Rising Heat (78 page)

“Does he… is he involved with anyone?”

She shook her head. “Not at present,” she replied. “He’s had a few girlfriends over the years, but nothing serious. If it was, I would have known about them. Would have met them.”

My curiosity burgeoned. “Are you close? I mean, a close family? Does he have any brothers and sisters?”

“No brothers, but two younger sisters. They’re grown and married and living up north, just across the border in Canada. My husband, his father, died a few years ago.”

So, Hawk’s mother probably lived alone, like me. “Do you ever get lonely? I live by myself, work from home. I often wonder if I’ve made the right decision. You live quite a ways from town. I can imagine that you don’t see Hawk that often.” To my surprise, she glanced at me and smiled.

“You may not think so, but under that big, tough exterior of his, he is quite devoted and loyal. He comes up to visit as often as he can. He’s a protector, Tracy,” she explained. “He’s always hovered over me and his sisters, making sure we were all okay. He’s been like that since he was a teenager and in his early twenties. Yes, he got into some trouble back then, but it was just the foolishness of youth.”

She glanced at me, then turned back to the road. “I don’t have to tell you how relieved I was when he grew out of that stage.”

I laughed softly, nodding in agreement. I too had gotten into a bit of trouble in college, nothing serious, but behavior that I now thought back as reckless. A bit of partying, ignoring my grades, more concerned about belonging and making friends than I should have.

“And what about you, Tracy? Do you have a family?”

And so we talked, nothing serious, just tentatively got to know each other a bit. The miles passed. If it wasn’t for the path of the sun, I would have lost all sense of direction. After about an hour or so on the highway, we once again meandered off the asphalt and onto a dirt road. To my surprise, she pulled off the road and into the thickness of the trees, turned the truck to face the highway, which we could barely see through the tree line, and then turned off the truck.

“What are we doing?” I thought maybe she had to go pee.

“Watching,” she said.

For a second, I didn’t know what she meant and then I realized. “You think he followed us? Did you see anything?” My heart began to thud deep in my chest.

“No, I haven’t noticed anybody following us. But it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

Despite the fact that I now kept my eyes riveted on the road, could see an occasional passing car, my mind was racing again. Not just at the aspect of being followed, but in regard to her comment about Hawk. Was I being foolish? What was I expecting anyway? I was his client. That we were sexually attracted to one another was one thing. But what would happen when the case was over? What would come of our relationship, if you could even call it that, after the killer was caught?

What if he wasn’t?

Before I could get too carried away with my worries, Jenny once again started the truck, pulled back onto the dirt road and headed deep into the woods. I’m not sure how many miles we went before she turned off the dirt road. At first I didn’t see any trail whatsoever, but then looking ahead, I saw the faint track she followed. I don’t think someone would notice it on ground level, but elevated as I was in the big pickup truck, it was easier to make out. It wasn’t a continuous line of sight, because shrubbery, winding back and forth between trees made lengths of the faint path we followed disappear.

Again, it seemed as if Jenny could read my thoughts.

“It’s a deer track,” she said. “We don’t make it a habit of approaching a cabin along the same road every time. That would just destroy the land.”

I nodded. That made sense. Would it be a stereotype if I thought that it was par for the course that Native Americans would honor and cherish the land? No, it made good sense. “How often does Hawk get up here?”

“He usually spends most of his summers here,” she said.

“He must have to lay in a lot of supplies.” This place was really remote. I didn’t see anything around us but trees, hills, more trees.

“Not really,” she shrugged. “He lives off the land. There’s a small lake not far from the cabin. A deer can last him for weeks. He pulls root vegetables from the ground. He stocks up on coffee before he comes out, but other than that, he can live out here for weeks without going into town.”

I couldn’t help it. I was impressed. It was so rustic out here, like stepping back in time. To live off the land, to hunt, to fish, to forage for your own food. I wondered what it would be like to live like that. I shook my head, thinking myself foolish. Me, without my computers? My TV and my washing machine? I laughed at myself.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, turning to me with a grin.

