RUNAWAY TWINS (Runaway Twins series #1) (4 page)

The van driver and the
guard entered through the front door, stomping their feet and complaining about the snow. “At least a foot thick,” said the guard. “It was tough going all the way.”

Their arms were laden with supplies, and they headed for the kitchen where Rachel, Janie and Justin sat eating their dinner. Two of Elder Mobly’s wives were busy at the counter and both rushed to help the men with their bags and packages.

Rachel looked at her watch, whispered something to her sister and Justin, and then said loudly, “Where’s Mrs. Riggs?”

There was no immediate answer from either of the men; and then the guard, after disposing of his portion of the supplies, removed his coat and said slowly, “Missoula—we took her to Missoula…She’ll be going to Texas. The Prophet has a Temple in the Hill Country near Austin. Mrs. Riggs wanted a fresh start.”

The older of the two wives, a woman in her forties, turned from the cabinet she was restocking. She was frail and nervous, and she wiped her hands on her apron. “How about some nice peach cobbler, children? Maybe with some ice cream?”

Rachel looked at her and wondered why the woman was so uncomfortable. “No, thank you,” she said. And Janie and Justin said no as well.

The younger wife, a girl of fifteen or sixteen with a vacant expression said, “The cobbler’s good. You kids should try some.”

Rachel thought it seemed inappropriate for the girl to call them “kids” when she was no more than a kid herself. But maybe life here in the Bitterroot Mountains with Elder Mobly and his other three wives had caused her to grow up faster than she might have under other circumstances.

When the driver and the guard departed, Janie whispered to Justin and Rachel, “Why are the driver and the guard still here? Why didn’t they go back to Sheba Hill?”

“I don’t know, but I have my suspicions,” said Rachel. She looked at her watch again. “They didn’t have time to take Mrs. Riggs to Missoula. They’re lying.”

“Do you think they hurt her?” asked Janie.

Justin whispered, “Or worse, maybe. I watched when they left. They used the old road behind the complex. It might join the highway somewhere later on, but I don’t think so. I think it heads higher…deeper into the mountains.”

Janie started, “But why—”

Rachel put her hand on her sister’s arm. “Don’t you see? They must’ve decided Mrs. Riggs was untrainable. They don’t want her on the loose, telling the truth about the Prophet and his madhouse. Bad publicity and maybe jail time for the leaders….I think they took her on a one-way trip into the wilderness and disposed of her.”

Janie gasped. “You mean killed her?” She’d spoken a bit louder than she’d intended and both wives looked over sharply.

“What’re you kids talking about so seriously?” said the frail, older wife. “There’s no need for secrets around here.” She attempted a smile, but only her mouth was involved, and her eyes remained empty and devoid of warmth. “After all, we’re one big family here, and we share everything.”

Justin snickered. “Yes, you certainly do that.”

“Two thoughts,” said Rachel when
they were in their classroom waiting for Elder Mobly to conduct their evening sessions. “One, we’d better start pretending we’re getting the message, coming around. If we don’t, Mobly might call the Prophet and we’ll find out for sure what happened to Mrs. Riggs, and I don’t think we’ll like it. Two, we need to figure out some way to get out of this place.”

Janie frowned. “But we’re in the Bitterroot Mountains, miles from anywhere. I didn’t see any houses on the way up here, and I doubt there’s anything above us either.”

“Maybe we could steal one of their cars or the van,” said Rachel.

“Do either of you know how to drive?” Justin asked.

Both shook their heads.

“Neither do I,” he said. “So we walk out.”

Rachel said, “It’d be better to die out there than to have to listen to any more of the Sheba Hill loyalty crud we’re hearing. Every time Mobly opens his mouth I want to smash him with an iron frying pan.”

“We won’t die,” Justin said, “not if we prepare properly. Remember, I told you I’m trained in this sort of thing. We could load up our rooms with the necessities—I can tell you what we need. We can do it little by little. I’m from Alaska, remember. My father and my uncle were survivalists. They rescued lost climbers, skiers, pilots—you name it—and they taught me a lot of what they knew. If we prepare right, we won’t die. It’ll be hard going if we’re forced up into the higher Bitterroots, but I promise you, we’ll survive.”

“Couldn’t we go down?” Janie asked.

“I don’t think so. That’s the first direction they’ll search. They’d be on us in no time, and –”

Elder Mobly strode into the room, his long face serious and filled with purpose. “Okay, children, let’s get down to business. We’ve got a lot to cover.”

“Where’s Mrs. Riggs?” asked Justin.

“She wanted to go to the Texas compound, so we accommodated her,” he said.

