Goldilocks Page 4

  She fought the urge to stop and check her pedometer, knowing that the five minutes that had already ticked by on her stopwatch put her at less than a mile with this terrain. A far cry short of what she’d been at, even in her second season running cross country. Pushing forward up yet another hill, Hannah forced her breath not to catch as the tip of a nearby mountain came into view. Without her father around to say ‘I told you so’, it was easier to admit that he’d been right when he’d told her that Colorado was unbelievably beautiful. Never in her life had she seen anything so vivid and proud, bright green splashed over the misshapen peak like a beacon for all of nature to see.

  Even at a wild guess, she was still a good ten to fifteen miles away from reaching the base, but it suddenly became her goal to go at least that far before school started. With the mountain in her sights, Hannah ran easily now, her pounding footsteps dulled by the layers of moss, and dead limbs covering most of the trail that had been nearly clear just as few hills back. Her IPod, normally her companion during training, lay dead back at the cabin, but for once she didn’t mind not having her favorite tunes blaring in her ears. Birds chirped a continuous song overhead, the tree limbs above her animated as squirrels jumped from tree to tree chasing each other, or running from the noise she was making.

  She’d just broken a hard sweat when the pedometer on her ankle beeped, signaling that she’d reached the 3.1 miles required of the competitive level 5k she normally ran. A quick look at the stopwatch on her wrist and Hannah slowed in shock as twenty eight minutes ticked slowly towards twenty nine. Her breaths came in heaving gasp now, her sides pinching as her gate brought her to a stumbling walk. It had been stupid to leave her water bottle behind, but with her phone and the map already weighing down the tiny pack around her waist, she hadn’t wanted the extra weight. It would be another 3.1 miles back to the cabin if she turned around now, the ache in her throat protesting in a groan at the thought of it.

  Just then her phone chirped several times in a row, signaling a series of incoming text messages that she’d missed having no service. Her run had brought her high enough for the device to produce one bar she realized, sliding it open with a smile. Aunt Maggie had checked in several times, with a few ‘I miss you’s’ and even a picture of her holding a bouquet of flowers meant for her sister’s grave. A tear slid down Hannah’s cheek as she kissed the screen before saving the photo, happy that Aunt Maggie hadn’t done away with their ritual right away. She must have known that Hannah would wonder. The last text from her read: So…How is it?!?!?! I want details!

  Any other time, Hannah would have picked up the phone and just called her, but with nowhere in the cabin to charge any of their electronics, not only did she only have one bar of service coverage, but she also only had one bar of battery power left. One quick text summed it up, and she hit send before the phone powered down on its own: Middle of nowhere hell! *sigh*

  Tucking the phone back into the pack on her waist Hannah turned back the way she’d come, freezing almost immediately when a rustle of leaves alerted her that she was no longer alone. Her breath, that was just starting to steady, quickened with her heart, her feet backing her against the nearest tree as she looked for the source of the sound. It came again, louder and with a splash this time, her ears straining while her body turned her in the right direction.

  She hadn’t noticed the steady trickle of the creek before, the blood in her ears pounding too loudly for her to pick up the soft sound during her run, but she heard it now. Almost completely hidden by adjacent banks that nearly kissed in an overhang leading opposite the path she stood on, she caught bits and pieces of the sparkling water, the sun’s light reflecting off of it and up into the trees. She was ankle deep in dead leaves by the time she picked her way from the trail to its edge, her gaze darting back and forth until she spotted the cause of the splash.

  Two beavers were busy at work further up the bank, a nice sized dam nearly formed in a pocket of water that lay just under a fallen log. They regarded her warily as she stooped to get a better look, her hands cupped and slowly reaching towards the flowing water her burning throat craved. Once the animals realized that she wasn’t there to harm them, they immediately went back to their task, leaving Hannah to slurp greedily from her hands until her thirst was satisfied.

  With a sigh she settled on a bump of soft moss, letting her feet dangle for a moment while she turned her face up towards the treetops looming overhead. It was just enough covering to block the heat, yet still allow light to steam through much better than it did on the trail. There was nothing like this in D.C. that wasn’t landscaped to perfection, and she suddenly wished she hadn’t sent that text to Aunt Maggie. This place really was growing her.

  Hannah immediately smiled at the thought, shrugging away the uneasy feeling that suddenly caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. The beavers were still ignoring her, but something caused her head to turn, her eyes searching the forest around her for other critters. Reaching for her pack, she bit her bottom lip in frustration, realizing that her dad might have been right about the mace.

  A lone howl far off in the distance brought her to her feet, and without a backwards glance at the creek she was picking her way back towards the trail. Goosebumps prickled her arms under the long sleeve shirt she wore, but she saw nothing as she glanced up towards the mountain and then back down again. Hannah listened for another long moment before releasing a sigh of relief, her hand over her heart as she shook her head at her silliness. All that talk about lions and tigers and bears from her father must have scared her more than she thought. It was probably nothing more than a coyote calling to its mate or something, and she was sure she’d heard in history class that coyote howls could be heard from miles and miles away. By the time anything like that got close enough to eat her, she’d be home safe and sound.

