Bear sat down and the waitress brought another menu. Ignoring the menu, he ordered a full breakfast of four scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. And iced sweet tea.
Will looked at Bear, figuring him for military but didn’t want to assume. Military guys didn’t sport beards. Perhaps he had become a pro football player? “What are you doing with yourself these days, Bear? Do you still live around here?”
“I’m visitin’ my mom and stepdad. Was just here having coffee with a friend. I’m in between tours, trying to decide if I’ll re-enlist.”
“Re-enlist in the service?” Maddy asked.
The waitress brought their food.
“Yeah. Joined the marines after high school. Piloted a ’copter in Afghanistan to gather intel. Crashed once. Eventually led a unit with a great bunch of guys and a few gals.”
Will drank some of his coffee, ill at ease with all things military. “That’s intense, I’ll bet.”
“Is.”
Will remembered that Bear had never been exactly loquacious and, even though he’d grown muscles, they didn’t extend to his vocal cords.
Bear looked at both the twins. “You guys headed off to college if I remember right. What are y’all doin’ now?”
Maddy looked at Will, and he sensed her urging him to divulge their adventure to Bear. But Will wasn’t ready to do that, so they chatted idly throughout the meal, sharing how he ended up in São Paulo after college for a good engineering job, the details of his sailboat, a brief mention of Maria.
Maddy shared her desire to start her own dojo someday and talked about her job developing mobile apps for cell phones. She also shared that she’d taken on their mother’s maiden name, Marshall. A disrespectful move, but Will said nothing about it.
After they were done eating, Bear excused himself to use the restroom. Both twins watched him walk away.
Maddy turned to Will. “He has a limp now, see it?”
“Yes, a small one. Maybe from that ’copter crash.”
Maddy leaned over the small checkered table, looked intently at him with her green eyes, and lowered her voice. “Will, we need to tell him.”
“Tell him what?”
“Don’t be coy. That we’re being chased by a crazy Russian who wants to kill us! And it may have something to do with the Aragon Châsse and the royal part of our family.”
“Why tell him? How do you know we can trust him?”
“We’ve known him for years,” she insisted.
Will kept one eye out for Bear’s return. “But we haven’t seen him for over ten years, and now he’s in the marines.”
“I don’t know, but it seems to me as if we need a friend right now. And a friend in the military sounds even better.”
“But we’re not supposed to tell anyone, remember Dad’s letter?”
Bear came out of the bathroom.
Maddy’s eyes shifted to Bear, too, and her tone was soft but urgent. “Of course, I do, but we’re getting shot at! Let’s just leave the letter part out.”
“Okay. Tell him but leave out the letter.”
“Fine.” Maddy pretended to smile at him for Bear’s benefit.
Will gave her a fake grin in return.
She tugged once on her hair, her irritation plain.
Bear sat back down at the table and, over a refill of coffee, Maddy filled him in on the blatant murders, the wine-country car chase, and the likely demise of the receptionist at the attorney’s office.
Concerned, Bear’s eyes narrowed to slits. After several other clarifying questions, he asked, “And, Ms. Marshall, this all happened yesterday?”
“Yes,” Maddy answered.
“Do you have any idea what the killers want?”
“No,” Will put in before Maddy’s resolve could falter. He and Maddy had to get their story straight.
Bear looked from one twin to the other, wheels turning. But he let that line of questioning drop. “Where did y’all spend last night?”
Maddy shuffled the newspaper into an organized pile. “At our old house, why?”
“Doesn’t somebody else own that now?”
“They do. We were desperate.”
“Then I suggest y’all regroup at my place.”
Will shook his head. “We wouldn’t want to put you or your family in danger.”
“C’mon, Argones. We have weapons at the house. Even a guard dog.”
Although still cautious, Will liked the idea of adding some firepower to their group. He could also sense Maddy’s relief, so when she looked at him to see if he was game, Will acquiesced, not wanting a repeat of yesterday’s fatal encounters.