No one argued with him, and Rachel smiled and said, “Let’s get into our lessons. I think we’re starting to get the point.”

Mobly said, “Good, good. I had hopes for all of you. I told them you’d come around. Perhaps I was correct.”

Rachel and Janie shared a
double bed in a small sparsely furnished room on the second floor. The bed was no problem because the girls had always slept together. In fact, since the day they were born, they had not spent a single night in separate beds. Tonight Justin had plopped on their bed and the girls were sprawled on the floor looking up at him. He lay on his stomach with his head hanging over the side.

“Is there any way to find out for sure what happened to Mrs. Riggs?” asked Janie.

“I think so,” said Justin. “I’m going to sneak out later and see if I can track them—see where they went. But I might not be able to because of the fresh snow. My hope is the snow stopped before they got underway.

“Will you be okay?” asked Rachel. “Won’t you get lost?”

He laughed. “One time my father flew my uncle and me to a spot ninety miles from Anchorage and told us to find our way home. We made it, and we only had a knife and some fishhooks. I think I’ll be okay.”

There was always someone on
duty during the night, watching the three exits from the central keep. The Moblys claimed the reason for the guard was to protect those inside, but Justin knew the real reason was to prevent anyone from escaping. It seemed to be a needless precaution, for even if someone managed to get outside, there was little chance for that person to survive the wilderness and find his way back to civilization. Justin smiled. Little chance unless that person was a trained survivalist.

But tonight he had no long-term escape plan on his mind. He merely wished to get outside for a temporary reconnaissance, to find out where the van driver and the guard had taken Mrs. Riggs and to determine for future reference what kind of terrain lay behind and above the camp.

He inched down the hardwood stairs, listening carefully at each step for any creaking or snapping. When he reached the first floor landing, he peaked around the corner to see who was on duty and to determine the best way to proceed. At first, he couldn’t see anyone and he thought he might have chosen a night when they had left the place unguarded. But as he examined the room more closely, he saw the van driver asleep by the fire, a bottle of liquor standing on the table beside him. Perfect, thought Justin. Maybe the silly fool had drunk himself into a stupor. If so it would be easy to sneak out the back door and then sneak back in later. He crept down from the landing and began to walk slowly toward the exit. When he stepped past the driver’s overstuffed chair, he realized his care was unnecessary, for the man was snoring loudly. It was clear that Justin could have clomped across the floor wearing hobnailed boots and the guard would not have moved a muscle.

Justin strode quickly to the rear door and let himself out with no concern for the noise he was making. He checked the door to assure himself it remained unlocked for his return and then stepped out onto the deck. He was greeted by a blast of cold wind that made him glad he had dressed in layers and had worn his heaviest coat. He adjusted his hood and scarf, felt for the flashlight in his pocket, and set out into the dark night.

He was pleased to see the snow had stopped before the men had begun their drive with Mrs. Riggs. The four-wheel-drive vehicle they had used had left discernable ruts in the dirt road and now it was merely a matter of following those tracks until they led to their ultimate destination higher in the mountains. Justin was now more convinced than ever that the van driver and the guard had not taken Mrs. Riggs to Missoula. He hoped he was wrong about the alternative, but he was determined to discover the truth.

Early the next morning Justin
knocked lightly on Rachel and Janie’s bedroom door. Rachel answered, dressed in a flannel robe, her eyes still puffy from sleep, her blonde hair untidy and falling about her face. When she saw who it was she recovered at once and said, “Hurry, come in, before someone sees you!” She then stepped into the hall and looked both ways to make sure no one was watching.

Janie was still in bed, and when she saw Justin she rose to a sitting position with her back against the headboard and the covers pulled up to her chin. “Did you do it?” she asked. “Did you get out last night? Are you just coming in?”

“No, no,” he said, “I’ve been back for hours. I even got some sleep. I was outside until a little past two.” He straddled the straightback chair he had pulled across the room.

Rachel, who had crawled back in bed next to her sister said, “You were brave to go out in the cold.”

“I was prepared. Believe me, compared to Alaska, it was nothing….It didn’t take me long to figure out what they’d done. I followed their SUV tracks for about three miles up into the Bitterroots. Then I followed their walking trail as they tramped across the snow for another half mile. Mrs. Riggs’ tracks were there too, and for most of the way she was fighting them.”

Janie’s light green eyes widened. “How could you tell that?”

“Because they were dragging her like a sack of potatoes. Then she would walk on her own for a while, and then they would drag her again. She was fighting them for sure.”

Rachel’s eyes filled with tears. Janie tried to speak, but when she saw her sister crying, she too broke down and began to sob. They both tried to regain control, but they were unsuccessful and their sobs increased. “Mrs. Riggs was so unhappy,” Rachel said finally.

