Out in the Dark Read online

  “Will think on it,” James texted back.

  “Thx,” Jake typed in. Jake lay back on the bed and stared at the picture. It was hard to see on the small screen of his phone, but he hoped that by staring at it for a long time a solution would come to him. It worked in physics class, so perhaps it would work here too. It was late and he could feel sleep tugging at his eyelids, but he was afraid to sleep, afraid he would miss the solution and not have a plan in the morning.

  He knew that was nonsense, and that he needed sleep to pull off a rescue, but he still did not want to go to sleep.

  Memories of his father came into his mind’s eye. He watched them as if they were a movie, something outside himself, as if he were just an observer.

  He watched as his dad taught him how to tie a rope so you could safely rappel down a cliff face. They had practiced it many times on Mount Si. Jake smiled to himself as he remembered how worried his mother had been, but his dad always made sure they were safe. Jake watched his younger self dangling from a rope, his red helmet askew and a silly grin on his face. He loved these adventures with his dad. The image shifted to the last time they had gone camping. It had poured rain the whole time, but it was one of his most treasured memories. Dad had taught him so many things on that trip. They talked for hours, deep into the night, and practiced remote viewing. It had been magical.

  Slow, hot tears rolled down Jake’s cheeks as he relived the memories.

  “Dad, how am I ever going to get you out?” he said quietly to the empty room.

  “I just showed you, son.” He heard in his head.

  Jake sat up and wiped the tears off his cheeks. “But what about Shelley?”

  “She’s stronger than you think and has her own skills. Melvin taught her well, you’ll see. Now, get some sleep.” With those last words still lingering in his head, all the memories faded and his mind went blank.

  Jake kicked off his shoes and wrapped the blanket around himself. He wasn’t even aware that it was his father who was making him sleepy. He might have resisted if he’d known, but just then he felt safe and loved, and drifted off into a deep and restful sleep.

  Chapter 29

  A crisp and cold morning greeted Jake as he opened his eyes and realized he had gone to sleep in his clothes. It wasn’t the first time and he didn’t mind.

  He wondered if Shelley was up yet and if she had slept as well as he had. He had an idea.

  “Shelley?” He knocked softly at her door. There was no answer, so he opened it to peer in. She was fast asleep, only the crown of her blond head sticking up from the covers. He walked over and stood there looking at her, struck by how pretty she was and how much he liked her. He tried to block out all thoughts of what she’d been. He only wanted to take in her beauty—her shiny, freshly washed hair that spread on the pillow like rays of sunshine; the downy, unblemished skin and the long lashes that fluttered in REM sleep. He looked at the clock and realized it was still very early, so he let her sleep.

  Jake crept out of the room and made his way down the dark passage to the stairs and went down to the kitchen. It was cold, and after some searching he found the thermostat. He turned it up to a more bearable temperature and went back into the kitchen. Outside he could see the fresh blanket of snow, making it seem lighter than it really was.

  The big clock over the sink told him it was only seven. One of the cats jumped on the counter and meowed mournfully at him.

  “Hungry, eh?” Jake asked, at which the cat cocked his head to one side and lashed his tail. “And where do I find your food?” As if the cat would tell him.

  After some searching through cabinets, Jake found where Louise kept the cat food. He found the cat’s saucer and filled it with the contents of one can of something that claimed to be a favorite of cats, salmon mousse.

  “Here you go.” The cat gave him a look that was not one of gratitude but more of impatience. “Sorry, you didn’t help me find the food, so it took a little longer. If you don’t want it I’ll take it away.” Jake grinned and made a move toward the saucer. The cat quickly jumped down and rushed to his food. “I thought so. You’re welcome.”

  Next, coffee and breakfast. Jake felt so good after his restful sleep that he wanted to make a big breakfast for everyone.

  He was happily flipping pancakes when Louise joined him. She shuffled into the kitchen in a fuzzy pink robe, with pink curlers in her hair under a pink net. She looked at him and smiled.

