Copyrighted November 2014
CHAPTER ONE
Hands resting on the cold metal of the concrete pier’s railing, Sarina Lindeen casually stood gazing out across the river to the steep rocky slopes on the opposite shore. A few feet away, a Bayliner 642 Overnighter was tied to the dock. Ignoring the boat, she pondered how long before the sun would gather enough strength to counter the cool breeze blowing down the deep canyon. Overhead, an osprey sought its morning meal; its wings sounding unusually loud in the morning stillness. As she shifted to watch the osprey’s quest, she heard footfalls coming toward her.
A pack slung over her left shoulder and carrying two stuffed cloth grocery bags in her right hand, Brenda Buchanan approached. “Beautiful morning,” she declared setting the heavy bags down on the dock next to the rest of their gear which had already been carried from their car. She stepped to the railing beside Sarina then cautiously reached a hand out.
“Tell me again why I’m doing this,” Sarina said not unpleasantly but pulling her hand away.
Brenda smiled but a tired sadness in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. “You’re humoring me.”
“And why am I doing that?”
Leaning against the railing, Brenda studied her girlfriend of more than six years.
Standing almost six feet tall, Sarina had an athletic body which was currently being nicely displayed as she was wearing only a pair of shorts and tank top. Her skin was tanned but, due to her obsessive use of sunscreen, not overly so.
“Because, contrary to what you’ve been saying for the past few days, you still love me and this is a chance for you to realize that.”
Turning away from the river to also lean back against the railing, Sarina made sure she was just out of Brenda’s reach and her constant unconscious desire for physical contact. “I never said I didn’t love you,” she stated crossing her arms over her chest and scowling. “I just said it wasn’t working for me anymore.”
“Ah uh.” Brenda mimicked her partner’s posture and expression. Although she never seemed to look quite as menacing due to her natural tendency to smile most of the time. She was a few inches shorter than Sarina with a stockier body. “So you keep saying.”
“People change,” Sarina repeated the words that had become a mantra for her over the past few days.
“Yes, they do,” Brenda agreed pushing off the railing. “And maybe we have… but right now, we are going to go find us a nice out of the way cove somewhere on this river where we can spend the next four days… just the two of us. I guarantee, by the end of that time, I will either want to boot you out… which I won’t; or you will realize that we still have something good worth keeping… which you will.”
Sighing, Sarina scratched her ear. “You can’t make me stay,” she said. “And you won’t make me change my mind,” she insisted.
Brenda smiled. “I’m not letting you go without trying. I love you, Sarina… way too much to just let you walk out on me and what we have. I just think that after six years… six great years… you owe me this weekend. If for no other reason than for me to come to terms with what you’ve told me,” her voice breaking before she could finish. “But after this, if you’re still determined to go, I won’t try to stop you.”
Unable to witness the pain she was causing, Sarina turned back around to face the river. “I guess a few more days won’t make any difference,” she agreed softly.
Fighting back tears, Brenda bent down to pick up the cloth bags. “Help me get this stuff on board.”
#
“This thing looks powerful,” Sarina observed stepping off the dock and onto the Bayliner.
“The guy at the marina said it was,” Brenda responded sliding the door to the sleeping area open. “But don’t worry, I had a lengthy demonstration and test drive before they let me rent it,” she said tossing her pack onto one of the beds.
Leaning over Brenda’s shoulder, Sarina inspected the small area and frowned. What is that?”
“The cuddy.”
“Cuddy?”
“The sleeping area.”
“Oh, no… you don’t really expect me to sleep in there,” Sarina stated peering into the compact area under the foredeck. A pair of skylights and a pair of cabin windows allowed sufficient light to illuminate two narrow benches on either side of the compartment for sleeping. There was little else in the cuddy except for the head.
“What’s wrong with it?” Brenda asked looking about the compartment.
“A bit claustrophobic, don’t you think? It’s barely big enough for me to stand up.”
“Since when do you sleep standing up?” Brenda teased turning around to find herself blocked in place.
“Smart ass,” Sarina snarled good-naturedly then stepped back so Brenda could move. “And, just in case you didn’t notice, there’s a toilet between the beds,” Sarina said then shivered in disgust.
“Oh, pfptt… it slides back under the step. You won’t even know it’s there.”
“Yes I will,” Sarina said determinedly moving to the cushioned bench along the port side of the boat. She lifted the cover revealing a storage area. “I’m not sleeping with a toilet,” she declared placing items into the bin.
Settling onto the captain’s chair, Brenda informed the disinclined woman, “Well, you can always sleep on the deck.”
“I may just do that,” Sarina declared. “Where do you want the food?” she asked holding the two grocery bags.
“Cold stuff can go in the cooler,” Brenda answered pointing to a door beneath another section of bench. “The rest can go into any of the storage areas.”
Kneeling in front of the small electric cooler, Sarina started separating the food items. Placing those that needed refrigeration into the cooler and placing the others in the cabinet next to it. “No beer?” she asked shutting the cooler’s door then the cabinet door.
“I figured we could manage four days without any,” Brenda responded absently.
“Maybe you can,” Sarina mumbled unhappily. “What are you doing?” she asked after claiming the passenger seat closest to the helm.
“Just going over everything they told me on my test run. I don’t want to forget something and end up having to call for help. The dude at the marina would probably laugh his ass off if we did.”
“Didn’t think two women could handle his pretty little boat?” Sarina asked sarcastically.
“Something like that.”
“Speaking of calling for help… does this thing have a radio?”
“Yes,” Brenda said pointing to the requested object on the dashboard. “Radio, GPS… even a tilt-steering wheel and a horn. Just like driving a car.”
“I hope you drive this better than you do a car,” Sarina muttered opening a nearby cabinet and peering inside. “This thing has more storage than our apartment.”
“Maybe once you realize you can’t live without me, we can buy one and live on it.”
Frowning, Sarina slammed the cabinet shut. “Do you plan to sit at the dock all day?” she asked; the question sounding more demanding than she intended.
Brenda responded by turning the key in the ignition causing the boat’s powerful engine to roar to life. “You’ll need to untie us.”
“Don’t take off without me,” Sarina said standing up.
“You wish.”
“Yeah, I do,” Sarina murmured stepping onto the bench seat than up onto the pier. Walking to the bow, she freed a rope from the pier cleat and tossed it onto the deck. After freeing the stern rope wrapped around a second cleat, she tossed it on board then hopped back onto the boat.
As Sarina began coiling the ropes to keep them out of the way, Brenda let the river current drift the Bayliner away from the pier and made sure they were well clear before easing the throttle forward.
#
Cruising at a comfortable speed near the center of the river, Brenda intently kept vigil looking for any floating debris or rock outcroppings that could put a quick end to their trip.
“Do you have a place in mind or are we just going to pick one along the way?” Sarina asked raising her voice to be heard over the engine. She was sitting with her bare feet casually propped up on the little sink in front of the windshield.
“Smugglers Cove,” Brenda responded. “It’s about a mile upstream,” she said pulling back on the throttle to reduce speed.
“Why there?”
“It has a nice sandy beach and a creek flows into the river close by. There are some good size trees for shade. And, if you’re interested, there’s a trail to an old gold mine.”
“And why do you know so much about this place? Have you been here before?”
Brenda checked their location on the GPS. “No. But I wanted a good spot so I did some research on the internet. I found some pics of the cove and comments from people who had camped there.”
“Let’s hope it’s not already claimed.”
“If it is, we’ll just have to find one that isn’t,” Brenda said reducing speed to barely more than an idle. Pointing to where the river bent around a rock outcropping, she added, “We should see it after we clear those rocks.”
