Back to Salem

by Alex Marcoux

  “Thanks, Justine. That was sweet.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ve got to get back to cleaning up.” With that the guide returned to clean up duty.

  Later that night, Jessie didn’t think she’d have problems sleeping because she was exhausted. But as she lay alone under the stars, her mind would not rest. She was glad that she had changed rafts; she could keep a better eye on Taylor. The comment from Travis early that morning blew her away. I can’t believe he threatened me like he did.

  Jessie tossed and turned on top of her sleeping bag. She stared at the full moon illuminating the sky. Occasionally she’d catch the silhouettes of the tiny bats flying above her. The roar from the river only feet away from her seemed louder than usual. Then the wind picked up, blasting the sand all around her. As quickly as the sandstorm started, it ended.

  It was close to midnight when Jessie gave up on sleep. She sat up, shaking the sand from her face and hair. Then she crawled to the bottom of the sleeping bag searching for her sandals. With every move her biceps ached from the three days of paddling, and as she sat, she felt the boater’s rash burn her extremity. A beam of light from the community tarp area caught her attention. She realized she wasn’t the only one up. Jessie grabbed her flashlight, stood, and made her way to the gathering area. When she learned it was Mark that was still up, she hesitated.

  Mark looked up at Jessie. He didn’t seem surprised to see her.

  “May I sit?” Jessie asked.

  Mark was coughing, but he nodded yes.

  “Are you getting a cold?” Jessie asked, as she sat on the sandy tarp.

  Mark shook his head. “Allergies,” he said.

  She sat up against a pile of lifejackets, but when she caught wind of the body odor seeping from the jackets she opted to lean against a river bag instead.

  “That’s better,” she said.

  Mark remained silent, and after a couple minutes, Jessie broke down. “I didn’t do it, Mark. I didn’t kill Kurk.”

  Mark looked at Jessie. “I believe you.”

  “You do?”

  Mark nodded. “You’re no killer.”

  The silence thickened before Jessie spoke again. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you? And my presence here is pissing you off.”

  Mark laughed. “That’s what I’ve always loved about you, Jessie. You say it the way you see it.” He paused. “I do care for Taylor, more so than I should. But…I know she’s still in love with you.”

  “She is? Has she said so?” For a moment, Jessie realized how childish she must have sounded. But she didn’t care.

  “No. It’s just a feeling.”

  “I hope we can get through this.”

  “If it’s meant to be, Jessie, it’ll work out.”

  Jessie smiled. “I hope we can still be friends, Mark.”

  “Of course we can still be friends.” Then he laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I keep wondering why I fall in love with women who love women.”

  Jessie laughed, too. The moonlight created a sparkle in Mark’s eyes she had long forgotten. “You’re a good sport, Mark.”

  He smiled showing his perfect teeth and charming grin. Then he picked up a box of wine that sat beside him and refilled a plastic cup. “It’s cabernet. Would you like some?”

  “Do you have an extra cup?”

  “Of course. I’m always ready for meeting pretty ladies that can’t sleep.” Mark poured another cup of wine and handed the cup to Jessie. “Cheers,” she said as she raised her cup.

  “Cheers.”

  Jessie took a sip of her wine. “Mark, can I run something by you?”

  “Sure.”

  “It’s about Travis.”

  “What about him?”

  Jessie hesitated.

  “What about him, Jessie?”

  “Have you ever heard of Stacy Hopkins?”

  “No. It doesn’t ring a bell, who is she?”

  “A young actress who worked on the movie Aces about six years back.”

  “Oh, is she the one who had a drug overdose?”

  “That’s her.”

  “What about her?”

  “I understand she was very taken with Travis.”

  “That wouldn’t surprise me. From what I hear there are a number of young ladies who have been taken with him.”

  “Aces was the first film that Kurk Warner worked on with Travis.”

  “Okay.”

  “What would you think if, shortly after Stacy died, Travis started taking significant cash withdrawals against his paychecks?”

  “I don’t know. It could mean a number of things.”

  “Like gambling?”

  “Sure.”

