Cold Flood (Kea Wright Mysteries Book 1)

by RJ Corgan

  I’ll never live down the rumors.

  “Wait a sec...” Kea thought back to Zoë’s initial response. She waved her fingers back and forth in the air between them. “This was an option?”

  Zoë laughed. “I suppose it could have been... if you’d asked.”

  Kea didn’t quite know how to respond to that. “Nadia!” She shouted suddenly “Where’s…”

  “It’s okay.” Zoë prevented her from leaping up. “She’s in the other jeep, warming up with Amirah.”

  Kea looked around the dark interior of the jeep. Dark gray light from the rainy skies seeped through the foggy windows, settling in a haze across the benches and random bits of field equipment. “How did we get back here?”

  Zoë kept the pressure on her arm as if afraid Kea would try to bolt again. “Gary found you. Don’t you remember?”

  “I...” Flashes filled her mind. Images of arms pulling her up, the sensation of being pressed against polyester jackets, the sounds of voices yelling into the rain, stumbling over the cobbles. “It’s a bit of a blur.”

  Zoë grinned. “We took turns helping you back to the jeep. Cole picked up some of the gear you dropped. Not sure what happened to your pack though.” She fell silent for a moment. “What did happen?”

  “What? Oh, sorry,” Kea shook her head. “I was thinking about my camera. It’s at the bottom of the lake. Damn.” She closed her eyes again, trying to recall the moments before the fall. “To be honest, I’m not sure. I was carrying the planks and must have tripped. Or the last boards gave way, I guess, but I could barely get the first set out, they were stuck fast. I couldn’t see much in all the rain and mud.” She paused, “I can’t imagine how they gave way so easily. The rain could have washed away some of the soil I suppose, or… someone could have dug them out and put them back to make them look like they were fine.”

  Zoë frowned. “Why would anyone do that?”

  “That’s the question,” Kea agreed. “Why would anyone want to...”

  “Kill you?” Zoë asked, incredulous.

  “If that was the intent. Maybe not even me. Can’t be sure.” Kea groaned. “Maybe Nadia? Although I was the only one left to cross the boards, until Nadia decided to come back. I can’t seriously imagine anyone…” She shook her head. “Never mind, it was just an accident. My mind’s been seeing menace everywhere lately, after what happened to Bruce.”

  “Okay,” Zoë said slowly. “Even if it wasn’t an accident, who would ever want to kill you? That’s pretty extreme.”

  “I’d like to think the list wouldn’t be very long.” Kea thought grimly. “Marcus despises me, but not enough to kill me. I think.” She considered the vile looks Marcus had given her since she started working at the university. “I’m at least ninety-percent positive he wouldn’t kill me.”

  “Anyone else?” Zoë stroked Kea’s bangs out of her eyes with long, delicate fingers. “Anyone else hold a grudge?”

  “Not that I can think of.” Kea trembled under her touch. “Although I’m not at my best right now.”

  Zoë fixed Kea with a firm stare. “There’s something I need to tell you.” She paused, her eyes flickering up to the ceiling of the jeep. “Cole... look, this isn’t easy for me... Cole found something in Bruce’s tent.”

  “What?” Kea pulled back abruptly. “Why?”

  Zoë sighed. “Not a proud mother moment. He’d heard about Bruce, figured he was on antidepressants. Once they found... the body and were bringing it back, Cole snuck into his tent.” She closed her eyes and let out another long breath. “Basically, he broke into a crime scene to steal Bruce’s drugs.”

  “Well,” Kea considered, “for one thing, it’s not a crime scene. It was a suicide, and even if it wasn’t Bruce died out on the ice. Don’t over-guilt this.” She realized that had sounded more reassuring in her head. “Did he find anything?”

  Zoë nodded. “Fluoxetine. I had to look it up online. It’s a common antidepressant. And he found something else.”

  “You already have a captive audience,” Kea commented. “You don’t have to ratchet up the suspense.”

  “The drugs were in a little pack, you know the kind you wear around your waist?” Zoë continued. “Cole left the passport in it, thank God, but he took some money. Not all of it. He didn’t want to make it look like Bruce had been robbed, but he took a couple hundred.”

