by Robert Boren
“Could be. Still want to talk in Eagle?”
“Yeah, I think that’s our best bet at this point. Jane’s been trying to scope out RV Parks around there. Looks like some of them are up in the foothills, away from I-70. Maybe one of those would work for at least a few days.”
“Wonder if Kurt or Hilda know anybody up here?”
“Way ahead of you there.” He repeated his conversation with Charlie.
Frank got off the phone just as the engine downshifted again. The big V-10 was really screaming now. He looked over at Jane. She was watching him, waiting for a comment.
“You want to talk now?” Frank shouted.
“Let’s wait until we level off again,” Jane yelled back.
Frank nodded. The road ahead looked like a huge climb. He kept an eye on the engine and transmission temp gauges, and the RPM. He was tired, but his mind was racing at a breakneck pace.
After about ten minutes the road leveled out. The engine RPM dropped as the transmission downshifted. He looked over at Jane again as it got quiet.
“Good enough?” Frank asked.
“Finally. I didn’t like the look on your face back there. What happened?”
“That was the Sheriff. He heard the news story about Route 24. Then he called up the state exchange and got ahold of somebody in the Highway Patrol.”
“Uh oh,” Jane said. “I’m not going to like this.”
“Somebody blew up one of the bridges.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, shit,” Frank said. “They don’t know who did it yet. They haven’t had any enemy activity up here yet. The Sheriff doesn’t think they know what to do.”
“I heard you mention lone wolf…that could actually be what we have here. There might not be a big force.”
“Want to take that chance?” Frank asked.
Jane sat silently for a few moments. Frank could see her eyes start to get glassy.
“What are you thinking, Frank?”
“If it’s a lone wolf, it could be a sleeper who’s been here all along. If it’s a larger force, they might have snuck up from New Mexico. Lots of wilderness down there.”
Jane looked at her phone, and started moving her finger around on its face.
“Checking out possible routes, aren’t ya?”
“This isn’t good at all, Frank. They could have taken I-25 north, and split off to the northwest on Route 24 from there. Nice clear shot.”
“Well, if that’s what they did, it may tell us one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“They’re probably on the wrong side of that blown bridge, so they may not be heading up to I-70.”
“I don’t think we can count on that, Frank.”
“We can’t count on anything at this point.”
“So what do we do?”
“We’re still going to meet up in Eagle to talk. I suggest we have a few possibilities for parks we can overnight in. Maybe we can hammer out a quick plan while we’re there.”
“You have an idea, don’t you? I can see it on your face.”
“Well, yeah, a thought has crossed my mind.”
“Out with it, sweetie.”
“We stay on I-70, get into Kansas, and then go south to Texas.”
“That’s worth at least considering. We know the folks in Texas aren’t afraid to take these creeps on.”
“Yeah, I think we’d fit right in,” Frank laughed. “Even though we’re from the left coast.”
The engine downshifted and raced.
“Here we go again,” Jane shouted. “Maybe there’s a diesel pusher in our future.”
The grade got steep quickly, causing another downshift. The V-10 engine screamed. Frank struggled to keep it at 40, then at 35, then at 30.
The shadows were getting longer, the sky darker. Frank and Jane sat silently, thinking and watching. Lucy was back to beg Jane for a seat on her lap. Jane let her come up, and then petted her as she nervously looked around. Frank reached for his water bottle and had a drink. He felt like the coach was just creeping along. Then they came to a bridge. The first thought that crossed Frank’s mind was the blown bridge on Route 24. He scanned the area looking for any evidence of trouble. Jane looked over at him. She was still petting Lucy with one hand, but the other one was squeezing the inside armrest.
They got across the bridge with no problem, but it seemed to go on forever. Then the road started to level off, and the engine upshifted and quieted down. Their speed climbed back up to about 60 miles per hour.
“That wasn’t fun,” Jane said.
