Starseed

by Jude Willhoff

  “It’s about four. Your dad just called me. He wants me to go with him to another crime scene. It was something about a dead cow.”

  “A cow?” A tingling started in the pit of her stomach. She was immediately filled with a choking feeling of dread. It crawled through her heart and into her throat, almost making her sick. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and sat up to take several deep breaths.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “You look pale.”

  “Yeah, I’m all right. I was just a little nauseated for a minute.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned trying to get herself together to talk with Kole. “Now what’s going on with a cow?”

  “Some farmer found a dead cow near Independence Pass so we're going up there to take a look. Check to see if there's anything similar to what happened out at the Sandborn Ranch.”

  The Sandborn Ranch. That’s where she had seen the vision of the horses. Her dad had told her about what had happened. It wasn’t fair. What was the good of having these visions if she couldn’t use them to help others? It broke her heart knowing that she had been unable to save the horses. Failure was an ugly word, but she had failed those animals. She couldn’t shake the feeling of dread trying to consume her.

  “Kole, you made it.” Sheriff Thomas pushed open the screen door and joined them on the porch.

  “Can I go along?” Elle asked. “Right now, I don't want to be alone.” Sleep had helped her get some energy back, but the awful feeling wouldn’t let go. She felt it. Something horrible was going to happen, but she didn’t know what. It drove her crazy when she got like this, but there was nothing to do except wait it out. Maybe if she kept busy, the dread would lighten.

  “Of course, Elle, you can come with us. I have to get a few things together and then we can leave.”

  An hour later, Elle sat in the back of the patrol car and idly listened to Kole and her dad's conversation. She was lost in her own thoughts. She stared out the window at the countryside and then it faded into nothing. The vision was strong, completely overtaking her. She saw Herman cowering in a corner. The walls, ceiling and floors were covered in tin foil. She could feel his heart beating as hard as a lightening bug’s wings against a glass fruit jar while trying to escape.

  She clutched her stomach, physically experiencing his fear-deep, gut wrenching and unbearable. Herman was in dire danger. She grabbed the armrest and held on for her life. Her cell phone vibrated against her side. It jerked her back to reality. She pulled it out of her pocket, read Herman’s name on the face plate and answered. “Herman, where are you?” Her stomach clenched in pain as if she were still in the vision. “Are you in trouble?” she asked, feeling the fear clawing at him.

  “Yes, they're here. The aliens. I saw them get out of a black helicopter over in Red Rock Canyon and one followed me home.” He choked back a sob. “They're out in the light of day. It chased me and I hid in the basement. It’s gonna get me. I can hear it prowling around upstairs.” A loud bang sounded in the background. “Help me,” he shouted and the phone went dead.

  She shivered and shouted over the back seat. “Dad, get to Herman's place. He's in bad trouble.”

  “What?” He glanced in the rear view mirror catching her eye. “What's going on?”

  “It's Herman. Someone is in his house.” She had to gain control of herself and get him help. “He's hiding in the basement scared to death. Hurry, Dad. He needs us.” She knew it was up to the powers that be. An overpowering darkness swept over her, nearly smothering her. She rolled the window down and gasped for fresh air. Hurry. Hurry. Hang on, Herman.

  “It's only a couple of miles from here.” Her dad wheeled the car around and pushed the gas pedal to the floor with sirens blaring. He headed toward Herman’s home. “We'll be there in a few minutes.”

  Her heart fell to the pit of her stomach as they drove over the ridge to see black smoke billowing high into the brilliant blue afternoon sky. “His house is on fire. Hurry, Dad.” She caught Kole observing her as if she’d lost her mind. So what, if he thought she was bonkers, it didn’t matter. Herman’s life is in danger. That’s top priority.

  “I'm going fast as I can on this gravel road. Elle, call the fire department and tell them it looks like the whole place is going up.” His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. They slid sideways into the long driveway leading to Herman's house. Flames filled the afternoon sky with the loud popping and cracking of burning wood.

