Cry Wolf, page 10
They were both decent plans, but they were still too risky. First of all, there was no guarantee Angelina would be found immediately, even if they dropped her off near the hospital. And, perhaps more important, who knew what might happen to the pack if any of the townspeople claimed to have seen a “wolf-man” in the woods? The town would be up in arms, and every Ogopogo watcher and Bigfoot hunter would be camped out in the forest trying to snap a photo of—or maybe even shoot—the new Redstone Monster. No, risking a werewolf sighting, even at a distance, was something to be avoided at all costs.
“Church is over, don’t stand up!”
“What?” said Tora.
“Stay in your seat,” muttered Angelina.
They all turned in time to see the girl’s eyes flutter open. She had turned her head and was looking directly at them. And then her eyes went wide at the realization of what she was looking at—three human-like forms, covered with hair from head to foot, with pointed ears, sharp claws, and fangs.
“Great!” moaned Harlan. “What do we do now?”
That’s a good question, thought Tora. A very excellent question.
No one, it seemed, had an answer.
Tora turned away from Angelina then, and looked over her shoulder, hoping, or perhaps praying, that she would see Noble stepping out of the forest, the picture of health and eager to solve this little problem for them. But of course Noble wasn’t there. They were on their own, and it was up to them to come up with a plan.
Tora glanced over at Harlan. He’d had lots of questions about what they were going to do, but no answers. Obviously he wasn’t going to offer a solution.
And Argus? He was all about action. He was eager to get things done, but he had little interest or regard for the details. But who could blame him? Who worried about details when you had a set of claws like steak knives?
It’s up to me, she thought. She would have to be the one to figure things out. And whatever happened in the end—right or wrong—it would be on her. As she thought about that, her appreciation and admiration for the job Noble did leading the pack was heightened to the point where she again began to wonder…What would Noble do?
“But church is over and I have to pee!” Angelina said abruptly.
It was obvious that the girl had no idea where she was or what she was saying. That was something the pack could use to their advantage.
And that’s when Tora was suddenly struck with an idea.
“Argus,” she said, her voice full of assurance and self-confidence. “You carry Angelina to the hospital as fast as you can.”
Argus nodded without question.
“And Harlan, you go back to the house and get some clothes for Argus.”
There was a puzzled expression on Harlan’s face, as if he didn’t understand what he was hearing.
“I want you to get Argus’s thick wool sweater, one of the ranger’s old fur hats, a pair of boots—the mukluks in the back hall—and the dirty brown pants that are hanging in the garage.”
Harlan still looked confused. “Why?” he asked.
Tora’s heart sank at the question. Harlan hadn’t questioned her when she’d sent him to scare off the searchers, but now it seemed like he was challenging her authority. “Look,” she said, “I know I’m not Noble…none of us are, but Noble’s not here, and one of us has got to take charge. If either of you has a plan, let’s hear it. If not, you’re just going to have to trust me and do what I say.”
“I don’t have a problem with it,” said Argus.
Harlan was silent a moment, as if thinking. Then he said, “What are you going to do?”
“I’ll travel with Argus, taking the girl from him if he needs a rest, and running interference if we cross paths with any searchers along the way.”
Harlan thought about it, then nodded. “All right,” he said. “What do you want me to do with the clothes?”
“Take them and meet us in the forest behind the hospital between the two big redwoods.”
Harlan nodded once, then darted into the forest.
Tora breathed a sigh of relief.
Argus gently picked up the girl in his massive arms and cradled her close to his chest so that her head was turned in and her eyes were covered.
“Don’t drop her,” said Tora.
Argus turned to her and smiled. “Thanks for the advice.”
And then he was off, taking three…four…five massive strides before Tora had taken one.
At this rate we’ll be at the hospital in no time, she thought.
As long as nothing goes wrong.
Chapter 21
“Here,” said Michael Martin, handing Maria Abruzzo a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Although he’d rather have been out in the woods searching, Tora had asked him to keep an eye on Maria, so that’s what he was doing.
Maria took the cup from him, sniffed at it, and asked, “Where did you get this from?”
“Duncan Norquay from the Police Auxiliary came by in his catering truck.” Michael sipped from his cup. “It’s a little watery, but at least it’s hot.” He sat down on the rock with his back to Maria so they were looking in opposite directions, Michael up the mountain, and Maria down toward town.
Maria said nothing for a while. Then she ran a gloved hand under her nose, sniffed once, and said, “A lot of people from town are being very helpful.”
Michael shrugged. “I guess so. But I can’t imagine people not coming out to help.”
Maria blew on her hot chocolate, sending a cloud of steam into the air. “Still, there are so many people looking for my sister and they still haven’t found her.”
“Who knows?” Michael said. “Maybe they have found her already.”
“Then why haven’t we heard about it yet? The search teams all have radios.”
