Page 11 of In Darkness Transformed
Mike joined him at the window. “Hell, I don’t know what to think, but it sure seemed suspicious to me. I couldn’t postpone the trip to Europe, but I figured I’d come up here when I got back to Seattle because you’d mentioned having family in this area. I don’t know what I hoped to accomplish, but for sure it wasn’t to find out you were still alive. That was a real surprise and damn good news.”
“What do you think I should do? I’ll turn myself in if you think that’s the right thing.”
“Don’t. Not yet, anyway. Give me a chance to find out what’s going on. Maybe it’s nothing, and they were just another bunch of feds looking to make a name for themselves.”
“But you don’t really believe that, do you?”
“No, I don’t, but I can’t put my finger on why. There was just something off about them. Seemed like they were part of a black ops group or something. For sure, most of them had a military background, most likely in one of the elite units.”
Well, damn, what was he supposed to do with that knowledge? Nothing for now. Maybe some fresh air would clear his head.
“Want to go for a walk while it’s still light out?”
Mike stared out at nothing for a long time. “No, I’d better not. In fact, I’m thinking I should head back down the mountain instead. I don’t know if those guys are keeping an eye on anyone known to be close to you, but I wouldn’t put it past them. I’d hate to think I might’ve led them straight to your door.”
Eli clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. You had no way of knowing I was up here. If they find me, so be it. In some ways, it would be a relief. Going to ground like this goes against the grain and feels cowardly. I never expected this to last forever.”
“Even so, I’d stick pretty close to home if I were you, at least until we have a better idea of what’s going on. It might be nothing, but I’ll let you know what I find out either way.”
“I’d appreciate it, but don’t jeopardize your own career to protect me. No use in both of us going down for the count.”
Eli grabbed a pencil and paper to scribble down the number for Martin’s landline as well the one for the burner phone he’d picked up after the crash, not that he’d even used it. After all, who could he call? It wasn’t like he could talk to any of his friends. When the helicopter had gone down, he’d lost everything in his life that held any meaning—his job, his friends, even his damn name.
Biting back his bitterness, he handed Mike his contact information. “No one else has this new e-mail address. You can also reach me at either of these phone numbers or drop a note in the mail if you think that’s safer. I don’t go into town often, but I do stop at the post office when I’m down there.”
“Thanks.”
They both walked outside, the air already noticeably cooler. “You’d better head out while it’s still daytime. The road is tricky after dark when you’re not familiar with it.”
Not to mention there was still a crazy bastard running around out there waving a sword. He followed Mike over to his car. After he got in, Eli decided he’d better say something and signaled for Mike to roll down the window. “One more thing. I had a run-in with a nutcase last night. The police down in Ridgewick are investigating, but I doubt they’ve managed to track him down yet. The man had to be off his meds or something, so be careful. If you see someone acting crazy, keep driving.”
“Man, you do live an interesting life these days.”
Mike was still laughing as he drove away.
5
Two days later, Eli swung his ax down in a smooth arc, splitting the log in two. He tossed the pieces toward the woodpile and set another log in position. He had three more to go to finish the day’s allotment. After which, he needed to make a trip down to Ridgewick to restock. It was either that or resort to chewing bark off the trees. Well, that was an exaggeration, but he could use a break from his own cooking. Besides, he was feeling closed in and trapped even though he had this entire mountainside pretty much to himself. He hadn’t run into the crazy guy again, which was a good thing. There was also no sign of any mysterious men on his trail, which was even better.
He hadn’t heard anything from Mike, but he really hadn’t expected to this soon. Funny how having his friend there with him for even such a short time had made him so painfully aware of how alone he was these days. The only other people he’d talked to for any time at all were Safara and her father. While he was in no particular hurry to have another conversation with the police chief, Eli wouldn’t mind spending a little more time with the man’s daughter.
Had they managed to track down her attacker? Safara might deny it, but she knew far more about the man than she would admit. She’d also been back on the mountain. The morning after he’d taken her back to town he’d gone looking for her ATV only to discover it was already gone. A second set of tire tracks led up to where she’d left it parked.
Most likely her father had driven her up to retrieve her vehicle. They’d done more than that. Two sets of footprints had disappeared into the woods, headed in the direction of the area where she’d been attacked. He’d followed them until they turned back to where the ATVs had been parked. No telling how much time they’d spent up on the ridge, but he’d just missed them judging by how fresh the tracks looked.
Maybe he’d cross paths with Safara while he was in town. The idea had him picking up speed, quickly finishing off the last of the wood. After stacking it, he headed into the house for a quick shower and to change clothes.
Half an hour later, he drove down the mountain, hoping he’d see her while he ran his few errands. If he didn’t, he could always stop by the police station to find out if she was there. He assumed she lived somewhere in town. Considering how small Ridgewick was, it shouldn’t be hard to track her down.
ELI CRUISED THElength of the main street through town twice, pausing at the post office in between laps. Nothing but the usual ads and bills. One more stop to buy groceries, and then he’d head back home.
Just as he parked in front of the store, a police cruiser pulled in behind him. Good to see it was Safara behind the wheel and not her father. His mood considerably improved, Eli walked around to the driver’s side of her car.
She lowered her window and smiled up at him. “I was driving by and happened to spot you pulling in. You saved me a trip up to your place.”
Well, damn, he was sorry to hear that. He wouldn’t have minded having her show up on his doorstep again, all spit and polish in her khaki uniform that still managed to emphasize her femininity and looked sexy as hell. “Did you need something?”
She pointed to a file folder in the front seat. “My father requested the report on Martin’s death. I thought you might like to see it.”