“I was wondering what it could be like to live out here like that, and then realized I wouldn’t have my computers.”

“Your computers?”

I nodded. “I’m a website designer. I go through withdrawal if I’m not able to access my computer for more than a day or two. I make my living at it, you see.”

She shrugged. “I wouldn’t know anything about that, but you do know there’s no electricity up here, and no cell service, and certainly no wireless capabilities.”

I glanced at her, making a face as I nodded. “I was already informed of that. That and the fact that there was no working plumbing in the cabin either.”

She laughed. “No, no plumbing, no electricity, no running water. Going to have to rough it, Tracy.”

“I guess I’ll survive.” I grinned. “But can I ask you something?” She glanced at me.

“Sure.”

“What’ll I do if I have to go to the bathroom? I mean…?”

Jenny laughed. “You do what they did for generations before us. Dig a hole. There’s a garden spade that hangs on the side of the house.”

“Oh Lord,” I sighed. But then I shrugged. I guess it didn’t really matter. If doing this was going to give me some peace, maybe even save my life, I decided that I could rough it for a little while. But not for long. Tomorrow I knew that Hawk and I would need to return to town, talk to the FBI guys. I wondered if they would be able to tell me anything that Detectives Cutter or Westin had not.

The truck bounced over roots and dips in the trail. One jolt was so hard I bounced off the seat, nearly hitting my head on the roof of the truck. I laughed and grabbed onto the door handle.

“We’re almost there,” Jenny promised, a smile curving the corner of her lips.

I began to wonder. While it was certainly rugged and beautiful in daylight, I was concerned about how I would feel when darkness fell. It seemed so… so isolated and wild. It’s not like I’d never been camping before. I had. But camping in a campground was a lot different than being miles deep in the wilderness. I had no idea where I was. What if I needed help? I knew that Hawk said he was coming later on, but what if something held him up?

Jenny stopped the truck and looked at me.

“Is something the matter?” I asked. She smiled and shook her head. Pointed.

“There’s the cabin.”

I looked where she was pointing. Didn’t see anything at first. Scanned my gaze back and forth several times before I discerned the outline of the cabin, half shadowed by huge trees that grew right up next to it. Oh my gosh, they hadn’t been kidding. I resisted the urge to pinch myself. If I thought I had stepped back in time just driving through the wilderness, I certainly felt that now as I gazed at the cabin.

“How old is this place?” I asked as Jenny sat staring at the cabin, the engine making a few noises as it cooled.

“It was originally built by my grandfather’s grandfather. Over the years, some repairs have been made, but most of it is still original.” She glanced at me. “You don’t have to worry about it falling down around you. Hawk has kept it in good repair. He re-chinked the logs two summers ago, so it won’t be drafty.”

She got out of the truck and I followed. At the sound of the truck doors shutting, the twittering of birds stopped momentarily. She stood still for several moments and I followed suit, not exactly sure what we were doing, but I was following her lead. After several moments, the birds started chattering again. She turned to me.

“Just wanted to make sure we were the only ones out here,” she commented.

With that, she headed toward the cabin, about forty yards or so into the distance. The reason it was so hard to spot was because there was no land cleared around it. It was surrounded by trees and underbrush. As we got closer to the cabin I noticed a large bush just off to the right. Jenny saw me looking at it.

“Not as many blackberries this time of year as usual, but help yourself.”

I didn’t think I had been hungry, but the thought of tangy blackberries got my tonsils twanging and my stomach rumbling. She laughed.

“You’ll find everything you need inside for cooking. There’s some canned goods, a can opener, and adequate pots and pans.”

“Okay.”

“You know how to start a fire?”

Was this a trick question? “With matches, yes.”

She laughed. “It may date back to the last century, but you don’t have to start the fire with a flint.” She stepped to the door and opened it.

I was surprised it wasn’t locked. “No lock on the door?” I asked, worried. Not just about four-legged creatures, but also the two-legged ones.

