She returned to Highway 99 and recorded as she travelled. "The road is narrow and winding with an occasional passing lane and many hills. Keep alert."
She saw the sign for Wild Play Elements Park and turned left off the highway. It was a quick drive to the parking lot. She parked in the shade, rolled down the windows a bit for Chevy, then got out with her camera and recorder. Just as she reached the yard she saw a group was getting ready to go. She watched as they stepped into their harnesses and were shown how to tightened them. Each harness had two karabiners and a zip line pulley. Elizabeth followed them over to the training area. The guide demonstrated how to hook both the karabiners up to the coloured plastic cable and then unhook one at a time to move.
"Always have one attached at all times," she said.
Then she showed how to move the zip line pulley from the harness and attach it to the wire cable. "You can steer by twisting it a little each way," she said. "Keep your arms straight and your feet facing towards the padding at the other end."
Elizabeth looked at the blue padding with the feet painted on it. This looked like fun but again she knew she would feel more comfortable if Sally was with her. Plus, she suspected that Sally would be ticked off if she did it without her. She went to the building and asked about reservations and start times and picked up two waivers.
Back in the Tracker Chevy waited patiently on the passenger’s seat. "You are so good," Elizabeth said, as she rubbed his ears.
Elizabeth recorded that she followed Green River for a ways then crossed the Soo River and Rutherford Creek. At one point she had to slow down to 40 km because of the ESS curves. Kilometre 24 from Alpine Way she turned right into the Nairn Falls Province Park. She parked and turned to Chevy.
"This is where you can get out, too," she said.
As if he understood her words he jumped into her lap.
"Just a minute," Elizabeth laughed. "Let me get organized."
There were no other vehicles in the lot so she let him explore a bit while she checked the tape in her recorder to make sure it wouldn’t run out soon and changed the batteries in her camera. She would have to remember to recharge them when she got back to the bed and breakfast. Before leaving this morning she’d packed her and Chevy a lunch and put it in her backpack. She pulled her backpack on.
Chevy romped beside her as she walked a short distance through the trees to a metal fence.
"It feels good to be out of the vehicle, doesn’t it?" she smiled at him.
At the fence she read that it was a 1.5 km hike from the parking lot to the falls and that she was to keep Chevy on a leash.
"We’d better get your leash then," she said and turned around.
Chevy stopped and watched her as she headed back. His ears and tail drooped.
"Come on," Elizabeth beckoned.
Instead of listening Chevy sat down.
Elizabeth grinned. "Okay, you wait there and I’ll be right back." She ran to the Tracker, got his leash, and hurried back. He was still waiting when she returned.
She clamped it on his collar and he took off at a run. She had to run, too, in order not to jerk him back when he reached the end of the leash. Finally, a scent caught his attention and he stopped. Elizabeth pulled out her recorder and began recording the trail.
"It’s a narrow, rugged trail over rocks and roots," she began. "It hugs the hillside to your right and has a drop off to the river on your left."
While it seemed to go up and down it did make a gradual descent most of the way. At the end of the trail she let Chevy off the leash and he scampered away. She climbed the huge silver-coloured rocks to a set of steps that led to a lookout platform where she could see the upper section of the falls. The water crashed between two rock walls creating foam on the river below. It snaked to her left where she could see the top of another cascade. She descended to a point where she could take pictures of the lower section which was wider and mightier than the first and sent a spray high into the air.
Elizabeth loved waterfalls and the sound of the thrashing water. She went back to the platform and settled on the steps. She took off her backpack and laid out the water bottles, Chevy’s dishes, the sandwiches for her and the dog food for him. She opened a bottle and poured some water into his dish. He immediately lapped it up.
"Hiking is tough work, isn’t it?" she said, as she topped up his dish again, then took a drink herself.
She filled up his other dish with dog food and opened a sandwich. Chevy looked at his dry food then at the sandwich in her hand. Elizabeth took a couple of bites hoping that he would get discouraged and eat his own, but he was more stubborn than she.
"Okay," she said, and tore off a piece. She set it on top of his food. He gobbled it down and looked expectantly at her again. Finally, she broke what was left of the sandwich into pieces and gave it to him. "It’s a good thing I brought more." She took another one for herself.
As if to appease her, Chevy ate some of his food when he had finished the sandwich. After the meal Elizabeth leaned back and closed her eyes. This was what she liked most of all in life. Surrounded by bush, water flowing nearby, comfortably full. The only thing missing was a fire.
She felt herself relaxing. She was basically finished her research. There were just the adventures she was going to do with Sally. And, although they were for the article, she also wanted to do them for her own personal enjoyment.
It wasn’t long before her tranquility was disturbed by voices. She sat up and hooked on Chevy’s leash just as a couple with three children reached the bottom of the huge rocks. Elizabeth pulled on her backpack, smiled at the family, and began the walk back.
