Fatal Descent

by Beth Groundwater

  That was Mandy’s first surprise. She wondered if Amy was just trying to please her husband and choose the same as him.

  When it was Paul Norton’s turn, he shifted in his seat. “Well, you all know Elsa has a doctorate in geology and teaches it at U of W. But, I also have a Master’s Degree in geology. Elsa and I met while we were graduate assistants together.”

  He put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “When Tina here came along, I decided I needed a steady job with health insurance to support my family, so I became a letter carrier with the postal service. I still collect mineralogy specimens for a hobby, though, and I’m finding the rock layers we’re passing through to be fascinating.”

  Paul held up the page on Rock Sequences of the Canyonlands in the copy of the waterproof Canyonlands River Guide he had brought along. “If anyone still thinks the Earth is only six thousand years old after traveling through these hundreds of millions of old layers of rock, they’ve got their heads in the sand. So, I think I’ll choose Meander Canyon, because the slow pace makes for easier rock study.”

  Mandy cringed at his slap at those who took the Bible literally and looked around the group to see if anyone had taken offense. Thankfully, no one was frowning. She tended to feel out river clients about their beliefs on the age of the Earth before going into much detail about the rock layers they were seeing. There didn’t seem to be any creationists in this group. In fact there hadn’t been any mention of religion at all. Mandy hoped they could avoid the troublesome topics of religion and politics for the rest of the trip.

  Coming last, Tina Norton glanced back and forth between her two parents, who had made different choices, as if conflicted about which one she should align herself with.

  “C’mon, Tina,” Elsa urged. “You always liked water slides when you were a kid.”

  Paul set his jaw. “This isn’t a competition, Elsa.”

  “No?” Elsa spat back. “Haven’t you always competed against me for Tina’s affection? Isn’t that why you secretly arranged to come along on this trip?”

  “That’s not true,” Paul said. “I didn’t know about the trip before Tina asked me to come.”

  When Elsa glanced at her, Tina nodded. “I just wanted to be a family again, even if just for a few days,” she said mournfully.

  Most of the others seemed uncomfortable and avoided looking at the Nortons, except for Alex Anderson, whose serious gaze went back and forth between his professor, Elsa, and her ex-husband. Realizing the argument was putting a damper on the evening, Mandy nudged Gonzo, who was sitting beside her.

  He took the hint and leapt to his feet. “Well, now that we know everyone’s opinion on that and the light from the fire has died down, it’s time to move on to some stargazing.” He pointed to the sky. “Has anyone ever seen the Milky Way as clearly as you can tonight?”

  All of the clients’ heads tilted back so they could gaze at the star-studded sky.

  “Man, it’s hard to pick out any constellations with all those stars!” Viv said.

  “The only one I know is the Big Dipper, and that’s not too hard,” Mo added.

  Cool O’Day turned out to be quite a stargazer, plus he pulled out a well-worn book on the Navajo interpretations of the constellations. He and Gonzo started a little competition between them and got everyone involved in identifying Greek constellations as well as some of the Navajo ones.

  Finally, Hal let out a big yawn and stretched his arms wide. “Well, I’m ready to hit the sack.”

  Looking grateful, Diana said, “Me, too.” She got out of her seat and held out a hand for Hal. While the two of them walked to their tent, the three gal-pals said they, too, were going to call it a night, and left.

  When Kendra rose to go with them, Mandy put a hand on her arm. “Kendra, could you come with me to check on the rafts?”

  Kendra gave her a quizzical look, but she said, “Okay.”

  Mandy strapped on her LED headlamp and turned it on, and Kendra did the same. The two of them walked to where the rafts were beached on the sand.

  Once they were out of earshot of the others, Mandy turned to Kendra. “I don’t like the moves I’ve seen Cool putting on the female clients. Could you feel out Betsy, Viv, and Mo? See if he’s bugging them, if they’re okay with it or not?”

  “Sure. But what’ll you do if they’re not?”

  Mandy pursed her lips. “Rob or I will have to tell him to cut it out. The last thing we want is some client complaining about sexual harassment.”

