“Crates?” That was interesting. “Are the crates new?”
“Newish,” Laura answered. “I don’t think they’ve been out there for more than a few weeks. The weather hasn’t had time to beat them down yet.”
“Who would be moving crates out there?”
“It could be Sully or Morrison,” Jack replied. “It could also be kids looking for something to cart around their beer. Kegs are heavy, so maybe the crates play into that. Maybe they’re putting cups and ice in the crates, and instead of cleaning up their messes they toss the crates behind the buildings instead.”
That hadn’t even occurred to me. “What about the hills? The rest of the area is pretty flat.”
“I looked at the hills, and I’ll guess it’s simply a case of discarded items from a century ago being overrun by weeds and the rest of nature,” Jack said. “I’ve seen it happen with landfills. Over time, Mother Nature reclaims what’s hers. If someone wanted to excavate under those small elevations, they’d probably find wagon wheels … pieces of furniture … and old boxes and supplies.”
“Chris was fascinated with them,” Laura said. “He kept going on and on about history and all that other stupid stuff he loves.”
“It’s not stupid,” Hannah hissed, coming to life. “He likes history. I do, too. Just because you don’t doesn’t make it stupid.”
“Of course not.” Millie offered Hannah a soothing pat on the hand. “Don’t listen to Laura. We all know she’s a whiny complainer who doesn’t care about anyone but herself. She’s not worth your time.”
Laura balked. “Hey! I’m as worried about Chris as the rest of you.”
“Obviously not,” Millie said dryly. “You’re more worried about yourself and whatever it is you think Jack is doing. Yeah, I’ve seen the way you’ve been looking at him. You need to get over yourself. If I had to guess, you’re ticked off because he slept in Charlie’s room.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about that, too,” she continued. “I’ll bet it’s for different reasons – jealousy on your part, being a busybody on mine – but it’s not important given what’s going on. Right now we have bigger concerns. My nephew is out there. He’s missing. We need to find him. He’s the most important thing.”
“I don’t care about Jack and his stupid older brother routine with the newbie,” Laura spat.
“You care enough to try to convince yourself that’s what’s going on,” Millie countered. “Now … stuff that part of the talk. Once Chris is safe I’ll debate that theory with you until the end of time. You know I love a good fight. It’s not important now.”
“She’s right.” Jack didn’t look bothered by the debate, but I was having trouble reading him given his rigid determination. In some ways he was closed off, almost brittle. In others he was open and keen to share information. It was an interesting dichotomy. “What happened then, Laura?”
“Nothing really,” Laura replied. “Chris took out his scope and sat on top of one of the hills. He focused on the tree line that was about … oh, I don’t know … a good five hundred yards away. Then he just shut up and watched and pretty much ignored us.”
“He gets hyper-focused on stuff like that,” Millie mused. “Where did you go?”
As if sensing Millie’s potential fury, Laura scrambled to cover her bases. “Not far. We went down about three buildings so we could have some privacy. We could still see Chris. If he got in trouble we knew we could hear him. Then we just kind of … spent some time together.”
“Yes, I think we can all imagine what you were doing,” Bernard said pointedly. He sat on Millie’s left, and although he didn’t touch her I could tell he was offering her solace just by being close. Their relationship was definitely something I wanted to question her about, but I put it away for the time being.
“How long were you separated from Chris before you realized he was gone?” Jack asked.
“It couldn’t have been very long.”
“How long?”
“About fifteen minutes. Maybe twenty, I guess. It couldn’t possibly have been longer than that.”
“So, in twenty minutes’ time Chris disappeared,” Jack said, as he stared at the ceiling. “That’s about what I was figuring.”
“What are you thinking?” Bernard asked.
“I’m thinking that I don’t care what the cops say,” Jack replied. “He’s still out there.”
“But where?” Millie asked. “How could he be out there without you finding him?”
“Because I think there’s a part of Hooper’s Mill that only certain people know how to find.”
“Like hidden rooms or something?” I asked, intrigued.
Jack nodded. “Think about it. It was a boom town. People were expected to gather up a bunch of silver and carry it to a town that probably had a decent number of reprobates running around. That would become cumbersome.”
“So you think there’s a vault or something,” Millie mused. “That makes sense.”
“It does,” Jack agreed. “I think that Hooper’s Mill has a few secrets left, and I’m determined to find them.”
“But how do you know?” Hannah asked. “I mean … how do you know he wasn’t tossed into a vehicle and driven away from Hooper’s Mill? He could be anywhere.”
“No, he can’t,” Jack said. “Hannah, I know you’re worried, but Chris couldn’t have been removed from Hooper’s Mill. Charlie and I were in the street the entire time he was out there with his night-vision scope.
“We would’ve seen a vehicle approach,” he continued. “For the sake of argument, even if they didn’t use their lights – which would be virtually impossible given the rough terrain they’d have to go over to avoid the roads – and even if they somehow figured a way to get close to Hooper’s Mill without their lights, there’s no way they would’ve been able to get close without us hearing them.”
