The Legacy (27 page)

What? Toris eyes widened.

Yes.

Who took it from you? Do you know?

Im not sure. He would tell her more about Bennetts conjecture later.

Its too bad you lost it, she said, suddenly crestfallen.

Thats an understatement. But now Ive found out that theres one more tape, he said quietly.

Really?

Yes. My father must have made two.

Thats fantastic. Her excitement returned instantly. And its stored somewhere up here? she asked.

Yes.

Did you have a chance to view the first tape before the person took it away from you? Her voice was trembling slightly.

It was the first time Cole had heard that kind of emotion in her gravelly voice. He nodded.

And? Come on! Tell me what was on it.

It showed that John Kennedy was killed by someone firing a rifle from behind the fence on the grassy knoll.

Oh my God! She banged the dashboard once more, then glanced at Cole apologetically. Sorry again.

Its okay. He had been ready for her reaction this time.

Does the tape prove conspiracy?

Yes, he confirmed. If you assume that someone was up in the Book Depository, too, which I think you can.

That explains all your secrecy. Why we got on the flight to Los Angeles, and why we sat in the first row. It was so we could deplane without someone behind us seeing us.

Thats correct. He paused. If I told you half of what happened to me in Manhattan last week, youd probably have me pull over so you could get out.

Not in the middle of this Black Forest, I wouldnt, Tori assured him. And whats the matter, dont you think I can hold my own in a tough situation?

You didnt seem too happy about the prospect of meeting up with wolves and bears.

Thats different. She turned on the map light, then reached for the Wisconsin map Cole had placed on the dashboard and spread it out across her lap. Show me where were going, she demanded.

He leaned across the seat and pointed at a thin blue line on the map snaking north toward Lake Superior.

She squinted. The Lassiter?

Yes.

Whats so special about it?

I spent a lot of time on the Lassiter when I was growing up.

Does that have anything to do with why your father put the second tape here?

I think so.

Where exactly is the tape? Tori asked.

I wont tell you that.

You still dont trust me.

I dont completely trust anyone at this point, Cole said honestly.

I want your word that NBC will get this tape, she said quickly. As I told you at lunch, Im prepared to pay a lot of money for it. And Ive funded this entire trip, she reminded him, and apparently put myself at some personal risk, though you didnt bother telling me that.

Dont try to hang a guilt trip on me about that. You would have come anyway, even if I had told you.

Thats beside the point. And how do you know I would have come anyway?

You just said you could handle yourself in a tough situation. And you want this tape so badly its eating you up inside. This tape is your Holy Grail. You want to be able to show your bosses at NBC you arent a second-stringer. And theres one more reason you wouldnt have missed all this.

And whats that, Mr. Know-me-so-well?

You want to show your mother you can do something pretty special all on your own.

Tori gazed at him for a few moments, then broke into a wide smile. So you were listening in the cab on the way up to your grandparents apartment. She was impressed. A lot of men can convince you theyre listening when they really arent. Then you find out later they havent heard a word. She hesitated. I want the tape, Cole. You owe me that.

For your troubles, Ill promise you the right of first refusal on the tape, Cole answered definitively. I give you my word that Ill make certain you have a chance to match the highest offer of any other bidder.

Youre going to be a trader to the end, huh? she asked, disappointment obvious in her tone. She knew someone might pay more than what she could offer. Always looking for the best deal, always hungry for the money.

It doesnt have anything to do with being a trader, Cole snapped. People outside the financial business always accused you of being money-hungry when they knew you were a trader. They always accused you of bringing everything in life down to the lowest common denominatorcash. As if they werent trying their hardest to make as much money as they could, too. Youd do the same thing if you were in my position.

I suppose I would, she admitted.

Besides, theres no reason to get excited, Cole warned. I dont have the damn thing yet. He checked the rearview mirror, but there were no headlights. Maybe he really had eluded the pursuers. He glanced at Tori, who was staring off into the darkness again. Or maybe they already had someone very close to him and could follow from a distance.

Fifteen minutes later Cole slowed the Jeep as the road turned rough.

Whats going on? Tori asked. She had been hypnotized by the unbroken line of trees flashing past the window.

We crossed into Oswego County, Cole explained. Its the county the Lassiter River runs through. Were almost home.

Why is the road so bad?

Oswego County is responsible for the road now, and the county isnt what youd call cash-rich.

Why not?

There isnt a whole lot of industry up here. Not much of a tax base.

The line of trees moved suddenly away from the road and Cole guided the Jeep off the crumbling asphalt onto a gravel driveway leading steeply up into the dense pines.

Where are we going? Tori asked, grabbing the handle above the door as Cole guided the vehicle up the hill.

To our lodgings for the evening.

This wasnt the same place Cole and Bennett Smith had stayed last week. The town of Hubbard and that campground were still twenty miles to the north.

Finally the driveway leveled off and a light appeared through the trees. Cole brought the Jeep to a stop and pulled the emergency brake. Were here.

Hey, Cole! On the porch of the log home stood an older man in a checkered flannel shirt, jeans and suspenders. Straight black hair fell to his shoulders.

Who is that? Tori asked hesitantly, looking at the man in the Jeeps headlights.

Billy Threefeathers. Cole smiled as he opened the driver-side door. Hes an old friend of mine. Hes the one who taught me every rapid and every bend of the Lassiter River, and hes our host tonight. Cole hopped out of the Jeep, jogged across the driveway and shook Billys hand warmly as the man stepped down off the porch.

