No Return (A Lee Smith Mystery Book 2)

by Jay Forman

  “Have you heard anything?” I asked her as I scrambled up onto the front bench seat after Joshua.

  “Nothing. The De Beers helicopter just brought them in.” She hit the gas so hard that the back end of the truck fishtailed on the dirt road.

  A small group of teenagers were standing by the chain-link fence at the airport entrance, taking pictures with their cell phones. I pushed my way through them to the closed gates. There was just enough of an opening for me to squeeze through the gate and I heard the chain rattling behind me as Sara and Joshua pushed their way through.

  The big military plane, its engines silent, was on the runway with the back end open again. The De Beers helicopter was parked behind it. I ran past the Texans’ private jet. Ran like I was trying to beat one of Usain Bolt’s records. It was so quiet on the airfield that my boots hitting the dirt sounded like thunder.

  There were three men wearing olive green military jumpsuits standing around behind the open end of the plane, talking to two Peacekeepers. Two men wearing neon orange jumpsuits, still strapped into their black parachute harnesses, were rolling a stretcher from the helicopter to the plane and then up the ramp into the plane. There was IV bag hanging from a stand attached to the stretcher – an IV that was attached to the man with dark hair who was lying motionless on the stretcher. I was too far away to see if that man was Jack. One of the green military men turned around and saw me coming. He walked quickly toward me, his right hand held up like a stop sign.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, this is a restricted area right now.”

  “I need to see Jack. Jack Hughes.”

  “Are you family?” He was built like an MMA prize-fighter, but he wasn’t going to stop me.

  “I’M HIS FUCKING FIANCÉE!” They probably heard me all the way over at the gathering camp, I’d yelled so loudly.

  “What did you just say?” a male voiced shouted.

  I’d lost my mind. Completely and absolutely lost it. My brain had tricked me into thinking that I’d just heard Jack’s voice.

  “Say it again!” The voice shouted again.

  Then I saw him. He wasn’t on the stretcher. He was walking down the ramp at the back of the plane. There was a strip of white gauze wrapped around his head.

  I wasn’t running alone now. Jack matched my pace and I literally slammed into his chest, wrapping my arms and legs around him as tightly as I could.

  “You’re okay,” I squeaked out and let the tears pour.

  “Say it again,” he whispered into my ear.

  “I’m your fucking fiancée.”

  The propellers on the big plane started to spin.

  He squeezed me tighter. “God, Lee, you feel so good.”

  I lifted my head up and looked at his face. Blood had dried along a tiny cut that ran through his right eyebrow. His eyes were just as teary as mine. Our lips touched. And locked. Sex had nothing to do with this kiss. We were breathing life back into each other.

  “Sir?” the MMA fighter said from somewhere close by.

  Neither one of us loosened our grip.

  “Sir?”

  I felt Jack pulling his head back, but not too far. He rested his forehead on mine. “Yes?”

  “We have to go.”

  I jerked my head up. “Go?”

  Jack nodded. “I have to go with George. He’s hurt. Hurt badly.”

  “You can’t—”

  “I have to Lee.” His eyes started to water again, but he sniffled and fought it. “It’s my fault. The accident was my fault.”

  “What do you mean?”

  The propellers were getting louder.

  “I’ll explain later. I really have to go.” I could feel his arms letting go of me.

  “But you promised you wouldn’t leave without me.” I didn’t want to let go. I wasn’t going to let go!

  “Oh, honey, I won’t. Not ever.” He hugged me tightly again. “I’ll be back just as soon as I can. Promise.”

  “What did you do to your head?”

  “It’s just a bump.”

  They didn’t wrap bumps. I cupped my hand over the red patch on the gauze. “You’re bleeding.”

  He touched my cheek. “So are you.”

  “It’s just a scrape.” It really was just a scrape, but I wasn’t convinced that the gauze around Jack’s head was covering just a bump. “I’m coming with you.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible, ma’am.”