  “Oh, I don’t think it’s as serious as that.” Kendra raised an eyebrow. “He’s just flirting, making the trip a little more exciting for them.”

  “Maybe so, but he’s laying it on a little too thick. Let me know tomorrow what they say. Sometime when we’re away from the others.”

  Kendra nodded and headed for the 4-man tent she would share with the gal-pals. Mandy made sure all of the rafts were still secure before she returned to the tables. By then, everyone but the guides had left. Gonzo and Cool were washing pots and pans by the light of a camping lantern and dropping them into the dishnet hanging off one side of the kitchen prep table to dry. Rob, wearing his headlamp, was scouring the campsite for food droppings and trash. They had already tied down the locked food coolers on the rafts, and the trash bags would be joining them.

  Mandy asked Rob, “Did the ranger briefing have any black bear sightings?”

  “No, but better safe than sorry,” he said as he knotted the trash bag. “The rangers said the bears don’t usually come down to the main river channel, but they’ll often follow stream corridors in the fall looking for prickly pear cactus and hackberry tree fruits to fatten up for hibernation. We don’t want to entice them into camp with any easy pickings here.”

  Raised voices from the 4-man tent being shared by Hal, Diana, Alex, and Alice made both of them turn. Mandy couldn’t make out what the argument was about, because they all seemed to be talking at once and the tent was far enough away that the words were indistinct.

  Finally, the tent flap was thrown back, and Alex stormed out. He wore his headlamp and was lugging his sleeping bag.

  “Fine! I’ll sleep outside,” he shouted and stomped away from the campsite.

  Mandy hurried to catch up. “Anything I can help with?”

  “Crap, no,” he said. “Alice is just being difficult, and I’m not in the mood to put up with it. It’s a nice night, so I don’t mind sleeping outside. No rain’s predicted, right?”

  “Not for a couple of days, at least. You want to bed down near the guide tents?”

  “I’d rather be alone, if that’s okay.” He shifted the sleeping bag. “Commune with nature and watch the stars, you know? Pretend I’m roughing it on my own, if you get my drift.”

  “Sure.” She wondered if he had deliberately picked the fight to get out of the family tent.

  “I’ll bed down somewhere back in the canyon.”

  “Did Cool or Gonzo brief your group on cryptobiotic soils?”

  Looking puzzled, Alex shook his head. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

  Mandy explained about the fragile soil layer, then said, “We

  guides have been asked by the Park Service to keep clients off soils that haven’t already been damaged.” She pointed to a ten-foot-tall jumble

  of huge boulders behind the campsite. “The ground around that rock formation has been trampled already, and the trail goes past them. I suggest you lay your bag just on the other side of the rocks. I remember a cleared area there, and you’ll be close enough to hear the coffee call for breakfast.”

  “Sure thing.” He grinned, his white teeth glowing in the light from their headlamps. “I don’t miss many meals. I’ll be as hungry as a bear come morning.”

  Mandy laughed with him then watched as he disappeared around the rock formation into the black night. He should be all r
ight. Right?

  Shaking her head, she said out loud, “Of course he will.”

  While she helped Gonzo pack the cooking utensils, pots, and pans, Mandy wondered if the spat between Alex and his sister was real, and if so, if it would linger into the next days—or even the rest of the trip. She hoped not. It could cast a pall over the whole group, spoiling the experience. She was beginning to think that dealing with all of the personalities on this trip might be worse than dealing with Rob’s mom.

  Nah.

  When everything was shipshape, Mandy and Rob said goodnight to Gonzo. Cool had already retired. Mandy brushed her teeth then headed for Rob’s and her tent. While he went to stow the trash on the rafts and brush his teeth by the river, she changed into a sleep T-shirt and flannel pants and sat there wondering about Alex. She finally crawled out of the tent, slipped on her Tevas, and turned on her headlamp.

  She found Rob relieving himself in the river, the arching stream glittering in his headlamp. He was obviously seeing how far out over the water he could reach. She giggled and surprised him.

