Maria shifted in her uncomfortable hospital bed.
“She decided to force your hand by taking Justin, but then you called the FBI and got them involved.”
“Of course I would. Doesn’t she know anything about kidnapping?”
“I don’t think so. She has led a pretty sheltered life. After she took Justin, you didn’t seem to be working on the riddle, so she called in her gorilla brothers. They wanted to kill the kid and kidnap you, but Natalie convinced them to be patient. She said you would find the treasure if they pressured you.”
Maria leaned her head back onto the pillow. “Who takes a kid to make someone else go look for a treasure? That’s insane.”
“Oh, trust me. Natalie’s not right in the head. That much is obvious.”
“How’s Grant doing?”
“He’s pretty much freaked out, but I told him not to worry. I told him we Thorton men have one really bad experience with women first; that way we know the real thing when we find it.” Rod blushed but kept a steady gaze into Maria’s eyes. “I told him he’s just that much closer to finding the woman of his dreams.”
Maria blushed. A smile tugged on the corner of Maria’s mother’s mouth and her father cleared his throat several times. Rod didn’t seem to care.
Mr. Branson stopped pacing for a moment and said, possibly as an attempt to change the subject, “You should tell her about the ricin, Rod.”
“Ricin? The poison?” Maria asked.
“Yeah. From the seeds of the castor oil plant. Pretty potent stuff,” her father answered.
“What about ricin?” she asked.
“The FBI went through Clyde’s things at his room at the Inn at Jarbidge. They found a vial of ricin and a notebook with his crazy rantings. His plan was to find the Veil treasure and then kill off Steven Veil with the poison so Veil wouldn’t know it had been taken. I guess the old man had some sort of tracking device on the treasure?”
“Yes, he did,” said Maria, remembering the conversation in the police station.
“Clyde didn’t even want his dad to know he’d found the treasure. He was going to take his brother and sister overseas, away from their father, and they were going to go hunt for some lost treasure in the African Sahara.”
“And how did Clyde know I was in Jarbidge?”
“Nathan Porter. Apparently you’d said something about the treasure being in Jarbidge during your conversation with him and Steven Veil at the police station. Nathan told Natalie, and Natalie told her brothers. They went there to wait for you to come and show them specifically where the treasure was.”
“Makes sense.” Fatigue was beginning to settle on Maria.
“Did you even know where the treasure was when you went out with Clyde?” asked Rod.
“No. I was winging it. I knew the kidnapper wanted to see me working at finding the treasure, so that’s what I did. I was sure Clyde was involved when we went out. I just didn’t know how.”
“So you still don’t know where the treasure is?” Rod questioned.
Maria thought of the little opening to the cave adjacent to the Devil’s Coup.
“Not exactly.” The last thing Maria wanted was to have anything more to do with that treasure. Let someone else find it. Someone who really needed it.
“I still can’t believe you went to Jarbidge on your own. With no back up. Isn’t that against some rule?” Maria’s mother sighed, as if she’d given up a long time ago.
“Yes.” Maria wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed of her choice. “It was for Justin. I didn’t care if I made it back.”
Maria’s words hung in the air.
Her father patted her foot that was sticking out from under the hospital bed sheet. “I’d have done the same thing. You’re okay, Maria. We know what you’ve been through.”
Maria’s mother held up her hands in surrender. “Sorry. I trust you, Maria. You have a sixth sense about you. I’m sure you did what you thought was best, and it all turned out in the end.”
“And how did you know I was in Jarbidge?” Maria asked Rod, her voice tiring.
“Ms. Tuttle. I’d gone to your house looking for you the night after we re-buried the skeleton at the reservoir. I figured we had a lot of things to talk about. Things you and I still need to talk about.”
Both of Maria’s parents raised their eyebrows questioningly.
