A Kettle of Hawks (The Birdwatcher Series Book 3)

by European P. Douglas

  “So, what is it you want to tell me?”

  “We have to wait a few more minutes,” Megan said looking at her watch, “Someone else is meeting us.” For a second Sarah’s blood ran cold and she looked at the door expecting to see the looming shadow of Dwight Spalding enter and block out the sun but she caught herself in this madness and looked back to Megan.

  “Who?”

  “Tyler Ford, he’s...;” Megan looked a little awkward then, “Well, I guess you know who he is.”

  “Yes, I know who he is, but why is he coming here now?”

  “I can’t say until he’s here,” Megan replied. Sarah didn’t like this at all. She especially didn’t like the way Megan had kept this from her until the last moment, but before she could say anything else Megan said, “There he is now.” The younger girl waved and blushed and Sarah rolled her eyes, it looked like Megan had a crush on Tyler. Had they met before? She didn’t recall Tyler mentioning it or seeing it any of his stories.

  “Hi,” Tyler said on reaching the table. His eyes darted to Sarah’s and she could at least be happy that he wasn’t expecting to see her either; it wasn’t just she Megan had kept in the dark.

  “What’s going on?” Tyler said. Sarah turned to the bar and called over,

  “Can we get another one over here?”

  A few minutes later, the three of them sat around the low table, Sarah and Tyler waiting for Megan to talk. They could both tell she was nervous and neither tried to rush her.

  “I have a message for you both from Spalding,” Megan said. Sarah was astounded and she looked to Tyler who looked equally surprised. Her heart pounded in her chest as she recalled something Tyler had alluded to. People don't just ‘escape’ from Dwight Spalding. Was Megan in league with him all along? Tears began to stream down Megan’s face and this made Sarah think perhaps not after all.

  Megan composed herself and recounted her late night phone call with Spalding. When it was over Sarah took out her phone and entered the coordinates.

  “It’s slap bang in the middle of a forest,” she said, “And well off any of the beaten paths if this satellite image is anything go by.” Tyler and Megan both looked at the phone’s screen, a patch of green with earthy brown splashed here and there.

  “Looks like we’re going to have a bit of a hike on our hands,” Tyler said. Sarah nodded, distracted.

  “Did he call you with his real voice?” Sarah asked and then hearing the question in her own head clarified, “I mean he didn’t try to disguise his voice electronically or anything like that?”

  “No,” Megan shook her head, “It was him, clear as when I spoke to him before in person.” Tears were forming again and Sarah felt very sorry for her. It made Sarah feel bad about her initial reaction when Megan had mentioned Spalding.

  “Have you mentioned this to anyone else?” Tyler asked. “Anyone at all?” Megan shook her head as she started to weep.

  “It’s okay,” Sarah said, taking hold of Megan's hand before putting an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. Tyler looked to Sarah gravely and she could see in his eyes the same spark of excitement she felt ashamed of having moments before. Something else was about to happen. It was back on once more.

  Chapter 9

  Sarah drove Megan home and talked some on the way, but there was nothing else to be gleaned. She promised to look into Megan’s phone records if she could, but told her that Spalding was always very careful on the phone and anything they found out would most likely be useless anyway. As they talked Sarah noticed the car following them. Without making Megan aware of it, Sarah maneuvered the car through traffic until she was able to catch sight of the driver of the car as he changed lanes to follow her. It was Tyler; she should have known. Now he was going to find out where Megan lived which was a fact that had somehow escaped the press so far.

  Sarah pulled over to the side of the road and a few moments later Tyler’s car pulled up behind it.

  “Wait here,” Sarah said to Megan as she got out. Megan nodded compliance and Sarah walked back towards Tyler’s car as he too stepped out into the night air.

  “Before you start shouting at me, I don’t care where Megan lives and I’m not going to hassle her for an interview. I already have her phone number now if I want to do that,” he said.

  “Why are you following us then?” Sarah challenged.

  “Two reasons,” Tyler replied, “I want to make sure you both get home safe, and also I wanted to talk to you about this once Megan was gone.” Sarah felt touched by this for one moment and then instantly distrustful.

  “Let me get her home and then we talk,” she said; she felt tired suddenly and just wanted this night to be over. He nodded agreement and slipped back into his car.

  Megan didn’t ask Sarah about what had happened with Tyler but she could see the young girl’s searching eyes and knew she was holding back from asking. There wasn’t anything to tell though so Sarah didn’t say anything until she dropped Megan off.

  “You can still call me at any time, night or day, okay?” Megan nodded,

  “Thanks, but I really hope this is the end of all this for me now.”

  “Fingers crossed,” Sarah said, but felt stupid once she had; that wasn’t anywhere near as reassuring as she should have been. It was too late now, Megan had said thanks and was walking away towards her door. Sarah watched her go, saw the twitching of a curtain and the glaring face of Melissa Stanver for a moment before she disappeared to let her daughter in through the front door. Sarah didn’t bother trying to wave, it would only irritate the woman all the more. The door closed and now it was time to hash things out with Tyler. Man she was tired.

