A Forest of Corpses (14 page)

"Could you tell where it came from? A single shot? Multiple?

Any idea what caliber—"

"Whoa. Don't go all cop on us," Hawk seemed put out. Not used to cooperating with the police? Most bikers didn't have good experiences with the law. "I heard a single shot, that's all. Up here, good luck trying to figure out where a sound comes from. Could have been the next ravine over, could have been a mountain away. Sounds are weird up here, y'know?"

Proving he had some experience with this area. He was right, the configuration of the land and the dense tree growth could both muffle and amplify sound, and completely distort its source.

"You ever hear a gunshot before?" Alex asked.

They both nodded and CJ added, "We're from Boyle Heights. Hear lots of gunshots."

"This was a single shot," Hawk said. "Probably handgun, decent caliber. Maybe even a Glock or Sig."

Alex was impressed, then wary. "You know guns."

"Military," Hawk said. "Army grunt for three years. Got to Private First Class then I got dumped on account of Don't ask, Don't tell."

"You heading down the mountain, then?" Alex asked.

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"Got to. Work tomorrow. 'Sides, ain't neither of us armed, I don't want to be around if some crazy ass-nut job is on the loose. Man could get hurt that way."

I could see Alex's mind turning. "Well, do me a favor.

When you get down, stop at the ranger's office, give them a report. Tell them Detective Alexander Spider is up here but they may want to send one of theirs up to look around."

Hawk shrugged then nodded. "Sure, guess I can do that."

He and CJ turned back down the mountain. "Good luck."

Once they were out of hearing I turned toward him, puzzled. "You didn't tell him you were unarmed. Shouldn't the rangers know that?"

"I never tell anyone I'm not carrying. Not a thing I want others to know."

"Should we be worried?"

He shrugged. "A single gunshot hardly constitutes a crime spree. There are shooting ranges up here. Someone might have kept their weapon on them when they went outside the range. It's legal to pack now in national parks. Some idiot could be playing around, fired accidentally. It happens. We'll keep our eyes open." He tugged my hand and pulled me against him. "Besides, you're safe with me, you know that, don't you?"

I enjoyed the embrace and he was right, I did feel safe.

"Sure."

"Then let's go. I need to stretch these legs out before they go stiff on me again."

"Well, I'm always available for a massage."

"I'll take you up on that later."

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We concentrated on making good time. Around noon we stopped for a quick lunch of trail mix, dried fruit and a generous amount of water. With our packs lightened, our pace picked up. I tended to keep us close to water when I could, where I was more likely to spot interesting birds.

And they were out in abundance. Late spring, early summer was a good time for birding. Birds still in breeding plumage, nests full of newly hatched eggs and a lot of mouths to feed meant more activity, which meant a better chance of spotting them. A tiny gray Bell's vireo made an appearance, then a pale olive Willow flycatcher. Alex stoically followed me, feigning an interest in each bird as I spotted it when I knew he had no real interest. But he was here with me, and seemed to be enjoying the walking part of our hike. He had complained to me lately that he was spending way too much time desk bound at work and when we both came home from our busy days, sometimes the last thing we wanted to do was get physical. We needed to change that. I'd have to suggest doing something like this more often. Get us both back into shape.

We crossed over another ridge, and this time the sound of rushing water below was strong. Alex could tell just by the look on my face that I wanted to go down, though the slope looked steeper than previous ones.

First, he parked himself on a fallen tree stump, pulled off his pack and patted the spongy surface next to him. "Let's take a break. Drink." He pulled out his canteen and drank deeply. I followed suit, then pulled out a sealed plastic baggie of trail mix. We chewed on that for a while, enjoying the cool 131

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breeze that flowed over our sweaty skin. He took his hat off and set it on his lap.

We capped off our canteens, knowing we'd have to find some more on the other side, but for now the lighter load was a relief. Taking a firm grip on my walking sticks I walked over to study the ravine before we took the plunge. I could see the beginning of a few easy paths down, but in two cases the paths dwindled and became dense, impenetrable brush. We might be able to bull our way through, but why bother? There were other, more efficient ways to get down there.

I pointed out the path I had plotted in my head. It switched back and forth, using tree trunks as guides and hand holds on the way down. If I calculated right, we'd probably end up about fifty feet north of our present position. Below, the steady whispery roar of fast moving water could be heard.

Even from here I could see a lot of dead fall. Trees had come down, probably last winter, and hadn't been cleaned up by the forest crew who would remove most of them as potential fire hazards, leaving a few as nursery logs for new growth.

"Be careful at the bottom. It will probably be slippery, and might be unstable, too. Last thing we want is for either of us to get caught up in a dead fall. Those things can be nasty. It's not long after the last thaw upstream. The water's likely to have eroded the banks or loosened some of the stones. It could be a mess down there."

It was a good thing we both had sturdy boots. We took our time; I went first, making heavy use of my walking sticks to test the ground in front of my feet, frequently adjusting my path to avoid loose or tangled spots. Even with all my 132

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precautions I did my share of slipping and sliding, catching myself at the last minute on anything I could grab. Sweat poured off my face and down my back, sticky and rank, attracting hordes of insects, who ignored the bug spray I had put on hours ago. Behind me Alex cursed and slapped at his own tormentors.

Snags and masses of collapsed trees and tangled limbs forced us further and further upstream. I kept throwing Alex encouraging smiles, but he seemed okay with the exertion.

Whether that was stoicism or he really was adjusting even I couldn't tell. I sure as hell couldn't ask.

We were three quarters of the way to the bottom and a good seventy feet from where we had started when I fell.

Both of my walking sticks caught on something and were wrenched out of my hands. The action threw me off balance and I stepped back to catch myself. My feet skidded on the wet, tractionless slope and I went down, bouncing and rolling until I came up against a tree trunk with a solid oomph. Alex was kneeling beside me in an instant.

