Zero Visibility (3 page)

“Better hurry, that snow is coming down fast. Getting the road up to your place plowed isn’t county priority since there is no traffic up there anymore.” Travis said goodbye and hung up.

Nathan returned to the living room. Merci had risen from her chair and was looking at family photographs on the mantel. She picked up one of the framed pictures. “Is this your mom and dad?”

A sharp pain sliced through him. He hadn’t been up to this cabin since his dad’s funeral. He had a place in town. When his mom and dad were alive, the cabin had been used for family gatherings and vacations. He had come up here to clear away all those photos, to pack them in a box where they wouldn’t evoke sorrow every time he looked at them. “Yes, they passed away a little bit ago.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Her voice filled with compassion as she placed the photo back on the mantel with care. “You look really happy in these pictures.”

“I suppose we were.” He laid the photo facedown, not wanting to think about what his life used to be. “I don’t live up here, and all this stuff is just gathering dust. It needs to be packed up so the place can be sold.”

“I think pictures are a beautiful treasure.” She picked up a second photo. “Is this you with a friend?”

Nathan felt himself retreating emotionally as he took the frame from her hand. The image was of him and his older brother, Daniel, when they were maybe twelve and fourteen, practicing archery at the camp. Their hair shimmered in the summer sun, and both were smiling. His relationship with Daniel had been strained for the past ten years and had only gotten worse when their mother and father died.

He really didn’t want to talk about his brother…not to a stranger. Not to anyone. “He’s my brother.” Merci had probably thought she could make up for having reminded him of his parents’ death by talking about his “friend.” Instead, she had opened an even deeper wound. “We need to get going. If we wait too long, even my four-wheel drive isn’t going to get us off this mountain.”

TWO

M
erci slipped into the truck next to Nathan, and Lorelei climbed in beside her. It had taken some coaxing to even get Lorelei to agree to go. She wasn’t handling this well at all.

The sound of the engine turning over made Merci breathe a little easier. At least the truck was running. Snow fell in clumps. The wipers worked furiously to keep it off the windshield. At best, they could see maybe five feet in front of them.

Nathan pressed a button, and a blast of heat hit her. “Warm enough for you?”

Nathan had found them both extra clothes to put on underneath their dress coats. “Yes, that’s good.” She stole a glance at the man who had saved their lives. His brown eyes held kindness. “Thank you…for all you’ve done for us.”

“No problem.” He leaned forward to see better through the window, focusing on his driving. His answer was so abrupt. Maybe he was still upset over her asking questions about his family. He probably thought she was nosy. She hadn’t meant to step on toes or reopen old wounds. It was just that in the pictures of his family, everyone looked so happy. She only understood the concept of happy families from television shows.

She’d been an only child. Her father, an international businessman, traveled all the time. Having to raise a child alone had made her mother depressed and resentful. Merci had always felt as if she was in the way of their happiness, not a part of it. Though her mother would never say it, she seemed happier when Merci was old enough to stay with relatives, and she could travel with her husband. Her aunt Celeste, her father’s sister, had been the stabilizing force in her life. When her parents left for Hong Kong or London, she had stayed with Auntie in the little town of Grotto Falls, Oregon, that never changed. Even though she would be twenty-six in a month, she found herself running to the stability and the love that her aunt provided.

“I’m just grateful you came along when you did, that’s all.” Merci folded her hands in her lap.

“Once I saw what was going on, I couldn’t very well have left you there.” Nathan gazed at her for a moment, offering her a lopsided smile that sent a charge of warmth through her. “Besides, I’m an EMT. I can’t help myself. I had to rescue you.”

She was glad he was able to look past whatever pain she had caused by talking about his family. In addition to showing bravery in facing the armed robbers, he seemed like a truly kind and decent person.

The truck slid, and Nathan gripped the wheel tighter. Lorelei let out a tiny scream, and Merci patted her leg.

“This is scary.” Lorelei’s voice was barely above a whisper. “We should have stayed at the cabin.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll make it. I can handle this snow just fine,” Nathan said.