  Tyler was a couple of streets back, leaning on the hood of his car when Sarah drove back. She pulled up bumper to bumper and got out. The air was fresh and felt good on her face as she walked the few steps towards him.

  “Do you think we can trust her?” Tyler said without any preamble. His eyes were studying her own and Sarah held his gaze.

  “I think so,” she said, “What do you think?”

  “I don’t feel she’s lying, but we’ve both been up close to people who were close to Spalding and neither of us knew they were lying.” Sarah couldn't argue with that knowledge, but something deep within her told her Megan was earnest in all this. She shook her head,

  “I feel like I can trust her,” she said. “I can’t explain why.”

  “You don’t have to,” Tyler conceded and she looked to him and they smiled. It was good she was not alone in her feelings about this. “So, when do you want to go up there?” Tyler asked.

  “Can you make it tomorrow?” Sarah asked.

  “That’s the answer I always want to hear second,” Tyler grinned. “Right after, can we go right now?” Sarah felt the same and if it wasn’t going to take a serious hike through rough terrain she too would have suggested it. They were going to need proper clothes, boots and the aid of daylight though, if they were going to do this right.

  “I assume you have decent hiking gear?” Tyler asked her.

  “I do.”

  “Do you know the forest there at all?”

  “No, you?”

  “Not in that deep, but I have been to the fringes before. There’s a parking lot on the south side that might suit us as a set off point but I’ll look more into the map when I get home.” Their eyes met and Sarah suddenly wondered if this was an invitation. She wouldn’t mind going over the map herself but couldn't she do that at home alone?

  “We need to leave early in the morning,” Sarah said, “We can meet at the car park unless you find a better spot.” A sense of relief washed over her once she’d said this.

  “I’ll message you any details before I go to sleep later,” Tyler said. Sarah thought of him in bed.

  “This is happening fast again,” she said.

  “What’s that?” Tyler asked.

  “Us, working like this, clandestine and risky.”

  “That’s because for now,
Spalding is calling the shots,” Tyler replied. “You could call this in right now and there would be an FBI team on the site within the hour if you wanted to.” It sounded so simple and it was tempting, but Sarah knew it couldn’t be done.

  “What do you think we’re going to find up there?” she asked Tyler.

  “Your guess is as good as mine, but I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be pleasant.” Sarah nodded in agreement; she was picturing a mass grave, or else another hiding place for missing people Spalding had kidnapped. She shuddered at the thought. The worst part of it was knowing she was going to have to come up with some complicated idea or excuse if it turned out to be something she was going to have to report- which of course she was sure it would be.

  “We might get lucky,” Tyler said as though reading her thoughts, “It might just be a message or a clue to point us at some other killer who is active at the moment.”

  “You mean like your ‘Birdwatcher’?” Sarah asked and he smiled at her,

  “Exactly,” he replied with a wink.

  “Do you think we’re getting any closer to him, or is all of this just him keeping us at arm’s length?” Sarah asked. She was very tired now and the thought of a long hike in the morning was not making it feel any better.

  “You said it yourself, Sarah, as soon as a killer lets his existence be known, it’s only a matter of time before he is caught.” Sarah had said this before, and she had believed it before, but when it came to Spalding she wasn’t so sure that it held true. He was an enigma even in a world of enigmas. How badly she wanted to see him before her, admitting to her mother’s murder. She knew it was too much to ever expect him to express any remorse for what he'd done, but seeing him get justice would be something. She could visit her mother’ grave without feeling the failure and fury that dogged her there every time she ever went. She just wanted it all to be over.

  Chapter 10

  Tyler set off at five the following morning. It was still dark as he left his own property but light was drawing a line on the horizon to the east. It would be full bright by the time he got to the meeting point with Sarah. He hoped he would be there first but it didn’t mean much in this situation; it wasn’t like he could go on without her. Well, he could, but he felt in this case it wouldn’t be a good idea. As burning as he was to know what lay at those innocuous coordinates, Tyler also felt it was right that Sarah knew about it at the same time. It was for both of them after all. He didn’t feel like he was in any danger going up there, but it wouldn't hurt to have an armed and trained FBI agent with a gun at his side either.

  The mist was still thick and low in the trees when he arrived to find Sarah was waiting for him. He could see she was doing her level best to hide a smug grin from him. Her fleece top and her hair were damp from the mist, and a thin bead of water ran down her face as he got out of the car. She looked very beautiful in this natural setting. This was the kind of place she belonged, he thought.

  “I thought you would have camped out here last night,” she said as he walked around to the rear of the car.

  “I was thinking about it,” he said, popping the trunk and pulling out his rucksack.

  “Is that a tent?” Sarah asked, looking at this gear in surprise.

  “How observant, looks like FBI training is well worth the tax payer’s money!”

  “Why have you got a tent with you? How long do you think it’s going to take us to get to the coordinates?”

  “About three hours,” Tyler said, “But it could be as much as five if the terrain is worse than I think. I don’t expect we’d have to stay overnight, but if we are at the site for any significant time we’ll start losing daylight and it might be too dangerous to come back until it’s light again.” Tyler said this looking out into the woods as though he could see where they were going.

