Dark Side of Noon (Wind Dancer Book 2)

by Tierney James

  “Won’t work. I saw it pulling out before I left the coffee shop. Probably a tourist along the road in trouble. Happens all the time. People were pouring in when I left.” She moved toward the entrance. “Come on. Not far.”

  Not far turned into thirty minutes uphill. By the time they reached the check in booth, Cleo was sweating, and the girl had started to complain about the heat.

  “Hmm. Wonder where Dad went?” The door was locked, but the screened windows were open.

  Cleo touched a note taped to the door. “Says he had to find campers who didn’t check out. Is that normal?”

  “Yeah. Some decide to stay another night but forget to let the rangers know. Dad has to make sure they’re okay. We do have bears and mountain lions.” She sighed and put her hands on her hips before surveying the area like it was no big deal. “I’ve lived here my whole life and never seen either of those. And I live out in the country where my closest neighbor is a half mile away.” Cleo took out her own phone. No bars again. “Do you have any bars on your phone?”

  “Nope. Never do here. Too many trees and rocks. If we take the trail up to that ridge, we could.”

  “Let’s not.” Cleo decided she should go to the gym with Jacque. After the smallpox scare in Chicago, she’d worked a lot of fifteen-hour days. There wasn’t any energy left to exercise. The last six months had slowed down, and she’d taken a much-deserved break to recharge.

  She spotted a rough-hewn bench nearby. “Let’s sit a few minutes.” She felt relieved there was a bench at a scenic overlook. Once more, she checked her phone and felt optimistic at seeing two bars. She quickly dialed Jacque.

  “Cleo?” The voice of her grumpy detective friend sounded like heaven. “Cleo?”

  “Jacque, I’m stranded at Carson National Park. My car quit. I’m parked out at the front entrance. Blue sedan.”

  “Cleo?”

  Static.

  “Jacque,” she yelled into the phone then repeated the call for help. The line went dead.

  “Told ya.” Abby shrugged and leaned over the edge of the protective guardrail. “Dad is way over there, I bet. Since his truck isn’t here, he probably won’t be long. Sit down. I think you’re a little wore out.”

  Cleo hurried over to sit next to the girl before she insinuated again that she might be old. Guess if you’re sixteen, everything else feels ancient. Was she ever that way? Growing up in a natural history museum with a father who worked as a cultural anthropologist of Native American culture, age had a whole different meaning to her. Maybe she could make an effort to be more fashionable now, although Wind Dancer had told her many times how beautiful she was and that she was perfect.

  The thought of his love gave her confidence. Their time together had been a series of amusing mishaps and discovery. There was no one else she wanted to be with for the rest of her life. He completed her. The thought that the day might come where he might choose to return to his time had never come up. When he had appeared lost in thought, quiet, or distant, Cleo told him she’d understand if he wanted to return home to his people. His response was, “Someday but not today.”

  She longed to see him. They had not been apart this long since he’d returned from his world a year ago. He gave her peace and created a safe cocoon around her life. For the first time since he’d returned, she felt alone and vulnerable.

  Something didn’t feel right.

  A rumble of thunder drew her eyes upward. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, followed by a breeze that made the pines sound like whispers. The temperature cooled immediately.

  “That’s weird. I don’t remember hearing of a storm coming today,” Abby said as she walked to the railing and squinted up at the sky. “Probably one of those pop-up storms.” She shoved her phone in her pocket. “My battery is dead.”

  The first drop of rain fell before a flash of lightning caused the two to flinch.

  “Is there a place we can wait for your dad? I don’t think we can make it back to your car before the storm hits.” Cleo wished she’d stayed with the car. Surely someone would have driven by to flag down for a rescue.

  “There’s a picnic pavilion down there, just before the road curves. See it?” Even before Cleo agreed, the girl ran in that direction. “Come on,” she called as the sky opened up, drenching them immediately. “Run,” she laughed.

  Oh, to be young again. She took off after her and managed to come alongside as they reached the pavilion. It was large enough to hold six picnic tables and a built-in barbeque area on one end. It, too, had a nice view of the surrounding mountains and valley below. The beat of the rain on the metal roof grew deafening as the two stood between the two rows of picnic tables.