“She was a threat to them,” said Justin.

The girls regained their composure and Janie said, “Tell us the rest.”

“Their trail ended at an abandoned mine. It was boarded up, but I could tell the boards had been taken off and replaced. Some were still lying on the ground. I made a hole big enough to get in, and I found the tracks again. They went on inside for about a hundred yards and then stopped. It was obvious what they’d done. There was an open downshaft in the mine, at the end of the main tunnel. I flashed my light into the shaft, but I couldn’t see the bottom, so I tossed in a rock and it took forever to make a sound. I think Mrs. Riggs is down there. There were only two sets of tracks leaving the mine.”

Justin watched the twins as they absorbed the news. They were white-faced and still. They had shifted their position slightly on their bed and were now holding each other tightly. He was astonished by how identical they were. Only their nightclothes and their eyes made it possible for him to tell them apart. He got to his feet.

Janie said, “Are you certain she’s dead? Maybe she’s alive down there.”

“Not possible. It’s a hundred feet to the bottom of the shaft, maybe more. There was probably an elevator there in the old days. And I think they killed her before they shoved her in. There were signs of a struggle at the hole and what might be bloodstains on the wall.”

Rachel said, “We have to make sure they don’t toss us down that hole. We need to put on a good act, make them think they’re converting us.”

Justin nodded. “While we plan our escape.”

“But where will we go?” asked Janie. “And who will listen to us? We’re only kids.”

“Kids who know where a body is buried,” said Justin, “maybe more than one body.”

The Prophet J.J. Flack, two
additional security guards, two disenchanted wives, a rebellious deacon, and a contingent of assorted brothers and elders arrived at Bitterroot Camp three days later. They all stomped the snow off their boots on the porch, handed their coats and scarves to Elder Mobly and his wives, and entered the great room. Flack’s black eyes scanned the lounging area and found Janie and Rachel who were sitting close together on a leather loveseat not far from the roaring fire. He assessed them with obvious satisfaction, ignoring Justin, who sat on a matching chair a few feet away.

The girls recoiled in shock, for there had been no advanced warning of the Prophet’s visit. Mobly had surely known, but had not seen fit to inform his charges. Janie slouched lower in her seat and whispered to Rachel, “What’s
he
doing here?” Rachel shook her head, and both girls slid even lower and backward into the leather, as if the soft cushions could envelop them and make them invisible.

Justin didn’t react at all to the newcomers, except to narrow his eyes and stare at the hatchet-faced leader of the Sheba Temple as if the Prophet were a long-haired demon. Justin then turned to Rachel and Janie, and without speaking, made it clear by his expression he understood what the girls must be feeling.

The main body of the entourage headed for the kitchen area and refreshments, but the Prophet strode purposefully across the room toward the three young people. Janie sighed, Rachel gasped, and Justin narrowed his eyes even further until they were tiny slits in his face. The Prophet stood majestically in front of the loveseat. “And how are my little friends?” he said to the girls, ignoring Justin.

The twins shrugged and sank even lower on the loveseat. They remained silent.

“A bit shy are we?” said the Prophet.

They still didn’t respond, and Justin spoke for them. “They’re okay, sir. We’re all okay. We’re trying, sir.”

The Prophet turned his head and shot Justin a bored look, as if he couldn’t quite place the young boy. “Yes,” he said, “I’ve been told there’s been improvement.” He turned back to the girls. “I’m pleased. I’ll be attending the sessions myself for the next few days….And then, we shall see.”

That night Justin came to
the girls’ room and found them both shivering, even though it was quite warm.

“Why has he come?” asked Janie. “Why? Maybe he’s come to take us back to Sheba. If he does, we’ll never get away.”

As was his custom, Justin flopped face down on the end of the bed. “He’s brought some new Sheba rebels with him. Maybe his being here has nothing to do with you two.”

Rachel shook her head. “He didn’t need to come along just to escort them. The security guards could have done that. He came here to check up on Janie and me. He wants us, and he wants to make sure he stays in control. Janie might be right. Maybe he’s come to take us back with him.”

“We’ll be thirteen soon,” said Janie.

Justin sat up. “Then we need to get away from here sooner rather than later. We can’t just talk about escaping. We need to take action.”

With her arms wrapped around herself, Rachel said, “He might let his plans slip in class. We’ll have to listen carefully, see if we can figure out what’s in his mind.”

“I already know what’s in there,” said Justin. He blew his breath upward, causing his dark bangs to flutter.

“Evil,” said Janie.

“Of course,” Rachel said, “but we need to know his plans.”