  “Three hours in, three hours out and an hour at the site, maybe two,” Sarah said in formal FBI tone. “We’ll be back out here to go get a late lunch and then on home for evening.”

  “That's what I figure too, but I’m not taking chances out in this place.” Sarah rolled her eyes at him,

  “Boy Scout,” she mumbled derisively as she started off into the forest. Tyler looked after a moment and watched her go. She was being playful and she looked great. Perhaps he would try get her back to his place again tonight; if today went well.

  The mist hung over the foothills for a long time into the morning and it wet their clothes considerably before the sun finally started making its presence known around eight o’clock. They spoke little on the way, each of them thinking about what they were headed for while checking their separate GPS readers from time to time. This first part of the walk was on well-worn hiking trail, and they even passed a few people walking dogs or running before it came time to leave the path and go into the undergrowth.

  Under the canopy the air was suddenly much cooler and though pungent with dead vegetation it felt fresher and more satisfying to the lungs. Sarah stopped and looked behind them and Tyler halted his own stride and followed her gaze.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” she replied, “I’m just making sure no one is following us.” Tyler scanned all around. It was possible Spalding would be watching them, it was something he was both good at and he liked to do. He was good though and Tyler thought if they were being followed it was unlikely they’d know about it. Sarah moved closer to Tyler and said quietly,

  “If anyone does show up while we are up here, leave everything to me, got it?” Tyler looked down to the gun on her belt and nodded,

  “You’re the law ma’am,” he said saluting. She rolled her eyes again and walked away. This time it wasn’t so playful, perhaps tonight wasn’t going to be a good night to ask her back after all.

  They trudged through tough terrain in silence after that, their boots growing heavy with wet earth and their socks and lower legs soaked from deep muddy passes. Tyler began to think that they weren’t going to find anything out here when they got to the desired point. Spalding was probably just toying with them, making them go through this hardship for nothing more than his own amusement. A worse fear was that while they were out here, they might miss something important that Spalding managed to pull off- was that why they were sent here? Well if it was there was nothing he could do about it now.

  “I see something,” Sarah said crouching down. Tyler looked where her eyes were focused, bending over a little but not hunkering down like she did. Something flapped in the breeze in the trees ahead.

  “I think there’s a clearing up there,” Tyler said. “That’s what we’re looking for if the satellite map was recent.” Sarah drew her gun and started to move towards the clearing. Tyler looked all around, keeping their backs and flanks covered in case of an attack. Both of them moved with deathly silence as the sunlit clearing drew them on like siren song. Tyler glanced at his watch, not knowing why and then looked back to the clearing. There were things all around flapping on thin branches but still he couldn't make them out. Sarah was a little closer and she turned to him,

  “It’s paper,” she said softly and then kept moving. Paper, Tyler thought, and then he saw one of them clearly through a perfect gap in the trees and knew it was photographs. He couldn't make out the face but that was what it was. He suddenly hoped they were not going to come face to face with Sarah’s mother’s dead visage in the mix.

  “It’s photographs,” he whispered to Sarah. “Do you want me to go first?”

  “No,” Sarah said, but there was a hesitation at the end of the word, like she’d spoken before she’d thought. She looked back at him. “The area is clear as far as I can see, but we can’t be sure with all the trees around.” Tyler nodded,

  “You just cover me; I’ll have a quick scan and then call you out.” Sarah nodded and went back to scanning the treeline in all directions. She hadn’t shown any weakness but Tyler felt she’d made the right choice. It would be better for her to know her mother was among the photos r
ather than stumbling across it unawares.

  Tyler crept into the clearing and was blinded momentarily by the differences in light coming from the gloom beneath the canopy into cascading sunshine. He put his hands to his eyes to shield them, blinking fast to adjust his retinas to the new brightness.

  The first thing he could make out clearly through his fingers stopped his heart cold.

  It was a photograph of a woman Tyler had seen before, very briefly many years ago. The photograph was laminated and strapped well to the fluttering and swaying branch. Tyler spun around and looked at more of the photographs and each one made him feel ill. He knew all of them, or at least knew who they all were. Every one. He couldn’t believe it and his head swam as he lurched from one image to the next, each one staring back at him in innocent poses, no messages on any one of them.

  “What is it?” Sarah called. Tyler didn’t turn to face her, afraid that his pale face might give him away.

  “Photo’s alright,” he called back, “Give me one more sec to make sure there’s nothing to upset you here,” he said.

  “Hurry up,” came the impatient reply. Tyler sucked in some long deep breaths and walked to the picture farthest from Sarah and then composing himself called out,

  “Okay, you can come look now.”

  Sarah came out into the clearing immediately. She walked from photo to photo and studied each one for a few seconds before moving on. After she had looked at them all she frowned saying,

  “I don’t know who any of these people are. Do you?” Tyler shook his head,

  “Not a clue, my guess is these are more people Spalding is holding captive somewhere and this is our clue to get started looking for them.” Sarah nodded in partial agreement with this idea.

  “How many are there, nineteen?”