The Forgotten Eden (45 page)

“‘
I’d bet Grandpa would think the same thing as me,’ I continued. ‘I’ll even bet the folks who’ve gone to the trouble of tearing this place up know something about it, too. I mean, why would they go and do all of this work to the area now, in the middle of nowhere, after it’s been neglected for so long? Don’t you see the strange connection in all of this? You should at least be open to what I’m thinking after all we’ve been through this year!’

“
I turned away for a moment, allowing my gaze to wander throughout the area. It always fascinated me how sparse the wooded areas in southern Alabama would look in late fall and throughout the winter, as compared to spring and in the summer months. I could see for quite a distance in any direction. But I clearly recalled this very place in summer, when visibility beyond a few feet into the dense foliage was a virtual impossibility.

“‘
I think you believe it, too, Jeremy,’ I said, turning to face him. ‘I’d bet money on it.’

“
Jeremy just snickered and shook his head.

“‘
We might never know for sure on that, Jackie.’

“‘
Why not?’

“‘
Well for one thing, I rarely kiss and tell,’ he said, smiling wryly. ‘But for another, we’ve got company.’

“
He pointed to a figure in a flannel shirt and hunters cap carrying a rifle with a scope on it, climbing over the Indian burial mounds located just to the south. Once the man reached the bottom of the last mound, he ran toward us.

“‘
We better get the hell out of here!’ urged my brother, limping more noticeably as we raced out of the clearing.

“
From behind, we heard a loud report from the man’s rifle, though we didn’t hear a bullet whistle by. I figure he shot a warning toward the sky. But he needn’t worry, for we weren’t planning to stay or go back there anytime soon. We didn’t stop until we reached Jeremy’s truck on the river’s other side.

“
We sped out of there and didn’t slow down until we were on Baileys Bend Road again, all the while checking our rearview mirrors to see if anyone followed us. We struggled to catch our breath as our run had been damn near a mile, and streams of sweat ran down our faces.

“‘
Whew-w-w!!!
That
was close!’ I said, relieved the danger was safely behind us.

“‘
I wonder what that fucker was up to back there, anyway?’ said Jeremy. ‘Hunting Season’s over now, isn’t it?’

“‘
I believe it ended last week,’ I replied.

“‘
Perhaps that stuff sitting in the clearing was his, or at least his to guard,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t see his face too well, but from where we were standing, he looked pretty pissed.’

“‘
We better let Grandpa know about this.’

“‘
Why? It’ll just upset him because he’ll know we were there. I think that’s a bad idea.’

“‘
I think we should tell him regardless, Jeremy,’ I countered, turning toward him to better emphasize my point. ‘He’d be mad just a little, since I’m sure he’d appreciate the information we’d be sharing with him.’

“‘
We’ll see,’ he sighed. ‘I still think it’s a bad idea, but let’s think on it until we get home. Okay?’

“
I agreed to wait, and before long we were heading north on Highway Forty-three. For the next half hour, we rode in silence. I let my mind drift back to the first time I met Genovene near the river’s edge. If I’d only known the truth about her then…. The whole mess could’ve been avoided.

“‘
You’re thinking about all of this shit, too, huh?’ Jeremy asked, as he watched me stare in silence through the passenger-side window.

“‘
Uh-huh. I’m just trying to make sense of it all.’

“‘
Well, don’t kill yourself doing that, Jackie,’ he said. ‘We may never know for certain with all the bullshit happening around here.’

“‘
Perhaps you’re right,’ I said. ‘Do you believe we’ll ever get back to having a normal life like everybody else?’

“
I turned to see his reaction. He smiled weakly. The look on his face one of curious admiration, like he was truly growing to like me despite every effort on his part to see me like he once did. But things had changed significantly since then, as life had changed. More importantly,
I’d
changed, with a more detached outlook on life.

“‘
I seriously doubt it, Jackie,’ he said. ‘Sorry I can’t offer you a rainbow and sunshine in regard to our future. That’s just the way I see it.’

