Annja sat up in bed with the covers wrapped around her.
"Why couldn't you just tell me downstairs when we were eating?"
Sheila glanced around. "I never know
who's
listening. And it's better up here, anyway. No one can see me talking to you."
Annja frowned. Beams of sunlight cut through the drapes in front of the window, giving the room a much brighter look than Sheila's demeanor. "You're talking like someone doesn't want us to know what's going on here."
"Someone doesn't," Sheila said. "You're absolutely right."
"And why not tell us this when Jenny was around?"
Sheila shrugged. "I don't know, really. I mean, how much do you trust your friend?"
"Jenny?" Annja grinned. "I trust her completely. We've known each other for years. We haven't been in constant contact, of course, but overall…" She stopped. "Look, there's nothing unsavory about Jenny no matter how weird she might seem. I'd stake my life on it."
"You might have to," Sheila said. "You don't have any idea what's going on here and that fact could get you killed."
"So why don't you go ahead and tell me, then?" Annja stretched her legs. "I'm finding this whole adventure rather strange."
"You can't trust the sheriff."
"David? Why not? I mean, he wasn't going to be a close confidant or anything, but what reason do you have that we shouldn't trust him?"
"He hasn't been himself lately."
Annja sighed. "Look, Sheila, I don't mean to be rude here or anything, but I'm really tired. So if we could just skip the "you give me one line and I have to pry more out of you' thing, that'd be great."
"Dave is an imposter. He isn't the real Dave."
Annja eyed Sheila. "Okay, now I'm lost. What do you mean he's not the real David?"
"I mean he looks the same as he used to, but he's all different now. Everyone knows it. He changed when he got back after going hiking a few months back. Friday evening he set out to spend some time tracking. Monday he came back looking…strange."
"Maybe he ran into the Sasquatch."
Sheila waved her hand. "That was a load of hooey. I told that story because I could see your friend needed to hear it."
"You lied?"
"
For her sake, yes.
Tell me she isn't feeling a bit more excited now that she thinks I ran into the thing."
"Well, of course she is. But now she wants to go out and find it for herself. You heard her. She's jealous of you!"
Sheila shook her head. "Whatever you do, you've got to keep her out of the woods. Do not go in there again unless you have a means of arming yourself."
Annja thought about her sword. "Yeah, well, why shouldn't we go back there?"
"I know about those guys."
"
Simpson and Baker?"
"
Yes. Ellen keeps me in the loop. She was the first person to notice the change in Dave."
"And what exactly do you think happened to him?"
Sheila glanced away. "It's too ridiculous to talk about."
Annja smiled. "You'd be surprised at how many crazy stories I've heard in my life. Why don't you try me?"
"About four months back—a month before Dave went camping—there was a meteor shower. It came upon us suddenly but the show was incredible. For two nights, we watched the fireworks in the sky. Brilliant flashes and streaks cut across the heavens at night.
Wondrous stuff."
Annja nodded. "I've seen some amazing displays in my time."
"Well, one of the shooting stars seemed to touch down out there." She pointed to the window. "Somewhere in the woods, one of those meteors landed. And somewhere out there, something happened."
"And you think that David stumbled across the meteor, perhaps?"
"
Maybe."
"
And then what?" Annja frowned. "It would seem unlikely that he came into contact with an extraterrestrial race
who
then turned him into a mindless zombie that they could control with strange thought beams and stuff like that."
Sheila eyed her. "You're mocking me, Annja. I don't appreciate that."
"Well, try to see it from my perspective. It sounds like another load of BS."
"It's not bullshit."
"So you say, right after you tell me that you just lied to my good friend about seeing big foot."
Sheila sighed. "Look, they're not related. I told a white lie and now I'm telling you the truth."
Annja took a deep breath. "So what exactly are we supposed to do, then?"
"Wait until your clothes are dry and then leave this place.
While you still can."
"
While we still can? What does that mean?"
"Haven't you noticed the lack of people in town?
The lack of activity?
Folks are starting to disappear."
Annja nodded. "Things do seem a bit quiet, but I chalked that up to people not needing to come into town all that often."
"Before Dave changed, this place was much busier."
"And you're saying he's directly responsible for the people going missing?"
Sheila nodded. "He knows he can't get rid of everyone without raising the alarm, so he went after the people living farthest away first. Eventually, he'll get to the rest of us.
Those of us who live here in town."
"
Why don't you leave?"
Sheila shook her head. "Not everyone is convinced."
"You don't say."
"They think I'm crazy. Just because I had a nervous breakdown a few years back and had to spend some time resting. They think I'm out of my mind. Sure, they're all nice to my face but I know how they talk behind my back."
"And Ellen thinks this is the case, too?"
"Ellen's my best friend. She's the only friend I have here in town aside from my husband. She's the only one who lets me know what's going on, but she spends most of her days in abject terror of what Dave has become."
