Outside, David led Annja, Jenny and Joey around the back of the police station to a new black Chevy Tahoe.
Annja whistled as they approached. "Well, this certainly is a step up from the truck you were driving earlier this morning. Did you hit the lottery right after we exploded or what?"
David grinned. "Simpson and Baker left it behind for me, actually. They'd been using my truck for some of their backwoods tracking so they felt bad about what happened to it."
Joey frowned. "That's a bit like sleeping with the enemy, don't you think?"
"They're not the enemy," David said. "They have a job to do like everyone else in the world. They're simply looking for a little cooperation, is
all.
And I suggest we give it to them."
"Suggest all you want," Jenny said. "But I'm not cooperating with those bastards at any point in the near future."
David smiled. "Not even if I asked you nicely?"
"Not even," she said, grinning.
David sighed. "All right, then.
Climb in, everyone.
Let's get going. It'll be a slower ride in the dark as it is."
Annja took a look at the sky. Unlike the previous night, there didn't seem to be any clouds looming overhead, ready to open up on them at any second. Instead, pinpoints of light dotted the heavens in every direction, producing quite a bit of ambient light. It's really beautiful here, she thought.
"Annja, you ready?"
She looked back at Jenny, who was already in the backseat. "Sorry.
Just got caught up looking at the sky."
Annja belted herself in as David threw the truck into gear and rolled quietly out of the back lot. Gravel crunched underneath the tires as they hit the asphalt. David steered them onto the main road and then drove out of town.
"You're not taking us back to where we nearly died this morning, are you?" Annja asked. "I really hate revisiting the scene of near tragedies."
"Not at all, but we do roll past there. We're going to my home up in the mountains. It won't take us much more than ten minutes to get there. We can eat, then I'll show you the evidence I have that proves that big foot exists."
"I prefer you call him Sasquatch," Joey said. "It's a Native American thing."
"Sorry."
Joey shrugged. "Forget it. So what is it you have, anyway? A plaster cast of a footprint?"
David shook his head. "I'm not telling. Not yet, at least."
Jenny elbowed Annja. "I'm getting bored with this teasing bit."
"So am I."
Joey kept guessing. "Piles of old poop?"
David laughed. "You'll have to be patient."
Joey leaned back into the seat and sighed. "Well, what's for dinner, then? Can you at least tell us that?"
"Sure.
Barbecued chicken and potato salad.
You guys okay with that? I've got the grill out and can get it fired up in no time."
"It's a little dark to be grilling, don't you think?" Jenny said.
David shook his head. "Porch lights will help. Besides, we'll need them on for later."
Annja looked at Jenny. Why would they need porch lights? That didn't make any sense, unless what David had to show them was outside. But what could he possibly have as evidence that had to be kept outside?
"So where are Simpson and Baker now?" she asked. "I'm assuming you know where their camp is."
David shook his head. "They don't need to check in with me, unfortunately, so I don't know where they are. All they have to do is let me know what they're up to and that's about it. They really have free reign of the place."
"Must be nice," Joey said. "All that power. Not having to answer for any crimes.
Must be very nice."
David eyed him. "
You driving
at something, Joey?"
Joey shrugged.
"Nope.
Just saying that no one is untouchable.
Even those who think they've got the best position can sometimes be unseated unexpectedly."
David held up a finger. "Joey, I'm going to have to tell you not to disturb those guys. They aren't going to fool around with you. You know what they can do if they're provoked."
"How would I provoke them?"
"I know some of what you're capable of."
Joey sighed. "It's not my fault if the laws of nature decide to move against them. I can't be held responsible for that."
"You can be if you're the tool of their justice. You know I'd have to arrest you. And even though you're still a juvenile, you'd still get into a lot of trouble for interfering. I have no doubt that these guys can make your life pretty miserable. They might even be able to make you disappear."
"I'm not a magic trick," Joey said.
"Nope, you're not. But you are a fourteen-year-old boy who can do things most adults can't do. Surely your grandfather has taught you that with power comes great responsibility. And that responsibility is yours to ignore or abide by."
