Out in the Dark Read online

  “They’re going to move someone out tonight. We heard a couple of the grunts talking while my friend made them their drinks. They thought we couldn’t hear, but we could. They said something like ‘maybe a change of scene will make him work better.’ Not sure where they’re going, but that’s what they said.”

  “Tonight?” Jake jumped up, spilling tea. “When? That’s got to be my dad they’re talking about. What time? We have to get him out before they move him!” Jake’s feelings ran from fear to excitement, back to fear. This would be their only chance.

  Chapter 31

  “Hey, anybody home?” Johan called out from the front parlor.

  “Kitchen!” Shelley answered.

  Jake went to greet Johan and found the man laden down with parcels.

  “We’re not carrying all that stuff tonight!” Jake chided. Visions of Sherpas climbing Everest came to mind.

  “You’ll be wearing most of it,” Johan said, with a fatherly look that said he would take no arguments. “It’s mostly light, and all useful. You’ll see.” He followed Jake into the kitchen and Louise poured him a mug of leafy tea. Johan looked at it and frowned, but said nothing.

  Shelley absentmindedly played with the charm on the necklace; it seemed to soothe her.

  Johan didn’t wait for anyone to say anything, he just started to unpack his purchases, listing them as he went, as if he were a salesman.

  “Small powerful flashlights, you can grip them between your teeth or slip them inside your sleeve cuff to keep your hands free. Wool undershirts, light fleece overshirts and a light but warm and windproof shell. All in black with nothing on them to catch the light. I guessed at the sizes, but I’m sure these will fit. Climbing ropes and harness for two. Walkie-talkies!” He seemed particularly proud of having thought of those. Jake and Shelley exchanged a bemused look but said nothing. “See, small, slip in your pocket and I can tune them to my CB radio in my truck. I got four of them, one for each of us. They’re rechargeable. I’ll set them up to charge right now.” Johan took the radios into the other room while the others looked through all the things on the table.

  “I’m surprised he didn’t also get special underwear,” Shelley joked.

  “Don’t tempt him, he might just go out and get some,” Louise warned with a mischievous glint in her eye. “He’s a good man. He never did anything more than talk with my girls. They all loved it when he came over. He still visits out of habit, especially since his wife died.” Louise shook her head and started clearing the table without noting if anyone was done with their tea.

  “Right, let’s get you two kitted up and see how it all looks. We’ll have to do some practice runs,” Johan said, banging open the swing door between the dining room and the kitchen.

  “There’s a slight change, or possible change,” Jake said, and explained to Johan what Louise had overheard. “We’ll have to go earlier so we don’t miss him.”

  Johan sat down and rubbed his temples while he thought. “I wonder if we would have more luck intercepting him on the road.”

  “You two can’t come,” Jake said. “We’ve been over this, it’s too dangerous. Neither of you can be involved any more than we agreed on and even that could put your lives in danger.”

  “But we need a back-up plan in case we do miss your dad,” Shelley said, and her hand involuntarily closed tightly on the Star of David around her neck.

  Jake knew she was right, but he did not want to think about it. He wanted everything to go as planned and have his father here, in this cozy kitchen, for breakfast tomorrow morning. That’s all he wanted. Nothing was going to go wrong, nothing was supposed to go wrong and that’s what he clung to.

  He left the kitchen and went up to his room. He said he wanted to call his mother and his friend. Shelley stood up to go after him, but Louise put a hand on her shoulder and said, “Let him be. He’ll figure it out. You may need to be the stronger one tonight, see to it he keeps his head. I’m sure everything will work fine. You’ve planned it like a military operation.”

  Shelley sat back down and nodded. She wasn’t so sure, but she would do her best to keep things from going wrong.

  Jake paced in his room. He wanted to tune into his mother, but he was afraid of what he might see. What if she was with the coach? He thought about calling James, but what could he say?

  His phone rang and reluctantly he answered, to find James on the other end.

