Mountain, page 10
“Yeah, I am determined not to. No benefit to be had in my telling anybody anything, so you can forget that idea.”
“Look. Somebody already tried to kill you once that we know of. Now that we’ve got you locked up in here, like a duck on a pond, for all we know, we’ve given you a death sentence, and we didn’t even mean to.”
“Doesn’t matter whether you did or not,” Chef muttered. “In many ways that will probably be better.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Mountain said, “that’s not making any sense.”
“None of this makes sense,” Samson agreed. “The only thing that makes sense is that you’re protecting somebody.”
Instantly Elijah stiffened and glared at them.
Mountain nodded slowly. “Amelia suggested that you were probably protecting somebody, but we couldn’t for the life of us figure out who or why.”
“It’s not supposed to make any sense,” he snapped. “That’s just life. Sometimes it makes sense. Sometimes it doesn’t. And sometimes it just is what it is, and sometimes it’s a whole lot more.”
Mountain stared at Chef in surprise. “So, for whatever reason, you don’t want anybody to find out who you’re protecting or why, and you’re willing to take a death sentence for it?”
Elijah shrugged. “She’s wrong anyway. I don’t remember any time that I would have been in a position to be shot like that. She’s mistaking me for someone else.”
“No, … she’s not,” Mountain argued adamantly. “You were in the crosshairs, and, if it hadn’t been for a noise made by one of her dogs, causing the shooter to take off, you would have been another mysterious casualty of this military base.”
“Whatever.” Elijah gave a wave of his hands. “You’re grasping at straws, throwing out a bunch of possibilities and seeing if you can get something to stick. I know how you guys work.” He sent a hard look in their direction. “Besides, the life we live up here puts us in touch with some very strange bedfellows.”
“Now that is very true, Elijah,” Mountain admitted. “And I’m wondering which one of them would be upset enough with you to want to do that.”
Again Elijah shrugged, but an odd look was in his gaze.
“I’m afraid it’s the person you’re trying to protect,” Samson suggested, “as if whatever deal you’ve made is about to become no deal for some reason, or he needs some insurance or something.” Samson had a specific ring in his tone and with his choice of words.
Mountain looked over at Samson, who studied Chef’s face intently.
“Definitely you’re concerned about something,” Samson stated, “and we’ll be more than happy to try and keep you alive, if you’re afraid of repercussions. Obviously though you’ll have to start talking to us—and soon.”
Elijah gave him a genial smile. “You boys go off now. You’ve got better things to do than sit here and talk to me.”
“Better things like what?” Mountain asked.
He looked at him and shrugged, his posture relaxed. “A lot of people are still here, and a lot of people could come to harm,” he pointed out. “You don’t want that.”
“No, I don’t want that to happen to you or to anyone else,” Mountain said. “I especially don’t want anything to happen to Amelia, not after everything she did to help my brother,” he added. “And, if you know anything about that, I would appreciate some answers. It might help us save Amelia, Teegan, and you, as well.”
“Don’t know nothing about nothing,” Elijah muttered, taking on a bored tone.
That hit Mountain hard. Starting to feel the fury building within him, he stood up and looked over at Samson. “I’ll step out for a few minutes,” Mountain stated, his words harsh and his expression ominous.
“Maybe go get some coffee,” Samson suggested.
Mountain nodded curtly and walked out without saying a word, as it was all getting to be a bit much. With coffee on his mind, he went to the kitchen. Several women worked away, and, while he was sorry that everything had become such a shit show, he appreciated the fact that they had stepped up. One of the women looked up at him, shoved a cinnamon bun in one of his hands and a cup of coffee in the other, then shooed him away.
He looked down in surprise and then smiled, as she continued to carry on, as if that were an everyday occurrence. Maybe it was. Maybe that was the world they lived in now.