  “What would you think if you learned that Kurk Warner made some pretty substantial cash deposits after Stacy died?”

  Mark stared back at Jessie. “Fact or fiction?”

  “Fact.”

  “It’s getting more interesting,” Mark said.

  “Kurk Warner played the leading man in every one of Travis’s pictures after Stacy died.”

  “It’s no secret that Travis made Kurk Warner,” Mark agreed.

  “It’s also no secret that the two didn’t like each other, either. What would you think if Travis stopped making these cash withdrawals after Kurk Warner died?”

  Mark stared back at Jessie in silence, until, “You think Kurk Warner was blackmailing Travis?”

  “Is that what you’d conclude?”

  Mark leaned forward looking intently into Jessie’s eyes. “Yeah. But why?”

  “I don’t know. Stacy was under age; could that have been it?”

  “Or perhaps he was being blackmailed regarding the circumstances of her death.”

  “Maybe. It’s just speculation,” Jessie admitted. “You know, come to think of it—the night Kurk died, Travis pulled Kurk away from the party for a few minutes. He wanted to talk with Kurk, and Kurk said he’d only give him five minutes.”

  “My God, Jessie, do you think he did it? Do you think Travis killed Kurk?” whispered Mark.

  “I don’t know, Mark. When I saw him Monday morning I said something to him to feel him out.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him that I knew about Stacy and Kurk.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He said that I’d regret the day I came on this trip.”

  “That sounds like a threat, Jessie.”

  “I know. Would you do me a favor, Mark?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Would you help me keep an eye on Taylor? I don’t trust him, and I have a bad feeling about this trip.”

  Mark drained the last of the wine from his glass. He turned to Jessie and hugged her. “Thank you for sharing everything with me, Jess.” Gently, he kissed Jessie’s forehead. “Don’t worry.”

  Chapter 29

  The following morning, Jessie waited patiently outside of Taylor’s tent. When she heard Taylor’s familiar stir she went to the coffee decanter, poured a fresh cup of coffee, and prepared it the way Taylor liked it. Then she returned to Taylor’s tent.

  “Knock, knock,” Jessie said.

  There was a pause and a stir before the tent canvas opened. Taylor’s eyes squinted from the brightness. Her long dark hair enveloped her face. “Jess?” Her voice was huskier than usual.

  “Yeah. It’s me. I just brought you coffee. I know you don’t like breathing in the morning without it.”

  Taylor reached for the cup. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Jessie stood and walked away.

  That morning Ted found another volunteer to fill one of the vacant seats in his raft. Bill was single, in his mid-thirties, and jumped at the opportunity to be in the same raft as Taylor. The day started off with mild rapids, and then the group took a break where the Little Colorado River merged with the Colorado River.

  Taylor was amazed at how beautiful the Little Colorado was. The contrast between the d
eep blue water, pink eroding rocks and beach sand, with erupting red canyon walls was breathtaking. The smaller river was much warmer than the primary river and its pinkish-white sand on the bottom reflected the blue sky, creating a distinct turquoise river.

  With the exception of Jessie, everyone removed their lifejackets and put them on upside down, with legs protruding through the arm slots. The diaper-fitted lifejackets offered protection from the rocks while the rafters body-surfed the smaller rapids.

  Jessie removed her lifejacket and sat in the only shaded area, up against a rock face. She watched everyone play like children in the water, including Taylor laughing and enjoying herself. Feet first, Taylor rode the rapids downstream a couple hundred feet, then out of the water she’d come only to walk back upstream. When she saw Travis and Taylor join together in a human train, her pulse raced as they rode the rapids downstream. Then it was Mark and Taylor enjoying a rapid.

  After a few runs, Taylor retreated to the shaded area where she had left her fanny pack and water bottle. She was only a few feet away from where Jessie sat. She picked up her water bottle and took a drink. “You should take a run. It’s fun,” Taylor said to Jessie. She removed her lifejacket, placing it near Jessie’s. Then she removed a brush from her fanny pack and started to stroke her hair.

  “It looks like fun,” Jessie felt awkward small talking with Taylor. There were so many more important issues to discuss. But Taylor wouldn’t bring them up.

