Hot Springs Murder Page 8

  “The hot springs look to be about waist deep,” Amanda explained, trudging through the river.

  Sarah glanced back over her shoulder toward the trail. She felt like she was in an entirely different world. She could scream at the top of her lungs and no one would hear her. There were no people, no traffic, no smog, no crime, no pollution—just natural, beautiful land, pure and untouched by the greedy hand of man. “If I can only figure out why Dr. Kraus chose this location,” she whispered and focused back on the hot springs. “Is it because of the hot springs? Or did he find the hot springs by accident?”

  Amanda listened to Sarah talk to herself. “Love, we’re really far back. I’m not sure that evil doctor chose this land because of these two hot springs.” Amanda stepped out of the river onto dry ground, turned, helped Sarah out of the river, and then walked to the closest pool. She bent down and touched the hot water with her right hand. “This is the pool my hubby and I sat in. Oh, it was so nice. We sat back here for over an hour, soaking, talking, drinking tea—all very romantic.”

  “I bet it was,” Sarah agreed. She bent down and touched the hot water with her left hand. The water was indeed very hot. “These hot waters can make the body temperature rise,” she whispered.

  Amanda nodded. “I felt like I was ready to melt when I got out,” she explained.

  Sarah leaned up and looked around. She wasn’t sure what to look for. All she knew was that there was something—some clue—that she had to find; some clue that would save her life and the life of her dear friend. “June Bug, Noel said Dr. Kraus vanished before he could be captured, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “She also said he vanished with supplies, right?” Sarah asked.

  “I believe so, yes,” Amanda said.

  Sarah looked into the woods. “I wonder if he buried those supplies close to the hot springs,” Sarah continued to look around. “Noel said the virus enters your body in a frozen state.”

  Amanda focused on Sarah’s thoughtful eyes. “Ah,” she said, catching on, “but how cold, right?”

  “Exactly,” Sarah pointed out. “Maybe Dr. Kraus needed a natural cooler to keep his work cold—but cold at a certain temperature?” Sarah pointed at the river. “The water was warm where we crossed, but I’m sure it gets a lot colder downriver.”

  Amanda nodded. “Perfect refrigerator,” she said.

  Sarah walked back to the river and looked down at the rocky floor. “Hey, look. I didn’t notice this before. The rocks we walked across,” she noticed, “they aren’t natural. Someone put those rocks there.” And with those words, Sarah drew in a deep breath, placed her gun down on dry ground, walked back into the river, dropped down to her knees, and began pulling at the rock. The water rushed up to her waist but didn’t overwhelm her. “Help me, June Bug,” she begged Amanda. “We need to see what’s under these rocks.”

  Amanda let out a painful moan, walked into the river, eased down onto her knees, and sighed. “I didn’t think I was going to go for a swim today,” she told Sarah, feeling the river soak her body from the waist down. “I suppose I did need a bath, though.”

  “The water actually feels nice,” Sarah pointed out and managed to pull up a medium sized rock. “These rocks are very heavy. We’re going to have to work as a team to remove them.”

  “Okay,” Amanda said, drew in a deep breath, and went to work. An hour later, she hauled the last rock out of the river with Sarah and then began digging at the river floor with her hands. It wasn’t long before her hands struck a wooden box. “Hey—hey—we found something!” she exclaimed in an excited voice.

  Sarah felt relief wash over her heart. She had feared that the river was going to turn up only dirt. “Let’s see what we found, June Bug,” she said, in a quick voice. With much effort, she helped Amanda pull a box out of the river and onto dry land.

  “A wet, waterlogged, muddy box,” Amanda said, and plopped down on the ground, exhausted from all the work. Even though her body was tired, her voice still held excitement. “What do you suppose is in the box?” she asked Sarah.

  Sarah sat down next to Amanda and wiped her hands on her dress. “I’m not sure,” she said, and retrieved her gun. “One thing is for certain,” she told Amanda. “That box is very important. The only question is, who hid the box under the river?”

  “Dr. Kraus?”

  “That’s what would make sense,” Sarah admitted. She searched the land for any sign of movement. “The box is secured with a lock. I think we should take the box back to the cabin and open it.”