As he stepped outside for a moment of much-needed fresh air, he realized how much of an advantage Chef had, the entire time that he was here. He had vantage points, both inside and out, that allowed him to watch things going on all the time. He could keep an eye on people, if he chose, including the kid who had worked for him. The thought of Scott stepping outside stirred up something inside Mountain, and he didn’t like it one bit. He frowned, wondering if Elijah would have had anything to do with Scott’s death.
With his cinnamon bun eaten, but his coffee in hand, he walked back to where Samson still spoke with Elijah. Mountain stepped in and looked at Chef, getting right in his face. “Did you kill Scott, that young kid who worked with you?”
A sorrowful look crossed Chef’s face that he schooled right away, then immediately shook his head. “No, Scott was a hell of a good kid,” he replied in a hard tone. “I would never have done that.”
“I can’t imagine that you did any of it. Even asking if you did or didn’t seems wrong in the first place,” Mountain stated, as the tightly wound coil around his chest eased somewhat, “but I’m glad to hear that.”
“So, it really was an accident?” Samson asked carefully.
An odd look came over Elijah’s face, as he shrugged. “As far as I know, yes.”
“But you’re not sure, are you?” Samson asked, sensing the hesitancy, pressing home the advantage of seeing that sudden change in his expression. “You’re afraid that you weren’t there and that somebody locked the door or deliberately stopped Scott from being able to open it.”
Chef looked at him, then away instantly. “Don’t know anything about it.”
“Right, so we have another murder to add to somebody’s damn checklist,” Mountain muttered. “Amelia saw several people out there.”
Elijah winced. “I wouldn’t be passing around that information,” he suggested, shaking his head.
“Meaning that the wrong person might hear about it? If that is so, you’re right, and we’re doing our best to keep her safe. She’s also very vulnerable right now, medically fragile. Fending off yet another attack is not something we want her to deal with, not after all she’s done and the injuries she’s already sustained.”
Elijah seemed to get a little agitated at that. But, as they waited, he calmed down, as if realizing they were biding their time and waiting for him to say something. He had no intention of doing that, but definitely something was there to tell.
Mountain stood up in frustration and looked over at Samson. “This is going nowhere. I’ll come back later.” Mountain stepped out, trying to figure out what to do next. Soon a text came through from one of the researchers, supplying them with information.
Elijah Williamson aka Chef had a son who was killed quite a few years ago. Military corps, a rescue gone wrong. Your colonel there tried to save Chef’s son. The colonel tried to get Chef’s son out of the way and apparently did everything he could to keep him alive and out of the danger zone. Unfortunately Elijah’s son was killed anyway.
With that information in his hand, he stepped back in, interrupting once again. Samson took one look at him and waited. Elijah glared at him cautiously, as if watching out for a viper. “The colonel tried to save your son, didn’t he?”
He nodded slowly. “He did, yes, but it wasn’t to be. He had him sent to a safer area, but then he was killed anyway,” Chef confirmed.
“Okay, so that’s partly why you have such a strong bond of loyalty with the colonel.”
He nodded. “He’s been there for me the entire time. He’s a good man.”
Mountain didn’t say anything for a few moments. “Might be a good man but he’s on his way out of the military, if the brass have any say in it.” But Mountain was privy to a bit of information that not everybody knew. He looked over at Samson, who frowned at his notebook. “And I guess you’ve followed the colonel or requested to be on a lot of his posts too, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, I have,” Elijah admitted, with a mock smile. “Is that something that I’ll be charged for too?” He was suddenly wary of the whole thing.
“No, not at all,” Mountain said. “Has he come in to see you lately?”
“No, not a second time. Just once, when I was first brought here.”
“I’m sorry. Sometimes things like this set people off.”
He gave him a ghost of a smile. “And so they should. I wouldn’t think any less of him because of that.” And, with that, he shifted and spoke in a harsh tone. “Now, if you guys don’t mind, I’m getting a little tired. and I’m done answering your questions.”
