WWIV - Basin of Secrets

by lake, e a

  “Something funny here, Willem?” Steven asked.

  Tarlisch shrugged and grinned. “Well, you have to admit, you’re about the last person I’d ever expect to find up here.” Spreading his arms, he surveyed the camp and surrounding woods. “I mean, someone who was once a wealthy and powerful man like yourself. The darkness comes, and bang, you’re transformed into some gentleman farmer. You have to admit, Steven, it has all the makings of a fairy tale.”

  “I’ve made my life here for the past 10 years,” Steven replied. “Good, honest life, away from all the corruption and anarchy ruining the basin.”

  “You should have stayed and served as mayor when the grid went down,” Willem added. “The people needed a man like you, not that idiot Jones or Jonas or whatever his name was. He’s more evil than that corrupt Erickson; even you must admit that, Steven.”

  “Joel Jacobs is a decent fellow. At least he was a decent man, once upon a time. Just lost himself when he realized no one was going to hold him accountable for anything.” Steven’s eyes moved from Willem to Howard. “Wasn’t he a friend of your dad’s, Howard?”

  “Yeah, before Dad died, at least,” Howard somberly added. “But Jacobs didn’t lift a finger when Bond’s militia banished us to the Salt Flats. Just sat on his hands, all mute and stupid.”

  Willem raised a finger. “I always have believed that Jacobs was in with Bond on taking the Tarlisch land. After he let us be sent to a slow and painful death.” He nodded at Howard. “I knew my feelings were correct. The whole place would have been better with you there, Steven. Much better – safer, actually.”

  “That’s ancient history, Mr. Tarlisch,” Cara grumbled. “You came for Talbot Bond; we’ve told you he’s not here. Now please leave.”

  Stretching his still sore back, Willem inhaled a large gulp of clean mountain air. “Oh, back to business. I admire that in a person. But…” He turned to face her again. “I have reason to believe that Talbot Bond is here. You see, that leader over in Camp Eight told Andy and several others that Bond had visited there ever so briefly and was on his way here. A mere three weeks ago, I believe.”

  Chet stepped forward as help. “He was here. But he heard about all the trouble you brought to Salt Lake and hightailed it out of here. Headed for Colorado, I think he said.”

  “I heard Wyoming, Chet,” Carol Johnson added.

  Cara leered at Willem. “Strange, I heard Montana. Steven?”

  “One of those places,” he answered. “All I know is that he isn’t here anymore. God’s truth.”

  Willem nodded at the group, studying each of their faces. They seemed honest. But so had Marshall Erickson to the entire population of Salt Lake.

  “Interesting,” Willem replied. “My uncle heard I was coming for him, and he ran for the safety of the next state.” Moving closer to Cara, he leaned in, exploring her eyes. “But here’s the problem. I don’t believe it. Any of it. You know you can’t lie to me…Cara. I can see through these things. And, believe me, this is important. As much as a murderous thief as my uncle is, he’s not a coward. No, he wouldn’t shy away from a fight. Especially one that involved his beloved Salt Lake.”

  Unmoved, Cara leaned near his right ear. “That’s all hogwash, Willem. We both know it. And Talbot Bond is most certainly gone.” Reaching for his chest, she gave a mighty shove, pushing him away. “So mount your horses and leave.”

  Willem gawked at Cara as he rocked back and forth. Careful to show no emotion, he studied every feature of hers. The pale alabaster skin, the green eyes, the tiny nose. Nodding slightly, an evil smile came to his lips. “I know you,” he whispered. “I remember you. It’s taking a few moments, but somewhere in my past, we’ve met.”

  Cara waved him off and laughed while looking away. “Hardly. I’ve never associated with men like you. Men without morals, men with no decency. Trust me, I have no recollection of you.”

  Leaning closer, Willem reached to touch her face, only to have his hand slapped away. He motioned her nearer. “That’s the second lie you’ve told me today. One more, and we’ll have a problem here, Cara Henten.”

  A quick flash of guilt crossed her face, affirming Cara’s secret was lost. “I don’t believe so, Mr. Tarlisch,” she fumed.