Justin nodded. “And we need to get ready to head up into the mountains. I’m already squirreling things away under the slats of my bed, but there’s not a whole lot of room there. Let’s go over the list I gave you so you can add to our stash. Put the stuff somewhere you can get at quickly. We might need to run on a moment’s notice.”

Elder Mobly introduced the sullen
new recalcitrants from the Sheba Temple and then gushed over the presence of the great man himself in the training room. Mobly spent forty-five minutes reminding those present how fortunate they were to have a man of J.J. Flack’s stature in such close proximity. Mobly then spent an additional hour reviewing the history of the Flack family and the history of the Sheba Hill Assembly. He began with the split from the sadly misinformed Latter-Day-Saint brothers and sisters, progressed to the Dakota interval, and then pulled his talk together with a thorough review of the present Montana adventure on Sheba Hill.

When the elder had finished his recitation, one of the rebellious wives snorted and expressed her antagonism toward the whole Sheba Hill experience. She concluded her diatribe with another snort and then fixed her eyes on the wall beside her much as Mrs. Riggs had done before her tragic departure.

Justin and the twins reacted with alarm. They exchanged hurried, knowing glances, as if to say that if the newcomer continued to behave in such a manner in front of these dark murderous men, she might very well follow in Mrs. Riggs’ footsteps. Rachel intervened. She scooted her chair closer to the wife and said, “Sometimes we need to concentrate on listening. We
think
we know the answers, but sometimes we don’t. We listen, we learn.” She punctuated her advice by reaching for the older woman’s hand.

The woman snorted again and Janie and Justin chimed in with additional input, echoing Rachel’s comments and adding counsel of their own. All three young people then got to their feet and gathered around the woman’s desk to let her know she was not alone, that they would be her friends.

She seemed to respond faintly, and even managed a weak nod. Rachel stroked her hair and Janie held her hand. Justin said, “We’re here for you.”

The Prophet watched from his chair in the corner near the door, a pleased smile on his face, a light in his black eyes. “I’m impressed, Elder Mobly. You
are
making progress. Things may very well move along faster than we planned. He rose to his feet and moved to the front of the classroom. “Now, with your permission, I’d like to conduct the next session. Will everyone please return to their seats?”

His lesson consisted almost entirely of tributes to his father and grandfather and other assorted Flacks. He reminded his captive audience of the Flack-God partnership that had always allowed members of the Sheba Hill congregation direct access to the mind of the Almighty.

Though it was terribly difficult, Justin and the girls managed to feign interest in the Prophet’s words, and were even able to emit several positive-sounding grunts during appropriate pauses.

The Prophet nodded with approval at their response, and at the conclusion of the session, he announced, “Rachel and Janie Lemon, would you please stay after the others are dismissed? I have something I want to share with you—a surprise.” As he spoke, his mouth widened from a smile to a grin, but his eyes showed no warmth or humor at all.

The girls were stunned. They exchanged anxious glances and watched helplessly as everyone else left the room. Justin tried to offer silent comfort as he passed their desks, but he soon disappeared, and they were left alone to face their leering suitor.

“I actually have
two
surprises for you today,” he said, standing before them.

“Two?” said Janie.

He nodded. “As you know, God has instructed me to cancel your wedding to Elder Hank Biggars. What you don’t know is that God has also informed me you ladies are to become part of my family.” He paused to allow them time to express their wonder and satisfaction at his revelation. The thought that they might not be gloriously pleased had apparently not entered his mind.

Janie and Rachel stared into each other’s eyes. They, of course, already knew what the Prophet’s intentions were regarding their future; but they also knew they weren’t supposed to be aware of his plans.

Rachel said, “Your family?” her eyes still locked on her sister’s.

His grin widened to show his incisors. “Yes, we’ll have a grand wedding, a double portion wedding. God came to me in the night and told me I was to have a double portion in you ladies. And I promised Him I would give you a double portion in return. Each of you will receive
twice
what my other wives have.”

The girls sensed they couldn’t act too enthusiastic about his announcement. If they did they might come across as insincere, and he would pick up on it at once. But they also knew they must react somehow, and without negative overtones.

Rachel took the lead. “We don’t know what to say, sir. This is all too new for us. We’re too inexperienced to—”

He touched her arm and she drew back sharply. Her reaction caused the Prophet’s mouth to default to its natural cold sneer. “I won’t hurt you, dear,” he said. “I was merely going to reassure you that I have enough experience for the three of us in all of these matters. All you two must do is trust me, follow me—and by that I mean submit yourself to God’s will.”

Rachel recovered and said, “You mentioned two surprises.”

“The second surprise is that when I return to Sheba Hill in three days, I’m taking you two with me.”