"He might have said something like that."
"Then I hope you'll honor his wise words by following them. To ignore them would be foolish and dangerous."
Joey lapsed into silence as the trees flew past the windows. David's headlights cut through the night, and the road in front of them was reduced to two beams of yellow that just enabled him to navigate the twists and turns.
"Where do you live, David?" Annja asked.
"We're almost there," he said.
"Just another half mile.
Then there's the turnoff and a steep grade to climb, but we'll be at the house."
"You live alone?"
"
Except for Missy."
Jenny tensed up. "Who is Missy?"
"
A calico cat who keeps me company.
I've had her for about ten years now. Mostly she sleeps, gets up to eat and then finds another place to sleep. She's got quite the busy schedule."
Jenny relaxed and went back to looking out the window. Annja watched her and sighed. Jenny needed to get over whatever it was she felt for David. Annja still wasn't sure how much she even trusted him.
"We're here."
David turned the steering wheel and abruptly the truck seemed to rear back on its wheels as the front treads bit into the steep incline and churned to gain purchase. They eased up the driveway and then leveled off.
David put the truck into Park and then switched off the ignition.
"Home sweet home."
Annja stepped out of the truck and instantly felt the bite of the night air sweep over her. They were up a bit higher in elevation and she could feel the cold air settling in.
Jenny stepped out and shivered. "Wow, it's colder up here."
David waved them inside the ranch house. "It'll be warmer inside once I get the lights on and stuff. Come on in."
Joey crept out of the truck and took a look around. Annja saw him stooping and studying the ground.
"Everything okay?"
Joey looked up. "Huh? Yeah. I guess."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Joey shrugged.
"Nothing.
I'm tired, I guess. And he's right. As much as I want to hurt the guys who killed Cheehawk, I really can't. How would I care for this place if I was in jail? As much as they deserve it, sometimes the toughest part of being powerful
is knowing
when the universe has to dish out the justice and not you."
Annja smiled. "You say some pretty wise things for a kid."
Joey grinned. "I'm not a kid anymore. Not after Cheehawk died. And not after I saw who killed him." He walked inside, leaving Annja alone in the darkness.
Lights flickered on inside the house and Annja could see more of it as it became illuminated from within. It was a modified ranch that looked as though there was an upstairs. Bits of wooden porch furniture sat near the entrance and Annja could see that David had a nice view of the valley below.
This must be something in the daylight, she thought.
"Annja?"
David's voice called out from inside. "You want a beer?"
Annja grinned in spite of herself. "Yeah, great, thanks."
The sheriff appeared on the porch with a bottle. He handed it to her and then pointed toward the valley.
"Pretty nice, huh?"
Annja took a sip and swallowed. "I'd probably be in a better position to make that call when I can actually see it, but, yeah, it looks pretty nice."
David smiled and moved closer to her. "I'm glad you're here."
Annja frowned.
"Really?"
She took another sip from the bottle, watching David as he smiled at her.
"Yes."
She could feel the shift in energy. Oh, great, she thought. Not this on top of everything else that's going on. She put up a hand as David moved in even closer. "Please don't," she said.
"What?"
"You know what."
David moved in again. "What? I shouldn't try to kiss you?"
She put up her hand to stop him. "You'd better not."
David shook his head. "I can't help myself. I'm really attracted to you. What's the harm in letting that show?"
"The harm," Annja said, "is that my friend is nuts about you and she's deeply hurt that you're not interested in her."
David took a deep breath. "Look, I've got a confession to make. The only reason I asked her to come out here was because I knew she was friends with you. And I hoped you'd follow her."
Annja frowned. "How the hell did you know we're friends?"
"Jenny wrote something in one of her e-mails that mentioned you had been close in college. I took a chance that if she came out here to solve the Sasquatch mystery she might include you. And obviously it paid off."
Annja held the beer bottle in front of her. This was bothering her more and more. "Look, David, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not into you. At least not like that."
"You might be if you let me kiss you." David leaned in again.
Annja backed away. "Come any closer and I will put you down on the ground painfully," she said.
