The Caspian Wine Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Series

by Maggie Thom

  Five minutes later, they were headed west. “Want to tell me where we’re going?”

  “Valemount, B.C.”

  “How do we get there?” He glanced at her to see that she was looking it up on her cell. After she gave him the directions he needed, the trip was made in silence.

  She rested her head against the passenger window. He tried to focus on the beauty of the mountains but his mind and eyes were constantly on the lookout for their tail. A sign indicating they were entering the village of Valemount let him know they’d arrived. He pulled into a service station just off the highway, muttering to himself, “Now where to?”

  She jerked upright, her eyes intense as she slowly turned to take in a full 360 degree view. Guy followed her gaze. Pristine white mountains announced its status as a snowmobiler heaven but he was pretty sure that wasn’t what was holding her attention. They were surrounded by those majestic mountains, and snow filled the ditches but thankfully the roads were bare and dry. The area was beautiful, the sun dancing off the glaciers almost blinding, yet she was ogling as though it were hypnotic. Sighing, he leaned against the door to wait her out.

  A moment later, she was still gaping but he’d had enough. He yanked open his door and climbed out. “I’m going to get something to drink, can I get you anything?”

  Absently she looked at him and then away. “A juice.”

  The chilly spring air caused goosebumps to form on his arms. He zipped up his jacket before entering the building. When he returned, he pulled open his door and slid in. Turning, he went to hand Bailey her drink only to discover she wasn’t there. He looked in the back. She wasn’t there either. He climbed out, tossing the two bottles on the seat. He did his own 360 spin but saw nothing. Sprinting a short distance back, he came to the crossroads that led into the small town. He didn’t see her wandering into the village, so he looked in the opposite direction. A gravel road led into the country. Just where the road curved, he caught sight of her green jacket. Swearing, he ran back to the SUV, jumped in and sped off after her.

  The road continued straight for about a quarter of a mile before making a sharp ninety-degree turn. As soon as he made the curve, there she was, running down the middle of the road. Pulling up behind her, he waited for her to move to the side. When she didn’t, he lowered his window and yelled, “Bailey.” No response. “Bailey!”

  She flinched but kept on running. Really worried now, he pulled up to pass her. With the right side of the truck in the ditch, he made it by her. He stopped the vehicle and climbed out. Panting and looking wild-eyed, her brown hair tugged in all directions by the circling wind, she seemed oblivious. When she ran right past him, he really became concerned. Not sure what to do, he got back into the vehicle and followed her.

  About a quarter mile later, she turned left. The area was so heavily forested it was like driving into a tunnel. Ten minutes later, she suddenly shot off the road to the left. He slammed on the brakes and jumped out.

  “Bailey. Stop!” She either wasn’t listening or didn’t hear him as she continued to run down a path that looked like it had been made by an ATV. Glancing over his shoulder at the brand new black SUV, he sighed. Not really a bill they could afford but something had spooked her and he needed to go where she went. He climbed back in and plunged down into the ditch. Thankfully the foot-high snow was crunchy and not too eager to hang onto the tires. He drove along the path, ignoring the high-pitched squeals the Douglas Fir, White Spruce and Red Cedar branches were making as they scraped along the sides of the Ford Escape.

  She never slowed down nor looked over her shoulder. She just kept going. Then she disappeared. Guy’s pulse jumped furiously in his neck. His hands gripped the steering wheel tight enough to snap it. He pushed on the gas pedal. Branches slapped at the windshield, obscuring his vision until he abruptly burst into a clearing. No Bailey but there was what might have once been a beautiful log cabin, but was now weathered as though abandoned. Parking the SUV, he got out and looked around. He wondered if the rutted, overgrown path and the clearing around the cabin had once been properly maintained. If so, it had obviously been a long time. Several animal tracks covered the area.