#
As Brenda eased the Bayliner into the cove, Sarina studied the place chosen to be their home for the next few days.
Separated from the river by a wide rocky strip of land, the cove was accessed by a deep channel that ran along the perpendicular cliff for approximately two hundred feet. Then the channel opened up into a U-shaped cove with a sandy beach covering almost its entire length. Behind the cove, the ground narrowed into a canyon where a creek tumbled eventually running across the rocky strip of land to join the river.
“Nice,” Sarina said with a smile.
“It’s beautiful,” Brenda agreed guiding the boat toward the beach. “Any particular spot you want to use for our camp?”
“I don’t think it really matters if we’re sleeping on the boat… but I’d say near those trees is a good spot. It’ll give us nice shade in the afternoon.”
Brenda turned the steering wheel slightly to the left. “That’s what I was thinking.” A few moments later she turned off the engine and let the boat glide the rest of the way. “We made it… safe and sound,” she said triumphantly after the boat gently came to rest at the edge of the beach. “We should tie up on one of those trees.”
Sarina stood then pushed open the section of windshield that, when folded out of the way, allowed access to the foredeck. “Did you want to drop anchor?” she asked pausing at the locker where the anchor was stored.
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
Sarina scratched her head. “Haven’t a clue… having never captained a boat before.” She thought for a few moments. “I doubt she can go too far if she’s tied off.”
“True. And we can always drop it later if we think we need to.”
Sarina nodded then stepped off the bow into the knee deep water. Dragging the rope behind her, she slogged onto the beach toward the copse of trees. Choosing the biggest one, she wrapped the rope around it several times. “Do you know how to tie any sailor knots?” she called to Brenda.
“No.”
“Hmmm,” Sarina murmured studying the end of the rope in her hands. “Well, my shoes usually stay tied,” she said looping the rope around itself then giving it a couple of good tugs. Satisfied her improvised knot would hold, she headed back to the boat. “What’s first on your agenda?”
“I don’t have an agenda,” Brenda responded. “But I’m hungry so how about an early lunch.”
Climbing back on board, Sarina agreed. “Sounds good to me.”
#
Sitting on the beach, the women were enjoying a lunch of sandwiches and fruit. The sun, having yet to reach its zenith, wasn’t yet overbearing and they were relaxing in its warm rays.
“Hope you packed plenty of sunscreen,” Sarina said after finishing off a PB&J sandwich.
“I did… just like I always do when we go camping.”
“Does it really count as camping if we’re staying on a boat?” Sarina inquired reaching for a bottle of water.
Brenda ate the last bite of her banana before answering. “Sure. It’s not like we’re staying on a big fancy yacht. There isn’t much difference between a tent and the cuddy.”
Grinning, Sarina stretched her legs out in front of her. “Fewer bugs and creepy crawlers,” she said wiggling her toes. “I hate to admit this… but I like this place. It’s peaceful… which is surprising considering how close we are to the river.”
“Those rock cliffs alongside the inlet sure block the noise from the other boats,” Brenda agreed.
“So why is it called Smugglers Cove?”
“I wondered that, too. But I couldn’t find much info on the internet. Best answer I came up with was that, during prohibition, moonshiners used to bring their goods here to sell.”
Sarina looked around at the canyon behind them. “Must have been a lot of work just to sell some illegal booze. That trail looks pretty steep,” she commented of the narrow track leading back into the canyon.
“I think that’s the trail to the old gold mine. I doubt this area would support vineyards—way too dry up on the bluffs. Most likely, they just used this as a meeting place. It’s easy to get to and mostly out of view of anyone passing on the river.”
“I suppose… but don’t you think the local County Mountie would notice an increase of boat traffic on certain days? Or, someone at the marina?”
“Who’s to say no one noticed?” Brenda thought for a moment then laughed. “Maybe they knew but didn’t say anything because they liked a good drink too. Not sure I’d trust rot-gut moonshine but I guess it was better than having no alcohol.”
“You can say that again,” Sarina muttered.
“Are you still upset because I didn’t bring any beer?” Brenda snapped.
Sarina glared at her… her what? How do you refer to someone who has been your lover but isn’t any more; and yet isn’t quite your ex. “Just think you could have asked me before you decided not to,” she stated dropping her eyes.
Though her good mood was now gone, Brenda bit back the snarky retort on her tongue. “You’ve been drinking a lot lately,” she finally said in a calmer voice. “A lot more than normal.”
“You keeping track of my drinking now?” Sarina asked without raising her eyes.
Brenda sighed. “Why won’t you tell me—?”
“Tell you what?” Sarina demanded rising to stand. “What else can I tell you? I’m done with us… get that through your thick skull!”
Brenda jumped to her feet to square off with Sarina. “Tell me what the hell is bothering you. I know there is something else going on with you. Why don’t you just tell me what the hell it is?!” she shouted.
Hands clenching into fists, Sarina glared at the woman standing nose-to-nose with her. Drawing in a long shaky breath, she whispered, “I’ve told you all I can. Please don’t make this any harder.”
Brenda blinked back the tears welling in her eyes.
“Staying here isn’t going to help us,” Sarina said softly. “Let’s just go back.”
Brenda shook her head. “You promised me a weekend.”
“I can’t do this… please let’s go back.”
Another shake of her head… this time more vehement.
“Fine… you stay here and I’ll go back. I’ll have someone at the marina come get you.”
Brenda spun around and starting striding across the beach.
“Dammit… why can’t you just accept what I’ve told you?” Sarina shouted to the upset woman stalking off. After a few minutes, she picked up the remainder of their lunch and carried it back to the boat.
#
“It’s just like driving a car,” Sarina told herself sitting in the captain’s chair and studying the boat’s controls. “Okay, the gauges look similar. Accelerator?” she frowned glancing down to where her feet rested. “Well, that’s different,” she noted the lack of any pedals. “Ah, here you are,” she declared triumphantly as she recognized the throttle on the side of the cockpit near her right arm. “Okay, let’s get you started.” Her brows creased when she found the ignition lacked the key. “Shoot! I bet she took it with her.”
Slumping back in the seat, Sarina let her head fall backwards. “Why do you want this to be so hard?” she muttered looking up into the cloudless sky.
#
CHAPTER TWO
Strolling along the waterline, Brenda occasionally paused to investigate an interesting shell or pebble. She could see Sarina moving about the Bayliner but, not too anxious to face the woman she had walked away from a few hours before, she kept to her slow meandering pace.
After placing her fishing rod onto the hooks conveniently located on the inside of the starboard gunwale, Sarina opened one of the storage bins. She knew Brenda was approaching but ignored that as she pulled some items out of the cabinet. A few moments later, she felt the boat’s bow dip abruptly.
“I’m back,” Brenda announced uncertainly after climbing aboard.
“So I see,” Sarina noted holding a Coleman camp stove.
“I’m sorry I walked out.” Brenda chewed her lower lip for a moment. “I guess you’re right… forcing you to stay here isn’t going to accomplish anything but make us more angry with each other.”
“I’m not angry with you. I just don’t know what else I can say to you.”
Hesitantly, Brenda reached a hand out and gently placed it against Sarina’s cheek. “I’m going to miss you so very much,” she whispered before pulling her hand back. She sniffled. “Let me get the boat started and we can head back to the marina.”
“I caught a couple of bass… nice ones. You hungry?” Sarina asked. “No sense in letting them go to waste.” She bent over another storage bin retrieving a propane bottle and tucking it under her arm.
The thought of a few more hours together brought a smile to Brenda’s face. “My stomach has been growling for the past hour.”
“That why you came back?” Sarina asked picking up the frying pan she had set on one of the benches earlier.
