Lost Valley: The Discovery

by J. T. Cross

  “He must be the tall dark-haired man who left with the two children.”

  “That was him. The second person is his girlfriend. She has intimate knowledge of the sample. I’ve been told she regularly flies him between Fairbanks and Manatuk where he spends weekends with his grandfather. Wouldn’t it be a tragedy if her plane went down with the two of them on it?”

  “Is he ex-military?”

  “I have no idea. Does it make a difference?”

  “Maybe. Who’s the third person?”

  “I don’t have much information on him, other than he’s a teenage boy. His name is Kevin and he lives in Auburn, Alaska. He has the great distinction of having found the sample. He was rescued by Mr. Moon after wrecking an ATV somewhere near the ore deposits.”

  “Do you have a picture of the boy?”

  “No. But I’m sure you can look in a local newspaper and do a little poking around. He shouldn’t be hard to find. Oh, and take care of the boy first, he’s the biggest unknown. He hasn’t signed one of our nondisclosure agreements,” Valenkamp said and winked.

  “How do you want it done?”

  “For the helicopter, blow up the control system and send it into the ground. We’ll call it sabotage and blame it on our competitor National Oil and Energy Corp. They actually have two industrial spies working at our headquarters in Seattle as we speak. As for as the others, I don’t want to know the details, just make sure they look like accidents.”

  “Is that all?”

  “Yesss,” Valenkamp hissed as he lifted the lid of a cherry humidor sitting next to him on the table and took out a cigar. He then withdrew an envelope from the inside of his jacket and handed it to Victor. “Don’t spend it all in one place.”

  Victor followed Valenkamp out of the plane. Outside he breathed in the cool night air and decided once again that life was good. He walked over to his motorcycle he had parked in the shadows by the side of the hangar and climbed onto it. He put his helmet on and started the engine.

  While he waited for the bike to warm up he looked back at the Gulfstream and watched Valenkamp strolling around it smoking his cigar. He couldn’t remember having worked for a more ruthless man.

  He also couldn’t remember where he had seen Luc Moon. He decided he would try and find the answer to that question before he killed the man.

  Chapter 12

  Luc woke Tuesday morning in the motel room that Christie had provided. He took a quick shower while the kids were sleeping. He quickly got dressed and then made himself a cup of coffee. As he drank his coffee, he spotted a receipt that had been slipped under the door. He picked up the paper and looked at the room tab. He was surprised at the price and wondered why she had been so generous. Could it be she had a guilty conscience and was trying to make up for some of the things she had done?

  He looked at his watch, it read 7:10 and the Northern Energies plane they were to catch was scheduled to take off at 9:30. This didn’t leave them much time.

  He woke up the kids, for the first time in two years and helped them get dressed. They complained, and he loved it.

  On the way to the airport he drove through McDonald’s and got them breakfast, then headed straight for Washington International. Since he had been at the Northern Energies hangar once before, it didn’t take him long to find it. The kids were excited as they boarded the small jet.

  He got the children settled and took out his cell phone. He dialed Kate’s number and within two rings, she answered.

  “Hey, you. “How’re things going?” she asked.

  “The kids and I are having a great time. We are at the airport in the jet, waiting to take off. I thought I’d give you a call before we got in the air.”

  “Kids, did I hear that right?”

  “You did,” Luc said, grinning. “Christie decided she needed some time alone with Philip and asked if I would take the kids for a couple weeks. Isn’t that incredible?”

  “That’s fantastic, Luc. I know how badly you’ve been wanting to see them.”

  “They’re pretty curious about you, too.”

  “Have you missed me?” she asked.

  “Of course,” he said, wishing it were that simple.

  “Me, too.”

  “We should be landing in Fairbanks around 2:30 this afternoon. Think you could pick us up?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’d better get off the phone now. The pilot just closed the hatch. I think we’re going to take off now. See you soon.”

  He heard her good-bye and pushed the end call button. Shortly after that, they heard the engines start and he helped the kids get their seatbelts fastened.

  In a few minutes, the plane began to move. He glanced out the window and watched the pilot taxi out onto the runway. It wasn’t long before they were lifting away from the ground and heading north to Fairbanks. He wondered how Kelly and Stuart would react to Kate. He hoped they were ready to see him with a girlfriend.

  * * *

  Commercial flight 4031 from Seattle-Tacoma International to Fairbanks International Airport landed at 12:30 on Tuesday afternoon. A tall blond-haired man with pale blue eyes, accompanied by an attractive woman with green eyes and long black hair, made their way off the plane. They walked to the baggage claim area and waited by the circular conveyor until their suitcases appeared.

  Victor picked them up and handed one to Serena. They quickly exited the airport terminal and began the long walk to the area where private planes were tied down.

  “How did you get your plane up here so quickly?” Victor asked.

  “One of Roland’s pilots flew it up last night.”

  “It didn’t take him long to get it here.”

  “Money talks.”

  Victor suddenly stopped walking and turned to face her. She had already screwed up, he thought. “Why’d you color your hair black? I just wanted you to cover it with a scarf.”

  “I don’t know. I just thought it would look good.”