"You okay? You hurt? Can you get up?"

Except for my dignity, I was fine. I let him help me to my feet where I stood slapping mud and decaying plant matter off my khaki pants. My knees were saturated and the dampness was seeping through to my bare skin. All I succeeded in doing was transferring the stinking mess onto my hands making them wet and cold and dirty, too.

"I'm fine, thanks," I said after checking myself out for injuries. Besides a bruised ego, there were none. I grimaced 133

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down at my befouled hands and pants. "Maybe I can wash up a bit down there."

He nodded and went to retrieve my fallen staffs. We kept climbing down, with a little more care this time. My little tumble had reminded us that we were vulnerable up here.

There were no EMTs standing by or Red Cross stations anywhere near here. We had to take care of ourselves.

Finally, we reached the edge of the stream, a rocky stretch of fast moving water that roared and whispered over what looked like a giant's game of marble toss. Like someone had been playing with a handful of rocks, then had grown bored and left them scattered willy-nilly behind him when he left.

Pebbles the size of pea sand made the streambed treacherous, large boulders as big as smart cars guided the flowing water into pools and mini rapids. I found the deepest area and gingerly waded in. Even though I was prepared for it, the icy water was a shock. I endured as long as it took to rinse my clothes and hands clean then I hurried across and pulled myself up onto dry land. I perched on a large flat rock waiting for Alex, who chose a shallower fording spot. I took advantage of the break to scan the surrounding trees, spotting a pair of towhees as well as a hunting falcon far above us, over the treetops. Still no sign of the one bird I'd love to see, the California condor, still one of the rarest birds in the world.

The climb back up proved easier. We found a steady supply of trees and sturdy brush to grab onto. Within ten minutes we were back on relatively level ground. I was 134

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pleased to note that neither one of us was winded. We shared a grin and a drink, then set off.

As we walked I looked up at what little sky I could make out. It was well past noon. "We have at least another four hours or so we can travel if you're up for it."

"I'm good."

The next stretch of terrain wasn't too challenging. We made great time. Better than I'd hoped. I was sure we managed a good nine, ten miles. We stopped at a water spigot and topped up our flasks as well as filling up our stomachs. After crossing another cutback I knew Alex was flagging again. Not wanting him to have to admit he couldn't go much longer, I stopped and stretched, touching my toes to stretch out overused muscles, feigning a groan.

Alex's hand was on my back before I straightened.

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I grimaced and shrugged my backpack off. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to call it a night."

He looked around warily as though expecting something to come charging out of the deepening shadows that grew and swallowed the forest around us. "This a good place to stop?"

I swung around, checking out the landscape. Then I pointed north, to where an old growth tree must have come down recently, leaving a clearing only now being repopulated with young ponderosa and jack pines, all rushing to be the first to reach the sky, to overshadow its slower growing rivals.

The winner of that race would grow to massive proportions over the decades, unless some disease or misfortune brought 135

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it down prematurely. But right now it was a good place to pitch our tent. A protected opening in the tangled forest.

It took us next to no time to get the tent up, our packs stowed and our cold supper in our stomachs. Before total darkness fell, we crawled into the tent and sealed it up behind us.

I moved to pull on my long johns. A hand snaked out of the darkness and stopped my hand.

"No you don't," Alex whispered. "Not yet."

He swept clothing and sleeping bag aside and held me down with his greater weight. Not that I was fighting. Not for real, at least. A little struggle is good for inducing passion. I bucked against him, pushing at his chest with both hands, forcing him to take control of me. He did it so easily.

"Little tiger. Do you really think that's going to stop me?"

He pinned my arms over my head and traced a line of liquid heat along the underside of my right arm, nuzzling my pits then nipping my throat. I turned my head to meet his mouth, but he evaded me. His laughter vibrated through me, rooting itself at the base of my cock, which swelled and pressed painfully between my belly and his. He nudged my knees apart, and his thick cock probed my ass.

"Who do you belong to?" he growled, his lips against the fluttering pulse of my throat. When I tried to answer him, he jammed his mouth over mine and swallowed my moans.

"Open your legs," he ordered.

I obeyed and he rose up on stiff arms, thrusting the tip of his cock past my tight ring. I opened wider, raising my legs to 136

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brace them on his shoulders, trying to thrust up, to drive him inside me. He pulled back.

"Not yet. Stay still."

Again I obeyed, though every nerve in my body demanded I get him inside me where he belonged. He didn't speak another word. I knew without him saying it that he was going to take his time tonight. This wasn't going to be a fast, hard fuck, but a slow seduction that would set us both on fire, a flame that could only be quenched when we both lay spent and panting on our makeshift bed.

Right now I didn't care if a tree root dug into my hip or there were stones under my head. All I could feel was him, over me, teasing me with his thick cock and crazy tongue. His dick slid along mine, digging into my belly, then moving further down again, finally slipping between my open legs to probe at the crevice behind my balls. His mouth traced patterns of heat over my face, throat and upper abs, tugging at my pierced nipples, then soothing them with his warm tongue. Time stopped until we were both struggling to breath.

Our hearts throbbed in furious tempo. With a final grunt he rammed his dick up my ass with one thrust, and I threw my head back and howled as my orgasm slammed through me.

The tent filled with the scent of sea and musk. I shook as he rammed me again and again, until he drove into me one more time and came with a long drawn out groan.

He collapsed on top of me. I don't think either one of us moved for several minutes. Or maybe it was hours. But finally he pulled out of me. I curled around him resting my head on his shoulder when he tucked me under his arm.

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"Who do you belong to?" This time it was barely a whisper.

"You, Sir."

We fell asleep, sweat and semen gluing our bodies together, surrounded by the scent of our exertions.