“That and I didn’t much like being alone.”
Sarina tossed her an aggravated look. “Don’t start.”
“I wasn’t going to,” Brenda assured her. “It was just kinda creepy out there by myself— I kept feeling like I was being watched.”
“Really?” Sarina asked turning to peer at the canyon walls encircling the cove.
Brenda dropped onto the captain’s chair. “Yeah. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up.”
“Hmmm,” Sarina murmured. But spotting no movement other than tree branches rustling in the light breeze, she returned to her dinner preparations. “Maybe it was just a mountain sheep or Pronghorn or something like that.”
“Maybe,” Brenda replied halfheartedly. “Those are nice bass,” she said switching subjects while looking at the cleaned and filleted fish on a tray next to the little sink. “You plan to cook on the boat?”
Sarina shook her head. “The boat shifts too much when we move around… thought I’d do it on the beach; less likely for an accident.”
“Good idea.”
Sarina started up the steps to the foredeck. “Can you hand me the fish after I get the stove set up and heating?”
“Sure. I’ll fix a salad while you do that,” Brenda said slipping off the captain’s chair to open the cooler.
Being careful to hold the stove, frying pan, and gas container high so they wouldn’t get wet, Sarina dropped off the bow into the water. Then she splashed her way up to the beach.
Brenda pulled baggies of salad ingredients out of the cooler. Selecting a medium size bowl from another cabinet, she poured a generous amount of lettuce and cut up vegetables into the bowl. She was placing the baggies back into the cooler when Sarina returned for the fish. Taking a moment to close the cooler cabinet, she stood then reached for the tray. Turning toward the bow, she froze.
“What’s wrong?” Sarina asked standing knee deep in water at the bow of the boat.
“I thought I saw something,” Brenda explained pointing at a jumble of giant boulders part way up the canyon. “Up there.”
Sarina turned and looked to where Brenda was pointing. “I don’t see anything. But it sure looks like a good place for mountain sheep, if you ask me,” she commented turning back around.
Brenda continued to stare at the boulders.
“Fish… please.”
“Oh, yeah,” Brenda said forcing her eyes away from the rocks. Carefully, she climbed up the steps to the foredeck. “Here,” she said lowering the tray down so Sarina could grab it. As soon as she straightened back up, she returned to her scrutiny of the canyon walls. The afternoon shadows made it hard to distinguish details but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something… or someone… was up there watching.
“Hey.” Sarina waited until Brenda’s eyes re-focused on her. “Stop worrying about what’s up there? It’s not like we haven’t been out in the boonies before. It’s probably just some animal wandering about.”
“It didn’t really move like an animal,” Brenda quietly speculated.
“You only saw it for a second,” Sarina reminded.
“I know… But my nape hairs don’t usually stand up to attention because an animal is around.”
Not wanting to make light of the other woman’s suspicions but hoping to reduce her current obsession with what most probably was not a threat to the women, Sarina teased, “Okay, maybe it’s Bigfoot. Think he’ll want some of our dinner?” she asked grinning. “I might have to catch a few more fish if he does.”
Brenda frowned in annoyance. “There’s no such thing as Bigfoot,” she countered.
Sarina laughed then turned to carry the fish to the waiting frying pan. “Yeah, yeah, yeah… you keep telling me that but I still think it’s possible.”
Her brow furrowing as she pondered what she might have seen, Brenda shot one last look at the rock walls before returning to her salad.
#
“Those were really good,” Brenda declared with a satisfied sigh. Laying back on the sun warmed sand she tucked her arms under her head and gazed up at the darkening sky. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen so many stars. I think it was our trip to Yellowstone. Remember, we had hiked to that waterfall and, by the time we got back to the trailhead, the sun was setting. We decided to wait and watch the stars come out before heading back to our motel.”
“I remember,” Sarina said placing the dirty dishes and frying pan into a bucket for washing. “We didn’t get back to the motel until after midnight,” she noted remembering how tired she had been after driving the windy park roads in pitch darkness. She leaned back bracing her arms out behind her. “We almost ran into that herd of bison.”
“Oh yeah… that was scary.”
“But it was worth it,” Sarina declared looking skyward. “It was a really beautiful night.”
Brenda rolled her head to look at Sarina. “Absolutely beautiful,” she agreed; her voice barely a whisper. “One of many we shared that I’ll always cherish.”
Sarina sat up and brushed the sand off her hands. “Honey, you’re really making this harder than it has to be,” she said standing up.
Brenda smiled. “First time you’ve called me that in days,” she said happily.
“It slipped out,” Sarina said picking up the bucket. “I’m going over to that creek and wash these.”
“I’ll help,” Brenda promptly offered rolling over onto her hands and knees than standing. “It’s so quiet here,” she commented as they set off across the beach. “I think I’ve only heard a couple of boats go by on the river all day.”
“Speaking of boats,” Sarina started casually, “just where did you hide the keys to ours.”
“You tried to leave… didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I figured you would.”
“So you thought hiding the keys was a good idea?”
Brenda smiled. “You’re still here.”
“And what if we’d had some kind of emergency?” Sarina asked. “And I had to get us back to the marina… what should I have done? Paddle?”
Brenda laughed. “That would be a sight.”
“I’m serious, Brenda. Hiding the keys isn’t the brightest of ideas.”
Brenda reached into the pocket of her shorts. “They’re right here,” she said jingling the key ring.
“Let’s leave them on the boat… okay?”
“Isn’t it a mute point if we’re going back tonight?”
Reaching the creek, Sarina set the bucket down then knelt beside it. “I don’t think we should try to navigate the river after dark,” she said emptying the bucket so she could fill it with clean water. She then set to work cleaning the dirty dishes. “We might as well wait until morning.”
#
“Starboard or port?” Brenda asked standing just inside the door to the cuddy.
Sarina was stretched out on the bench seat across the stern. “What?”
“Left or right?”
Sarina raised her head up to look at Brenda quizzically. “What are you taking about?”
“Which bed do you want?”
“Oh,” Sarina groaned letting her head drop back onto the thick cushion. “I think I’ll just sleep out here.”
“You’ll get cold,” Brenda scolded. “Come on, quit being a baby.”
“I’m not sleeping with a toilet.”
“It’s portable… we can move it to the deck.”
“I’m not moving a toilet either.”
Brenda ducked into the cuddy for a moment than reappeared with a blanket and tossed it at her infuriating companion. “Suit yourself. If you get cold, I guess you can find your way to the cuddy.”
The cuddy door slid shut and Sarina could hear her ex-lover storming about in the small area and muttering to herself. Having witnessed such behavior more than a few times over the past six years, she couldn’t help but smile. She wasn’t concerned with Brenda’s outburst; experience told her that it would be over in a moment or two. Sitting up, she spread the blanket out over her. After returning to her prone position, her eyes drifted skyward. “It is beautiful here,” she murmured. “I suppose I could just relax and enjoy it. I guess I do owe her that much.”
“You bet your sweet ass, you do,” Brenda called out from inside the cuddy.
Sarina chuckled. “Standing at the door listening, were you?”
“No. I’ve got one of the cabin windows open.” After a moment, Brenda asked hesitantly, “Are you sure you’ll be okay out there?”
“I’ll be fine,” Sarina responded turning onto her side and wrapping the blanket around her. “Good night.”
“Good night. I love you.”
Sarina kept her response unspoken. “I Love you, too.”
#
CHAPTER THREE
Brenda woke to the sun shining through one of the open port holes and directly onto her face. Rolling over to get away from the bright sun, she spotted an interesting lump on the other bed. Tossing her blanket aside, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed then shivered as the morning coolness spread goose-bumps up and down her bare arms and legs.
