"Relax; I'm not your enemy. I'm not anyone's enemy."
"Fine. What do you want?" Ann repeated for the third time. Keep sounding confident; keep your eyes locked on his.
"I want you to tell me everything Jessie told you." Jason took a long drag on the cigar, blew out a perfect smoke ring, and watched it melt into the sky. "I've come to believe her and Cameron's father. The book is real."
"How do you know?"
The trees on both sides of the clearing hemmed her in. The cliff in back of her formed the third wall. And the fourth, a steadily advancing Jason lessoned her options with every one of his steps.
"I admit I'd never seriously considered there was a book in physical form till Cameron showed up with the story of his dad and wife. I mean, who are we kidding? A real book of God here on earth? Now mind you, I had hoped and prayed and dreamed of it, but did I truly believe it possible? No. But after Cameron and I talked, I did a little digging. And I've discovered something very interesting. Would you like to know what it is?"
Ann shrugged. "Sure."
"There are six other spots in the world with a similar legend to the Book of Days. The Middle East, South America, China, Scotland, Turkey, Egypt, and of course the seventh location is in the United States, right here in Oregon."
"How did you find this out?"
Jason took three more steps forward. "Every one of the legends talks about a book with recordings of days in it. They don't use that exact language, but that's the general description. And they're not describing an idea, but a physical book."
"A book that tells the future." Keep him talking. Find a way to get out of here.
"Yes. That has recorded every event of every man and woman's life. Those that have been, and those that are to come."
"So what? Multiple stories about a book that tells the future doesn't make it real. You can find stories of a massive flood in nearly every culture. It doesn't mean a man named Noah really floated above it all with a boat full of all the animals in the world for forty days."
"That's amusing. I know you're a Christian. Which means odds are you believe the Noah story."
"Fine. I believe the flood story." Ann glanced to her left then her right, as if she could find an escape route she missed earlier. "If it's in the Bible I believe it, but I'm not prone to fantastical meanderings and chasing way-out legends like this book nonsense."
"This is the story of the century, Ann. Pulitzer-prize material." Jason tapped his cigar again. This time a spot of ash floated down. "Consider what this would do for your career. You wouldn't be limited to doing little featurettes on thrill seekers around the Northwest. If we find an authentic book, you'll want to be the one who reveals it to the world."
Jason waited for Ann to respond. She didn't. Reveal it to the world? For what purpose? Fame? Notoriety? No thanks. If there was a genuine Book of Days, she'd let someone else announce it and she'd keep her sanity.
She'd watched too many people in television grab for the brass ring of stardom only to find out it was really a brass handcuff. One that dangled a person's self-worth over a fickle fan base that loved you one moment and despised you the next.
"Cameron has to be getting some useful information with all the people he's talked to, especially Taylor Stone. Has Cameron told you everything? Find out all he knows, we'll add to what I know, and let's dig this thing up. Even if it turns out to be nothing, what have you lost?"
Jason was right. If a Book of Days was found, even if it was written by the hand of man, it would be an intriguing story. Worst case, it would be comic relief to tell Drew and her other friends; best case it would be Raiders of the Lost Ark come to life.
"I'll think about it."
"Excellent. That's all I'm asking." Jason walked around the Expedition and opened the driver's side door. "Very, very good, Ann Banister." He paused before getting in. "Would you like a ride back to town?"
"No thanks."
"You're probably right." He tilted his head and eyed her slowly up and down. "You could use the workout."
Ann smashed her tongue against her teeth to stop from seething out something she'd instantly regret. Her heartbeat didn't slow till the dust from Jason's SUV settled on the road two minutes later. What was wrong with her? Relax. He hadn't threatened her.
She squatted and held her head between her legs. Yes, he most certainly had.
What had she gotten herself into?
CHAPTER 21
Cameron glanced at his watch late Tuesday morning as he sat in front of his laptop, studied climbing routes on www.smithrock.com, and waited for Scotty's call. A few more moments and he'd know if his hunch about the stone was right. Scotty prided himself on being on time—precisely on time, which meant the phone would ring in thirty more seconds.
It didn't.
After Scotty pressed in on being two minutes late, Cameron reached for his iPhone at the instant it lit up with Scotty's caller ID. "Hey."
"Sorry I'm late."
"Are you changing personalities?"
Scotty cleared his throat. "I'm not surprised easily." The line went silent.
"What has you in shock and awe?"
"Where did you say you got this rock?"
"Three Peaks, Oregon."
"Impossible."
"Why?"
"This rock only exists in six places in the world and central Oregon ain't one of the places."
"You're kidding." Then where did Susan Hillman get a hold of that stone? "Where are the places?"
"The Middle East, South America, China, Scotland, Turkey, and Egypt."
Cameron opened Word on his laptop and started taking notes. "Spread out all over the globe."
"Very spread." Cameron heard Scotty tapping a pen or pencil against his desk. "That's where it gets weird." Again the line went silent. Cameron watched five seconds tick by on his watch.
"This type of stone is somewhat the holy grail to geologists. When I say this type of rock exists in only a few places in the world, I don't mean there are big deposits of it. I mean in each of those places, there are two, maybe three pounds of this type of rock, and while it has no intrinsic value like gold or platinum, its rarity makes it highly desired among us professional rock hounds.