But as they left the café with Bear, Will’s gut was tight with the sense that they had somehow misplaced their trust.
CHAPTER 21
Kings Beach, California, 12:15 p.m.:
Maddy and Will left the Fire Sign Café and drove back to their old house, followed by Bear in his almost antique, dingy-white Ford pickup truck. With a Safeway grocery pit stop, they restocked the box of waffles, then they cleaned up the kitchen, made arrangements to have the broken window fixed, removed all other traces that they’d been there, and left. Maddy’s guilt at breaking and entering subsided as the house regained its clean appearance.
Afterward, they drove to Bear’s parents’ house, which was about five minutes from the market in downtown Kings Beach, up a side road and situated so the redwood deck had a gorgeous, wide-open view of the distant lake. The day was clear, so the few snowy mountain caps around the lake stood out like points on a white crown.
The snow reminded Maddy that she and Vincent had come up skiing a few times last winter, since it had been a good snow year. She half-missed him and half wanted to kill him for leaving her for another woman.
Although it was hotter than various shades of hell in the valley yesterday, the summer mountain air was warm and fresh. Bear’s parents had done a great job designing their house: green metal roof and cedar siding on the exterior, knotty pine vaulted ceiling on the interior. The rock fireplace showcased an old pair of snowshoes and there was an ancient set of wooden skis on the opposite wall. Classic. It felt like home, all sugar cookies and Christmas presents.
Bear showed them his den, a granny cottage behind the main house. It was small, but cozy.
While getting settled, Maddy was so relieved to have Bear’s help that she caught herself humming. And her neck started to feel better, too.
After the tour and unpacking, she, Will, and Bear chatted on the broad deck in the late afternoon sun. Mountain Chickadees talked to each other as they flitted between the Jeffrey pines and tall white fir trees. Colonel, Bear’s mom’s German shepherd, lay on the deck next to Bear’s chair. Will jokingly referred to the place as their “safe house.”
They had just opened some beer when Bear’s mom, Phyllis, arrived home and came up on the deck, bearing a bag of groceries in each hand. She looked much older than Maddy remembered, but it had been over a decade. Phyllis’s blonde hair had turned half-gray and the laugh lines around her light-blue eyes bore testament to a life well lived.
Bear relieved his mom of the grocery bags and set them on the table. “Hi, Mama, do you remember Will and Maddy from high school? The Argones twins?”
“Of course, I do, child,” she replied in a Southern accent twice as thick as Bear’s.
She gave both twins a warm hug.
Maddy recalled that Phyllis had grown up in North Carolina and had met Bear’s dad when he was stationed at Fort Bragg. Although kids had made fun of Bear’s drawl in school, Maddy had always rather liked it.
Phyllis inspected the twins. “You both look a little tired. Working too much?”
“Something like that,” Will said.
Phyllis looked at their beer glasses. “I see y’all found some beverages. Are you hungry?”
“We had a late breakfast,” Maddy replied.
“Well, they had a sale on salmon at the store and I’ll barbecue it in a little while. I have plen
ty.” She looked from one twin to the other. “Has Master Sergeant Teddy Thorenson told you all about his medal yet?”
“Mama, that’s classified information.”
“These are your friends, Theodore. And it was just supposed to stay out of the press. Anyway--” She turned to the twins, her hands on her hips, “--Teddy and two friends helped stop a terrorist in a market in Afghanistan!” Phyllis paused.
Maddy suspected the pause was for effect, so made the appropriate comment. “What happened?”
“He and two buddies were at a market and saw a man, a terrorist, pull an AK-Forty-Seven out of his cloak. They rushed over and subdued him. The gunman got off a few rounds, tragically killing several women and children before the boys got to him. Teddy was bruised, and one of his friends was shot in the shoulder.”
Will looked captivated, in spite of himself, and she was impressed as well. It was hard to think about how she’d react in a situation like that. Yesterday had been bad enough.
Maddy turned to Bear, curious. “What was that like for you?”
Bear shrugged his massive shoulders. “I don’t know...I just acted. He was shootin’ innocent folks and had to be stopped.”
