The Urn Carrier (15 page)

“What?” Dina laughs.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“I like looking at the menu.”

The guard comes up. “Let’s unlock your camper.”

“Can I get my dog his water dish?”

“Yes.”

The guard looks at Dina. “You can remain in your seat.”

If Dina is tempted to reply, she shows no sign of it.

Tessa opens the camper and the guard, with another male guard, go
inside. The female guard bends down and picks up Murphy’s dish and hands it to
Tessa.

“This is the shotgun case?” The other guard indicates the shotgun
in the closet.

Tessa nods.

“Okay, you can go water your dog, but return here after.”

“Wow,” Tessa says to Dina as she pours Murphy water. “They sure
are serious.”

“They probably hate Americans.”

“Technically they are Americans too.”

“Yeah, well, US citizens.”

“I have to go back.”

“Lucky you.” Dina already has her laptop open. “Hopefully they
won’t shoot me as I do my schoolwork.”

Tessa returns to the camper.

“
Okay, then. Everything checks
out.” The male guard leaves.

“Summer vacation?” the female guard asks.

Tessa nods.

“Well, enjoy Canada and don’t speed.” She never cracks a smile,
but she does turn back and remarks, “Sweet truck.”

Once Tessa is in the driver’s seat, Dina watches the guard walk
into the building.

“Oh, yeah, she’s definitely doable. Nice ass.”

Tessa shoves her.

“I tell you what, Tessa Williams. Loving you has popped my eyes
wide open.”

Chapter 20

“OH MY GOD, T. Is this what it’s been like the whole trip?”

Dina is gripping the arm of the truck door while gaping at the
entrance to the Canadian Rockies. They are approaching Revelstoke and Tessa’s
ash drop in the Columbia River. The cathedral of mountains and ice caps towers
over them as they begin driving the majestic ranges.

“This is how the sequoias and redwoods felt.”

“We have to come back. Two weeks is not enough. You can sense how
ancient, stoic, and immovable they are.”

Tessa is giddy with the sheer beauty of the area.

“Your great aunt and uncle sure knew how to sightsee.”

“I bet the roads were a lot rougher back then. In fact, I know so.
Sadie got so tired of changing tires. They carried at least two extra tires at
all times. They had to take extra fuel too, ’cause gas stations were really far
between.”

“They were brave.”

“Well, help always arrived when they needed it.”

“I mean they didn’t have cell phones or
anything to call for help back then. If you got lost or stuck, you’re on your
own.”

“Maybe that’s why they would hook up with other couples and caravan
together sometimes.”

“That makes sense.”

Part of Tessa wants to share all the secrets in the journals, but
she is heeding Mr. Forsythe’s words.

“So when do we call hunky mechanic guy?”

“Paul? Well, I thought after the ash drop. The grades haven’t been
too bad yet.”

They take a road off the highway, west of Revelstoke. Tessa is
confident she can find a place along the river and in a short distance she
does.

“You don’t have to come.”

“You’re kidding, right? Of course I want to come. But you might
have to explain things to me.”

Dina watches her ritual intently, quietly standing back as Tessa
thinks about Percy and Sadie. She’s unsure what year they were here, but it
seems later than the trips out west. Were they happy on this trip? Or is this
when Sadie thought Percy was two steps lower on the food chain? Maybe the photo
albums will have pictures with locations and dates.

When she finishes, Dina comes up and hugs
her, full bodied.

“That was awesome, T. It’s really special what
you’re doing.”

“And this leg of it is almost done. Let’s head over to the
campgrounds and get set up.”

“Okay. Will it be too late to call . . . ?”

“Paul?”

“Paul.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

DINA’S INSIDE, BEGINNING dinner prep, so Tessa makes the call.

“Hey. You’re in Canada now, eh?” His dimples accentuate his wide
grin.

“Funny.”

Dina springs out of the rig with a dishtowel in her hand. Her
blond hair is done up in a French twist and she has her short shorts on.

“Hi, Paul. I’m Dina.” She’s wiping her hands. “Just got all the
veggies cut for the kabobs.” She puts one hand on Tessa’s shoulder.

“Oh. Hi, Dina.”

Paul looks at Tessa as if he got caught in the headlights.

“Uhm, Dina? Could you give Murphy a walk? I think he needs to
pee.”