"Carbon dating says these rocks are only around five thousand years old, so where did they come from? What made them? Volcanoes? No one knows.
"And for the final chapter in Weird Rocks of the World, their basic properties are almost the same as diamonds. They look pretty ordinary, but guys like me would pay hundreds for a piece. Where did you say you got the stone?"
Cameron felt light-headed. The words Susan Hillman had said skittered through his mind. "A good choice, Cameron. A very, very good choice."
"I need to get that rock back, Scotty. As soon as you can."
"You wouldn't be able to get another one, would you?"
Cameron pulled out his brown leather notebook and started jotting down every detail of his conversation with Scotty. This was a revelation he couldn't afford to forget.
"Cameron?"
"Huh?"
"Get me another stone, okay?"
"Sure. Gotta go, Scotty."
He ended the call and punched up Susan's number. It was time to find out exactly what she knew.
Moments later Susan answered. "Hello?"
"Hi, it's Cameron. I have to talk to you about the rock you gave me."
"I wondered how long it would take you to figure it out."
From behind a cluster of western larch, Jason watched Taylor Stone apply his ax to a pile of pine stumps with considerable force and waited for the right moment to step into his line of vision. Stone hadn't lost much size since their football days; Jason had surrendered even less.
If it came to blows, both would have a shot at taking the title. Taylor a mite quicker, Jason certainly holding the size advantage. But it wouldn't come to blows between two middle aged men. Ridiculous.
This was his time. He and his followers held their destin
y in their hands. The universe had spoken through Cameron—telling them the book was real—and Jason would not be stopped from responding with a shout that would reverberate through the ages.
All he needed were a few answers.
Cameron would provide none. He would have joined Jason by now if he was going to. Banister? She might be wavering, but she considered the book a fairy tale. Plus she feared him. Which he enjoyed, but she would stay away because of it.
He needed to break Stone, chip his resolve into grains of sand he could sift through his fingers. Taylor knew hidden things about the book. Jason was sure of it.
"Stone!" He stepped into view, his hands on his hips.
Taylor squinted into the setting sun. "Well, Jason. What a pleasant surprise."
"It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Taylor? Just the two of us chatting about life, with no one else around to distract us from meaningful conversation."
Taylor stared at Jason, his face like granite, the ax held stiff in his dark-brown leather gloved hands.
He strolled across Taylor's lawn. "It's been interesting to have some new blood focused on the book, this time searching for a real one, wouldn't you agree?" Jason folded his arms, smiling. "There is so much out there for us. Such power that is drawing us. It is time we looked into those pages of power and let people control their own destiny."
Taylor slapped the ax handle against his palm. "I suppose at some point you'll tell me why you're here, but why don't you stop the pompous guru bit since none of your flock is around to hear you." He narrowed his eyes.
Jason grinned and sat on one of the stumps dotting the backyard, clasping his hands together. "To the point as always."
"Why the obsession with the idea of finding a physical book, Jason? You know it's a myth."
"Do I really need to give an answer to you of all people?"
"Humor me."
Jason rubbed his hands together as he stood and strode over to Taylor, stopping inches from Taylor's face. "You know that in the right hands this book could do great things for the world, old friend. Things never before conceived by the mind of man."
"Your hands."
"Yes, mine." Jason circled Taylor like a boxer. "I would bring healing to so many and prevent so much future pain."
"You would bring sorrow. Knowing the future isn't for us to obtain. With our finite view, we would use the knowledge the book contains to twist things into a tapestry of knots that could never be untangled."
"Freudian slip?" Jason pursed his lips. "'The book contains?'"
"It was a figure of speech to point out your—"
"I think not." Jason put his hands behind his back and tilted his head back, his eyes staying focused on Taylor. "Come now, old chum. Talk to me."
"Even if there was a book, you'd set yourself up as the gatekeeper, the only one who would know its location."
"It's a role someone has to fill. To keep away the crazies. But I would share what I learned with all."
"Leave it alone." Taylor raised his ax to his shoulder. "There's nothing to tell."
"Have you told Cameron Vaux what you know?"
Taylor's only response was a deep breath.
"I believe you've known exactly where the book is ever since we were kids and could lead me to it right now if you wanted to. I believe you found the book years ago and used it over and over again as we grew up. To be the football star, the basketball star. Class President, mayor of Three Peaks. The editor in chief of The Post where you could manipulate the lives around you and make yourself the most golden boy in the history of this town. You had the Midas glove on when you touched anything. Because you always knew what was coming next and you changed it to fit your dreams.
"And I believe the book—and you—were intimately involved in a certain mysterious death thirty-three years ago that no one talks about anymore. When I find this book, I will systematically bury you, golden-boy."
Stone said nothing, but the pallor of his face told Jason he'd hit a nerve.
Taylor smacked the ax handle into his palm. Then again. And again. And again. "Time for you to leave, Jason."
Jason glanced at the ax before riveting his eyes on Taylor. "Are you threatening me?"
"Without question."
