Black Gold Deception

by Jess Walker

  The door opened, and a middle-aged man came in followed by a teenage girl.

  “No not him.”

  She looked up at the clock. It was approaching nine, the time of their scheduled meeting.

  She’d read up on the CEO, Vincent Anderson. The articles she found on him centered around his resume and work history, including his involvement on the current pipeline project. A Wikipedia article outlined his tenure at Bluenose Energy and his extensive list of accomplishments. She was surprised to see that no information came up on his early years. There was no information on his upbringing, when and where he was born, where he went to school, that sort of stuff. She tried to dive in deeper, to find information about his past, but he didn’t have any social media accounts and she ran out of places to search. The only information she obtained revolved around his work and his involvement in numerous charitable organizations. His public profile was squeaky clean. Too clean, she thought. He was a poster boy for the Leave it to Beaver generation. One valuable lesson she had learned from working in the field of journalism was that when information failed to come up or was missing, it was usually for a purpose, intended to be that way.

  Amanda came back over with the special and plopped it down on the counter in front of her. She looked at Charlotte with a quizzical smile.

  Charlotte met her gaze. “Yes.”

  “Oh no, it’s nothing.”

  “Don’t be shy,” Charlotte replied.

  “What’s somebody like you doing in these parts? We don’t get too many visitors coming this time of year, and the ones who do are dressed for the outdoors, not for a board meeting.”

  Charlotte blushed. She did feel a tad overdressed. “I’m a reporter with the Chicago Tribune.”

  Amanda frowned.

  “Is there a story you’re working on that I don’t know about? In case you haven’t noticed, it’s pretty quiet around here. The only story that’s made the front headlines for the past month in the newspaper was about the herd of cattle that got onto the interstate highway. It blocked it for miles. Some of them poor buggers got hit by a transport truck. Messy thing, it was.”

  Charlotte suppressed a smile. “I can’t tell you what I’m working on for reasons of confidentiality. Maybe you can answer some questions for me, though?”

  Amanda’s face lit up. “Really? Fire away. I’m all ears.”

  “Yo, Amanda!” a voice shouted from behind the kitchen.

  It was Al. “Get your tail out there. We got a customer at table three. He’s been waiting there for a while.”

  Amanda gave Al a glaring look. “Give me a minute, would you?” she said before turning back to Charlotte. “Al’s my stepdad. I don’t always see things eye to eye with him, but he’s a good man.”

  “Go see to your customer and come back when you get a chance,” Charlotte said.

  Five minutes later Amanda was back.

  Charlotte took out her notepad and a pen. “Has there been anything going on here, recently? Is there a convention center or place similar to that where people go? You know, outsiders who don’t live around here.”

  “The only place fitting that description is Porcupine Mountain National Park. We got a lot of hikers and recreation enthusiasts from all over the state and country that come up here. Right now, it’s off-season—the town pretty much shuts down. In the summer, that’s a different story. The population swells to triple its size, the motels and hotels get booked up, and the main drag gets congested with traffic.”

  Amanda looked into the kitchen. “Hey Al.”

  Al looked up from the deep fryer.

  “Has there been anything going on here for the past couple days?”

  He scratched his head and looked at Charlotte. “I think there was a wilderness training retreat of some kind. We’ve had a lot of them recently. Kind of like glorified play days in the woods for the fortune five hundred companies. They come up for a couple days to do leadership training stuff, like trust building activities, cooperation games, and nature walks, things along that line.”

  “Do you happen to know what company came in recently for training?”

  He looked down the counter. “Hey, Jessie. You work for the Park. Anything going on up there?”

  Jessie pondered the question and glanced over at Charlotte. “Bluenose Energy. I think that’s the name of the company that was up there a day or so ago. I know the guy who runs the retreats. Lawrence Woods, I believe his name is. Real nice fella.”

  “Do you know where I can get in touch with Mr. Woods?”

