“I don’t disagree, but this guy lives in the woods without electricity and running water.”
“So what?” Out of all Hank’s peculiarities, that bothered me least. “He takes care of himself, has a wood-burning stove and he has plenty of food. I mean ... do they make prepper dog food, Hank?”
“They do, and I’ve already ordered it.” Hank’s gaze was dark when it landed on Landon. “I’ll take care of her.”
“But ... what about her owner?”
“Roger Nelson is an ass,” Aunt Tillie explained, resting the butt of her gun on the floor and shaking her head as she watched Hank dote on Foxy. “You really should have told me what was going on, Hank. I could’ve helped you.”
“How could you have helped him?” Thistle asked.
Aunt Tillie’s smile was benign. “I have my ways.”
“I have no doubt about that,” Landon muttered, roughly scratching the back of his neck as he shook his head. “At least you guys can let the alien angle go now. I told you there were no such things as aliens.”
Hank sobered. “Oh, aliens are real.” He was solemn as he rested his hands on his knees and stared into Landon’s eyes. “I’ve seen them ... and they’re here.”
“Uh-huh.” Landon didn’t look convinced. “Are we done? I want to go home and take a bath.”
“We’re not done here,” Jace finally found his voice, although the expression on his face when looking at the dog didn’t reflect nearly as much affection as the rest of us felt. “Has anyone considered that maybe this man put a pilfered dog on display because he knew we were coming and thought the dog would distract us?”
“Not really,” Thistle said dryly. “People have been looking for this dog for days. Isn’t that right, Foxy?” Thistle made a goofy face as she hugged the dog. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Landon watched Thistle with dumbfounded confusion. “I didn’t realize she was a dog person.”
“We had a dog,” I volunteered. “She was awesome. She died a few years ago. She lived to be a ripe old age ... and then passed in her sleep.”
“Even Aunt Tillie liked Sugar,” Clove added. “She was the best dog.”
“We spoiled her rotten,” Thistle agreed.
Landon rubbed his cheek as he watched my surly cousin make kissing noises at the huge animal. “Why don’t any of you have dogs now if you love them so much?”
“Aunt Tillie said no more dogs,” Thistle replied. “Everyone was crushed when Sugar died, so ... no more dogs.”
“I know it’s hard to lose a pet, but ... not loving another animal seems a bad way to honor something that you really loved,” Landon noted. “We’ll talk about that when we get a chance.
“For now, I think it’s clear that Hank wasn’t really hiding an alien in his barn,” he continued. “He has a dog — which you guys seem fine with him stealing — so we don’t have to worry about anything else, right?”
“If I had an alien, trust me, you wouldn’t suspect me of having an alien,” Hank offered. “I would be much better at hiding it. Foxy needs attention. She can’t stay in the barn forever. I want her to be able to enjoy the woods, but I can’t with those jerks hanging around Potter’s Field.”
I stilled, surprised. “They’re not still there, are they?”
Hank nodded. “That’s where I was before you guys showed up. I heard them out there and wanted to see what they were doing. I knew you’d come, but I thought it would be later.”
“Aunt Tillie turns into a pumpkin if she’s not home in time for Jimmy Kimmel,” Thistle offered.
Hank’s face was blank. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“He doesn’t have a television,” Clove reminded Thistle. “He has no idea who Jimmy Kimmel is.”
“This is why I’m not looking forward to the end of the world,” Thistle complained. “How am I supposed to survive the apocalypse if I don’t have Netflix to unwind with?”
She had a point. Of course, I was too busy dwelling on Hank’s words to give it much thought. “How many people are out in that field, Hank?”
“Very few now,” Hank answered. “I think they’re finishing up.”
“Did you see what they were doing?” Landon asked, taking me by surprise. “Did you ever see them remove anything big from the site?”
“Like a flying saucer?” Jace prodded.
Hank shook his head. “I think whatever was out there was dragged away that first night. I heard heavy trucks on the highway. And they shut it down so no one but federal employees could drive on the roadway. After that, they kept searching for something, but I don’t think they ever found the alien they were looking for.”
Landon bit back a sigh, but barely. “How do you know they were looking for an alien?”
Hank shrugged, noncommittal. “What else would they be looking for?”
“Maybe there was something on the craft when it crashed,” Landon suggested. “Maybe there was a weapon they didn’t want anyone to find out about ... or some kind of poison that can hurt crops or people. Have you ever considered that?”
I nodded without hesitation. “That was my initial guess.”
“And?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. That got boring after a bit. It was more fun to think there were aliens running around.”
“I always thought aliens were a possibility,” Clove said. “I have a mind as open as my heart.”
“You have a mind as small as Mrs. Little’s imagination,” Thistle corrected. “I told you aliens were never a possibility.”
“If you didn’t believe aliens were a possibility, what are you doing out here?” Ryan challenged.
“Someone needed to serve as a chaperone,” Thistle replied. “With Landon going over the edge, I was the only sane one left.”
“Hey! I didn’t go over the edge.” Landon extended a warning finger. “I never believed it was aliens.”
