Mary was waiting on the front porch when Paul arrived. She ran down the walkway with her backpack dangling from her left hand while Paul held the car door for her.
“Guess someone is excited about our next adventure.” he couldn’t resist commenting.
“I just feel like we’re getting closer to figuring this out. It’s like reading a mystery, but instead of turning the page, we actually get to figure it out for ourselves.”
The car vibrated oddly after Paul turned the key in the ignition. Glancing over, he saw Mary bouncing in her seat, her excitement for the day’s adventure bubbling over. Her face glowed with an inner light he knew was reflected on his own, and wasn't entirely due to the mystery they were trying to solve. He paused with his hand still on the key to let the pounding of his heart slow from a gallop to a trot, temporarily forgetting where he was or what he was supposed to be doing.
Mary’s voice aroused him from the little side trip his brain had been taking.
“Um, Paul…are you going to put the car in gear so we can get there sometime today?”
Returning to Earth with a start, Paul put the car in Drive, nodding at a map lying on the seat.
“Oh, yeah, sure.” He shook his head, trying to reorient himself. “I’ve marked the map with the spot where we’ll park and start hiking.” Glancing over his shoulder before pulling away from the curb, he dragged his thoughts fully back to the day’s mission. “I think it’ll be far enough from the mine for us to avoid anyone until we’re ready, and it’s close enough to places where we can take cover should we run into anyone who might prefer we hike elsewhere.”
Paul missed the cat-eating-the-canary smile Mary aimed at his ear while he concentrated on the road.
“Sounds like a good plan, Paul.” She’d caught him wearing that same, befuddled look rather often lately, and was beginning to believe he might just share her feelings. It was no hardship to be spending a lot of time together trying to unravel this mystery. While Paul drove, Mary occupied her time watching the scenery and weaving little fantasies about a future where Paul figured prominently.
When Paul stopped the car, announcing, “This is the place!” Mary jumped as his voice startled her out of her musings. Where they stopped was unremarkable as most of the desert in this area tended to look the same. Joshua trees, cacti, and yucca marched across the parched ground as if they’d been flung in handfuls to land where they may. Rocks and dry weeds created obstacles ready to grab at the toes of unwary hikers. Some of the abandoned buildings which had supported the mine were visible, looking less dilapidated with their features softened by the distance.
Getting out of the car and shouldering their backpacks, Paul rolled up the windows and locked the car. Snakes, lizards, and scorpions were known to investigate anything resembling shelter. Mary shivered, partly from excitement and partly from an unexplained fear of what they might find.
“You OK, Mar?” Paul's brow furrowed with concern.
“Sure. Just a little excited about what we’re going to find.” Mary replied, the tremble in her voice belying the confidence in her words.
Choosing to ignore the slight shake in her voice, Paul took her hand and led her on the route he’d meticulously worked out the night before. Drawing himself up a little taller, he gave her a mock leer.
“Don’t worry, pretty lady. I’ll protect you from the evil demons…” spotting a snake slithering along the rocky path he added, “and any crawly things we might encounter on our quest.”
Giggling, Mary joined the game, letting it drive the fearful thoughts from her mind.
“Oh thank you, good knight! These woods can be a dangerous place for a delicate maiden like me.”
Paul draped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her close to better protect her. Mary sighed and snuggled into his side.
They hiked in comfortable silence for awhile. Paul’s arm slipped to Mary’s hand as the rocks and weeds made it necessary to choose their path carefully. About halfway to the mine their idyllic stroll was interrupted by the sound of a small engine approaching rapidly from somewhere off to their right. Pulling out the map, Paul looked for a place to hide until they could determine whether the vehicle’s occupants were friend or foe. Given the gun-toting goon at the mine, he pulled Mary close and guided her away from the faint path they’d been following. If nothing else, they could mask their presence behind one of the larger Joshua trees until the strangers passed. The flat desert terrain allowed sound to travel freely but he wasn’t going to take a chance the vehicle and its rider were closer than they seemed.
“Mary,” Paul felt Mary’s shoulders tense beneath his arm “just relax and follow me. We’re going to head for a small cave a little to the west of here. It’s out of our way a bit but will get us out of the path of whoever’s heading this way until I can see who it is.”
Like Paul, Mary sensed the owner of the vehicle might take issue with their “innocent” hike and show his displeasure rather rudely. As far as she knew, it was open land anyone could use but lately, too many things weren’t making sense.
“OK, Paul. No way do I want whoever it is getting in the way of our investigation.”
“Why, Mary!” Paul said, playing along. “Whatever do you mean? We’re just out for a little hike and a picnic. It’s all perfectly innocent.”
Reaching the cave, they found it smaller than Paul had expected. Crouching down, they crawled inside, turning to watch for the vehicle or vehicles they were hearing. They didn’t have long to wait, as two large, burly men zoomed by on quad runners heading in the direction of the mine.
Seeing Mary shiver, Paul offered her a chance to cut the adventure short while still saving face.
“I don’t like the looks of those guys and if they’re heading where I think they’re heading, we could be walking into trouble. If you want to head back now, that’s OK with me.”
Mary looked down her nose, imperious as any Southern belle.
“Why Paul, is that a streak of yellow I see down your back? Are you seriously chickening out?”
Paul’s face exploded in a grin as he realized Mary’s adventurous streak rivaled his own, He was quick to clear the false idea from her head.
“Heck, no! I was just concerned for your safety, m’ lady. I want to see this through. There’s definitely something going on, and the more I see, the more I want to know.”
“Well I’m glad we settled that. You had me worried there. We knew there was a possibility this could get dangerous and I thought we’d agreed to see it through, making sure we took adequate precautions.”