  “I don’t know his number. He don’t live in the area, likely gone home.”

  “You wouldn’t by chance be going up that way any time soon?” Charlotte asked.

  Jessie walked over and sat down on the stool beside her.

  “Well, as a matter of fact, I’m going up there today to do some trail maintenance. I think I know which cabin they had rented out. I can take you up but—” He looked at her purse.

  Charlotte pulled out a wad of bills. “Is this enough?”

  Jessie’s eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. “Meet me here later on, say around one p.m. Wear some clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.” He looked at her attire. “That won’t do in the woods. We’ll be four wheeling to get up there.”

  Charlotte looked at the clock. It was 9:45 a.m. She had a sneaking suspicion that Dexter wasn’t going to show up.

  Jessie walked over and grabbed the wad of cash from her hand, stuffing it in his jean pockets. “Nice doing business with you. Remember—one p.m.” He turned around and sauntered back to his seat.

  “Thanks, I’ll see you then,” Charlotte replied.

  Charlotte ended up waiting for another hour, but to her disappointment, Dexter didn’t show. Around 11 a.m. she decided to pack it in and head to the local Walmart. She needed to buy some outdoor clothing for her trip up the mountain. Before giving Al a wave goodbye, she thanked Amanda and left her a big tip. Jessie had already left, likely headed down to the beer store to buy his week’s supply.

  She felt like she had reached a dead end as her information source hadn’t shown up. Since she was already here, and her plane wasn’t scheduled to depart until tomorrow, it wouldn’t hurt to do some snooping around. What harm would it do? If it turned out to be nothing, she would make the most of it, enjoy the scenery, and have some fun four-wheeling with a hillbilly she barely knew. With any luck, Dexter might still be up there. She didn’t know what she would find, but it seemed like a good place to start.

  CHAPTER 17

  True to his word, Jessie showed up at 1 p.m. A 1985 black Ford F150 pulled into the parking lot at Al’s Diner with a red ATV tied down to the bed. Charlotte stood and watched as the truck came to a stop. Jessie got out and walked over. He looked at her attire and flashed an almost toothless smile. She wore jeans, a camouflage jacket, hiking boots, a winter hat, and gloves.

  “Looks like you listened to my advice and dressed for the occasion. You look like one of us. The town’s people will be proud.”

  Charlotte returned his smile. “I was a Girl Scout once you know.”

  Jessie opened the passenger side door and motioned for her to get in. “Ladies first.”

  The interior of the truck looked like the inside of a trash can. Crumpled fast food containers, pop cans, newspapers, and a few beer bottles littered the seats and floor.

  He glanced over at her, a little embarrassed.

  “Wasn’t expecting any company today. The only passenger I’ve had in this truck for some time now has been my dog.”

  He pointed at the dog hair, which seemed to grow out of the seat’s upholstery like grass.

  “Don’t mind the mess.”

  He swept his hand across the passenger seat, brushing away a chip bag and a few moldy French fries.

  “Have a seat.”

 
; The smell was overwhelming. Charlotte had to breathe through her mouth to prevent herself from gagging. The stench of stale beer, old socks, and decaying fast food assaulted her senses.

  She glanced over at Jessie. “How long is the drive up there?”

  Jessie pulled onto the street.

  “Only about fifteen minutes. We’ll be there in no time.”

  After fifteen minutes, they pulled into the parking lot. When the truck came to a stop, she jumped out and breathed in fresh air, trying to rid herself of the smell.

  The parking lot was vacant with the exception of an old jeep. Jessie scratched his chin and nodded toward the vehicle. “Think that might belong to Lawrence Woods. Must be still up on the mountain.”

  A forest bordered the edges of the parking lot dotted by a couple signs posted around the perimeter showing maps of the different trail routes and park rules. Jessie reared the ATV backwards down the ramp. He drove over and handed her a helmet.

