CHAPTER 34

Claudia slowed the Jeep down as they reached the end of the wooded trail. In the distance they could see a row of mountains begin to appear, and above, a clear blue sky. The road had disappeared and they now approached a rock strewn area that led to a cliff with an overlook that encompassed the valley below. Beyond the valley, snow-capped peaks lined the horizon. Todd released his grip on the roll bar and relaxed as they passed through the last of the wooded area. Sky and land became one as the Jeep faced the open sky which extended for miles in front of them. Claudia edged the Jeep forward to the face of a five hundred foot drop; a dangerous spot for an unwary driver. The road simply disappeared, dropping off the earth.

The flat area where they stopped the Jeep was in the center run of an avalanche chute, an area carved out by a mammoth slide that had occurred centuries before. Above and below they could trace the avalanche run, marked by huge boulders that formed a path between the trees that continued from the top of the peak to the bottom.

Todd and Claudia stepped out of the Jeep and peered over the edge. At the bottom of the cliff was a crystal clear lake, a craggy formed reservoir that had been partially iced over. Claudia pointed out a flat clearing to the right of where they stood. She took Todd by the hand and they walked to the center of the field. Claudia released Todd’s hand and stooped over, dropping to her knees. She scraped the snow away from several spots before she found what she had been looking for.

“Here it is,” she said.

“Here is what?”

Claudia did not answer until she finished scraping away the snow and exposed a metal cover. She lifted the cover. Below it was a metal cylinder buried in the ground. The cooking pit contained a few bits of charcoal and charred bones in the bottom.

“A fire pit,” said Claudia. “A picnic area discovered centuries ago by some lucky locals. They banged out this metal cylinder and cover, and stuck it in the ground.”

“Obviously, you’ve been here before,” said Todd.

“Yes. I used to come here a lot with my foster parents and Uncle Rodney, but mostly in the spring and summer.”

Todd stood behind the pit and looked outward, beyond the clearing.

She put her arm around his waist and leaned her head against him. Todd pulled her close and slipped his arm over her shoulder.

“This is beautiful,” he said.

Claudia smiled. “We used to climb up here at sunset and camp the night, cooking supper under the open sky. We’d spend all of the next day picnicking and hiking. Sometimes we would see other neighbors, but not very often.” She looked into his face. “This is a well kept secret.”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“You’d better not,” said Claudia, grinning.

“Professor Blackstone knew you’d be safe here,” said Todd. “This place would be hard for anyone to find.”

She pulled him tight. “Correction: Uncle Rodney knew we’d be safe here.”

“I’m not the one who discovered some new mega bomb. They’re not looking for me.”

“It wasn’t a bomb,” she said.

“Oh yeah? So what happened to the mountain?”

“They refused to listen to me.” Lines etched her face. “Men think they know everything.”

“Hey. I’m on your side, remember?”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Two grad students died in that explosion and only God knows who else. …And I’m the one responsible.”

“No you’re not,” he said. “It was an accident.”

“You don’t know that. I could have stopped it.”

“These men are experts, tops in the profession, right?” he said.

She reluctantly nodded. “Yes.”

“And Professor Blackstone, he’s one of the top physicists in the world?”

“I guess.”

“And they approved whatever you did?”

“Yes.”

“So stop beating yourself up. I like the happy lunatic who does acrobatics in the Jeep a lot better.”

He pulled her in and hugged her.

She smiled and dipped her head as they turned to face each other. Todd gazed into her eyes. They kissed. He pulled her tight against his body and they kissed again. She could feel the passion in his grip, comforted by his touch, relieved to be in his arms.

Claudia let him hold her tight. She rested her head against his chest.

“I guess you’re right,” she said, her voice tempered. “But I’m calling the shots next time. …If there is a next time.”

“There will be.”

She gazed at the scenery. “In any event, I’m glad Uncle Rodney suggested we come here. It brings back memories.”

“So where is the cabin?” said Todd.

They released their embrace, still holding hands, turning to face the reservoir and the distant mountain range.

