The Light at the End of the Tunnel (7 page)

“Great. Lead the way, partner.”

They shook hands, then returned to their
vehicles and Nicole led the way.

****

Breakfast was on its way. The two had been
continuing each other’s histories, both sometimes talking at the
same time, really enjoying their conversation.

Finally the chaplain laid his hands on the
table, doubled his fists, then clasped his hands, “While searching
for you, Nicole, I’ve been studying Soldier of Fortune, and other
survivalist magazines.”

“’
Survivalist?’
” Her face got more
sober than he had yet seen her, “Goodness.” Then she waited.

“I know that sounds a bit dramatic. The thing
is Les Paul is still a baby. From your story we know he’s
already…performing, but he’s not likely to do anything to put
anyone in serious jeopardy for at least two or three or four more
years.”

“Agreed.” She brought her hands to the table
too, and clasped them. Her eyes said she was ready to hear whatever
he had in mind.

“Anyway, I’ve found a few names in these
magazines, of people who can teach us some skills.”

“’
Survivor’
skills?”

“To a point, yes, but not as if we’ll be
living in the wilderness.” He smiled.

“Okay…Go ahead, please.” She smiled back, a
sober, interested, smile.

“Self-defense skills, camping and
some
wilderness survival, maybe some martial arts, handguns and rifles
and shotguns too, just for the knowledge, but I do think we should
each have our own handgun. After all, we’ll be living—basically—on
the road.”

“I’d love to learn to shoot, and I want the
one that Sean Connery used in the James Bond movies. Would we
actually carry them?”

“I would want a shoulder holster at least
available…I guess carrying would depend on the circumstances, and
state laws. I think mainly we’d keep them locked up. No use banging
heads with local law enforcement.”

Their breakfast of French toast, sausage
links, and plenty of maple syrup arrived. They both thanked the
server, but Nicole didn’t know the young girl, so she left
immediately.

“So go on, Radford.” That sober smile
continued, “Tell me more.”

“Okay. I haven’t called anybody yet, and
there aren’t a lot of names, but I wanted to know how you would
feel, and, our final goal is to become licensed private
detectives.”

Her eyes popped, “Oh my God! I’d
love
that!”

Then the chaplain smiled too, “Great. We’ll
make some calls when we leave here, we’ll find some place to sell
my car, and…,” he opened his hands.

Nicole, her smile reaching that bursting
effect, reached across the table and clasped both his hands, “We’ll
kick
butt
, partner!”

Chapter 13 Meet Riley Stokes

The dusty Arizona road had barely been
noticeable from the highway. If the chaplain had not received
specific directions he would not have seen it, and a normal
motorist traveling sixty to seventy mph definitely would not
have.

The tracks led away from the inside of the
curve, another fact that made the road barely noticeable. He turned
onto it.

“Not very well-traveled,” Nicole commented,
“Probably doesn’t even get mail out here.”

“Or if he did he likely would lose the
service with the new round of closures.”

“Probably.” Nicole hung onto the dash as they
went down a grade into a washout. There the tracks got a little
plainer. About a half-mile in they drove onto higher ground and
into a small grove of trees. Among the trees and quite out of
sight, three vehicles of different brands, and all
four-wheel-drives. “Radford, I bet if these guys ever go anywhere
they take only one vehicle. Are you sure you trust this guy?”

“He made a point of telling me, Nicole, that
he’s just inside the law. In fact he suggested I check in with the
county sheriff if I felt uncomfortable.”

“Why didn’t we?”

“Because we need to trust him, Nicole. Had we
went to the law he would have heard about it, and that, to me,
would have raised a red flag for him.”

“Red flag?”

“Right. That we’re absolute amateurs.”

“Well, we are, aren’t we?”

“Yes. And I told him that. He said
‘Fine,
I’ve worked with the rankest of them, and several women.’
”

“He made it a point of saying
‘women?’
”

“Well, yes. I wanted to be sure he didn’t
harbor any animosities toward women.”

“And he doesn’t?”

“I trust him, Nicole. We’ll be fine.”

****

Three more miles and another hour passed.
Ahead lay a sheltered valley with several buildings, horses, more
vehicles, and other livestock.