Curled up on her side with only the top of her head visible above the blanket, Sarina shifted the blanket down just enough for one blurry eyeball to appear. “Don’t say anything,” she warned spying the look of amusement on Brenda’s face.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Brenda said smiling. “I need a cup of coffee. Interested?”
Sarina yawned. “Most definitely.”
“Let me get dressed and I’ll start a pot.”
“You’re an angel,” Sarina murmured tugging the blanket closer around her.
Picking up her own blanket, Brenda spread it out over her companion. “Are you really that cold?” she asked reaching over to close the open window.
“A little,” Sarina replied honestly. “I think sleeping on the deck wasn’t too smart of me.”
Brenda grinned but said nothing as she tucked the extra blanket around Sarina before moving to her backpack at the end of her bed. She started to retrieve clothes for the day then paused. “Um… not to open up a can of worms but are we staying or leaving? I need to know what to wear.”
Sarina’s head popped up from under the blankets. “You dressing formal… one way or the other?”
“No. But if we’re sticking around, I thought we could go for a hike and I don’t think a bathing suit would be the appropriate attire.”
Sarina groaned. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of finding that abandoned gold mine?”
Brenda sat on her bed. “I thought it might be interesting.”
Rolling onto her back, Sarina stretched her long legs down the length of the bed and wiggled her toes. “You’ll probably be disappointed,” she said extending her arms up high over her head as she continued to work out her morning kinks. “Most likely, it’s nothing more than a big hole in the ground with a heavy grate preventing anyone from going inside.”
“Yuck… who said anything about going inside? That would be way too creepy… and dangerous.”
“So why hike up to it?” Sarina asked sitting up.
“I thought it might be worth seeing the river from the top of the canyon. And who knows what else might be up there.”
Sarina thought for a moment. “All right,” she said throwing off the blankets.
Surprised at the unexpected indulgence, Brenda gazed at the woman in disbelief. “Really? We’re staying?”
“What’s another day?” Sarina said off-handedly.
“Great!” Brenda exclaimed jumping up from the bed. She bent over her backpack and pulled out a pair of jeans, a polo shirt, and a pair of thick socks. Stripping off the over-sized t-shirt she had slept in, she quickly pulled on a fresh pair of panties and bra then stepped into her jeans.
Grinning, Sarina watched Brenda’s frantic activity. “You afraid I’ll change my mind?”
Brenda slipped her arms into the sleeves of her shirt and pulled it over her head. “Yes,” she answered when her head reappeared.
“Well, you can slow down before you hurt yourself… I’m not going to.”
Brenda grabbed her hiking boots then, carrying them and her socks, padded to the cuddy’s door and slid it open. Before stepping up to the deck, she turned around. “You are coming… right?” she hesitantly asked the woman who was still relaxing on her bed.
“Yeah… a hike up the side of a cliff sounds like a lot of fun,” Sarina teased as she pushed up from the bed, “I’ll get dressed… but I think I’ll do it at a more leisurely pace than you did.”
Brenda laughed. “I’ll start the coffee.”
#
After a quick breakfast of hot coffee, bananas, and cold cereal, the women secured the boat. With a day pack slung over her shoulder, Brenda led the way across the beach to the trail head near the canyon’s mouth where they stopped to read the informational sign.
“How far is this gold mine?” Sarina asked kneeling down to tighten the laces on her hiking boots.
“This says three point four miles. It also says to carry water—”
“We’ve got plenty of that, don’t we?” Sarina asked standing.
Brenda nodded. “And it says to watch out for rattlesnakes.”
Sarina chuckled. “Maybe that’s what you saw yesterday.”
Brenda glowered at the smirking woman. “Ha… ha. That would have been one hell of a big rattler,” she stated sarcastically.
“Just a thought.”
“What are you doing?” Brenda asked when Sarina walked away kicking at the underbrush.
“I’m looking for a great big stick,” Sarina explained. “If we see a rattlesnake, I want something to beat it with.”
Shaking her head, Brenda rolled her eyes. “Would you come on… just leave the snakes alone and they’ll leave you alone.”
“Is that a guarantee?” Sarina asked skeptically as she picked up a stick as long as her arm and as big around as her wrist.
“They call them rattlesnakes for a reason… if you hear one rattling, freeze until it slithers away.”
“Nope. If I hear one, I’m going to bop it over the head with this,” Sarina said raising the old branch high then swinging it down on her open hand to demonstrate its sturdiness.
Brenda watched in amazement as the piece of sun dried wood crumbled as soon as it came into contact with Sarina’s palm. Shifting her eyes from the shattered club to Sarina’s face, she saw a look of utter shock. “Yep, that sure would have taken care of any rattler,” she managed to get out between fits of laughter.
Sarina glared. “Come on,” she snapped shaking loose the remnants of wood remaining in her hand. “Let’s go find your damn gold mine,” she snarled marching up the trail at a rapid pace.
#
“Whoa… that was quite the climb,” Sarina panted reaching into Brenda’s pack for a bottle of Gatorade.
The trail had started to rise immediately after leaving the trail head and continued to climb for the first mile taking the hikers up the side of the canyon; the uneven footing forcing the women to concentrate on the narrow, steep, and rocky path and little else. Eventually, the grade began to lessen and they welcomed the first opportunity to take a breather.
“Sure hope it’s not like that for the next three miles,” Sarina stated handing the bottle to her companion.
“Me, too,” Brenda agreed breathlessly then gulped down a generous amount of the Gatorade. “It looks like we’re almost to the top of the canyon wall,” she said glancing further up the trail.
“Then what?” Sarina asked as Brenda returned the bottle to her pack.
“I don’t know,” Brenda replied swinging the pack back onto her shoulder. “I guess we’ll find out when we get there,” she said resuming the climb up the trail.
“Hang on a sec.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Aren’t those the rocks you thought somebody was hiding in yesterday?” Sarina asked pointing to a jumble of large boulders on the opposite wall of the ravine.
“Um… yeah, I think so. Why?”
“Want to take a look and see if we can find any tracks?”
“How do you plan to get over there?” Brenda asked dubiously. “Climb to the bottom of this gully then back up that side? Look how steep that is,” she cautioned.
“No, I don’t really want to do that,” Sarina replied scanning the precipitous walls. “But if somebody was messing around yesterday maybe they left evidence like boot prints.”
Brenda studied the almost perpendicular slopes between them and the boulders. “You know, from down there,” she said indicating the beach, “it doesn’t look nearly as steep. Standing here, I don’t see how anyone could been on those rocks. Maybe you were right and it was just a mountain sheep.”
“Maybe it wasn’t.”
“Well, whatever… or whoever, it was, I definitely don’t think it’s worth one of us getting hurt to find out for sure.”
“Okay,” Sarina agreed. “You don’t feel like you’re being watched today, do you?”
“No.”
Sarina took a moment to look back down the canyon to the cove where the Bayliner floated lazily at the end of its rope. Seeing nothing amiss, she turned to follow Brenda up the trail. “Good,” she said reaching up to rub the back of her neck.
#
“Wow,” Brenda exclaimed after climbing the last bit of trail out of the canyon. “What a difference?”
“What?” Sarina asked still too far down the trail to see what Brenda was referring to. A moment later she crested the rim to discover the stark, volcanic canyon was replaced by grass covered hillocks stretching far into the distance. “Boy, talk about night and day,” she stated looking across the gentle rolling landscape. “Did we miss a cut-off? This doesn’t look like the right terrain for gold mining.”
“No,” Brenda answered reaching into her pack for a water bottle and some protein bars. “The trail rejoins the river canyon further north,” she explained offering Sarina the refreshments. “I think we have to go back down again to find the mine.”