  I wanted to punch the muscle-bound jerk wearing the stupid green onesie right in the face.

  “Lee, seriously, George needs to get to the hospital.”

  Our second kiss wasn’t as desperate, but it was needed just as much as the first one.

  I stood still and watched him walk toward the open end of the plane. He stopped, said something to the MMA fighter he’d been walking with, and then ran back to me.

  “One more time, say it one more time.”

  I laughed. “I’m your fucking fiancée.”

  “Damn right you are.” He had to shout over the roar of the engines as he started to run backwards to the plane.

  The back ramp started to go up before he’d even disappeared into the belly of the plane.

  I went and stood with Joshua and Sara at the gates to watch the plane take off.

  It was about the same length as Jack’s fancy jet, but wider. And the wings looked ridiculously long. If the runway wasn’t long enough for Jack’s jet to take off how would the military plane be able to? The ground shook like a 5 on the Richter scale and we had to cover our ears when the plane sped up quickly and lifted off just before the trees at the end of the airstrip. Those propellers that I’d questioned before propelled the plane almost straight up.

  “Jack Hughes’ fiancée, huh?” Joshua asked me.

  “You’re damn right I am.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  I knew I should go and apologise to the chief for breaking his phone and that I should call Adaya to let her know what was happening, but there was another call that was more important. “Would it be okay if I made a couple of calls from the school?” I asked Sara as we drove away from the airport.

  “Jack’s family?”

  Jack didn’t have any family. Except for me. And Auntie Em. And a couple of distant cousins who only showed up when they wanted some money. “Yeah.”

  “No problem.”

  “Do either of you know how badly Jack’s co-pilot was hurt?”

  “Bad enough to have to be taken to Toronto,” Joshua said. “I overheard Howard saying something about possible spinal injuries.”

  “Who’s Howard?”

  “One of our Peacekeepers. He’s also the guy who coordinated with De Beers to get a helicopter in to pick them up.”

  “Why De Beers and not a Search and Rescue helicopter?”

  “They were the closest. It would have taken a Search and Rescue helicopter too long to get here.”

  “Why not a Hughes helicopter?”

  “Both of the choppers from their mine were in the middle of transporting crews around.”

  Jack was right. The people up here really did come together when someone was in trouble. “Did Howard say anything about what caused the accident?” If it was Jack’s fault and George didn’t get better Jack would never forgive himself.

  “I haven’t heard anything. Jack said something to Howard about someone shooting at the helicopter as he was taking off, but he took a nasty hit to the head so I think he was confused. He probably heard the Texans. We sent them east for deer today.”

  “What happened to the bear hunt?”

  “Cancelled indefinitely. The lodge grounds are crawling with OPP, NAPS and Peacekeepers while they try to figure out what happened to Bernice. Once they’d finished talking to the Texans and my guys they asked us to clear out for a couple of hours.”

  “Do you want us to wait for you?” Sara asked as we pulled up to the school.

  “No, I’ll walk to your place when I’m done. I shouldn’t be long.”
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  My body literally collapsed into the chair in the school office. I’d never felt such complete exhaustion, both physical and mental. But giving in to it would have to wait. Auntie Em answered on the fourth ring.

  “Oh good, I was hoping to hear from you. There’s something I have to talk to you about, but before we get into that tell me what’s happening up there. Blaze came over and told me about his grandfather. I knew you’d be able to—”

  “Auntie Em, that’s not why I’m calling. Jack’s been in an accident.”

  “Is he all right?”

  “I don’t know. He’s flying down to Toronto right now—”

  “Well, if he’s flying he can’t be that badly hurt.”

  “His helicopter crashed and George, his co-pilot, might have some spinal injuries.”

  “Oh, dear. Who’s flying them to Toronto?”

  “A Canadian Forces Search and Rescue team.”

  I will not cry. I will not cry. But hearing her voice made me want to feel her arms wrapping around me so I could soak her shirt with tears like I’d done in the past.