  “Betsi’s friend, from Salt Lake. Same height, same size, same beautiful red hair, But most importantly, something I would never forget – those haunting green eyes.” Willem grinned, shooting her a wink as he backed away. “Green, with little specks of yellow all throughout. Betsi and I talked about your eyes many times. How unusual they were…are.”

  Joining Howard again, he shot the campmates a satisfied smile. “One more time, and no lies now. Where is Talbot Bond, Ms. Henten?” Willem paused and pointed his folded hands at Cara. “Please, carefully consider your response. It’s a matter of life and death. My life, your death.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Cara gazed from Tarlisch to his troops, scattered throughout the forest. Studying them closer in the light of day, she could see that they were well-armed. Even Tarlisch and Howard carried side arms. A quick peek at Steven told her he noticed the same. It felt as if the ring of soldiers was closing in on the camp – closing in on them, like a noose tightening around the condemned’s neck. Unable to catch a breath deep enough to fill her lungs, she felt her world narrow. They needed a miracle, and as hard as she searched, she couldn’t find one anywhere amongst the forest, the camp or any person nearby.

  She opened her mouth to reply, then paused. Something in Tarlisch’s face changed. Gone was his hardened expression, and a smile spread quickly where just seconds ago there was a frown. His eyes glided away from Cara and toward her right, at half the height. He stepped forward as she peeked to see what had captured his attention.

  “What a beautiful child,” Willem exclaimed. Rosie leaned against the fence, three posts from Cara. She’d never been one to clutch at her mother’s skirt tails. No, this child was much more like her father: free, confident and unafraid of almost everything. Even of the pure evil now kneeling in front of her.

  Tarlisch reached and brushed the red hair from her face, slightly touching her cheek. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  With a smile, she looked at the man. “Rose. What’s yours?”

  Tarlisch flashed a quick grin Cara’s direction. “My name’s Willem.” Pointing at Cara, he leaned forward. “Is that your mommy?” Rose looked and nodded, still beaming. “Of course she is,” Willem continued. Looking back at Howard, his head shook slowly. “Genetics are such a wonderful thing.”

  He reached for the girl, and she allowed herself into his arms. A gasp escaped before Cara could trap it. If Rose would show no fear, then neither would she.

  Returning to his spot next to Howard, he bounced the child higher on his hip. “I must tell you, Cara, she is a beautiful child. So precious, so confident, so trusting.”

  Cara tried to swallow but found her mouth dry as a desert. What little breath she could manage now was stuttered and staccato. Her pulse quickened, her fists balled. She felt as if her world rested in the arms of Satan. “Please leave her out of this, Mr. Tarlisch. She’s done nothing.”

  Willem looked baffled. Shrugging, his gaze went from Howard, to Rose, to Cara. “I’m not going to hurt her, Cara. Why on earth would I ever harm an innocent child? You really don’t perceive me as that large of a monster, do you?”

  Steven stepped forward past his frightened wife. “Put the girl down, Willem. Come in and search the camp if you need to. He’s not here; but if that’s what it takes, by all means then.”

  Tarlisch’s smile turned into a pained grin. His eyes focused on Cara, trying to garner her attention. His true intentions on display for the world – this small, dull, meaningless corner of someone’s world. A tiny stage where the lead actor never missed a beat. “I have no need to search the place, Steven. If you say Bond isn’t here, that’s good enough for me.” Willem smiled at the girl. “You’re not a man that has made a life of li
es. I’ve always respected you, and that’s why I don’t doubt you at all. Talbot Bond isn’t here. He’s in some far-off place. I can live with that.”

  A long silence followed. From what Cara observed, only Steven and Tarlisch now existed. Each man’s resolve focused on the other. When the quiet became too uncomfortable to bear any longer, she stepped forward.

  “Please give me back my daughter,” she begged. “Please.”

  Tarlisch smiled innocently at Rose, but when he turned to Cara, his face drew serious again. “All in good time, all in good time.” Pondering his next words, he stepped back into the midst of his own people.

