Dangerous Mountain Mission, page 8
“Where are we?” It was only a two-lane rural road. As far as the eye could see, it was all rolling hills—no fences, no houses, not even a cow or a barn.
“What does it look like to you?”
She shrugged. “Kind of like the badlands of eastern Montana, but I don’t have a lot to go off of. We could be in Wyoming or even farther south. All of the western US has parts that are really remote. All I know is that we are not in downtown Los Angeles or Seattle.”
Jesse nodded. “It was morning when they grabbed us at your trailer.” He tilted his head. “Must only have a few hours of daylight left now.”
She nodded. None of that information made it any clearer as to where they were. When she studied the road in either direction, she couldn’t even see a sign that indicated what the next town or city was.
“Wait here.” Jesse moved around to the cab of the van and opened up the doors, probably looking for anything they might be able to use. He tossed a coat in her direction. “I imagine it will get colder as the night wears on.”
She grabbed the coat. “So we walk?” She knew the minute she spoke that it was a dumb question. They sure weren’t going to fly out of here.
Jesse retrieved his jacket from the back of the van and joined her by the edge of the road. “Sooner or later, we’ll run into something, or someone will come along.” He touched her back lightly and pointed. “Those men headed north on this road. That means they were headed toward some place. That’s our best bet for running into civilization.”
She tried not to look at the two dead bodies as she and Jesse made their way toward the road. “Those guys were taking us somewhere. What happens when they don’t show up with us?”
Jesse let out a heavy breath. “I imagine whoever was expecting us will come looking for us.”
That reality sent a wave of fear through her. When would this all end? As the sun descended lower in the sky, she focused on the tapping of their footfalls, trying not to let her imagination get the best of her.
It would be a while before whomever they were being delivered to came out looking for them and found the two dead men. This road would be the first place they’d come searching.
Jesse shoved his hands in his pockets and walked beside her.
“So, do you suppose your aloe vera plant is missing you about now?”
Jesse laughed.
“I should have been back by now from guiding you in. My boss and his wife are out of town, but some of my friends will start to wonder when I don’t show up for church stuff...and choir practice.” Although people probably wouldn’t expect her to show up at choir practice with Brent’s new girlfriend there. Really, she didn’t even like the idea of going back to Fort Madison and having to face all that pain.
“No,” he said, a note of sadness coming into his voice. “No one is wondering where I am.”
“Someone might figure out I’m missing.” She choked on her words. “But they won’t even know where to look. They’ll be searching the mountains and trails by Fort Madison.”
Jesse wrapped his arm around her back and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before letting go. “We’re going to figure this out.”
“I feel like we should pray,” she said, not sure how he would react. She felt like she was at the end of her rope. Prayer seemed like the only thing that would help them now.
“Sure, you can pray.”
“You don’t pray anymore?”
“No, I do. I did.” He stared off into the distance. “I still pray when I get myself into a tight spot. It’s just that I was married years ago and she—she died. After that and losing my parents, my faith kind of went dormant, I guess.”
She was honored that he had shared something so deeply private with her. Faith could be a fragile thing. Her loss was nothing compared to what he must have been through. “I understand how prayer could be hard after all that.”
They walked, not saying much at all for at least an hour, still not seeing any sign of civilization.
Stars twinkled as the sky turned from gray to black. The wind blew, creating a rushing sound over the grassy fields that bordered the road. She zipped up the extra coat Jesse had given her. It was a fleece-lined jean jacket that had an odd fruity odor, but she was grateful for the extra warmth as the temperature dropped.
“I see a light over there.” Jesse tugged at her elbow and pointed.
A single light bobbed across the distant hills. It was too dark and too far away to discern anything else. “That might be one person camping or out looking for a lost dog. They could be gone by the time we get over there.”
“And there might be a cabin there or something. If we stay on the road, we risk an encounter with the men who are going to come looking for the dead guys,” Jesse said. “And so far, we have yet to encounter another human being or even a sign of another human.”
Clearly, they were on some back road that was not used much. Abigail fought off the despair that threatened to overtake her. She’d been lost before. She’d been uncertain of which way to go before.
She breathed in a quick, silent prayer. “Okay.”
Under the cover of darkness, they veered off the road and hiked toward where they’d seen the light. They walked up and down the rolling hills, across a dry creek bed and through a fledgling patch of evergreens. The only signs that humans had ever been in this part of the world were a rusty soda can and a plastic bag that could have blown from somewhere else.
The land here was much flatter, with only sparse vegetation, unlike the high mountains outside Fort Madison.
They came to a hill that looked down into a valley. Though the moon provided some light, everything was mostly covered in shadows. As they hiked into the valley and back up the other side, the tinkling sound of a creek was a welcome break from the monotony of the landscape.
They stopped at the creek and took a drink by cupping their hands and filling them with cool water. They had forgotten to take the water bottle out of the back of the van. The burger and fries they’d been given by their captors had worn off long ago.