  The group broke for lunch at a small rocky beach. Frequent rattling from nearby snakes discouraged most from exploring the area. Jessie wandered down the river not more than fifty feet when she found a cluster of small quartz stones on the ground. She followed the trail of stones until she reached the quartz vein. Movement from the corner of her eye startled her. At first she thought the yellow-backed lizard was a snake.

  “You scared me,” she admitted to the lizard. The reptile stood still, more startled than Jessie. She watched the lizard, perched on a larger crystal jutting from the mother vein. Even when Jessie inched closer to view the large lizard, it remained still, waiting for Jessie to move away. Then abruptly the lizard bolted, leaving its crystal throne. Jessie stroked the long crystal protruding from the vein. As she felt the stone it loosen, and with little effort, the crystalline piece separated from the vein.

  Jessie stared at the large crystal in her hand. It must have been four inches long with a defined pointed end. “It’s beautiful,” Jessie whispered. Feeling a bit guilty such a beautiful piece had separated from its home she thought of leaving it. If she didn’t take it though, she knew some other rafter wouldn’t hesitate taking the treasure. She could feel the energy from the crystal in her hand. It was oddly calling to her. She placed the prized possession in her shorts pocket, a bit bulky, though she knew it’d make a wonderful souvenir.

  After lunch was served, Ted gathered all the rafters to give a safety talk. The pace of the rapids would change dramatically after lunch and Ted wanted to make sure everyone was prepared. Up until this point of the trip, none of the rapids delivered the power and punch that Hance or Sockdolager was capable of.

  “I want to talk about the rapids we’re going to hit this afternoon. The temper of the river changes from here on. I know you’ve heard this before, but if anyone is ejected and you’re separated from the raft, keep your legs up and point them downstream. And remember, if someone falls out of the raft, pull them out of the river by picking up the lifejacket shoulders.” Ted illustrated the proper way to pull someone out of the river.

  “And everyone tighten your lifejackets. They’ve probably loosened up along the way.”

  “Is it that difficult?” Mark asked.

  “Once we get into the inner gorge, we’ll hit some 9s and 10s and even some no-name rapids that will give us a challenging ride. They’re not impossible but it’s essential that each raft works as a team. Up until this point, we’ve been playing, practicing and now we’re going to be tested. This is the part of the river you’ll remember 20 years from now.”

  After lunch, the groups returned to their rafts, eager and yet a bit cautious to master Hance and Sockdolager.

  “So do you really think it’s going to be that bad?” Taylor asked Mark and Travis as she grabbed her lifejacket.

  “No. It’s going to be fine,” Mark said. “It’s a liability thing. Can’t be too much more challenging than we’ve already seen.”

  Travis helped Taylor tighten her jacket and when Jessie saw him touch Taylor, no matter how innocent it appeared, Jessie’s skin crawled.

  Soon all the rafts launched and were heading downstream. Almost immediately, the river changed. Ted’s raft tailed, and his group watched the other rafts leave the safety of the calmer water and tackle the rapids of Unkar. Violent waves quickly swallowed the rafts. The rapid ran alongside the tall canyon walls, intensifying the consequence of an accident. The other groups maneuvered the rapids for almost a half-mile. Then the canyon walls abruptly turned and funneled the water toward another series of rapids. With the success of the other groups, the crew’s confidence grew.

  “We’re up,” Ted said. “Relax everyone, this is going to be fun.”

  The small raft followed the other rafts’ approach into Unkar. With the first sight of big white water however, the group was anxious, and forgot how to perform as a team. The paddlers responded to the surge of adrenaline by randomly paddling and forgetting their lead person. With luck on their side they managed to escape the huge waves of Unkar, unscathed.

  “What the hell was that!?” Ted yelled after they were safely past the rapid. “You’ve been paddling for four days, you should be working as a team.” Ted was visibly upset. “We have to work together or we won’t make it through Hance.”

  The crew felt like children being scolded for doing something wrong. It was Taylor who spoke on everyone’s behalf. “Well, tell us what we did wrong, so we can practice before we get to the next rapid.”