  “Right now, here at this precise moment, we have a problem. And you see, though you think only I have a problem, I assure you, we all have a problem. I want Talbot Bond; I need Talbot Bond. I am owed Talbot Bond.” Stepping half of a step forward, his eyes settled on Steven more than Cara. “If I am to believe you, my uncle has run off. A state or two away it would seem. Now, you would like me to mount up, head east and chase him to the ends of the earth. Or, at least what we know are the ends of the earth nowadays. You’d have me leave what I fought so hard for, wouldn’t you? Do you take me for a fool, really?”

  Cara noticed Steven peek at her. While trying to maintain any nerve she could, she remained focused on her small daughter. Little by little, one heartbeat at a time, Cara felt the world close in tighter than before, until it was only her and Rose. If this man harmed her child, she’d force him to take her life as well. If he’d let her down, she promised herself, she would do almost anything to make him leave.

  “Here’s my plan,” Willem continued. “I have taken certain assets from the three most powerful families in Salt Lake. Three of their most eligible girls have become my wives.” Cara gasped, fearing his next words. “Their smallest children…” Willem grinned. “…are now my children.” If it was possible, the scene grew quieter. Now, not even a breath could be heard between Tarlisch’s words.

  Cara felt her entire body shake as Steven wrapped a long arm around her, drawing her near. Tarlisch stared at the pair, his mind seemingly elsewhere. He turned to the child in his arms and studied her face, closely. Pulling back a small portion of her red hair, Willem carefully inspected Rose’s right ear like a farrier checking a horse. Slowly, as his gaze crept back to Cara, a possessed grin grew.

  “How could I have forgotten,” Willem stated, almost as if speaking only to Cara. “I know something else about you. But it wouldn’t pop in my mind.” His grin became a smile. “You’re hiding someone from me. Someone I like very much, dare I say, love dearly. Like a sibling.”

  Cara trembled at his words, his remembrance. How could she have been so stupid to play his game? Her words crashed next to her in a heap. Bravely, she tried to reply as coolly as possible. “I have no idea what you’re speaking of.”

  His eyes shifted between the couple. Silence again blanketed the scene like new snow in the woods. “Kellen,” he whispered. “He’s here, isn’t he? I mean, he must be here. But you’re hiding him from me. Why?”

  Cara tried to speak, but her lips wouldn’t open. She knew she would collapse if the conversation went one step further. Her entire life hung on his next words.

  “He’s dead,” Steven replied. “He’s not here, Willem. He’s gone.”

  Willem’s face twisted and turned, tortured by the news. “My friend, my best childhood friend, is dead?” he asked. “How? How is that possible?”

  Steven inched forward. “You knew he had a bad heart. He needed medication every day. That medication ran out a long time ago. So did Kellen’s luck.”

  Wiping a tear from his cheek, Willem stared into Steven’s cool eyes. “I loved him like a brother, you know. I loved him more than my own brother. When no one else listened, Kellen always had time. When the world abandoned me in college, Kellen came, just like he always did. He was the best of all friends.” Turning toward Cara, he nodded. “I am truly sorry. Kellen was destined to become a great man, just like his father. Your loss must be so great. Can I see his grave?”

  Without thinking, Cara reacted. “He died 10 years ago, Mr. Tarlisch. He’s buried out back by the flower garden at our home in Salt Lake.”

  Willem’s entire body shook as he tightened his grip on Rose. “Liar!” he screamed. “Why do you continue to lie to me? I know the truth. I know he’s near. He has to be. Look at this child. Your spitting image.” He spun and displayed the girl’s face to Howard. Turning again, his rage rose. “Your eyes, your hair, your mouth, your skin. All yours!” Moving closer, Cara stepped back, frightened by his wrath. “But she has Kellen’s nose, his ears. Do you really think I’d miss those features? The features of my best friend? The ones I kidded him about for 14 years? You are a foolish girl, Cara, if you believe that.”

  “Give me my daughter,” Cara squeaked. Her bravery, her confidence, her life, all but gone.

  “Give me my cousin then,” Willem seethed. “Give me Betsi, now!”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Cara’s world spun out of control as the blood raced through her palpating heart. Her friend or her child. Foolishly, she tried to outsmart the master. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Betsi Bond, why would she be here?”