Abigail stood up. She thought she heard the barking of a dog far in the distance, but it might have been just wishful thinking.
A much more distinctive sound came from behind her—the back-and-forth ratcheting of a shotgun as the cartridge slid into the chamber.
A male voice filled with fear and anger pelted her back. “The two of you better just hold it right there. Put your hands up where I can see them.”
* * *
Jesse’s leg muscles tensed—he was ready for fight or flight, whatever the occasion called for now that a shotgun was pointed at his back. Not again. Hadn’t they just been through this with the hermit?
Jesse let out a heavy exhale to clear his mind. The first option was always to negotiate yourself out of the violent threat. “We’re not here to hurt you. We’re lost. If you would just let me turn around and speak to you.” He needed to know what he was dealing with.
“Stay right where you are, both of you.” The man sounded more afraid than bent on violence.
The distant bleating of sheep and the sound of a dog barking reached him. Was this man a sheepherder?
“We’re not armed. We don’t want to rob you or anything. We’re lost—we’re trying to find our way back to...” He had no idea what state they were even in. If they explained why, of course it would sound nefarious and far-fetched.
“Nobody comes out this far,” said the man. “Unless they’re up to something.”
Abigail cleared her throat. “Please, at least let us put our hands down.”
After a long pause, the man replied, “All right, and turn around slowly.”
Both of them dropped their arms and turned to face the man, who held a shotgun on them. Though his face was covered in shadow and he sported a hefty beard, Jesse guessed the man was in his late twenties or early thirties.
“You’re a sheepherder? Out here by yourself for long periods of time?” Abigail’s were words filled with compassion. She must have understood something about why the man was so paranoid.
“I’m not alone.” The man whistled. A moment later, a border collie came bounding over the hill and sat at attention at the man’s feet. “Cosette keeps me company.”
Great. Another hermit.
“We need to get to the nearest town,” said Jesse. “Where would that be?”
The man cocked his head to one side. “You don’t know? Did your car break down or what? Your story has all kinds of holes in it. I can’t take you into town. I can’t leave the sheep.”
Jesse could feel himself losing patience. “If you could just point us in the right direction. Tell us where we are?”
The border collie emitted a low growl, apparently not happy about the rising tension.
The sheepherder adjusted the shotgun, so the barrel pointed right at Jesse’s chest. “Are you on drugs or something? What have you been doing that you don’t even know where you are?”
Jesse clenched his teeth. “Look, buddy, no one gives good answers with a gun pointed at them.”
“I know our story sounds a little crazy,” Abigail said softly.
The man lowered the gun an inch or so. “More than a little crazy.”
“I understand that you can’t leave the sheep.” She glanced down at the dog. “Cosette. That’s a pretty name.”
The man’s squared shoulders relaxed a little. “Cozy for short.”
“After the character in Les Misérables?”
“Yeah.” The man let the gun fall to his side.
“One of my favorites, too,” said Abigail. “What is your name?”
“Edward.”
“Edward. I’m Abigail, and this is my friend Jesse.”
Abigail had forged a connection with the man and calmed him down. He had to commend Abigail on her negotiation skills, which had never been his strong suit. He was a man of action, not words. Just like with the hermit, having her around had come in handy.
The man addressed Abigail. “Sorry for the full-on assault. I haven’t heard another human voice in months. It just seems like the only reason for someone to come out here is because they’re up to no good. Guess I’m wound a little tight.”
Jesse wondered what Edward was referencing, about people being up to no good.
“I assure you, we just need to be pointed in the right direction,” Abigail said.
Edward stepped a little closer toward Abigail. “Like I said, I haven’t had any company since my employee dropped off supplies. You must be hungry. Why don’t you come back to the camp?”
Jesse was starting to feel like he was invisible.
“That sounds like a plan, Edward,” said Abigail.
Edward whistled and Cozy took off running, disappearing over the hill from where she’d come. “Follow the border collie. Camp is just up this way.”
Edward had a knowledge of literature, and he seemed well-spoken. Jesse wondered what had led him to such a solitary life.
They hiked over the hill. In the valley below, a flock of sheep grazed while Cozy kept watch on the rim of the hill.
The sheep wagon was a camper that looked like it had been built in the fifties and restored. Edward had a cookstove set up on a table. He disappeared inside the camper.
“I wonder if I’m even going to get fed.” Jesse gave Abigail a friendly punch on the shoulder.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s only got eyes for you.”
“I imagine this is a very lonely life out here.” Abigail crossed her arms over her chest. “Obviously, nothing can come of it. We’re just passing through.”
Edward returned, holding several cans of food. He offered Abigail a big smile. “Sorry, don’t have much in the way of fresh food.”
Seeing Edward smile like that at Abigail caused a twinge of an unfamiliar emotion to rise up in Jesse. What was that feeling? Jealousy?