  “Want any help?”

  “Nope, coffee should be ready soon and I have only a little batter left,” Jake said over his shoulder. “Should I make scrambled eggs too?”

  “No, but how about some bacon? I’m sure I’ve got some in there.” Louise shuffled over to the fridge and after a little rummaging found a packet of bacon. She put a big cast-iron skillet on the back burner and lit the flame before laying out strips of bacon. Jake wasn’t even bothered by her smooth embalmer’s hands this morning.

  Louise shuffled off again to get dressed and get the others up, though Johan came into the kitchen soon after she’d left.

  “Something smells good, young man,” he said, and patted Jake on the shoulder. The easy familiarity of the gesture should have surprised Jake as he barely knew the man, but it didn’t. It seemed the most ordinary thing in the world that he would be standing here in this kitchen outside Reno cooking breakfast for his friends, even if he’d only known two of them for less than a full day.

  He set out the large stack of pancakes, poured coffee into mugs and placed the bacon on a paper-towel-lined plate before putting them on the table. The refrigerator gave up an unopened bottle of real maple syrup and there was plenty of butter.

  “Wow, feeding an army?” Shelley said, yawning when she saw the table laid out.

  “No, feeding an expedition,” Jake said triumphantly. “I figured out how we can get in and get my dad.”

  Shelley dropped onto a chair and rubbed sleep out of her eyes. She yawned loudly once more and looked at Jake. Her face was blank, though he could see doubt hovering in her eyes.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” He grinned, nothing could stop him now.

  “Oh, I believe you,” Shelley said, doubt sounding clearly in her voice. “I just don’t know if it’s a good plan.” Deep down she hoped it would be a good plan, but short of having their own tank and a full paramilitary team, she could not imagine how they would get into the compound and free Jake’s father.

  “That’s because I haven’t told you yet.”

  “Right, so tell me.” She grabbed her coffee cup and added, “Wait, let me get a sip of coffee first.” The coffee did not change her skeptical expression, but Jake was undeterred.

  Between mouthfuls of breakfast, Jake laid out his plan.

  “Shelley and I,” he said, “are going to climb the cliff at the back of the compound and then we’ll rappel down. Then we find the right building.”

  Johan interrupted him. “Whoa, wait, you two go flinging yourself off a cliff and without even knowing what building to look in? You’ll get shot down. And how do you know that’s even possible?”

  “Oh, my friend got me a detailed fly-over picture.” Jake sheepishly pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed the picture. “See, right there we can come down and time it just right to avoid the patrols. I figure that will be the easiest part.”

  “Someone seems to be keeping an eye on these folks” Louise whistled through her teeth. “I still say I should talk to my friend at the coffee stand. She might have some useful information too.” Jake nodded, though he was impatient to get started on this rescue.

  “You want to do this at night or during the day?” Johan asked. He seemed quite serious about helping in this rescue. It was the most excitement he’d had in a long time.

  Jake looked at Shelley who shrugged her shoulders, then he looked back at Johan and said, “I wanted to go after breakfast, but I suppose after dark would be better.” He paused, momentarily undone by the near impossib
ility of what he was planning. “All right, we’ll go after dark. The later the better, because they won’t be expecting anyone at that time. Security should be at a minimum, right?”

  “Possibly,” Johan agreed. He was remembering some of his time in the military and nodded. “Around two or three a.m. they’re at their most vulnerable. Of course you will be too. You both will. You’ll need to get a lot of sleep during the day to prepare. It will be bitterly cold tonight too, but you can’t bundle up too much or it will slow you down.” Johan stopped and stared out the window over the sink. Snow was coming down again and it made him anxious for the kids’ safety. “Maybe I can go into town and get you two some supplies.”

  “Can’t we do that ourselves?” Shelley asked, eager for a distraction.

  “No, not a good idea,” Johan said. He looked at Shelley with fatherly concern, which made her a little uncomfortable. “You two should stay out of sight.”

