She offered him a friendly smile, and her unusually pale eyes twinkled with good humor. “I just wanted to let you know that you’ll need to log in to our computer system. I can give you a temporary number if you’re just passing through town.”
“Actually I live close by, so it would probably be easier if I got a regular library card.”
“I can help with that. If you have your identification handy, it won’t take but a minute.”
He pulled out his brand-new driver’s license and handed it to her. It still jarred him to see his picture on it but with a different last name. Eventually he might get used to being someone else, but he hated living a lie. When she handed him both his license and a library card, she asked, “By any chance, were you related to Martin Jervain?”
“Distantly.” Another easy lie. “Did you know him?”
“Yes, I did. Martin was a bit of a grouch.” She flashed Eli a smile to soften the comment. “He stopped in here regularly to read the magazines and newspapers we carry online.”
It almost sounded as if she really missed the old man. It was a relief when she tactfully changed the subject. “Are you familiar with our catalog or would you like me to give you a quick overview?”
He could probably figure things out for himself, but it would save time if she aimed him the right direction. “I’d appreciate a few pointers.”
“I’ll show you how to log in, and then we’ll go from there.” After hitting the high points on the programming, she asked, “Is there something in particular you wish to access?”
“I wanted to read some local newspapers if that’s possible.”
“It sure is. We get physical copies of a few, but you can access most of the papers that are published in the state online.” With a couple of clicks of the mouse, she brought up the right menu. “This should get you whatever you need. If you want a copy of an article, just hit this button. It will print out on that machine over there.”
He waited until the librarian returned to her desk before starting his search. At first he didn’t have much luck until he figured out what keywords to use. After that, things got really interesting. An hour later, he walked out of the library with copies of a dozen different articles about incidents dating back as long ago as four years.
Interesting that most of the attacks happened in Western Washington in the Cascade Mountains. There were also a few in Oregon, and even a couple in Northern California. It was too soon to tell if the locations formed a pattern by dates or locations, but he was definitely onto something. He was sure of it.
Maybe he’d learn more from studying the kind of terrain where the attacks occurred. For now, he’d do a quick run through the grocery store and head back home.
AFTER PUTTING THEgroceries away, Eli dug out Martin’s big atlas. Opening it to a topographical map of the western states, he stuck a sticky note on the spot where Martin had been found along with the approximate date of his death. Then he did the same with the rest of the cases he’d discovered. Once he had them all marked, he made notes about any similarities he’d found, no matter how small or odd.
There was a significant delay in finding the bodies in at least two-thirds of the cases. Considering the rough terrain where the deaths occurred, that wasn’t too surprising. Another commonality was that all of them had been found in or near the mountains. Most were close to one of the volcanoes that dotted the landscape, which probably wasn’t significant. After all, there were five of the snow-cone-shaped peaks in Washington State alone.
According to reports, all the bodies had severe damage caused by animals. Again, no surprise there if the victims remained undiscovered for any length of time. Most of the cases were written off to natural causes. The rest were still open, but the investigations had gone cold due to the lack of evidence. In those cases, the coroner reports had indicated the bodies had a few unexplained injuries that could’ve been caused by a sharp blade.
Once he’d sorted through all of the available information, Eli stared at his notes and the map. Now what?
The soft patter of raindrops on the roof caught his attention. He glanced outside and was surprised to see how late it was. There wasn’t anything else he could accomplish today. Thanks to the rain, it was doubtful there was much of a trail left to follow from where Safara had been attacked, but he wouldn’t know for sure unless he went looking. However, even if all the markers hadn’t been washed away, it would be impossible to see them in the darkness. Come morning, though, he’d start the hunt for both answers and the enemy.
JUST AFTER SUNRISE,Eli finalized his plans for the day. He’d start his search where he’d first found Safara and see where the trail led from there. He stuck his pistol and extra ammunition into his jacket pocket along with his waterproof flashlight. He started out the door, but at the last second went back inside and dug out the scabbard for the broadsword. Once he fastened it around his waist, he slid the heavy blade into place. Stupid, maybe, but it felt right to go on the hunt armed with his enemy’s weapon of choice.
The rain had stopped by the time Eli headed out, and the sun finally put in an appearance. He quickly found the spot where Safara had fallen and knelt down to study the ground. The distinctive tread of his combat boots was easy to pick out, as were the other footprints that belonged to Safara and her father. He’d already noted them the day the pair had come back up the mountain to retrieve her ATV. There was no sign of any new activity, so he moved on to where he and the whack job had crossed blades.
The ground where they’d fought remained churned up, but it was difficult to pick out many details beyond that point. The other guy had bolted in the direction of the trees off to the left, but Eli hadn’t seen where he’d gone after that. He’d been too busy trying to coax Safara into trusting him to know for sure if her attacker had kept going in a straight line. Only one way to find out.
He walked slowly in the most likely direction, scanning the ground for any sign of tracks. His patience was finally rewarded just past the first cluster of trees where someone had tripped over a root jutting up from the ground and gone down hard. The footprints were easier to pick out after that, mainly because the guy who’d made them was limping and the right prints were deeper than the left.
As Eli moved over the next rise, a few broken branches clearly marked the man’s route. It looked as if he’d been in a real hurry to get someplace. But where? As far as Eli knew, there wasn’t a town, road, or even another cabin for miles in any direction.
It didn’t help that the clouds were rolling back in. Maybe he should give up and try again tomorrow. He was about to turn back when he realized the trail led directly toward a rocky outcropping a short distance ahead. Might as well check it out since he’d come that far. It would serve as a handy landmark when he resumed his search in the morning.
He followed the curve of the rock around to the right only to discover the tracks disappeared into a cave. Keeping a wary eye on the entrance, Eli studied the surrounding area for any sign of recent activity. He knelt to get a closer look at the ground, hoping to make better sense of what he was seeing. It appeared someone had been going in and out of the cave with some degree of frequency.
Not only that, he could pick out bits and pieces of several different sizes of prints. There was a heel print that came from a man’s boot and another might’ve been made by an athletic shoe. The other tracks were harder to read because the soles of the shoes were completely smooth. Some kind of moccasin?
After he’d learned all he could from studying the ground, it was time to venture inside the cave itself, not that he was going to go barging in helter-skelter. He got the flashlight out of his pocket and checked his pistol one last time. Pausing at the entrance, he listened hard. Nothing but silence. If the crazy guy was living in the cave, it didn’t appear he was home right now. Regardless, the bastard could be waiting just inside with his sword drawn.
Taking a deep breath, Eli ducked under the low arch of the entrance and paused just inside to sweep the flashlight from side to side. The cave was about twelve feet wide and went straight back for about twenty feet before curving off to the left. He was about to venture farther into the interior when a strange flash of light came from around the bend in the cave. He froze in position, his grip tightening on his gun as he waited to see what happened next.
A second later, the silence was broken by the sound of shuffling footsteps. He held his position until an older man stumbled into sight, his white shirt soaked through with blood. Eli shoved the flashlight into his jacket pocket as he charged across the short distance to grab the badly wounded man by the arm. There was enough light coming from the entrance behind him to maneuver in the cave, but he wasn’t about to let go of his gun until he knew for sure the two of them were alone.