  Amanda studied a rusted lock attached to the box. “I suppose we could try and break the lock with a rock?” she suggested. “But if we're being watched, we may not get very far with whatever’s inside.”

  Sarah considered Amanda’s suggestion. She wasn’t in a hurry to break into the box right out in the open. If curious eyes were watching, she didn’t want to reveal the contents of the box, assuming the box had any contents to reveal. She was used to exploring new evidence in a secured location such as a police station. However, Amanda’s words reminded her that she was far from a police station, had very little time to live, and needed to hurry. “Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s break into the box.”

  Amanda searched around and found a rock about the size of her hand. She handed the rock to Sarah. “You can have the honors.”

  Sarah sighed. “Thanks,” she said, and took the rock.

  “Anytime, love.”

  Sarah crouched down on her knees, focused on the rusted lock, and then, with all the strength she had, began trying to break into the box. After striking the rusted lock over five times, the lock suddenly popped open, surprising both Sarah and Amanda. “Well,” Sarah said and threw down the rock, “that wasn't too hard.”

  Amanda began to nibble on her lip. “Well—I suppose we should open the box,” she said, in a nervous voice. In her mind, Amanda feared finding a deadly virus—far worse than the virus that might already be eating her body alive—growing in a slimy tube, waiting to be brought to life. “Be careful, love.”

  Sarah stared at the box and then reached out two nervous hands and cautiously pried open the lid and peered inside. “Look at this,” she said, in a quick voice, and pulled out a journal wrapped in a plastic freezer bag.

  “Oh my,” Amanda gasped, “that looks like a—a man’s journal.”

  “It could be the journal of one Dr. Kraus,” Sarah said, in a careful voice. She quickly tucked the journal under her left arm and crawled to her feet. “Let’s get back to the cabin.”

  “I’m with you,” Amanda promised, and forced her legs to work. “Let’s move,” she said, in a hurried voice. “If we’re being watched, I don’t want to be caught out in the open like this.”

  Sarah nodded her head and carefully walked back through the river and waited for Amanda. Once Amanda was across, she jumped into a fast pace and made a swift path back toward the cabin. With each step, she expected the man she had fired at to jump out from behind a tree or bush and attack her. With each step, she expected to see the grizzly bear she had fed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to burst out of nowhere and swallow her whole. When the cabin came into sight and no harm had come to them, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief and raced up onto the front porch. “Hurry,” she urged Amanda.

  “I’m hurrying,” Amanda assured Sarah, and ran to a rocking chair and collapsed. “I need a tea and custard tart,” she said, breathing hard.

  Sarah sat down next to Amanda and took a minute to catch her breath. “And I thought walking the streets of Los Angeles was tough,” she said, and rubbed her left ankle with her right hand. “I’m sore all over.”

  “A nice soak in the hot springs will help,” Amanda replied and leaned her head back. “If we live to ever take a relaxing soak, that is.”

  Sarah kept her eyes alert and gazed across the land. At this distance, the river sparkled in the sun, singing to a land glowing with beauty and sunlight. “It’s such a beautiful day—it’s
horrible to have to hide from its touch in fear. I could pack a picnic basket, walk right out to that river, lay down a blanket, and sit under this sweet sun all day eating and reading.”

  “I know, love,” Amanda agreed. She tossed her eyes toward the river and actually smiled. “Now you can understand why I fell in love with this land.”

  “Yes, I can,” Sarah promised. “I can understand why it captured your heart because this place is capturing mine—the same way Snow Falls did.” Sarah took the journal from under her arm and placed it on her lap. “I hope this journal will help us survive,” she told Amanda. “I want to live to see winter—and then spring. I want to take a nice soak in the hot springs and have a picnic beside the river. I can see Mittens running and playing—”

  Amanda heard tears beginning to form in Sarah's voice. “Love?” she asked, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  Sarah shook her head no. “If we—die—Conrad and I—I wanted us to grow old together. I wanted to grow old with you—in Snow Falls.”