  Jake nodded. He knew their car was too conspicuous. The last thing he wanted was to run into Paul again. Especially since it was so very difficult to keep shielding his thoughts from Paul, when he wanted to stay open to his father.

  They continued refining the plan over a second pot of coffee, and by midmorning they had it firmed up enough to satisfy Johan. They had made up a list of things for Johan to get from town. Jake offered a sizable chunk of his remaining cash to pay for it, but Johan wouldn’t hear of it.

  “What else am I going to spend my money on?” he said jovially. “Might as well do some good with it, like help you and Portia get your dad back. Family is sacred. I’ll happily pay for that.”

  “Um, Johan?” Shelley said in a small voice.

  “Yes?”

  “You might as well call me by my real name, Shelley. It’s Shelley, not Portia. Portia was my working name and I don’t work anymore.” She glanced at Jake who smiled and nodded.

  Johan blinked for a moment as if he had forgotten what she had done to earn money, then he smiled.

  “Your past is behind you. Wipe the slate clean.” He meant it too. “Shelley.”

  “Every girl deserves a second chance, no matter what,” Louise added, and came over. She planted a silent and long kiss on Shelley’s head.

  Chapter 30

  The day crept past with the weather getting progressively worse. If this kept up they might have to postpone the rescue till the next night, something neither Jake nor Shelley wanted.

  Johan had left shortly after breakfast and Louise soon after that.

  Jake doodled on a notepad, with half an eye on the window and the weather. Shelley wandered from room to room, one of the cats following her. She was trying to make sense of her life. The people she’d met and things she and her mother had experienced, together and individually. She was trying to reconcile her own life to that of her mother’s. It was painful to see they had walked a similar path. She knew she had to face it or be forever haunted by it, and perhaps even held back by it.

  Around two in the afternoon she dropped into an overstuffed and sagging armchair next to where Jake sat. He looked at her and noted her pale, tear-streaked face.

  “You all right?”

  Shelley nodded, slowly. “Getting better.”

  “Want to call your mother?” Jake guessed this place might well be connected to her mother in some way. He pulled out his phone and handed it to her.

  “Can I? I mean, may I?” Her face lit up.

  “Sure, go ahead.” Jake got up to go. “I’ll be in the kitchen so you can have some privacy.”

  Shelley stood by the window with the phone in her hand. This was the first time she had actually seriously thought about calling her mother since leaving. She imagined her going through her day, cleaning up from the lunch customers at the diner. No doubt Ian from the kitchen would be asking her to marry him. He did that every day, just before she clocked out for the day. Her mother always said no. She said she preferred to be poor by herself rather than maintain the nobility of poverty with someone else. Her mother had long since given up on the romantic notion that love was all that mattered and that a strong relationship could overcome any obstacle—that love would sustain in times of poverty. Well, she’d tried that and found it wanting. Cold and hunger are no better shared than alone.

  What about the love of your child, Mom? Shelley thought. Would that make it easier or harder?

  Shelley ached for her mother—the one who had cuddled her and played with her, the one who had smiled all the time when they were with Melvin.

  This trip with Jake was teaching her to see her mother differently. What her mother had taught her to do to make money, she had obviously done so Shelley would have a way to survive. She appeared to have had no other skills to teach her daughter. Now out in the real world, Shelley was beginning to understand what a terrible thing it was her mother had passed on to her.

  She shuddered, then typed in the phone number for the truck stop diner. She didn’t know what she would say to her mother, except that she understood and forgave her. She might even say “I love you.”

  “Hello?” a man’s baritone voice finally answered.

  “Ian?” Shelley thought she recognized the cook’s voice.

  “Yea, who’s this?”

  “Shelley. Is my ma there?”

  “What? Hold on, I’ll check.” Shelley heard the clunk of the receiver dangling from the cord and banging against the wall in the kitchen. She could picture the spot, right by the door to the office, not far from the griddle. She imagined she could smell the burgers sizzling.