  Abby rubbed her arms then felt her pockets. “Oh no! My phone must have fallen out.” A bolt of spider-like lightning danced across the sky, causing them to jump.

  “We’ll find it when this is over. See the sky in the west. Already clear.” Cleo spotted a patch of blue in the sky.

  The girl frowned then started to pace. “My phone. I had to beg to get that.”

  “I’m sure your dad will understand.” The rain stopped as quickly as it began. Cleo stuck her hand out from under the pavilion to feel only a few reluctant drops of rain before pulling out her own phone. “I now have three bars,” Cleo announced as she dialed. She stepped out toward the view where there was more open space and fewer trees. “I’m calling 911 after I try my friends again.”

  “Whatever. I’m looking for my phone. It’s got to be close.”

  “Sure. I’m right behind you.” Cleo turned away when the girl meandered onto the road and scanned their steps carefully.

  “I’ll be right here trying to pick up the pieces of my boring life without a phone,” Abby moaned.

  Cleo chuckled as she rang Jacque’s phone. “Answer. Answer,” she ordered. Once more, she heard his voice mail was full. “Rats. No answer. Calling 911.” Abby waved as if she continued her search. The phone rang, but like with Jacque, there was too much static to be understood, even though she tried to make her situation known before it disconnected. “Great.”

  Shoving her phone into her jeans pocket, Cleo hurried out onto the road to help Abby in the search for the Holy Grail Phone.

  “Abby?”

  Turning in a complete circle, she now realized the girl had vanished, except for her pink tennis shoes.

  Chapter 15

  Liam jumped up and down outside the ambulance as he held onto the hand of the ambulance driver. The helicopter crew secured Tonya inside with several first responders standing by, in what Jacque guessed, might be support.

  The Kendals joined their son and encouraged him to get in the ambulance. Mom got to ride with him this time, and Ty remained with Jacque and Wind Dancer. When the helicopter lifted off, the ambulance pulled out onto the highway with Perez following close behind. There had been a number of cars pull in or slow to watch the emergency vehicles. This kept Jacque from pulling out to join them. By the time he eased out, the others had disappeared from sight.

  What was it about tragedy that ignited people’s curiosity? He had always thought of it as morbid and twisted.

  “Don’t worry, Ty. We’ll catch up with them.” Jacque checked the rearview mirror to make eye contact with the dad. He returned a weak smile and a nod.

  “Wind Dancer, where was he?” The troubled father gripped the headrest of the Pawnee’s seat and leaned forward.

  “He very far away. Lost.”

  “Why did he wander off? Did he say?”

  “Didn’t wander. Taken.” Wind Dancer sounded matter-of-fact. “It carry the boy after taking his shoes.”

  Jacque shot him a look of alarm. “He was wearing his shoes when we met up.”

  “Yes. Took woman, too. She tried to protect boy. He made her still.”

  “Wind Dancer, how did he make her still?” asked the father.

  “I do not know. He very strong. He leave to go hunt more. I find them. Shoes there. I thought she was de
ad. Boy sitting next to her, crying and holding her hand. He tell me she fought him. When he see me, I hold him until he stop crying. He put on shoes I found. Then we leave. Said monster not far.”

  “Did you see it?” Jacque noticed the sign for Kewa Park and wondered why that sounded familiar. There was an abandoned car near the entrance. He slowed when he saw a tow truck hooking up another small sedan a little farther away. Before he could let his thought processes wander, Wind Dancer continued.

  “No. But I feel it. Evil. I think it followed us, but I faster than him. But he bigger.”

  “If you didn’t see it, how do you know it was bigger?” asked the father.

  Jacque toyed with the mirror again. “Don’t ask. He just knows, Ty. He has a sixth sense. It’s a gift.”

  “Oh.” Ty’s forehead wrinkled in apparent confusion, or maybe it was disbelief. A couple of years ago, Jacque would have called a doctor from the psych ward to come and get anyone who said this kind of stupid stuff. “I didn’t get to check him over. Was he hurt?”