  The stench of burning insulation assaulted their lungs as they ran up the driveway.

  “Stay back,” her father shouted and put his arm out to prevent them from going any closer. “It’s too hot. We can't go in there.” He stopped Elle and Kole as an explosion rocked their world.

  Elle hit the ground. Kole covered her body as pieces of the burning building rained down around them. She squirmed underneath him and tried to free herself. “We've got to do something.” Tears streamed down her face as she recalled Herman calling to her for help. “Herman is in there,” she whimpered.

  Kole held her to his chest, protecting her from falling debris and pulled her away from the flaming structure. “I'm so sorry. There's nothing that can be done until the fireman get here,” he whispered in her ear.

  She leaned into his chest, unable to stop the flow of tears. Herman is inside. She shivered as he held her close and rubbed her back. A siren screamed in the distance and a fire truck appeared, speeding down the road toward them.

  “The firemen will take it from here,” Kole said. He continued to hold her close to his side as he walked her down the drive. “Your dad will tell them we think Herman is inside, but we'll need to stay out of their way.”

  What seemed like several hours later, she sat on a log with Kole watching as the firemen drenched the smoldering remains that used to be Herman's home. “How could something like this happen so quickly? A few minutes ago he was on the phone with me.” She wiped soot from her face. “He was a sweet, little old man, somewhat confused, but harmless, wouldn't hurt a thing.” In her entire life, she had never felt so helpless. He was right there, and she couldn’t get to him.

  “Bad things can happen to good people.” Kole reached across the log to take her hand.

  She squeezed it back and held on. Sensing he cared about Herman, too, the warmth of his heart comforted her. “I understand things happen, but he told me an alien was in his house going through his things. I believed him.” It seemed so senseless. She sniffed.

  “Aliens didn’t do this.” He squeezed her fingers and pulled her close to his side and gave her as much comfort as she would allow. He kissed the top of her head and then bent down and looked into her eyes. “There's something I have to tell you.”

  She gazed into his eyes. There was an intensity burning that wasn’t there earlier. The expression on his face grew more serious by the second. She heard a warning from her soul. He speaks a twisted truth. Cringing, she listened for more information. Oh, my, what does that mean? She summoned the universe, not willing to believe what she was sensing. Nothing else came through.

  “What is it? You can tell me anything,” she said and continued to watch his expression. The now familiar feeling of dread flowed through her and caused more annoyance. This can’t be happening. Not with Kole. I trust him.

  He held her at an arm's distance. “You have to agree to keep my secret.” He gazed into her eyes and held her complete attention. “Can you do that?”

  “I don't know,” she answered honestly, knowing it depended on what he had to say. Not being able to look away, she couldn’t take much more of this as her dread level elevated up another notch.

  “You have to understand you can't share this with Sara. Nobody can know except your father.”

  She relaxed a little. It can't be that bad if Dad gets to know. “Why Dad and not Sara?” She was being stubborn, but she'd always shared everything with Sara.

  “Because he's your father and the sheriff. He's worked hard on these cases and deserves
to have some answers.” He frowned. “Plus he has a big old gun.” The tension eased between them.

  She couldn't help but smile. “Go ahead, say it.” Whatever it was would be okay.

  He gave her one more intense look and exhaled. “I'm an undercover special agent. I've been sent to this area to investigate the alien sightings and Herman was working with me.”

  Kole is an agent? How could I not know? It dawned on her that he wasn’t telling her everything. She knew it. “What do you mean, you were working with Herman?” She pulled away. “That can’t be. He never acted like he knew you.” Confused, she waited for his answer.

  “That was part of the plan. He realized nobody, not even you, could know what he had told me because it would put you in danger.”

  “Why all the secrecy?” She continued to hold his hand. The truth of the matter was she had to decide if she trusted Kole. Thoughts of him coming to her rescue those many times flooded her mind. Yes, she did. She trusted him with her life. Eventually, he would tell her everything. She sighed and looked away. “So you’re an agent. Will you help me search for the truth?”

