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Timberline Trail

Page 19

by Lockner, Loren


  “Oh damn, there they are!” cried Jon.

  Tia cast a quick look behind her, and sure enough, the large blue Nissan roared up to the junction of the highway.

  “Hurry up,” she said between clenched teeth as Jon accelerated, the car swerving as the snow tires tried to maintain traction upon the slick road.

  Jon suddenly took a hard left onto the logging road. The going here was immediately much rougher, the Toyota jerking and bumping along the one lane road cut through the forest, the darkness of thick pines instantly closing about them. Fortunately this area of lodge pole pines had not been clear cut.

  Jon drove intently, heading for the curve of the road less than a tenth of a mile away. Jon stuck to the deep ruts from the logging trucks and reaching a sharp corner made an abrupt right, the 4x4’s wheels spinning aimlessly in the soft snow. Only Jon’s skill managed to pull them from the drift.

  Jon slammed his fist down on the steering wheel. “These snow tires are good but no match for this road without chains. It’s only a matter of time before we get stuck and become sitting ducks!”

  Tia scrambled over the back seat, searching for the small storage area at the rear of the Land Cruiser. Moving boxes filled with files, she lifted up the panel near the spare tire to reveal heavy duty tire chains. She hauled the long clanging loops out hand over hand.

  “We’ve got chains Jon!”

  “Great,” boomed Jon from the front seat, “But where are we going to find a place to change them?”

  “Keep driving, I’m sure we’ll find a secluded spot.” Moments later Tia suddenly shouted, “Over there!”

  Jon turned abruptly between two trees and there, behind a small group of cottonwoods stood a small shed. “Pull in behind the shed. We can only hope they’ve passed the turnoff and have enough time if we work together.”

  Jon skidded the 4x4 to a stop and leaped out, his movements a whir as he removed the tire jack and hoisted up the back of the car which immediately rose at a wicked angle.

  Tia deftly spun the tire to remove loose snow and helped Jon place the first chain over the left rear tire, her gloved hands turning black with grease. She finished up as Jon quickly depressed the jack, scurrying to the other side. Tia dropped the next set of chains near the opposite tire before cocking an ear to listen. Only Jon’s grunting as he wrestled with the chains and the pines whispering in the afternoon wind broke the stillness.

  Jon worked amazingly fast and in less than two minutes the right rear tire housed a set of brand-new chains as well. The jack depressed and Jon moved to the front but halted as Tia suddenly raised a hand.

  “Listen,” she said. “Do you hear that?” Sure enough the grind of a motor and the heavy sound of chains rattled less than a mile away.

  “We’re out of time,” Jon hissed. “We’ll just have to hope the rear chains will be enough to get us through this mess! Get into the car!”

  He threw the jack and tire irons unceremoniously into the rear of the vehicle and slammed the door shut. In a matter of sixty seconds they were back on the road again.

  “How does it feel?” asked Tia, as she watched him shift the gears and battle the 4x4 in the soft snow.

  “I definitely have more control,” said Jon. “I can only hope with this being a four wheel drive, the rear wheels will be enough to propel the car through the deeper drifts. Keep your fingers crossed.”

  The logging road meandered through another stand of lodge pole pines, which luckily was not ramrod straight like the main highway. Jon took a quick left then another right. Unless the Nissan Pathfinder was less than 200 yards behind them they could not be seen.

  “Are there any other roads similar to this one?” asked Jon, and Tia thought hard. It had been a long while since she’d driven on this road.

  “I’m certain there is. Logging trails cut through many different areas in this huge acreage of lodge pole pines. I remember the road comes out at three distinct points and if we take any of them to our right we’ll hit the main highway again.”

  “But how long before the first road?” demanded Jon.

  “I don’t know, maybe a mile, maybe less. It will swing us back toward Bear Lake believe it or not. Many of these logging roads make incredibly big loops so it’s easy to get lost.”

  Tia peered into the frosty white world searching for alternative turnoffs. At one point the truck stalled and caught in the snow, but the chained back tires enabled them to proceed. Jon breathed a sigh of relief as Tia watched his tense face. He was risking everything to get her out of this mess and the time had come to level with him.