Annja frowned. Ellen hadn't seemed particularly upset or concerned back at the station. "And what does Ellen think you should be doing?"
"We need help."
Someone does, Annja thought.
"And?"
"
We're hoping you might help us."
"How in the world could I ever do that?"
"You and Jenny, you could let the outside world know what's going on here. You could get help for us."
Annja shook her head. "Look, Sheila, you're talking like you're trapped here. I don't see any gates or fences keeping you in town. I'm sure you could easily hop into your car and drive far away from this place.
Both you and Ellen for that matter.
If you're as concerned about this as you seem to be, then maybe that's exactly what you should be doing."
"You don't believe me." Sheila stood. "I knew this was a mistake. I told Ellen there was no way you'd believe me but she insisted. And now you think I'm just as crazy as everyone else in town does. Don't you?"
Annja shook her head. "I don't think you're crazy, Sheila. But honestly, this is all a bit much for me to handle right now. I'm exhausted. I'm supposed to be looking for big foot. And all this extra stuff keeps popping up, turning my world upside down. Truthfully, I don't know what to think about your story."
"Will you at least do
me
a favor and think about what I've told you?"
Annja nodded.
"Absolutely.
I promise."
Sheila grinned. "Thanks. I really appreciate that." She started for the door and then turned around, her body bathed in a sunbeam. "I'll bring your clothes up when they're finished. I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep."
"It's okay."
Sheila nodded once, turned and let herself out of the room again. Annja heard the lock engage and then slumped back down onto the mattress.
Good grief.
David was apparently an alien of some type or at least under the control of evil beings from another planet. She smirked. This was one for the books. Somewhere out in the woods there was potentially a Sasquatch or a family of them. Joey was still out there, as well, doing who knew what. Probably he was going to make Simpson's and Baker's lives a living hell.
Simpson and Baker.
Annja frowned. What were they really doing in this area? Surely they didn't think they were actually going to trap big foot and bring it to some laboratory, did they?
And if they didn't, then why were they here?
I need a computer and Internet access, she thought. She could at least investigate the meteor shower. And if that was confirmed, then perhaps there might be some shred of truth to Sheila's story that David was somehow different now.
Not that Annja believed for one moment that he was under the control of aliens. But perhaps Simpson and Baker were exerting more control than they'd let on earlier. And perhaps it had something more to do with the meteors and less to do with big foot.
What a mess.
Annja took a deep breath and tried to relax. But the images and thoughts swirling through her mind made that difficult. She rolled over and tried to focus on the soft drapes hanging in front of the windows.
The day outside was bright and sunny, contrasting with the mood of how she felt. She wondered if Jenny was sound asleep.
Probably.
And her dreams were most likely filled with visions of David in very little clothing.
Annja grinned. That was one of the things she loved about her friend. Jenny had two passions—her work and men. She couldn't fault her for it, either. And if she was being completely honest, Jenny might have hit a little too close to home earlier when she asked if Annja was lonely.
It seemed odd to admit, but there were times when Annja wanted nothing more than to snuggle with someone.
Or at least something other than a mysterious sword.
She wondered where Roux and Garin might be at this moment. They were the only two people in the world who understood what Annja's life had become since she gained possession of the sword. They had as much at stake with the sword as she did since they'd been searching for it and piecing it together for five hundred years. Garin had a way of showing up in strange places that happened to coincide with Annja being there. Part of her wondered if the sword enabled both men to know where she was to some extent.
But she also knew they both had untold sums of money that could buy them any information in the world that they desired. More than likely that was how they kept tabs on her.
As strange as it sounded, Annja would have welcomed their advice on this situation. Knowing them both, they would probably advocate taking the bull by the proverbial horns and beating the truth out of everyone involved.
Of course, they would also expect that Annja would use her sword, regardless of the consequences.
And she didn't agree with that approach.
Annja took another deep breath and tried to still her mind. She needed sleep in the worst way.
Her inner eye drew her back inside of herself, melting her thoughts into a spiraling swirl that sucked her back toward the blackness. She let herself get pulled under into the unseen riptide of her subconscious.
Annja felt sleep finally coming for her, and with the hornet's nest of questions buzzing around her head, she mercifully gave herself over to unconsciousness.
By the time Annja woke, she felt as if she'd started to recover the level of energy she normally had. Shadows drew long across the room and the rapidly fading sunlight told her that she'd slept more than she'd intended to. But at the same time, she felt rested and that would be important given what she had to deal with.
She almost slid her legs out of bed when something stopped her. A sudden warning from her subconscious, and there in the corner she saw why.
"Hey."
Annja shook her head. "Do you always show up so unexpectedly like that?"
Joey smiled. "Not my fault you didn't sense me until it was almost too late."