  “I feel the same way, love,” Amanda promised Sarah and took her hand. “Your little shopping buddy isn’t ready to kick the bucket, you know. I have a son and a husband—I have you and Conrad.” Amanda wiped Sarah’s tears away. “I want to die old and after a long, full life, too. I want to see my grandchildren and have my hubby drive me insane with his bell. I want to wash our gray hair away with lousy hair coloring and laugh about our aches and pains. I want to have a million shopping trips with you at O’Mally’s and take our husbands to the bank.” Amanda nearly began crying. “I’m not ready to die—but if Jesus wills it, then so be it. I just pray it’s not our time.”

  Sarah looked deeply into Amanda’s eyes. “How are you feeling?” she asked. “Are you feeling any different? Sick—weak—dizzy headed?” Amanda shook her head no. “Me neither,” Sarah replied. “Noel said the virus matures within a twenty-four to forty-eight-hour period. It’s been almost twenty-four hours.”

  “I’ve been keeping track of the time,” Amanda confessed in a painful voice. “I’ve been monitoring how I'm feeling. So far, so good, love. Maybe the virus wasn’t sprayed into the cabin?”

  “Don’t count on it,” a deadly voice said.

  Sarah jumped and went for her gun. Before she could reach her ankle, a tall man built like a grizzly bear and wearing a black tactical assault uniform darted around the front porch. The man aimed a gun at her. “Take it easy,” Sarah told the man.

  “Not a word,” the man said, and motioned for Sarah and Amanda to leave the porch and follow him. He lowered his gun and hurried down to the far cabin. Amanda looked at Sarah and shrugged her shoulders. Sarah bit down on her lip, studied the situation, and finally decided to follow the man. Amanda followed on worried legs. When she reached the far cabin, she saw the man step inside and vanish.

  “He could have killed us,” Sarah told Amanda, slowly approaching the cabin.

  Amanda nodded her head. “I know, love.”

  “Use caution,” Sarah urged Amanda and carefully stepped into a one-room cabin covered with layers of dust and time. She spotted the man sitting down on a wooden bed frame holding a bare mattress.

  “Close the door.”

  Sarah helped Amanda into the cabin and closed the door. “Who are you?” she asked.

  “My name is Nolan. That’s all you need to know.”

  “Fair enough,” Sarah replied. She eased Amanda close to her and then studied Nolan’s shadowy face. The man appeared to be in his early thirties, had a military-style haircut, a face that was meaner than a rattlesnake, and eyes colder than ice. Yet, even though the man appeared tough, he seemed scared—not only scared—terrified. “Nolan, what do you want?”

  “My wife,” Nolan told Sarah, and pointed toward the main cabin. “I came here to save her life. But, instead,” Nolan shook his head, “she won’t leave.”

  Sarah looked at her friend. Amanda shrugged her shoulders. “Do you mean Noel? Talk to me, Nolan.”

  Nolan stared at Sarah. “Lady, I work for some very dangerous people who sent me here to kill a man and capture a virus.” Nolan placed his gun down on the bed and ran his hands through his short hair. “I have a background in virology. That’s how I met my wife.”

  Sarah waited for Nolan to continue. When Nolan fell silent, she asked, “Noel isn’t well, is she?”

  “Why should she be?” Nolan snapped at Sarah with a vicious tongue. “My wife has been shot and left for dead—more hits have been put out on her than you can imagine—she’s been through one nightmare after the next.” Nolan shook his head. “Why? Because she wouldn’t give up trying to find Kraus.”

  “Nolan, Noel mentioned a terror group called the White Cell. Does that group actually exist?”

  “Sure it does,” Nolan said, with bitter confusion in his eyes. “Who do you think I’m working for?” Nolan locked eyes with Sarah. “She’s a skilled deceiver. She doesn’t want you to know that I’m her husband—that I was the one sent to kill Kraus and capture the virus. She’s been twisting you around with half-truths and half-lies this entire time.”

  “I assumed.”

  Nolan nodded his head. “I figured,” he told Sarah. He ran his hand through his hair again. “Noel was lying about that woman and her husband becoming contaminated virus carriers. And you were right about the new stranger in your town—he is a monitor.” Nolan took a breath as if he needed to steady his mind. “Kraus didn’t contaminate your friend and her husband as ordered. He had no intention of contaminating her after he assured the boss man he had devised a plan to bring her back. That’s why I was sent here—to do the job for him.”

