Part 48 (1/2)

At every major fork in the road, Jack would stop and watch the traffic for a while, then he'd take out the truck, see which way it ran, and choose their path accordingly.

The Rover led them farther and farther into the hills. As the pavement gave way to a hard-packed dirt road, Alicia felt a growing sense of antic.i.p.ation seeping through her. She fought it for a while-she didn't want to look forward to anything connected to that man-but finally she gave in. Up ahead, perhaps over the next rise or around the next bend in the road, on one of these leafless wooded slopes, something momentous waited.

But as her antic.i.p.ation grew, she noticed an increased edginess in Jack.

”Is something bothering you?” she said.

He shrugged. ”All this wide-open s.p.a.ce.” He gestured to an expanse of hills and valleys visible through a break in the trees. ”Not my kind of place. I like my roads paved, preferably with the option of traveling under under them, and I like my trees growing in evenly s.p.a.ced holes in the sidewalk.” them, and I like my trees growing in evenly s.p.a.ced holes in the sidewalk.”

Just then the tires began to spin and slip on the steep upgrade.

”Should have rented a Jeep,” Jack said. He seemed annoyed with himself. ”Should have thought of that.”

But the tires finally caught and propelled the car up to where the rutted dirt road leveled out a little.

”It can't be too much farther,” she said. ”There's not much more of this mountain left.”

”Yeah, but what if the Rover is pointing at the next next mountain?” mountain?”

Alicia hadn't thought of that.

A moment later they came to the end of the road.

”Swell,” Jack said.

Alicia leaned forward, scanning the wall of tree trunks and thick underbrush ahead of them. She didn't want to believe they'd have to go all the way back down that road. And then she saw what looked like a break in the brush.

”Hang on. Is that a path?”

Rover in hand, Jack stepped out of the car. This time Alicia followed.

”Good eye, Alicia,” he said, pointing to a thin footpath trailing off into the brush. ”Lucky the leaves are gone. No way you'd see that if the brush was greened up. And that's a good thing.”

”Why?”

”Could mean someone doesn't want it found too easily. Let's go.”

Alicia pulled her coat collar more tightly around her neck. They'd traveled north, they were on a hilltop, the sun was hiding, and a wind was rising. She wished she'd dressed warmer.

The path threaded left and right around trees and boulders for a good fifty yards before it opened into a wide clearing. Alicia gasped when she saw the old log cabin that stood at its center. Those logs were the only thing old about the scene. The rest was all high-tech. The cabin's roof and much of the yard around it were decked with photoelectric solar panels. Also on the roof, jutting twenty-five or thirty-feet above the solar panels there, stood a strange-looking antenna.

”I'm going to be very surprised if this isn't the place,” Jack said.

He put the Rover down and let it run. It rocked this way and that as it plowed through the weeds, but it moved inexorably toward the cabin's front door.

”One more check,” Jack said.

As he carried the Rover around toward the north side, Alicia moved closer to the cabin. She noticed that the windows were sealed... bricked over. Someone did not want visitors.

”Look at this,” Jack called from her right. ”I moved it ninety degrees to the north, and now it's running south... right at this cabin. No doubt about it, Alicia. We've found it. This is the place.”

Alicia rubbed her upper arms through her coat. Now she was really really cold. cold.

Suddenly Jack was at her side. ”Here,” he said, handing her the Rover. ”Hold this while I get us inside.”

”Going to pick the lock?” she said.

”Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my pick set.” He bent and looked closer at the lock. ”Too bad. It's a Yale. I'm good with Yales. Nope... looks like I'm going to have to do it the old-fas.h.i.+oned way.”

So saying, he leaped forward and slammed his foot against the door just inches from the lock face. The sound of the impact echoed away down the hill.

But the door hadn't budged.

”I'll be d.a.m.ned,” Jack said, checking out the hinges. ”This door opens outward. Weird. And that's going to make it even tougher.”

He took another flying leap at the heavy oak panels, with about as much success as before.

Three more times in rapid succession, with the noise echoing around them, and still the door stood firm.

Alicia froze as an accented voice behind them said, ”Perhaps I might be of a.s.sistance?”

Startled, Jack whirled and reached for his Semmerling, but held his hands wide when he saw that the newcomer already had a pistol pointing at him.

Yos.h.i.+o.

Jack knew he had to look stupid standing here and gaping at him, but he couldn't figure it out...

”Where the h.e.l.l did you come from?”

”From the trunk of your car.”

”The trunk?” Jack couldn't believe it. ”When did you-?” Then he got it. ”Oh, h.e.l.l. Back in Chelsea, right?”

He wanted to kick himself. He hadn't had the car long enough to notice the extra weight in the rear, but still, he shouldn't have left anything to chance.

Yos.h.i.+o nodded with a strained smile. ”A most uncomfortable ride.”

”I'll bet,” Jack said, remembering all the b.u.mps they'd bounced over and holes their tires had dropped into on the way up here. ”Jeez, you must've wanted to get here bad.”

”Yes, Jack-san. Very bad. And what of your promise to share information? What had happened to that?”

”Our deal was right of first refusal,” Jack said, gently as he could. Not a good idea to rile the man with the gun. ”And we don't even know what we've got yet.” He turned to Alicia. ”By the way, this is Yos.h.i.+o, the j.a.panese gentleman I told you about.”

Alicia looked about ready to shed her skin. She stood stiff and still, her eyes never wavering from the muzzle pointed their way.

”Say, 'Pleased to meet you,' ” Jack whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

”Pleased to-does he have to point that at us?”

”Very sorry,” Yos.h.i.+o said. ”If Jack-san will please to give me his weapon, I will put this away. It is only to protect myself, I a.s.sure you.”