Up ahead, the mountain road intersected with a flatter road. That must be the country two-lane they’d taken when they turned off the highway.

Nathan slowed the truck down. “There’s something on the road down there.”

Merci couldn’t make out anything but windblown snow.

Nathan braked. The truck slid before coming to stop. Now she could discern the dark lump at the intersection of the two roads.

“Sit tight.” He pushed open the door. “Let me go check it out. I’ll leave the engine running so the cab will stay warm.”

He stepped away from the truck. Within a few feet, the blowing snow consumed him. It cleared momentarily, and she saw his bright-colored ski jacket as he made his way toward the dark mass.

* * *

Nathan’s boots sank down into the deep snow. He pulled his leg out and tried to find the center of the road where the snow would be more hard packed. He’d been on the mountain in winter before, but this was the worst he’d ever seen it. At least a foot of snow had fallen in a short amount of time.

He wasn’t worried. He’d get the two women down this mountain. He had confidence in his skill as a driver, and his truck was designed for these kinds of conditions. If the women could file a report, it would make capture that much more likely. Taking action would also help them get past the trauma. Lorelei seemed to be shutting down by degrees. The compassion her friend Merci showed her touched him. Merci seemed like a strong, capable young woman.

The wind cleared and a dark colored car partially covered in snow came into view. It looked as though the car had slid off the road. As he drew closer, he saw that it was the car that belonged to the thieves. He slowed his pace.

The car was facing east, which meant the thieves were headed back to Clampett when they got stuck. The impending storm must have made them decide to go back the way they had come, rather than face the unknown of how long the country road stretched on before it met up with the highway going west. From the way the car was wedged, lack of familiarity with the road and reduced visibility had caused them to veer over into a ditch and get stuck. The car blocked enough of the intersection between mountain road and country road to make it hard for him to get his truck around without ending up stuck, too.

He approached the car with caution. When he peered through the windows, he saw that it was empty. Where had the men gone? The wind had blown quite a bit, but he could make out the soft impression of foot tracks leading back up the mountain road.

Nathan exhaled, creating a cloud. His eyes followed the direction the men had walked. The two thugs might have seen the tall light by the cabin or maybe it had cleared enough for them to see smoke rising out of the chimney. In any case, they probably thought they could find shelter up the road, not realizing the cabin belonged to the man who had just seen them trying to rob the women. Though it looked as if they had veered into the forest, the thieves were headed up the mountain where he had left the women alone in the truck.

Adrenaline kicked in and every muscle in Nathan’s body tensed. He ran back toward the truck.

* * *

Lorelei tapped her feet on the floorboards of the truck. “I don’t see what good going to the police will do. Those guys are probably long gone.”

Merci cleared her throat. Part of her just wanted to get on a bus to her aunt’s house where it was safe and forget all this had happened. “I know it’s hard to think about, but what if those guys try to rob someone else? We need to tell the police what we know. We have to make every effort to make sure they’re caught.”

Lorelei crossed her arms over her chest and bent her head. “I guess I just don’t like police very much.”

Merci sighed and listened to the rhythmic movement of the windshield wipers. She took in her surroundings, what she could see of them. This road looked as if it had been cut out of the side of the mountain. Out of Lorelei’s window was a steep bank where the road dropped off. On the driver’s side was a slight upslope that jutted against an evergreen forest. The mountain road was a single lane at best.

Merci stared out the windshield. Even before Nathan emerged from behind the veil of snow, running and shouting something they couldn’t hear, she knew they were in trouble.

Lorelei raised her head like a deer alerted to a distant noise as she gazed out the driver’s-side window. Merci turned her head, zooming in on the movement in the trees. She saw flashes of color, branches breaking and then the man in the orange coat was on the road pointing the gun through the driver’s-side window. Merci reached over and locked the door.

Time seemed to be moving in slow motion as her heart pounded in her chest. All of her attention focused on the barrel of the gun. The man in the orange coat stepped closer. He had a scar that ran from his lip to his ear. Murder filled his eyes as he lifted the gun.

Lorelei shouted, “No,” and pulled Merci’s head down to the truck seat, a quick reaction that saved both their lives.

