by Alan Russell
“You inspire confidence.”
“I’m still trying to remember what it was you said that got me to do this.”
“It was a few things, actually, starting with the monster storm that’s on its way. There was also the fact that neither one of us felt like waiting around for the ice to thaw.”
Tomcat’s plane was still awaiting excavation from the ice. No one was offering any ETA of when that might happen.
“Not to mention that those in charge of this case only seem to want to confirm wreckage and bodies, instead of considering the possibility of survivors.”
“It’s all coming back to me now,” said Hamilton.
“Did you know that geologists are sometimes called ‘earth detectives’?”
“No, I didn’t. But then I don’t know the first thing about geology.”
“I’ve been studying it long enough to know that I don’t know the first thing, either. But that’s what comes of working in a field that deals with millions, even billions, of years. My point about geologists being called earth detectives is that we’re always trying to solve mysteries. We look at a landscape and try to determine how it came to be. We don’t see only a gorge, but the millions of years a glacier took to form that gorge. If you’re a farmer, you see the soil. A geologist knows that soil was born of rocks that decayed through erosion. I see the result of sedimentary rock worn by winds and rain. When a geologist goes into the field, he has to make observations, and then take what limited information he has and try to divine answers.
“I love doing field mapping. I love observing outcroppings of rocks to see what they tell me. I love interpreting the information. I look at erosion. I consider the cycles that have gone into what I’m seeing. I check the sediment layers. Sometimes it feels like I’m in a time machine. I reconstruct how rocks got where they were. A geologist doesn’t have a forward-running clock, but one that runs backward. That’s geological time, with all its periods, cycles, forces, and ages. And for good measure, you throw in faults and fractures, and breaks and movements. And when you’re field mapping, one of the questions you need to ask yourself is: What would I expect to find here?
“That’s what I did when I looked at the maps of the area where we’re going. I studied those maps, and I thought about Grizzly. What do we know about him, and what should we expect?”
Hamilton didn’t think he’d ever heard Martin speak at such length, but then again, he’d usually been the one asking specific questions unrelated to his profession.
“I’m not an earth detective. I’m just a cop.”
“That’s what’s needed, or I hope it is. I took into account Grizzly’s character in relation to his comings and goings and tried to translate that information onto a map.”
“What’s all that mean?”
“We know Grizzly’s a survivalist. We know he’s probably a misanthrope. We know he’s a trapper. We know Tomcat said he lived in Bumfuck, Egypt. And we both talked to Jack. If he remembers correctly, and he sounds credible, we even know where Grizzly’s lake is.”
“And we both agreed I should give up that information,” said Hamilton. “And since I did, the drones have flown over the lake and that territory. They didn’t find anything.”
“That’s because they haven’t been looking in the right area.”
“That’s your geological opinion?”
“It’s my interpretation based on my geological background. Humans have traveled and migrated along corridors formed by geological events. Why did Grizzly choose to land at this particular lake? We know he’s secretive and paranoid. So why would we assume he lives near this lake?”
“Because of all his winter provisions,” said Hamilton. “He probably packed a few hundred pounds of food aboard Tomcat’s plane.”
“Did you know there are two rivers less than a mile from his lake?”
“You think Grizzly had a boat?”
“He wouldn’t even need a boat. The Natives have been using rafts for thousands of years. He could make one on the spot from materials that are at hand, or he could have had it at the ready.”
Hamilton wasn’t convinced. “You’re doing a lot of surmising.”
“In geology you can often find minerals in abundance in one spot, but that doesn’t mean you can assume that if you start digging at that spot, you’ll find the mother lode. There are occasions when you have to find the location you’re looking for by factoring in things like erosion, floods, and water flow.”
“So you’re saying he hauled all the provisions, along with a prisoner, and transported everything down the river?”
“Without any roads around here, the people have gotten used to doing their transporting by river. If you don’t believe me, just go to YouTube and watch videos of trucks floating down the Yukon on wooden rafts.”
“For real?”
Martin nodded. “I’m talking about rafts like Huck Finn would have made. Grizzly took his two victims in September, when the rivers weren’t yet frozen. I believe his timing wasn’t coincidental. He wanted to snatch his victims just before the interior changed into the Ice Age.”
Hamilton had always wondered about the timing, and rubbed his chin in thought.
“Grizzly didn’t want a road or need a road,” said Martin. “He had the river. I’ve studied the maps. I know all the rivers and tributaries near his landing spot, and I’ve memorized their routes. We know Grizzly didn’t want to be anywhere near people, so I’ve come up with a few likely water routes. It was like figuring out alluvial flow.”
“Or figuring out which way the sewage flows,” said Hamilton.
“I like your analogy better.”
The flight from Fairbanks to what Martin called the “likely Grizzly radius” was a little more than a hundred miles. During the flight Martin offered up some geological insights as to what they were seeing.