  “You ugly, filthy rat,” Amanda spat.

  “Hey lady,” Nolan fired back, “I had no intention of contaminating you. I’m not claiming to be a saint, but I know when to stop hanging with a rough crowd.” Nolan tapped his gun. “The boss man doesn’t want to weaponize the virus and sell it to the top bidder anymore.”

  “He just wants to release the virus, doesn’t he?” Sarah asked.

  Nolan nodded his head. “Your little town was supposed to be a lab experiment. If the experiment went well—he was going to order the virus to be released in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Lagos, Mumbai, Shanghai, and Tokyo—every city in America and abroad with a large population over a one-week span.” Nolan shook his head. “I came here to save my wife, kill Kraus, and destroy the virus. Only—”

  “Only what?” Sarah demanded. “Talk to me, Nolan.”

  “Yes, talk to us, you slime,” Amanda growled.

  Nolan glared at Noel. “My wife hates me. She will kill me on sight if she sees me. She—”

  “She what?” Sarah ordered Nolan to talk. “What did Noel do? Did Noel release the virus?”

  “No,” Nolan snapped. “Noel came here to kill Kraus and destroy the virus. She was too late—so was I.” Nolan stood up and pointed toward the main cabin. “I arrived before Noel and made my way toward the cabin through a back trail no one else knows. When I got close to the cabin, I heard a gunshot. I ran to the cabin and peeked through the window, assuming Noel had arrived before I did.”

  “Noel didn’t kill Dr. Kraus,” Sarah pointed out.

  Nolan agreed. “I saw Dr. Kraus’s wife standing over his body holding a gun—she was the one who killed the guy, not me. But—” Nolan shook his head. “The woman was holding a specially designed spray bottle that connects to the tubing the viruses are housed in.” Nolan stared at Sarah and Amanda with confused, shocked eyes. “She just began spraying the air—with no concern or remorse. I—for the first time in my life, panicked. I ran for my four-wheeler, but when I arrived—someone had slashed the tires, cut the battery cords and drained the gas.”

  “Noel?” Sarah asked.

  “It had to be,” Nolan answered. “I panicked even worse and ran back to the cabin just in time to see Noel sneak through the back door. Before I could react, I heard a gunshot, and Noel had shot Kraus’s wife.” Nolan ran his hands over his face. “Noel
is my wife—I love her. I knew she’d been exposed to the virus now—what choice did I have? I ran into the cabin. When Noel saw me, she tried to shoot me—I had to flee, knowing we were contaminated.” Nolan removed his hands. “About two hours later, you two arrived.”

  “Where is Mrs. Kraus's body?” Sarah asked.

  “I watched Noel hide the body in a hidden cellar under the kitchen floor. She began to hide Kraus’s body in the cellar, but you two arrived before she could. She spent a lot of time in the basement, but I don’t know what she was doing.” Nolan shook his head. “I was too afraid to go back into the cabin—the virus—we’re all contaminated.” Nolan sat down on the bed and put his face into his hands. “We’re all dead.”

  “Why didn’t you come to us before now?” Sarah asked.

  “I had to get a feel for your motives,” Nolan told Sarah in a stern voice. “Time is short and I can’t afford to align myself with enemies. Once I figured you were okay, I knew it was time to talk.”

  “Why?” Amanda asked, anguished. “We can’t save you.”

  “Noel can,” Nolan told Amanda. “She can save all of us—and only you two can convince her to save us. We have less than twenty-four hours.” And with those words, Nolan grew silent with dread as the two women looked at him and contemplated their fate.

  Across the overgrown field from where they stood, the main lodge held a growing darkness. Noel stood in the basement staring at the last two virus tubes, contemplating her next step amid doubt and confusion, as her tormented mind began to crumble away, sending her down a very dark and deep hole.

  6

  Sarah’s mind raced as she contemplated several ideas at once. Her gut told her to move quickly, but her cop mind told her to move carefully and evaluate their options first. “Does Noel have the virus Mrs. Kraus was spraying?” Sarah asked Nolan.