As Jason strode away, the sound of splitting wood seemed to grow faster and louder. Yes, he'd definitely hit a mother-lode nerve. He would track Taylor twenty-five hours a day. Along with Cameron, and Ann just to be thorough.
Cameron flopped back on his bed at the Best Western early Tuesday afternoon. Two hours until he saw Susan. Enough time for a nap. He could use it with how poorly he'd been sleeping. He stared at the small water stain on the wall next to the bed that resembled the undulating curves of the Columbia River, closed his eyes, and imagined himself floating down a river with nothing on his mind. Peace like a river, Jessie used to sing a song about that.
Just a few minutes rest couldn't hurt.
The vibration of his cell phone in his pocket snapped him back from the edge of sleep. He blinked, sat up, and looked at caller ID. Brandon.
He should take it. This was his partner's third call. The first one he'd forgotten about till he looked at his phone's recent-calls list. The second one he hadn't listened to yet.
"Hey, Brandon."
"Why haven't you called me back?"
"Sorry, I've been busy down here."
"Don't sweat it. I've got great news, bud."
"Yeah?"
"More than great. We've been invited to submit to Thrill Junkie's Grand Canyon wild-water adventure. And they're doing a celebrity version. We get to bid on the job, so they're asking us to put together a killer demo reel on why we should get to film the Stars on the River Reality Trip. Celebs on the river with you and me. If we get on that river, it will lead all the way to Hollywood."
"Are you serious?" Cameron sat up.
"That's the good news."
"I don't need the bad."
"Yin and yang. Gotta take 'em both."
"The bad?"
"They need the bid a week from this Friday."
In ten days? "Wow. They want it that quick?" Cameron clenched his teeth. Wrapping up his search in five days wasn't going to happen. But this is the kind of job that could put their company on rocket sleds. "I might need more time down here."
"Sorry, dude, no more time to spare. This gig could be huge. Gigantor huge."
"I know, we gotta do it. But part of me is thinking this Book of Days thing could be genuine. I'm not kidding. Can you imagine knowing your future?"
"What are you talking about?"
Whoops. He'd forgotten he hadn't told Brandon anything about his dad, Jessie, and the book. "Sorry, I thought I'd told you." Cameron rapped his forehead with his fingers. "Look, when I get back, I'll do my Paul Harvey impersonation and tell you the rest of the story."
"Who?"
"Paul Harvey, he was a radio legend. Don't tell me you don't know who he is."
"No clue. You're the ex-broadcaster, not me."
"Just a little bit longer."
"Soon, Cam."
"Don't worry."
"I am worr—"
"I'll be back the first instant I can." Great. Gig of a lifetime and he was searching for some fantasy book.
Susan had better be willing to give him some rock-hard answers.
CHAPTER 22
Two hours later Cameron glanced at his watch, swore, and mashed his gas pedal. Three thirty-five. He should have been at Susan's five minutes ago. She probably wouldn't care, but he hated being late. Probably because it irritated him so much when people made him wait.
Cameron reached over to flick on the radio, but before he could, his cell phone buzzed. He picked it up and looked at the number. Ann. "Hey, how are you?"
"Great, how was your movie?"
"Fine. Yours?"
"Excellent." She paused. "Maybe next time we'll choose the same one."
There it was again. Friendly Ann was still onstage. Why? "Sounds good."
What else could he say? Why are you suddenly being Cinderella to me after seven years of playing the Ice Queen?
"Guess who met a stalker this morning."
He clutched his steering wheel as an image of the figure from the park flashed through his head. "Are you okay?"
"Fine."
"Was it Jason?"
"You win."
"Where?"
"In the mountains on an old dirt road. I went for a run and he followed me there. He's a whacko, Cameron."
Traffic in front of him stopped and as his Mini Cooper slowed to a halt, Cameron looked to his right. Climb-It Sports. A poster in the window showed a climber dangling from an overhang by his fingertips. There was no rope. The caption on the poster said, Leave It All Behind.
He thought of his moment on the mountain before he'd seen Ann in silhouette and how close he'd come to leaving it all behind. The thought still niggled at him, tempted him. He was making progress on finding the book, but to what end? Even if he got to the finish line, he might not have enough of a mind left to know if he'd won the race. His dad didn't say the book would cure him, only that it would be okay. What did that mean? Who would really miss him? Brandon, of course. And . . .
"Cameron?"
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Did you hear what I said?"
"No, sorry."
"After making me feel like I wanted to take three showers in a row, Jason told me something interesting."
"Talk to me." Cameron glanced at the chipped street sign a half a block ahead as the light turned green and traffic lurched forward into a lazy curve in the road. River Street. That was his turn to get to Susan's house.
"Did you know according to Jason, there are six spots in the world with a legend about a book that tells the future?"
Cameron gripped his steering wheel between his legs as he pulled a pen out of his back pocket and leaned over to the passenger seat and grabbed a piece of paper out of his briefcase. A second later the wheel slipped and his car headed into oncoming traffic. Two horns blared at him.
As he yanked the wheel to bring his car back into his lane, he lost his grip on his cell phone and it smacked against the gear shift before settling to the carpet at Cameron's feet.
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