“Yeah, a white knuckle ride for sure. Wonder when Charlie is going to call back?” Just at that moment, Frank’s phone rang. He looked over at Jane and cracked a smile. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.
“Frank?”
“Hi, Charlie. Find anything out?”
“Both Hilda and Kurt know a family who owns an RV Park up in the hills. It’s way off the beaten path.”
“Excellent,” Frank said.
“It’s a little on the primitive side compared to what we’ve been used to, though.”
“Does it have hookups?”
“It has 50 amp electrical and water, but here’s only a central dump station. No Wi-Fi.”
“We’re just talking about staying a day or two at the most anyway,” Frank said. “At least we can plan our next move there. Where’s it at?”
“South of I-70, down on Brush Creek Road. It’s in the boonies. Long way in, and there are a couple of stretches of gravel road.”
“Good. We still meeting in Eagle, or are we going straight there?”
“I think we ought to just go straight there so we don’t attacked a lot of attention hanging around town. We can gas up on the way out.”
“Alright, why don’t you call the Sheriff with the info so he can lead us there? I’ll call Jerry and Jeb.”
“Sure, Frank. Kurt’s already been on the horn with Jackson and Earl.”
“Alright, talk to you later. I’d better get to it before another grade.”
“Yeah, that’s why I didn’t call you earlier. Knew that gasser of yours was going to be loud going up those hills back there. Talk to you later.”
Frank looked over at Jane.
“I need to make a couple of calls before it gets loud. Kurt and Hilda know a good place, and it’s in the boonies.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
Frank dialed Jerry.
“Hi, Frank, what’s up?”
“When we get to Eagle, we’re going to an RV Park that Kurt and Hilda know about. It’s in the boonies, far away from I-70.”
“Decided against getting all the way to Leadville, I take it?”
“Somebody blew a bridge on Route 24.”
“Son of a bitch,” Jerry said.
“I’ll tell you about it later. I need to make another call before we get to the next grade.”
“Alright, no problem. Thanks.”
Frank dialed Jeb.
“Jeb?”
“Hi, Frank. What’s going on?”
“We’re going to stop at an RV Park that Kurt and Hilda know about, outside of Eagle.”
“Hopefully it’s a ways into the back country.”
“It is. We can’t get to Leadville. Somebody blew a bridge on Route 24.”
“Uh oh,” Jeb said. “There be cretins about, I ‘spect.”
“Sure seems like it. We’ll talk when we get there.”
Frank slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“So tell me about this place,” Jane said.
“Sounds a little more rustic than what we’re used to. Kurt and Hilda both know the family that owns it.”
“How rustic? Does it have electrical?”
“It has 50 amp electrical and water. Central dump station. No Wi-Fi.”
“Well, if we’re lucky the cellular data service will reach out there.”
“Hopefully, but it might not. We’re going to be in the boonies.”
The engine started to labor again. Frank gave Jane a sheepish look and pushed down harder on the accelerator to keep the speed up. It downshifted and got louder.
“Talk to you later, Frank,” Jane shouted with a grin. Frank shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
They grinded along, going slower and slower as the road got steeper. It was nearly dusk. Frank saw a sign for Eagle coming up quickly. He looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was almost 6:30. Another hour of daylight at best, given the hills.
The road leveled out just as the Eagle off ramp sign came into view. The engine slowed, and Frank saw the coaches ahead of him turning on their right turn signals.
“Good, we’re here,” Jane said. “I’m tired. How long is the drive after we get off I-70?
“I don’t know, sweetie. It may be a while. Charlie said parts of it are gravel.”
“Hope we get over it before it’s completely dark.”
“Me too.”
The first of the coaches was rolling down the off-ramp, followed by another, then another…..a long line. The caravan made a right turn, and went down a small, rather industrial looking road.
“Good, we don’t have to roll through the center of town,” Frank said. “We’ll attract less attention this way.”
“Yes, that’s a good thing.”
