Desperate Rescue - Janet Feldman Series

Eventually, Greg had to slow down. Carefully, they made their way along the bumpy, little-traveled road. It was steep in some places, and with the frequent bumps and jerks, Janet held on tight to avoid being tossed out. All the while, Shad maintained his position in the front seat, hanging on for dear life. Janet glanced at the bag Greg had tossed next to her. It was bulging. With one hand, she tried to take a look inside. Managing to lift one edge of the opening, she could see her party dress and her stupid shoes—and to think she had spent four hours looking for those “just right” shoes for the “just right” dress that now lie wadded up in the bag. At a glance, she could see that all the other items were things from her car. He must have grabbed what he could see and shoved them in the canvas bag. She saw her car registration and insurance papers and things from her trunk. It was obvious he tried to eliminate as much identifiable information as possible from her car, including her license plates! No wonder he had taken so long!

  “You stripped my car!” she shouted above the noise of the jeep’s engine.

  “Not nearly well enough though!” he shouted back.

  Janet didn’t know if she should be afraid or grateful that Greg was hauling her farther into the mountains. What if he was planning on doing something besides protecting her? What if this was all an elaborate scheme to capture her and turn her over to those other guys? What if...

  Greg pulled the jeep around so it sat crosswise on the trail then put the gear in neutral but set the brake. He got out and stretched. Shad jumped out too and ran for the nearest tree. Janet just sat until Greg invited her to get out and stretch her legs.

  “We have a ways to go, so you might as well stretch out the kinks and take care of any other business.”

  “What other business?”

  He just smiled and wandered off a distance out of sight.

  Shad ran around marking a few trees then ran back to Janet, his tail wagging. He barked once and she immediately told him to shush! “No barking,” she instructed him, putting her index finger to her lips. Then she smirked at the idea that a dog would know what that meant.

  Greg wandered back. “Are we all set?”

  “I guess.”

  “You sure? We’re going to be driving for a while. We still have a ways to go.”

  “Well, in the first place, I’m not all that experienced at marking trees.” She gave him a “look,” to which he laughed. “And in the second place, where the heck are we going?”

  Greg walked around to the back of his jeep and rummaged through a few things, finally producing a small roll of tissue. He walked back to Janet and handed it to her, which made her blush for an instant. “As for your question, we are going to drive to the top of this mountain.” He smiled at her. “We don’t have a lot of time, so I’d hurry up if I were you.”

  Embarrassed, Janet wandered in a different direction behind a thicket of trees and undergrowth. A moment or two later, she heard Greg rev up the engine, which she determined was a signal to get back. She covered things up with pine needles and ran back to the jeep, finding Shad in the backseat this time. He didn’t look too pleased, if that were possible.

  Janet climbed into the front passenger seat, instinctively reaching for the seat belt…that didn’t exist!

  “Where’s the seat belt?” she asked loudly over the roar of the engine.

  “Oh, sorry about that!” he yelled back as he put the vehicle in gear. “Just hang on!”

  “To what?” she hollered back as the jeep lurched forward. She grabbed at whatever she could to keep from bouncing out of the jeep.

  He laughed at the sight of her, reaching for various parts of the vehicle, finally hanging on to the left side of her seat and the roll bar over her head.

  “How much farther?” she hollered again.

  “We have to get to the top of this hill!”

  “Why?”

  “To get better reception!”

  “Why?” she asked again, to which he gave her a look indicating she needed to think twice before asking a dumb question. Janet remained quiet for the next twenty minutes, hanging on as Greg continued to guide his jeep to the top of the hill.

  They finally reached a crest, and Greg switched off the engine, setting the brake and leaving it in gear as an extra precaution. Shad jumped out again and started to chase around the trees, doing his “thing,” but Greg remained in his seat and began to fiddle with the radio. It crackled to life as he tuned it to a particular frequency.

  “…and A-40 is clear. Heading south. ETA, fifteen minutes. Over.”

  “Roger. Hey, did you talk to Danes yet? Over.”

  “Rover two is headed that way. Over.”

  “What’s his ETA? Over.”

  “About five minutes, I think. Over.”

  “Roger that. Out!”

  More static but there was no more conversation. Greg switched off the radio.

  “Who’s Danes?” Janet hesitated to ask.

  “That would be me,” Greg answered dryly. Then looked at Janet. “My last name.”

  “Oh,” she replied then hesitated to ask another dumb question. “Who were we just listening to, and why do they want to talk to you?”