  “Jon,” she began, as he careened around a particularly precarious corner. “You need to know that it’s my brother RK in that Nissan Pathfinder. I believe he wants to kill me because he was written out of the will.”

  Jon’s breath hissed in disbelief. “Are you sure?” he shouted above the grind of the wheels and roar of the engine.

  “Beyond a shadow of a doubt,” she said loudly and sadly. “It actually makes some sort of warped sense. This must be my brother’s car and the copy of my father’s will in the dash clearly states he’s been written out of it. RK’s known about this long before I ever did. I always realized my brother and I didn’t get along, but never imagined he’d resort to murder to get hold of a company I didn’t ever want and thought he didn’t either.”

  Jon sighed and tossed a quick look at her. A long beep indicated the 4x4 was low on gas. Jon frowned and Tia swiveled in her seat, but could see no sign of the blue Nissan.

  Tia sat back, recalling her brother’s livid face as he’d ordered his men to shoot out their tires. This was a brother she’d never known; one who obviously hated her. Still, none of it made real sense to her. She’d have gladly shared the company with RK if he’d just asked, but he’d apparently been so outraged when her father had re-written the will, that he’d slipped over the edge of sanity, deciding his younger sister had somehow manipulated his father one time too many.

  Tia recalled the way her brother used to hate how she’d sweet talk her father into seeing things her way. It made sense that he believed she’d coerced Anthony Heath into signing the shares over to her. Tia suddenly wished they could just sit in front of a crackling fire with a glass of brandy and talk it over. Instead, she and Jon lurched along this rough logging trail with her brother and his two accomplices in hot pursuit.

  “Tia, now that you’ve realized the truth about RK, there’s something I need to tell you.” Tia’s head snapped up from her reverie. “I’m positive your brother paid Andrew Carson to steal ideas from your father’s company. RK then tweaked them before passing them on to other corporations so it looked like he’d come up with the concepts. Jenny related she’d overheard your brother in negotiations with a Japanese firm regarding an idea he’d hacked from your father’s data base where he joked about how the early bird always gets the worm. It involved the computer operation project that turns off the main switches, gas, electricity, and whatnot fifteen to twenty seconds before a major earthquake strikes; the one your dad referred to as Timberline Trail. I wanted to tell you before but considering the circumstances didn’t want to be the one to indicate your brother was a betrayer as well.”

  Tia felt sick inside. So all this revolved around the innovative experiment her dad had been talking about casually last winter and her brother had stolen it like a common thief in the night.

  “You’re positive?” she whispered, barely able to breathe.

  “Yes. It’s my belief, and I suspect your uncle’s as well, that your life’s in danger as long as the original plans to your Dad’s ideas remain on his computer. Your brother can’t risk you learning what he’s done since you very well might turn him in to the police. And, if Andrew Carson was helping him steal the ideas, if may have been RK who ordered his murder.”

  “My brother a killer?” Tia stared sightlessly out the mud-splattered window.

  “I think he very well may be. I believe your dad suspected someth
ing and altered his will. He probably let something slip to your Uncle Jeffery who sent Paul up here to warn you. Paul just warned you about the wrong guy. I’m so sorry.”

  “Then your sister...?” Tia dropped her face into her hands, her voice muffled by the greasy gloves. “My family really was responsible for her murder!”

  It suddenly all made sense. RK had never gotten over his father’s remarriage and Tia’s birth. Now, after all this time, he sought revenge. His first step had been to hurt his father by refusing to join the firm; the second, to start his own competitive company and then coerce her father’s partner into selling trade secrets to him. Tia had heard all the rumors regarding Andrew’s gambling problems and bet RK was privy to them as well, probably having manipulated the desperate man into betraying her father. And lastly, her brother had sunk so low as to kill to keep his vile deeds under wraps.

  Tia cast a glance at Jon, who battled the half-melted snow on the lousy road. If Jon had suspected RK had been Andrew’s secret partner all along then he’d actually been trying to protect her, which meant...? The truth struck her like a ton of bricks. Jon really cared about her; he cared as much as she did.