  “I need to sit down.” I could hear the legs of the wooden chair near her front door scraping across the slate floor. “I thought he was in Antwerp—”

  “He was, but then he came here.”

  “Why aren’t you flying down with him?”

  “They wouldn’t let me. I’m going to call his assistant, Adaya. She’ll be able to find out which hospital they’re taking him to—”

  “I’m already on my way.” I heard the chair scrape on the floor again and could picture her picking up the Mary Poppins-sized bag that she always left by her front door. Then I heard the squeak of the rusty hinge on the door. She’d asked me to fix that hinge before I left. “Do you know how long it’ll … get … rush hour …”

  “Auntie Em! You’re breaking up. The cordless phone won’t work outside!”

  “ … oodness me,” she laughed. “You won’t believe what I just did.”

  “You went outside with the cordless phone.” It wasn’t the first time she’d done that.

  “You don’t have to make it sound as if my brain is addlepated. It’s an easy mistake to make, especially under the circumstances. I’ll hang up now—”

  “Wait! There’s something else.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “We’re engaged.”

  “Good. It’s about time. Now let me go. My future nephew-in-law needs me.”

  “That’s it? Good?”

  “Please, Lee, I’ve known since the first time you brought that boy home that you two were going to end up together. I was on the ball on that one. You’re the only one who’s been confused about it for far too long. Anything else?”

  “I guess not.” Her reaction was a bit of a letdown. I’d sort of been hoping that she’d do the ridiculous happy dance that she’d done when she walked in and found us naked on my couch after our first night of being together. Really being together. “I’ll get Adaya to text you the details—”

  “Have you shown me how to text?”

  “I’ll get her to email you. You know how to do that on your phone, right?”

  “Of course I do. Or she could just call me.”

  “No, because you’ll answer and I don’t want you talking on your phone while you’re driving.” We should have let Jack buy her a new car with a hands-free system like he’d wanted to. “And don’t speed!” She’d taught me to drive, because Uncle Doug got too nervous when my hands were on the steering wheel, and I’d inherited my lead foot from her – even though we were only related by marriage. “You’ve got lots of time to get there.”

  “Are you done now? I want to get going.”

  “I’m done.”

  “I’ll call you once I know—”

  “I can’t get cell reception up here. Email me.”

  “All right, dear. And don’t you worry. I’ll make sure Jack is well taken care of. I’m off now.”

  “Wait! You said you had something you wanted to talk to me about.”

  “It’ll keep. Jack comes first.”

  ****

  Adaya answered on the second ring.

  She didn’t know anything more about the crash than I did, other than that a team of investigators from the Transportation Safety Board would be coming to Webequie within a few hours. She did have some information on Jack and George, though. They thought Jack might have a concussion and he needed stitches to close up a gash on his leg. Some girlfriend – fiancée – I was, I hadn’t even noticed that his leg was cut. George hadn’t been as lucky. He’d been thrown from the helicopter when it crashed and hadn’t regained consciousness by the time the Hercules took off from Webequie. The Search and Rescue technicians were concerned about possible internal injuries and there’d been no reaction when they’d tested his feet for reflexes. “They’re in good hands, Lee. Our SAR techs are the best paramedics in the world.”

  “I hope so.” Not for the bragging rights; George needed and deserved the best. “Do you know which hospital they’re taking them to?”

  “Sunnybrook. There’ll be an Ornge helicopter waiting for them at Pearson. They said Jack and George would be on the Ornge helicopter and on their way to Sunnybrook within five minutes of the Hercules touching down. I’ll be waiting for them at Sunnybrook. Should I call you on the chief’s satellite phone again?”

  “No, I broke it. My aunt’s actually on her way down to Toronto right now. Would you please email her to tell her that they’re going to Sunnybrook? Her email address is—”

  “I’ve already got Emma’s email address. I’ll email her right now.”

  “Why do you have Auntie Em’s email address?” I didn’t know that Adaya even knew who Auntie Em was.

  “Jack has her listed right after you on his emergency contact list.”