Hamilton heard about tectonic plates, the convergence of faults, uplifted blocks, and how mountains were formed. Martin pointed out tectonic activity and explained how depressions were formed. There was even some geological humor thrown in, with Martin commenting on, “gneiss cleavage.” It took the cop a second to understand the pun.
“Had you ever been to Alaska before your honeymoon cruise?” Hamilton asked.
Martin shook his head. “I’d always wanted to go. In fact, I think I was much more enamored than Elese was. I probably should have listened to her.”
“About what?”
“About where we should go on our honeymoon. I think she would have preferred Maui, but I told her Alaska would be much more interesting. Of course, Elese knew I meant more interesting geologically speaking, unless you’re interested in volcanology, that is. Before our honeymoon we went on several getaways, and she saw how I always came home with pockets full of rocks. That’s what I’ve always done wherever I’ve gone.”
“So you’re a rock hound?”
“That’s what started my interest in geology.”
Hamilton noticed Martin’s half smile. “Something funny?” he asked.
“Not really,” said Martin. “I was just remembering being fascinated by some of the glaciers we saw on the cruise. I was out on the deck for hours this one day hoping to see this glacier calve. And Elese had to seek me out. She knew where I’d be—and knew I’d forgotten my promise to not be long.”
His smile disappeared. Hamilton knew why. It was because his wife had disappeared.
Both men had known it was a long shot, even with Martin’s geological deductions. They’d been flying over the “likely Grizzly radius” for some time with no results. There had been no signs of current human habitation.
They’d also been up in the air long enough for Hamilton’s nervousness to be showing itself. “Isn’t it about time we called it a day?” he asked.
“Are you worried about the state of our fuel or the state of the sunlight?” asked Martin.
“I’m an equal-opportunity worrier.”
“We’ll turn back soon,”
he said.
“Don’t get me wrong,” said Hamilton. “I think you might be on to something about extending the search out this way. But we’re going to have to bring in help.”
“What about the reward money?”
“You still think Nina Granville might be alive?”
“Hope springs eternal.”
“I thought you were doing this to clear your name and try to exact revenge from the SOB that took your wife.”
“I am. But isn’t living well supposed to be the best revenge?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
Martin began turning the plane, aiming it in a new direction.
“Are we going home?” asked Hamilton.
“There’s one more area we need to check out.”
“Don’t cut it too close. Remember, I got kids.”
“Roger Wilco.”
“I’ve always wondered what the hell that means.”
“Roger means received. I don’t know why, but I do know it’s used by civilians and the military. And Wilco is an abbreviation for ‘will comply.’”
“Roger Wilco,” mused Hamilton. “I like that a lot better than Mayday.”
“Is that a cloud, or is it smoke?”
Martin turned his head in the direction of Hamilton’s finger. Even before he answered, he began changing course. “It looks like smoke.”
“There’s probably some hunting cabin out this way.”
“That’s probably it,” said Martin.
Neither man chose to mention that they hadn’t seen a cabin in the last hour, nor had they seen any signs of humanity.
“Wouldn’t hurt to fly lower to get a good look,” Martin said casually.
Hamilton also tried to sound disinterested. “You might as well.”
The fire was dying out. There were no more colors and no more warmth. The burning X had melted the letter into the ice, but the cold was reasserting itself.
Nina sat on the snow. She didn’t even have the caribou hide under her. Maybe in a few minutes she’d try to put some insulation under her and around her, but not now. For the moment she was too tired.
She wondered if the Little Match Girl had lit her last match in similar fashion. X marks the spot, Nina thought. Would it also mark her grave site?
She looked at the dying fire. “I’m sorry,” she said. She wasn’t sure if she was speaking to Elese or her unborn baby or herself.
She thought about her own life and felt a few twinges of regret. “It was a good life,” she said, “but it wasn’t the one I wanted, nor was it the one I should have led. I know that now.”
Too soon dead and too late smart.
A far-off buzz burrowed into her thoughts. For a few moments, she didn’t register what she was hearing, other than the disturbance of the quiet. As the buzz grew louder, Nina tried to focus through her jumbled thoughts. She looked up, searching for the sound. The object grew larger in the sky, and she realized she was looking at a plane.
Only when the plane was flying over her did Nina start jumping up and down. She didn’t even think to wave her arms until it was passing by. Belatedly she began waving and shouting.
But the plane was already past her, its sound receding into the distance.
“No!” she screamed.
The plane didn’t hear her, of course. No one hears a ghost. It had kept flying. It had missed her.
But then she heard something louder than her doubts. The buzzing returned.
For what felt like an eternity, Nina was certain her mind was playing tricks on her.
It was only when the doors opened and two men hopped out that she started walking, unsteadily, toward the plane. The taller of the two men put one of those old-time mountie-type hats on his head, and both men started running toward her.
“Are they real, Sister?” asked Nina.
Her eyes still hadn’t recovered.
In the distance Nina heard the sound of a wolf howling, and then a chorus of other wolves joining in.
“Is that my pack?” she asked, looking around but not seeing the wolves.