  “Well, like I said yesterday, one of those guys is the sheriff. I think I recognized another voice as one of his deputies. As for the others I’ve heard, I have no idea at the moment other than they sound like kids.” Stepping out of his jeep, he gazed out between the trees then motioned for Janet to follow, and together they walked through the trees to an opening where they could take in the vista. Below lay a wide-open valley, mostly rangeland. She could see a cluster of little buildings in a couple of places, but not much else.

  Greg pointed, and she followed his gaze. “See those buildings down there?”

  Janet squinted. “Yes.”

  “That’s Cold Creek.”

  “It is? It looks so tiny.” Janet peered out again. “So where’s the road?”

  “It’s that line.” He motioned with his finger. “Keep watching. You may see a vehicle on it. It’ll just look like a tiny ant crawling along.”

  Janet looked but couldn’t see anything. But then she had driven on that road for several hours the other day and didn’t see any other cars then either. However, she did see a skinny little line heading east out of Cold Creek. “Is that a road too?” She pointed to the road.

  “The one out of Cold Creek? Yeah.” He seemed annoyed somehow.

  “Where does it go?”

  “The Quail Club.”

  Janet remembered seeing a sign about the Quail Club. “What’s the Quail Club?”

  Greg didn’t answer. Instead he headed back to the jeep. “We need to get going. Come on, Shad.” His dog trotted after him and jumped into the front seat. “Get in the back, boy,” Greg motioned. Reluctantly Shad did as he was told.

  Janet hurried to the passenger side and got in. “Now where are we going?”

  “Hopefully someplace safe.”

  “Someplace safe?” she queried Greg as he eased the jeep into gear. “What exactly is going on? Does this have anything to do with those guys that were following me the day before?”

  “What guys?” He slammed on the brakes, tossing Shad into the floor in the back. “Sorry, pal,” he apologized to his dog. Then looking back at Janet, he said, “You never said anything about being followed.”

  “Yes, I did!” she insisted. I told you everything that happened to me, standing there on your porch, crying my eyes out! Weren’t you even paying attention?”

  “Oh then.” He remembered her hysterical and unintelligible story. “Sorry, but I really couldn’t understand a thing you were saying.” He apologized. “Tell me again, only more slowly, and just the basics.”

  Janet made a face at him but recounted her previous days’ adventures the best she could, without too much unwanted detail, while Greg drove over the hillcrest and began heading down the other side.

&n
bsp; “What color was their car again?”

  “Dark blue.”

  “How many guys?”

  “Three!” She was exasperated. “Weren’t you listening to anything I just said...again?”

  “Yes, I was listening.” The jeep bounced over a large rock, tossing everyone in the air momentarily. “I’m just trying to piece some things together, that’s all.”

  “Piece what things together?”

  Greg didn’t answer. He drove on in silence. It was obvious he was thinking about something, and Janet decided it was probably better to remain quiet, at least for the time being. Just the same, she was becoming increasingly uneasy. Although she had decided to trust Greg, to some degree, there was still something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

  They drove on in silence for nearly thirty minutes over the rugged terrain at one point losing the “road” completely…at least Janet thought so. Greg, however, seemed to know exactly where he was headed because he never hesitated when making a slight change in direction from time to time. Actually, there weren’t many options in that regard; even so, he never consulted a map or acted unsure of his whereabouts.

  Another bounce and they reached a more level area that had been cleared out. Greg pulled up and shut off the engine. “We’re here” was all he said.

  “Here where?” Janet was confused, looking around.

  Greg simply pointed ahead and up the side of the hill. Janet looked and was astonished at what she saw. A tiny shack clung to the mountainside, nearly obscured by trees. It looked barely large enough for the two of them to stand side by side in, let alone hang out in for any period of time.

  “Let’s go,” Greg said as he grabbed a few things and headed up the slope.

  “Are we staying up there?”

  “Yup. Grab that bag from the backseat.”

  “But it’s just a shed!”

  “Come on!” he called back to her. “Grab your stuff!” he repeated.

  Shad ran ahead and was already standing on the tiny porch, if you wanted to call it that. Greg was close behind. Janet struggled with the heavy canvas bag and followed. It was steep, and she had to hang on to a couple of low-hanging tree branches to help pull herself up the hill. Loose rocks tumbled down behind her in the process. Panting from the thin mountain air, she finally reached the porch. Greg offered his hand and helped her up, taking the bag from her. Shad was wagging his tail and seemed completely happy with the adventure. Greg then swung the door open, and Shad disappeared inside without hesitation. Apparently he’d been here before, she thought.

  Janet took a moment to catch her breath then turned around to take a look at the view over the treetops.

  “I’ve heard of mountain getaways, but this is ridiculous!”

  Greg laughed and then held the door for her and suggested she step inside and sit down.