They drove through newer industrial blocks, with their cement walls and nicely planted parking lots. It was past working time, so the parking lots were mostly empty. As they got back further, the industrial buildings got fewer and further between. Then there were feed stores, and ski supply shops, and tractor dealers, and then hardly anything. The grade started to increase, but the coaches were only going about 30 miles per hour, so it wasn’t a big strain.
“I think I see some of the gravel ahead,” Jane said.
“I see it. I’m going to hang back a little farther behind Jeb. We don’t need a cracked windshield.”
“No, we don’t.”
The coach settled as they hit the gravel, the noise of the scraggly surface coming up from beneath them. After a few seconds they were back on pavement.
“Why the little stretch of gravel, I wonder?” asked Jane.
“I’ll bet that floods every spring, and it’s easier to dump new gravel than to repave every year.”
Jane nodded. They were able to pick up a little speed again on the pavement. The road started to curve, but there weren’t tight switchbacks. They weren’t climbing the foothills….they were driving down the center of a deep valley. There were farms with livestock on either side of the road. They could see lights coming from the houses. It was almost dark.
“Here’s another patch of gravel,” Frank said as the coach sunk lightly into it. “There, you can see where the water flows. Look to the sides.”
“Oh, I see.”
They were back on the pavement quickly, and sped up again. There were no farms now, only wide meadows on either side, with tree covered hills bounding them.
“There it is,” Frank said. “The Sheriff just pulled in.” The sign came into view – ‘Eagle’s Nest RV Park.’
The lineup came to a halt. Kurt jumped out of his coach. He went to Charlie’s coach and helped Hilda out, and they both walked up the driveway. After a couple of minutes, the line started moving, and they drove in. There was an older gentleman and a younger man at the gate waving the coaches in. When Frank got up to them, he opened his window.
“Just pick which ever space you want,” the man said. “I’m Gabe. Kurt and Hilda and I go back a ways.”
“Thanks, Gabe. I’m Frank. We’ll talk, I’m sure.” He smiled and drove on. Jeb was still in front of him. He pulled into the fourth site in the next to last row, and Frank pulled in next to him.
Frank shut off the engine, and stood up. He stretched, holding his back, which was sore again from the long drive. Jane got up too. She hooked Lucy up to her leash as Frank opened the door and waited for the steps to come out. Then the three of them went out of the coach and onto the gravel. Frank looked around the coach to make sure he was out of the road. The toad was all the way on the site, barely. The air was cool and crisp and clear, the sun almost down.
“Lucy’s done,” Jane said.
“Good. We’re parked pretty well….I’ll hook up the power. I won’t bother with the water yet.” He walked around to the rear driver’s side and got the coach electrical hooked up.
Jeb and Jerry came walking up.
“Charlie just told us that we could meet in the clubhouse,” Jerry said. “Ten minutes.”
“We’ll be there,” Frank said.
They fed the animals, deciding to leave Lucy in the coach, then walked over to the clubhouse, which was spilling light into the end of the dusk.
The log clubhouse had a covered veranda all the way around it, with big double doors in the middle and large picture windows. There was a massive stone chimney on one end of the building. Frank and Jane walked through the door. The room was rustic, with large log beams on the pitched ceiling. The stone fireplace looked even bigger on the inside of the room than it did on the outside. There were rows of tables and benches in the center of the room. The kitchen area was towards the back, and had a large pass through window for serving food.
“Welcome,” said Gabe, as he saw Frank and Jane walking in. Kurt and Mary were standing next to him. Charlie and Hilda walked up too.
“Thanks, Gabe. This is my wife, Jane.”
“Hello, nice to meet you,” Jane said. Gabe smiled and nodded.
“So, how do you guys know each other?” Frank asked.
“RV Park Owner’s Association, mainly,” Gabe said. He was a thin man in his 70s, with a bald head, black plastic glasses, and a scraggly beard. He had warm eyes and a warm smile to go with it.
“Gabe was good friends with Jer,” Hilda said. “They used to go hunting together every year.”
