missing hikers and campers,” Mable said, “but they’re all found—some dead, but most of them alive. When you consider the rangers rescue over a hundred people each year throughout the Blue Summit Mountains, it’s easy to see how six disappearances over six years might go unnoticed.”
“That makes sense,” I said.
Mable lifted a finger. “Oh, and they said Ranger Dan must’ve been stalking you guys since the trailhead because there were a couple of rangers talking to him the morning you guys got here and they saw you tear down the posters.”
“That was him?” Charlie asked. “I saw them watching us. I told you not to take those posters, Abe!”
Joy wrapped a hand around my waist and pulled herself close to me. “I’m sure glad you did.”
We walked outside and left Mable and Charlie alone. When we were in the hall, Joy sat in a chair and hung her head. “Can I ask you something?”
I sat beside her. “Shoot.”
“Now that we’ve been rescued, is it…”
I cocked my head sideways. “Is it what?”
When she looked up, I could read the pain in her eyes. “Is it over again…between us? Is it over?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, twisted in my seat and squeezed her hard. I felt her gasp, but she didn’t complain. “No. It’s not over. I don’t ever want it to be—”
“Excuse me,” a booming voice called. “I need to speak with Abraham Wilson.”
We turned to see a large man clad in a spiffy park ranger uniform. He had some stars on his shoulder and walked with an air of authority. I gulped as I felt my freedom pass before my eyes. I just knew this was the guy who was going to tell me I was going to prison for murder. After all, I had earlier confessed to murdering a park ranger, and I couldn’t image the other park rangers thought it was funny. I’d always heard that cops didn’t like it when one of their own got killed, and I’d just killed one.
I tried to control my voice, but even I could hear it crack. “That’s me. I’m Abraham Wilson.”
“I’m Major Dexter,” the ranger said. “I read over your official statement. Do you stand by what you said?”
I nodded slowly. “It was all true, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“We’ve been able to verify most everything you said and your statement led us to some disturbing files under Whiskey Station.” Major Dexter nodded his head toward where Mable was still talking to Charlie. “The only reason she and her girlfriends are still alive is because the doomsday folks modified their prediction about when the earth would come to an end, so Dan thought he’d still need them. Otherwise, Dan planned to kill them and destroy any evidence of their existence.”
Joy gasped. “He was going to kill all of us?”
“If the next date had come and gone and the world had not been destroyed, I’m afraid so.” Major Dexter nodded toward Joy. “It appears the reason he kidnapped you was to replace a Katherine Turner who committed suicide.”
Joy shuddered.
“It seems Dan was planning to use your friend Brett to replace one of the boys who died, but you guys interrupted him. No one has ever interrupted him before. It threw him off his game. It looks like he abandoned Brett’s body to chase after you—we found bullet holes in some of the trees in the area—and the river rose and washed Brett’s unconscious body away.” Major Dexter frowned. “I’m really sorry about your friend. And unfortunately, we’ll have to rule his death an accident.”
“An accident?” I wanted to jump up out of my chair, but I thought better of it.
“I’m sorry, but yes.”
I leaned over, rested my elbows on my knees. “How did y’all not suspect him? How could he be a park ranger and a kidnapper? How could you not know this guy who worked for you was doing this?”
Major Dexter sighed. “We cover a lot of territory. Most of our backcountry rangers live at their respective stations and only come out once in a while to get more supplies, so it’s easy for someone like Dan to abuse his duties.”
I smirked. “That’s a bit mild—abusing his duties.”
“Son, I understand you’re upset, and you have every right to be. I take full responsibility for what my people do and I’ve failed you, your friends, and the community. I can assure you I will make a public apology to you, personally, and to everyone whose lives have been impacted by what Dan did.”
I took a deep breath and exhaled. “So, does this mean I’m not going to jail?”
“Of course not. What you did was heroic. You and your friend are to be commended for your actions.”
“Well…wow…thank you,” I said.
“Anyway,” Major Dexter began, “after your story broke on the news, we were contacted by national parks across the country and it seems they’ve had unsolved disappearances similar to the ones we’ve had here. Thanks to you guys, we’ve been able to make a connection.”
“You mean there are more people like Dan out there doing this?” I asked.
The major nodded, hesitated. “There’s something else.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“We went back to the shelter and found Isabel. Just like you said, she’d been shot to death. We also found signs of an intense struggle and blood all over the place, which supports your statement and the statement of your friends.” Major Dexter took a deep breath, exhaled. “There’s only one problem.”
Joy and I were at the edges of our seats. “What is it?” we asked in unison.
“We couldn’t find Dan Weathers anywhere. His body’s gone.”
NOVELS BY BJ BOURG
Clint Wolf Mystery Trilogy
But Not Forgotten
But Not Forgiven
But Not Forsaken
Magnolia Parish Mysteries
Hollow Crib
Hollow Bond
London Carter Mysteries
James 516
Proving Grounds
Silent Trigger
Bullet Drop
Elevation
Blood Rise (Nov/Dec 2017)
Stand-Alone YA Mystery
The Seventh Taking
About the Author
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BJ Bourg is an award-winning mystery writer and former professional boxer who hails from the swamps of Louisiana. Dubbed the "real deal" by other mystery writers, he has spent his entire adult life solving crimes as a patrol cop, detective sergeant, and chief investigator for a district attorney's office. Not only does he know his way around crime scenes, interrogations, and courtrooms, but he also served as a police sniper commander (earning the title of "Top Shooter" at an FBI sniper school) and a police academy instructor.
BJ is a four-time traditionally-published noveli
st and his debut novel, JAMES 516, won the 2016 EPIC eBook Award for Best Mystery. Dozens of his articles and stories have been published in national magazines such as Woman's World, Boys' Life, and Writer's Digest. He is a regular contributor to two of the nation's leading law enforcement magazines, Law and Order and Tactical Response, and he has taught at conferences for law enforcement officers, tactical police officers, and writers. Above all else, he is a father and husband, and the highlight of his life is spending time with his beautiful wife and wonderful children.
http://www.bjbourg.com