"Technically, you'd be guilty of assaulting a police officer."
Annja frowned. "Don't play that petty power bullshit with me,
Sheriff
. I've tangled with guys a lot meaner than you before. And they all lost.
Every last one of them."
David stepped back. "I'm not like the other guys, Annja. You'd know that if you'd just let me do what I need to do."
Annja pointed at the door. "Right now, you need to take yourself back inside that house and get dinner grilling. Or else you're going to have a lot of explaining to do to Jenny."
"
The hell with her."
Annja gripped the bottle tighter. "You're talking about my friend, David. One I happen to care about very much."
"Then you should kiss me."
"Why on earth would I do that?"
David smiled but there was nothing pleasant about it. "To keep me from telling her how you've thrown yourself at me," he said.
"What? I've done no such thing."
"You really think she'd believe you? After all, you said yourself how crazy she is for me. You think she's in the right frame of mind to tell
who's
lying and who isn't? I don't think she is. And jealousy is a real pain the ass for friends to deal with. But, hey, you go ahead and try it if you want." He leaned back on the porch railing and crossed his arms.
Annja looked at him. What a jerk, she thought. But she would have to play this just right. Jenny was fragile enough not to believe her if David really ran with this. Just how much did Jenny trust Annja? How jealous was she?
The door swung open and Jenny walked out. "What's going on, guys?"
Annja eyed David, who cocked an eyebrow and mouthed the word
later
to her. She frowned but quickly looked back at Jenny.
"Nothing.
David was just telling me how nice it is up here during the daytime. The view is spectacular, apparently."
Jenny nodded. "David, Joey says to tell you that the chicken is almost finished and he's starving."
David laughed. "All right, I'm going. I'm going." He walked inside and left Annja alone with Jenny.
Jenny looked at her. "You okay? You don't look so good."
Do I tell her? Annja frowned and tried to work all the scenarios through in her head. How would Jenny take it if she knew David had a thing for Annja instead of her? Not well.
And Annja had no way of knowing what Jenny's reaction might be. This whole thing was spiraling out of control far too quickly for Annja to keep up. Somehow she'd have to get to grips with it all and fast.
David would want a kiss before too long, and if Annja didn't have a solution for his looming libido Jenny would be hurt badly. And Annja was determined to make sure that didn't happen.
She took another swig of the beer, which now tasted stale to her. "Nothing's wrong. I'm hungry, is all. Let's get inside and see if David is at all talented in the kitchen."
Jenny smiled.
"Sounds good to me.
But I really want to see whatever it is he says he has to prove that big foot exists."
"Yeah," Annja said. "That should be interesting."
As disgusted as Annja was with David, even she had to admit that he could whip up some pretty tasty grub. The barbecued chicken had a slick coating of thick sauce that made her mouth water. The potato salad had an interesting mix of mayonnaise and mustard that gave it a yellow hue and delivered just the slightest tang. Combined with the cold beer, Annja was in culinary heaven.
She wiped her mouth. "Food's good, David."
He smirked.
"Finger-licking good, huh?"
Annja grew serious. "So when are we going to get to this evidence of the Sasquatch? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm anxious to see it."
Joey nodded. "I agree. Let's see it."
David held up his sauce-stained hand. "First we enjoy the meal and then we can get to business." He glanced at Jenny.
"Food okay, Jenny?"
She nodded. "You're quite the chef."
"I grew up with a family of cooks. My mother and grandmother made sure that I knew how to work a kitchen. Maybe they thought they'd better do it because no woman could ever stand to be with me for too long. If they didn't teach me to cook, I'd starve to death."
Annja grimaced. If only they knew how right they were, she thought. She glanced at Jenny and grinned. Jenny smiled back.
Joey finished his chicken and wiped his mouth. "I'm done."
David smiled. "Joey, I've got a nice chocolate cake for dessert. Just try to be patient, would you?"
Joey slumped back into his chair.
David checked his watch. "Besides, we're still too early."
"
Early for what?"
Annja asked.
"The evidence," David said.
"You don't have it here?"
