“I did say there was less than a one hundred percent chance things might go differently,” Dan said and nodded.
“With me, having my period…I feel like I’m putting us more in danger,” Whitney said.
Bringing his fingers down his mustache to his chin, Dan said, “You’re disposing your tampons over the cliff to the valley, right?”
“Yes. Thank goodness I brought a few along on the trip. We were only supposed to be away for two hours, but with my luck, I knew I needed to come prepared.”
“I have a pad or two I can spare,” Janice said.
“I’m good for now, thank you.”
“The advantage we have is that we’re downwind from the dead Triceratops and Tyrannosaur, and to a lesser extent, the Troodon,” Dan said. “Our scent is being carried over to the valley, and the dinosaurs down there can’t climb up to reach us.
“Smoke from the fire is also a deterrent as is the flame itself. Dinosaurs’ primitive nature triggers a response for them to flee when they smell smoke. So, don’t let your situation worry you.”
“If we’re so bloody safe here, you should have let us bring Hollis,” Warren said, leaning forward and sounding agitated. “I can’t believe we left his body there to be consumed by a bunch of savage beasts.”
Dan couldn’t win. Downplaying Whitney’s concerns to ease her mind contradicted his reasoning to leave Hollis where he had died. “Mr. Wellington, I’m sorry your friend is dead. His death was an unfortunate accident. But I couldn’t afford the additional risks by bringing Hollis here. I know you’re experiencing different levels of grief. There was nothing any of us could do for him. It’s going to take time for the worst of the hurting to pass.”
Warren held Dan’s gaze for a while and then let his head drop. Janice patted him on the shoulder until he sat back and relaxed.
Dan felt deep inside that Warren held him accountable for Hollis’ death. He sensed that the Wellingtons’ wrath would bloom in full once they returned to their time.
“Thank you,” Janice said as Bo handed her a cup of tea.
“Smashing,” Warren said sarcastically as he took his. “We’re having tea, and Hollis is dead.”
Curving around the fire, Bo retrieved two more cups of tea and then reached out a cup for Dan. “Here you go, Dad.”
“Thank you…thank you very much.”
Surprisingly, Bo dropped to his heels and sat next to him.
The chorus of nightlife filled the silence and the distance of one hundred million years where everyone’s mind resided back in their own time.
The fire’s flames hovered a short distance over the glowing coals. Dan would have preferred a glass of Scotch over tea any day. To his delight, he found the tea rather soothing. His back muscles noticeably loosened, and the tension in his neck subsided. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this relaxed.
“Janice and I will retire for the night,” Warren said, long finishing his tea. “Do you need me to share in the watch duties?”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Dan said. “Bo and I will split watch duty tonight. You three take the sleeping bags. Bo and I have blankets. We know how to manage. Have your guns nearby and ready to go if there’s trouble.”
“Good enough then,” Warren said and rose. He put his hand out and helped Janice to her feet.
“Goodnight,” Whitney said. “I’m going to pretend I’m back in Louisiana and camping out in the forest so that I can get some sleep.” She headed for her sleeping bag.
“I wish you much luck,” Dan said.
Bo stood, and said, “I’ll take first watch. I got half a can of Skoal to keep me company.”
“You’ll put more wood on the fire?” Dan asked.
“No problem. I’ll get you up at two. I’m wired up right now anyway.”
“Glad to hear that. I can use a few hours’ rest,” Dan said as he rose and then grunted. “You know,” he paused and gazed into Bo’s eyes, “I am getting old. Maybe I should move out of your way and let you lead.”
Surprise jumped on Bo’s face and melted into a slight smile. “That would be great, Dad. I’d appreciate that.”
Clapping Bo on the shoulder, Dan said, “Goodnight, son.” He slowly walked away.
“Goodnight, Dad,” Bo said in the distance, sounding like it was a struggle to get the words out.
*
“Whitney, wake up!” Janice said whispering near her ear.
“Wha…?” Whitney looked up and saw Janice staring down at her; a big smile crossed her face.