  “Hey, dude, how’s it hangin’?” James said jovially.

  “Whatever,” Jake answered, not feeling up to banter.

  “Right,” James said, suddenly serious. “Got some more photos for you. A couple detailed shots of that rock you want to climb down. Looks like a small version of Mt. Si. I’ll send them, shall I?”

  “Yea, thanks, Jimmy-J.” Jake felt bad for being short with his friend. “We’re going to do it tonight. So say a prayer for us, or something like that.” He wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Roger, wilco.” James’s voice cracked and screeched. Puberty had hit him late but made up for it with a vengeance. “I think your mom broke up with the coach. He looked very depressed today and even cussed out Brandon, his all-time favorite.”

  “Awesome, thanks.” Jake disconnected and found himself smiling. That was the best news he’d heard in a while. Now his father stood a chance again. He was tempted to try and “see” his mother, but thought better of it. He didn’t want any distractions from his mission tonight.

  Chapter 32

  The night was bitterly cold, and despite Johan’s purchases, both Shelley and Jake shivered as they unloaded their gear from the trunk. Jake had pulled in as close to the rock as he could without being heard. There was no way of knowing how the sound might carry in the dark night and over that cold plain.

  Jake helped Shelley get her climbing harness on before getting into his own. He silently thanked Johan for getting outer shells with many accessible pockets as he stuck flashlights, tools and the little radio in the various pockets.

  Shelley turned on her radio and adjusted it to the frequency they had agreed on. Then she told Johan and Louise that they were about to climb up.

  Lastly, Jake pulled out two baseball caps with clip-on lights to help them see where they were going. Everything had been rehearsed over and over again, but the climb itself was the big unknown. Even with James’s pictures they could only make estimates of what challenges the climb might pose. Jake had given Shelley as much information as he could on what rock climbing and rappelling down might be like. She had done her best to understand, but it was all rather abstract, and would be nothing like climbing the kitchen counters and table, which is how Jake had tried to teach her the basics.

  “Ready?” Jake asked and took Shelley’s hand briefly in his.

  She nodded, took a deep breath and said, “Lead the way.”

  Jake looked around to where the pictures had indicated it might be the easiest to go up, then he started to climb. The rock felt cold to his hands and he worried about finger cramps, but said nothing. Johan had bought emergency hand warmers, but what Jake really wanted was some chalk. Well, they would just have to be careful.

  He made a quick mental connection with his dad. “We’re coming. Climbing up the rock now,” was all he said. With difficulty, he closed his mind to avoid being distracted. This climb would be dangerous enough in the dark and cold. There was snow here and there and that meant they could find ice too. Neither of which was good on a night climb.

  “Do exactly as I do,” Jake said sternly.

  “Okay. Does that mean I scratch my nose when you do too?” Shelley answered flippantly.

  “If you want to,” Jake said slowly, not rising to the bait. He was just as nervous as she was.

  Slowly but surely they managed to climb up the rock. It had enough outcroppings and footholds to make it relatively easy, but Jake made sure he put a few stakes in for the lines, just in case. Also to help guide them back with his father; he wasn’t sure what condition his
father would be in.

  Shelley could feel her leg muscles aching as they neared the top. It wasn’t very high by climber standards, but to her it might as well have been Mt. Everest. She had little feeling left in her fingers and she hoped she would be able to keep gripping the icy rock. Her harness chafed, and every time a gust of wind hit her it sent icy shivers over her sweating body. She focused on her breathing to keep from thinking about her discomfort, taking deep, ragged breaths; the cold air burned in her lungs. She was not in top physical condition.

  Everything around them disappeared from their minds as they each held the single focus of reaching the top.

  Once their radios crackled but they ignored them. If it had been urgent Johan would have said something.

  “Here, let me help you.” Jake held out his hand to Shelley and pulled her up the last little bit.

  There wasn’t much of a view, except down into the compound. It was smaller than Jake had expected. He had hoped there would have been more places to hide and fewer men patrolling. He was beginning to feel less confident.