  “I’ve been sitting,” she insisted.

  “I know, but it won’t be quite so bumpy this time. Besides, the air is thin up here. You need to take it easy for a while.” He smiled at her as she stepped past him and through the doorway. But what greeted her made her gasp! Talk about illusion! As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she discovered that the tiny cabin was really quite spacious.

  “Not bad, huh?” Greg laughed and put the bag down. Janet appeared to be in a state of shock. “It goes back into the hillside,” he said simply and then walked over to a small table, much like the one in his cabin down the hill below. There he lit a small lantern but kept it dim. “It’s about fifteen feet deep and eight feet wide, I think.”

  Janet now observed that the walls had been paneled in wood, probably pine. Just like in his other cabin there were two cots against the back wall. Between them was a door, probably to a closet, she thought. A worn rug of some kind was in the middle of the floor and a wood stove was positioned up near the front door and next to a small window, the only window, so the stovepipe could lead outside to vent.

  “It’s... interesting” was all Janet could say at first as she slowly walked to the table to sit down.

  “That it is!” Greg chuckled and then said, “I hope you like cold beans.”

  “That’s fine,” she mumbled, not really listening still looking around.

  “I’ll start a fire in the stove after it gets dark. It gets cold up here at night.”

  “Okay,” she responded absently.

  Moments later, Greg placed a bowl of pork and beans in front of her and handed her a metal fork. It had a bent prong on it, and he quickly traded it with his, apologizing. Janet poked her fork in the beans and then asked, “I thought you were going to start a fire. Couldn’t these be warmed up first?”

  “Like I said, I am going to start a fire, but not until after dark, so... uh... no, we’re having cold beans for dinner.” He just looked at her and waited for her inevitable response.

  “Okay,” Janet plopped her fork down. “What’s going on? You have been very mysterious in spite of helping me... at least I guess you’re helping me.” Janet stood up but continued, “I’ve been very patient with all of this sneaking around and wearing these horrible clothes and boots that do not fit!” Now she began to pace back and forth. “It’s time you start telling me your story. Who are you? What do you do on this mountain? Where do you work? Or are you some kind of hermit that just lives in a stupid cabin, listening to a CB radio and getting a kick out of... out of... I don’t know... out of whatever it is you are doing!” She was now nearly breathless but had one last thing to say: “Tell me what’s going on and tell me now!” She slammed her fist on the table, making her bowl jump and Shad leap to his feet with a bark.

  “Easy boy,” Greg calmed his dog and told him to lie down again. Then looking at Janet, he said, “You need to eat your dinner.”

  “I’ll eat when I’m good and ready! First, you tell me what’s going on.” She had calmed down, but not much.

  “Eat your beans and I’ll tell you what you need to know.” Greg took another bite of his and stared at Janet until she finally sat down. But she didn’t eat. “Fine,” he consented. “I’ll start talking, but you still need to eat something.”

  Janet picked up her fork and poked a couple of beans, holding them up and looking at them for a moment before easing them into her mouth. A grimace and a frown brought a laugh from Greg and a glare right back at him from Janet.

  “Okay,” he began. “Remember, I mentioned that the guys on the CB were talking about a ‘Gray Lady’?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I generally listen to the CB a couple of times a day, just to hear what’s going on around the area...kinda for kicks, you know?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Well, two days ago, I picked up on some interesting conversation about a ‘Gray Lady’ headed north and how they lost sight of her near Cummings Summit.” He paused, looking at her, then continued, “There are a lot of little side roads all along the main highway before and after Cummings Summit, but I didn’t think much about the chatter until later in the day when they seemed to be getting a little desperate to find this ‘Gray Lady.’ But by then, it was getting dark, and everyone involved decided to give it a rest and start up at first light the next morning,” Greg stopped to take another bite as Janet remained silent picking at her beans but taking in every word.

  Greg continued, “So I decided I’d check in again the next morning just to find out how their search was going. And that’s what I did. Except, over night the sheriff seemed to have gotten a whole lot more bothered by the fact that this ‘lady’ hadn’t been found. His tone seemed more hostile than he usually sounds when I listen to his chatter. Most of the time, he’s just a frustrated, bumbling, small-town sheriff,” Greg finished his beans and sat back.

  “So anyway, I decided I’d head on out to the main highway just to see what was going on and where everyone was looking. Maybe I could help. That’s when I ran into you. You were a ‘lady,’ dr
iving a ‘gray’ car, and looking mighty scared. Somehow, though, you didn’t seem like a threat to anyone, so... well, instead of checking in with the sheriff, I decided to find out what I could about you first. And, well...you know the rest.”