“Then why are you out here?” Jace challenged. “I’ll tell you why you’re out here. You’re trying to smother our spark.” He sent me a winning smile. “Don’t fall for his act. He doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”
“I’m going to have to start smacking him around,” Landon shook his head. “Seriously, I can’t hear another word about the spark.”
“Forget the spark,” I instructed, my temper flaring. “We have other things to worry about.”
“We do?” Landon knit his eyebrows. “What are we worrying about?”
“The field,” I answered without hesitation. “This is probably the last night they’ll be out there.”
Landon’s bored expression didn’t waver. “So what?”
“So this is our last chance to figure out what they’re up to,” I pressed. “Once they’re gone, that’s it. We’ll never know what they’re hiding.”
“What if they’re not hiding anything?” Landon asked. “What if this is all in your head?”
I wasn’t ruling out that possibility, but it wasn’t something I wanted to dwell on. “I have to see. Up until about five minutes ago, you had to see, too.”
“That was before I broke into a barn to find an alien that turned out to be a dog.”
“Then stay here.” I was serious as we snagged gazes. “You should stay here with Jace, Ryan and Morgan. The rest of us will hit the field and report back on what we find.”
“No way.” Jace vehemently shook his head. “I am not being left behind. We have a right to know what’s out there.”
“We want to believe,” Morgan intoned, causing me to roll my eyes.
“Then Landon, you can stay here with Hank and help him take care of Foxy,” I suggested. “We won’t be gone long. When we get back, we can cross the creek together and head home to take a bath.”
“Don’t forget, you’re responsible for getting Aunt Tillie home,” Thistle prodded. “I’m not taking her with me. If you don’t drive her she’ll be stuck out here and we might never see her again if she can’t find her way home. I’d be fine with th
at, but our mothers are a different story.”
“We’ve got Aunt Tillie under control,” Landon supplied.
“Famous last words,” I muttered under my breath, collecting myself. “I still have to go to Potter’s Field. I know you don’t want to and it’s fine if you stay here. I won’t be gone long.”
Landon rolled his eyes. “Right. Like I’m going to just sit here while you wander off into the dark with spark boy.” He openly glared at Jace. “I’m going with you.”
“Well, then stop complaining.” I wiped my hands on my jeans as I focused on Aunt Tillie. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but it might be smart for you to stay here until we get back.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Aunt Tillie’s eyes fired. “I’m going with you. I want to see the alien.”
“There is no alien,” Landon barked.
Aunt Tillie ignored him. “Besides, Bay, you might need me if you try to communicate with a being from another planet. I’m the only one who can speak alien.”
“I don’t think alien is a dialect,” Thistle pointed out.
“And I don’t think I’m talking to you,” Aunt Tillie shot back. “I’ll have you know ... I speak Klingon.”
“She does,” Clove agreed sagely. “I’ve heard her. She waits for Worf to say something on reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation and then she repeats the words.”
“I can still speak it,” Aunt Tillie complained.
“Who cares?” Landon was clearly at his wit’s end as he shook his head. “From what I can gather, everyone insists on seeing the field. I think it’s a bad idea, but I’m not letting you out of my sight, Bay. Apparently, we’re all doing this together.”
“That’s because he wants to smother our spark,” Jace whispered.
“I am going to start smacking you around if you don’t shut your mouth,” Landon warned. “I’m feeling aggressive. I think it might make me feel better if I hurt you.”
Jace puffed out his chest. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“Then you’re dumber than you look, sparky.” Aunt Tillie inclined her chin toward the barn door. “If we’re going to go, now’s the time.”
“Then let’s go.” Landon held out his hand for me. “If we all get arrested I’m blaming everyone with the last name of Winchester.”
Clove balked. “What did I do?”
“You get them all worked up,” Landon answered. “And you enjoy it.”
“I think you’re exaggerating,” Clove sniffed. “I’m the good one.”
“That’s not saying much.” Landon gripped my hand. “Let’s move. I want this night to be over. If we’re lucky, Gibson will be out of here tomorrow and I’ll have my turf back. I’m sick of not being in charge.”
“Let’s go,” I agreed. “I want it done with, too.”
LANDON MADE SURE TO keep Jace and his buddies far to our right as we crept toward Potter’s Field. He explained during the short walk that he thought it was a good idea because we would be less likely to be seen by Gibson’s men if we broke into smaller groups, but I had no doubt why he really wanted to divide the groups: His nose was out of joint.
“Are you really jealous of Jace?” I asked him in a low voice as we picked our way through the trees.
“I don’t get jealous.”
“Of course. What was I thinking?” I bit back a smirk. “A cool guy like you would never get jealous. I must have been imagining the way you reacted to Jace.”
“I am not jealous of that guy,” Landon persisted.
“I never said you were.”
We lapsed into silence for a while before Landon felt the urge to break it. “Maybe I was a little jealous. It wasn’t a lot, though, so I don’t feel it’s necessary for you to comment on it.”
“Of course not.” I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. “I appreciate it, just for the record.”
“You appreciate what?”
“The fact that you’re jealous. It bolsters my ego.”
Landon sighed. “You make it impossible to be irritated with you sometimes. You know that, right?”