  With Rose still tight in his grasp, Tarlisch’s head raised to the sky. His mouth dropped open as he let out an indiscernible scream into the otherwise quiet, pristine wilderness. Racing toward Cara, his eyes lit up like a demon sent straight from hell. “You liar!” he screamed in her face. “You lying bitch. Don’t you think I know? I know everything.”

  Steven slid his wife behind him and confronted her assaulter. “That’s enough, Willem. Don’t speak to her like that.”

  Incensed, Willem tried to push him aside and get at the tiny redhead. “Don’t fight her battles, Steven. This is between her and me.” His eyes spit forth fire to show Steven his resolve. And then, second by second, they surveyed his face, as his head slowly moved from side to side.

  “Give me that child, Willem,” Steven demanded.

  Tarlisch backed away. “Kellen’s really dead?”

  Steven nodded.

  “Ten years now?” Willem’s voice softened with each word.

  Again, Steven nodded, his own face tensing as Cara watched the final act play out.

  Staring at the ground, Tarlisch let out a sigh. “What have you done, Steven?” he asked, without looking up for an answer.

  Cara pushed forward. “Give me my child. And let my men have passage back in from the woods. They have been trapped out there all night, cut off from their homes by your callous treatment.”

  Willem’s free hand covered his mouth, the other still grasping the child on his hip. “Oh, the seven spies we found out in the woods. Yes, um, they’re on their way to Salt Lake to stand trial tomorrow for espionage. They’re halfway there by now.”

  Cara’s eyes opened wider. “They’re not spies!” she screamed, horrified by his accusation. “They’re woodsmen. They’ve done nothing to you or your troops. They need to be returned immediately.”

  Willem’s mind appeared elsewhere. Finally, his gaze came back to her. “Well, if they’re simple woodsmen, the trial should bring that out. I doubt that, however. It seems that several were armed. You see, three had knives and another an axe. So, we need to sort out whether they were spies or woodsmen. Before we have them all hung tomorrow at sunset, that is.”

  Cara lost all feeling. Directly in front of her stood the man who was about to destroy her community, her children. About to take a step forward to plead for their lives, she felt Steven’s strong hand squeeze her shoulder. Slowly, her face met his more confident expression. His face told her to say no more. “Mr. Tarlisch,” she began, turning to face him. “I’d like you to please return my daughter and the residents of my camp. If you don’t, I’m afraid–”

  Tarlisch rushed to cut her off. “If I don’t, what then Cara – Mrs. Wake? You’ll fight me? Me and my troops? More than 150 men and women, all arme
d, all behind me, supporting my every need. You’re going to fight them off? With what, sticks and stones, really? How quaint. How charming.” Focusing on Steven, he nodded. “You know how this ends, right? The annihilation of a society. All because some stupid girl keeps secrets.” Focusing back on Cara, his scowl intensified. “No one is coming to save you. David will not beat Goliath today. Give me my cousin, and you can have your precious child back.”

  “And our seven, what of them?” she begged.

  “Give up on it, woman,” he snorted. “Be happy I don’t kill all of you. Your child, your friends, your husband who has betrayed his son so badly.” She looked away, but he reached for her chin and drew her gaze back to his. “What kind of a woman takes her father-in-law as her second husband? And if that’s not bad enough, she lies with him, and creates a child. A child who looks just like her and her dead husband.”

  Tears started first, followed by sobs, and then Cara collapsed as her knees gave out, directly in front of Tarlisch. Steven’s sad face told him what he already knew. Willem Tarlisch had undressed her in front of her friends, her campmates. And now, she was destroyed.

  “I can tell from your reaction,” he whispered in her direction, “that this was not a widely known fact.” Cara continued to sob unabated into her dirty hands, refusing to look at her tormentor. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Wake. But I don’t like secrets. I don’t like when other people lie to me and try to hide behind their own false honesty.”

  Standing tall, he faced Steven and the assembly. “I know Betsi Bond is here. She arrived right before my troops yesterday. She couldn’t have been here more than two or three hours before they surrounded the place. She hasn’t left.” Leaning to his left, he pointed his free hand back into the crowd. “There stands her husband, Jeremy. So if she left, which I know she hasn’t, she left without her alleged beloved. Seems strange to me. So…” He focused on Steven again, “…you can’t blame me for calling your bluff.”