The men, though, were becoming clearer to her. They were waving and shouting.
“I guess I’m not a ghost,” Nina said. “I’m taking you with me. We’re both getting out of here.”
The chorus of wolves suddenly grew silent, and Elese’s voice was no longer in Nina’s head. The stillness made her dizzy, and she would have fallen had she not been caught by one of the men.
Nina touched his cheek. He felt real. And then she realized who was holding her.
“Oh, Greg,” she said, “is it really you?”
She watched his jaw drop. “We have so much to talk about,” she said.
But that conversation would have to wait. Nina fell into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Three days later they were finally able to have that conversation. Nina had been delirious during the flight back, and upon landing was immediately handed over to a medical team that rushed her to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. After her condition stabilized, doctors made the decision to remove two of her toes.
When Greg entered her room, the bouquet in his hand suddenly felt small. Nina’s suite was filled with flowers. She could have easily supplied the arrangements for a large wedding. But her broad smile eased his uncertainty, and when he tried to apologize for his bouquet, she took it from his hands and said, “I love it.”
Then she placed the bouquet atop her stomach and held it close to her. She was still hooked up to IV drips, and there were raw, red patches on her face. Dark circles lined her eyes, and her lips were severely chapped.
“I don’t know if you remember when we met,” he said.
“How could I forget? Even had you and Sergeant Hamilton been angels, I don’t think you could have made a grander entrance.”
“On the flight back, you were semiconscious, but you did seem to wake for a few moments and make us promise that we’d see to the dogs. I think you were afraid you were going to die and wanted to be sure they’d be taken care of.”
“I don’t remember that. But when I started being somewhat lucid again, I was glad to hear the dogs were all right.”
“Do you remember when we first met you called me ‘Greg’?”
“I do,” she said.
“I didn’t think I imagined it, but how did you know my name?”
“Elese told me. In a drawing.” She told him the story of the secret journal.
Nina’s tears fell freely during her telling. “Your wife’s words were my light in the darkness,” she said. “She was my secret sister. And she saved my life.”
Greg didn’t attempt words. His Adam’s apple seemed to fill his throat.
“I want to know more about her,” said Nina. “I want to get to know Elese beyond her book. Tell me about the first day the two of you met.”
Greg managed a deep breath. “That was the same day we fell in love.”
Three times the nursing staff came and told Greg he needed to leave. Three times Nina dismissed them. But finally her exhaustion began to overcome her resolve to stay awake.
“I need a favor from you,” she said. “Before you agree, you need to know that you’ll probably be breaking some kind of law that extends to evidence, although what I would ask you to do is something that I think is in both of our interests.”
“I guess you haven’t heard that I’m considered a scofflaw of sorts. Whatever I can do to help you, I will.”
“Will you get Elese’s journal for me? I don’t want anyone else to know about it, at least for now. If . . . What Elese wrote could bring into question my account of shooting the monster, and that’s not something I want to deal with. I want to put it behind me forever.”
“I don’t blame you.”
Nina told him about the hollowed-out caulking tube and where it could be found.
Greg said, “I don’t know if you’ve heard about the storm that’s been sweeping through the state, but it’s pretty much grounde
d all air traffic to the interior. Weather permitting, I’ll fly out in the next few days and get it for you.”
“You’ll have to hold on to it for me,” said Nina. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I had no idea you’d be going so soon.”
“No one does. We’re trying to keep it from the media.”
“Good luck. There’s an army downstairs.”
“I’ve heard them. They keep yelling questions to me with a bullhorn.”
“The less you say to them, the better it is for you. Or at least that’s been my experience.”
She nodded. “I think Terrence’s team is already working on my speech. They’ll have someone in media relations read it for me. I’m sure it won’t mention how much I wanted Baer dead and how good it felt shooting him.”
“You’re making me jealous.”
She was quiet for a moment. Softly she said, “I’m still awaiting word that they’ve recovered his body.”
“You’re going to have to wait until the storm lifts, and maybe longer.”
“Why do you say longer?”
“If he’s covered in snow, he won’t be easy to find.”
Nina frowned. “It might not melt for months.”
“Maybe they can bring in dogs to find him.”
“I know he’s dead. But in my mind, he’s like this vampire. I want proof positive.”
“You and me both.”
Nina looked at him and nodded. No one could understand as well as the two of them.
“In a few weeks, I’ll be holding some kind of memorial for Elese,” he said. “You’re invited, of course.”
Nina bit off her reply. She needed to tell him about Elese’s memorial-service request, about Denali, but now wasn’t the right time. Instead, she said, “Why don’t you give me the number to your cell? There are some things we need to discuss, but I’m just too fuzzy at the moment to go into them. I’ll call you after I get back east.”
“I’m counting on it,” said Martin, and gave her his business card with his private cell.
She took it and leaned back against the pillows. “Don’t leave yet,” she murmured. “I’m enjoying our talk too much.”