  They settled in and practiced their turns over the next mile, rebuilding shattered confidence. Then they took Nevills, Hance, Son of Hance and Sockdolager without a flaw. Although the waves were huge, the group stayed together and, after conquering each rapid, the crew ceremoniously raised their paddles, clapping them high above their heads.

  The thrill of their victory was contagious. Jessie’s and Taylor’s eyes met following the paddle clap after Sockdolager, and they smiled at each other. It was Taylor who finally averted her eyes.

  “Was that it?” Bill asked Ted. “Was that the last of the big rapids?”

  “We still have some good-size rapids coming up,” Ted said. “They won’t have the punch that those had, though.”

  It had been a long day. It was close to four o’clock, eleven hours after their morning coffee. Ted knew everyone was tired and drained, but they had another forty-five minutes on the river before they would reach the campsite.

  As the small raft made its way down the river, Ted studied the upcoming rapid. He watched all the other rafts in front of him ride the waves. The rapids appeared larger than they usually did in this section. “Forward, please.”

  The crew acknowledged Ted’s command; everyone followed Travis’s lead. The raft maneuvered to the right side of the river, close to the canyon wall, a bit more unforgiving than most were comfortable with. The intense current pulled the raft downstream, toward a huge breaking wave.

  “Forward hard!” Ted yelled.

  The crew responded, increasing their effort to hit the first wave head on. As the nose of the raft rose, the wave broke, and white water covered Travis and Mark.

  “Left back!” Ted yelled. His voice was hard to hear over the roar of the river. Travis, Jessie and Ted on the right side of the raft provided forward strokes while Mark, Taylor and Bill backstroked.

  The raft responded nicely, correcting its position. “Stop,” Ted yelled. “Forward hard.” Again, the crew headed toward another huge wave that was breaking above their heads. The rafters’ adrenaline rus
hed. Jessie placed her left foot securely beneath the tube in front of her, enabling her to lean over the side of the raft to paddle. Her foot had become raw over the four days from the continued abrasion, but now in survival mode, she did not notice the pain. White water surrounded the crew as the wave broke over them. The raft twisted violently and thrashed in the mighty current. As expected, the force put a spin on the raft as it was sucked downstream toward another wave.

  “Stop!” To counter the spin, Ted yelled, “Right back!”

  Those on the left side paddled forward while Travis, Jessie and Ted backstroked.

  The spinning of the raft slowed. “Stop!” Ted yelled. He studied the position of the raft and its spin, estimating the raft would hit the rapid on the left side. “Right back!” Ted called. But either Ted’s voice was drowned in the roar of the rapids or there was too much confusion, as Travis paddled forward.

  The raft didn’t turn enough. “Right back, hard!” Ted screamed. It was too late.

  The raft hit the rapids on the left side and Bill, Taylor and Mark were swallowed. When the raft struggled to the surface Mark and Ted remained, but Taylor was gone. Ted assessed the raft’s position. “Left back.” But Jessie left her station to search for Taylor.

  Raging white water surrounded them. The raft bounced uncontrollably. Jessie’s adrenaline rushed as she searched for signs of Taylor. At first, she didn’t see Taylor’s hand clutching the rope on the side of the raft. Taylor continued to be sucked down, her head hidden in the white water.

  Jessie caught a fleeting glimpse of Taylor’s hand, and she grabbed it. She found the lifejacket shoulders. With one foot planted firmly, she pulled the lifejacket with all her strength. As Jessie lifted Taylor one of the shoulder seams crumbled between her fingers. Taylor plunged back into the river, with Jessie firmly holding onto the other shoulder.

  Jessie didn’t understand how, but the lifejacket was being torn from Taylor’s back. She grabbed Taylor’s hand and pulled, and right before her eyes the lifejacket was sucked off of Taylor and she jerked violently in the water. Jessie saw fear in Taylor’s eyes. Perhaps Taylor realized the only thing that prevented her from being sucked to her death was Jessie, the woman she had been running away from. Jessie would never forget the look in Taylor’s eyes.