He glanced over at Abigail. Her hair had come loose from the braid and was framing her face in soft waves. She was pretty, but what he liked was the complexity of who she was as a person. His first impression of her had been that she was all hard edges, but now she seemed softer, capable of a deep compassion. Maybe it was just because of what they had been through together, but he felt himself drawn to her.
Edward opened the cans, lit the cookstove and dumped the contents of the cans into the pan that rested on the burner. After the meal had heated for a while, he left again and returned with plates and utensils.
“I only have two plates,” said Edward.
Jesse leaned close to Abigail and said under his breath, “See, I told you I wasn’t going to get fed.”
Abigail elbowed him in the stomach and gave him a raised-eyebrow reprimand. “Jesse and I can share a plate.”
Edward offered Abigail his only chair while the two men sat on the ground and ate the beans that had been mixed with tomatoes.
Jesse took a couple of bites and then handed the plate to Abigail. “What did you mean when you said that most people you encounter are out here for nefarious purposes?”
“We’re about ninety miles from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota. Lot of drugs and people being trafficked through there.”
Though he’d never worked in the area, Jesse was familiar with the extent of the drug problem in the Bakken. A high concentration of men working long hard hours, not many families or women and confined living quarters made it a ripe area for all sorts of criminal activity. Eddy and Pretty Boy must have been taking Abigail and Jesse there.
“I can see why you were so suspicious of us.” Abigail handed the plate back to Jesse.
“The company is nice.” Again with the smiles at Abigail. “I’m used to being around people. I grew up on the East Coast. Flunked out of college, made a lot of bad choices. Thought if I came out here, I could get my head cleared up, figure out my life, maybe do some writing.”
Edward sure was volunteering a lot of personal information. “And how has that worked out for you?”
Edward seemed almost shocked at Jesse’s question, like he’d forgotten he was present. Jesse himself was surprised that his voice had a little bit of an edge to it.
“That was three years ago. I guess I still haven’t figured my life out.”
They finished their meal and Jesse burst to his feet. “We should get moving.” He handed Edward the empty plate. “I don’t suppose you have any way to communicate with the outside world.”
Edward shook his head. “No cell towers out here. I like the quiet.”
“If you’ll point us in the right direction, we need to get to the nearest town.” Jesse wasn’t sure what they would do after that.
“The main highway is to the northeast, about three miles.” Edward pointed. “You should hit a small town called Stubenville.”
Jesse’s mind lit up. Now he knew where they were. A retired agent named Dale lived about an hour outside Stubenville. Dale might be able to help him figure out how to make the case for his innocence, see for sure what was on the hard drive and find a way to send Abigail home safely.
“Wait just a minute. I have something for you.” Edward disappeared inside the camper and returned a moment later, holding two granola bars. “It might be a while before someone picks you up and...” He held up a flashlight. “You might need this.” He handed the bars and flashlight to Abigail.
“Thanks, Edward. I hope everything turns out okay for you,” she said.
They turned and headed up the hill. She handed Jesse the flashlight, which he clicked on. It illuminated a swath of land in front of them. After they had walked for several minutes in silence, she spoke up. “You were a little rude back there. Why?”
“I don’t know. Edward was fawning over you a little too much.”
But he did know why. He was starting to have feelings for Abigail. He hadn’t realized it until another man had shown interest in her. They were not feelings he could ever act on. They were from different worlds. As soon as they got back to civilization, he needed to put Abigail back on a bus to Fort Madison.
All the same, he had to at least admit to himself that he admired, even liked her.
EIGHT
Though she couldn’t put her finger on it, Abigail sensed that something had shifted between her and Jesse. “Edward wasn’t my type.”
“What is your type?”
Brent had been her boyfriend for three years, and she had known him since grade school. They’d been engaged for over a year. There had been boys in high school who had been more friends than anything, nothing serious. “I guess I don’t know anymore. Don’t know if I ever knew.”
“What do you mean?”
Talking about Brent was painful. She’d only shared her heartache with her mom and God. But Jesse had shared something much more traumatic about his life. “Guess I’m just kind of naive. I moved to Fort Madison because my fiancé got a job there. I thought we’d get married and raise our kids there. I never questioned that until a while ago, the guy I was engaged to decided he wanted to be with someone else.”
“That’s tough. Really, Abigail, I’m sorry for all that pain,” he said.
“Yeah, I got this idea in my head that my life was going to turn out a certain way,” she said.
“Everyone thinks that. That life has a certain trajectory. High school, college, marriage, kids, retirement. No one factors in the loss and the derailment.”
Jesse’s profound words sank in deep as they walked on through the darkness, until they could hear the sound of an occasional car going by on the road up ahead.
“Will it be safe to be close to the main road? Won’t they be looking for us?”
“Probably, but it’s nighttime. It’s a stretch of road to cover and there’s no way we’ll catch a ride into Stubenville if we aren’t on that road.”