“They also couldn’t carry Chris out,” I added. “He’s not big but he’s solid. They couldn’t risk carrying him away from the buildings, because we were already looking for him within seconds of finding out he was missing.”
“Exactly.” Jack wagged a finger in my face. “That’s another good point. There’s simply no way Chris could’ve been carried or driven away from Hooper’s Mill without us noticing. He’s still there.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s still alive.” Hannah was understandably morose. “He might already be dead.”
“He might,” Jack conceded. “I don’t want to give you false hope. He could be dead. But I don’t believe that.”
“Why?”
“There’s no benefit to killing him and hiding the body,” Jack replied. “If people want to frighten us away from Hooper’s Mill – which seems to be exactly what they want if the coyote head is taken into account – killing Chris is the wrong way to go, because I’ll have federal agents all over that property until we get answers.”
“Kidnapping Chris doesn’t seem the way to go either,” Hannah pointed out. “It only draws attention to Hooper’s Mill.”
“True, but I’m starting to wonder if the person who took Chris did it because he thought it would scare us away,” Jack said. “He might not understand exactly who he’s dealing with.”
“We’re going to show him, though, aren’t we?” Millie’s eyes sparked with determination. “What’s your plan?”
“I’m taking a group back to the town, because I don’t want it sitting empty for too long,” Jack said. “You’re calling Myron and getting us some federal help as soon as possible.”
“Why am I calling Myron?” Millie challenged.
“You know why.”
Millie opened her mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. She nodded curtly, resigned. “Okay. I’ll make him move heaven and earth to get us help before the night is out.”
“And I’m taking Bernard with me to watch the town,” Jack said. “We’re not going to allow anyone in or out of there.”
“And me, too,” I added.
“Not you.” Jack shook his head. “You’re staying here with everyone else.”
“But why?”
“Because I’m not risking anyone else being taken.”
“You’re taking Bernard with you.”
“Yes, but he’s trained for certain things.” Jack averted his eyes, and I knew exactly what he refused to utter.
“And he has a penis,” I pointed out. “That’s what you’re really saying.”
“I’m not arguing with you,” Jack warned. “You’re staying here.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I’m not, and you can’t make me.”
“I’m your boss, and I can make you.”
“Then I quit.” Even uttering the words caused my stomach to twist, but I was determined to see this through. Now more than ever, I knew it was important for me to go back to Hooper’s Mill. There was something there to find, and they would need me to find it. “I’ll figure out my own way to get there. I’ll take a cab if I have to.”
“You’re not going.” Jack was on his feet, his nostrils flared. “I’m laying down the law.”
Somehow I remained calm, although it was something of a miracle. “Do you want to bet?”
Jack didn’t react well to the challenge. “You’re staying here. That’s the end of it.”
“I guess we’ll just have to see, huh?”
26
Twenty-Six
“Don’t even think of separating from me.”
Jack was a growling mess by the time we hit Hooper’s Mill. We argued long and hard at the hotel, going at it like a long-married couple heading for divorce (and maybe prison given how tempestuous things got), but ultimately he relented and allowed me to tag along.
I wasn’t the only one who bullied her way onto the search party.
“Stop barking at her,” Millie ordered, her expression fierce as she planted her hands on her hips. “I know you’re trying to be all alpha and protective, but talking to her like she’s two won’t help matters.”
Jack stared at Millie for several moments, his expression dark and twisted. “Don’t you think about separating from me either.”
Instead of shrinking back, Millie merely snorted and rolled her eyes. “Boy, given the mood I’m in, I dare whoever is behind this to try and grab me. In fact, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Stop saying things like that,” Jack hissed, rummaging through a duffel bag until he came up with several flashlights. “You’ll give me an ulcer if you keep saying things like that.”
“I’m not leaving this place without Chris.” Millie’s eyes fired with determination. “It’s not going to happen … so that means a showdown with whoever is doing this is in the cards.”
“There will be no showdown,” Jack argued. “This is a search-and-rescue operation. We’re not here for a showdown.”
“You say potato.” Millie made a deranged face as she handed me one of the flashlights. “Are you ready to get down and dirty?”
That seemed like a loaded question. “I’m ready to find Chris,” I replied, testing the flashlight before continuing. “I think we should start on that side of the street.” I pointed toward the side anchored by the hotel.
Jack narrowed his eyes. “Why do you say that?”
“Because Chris disappeared behind those buildings, and it makes the most sense to me,” I replied, refusing to let his tone irritate me to the point where I snapped. “If we work under the assumption that we’re trying to find a hidden vault or room somewhere, I think it makes the most sense for it to be located by the hotel.”
Jack rubbed his thumb between his eyebrows. “I don’t disagree. I’d like to hear your ideas first.”
“Think about it,” I prodded. “Richard Hooper owned the town and set things up for himself above all else. He lived at the hotel. It said so in the documents we got from the clerk’s office.”
“I forgot about that.” Jack nodded. “Great point.”
“I’m full of good points,” I said. “Hooper owned the hotel. He probably wanted to keep his money close. If someone studied this town long and hard – someone like Wendell Morrison – he might have figured that out, too.”