  He turned only his head, and when he saw it was her, he leered. “Like what you see?”

  Putting a hand on her hip, Mandy cocked her head and flapped her shirt front as if she were overheated. “Always.”

  Rob tucked himself in and rinsed his hands in the river. “Went at least thirty feet. Think I’ll invite the rest of the guys to a pissing contest tomorrow night.”

  “Don’t you dare!”

  He picked up his toothbrush and water bottle from a rock and squirted some toothpaste onto the brush. “Miss me already? I’ll just be a few more minutes.”

  “I came to tell you I want to check on Alex.”

  “He’s a big boy. I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

  “Probably, but I also want to make sure he’s not destroying any cryptobiotic soil. I explained it to him, but I didn’t show him exactly what it looked like.”

  “Worrywart!” He stuck his toothbrush in his mouth and waved her away.

  Smiling to herself, Mandy walked quickly through the campsite, rubbing her arms. Once the sun went down, the temperature dropped at least twenty degrees, and the T-shirt wasn’t enough to keep her warm. She let out a big yawn. She would just take a peek around the boulder pile to check on Alex, then hurry back to her warm tent, snuggle up to Rob and go straight to sleep.

  As she rounded the formation, she heard the sound of a zipper unzipping, then someone whispering “Sssh.” Why would Alex be shushing himself ?

  She was about to clear her throat and announce her presence when she saw Alex’s bare back gleaming in the moonlight—and his bare butt. He was on his knees facing away from her and was rhythmically thrusting his hips forward.

  Mandy gulped, thinking she had witnessed him in a very private sex act, but then she heard a moan—a female moan. A naked female form was on her hands and knees in front of Alex, back turned to him, with his hands cupping her breasts. Her head was down, bobbing with Alex’s thrusts as her soft moans quickened in pace.

  Who’s with him? Mandy couldn’t see the woman’s face. She stood frozen, worried that the amorous couple would hear her if she moved, but she couldn’t stay. Their rapid panting signaled they wouldn’t be preoccupied much longer.

  Mandy decided that they were so engrossed with each other, she didn’t need to worry about making noise. Her face burning now, she slipped around to the other side of the rock formation. Now she knew the reason Alex had picked a fight with his sister—so he could have a rendezvous with some woman on the trip.

  She stood in the shadows, her mind racing through the female clients. Mandy had seen no signs of an attraction developing between Alex and Tina that day. Could it be one of the girlfriends, looking for a little extra excitement on this trip away from the hubbies? Could the relationship explode in their faces, ruining the trip?

  Mandy was about to sneak quietly back to her tent when soft footsteps came trotting around the side of the rock formation. She stood stock still in the shadows and held her breath. The woman passed about eight feet in front of her but didn’t notice Mandy because her attention was focused on buttoning her shirt. The moonlight gleamed on the woman’s short dark curls.

  Elsa!

  five

  Mother Nature may be forgiving this year,

  or next year, but eventually she’s going to come

  around and whack you. You’ve got to be prepared.

  —geraldo rivera

  Morning came early after a disturbed night, and Mandy groaned when Rob lifted the tent flap, letting in the cool morning air and exposing a lightening sky. The sun wouldn’t be over the canyon rim for another hour or so, but it was time to get the coffee brewing and breakfast started for the clients.

  After she had told Rob about discovering Alex and Elsa in flagrante delicto, he had reached for her with his own ideas for love-making. Then the two of them had stayed awake for another half hour discussing the possible complications. Rob finally convinced her they could do nothing about Alex’s and Elsa’s affair, and the best thing was to ignore it and hope the two continued to keep their relationship secret.

  She pulled on some warm clothes, stumbled into the willow and tamarisk thicket upstream to relieve herself, then washed her hands and face at the handwashing station after refilling the water can with cold river water. Fully awake after that, she scooped coffee grounds into a metal campfire coffeepot and poured in water from the purified water jug. She turned on the gas stove and put the pot on a burner. While Rob woke Gonzo and Cool in their tent, she went to the rafts to unload breakfast fixings from the coolers.

