Beautiful Girls (17 page)

 

^{We left the condo before noon and headed west to Red Rock. We both had showered. I was wearing jeans, a polo shirt and my lightweight hiking shoes. Harmony was dressed in tight boot-cut blue jeans, a small dark red t-shirt and brown cowboy boots. Her very dark hair looked even longer and more lustrous. Although it was not her intent, Harmony certainly attracted attention.}

^{Harmony knew the way and after thirty minutes of driving across the freeways south and southwest of The Strip, we exited onto Charleston Boulevard. We headed further southwest and with each mile the large red and white rock mountains grew in front of us.}

^{After five more miles Harmony pointed out the entrance road to the Red Rock National Conservation Area. We turned right, paid the five dollar fee and stopped at the visitor center a short distance further on. We weren't exactly sure where to find First Creek Canyon so we went inside to ask.}

^{To our surprise we learned two things. First Creek was not accessible from Red Rock's scenic loop road. And, the loop road was one-way only, so we had to continue driving through the entire thirteen miles.}

^{First Creek Canyon was a few miles south of the other end of the loop road. So, we made the best of it and enjoyed the views through Red Rock.}

^{The whole area is the easternmost part of the Mojave Desert. The rocks are mostly sandstone and the formations have horizontal bands of white, red and purple. The folks in the visitor center recommended a few stops on the loop and the best one was the high point overlook. The Park's map said some of the cliffs rose up three thousand feet above our heads.}

^{This bright, sunny October afternoon attracted all kinds of people to Red Rock. The temperature was nearly perfect, in the high sixties. Most of the parking lots at the trail heads were nearly full. The trails had intriguing names like Calico Tanks, Lost Creek, Icebox and Pine Creek.}

^{Harmony said, “Gosh, I wish we were here under different circumstances.”}

^{“Me, too.”}

^{Our drive and stops in the Conservation Area took about an hour, so it was nearly 2 PM before we exited off the scenic drive and drove south a few miles and arrived at the side-of-the-road parking lot for First Creek.}

^{We parked and immediately saw the trail that headed west from the lot towards the gap in the mountain.}

^{“Don't forget your water, Stevie.”}

^{“I won't.”}

^{We had small day packs on our backs. We each carried two bottles of water. Harmony also had a towel in her pack in case we got wet in or near the waterfall, and I had some energy bars and two apples in mine.}

^{We were told to keep close to the creek bed. The waterfall was supposed to be just before the entrance to the main part of the canyon, about a mile in front of us.}

^{The cleared path was through desert brush and had only a slight rise to it. We had breathtaking views of the mountain and the canyon. We kept walking and looking and suddenly we were in the shadows of the canyon. We didn't see any sign of the waterfall.}

^{We found the creek at the bottom of the canyon. I looked at the cliff walls on each side of us and didn't see any sign of falling water. We weren't sure what to do. We continued to wander around. Since we were told that the falls were only a mile from the entrance, I didn't want to keep going further up the canyon.}

^{“I not sure what to do, Harmony.”}

^{“I don't know, either. Perhaps if we sit and listen we will hear the waterfall.”}

^{I guessed it couldn't hurt. I was getting a little frustrated and tired, so a rest stop would be helpful.}

^{I said, “Let's go over to those trees and sit in the shade and regroup.”}

^{“Yes, let's.”}

^{I was pointing to the north side of the trail, where the creek entered big boulders. We turned around and walked to the left onto a side path. We passed by the first evergreen tree I remember seeing on the way up.}

^{After a short distance, a cliff revealed itself. We saw the creek winding its way through the red stones.}

^{Harmony led the way. Then, she turned to face me, smiled and said, “Listen, Stevie.”}

^{I could hear the hissing sound of falling water.}

^{“I think we have found the hidden waterfall.”}

^{I said, “Isn't that a coincidence. Just when I thought we'd never find it.”}

^{“It pays to be patient.”}

^{Within a minute or two we were close to the falls. A rock path on both sides of the stream, as well as cottonwood and evergreen trees hid the view of the falls. We climbed through these and reached the top of the falls. It was a narrow chute through the piled rocks.}

^{We stood at the edge of the cliff. The chasm dropped about forty feet.}

^{Harmony said, “I am surprised there is any water at all in the stream. I guess the rain a few days ago created the flow.”}

^{“Right, I know what you mean, I've been to Yosemite in the autumn and the waterfalls are very small then.”}

^{We slowly hiked and bouldered down to the bottom of the falls. A wonderful sight waited for us. At the bottom, the falls pour into a natural pool of clear water that reflected the mid-afternoon sunlight. We were alone in that beautiful, secluded spot. The area around the pool was filled with small pebbles.}

^{“OK, so, now where's the clue, Harmony?”}

^{“That is a good question. My guess is that we need to get closer to the waterfall. We should look on all flat surfaces from top to bottom.”}

^{“All right, that area to the right seems the best way to get close.”}

^{I was looking at the falls and the pond in front of it. To the right was a walkable area under the cliff on that side. We slowly made our way around the pond and scrambled on to the ground next to the cliff.}

^{We were twenty feet from the falls and could go no further. We both spent the next minute or two studying the area for any sign of an envelope or disk. We had no luck.}

^{I pulled out the clue and read it again. It said the clue would be high and dry at the hidden waterfall of First Creek.}

^{“Harmony, let's go back to the top. I think that phrase high and dry means it could be at the top in a sunny spot.”}

^{“I think you are right. Still, I am interested in that spot over there.”}

^{She was pointing to a ledge, low on the left wall, about three feet above the water line.}