  Wind Dancer turned in his seat to address the worried father. He touched his head. “He very scared and hurt inside. I know nothing else. I will catch this person and kill him.”

  “Whoa, there, buddy. Let’s not get all John Wayne on us, okay?”

  “John Wayne? Is that the name of this man?”

  “No. It was a joke. John Wayne is a cowboy or movie soldier.” Jacque reached over and patted the Pawnee’s arm. “He’s a hero to a lot of Americans.”

  “I remember now. He killed a lot of Indians.”

  Jacque put both hands on the wheel and sighed. He really didn’t want to do this kind of conversation now. “It was pretend. Not real.”

  “Why is—”

  “Wind Dancer,” he snapped. “We’ll have this conversation later. Got it?”

  The Pawnee straightened in his seat and stared out the windshield. “Got it, buddy.”

  Jacque stole another glimpse at his passenger in the mirror and forced a grin, followed by a nonchalant shrug. Ty nodded and turned his attention out his window.

  Breaking the speed limit helped catch the caravan of first responders. It didn’t take long to reach the small hospital. The emergency room staff was waiting for Liam and his family. Within minutes, the child was whisked away, his parents following, offering words of encouragement.

  Perez gathered with Tonya’s friends who arrived, unaware she’d been transported to Santa Fe. She nodded in their direction, as if directing their attention to Wind Dancer in curiosity. They soon filed out in groups of two and three, a few nodding to Wind Dancer and several others who told him thanks for bringing Tonya out to them.

  Jacque felt pride in his friend who nodded and said, “Sure,” a few times. The man was an imposing figure with his chiseled face and rock-hard stature. When he shifted his eyes to take in the room, Jacque couldn’t help but compare him to one of those science-fiction cyborg types. It continued to be intimidating to anyone he met.

  Perez joined them, lifting her chin in a kind of show of being in charge. “Let’s go get lunch. We can make this easy, if that’s okay with you.” She was speaking to Wind Dancer mostly, but all he did was give her the cyborg stare when his bottom lip stuck out a little farther.

  “Sounds good to me. Huh, Joseph?” He finally used the first name he and Cleo had given him when he’d first crossed over to this universe. When the Pawnee shifted the icy gaze to him, he remembered the call from Cleo. “Nearly forgot. Cleo called earlier.” He pulled out his phone and checked for a voice mail and realized he needed to empty the inbox.

  “She coming soon?” Wind Dancer asked as he grabbed the phone from him and held it up to his ear. “Cleopatra?”

  “She’s not there. Called earlier. I couldn’t understand what she said. Something about…” he paused and pieced together what he thought she said as a fear bomb hit his stomach. He was so caught up in getting to the little boy and Wind Dancer that he’d brushed her off. “I’ll just try and call her.” The Pawnee returned the phone to him. “We’re going to get you one of these when we get home.”

  “You don’t have a cell phone?” Perez asked incredulously.

  “No. He doesn’t. Don’t make any smoke signal jokes, either. He doesn’t like it.” The phone rang until it went to voice mail. “Sorry, Cleo. Couldn’t talk earlier. You aren’t going to believe how much fun we’re having. Not. Joseph is missing you. Call me.”

  “I am not having fun,” Wind Dancer declared as a frown distorted his usual handsome face.

  “I was making a joke.”

  The three moved toward the automatic sliding doors.

  “A John Wayne joke?”

  The doors swooshed open.

  Jacque took a long, deep breath and shoved his phone in his pocket. “Oh, brother. Let’s get something to eat and then we’ll head to our camp.”

  Perez reached her patrol car and motioned for them to get inside. “We’ll see about that.”

  The catlike smile unnerved Jacque. His friend might be in trouble if Tonya didn’t wake up, and Liam couldn’t give a decent account of what happened.

  Chapter 16

  Even though the sun burst through the clouds, sending ribbons of light through the trees, Cleopatra Sommers felt a darkness spring up all around her as she lifted the pink tennis shoes and held them close.