“Sure. Be back in a jiffy. Nice to meet you Paul.” Dina leans in
again and waves to the iPhone.

“Sorry ’bout that,” Tessa says when Dina is out of hearing.

Paul swallows hard. “It would be so much better if she had a mole
on her nose or three heads. She’s absolutely stunning. Who can compete with
that?”

Tessa looks down.

“It’s okay, Tessa. I’m glad you called me. Now let’s adjust the
carburetor, okay?”

“Okay.”

Paul explains the simple procedure of
allowing the carburetor more air. “Once you get below a certain altitude, you
have to do that in reverse, or it’s going to run shitty, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Okay. Cool. If you can, test it out without the camper on it,
make sure everything is running smoothly. Any problems, call me back. You
remember how to adjust the timing, right?”

“Loosen the bolt on the distributor and turn the cap slowly, if
the truck is running rough.”

“Right. If all else fails, you have that one city you’ll be
hitting . . .”

“Canmore.”

“Yeah, they have a shop there. They can adjust the timing and the
carb for you if you want them to do it.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

“No worries. You take care.”

Dina returns with a grin. “Green eyes. He is
kind of hunky.”

“He’s sweet. A good friend.”

“Well, we can’t have too many friends, that’s for sure.”

As they enter the rig, Dina shows Tessa her handiwork with the
skewers of veggies she’s made up. “So, I was just going to add some seasonings
. . .”

Dina picks up the Cajun spices bottle.

“Uhm, honey?”

“Yeah, baby?”

Tessa grabs Dina’s hand before she sprinkles Aunt Sadie on their
food. “Whoa, I put some of Aunt Sadie in here.”

Dina’s eyes widen in horror. “But whatever for?”

“Cousin Joe, his girlfriend . . .”

“Oh, wow. Totally forgot that story. Freaky.”

“But everything else is exactly what it says it is.”

THE CLIMB OVER the Rockies is thrilling and nerve-racking. Tessa
takes the steep grades carefully, seeing other vehicles towing rigs, stopped
off to the side, steam coming from their engines. Some are struggling up the
grade with black smoke coming out the exhaust. Fuel. She keeps an eye on her
gauges and has shifted the truck in to second. Midnight Rider climbs Highway 1a
like a champ. She is having a hard time keeping her eyes on the road while
attempting to catch glimpses amid the towering beauty as the mountain ranges
become more dramatic and vertical.

Dina is oohing and ahhing out the window. For once, the laptop is
gone, out of sight, and she is just enjoying the moment. As they descend into
the Canmore area, Tessa keeps the rig in second to spare the brakes, once the
grade is not so steep she shifts up into drive.

“You’re a pro, baby. I’m glad you did that
part of the driving. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful in your life?”

“No. Never. My mom would love this.”

“Mine too, but I can’t ever see me doing a trip like this with
her.”

“Too much alike?”

“Oh, I’d just do everything wrong. Never good enough.”

Tessa wants to ask her more, but Dina excitedly points out the
bridge overhead.

“Check it out, Tessa. A wildlife crossover bridge. It’s made just
for the animals.”

As Tessa approaches the land bridge, she sees a natural corridor
with trees and shrubs. High fencing on either side keep the wildlife as safe as
possible.

“I’ve always heard of those, how cool to actually see one,” Dina
says. “They must put ’em where there’s already a trail, right?”

“You’d think so.”

“So where are we stopping today?”

“It’s not too far up. Hopefully we can get in. It has over three
hundred RV sites.”

The Provincial Park is busy. Campers of all shapes and sizes are
parked in very neat and widely spaced grounds. Tessa follows the directions to
the very last row of sites. Each row is higher than the last one, terraced
upwards, and when they park, Tessa sees why.

Across a wide valley and soaring up into the sky is a huge
snow-capped peak, high on the left side and a sharp descent to the right.
Although plenty of daylight is left, it’s technically evening, and a bright
planet is juxtaposed a few degrees up and off the left of the mountain peak.

They both stare at it openmouthed.

“Is this heaven?” Dina breaks the silence.

Murphy wants out. It’s been a long day for him, and Dina
solicitously takes him for his walk. Five minutes later she is back wide-eyed
and speechless. She just points to the service road behind them.

