Page 51 of Operation: Discovery

If he was going, he wanted Dee there. After yesterday, he didn’t want Dee further away than she had to be. He would protect her with everything that was in him, and since he couldn’t prove she wasn’t the target, he wouldn’t leave her behind. “You’ll need to check with Dee. If she’s working with Rebecca this morning, then I’m staying here. There are other guys who can help.”

Connor held up a hand for Brendon to wait. “I already spoke to her. She’s finished helping Rebecca get ready for her day since Rebecca is an early riser. Can you be ready to head out in fifteen? Maybe take your car so I can stay there after you leave?”

That was a good plan, and he hadn’t needed his rental car yet. They’d brought it out over a week before, but he’d preferred to leave it in the parking lot. Dee had told him she didn’t want to go anywhere in her car after seeing the nurse at the school. She’d been sure they would know her car now. “I’ll do that.”

He finished arranging his desk so he would come back to a clean workspace, then went to get Dee. She was dressed in dark green scrubs with bright cartoon characters splotched randomly all over. Her eyes were narrowed with fatigue, but she still gave him a weak smile.

“Good morning.”

He backed away from Rebecca’s door so she could come out. “Morning.”

As she walked alongside him, she took a deep breath. “What do they hope we’ll find out there?” Her voice was hesitant, as if she were very unsure about going.

“Nervous?” He told himself her nerves were normal and that shouldn’t prick his pride. Pride wasn’t good, but that didn’t stop the feeling from creeping up on him.

“A little. It seems like every time I leave, something happens. If we get attacked this time, I’m just not leaving Wayside again until this is over.” She laughed humorlessly.

He didn’t doubt the truth of her statement. He didn’t like the idea of leaving, but offering to help in this case might bring a quicker end to the situation. “I’m hopeful that with the State Patrol helping to watch for the vehicle and the nurse, we’ll be safe there.”

“Not to mention the police are already there.” Dee slowed her steps. “Honestly, worrying about who might show up is secondary. I don’t want to find anything. I don’t want to know any more than I already do. This case and what I’ve learned so far is keeping me awake at night.”

He couldn’t reach out and take her hand while they were walking, but he wished he could convey comfort in some way. “I suspect Nixon knows we won’t find anything, but he’s asking to eliminate the possibility more quickly. If they had done anything on that site, the grass would be trampled. There would be visible evidence of movement or activity.” The fact that the grass wasn’t trampled helped back up Nixon’s theory that the other four boxes had been there much longer. The grass had been barely trampled the first time they’d gone to the garage burial ground.

She sighed as she nodded her head. “I know you’re right. I didn’t see any indication they’d been there more than that day, but they had to have been if they buried boxes there.” She shivered. “At some point, they’ll get what they want. They’re just too dedicated. We’ve been blessed with escape, but I can’t help but worry that at some point they won’t fail.”

He stopped and she stopped with him. He touched her hand and took it in his own. “It’s a lot to take in. Are Moira and Adam alright? If you’re having difficulty with this, they probably are, too.”

She squeezed his hand and brushed her hair out of her face. “I spoke to Moira this morning. She’s keeping Adam home until the threat is past. The school promised to work with her since the situation was so out of the ordinary, and they don’t want to put a child in danger.”

“Anything I can do to make you feel better about this?” He would try to do whatever she needed.

“Just stay with me.” She bit her lip. “I almost said, ‘when you can’. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t even think that way.” She hung her head.

He stopped the feeling of offense before it could take root. “When are you thinking? There must be a time that you were thinking about.”

She released his hand and crossed her arms over her stomach. “I run in the morning up the driveway to the gate, back to the house, around the cabins, and down trail number one. It’s a nice long run. I didn’t go today. I couldn’t make myself be alone.”

He had no idea she did that, but she’d been a runner for as long as he’d known her. Why would she stop just because she lived at Wayside? She was staying to protected areas, but they were mostly places he couldn’t go at a fast enough pace to join her, unless she switched to a moderate jog.

“As much as this chair lets me go where I want to, when I want to, it’s not built for speeding along on rough terrain.” At least she’d told him. It was almost an invitation.

“The first morning, I looked all over for a place to run and that’s the path I chose. If you ever wanted to join me, I could run around the parking lot?” Her voice inflected like she’d asked him a question. Was she asking him to join her?

“I’d like that. At least once in a while. I’m sure running around on the pavement won’t be nearly as enjoyable as the driveway and the lawn.”

She leaned over, laying a hand on his shoulder. “It will be great. Thank you for offering.”

He hadn’t been so excited to go for a run in years.

ChapterTwenty-One

Connor’s truck was in the lot already, and he was nowhere in sight. Brendon slowly pulled the car in and parked, glad that the church wasn’t far because his driving aids didn’t fit as well in the rental, making driving more difficult.

He got out of the car, careful not to scratch the door with his chair since he had to open the door as far as it would go to fit the chair in place. Dee waited by the front of the car, in no obvious hurry to go without him.

An officer headed toward them and waved them over to a police cruiser parked near the garage door of the building. His curiosity got the better of him and—even though there was police tape across the door—he craned his neck to see what was going on inside. There were various mounds of dirt piled up, and at least one man was in a hole that appeared to be about three feet deep.

The officer opened the trunk of his car and handed them each a pair of sterile gloves. He looked at Brendon with a skeptical glance, but said nothing to keep Brendon from helping. “Connor is behind the building. We haven’t looked there or on the east side. The west and the front have been combed pretty thoroughly. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, so we want to search before any evidence can get washed away.”

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