  Wading through the shrubs and tall, dormant grass, he moved through the ankle-burying snow toward the cabin. Seeing it was padlocked, he realized that Bailey hadn’t been able to get inside. Moving more quickly, he circled the building. Nothing. He stopped. There was a rushing, gurgling sound. Looking down, he was able to distinguish Bailey’s footprints from those of the animals. He followed her path that led toward the sound. Even though the sun was high in the sky, it only penetrated enough through the thick forest to leave a murky light. The snow quickly soaked his feet and ankles.

  A few minutes later he stepped out of the trees into another clearing. A creek with the hint of winter ice still clinging to its banks, rippled by. And there was Bailey perched on a large flat rock, hugging her knees to her chest. Tears streamed down her face. She looked stunned and spooked at the same time. Not wanting to add to her distress, he sat on a smaller stone nearby.

  “I don’t know how I found this place.”

  Guy consciously stared at the river, making sure he didn’t look at her. She was scared.

  “But you know it.”

  “Yeah. I came here as a kid. I think. I remember running and playing and a man chasing me. I was laughing. I sat here a lot and tossed pebbles into the stream.”

  He gave her the time she needed to gather herself. They sat in silence for a long time, the frigid air enveloping them. His mind wandered to all that he hadn’t had as a child. There hadn’t been much joy in his life until Dorothea and Joseph had taken him in. They’d tried to make him happy. He’d worked awfully hard to be a good boy, to follow all the rules, to never be in their way. They soon convinced him that they wanted to hear him, they wanted him running, laughing and having fun. He’d been fifteen or so before he’d really felt comfortable living with them. It had taken six years for him to accept that their mansion of a house was actually his to call home. They’d made his life good but he’d still never quite trusted that it wouldn’t disappear one day. Comparing his life to Bailey’s, he realized how great he’d had it. He’d been saved but she hadn’t been. It dawned on him that he’d been running for a very long time. Running away, he was scared of losing what little he felt he had.

  The never-ending musical notes of the babbling creek, not to mention the stress of the last few days had Guy alternately widening his eyes and blinking them to get rid of the grit. Surely no one could have followed us here. The peaceful sounds, the warmth of the sun and exhaustion, all pulled at his eyelids. Giving in, he closed them for just a second.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Bailey looked at her shining knight leaning against her rock, his head at an awkward and uncomfortable angle. He was going to have a few kinks when he woke up.

  Rubbing her face with her hands, she tried to remove the tracks her tears had left. Here, she’d been happy. The flashes of memory were of her smiling, giggling, running, playing. Those were not things she often associated with her childhood and until she’d found this place, she’d not remembered she’d had such moments. The pictures on the walls of Lund’s office had started it. They had opened the floodgates. With no idea what she’d find, she knew she had to find this place. The sketchy details hidden in his office files had sent her to Jasper. The jump drive had provided directions. Now that she was here, however, she was left with more questions than answers, including who owned this place and why they had stopped coming here.

  “Bailey, get back from the water.”

  “Momma, baby fish.”

  “Yes there are lots, Bails. Now come back from the edge.”

  “Shiny, Momma.”

  “Yes Bails, they’re shiny.”

  “Catch some.”

  “We’ve got to go, Bails.”

  “Noooooooooooooooooo. Momma.” She cried and she screamed and stared out the back window of the car as th
ey drove away.

  It had become her childhood routine, except eventually she’d learned to stop screaming—at least, audibly. Wiping her hands over her cheeks, she removed any traces of her emotions before quietly sliding off the rock to avoid disturbing Guy. He had his eyes closed though it was difficult to tell if he was sleeping or simply enjoying the quiet solitude. She walked to the edge of the stream. Scooping up some water, she splashed it on her face. The chill of the recently thawed stream penetrated her dulled senses.

  As she stared down, a memory flitted at the edge of her thoughts like the quick vibration of the hummingbird’s wings, fleeting and elusive. Placing her hand on the edge of the rock, she used it to keep her balance as she stepped around to the other side. Treading carefully over the snow so she wouldn’t skid on the hidden stones and slippery moss that lay underneath, she headed back to the cabin. Its magnetic pull had been undeniable when she’d passed it upon first arriving, but she hadn’t been strong enough to enter. Instinct told her she’d find answers there; she just wasn’t sure she was ready for them.