  “Jon,” she began, suddenly desirous to break through the awkwardness still hovering between them and state how she really felt.

  “There!” interrupted Jon. “Just on the right!” Another rough logging road, barely wide enough for a Land Cruiser, much less a logging truck, broke through the thick trees. “Shall I take it?” he cried.

  Tia twisted around in her seat to peer out the ragged windshield. Her instincts insisted they shouldn’t take the first turn off, but wasn’t certain how much time existed between them and their pursuers. At least she knew this turnoff would lead back onto the main highway.

  “Yes!” she declared, and Jon swung the heavy truck onto the narrow lane.

  The track instantly turned rougher and Tia belatedly wondered if she’d made a wrong decision. Fortunately the Land Cruiser plowed through the snow like a pro. They drove on for five more minutes, Jon often swerving to miss a protruding rock or stump while Tia hung on for dear life.

  Suddenly he cast Tia an alarmed glance. “Uh oh, take a look!” The gas tank registered nearly empty, the fuel indicator flashing in warning.

  Jon battled through the rough terrain, the rear chains clanging wildly. Tia couldn’t tear her eyes from the gas gauge as she helplessly watched the indicator needle drop way too rapidly. This was obviously not a gas-efficient vehicle.

  Tia suddenly flinched. “They’re right behind us Jon; I caught the glint of their truck’s fender just around the bend back there. Can’t you drive any faster?” she cried.

  “I’m trying,” Jon gritted, the car swerving wickedly to the left as he took the next curve way too fast.

  “We’ve got to intersect the main highway soon,” shouted Tia, the needle standing directly on E as the fuel gauge symbol flashed.

  “There they are again!” exclaimed Tia, watching her side mirror. Sure enough, the Nissan ate up the road behind them. A whistling shot zinged past her open window while another twanged off the sideboard of the 4x4. The Pathfinder veered suddenly, avoiding a broken tree limb, and seemed to drop back for a moment before recklessly accelerating to within twenty feet of the Toyota and sending off a volley of shots.

  “They’re aiming for the tires,” cried Jon, swerving as much as the narrow logging road would allow.

  “I can’t believe they caught up with us so fast,” screamed Tia, grabbing up the heavy rifle. It was time for her to take action or they’d certainly be killed.

  She rolled down her window and resting her forearms upon the sill, waited for Jon to take the next curve so she could get a clearer shot. The Cruiser veered right and Tia pulled the trigger, the recoil from the heavy rifle propelling her against Jon who quickly set her upright and battled the careening vehicle. The glass from the Nissan’s passenger window shattered and Tia swore she heard a yelp of pain.

  “That’s it girl!” screamed Jon, yanking the steering wheel hard as he floored the accelerator.

  The Land Cruiser lurched right again so that Tia was thrown against the opposite door away from Jon, but she resolutely picked herself up and positioned herself once again at the open window. Gun shots reverberated within the car and Tia felt the breath of a bullet zing right past her cheek.

  Suddenly a loud crash accompanied by a hiss and violent jerk indicated one of RK’s bullets had finally found their intended mark. One of the rear chains unraveled behind the Land Cruiser with a horrific sound and the heavy vehicle swerved as Jon fought for control.

  Whether he’d actually wanted the 4x4 to head between the two huge pines, Tia would never know, but suddenly the Land Cruiser plunged down a steep embankment and zoomed past young replanted trees. Tia fought a rising scream as the truck streaked past huge pines and cottonwoods, barely missing them in its frenzied descent. Jon desperately fought the vehicle, trying to fend off disaster until the 4x4 suddenly hit the flat road with a bone-shattering thud and overturned twice.

  Tia screamed as the windshield shattered and she was smacked against the dash before slamming into the passenger door. Amazingly it flung open, depositing her and Jon’s backpack upon a heap of snow, as the 4x4 skidded on its side another forty feet down the road before coming up hard against a pile of snow-encrusted logs waiting to be hauled to the lumber mill.

  Tia rolled from the snow and stumbled up the road. “Jon!” she screamed.

  The car’s engine began to smoke, a telltale flicker of orange licking upward from the truck’s hood. It was about to explode!