"Yeah, well, you didn't happen to see my clothes anywhere nearby, did you? Sheila promised she'd bring them up when they were done."
"I didn't happen to pass by Sheila," Joey said.
Annja frowned. "Then how the hell did you get into my room?"
Joey shrugged. "The window was unlocked."
Annja glanced at the window. It would have been about thirty feet to the ground. "We're three stories up."
"There's a fire escape on the back of the building that leads all the way up."
"I didn't hear you."
Joey grinned again. "Of course you didn't."
"I also didn't sense you."
Joey got up from the small chair and walked to the window. "My grandfather taught me how to disguise my presence, not just physically but on other levels, as well. It helps from time to time to be able to come and go as I please with no one noticing me being around."
Annja wrapped the covers around her. So much for door locks. "Where have you been? We've all been worried about you."
"Who
is
we?"
"Jenny. Me.
The sheriff."
Joey glanced at her. "Dave? He knew I was out there?"
"We ran into him on the main road leading into town after you got the idea to run off on some vengeance mission." Annja narrowed her eyes. "How did that work out for you, by the way?"
"Their camp was abandoned. But I destroyed it, anyway. I figured they'd come into town so that's why I'm here. I had to stop and get cleaned up first. No sense walking into town all camouflaged.
Makes people nervous."
"The few people that are left, huh?"
Joey frowned.
"Does seem a little less active than usual.
Did Sheila mention something about it?"
"She mentioned meteors in the area. Did you happen to see anything like that a few months back?"
"Oh, sure.
Lots of them in the sky.
Nothing too unusual, except there seemed to be more of them than last year."
"Sheila thought one of them might have actually landed out in the forest. Did you see anything in your travels to suggest she might be right?"
Joey sat on the edge of the bed. "Sheila's a little…strange sometimes, Annja. She has a tendency to say things that aren't always true. I'd be careful of what you choose to believe if it's coming from her."
Annja nodded. "She did seem a bit odd."
"She told you her conspiracy theory yet? That Dave is somehow different? That he's the puppet of aliens or something like that?"
Annja looked at him. "Actually, she did."
Joey smirked. "I thought so. She's been telling anyone who will
listen
that Dave is changed since the camping accident."
"
Accident?"
Joey nodded. "He went out by himself. Not the wisest thing to do unless you're truly skilled. Dave's not bad, but he hasn't been trained like some of us. Anyway, he fell and bumped his head. Probably had a minor concussion or something, and when he came back, it took him a little while to get himself right again."
"And this was after the meteor showers?"
"Yeah, but I don't think they're connected. According to Dave, he fell down a gravel slope by one of the streams when his feet slipped out from under him and he got a gash on the back of his head. Knocked him a little loopy, is all. Nothing to be so concerned about. I think that Sheila's just anxious for someone else to take the role of town weirdo."
Annja smiled. "Well, that clears up that. What about the guys in the woods you were going after? How do they fit in with all of this?"
"They killed Cheehawk. I don't much care what they're here for. They'll pay for killing my friend."
Annja held up a hand. "Their names are Simpson and Baker. Apparently, they're with the government."
"
Feds?
Why?"
"They claim they're going to trap the Sasquatch and take it to a laboratory."
Joey shook his head. "What the hell would they do that for?"
"The reason they gave me is because they think that the creature can bypass border security and they view that as a threat to national security. They need to plug the leak, so to speak."
Joey sighed. "So that's why they're out there?"
"
According to them.
Whether or not they're telling the truth remains to be seen."
"Yeah, well, I don't suppose they told you why they saw fit to kill Cheehawk, did they?"
"They claimed they didn't do it."
"Of course they did.
Cowards.
I swear
,
it sometimes seems that people need protecting
from
the government, not
by
the government. Biggest bunch of reckless psychos, I tell you."
"I don't necessarily disagree with you," Annja said. "But for right now, we've got to figure out what to do about them. I've already got one obsessive person to deal with. I don't need a couple of gun-toting government lackeys obsessing over a mythical creature, as well."
Joey stood and walked to Annja's door and opened it. Outside was a neat pile of clean clothes. He stooped and brought them over to Annja. "You should get dressed, first of all. I'll go and knock on Jenny's door."
"How do you know which room she's staying in?"
Joey smirked. "You two are the only guests here. Shouldn't be too hard to find her and, knowing Sheila, she probably put her across the hall."
Annja smiled. "Okay, I'll see you downstairs in five?"
"Good."
Joey slipped out of her room, closing the door without making a sound. Annja smirked and then quickly got dressed before Joey somehow managed to get back into her room and grab a quick eyeful of her birthday suit.
She walked toward the window. Through a gap in the curtains she could see the sun sinking toward the horizon. She took a deep breath, sucking in the last tendrils of lavender and then opened the door to the hall.
Downstairs, she found Joey sitting at a table talking with Sheila. Sheila looked up as Annja approached. "Sleep well?"
