Race Against Time

by kimberly

  “Looks like your daughter is followin’ in your footsteps too.”

  “Uh huh.” She hated making small talk. Especially before a race. What she wouldn’t give for Sean to come back about now. She slammed a door on the truck a little too hard, attempting to get rid of some of her frustration.

  It didn’t work. Ugh. Would they fine her if she just punched the guy in the nose?

  “Do you have plans for that weekend?”

  “What?”

  “Plans. For the Fur Rendezvous?”

  “Of course. I just told you, I’m racing.”

  “Got any time for any social activities?”

  “Huh?”

  “You know, like—”

  “Hey, Anesia.” Sean jogged up to her. “Zoya’s got you all ready to go.”

  His timing was perfect. She smiled at him. “Good. Thanks.”

  Sean reached out a hand to the other musher. “Good morning. I’m Sean Connolly.”

  “Carl Fagan.” A frown now etched the man’s face. “I guess I better get back to my dogs.”

  “Nice to meet you, Carl.” Sean’s grin stretched even wider as he laid a hand on Anesia’s shoulder.

  “You too.” Carl mumbled and moved away.

  Anesia couldn’t help the laugh that sprang out of her as she watched the man walk away. She gave Sean a playful swat on the shoulder. “You deserve a raise.”

  “Whatever for?” Those green eyes twinkled down at her.

  “You know perfectly well, Mr. Connolly. And thank you.”

  “You are most welcome, m’lady.” He winked and bowed. “My gift is rescuing damsels in distress.”

  Twenty minutes later Anesia found herself out on the trail. Her draw had been a good one—she’d left first, so there wouldn’t be anyone to pass. That meant she could run Tornado as her lead dog. He was by far the best and fastest leader but a horrible passer. Which meant a good majority of the time, she didn’t get to race him because she was the fastest and needed to pass. Sometimes several times during a race.

  As she blazed down the trail, her thoughts drifted back to Sean. He’d had entirely too much fun teasing her about her admirers. Warmth flooded through her as she remembered how she flirted with him. What had gotten into her? But she’d enjoyed it. Maybe a little too much.

  Reaching into her pocket, she searched for another Fireball to suck on. She’d crunched the last one to pieces thinking about Sean. Good grief. She wasn’t a teenager anymore.

  The fiery hot cinnamon hit her tongue, and she crinkled the wrapper back into her pocket. The thrill of the race and the trail disappearing beneath her sled made her want to go faster.

  Anesia whistled to her dogs. Faster. Faster. The sled surged forward as the dogs lunged and picked up speed, their tongues lolling out the sides of their mouths.

  She laughed to the wind. The dogs loved speed as much as she did.

  Samson’s head turned to the right to peer at Goliath as if to say, “Ha ha! Watch this!”, and in the process the dog stumbled and got a snout full of snow. The team continued on, but Samson was tangled.

  “Whoa.” Anesia flipped down the tread-like mat and pressed with her foot to help slow them down. If it weren’t the middle of a race, she’d be laughing at her dogs’ antics. Sean was right. They were just like little kids.

  Once they stopped, she grabbed her snow hooks and set them with lightning speed. As she approached her team, she recognized Samson’s common dilemma. His leg was over the neckline.

  She ran back to the sled as soon as the tangle was undone and pulled up her hooks. “All right!”

  Tornado took off and the rest of the team followed. Another great day on the trail. Even with the tangle, she’d make great time. They were flying.

  Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Was that a man behind that tree?

  She shook her head. Too much stress the past few weeks. And too many thoughts of criminals. Her imagination must be running wild.

  But at the next mile marker, she swallowed her jawbreaker.

  Another man.

  With a gun.

  The finish line flew by in a blur. Jenna, Andie, and Sean all ran for her. But the image of the man by the tree haunted her. Had she dreamed it? Maybe her imagination went overboard. No. She’d definitely seen two men. One had glared straight at her.

  Threatening.