  “We’re in position, over,” he said softly into his radio, gesturing to Shelley to stay down. They were lying on their bellies, peering over the edge into the compound. At least three heavily armed men in fatigues had passed below them in the few minutes they had been up there.

  “Too many men, we can’t go down,” Jake whispered.

  “Maybe I can distract them?” Shelley offered.

  “No, absolutely not!” Jake had a good idea of what she had in mind and he wouldn’t allow it. His father wouldn’t have allowed it either.

  Shelley nodded and felt a wave of gratitude.

  “That SUV must be for your dad,” she said, pointing to the car parked in the middle of the compound.

  “Damn,” Jake said under his breath.

  They lay there watching the goings on and waiting for the opportunity to drop down.

  “Let’s set up the lines,” Jake whispered to Shelley.

  With frozen hands they pulled out the lines and equipment and set it up. There was enough noise in the compound, with generators and idling cars to mask whatever noise Jake and Shelley made. Jake tested the lines and pronounced them good. He gave Shelley a thumbs-up and she clipped her harness to her line and waited.

  Jake did the same and moved as close to the edge as he dared and stared down. Only one man was left below them.

  A few agonizing minutes later Jake watched as the man below him got instructions on his radio. Maybe this would be their break.

  “Get ready,” Jake whispered to Shelley. Both now stood poised to rappel down.

  “Now!” Jake cried, louder than he had planned, but the man walking away below hadn’t heard. He seemed focused on where he was headed.

  “Slow down!” Jake hissed.

  “How?” Shelley called back in as loud a whisper as she could manage.

  Oh God, I forgot to show her, he thought. There was no way he could show her now; he would just have to hope for the best.

  He concentrated on getting himself down safely, fighting the urge to rush. He half expected to hear a loud crash followed by cries of pain from Shelley, but when he got down she was only just touching down.

  With a big smile she said, “I figured it out.”

  Much as he wanted to hug her, he knew that would have to wait. Every minute now was precious and borrowed. He nodded and unclipped from his line. Shelley did the same.

  Jake bent down to coil the rope ends under an overhanging section of rock. He was in the shadow of the rock face and didn’t see the soldier coming back. Shelley however was visible, a strand of her long blond hair fluttering out from under her cap.

  “Hey, you, what you think you’re doing?” the soldier barked. He reached for his radio but thought better of it when he realized Shelley was a girl. “You one of the girls they promised us?” He leered.

  Shelley stood frozen in fear. They hadn’t planned for this. What was she going to do?

  “Um, no,” her voice sounded pinched.

  “Now, don’t be coy with me, girly. How about a sample before I take you to the sergeant?” The soldier moved closer to Shelley who backed away until she was up against the wall.

  The soldier put his hand across Shelley’s mouth to keep her quiet and started to tug at her zipper, moving down to the waistband of her pants. Shelley tried to push the man away, but he was too big and strong for her as he held her pinned to the wall.

  “Jake!” she screamed in her head. She needn’t have, since Jake was well aware of the situation and was frantically looking for something he could use to tackle the soldier.

  From Jake’s crouched position the soldier looked even bigger than Brandon, but that didn’t matter to Jake. He wasn’t going to let the man hurt Shelley.

  With one hand he steadied himself against the rock, while with the other he felt around for the junk he’d spotted earlier. His hand closed around a piece of wood. It felt thick and solid and without thinking Jake sprang from the shadows and in an instant was beside the soldier. As the man turned in surprise, Jake swung with all his might and hit the man on the head. The reverberation shook his arm, but he held on to the piece of wood in case he had to hit the soldier again.

  Shelley stood slumped against the wall, trembling, wiping her face where the soldier’s hand had been. She looked at Jake, her eyes wide and showing a mixture of horror and gratitude.