Maria had a good point, but it was Michael’s job to keep Maria positive and upbeat, at least until they knew for sure what had happened to her sister. So he had to tell Maria something, even if it wasn’t exactly the truth. “My dad is always saying that his police radio doesn’t always work the way it should in the mountains. And the radios the searchers have aren’t as good as the ones the RCMP uses.”
Maria said nothing, but Michael could tell she was thinking about what he’d said. He shifted his position on the rock and remained silent to give her some privacy and a chance to think.
“The Brocks are out searching, right?” she said at last.
“Yeah,” said Michael. “Argus, Tora, and Harlan went out before everyone else…” It still irked Michael that Tora had left him behind, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it. “…On their own.”
Maria sat up on the rock, spilling some of her hot chocolate. “They went by themselves?”
“Yeah,” Michael said, no longer trying to hide his disappointment. “I wanted to go with them, but…well, Tora wanted me to stay here and look after you.”
“They didn’t want you along?”
“No, they didn’t.” Michael shook his head. “How do you like that, eh?”
“They know their way through the forest, those three,” Maria said, stating a fact rather than asking a question.
“Those four,” Michael corrected her. “But Noble’s still home sick in bed.”
“If anyone can find my sister, they’ll be the ones.”
“Well, they sure spend enough time out in the woods. I remember one time I was racing them back into town. See, I’d found this shortcut that I was sure they didn’t know about…so I raced them back for sodas.” He shook his head. “They took the long way back and they were all waiting for me, half finished their drinks and handing me one that was already getting warm.”
“They’re different,” said Maria. Again Maria’s tone was serious, as though she was saying something not to make fun, but because it was true.
“That’s one way to describe them.” Michael laughed. “I like to think of them as special.”
“And what about Tora?”
Michael couldn’t help but smile. Everyone knew he and Tora were going out. “Well, I guess she’d be extra-special, then.”
It was quiet for a while as Maria sipped the last of her hot chocolate.
“If they found my sister,” she said, “what do you think they would do with her?”
Michael wasn’t sure what to make of Maria’s question. From the way she’d asked it, it almost sounded as if she were worried that the Brocks might harm her sister. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.
“Knowing them, they’d probably just take her straight to the hospital. I mean, they’re not the kind of people who would wait around for someone else to do something.”
When there was no response from Maria, he carried on. “They usually do things themselves, you know…Let’s not wait, let’s get ‘er done.”
Michael laughed under his breath.
Maria said nothing for the longest time.
Eventually, Michael turned back around to flash Maria an encouraging smile…
But she was gone.
* * *
Argus had slowed to a stop on a ridge that overlooked Redstone, most likely to check their position and decide on the best route to take into town.
Tora came up by Argus’s side, happy for the chance to take a rest.
Angelina stirred in Argus’s arms, her eyes rolling half open. “Don’t worry, Maria,” she muttered. “I won’t tell anyone you peed your pants.”
They smiled at that, but the moment was short-lived.
There were voices in the forest, coming their way. Tora and Argus crouched down and moved for cover behind a stand of trees.
“Searchers,” said Argus.
Tora considered leaving Angelina for the searchers to find. They would come across her in no time, but they’d also have a terrible time getting her down the mountain slope. The girl had to be carried, and no one could do that better or faster than Argus. They would have to scare the searchers away.
“Stay here,” Tora told Argus. “I’ll get rid of them.”
Argus nodded, placing the girl on the ground and shielding her from the cold with his body.
Tora took on her wolfen form and ran off, heading north at first, then circling around to the far side of the searchers. She didn’t want to get close enough to be seen, because if the searchers saw a wolf in the forest, then it would confirm Maria’s original claim that her sister had been taken by wolves. That was to be avoided at all costs. And so, Tora got close enough to the searchers to be heard but not seen, and began making a series of low, throaty sounds, like those of a bear or very small moose.
“What’s that?” one of the searchers said. Tora recognized the voice as belonging to Karen MacCallum, one of Phyllis Brock’s best friends since high school. She hated to deceive the woman in this way, but they had no choice in this situation. The searchers were in the way of the girl’s rescue and they had to be moved, by whatever means necessary.
“Sounded like an animal,” said the second searcher, Karen’s teenage son, whom Tora recognized from the library. His name was something like Eric or Alec, and he’d helped Argus with his homework on a couple of occasions.
Sorry, Tora thought, then growled again, this time with a bit of a snarl that sounded more like mad dog than wolf or bear.
“A wild animal,” said Karen.
“I don’t like this,” said her son.
“Neither do I,” she agreed.
The two searchers began to move.
Tora smiled, clenched her right hand into a fist and pumped it up and down in the air in triumph.
But instead of heading south, back to town, they went northward, in the direction of Argus and Angelina.
Tora was at a loss over what to do. Usually, if two people were confronted by wild animals in the forest, their first instinct was to head back in the direction they’d come, not go deeper into the forest.
