Whispering Spirits

by Rita Karnopp

  “It might work…since by the time he gets here it’ll be almost dark. Over the next ridge I’ll rig a bow trap.”

  She could tell it took Running Crane considerable effort to use the stick crutch. He moved slow and careful, and she followed, doing her best to erase any signs of their having passed that way. They’d traveled a good hour and the air became thinner with each step.

  “Should we take a quick break? I’ll scout behind us from that tree there,” she pointed to a tall, thin Ponderosa Pine.

  “You be careful. You get injured and we’ll have to make a stand. I’d rather get to StoneHouse.”

  “I agree. StoneHouse definitely has more appeal. How’s the leg feeling?” She didn’t doubt it hurt like hell. She realized he hadn’t answered. He sat on a rock and scouted the area. The thin air made climbing difficult too, but finally she reached a branch that allowed her great view of the area below them. She studied the grassy areas, the tree lines, and even rocky cliffs. She couldn’t spot a single sign of movement. She’d have felt better had she spotted the man.

  “Anything?” he asked.

  “No, and that worries me. What you doing?” she asked.

  We’re on an animal trail and this narrowing will be a great place to set a bow trap. It’s dangerous and I hope we don’t kill an animal with it first. I’ve anchored a primitive bow to the ground with pegs.”

  “Wow, you made a bow that quick?”

  “It’s just a stiff branch bent in a half-moon. I notched a groove on each end to hold the string, which I found from the outside flap on my pack. The arrow is notched at the end and I whittled the other end to a point.”

  “What do we do next? We’d better hurry.” Summer dropped to the ground and moved beside Running Crane.

  “Now comes the tricky part. We’ll adjust the aiming point as we anchor the bow. We need to lash a toggle stick to the trigger stick. Grab a rock and pound those two sticks upright into the ground. They’ll hold the trigger stick in place at a point where the toggle stick holds the pulled bow string.”

  “I’m confused now, but I’ll do it.” She pounded the sticks into the dry ground. It took more effort than she expected.

  “Once we get it in place, you’ll see how it’s going to work. I’m going to put a catch stick between the toggle stick and the stakes you placed there. Tie this shoestring to the catch stick around those stakes.”

  Summer did as he instructed. “Oh, I see…now I’ll stretch it across the game trail down in the grass but high enough for him to trip over it. I’ll tie it off on the other end. If he pulls on the string…the bow will fire, hopefully hitting him.”

  “That’s the plan. I’ll hold the trigger on this end while you cover the string with some loose grass where it shows. I’m counting on it being dark or he’ll spot this in a minute. I’m starting to believe the guy has military training. That’s not a good thing for us.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. There, it’s done. Let’s get out of here.” She slipped the backpack over her shoulders and grabbed Running Crane’s bow. She walked behind him, again working hard to eliminate any sign of their passing.

  In silence they moved through the terrain; using game trails when possible, forging through dense pine carpeted forests and thick, wild huckleberry bushes.

  “Running Crane we both need to rest. It’ll be dark soon. We need to look for a safe place—”

  “Ideally, we should travel at night and sleep during the day.”

  “You serious? You’ll be falling every other step. It’d be different without your injury, but I think we’d both be better with some sleep. I should take a look at that leg, too.”

  “No, leave the pressure bandage on. We’ll be at StoneHouse late tomorrow afternoon and until then there’s nothing more we can do for it. Hey, check it out,” he pointed to the rocky ledge on their left. “That looks like an indenture in the rocks. Hand me the bow.”

  She did without giving it much thought.

  “Go down over the ridge on the right and cut several of those huckleberry bushes and we’ll cover the opening with them.” He handed her his Leatherman with the saw blade locked in place.

  “Too bad it’s not fall and we could eat the berries.” She hoped her tone sounded light and at ease. The thought of having to hide raised the hairs on her arms. They were being hunted. Why?

  She didn’t question his directions and immediately slipped over the edge and worked her way to the backside of the huckleberry bushes. She envisioned them loaded with purple, ripe berries and savoring the sweet-tart flavor. She quickly shook the thought away. She sawed close to the ground, struggling to keep the blade pressed into the wood without pinching her fingers. She grabbed the shrubs and headed up the incline Running Crane had nearly conquered. She couldn’t help noticing he relied more and more on the crutch.

  “You be extra careful at the edge.” She hustled up the rocky ledge as quickly as she could. The evening light quickly turned to gray and by the time she reached the top ledge, it nearly disappeared.

  She dropped the pack on the ground. They had quite the advantage and Summer scanned the area from right to left, satisfied no one moved below.

  “This will be perfect for our needs,” Running Crane said. “It’s about four feet deep and there’s only one access in. We can’t make a fire but these granola bars should help. Berries sure would have tasted good.”

  “The huckleberry actually got its name from a simple mistake. Early American colonist misidentified it as the European blueberry known as the hurtleberry.”

  "The hurtleberry? You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “I’m serious. Everyone called it hurtleberry until around 1670 when they mistakenly started calling them huckleberries. In olden times they’d use the expression, ‘I'll be your Huckleberry,’ which meant they were the right person for the job. It even became the sign of affection toward a partner or sidekick.”

