***
Now cruising down the highway, I was alone and obeying the speed limit! I had plenty of time to get to my destination, take pictures, and even return for lunch before we had to be at the airport. I began to reflect on the two nightmares I had from the previous night. I thought of the men returning and my not being able to do anything to help the Muller's. I made a decision. I would cut this little excursion short and I would stop by the police station on the way home. I would tell the police everything that had transpired; everything that I knew. I would not abandon Stacy, Shannon, and AJ to the continuing terror that they had been living with. At this point, it was the only thing I could do.
As I neared my destination, I looked for the dirt road off to the side that led down to the beach. It wasn't an official pull-off, but I suspected it wasn't a driveway on private property either. It was tricky maneuvering over the jagged, uneven path in a car that sat so low to the ground. I glanced around, looking for a place to park. The scene that met my eyes was straight out of a postcard. About an eighth of a mile away and diagonally in front of me was a picturesque cliff. It rose several hundred feet above jutting rocks which flashed white with foam from the ocean waves. From that vantage point, I'd be able to see for miles out into the Pacific Ocean. I grabbed my camera bag and I started hiking toward that part of the beach that sloped down from right to left of the precipice. As I approached the water, the smell of the salt and the sea grew stronger and made me feel happy.
I sat down in the sand and then I lay on my back to rest while staring up at the warm, golden, California sun. It felt good to just relax. The rhythm of the ocean waves crashing on the shore was audibly soothing. After several minutes, I stood up to take a few pictures. As I did, I noticed two fishermen on my left slowly making their way toward me. They were carrying big fishing rods; the kind used for casting deep out into the water. I immediately had a flashback of all the times Scott had taken me fishing. I liked fishing. It was challenging and yet relaxing at the same time. As they neared, I took a picture of them. I wondered if I had enough nerve to ask them to let me try my hand at casting a couple of times. I put my camera back in my carry-all as they came up to me. "Beautiful day for fishing," I remarked.
"It's a perfect day," said the shorter of the two.
"I'm Lance, nice to meet you."
"Steve," replied the short man. "And he's Danny."
"Do you come fishing here often? Is it any good?"
"My old man used to take me fishing here when I was a kid and it was good back then," answered Steve while gazing out at the ocean. "But that was a long time ago."
"I've never seen you fish," remarked Danny while looking at Steve and chuckling.
"Like I said," Steve replied, "It was a long time ago." Now turning to me he said, "I want to thank you kid. You couldn't have picked a more secluded spot."
"Yeah, I guess not many people know about this area, or come here," I replied while trying to figure out what he meant. "I've never done ocean fishing from a beach. Would it be okay with you if I tried my hand at casting with your rod a few times?"
"No," Steve replied. "We didn't bring any bait and we didn't come here to go fishing."
He dropped his rod onto the sand and then he unfolded a newspaper that had been tucked under his left arm. The headline on the front page read: "Superman in High School Brawl." He glanced at the picture under the headline and then back at me. It was a photo of me in the middle of the cafeteria fight that someone must have taken with their smartphone. A feeling of alarm began to creep into my mind and then came charging in when Danny also dropped his fishing gear and pointed a silenced 9 mm handgun at my chest!
"Like I just said, you couldn't have picked a more secluded spot," remarked Steve. "I want you to carefully drop that bag and empty your pockets."
I laid the bag on the ground and emptied my pockets—dropping their contents in the sand. "Now slowly, and I mean slowly, put your hands behind your head and step back."
Dawn of the Knight: The Lance Rock Chronicles Volume 1. Page 36