Worst of all, there was no way she could warn Argus about what was coming. She’d told him to stay put and wait for her, and he was such a loyal soldier he would do just that, no matter what.
Again, Tora wished Noble were with her. Even if it had been his plan that had gone wrong, at least all she’d have had to do was help him make it right.
But how could she make it right?
And then it occurred to her. Instead of scaring them away, she needed to draw them in. At least that way she could be sure which direction they’d be heading.
She quickly moved down the slope. When she’d found some cover, she changed into her human form and cleared her throat. “I think I see something over here!” she cried out.
The searchers stopped running northward and turned in Tora’s direction. Still, they seemed confused, unsure about which way to go.
“Over here,” Tora shouted. “Hurry!”
In seconds the searchers were on the move, heading south toward Tora and, thankfully, away from Argus and Angelina.
Tora was pleased. Noble couldn’t have done any better himself, she thought.
She waited until the searchers were well down the slope before heading back to rejoin Argus and the girl.
“Clever,” Argus said, when Tora arrived.
“It was nothing,” she said with a shrug.
Angelina’s body shifted, her eyes fluttered. “Nothing from nothing…leaves…nothing.”
It was obvious that Angelina was getting worse. She was cold, dehydrated, and exhausted, and they had to get her to the hospital right away before she went into shock or suffered any permanent damage.
“Come on,” said Tora. “I’ll lead the rest of the way.”
Without a word, Argus picked up the girl and followed his sister into Redstone.
Chapter 22
As Tora and Argus neared the town of Redstone, another problem became apparent. If they headed directly for the hospital, their path would take them straight through the heart of town. And while it was early, and most Redstone residents would still be in bed or sipping their morning cup of coffee, there was a real danger of being seen by any number of people.
And if they were seen, it wouldn’t be the kind of sight that people could just shrug off, and continue going about their business. This would be a stop-the-presses, hold-the-phone, call-Mr.-Ripley kind of event. Two monstrous werewolves tearing down the main street, one of them over seven feet tall with the lifeless body of a little girl in its arms.
It was the kind of thing people would remember, maybe even start gossiping about.
And so, even though it would take them longer to get to the hospital, Tora decided they would stay in the forest as long as possible and run around the outskirts of town. The route would bring them to the rear of the hospital, allowing them to get within less than a hundred yards of it without being seen.
However, the closer they got to town, the more paths they came across. There were hiking trails and footpaths that led to fishing holes and hunting grounds, and all manner of shortcuts that led from one house to another. All of them had to be avoided lest they risk being seen through the trees by someone out getting some firewood.
But no plan is perfect.
And that was why Tora felt her heart skip a beat when she heard the words cut through the trees.
“You there!” someone shouted. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Tora skidded to a stop and took up a position behind the branches of a large spruce tree. Argus joined her a moment later, kneeling down and curling the body of Angelina close in to his chest.
“Who’s there?” the voice said.
Tora said nothing in response, thankful that whoever was out there hadn’t seen them yet.
“Who is it?”
Tora listened intently to the voice and thought she recognized it as belonging to Jackrabbit Morse, one of the town’s half dozen hermits. Jackrabbit lived up in the mountains most of the year, but during the coldest winter months he came down close to the city, where food was a little easier to come by and there were plenty of warm buildings to spend your days in.
“I’m not kidding, here,” Jackrabbit said. “I don’t take kindly to people sneaking up on me. You tell me who you are, or you’ll be sorry you wandered through this neck of the woods.”
Tora wondered for a moment what Noble would do in this situation, but then she checked herself, deciding to forget Noble and figure out a solution on her own, instead. After a moment’s thought she came up with a plan. If Jackrabbit was going to threaten her, she would call his bluff and do the very same thing to him.
She changed into her human form, cupped her hands around her mouth, and said, “This is the RCMP! We’ve had some complaints of people living in these parts without permission of the landowners…” Her voice trailed off and she listened for any sound.
And there it was—the sound of footsteps, running away from them into town.
“Nice,” said Argus.
“My dress is pretty, isn’t it?” Angelina babbled.
“The coast is clear,” said Tora. “Let’s get this girl to the hospital. Now!”
* * *
Phyllis couldn’t sleep. She had the television on, and the volume off, surfing up and down the channels and hoping the phone would ring with good news from the search. But the phone was silent. She also hadn’t heard anything from Noble’s room for close to an hour—not even the sound of him turning over in bed. Knowing Noble, she wondered if he hadn’t slipped out of the house to join the search for Angelina Abruzzo.
She got up from her chair in the living room and went down the hall to check on him. If he’d gone against her wishes and left the house on his own, she would never forgive him.
Phyllis put her hand on the doorknob and squeezed it tightly, then, in one swift motion, she turned the knob and pushed the door open wide.
Noble was sitting up in bed with a pair of headphones on, listening to music.
“What?” he said, pulling the phones off his head.