  “I'd be happy to help you, but you can't be involved. I suspect there are some shady characters in the shadows. They will stop at nothing to keep their secret, even murder. I can't risk you getting hurt.”

  “That is so much bull. I’m sick of hearing how I’ll get hurt. Now you sound like my dad.” She jerked away from him as her father walked up.

  “Is everything okay?” He glanced between them. “Is something going on I need to know about?”

  “No,” Elle answered, snuggling back under Kole’s arm. She didn’t want her dad to know what they’d been discussing. He wouldn’t want her to be involved, either. “I'm just upset about Herman. Have they found him yet?” She hoped against hope that Herman had somehow gotten out of the inferno, but her heart told her it hadn't happened.

  “I'm sorry, honey. He didn't make it.” He pushed his Stetson back on his head. “The firemen found him huddled in a corner of his basement. Smoke inhalation got him.”

  “Oh, Dad.” She ran into his open arms. “He didn't deserve this. What caused the fire?” she asked as he held her tight.

  “No, honey, he didn't. We'll get to the bottom of it.” He patted her back for a moment and then held her at arm’s length. “An arson team will be coming from Denver to help the chief determine the cause of the fire. They suspect it could've been spontaneous combustion from oily paint rags he left lying around. As you know, Herman was never the neatest person.”

  “I don’t believe that. He took good care of his paintings. When he showed Sara and me his home everything was orderly, the paintings neatly stacked against the walls and there weren't any rags or anything like that scattered around.” She sniffled. “His house was clean.”

  He handed her his handkerchief. She took it and wiped at her eyes. “He told me someone was in his house. That's who started the fire.”

  “We'll check out everything. But you know how Herman went downhill the last few months. His mind was slipping. The man was obsessed with aliens. Why, he had his whole basement covered in tin foil.” He shook his head. “He died by smoke inhalation. The basement didn’t burn. And he didn't suffer.”

  “Oh, Dad, that’s horrible.” Remembering how she had felt like she was inside a cooking TV dinner and gasping for breath in the car earlier, she shivered.

  Kole shook his head. “The man was scared to come out of his basement. He preferred to die rather than face the alien he thought was in his house. That’s not right.”

  “Oh, Kole. It's so sad.” Elle turned from her father.

  “We have to find out who did this.” If it was the last thing she ever did, she’d find out who killed Herman.

  As Elle moved away from his side, the Sheriff said, “Kole, I need to speak with you for a minute.” The two men moved over to the side of the building that was still smoldering and spoke for a few minutes. Kole glanced in her direction and they walked back to her. I’m going to be here for a long time so Kole is going to take you home in my car,” her dad said.

  “Oh, okay, I guess.” It was obvious her dad wanted her out of the way before they removed Herman’s body. “But isn't there anything I can do to help?” She hated the helpless feeling she was experiencing in this situation.

  “No, nobody can do anything right now.” He sighed in Defeat. “After we secure the scene, it's pretty much in the arson team's hands, but I want to be here to talk to the commander after they’re done.”

  “Come on, Elle. You need to take a break,” Kole said and reached for her hand. “You've been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours.”

  Even with their differences, she was lucky to have this man in her corner. She appreciated a blessing when she saw one. Taking a deep breath, she sighed and accepted his hand. “Yeah, you're right. I'm tired. I'll see you later, Dad.” She stood beside Kole and felt as if her feet carried heavy lead weights attached to them. “I want to put this day behind me.”

  “Good idea.” Kole took the keys from the sheriff. I'll see that she gets home safely and bring your car back.”

  “Thanks, Kole. We'll finish our talk when you get back.”

  “Yes, sir.” Kole opened the car door for Elle.

  She slid in the seat and wondered what her father and Kole were up to. But with or without their help, she’d get to the bottom of who killed Herman. She owed him that much.