^{“See the shiny reflection, Stevie. What is that?”}

^{“I'm not sure. It could be a disk.”}

^{“Let me check it out.”}

^{“Harmony, how are you going to get there?”}

^{“I will walk over. This pool is only two or three feet deep.”}

^{“You'll get your jeans soaked.”}

^{“I will take them off. Promise you won't tell anyone that you saw me this way, especially Edie. She will be unhappy with me.”}

^{“Oh, sure, I promise, but I don't know...”}

^{“Thank you.”}

^{Before I could say another word, Harmony had removed her boots and was unzipping her jeans. She handed her clothes to me and began wadding into the pool.}

^{“The water is cold, Stevie. Please get my towel ready.”}

^{“I will.”}

^{It was impossible not to look at beautiful Harmony walking towards the falls. Like her sister, she wore thong panties. Hers were baby blue. The water went up to the top of her legs. Both her very long hair and her small t-shirt ended at her waist, leaving her pretty, firm bottom uncovered.}

^{Harmony moved steadily towards the ledge. She walked in an arc away from the falls to avoid getting the top half of her body wet.}

^{“I am surprised, Stevie, the bottom of the pond is not covered in pebbles. It is smooth and muddy.”}

^{After a minute of the careful stepping she reached the cliff wall. She reached up and felt something. She grabbed it and moved it into view. My hopes rose only to fall to earth again. She turned her hand to show me; it was only litter, a food wrapper.}

^{She said, “Oh that is frustrating. I thought I had found it.”}

^{“Good try, anyway, Harmony. Be careful coming back.”}

^{She made her way back across the pond. She aimed more to her right away from the falls, towards a flat, dry rock. I walked that way and gave her the towel.}

^{She sat and dried herself. I laid her clothes next to her and turned so she could dry and dress in private.}

^{I said, “I think we're in the right place. We'll just need to be patient.”}

^{“I agree, Stevie.”}

^{“Let's take it slow going up the hill. It looks like there's a number of flat rock spots near the top. We will need to be careful as we need to get pretty close.”}

^{“That sounds fine. I'm ready, Stevie.”}

^{Harmony had slipped back into her tight jeans and cowboy boots.}

^{I said, “Are your feet OK walking in those boots?”}

^{“Yes, they are. These boots are broken in nicely. My feet are used to standing long hours at work in high heels. Thank you for your concern.”}

^{“You're welcome.”}

^{I smiled again at Harmony's manner of speaking. I found it adorable and didn't want her to change her affectation. I didn't think she ever would.}

^{We made our way up the waterfall. We took the opposite side from the way we came down. At the top we inched closer to the cliff and looked around at all the flat surfaces. Harmony even crawled on her hands and feet to get as close as she could without falling.}

^{It was then, during her extra effort, that she spotted the real clue. It was another clear disk. It was sitting in a sunny place on a flat brown ledge. A small red and white striped rock had been placed on top of the disk to keep it from moving.}

^{Harmony grabbed it, crawled backwards and handed it to me.}

^{“Now, let's take our break, Stevie.”}

^{“Yes, let's.”}

^{Ten minutes later, after we drank our water and ate our energy bars, Harmony said, “Stevie, shall we read the clue?”}

^{“Sure, let's.”}

^{I was getting to be a pro at opening these plastic disks. I carefully separated the two halves. The verses from 1 Samuel read:}

^{As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her. David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!”}

 

^{The note said:}

 

^{Dear David,}

^{You have found the oasis in the desert. We enjoyed our visit here this morning. We hope you did too.}

^{Now head to the library at your helper's place of higher learning and seek your next clue in the books about your home town.}

^Nabal

 

^{“Oh, how does he know that I attend UNLV?”}

^{“I have no idea, Harmony, and I don't want to think about that. I got a little freaked out when I read the words ‘we' in his note. It's hard to believe that Rob and Mel were both here this morning.”}

^{“I agree. It is troubling.”}

^{“So, UNLV is in Vegas?”}

^{“Well, it is actually in a town called Paradise just north of The Strip. It should take us about forty minutes to get there.”}

^{“And, the college has a library?”}

^{“Yes, it does; Lied Library. What does he mean when he writes to look for books about your home town?”}

^{“The only thing that comes to mind is history or travel books about Wilmington, Delaware. But, he could be thinking of Philadelphia, too, since that's where I work. He might not know I grew up in Delaware.”}

^{“That is true. OK, let's carry on to my university.”}

^{We loaded up our day packs and started the mile walk back to the Mustang. Harmony was good company and a good sport. Like her sister, she didn't complain about the runaround we were getting from Rob. In the midst of this crazy search she kept me focused.}

^{The car was where we left it. I almost suspected that Rob would have disabled it or would have confronted us somewhere out here in the desert. We saw only three other people the whole time we were at First Creek. This would have been a good opportunity for an evil deed.}

^{I put those thoughts out of my mind before they made it to my lips. Then, I called Lomita and told him of our desert mountain trip. He hadn't heard from the local police, but he'd pass on the news about our UNLV visit. He asked me to call again when we had anything to report.}

^{We pulled out of the lot and followed Charleston Boulevard for fifteen miles back to The Strip. We were quiet with our thoughts for a few minutes. Then, feeling the break our building tension, so we talked about our common interests.}

^{The topics ranged from baseball (she was a Diamondbacks fan and had been lucky to go to a World Series game in 2001), to philosophy (she was Christian like me yet studied other beliefs for their insights on life), to our favorite books and authors (we shared an interest in mysteries), to my investigations (she was especially interested to learn more about my times with Edie) and places I've seen (she yearned to see lots of the east coast). We shared our love of history and those major events that changed the course of the future. She had the true thirst for information and had the perspective on life of a liberal arts major. I could see the budding intellectual inside her. Yet, she was approachable and humble as she realized how much she didn't know.}

^{Once we got back near Vegas, Harmony guided me north to UNLV, in Paradise, Nevada.}