by Kathi Daley
“I can’t believe this is only Tuesday. I really miss the kids,” Ellie said as we sat on a stump and focused on Adira’s door. “Levi too.”
“Yeah. I miss Zak and Catherine as well. Some time away sounded like a good idea when we first started talking about it, but now I just wish we were all together in Ashton Falls where I didn’t need to worry about what would happen next.”
“This isn’t what I signed up for either,” Ellie agreed. “And if Zimmerman Academy had to pay ten grand for each of us to be here, you really got ripped off. You should demand your money back.”
“Trust me, I’m considering it. After we get home, of course, although if they are in trouble financially, I doubt they have the money to refund.” I focused just a bit closer. “I can see someone moving around inside. I think there are at least two people in there.”
“Maybe it is Adira and her secret guy,” Ellie suggested.
“Maybe.” I continued to watch. “I can see people walking around, but I can’t make out facial features, so it is hard to know who I’m seeing. One of them just headed toward the back, but it looks like the other is walking to the door.” I narrowed my gaze as we waited.
“It’s Isis,” Ellie said as the second in command stepped out of the front door and headed toward the building I was pretty sure housed the administrative offices as well supplies.
“I wonder what she is up to.”
“I don’t know, but she looks angry,” Ellie said.
I focused on her face. “Yeah. Or scared. She certainly isn’t smiling.”
“Should we follow her?”
“No,” I decided. “Let’s continue to watch Adira. I can still see multiple shapes moving around just beyond the window. Maybe someone else will come out or go in. I’d like to get a feel for exactly how many people are in there.”
Ellie swatted at a mosquito. “We should have slathered on bug spray. We seem to be sitting right in the middle of mosquito central. By the time we are done here, I’m going to be nothing more than one huge welt.”
She wasn’t wrong. I’d already been bitten several times myself. “I suppose we can leave and try again later. If Adira has company she is unlikely to go out, which means our plan to sneak in and try to find the radio or use the internet will have to wait.”
“A swim in the nice, cool pool would be pretty good right about now,” Ellie agreed. “I wouldn’t mind some time to read too. I might even take a nap. I haven’t had a nap during the day since before I had Eli.”
I held my position for a moment longer. I was sure I saw movement just beyond the curtain. “It looks like someone else is coming out.” I focused on the front door. It opened slowly and two men stepped out. They chatted for a moment, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. One of them went back inside and the other headed down the path Isis had taken a few minutes before.
“Two men?” Ellie asked. “I thought there was just one man here on the mountain.”
“Yeah. That is what I thought as well. Maybe the second man just recently arrived.” As far as I was concerned, things were suddenly getting worse. “It seems like something is up. The men had really serious expressions on their faces and it appeared as if their conversation was of a serious nature as well.”
“Oh look, the guy who left is coming back,” Ellie said. “He didn’t go very far. I’d say he was looking for a cell signal, but there isn’t supposed to be any cell service.”
“He might have a satellite phone,” I suggested. “I wish I had one right about now. If I had known the camp was in the middle of nowhere, I would have brought one.”
“Here comes Isis,” Ellie said.
I refocused my binoculars. “With another man.” I groaned. I put down the binoculars and sat back so that I was in a more comfortable position. “That makes three men. What on earth is going on?”
“It would seem that it is going to be hard to hide the fact that there are three men on the property,” Ellie commented.
“So far, no one has officially admitted that any men are here. Venus and Hera both mentioned the one who was supposed to be here for security, but three? I wonder if all the goddesses know about the men but just aren’t talking about them.”
Ellie put down her binoculars. “Maybe. I can’t believe that there could be all these men walking around and no one has noticed. Besides, they were sort of creepy-looking. They are definitely the sort to stand out.” Ellie wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. “I wonder what they are up to.”
“I want to get a closer look.”
“Seems like that would be taking an unnecessary risk.”
“Maybe, but my Zodar has just kicked into high alert. I think it might be important to find out how many people are actually in that cabin.” I looked around the area. “I’m going to sneak around to the back. You stay here and keep an eye on the front.”
“It seems like we should have brought the walkie-talkies.”
“Maybe,” I said. “We can go back for them if we need to. I won’t be long. I’m just going to sneak through the forest around to the back of the cabin and take a peek through the back windows.”
“What if someone sees you?”
I hated that Ellie sounded scared. “No one will see me,” I reassured her. “Adira’s place is well away from any of the other cabins or buildings. I’ll be quick and I’ll come right back. We can decide whether we need to take an even closer look after that. If we think we should, we’ll go back to our cabin to get the radios.”
Ellie swallowed hard. “Okay. But be careful. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Chapter 10
I nodded, then set off through the trees. The last thing I wanted to do was to alert anyone to our presence, so I moved as smoothly as possible. Taking the extra time to remain hidden made the journey around the cabin twice as long, but eventually I arrived in a spot that was both sheltered by thick shrubbery and provided a good view into the windows at the back of the cabin.