  “Well, aren’t you full of information? Is that all you have?” he laughed.

  “Later, people used the term huckleberry to mean someone wasn’t important. Mark Twain did that with his character Huckleberry Finn. His idea, as he told an interviewer in 1895, was to establish that he was a boy of lower extraction or degree than Tom Sawyer.”

  “I see college hasn’t been wasted on you. You always remember facts like that?”

  “Not really. I did a presentation in my writing class on the importance of word history. Thought I’d try to impress you.”

  “It worked, I’m impressed.” He leaned a bush against the wall edge. “We need to keep watch tonight. I have a feeling he’s gaining ground on us.”

  She hated admitting she’d had the same feeling. “I wish I knew who and why he’s tracking us down. Don’t get me wrong, I get the reason they’re after Nah’ah, but I’m not convinced that’s why this guy’s after me. Those men could have taken me the same time they took Nah’ah. I’m starting to believe there’s something else going on here.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that, too…and he might not be after you…maybe he’s after me.”

  Summer stopped adjusting the huckleberry bushes and glanced over at Running Crane. “And why would that be? I’m the one who had the questionable boyfriend. I’ll be honest though, I can’t imagine Joshua going through this much trouble—”

  “In my line of work agents get all kinds of threats. Some are bull and others…can be real. If we had radio or phone communications, I might learn if anyone I’d sent to prison has been released. We’re back to the question who knew we were flying here…because whoever it was had the know how to sabotage my chopper.”

  “Is this something you might have forgotten to share with me, Running Crane?”

  “Uh…I didn’t want to worry you and Nah’ah.” He sat down on the rocky ledge and leaned his back against the back wall, behind the huckleberry bushes.

  She dropped beside him and took the granola bar he offered. “It may be dark, but I can still see your expression
enough to know you slipped up and hadn’t planned on sharing that bit of information with me. Why? Don’t you think I should know what’s going on? It’s my life that’s on the line here. Something happens to you…I have to know the facts. Don’t think you’re protecting me by keeping me in the dark. What aren’t you telling me?”

  “The radio on the chopper was disabled and the gas tank was punctured before we took off.”

  “Meaning a tree branch didn’t damage it on landing. Anything else you failed to mention?” She stared at him, angry he’d failed to confide in her.

  “Only—”

  “Only what?”

  “I’m…I’m sorry. I hoped it was a coincidence. I’m worried about Nah’ah and now I’m worried about you. If it’s because of me that you’re both in danger, I…well…if something happens to either of you, I don’t know how I’d ever live with it.”

  “Nothing has happened so far…and if we keep our heads and we don’t hide the truth from each other, maybe…just maybe we’ll figure this out and get Nah’ah back safely.” She took a small bite of the bar and savored the flavor.

  She waited for him to respond. Finally, after several minutes of silence she gave him a quick glance. His chin rested against his chest. His steady breathing revealed exhaustion won out. Summer switched out the Leatherman saw for the knife and locked it in place. She gripped the handle and held it in her lap.

  * * *

  The unmistakable crunch of gravel brought Summer’s senses alive. The moon cast a dim light across the land. Shadows hovered in every direction.

  Again, distinctive sounds of footsteps against rocks revealed his position. She spotted the dark image of a man silhouetted in the vague light. He took off his wide-brimmed hat and rubbed his brow with his sleeve. He scanned the ground with a flashlight for signs. Had she been careful and clever enough to have wiped away any trace of their existence?

  Her heart pounded hard in her chest. She’d considered reaching over and shaking Running Crane, but decided even the slightest movement might reveal their hiding place.

  The man studied the ground, then snapped the light up and paused at the huckleberry bushes. He looked up at her from where he squatted, on his haunches. She could scarcely breathe. Did he know she watched? She could make out only the vaguest outline of his face.

  He stiffened his back and moved the light to the right, above, and even below her position.

  Tense, the damp, cold coming up from the rocks permeated her flesh, making her bones ache. She shivered, waiting for the man to move away.

  He tilted his head back, indicating he listened to the sounds of the night. He took several steps forward before she noticed he limped excessively. No doubt pain gripped him with each step. Had he fallen into his own revamped trap or had he become victim of Running Crane’s bow trap?

  He hobbled forward, moving with caution, studying the signs on the ground as he moved down the trail. How long would it take for him to realize he may have passed them? Would he backtrack or lay in wait?

  Summer glanced back at Running Crane but the moonlight wasn’t bright enough to reveal him. She listened, hoping to hear his breathing…silence answered. Was Running Crane dead? She gasped, realizing a shiver of panic. She shook as fearful images built in her mind.

  Biting her lip, Summer felt the rocks with her palm, reaching out…closer and closer to Running Crane. Every fiber of her body warned her to stop. She had to know. She felt his leg beneath her hand and shook him. He didn’t respond. She shook him again and listened as he slid, landing with a thump.

  Footsteps on the rocky trail below warned Summer. Was there more than one man chasing her and Running Crane? Could the tracker have realized the trail had gone cold ahead that quickly…and now he’d returned? She straightened up and peered through the huckleberry bushes…and froze.