  “Jon,” she shouted again, racing against time. Black smoke belched upward from the Land Cruiser as she hopped up and peered through the open door.

  Jon lay wedged against the driver’s door, his arm hanging crookedly over the steering wheel. A large gash on his forehead dripped crimson onto his blue parka. Later Tia was never to know where that sudden superhuman surge of strength came from, but she managed to haul him up and out, dragging the man she loved away from the smoking vehicle as she tried to place as much distance between him and the 4x4 as possible. A massive explosion rocked the cold afternoon air and Tia was thrown to the ground on top of Jon.

  She glanced over her shoulder and witnessed the entire roof of the vehicle erupt into flames, only now realizing how close it had been. Jon groaned underneath her and she heaved and pulled his heavy body off the road and behind a shielding pile of stripped logs. The gash over his eye bled profusely as she searched for a tissue in her parka pocket to staunch the wound.

  A shout in French echoed above the road and Tia ducked. Mike Puchalet, rifle in hand, appeared on the embankment above the road and gesticulated wildly at the fiery inferno that had once been a car. It came with a shock that Tia realized they once again merged with the main Timberline Trail logging road heading back toward Bear Lake.

  Jon stirred and grasped his side, groaning as if one or more of his ribs had been broken.

  “Tia?” he grunted tentatively.

  “Shh!” she warned, as Steve joined the Frenchman and slid down the embankment. Within minutes they’d both realize Jon and Tia hadn’t been in the 4x4 and the survivors would be caught like sitting ducks.

  Jon tried to sit up, but jerked, pain darkening his blood-stained face. “The rifle?” he gasped.

  “In the car.” Heavy black smoke billowed skyward and Jon twisted his head. Mike Puchalet edged closer to the burning vehicle and shouted something toward the embankment.

  RK stood rigidly in the hip-deep snow and slowly scanned the road.

  Tia hissed. “I’m going to try and lead them away from you. Hunker down here and keep quiet. I’ll head cross-country toward the main road.”

  “No!” gritted Jon between clenched teeth.

  “I have to!”

  Jon shook his dark head furiously, unwilling to listen as Tia rose. Tia would have made it without being seen except for a bizarre fluke. The forgotten flare i
n Jon’s backpack suddenly exploded in a brilliant flash, sailing upward through the shattered passenger window, leaving a trail of black smoke. It must have shot fifty meters into the air, alerting anyone on Highway 7 to their whereabouts. Mike Puchalet’s attention was diverted and he let out a swift shout upon observing Tia ducking between the pines.

  “Stop!” shouted the Canadian, slapping his rifle to his shoulder and taking dead aim at her bolting form.

  “No!” Steve screamed, as Tia leaped into the underbrush.

  He shoved Mike brutally, causing him to misfire. Tia, running for her dear life between the low branches of the pine trees, heard the crack of the high-powered hunting rifle as it blasted harmlessly into the trees. RK lunged down the hill after his sister, hurtling past the smoking 4x4 as he dove into the trees, trying to cut Tia off.

  More shouting and a tremendous burst of French followed and Tia would’ve been amazed to witness what happened next. As Mike sighted her again, Steve swung hard with the butt of his rifle. The blunt end struck home, but not before Mike twisted and fired, the shot knocking Steve off his feet. The bloody French-Canadian, teetering from a serious concussion, approached the prostrate fake-advertiser who managed to swing his rifle up just in time. Steve’s direct blast to the chest caused the Canadian to lift several feet in the air before landing lifelessly onto the snow below.

  But Tia was to learn all about that later. Now she simply tried to find the roughest and most difficult path to escape. The whistle and twang of a bullet embedding itself in skinny pine to her right caused her to jerk and lunge to the left, zigzagging through the heavy foliage. Heavy footsteps crashed and then paused. Tia glanced over her shoulder, observing her hatless brother leaned against the rough bark of a white spruce, his semi-bald head gleaming in the mid-day sun. He clutched one of her father’s favorite hunting rifles which previously had been lodged in the gun cabinet inside her cabin.

  “Tia!” he shouted. “There’s been a terrible misunderstanding and we need to get together and talk.”

 

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