Hunting Season (22 page)

“We should have stopped while it was still light,” Claire said.

More salt in the wound.

“We could have built a fire.”

Another pinch or two.

The thought of fire made Henry colder than he already felt. He rubbed his arms, wishing he’d brought the fleece he left in the car. The windbreaker he wore just didn’t cut it in the damp cold of the night.

“Do you have matches?” Henry kicked a tree limb out of his way.

“No.”

“Do you know how to make a fire?” Another limb flew to the side.

“No.”

“Then quit talking about fire.” Henry stopped and turned to Claire. “But we should camp for the night.”

Claire pulled herself close to him. “What are we going to do?”

Henry didn’t know but figured only one option made sense. He shined his LED keychain micro-light on the nearest tree and thanked God he’d kept the light instead of taking it off with the knife which once hung next to it. Then he regretted taking the knife off and stopped thinking about both.

“We’ll just sleep next to this tree. When the sun comes up, we’ll back track and go the way we should have gone earlier.”

Her arms wrapped around him. “It’s getting colder.”

“Which is another reason we should stop.” Henry circled his arms around her back. “It’ll be easier to stay warm if we curl up. We’re burning a lot of calories.”

“Okay. But you get the first watch. I’m dead tired.”

*  *  *  *  *

Claire slept, her head nestled in Henry’s shoulder.

Henry stared. At nothing in particular. The moon shined bright but the trees blocked most of it out. He couldn’t see anything in the dark except those things closest to him: his wife and a large rock. But he stared nonetheless. And listened.

Dozens of sounds filled the woods. Things walked in the dark around them. He told himself he probably heard squirrels out rummaging for food. Not a bear or anything dangerous. Just squirrels.

Henry held the flashlight tight in his hand. If he needed to defend Claire and himself, he figured it would work well as a bludgeon. Better than using his hands.

Something flapped over head in the night. The sound of the beaten air raised chills up his back like he’d just squatted on a block of ice. Henry looked up but couldn’t see what flew above. Probably birds out looking for night crawlers. Not giant bats or anything threatening. Just birds.

The cold did nothing but add to his fear. Henry had never liked camping. Now he sat in the woods, lost and freezing cold, without provisions, a compass, or anything sharp.

More unseen things flew overhead. A twig broke in the distance. Probably a deer walking. Maybe even Brownie.

Henry tightened his hold around Claire and rested his head against hers. He exhaled warm air past numb lips and prayed the dawn would come quickly, hopefully bringing warmth with it.

*  *  *  *  *

Boy watched the couple. He’d followed them since the sun went down. Found them while he hunted.

They entertained him with their lack of direction. He knew they came from the towns his parents had taught him and his kin about. Not hunters like he normally saw in these parts. No, these two were lost and he knew they couldn’t find their way out. The man seemed to think he could but walked in long circles. The woman did nothing but hum and talk.

The skin of the woman attracted him. He could smell flowers on her. The little bit of moonlight which seeped through the branches made her yellow hair appear pale. She wore her sweater tight. Her round breasts looked tender.

He could kill the man and take her if he wanted. But Boy knew Pa would want them and he needed help to capture both.

Knowing he could take her if he wanted aroused him. Boy reached into his tattered jeans and grabbed his erection. He pumped while staring at the woman.

After a few minutes, he shot on the pine tree he knelt behind. Maybe Pa would let him have her for a while.

Boy wanted to get back with the news but decided to wait until first light to set off. In the mean time, he would watch.

Boy couldn’t wait to tell Pa about the lost couple. After so many years of hunters, a woman had strayed into their woods. And just in time for the rebirth.

Chapter Seven:

Searchers

Nate trudged across the dewy lawn to Henry’s front door, hoping his neighbors had returned during the night. He’d tried calling both of their cell phone numbers but they only led to voicemail. Not a good sign.

As Nate approached the front door, he scanned the driveway. The BMW was there but the CR-V and the trailer still weren’t. The police officer in Nate started working through possible situations. He hoped it was something simple like a breakdown.

Nate walked up to the front door. He knew no one was home but he went through the motions just in case. He slipped his fingers between his waist and gun belt and hiked up and straightened his pants. Then he knocked on the door.