She shook her head. “There’s a bar on the inside that you can put over the door to keep things out.” She pushed the door open and stepped inside, gesturing. “As you can see, there’s plenty of firewood inside. If you need more, it’s stacked out behind the cabin. On top of the mantel are matches, and there should be enough kindling in that bucket sitting on top of that small pile of newspapers to the left to get the fire started.”

My gaze followed her pointing finger. Newspapers, kindling, then log. I felt confident I could start a fire to ward off the chill if the temperatures dipped tonight. Then again, Hawk would be here…

I shook my head, focused my attention back to what she was saying. An old-fashioned pump was attached to a wooden counter beside a stainless steel sink that looked like it had been used for decades.

“You won’t have to prime the pump. I came by on my way into town. Two or three good cranks will get the water going, but use just what you need for washing the dishes.” She looked at me. “There’s no bathtub or shower.”

I was glad I didn’t have to prime the pump because I had no idea what she was talking about. What the heck did that mean anyway? “That’s okay,” I said, referring to a bath. She moved to a small curtain off to the side of the sink. She pulled it open, exposing a small closet. Inside were shelves lined with canned goods.

“I bought a few canned supplies. Beans and franks, SpaghettiOs, chili, so make whatever you’d like. There’s venison jerky in that canvas bag on the shelf below the cans. It’s good, so you don’t have to worry about food poisoning.”

She turned to me, and for the first time, I saw a look of concern.

“Are you going to be all right here, Tracy? Do you want me to stay until Hawk arrives?”

Yes! Please stay with me and hold my hand, I wanted to scream.

“No, you don’t have to,” I said instead. “I’ll be fine. I can’t thank you enough for the trouble you’ve already gone to. I hope I won’t need to impose on your… or Hawk’s hospitality for long.”

She placed a hand on my shoulder. Like Hawk’s, it felt warm and comforting.

“Don’t you worry about any of that. This is about the safest place you can be. But in case you need it, that rifle up above the fireplace is loaded and in good working condition.”

I glanced up and noticed the Winchester rifle, or at least I thought it was a Winchester, hanging from two inverted deer hooves mounted into the wall. I did my best to appear calm, hiding my emotions from Jenny even though my heart had begun to pound in trepidation. I watched as she moved to the door.

“You just get some rest,” she urged. “Lie down, take a nap. That bed is more comfortable than it looks.” She gestured to each side of the door as she stepped toward it. Then pointed to a four-foot long two by four leaning against the wall. “Drop the two by four into the slots on either side of the door if it will make you feel more secure, but I don’t think you’ll need them. Like I said, few people know of this place. No one followed us from town.”

“Thank you again, Jenny. I appreciate it.”

She turned to look at me, and once again I felt like a bug under a microscope. Her discerning gaze seemed to miss nothing. She smiled slightly and then nodded. “You take care of yourself,” she said. “I hope we can talk again. Soon. Under more pleasant circumstances.”

I nodded, wondering what she meant. Was she talking about coming to the cabin, or was she talking about Hawk and I? I doubted he would’ve told his mother how close we had gotten, at least sexually, but then again, mothers had an uncanny way of knowing what their kids were up to.

I watched, leaning against the door jamb as Jenny made her way back to the pickup truck. She opened the door, turned toward me, and waved before climbing inside. I waved, then watched as she turned the truck around and then disappeared into the trees.

Soon, I didn’t even hear the rumbling of the engine. I remained in the doorway, gazing around me. It was early afternoon, but it felt like it was coming on to dusk. Not much sunlight managed to make its way through the trees. It was cool, quiet, nothing but the sound of birds and the gentle rustle of leaves in the occasional breeze. It smelled incredible; the air scented with pine and the hint of ripe blackberries from the bush near the cabin. I decided that maybe I would lie down and rest a while. I was bone weary and exhausted, not only physically, but emotionally.

Feeling rather self-conscious, I decided that I would go to the bathroom before I went back into the cabin and barred the door. And yes, I was going to bar the door. I ventured a short distance into the woods. I didn’t need the shovel. I just needed to pee. Not able to help myself, I looked around and quickly yanked down my pants, squatted, and then only belatedly realized that I didn’t have any toilet paper.