  “Smart kid,” Kea remarked.

  “Like I said,” Zoë frowned, “not a proud parent right now. Anyway, he also found something else, a ticket.”

  “A ticket? To what?” Despite her interest, Kea shuddered as another chill fluttered through her body.

  “Well, not a ticket exactly. It was a receipt for a flight, tucked in with the cash.” Zoë pulled the blanket tighter. “I knew Reynard went with the others on a flight that day, so I asked him about it today. He said Bruce had already gone up and had such a ‘fantastic time’ he booked a ticket for another flight, but there wasn’t time to go up that day, and he’d have to go up the next day.”

  “The day he died.” Kea began to see Zoë’s point. “Why would a guy with a death wish buy a second ticket for the next day?”

  Zoë nodded. “Reynard said that they offered to give him his money back, but Bruce insisted he’d be back to use it the next day and wanted to keep his place in line. I know it’s not much,” Zoë conceded, “but it is strange.”

  “We have a lot of strange happening around here,” Kea agreed.

  “And now,” Zoë looked around the vehicle, seeming to refer to their close quarters, “if someone really did just have a go at you…”

  “Why didn’t you tell the police this?” Kea sputtered.

  Zoë laughed. “Let’s go back to the part where my son stole drugs from a dead guy again.” She shook her head. “Besides, I didn’t start putting it together until now, and it still doesn’t mean anything. As for Cole, I don’t know what to do.”

  Kea saw the light in Zoë’s eyes fade whenever she talked about her son. Not a parent herself, she found she couldn’t think of anything to say to comfort her.

  “I guess I’ll sort out a punishment for Cole once we get home,” Zoë said doubtfully. “I already have been drug testing him randomly, but that wasn’t enough apparently. To be fair, I don’t think he’s ever gotten his hands on Fluoxetine before. I doubt he even knows what it is. He just wanted to up his street cred with his friends. They’re not exactly Mensa candidates.”

  “We have to tell the authorities,” Kea insisted. “I can say I found it in the tent.” She winced, remembering that she had told the officers she would pack up Bruce’s belongings and ship them back to his wife. After that awful mess of a night, she’d put off the task repeatedly. She may have inadvertently provided Cole with the opportunity he needed.

  “It’s not much to go on.” Zoë stared into Kea’s eyes inquisitively. “I mean, what are we saying? A suicidal guy comes out here to kill himself and is so blown away by the beauty of the place that he decides not to do it?”

  “Stranger things...” Kea thought back to the first morning. “You know, that morning, Bruce was all energetic, up early, excited.”

  “People who are severely depressed,” Zoë began slowly, “when they do get all excited, that’s when you should start to worry. It means they’re ready to carry out their plans.”

  Kea raised an eyebrow.

  “Cole sees a therapist,” Zoë explained. “So do I. He warned me what signs to look out for.”

  “Ah.” Kea wasn’t sure how else to respond to that. “If Bruce may have changed his mind about killing himself…”

  “And then someone killed him anyway.” Zoë nodded. “Why? And why try to kill you? Why now?”

  “Someone thinks I know something, or saw something, I suppose,” Kea pondered. “They may have thought Bruce did too.”

  “Is there anyone else who might have a reason to want to kill you?” Zoë asked, serious now.

  “More people than I thought,”
Kea replied, thinking back to her conversations with Erik, Jon, Derek, and Max. “Who was the last person to cross the planks, the last person back at the jeeps? Was it Jon?”

  Zoë shook her head. “Honestly, I can’t remember. Between the rain and everything, I really wasn’t paying any attention. I can ask around though.”

  “No,” Kea said quickly. “Best not. It may actually have been an accident, but even if it wasn’t, I’d rather not let whoever it was know I’m suspicious.”

  Zoë shook her head. “You sure you’re okay?”

  Kea looked around. “I’m naked in the back of a jeep in the middle of the sandur wrapped in an emergency blanket... but I am alive. I think that’ll have to qualify for okay for now.” She looked Zoë squarely in the eye. “And for that, I want to say, thank you.”