  Because we were his family, with or without a marriage certificate. “Would you also find a place for Auntie Em to stay tonight? She shouldn’t drive back—”

  “She can stay in our hospitality suite at the Four Seasons.”

  “If they keep Jack overnight you may not be able to get her to leave his side; she’s stubborn as all hell.”

  “I can be rather persuasive.”

  I bet she could!

  “How will I recognise her?”

  “You won’t be able to miss her. She’ll be the one who’s bossing everyone around. She was the head nurse in the emergency department at Muskoka General Hospital for years and she has no qualms about telling doctors when she thinks they’re wrong.”

  And Auntie Em was usually right when she blasted a doctor. I felt more relief knowing that she’d be overseeing Jack’s care than I did thinking of him being taken care of by some no-name doctor.

  I didn’t know what to do next.

  I logged into my email program, hoping to see something in my inbox from Jack but knowing that I wouldn’t.

  What I really wanted to do was go to Toronto.

  I found the website for the little airline that had flown me up to Webequie. I’d missed their last flight of the day to Thunder Bay. I sat staring at the lines on their destinations map. It looked like someone had connected the many destination dots to create the pattern of a dreamcatcher, with Sioux Lookout and then Thunder Bay hanging down below it like single feathers. According to their schedule, the plane I wished I’d been on was probably over Neskantaga by now. Next stop, Eabametoong. My flight up had stopped there. I followed the line that went northwest from Webequie and found out where Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug was. The old man on my flight up had gone there. The flight I wished I’d been able to get on had started in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug and made a stop at Wabekeka before going south to Wunnumin. Then it headed straight east to Webequie.

  Wait a minute … I looked more closely at the map. Wunnumin. That’s where Joshua said Joey lived. That’s where Frazer said he’d been, not finding Bigfoot, when he’d decided to come to Webequie to help Aileen. So why had he been on my flight u
p from Thunder Bay? Why had he flown over 600 kilometres south and then another 600 kilometres north, when he could have taken a direct flight straight across the 200 kilometres between Wunnumin and Webequie? It didn’t make any sense. Frazer had to go out of his way, 1200 kilometres out of his way, to go down and back from Thunder Bay. Why had he done that?

  It didn’t matter why. None of it mattered. Blaze’s grandfather was free. There was no reason for me to stick around in Webequie.

  What mattered was Jack. And George. Getting them healthy again. And that wasn’t going to happen up here.

  When I stood up my body started to let me know how unhappy it was with me. My legs were cold; my jeans still wet from running into the river to grab Frazer and the skiff. My feet felt strange. They’d probably started to look like pasty white brain coral after being in my wet boots for so long. My ankle wasn’t doing too badly, but my shoulder was throbbing with anger. I’d abused it too much – jumping on Joey, flinging dead squirrels, hauling the skiff, hugging Jack so hard. That last one was worth the pain, though. As I walked toward the band hall the rest of the bumps and bruises on my body started to wake up and let me know what they thought of me. My adductors complained a lot. I’d clenched my thighs around the ATV too hard and for too long on the drive back to the lodge. They’d gripped Jack with just as much force, but that grip had been more than worth it.

  ****

  “I’m sorry. I broke your phone,” I said as I unwrapped the chief’s cracked satellite phone from my parka.

  “It can be replaced. It’s just a thing.” He didn’t look angry. He looked concerned. “How are you?”

  “Tired. It’s been a long day. I’ll buy you a new phone.”

  “That won’t be necess—”

  “No, please, let me? I want to.”

  He nodded. “And Jack? Your fiancé? How is he?”

  I sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “I think he’ll be okay. I hope so, anyway. I’m waiting to hear how his co-pilot is. Chief Troutlake, I owe you an apology. I should have told you that Jack and I were in a relationship.”

  “Engaged to be married.”

  “That didn’t happen until today, I swear. But I should have told you that we were more than just good friends. It’s just … I was worried that you wouldn’t trust me to look into what happened to—”