  In the brief amount of time she had spent looking at the jump drive, it had been enough to know that hours would be required to study all that Mr. Lund kept on it. There was no file for anyone named Donna Saunders, but there had been something about this cabin. If Guy hadn’t arrived at the cafe when he had, she might have discovered more. The directions to the cabin had been laid out fairly clearly. And though Bailey hadn’t recalled the precise location, her memory of the place was very strong. No distinct pictures, just a sense of fun, of safety... and then of something bad.

  You lied, Mr. Lund. He’d told her the cabin was in Alberta and he no longer owned it.

  As she looked at the padlock, watery images flitted through her mind, too indistinct and fleeting for her to quite catch them. Without the key, she couldn’t get in. She checked obvious hiding places around the door and window frames, her fingers poking into every nook and cranny. She came up empty. There was nowhere else on the old log frame for her to check. Looking around, her attention was snagged by the SUV. As if her memories were coming alive, she saw two cars parked in the cleared area and a man whose face remained in the shadows. He had walked away briefly and then he’d returned to open the door.

  She knew she was looking for a pine needle in a forest but she had to try to find the key to the cabin. She headed back to the water. Guy was nowhere in sight. His footprints in the snow indicated he was following the stream. A huge yawn caught her off guard. Not ready to give in to the fatigue that was weighing her down, she continued to scout the area.

  Where would someone hide a key? Why do I think it’s here?

  A few minutes later and after flipping over every stone, looking around every bush, she realized she’d been wrong. Slumping against the same rock upon which she’d sat earlier, she slammed her fist against her thigh in frustration. “It has to be here, dammit!”

  “Weren’t you the one giving me a lecture about swearing?”

  “Jesus.” She jerked around to face her wandering tag-along.

  “No, actually I’m not but I can see how you could make that mistake. Again.”

  She peered at him for a moment before his joke clicked for her. She laughed and once it began, the laughter took hold of her. Finally, she wound down and sank bonelessly to the ground.

  “Uhm. I’m glad you found that funny.”

  “I...” She burst into tears. Horrified, she glanced at Guy before scrambling to her feet in effort sudden urge to run. But he was faster. He grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. At first she was rigid, refusing any comfort. But since he wasn’t going away nor letting her go, she gave in and sagged against him.

  She cried like she was a child again, before she realized moving and loss was a fact of life. When she finished, she felt as wrung out as a rag put through an old ringer washer. Trying to find strength to stand on her own two feet, she weakly pushed against his chest. He didn’t budge. Instead, he guided her to sit on the stone and with his arm still around her, sat beside her. He left it to her to decide how much she took from him. Feeling comforted by his strength, she leaned against his side.

  “Tell me about this place.”

  “I don’t know much, except the few times I came here as a little girl, I was happy.”

  The picture in Mr. Lund’s office flashed through her mind and she made the connection. Jumping up, she tore through the trees. Guy was soon crashing behind her. Coming upon the clearing, she stopped for a moment. It didn’t look quite right. She moved around to study it from all angles. Finally, when she reached the road and looked back at the cabin, she was sure that was where the picture had been taken. Time had made many changes; the cabin no longer looked new, the ground was no longer cleared, and stacks of firewood were missing. Though trees now partially obscured the view, it was the place. “Mr. Lund.”

  “What about him?”

  Startled, she glanced at him. How much do I tell him?

  “He...” She realized she was tired; tired of constantly hiding, habitually telling only partial truths, being perpetually on guard. That had been her whole life and look where it had gotten her. “Mr. Lund, my mother’s lawyer, has a photo of this view in his office. I’m guessing this was his place, but I remember a different man, a happy person, someone other than Mr. Lund.”