On the way she thought about the unknown young woman whose body had been found. She certainly had the time now to look into it for Cynthia. And she had to admit she liked the thrill of trying to piece together the bits of information she received. Plus, there was the fun in acting like Joan Kilbourn and Kinsey Millhone, her two favourite fictional detectives. The question again was did she want to or did she want to relax by the pool and spend some time sipping a drink at one of the outdoor tables in the Village, acting like a rich tourist?
The mystery pulled her as had all the ones in the past. How would a young woman end up buried in a basement? What had happened in her life to cause it to end that way? What sort of reason could make a person do something like that to someone else? She knew the police were asking the same questions and she felt a bit silly thinking that she would be able to assist them or even beat them to the answers.
By the time she’d gotten to her vehicle she’d decided to at least speak with Cynthia again.
* * *
Sally followed Bonnie into the atrium.
"Sorry, I’m late," Bonnie said, leading the way over to a corner area with two chairs and a small table. "I had some things to do."
Sally wanted to ask what they were but refrained. It was none of her business. She sat in the chair and put her pack on the table. Never having worked on a murder, or supposed murder, before she wasn’t sure how to start? Did she ask to hear the story or make small talk first?
"My cousin died from a fall," Bonnie began, much to Sally’s relief. "Apparently she hit her head and her death was ruled an accident."
"And you don’t think it was?"
"I know it wasn’t," Bonnie stated firmly.
"Why don’t you tell me the story from the beginning?" Was that what Elizabeth would say? Sally wondered.
"Sylvia attended this retreat two years ago," Bonnie began. "Kat Mac was her instructor. There were fifteen students in her class. She liked the class and was learning a lot about science fiction writing. Then on the second last day of the retreat I got a phone call from my aunt telling me that Sylvia had fallen down the steps going to the Upper Village and had hit her head. She’d died immediately."
Well, that wasn’t much to go on, Sally thought. Now what do I ask or say? "Why did she call you?"
"I’m like a second daughter to her. She wa
nted me to be with her when she identified the body."
"Did you two come here?" Should she be writing this down?
"No, Sylvia’s body was sent to Vancouver."
"What about her father? Where was he?"
"My uncle left my aunt when Sylvia was eight. The first year he visited a few times then he married and started a new family. He never had anything to do with her or any of us after that."
Okay, that was good. "Um, why do you think Sylvia’s death wasn’t an accident?"
"Because, she’d already been to the Upper Village and wouldn’t have visited it again."
"And that’s the reason?" Sally blurted out, astonished. Even she knew that was ridiculous logic.
"You sound just like the police," Bonnie said bitterly.
Sally took a deep breath. She could tell that Bonnie really believed her cousin had been murdered, but so far she hadn’t said anything that could be used as a clue as to how or why. Or maybe Sally just hadn’t asked her the right question yet.
"So because she wouldn’t have made a second trip to the Upper Village is why you think someone murdered her?" she asked, wondering if she was at least sounding like Elizabeth.
"Yes. It’s just a gut feeling I have. She’d sent me a text that she had been there and once she sees something she usually doesn’t go back unless she really likes it."
"And she didn’t like the Upper Village?"
"Well, it’s mainly for kids or families. There was nothing for her to do there."
"So, how are you planning to find out if she was murdered?"
"Tomorrow I’m going to let everyone in class know about Sylvia and see what kind of reaction I get."
"But they weren’t here two years ago."
"I know, but Kat Mac was."
"Do you think she was involved?" Sally couldn’t picture Kat Mac being a killer.
Bonnie shrugged. "She was here."
"Are you going to ask her directly about Sylvia?"
"Yes, if no one else gives me any information then I will go to her."
As Sally walked to the bed and breakfast she thought about calling Elizabeth and telling her, but decided not to disturb her while she was working. It could wait until she saw her later. She grinned. Wouldn’t it be something if she had a mystery of her own to solve.
* * *
My mind is racing over what I received this afternoon from Gwin. It’s a little scary.
* * *
Three more of the planet’s years passed before the space ship arrived. It was early spring and the inhabitants hadn't left yet. Gwin was planting grain seeds when she heard the noise overhead. She looked up in time to see it hover over the village then head to the meadow. She threw down her bag of seeds and ran to the edge of the trees by the meadow.
She watched as the door opened and guards stepped out. They surveyed the meadow then one of them spoke into his microphone. Soon a group of people exited the ship. None were in uniform. They could be scientists or from the Space Organization.
Then she drew in her breath. Mikk was one of them. Gwin watched him, her love overwhelming her. He'd come to find her. She had to hold herself back from running to him. She didn't know what the guards would do if they saw someone dash at them from the trees. They might shoot her with their guns before recognizing her. Besides she didn't want anyone else to see her. She'd become so used to the peace and quiet that she didn't want the hassle of all the questioning that would take place. She would wait for the opportunity to reveal herself to Mikk when no one else was around.
The guards led the way to the village, everyone stepping over the skeletons of the rioters as they went. Gwin followed silently. At each of the buildings the guards checked the inside first before the others went in to investigate. There was nothing for them to find except the bed frames and half rotted hammocks. Outside they looked at the crates and boxes still strewn along the streets. They inspected the stoves, the pits, and the areas of cut trees which new growth had begun to fill in. They lifted the few skeletons they found and carried them back to the space ship.
