Zero Visibility (6 page)

So the camp was named after the brother he didn’t want to talk about. “That’s a really neat story.”

“It was a long time ago.” His voice held a note of sadness.

She saw the two sets of footprints in the snow. They followed the tracks past the sign and down a hill. The two sets of tracks were joined by another set of prints.

When they entered the camp, the buildings were but shadows in the darkness. The smell of chimney smoke grew stronger.

“Hard to say where they are, but I’m thinking they are in one of the dorms,” Nathan said. “Those would be the easiest to break in to. Each one has a fireplace.”

Merci leaned on the walking stick Nathan had given her. “I need to rest and get this wet sock off my foot.”

“The cafeteria is a bit of a hike across the camp, that’s where the office and the rifle will be. You have to cook your food away from where people sleep, to prevent bear attacks. The main meeting hall is close. We can go there,” Nathan said.

He pulled on the sleeve of her wool coat and led her through the camp. She had the impression that they were on a trail, though she could not be sure in the dark. From what she could discern, the camp was built in a bowl and surrounded by trees that must have served as a barrier to keep too much snow from drifting through.

She could make out the dark silhouette of a building. As they drew closer, the distinctive lines of a cabin came into view. “How are we going to get in?”

“I have keys, remember?” he said.

He let go of her hand and pulled his backpack off. “Can you hold the light for me?”

Merci angled the light at the door where a chain and padlock was drawn across. Hardly high tech. She heard keys jingling. Nathan brought his hand into the beam of light as he sorted through the keys and then unlocked the door.

The door swung open, revealing a large room shrouded in darkness. They slipped inside. The flashlight allowed her to only see portions of the room, benches and tables, a stage with a podium and a microphone laid on its side.

“We can’t build a fire. That would alert them to our being here, and we should probably keep the flashlight use to a minimum.” Nathan must have picked up on her anxiety because he added, “We have a lot to our advantage. We have the element of surprise on our side, and I know this camp like the back of my hand.”

“Getting the rifle will help, too.” Merci struggled to sound calm. Everything Nathan pointed out did nothing to alleviate the tightness in her stomach. Maybe they would get lucky and find Lorelei tied up in a room alone.

Nathan had slipped off the snowshoes. His boots pounded on the wood floor as he walked around. “It seems like we kept some basics supplies in the storage room in here. Why don’t you sit down and rest? I’ll see if I can find a replacement sock for you.”

Merci swung the light around until a bench came into view. She plunked down, turned off the flashlight and pulled off her snowshoes, boot and wet sock. She hung the sock over the back of a chair. The cabin wasn’t much warmer than outside. She crossed her arms over her body and sat in the dark.

She could hear Nathan’s footsteps. A door screeched open. Judging from the distant sound of the footsteps, this place was pretty big. Their voices had seemed to almost echo when they had stepped inside.

The noise of him moving around stopped. She sat in the darkness enveloped by the silence. What had become of Nathan?

Moonlight provided only a little illumination. She could see the outline of the door where Nathan had gone. With one boot on and one boot off, she listed slightly to one side. Her steps had a clomp, pad, clomp rhythm to them. She twisted the knob, and the door eased open with a screech. “Hello, Nathan,” she whispered.

No answer.

A thudding above her caused her to jump. Her heart revved up to rapid-fire speed. Scraping and squeaking sounds filled the room. A door above her opened up.

She heard Nathan’s voice before she could discern his face above her. “Looks like they have been storing a bunch of stuff in the loft.”

“You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Her heart was still racing.

“I didn’t find any dry socks for you.” He tossed a bundle to the floor. “But I found something that might work. If you can reach up and pull the string, the ladder will unfold, and I can come down.”

She couldn’t see anything as small as a rope so she retrieved her flashlight and shone it for only a moment to see where the rope was and pulled the ladder down.

Nathan descended. “That plastic bag I tossed down contains a wool blanket. It’s a little moth bally, but we can tear it into strips and wrap it around your foot to make a sock.”