“Thanks,” Sarina said ripping open the wrapping on a protein bar. “Do you have anything else in there?”
“Apples, sandwiches… oh, and Oreos.”
Sarina grinned. “Gimme,” she demanded.
Brenda laughed. “You can be such a child,” she said pulling a package of cookies out of her pack.
“I thought that was one of the things you love about me.” It took a moment for Sarina to realize what she had said. “Oh, shit… that just came out… I’m sorry,” she apologized.
“Why?” Brenda asked. “It’s true… I do love your childish side. I’m not going to stop loving that part of you just because…,” she stopped unable to continue.
Sarina sighed. “I don’t want to say stuff like that… I know it hurts.”
“It does,” Brenda agreed. “Looking at you hurts. Hearing your voice hurts. Knowing you’ll soon be out of my life hurts. So what’s a few words on top of all that?” Unscrewing the lid of the water bottle, she took a long swallow. “Don’t worry about it… I’m a big girl. I’ll live.” Although, she forced a smile to her lips, the sadness in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.
‘Why do you keep prolonging this?’ Sarina chastised herself. ‘Why didn’t you just go back this morning?’ “Maybe we should go back,” she offered passing the unopened package of cookies back.
“No,” Brenda said putting the Oreos into her pack along with the water bottle. “No sense wasting the effort to get this far… let’s keep going.” Swinging the pack onto her shoulder, she set off down the trail.
Sarina remained rooted to the ground as she watched Brenda move away. ‘What am I doing?’ she thought. “I’m sure you’ll go on without me,” she murmured. “But how the hell am I going to live without you?”
#
CHAPTER FOUR
“The trail drops back down here,” Brenda said reaching the spot where the path dipped back over the cliff’s edge. “I can’t believe how small our boat looks from up here,” she commented glancing toward the cove and Bayliner as she slipped the pack off her shoulder and sat down on a convenient boulder.
“Looks more like a bathtub toy,” Sarina agreed taking a similar perch a few feet away after giving the ground and rock a close inspection. “Got any sandwiches in your pack?” she asked satisfied the area was free of lurking creepy crawlers.
“Yes,” Brenda answered unzipping one of the pack’s pockets. “Ham and cheese or PBJ.”
“I’ll take ham. And some water, please.”
Brenda handed the requested items over then claimed a sandwich for herself.
“Really weird having all that water down there,” Sarina said between bites, “yet it’s so dry up here.” She scuffed at the hard ground with the heel of her boot then gazed in fascination at the thick puff of dust the action caused.
“Want another sandwich?” Brenda asked.
“Nah,” Sarina said brushing her hands free of bread crumbs. Grinning, she reached an open palm out toward Brenda, “But I won’t say no to the Oreos.”
Chuckling, Brenda pulled the package of cookies out of the pack. “That I can believe,” she said handing it over. “Why are you sitting like that?” she asked after Sarina scooted about on her rock seat to face the seemingly endless barren plains that stretched far into the distance. “There’s nothing to see but dry grass and sagebrush.”
“I know,” Sarina said carefully twisting a cookie apart. “That’s why I’m curious.”
Brenda watched Sarina scrap off the Oreo’s icing with her teeth. “About what?”
“What purpose those side trails serve,” Sarina explained pointing to an obvious track leading away from the main trail; the knee high grass trampled flat. “Just wondering why anyone would go off that way,” she said, her eyes following the path until it disappeared some distance from where they sat.
“Maybe they needed to pee,” Brenda offered.
Sarina’s head swiveled as she surveyed their surroundings. “There’s no one around here for miles… except for the boats down on the river. Why not just step off the trail a couple of feet and drop your drawers? Why walk way out there?” she indicated where the closest path led.
Brenda considered the questions. “I suppose people might take a look to see what’s over there.”
“Like what? Rattlesnakes and rocks and more dry grass?”
“It’s hard to tell… those hills roll and dip a lot. There could be gullies and ravines over there that can’t be seen from here. There might even be some small springs that people go to explore. The creek that flows down the canyon to the cove has to come from somewhere.”
Sarina stood up.
“Where are you going?” Brenda demanded when Sarina, carrying the package of cookies, set off on the side trail.
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Crazy woman,” Brenda muttered watching Sarina walk away. “Watch out for snakes,” she called out an unnecessary reminder.
“Damn, don’t you think I know that,” Sarina called back glumly, her head turning from side to side as she peered intently at the ground around her. After walking a couple hundred feet, she stopped and knelt down. A moment later, she abruptly jumped up and headed back—but unlike her trek out, now she was charging through the grass at full speed.
“Did you see a snake?” Brenda asked as Sarina skidded to a stop barely avoiding running right off the edge of the cliff.
“Thought I heard a rattle… figured it would have a hell of time striking a moving target,” Sarina explained breathlessly.
Brenda giggled and handed the panting woman a water bottle. “Amazing how you managed to keep hold of the cookies through all that,” she teased.
“Ha, ha,” Sarina grunted after sucking down half the liquid in the bottle. She picked up the pack and tucked the cookies and water bottle inside.
Brenda stood. “It looked like you were looking at something.”
“Oh… it was a sign that had been knocked over,” Sarina said shifting the pack to her shoulder. “It said something about it being illegal to do something.”
“Do what?”
Sarina shrugged. “I’m not sure. It was a little hard to read… looked like someone had used it for target practice.” She stepped toward the drop off where the trail angled downward. “Let’s go find your gold mine so we can get back and take a nice long swim. I’m sweating like you can’t believe.”
Laughing, Brenda followed. “Running through the grass like a nut case probably doesn’t help that.”
#
“Sheesh… somebody sure moved a lot of rock to dig that out,” Sarina exclaimed.
“Talk about sweating… a lot of it went into that tunnel,” Brenda concurred.
The women were standing on a ledge that fronted a gaping hole in the cliff face. Chipped out of the hard volcanic rock, the mine’s opening was approximately four feet wide and five feet high; and the shaft appeared to stretch some distance beyond the entrance.
“Makes you wonder why they thought gold mining was easier than having regular jobs,” Sarina said moving closer to the sturdy gate preventing anyone from accessing the tunnel. Placing her forehead against one of the thick steel bars, she squinted against the mine’s deep shadows. “It’s too dark in there to see anything.”
“We should have brought a flashlight,” Brenda muttered straining to see into the blackness.
“Ya think?” Sarina asked sarcastically as she backed away from the gate. “Don’t get your shorts in knot,” she said spotting the glare directed at her. “I was just teasing. Besides, I doubt we’d see very much even if we had one,” she said peering over the edge of the ledge at the steep cliff face below. “Looks like this is the end of the trail,” she commented seeing no path continuing beyond the mine.
Squinting, Brenda continued to peer intently into the tunnel. “Hmmm… I think I see some boxes in there.”
“Where?”
“About twenty feet back… stacked up against the right side.”
Sarina moved back to the gate. “Oh, I see them. Wonder what’s inside.”
“Dynamite?”
“Doubt it. That would be enough TNT to blow up a good size building. Besides, if any had been left here, I would think the authorities would have removed it a long time ago. Maybe supplies left behind when the miners gave up on finding gold.”
“Yeah, that’s probably more logical,” Brenda said stepping back from the gate. “I wonder how anyone knew to dig for gold here,” she pondered looking around at the canyon’s steep rocky walls.
“I wonder if they found any,” Sarina said kicking a rock.
“The sign at the trailhead said the mine was abandoned shortly after the tunnel was dug.”
“I’d sure be pissed if I dug all this rock for nothing,” Sarina said leaning against the gate.