“I met Kurt at about the same time,” Gabe said. “We used to organize some fun outings with the Association. I miss those days.”
“You don’t have the Association anymore?” Jane asked.
“Naw, most of the people who kept it going got too old. Guess I could have tried to keep it up, but I’m no spring chicken myself.”
Suddenly there was a loud roar outside. Then another. Then another.
“What’s that?” asked Kurt. Jane gave Frank a worried look.
Chapter 17 – Raptors!
There was another loud roar over the park. Frank and Jane and the rest of the group who were in the log clubhouse froze.
“Dammit,” Gabe said. “Not more of this.”
“What is it?” Kurt asked again.
“Jet fighters from the Air Force base,” he replied.
“How far away is that?” Frank asked.
“Oh, ‘bout 20 miles or so. Lately they’ve been flying over here several times a day. Usually not this late, though. They’ve chased most of the business I had left out of here.”
“Our planes, right?” Jane asked.
“Of course,” Jerry said. “Remember what the Major told us. We pretty much own the skies.”
“If we are this close to a large base, wouldn’t that make this whole area a target?” Jasmine asked.
Gabe chuckled. “I wouldn’t worry about that. This whole area is crawling with Feds now. I think they’re going to set up a staging area next to the town.”
The roar came back again. Frank ran out to the veranda and looked up at the sky. Jane followed him.
“That’s some of our newest stuff,” Frank said, pointing. Jane got next to him and put her arm around his waist while she looked. Jerry and Jasmine joined them.
“Wow, F-22s,” Jerry shouted as another one flew over. “Bitchin’ planes.”
“I’d better go out to the coach and check on mom,” Jasmine said. “She’s probably fit to be tied.”
“I’ll go with you,” Jerry said. They stepped off the veranda and hurried over to their coach.
“It’s going
to be hard to sleep here,” Jane said.
“I’m so damn tired that I’ll probably sleep right through this,” Frank said. “Besides, this is a good thing. They’re sending our best off to pound the enemy.”
“As long as we don’t have enemy back here trying to blow them up on the runway,” Jane said. There was another loud roar. She looked up. “Those ones are bigger.”
“B-1Bombers,” Frank said. “They’re going to give somebody a really bad evening.”
“You’re into these things, aren’t you?”
“You know that,” Frank said. “I’ve seen lots of B-1 bombers, at a couple of the company’s plants. Never saw an F-22 in person before, though. Very impressive.”
Jeb and Charlie walked out.
“What kind?” Charlie asked.
“F-22s!” Frank said.
“Wow,” Charlie said. “Those last two were louder.”
“Yeah, couple of B-1s went over last time.”
“Let’s go back in and get this meeting over with, honey,” Jane said. “I’m tired, and if this keeps up it’s going to be a long night.”
Frank nodded, and all of them walked back in.
“Let’s talk, everybody,” Charlie said.
A murmur floated through the group, and people started to sit down at the nearest row of benches. Just then Jerry and Jasmine came back in with Rosie. She had a big grin on her face.
“Ahh, gang all here,” she said. “Same old, same old. Good evening.”
“Hi, beautiful,” Jeb said. Rosie fanned her face with her hand, as if she’d just gotten too hot, and then chuckled.
Everybody was there. The larger group were milling about, starting to take seats. Jane and Frank sat down. Jerry, Jasmine, and Rosie sat down next to them. Jeb sat down next to Rosie and put his arm around her shoulder. She snuggled up to him and smiled. Jackson and Earl came over and joined Kurt and Mary. The Sheriff and Terry sat down on the end. Charlie was standing next to where Hilda was sitting. Frank decided to stand up too once everybody else was sitting.
“For those of you who don’t know why we stopped here,” Frank said. “The road to our original destination is shut down.”
More murmurs from the crowd. Gabe walked over and sat down too.
“Any more news on who blew up that bridge?” Jackson asked, looking at Gabe.