Dave shook his head. "It's coming, though.
Probably even as we speak."
Annja's radar was on full alert. What was he talking about? If he didn't have the evidence, then who did? And why wasn't it here already? She sighed and took another sip of her beer. "This just keeps getting better and better."
"What's that?" David asked.
"Nothing," she muttered.
David eyed her and then went back to his chicken. Joey, however, stared at him and frowned.
"Seriously, Sheriff, what the hell is going on here? What do you mean you don't have the evidence but it's on its way? What's that about? It's mobile?"
David grinned.
"Very mobile."
"
You've got someone helping you?" Annja asked.
David shrugged. "I guess you could say that."
Joey shook his head. "I hate riddles like this. They're a waste of time. Better to just come out and say what you mean, rather than dick around with this useless teasing crap."
"You need to learn some patience, Joey," David said sharply. "There's something to be said for creating an atmosphere."
"There's also something to be said for getting back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep," Annja said. "Just how much longer are we going to be waiting for your evidence to show up?"
"Maybe twenty minutes.
Long enough for a piece of cake."
Jenny pushed her plate away. "I'm stuffed. I don't know if I can handle a slab of cake right now."
Joey nodded. "Yeah, I'm not into the cake, either.
Maybe later, huh?"
David shook his head. "No. You have to have the cake. It won't taste as good once it cools. Fresh out of the oven is the best time to eat it."
Annja shook her head.
"Fine.
Whatever.
Just dish out the cake and let us eat it and then we can get to the reason we're all here."
David stood and collected the plates. "You guys relax and I'll be right back with dessert."
Annja watched him leave the dining room and then looked at Joey and Jenny. "Anyone else think this is getting a little strange?"
Joey nodded. "He's different. This isn't how he normally is. He seems obsessed about that cake for some reason."
"And what was up with the evidence not being here yet?"
"
Beats me."
Annja looked at Jenny. "You okay? You haven't said much."
Jenny looked at her. "What were you guys doing out on the porch for so long before I came outside?"
Annja swallowed. "You want the truth?"
"
Of course."
Annja frowned. "Your would-be suitor made a pass at me."
Jenny jerked back. "Cut it out."
Annja shook her head. "I hate having to tell you this, but it's true. He tried a few times to kiss me."
"Did you?"
Annja leaned forward. "No, Jenny, I did not. In fact, I told him that you were crazy for him and that he should really open his eyes to the great woman he has in front of him."
"You said that?"
"Something
like
that."
"What did he say?"
Annja sighed. "I don't think he's interested, Jenny. He went so far as to suggest that the reason he got you out here was because he knew you'd contact me and I'd come out, too."
Jenny frowned. "He didn't say that."
"Unfortunately, he did."
"I don't believe you."
Annja put her hands on the table. "And why would I lie? I'm not even attracted to him."
"That's why.
Because you don't like him."
"
Whether or not I like him has nothing to do with this. If it was up to me, I'd force him to like you just so you could stop whining about not having a boyfriend."
Jenny stopped short and pulled back.
Annja took a breath.
Joey shook his head. "Wow, you guys really have some issues to work out, huh?"
"Shut up, Joey," Annja said. "This doesn't concern you."
"Fortunately," he said.
Annja leaned across the table. "Jenny, I just want you to be happy. That's all. I don't want David for myself. Honestly. I even debated telling you the truth because I knew you might take it badly."
"Maybe I should leave," Jenny said.
Annja put a hand on hers. "Don't. That would be a mistake."
"Cake's ready." David appeared in the doorway and looked at the scene.
"Everything okay?"
Joey shrugged. "Female issues, apparently."
Annja frowned again.
"Shut up, Joey."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Joey grabbed a plate of the cake. "May as well try this incredible cake and see what the big deal is." He ate a forkful and chewed slowly until a big smile spread across his face. "Holy cow, this is some great stuff."
David smiled. "See?" He put plates down in front of Annja and Jenny. "Ladies, enjoy."
Annja picked up her fork and took a bite. She chewed slowly and then felt the burst of flavor in her mouth. David must have used a particularly rich vein of dark chocolate in the baking because it tasted almost like warm pudding.