“Anyhow, you weren’t there. And you weren’t at Beth’s house and you weren’t at the police station. Pete had no idea where you’d gone. I stayed up waiting for you on your porch but you never came home. That’s when I knew why you’d been in a rush that afternoon. You’d gone somewhere on your own—and I figured Ms. Tuttle knew where. She’d been working on the Veil riddle for you.”
“And how did you get to Jarbidge so fast?”
“My parents’ second private plane. It’s parked at the Kanab airport as well. If you’d have asked me I would have taken you to Jarbidge.”
“Good grief.” Maria poked his shoulder with her good arm and laughed. “You think I would have wanted to risk another emergency landing with an accompanying side trip to Vegas?”
“You’d better watch it. I’m a good pilot.” Rod let out a hardy laugh. He scooted closer to her. Maria’s oxygen tubes were no longer in and she could smell his tempting rustic cologne.
“For your information, Maria, my plane had a mechanical failure. It wasn’t my fault. It’s not like I planned it. And, I’d like to point out that going to Amy’s house was completely your idea. You probably took Brian’s chocolate on purpose.”
By this time, Maria’s parents were completely confused.
Maria grinned at their private joke but couldn’t stop asking questions. “And why was Jim with you in Jarbidge?”
“About four o’clock in the morning I rounded up members of Kanab’s Search and Rescue. Grant came, with Natalie of course, as well as about six others. On our way out to the airport, I passed Jim on the road heading into Kanab. He waved me down and asked me where I was going. When I told him, he jumped in my car and said he thought he could be of service. As part of his government consulting job, he’d spent some time in Jarbidge working on protecting a Native American graveyard called the Devil’s Coup that was located close by. I don’t know how he knew, but he said he was sure you were headed there. The man took us straight to you. He is a crazy good tracker. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“He is a natural,” said Maria.
“Jim was actually coming back into Kanab to survey for a new site for the reservoir. He’ll be heading up that project along with Mr. Walden.”
“Mr. Walden decided to stay around?” asked Maria.
“Yes. John’s got enough money sunk into the project he wants to get it done and done right. So he called in Jim. He wants to be sure to find a good spot that won’t disturb anyone.”
“Sounds like Mr. Walden is feeling much better,” said Maria, who had pushed away her food tray.
“Much better. We both are,” said Rod, eyeing Maria gingerly.
Maria’s mother began cleaning up the leftover food containers on the tray.
“So,” said Rod, saddling up even closer to Maria, “the real question is, how did you know it was Natalie? Did Clyde and Dillan give her away?”
“Nope,” said Maria, “her smart phone did.”
Rod looked at her with amazement, laced with curiosity. “Tell me everything.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
However, nothing—including the viciousness of a mythical cannibal—could deter prospectors from Jarbidge whose only compass was the allure of glittering gold. In 1909, a man by the name of Dave Bourne discovered gold in the canyon. Drawing major interest from newspapers across the country, the discovery triggered a gold rush. Mining in Jarbidge continued until the 1930s.
“JOURNEY TO JARBIDGE” BY ERIC CACHINERO, NEVADA MAGAZINE.COM, MARCH/APRIL 2014.
Zipping up her suitcase one-handed was one of the most awkward things Maria had ever done. She sat
on top of the case to keep it from moving while pulling on the zipper. It worked for a few inches and then the metal teeth would get stuck.
Aggravated, she had to stand up and reposition herself to try the whole rigmarole again. The sling holding her cast itched the back of her neck, and she couldn’t wait until she got the stupid thing off.
Two more weeks and she would graduate to a soft brace that would keep her shoulder immobile until the wound completely healed. Then, she would be … hopefully … as good as new.
In general, things were looking up.
Justin was doing well. His parents had gotten him back into therapy. He’d had some mood swings and panic attacks, but that was to be expected. For the most part, Natalie had treated him well and the doctors felt the young boy would make a good recovery, both emotionally and physically.
In other good news, Brian’s lawyer had not succeeded in getting him off on a plea of insanity. He was headed to prison for a very long time, as was Rod’s ex-wife, Dakota.