“The moon,” Janice sang. “It is the most incredible thing you’ll ever see in your life.”
Lifting on her elbows, Whitney saw Dan and Warren fast asleep.
“Come on. It’s time for you to change, anyway. Bo’s got a gun. We’ll be safe,” Janice said.
Rising slowly, Whitney looked over at Dan. The man had his mouth open and breathed with a slight snore.
Janice took her hand and headed toward the cliff.
“I went to the bathroom and, you won’t believe your eyes. The moon! It practically takes up the whole sky. It feels like you can reach out and touch it.”
Janice pulled Whitney along faster than her comfort level. Moonlight brightened the night, but small roots and other obstacles made for tricky footwork.
Soon, they made it to the clearing near the cliff’s edge.
Bo nodded, Hollis’ XM500 rifle cradled in his arms. He stood in front of a massive moon. The satellite appeared to be twice the size of his silhouette.
Janice brought Whitney next to Bo, and the three of them stood in awe in front of the planetary spectacle.
“You were right, Janice,” Whitney marveled. “The moon is so beautiful.”
Janice walked away a few steps and turned to Whitney. “Oh, it is beautiful. Enjoy it while you can. It’s one of the last things you’ll ever see.”
Breaking from the ocular spell, Whitney said, “Janice, what are you talking about?”
Looking at Bo, Janice said, “Now.”
Bo’s rifle fell to the earth, and then he wrapped his arms around Whitney, holding her tightly.
“Bo? Let me go! What’s is this?”
“Don’t bother screaming for help. Dan and Warren took a little pill in their tea that will keep them knocked out until morning.”
“You’re not making sense.”
Maddened eyes stared back, and a crazed grin widened revealing teeth. “I know about you and Warren. Did you really think you two could get away with an affair? Oh, you were quite creative in your little trysts! But you don’t know Warren like I do. I can read that man’s mind by the look on his face from a mile away.
“I’m a woman, but I’m an animal too. An animal who protects its mate. I could smell you on him after you two were together. And, I won’t stand for it.
“This is where you will die, Whitney. A hundred million years in the past without any evidence ever found against me.”
“Killing me won’t save your marriage. Warren will still leave you for someone else,” Whitney said.
“What?” Janice said, exasperated.
“Janice, you’re an old woman. You’re worn out—used goods. You piss on yourself like a one-year-old.”
“How dare you! I’m his wife. Warren still loves me.”
“Ha! He’s been pretending for years,” Whitney said, fire in her eyes. “You’re an old hag that has the sex appeal of a sow. You can kill me, but you won’t get Warren back. He’ll find someone else, and you, you will still be walking around in a wet diaper!”
“Throw her over!” Janice demand, her fists raised in front of her chest.
Bo said, “Here she goes!”
A split second later, Warren appeared from behind Janice and shoved her over the cliff’s edge.
The woman’s cry diminished the closer she reached the valley’s bottom. Whitney thought she heard a thump when Janice hit, and perhaps bones snap, too.
“You can let go of me, Bo,” Whi
tney said.
“Sorry,” Bo said, releasing the small woman and picking up his rifle. “I got so wrapped up watching her fall, I forgot what I was doing.”
Warren stared down to the valley. “Goodbye, my dear Janice.” A wicked smile formed on his lips. “Goodbye, and good riddance.”
“I’m so glad that’s over,” Whitney said.
“I’ll second that,” Warren said. “That was quite a performance you put on there, dear. You had Janice so engaged she didn’t sense me sneaking up on her.”
“Most of what I said was true, so it was easy,” Whitney said. “I never thought I could kill someone. But after Bo came to you, and told you the reason Janice wanted to go on the trip was to hire him to kill me, it somehow gave me the nerve.”
“Yes, we owe your life, and my happiness, to Bo. Who, also put on a convincing performance keeping Janice unsuspecting,” Warren said and took Whitney by the hand. “Janice was willing to pay two million dollars to have you killed. It was more than worth twice that amount to punish her for her evil plan. Four million dollars for a lifetime of happiness is a small price to pay.”