Samson stood up. “That’s fine. I’ll come back and talk to you tomorrow.”
He walked out with Mountain, who stood for a long moment, looking at Chef, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, why he wouldn’t talk, what was holding him back. When Samson cleared his throat, Mountain nodded in agreement. “I’ll talk to you later,” he told Elijah, then quickly walked out.
In the hallway, he looked at Samson and asked in a whisper, “Did you get anything out of that?”
“I did get something out of that,” Samson noted, “but I need to check a few details first.”
“Can I get that information you just wrote up?”
“Yeah, I’ll forward it to you,” Samson said. “It should be in your email, but this text will get it to you a little faster.” He looked up at the ding. “There it is.”
Mountain watched him carefully, asking, “Have you talked to Ted at all?”
“I talk to him all the time,” Samson replied, turning back to look at him. “Why?”
“Wondering how he’s holding up.”
“He’s holding, not great, especially after what happened to Jerry, but I think this case is taking a toll on him.”
“It’s taking a toll on everybody,” Mountain replied, his voice harsh. “And that won’t change.”
“No, it won’t. Not until we solve it,” Samson noted. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to feel very much as if we’re on the cusp of that.”
And, with that surprising announcement, Samson turned and walked away, leaving Mountain staring at him.
Day 5 Evening
Amelia looked over at Sydney and suggested in a light tone. “You could lock me in for tonight, and I should be fine, right?”
Sydney nodded. “You’re probably fine,” she clarified, “but I can’t make that decision. Security is up to the men to decide on.”
Amelia groaned. “Seriously, I still have to be under their watch?”
“Absolutely,” Sydney declared, yet with a cheerful smile. “And, to top it all off, you’re supposed to be grateful.”
Amelia snickered. “Oh, I am. I’m grateful that I’m alive, and I’m grateful for your medical intervention that’s kept me that way. However, I could just as easily go to the village now. They could take care of me just fine.”
“If the guys thought that you could protect yourself, then I am certain they would release you,” Sydney replied, “but I’m not getting the impression that they’re feeling very positive in that direction.”
Amelia groaned. “No, I’m not either, unfortunately, yet I really would appreciate an end to all this cloak-and-dagger stuff.”
“Talk to them about that,” Sydney suggested. “I’m sure Mountain will be back soon.”
“He seems to be one of the worst to listen to my requests,” she muttered, with half a smile.
“Worst or best, depending on the way you want to look at it,” Sydney pointed out. “Remember. These guys have gone to a lot of effort to try and sort this mess out, on the base and in regard to your shootings in particular. Still, I know it doesn’t look as if it’s happening very quickly or easily, but I think they’re probably getting pretty damn close now.”
“Do you think so?”
Just then the door to the clinic opened, and, sure enough, Mountain walked in. He looked over at Amelia and smiled. “Seems the ladies are getting restless.”
Amelia nodded. “Kind of. I was thinking that you guys could let me go to the village, and I could stay there.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he stated immediately.
She frowned, and he frowned right back. “Why is that?” she asked, hating the bitterness in her question that revealed her state of mind.
“Because I don’t want you taking anything dangerous to them.”
That shut her up immediately, not what she had expected. She stared at him in mute frustration. “So, you think somebody will come after me?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t want to take the chance, do you?”
She glared at him. “That’s a low blow, and you know I don’t want to.”
“Then stay and let us handle this. And you’re not that much better, no matter how much you keep trying to convince Sydney that you are.”
Sydney burst out laughing. “Don’t drag me into this, Mountain. I know exactly how she’s doing, thank you very much. She is certainly doing better, but she’s definitely not ready to be moving around, much less heading outside and taking on the world. If we could safely get her up and mobile again, I would be happy, but I’m not sure that she’s ready for that stage either.”
“I’m obviously in the way, causing trouble, and taking up valuable manpower,” Amelia explained. “So, it makes more sense for me to go back to the village, where I know that my people would look after me.”