No response after a minute.

Nate peeked in windows in the front and back of the house. No movement inside. Still and silent.

He backed away from the house and pulled out his cell phone and called his office.

On the third ring, Alice, his secretary, picked up and said, “Edom County Sheriff, how can I help you?”

“Morning Alice, it’s Nate.”

“Good morning, Sheriff. On your way in?”

Nate started walking toward his car. “Yeah. Want you to do me a favor right now, though. Let me know when you’re ready.”

Nate heard papers moving.

“Go ahead, Sheriff.”

“Want a missing person’s bulletin sent out on two people. Last name Jacobs, J-A-C-O-B-S for both. Person number one is a thirty-four year old male, approximately six feet tall, brunette with brown eyes named Henry. Person number two is a female, early thirties, approximately five and a half feet tall, blonde with blue eyes named Claire, C-L-A-I-R-E. They’re a husband and wife last seen near Blackwater Forest yesterday morning. They were last seen driving a green Honda CR-V, probably a 2003 model and towing a twelve foot, silver Chaparral horse trailer. Got all that?”

“Got it, Sheriff. I’ll get the report typed and ready for your review.”

“Thank you, Alice. I’ll be in shortly.”

Nate hung up the phone and put it away.

“Not there?” Sarah stood on the front porch with her arms crossed and a mug of hot tea in her hand.

“No,” Nate said. “Not answering their phones either. Got Alice started on a missing person’s.”

Sarah sighed and looked at her toes. Nate wondered what she thought about, whether she tried to find some kind of words of encouragement within.

“Go find them,” Sarah said. Then she turned and headed back in the house.

The feeling of dread, the one he’d battled off and on since last night, managed to worm its way back into Nate’s stomach.

He tried to ignore it as he opened his car door, took one more look at Henry’s house, and then lowered himself behind the steering wheel and started the car and began the process of finding his neighbors.

*  *  *  *  *

In the office, Alice stood waiting for Nate. When he walked in, she moved toward him from around her desk.

“Morning, Sheriff.”

“Good morning, Alice.” Nate nodded as he walked by her into his office. “Did you get that bulletin ready?”

“Yes.” Alice now stood in the doorframe of the office. “But I already found the car.”

Nate looked up from his desk. “What? Where?”

“After you called in I sent Driscole by Blackwater. He found the CR-V sitting in the first parking lot he pulled into.”

Nate thought about Ted Driscole. Young, energetic, and a bit too enthusiastic for a deputy.

“Good work, Alice. Still put out the bulletin. We’ll need numbers to search the woods. Also, get Fred and his dogs up there.”

“Yes, Sheriff,” Alice said, a broad smile lighting up her face. She moved out of the doorway and Nate could already hear her working the phones.

Nate thought about Driscole again and picked up his Brick, the loving name he gave his portable digital radio/telephone.

“Deputy Driscole, Sheriff Lewis.”

“Go ahead, Sheriff.” Driscole’s voice rode static but Nate could still hear the excitement in it.

“Are you near the car?”

“Actually, Sheriff, I’m about ten feet into the woods.”

Nate rolled his eyes. “Driscole, get back to the damn car. Perform you procedures and get that site taped off. It may be a crime scene we’re dealing with.”

“I found some tracks, Sheriff. I could find those people now and we won’t need to call in the cavalry.”

Nate pinched the top of his noise and closed his eyes. “Those are hiking trails there, Driscole. There are probably hundreds of tracks. Get back to the car, secure the site, and wait for me to get there before you go trouncing through the woods again.”

Driscole didn’t reply.

Nate pushed the send button again on his Brick. “Driscole, are you walking back to the car yet?”

“Yes.”

“And Driscole, is your sidearm holstered?”

Another moment of silence. “Yes.”

Like a five-year-old, Nate thought.

“Good,” Nate said. “I’ll be there within the hour.”

Nate straightened his uniform and headed out of his office.

“I’m heading up there, Alice. Route all comms on this through my Brick.”

“Yes, Sheriff. Fred said he could be there with the dogs by noon.”

“Noon?”

“Yes, he said he had to take care of some business this morning.”

Nate didn’t ask anymore questions. Business was code for hangover in Fred’s terms.