“Guess mine is not going to dry out in time,” she said. “Do you think we should try to get that rifle tonight and find Lorelei?”

“We have less of a chance of being seen in the dark.” Nathan unzipped the plastic bag and pulled a pocket knife out of his coat pocket. “If we surprise them while they are sleeping, we have a better chance of success.”

Merci sat down on the floor and scooted in beside him. He ripped the blanket down the middle and handed her half. “Put that around you to keep warm. Sorry we can’t have a fire.”

She wrapped the blanket over her shoulders. “I’ll be okay. Once we get moving. I won’t notice the cold so much.”

He split his piece of the blanket in half again. “There should be a pocket knife in your backpack. This will go faster if we both work. Six or so strips about an inch wide.”

“Maybe I could just survive without a sock, and we could get moving,” she said.

Nathan shook his head. “Not a good idea. The inside of your boot is probably wet, too. This wool will pull the moisture away from your foot. When you put the boot on next time, put your pant leg on the outside of it.”

Of course that made sense. She’d been so anxious about Lorelei when she had suited up at the cabin that she hadn’t been thinking about pant legs and snow. Merci held the blanket scrap up to the window, cut a notch in the end and tore a strip off. “Did you come up to this camp quite a bit when you were a kid?”

“Every summer. My parents ran it themselves for years. They had the ski hill in winter and the camp in summer. When my brother and I got older, we kind of lost interest.” His voice faded.

She watched Nathan work with his head bent. Even with the shadows the darkness created, she could see an expression of intense concentration. Her curiosity about Nathan had been piqued from the moment he risked his own life to save her and Lorelei. She wanted to get to know him better. There seemed to be some landmines where his family was concerned, so she needed to tread lightly. “So going to summer camp was fun for you?”

“Yes.” His voice warmed. “How about you? Did you ever go to a summer camp?”

“No, my parents were into resorts. I’ve never even built a campfire.”

“Really?”

“Yup, but I don’t even go to resorts anymore. My father has the mindset that if he is paying the bills, he gets to tell you how to live your life. I’ve been on my own since I was eighteen. Paid for college by working one year and attending the next, buying secondhand and living on a shoestring.”

“You sound like a pretty determined lady.”

“I guess. It’s also made me the world’s oldest undergrad. I’ll be twenty-six by the time I finish my business degree.” She gazed at the stage and the chairs, trying to imagine it filled with laughing children. “What was it like, being at camp?”

“Best part of the summer in a lot of ways.” He rose to his feet and walked over to the stage area. “We’d have worship service here and a talent contest. Mom spent the whole winter talking local merchants into all kinds of cool giveaways for the kids.” His voice had become animated.

She pulled another strip of fabric from the blanket. “Sounds like it was a good part of your life.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of good memories connected to this place.” She could hear his footsteps as he paced across the wooden floorboards. “Maybe some sad memories, too.” His pacing stopped. “It’s just not the same with mom and dad gone.”

In the darkness and even without being able to see his face clearly, the depth of his pain vibrated through his voice. The sorrow in his life ran deep. Merci rose to her feet, wishing she could offer him some sort of comfort. His tall frame was silhouetted in shadow against the tiny bit of moonlight that shone through the window. She stepped close to him and slipped her hand in his.

He squeezed her hand but then pulled free and walked away. “Yup, I’m kind of sorry to see the place go, but I need to sell all of the mountain acreage. The ski hill, the camp. Everything.” His voice was stronger now, more in control. He’d buried the raw emotions somewhere deep.

Why would he sell something he so obviously loved? “Is the camp in financial trouble?”

He shook his head. “My parents were smart about how they set it up. The ski resort did okay when it was operational, and the camp was a nonprofit. With the right management and staff, both of them stay in the black.”

“So why are you selling it?”

Nathan paced some more before settling down and cutting another strip of fabric. “You ask a lot of questions.”

She felt for the blanket, draping it over her shoulders. “That’s how you find out things.”

“My brother and I would have to run everything together. We don’t always see eye to eye.” He spoke in a clipped tone.