Tori watched Billy Threefeathers and Cole shake hands. In the woods behind the log home she could barely make out a few tiny lights, probably coming from the guest cabins Cole had described to her on the way from Minneapolis. The smaller outer cabins would be their accommodations for the evening. She shivered at the prospect of a night alone in the North Woods. But if it meant getting her hands on that tape, it was a small price to pay.

A touch of the lighted match to the tinder and the fireplace burst into flames. Billy hunched over the hearth a few moments longer, fanning the fire until he was satisfied it would burn for some time. Youll be warm all night now, he said.

Thanks. Tori looked around the small cabin. Flames danced on the cedar walls, creating strange shapes that licked their way to the ceiling. You sure you guys dont want to go back to the main house and tell a few more stories? All that fly-fishing stuff was so fascinating. After a late dinner, Cole and Billy had talked at length about flies, lines, rods and reels, as well as huge fish they had caught. The conversation had bored her to tears, but anything was better than being alone out in this small cabin. Its only midnight, lets drink another bottle of wine.

Sorry, Billy responded. He spoke in a solemn, gentle voice. Its way past my bedtime.

Im tired too, Cole seconded.

Is that fire really going to keep me warm all night? Tori asked dubiously, wrapping her arms around her torso.

The best heat is body heat. Billy laughed, showing two rows of crooked teeth. I dont know why you two want to stay in separate cabins.

It was Coles idea, Tori answered quickly.

Cole shot Tori a curious look. That wasnt true. They hadnt discussed it. He had simply assumed that the sleeping arrangements would be this way.

Tori, the thermostat is on the wall by the door. Cole gestured at it. I came out here a while ago and turned it up. Thats why its warm in here now. The fires a nice touch, but dont worry if it goes out.

Cole had come out to turn up the thermostat and to go through her luggage. Hed found nothing suspicious, but hed taken her cell phone anyway. Now he wasnt worried about her calling any enemies in case he had misjudged her loyalties. There was only one phone in Billys lodge. It was in his bedroom upstairs, and Tori hadnt left the first floor since arriving. She could call someone from a pay phone in Hubbard but the town was miles away and he had the only key to the Jeep.

Well, I gotta go, Billy announced. You can take care of yourself, Cole. You know where the wood is if you want a fire too. But remember to open the flue this time. It still smells of smoke in the cabin you stayed in last time, and that was two years ago.

Tori smiled. So Cole wasnt always as smooth as he thought he was.

Good night, Miss Brown. It was nice meeting you. Billy tipped his ten-gallon hat and turned to go.

Mr. Threefeathers, Tori called after him.

He hesitated at the door. Yes?

Are there any wolves around here?

Billy grinned. No. He shook his head. I guess Coles been doing a little exaggerating about the dangers of the woods.

Tori gave Cole a withering gaze as he tried his best to look innocent.

You dont have to worry about wolves, Billy assured her, pushing open the cabin door. Just the children, and they wont really bother you. Without another word he was gone.

What did he mean by that? Tori asked.

Nothing, Cole said calmly. Hes kidding.

Tell me, Cole. An eerie feeling inched up her spine.

Really

Cole!

All right, all right. Its an old Indian myth. The Chippewas who lived around here considered the Lassiter life-giving. It was the center of activity for the tribe. It gave them fish and rice. They considered it important as far as the afterlife as well. They believed that the closer you were buried to it, the better your afterlife would be, so they buried their dead all along the Lassiter. Those who died young were buried at the headwaters, right down the hill, while the elderly were laid to rest at the mouth, down near Lake Superior. Everyone else was buried somewhere in the middle, according to their age. The older the individual, the farther downriver that person was buried. Cole pointed out the window into the darkness. Some people claim to have seen Chippewa ghosts along the river. Up here at the headwaters they claim to see children. Billy swears he has seen them walking around the cabins at night, but Ive been on the river for fifteen years and stayed in his cabins many times and Ive never seen anything, he said earnestly.

Tori rolled her eyes. Jesus.

Dont worry.

Thats easy for you to say. She followed the shadows of the flames flickering up the walls.

Well, good night. Ive got to get some sleep. Cole walked to the door. Im in the next cabin if you need me. The door swung shut behind him.

Tori moved slowly to the door and gazed through the window, watching Cole walk to his cabin in the glow of the spotlight over the door. The first few snowflakes were beginning to fall.

The children were everywhere, all around her, leading her on, pointing the way toward a man at the edge of a field. He was beckoning silently for her to come to him. Then he faded and she was hanging by her hands from a rope, holding on for dear life, suspended thousands of feet above a city skyline she didnt recognize.

Suddenly Tori came out of the dream and sat bolt upright in the bed, perspiration covering her body. For several moments she stared at the dying embers in the fireplace, breathing hard as her heart raced. Finally she ran her hands through her hair and shook her head. The dream had been so vivid. It was the same dream she had had the night after her lunch with Cole at the Broadway Diner.

Then the howl came. It was a strange moan from the distance, and it made her flesh crawl.

Coyotes were plentiful in the area and harmless to humans, but she didnt know this. She threw the covers back, ran outside and raced barefoot through two inches of new-fallen snow to Coles cabin, yanked open the door and yelled, Cole!

He came to consciousness quickly. What the

Its me!

Tori? Cole reached for the lamp on the nightstand and flicked it on. Whats the matter?

She stood just inside the door, shivering. She was wearing only a New York Knicks T-shirt that ended well above her knees.