“‘
Yeah, I figured as much,’ I sighed. ‘I hope you’re wrong.’

“‘
Me, too, Jackie—
Goddamn it!!
Here they come again!!
’

“
He grimaced, looking into the rearview mirror. He stepped harder on the gas and I glanced in the passenger-side mirror, craning my neck to confirm the burgundy sedan that’d snuck onto the highway.

“
No matter how fast or slow we traveled, the mysterious car kept pace, fifty to sixty feet behind us. Jeremy launched into one of his worst profanity-laced tirades. He pushed the throttle even harder, and the truck roared along the highway. Even so, the sedan closed the gap between us to less than a hundred feet. As if its occupants wanted to reaffirm we couldn’t escape their surveillance. The sedan stayed with us until just a few miles from our uncle and aunt’s home, and then disappeared from our view.

“
We did tell Grandpa about our little adventure, but not until Christmas. Since we didn’t plan to ever go back to Carlsdale, he readily forgave our broken promises.

“
The continual surveillance lasted the next few years, even after Grandpa purchased a new home for us all in Tuscaloosa. A lot smaller than our beloved farmhouse, he seemed okay with the three-bedroom bungalow located near the southern outskirts of town. The house itself another old one, built in the late nineteenth century, he said it reminded him of the home he and our grandma briefly rented when they got married.

“
I did well, in athletics and my schoolwork at St. Andrews, and decided to attend the University of Alabama on a full-ride baseball scholarship. Meanwhile, Grandpa and I were just as proud of Jeremy for straightening out his life and for his newfound ambitions. I damn near had to pinch myself when he raced through Alabama’s undergraduate program in three years, maintaining a near perfect 3.98 GPA. And, now he’s doing the same thing while finishing work on his master’s degree in ancient studies at the University’s graduate program.

“
I guess that pretty much brings us up to date, Agen—I mean, Peter.”

Jack settled back in his chair again, only this time relieved. A little euphoric as well. The revelation of so many secrets to a complete stranger lifted a burden from his soul.

***

“
Well, okay then. Absolutely, that’s an
incredible
story, Jack!”

Seeming quite pleased, Peter stood up and walked over to the coffee machine and threw his empty cup into the nearly full wastebasket next to it. He then came back to the table and turned the recorder off.

“
I’ll be right back. I’ve gotta go again,” he advised, motioning to the restroom. “When I return, we’ll wrap things up and get out of here.”

“
Sounds good,” said Jack.

He watched the agent disappear into the restroom, feeling confident he and Jeremy would return home to Tuscaloosa by the next day at the latest. But he worried about Jeremy’s reaction to the fact he’d broken the vow of silence they shared with their grandfather.

When Peter returned to his seat at the table, he came armed with a fresh cup of coffee.

“
Do you want anything more to drink, Jack?”

“
Nah, I’m fine.”

“
Are you sure?”

“
Yeah. But, I’m just about ready for dinner.”

“
Me, too, brother. Me too.” Peter smiled and stirred a small packet of cream into his steaming cup, breaking his routine by adding something to his usual black coffee. “I must say you’ve been very helpful, especially to me personally, Jack. I’m very grateful for the information you’ve provided me.”

He removed the recorder from the table and placed it inside the duffel bag. He then folded his hands in front of himself on the table.

“
As I told you earlier, it’s my turn to provide some meaningful information.”

“
Does that mean I get to check out those two books now?” asked Jack.

“
Well, to be honest with you, I’d rather you wait to check them out while we’re driving you guys to the airport,” he said, frowning slightly as he glanced at his wristwatch. “Actually, I’d really like for you and Jeremy to accompany me to Richmond tonight, and then fly home from there tomorrow. In fact, I’d
truly
appreciate it if you’d do this, because I’d like to introduce you to my boss, Stu Johnson. He might even grant you access to some of the more interesting items locked away in our archives. At least it would give you more time to review these books.”

“
This isn’t the same ‘Stu Johnson’ my grandfather dealt with, is it?”