"Wow."
Even Jenny couldn't stop eating it. "It's really delicious, David."
"I'm glad you think so. It's an old recipe passed down to me from my grandmother. No one else in the family can make it as well as I do."
Annja kept chewing. "You have a big family, David?"
"
Actually, no.
Well, not anymore."
Jenny smiled sadly at him. "Sorry to hear that."
David bit into his own cake. "Well, we can't stop the clock, can we? Everyone dies eventually."
Joey polished off his cake. "That was great. Thanks for insisting we have it."
"The dark chocolate in the cake helps settle the stomach after a meal. Plus, it contains antioxidants. Important these days, I think."
Annja looked at David's plate. "You're not eating yours?"
"I think I might have had a bit too much potato salad. But I did try it.
Pretty good if I do say so myself."
Joey reached across the table. "I'll finish yours off, then."
David tried to stop him. "Joey, don't—"
But Joey grabbed the plate and started eating. Annja watched him put a big forkful in his mouth and chew. After a few seconds, he frowned. "Hey."
David got up from the table. "Everyone finished?" He collected the plates, including Joey's, and took them out of the room.
"Something wrong, Joey?" Annja asked.
Joey finished chewing and swallowed. "His cake wasn't warm."
Jenny sighed. "What are you talking about now?"
"
His cake.
It wasn't hot.
Like it hadn't been in the oven."
"
How is that possible?" Jenny said. "We were all eating the same cake, silly."
Annja felt thirsty and reached for her beer. After she took a swig, she put the bottle down. "Actually, we never saw him cut the cake. He brought us out plates of it, remember?"
Jenny frowned. "So you're saying he gave us different pieces? Why would he do a thing like that?"
"Maybe he's drugging us," Joey said.
Annja took another sip of beer. "The cake didn't taste as if it had anything in it.
Just rich and full of chocolate."
Joey got up from his chair. "I don't feel any different, do you?"
Annja shook her head.
"Nope.
And I've been drugged enough times to know what it feels like."
"There's a surprise," Jenny said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Annja whirled around. "If you've got something to say, you'd better just say it."
"What—you're taking offense at the fact that you're always off trying to save the world? No wonder you're alone all the time. You've got an ego the size of
Annja stared at her. "Is that what you think? Is that what you actually believe?"
Jenny got out of her chair. "I'm going to use the bathroom."
Annja watched her go and then looked at Joey. "It's not like that.
Really."
Joey put up his hands. "Annja, I haven't known you all that long but if you even think that I'm getting anywhere near this thing, you're out of your mind. I'm keeping my nose out of it. All I want to do is see this supposed evidence and then get the hell out of here. No wonder I always feel so much better in the woods."
Annja sighed. "You're right."
David came back into the room. "Where's Jenny?"
"Bathroom," Annja said. "We had a little misunderstanding."
David put a hand on his chest. "Not over me, I hope."
"Shut up, David."
Joey smirked. "She's been saying that a lot tonight."
"Well, I hope she comes back soon. The evidence should be here any minute and I don't want any of you to miss it," David said.
"Miss it?" Annja frowned. "How would we miss it?"
"Let's go outside. You'll be able to understand better out there."
"What about Jenny?"
"She'll be along, I'm sure. She's a big girl. She can figure out where we're at." David waved them out of the dining room. "Now, come on and see."
Joey glanced at Annja and shrugged. "Guess we find out what the big deal is, huh?"
"I guess."
Annja blinked. She still didn't trust David and this whole thing might be some elaborate setup. It had certainly happened to her enough times in the past.
She walked through the kitchen on the way to the back door. As she passed the counter and the sink, she saw the dishes stacked inside it.
"Annja?"
She turned. David stood in front of her.
"Yeah?"
"
You all set?"
"
Yeah."
David grinned. "Then let's go."
Annja took a final glimpse at the sink, noting as she did so that there were two cake knives and two pans in among the dishes.
Two knives.
Two cakes.
She frowned, but then walked outside after David.