The first room I looked into was the office. There were rows of file cabinets on one wall and a cell phone docking station and a computer on the desk. From what I could tell, it seemed Adira had a satellite system setup. Of course, the fact that the cabin was full of people pretty much guaranteed that the equipment would remain unavailable to us for the time being, but knowing it was there could help us in the future.
The second room looked to be an empty bedroom. There was a king-size bed with a white canopy and a white chest of drawers topped with tiny figurines, so I assumed it belonged to Adira. The third room was probably a den, and there were four occupants. I gasped when I realized that they were Alex, Pepper, and two girls I didn’t know.
“Damn,” I said aloud.
I thought they were bird-watching. I sincerely doubted that there was a wide variety of birds inside the cabin. I watched as a man dressed in fatigues came into the room holding something in his hand. He handed it to the girls and left. I focused harder and tried to see what he had given them. It looked like a bag of some sort. A canvas bag. Inside, there appeared to be books, notepads, pens, and markers.
Okay, a bag of books seemed fairly harmless and the girls didn’t look frightened. Maybe they had simply been invited to participate in an activity with Adira and her scary-looking friends and had taken them up on it.
So what to do now? If the girls were there of their own free will, I didn’t want to bust in and embarrass them. Of course, even if they were in some kind of danger, busting in when there were at least three men in the cabin with Adira was not a smart idea. The girls seemed fine for the moment, so perhaps I should head back and check in with Ellie. I knew I needed to get a closer look so that I could hear what they were saying. Maybe Ellie could keep an eye out and I could sneak in closer. The walkie-talkies would help with this, so maybe it would be best to go back to the cabin and get them, then return and try to figure out what was going on.
“What took you so long?” Ellie asked when I reappeared after making my
way back around the cabin.
“It took longer to make my way around than I thought, and once I realized that Alex, Pepper, and two other girls were inside the cabin, I stayed to watch for a while.”
“Inside?” Ellie paled. “I thought they were bird-watching.”
“That’s what we were told, but that is obviously not what they are doing.”
“Are they okay?”
“For now,” I answered. I glanced back toward the cabin. “All four girls are in what I think is a den at the back of the house. They don’t appear to be under any duress. They were talking and smiling. They didn’t seem to be doing anything but talking, and then one of the men brought in a canvas bag full of books, notepads, and markers. I’m not sure what they are for, but they don’t look frightened.”
“Did you see Athena with them?” Ellie asked.
“No.” I frowned. “I didn’t see any sign of her. Despite what we were told, I’m not sure the girls were ever with her. Or maybe she is in the living room with Adira and the men. Did anything happen while I was away?”
“There are at least three different men inside. Adira hasn’t come out, but I’m pretty sure I saw her through the window. Isis has been going back and forth between the cabin and the main part of the compound. On her last trip back here, she was carrying a box. I have no idea what was in it. I’m thinking files, judging by the size.”
I used my binoculars to take another look. The curtains over the windows were thin, allowing me to see shapes but not features. Still, it did look like at least one of the occupants I could see was a woman. “I want to get a closer look.”
“That seems unnecessarily dangerous.”
“Maybe, but I need to know what is going on. I’m going to stay here and keep an eye on things. I need you to go back to the cabin to get the walkie-talkies. Take a look around as you go and see if you see Athena as well.”
Ellie hesitated, then did as I asked. I settled in with my binoculars. The four o’clock group meetings would begin in about an hour. I supposed if nothing sinister was going on, they’d send the four girls off to join the others. I wondered how the men who were inside the cabin had gotten here. I guessed it was possible they could have been here since before we arrived on the helicopter. Or they could have taken the chopper here in the middle of the night when no one was paying any attention.
Isis came out of the cabin again and went off toward the main part of the compound. Trying to waylay her might be my best chance of getting the answers I was after, considering she was the only one who seemed to be going back and forth. But I felt like I had a tactical advantage at the moment because I didn’t think anyone knew I was watching them. I sort of hated to give that up by confronting Isis. Again, I decided to wait.
Although, as I’ve said many times in the past, waiting is not my strong suit. Still, Alex was in that cabin, involved in whatever was going on, and if waiting was the safest move, that was what I was going to do. I leaned back on my heels and studied the shapes just beyond the window. I thought about how much being a mother had changed me. The old Zoe would probably have charged the cabin by this point, demanding to know what in the heck was going on, but the new Zoe knew that there were things in life more important that having your curiosity satisfied.
After what seemed like forever, Ellie returned with bug spray and something in a brown paper bag.
“Did you see Athena anywhere?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. I even asked Calliope about the girls and she said they weren’t back from bird-watching yet. I asked if she thought they’d be back for the four o’clock group meeting and she said she didn’t know.”
The fact that Athena was nowhere around and the other goddesses didn’t seem to know that Alex and her friends were with Adira in her cabin was beginning to worry me. Okay, I was way past beginning to get worried. By this point I was officially terrified. “Did you get the walkie-talkies?”