  A bird chirped, catching Bailey’s attention. “The bird house.” She jumped to her feet and ran through the trees before stopping to listen again. The robin cheeped again. She looked to her right and then up.

  “There.” She pointed high in the tree. “How are you at climbing?”

  He leaned his head back. “Is there a good reason I need to get up there?”

  Smiling, she said, “Yep. The key to the cabin is up there.”

  “You’re sure?”

  She nodded.

  A short time later and after a few scrapes and several curses, Guy shimmied down the tree with the prize which had been tucked away in the tiny wood structure fifteen feet off the ground. Bailey eagerly grasped it. Returning to the front door, she stuck the key into the rusty lock. Taking a deep breath, she tried to turn it but it wouldn’t budge. She tried again, jiggling it and then pulling it part way out. It was not moving. It wouldn’t turn at all. In frustration, she kicked the door.

  Ignoring her protests, Guy reached around her and took it out of her hands. He jimmied the lock a few times but to no avail. She had a sinking feeling it wasn’t going to work. Swearing, she couldn’t believe that a tiny piece of metal was going to keep her from entering the cabin and finding the answers her mom had wanted her to find. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She took off but was back within a minute.

  “Move!”

  Guy pulled back just in time as she slammed down the tire iron she’d taken from the rented vehicle. The first hit connected but the old lock didn’t do more than groan. She attacked it with a vengeance, lifting the iron up and bringing it down as hard as she could.

  “Stop. Stop!”

  It took a moment for Guy’s yelling to get through to her. With surprise she realized not only had she managed to get the lock open but she’d pretty much pulverized it. Blowing out her breath, she dropped the tire iron and grabbed the door knob. A feeling of trepidation caused her to pause for a moment before she turned the handle and pushed. It didn’t move. She tried again, this time leaning more of her body weight into it. It did little more than groan. Beyond frustrated, she bent to pick up the tire iron.

  Guy grabbed her wrists, stopping her. “Let me.” Dropping his shoulder, he slammed it against the solid access which scraped heavily against the floor, moving only a few inches. He grabbed the edge of the door, lifting and pushing at the same time. It opened another six inches.

  Bailey took a deep breath, suddenly fearful of what she might discover.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Late day sun filtered in through two grimy windows, highlighting the dust-laden air. Cautiously, Bailey stepped thro
ugh the opening. There was a ‘70s style maroon couch, a rocking chair, a stand-alone fireplace, a bookshelf totally covered in filth and sparsely lined with books. The kitchen had a sturdy wood table and six wood chairs. Everything might have been neat and tidy underneath the layers of dirt and mouse droppings. It looked as if someone had left with the intent to return soon but that day hadn’t come. It all looked foreign but normal to her. She had hoped it would trigger more memories but she couldn’t even picture herself inside; outside playing, yes, but in there, no.

  Walking across the open space, she entered one of the other rooms. A four poster, double bed was pushed against one wall while a dark mahogany tall boy hugged the opposite wall. Neither grabbed her attention. She turned, almost colliding with Guy. After only a moment’s hesitation, she sidestepped him. She glanced into the bathroom as she passed, noting the standard toilet, pedestal sink, shower and open shelves before heading into the kitchen. She had no idea what she was searching for but she had a strong sense that there was something. There had to be; why else would her mom insist she go there?

  There was nothing out of the ordinary about the kitchen either. In the cupboards, she found a set of china dishes, not very practical but probably very expensive at one time. There were a few pots and pans and some utensils but no glasses and no food.

  “Bailey, come here.”

  Sighing, she returned to the bedroom where Guy was snooping through the drawers. As she approached, she peeked over his shoulder. Captivated by an item in the drawer, she reached for it. Her hand shook as she took a closer look. Weakly, she sank onto the bed. Guy knelt in front of her.

  “Are you okay?”

  She couldn’t answer. She just shook her head, her eyes glued to what she held in her hands. It’s here. She had been sure it was gone forever. At one time, it had been her constant companion but then one day it just wasn’t there. Her mom had told her she’d lost it.