“A dude ranch?” Nicole asked, then let go
with a quiet, ladylike, laugh.

He glanced at her. She wasn’t smiling, wasn’t
frowning, just sober, he guessed, and definitely looking over what
would likely be their home for a while.

As they approached the most official-looking
building, a man wearing a ten-gallon hat and other cowboy gear
walked from the house. “That’s gotta be the guy I spoke with.”

“I would agree.”

“Yep, he looks the part.” The chaplain
stopped the minivan and looked at his partner, “You do want to do
this, don’t you, Nicole?”

“Yes!” she said quickly, and grasped his
right lower arm and squeezed it, “Of course, Radford, I’m sorry if
I’m giving a different vibe. It’s just that it’s all so new to
me.”

“New to me too, my dear.” He opened the door
and stepped out.

Nicole did the same and came around to the
driver side of the minivan.

The chaplain extended his hand, “I’m Radford
O’Hare and this is my partner, Nicole Waters.”

The man was sun-tanned, had deep lines in his
face, yet appeared young, maybe mid-to-late forties. He took a long
step forward and gripped the chaplain’s hand. “I’m Riley Stokes.”
Then he extended to Nicole, “Glad to meet you, too, Ma’am, and you
might be glad to know there’s one other woman here, besides my
wife.”

“That
is
good to know, Mr. Stokes.”
She smiled a good one.

“And starting now, folks, we all go by first
names only.” He pointed, “Those two low buildings there are the
bunkhouses. The smaller one is for you two ladies, and I’m sure
Sadie will be glad to get a female friend.” The man smiled. The
lines in his face deepened. “You can park your minivan between the
two buildings, get settled in, and then we eat in about a half
hour, right there at the main house.”

“May I ask a question, Riley?” Nicole
asked.

“Of course.”

“Is Sadie here as student…like us?” She
gestured to herself and the Chaplain.

“Yes she is, and she’s here for the same
reason as you folks—well, she didn’t mention eventually becoming a
private detective. I reckon she just wants the training, but, one
never knows. You folks go ahead and get settled in now. I’ll see
you at chow.”

“Thank you,” Nicole said.

The man nodded, waved and walked back toward
the main house. When the man was gone the chaplain turned to
Nicole, “It’ll be good that you will have a female friend, Nicole.
It will give you and me a chance to become better acquainted,
too.”

“I wasn’t worried about the two of us,
Radford, but you’re right. We’ll get to know each other before
we’re constantly stuck with each other.” She gave one of them
prize-winning smiles, “While you’re parking our vehicle I’ll go
meet my new bunkmate. See you later.”

****

Nicole was pleased to see the feminine
furnishings inside the bunkhouse. The walls were a yellowish-beige,
a nice thick carpet of a dusky brown, a small kitchen area,
microwave, refrigerator, table and four chairs, a window facing
each of the four directions…the chaplain backing their minivan into
its temporary stall took her attention. She watched as he got out
and went around to the rear door. A good man the chaplain, somewhat
quiet but a warm heart, far different from any other man she had
met in her previous thirty-one years—

“Hi!”

Nicole turned to see a slender young woman a
little shorter than herself, with a ferocious mane of black hair
and bright blue eyes come in the door. Smiling, she stepped forth
and held out her hand, “I’m Sadie.”

Nicole grasped her warm and strong-feeling
hand, “I’m Nicole, and I’m with the man parking our minivan.”

“I met him before I came in. A gentleman, I
must say.” Her smile increased.

Nicole felt a fleeting rush of
jealousy—
where on earth did THAT come from?

“Did you get to the bathroom yet?” Sadie
asked.

“No, I…I, was just standing here and admiring
your—
our
—home away from home, I guess.”

“Well, come on. I’ll show you.” Sadie
gestured to follow, “So, you’ve come clear
from—where?—Nebraska?

“Yes. Nebraska. We spent three days coming
down, though—we took a couple side trips. Might as well tour when
one has the chance, right?”

“Right, so, unless you spent three nights in
a motel I bet you haven’t had a bath for a while. Just wait till
you see it. We have a shower
and
a bath—when I got here from
Oregon I couldn’t believe it…out here in the middle of
nowhere.”

“Yes, it is,” Nicole agreed, as they started
for the bathroom, “How do
you
like it here?”