Ellie nodded and reached into the bag, then handed me one. “I brought the compasses as well. I have no idea why we’d need them, but I brought them anyway, and I have some snacks too.”
“Okay. I’m going to sneak around to the back again and try to take a closer look. Turn down the walkie-talkie as low as you can and still be able to hear me. There isn’t anyone out here, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“I will.” I slipped into the shrubbery and began making my way around the cabin the same way I’d gone before. As they had been before, the office was empty, the first bedroom deserted, and the den was occupied by the girls. They were sitting on a couple of sofas that had been placed in an L-shape, with a table in the center. There were hardback binders on the table. The window was open, and while I couldn’t hear everything that was being said, I was able to pick up on a word here and then that led me to believe that the girls were chatting about entrance exams and national rankings. I supposed that if all the girls were as smart as Alex, that wasn’t an unusual conversation for them to be engaged it. None of the girls seemed frightened, but I did notice Alex looking at her watch with a frown on her face. It was getting close to four; she probably wondered why they weren’t sending them off to the group activity.
My best bet in getting a closer look was to approach the cabin from the left side. The only window on that side of the cabin was a small, high window that I assumed belonged to the bathroom. Once I was closer to the building, I could try to sneak around using the trees and manzanita bushes for cover. If I was lucky, I would be able to hear more of what was being said through the open windows there.
Staying low, I moved carefully into position. When I was lined up, I used the walkie-talkie and called to Ellie. “I’m ready to make my move toward the cabin. I’ll be out in the open for a few minutes. Is anyone outside?”
“No. The coast is clear.”
“Okay. I’m moving over.” I took off across the lawn, ducking behind a large bush as soon as I could. I was able to make my way across the open space to the cabin. I slowly made my way around, being careful to stay out of sight. When I arrived outside the room where the girls were sitting, I paused to listen in. Isis was talking to the girls, explaining that the four o’clock meetings had been canceled, but that they had been chosen to do a special activity with her. She indicated that they would go over to the dining table, where they would take a special IQ test that also tested emotional intelligence. It sounded like the girls were fine with that as they filed out of the den. I knew that Alex loved taking tests. I was willing to bet the other girls did as well.
I continued around until I reached the office. Two of the men we’d seen were inside, talking to Adira.
“They were supposed to be here by now,” Adira said, sounding rather stressed. “Four o’clock. You said they would be here on Tuesday at four o’clock. It is Tuesday at four o’clock now, so where are they?”
“You seriously need to chill out. The girls will get suspicious if you are ranting about seemingly inconsequential things. Besides, I told you there was a glitch and the chopper would be late. If they can’t get it fixed, they won’t make it here until tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Adira screeched. “What are we supposed to do until tomorrow?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll just keep going as we have been. No one knows what is going on, so no one will notice if we have to switch up the schedule a bit.”
“What about the targets? Should I send them back to their groups?” Adira asked, her voice sounding slightly calmer than it had less than a minute before.
“I wouldn’t,” one of the men with a deep voice said. “They seem to be enjoying the personal attention. I’d keep them here until the helicopter gets here.”
“What if it doesn’t get here tomorrow either?” Adira argued. “We can’t keep them here indefinitely.”
“We can if we want to,” the man said.
“Okay, but we shouldn’t. What about the moms? They are going to ask where the girls
are,” Adira insisted.
“None of the girls are here with their own mothers,” Isis, who must have come into the room at some point, pointed out. I hadn’t seen her in the room, so I supposed it might not be her, but it definitely sounded like her voice. “The two from Zimmerman Academy came with parent chaperones, but not their own parents, and the other two came with teachers.”
“Keeping them here is still a bad idea,” Adira insisted. “We should return them to the group until we are ready. They aren’t going anywhere, and keeping them here will arouse suspicion.”
“You are correct about them not going anywhere,” one of the men said. “I guess we could tell them to go back to their groups after they finish the test we gave them.”
“And Athena?” Isis asked.
“She’s been taken care of,” one of the men replied.
“You killed her,” Isis accused. “That wasn’t part of the deal. You said no one would get hurt. You said no one would be harmed if we cooperated.”
“Calm down. I never said I killed her. I removed her from the situation when she became suspicious when I told her the girls were needed here.”
“Someone will miss her,” Isis said, and I wondered how Athena had been taken down the mountain. Did they have transportation after all?
“We’ll tell everyone she is sick and has been isolated until we can determine whether she is contagious,” one of the men answered.
“But—” Adira started to argue.
“Look, I made a call and isolated her, so deal with it. I promised not to hurt anyone, but if you don’t shut up, I may have to reconsider.”
“We are fine,” Isis said, placating the most threatening of the men. “And we will continue to cooperate. Just don’t hurt anyone.”
He grunted but otherwise didn’t say anything.
“When will we know about the chopper?” Adira asked.
“I’ll check,” one of the men replied.