“Sure, but tell me this,” Mountain began. “Do you absolutely, … 100 percent, know that nobody in or around that village is a part of this?”
“What do you mean by a part of it?” she asked.
“Such as, did they take money to help out Eric or his partners-in-crime in terrorizing the base?” he asked bluntly. “Did any of the villagers accept a bribe in lieu of helping somebody at this base who died here?” As she stared at him, he continued. “Did they buy equipment or accept equipment, money, cash, food, favors, future favors, or anything else instead of or in lieu of helping out missing persons before they died from hypothermia? Every time I went to the village to get answers, they all closed rank on me. Not a one gave me any useful information.” She sat back and stared at him, and he nodded. “See? It’s more complicated than you think. So, if you can’t promise me that, absolutely no way can I guarantee you’ll be safe there. And, if I can’t guarantee your safety, no way you’re leaving.”
She glared at him. “So, now you’re making my friends and family out to be serial killers?”
“No, I’m really not, but I also don’t want anything else to happen to you.” Her mouth opened at that, then she snapped it shut. When she glared at him, he gave her a big grin. “See? You don’t even have an answer for me.”
“It’s hard to have answers when you say those things,” she muttered.
“Why?” He kept it up, intentionally pushing her a bit. “You know perfectly well that we’ve done a lot to keep you alive, and we’ll continue to do more. Obviously we want to do everything we can, but we won’t take any risks with you. Now if you intend to take risks yourself, it’s better you rethink that because that means you’re not yet of sound mind and judgment.”
She snorted at that. “I think you’re making up this shit,” she muttered, staring at him.
He burst out laughing. “You could be right, but can you really take that chance with your own life?”
“No, of course I can’t,” she replied, raising both her hands in frustration. “Even the thought of taking any of this craziness over to my people … is unacceptable.”
“Exactly, so you need to give us a chance and to take this time to regain some of your strength,” Mountain stated, patting her on the shoulder. “If somebody were to come in and attack you—assuming they’d taken out whatever guard we had stationed in the hallway—you’re not even close to being capable of defending yourself. So, until that state is reached, no way you’re leaving. Not on my watch.”
He turned and walked to the door, where he smiled at Sydney. “Don’t forget to get dinner, Sydney,” he reminded her in a cheerful tone. “I’ll go grab a plate. Then I’ll come back and stand guard.” And, with that, he was gone.
Amelia let out her breath slowly, followed by an irate half-muted scream of rage.
Sydney looked over at her and smiled. “Mountain doesn’t want anything to happen to you, but, if you listen carefully, an awful lot of caring is in the back of his tone as he says it.”
“What?” She stared at Sydney in astonishment.
“Mountain doesn’t let very much out at any point in time, particularly his innermost feelings. The fact that he’s even saying what he has so far tells me an awful lot about how he’s feeling.” And, with that, Sydney smiled, walked closer to the door. “Now, why don’t you think about that for a few minutes? As soon as he gets back, I’ll go collect some food. In the meantime, I’ll step out into the hallway and make a couple phone calls.”
After Sydney exited the clinic, it wasn’t long before Amelia heard the doc’s voice on the phone. Sydney only did that when she was trying to have private conversations—understandably so since she was a doctor and her patients were entitled to confidentiality, even in these close quarters.
Amelia immediately reconsidered what Sydney had suggested about Mountain caring more than his words let on. The whole idea of that didn’t even make sense to Amelia, since, in her mind, the man didn’t know her at all, didn’t seemed interested in her in that way.
What’s more, at the rate they were going with this investigation, there wouldn’t be anything nice about her to know. She sagged into the hospital bed, frustrated and hating the intense fatigue and weakness that overtook her after a confrontation. She didn’t do confrontations well, and the thought of trying to fight for her freedom had already gotten her up in arms before he’d even arrived. And now it seemed as if he could win without her having the strength to fight, and that frustrated her all the more.