Claudia pointed to an adjacent peak. “It’s there, a little beyond the town, on the far side of that peak.”

In the immediate distance he could see a roadway that started at a cul-de-sac and wound through an area that he assumed led to the town.

“How do we access it?”

She pointed at distant rooftops that appeared on top of the trees. “We have to go through there.”

“Through the center of town?”

“Yes,” she said.

“You think that’s safe?”

“We have no choice,” she said. “As I said before, we have to go through there. It’s the only way to the cabin access road. There’s no way that we could shortcut through these mountains, even with the Jeep.”

“We should go then,” he said.

“Okay.” She smiled, and pulled him tight. “You sure you don’t want to stay… and fool around?”

“Right,” he said. “We leave a war zone, a bunch of armed thugs chasing after you - and you want to make love.”

“You’re no fun.”

He laughed. “You’re an adrenaline junky; that’s your problem.”

He paused a moment and then looked at the woods. “Give me a sec… I need to make a nature call. And then we need to get the heck out of here. No fooling around!”

“Okay,” she said, pouting her lips, her voice reflecting her disappointment.

Claudia entered the Jeep and waited while Todd stepped into the woods. He remained there a moment, coming out a different side from where he entered, passing through over a clump of boulders.

He opened the passenger door.

“You get lost?” she said.

“Must have,” he said, and climbed in.

“Ready?”

“As Rambo,” he said, clipping his seatbelt on, bracing himself against the Jeep interior. “Try to keep us in one piece.”

Claudia grinned. She twisted the ignition and shot forward into an area unmarked by any trail. They continued beyond the overlook until they reached a grass clearing. Claudia drove slower as they edged down the side of an unmarked rock face. Todd thought she was lost when they came to another opening. But this was familiar terrain for Claudia, and she found the trail that led them to the bottom. She slipped around a thicket of trees, through another unmarked area and ended up on the road leading to town.

She could see his relief when they found the road.

She smiled. “That’s why it’s a secret spot.”

They turned into the first paved street, entering a quaint setting that looked like a Walt Disney production. Narrow streets were lined with homogenous buildings, each painted an earth tone and topped with matching terra cotta roofs. It was Todd’s first time in the village. Claudia’s heart swelled, remembering the setting, having visited the village as a young girl with her foster parents and Uncle Rodney. She was glad to see that nothing had changed much since then.

“Nice,” said Todd, as he rolled down his window.

“Yes, isn’t it?” She rolled down her window and gathered in the familiar smell of a small bakery they were passing. “Mmm, that smells good. I’m getting hungry. Hope there’s some food at the cabin.”

“Hungry? How can you think of food at a time like this?”

“The same way I think of other things,” she said, her voice a purr.

Todd laughed. “Must be that over active libido…”

They traveled for several blocks, and turned right into an area crowded with tourists. Claudia recognized the Swiss tour logo on the side of two parked Mercedes buses.

“Looks like your little town has been discovered,” said Todd.

“Never was this busy when I was little,” said Claudia.

She turned onto another street and passed several outdoor cafes that were teeming with tourists.

“If it’s like this in the winter,” she said, “imagine what it’s like when the weather is nice.”

“Yeah,” said Todd, his mind elsewhere.

“Is there something wrong? You seem a distant,” said Claudia.

“No,” he said. “A little upset stomach. I’ll be okay.”

“Sorry for the bumpy ride.” She smiled. “I’ll take it easy from here. The road to the cabin is a lot smoother.”

She leaned over and kissed Todd on the cheek. “Poor baby, I think I might have to –”

“LOOK OUT!” screamed Todd.

A dark SUV jumped into the center of the road, directly in front of the Jeep. The vehicle stopped and the doors flew open. Hector and a second man jumped out carrying AK-47 rifles. There was no way for the Jeep to pass. A tour bus had just pulled in behind the Jeep.

The armed men pointed their weapons at Claudia and Todd.

“DON’T MOVE.”