  “Yes,” Janet replied slowly. “I know the rest, I guess.” She paused and then asked, “So why haven’t you contacted the sheriff to tell him you found me? You think I’m that ‘Gray Lady’ they’re all talking about, right? What if it's some old lady with gray hair.”

  “I suppose it could be, but I doubt it.”

  “Why?”

  “I just do, that’s all.” Greg got up and took his empty bowl to a small washtub on the makeshift kitchen counter. Janet got up and walked to the small front window. Greg put her half-eaten bowl of beans on the floor for Shad to clean up and then joined her at the window.

  “You’re not being completely honest with me,” she said without looking at him. He stood close to her, and she could feel the warmth of his body as the room was getting colder. She shivered involuntarily.

  “Just a little while longer and I’ll get a fire going in that old stove.”

  “Why are you protecting me?” Janet turned to look at him. “Shouldn’t I want to talk to the sheriff? I mean maybe he’s seen my friend, Sally. Shouldn’t I at least try to find out?”

  “In answer to your last two questions, probably not.” With that, he walked over to a shelf and picked up a pair of binoculars…big ones.

  “Now what are you going to do?” Again a stupid question, she decided, with one look from him. “Okay, what are you going to look at?” She rephrased the question.

  He didn’t answer right away, but instead stepped out on the tiny porch and began gazing through the glasses, slowly scanning in a south-to-north sweep, hesitating a couple of times, and refocusing the lenses. Then he slowly retraced his motion back to the south. Finally, offering the glasses to Janet, he asked, “You want to take a look?”

  She reached for the binoculars and had to grab them with both hands because they were heavy. Trying to steady them, she attempted to do what Greg just did, not really knowing what to look at. “I just see a lot of sky, and mountaintops.” Then dipping them, she said, “Whoa! Big tree!” Pulling them away from her face, she made a cross-eyed face and shook her head. Greg laughed and then offered to help. Standing behind her, the warmth of his strong body felt really good as he wrapped his arms around her to help steady the glasses.

  “Now what do you see?”

  Janet swung the glasses as far south as she could. Several shorter tree-covered hills were between their mountain and the far end of the valley, but at this altitude, they were able to see over them. “Oh, uhhh...a couple of small buildings...no, several buildings...and a road. Wait! That looks like...a town. What town?” She lowered the glasses, waiting for Greg to answer.

  He took a look and then answered, “Cold Creek.”

  “Cold Creek?” She was astonished. “But shouldn’t it be farther away than that?” She frowned. “I mean, I drove forever, it seemed. I only went that far? That’s it?”

  “As I recall,” he answered, gazing through the glasses again, “you took time to stop and get gas, eat breakfast, pull over to the side of the road a couple of times.”

  “Only once,” she corrected him.

  “Okay, only once, and then took a side road scenic trip up into the hills.” He lowered the glasses but continued to stare out across the valley.

  “I guess you do remember stuff when you want to,” she glared at him, but he didn’t notice. “Can I look again?” she asked.

  He stood behind her again and helped her lift the heavy binoculars. This time, she looked in the other direction. “Wow, I see smoke.” She said with some concern.

  “Really. Let me take a look.” Pulling the glasses from her, he stepped aside for a moment, and Janet moved over to give him some space. “Interesting” was all he said then walked back inside and put the glasses back on the shelf. Shad raised his head from his cozy spot on the rug, then lowered it again, but kept his eyes on his master.

  Janet was beginning to feel chilled. “So is it still too early to start a fire in the stove?”

  “Change of plans.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Change of plans,” he repeated.

  “But I thought…”

  “Grab your stuff.”

  “What?”

  “Do I have to repeat everything I say?”

  “No,” she shot back at him, “but you could explain things better to begin with!”

  “I’ll explain later.”

  “Oh, sure. Later.” Janet was sarcastic. She walked over to her bag and picked it up, then started for the cabin door.

  “Not that way.”

  “What?” She turned to see what Greg meant. As she did so, he opened the closet door and stepped in. “Now what are you doing?”

  “Are you coming or not?”

  “Coming where? What good will it do to stand in a closet?” She was exasperated. “What is it, some kind of elevator that will whisk us down the mountain?”

  “Not exactly, but I’d hurry up and make up my mind if I were you.” There was a sense of urgency in his voice.

  Janet walked to the closet and peered inside. Greg reached up high and touched something. She heard a faint click then the back wall swung inward. She squinted and took a step closer. Greg pulled out a flashlight and turned it on, aiming it through the opening. Janet stood frozen as she stared into the cavity. “A tunnel?”

  Chapter 8