  “Are you sure it will all come out?”

  “Yes.”

  “By the way, do you have your new ID?”

  She opened her purse, pulled out her wallet, and riffled through it. She withdrew a driver’s license.

  “Starting tomorrow I’ll be Gina West, wanna-be bush pilot. At least that’s what I’m going to tell... What was her name again?”

  “Her name is Kate McGrew. Remember it. The more we know about her, the more we’ll know about Luc. If we get lucky, we can take them both out at the same time.”

  They walked for ten minutes until they came to a long row of private planes.

  “There it is down at the end,” Serena said.

  They hurried to a blue and silver Cessna. He looked the plane over and furrowed his brow.

  “Your plane looks different. It’s the tires, they almost look too big for the plane.”

  “Those are tundra tires. You did say I might have to land in the countryside.”

  “Oh,” he grunted.

  Serena unlocked the plane and Victor immediately opened the cargo hatch. He found his survival backpack and weapons case and opened both to make sure everything was undisturbed and in order.

  Inside the case were his disassembled sniper rifle, a semiautomatic Colt 45, and ammunition. In the backpack were a night-vision scope, a night light, and a syringe kit. He put the pistol into the backpack, zipped it up, slung it over his shoulder and closed the cargo hatch.

  He wondered how Serena was doing and went back up to the cockpit to check on her. He watched her turn on the electrical system and check the fuel and radio.

  “Tanks are full and the radio and GPS are working,” she said.

  “Good. Lock it up. Let’s get some lunch and rent the van.”

  She locked the plane, and they took off at a quick pace back to the terminal where there were several restaurants. They sat at a table and ate a couple hamburgers. After they finished lunch, they walked to a car rental place and rented a white van. They put their suitc
ases in the back of the van and drove away from the airport.

  Victor drove a few minutes until he saw a small out-of-the-way motel. He pulled into the parking lot and went in to register.

  At the desk he registered as Mr. Richard Clarke and put down the license plate of the rented van. With the key in his hand, he walked to the room and motioned to Serena to join him. She grabbed her suitcase and walked to the room, closing the door behind her.

  “You need to hurry, Serena, we’re about thirty minutes behind schedule. She took out a bottle of shampoo from her suitcase and went into the bathroom, locked the door behind herself, and started the shower.

  Victor sat on the edge of the bed, listening to the sound of the water splashing from behind the bathroom door and began to imagine how she must look standing under the water. He heard her turn the water off and open the shower door. He walked to the bathroom door and forced it open.

  Her eyes went wide when she saw him standing there.

  “Get out!” she said loudly, holding the towel in front of herself.

  Victor yanked the towel out of her hands and threw it on the floor. He grabbed her wet hair with his left hand and pulled her head back as wafts of coconut-scented shampoo floated around her and kissed her roughly on the mouth..

  She turned her face to the side, away from his lips. “Victor stop, you’re hurting me.”

  He effortlessly picked her up and carried her out of the bathroom and over to the bed where he dropped her onto the bedspread and lowered himself over her.

  “I’m not your girlfriend anymore Victor. I don’t want to do this,” she yelled loudly.

  “You know you still have feelings for me,” he said and kissed her again.

  “You wish!” In a flash, she rammed her knee up between his legs and slammed her elbow into his face.

  Victor yelled out as a wave of intense pain gripped him. He rolled off the bed and onto the floor where he lay curled in a ball.

  She was lucky, he thought. If it were any other day, he would teach her a lesson, but there was work to be done. He stared down at the carpet until the pain began to retreat then looked up at her.

  “You’re a bastard,” she said, glaring at him.

  He slowly got to his feet and walked over to the window at the front of the room and pulled the curtains apart. He glanced outside to check the weather.

  After a moment, he let them fall back together and turned toward her. “You’re right,” he said as he straightened his clothes.

  She stared at him with a confused look. “I’m right about what?”

  “The black coloring in your hair did come out.”

  She shook her head back and forth with a disgusted expression. “Your such a sociopath.”

  “You need to hurry and get dressed. We’re running late.”

  “Well, I wonder who the hell’s fault that is,” she said, as she hurried into the bathroom to get dressed.

  His mind quickly refocused while Serena dressed. He opened the curtains to let some light into the room and then paced about while he thought through each step of the plan he had devised to take care of the boy. Making a hit look like an accident was always a challenge.

  When Serena came out of the bathroom, Victor noticed she wouldn’t look at him. She walked to a small chair by the table and sat down, staring out the window.

  “Oh, come on, it wouldn’t have been that bad,” he said, grinning.

  He waited for her reaction. Without looking at him, she lifted her right hand and flipped him off. He decided to drop the subject.

  “Let’s go, we’ve got work to do,” he said.

  He opened the motel room door and motioned for her to walk out. She walked past him with her hand and finger still up, ignoring him. He closed the door and followed her out to the van.

  In the van, Victor pulled out a map of the area and spread it out on the engine cover. “I did some research last night on the boy named Kevin. I was actually able to talk to a nurse at the Manatuk Village Hospital. I told her I was a reporter from North American Hunter magazine. The ditz actually told me the boy lived in Auburn with his aunt. He was only visiting Manatuk to go hunting with some tribal elders.”

