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"This is it," I said as we took the final turn into Renee's driveway. "The fire must have been nearby. I can smell... Double fudge."
The driveway turned into mud as we neared the cabin or where there used to be a cabin. The Quonset was gone too. It was just a pile of wet muck. Some of the metal tables in the lab still stood and the stone fireplace pointed skyward like an accusing finger.
"Damn," Chance said as he stopped the SUV on a dry patch of ground at the edge of the clearing that had been the home site.
We all got out and stood just staring at the ruins.
"I can't believe you girls thought it was OK to come out here on your own at night," Chance said.
"We didn't know how remote it was when we decided to make the trip," Cassie said. "By the time we got here, it was too late to do anything but make the best of it. Besides we're used to being in remote areas."
"Yeah, we didn't think about the security issue. Until recently, we've been more focused on threats from creatures than humans. It's kind of sad that changed," I said. "We kept reminding ourselves that Renee must have felt comfortable staying here on her own. As far as we know, she always lived alone."
We walked around a bit, but it was pretty clear there was nothing left to salvage. Cassie walked up and put her arm around my shoulders. "I'm sure Mr. Smith kept up the insurance and switched it to your name. You'll need to call him when we get back to the city."
"I can't believe we lost whatever notes Renee had on the bigfoot experiments," I said. "I hope there's something helpful in the evidence from the safe deposit box."
We roamed around not really focusing on much of anything. I used the toe of my boot to poke the piles of muck that was all that was left of the Quonset and made my way back to the SUV. I noticed Chance and Jared locked into what looked like a serious conversation at the rear of the cabin. I made my way over to see what they were discussing.
"We need to get a forensic team out here," Jared said.
"Did you find something?" I asked.
"It looks like this fire wasn't an accident," Chance said. "We need to make some calls."
I really hoped that we left the threat behind us in Argentina. I was getting really discouraged. I couldn't see any way this threat would ever be gone. We didn't even know who was actually behind all of this. I stepped in front of Chance and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I need you," I said.
"I'm right here, Babe."
"I just can't see how we'll ever be safe again," I said as the tears threatened to fall.
"We'll figure it out. I'll keep you safe. I promise." He held me tight as I sobbed into his shoulder.
Cassie walked over. "I'm sorry about all this. I know how you feel."
"Do we want to make calls from here or wait until we're settled back into a hotel in the city?" Jared asked. "I think we need to arrange a conference call with Bertram."
The four of us took lots of photos of the scene with our phones before we headed back to the city. "Do you think it's safe to leave?" I asked.
"Probably safer than staying," Chance said. "The only reason to stay would be to try to protect any evidence that remains. That's just not worth the risk."