  “Sorry, kid, she’s not here. You just missed her. Want me to tell her you called? Or write down a message?”

  “No, thanks. That’s okay,” Shelley said almost in a whisper, and disconnected the call. Disappointed, she sank back down in the armchair. “Guess it wasn’t meant to be,” she said to herself.

  She sat still, thinking about her mother. Perhaps she had said goodbye to her for good when she left. Or maybe she’d find her again, years from now, and reconnect and have some sort of relationship with her. One like they’d had when Melvin was alive. Everything seemed to have died with him.

  She didn’t feel the fresh tears on her cheeks, but noticed that Jake had come back into the room. He stood over her and gently wiped her tears away with a corner of his handkerchief.

  “Is that thing clean?” Shelley squirmed away from Jake’s touch, but couldn’t help smiling at his clumsy, gallant gesture.

  “Well, clean enough.” Jake grinned. “How did the call go?”

  “She wasn’t there,” Shelley said, suddenly pensive again.

  “Sorry,” Jake said. “You miss her don’t you?” He put a brotherly arm around her and pulled her close. She let him.

  “No, not really.” Then she added, “Yes, but mostly I miss who she was. Does that make sense?”

  Jake nodded. He could relate to this, but before he could say anything more Louise came in. She stomped the snow off her boots and unwrapped her long red scarf.

  “Well, what a day I’ve had!” she said, rubbing her hands together and blowing on them to warm them up.

  She marched straight into the kitchen and put a kettle of water on the stove. Shelley and Jake followed her in and sat down, waiting for her to tell them what she had found out.

  Instead of launching into her story, Louise kept busy with little things, putting tea in the pot, looking for cookies, taking out a tray and setting some mugs on it, looking for spoons. It almost seemed like she didn’t want to tell the kids what she had learned.

  Jake looked at Shelley, who shrugged. Neither was quite sure how to approach this woman who could switch moods faster than a cat switched his tail.

  Louise put the tea tray on the table, and just when they thought she was about to sit down and fill them in, she changed her mind again and called in her cats by banging loudly on a can of cat food.

  Jake started to fidget in his seat. This was worse than waiting outside the Principal’s office. He took a spoo
n off the tray and started tapping it absentmindedly on the teapot, the cookie tin and the mugs in turn. It certainly got her attention. Louise started singing! She had picked up on the tune he’d been drumming and seemed to know the words. A woman at her age singing a Dave Matthews song. Jake shook his head and dropped the spoon. The world was not right. Shelley started to laugh.

  “Jake, lighten up,” she teased.

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “No easier than it is for you.”

  Jake shrugged. “Whatever.”

  “Well, so there I was, huddled in the little expresso stand,” Louise said, carefully sitting down at the table. She stirred the leaves around in the teapot and poured the tea, with the leaves coming out as well. “Oh, the leaves are good for you,” she said without even seeing the raised eyebrows of her table companions.

  “Whatever,” Jake muttered again. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. It was like pulling teeth to get this woman to talk about her day.

  “Where was I? Oh, right, huddled in the expresso stand.”

  “It’s espresso, Louise,” Shelley gently corrected after she noted Jake rolling his eyes for a second time.

  “What? Oh, are you sure?” Louise looked puzzled for a moment, but then continued. “From my huddle, I watched the comings and goings. Not much coming or going, but the security is not as tight as we were led to believe. My friend told me they’re going to close this base for a while. They’ve already moved a lot of stuff out of there. So they’ve only got a skeleton crew left.” She paused to stir some sugar into her tea and then take a first tentative sip. She shook her head and added a little more sugar. “I don’t really like tea, you know.”

  Jake opened his mouth to say something witty, but Shelley kicked him under the table. He scowled at her, but she just shook her head. Sighing melodramatically, he shut his mouth and took a sip of tea, leaves and all. He swallowed them and waited for Louise to be satisfied enough with her beverage to continue her story.