“Well, at least for you, Mr. Wellington,” Bo said. “That money will give me independence. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it now. Hollis was supposed to help me invest most of that money.”
“Yes, poor Hollis,” Warren said. “His death came so unexpectedly. The plan from the beginning was for him to become president so that Whitney and I could live free of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the business.”
“Don’t worry, Bo,” Whitney said. “I’ll help you invest the money.”
“And, I’ll find another replacement to run Wellington and Wellington.”
“You mean Wellington and Johnson, don’t you?” Whitney said and smiled.
Warren embraced her and brought his lips close to hers. “I do indeed.” He passionately kissed Whitney. Pulling away, he said, “I do indeed.”
*
Dan opened his eyelids like they had rusted closed and needed oiling. Bo was nearby behind him, as he laid on his side.
Bo tapped Dan’s left shoulder.
His mouth felt like cotton, so he ran his tongue about to find moisture. Sore from sleeping on a thin blanket on the hard ground, Dan rolled to his back and gazed at Bo. The sun was up, and the sky a baby-blue.
“Dad, wake up,” Bo said impatiently.
In the distance, Warren called for Janice.
What was this? Bo was supposed to wake him at 2 am, and it was well beyond dawn!
Lifting on an elbow, Dan scanned the area as his eyes focused.
“You need to get up,” Bo said.
The shroud of sleep slowly lifted from his mind. Dan cleared his throat, and said, “What in the hell is going on?”
“I’m not sure,” Bo said, his face twisted in panic. “Warren woke me and said Janice was missing. He’s looking for her, and I just woke you up.”
“Wait, you were sleeping? You were asleep, and you didn’t get me up first?” Dan struggled to his feet. A pain shot down his lower back to his left leg.
“I tried waking you last night!” Bo said, slinging a free hand about. “You were sleeping like a rock. I couldn’t wake you up.”
“Nonsense!”
“Yeah, it was nonsense. If the hunt is tiring you out that much that I can’t wake you, it’s time for you to retire.”
Warren called for Janice again.
“You shouldn’t have fallen asleep,” Dan said. “Why didn’t you wake Warren and put him on watch?”
“I didn’t intend to fall asleep,” Bo said. “I…I was tired…just wanted to sit a couple of minutes. I guess I faded off.”
“What’s going on?” Whitney said as she sat upright and struggled to get out of the sleeping bag.
“Warren’s out looking for Janice,” Bo said. “He got up this morning, and she was gone.”
“Gone?” Whitney asked. “What do you mean, gone? Gone where?”
“How would I know?” Bo shot back.
“Who was on watch? Why didn’t you see her?” Whitney asked as she adjusted her shirt and looked around.
“Doesn’t matter,” Dan said, feeling strength return to his limbs. “We need to find Janice Wellington now!”
“JANICE! NO!” Warren screamed.
Even though trees hid the man, he sounded as if he were right next to Dan. The cry came from the area overlooking the valley.
Wasting no time, Dan tore out toward the voice. Bo and Whitney followed on his heels.
Weaving past trees and avoiding roots, Dan soon made his way to the clearing.
Warren knelt on the ground with his head slumped downward. One hand covered his eyes; the other held a half sheet of paper.
Slowing from his sprint, Dan’s heart thumped hard against his chest. His mouth had recovered a pittance of moisture but felt thick and slimy. He stopped abruptly near Warren’s side; his left Achilles throbbed. “Warren! What’s happened?”
The gray hair shined on Warren’s uncovered head. “Dreadful…it’s dreadful…”
Bo and Whitney arrived. Dan raised a hand telling them to back-off, giving the man space.
“She’s gone…” Warren said. “She left a note.”
“Warren! No!” Whitney said and brought her hands to her mouth.
“May I?” Dan asked and reached for the note.
Warren passed it off in silence, slowly rose, and then walked near the cliff’s edge.