“And maybe he was spending most of his time searching the hotel because he realized that the silver – if there was any – was probably secreted away in Hooper’s hidden room,” Jack surmised. “Look at that building, though.” He gestured for emphasis. “It’s surrounded on both sides. That doesn’t leave many options for hidden rooms. It must be hidden in plain sight.”
“That means the room is built into the design and has a hidden entrance,” Bernard said. “If the entrance is built correctly, we could be looking right at it and not see it.”
I wasn’t so much worried about that as I was worried about hidden surprises inside the room. I figured I could use my magic to sense the location. Doing it without anyone noticing would be tricky, but I would figure it out. It wasn’t finding the room that caused me the most concern. No, it was walking inside and facing what happened to Chris that caused me to involuntarily shudder. What would happen if we found the room and realized we weren’t alone?
I flicked my gaze to the hotel, licking my lips as I internally debated. “We can’t simply focus on the hotel.”
“You just said the opposite,” Jack argued.
“I know, but hear me out.” I held up my hands. “Hooper owned the whole town. The buildings all run together. We’ve been in the hotel multiple times now and haven’t seen anything.
“What if the secret room is between two of the buildings?” I continued. “Like over there, for example.” I gestured toward the building with a sagging roof on the left. “I only looked inside briefly, but I think that was the claims office.”
“So what?” Jack followed my finger with his gaze. “Why is that important?”
“I get what she’s saying.” Bernard bobbed his head, his enthusiasm ramping up.
“It’s great that you understand, but how about sharing with the class?” Millie suggested, temper flaring.
“The claims office is where people would file permits to mine,” Bernard explained. “It’s also where they would bring silver to be weighed and sold.”
“So?”
“So you wouldn’t want to be wandering around town with hunks of silver if you could help it,” Jack said. “They’re saying it would make the most sense for the room to be between the hotel and the claims office so thieves wouldn’t be tempted to jump miners on the street.”
“Exactly.” I pressed my lips together and forced what I hoped resembled a smile. “I don’t think we should ignore everything else, but I do think it might be prudent to start in there.”
“Prudent?” Jack cocked a dubious eyebrow. “I don’t think you even know what that word means.”
“I know what it means. That doesn’t mean I believe it applies to me, but I know what it means.”
“Ha, ha.” Jack flicked a spot between my eyebrows, the action playful even as his face sobered. “Okay. That makes sense. We’ll start at the claims office.”
“No. We need to split up, with two of us going into the claims office and two of us going into the hotel,” I corrected.
Jack balked. “We are not splitting up.”
“We have to.” I refused to back down. Chris’ life might depend on how fast we acted. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were running out of time. “We need to cover two floors in each building. We need to knock on walls and be able to listen on the other side. That’s how we’ll find the room.”
“If it even exists,” Jack countered. “We’re running on a theory.”
“It’s a good theory.”
Jack made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “I think it’s a bad idea.”
“And I think she’s right and we have no choice,” Millie said. “If Chris is close, he might be in dire straits. He could be tied up. He could have a head injury, for all we know. I mean, how els
e did whoever took him manage to get him away from Laura and Zach without them hearing a commotion? It would make sense for them to knock Chris out.”
“I get what you’re saying, but this makes me nervous,” Jack said. “I want to find Chris, but I’m not going to do it by sacrificing one of you.”
“No one is going to be sacrificed,” I said. “We all have radios and we’ll stay in constant contact.”
“Fine.” Jack scratched at the back of his neck, the skin red and angry from frequent attacks of guilt and worry. He would rub it raw before everything was said and done. “Charlie will come with me to the claims office. Bernard will go with Millie to the hotel.”
“No.” Bernard vehemently shook his head, taking everyone by surprise. “I saw the claims office the first day we were here. It’s a mess. It’s not safe for Charlie. You and I need to handle that building, Jack. Besides, it looks as if a storm is going to roll in, and that could make that place even more dangerous if the rain gets inside.”
“We can’t let the women go on their own,” Jack argued.
“The women?” I made a disgusted face. “Really? You can’t let ‘the women’ go off on their own? What kind of Neanderthal are you?”
“The kind who wants to keep you safe,” Jack answered without hesitation. “I don’t like the idea of you two wandering off alone.”
“And yet Millie and I have been in the hotel alone together already,” I reminded him. “The sun is still out. Yeah, it looks as if that might not last long if those storm clouds are any indication, but it still won’t be pitch black even if it storms. No one will move on us if we’re in teams, especially while it’s still light out. If we haven’t found the room by the time the sun sets, we can come up with another plan. Until then we’re wasting time.”
Jack wasn’t convinced. “Charlie … .”
“She makes sense, Jack,” Millie interjected. “We’ll be close and have our radios on at all times.”
“We’ll be careful,” I added. “You have to trust me eventually.”
“I trust you a great deal,” Jack replied.
The words warmed me to my core. “Thank you.”
The Chupacabra Catastrophe Page 23