  “Thank Gary.” Zoë reached for her clothes.

  “Yes,” Kea said. “I’m sure that will be... a unique conversation.”

  “So, about tomorrow...” Zoë started sliding out of the blanket and reached for her underwear that was strewn across the bench.

  “Tomorrow?” Kea, uncomfortable watching Zoë dress, turned her back.

  “I need to go back on the ice to look for Romulus,” Zoë explained.

  “Ah...” Kea had forgotten about the drone or at least given it up for dead.

  “I took a stab looking for Remus on the sandur,” Zoë continued, “but no luck. I think it may have wound up in a lake. I have a better idea where Romulus might be. I was just waiting ‘til we got back up on the ice again.”

  “It might be a bit tricky,” Kea began, thinking of the logistics of traversing Romulus’ route on foot.

  “That drone cost six grand,” Zoë remarked flatly. “Remus was another eight.”

  Kea was glad that Zoë had turned away so that she couldn’t see her flinch. “Well then, I guess tomorrow is Romulus’ lucky day.”

  Chapter 14

  kea was sequestered in the front seat of the jeep on the return trip to camp, spared from a barrage of questions from the volunteers. Nadia was dropped off at the main showers, while Marcus dropped Kea off in front of the research hut. It wasn’t until she’d waved them away and locked the bathroom door that she felt safe. She stepped into the hot spray of water and watched the mud and grit pile up in little dunes against the sides of her feet. The adrenaline, and her strength, had been completely sapped away.

  Along with any hope of logical reasoning.

  Emerging damp and sore a glorious half-hour later, she discovered that Julie had left a bag of clean clothes and sneakers outside the door. Once dressed, she found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror, wondering again what on earth she was going to do next.

  “All I really want,” she told herself, “is to sleep. And a five-course meal.” The woman looking back at her seemed unimpressed. It was as if her visage knew that the only meal in her future was most likely a warm peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

  Outside, the evening clouds had been shoved aside by the brisk winds that gusted off the icecap. As she walked back to the tents, a thick towel slung over her shoulders, she hugged herself even as she felt the warm caress of the sunlight on her face. The cold nightmare of the river seemed an impossible memory, one that belonged to someone else.

  Arriving at her tent, she knelt by the zipper and nearly poked out her eye with a puffin’s beak. She blinked. The brass puffin regarded her stoically. The hiking stick was lodged into the ground, its length partially obscured by the doorway of her tent, presumably left there by Marcus. She held it up to the sky and inspected the staff. It seemed much lighter than she expected. She slotted it back into the hole in the ground and patted the little bird’s head, before going back to the main encampment.

  Entering the main tent, Kea was greeted by a thunderous cheer. Glancing around the circle of beaming faces and pink cheeks, she deduced that Marcus must have broken out one of the bottles of whiskey, a prize traditionally reserved for the last night of the field season.

  Amirah handed her a shot of the Black Death. Kea raised it in a toast and gulped the burning fluid down in one go. Smiling and waving politely, she moved past the crowded dinner table, making a beeline for the bowl of chocolate pudding.

  Life, she thought, was too short to wait for dessert.

  She plopped down at the end of the table, waved away the kind words and questions and savored the chocolate sweetness of the pudding. As she slurped, she watched as the others finished their supper and transitioned into the obligatory drinking games. People were stuffing their faces with food, laughing, washing dishes, and getting skunk-drunk. It seemed so utterly normal.

  After the incident in the river, she knew what she wanted.

  I can’t do this anymore, she thought. Either I see monsters in the shadows that aren’t there, or worse I’m putting people in danger by asking so many questions. I just want to finish the work, go back home, and start re-building my life.

  Kea watched Zoë supervising Cole as he washed the dishes, his mother’s expression weary but determined. Jon stood beside them, helping to dry the dishes with a grimy washcloth.

  Even if I have no idea what that future should look like.

  “Everything all right?” Marcus sat down across from her, a mug in his hand.

