"Could be," he said, "but I don't think so. From what you said about her, he's letting her call the shots. I think she might be more like a partner. It's so damn odd. Monk never played games before. So why the treasure hunt?"
"I don't know."
"We might catch a break if the woman is making some decisions. Maybe she isn't quite the perfectionist he is."
"She's someone who knows Carrie and me."
"Because?"
"The way she talked. Her tone was mocking when she said Carrie's name. She doesn't like her."
"That's a given."
"Which means she's interacted with her."
"What about you?"
"She called me stupid. I've got to assume she doesn't like me either," she said dryly.
"No kidding."
"Maybe it's just that Skarrett has told her about us. But the way she talked… it sure sounded like this was personal to her."
Avery picked up the Swatch watch again and then gingerly placed it back in the cup holder. She could almost visualize a red
light inside, pulsating like a heart. The image creeped her out.
John Paul was a good driver. She decided to let him worry about getting stuck in the mud and nicking a tire on a rock. Closing
her eyes, she leaned back and let her mind move from one possibility to another. What was she missing? She felt as though she had the answer to this crazy puzzle in the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite reach it.
"How much time's left?" As soon as she told him, he said, "I don't know what we're going to barrel into, so listen up. You do whatever I tell you. If I tell you to get down, don't argue. Just do it. Once I figure out where the X is, I'm gonna try to bypass it some way and then circle around. You'll stay in the car."
"I have to show."
"No, you don't."
"Are you crazy? Of course I have to," she argued. "The woman said they would kill Carrie and the others if we're late. If I don't show my face…"
"Did this woman offer you any proof that they're still alive? Did you ask for any?"
"No," she said. "I should have, but I didn't. The conversation was short, and she wouldn't let me ask questions."
"Then you should have said no."
"Tell her I wouldn't play her game?"
"Yeah," he said. "That's what I would have done."
She shook her head. "I don't believe you. But, I'm sorry I didn't ask for proof. I should have."
"Should have, could have… it's too late now. I figure we've got a ninety percent chance of walking into a trap, so I want-"
She wouldn't let him finish. "I told you, I don't have a choice. I have to show. I'm hoping I can figure out a way to placate the madwoman."
"Placate a madwoman? That's a contradiction, isn't it?"
"Don't be a smart…"
He raised an eyebrow. "Smart-ass? Is that what you were going to say?"
"No."
"Then what?" he challenged.
She became defensive. "Look, if you want to bail, that's fine with me. Just get me to the X and take off."
"I'm not going to bail."
"Okay, then," she replied, irritated she'd sounded so relieved. "I know there's a good chance Monk has already dug our graves, but if you think I'm going to hide in the woods and hope for the best, then you're out of your mind."
"All I'm trying to say is that, if I'm lucky, maybe I'll spot him and be able to get close."
"And you don't want to worry about me. You want blind obedience."
"Exactly."
"Two heads are better than one."
"How much survival training have you had?"
Point taken. "None, but I could still help."
"Yeah, sure."
"Get rid of the attitude, John Paul. I can help. I have a few moves of my own."
"I'll bet you do."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Never mind."
She was doing a slow burn. Out of all the people in the world, she had to get stuck with the most obnoxious one.
"You think you've got me all figured out, don't you?"
"Just about," he drawled.
Avery concentrated on the road. Thankfully, Jungle Boy didn't have any other sarcastic remarks to make. His scowl could
have been chiseled in stone.
She thought she heard something, quickly rolled her window down, and strained to listen. "Do you hear that?"
John Paul flipped off the heater blower, rolled his window down, and then nodded. The sound of running water was faint, but there. "We went farther than I thought if we're close to the river. Maybe it's a tributary. It sounds like a waterfall."
They came to yet another crossroad. This one was traveled more than the last. And there was a sign nailed to a tree: Last Chance Country Store. Beer and Raft Rentals. Below the sign was an arrow pointing to the west.
The road curved downward. They hit a deep rut and lurched forward as they once again broke through the trees.
"The store's got to be around the bend down there," he said as he shot across the road and up into the trees on the other side. There was just enough room to turn the car around. Satisfied that they were concealed from the road, he put it in park and turned the motor off.
"How much time do we have left?"
"Twelve minutes," she said. "You think that's the spot?"
"It's gotta be the place. It sticks out, doesn't it?"
He was right. Please, God, let him be right. She could just make out a small rustic building through the trees. It sat on the bank
of a river and was a place where river travelers could stop for supplies.
He unhooked his seat belt, reached under the seat, and pulled out a SIG Sauer. When she saw the gun, her mouth dropped open.
"I'm leaving the keys," he said, ignoring her reaction to the gun. "If you hear gunshots, you get the hell out of here. You hear me?"
She wasn't about to leave him, but she thought he'd want to argue if she told him the truth, and so she simply nodded.
"Is it loaded?" she asked as he opened the door.
"Hell, yes."
Stupid question, she thought. Of course it was loaded. "Be careful." She moved into the driver's seat.
"Hand me the watch."
"You're taking it?" she asked.
"You think I'm going to leave it here with you and let Monk know exactly where you are? Give it to me."
"What are you going to do?"
"Go hunting."
Chapter 14
Time had run out. Avery had just decided to go after John Paul when he opened her door. She never heard him coming.
"Monk isn't close. He could be on his way, but he isn't here now."
"Are we driving down or walking?"
"I'll drive."
She scrambled back into the passenger seat, bumping her knee on the dashboard. He slid in and started the engine.
"How do you know he isn't hiding behind a tree or a bush somewhere?"
"Because I looked. There weren't any signs."
"You would have seen them?"
"Of course I would have seen them."
She was reassured by his arrogance. "Okay, then."
"There's a trailer behind the store about thirty yards to the south, and next to it is an old beat-up truck. No one was inside the trailer."
"You went in?"
He didn't answer. "There's a man and a woman inside the store. The woman's in the back office using the phone, and the man's in front, working the counter. He keeps looking out the window like he's expecting company. While I was there, a milk truck pulled out and another guy was unloading cases of beer. There are three or four customers."
He drove onto the road and continued down the slope. His gun was in his lap.
"Do you see that man looking at us?" he asked. "He's on the right by the door."
They watched a young couple herd their two little boys out the front door, then saw the man inside slam the door.
"What the hell?" John Paul muttered when the man turned the sign over in the window. "Closed, my ass."