  A limb cracked and fell behind her, causing her to whirl around and cry out for Abby, yet again, but she knew the girl was gone. A dark figure moved from behind a boulder half covered in brush. It hunkered down and moved farther into the protection of the trees. She felt transfixed with what she saw, paralyzed with a blend of curiosity and terror. Then it disappeared into a misty, vapor cloud, caused by the streams of sunlight and mist that dripped onto the warm earth.

  Panic gripped her as she ran to the ranger shack and jerked on the doorknob, over and over, to pull it open with no success. There was still no sign of Abby. She screamed her name before deciding to run toward the park entrance. Even though she covered a lot of ground because it gently sloped downward, the gravel caused her to slip and fall to one knee several times, ripping her jeans.

  When she tried to get up, a blur caught in her peripheral vision. She scampered to her feet and fought against the exhaustion plaguing her body, along with the pain in the bloody knee.

  The entrance of the park came into focus as she heard footsteps behind her. They sounded distant but steady. Barreling through the entrance, she tried to steal a look over her shoulder for mere seconds. That’s when she spotted a familiar SUV speed by.

  “Jacque,” she tried to scream, but the words came out like the croak of a frog. Waving frantically, she tried to call out. “Jacque.” This time her words were filled with disappointment and muffled as she dragged her sleeve across her face to wipe away the cascade of tears. Hope evaporated, until she noticed a white tow truck down the road a ways, where Abby had abandoned her car. Cleo found herself backing toward the tow truck in order to see if whatever followed her had stopped. When no one appeared, she pivoted and ran to the truck parked in front of Abby’s car.

  “Hello?” Cleo ran to where Abby’s car had run out of gas. “Hello?” she called once more, now turning in circles in hopes of finding a knight in shining armor to get her to a safe place. “My phone.”

  She reached in her pocket only to discover it was gone. It must have fallen out when she fell. There was no way she wanted to search for it, considering something lurked in the park.

  Where was the driver? Maybe the truck had a CB radio or at least a phone.

  “Hello?” She reached up and grabbed the door handle and turned. It felt stuck as she tugged hard. When it came open, she fell onto the ground, catching herself with her hands. Instantly she became aware she’d broken her left wrist. A bone twisted outward in a hideous warning of possible surgery.

  Sitting upright, she lifted her eyes to the cab of the truck. Slumped across the seat lay the driver. Cleo scrambled up without givi
ng another thought to herself and rushed to the cab. With awkward momentum, using only one hand, she managed to pull herself up onto the step-up outside the door.

  Reaching in, she shook him, then did her best to pull him up. He was slight of build, and she managed to tilt him up enough to see that it was the young man, Tinker, who had so irritated the garage owner. It took awkward effort, but she managed to grab his wrist. There was no pulse, and his eyes were wide open. The expression reminded her of her patients who had come into the ER with gunshot wounds, knowing full well they weren’t going to survive. Pure terror.

  Luckily there was a radio, but the microphone was missing. When she turned it on, there was no static or chatter from other radio operators. It, too, was dead. Quickly, she did a search for something to be used as a weapon. Under the seat was a lug wrench. She pulled it through a combination of discarded coffee cups, hamburger wrappers, and various sticky candy papers stuck to what appeared to be a sex toy.

  “Eww. Gross.” There was hand sanitizer in her purse but locked in her car.

  Funny, the things you think of in a stressful situation.

  She stole a glance out the window and relief washed over her when no one appeared. Gingerly, she eased out onto the cab ledge and tried to navigate her way down onto the step-up. Balancing the lug wrench with her good hand and grabbing the steering wheel with the other with the broken wrist proved a bad idea. A pain shot up her arm as instinct forced her to release her grip and plummet toward the ground.

  The lug wrench swung up and hit her in the face just before the end smacked into her chest. In that split second, before she sprawled into the dirt, a pair of hands wrapped around her lower body but couldn’t stop her momentum. The wind was knocked out of her when she hit the gravel. She grabbed her chest when a man’s face shrouded in a shadow, hovered above her. With the sun shining behind him, it was impossible to distinguish any features. With a quick intake of air, she tried to use her legs for traction to escape but hands reached down to stop her.