  Anesia glanced all around at the spectators as her dogs came to a halt. Andie rushed to greet her team with lots of petting and rubbing behind the ears. No one in the crowd looked suspicious. They were all happy. Cheering. Smiling. Laughing.

  There were no guns.

  No harsh expressions.

  No stiff forms.

  Jenna wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so proud of you! You did it again, my friend. Another great time.”

  “Thank you.” The words felt rubbery as they fell out of her mouth.

  Jenna pulled back, kept her hands on Anesia’s shoulders, and squinted. “What’s wrong?”

  Anesia let her gaze roam the crowd again.

  “Anesia, what is it? Are you okay?”

  All eyes shifted to her. Her anxiety over the men she’d seen landed in her gut like a boulder. Her paranoid mind wanted to protect Zoya at all costs.

  “Where’s Zoya?”

  Andie looked up from the dogs, “Her race started just a minute or so before you came in.”

  Anesia gasped. No.

  Jenna grabbed her arm. “It’s okay, I know the new rules are different, but we were all there to cheer her on. She had a great start, so let’s get you over there to watch her.”

  Breathe. Just breathe. Her lungs grabbed for air. “Okay.” Those men weren’t real. Couldn’t be. She refused to believe it.

  Zoya was already out there. Racing.

  Oh, God. Protect my child.

  * * *

  DETECTIVE SHELDON

  On the banks of the Chena River

  11:01 a.m.

  Dave stared at the sight in front of him. Two more bodies. Bloody. Frozen. All in black.

  “No IDs, sir. But they’re both armed. Heavily.” Sergeant Williams shook his head.

  “Were their weapons fired?”

  “No, sir. Not one shot.”

  “So they weren’t threatened by whoever killed them. Otherwise, they would’ve defended themselves.”

  “Nope. Quick and point-blank range.” The new sergeant stood with hands on his hips then crouched down beside one of the deceased. “Two shots each. One to the head, one to the chest.”

  Dave walked around the bodies, viewing all angles. Senseless violence. The murder count in less than a month topped the count from his first year in North Pole. These two were different though. He hated to think what it meant. “Check ballistics against each of those guns. I bet one of them is the murder weapon from a few weeks ago.”

  He walked away and let his men do their job. Dialing in the now familiar number, he waited for Agent Philips to pick up.

  “We’ve got a development.”

  * * *

  ZOYA

  11:09 a.m.

  “Haw!” We swished to the left and sped on. Cold air burned my cheeks and dried out my eyes. Even with the thick gloves, my hands were as ice.

  And I loved it.

  It’s so good to be back on the tracks. I smiled. “Come on, guys. Just a little faster!”

  Trees zoomed by. The snow slid underneath my sled as we raced on. It couldn’t get better than this.

  But what if something happens? My smiled faded. What if there was someone waiting for me? Waiting to kill the witness? What if I witnessed another murder? What if I was murdered?

  No! God wouldn’t let that happen.

  Would He?

  Why would He be concerned with me anyway? He hadn’t been before . . .

  I caught sight of the two racers ahead of me. One had started four minutes before, the other two minutes. If I could pass them, my time would be awesome. The dogs must have sensed
it as well. I gained on the two racers in front of me and shook my head. Do. Not. Get. Distracted.

  “Come on, guys! You can do it!” I leaned in close to my handle as we sped on. All I needed to do was get over to the side and zoom past. Time to call trail.

  “Trail!”

  The team closest to me pulled to the side and slowed to a stop to follow correct racing rules. I tossed a wave over my shoulder.

  One more. One more pass.

  The other kid in front of me looked over his shoulder.

  “Trail!” I shouted over the dogs.

  He had no choice but to pull aside and stop.

  But as my team passed, I caught a blur in the trees.

  Zoya, stop! Focus!

  I raced on by and smiled. My time would be great. Not just great . . . Awesome!