  “You won’t win any beauty prizes wearing the helmet, but it’ll save your noggin if I crash it.”

  “Crash it?” Charlotte asked.

  “Relax, I’ve only done it twice.”

  “I hope three times won’t be a charm,” Charlotte said.

  “We’ll lay off the three times a charm thing for today. I have some precious cargo in the back. Get on.”

  Charlotte climbed on and wrapped her hands around his belly, which hung over his jeans. He gave it some gas, and the ATV lurched ahead, spinning its wheels down a dirt trail. Charlotte hung on tight as Jessie drove the four-wheeler across a network of winding trails, which zigzagged in every direction. An hour later, Jessie brought the ATV to a stop in front of a cabin that lay nestled in an alcove of pine trees. They dismounted and walked toward the cabin. Jessie studied the building from a distance and read the sign nailed to a tree: Cabin 13.

  “Yup, we’re here, alright. Lucky number thirteen. We got fifteen cabins out here. Cabin number thirteen is the one they rented. It’s is the largest of them all as it will sleep almost twelve people.”

  They made it half way to the cabin but stopped when two burly men in black leather jackets emerged from the bushes. They stood in the middle of the trail, effectively blocking Jessie and Charlotte. Their eyes bore into them, unblinking and devoid of emotion.

  Jessie studied the men, looking them up and down, trying to size them up. He wasn’t one to be easily intimidated, and if he felt it, he certainly wasn’t going to show it. The man on the left wore black aviator sunglasses, and the man on the right had a beard like a lumberjack’s which hung down to his chest.

  Jessie cleared his throat with a nervous cough.

  “We work for the park. We’re here for cabin and trail maintenance. We’re not here to cause trouble. We’re just trying to do our jobs—some housekeeping duties, is all.”

  His voice trailed off as he noticed the men’s expressions hadn’t changed.

  Lumberjack scowled. “This area is closed off. It’s in use by a private party. No trespassers are allowed in. That includes the two of you, park employees or not.”

  Jessie frowned. “Now wait just a minute here. I work for the park and that cabin is no longer in use. Check out time for you guys was yesterday. So technically, it looks like you would be the ones trespassing, wouldn’t it?”

  Both men’s faces reddened. Sunglasses stepped forward and punched him hard in the stomach, landing an uppercut just below his rib cage. Jessie collapsed to the ground, fighting to breathe. Charlotte stooped down beside him and glared back up at the men, not sure if she should run away or stay put. Her stubbornness told her to stay put to see it to the end.

  “You get the message, now? Nobody is allowed in here. Just because you’re a woman, don’t think we won’t give you the same treatment,” Lumberjack said.

  “No worries, we’ll be on our way,” Charlotte replied.

  Behind Lumberjack and Sunglasses, she saw a round-bellied man with a baldhead making his way down the trail toward them. She immediately recognized him. It was Vincent Anderson, the CEO of Bluenose Energy. She had found the right place alright, but where was Dexter? She couldn’t go further up the path. Her two newly acquainted friends stood in the way. Vincent approached them. He looked at Jessie sprawled out on the ground.

  “I apologize for the misunderstanding. The area is closed off. My two associates don’t do very well around strangers. They’re kind of like pit bulls, you see, when you let them off their leash they tend to lash out. Your friend is lucky they didn’t bite him.” He half chuckled at his own joke, and then his voice turned serious. “If you know what’s good for you, you and your friend best be on your way before I call in the police.”

  The CEO’s mobile rang. He gave Sunglasses and Lumberjack a nod before he turned around and headed back up the path.

  Charlotte couldn’t help but overhear the one-sided conversation over the mobile as she helped Jessie to his feet. The poor bastard at the other end of the line was getting an earful, a good old-fashioned tongue-lashing. Vincent wasn’t a happy camper.

  Her stomach fluttered when she heard Dexter’s name being thrown around like he was the black plague. She thought she might have heard Lawrence Woods’ name too.