The note read: My dearest Warren. Please forgive me for making this selfish decision without you. I couldn’t bear the thought of dying a slow and agonizing death. We’ve had a happy marriage and a good life. Far better than most. For that, we were blessed. I want you only to remember the good times we shared. I will love you for eternity. The note was handwritten and signed, Janice.
Dan handed the note to Whitney, and said to Warren, “I don’t understand.”
“Janice had an incurable form of cancer. This was to be our final vacation before starting the treatments.” Warren stared down to the valley. “I had no idea she was planning to take her life.”
“Cancer?” Dan said. He turned to Bo. “Did you know Mrs. Wellington had cancer?”
“No,” Bo said.
“The cancer wasn’t in her medical records,” Warren said. “I’m a man of means, and I kept it hidden. I didn’t want to risk her eligibility for the safari.”
There was something oddly convenient about the situation that didn’t add up. “We made it through the hunt and back on the time platform without any incident,” Dan said. “She didn’t attempt to take her life then.”
“So true,” Warren said, cool and collected. “The notion must have come to her last night.” He breathed deeply and shut his eyes. “I should have suspected something…I could have talked her out of it.” His voice broke into sobs.
“It’s not your fault, Warren,” Whitney said as she walked to his side. Putting an arm around his waist, she said, “There was no way you could have known. If she hadn’t taken her life last night, she would have when we got back.”
“I wish I could have been there for her!”
“Janice didn’t want to suffer. She wrote that,” Whitney said. “We can’t know what she was going through. We weren’t the one who was sick.”
Warren shook his head, unable to speak.
“Be happy that she didn’t suffer,” Whitney said. “It’s what she wanted. And, you would do anything to make her happy, right?”
Stiffing his back and taking a deep breath, Warren said, “Yes. Yes I would, at that.”
Dan watched Warren’s and Whitney’s interaction with a discerning eye. Their exchange sounded a bit rehearsed. Then, he looked over at Bo and saw his son had his gaze glued to the ground. Suddenly, Dan felt as if he were in a Broadway play, and he was the only actor without a script.
Who was he, though, to judge how others reacted to death? Janice would be alive if the time platform had returned on regular sc
hedule. That meant Dan had indirectly facilitated her death; thus, was partially responsible.
Dan was without direction. A wave of nausea overtook him, and his center-of-gravity swayed. He needed water, badly. His head swam as it sometimes had after a night of too many glasses of Scotch.
“I’ve got to get some water, or I’ll be sick. Keep an eye on them,” Dan said as he walked past Bo. “Let the man grieve for as long as he likes. We still have a few hours before we head back to the platform.
“And, get the note. We’ll need it for the authorities.”
*
The time to leave for the platform neared. Several hours had to pass before an invisible weight slowing Dan’s thinking dissipated. It was as if he had been drugged.
Drugged or poisoned.
Maybe the MRE he had eaten had spoiled—ancient bacteria or even a fungus could have grown if the packaging had been punctured.
There was always a chance he had touched something in the wild and inadvertently transferred it to his lips later—perhaps while stroking his mustache—something he knew he did several times a day.
Drugged or poisoned.
Why did his mind question if he’d been drugged? If he had been drugged, there could only be one suspect: Bo.
Why would Bo do something like that? Incapacitating him didn’t make any sense. Bo needed Dan more than ever now that they were forced to stay another day. They needed to protect the hunters in their care—face whatever dangers that might unexpectedly appear.
But, Janice had died.
Janice had died because Bo fell asleep because Dan didn’t wake up to take his shift on watch.
Drugged or poisoned.
Bo had acted strangely around Janice Wellington.
There were moments before when Warren and Whitney had interacted equally weird.
Dan pulled himself from his reverie and checked his watch. Almost time to pull out.
He couldn’t leave this place too soon but needed to follow protocol, and not arrive at the platform too early. The less time spent in an active area, the less chance they had of attracting dinosaurs.
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