“You ready to head back?”
“In a minute.”
“What’s wrong?” Brenda asked noticing the perplexed look on Sarina’s face.
“Odd,” Sarina mumbled turning to face the gate and running her hand along one of the bars.
“What?”
Twisting her head, Sarina peered over her shoulder at Brenda. “This mine is supposed to be abandoned… right?”
“Yes.”
“And has been for many, many years… right?”
Brenda nodded.
“Look at this gate,” Sarina said grabbing hold of the well-built obstruction. “It sure doesn’t look like it’s been exposed to the elements for several decades. There’s no rust… no corrosion.”
“Maybe it’s a special kind of metal.”
“Like what… kryptonite?”
“Funny… I don’t know. Does it really matter?”
Sarina shrugged. “It just seems odd… an abandoned gold mine with a shiny new gate.”
“You read way too many mystery novels,” Brenda said shaking her head. “It’s probably nothing more than the gate needed to be replaced because the original one rusted away. Or whoever is responsible for the mine decided to give it a stronger gate to keep the more adventurous hikers out. Who knows?” She spun around and headed for the trail. “I’m going back to the boat and my bathing suit. Stay here and contemplate your conspiracy theories if you want.”
Taking a last curious look at the gate, Sarina shrugged then trotted after Brenda.
#
The hike back to the cove was made in silence, both women struggling with the afternoon heat and sore legs. Sarina lagged behind, content to let Brenda lead the way back to the cove.
“There’s another boat in the cove,” Brenda said as they returned to the trailhead and started across the beach.
Sarina switched the pack to her other shoulder. “I guess it’s not like we can keep people from coming in here,” she commented unconcerned.
Brenda quickened her steps across the sand. “There’s somebody at our camp?”
Sarina looked across the cove and saw a solitary figure standing on the beach close to where the Bayliner was drifting at the end of its mooring rope. “Oh, goody… uninvited guests.”
#
“Afternoon, ladies,” a man cheerfully greeted the women as they approached their camp. He was dressed in a pair of dirty jeans and t-shirt and, with his scraggily beard and unkempt hair, appeared to have gone without bathing for more than a few days. “How was your hike?”
Brenda gazed suspiciously at the man. “Who are you?” she asked warily wondering why he was holding his right arm behind his back.
The man smiled. “Sure wish you would have pulled up stakes this morning,” he told them. “You would have made things much easier for me if you had.”
“Who are you?” Brenda repeated; her voice more demanding.
The man shook his head. “Better if I keep that to myself.”
“Hey, buddy,” Sarina said stepping aggressively toward the man. “What the hell do you want?”
“Uh, uh, uh,” he said bringing his right arm out from behind his back to reveal a rather large revolver which he pointed at the agitated woman.
Brenda’s arm shot out, her hand grapping the back of Sarina’s shirt and giving it a good yank. “He’s got a gun,” she shouted tugging hard.
“So I noticed,” Sarina snarled slowly backing away from the man and gun. “What do you want?” she repeated glaring at him.
“Honey, don’t irritate him,” Brenda urged.
The man smiled. “She’s the hothead, you’re the brains… is that it?”
“Are you going to kill us?” Brenda asked fearfully. She felt Sarina’s arm slip around her waist.
“That would really complicate my life if I had to,” he responded coolly. “Let’s make a deal… you do what I say and we’ll part ways when all of this is over.”
“When what is over?”
“Plan to be the hero, do you?” he asked watching Sarina ease her body front of Brenda’s.
“If I have to be,” Sarina acknowledged.
“Don’t,” Brenda whispered harshly.
“You should listen to her,” he told Sarina.
“What do you want?” Sarina demanded, her steady voice concealing the intense anxiety she was experiencing deep inside.
The man rubbed his forehead with the back of his empty. “Okay, here’s the short version… I’m a businessman who deals in… shall we say, rare and hard to come by items of interest to discriminating… and I might add…,” he smiled, “very wealthy collectors. By this time tomorrow, I’ll be on my way out of the country with more money than you could ever imagine.”
“I have a pretty good imagination,” Sarina growled.
The man laughed. “I’m sure you do.”
“So where do we fit into all of this?” Brenda asked after shushing Sarina.
“Well, this is where I plan to meet my clients,” he explained. “It was supposed to be a nice quiet, out-of-the-way spot for me to do business. But then you two showed up and put a real kink in my plans. And it’s too late to change them because my clients should start arriving here soon. So, I’ll just have to stash you out of the way while I conduct my business.”
“We can leave now,” Brenda offered hopefully.
The man laughed. “I’m not that dumb. I let you go and you run straight for the sheriff. No thanks.” He motioned with his revolver toward the copse of trees where the Bayliner was tied off. “Up there. I’ve got a cozy spot all fixed up for you.”
#
CHAPTER FIVE
“Do you have ants crawling up your legs or something?” Sarina asked after watching Brenda squirm and fidget for several minutes.
“I have to pee,” Brenda hissed unhappily.
“Oh,” Sarina said tossing the woman a sympathetic look. “Sorry.”
The cozy spot the gunman had prepared turned out to be two camp chairs tied to separate trees deep inside the grove. Each woman was tied to their provided chair with both arms and legs wrapped in rope.
“Looks like he’s directing them to the trail head,” Sarina informed Brenda. Looking between tree trunks, she had a decent view of the cove and had watched as their captor met each incoming boat and directed the new arrivals toward the growing group on the beach.
“Where do you think he’s taking them?” Brenda asked straining to see around a trunk directly in front of her.
Sarina thought for a moment. “My best guess is the old mine.”
“Why? Because it has new gate?” Brenda asked cynically.
Sarina shot her companion an annoyed look. “No. Because he has to have his stuff someplace safe… and nearby. So I’m guessing it’s inside that mine… probably in those boxes you saw.”
“What do you think he has that would make those people want to come all the way out here in the middle of the night?” Brenda asked trying to force her thoughts away from her extreme discomfort.
“Could be anything but I’m thinking there must be archeological sites around here and that guy has been looting them.”
“And you base that on what?”
“That sign I found… it said it was illegal to remove something. I’ve only seen signs like that in historical or archeological areas. And that would explain all the secrecy. Looting those sites is a federal crime and the penalties are huge if you’re caught doing it.”
“Honey, I really have to pee,” Brenda moaned desperately.
“Hang on… I should be free of these ropes in a minute.”
“Do you know something I don’t?” Brenda asked watching Sarina’s shoulders undulate and shift. “What are you doing?”
“Give me a sec,” Sarina said, her face contorting with her efforts.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, got it!” With a final shake of her wrists, the ropes dropped to the sand and Sarina brought her hands forward. “Ow,” she groaned, her arms protesting the change in position.
“How’d you do that?” Brenda asked in amazement.
Sarina bent forward to work on the ropes binding her legs. “I saw it in a movie once… a guy was getting tied up so he held his wrists apart… not much, just enough that he had wriggle room. I’ve been working to get out of these ropes since that jerk left us here,” she explained kicking the ropes away from her legs then scooting behind Brenda.
“You never cease to amaze me.” Brenda shook her arms to restore blood flow as soon as they were freed. “Thanks,” she said as Sarina worked on the ropes around her ankles. “Do you have a plan for getting out of here?”
“First, we take care of Mother Nature,” Sarina said standing.
“Good idea.”
#
“Okay, let’s get to the boat,” Sarina said stepping out from the trees’ deep shadows.
“Hold on,” Brenda said grabbing her arm and pulling back.
“What?” Sarina glared at Brenda. “I thought you were in a hurry to contact the sheriff.”