Maria’s parents had come to Kanab to help while she recovered from her surgery. It had been wonderful to have someone take care of her. Maria had forgotten what that felt like.
And Rod had been amazing. He literally was at her beck and call. He must have apologized a hundred times for breaking their relationship off, insisting the shadow man had made him do it.
Maria believed him, one hundred percent. Yet, it wasn’t enough to convince her to fully re-engage the relationship. She never wanted anyone else to be hurt because of her. It was time to cut ties with those around her before her presence in Kanab hurt anyone else. Tomorrow she was headed back to Pittsburgh with her parents.
It was going to be hard leaving Rod. During her time recuperating from the gunshot wound, Maria had kept him at arms’ length. Still, he’d visited her at least once every day, patiently helping and encouraging her. The one thing he hadn’t brought up was the marriage—or, more precisely, the annulment.
Today was the day she had to make sure it happened. She didn’t know when she would be back to Kanab to sign papers.
As for her job, Maria had told Pete she was going on a vacation with her parents. She was, after all, on medical leave. But once she got to Pittsburgh, she’d let him know she was quitting and she would recommend him for the position as chief of police.
The doorbell rang the exact moment Maria finished getting her suitcase closed. It took a minute for her to get the door, but when she opened it she was rewarded with an image of Rod, on his way home from work, wearing a sharply tailored suit jacket with slim pants and stylish wing-tip leather shoes.
“You’re looking great today,” he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. He had done his best to ignore her off-ish attitude the last few weeks. “You up and at it?”
“Yeah, I am,” said Maria, wishing she’d thought to do something with her hair that day. “Just finished packing.”
Rod cocked his head to one side. “Packing? Where are you going?”
“I’m headed to Pittsburgh for a little bit. Visiting home. It’s been a while.”
Could he tell she was lying? Maria felt as guilty as a kid who just pulled the fire alarm at school for fun.
Rod walked through the open front door, taking Maria with him. He led her to the couch and sat down, leaving a space for her. “Maria, what’s up? Something is wrong, I can tell.”
“Nothing is wrong. I’m just … I’m going to miss Kanab.” She fought back the tears. When had she become such a sentimental fool?
“Maria, how long are you going to be gone?” An uneasy look on his face told of the concern he felt.
“I don’t know,” Maria lied. “A week. Maybe more.” She turned to wipe a droplet from her cheek, hoping Rod hadn’t seen it there.
“Something is going on you’re not telling me about. Maria, are you really going to Pittsburgh?”
Maria was doing a pitiful job of keeping Rod from the truth. She might as well come clean. It would be better for him to know. She had no desire to hurt him. In fact, her leaving Kanab was for his own good.
“Yes, I really am going to Pittsburgh, but I’m not coming back. I’ve put everyone here in way too much danger. I’m leaving for good. It’s the best thing for everyone.”
Stricken, Rod reached for her hand but Maria pulled it away. “It’s not better for me, Maria. Guaranteed. You’ve saved my skin twice. Can we please talk this over? If this has anything to do with me breaking up with you because of—”
“No, it has nothing to do with that. I just have too much history, too many issues. I bring bad luck.”
Rod rolled his eyes.
“No, I really do.”
“Maria, you’re having some stress because of everything you—
“No, I’m not, Rod. I’m leaving to protect those around me, which brings me to another point. We need to get the … annulment from … you know … Vegas. What do you need me to sign? I won’t be back again, and I’m sure it would be easiest to do while I’m here.”
Rod’s eyes searched hers, hoping to find a way in. Maria dropped her gaze, unwilling to let him through her defenses.
He let out a long sigh. “If you want it done the quickest way, we need to go to Nevada. If you could postpone your flight to Pittsburgh by one day we could take care of the annulment tomorrow. I’ll get you to Vegas and back, but it will take a good part of the morning and afternoon.”