“Were you scared?”
“I didn’t have time to be scared then. After we got his gun and I saw my buddy John was hurt, I felt a little sick for him.”
Phyllis smiled brightly. “His stepfather, Tad, and I are so proud of him. It’s too bad Tad isn’t in town tonight, I’m sure he’d love to have a drink with the lot of you.”
Bear seemed uncomfortable with all the praise, so Maddy wasn’t surprised when he threw the ball for the dog to chase and changed the subject. “Mama, do you mind if the twins spend the night tonight?”
A quick look of surprise passed over her features before years of Southern hospitality kicked in. “Of course not, dear. We can put Maddy up in the guest room downstairs and Will can have your old room upstairs. You kids have a nice visit.”
“I figured you’d say that. They’re already settled.”
Phyllis picked up the bags of groceries and headed into the house. “Good.”
Two hours later, after what was the best salmon Maddy had eaten in a long time, Phyllis cleaned up while the three of them enjoyed the last of the dinner wine. As the summer twilight deepened into dusk, Colonel chewed on a bone. Citronella candles kept the mosquitoes at bay and added a citrus aroma to the pleasant forest air.
A Steller’s jay cawed in the trees. Maddy wondered if Will and Bear had a little too much to drink, especially when they all began to argue about their next steps.
“Where will y’all go from here?” Bear asked.
Although certain it was the right next step, Maddy wasn’t sure how to broach the topic of Spain without mentioning the codex. “I think we should go to Spain and tell our great-uncle in person about Dad’s death. It might get us out of the killer’s sights.”
“Do you think that will throw off evil-killer Russian sniper man?” Will asked in a mocking tone.
“How’s he going to know what we’re doing?” Maddy countered.
“I don’t know. How’d he know we’d be at the attorney’s office?”
Bear reached down and scratched Colonel under the chin. “That’s probably easier than knowin’ you’re halfway around the world, at what, a Spanish castle? Have you ever been?”
“No.” Maddy sipped her wine. “Does seem a perfect chance to see the world. And Dad hooked us up with some resources. I wonder if he knew...”
Will lit a cigarette. “Knew what?”
Frustrated that she couldn’t tell Bear the whole story, Maddy curled her toes under the table and tapped them. Watching her tongue was not her normal form of communication, but she did usually play by the rules.
She said carefully, “Knew we’d be attacked by the Russian jackass.”
“How would he know that?”
Maddy bit back her exasperation. “I don’t know, but why’d he give us the, um, resources?”
“He was probably just covering his bases.”
Bear poured more wine. “Could be.”
Phyllis opened the back door. “Teddy, will you come here for a minute and say hi to Tad? He’s on the phone.”
Bear rose and went into the house.
Will turned to Maddy. “So, you think we need to go traipsing across the world? And for what? We know who the killer is.”
Maddy narrowed her eyes, irritated. “We don’t know the motive and what if he had an accomplice?”
Will smiled with triumph. “He did have an accomplice--that guy who died in the car wreck.”
“I’m talking about somebody in Russia.”
That dashed Will’s smile for just an instant.
He recovered. “Oh, on the grassy knoll.” Will’s eyes sparkled as he enjoyed his own joke.
“Conspiracy theory smartass. Besides, if we don’t figure out what’s going on here, we’ll still be in danger. You’ll note that we’re both going through electronics withdrawal already.” It was true, she kept reaching for her phone and was annoyed it was gone. It was like a phantom limb.
Will puffed on his cigarette. “Okay, that’s a fair point. But what about the fact that I’m not allowed to leave the country?”
“That’s another reason to go. I’m thinking that if you want to clear your name, we need to figure out why these Russians killed Dad and Maria.”
“Perhaps. But what about the funerals?”
“They’ll have to wait until we get back. I’ve heard of other families who have to wait for the service until everyone can gather, and I think it’s more important that we stay alive. We’d be, as our Southern hosts might say, ‘easy pickins’ at a funeral.”