“We have to assume that guy was on the boat before we showed up. So he’d probably already disabled the radio.”
“So what if he did? Our cell phones are on the boat.”
“Which he probably found when he went through our stuff.”
Sarina smiled. “Now who’s jumping to conclusions?”
“Don’t you think that’s a logical thing for him to do?”
“Maybe… maybe not. We have no idea how long he was here before we came back from our hike. He might not have had time to do anything. But we won’t know if we keep standing here.”
“They might spot us if we head for the boat,” Brenda said hesitantly.
“Only if they happen to look down here. I’m willing to take the chance that they’re too busy up there to give us much thought. And we have to do something,” Sarina insisted. “They could come back here any time.”
“All right,” Brenda reluctantly agreed. “Let’s get to the boat.”
#
“He yanked out the mic,” Brenda called into the cuddy holding the radio’s handset, loose wires tangling at the end of its cord. “There’s no way we can fix this,” she muttered dropping the microphone.
“I don’t think he was in here,” Sarina called back. “I found the phones. And this,” she said emerging from the cuddy holding two cell phones and a flashlight. She handed Brenda her phone then flipped her own open. “Damn.”
“What’s wrong?”
“No signal.” Sarina grumbled moving up the steps to the foredeck. “Come on,” she said jamming her cell into her pocket.
“Come on… where?”
“Up,” Sarina answered hopping off the bow into the water.
Brenda was forced to hurry after her quickly moving companion. “Up?” she asked sloshing toward the beach.
After sitting beside her hiking boots and socks left on the beach to stay dry, Sarina pointed up to the canyon rim. “Yeah, up.”
“Are you nuts? Did you forget that he’s up there with all of his buddies?” Brenda asked dropping onto the sand beside her own boots.
“No,” Sarina said brushing wet sand off her feet.
“So, why in hell are we going up there?” Brenda asked.
“To get a signal so we can call the sheriff.”
“What makes you think we’ll have a signal up there?” Brenda said pulling on her socks.
“There’s a tower on the other side of the canyon about a mile upstream. I saw it when we were up there earlier. We should have a signal as soon as we clear the canyon wall.”
“And what if they’re already coming back down?”
Sarina tilted her head to look up to where the trail traveled along the canyon rim. Then she shifted to look toward the mine. “The trail is dark but the mine is still lit up… you can see the beams of their flashlights as they move around. If we hurry, we should be at the top before they start down.”
Brenda pushed up from the sand. “I sure hope you’re right. But I guess there are plenty of places for us to hide if not.”
“Head for the trailhead,” Sarina said standing. “I’ll catch up in a minute.”
“Where are you going?” Brenda asked when Sarina trotted back toward the copse of trees.
“I’m going to get the pack. We’ll need the water.”
“Good idea,” Brenda muttered turning around. Instead of choosing the shortest path directly across the beach, she moved closer to the cliff and out of the line of sight of the people at the mine. She hadn’t gone too far when she was rejoined by Sarina. “Think we should try to use the radios on any of those boats?” she asked picking up her pace to match Sarina’s.
“Don’t have the time to waste,” Sarina responded after taking a quick glance toward the half dozen boats bopping gently in the cove. “More than likely, he had them disable the radios anyway.” Reaching the trailhead, she took the lead and moved as quickly as she dared up the canyon’s rocky, uneven path. Switching on the flashlight, she pointed it straight down at the ground making its beam less likely to be seen by others.
#
Brenda unscrewed the lid of a water bottle then, tilting her head back, enjoyed several long gulps of the cool liquid. “Sure glad you went back for the pack,” she said after emptying the bottle. “Any signal?”
Standing just below the point where the canyon trail broke over the top of the rim, Sarina opened her phone. “One bar.” She took a step moving toward the top of the rim. “Two bars. Three,” she said continuing. “Five,” she declared coming to a stop when she was eye level with the top of the trail. She punched in some numbers.
Brenda shoved the empty bottle into the pack and swung it onto her shoulder as she shifted to stand beside Sarina.
“Yes, I have an emergency,” Sarina told the emergency operator who answered her call.
Pressing her head against the hand holding the phone, Brenda listened as Sarina explained their situation. At first, the operator’s cynical tone made it obvious the story was not being believed and several repetitive questions were asked. But as soon as Sarina mentioned Smugglers’ Cove, the skeptical questions ceased and the operator’s tone grew serious.
“Yes,” Sarina answered a final question. “We’re at the top of the canyon trail. Yes, we’ll find someplace to hide and wait for the sheriff.”
“Tell him to hurry,” Brenda told the operator tensely then felt Sarina’s reassuring arm encircle her waist.
“Thank you,” Sarina told the operator before closing the phone.
“I guess now we find a place to hide,” Brenda said quietly.
“Yeah,” Sarina agreed placing the phone back into her pocket. “About a hundred feet back there was a jumble of pretty big boulders just off the trail. What say we head back there and find a spot?”
“Sounds good to me,” Brenda agreed. “At least, we’ll be able to see the sheriff when he gets here.” She gasped unintentionally feeling the arm slip from her waist; the loss of the comforting touch sending a dagger into her heart.
“What’s wrong?” Sarina asked.
“Um… ah… nothing,” Brenda muttered.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. You… ah… go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
For a moment, Sarina gazed quizzically at Brenda then turned and headed back down the trail.
#
“How long do you think it will be before the sheriff gets here?” Brenda asked in a barely audible whisper. Hidden from view, she was sitting on the hard ground behind a large volcanic boulder.
Sarina was sitting beside Brenda, her arm laid casually over her shoulders. “Hard to say,” she whispered her response. “I’m guessing he won’t come alone so he’ll have to round up some deputies. Then the boat ride to get here… maybe a couple of hours,” she made a tentative guess.
“Jeez, I sure hope those guys are still here by then.”
“Me, too.”
Sighing, Brenda leaned against Sarina. “Seems like this day has lasted a thousand years.” She shifted to be able to look into Sarina’s eyes. “I’m sorry I got us into this. What seemed like a great idea has turned into a real muck up,” she said dolefully. “I guess I should have just let you walk away,” her voice hitching on the last words.
Leaning her head back against the hard rock behind them, Sarina tightened her hold on Brenda. “It’s not your fault. I was stupid to agree to come.”
Brenda’s brow creased. “Then why did you?”
Sarina shrugged. “I think deep down I was hoping you would change my mind. I honestly don’t know how I would ever live without you.” The admission slipped out before she could stop it.
“Then why?” Brenda asked in puzzlement. “I don’t get it.”
Remaining silent, Sarina closed her eyes hoping unsuccessfully that Brenda would not pursue a response. Her eyes popped open moments later when a sharp finger was jabbed into her side.
“Answer me,” Brenda demanded. “You’ve put me through hell. I want to know why.”
Sarina sucked in a long breath and released it. “I… it isn’t… dang, it seems so…” She stopped struggling for words and stared into the darkness.
“Honey, please,” Brenda softened her tone. “I need to know. What happened?”
“I quit my job.”
Brenda barely heard the mumbled words. “What? I didn’t hear you.”
Sarina turned her head to look at the woman in her arms. “I quit my job.”
For a moment, Brenda wasn’t sure she had heard correctly. “Did you just say, you broke up with me because you quit your job?” she asked, her voice rising on each emphasized word.
“Shh… quiet,” Sarina warned.
“Don’t you shush me. Don’t you dare shush me,” Brenda growled. “You quit your job. The job that has been making you miserable for almost a year. The job that I’ve been begging you to quit for the past several months. Is that the job we’re talking about?” The questions were accompanied with several pokes in the ribs.
Sarina nodded.
“Why?” Another question and poke.