It’s up a rise too.

“Wha?” Tessa laughs.

Dina opens her mouth, says nothing, and shakes her head.

Murphy is staring intently uphill.

“What is it?”

“B-B-B-bear.”

“What?”

“Well, it ran away as soon as it saw us, but it was scratching a
tree up pretty good.”

“You’re not in East Lansing anymore.”

“That’s for sure. I think Murphy and I are going to walk downhill,
through the campground.”

“Are you okay?”

“Seriously, yeah. I just have to understand how much wildlife
there actually is around here.”

Later, as they are doing dishes, they get another reminder.
Something bumps on the trailer, and Murphy pricks up his ears and cocks his
head.

Tessa looks out the camper window. A very large, female elk is
nonchalantly licking out of Murphy’s water dish beside the step. Every time she
steps side to side she nudges the rig. And when her side hits the rig, she very
considerately moves away. Dina squeals and takes movies with Tessa’s iPhone.

“They’re protected here, did you know that? Awesome. I can’t think
of a better honeymoon.”

Tessa’s heart bursts wide open with joy.

AS THE LATER evening comes on, the dusky, not quite dark blue
evening hue, they sit outside and watch the female elk. She has moved down the
way to an unoccupied pop-up. The people left their garbage tied to the handle
of the door. The animal has gently peeled away an opening and is nibbling on
whatever she can pick out of the contents.

“Should we do something?”

Tessa considers this for a moment. “Nah. She looks like she’s done
this all before and she is being very gentle.”

“How late do you think it is?”

It’s a game. Ever since being further north, the daylight has
gotten much longer.

Tessa gives it her best guess. “Ten?”

“Nope. Almost eleven.”

They shake their heads and look at the planet near the mountain.

Dina holds up her phone and selects a night sky app.

“Venus. Of course it’s Venus.” Dina kisses her and doesn’t stop
kissing her even once they’re inside the rig.

IN THE MIDDLE of the night, Tessa is shaken awake by Dina.

“You’re having wormhole nightmares again.”

Tessa rolls over and looks at her questioningly.

“You drop through the rabbit hole to somewhere else. It’s actually
kind of scary. You stop breathing.”

“I do?”

“You talk about worms and mud and whimper, ‘Stop!’ and ‘It hurts!’
Then you quit breathing.”

Dina snugs her into her shoulder.

Tessa is astounded. “Why would I be having nightmares?”

“I dunno, baby, but it’s all alright. I’m here now.”

One of the nightmares Tessa actually remembers. She even wakes
herself from it before Dina does.

She’s ten years old. They’re at Uncle Chuck’s house in Westland,
near Detroit. She hates going there as much as her dad does. But it’s a big
birthday party for Uncle Chuck. Tessa takes off with Cousin Joe and one of his
friends. They hike back to a swamp with big old growth and long dark veiny
grape vines hanging down. She’s brought her fiberglass long bow. It’s lime
green. And she has new arrows, not sharp like deer arrows, just the blunt ones.

The bull frogs are huge and Joe takes a swipe at a couple with his
arrows, losing both immediately. The other kid hits one and misses another.
Tessa takes aim and shoots one clean through, then another. Pretty soon all
three kids are shooting and laughing and goading each other on until it’s a
complete massacre.

Suddenly Tessa stops, sickened to her stomach. She’s just grabbed
the shaft of her arrow from a very large frog, impaled straight through the
gut. Its white belly floats up to her and the lifeless legs and body of this
particular frog sears its memory into her brain. The perfectly round hole with
blood at its edges stares back at her like a lifeless eye of God. She freezes.

The boys are still shouting and laughing and splashing through the
pond, trying to kill more frogs.

Tessa looks at all the bodies floating upwards, dead. Mostly
because of her. Because she’s such a good shot.

She turns and runs. She runs with the bow in one hand and the
bloody arrow in the other, and her pack of quills in her holder on her back.
She runs through the meadows, letting the grasses slap her face and bare
thighs, running up and down wheel ruts heavy equipment left behind. She hears
Joe calling for her and she runs blindly, crying and sickened, suffocated. She
doesn’t stop till she reaches the edge of Uncle Chuck’s back yard and then she
slows and sinks into the grass so she’s completely hidden.