The group soon split up. Some wanted to take a closer look at the buildings, some wanted to wander around the area. Mikk found the path Gwin used to go to the fields and followed it. She hurried through the trees so she could be there when he arrived. She positioned herself by the nearest field and waited. Then she realized that she didn't know what she looked like. There were no mirrors and she only saw her reflection in puddles after a rain.
Her clothes had slowly worn out and now she spent her summers and winters wearing skins. She bathed and washed the skins regularly in the river but while she was getting the fields ready for planting she didn't worry much about cleanliness. She smoothed her hair down with her hands and tried to wipe the dirt off her face. There was only a small amount of water in a pail that she used for drinking. She quickly dipped her hands in the pail and rubbed her face. She dried it on her arm.
She stiffened when she heard Mikk's footprints. Suddenly she felt awkward. A long time had passed since she'd seen him and she'd changed from the woman he knew. What if he didn't recognize her? What if he hadn't come to look for her? After all, it had probably been reported that everyone should have died from starvation or the cold.
Mikk came out of the trees and his eyes scanned the black soil of the fields. They passed over her and then returned in shock. She smiled. He stared not believing what he was seeing.
"Gwin?" He asked faintly.
She nodded. "It's me."
"Gwin!" He ran to her and swept her into his arms.
She wrapped her arms around him. She'd dreamed of this day for four changes of seasons. And now it had finally happened. Mikk was here with her.
"How did you...? Where have you...? What did you...?" Mikk had so many questions to ask he couldn't form any of them. "I've missed you so much," he finally managed.
Gwin nuzzled her head in his shoulder. It felt so good to have his arms around her.
"Oh, Mikk," was all she could say.
He finally held her at arm’s length looking at her. "How have you managed to survive here? Are there others? What happened to the cold and the snow we heard about?"
Gwin held up her hand. She looked around to see if anyone else had followed the path. She didn't want to be found out. "First of all I've been growing the grain sent here and grinding it into flour and growing vegetables. And second of all, I've got friends who have been looking after me."
"Friends? What kind of friends?"
"Come with me and I'll show you."
She led him through the trees and meadows to the valley with the cave. On the way she told him about the frame-up that had led to her imprisonment and her life since the space ship had left. She explained about her discovery of the sprouting grain and vegetables and how she had taught her friends to seed and harvest both. As she talked she realized how proud she was of her accomplishments.
He listened in silence.
When she mentioned the inhabitants, she told him about their migration every spring. "They are still here because one of the women is about to give birth."
On the slope overlooking the valley and the cave, Gwin turned to Mikk. "You have to promise me not to tell anyone about these people."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want their life disrupted. I’ve told them how I arrived here and they have seen the village but they have had a hard time understanding where I came from. If a bunch of scientists swarmed over them and began asking a lot of questions, I'm not sure how they would react."
"Okay, I promise."
"And don't mention me either."
"Why not? I'm sure the Leaders would be glad to hear that one person survived and even thrived here."
"I don't want to go through all the questioning that would occur. Plus, they would treat me as a prisoner again."
Gwin led Mikk to the cave. She left him at the entrance and stepped inside. She explained that the space ship had arrived and on it was a friend
of hers. She said she had told him about how they had saved her from freezing and starving and how they had been her companions ever since. Because he was thankful to them he wanted to meet them. Then she left the cave so they could discuss the meeting without her.
"What did they say?" Mikk asked.
"They're talking it now. When they've made up their minds they’ll let us know."
"How long will that be?" Mikk looked at his watch.
Gwin shrugged. "Minutes and hours mean nothing to them. It is only the seasons that matter." As she said it she realized that she too had adopted the attitude of no time. The only deadlines now were to get the crop planted as soon as possible after the snow left and to get it harvested before the snow returned.
"I've told you about my life since coming here," Gwin said. "Tell me about yours."
"Other than spending most of my waking hours trying to find out what happened to you and working on my freezing experiment, there’s nothing to tell."
Gwin didn't say anything. Now that the ship had finally come with Mikk on it her resolve not to go back was wavering. She still loved him, still thought about a life with him as her husband.
"What took so long for a space ship to come?" Gwin asked.
"It hasn't been a year since we learned about the disaster. It took that long for the Leaders to decide what to do."
"It's been less than a year?"
"Yes."
"If my figuring is right, it's been almost four years here."
"Four years?"
"Yes. There are four seasons. One of great warmth that would have been the exploration team and I first came here. One of cooler weather when the leaves fall off the trees. One of deeper cold when the snow comes and one when the snow disappears and the warm weather returns. I’m planting my fourth crop of grain."
Mikk looked at his watch again. Gwin could feel his impatience and knew that she should feel that impatience also. But she didn't and was happy with the thought. She liked not having the stress of doing things within a time frame.
The Travelling Detective: Boxed Set Page 63