  When she reached the rafts, she pulled up short. Muddy streaks covered the tops of the coolers, and they were twisted in their lashings as if someone—or something—had been tugging on them. The dry food metal boxes had also been disturbed and moved, but their locks had held. Muddy streaks smeared the sides of the rafts, too. The streaks looked like they had come from the paws of a hungry animal, a large one.

  What happened here? A bear?

  Mandy had never heard of bears getting into anchored rafts, which were the recommended place to store food away from animals and were frankly the safest place to store anything vital to a float trip. She scanned the nearby river bank, but saw no prints or damaged vegetation—or a bear hulking in the underbrush.

  Next, she did a quick mental check to see if anything was missing. They had brought ashore all of the clothing dry bags, tents, and sleeping bags the night before, and the PFDs were still tied together to the front of each raft. The water jugs were all accounted for, as were the oars, first aid kit, and other gear—except for a waterproof metal ammo box containing their permits and the radio. It was gone.

  Shit!

  Remembering that the ammo box had been sitting loose next to one of the dry food boxes versus clipped to one of the raft fittings with a carabiner, Mandy’s heart sank. She scanned the river bank, hoping the ammo box hadn’t been knocked into deep water. She spied a metal corner sticking out of the water next to the first step that had been carved in the sand bank.

  Yes!

  She clambered over the rafts until she reached the one next to the box, which was stuck bottom-up. She tugged and tugged at it until the mud released it with a wet sucking sound. But the damn thing was open. The plastic bag with the permits inside came loose and floated out into the water. Mandy snatched it up with a surge of relief. When she looked inside the ammo box, though, she blew out a breath. The radio transceiver was coated with mud, and the external antenna was broken.

  No way in hell is that going to work.

  Rob appeared on the bank. “What happened here?”

  Mandy held up the muddied ammo box. “I don’t know. Bear maybe. Everything else seems to be okay, but our radio is toast.”

  “What?” Rob stepped into one of the rafts and took the radio from
Mandy. He rinsed the mud off of it in the river then tried keying it on, but nothing happened. “Crap. These things are supposed to be water-resistant.”

  Then he looked around at the raft. He pointed to the lid of one of the coolers that showed four closely spaced long mud streaks, as if left by four claws. “It does look like a bear left that, but it’s sure big for a black bear.”

  “I wonder why we didn’t hear anything,” Mandy said. “Our tent was closest to the water.”

  Rob shrugged. “The bear was sneaky, I guess, or we were dead to the world after getting to sleep so late. I hope it wasn’t in camp.”

  “I don’t see any prints on the river bank here. Go check for paw prints in camp while I clean this mess up,” Mandy said.

  After Rob left, she splashed river water on the mud stains to rinse them off. Then she gathered eggs, bread, strawberries, and other breakfast ingredients.

  Rob returned and took some of the supplies. “No bear prints in camp, and nothing’s been messed with there. I’m still amazed a bear attacked the rafts. There’s never been a sighting of one along the river. But we’re running behind. C’mon, let’s get some food cooking.”

  As she left the rafts, Mandy scanned the river bank again. “It’s odd that there aren’t any prints in the sand here, either. Maybe it swam over to the rafts from upstream.”

  “I’m just glad it didn’t do more damage.” Rob hefted the radio. “I’ll crack this open and let the parts dry in the sun for a day. Maybe I can get it working after it dries.”

  Mandy worried her lip. “In the meantime, we have no way to call for help if we need it.”

  Of course, there were very few spots along the river where they could call anyway. Radio repeaters had been installed only where outfitters would most likely need to call in, like at the confluence or at the end of Cataract Canyon to request a pick up or to rendezvous with others. But the lack of a radio still made her nervous.

  Back at the camp kitchen, she saw Kendra had quietly exited the women’s tent and was ready to help. The five staff quickly divvied up the work of preparing breakfast while Rob and Mandy filled in the others on the bear’s thwarted attack on the rafts.