“That hurts,” Sarina protested.
“It’s supposed to,” Brenda snapped.
“Calm down… will you, please. Everyone within a hundred miles is going to hear you.”
“I don’t care. Answer me… why?”
“I couldn’t take it any more,” Sarina explained. “You know what it was like… I’ve bitched about the job often enough. The supervisors are idiots and keep telling us to do stuff we know is wrong. And the way they treat—”
“I don’t care about that. I want to know why you thought you had to leave?”
“Oh…” Sarina rolled her reasoning around in her mind for a moment. “Honey,” she started cautiously, “you know we sometimes have trouble paying the bills. And with me not having a paycheck… well, it would be even harder with just what you earn. So I sorta… I thought… It just kinda made sense… I mean, I figured if I left…” She let the words trail off— they sounded foolish to her own ears, so she could just imagine what Brenda was thinking.
Pushing out of Sarina’s hold, Brenda blew out several calming breaths that unfortunately did little to calm her. “Let me get this straight… you quit your job then decided that the best way to handle that was to come home and tell me you were leaving?” She glared at the woman she loved. “Because you didn’t think we’d be able to pay our bills!” she almost screamed the accusation.
“Well, well, well,” a voice floated down from above the women. “Looky who we have here.”
Sarina and Brenda’s heads jerked up to see their kidnapper standing on the boulder they thought would protect them.
“Sorry,” the man said pointing his revolver at them, “your yelling gave you away.”
“Shit,” Brenda grunted.
“Is that them?” a gravely voice asked, the owner hidden by the boulder.
“It’s them,” the man answered.
“I thought you said they were tied up.”
“They were… weren’t you,” the kidnapper said. “You were supposed to stay put… remember. You play nice and I’d let you go.” He shook his head. “That won’t work anymore… will it?”
“You can still let us go,” Sarina said. “We don’t know your name… the sheriff won’t know who to look for.”
“We’re wasting time,” the gravely voice said.
“You’ve got what you came for,” the kidnapping shouted over his shoulder. “Go down to the cove; get in your boat and leave.”
“What about them?”
“I’ll take care of them.” The man turned back to Brenda and Sarina. “Sorry, ladies but I’m just not willing to take the chance. I have plans for a much better life than what I’d find in a prison cell,” he said pointing his gun at Brenda’s head.
Sarina quickly shifted, covering Brenda’s body with her own. “I love you. I love so much.” She cringed hearing the click as the pistol was cocked.
“Put it down, Henry,” a command was barked.
#
“Soon as dispatch told me you were at Smugglers’ Cove, I was pretty sure Henry was involved,” the sheriff said. He was standing on the beach talking to Sarina and Brenda while his deputies finished handcuffing his new prisoners as the sun began to peek over the cliffs on the east side of the river. “He’s been scaring people out of this cove for years… afraid they’d stumble across the ancient hunting village rumored to be around here that he spent a lifetime looking for. I guess his persistence finally paid off.”
“He was going to kill us for some stolen artifacts,” Brenda said in disbelief.
The sheriff laughed. “I doubt that.”
“What do you mean?” Brenda asked. “You saw him… his gun was pointed at us.”
“And I heard him cock it,” Sarina added.
“Wasn’t loaded,” the sheriff told them. “Henry hates guns. He only carries that old forty-five to scare people.”
“Well, it worked,” Sarina sneered watching Henry approach escorted by a pair of deputies.
“Sorry, ladies,” Henry started his apology. “I wouldn’t hurt you… just needed that bugger to think I was so he’d leave us alone.”
“You scared twenty years off my live,” Sarina protested.
“I am sorry,” Henry said sincerely. “That was a brave thing you did, though,” he told Sarina. “Putting yourself between a bullet and her. She must mean a lot to you.”
“She means everything to me,” Sarina declared earnestly wrapping her arm around Brenda’s waist and pulling her close.
“Get him on the boat,” the sheriff instructed his deputies then turned to address the women. “Sure you don’t want to go back to the marina with us?”
Brenda shook her head. “After last night, the only thing I want is a hot cup of coffee and some quiet time. We’ll head back later today.”
The sheriff nodded his understanding before walking down to the water’s edge where a boat waited.
Sarina and Brenda watched the parade of boats maneuver out of the cove before returning to their camp.
#
Brenda sat on the sand staring into the distance with unseeing eyes. Many things had happened over the past twenty four hours but her mind just kept replaying the conversation she’d had with Sarina when they were waiting for the sheriff.
Lifting the coffee pot off the Coleman stove, Sarina carefully filled two mugs. Then she returned the pot to the burner and set its flame to low. Picking up the mugs, she carried them across the sand. “Nice and hot,” she said offering a mug to Brenda.
“Thanks.” Brenda took a sip. “Sit,” she told the woman shifting nervously from one foot to the other.
“Ah… well… yeah,” Sarina mumbled before settling uneasily onto the sand. “I suppose you want to smack me upside the head,” she said gloomily.
“Don’t think I haven’t considered it.” Raising her mug to her lips, Brenda studied the dejected woman sitting beside her. “You know, you could have just been honest with me… would have saved us a lot of trouble.”
“Stupid thing is I thought I was saving you trouble… by leaving.”
Brenda stared at Sarina for a very long time. “Did you really think I’d be that upset? Honey, I’ve been wanting you to quit that job. I would have thrown a party to celebrate.”
Sarina shook her head. “I should have thought about the consequences… it was a stupid rash decision.”
“Okay… that I can agree with. But it’s done, so let’s move forward. Sure money will be tight until you find a new job but we’ve got some savings.” She set her mug down in the sand then reached a hand out placing it against Sarina’s cheek. “I can live without money… I can’t live without you.”
Leaning into the tender touch, Sarina’s eyes rose to meet Brenda’s. “I’m sorry for being an idiot. Can you forgive me?”
Hearing the sadness in her lover’s voice and seeing the look of mixed misery and hope on her face, the corners of Brenda’s mouth began to twitch. “Sweetheart,” she said with a chuckle. “If I didn’t love you so much…”
“Does that mean I can stay?”
Brenda wrapped her arms around Sarina. “You, my love, are absolutely not going anywhere.” She tilted her head back to look into her lover’s eyes. “You better get a job soon… our savings aren’t much.”
Sarina smiled. “I promise.”
#
Brenda closed the locker after placing the Coleman stove inside. “I think that’s it she told the woman standing at the bow.
“Honey?”
Brenda moved to the captain’s chair. “Ummm?”
“Any particular reason we have to go back today?”
“Rental agreement says we’d return the boat today.”
“And if we’re a day late?”
“Twenty four hour grace period… so I guess it wouldn’t be too big of a problem.” Brenda studied the woman standing in knee deep water with her arms resting on the foredeck. “Have you got something in mind?” she asked suspiciously.
Sarina peered skyward. “It’s a nice morning. I was thinking maybe a little walk.”
Brenda pulled the boat key out of her pocket. “Do you have a destination in mind?”
“Yeah.”
“And that would be?” Brenda asked pushing the key into the ignition and beginning a cursory check of the gauges.
“Um, how about the mine?”
Brenda’s head jerked up. “Why would we go back to that mine?” she demanded.
“Well, I got to thinking—”
“Not again,” Brenda muttered returning her attention to the boat’s dashboard.
“With all the commotion last night, maybe something got missed… a box left behind… who knows. I thought it might be worth a look see.”
Brenda reached for the key. “Sarina Lindeen, you have exactly five seconds to get your butt on this boat or you can swim home,” she growled turning the key.
Laughing, Sarina hopped onto the foredeck as the Bayliner’s engines roared into life. “Yes, dear.”
THE END
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