Jack’s contentment faded and Peter seemed taken aback by the question’s implications. The agent looked as if he never considered this notion before. He chuckled nervously. But his radiant smile soon returned, and he eyed Jack in much the same way a loving parent would eye their young child who claimed to have found a boogey man lying in wait under the bed.

“
No, Jack. I’m positive they’re not the same person,” he assured him. “For one thing, it takes a long time to move up in the ranks of any federal agency, and if we do the math involved here, the ‘Stu Johnson’ your grandpa knew would have had to be with us for at least a decade before he encountered him, say what…almost twenty years ago? Yeah, that would be right, because the report on the sphere was published that long ago.

“
The ‘Stu Johnson’ I work for has been with us for only twenty-two years, and would’ve been a kid practically fresh out of college if he was in fact the FBI agent who set your grandpa off so badly back then. It’s just not possible. Besides, I’d be willing to bet we’ve had a lot of other guys with that name who’ve worked for our agency over the years.”

Peter straightened in his chair, keeping his hands folded together just beyond his cup of coffee, in affect corralling it with his arms. If not for the strong sincerity exuding from him, Jack would’ve lumped him right then with the life insurance salesmen who used to call on his grandfather.

“
You’d like the man I work for, I guarantee it,” Peter continued. “He’s a great guy, and one of the most compassionate men I’ve ever been around. He took me under his wing when I began my career, after my father introduced us down in New Orleans. Then, after his promotion to our Richmond office, he recruited me specifically to assist him with the ‘unusual’ cases we have that deal with the paranormal. He has the same level of passion for this kind of thing I have, and is the one who told me you and your brother were here. In fact, he arranged for this very interview. I’m sure you’ll find him to be a powerful ally for you and your family.”

Jack wasn’t sure what to think of this information on Stu Johnson. On the one hand, he trusted Peter’s earnestness, knowing the agent believed in what he told him. But on the other hand, he wasn’t so sure the ‘Stu Johnson’ who kept his grandfather prisoner in his own house for three months was in fact a different man. Peter’s argument that his boss would’ve been too young for such an assignment didn’t convince Jack in the least. The strongest evidence for this sat across the table in the person of Peter himself. Jack knew the man was at most a few years older than he, and had been handed a fairly high-profile investigation. Even the senior agents present earlier deferred to the much younger agent from their Richmond office the very instant he entered the interrogation room.

Jack’s stomach began to rumble loudly, so he decided the issue wasn’t worth worrying about.

“
Perhaps you’re right,” he said. “As far as the trip to Richmond is concerned, I’d like to do that. I’ll need to check with Jeremy first to make sure it’s okay with him.”

“
I certainly understand,” said Peter. “I’ll get the ball rolling to get you both out of here shortly, after I share a few things with you.”

He leaned in closer, just enough to show the importance of what he was about to tell him.

“
I’ll start with a curious item or two,” he said, his voice quieted. “Then I’ll wrap it up with some current events I want you to keep in mind as you return home. First, I’ve got another interesting tidbit concerning the tool shed. Since you haven’t been back to Carlsdale lately, I doubt you know about this.

“
Malcolm Donohue apparently felt it was an eyesore, though surely he knew something of its strange history when he bought your place. My guess is he didn’t know near as much as we do, since he tried to move it. The structure is anchored in bedrock, Jack, which you might not be aware of. After considerable effort and expense, Mr. Donohue obtained the means to remove it from the property. No sooner than his people dug it up, loaded it onto a flatbed truck, and then hauled it away, the mysterious structure somehow made it back to the exact spot where it had rested before.”

“
You’re kidding?” Jack felt envious of whoever saw this happen.

“
No, it’s true,” said Peter. “Mr. Donohue had guards stationed on the property, perhaps related to the gunman you and Jeremy encountered. They followed the truck as it turned onto Lelan’s Way, and before they made it back to their post, they saw the tool shed or whatever this structure really is sitting in its original spot. It’s still there today. Mr. Donohue decided to leave it where it is, covering it with a facade in the ‘Honey Bear’ children’s section of his amusement park.”