  Wasting no time, Jake pulled out his pocket knife and cut a piece of rope to tie the man up. The only thing Jake could think of to use as a gag was his dirty handkerchief.

  “Sorry, man,” Jake whispered, “but then you shouldn’t mess with my girl.” With the soldier immobilized in a good hogtie, Jake turned to Shelley. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” Jake took her in his arms and could feel ragged breaths shake her, but she recovered quickly.

  “I’m fine, really, I am.” She managed a smile and much as she wanted to stay in his arms she knew they had a job to do. Besides, another soldier could come around the corner of the building in front of them at any moment.

  Jake understood and concentrated once more on finding his father.

  “That one.” He pointed to the building to the left of where he was standing with his back to the rock. At a crouching run they moved past the building, carefully scanning the open space they would have to cross. They ran for the door, which was in the shadow of the building. The light from the big floodlights didn’t reach it.

  The door had a number lock on it and Jake gestured to Shelley to try to “see” the numbers. She put her hand over the lock and closed her eyes. However, before she could begin, he pulled her away and flattened her against the wall. Someone was coming out the door. He hoped the opening door would block them from view.

  “Make sure you clean all the blood from his stall. No excuses, you hear me?” a very angry man’s voice ordered.

  Jake’s heart lurched at the thought that the man might be talking about his father. What had they done to him?

  Chapter 33

  “Come on, you can walk. I’m not going to carry you.” The owner of the voice came into view and appeared to be dragging someone along. “You’ve been too much trouble already, but Thomson says you’ll work for us once we catch that brat kid of yours, so you have to stay alive.”

  Before Jake could utter the cry rising in his throat, Shelley clapped her hand over his mouth.

  For the briefest of seconds Jake made eye contact with his father. He looked terrible. His face was swollen and dried blood was caked along the side that Jake could see. He was limping and held his left arm at an odd angle. Jake tried to reach out mentally, but his father blocked him.

  “No, son. Not here,” was the only message Jake got.

  After they were out of sight, Shelley removed her hand, but kept it close in case Jake cried out.

  “Don’t do it,” she warned him.

  Jake shook his head and looked down at his feet, blinking hard. “I won’t,” h
e said. “We’re too late. Now what?”

  Without a word Shelley dragged him toward where their ropes hung waiting for them. Shelley felt the little pendant under her clothes suddenly cold against her skin as they rounded the corner and she saw the writhing shape of the soldier. He’d regained consciousness and was desperately trying to free himself.

  Someone was trying to contact him on his radio and both Shelley and Jake knew that if he didn’t respond soon someone would come looking.

  “Come on.” Jake pushed Shelley toward the ropes and helped her clip on; his momentary feeling of defeat had passed. “No time to waste.” His hands shook as he clipped his own harness to the line. He’d been so close to his father and hadn’t been able to do anything. Now success depended on plan B working, but they didn’t have a moment to lose.

  The soldier had gotten himself to a kneeling position and was hopping towards Jake. What he hoped to do when he reached him Jake could not imagine, but rather than take a chance, Jake kicked the man in the ribs.

  “Jake, leave!” his father screamed in his head so loudly that Jake nearly let go of the line.

  “Dad!” Jake made brief mental contact and showed his father what he was planning, hoping it would work.

  Fear made a great teacher, and they made it up to the top very quickly. Below them another soldier had just discovered his comrade tied up and in pain. But by the time he could discover who might have done this Jake and Shelley were out of sight.

  “Don’t unclip,” he told Shelley when he saw her fiddling with her gear at the top. “We’ll take the line as far down as we can on the other side. Just be careful of the outcroppings and don’t go too fast.”

  Without a word Shelley secured her clip and followed Jake to the other side. It was a narrow ledge, so the line should stretch quite far down. He tossed his over the edge and Shelley did the same.

  With one last look behind them he started his descent. A commotion rose from behind them, but they ignored it.

  “Ouch!” Shelley cried out as she slammed into a protruding rock. “I’m all right. Keep going.”