Page 37 of Dead Air
In the meantime, there was the matter of Agent Shelby. The charm Cenn had placed on the business card’s phone number worked and Shelby had heard a woman confirm that Dr. Curn was conducting a study in the Shenandoah mountains. But the experienced agent was too smart for his own good and trusted his instincts when they told him Dr. Curn wasn’t who he said he was and was up to something nefarious.
He was steadily hiking up the trail to the summit with witness statements for Niall to look over and sign. Cenn thought a demonstration was in order and would be entertaining so he was bringing another one of Niall’s fantasies to life. He’d already worked up a sweat, rolling a massive section of an ash tree in front of the cabin and Niall appeared to be mesmerized as Cenn went at it with a splitting ax.
Niall was leaning against the cabin door, dressed in just a pair of boxers, holding a mug of water as he visibly drooled. A swooning sigh would slip from him after every strike of the ax and he looked like he’d faint when Cenn peeled off his white T-shirt and tossed it at the porch. Cenn made himself sweat a little more so it beaded between his pecs and glistened in the early afternoon light.
“You don’t have to do that,” Niall said when Cenn paused, resting the ax on his shoulder.
“Why not? You’ll need firewood in a few months and I don’t have to pretend I’m here for the salamanders anymore. I thought I’d make myself useful while you enjoyed your day off.”
Niall’s lip pushed out. “I guess it’s for the best. We shouldn’t disturb them too much if you don’t actually need to study them but I was having fun.”
“We can still climb down and visit them whenever you want.” Cenn went back to chopping but stopped when Niall made his way down the steps.
“I know you don’t get thirsty but I am and I needed an excuse,” Niall said as he offered Cenn his mug for a drink of water.
He took it and obediently raised it to his lips but froze when Niall stepped closer and leaned in. A hand braced on Cenn’s abs as Niall’s tongue stretched. There was a soft moan as Niall licked the sweat between Cenn’s pecs and up his neck. Cenn fisted his other hand in Niall’s hair and kissed him hard, dropping the mug. His hand was shoved down the back of Niall’s boxers and Cenn had a tight grip on his ass when they heard a cough and footsteps.
“Sugar!” Niall spun and covered himself when he spotted Shelby.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Shelby said, holding up a Manila envelope and blocking his eyes as he strode toward them.
He was tall, handsome, and extremely fit but Cenn sensed the other man’s self-consciousness. The poor man envied Cenn’s impossible chest and shoulders and the colorful tattoos covering much of his upper body and arms. Most of them were plants and big-eyed amphibians and insects but the large tree of life in the center of Cenn’s chest had haunted Shelby’s dreams. He was startled to see that it was real, not something his imagination had conjured.
“Just a sec!” Niall raced up the steps and into the cabin, leaving Cenn with Shelby.
“You should have told us you were coming. We would have made ourselves presentable and had lunch ready,” Cenn said as he wiped his hands on the front of his pants.
“Tried to call but there was no answer,” Shelby replied tightly, backing away before Cenn could offer his hand. Cenn hadn’t intended to actually shake hands but noted that Shelby instinctively loathed him and was repulsed at the thought of his touch.
“That’s strange. We’ve been here and in bed most of the morning.” It wasn’t strange at all because Cenn had turned off the ringer so Shelby could “surprise” them.
“What brings you all the way up here?” Niall asked when he rejoined them, dressed in a T-shirt and his usual cargo khakis. But he had somehow managed to put on one of Cenn’s Georgetown shirts “by accident.” He frowned down at it when he noticed, then flashed Shelby an apologetic smile.
“Need you to look over your witness statements and sign them if they look right.”
“You should have called. I would have come down or met you halfway.” Niall opened the envelope and pulled out two stapled stacks and immediately began reading. He missed the glare Shelby cast Cenn’s way or his clueless shrug.
“It was no trouble,” Shelby said with a dismissive snort. “Things have been…a mess at the office so I was glad to get out for a few hours.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Niall replied. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked but Shelby shook his head.
“Looks like some kind of cyberattack. Should sort itself out once we figure out where it came from.”
He was lying because Shelby was in very hot water at the moment. There were enough witnesses to place him miles awayfrom the cabin at the time the emails were sent and the many strange purchases and searches occurred but they all originated from the IP address in Shelby’s office. None of the security cameras outside had picked up a trace of activity around it and Shelby was the only one with access to the credentials used to log into the various systems and databases.
“I’d definitely be useless, then. I barely remember how to operate a computer, it’s been so long,” Niall murmured as he flipped a page and went back to reading.
“What about you, Dr. Curn? Are you any good with computers?” Shelby asked and Cenn nodded.
“Sure. If you need me to look over some spreadsheets or help you write a research paper. I have assistants who make sure everything’s updated and they fix whatever I break,” he said with a self-deprecating grimace.
“These look fine,” Niall said as he unclipped a pen from his cargo pocket. “I can’t think of anything I’d add.” He signed both stacks, returned them to the envelope, and passed it back to Shelby.
“Thanks for your help, Niall. I’ll go ahead and send these on and recommend closing both cases. But I can’t shake the feeling that something else is going on around here.” Shelby squinted at Cenn, as if he was seeing through him or seeing the monster behind his lumberdaddy mask. “It’s a little strange, the way Tompkins died the day after you arrived, Dr. Curn. We haven’t had a missing hiker or a serious accident in years and then we have two deaths in as many weeks. A ranger from the other side of the mountain and his wife are missing too. Can’t see how but there has to be a connection.”
Niall’s knees nearly buckled. He went as white as a sheet, and his lip wobbled as he began to shake. “Isn’t it strange?” he asked weakly, his voice catching as he backed into Cenn.
He put an arm around Niall and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Terrible, all of it. This is the first I’m hearing about a missing ranger. These accidents have been a lot for Niall to deal with so I’ve been staying up here with him.” Cenn kissed Niall’s temple, willing him to relax and act naturally.