  “Come on, Morphine! Go, Percocet! Faster, Ibuprofen!” I looked behind. Just watch, Dad, I’ll win this race for you.

  Five, six, seven minutes ticked by. “Come on, guys! Let’s win this thing! Come on!” Faster and faster we went. The trees seemed like big white and green blurs as we flew by at twenty miles an hour. Snow fell, but only enough for me to see a haze of tiny white specks here and there.

  We gained speed. The dogs panted, but I could tell they were just as happy as me to get back to racing. “Come on, you can do it!”

  We passed the five-mile marker.

  “Come on! Let’s go, come on! One more mile!” Morphine picked up the speed even more.

  Within moments I could see the finish line.

  “Come on, Morphine, just a little farther!”

  People’s cheers filled the air.

  We crossed the line.

  The dogs slowed, and Mom ran over, her face glowing.

  I looked to the big digital clock.

  Zoya Naltsiine: 22 minutes 58 seconds

  I smiled.

  My draw had me leave third, so that was four minutes into the clock time, which meant I did the six-mile run in 18:58. An average of about three minutes and ten seconds per mile.

  Best time ever.

  And no murders.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  RICK

  Fairbanks, Alaska

  11:31 a.m.

  Great race. And a record time, too. She was as good as her dad.

  The crowd continued to press in as more racers crossed the finish line. But he saw what he came to see. Now . . .

  Regret. Deep and searing.

  After all the years of distance, should he even risk dropping into her world now?

  Rick melted into the crowd. Another day, perhaps.

  His cell vibrated in his pocket. Digging it out with gloved hands proved to be a trial.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Boss. We’ve got news from the big man. Looks like another project.”

  Great, just what he needed right now. “And?”

  “I’m sure it can wait until Monday, but knowin’ how much of a workaholic you are, I thought you’d want to know.”

  The kid was right. He was a workaholic. He just hoped this new project didn’t have to do with what he feared.

  “Thanks. Leave it on my desk. I’ve got a long drive ahead of me, but I’m on my way.”

  “Sure thing. Does that mean I can take the rest of the day off?”

  He sensed the eagerness in the young man’s voice. “Go ahead. I’ll call Christy in if I need her. I’ve got it from here.”

  “Thanks, Boss. See ya Monday.”

  Rick ended the call and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

  As he reached for his keys, the tightness in his chest started up again. He stopped in his tracks and took some deep breaths.

  Not now.

  With slow steps, he made it to his truck and grabbed his pills out of the console.

  * * *

  ZOYA

  11:37 a.m.

  “Great job, Zoya!” Andie ran over and we high-fived. “I can’t believe you cut that much time off!”

  “I can’t believe it either! That’s my best time ever!”

  “You are one special racer.” Andie winked and grabbed my hand. “What do you say we celebrate?” We looked over to the moms.

  Auntie Jenna and Mom nodded. “Sounds great. What’ll we do?”

  “Could we watch Pride and Prejudice?”

  “Yeah!” My smile grew. “Pleeeeeease?”

  “Zoya, we just watched the five-hour version.” Mom put her hands on her hips.

  Andie and I danced around in circles. “Or we could watch Persuasion.” I threw over my shoulder.

  Mom glanced around. Like she was nervous about something.

  “Okay, then. Persuasion it is.” Mom nodded, then turned to talk to Sean. She was way too serious. Wasn’t she happy for me?

  My thoughts went back to my time. 18:58, I can’t believe it!

  “I can’t wait for the next race. Did you see how fast the dogs were going?” I stared off into the crowd and felt a smile—a real smile—fill my face. “Dad would be proud.”

  Andie nodded. “I’m sure he would be. Your mom sure is. I haven’t seen Auntie smile so big in a long time.”

  “Yeah, next I’ll be on my way to the Junior North American Championships.”

  “Whoa, girl! You’ve got awhile until the biggies.”

  “But I know I can do it. I know I can win. I have to make Dad proud.”