  Kea looked at him. He seemed concerned. Odd. She was now only sixty percent sure he might have tried to kill her by shifting the planks. Of course, the concern could just be an act to throw her off. She cranked her suspicion rating back up to seventy-five percent.

  “Fine and dandy,” she replied automatically. “Just lost my footing.” She couldn’t be certain that wasn’t what had happened. “Must be getting old.”

  “You gave us quite a scare.” Marcus regarded her curiously. “Well done saving Nadia. Quite remarkable.”

  Kea nodded but hated how patronizing he made the compliment sound. Looking at him now, he seemed so harmless, so small. She could tell that he expected her to thank him for giving her Dr. Carlyle’s staff, that she should be grateful for his gesture, for his generosity.

  Too little, too late, she thought.

  “Marcus,” she said calmly. “I know you’re trying to publish without me, and I’ve gotta say, that’s pretty messed up.”

  His mouth gaped open, his jaw bouncing uselessly as he searched for words.

  “I’ll happily co-author with you on it, which I highly recommend,” she continued, “because I have additional data from this season that will make for a more complete record.”

  Marcus’ expression was a beautiful picture of confusion and apprehension.

  “You clearly enjoy leading these teams, and I have no desire to take that away from you,” she went on.

  Nor have I enjoyed any of this experience.

  “I’ll speak to Dr. Carlyle about appointing you as the lead on all future expeditions once we get back,” she finished.

  “Why are you...” stammered Marcus.

  “I’ve decided it’s all about pudding.” She pushed aside the empty pudding bowl. “My life needs more time for pudding and less of this.” She waved her hands in the air between them. “Whatever this is.”

  Marcus slowly put down his drink, laid his hands out on the table and studied his fingers carefully for a moment. “Kea, after I left the service, I have been working very hard, despite what you might think. Between my family and work, I get very little sleep. I have four children, two of whom will be going to college soon...”

  No one told you to have kids, Kea thought automatically. She winced, repulsed at her own gut reaction.

  “You’re younger than me, have more energy, more determination and yes,” Marcus paused, “are more talented than anyone else in the department. I have no doubt that you’re going to get promoted to Professor, but don’t think that I’m not going to at least try to compete.”

  The fight or flight impulses that Kea normally had ready to brace against Marcus’ attacks deserted her. Even her exhaustion couldn’t keep
a bemused expression off her face.

  “Okay, while it may not seem proper to leave you out of the publication,” Marcus admitted grudgingly, “in fairness, I did re-process the data myself, and I did work with the engineering department on a new model. Besides, you have so many other publications already, I’m sure it wouldn’t make much of a difference.”

  Kea, although still slightly numb, realized that this was as close to an apology as she was likely to get. “Thanks. I think?” She shook her head, wondering if when she woke up the next morning, this would all turn out to be a dream. “All I really want is to go to bed.” She turned but paused, watching through the tent flap as Derek chased Reynard around the lawn, spraying him with a fire extinguisher that he must have nicked from the supply tent. “Ermm... Can you, ya’ know, adult?”

  Marcus laughed. “Drunken volunteer safety duty. I got this.”

  Kea nodded and started toward the exit.

  “Hey.” Max caught her arm. Judging by his motions, and his breath, he was already drunk. “You’re not going to stay for the party?”

  “Not tonight, thanks.” Very calmly, Kea plucked his paw off her arm and continued on her way.

  Time, she thought, is too precious for this.

  She caught sight of Julie and Amirah looking at her with concern, but thankfully they left her alone. Spying the profile of a certain man, she sighed softly and forced herself to walk toward him.

  Gary sat alone outside his tent, eating his dinner off a plastic plate held between his knees. He seemed to be staring out at the main campground, where campers lazily moved back and forth between the bathrooms and the visitor center as the day wound down.

  He took all his meals alone, Kea realized suddenly. She had been so busy this week that she had not noticed. Normally, she made time to make sure the outsiders felt welcome, or at least made an effort to include them. However, nothing about this week, she reminded herself, had been remotely normal. “Evening.”

  “Evening.” Gary returned her greeting but offered little else. Instead, he turned back to contemplate the shifting sky.