“Yeah, I can do that. Thanks, Rod.”
Her plan was working out. It was only an unfortunate side effect that her heart felt like it was about to be torn into pieces. But that would pass.
It was for the best.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
One of the most famous events in Jarbidge’s history occurred in December 1916 when a stage robbery resulted in the murder of the driver. The robber took the mail and $3,000 cash and then propped the body of the driver up in the seat, resulting in covering his hands in the driver’s blood. The robber then went to the banks of the river and opened the mail, carelessly scattering the envelopes about. After the robber was captured, he was found guilty of his crime due to the bloody fingerprints and palm prints found on the envelopes he threw away, the first time such evidence was admissible in court.
“JARBIDGE,” GHOSTTOWNS.COM. HTTP://WWW.GHOSTTOWNS.COM/STATES/ NV/JARBIDGE.HTML
Rod and Maria barely spoke on the ride to the Kanab airport. Maria feared if she said too much, she might get emotional. Even though her mind knew it was time to leave Kanab—and Rod—her heart was having a difficult time adjusting.
Rod had booked a helicopter for the trip. It was nice—almost like a taxi cab with the pilot in front and the two of them behind a partitioned area where tourists could experience southern Utah in aerial style.
“After our last flying experience, I thought I’d get us a chauffeur so he’d take the blame if anything went wrong.” Rod opened up his laptop bag and pulled out his computer. “Okay if I work?”
“Sure. I think I’ll just take a nap. I can’t quite seem to get over the fatigue. The doctor says it’s from the blood loss. I’m still anemic.”
“I’ll get the blinds for you.” Rod pulled down the shade over the windows by their seats, and the back section of the helicopter darkened. “I promise I’ll type softly,” he joked.
Maria awoke to the gentle landing of the helicopter. She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept. Maybe an hour. Maybe two.
She couldn’t hear any sounds of the city over the helicopter blades turning above her. She sat up in her seat holding her left arm, still in a sling, close to her. “Are we here?”
Rod was upright in his seat. His laptop was no longer out. Instead, his hands were empty … and slightly shaking.
“What’s going on, Rod?” Maria raised the shade on her window to see a vast canyon below them. They appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. “This isn’t Vegas.”
The engine noise quieted and Maria’s heart began to beat sporadically. Rod still hadn’t said anything.
Maria wasn’t frightened, exactly. She was with Rod, after all, and she always felt safe in his presence. But something was not going according to her plan.
Rod had turned slightly pale.
“Are you feeling sick? Did we need to stop because you’re sick?” Maria looked around, searching for an in-flight throw up bag.
“I’m not sick,” said Rod. “Just nervous.”
“Nervous?” asked Maria, confused. “About what?
Rod exhaled slowly. “Maria, do you still love me?”
Taken aback, Maria used her good hand to steady herself on the seat. “What?”
“Do you still love me? It’s not a hard question.”
“Well it kind of is. It assumes I’ve told you at some point in the past that I do love you but I don’t recall ever saying—”
“I heard you in the Phoenix hospital tell me you loved me,” Rod interrupted her. “You thought I was asleep.”
“Oh.” Maria sat back. “I didn’t know you heard me.”
Rod shrugged. “I did. I was just too much of a wuss to admit it before now. But I think we’d better talk about it if you’re planning on leaving.”
Maria’s pulse hammered in her neck. The cabin of the helicopter was stifling. She wondered how much the pilot could overhear. “Rod, that was a couple of months ago when I said it, before everything happened. We can just forget about it.”
“I can’t forget about it. I tried—for about a half of a second—and it didn’t work. And I know why. It’s because, Maria, I love you. I knew it that night on Moquith Mountain when you and I watched the stars together. I knew it when you visited me in the jail where I was being held for my ex-wife’s murder. And I knew it when I saw you covered in mud apprehending a druggie in Kanab creek. I love you. I love every crazy thing about you.”
“Oh.”
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