“Riley’s good…” Sadie appeared to lose some
of her—Nicole could only think of winsomeness, as she at first
hesitated, then continued, “Some of his men, though….”

Nicole stopped them, “Yes, what? Talk to me,
Sadie.”

“Well, they’re men. They’re out here in the
high desert with no women, at least not the kind of women they’re
probably used to—I know! I’m categorizing them, and probably
unfairly. I’ve been able to keep them away…so far, anyway, and they
are
good teachers—and maybe it’s their baldness that bugs
me.”

“’
Baldness?’
”

“They aren’t bald. They shave their head so
there’s always those dark whiskers—I look at them and I always
think skinhead!—but just the fact that they’re men, too, and I’m a
woman maybe keeps them thinking that, eventually, well, you
know.”

“I do, Sadie. I’ve been fighting men off for
years, and I’m glad to have found
my
man.

“So you two are together? I wasn’t sure.”

“Well, we aren’t exactly
together
together, but I think we’re both
planning
on it.”

“You
think
?”

Nicole wasn’t sure if she had been smiling,
or not, but she did feel her face change. Before that very moment
she had never felt really close to a man, not emotionally, and she
didn’t feel it toward the chaplain, or
did
she? She didn’t
know for sure, and she had not expected to have to stand up to
another woman in the manner she was feeling that she might have to
stand up to Sadie…

“Ohhhh, I’m sorry, Nicole.” Sadie touched her
arm to move them along toward the bathroom, “I didn’t mean for you
to think that I’m out to get your man, cause I’m not. It’s just
that it’s good to see another gentleman arrive—so look!” she said,
“Isn’t that little bathroom just a sight for sore eyes? And we have
our own well and our power is solar, so unlimited hot water!”

Nicole put her left hand on Sadie’s upper
right arm and turned toward her, “Thank you, Sadie,” then she gave
the smaller woman a short hug.

****

The evening meal arrived. Everybody was
introduced. Four trainers sat at one table, and Riley Stokes joined
the chaplain and Nicole. A couple more minutes passed before a
fresh-looking Sadie arrived, joined the second table and sat next
to Nicole.

“Sorry to be late,” Sadie said.

“No problem,” Riley said, “I’ve said it
before: This isn’t boot camp, but we do like to run a tight
ship.

“Riley was in the navy,” Sadie informed them,
and gave a bright smile.

A sound of a metal spoon banging on a metal
cooking pot brought everybody to attention, as the cook lifted two
wooden doors that covered the counter where the meal was lined up.
Two of the trainers got in line, another man maybe ten years older
than Riley and another man maybe ten years younger. Both were
deeply tanned and close to six feet tall and less than two hundred
pounds. Sadie was next, then Nicole, then the chaplain, then the
other two trainers, who both were shaved bald, and shorter and
blockier than the first two, and both around thirty.

Riley Stokes brought up the rear, “I always
go last,” he announced, “Sort of like the captain being last to
leave a sinking ship.” He grinned, “Or, in the case of the movie
‘Titanic’
going down
with
the ship.”

Both women laughed, the chaplain smiled, the
four trainers gave an assortment of laughs and comments. To the
chaplain the group of people all seemed nice, almost like a family,
except for no mother figure. He then wondered where Riley’s wife
was.

“So, where you sit for meals we assume is
called the captain’s table?” asked the chaplain, surprising
everybody, especially Nicole.

“That’s correct, Radford.” Riley said, and
gave a good-natured-appearing grin.

“You’re a good captain, Riley!” said the
older man in the front of the line, now leaving with a heaped
plate, “Always leading the charge, too.”

Behind the counter in the very
clean-appearing kitchen stood two more men, one obviously the cook,
both wearing a white apron and a chef’s hat. “Everybody takes a
turn at mess-cooking,” Riley said, “That’s Sheldon back there now—“
the shorter of the two men waved, but remained almost angrily sober
“—so he’ll be rejoining the trainers tomorrow, and little Sadie
will take over mess-cooking duties.”

That brought a quick look back and a quick
grin from Sadie, but not a smile.

The meal passed quietly. Everybody,
evidently, was hungry and tired, because, when people finished
eating, they quickly left.