“That’s what I’m going for.”
“Well, you’re succeeding. In fact ... .” Landon trailed off when a noise in front of us caught his attention. He held up his hand to still everyone — mimicking a scene right out of Predator, although I wasn’t sure he realized he was doing it — but no one other than Aunt Tillie and me stopped. He looked pained when everyone kept going. “We need to stop them.”
“I think it’s too late for that,” Aunt Tillie said, cocking her head to the side as her eyes shifted to the sky. “I think it’s too late for all of us.”
My inner danger alarm tripped at the same time she said the last word. I jerked my head to the right, sensing movement before I actually saw it. This time I was certain that the shifting shadows didn’t belong to anyone from our group.
“Run,” I hissed, giving Landon a good shove. “Don’t let them take you. We’ll take care of ourselves. You could lose your job.”
“Yes, run,” Aunt Tillie agreed, her fingers flexing. “If you’re not free and clear no one will be available to bail us out. You have no choice. Seriously ... run!”
Alien Inspiration
If I had an alien I would want the one from E.T. the Extraterrestrial. He liked dressing up like a little old lady. Who doesn’t love that? That’s so much better than the ones that try to eat you.
Twila explaining her alien preferences
Nineteen
If it bleeds, she can kill it.
I don’t know why I expected Landon to run. I couldn’t see the expression on his face thanks to the darkness — Aunt Tillie doused the sentries before resuming our walk — but his body language told me he was having none of it.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Landon hissed. “We’re all going back together.”
A blinding light hit me directly in the face. I shielded my eyes from the brightness and slouched as voices started barking out orders.
“Freeze.”
“Stop right where you are.”
“If you run, we’ll shoot.”
Aunt Tillie glared into the light, defiant. “Well, I guess that means we’re not going to make it to the field.”
“Oh, really?” Thistle asked dryly, raising her hands as an armed agent hurried to her side. “What was your first clue?”
“It’ll be okay.” Never one to back down, Aunt Tillie refused to relinquish her gun when another agent attempted to lighten her load. “Let me do the talking.”
That sounded like a horrible idea. I slid a sidelong look to Landon, worry overtaking me. He didn’t appear particularly perturbed about our predicament, though he was a master at hiding his emotions when the scenario called for it.
“Let Aunt Tillie do the talking,” he suggested. “I think that’s a great idea.”
Yup. The world was surely coming to an end.
THEY TRANSPORTED US TO the police station, which buzzed with activity as we were shown inside. They didn’t cuff us, which was a small comfort, but I figured that was probably because they didn’t have enough cuffs to handle our entire group.
Agent Gibson was waiting in the conference room. He seemed full of himself — and then some — as his gaze shifted from one face to another before finally landing on Landon. “I expected you to pull a boneheaded move like this.”
Landon shrugged. “I’m glad things worked out as you thought they would.”
“You’re in big trouble.”
“I figured.” Landon pulled out a chair so I could sit next to him. He appeared calm, stoic even, but I could sense the turmoil cascading through him. He was trying to figure a way out of this, although I wasn’t certain that was possible.
“We insist on legal representation,” I said once I was seated. “You can’t hold us without providing lawyers.”
“That’s not true.” Gibson sat across from me, smugness practically rolling off him in waves. “I’m not bound by state l
aws.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “Well, that’s ... awesome.”
Landon rested his hand on top of mine. “Calm down, Bay. It’s going to be okay.”
“It is,” Aunt Tillie agreed. She took the spot at the head of the table, her favorite power position, and kicked back in her chair as she regarded Gibson (who claimed the power position at the other end of the table). It was like a scene from a mob movie, with the two heads of the rival families finally facing off. “This guy can’t hold us, and he knows it.”
“I think you’ll find that you’re wrong there,” Gibson countered. “I’m a federal agent. I can do anything.”
“Is that true?” Clove’s eyes widened as she turned to Landon. Her skin was an ashy color and she was taking on a green tinge that worried me. “Can he lock us up and throw away the key? Oh, is it going to be like The Shawshank Redemption?”
“In your case, I think it’s going to be more Orange is the New Black,” Thistle offered. “As long as you’re willing to be someone’s prison girlfriend, you’ll be fine.”
“Oh, I don’t want to be a prison girlfriend,” Clove lamented. “This is just the worst thing ever.”
“Knock it off.” Landon refused to panic. “No one is going to need a prison girlfriend.”
“That’s good.” I had no idea why I continued to talk other than that my nerves were getting the better of me. “I don’t think I would do well if that were the case. I can barely be your girlfriend without freaking out.”
Landon chuckled, the sound low and throaty. “You’ll be fine. Agent Gibson is simply posturing. He can’t keep us.”
Gibson’s eyes gleamed with overt dislike. “You’ve been a problem from the start, Agent Michaels. You act as if you know everything ... and yet you know nothing.”
“I know enough to recognize that you can’t hold us,” Landon pointed out. “You nabbed us on private land. It wasn’t township land, no matter what you think. It was Hank William Jenkins’ property, and I’m certain he didn’t call you to ask for assistance. You have no jurisdiction to take us into custody on that land.”
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