"Eventually, yes. The bed's incredibly comfortable."
Sheila smiled. "Hungry?"
Annja shrugged. "You know, not just yet. I think Jenny, Joey and I are going to take a walk around town. We'll be back later on."
Sheila nodded. "Door stays open until ten o'clock."
Jenny appeared behind Annja. "Wow, did I need that. I feel like a new woman."
Joey smiled. "You look pretty good, too."
"Thanks."
Annja stretched and yawned. "We all set?"
They left the hotel and wandered down the main street. Jenny walked alongside Annja. "So what's the plan?"
"The plan is to find David and see exactly what it is he has to show you.
May as well see the reason for him dragging you out here and then you dragging me out here."
"
What's he got?" Joey asked.
"Supposedly, evidence of the Sasquatch," Annja said.
"Is that so?" Joey chuckled. "This ought to be good."
Jenny glanced at him. "You don't believe him?"
Joey shook his head.
"Never said that.
A lot of people have thought they've found evidence over the years. As long as I've been around I've heard stories about people who claim to have found tracks and hairs and even scat. Nothing ever pans out as being authentic."
"Well, maybe David found something real this time," Jenny said defensively.
"Maybe he did," Joey said.
"And if so, then good for him.
I just hope it doesn't provoke an onslaught into this town and to these woods. I've sort of adopted them as my own and that makes me something of a caretaker."
"Did your grandfather teach you that, too?" Annja asked.
Joey nodded. "All woodlands are sacred. The flow of life continues even in the face of death. Cheehawk's spirit now roams those same woods as he did in life. The cycle always continues."
"And as a caretaker you do what?"
"I make sure nothing upsets the balance and harmony of the place. It's my job to ensure nothing threatens the creatures that live there."
They stopped outside the police station. Annja looked at Jenny. "You okay with doing this?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Annja shrugged. "What we talked about earlier.
David's reaction to you.
That kind of thing."
Jenny frowned. "He just doesn't realize how great I am yet. The trick is to make him see."
"I suggest subtlety," Annja said. "Don't be so overt about it."
"I can be subtle," Jenny said, and she marched up the steps into the office.
Annja glanced at Joey. "She's never been subtle."
Joey smirked. "Now there's something I never would have guessed."
Inside, Jenny was already deep in conversation with David, who sat on the bench outside his office drinking a cup of coffee. Annja studied him and found it tough to imagine that he was anything like how Sheila had described him.
Glancing at Ellen, who laughed from time to time as the flow of conversation slowly progressed, Annja doubted that she was in any way distressed by her boss. Like Joey had warned her, Sheila might have been a few sandwiches shy of a picnic. She was a great hostess, but still a bit crazy.
David called out to her. "Jenny tells me you guys found the hotel okay."
Annja nodded.
"Nothing like a hot bath and a nap to make you feel almost human again."
"
I'll bet." David got up and washed his coffee mug in the sink.
Annja looked at Ellen. "You and Sheila must be pretty tight, huh?"
Ellen shrugged. "I don't really talk to her that much. She had some issues a few years back, and as a result of that she pretty much keeps to herself."
"Well, thanks for calling her earlier to let her know we were coming."
Ellen shook her head. "I never called her."
Annja frowned. "She said you called her.
Told her we would be looking for rooms."
Ellen shook her head.
"Nope.
Soon as you left, I was on the horn with the state police. Been busy playing phone tag ever since. I haven't had time to take my lunch break, let alone call down to Sheila."
Annja looked at Jenny. "Well, that's odd."
Ellen sighed. "I wouldn't put much stock in what she says. She just hasn't been right since the breakdown. People round these parts think she's a bit loony."
"That's not a nice thing to say," David said as he dried the mug. "Everyone's got their own troubles to deal with."
"It might not be nice," Ellen said, "but it's a fair shade more accurate than pooh-poohing it away as if she's perfectly fine. She's not."
David nodded. "Well, let's just hope you never go through the same thing and have to endure all the teasing she has."
"No one teases her," Ellen said. "She makes all that stuff up just to feel better. Honestly."
David shrugged and then turned to Joey. "I see you're back."
"Safe and sound as always," Joey said. "I suppose Annja told you why I was out there."
David nodded. "I'm sorry about Cheehawk. Can we do a ceremony sometime?"
Joey nodded. "They killed him, sheriff. I know they did. He was in terrible pain when he died. Well, before Annja helped out, that is."
David looked up. "Oh? And how did she help?"
Annja spoke up hurriedly. "I just helped ease him over to the other side, that's all.
Nothing special."
David looked at her for a moment and then nodded. "So why don't we go and see why I asked Jenny to come out here. I suppose that's what you're anxious to do, huh?"
Annja nodded.
"Absolutely."
David smiled. "Fine, let's all take a drive."