“Do you want to open the armory up?” Alice said.

Nate’s eyebrows narrowed. “Why?”

“You’re going into Blackwater. You know it’s full of ghosts and goblins and werewolves.”

Alice chuckled and Nate joined her. He’d heard the same damn annoying stories growing up. One never matched the other.

“I doubt any firepower would protect you from a ghost,” Nate said. “Now if you had a full magazine of silver bullets, the werewolves would be in trouble.”

“Do you want to review the bulletin before I send it out?”

Nate shook his head. “I trust you, Alice. Besides, I need to get up to Blackwater and protect Driscole from his motivation.”

As Nate left the office, he heard Alice giggling over his shoulder.

*  *  *  *  *

When Nate pulled into the parking lot off State Road 28, he found Driscole sitting on the hood of his police cruiser and drinking from a bottle of Gatorade.

Driscole jumped off the hood as Nate parked the car and got out.

“Morning, Sheriff.”

“Deputy.”

Driscole pointed at the CR-V and horse trailer. “There’s the missing car.”

“Ain’t missing now, is it?” Nate smirked. “Just the people are.”

Driscole nodded and took a swig of Gatorade. “Probably got lost in the woods hiking.”

“That would be my suspicion, too.”

Nate walked over to the CR-V and checked the doors and windows. On a quick glance he didn’t see any sign of forced entry. Looked just like it did in the driveway yesterday morning.

“Checking to see if they were carjacked, Sheriff?”

“That’s right.”

“Thought the same thing at first.” Driscole followed close behind Nate as they circled to the other side of the CR-V. “I didn’t see any other fresh car tracks, though. Just this one’s.”

Nate looked at Driscole. The fact he’d thought to check for another car’s tracks surprised him. Maybe there was a cop buried under all the youth and energy.

“I just can’t figure out what the horse trailer’s for,” Driscole said. “These trails are too narrow for horses. Not to mention you’re not allowed to horseback here.”

Nate slipped a pinch of Copenhagen in his mouth. “They weren’t horseback riding.”

“Nah, didn’t see any horseshoe tracks. Just some small deer tracks.”

“I wasn’t asking a question.”

Driscole pursed his lips together and Nate could see the kid didn’t follow.

“I know they weren’t horseback riding. They were releasing a deer in the wild.”

Driscole looked at the trailer. Then back at Nate. “What?”

“The two we’re looking for are my neighbors. This is my trailer. They nursed an injured deer back to health. They borrowed my trailer. They brought it here to release it into the woods. Now they’re missing.”

Driscole looked at the trailer again. Then over his shoulder into the woods. Then back at Nate.

“Okay.” Driscole sipped Gatorade. “Okay, I think I’ve got it. Two animal lovers lost in the woods.”

Nate stood silent. He didn’t see the point in explaining any further. Driscole had the basics down. He couldn’t ask for much more.

“Want some Gatorade, Sheriff? I got another bottle in the car.”

“Why would I want some?” Nate spat tobacco juice.

“To hydrate before we start the search.”

“Driscole, we’re going to sit tight until we have enough people to form a search party. So take it easy on the drink. Besides, it’s not like you’re going into canopy jungle in hundred degree heat.”

“Yeah but—”

“Deputy, tape off the scene like I told you to do twenty minutes ago.”

Driscole lowered his head and walked to his car. Nate watched him and chuckled internally.

Like a kid who’s been told he can’t go out and play, Nate thought.

Chapter Eight:

Hide & Seek

The first watch lasted all night.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” Claire wiped the sleep out of her eyes.

Henry shrugged. “You were sleeping well. Besides, I was too wound up to even try and get any shut eye.”

Claire sat up and stretched. She yawned and touched Henry’s cheek tenderly. The cold of her fingertips froze his neck with chills.

“That was sweet of you. But you must be exhausted.”

“I’m okay. You’re driving home, though.”

They started backtracking, looking for the area where they let Brownie go. From there, Henry planned to go in the opposite direction they traveled last night. He figured they had hiked a couple of miles in the wrong direction the night before. It might have been more if they hadn’t kept stopping to argue over the direction they headed. The CR-V should only be a mile or so away from there.