  Serena remained silent.

  “Auburn is a small town about thirty miles north of here,” he said. “You can be the navigator."

  She glared at him then looked at the map and silently put her finger down on a spot. He looked at it for a moment then smiled.

  “Thank you,” he whispered. Starting the van, he pulled out of the motel parking lot and headed north.

  Chapter 13

  Kate McGrew sat in front of the Fairbanks airport terminal as the sound of raindrops gently tapped on the top of her white Chevy Blazer. She looked at the time on her radio and saw it was a little after three. Luc could be exiting the terminal doors at any moment, she thought with excitement. She kept her windshield wipers running, so she wouldn’t miss him.

  The afternoon was moderately busy and a steady stream of people entered and left the terminal. Each time one of the doors opened, she held her breath and thought it might be Luc, but it wasn’t. Then the door opened, and she saw him walk out and felt her heart jump. And, oh my God, his two kids were with him. How cute was that, she thought.

  She watched him guide them out the door and hold his umbrella over their heads. She blinked the lights on her Blazer, and then she saw Luc squatting down next to Kelly and pointing in her direction.

  She watched them run over to her car. Luc opened the backseat doors and Kelly and Stuart climbed in. He quickly put the suitcases in the back and hurried around to the passenger door and jumped in.

  She reached over and gently touched Luc’s arm. She had the urge to kiss him but didn’t know how the children would react. Maybe it’s a little too soon, she thought.

  “Welcome home,” she said.

  She looked in the back seat and saw that both children were watching them closely.

  “Thanks so much for picking us up,” he said. “I want to introduce you to my kids. This is Stuart and that’s Kelly.”

  “Hi there. I am so happy to finally meet you guys.”

  The kids smiled shyly. Kate knew there would be more time for small talk later. She looked in her rearview mirror, pulled away from the loading zone and left the terminal area. Twenty minutes later, they were driving through Luc’s neighborhood toward his house.

  “We’re here,” he said excitedly, as she drove down the street toward his house.

  “Which house is yours, Dad?” Stuart asked.

  “It’s the brown one with the split wood stacked up in the front yard.”

  “I see it, I see it,” Kelly yelled.

  Kate pulled into the driveway and shut the engine off. For a moment she just looked at the wheel. It felt so good to have him back, she thought. She hadn’t realized how much she would miss him.

  She turned to him. “It’s nice to have you back again,” she said. Feeling her eyes beginning to tear up, she quickly turned away and got out of the car and wiped her eyes. Luc went around to the back of the car and pulled the luggage out and led the children into the house.

  In the house, he first turned on the heater then showed Stuart and Kelly to their bedrooms. He was glad now that he had kept their beds and dressers after Christie had moved them to Seattle.

  He went in the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Soon the heater had warmed the house and the coffee was done. He poured two cups and went into the living room and sat down with Kate. He found the children busy asking her questions.

  “Can you take us up in your plane?” Stuart asked.

  “If your father says it’s okay, I might be able to,” she said.

  “How high does it go?” he asked.

  “I don’t go much higher than 10,000 feet. It gets hard to breathe if you go any higher than that, and the engine doesn’t like it either.“

  Kelly stood up in front of Kate to get her attention. “Are you my daddy’s girlfriend?” sh
e asked.

  Surprised at the question, she shot Luc a questioning glance. “That’s a very good question,” she said. “You’ll have to ask your dad about that.” A small, slightly embarrassed smile appeared on her face.

  She hadn’t completely considered herself a girlfriend yet, just a close friend, despite that one special evening they had shared together the second time they had gone out. She had invited him over to her place, and they had ended up making love.

  That night, as she had listened to him sleeping, she had decided it would only be a matter of time before they were married. Luc evidently had not felt the same way because he had spent the next morning profusely apologizing and blaming their intimacy on the alcohol. For some reason he had been unable to commit to a deeper relationship, something she longed for. Sometimes he could be so frustrating, she thought.

  She decided to change the subject. ”I’ve got something special for each of you in my car. Wait just one second, and I’ll get it.”

  Luc watched her leave and in a minute come back in the house carrying two gift-wrapped boxes. She handed one to Kelly and one to Stuart.

  The kids began to immediately unwrap their packages. Stuart had his unwrapped first and discovered he had been given a model airplane.

  “Wow, it’s a model of a super cub airplane. That’s cool. Thank you, Kate,” he said.

  Shortly after, Kelly had her package open. “Daddy, Daddy, look, it’s a doll. She’s so cute.” She went to Kate and hugged her. “Thank you, Kate. I forgot my doll, and I was missing her so badly.”

  “You should give her a name,” Kate said.

  “Emma. I’m going to name her after my other doll. But this Emma can live here, and the other Emma can live at the other house with my mom.”

  “But won’t you miss her when you go back home to live with your mother?”

  “No, because when you and Daddy get married, I’ll be able to live here whenever I want,” Kelly said. She turned around and went over to the couch to play with her doll.