Glass shattered, sprinkling everywhere. Cold wind blew into the cab.

“Give me the truck.” The man shouted through the broken window.

Nathan came up behind Orange Coat, grabbing him around the neck and wrestling him to the ground. The second man, the one in the leather jacket, emerged from the trees.

Nathan rattled the handle and then reached through the broken window to unlock the door.

The second thief was free of the trees and close enough to take aim.

Nathan jumped behind the wheel, clicked into reverse and hit the accelerator. His arm covered the women and pushed them lower as another bullet hit the truck, creating a metallic echo.

Nathan continued to back the truck up, swerving and looking behind him. Another shot was fired. This one fell short.

The truck labored to get up the road backward. When she peered above the dashboard, the two men were on the road coming after them, and a third man emerged from the trees. Lorelei gasped. She saw the third man, too.

The blowing snow enveloped the three figures on the road.

Going back to the cabin didn’t seem like such a good idea. The men would know where they were. “Isn’t there some way we can get into town?” Merci found the courage to sit up a little straighter.

“Their car is blocking the intersection. If I try to go around it, I’ll get stuck.” Nathan craned his neck, focusing on the narrow road behind him.

The cab of the truck grew colder as the wind blew through the shattered window. The passenger-side window also had a spider-web break where the first bullet had exited.

The back tire slipped off the edge of the road. The truck leaned at a precarious angle. Nathan gunned the engine and then let up several times trying to rock the car out of the rut.

“I can’t get any traction.” His voice filled with tension.

“We can push it out,” Merci suggested.

Nathan tapped his thumb on the steering wheel. “I don’t know if that is a good idea in this cold weather.”

The truck slid again. Lorelei let out a moan and dug her fingers into Merci’s forearm.

“This thing is sliding off the bank.” Nathan commanded, “Get out now on my side.”

Nathan pushed on the door, crawled through and then reached first for Merci, lifting her easily onto the road. He held his hands out for Lorelei to grab on to. Wind drove the snow into their skin like thousands of icy needles. At least, the trunk of her body stayed warm. She was grateful for the extra clothes Nathan had given them.

“Stay linked together,” Nathan shouted above the wind. “We’re not that far from the cabin.” He hooked his arm through Merci’s and Merci grabbed onto Lorelei. Heads bent and leaning into the wind, they trudged up the hill.

Merci’s heart still hadn’t slowed from their close encounter with the gunmen. Though her muscles grew tired after only a few minutes, Nathan’s strength pulled her forward. She couldn’t see anything in front of her. She had to trust that Nathan knew his way back to the cabin. She leaned against him, sliding her feet one after the other.

She tightened her grip around Lorelei when she felt her weakening, slipping away. It was useless to shout words of encouragement. She bent over at the waist ignoring how cold her face and hands had become.

After a while Nathan slipped free of her. She had a fearful moment of wondering what had happened and then his gloved hand found hers. He placed it on something solid…the railing that led up to the cabin.

They were here.

They had made it.

She collapsed on the stairs. A moment later, strong arms lifted her, and she rested against a warm chest. She clung to the flannel shirt that smelled of wood smoke and musk. He laid her on the couch. She opened her eyes.

She didn’t have to fight the strong wind anymore. No more icy chill embedded under her skin. Warm tears formed.

He placed a blanket over her and pulled it up to her chin. “You’re just exhausted and cold. No frostbite or anything.” His hand covered hers. The heat of his touch seeped through to her core.

Merci shook her head. “This has all been a bit much.” Her arms and legs felt like cooked noodles.

Lorelei had resumed her position, sitting bent over by the fire. How had she had the presence of mind to pull Merci out of the trajectory of that bullet? She owed Lorelei her life for her quick thinking.

“What are we going to do now?” Merci’s question held unspoken fears. If the men couldn’t get out, they’d be seeking shelter, too. The cabin would be the first place they’d look, and now there were three of them. She could only guess at where the third man had been during the robbery. Waiting down the road to be picked up or hiding in the trees? There must not have been a second car or they would have used it to escape. “I don’t know if we should stay here.”