  She draped her arm around Jessie who was still bent over, helping him back onto the ATV. Her mind raced. Dexter’s story was legitimate. He wasn’t a quack off the street after all, and by the sound of it, he was in deep trouble. She wondered if he was at the cabin or if they were looking for him. And if not, where was he?

  Jessie stumbled onto the ATV, gripping the handlebars to keep himself from falling off. He motioned for her to get on. Charlotte climbed on the back and wrapped her arms around him. He started the ATV and opened up the throttle, gassing it out of there. When they returned to the parking lot, he maneuvered the ATV back onto the truck and hollered for her to get in. This time, he didn’t open the door.

  “Where do we go from here?” Charlotte asked.

  He started the truck and put it into gear. “When I get back, I’ll call my supervisor to let him know what happened. Hopefully the police can pay these assholes a visit.”

  Charlotte wasn’t done—far from it. She had some work to do. Dexter was around; he had a story that needed to be heard. She decided to stay in Lang for a couple more days to see what she could dig up, perhaps pay another visit to the cabin but next time try to stay out of sight. She wondered if Jessie would be brave enough to take her up there again.

  CHAPTER 18

  November 7, 2016, Midnight—Lang…

  Charlotte managed to convince Jessie to take her back up to the cabin. He agreed, but on one condition: they go at night. He didn’t want to get into another altercation like last time. His stomach was still in knots from the vicious punch he had sustained to his belly. He had seen his fair share of fights in his earlier years and wasn’t afraid to get into a dust-up, but these men went beyond that. They were above the Friday night bar room fighters looking for some fisticuffs. They did it for a living.

  A day prior, the Sheriff’s Department searched the cabin but found nothing. Nobody was there. Charlotte wasn’t sure what she would find on her next visit. Even though it was said to be vacant, a small part of her didn’t believe it.

  A pair of headlights beamed off the motel’s drawn curtains. She pulled them back and saw Jessie’s truck come to a stop underneath a pool of light in the darkness. She grabbed her carry bag, zipped up her jacket, and headed out the door. Jessie got out of the truck and gave her a toothless smile as he opened the passenger door for her. After making sure she was safely tucked in, he made his way back to the driver side, and they were off.

  The dark interior of the cabin hid the mess inside the truck but didn’t conceal the unpleasant smell. She saw an air freshener in the shape of a pine tree hanging from the rear-view mirror. The stench of wet dog and old socks mixed
with the cheap pine scent made her queasy. At least he had made an attempt to get rid of the smell, she thought.

  He glanced over at her. “You ready? Got everything you need?”

  Charlotte let out a long sigh. “As ready as I’ll ever be. How’s your stomach?

  Jessie laughed. “Bruised pretty bad. I’m surprised my belly didn’t swallow his fist whole when he rammed it up there.”

  “That did look like it hurt, no doubt about it. If that was me, I would have been carried off on a stretcher.”

  His face turned serious. “This time around, I brought some protection with us.” He opened the glove box and pulled out a revolver that looked like it belonged in an old western movie. “Just in case. I know the Sheriff’s Department said it was vacant, but one can never be too sure these days. They also searched the perimeter of the area and found nothing.”

  “Amen to that,” Charlotte replied. “I bought some bear mace at the hardware store. If we happen to run into them again, they’ll get a serious dose of pepper to their eyes.”

  Jessie smiled again. “I like your style little lady.”

  They rode in silence for the remainder of the trip. Again, the parking lot was vacant except for a vehicle at the far end, a 1980 Buick Regal. Jessie gave it a quizzical look as he parked a couple spaces to the right.

  “Something the matter?” Charlotte asked.

  “It’s the same jeep that was here the other day. I’ll have to get on the horn to my supervisor tonight to let him know about it. If it does belong to Lawrence, sure hope he isn’t in any trouble.

  “You sure it’s abandoned? Or could it be somebody just out camping?”