Chapter 68 Chapter 3–Book 2
Agent Whitmore pulled up to a small motel, really a collection of cabins. They looked a little old but sturdy. As long as they were clean and had a bathroom, he was good to go.
He brought his own supply of coffee and coffee maker, as well as a box of food. When he checked this place out online, it said it was out of the way, and the nearest town was twenty miles away.
He brought a toaster too, so he'd have something readily available to eat, if he didn’t have to go into town for information. He had his own laptop with him, though he doubted he would get a signal.
He even brought extra clips for his weapon, just in case things started to get ugly. He checked in at the counter of the main building and was happy to see that it also served as a small mini-store of sorts. At least he could get the basics and some snacks if he needed to.
His cabin was small but clean and nice. It had a bed, a desk and chair, a small kitchenette with a microwave, and a standard closet. The best part was it had a really nice, if simple, bathroom.
David set up his working area and the kitchen area. He would have food and coffee here, so that was taken care of. He set up his work area with all his paperwork and evidence files.
He sat down on the bed and got comfy. Time for a small nap before he goes to surprise the local Sheriff.
Nova sat on her bed, listening to the usual argument of when she would come home and how much they were going to miss her. It was all crap, and they even knew it, still it was their thing. Nova was on pins and needles waiting to get the hell out of there and get to that town.
She had everything packed, her money was in a small bag in her pack. She had a small sleeping bag, a tarp, fire starter paper, matches, and a collapsible fishing pole. She also had her first aid kit, camping shovel, and camping pot and pan.
One plastic plate and a fork and spoon. She also had her hunting knife, something she picked up at the motel shop, along with a few food items and a change of clothes and extra socks. A canteen with a water cleaning system built in.
Her pack was big, but she could handle it fine. She also had a book about wild herbs and veggies, and her drawing journal and pencils—things she didn’t really need but wasn’t going to leave behind.
She had been writing in her non-private journal for weeks, about a boy she met and how they were going to run away together. She knew they hadn’t read it yet, but once they discovered she was gone, they would, hoping it would buy her a little time anyway.
Nova went to the kitchen once she heard a car take off. Her mother was there, drinking her dinner. Nova proceeded to make them dinner, a good meal to start her travels on. Her mother, as usual, ate very little.
Her mother was staring at her for the longest time, and it was making Nova nervous.
“Nova dear, I have something that I need to discuss with you. I won’t tonight because I don’t have a clear head at the moment. First thing in the morning, though, we will have a chat.”
After that, Kathy got up and went to her bedroom.
Nova had a terrible feeling about that talk her mother wanted to have. Her mother never wanted to talk to Nova about anything other than to ask where the Jack Daniels was hiding.
She decided she would wait an hour for her mother to pass out, and then she was going to get going. She wasn’t going to wait for first light. She had everything ready to go. The weatherman said it was going to rain hard tonight and continue on into the daylight hours; it was a perfect time.
She wrote a note to her mother, she would find it around noon or so, that was what her mother called first thing in the morning.
The note said that she had to go to the motel to clean up some cabins because guests were coming, and that they could talk later that evening when she got home. She left a bottle of Jack by the note to help her mother on her way to forget about the talk she wanted to have.
She knew that her mother would not bother to check out her story. By the time it came for her to be home, Kathy would have drunk herself into another stupor, while forgetting all about Nova.
For once, Kathy’s neglect was in Nova’s favor.
James was happy. Even though he was doing the dirty work for the Sheriff, that isn't the reason he was so happy. He knew that when he was done doing this job, he would be returning home in a couple of days.
He would be returning to his present; finally the old bag was going to let him have her. Why he didn’t just take her in the first place, he didn’t know. He did have other things to keep him busy and happy, though, so a new toy was going to be a refreshing break.
He was thinking of all the ways he was going to please himself with Nova, when the scream broke through his daydream. Damn, the guy was supposed to be some tough drug dealer; he had been screaming like a little bitch all night long.
He was just a drug dealer, though, not a cop, not with all the things he removed from his body. He had a pile going. Finally, the last scream was heard, with that telltale sound of a gurgle. Now to bury this idiot and spread his parts to the birds.
He finished the job easy and early, so he still had some time to go find himself another play toy. He was in the mood for a girl about the same age as Nova, getting in a little practice before the main event.
He decided that he was going to look for green eyes; he was low on them. Hair color didn’t matter. He did have a thing for delicate ears though. He loved it when they wore dangly earrings; it was like an extra bonus.
He had his special cabin ready to go for his new toy. He kept mementos in there as well as his shed at home; these mementos were their ID cards, jewelry, and hair. He loved it when they dyed their hair a wacky color; it added some vibrance to his collection.
He loved the fact that he could have Nova now too. His world would be perfect; he would have his cake and eat it too. Kathy, on the other hand, was outliving her usefulness. It was time he took her to the special cabin and had one more good fun time with her.
As for Nova, once she is trained up, she will be his new bitch. She will never leave him. She was just as stupid as her mother; she didn’t even know that he was reading her journal. He knew all her happy little thoughts.
First things first, it is time to catch and release his latest toy, so he could hunt her down.
Jack decided that the walkabout had come to an end, not because it was time to do so, but because both Jack and Brutus couldn’t get this strange feeling to go away.
They decided instead to make a base camp of sorts, using the supplies of three of the hidden holes to do so. He also used the burner phone to tell his second, Sam, what was going on.
One really good thing about bears is that they are very resourceful in gathering things together. Sam and two others used his GPS locator on his phone and brought Jack the basics of everything that he might need, including a canvas waterproof tent.
It had a small wood stove inside it, just like the old battlefield tents used to have. It was great to make coffee on, as well as take away some of the damp from all the rain.
He had his own cot and sleeping bag and another just in case of a visitor, chairs as well as everything else he needed. The guys hooked him up good. They offered to stay; Jack wanted to wait though to see what came of it all first.
The burner phones didn’t always work in mountains unless you’re high up. Now that he wasn’t on a walkabout, he could keep a mind link open with his second, Sam. It wasn’t easy, but it could be done.
Now that he had a base set up, he decided that he was going to do regular patrols, keep an eye on things. The feeling of unease was increasing, so he knew that whatever was coming was coming soon.
He just had to wait, something he was good at. He also told Brutus that he was on dinner duty tonight. Brutus was an excellent fisherman. There was a really good stream about a mile from their camp, and Jack was getting hungry for some fresh fish on the fire.
Jack could feel Brutus roll his eyes and laugh.
“Squirrels are better fishermen than you are Jack. Face it, you have many talents, but fishing isn’t one of them.”
Jack just laughed. Brutus was right; every time he started to fish, something always went wrong. He was pathetic when it came to fishing.
The wind shifted at that moment, and Jack got that feeling of unease again, this time even stronger. Well, Brutus, whatever it is that is coming, it appears we won’t be waiting too long for it.