The strain in his voice indicated that he didn’t want to talk about his brother. She’d treaded into dangerous waters.

After a moment he spoke. “Are you getting your energy back?”

The effect of only a few hours of sleep and all the trauma of the past ten hours had left her battle-weary, but they had come all this way and Lorelei needed help. She summoned what little strength she had. “I think I’ve caught my breath.”

“Good, let’s get this homemade sock around your foot.” Nathan picked up one of the strips.

“Can I help?” Merci scooted against the wall.

“It’s kind of a one-person job.” Nathan gently lifted her foot, cupping her heel in his hand. “Your foot is like a block of ice.” The warmth of his touch permeated her skin as he wound the fabric around her toes.

“Snow usually is cold,” Merci joked.

His finger grazed her ankle when he braided the fabric up her leg. “My super special weave should make a good sock.” He bent his head sideways and offered her a crooked smile.

Merci’s heart warmed toward this man who was so willing to sacrifice everything for someone he barely knew. Even in the most dangerous of circumstances, they had found a light moment. “I’m sure your super special weave will work just fine.”

* * *

Nathan was surprised how little Merci had complained about her wet foot. She must have been freezing. His finger glided over her smooth cold skin until he completed a sock that went up to her calf. “All done.” He looked a little closer to assess his handiwork but was unable to see much in the moonlight. “Is it comfortable?”

Merci flexed her foot. “It’s not too tight or anything. I’ll get my boot on.”

Nathan glanced up at the windows thinking he’d seen movement. But it was only the shadow of the trees close to the building.

Merci slipped into her boot. “So now we go to the cafeteria to get your father’s rifle.”

He wrestled with their plan and wondered if there was a better way to do it. They had to get to his father’s office and find that rifle. Without that, they were no match for the thieves at all. Even once they got Lorelei free, they would have to contend with returning to the cabin or somewhere else until law enforcement could arrive. Had they been foolhardy in choosing to come up here?

He shook off the uncertainty as quickly as it had come into his head. Merci had been right. They didn’t have a choice in waiting for the authorities where a human life was concerned. He stood up. “We can’t waste any more time.”

Merci rose to her feet. “Lead the way.”

He’d never met someone as trusting as Merci. He had come up with a plan that maybe had a fifty percent chance of working, but she had backed him and endured the physical struggle of getting here. He admired her positive outlook and tenacity. She’d done all of it without complaint or questioning.

He patted her back. There was a lot to admire about Merci Carson. If they made it through the next twenty-four hours, it might be nice to take her out to coffee where they could get to know each other under less traumatic circumstances.

A rattling sound caused both of them to jump and turn.

“What’s that noise?” Merci’s voice filled with panic.

Nathan’s muscles tensed as adrenaline surged through his body. “It’s the door handle. Someone’s trying to break in.”

FIVE

A
s a precaution, Nathan had bolted the door when they came inside. He hoped the thieves wouldn’t be able to break the lock.

Merci wrapped her arm through Nathan’s. “How did they find us?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they saw our tracks or the lights as we were coming in,” he said.

“Is there a back way out?” she said in a frantic whisper.

Nathan shook his head. The rattling grew more intense and persistent. One of the men said something in a harsh tone. An object thudded against the door.

Nathan took a step back and stood between Merci and the intruders. The thieves were going to break the door down.

He grabbed her hand. “Get your stuff. Come with me.” After gathering up backpacks and kicking the snowshoes under a table, he pulled her toward the ladder of the loft.

Merci scampered up the ladder. Nathan put his foot on the first rung.

The banging noises increased. He climbed the ladder and swung into the loft. “Help me pull it up.” He leaned down through the loft opening.

The banging continued. An ax sliced through the door. The hole grew bigger with each blow.

Merci crawled to the other side of the loft and reached down. The ladder pulled up in three sections that folded on top of each other.

They folded the final section. The man in the orange coat came into the building, holding an ax. The loft door eased shut as they heard more footsteps. Though she couldn’t discern the words of the conversation, it was obvious the men were irritated.