  The man’s flashlight focused on the brush in front of her. Should she wait and hope he moved back down the trail? Should she step out…reveal her position…and lead him away from Running Crane? Why didn’t Running Crane wake? Her heart pounded and she shivered in fear.

  The man moved the flashlight from her hiding place and studied the ground again. Summer worked her way out from behind the huckleberry bushes and inched along the ledge, back toward several large boulders. If he headed up the incline toward the hiding place, maybe she could come up from behind…and stab him with the knife. If only Running Crane would wake.

  “I didn’t expect your boyfriend to go down so quickly. I expected him to be more of a challenge.”

  Summer gasped and looked up. She quickly squinted against the bright light shining in her eyes. “Doesn’t look like you fared all that well yourself, does it?”

  “Come out from behind that rock before I shoot you right there and leave your corpse for the animals to feed on.”

  She choked back a cry and huddled behind the boulder, making no response.

  “I said come out of there. Where’s your boyfriend? I saw the blood. Guess it was him I got, huh?”

  She stood and stepped out from behind the boulder. “Are you…after Running Crane. . . or me?” Summer hid the knife along the side of her jean. He motioned for her to move down the ridge and she led the way. Each step took them further away from Running Crane.

  “My name’s Stuart Wallace, in case you still haven’t figured out who has been chasing you down. You might remember my brother, Derek. You know, the man you killed.”

  “I’m…not so sure I killed your brother. Yes, I hit him with a fry pan, but he was still alive when I ran over to Jordan. I heard him moaning. I think someone finished the job and put the blame on me. I’m not the one you—”

  “Shut the fuck up! Keep telling yourself that…but the police said you killed him. He was my only brother and you’re going to make things right. Before I make you pay…you’re going to give me Jordan’s documents.”

  “Jordan’s documents of what? I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “The boys tried telling me you weren’t involved, but I gotta tell you…I just don’t believe that. Joshua and I go way back and I told him to keep his brother out of this.”

  “And you should have. Jordan wasn’t the type—”

  “Little lady, you have no idea what type Jordan was. What you need to be concerned about is what type am I? You see I don’t give a fuck what you want to make yourself believe, but I do know Jordan had legal documents that I need. You give them to me and I might not even kill you. Oh we’re definitely going to have us some fun…same fun you was having with that Indian in the water. Hot little piece aren’t you?”

  “I don’t have any idea what or where any documents Jordan had are. You can try beating it out of me, but the answer will be the same. I can’t tell you what I don’t know.” Stuart backhanded her across the cheek. Summer reeled back, landing hard on the ground. The knife jarred from her hand and bounced on several rocks before landing out of reach. She fought the tears that surfaced.

  ‘Now would you look at that? You weren’t planning on using that on me, were ya?” His forced laugh filled the early morning stillness.

  She stared at his white, Nike Air Force One sneakers. “What does this job you planned with Jordan and Joshua have to do with my grandmother? Where did your guys take her?” Summer scrambled to her feet.

  “Girl, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Put your hands out,” he said, pulling a rope from his pack. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

  “He…he…went to Babb and I headed for StoneHouse.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I don’t care what you believe. When he saw you were still coming after us, he decided we’d have a better chance if we split up. He—”

  “Wouldn’t have left you with me following.”

  “He was going to leave you enough signs so you’d start following him. That would allow me to make it to StoneHouse and send him help. You obviously missed them. Not that great at tracking, are you?”
>
  He whacked her hard with the rope. Summer cringed and rubbed her arms where the twine snapped her like a whip.

  “Put your hands together and hold them out…and shut up!”

  Summer glared up at Stuart. “You really think it’s necessary to tie me? How would I outrun you? Tell me what you guys were up to and what exactly I’m supposed to turn over to you.”

  “You seriously don’t know?”

  She shook her head. “I seriously don’t have a clue. I knew Joshua was up to something…and…I guess now that I think about it, maybe Jordan was, too. Was Ali…Joshua’s girl…or—”

  “You really were blind, weren’t you? Jordan, Josh and Ali go all the way back to grade school. They’ve been a three-some since I met them.”

  “What do you mean, a three-some?”

  Stuart laughed loud. “Ali couldn’t make up her mind which of the brothers she preferred, so she was sometimes with Josh and other times with Jordan.”

  “Who killed her?” Summer asked without thinking.

  “Well, that would be me. You see I wanted a piece of the action and she definitely was having me in that shower. Jordan showed up and he caught us together and she started screaming rape. That was bull shit and I said so. She kneed me and I punched her. She dropped like a shot pigeon and hit her head on the faucet…it killed her instantly. It was an accident. I got dressed and suggested we take her body to the alley and make it looked like some guy attacked her.”

  “Jordan wouldn’t have gone along with something like that.”

  “You’re right, and neither would Josh. He started punching me and I wrestled him to the ground. Jordan went after Derek and I guess that’s when you got there. Jordan was dead and…you killed Derek.”

  “I didn’t kill him. I’m telling you he was alive after I hit him.”

  “Derek was dead when Josh and I slipped out the back. I left the complex and he went back in the front door, to make it look like he’d just got there.”