  Chapter Ten

  Early morning customers in the diner were subdued, matching Elle’s mood, as she sipped her coffee and studied Kole. “So you knew Herman.” She patiently waited to hear what he had to say. When it came to Kole, her sixth sense or intuition was on a leave of absence. She knew next to nothing about him. She shook her head and tried to clear the cobwebs. He flew experimental planes and now told her he was an undercover government agent. Who was this man sitting beside her?

  “Yeah, we met a couple of times out at his place.” He stirred his coffee and his gaze caught hers. “Herman told me things, and we agreed not to acknowledge each other in public. We thought that was the best way to handle it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe we were wrong, but he was paranoid and afraid for his life, so I agreed to do it his way.”

  Elle’s stomach knotted. She recognized the truth when she heard it. “I guess that's enough to make anyone keep a secret. But what did he tell you?” Poor Herman. He wasn’t crazy and he didn’t deserve to die. Tears welled, but she blinked them back.

  “Probably, the same thing he shared with you and Sara. But it was what he showed me that caught my attention.”

  “Like what?” Now he had her interest. Herman had stumbled onto something important. That was why he was killed. She knew it. That made sense.

  “In the evening, if you go into Red Rock Canyon and look to the west, there's a glow coming from one of the caves. And it’s not the same thing we saw. This is different.”

  “What do you mean?” She tilted her head, intent on his answer. “What's causing it?”

  “I don’t know. It’s as if the backside of the mountain is being used for something else. I know it is fenced government land, but I get the sense that whatever is going on in there isn’t military.” He sighed. “I’ve been kept at a distance, but I’ve watched a white cargo van going in and out of that area quite frequently. They’re taking something out of there.”

  “But you're a government agent. Won't they let you in?” She wanted to get to the bottom of this.

  He looked away, avoiding her stare.

  What is that about? Is he hiding something?

  He gazed into his coffee cup. “First, they don't know I'm an agent. Second, I can't tell them because they might be involved in some kind of cover-up. I never know who to believe in my line of work.”

  “But you told Dad and me.” She smiled, releasing some of her pent-up emotion. At least he was sharing this information with her. “Does that mean you trust us?”

  “Y
es absolutely.” He nodded and once again she could read the truth in his eyes. He might not be telling her everything, but he trusted her and that meant a lot. “Then let me help you. Let me come with you to the caves.” This was her chance to learn if it was aliens or fake aliens or something else.

  “Why is this so important to you?” A deep frown crossed his forehead.

  Elle sighed, resigned to the idea of sharing more of her past with Kole. “You told me your secret and trusted me. Now I have one to tell you.” She took a deep breath and waited for an instant, then continued. “You said you trusted me. Well, I. . . I trust you.” Here goes. “You might not know, but my father adopted me when I was three years old.”

  “I didn't know, but what does that have to do with any of this?”

  She took a deep breath. “Nothing or maybe everything. It's like this.” She paused and worried her bottom lip over her teeth. “I was found by Herman and my stepfather sleeping on a huge rock in Red Rock Canyon. Nobody came forward to claim me.” She sighed and remembered the many times she’d been called an alien freak as a child.

  “At the time, there were tons of sightings and the story goes around town that the aliens left me there.”

  “That doesn't mean you're an alien.” He reached for her hand. “You were a lost child.”

  “Then why didn't anyone come to look for me?” She held his hand as if it were a lifeline and stared down into her coffee cup searching for answers. “I don't know who or what I am. All through school the kids teased me by calling me mean names.”

  “Elle.” He squeezed her hand for a moment more and released it. “I'm sorry you had to go through that. Kids can be ruthless.”

  It seemed crazy, but she missed his touch already. He was good at giving her comfort with a gentle touch or a certain look and she had grown to like it. He wasn’t the kind of man she was ordinarily drawn to, and yet, small tickles chased across her heart when she was with him.

  “It wasn’t all bad.” She sighed. “Luckily, I met Sara and she was kind to me. I've dealt with the veiled taunts behind my back all my life. I'm used to it. Every time there's a sighting or an animal killed mysteriously, it's all dug up again and rehashed.” A chill passed through her body. “I don't have to be psychic to know what the people in this town think about me.”