“I don’t like it. But let’s say we are able to put our lives on hold, we get over to Spain, and we find a clue in the proverbial dark and stormy castle. Then what?”
“You’re in rare form. Then we follow the clue. If this was truly put in motion by Ramiro a thousand years ago, how hard could it be?”
Will put out his smoke. “Hard enough that whatever is at the end of the rainbow has only been found once, Ms. Eternal Optimist.”
Angry, Maddy waved her empty hand. “This is the age of the internet--if we can ever find a way to use it again safely.”
Bear walked out of the house and rejoined them at the table. “What did y’all decide?”
Maddy stroked her necklace. “We haven’t agreed to go yet.”
“C’mon, Marshall. I was thinking I’d come watch your back if you want.” Bear’s smile was wicked. “I’m good with a gun.”
Will motioned down the hill with his head. “You wouldn’t rather be hanging out at the beach?”
“I’ve always wanted to see Spain. Seems like a good excuse. I have some time off work yet.”
Maddy was surprised. She hadn’t seen Bear’s offer coming and exchanged a glance with Will. He took a quick drink to hide his own shock, but she sensed that he felt comforted somehow. She, on the other hand, worried that Bear’s motives might relate to his high school infatuation. There were no weird vibes today, but still...why else would he want to tag along? Sense of adventure, perhaps?
“Could be dangerous,” Maddy said. “We do have an angry Russian killer stalking us.”
“I’ve probably faced worse.” There was no tone of condescension in his voice, just the tenor of rock-solid confidence that made Maddy wonder, with sympathy, what he had faced along the way.
Before she could stop him, Will reached his hand out to Bear. “All righty, I’ll go if you go.”
Bear shook the proffered hand. “It’s a deal then, let’s get some sleep. We’ll have a busy day tomorrow.”
As they broke apart for bed, Maddy realized she’d won the argument, but she couldn’t help but worry at the implications of bringing Bear along for the ride.
***
The next afternoon, Bear felt like a kid on the first day of school as he and the twins packed for the trip to
Spain inside his parent’s guest cottage. The room was plain except for a framed print of Judas Iscariot kissing Jesus on the cheek and a cross over the door. Luggage and clothes were spread all over the bed.
“Marshall, how’d the chat with your sister go?” Bear asked.
Maddy glanced up from the suitcase. Her deep green eyes looked troubled, like a storm-ravaged sea. “That reminds me, thanks for taking us to the store so I could get clothes and a pre-paid cell to call her. Bella wasn’t happy to hear that we’d been shot at, but she agreed to hold the funeral until we get back. It’ll take time to wrap up the autopsy anyway.”
Maddy shot a glance at Will, which seemed to telegraph some disagreement, but Bear couldn’t tell what it was this time. Since he’d found them yesterday morning, he’d noticed more tension between the twins than even their edgy situation called for, and he wondered what the hell was going on.
As Maddy put a large, sealed package into a backpack she’d borrowed from him, Bear could see a chamois cloth, but not much else. What’s worth keeping waterproof?
She continued, “Bella said she’d be careful, and no, she doesn’t want to leave her husband and kids to join us. Before I tossed the phone, I also called the family castle and they’re expecting us tomorrow after the red-eye lands in Madrid.”
“Good thing, since we’re ready to go,” Will said.
“And our fake passports?” Bear asked.
Maddy folded a shirt. “Those passport photos we took worked. My ultra-geeky computer friend found some sketchy character to work up Canadian papers for us.”
“Practicing your accent, eh?”
Maddy smiled. “Eh. They shipped the passports by courier and they arrived a few minutes ago while you were out back.”
“What if Spanish immigration can tell they’re fake? I’m not even supposed to leave the country,” Will grumbled.
“All the more reason to use false papers,” Maddy replied.
“Bear, you’re not flying under your own name either?”
“Nope. Don’t want to leave a trail.”
Will nodded. “Okay. What about that Go-Pro? Find it?”
The Lost Power: VanOps, Book 1 Page 7