  “You already have, Zoya.” Andie frowned.

  “No, not really.” I looked down at my shoes and swallowed. Then shook my head. “Just wait until I win.”

  “Zoy—”

  “I will, Andie. I have to make Dad proud.” My stomach churned. “I will win.”

  * * *

  COLE

  January 22

  Naltsiine Kennels

  7:02 p.m.

  Happy voices floated across Anesia’s house to him, but Cole had trouble joining in. He couldn’t even stay in the moment. This encryption mess was eating him up. And he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone stalked Zoya. Why couldn’t he figure it out? And why hadn’t Marc left him a clue about AMI?

  “Hey, handsome.” Jenna wrapped an arm around his waist. “What’s got you so distracted?”

  He attempted a smile. “You, of course.”

  Jenna pulled back and punched him in the arm. “Liar. Nice try, big guy. Spill it.”

  Thank God for that woman. “You know me too well.”

  “Don’t you forget it. Now, I’m waiting.” She cocked an eyebrow and tapped her foot.

  “All right, all right. But let’s grab the others and gather in the living room. I think this is going to take everyone’s help.”

  Jenna wasted no time with a response. She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him into the other room. What a woman. When she meant business, she meant business.

  “Anesia? Can everyone come in the living room?”

  Her head popped around the corner. “Sure.” She turned back to the kitchen. “Come on, girls.”

  Jenna, Andie, Anesia, and Zoya all sat on the couch. Eyes on him.

  He paced in front of them. “I need your help.”

  They all sat a little straighter.

  He took a deep breath before plunging into the rest. “I can’t give you any details, but I need to figure out words or phrases, verses, numbers, anything that Marc could’ve used as an encryption code.”

  Zoya raised her hand. “This has to do with AMI, doesn’t it?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say.” He raked a hand through his hair.

  Andie nodded. “It’s got to be. That’s what Dad was working on. That’s what they’ve got you working on now.”

  “Einstein, stop trying to figure out what this is for. I need your help to figure out what he could’ve used for an encryption code.”

  “Sorry. We’ll help.” She scrunched up her forehead.

  “Think of anything that was special to your dad. Something he could’ve hidden. Some kind of clue—like the ones he left for the code
on the bunker.”

  “But he gave us hints for that.” Jenna cocked her head. “Do you have any hints for this?”

  Cole sighed. Deep and heavy. “Not one.” He started to pace again. “This is where it’s tricky.”

  Andie and Zoya glanced at each other, then his stepdaughter raised her hand. “So our national security is at risk?”

  “You’ve been reading too many suspense novels, Einstein. Like I said, stop trying to figure out what it’s for and help me figure out a clue or code.”

  “Could you get in trouble?”

  Teenagers. Didn’t they listen? “This isn’t about me. Right now we need to figure out the encryption.”

  Jenna planted her elbows on her knees and leaned her chin on her hands—and then covered her face. The devastation of losing Marc had been tough enough, but learning what he did for a living just about destroyed her. With a swipe of her hands, she lifted her face, a new determination in her eyes. “Okay, let’s figure this out. What do we know?”

  Atta girl. Cole connected gazes with his wife. “Nothing.”

  “It’s gotta have something to do with us.” Andie’s blue eyes stared up at him.

  Made sense. He’d been thinking the same thing. “Go on.”

  “Well, the passwords to get into the bunker had to do with me. My nickname, medic-alert number, and the dog tags he gave to Mom. Dad was a super-genius. And way too good at impossible riddles. But he’d know you needed to figure this one out, right? So I bet that whatever the code is, it has something to do with us. With family.”

  Cole’s gut told him she was right. Now all they had to do was figure out what it was. Before time ran out.

  * * *

  SLIM

  January 22

  Fairbanks, Alaska

  10:52 p.m.

  Only the glow from the laptop lit up his tiny room. As he scrolled through file after file, he found the full description. In full detail he read the military specs on the Advanced Missile Interceptor.