Having cleared that up, they crawled out of the cave, re-checked Paul’s map, and returned to the path leading towards the mine. If they talked less, listened more, and scanned the area with the intensity of a hungry wildcat, the site of the two examples of hired muscle made it clear there were those who would challenge their right to hike where they chose.
They’d been walking for several minutes, closing the distance to the broken-down buildings when Paul suddenly stopped and put up his hand so Mary would know he was listening for something. Cocking her head, she slowed her breathing to better hear what Paul had. She watched him turn his head this way and that, finally pulling out the map and muttering to himself. She was beginning to get impatient as she heard nothing but a faint breeze and the skittering of a small animal when they heard a loud CRACK from the direction of the mine. Grabbing Mary’s hand, Paul nearly dragged her back the way they’d come until they were hidden from view behind a pile of rocks.
“D-d-d-did th-th-that s-s-sound like gunshots to you?” Mary clutched Paul’s hand in a death grip.
“More like someone dynamiting half the mine.” Paul's voice shook slightly less than Mary’s.as the desert continued to echo with the explosion. He eased his hand in hers to counteract numbness creeping down his arm.
“Why would someone be shooting out here?” Mary asked, ignoring his alternate explanation. She dragged breath into burning lungs in an effort to still her rampaging heart.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Paul said, speaking slowly to hide the quaver in his voice. “Snakes, rabbits, maybe a coyote?”
Unfortunately, Mary already had a vivid image in her mind of a man lying face down in the dirt, blood pouring from a gaping chest wound.
Seeing Mary’s white face, Paul offered “We can still head back, you know.”
“No way!” Mary retorted. “We’ve come this far; we have to see this through. We have to find out what’s going on with Josh and Mr. Adams!”
“Ok” Paul agreed, “but we need to look like we just happened to wander this way. How good are you at pretending to admire all of the pretty plants and rocks out here?”
Laughing, Mary walked over to a nearby cactus. “Look Paulie! Isn’t this the prettiest thing you ever saw? See how the buds are pushing through this guy’s tough skin? Kinda like you.” She squealed convincingly when a lizard ran out from between some rocks. They resumed their path towards the mine but extended the trip while Mary run from clumps of rocks to interesting shrubs in a widely meandering path.
Their pretense soon became reality as they began to notice the subtle beauty in the outwardly stark landscape. The desert proved far more fascinating than they’d expected. When the mine came into view, they were a little disappointed to see their nature hike ending. The disappointment was short-lived when they recognized the man standing in front of the mine, gesturing wildly as he spoke to a couple of men in dark suits.
Stepping back into the shadow of the hill housing the mine, they struggled to hear what Mr. Adams was saying.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I was promised I’d be pulled out of there before anyone started suspecting something was wrong. All I know is, I’m still here, and people in town are starting to ask questions! I want to speak to the man in charge. We loyal supporters need to get what we were promised. I let you use the mine for whatever it is you’re doing and asked no questions. I got rid of the people they told me to and kept the lies believable.”
One of the men he was talking to looked him up and down as if he was a particularly unpleasant example of his breed. Intent on his fury, Adams appeared oblivious to the man’s distaste and continued listing his demands.
“I need a safe place, maybe up in the mountains, a way to get there; maybe a chopper, the money I was promised and…”
The two men exchanged a look, then grabbed Adams by his arms and marched him into the mine.
“Don’t worry fella” the one who appeared to be in charge assured him. “We’ll see you get everything you deserve!”
“I don’t like the looks of this” Mary whispered to Paul. “I’ll admit, I’ve never been fond of Mr. Adams, but I don’t believe he deserves whatever it is I’m betting those goons have in mind. I don’t think he even realizes how much trouble he’s in!”
“You’re probably right, Mary. But helping Adams means risking getting caught ourselves. I’d rather learn as much as we can, then get out of here, rather than risking whatever fate they have in mind for Adams. Those men don’t look like they’re inclined to give anyone the benefit of the doubt or listen to lengthy explanations. It’s pretty clear he’s been doing something behind everyone’s backs which isn’t in anyone in Adamsville’s best interests. There’s always a price you pay when you make a deal with the devil”
Paul had no idea how much truth his casual remark held.
Inside the mine, Mr. Adams’ demands had turned to begging and pleading as the two men force-marched him further and further into the mine. By the time they locked his arms into a pair of manacles attached to the rock wall of the mine, he was nearly hysterical.
From somewhere in the mine he heard, “Holy shit! Would someone please shut that idiot up? I can’t hear myself think! We’re trying to have a conversation, here!”
Though the words made little sense to him, Adams did manage to pull himself together enough to call weakly “Hello? Anyone out there? Can you help me?”
To his surprise, his pleas received a response, though what he heard sent cold chills down his spine rather than giving him the sense of relief he desired.
“Are you joking, Adams? You got yourself into this mess. Sold out your own town. We’ll have to clean up the mess you made. What were you thinking? Allowing people you knew nothing about to buy your loyalty and silence, and you want us to help you? Sounds like you’ve been spending too much time sniffing the air in the mines!”
Hearing harsh laughter from several other voices, Adams searched desperately for a glimmer of hope. Maybe some of his friends would notice he was missing and start looking for him. Assuming, of course, he still had any friends. He’d spent a lot of time over the last year since the strangers had arrived, throwing his weight around and putting fear into his neighbors’ hearts. Even his own family might be happy to leave him right where he was. Maybe when he didn’t show up for work on Monday someone would get suspicious. He sagged in his chains, not noticing the warm wetness running down his left leg when he realized Monday was two days away. A lot could happen in two days.