  Chapter 4:

  Paul Adler stood in front of the group of men gathering around him, shocked that there were only a handful of twenty or so, instead of the minimum hundred he knew it would take to get Golden Wonder back into tip top shape. His meeting over the phone with Mike had been brief, the latest numbers faxed over to the one stop shop while he’d been across the street having breakfast. According to the reports in his hand, the mine, when run at full capacity, had the ability to produce sixteen ounces of gold per ton, which made it one hundred times richer than the richest operating gold mine in the United States. But over the last six months, since LKA had given the go ahead to the miners of Hinsdale to reopen the previously closed facility, they’d barely brought forth two ounces, with a reported eighteen tunnel collapses in the last three months. Something just didn’t sit right with Paul about all the problems the mine had been having. None of the collapses could be explained. Soil reports showed unmarred bedrock that even the strongest dynamite would have a tough time blowing to bits. It had to be negligence that kept the mine from running smoothly, but even understaffed, the miners had to know that the safety report was one of the biggest factors in keeping this place open. He’d have to get to the bottom of this and soon. His job was on the line now too.

  “All right! All right! Settle down!” A big tall brute, standing in front, held up his hands to the men, bringing their lively chatter down to complete silence.

  He nodded at Paul, his arms folding over his chest as he stepped back into the crowd of men with a grunt. Paul’s mouth opened and then snapped shut as questions started being hurled at him from some of the other men, all of them once again talking over each other.

  “Are you here to close the mine?!”

  “Are you going to look into the tunnel collapses?!”

  “Why did they send an outsider! We don’t need any help!” an old timer near the back shouted, his rock pick thrust towards Paul in anger.

  “Please!” Paul held up his hands for silence, waiting patiently until the grumbling questions had died down to murmurs. He continued before anyone else could interrupt him, hoping to get some answers of
his own. “My name is Paul Adler,” he paused, letting his hand rest on his chest for emphasis. “LKA International has assigned me as the new inspector for Golden Wonder mine, yes, but…I’m not here to close it. I’m here to get to the bottom of the tunnel collapses,” he shuffled through the pages in his hand until he found the one he was looking for, reading it out loud. “ ‘Two reported deaths just before the mine closed two years ago, both due to unexplained tunnel collapses.’ It’s only been six months, and I’m showing another eighteen collapses since. Now, I know LKA has sent in all kinds of experts before they gave the go ahead to reopen, and there were no problems found in the soundness of the old tunnels or the newly open tunnels. I see here that we have two miners certified for C4 usage, and I’d like to meet with them first to discuss…”

  “That’s never been the problem! This place is cursed and everyone knows it!” One man shouted from the middle of the crowd.

  “Now hold up a minute! This is our livelihood, you can’t just go believing…”

  “LKA has no idea what we’re dealing with here!”

  “That’s just a bunch of hog wash!”

  “The mine should be closed!” the brute in the front roared so loudly that there was immediate silence.

  Paul’s eyes fixed on the man, waiting for him to further explain his words.

  “Rone Bear,” he finally said, the deep baritone of his voice a rumble in the still air. “I’ve lived in these parts before any of the other miners here. I’ve worked this mine longer than any of them too. The mine isn’t safe, never has been. The deeper we go, the more problems we’ll have until there’s no one left to…”

  “There already isn’t anyone left!” someone from the middle of the crowd shouted, and the men parted, their eyes suddenly cast downward as Rone’s head turned to find the challenger.

  “Finn Beckett,” a thin man with a long scraggly beard dared meet the brute’s stare for a moment before lowering his eyes. “We all want the mine to stay open except for you. You don’t know how hard it’s been for the people of Hinsdale and their families,” he addressed Paul now, his eyes pleading. “There’s gold down there, chunks as big as your fists and even bigger in some places,” he paused as the other men agreed with their own comments.

  “Is gold really worth losing your lives over, losing the whole town over?” Rone bellowed, his massive arms unfurling to hang at his sides as he straightened to his full height.

  Even Paul took a step back from the burly looking mountain man, his gaze following all of his six foot ten frame from toe to head.

  “Look…” Paul sighed, not wanting to start an argument when all he wanted was to come up with a solution. “Everyone please calm down. It isn’t my intention to close the mine. I have a lot of work to do over the next few weeks, and I’m going to need everyone’s help. Safety is the biggest concern right now. I don’t want any blood on my hands, and I’m sure, neither do any of you.”

  “Then close the mine!” Rone gritted out through clenched teeth, one closed fist slamming into his open palm.

  “Rone is it…?” Paul tried again, but was bumped aside as Rone stormed past him, his shoulder knocking Paul off balance as he went.

  “What’s his problem?” Paul asked as he watched the man go, across the mining yard, his long legs carrying him through the rusted gates.

  “Don’t even know why he works here,” Finn mumbled, shaking his head as Paul turned to face the men again.

  “Why does he want the mine closed so badly?” Paul pressed, his gaze running over the men who lowered their eyes to keep from being pointed out.

  Finn was the only one who spoke up, his tone hushed, but sincere.

  “There’s always been rumors of a curse on Hinsdale. Rone…I guess he thinks the mine has something to do with the curse. He was here before the rest of us; no one really even knows where he lives. Some say up in the mountains, some say deep in the forest…”

  “I heard he lives in that old junkyard on the other side of the pass…” A middle age man near the front spoke up, nodding as if to convince the others.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” the old timer in the back spoke, his rock pick hanging at his side now. “He has a wife and son, who goes to school with some of your kids mind you,” he spat a wad of chewing tobacco into the rich brown dirt, stubbing it over with his toe before he looked towards Paul again. “The last thing we need is a bunch more rumors starting that ain’t true! Just saying…”

  “All the same,” Finn continued. “Maybe there’s some truth to what Rone is saying. He’s been in the tunnels during every one of the collapses and…”

  “And it’s mighty strange that he is never there afterwards…”

  “Yes he is!”

  “Well never right after! The last time it took half an hour before he was spotted, coming from the hills!”

  “Enough!” Finn snapped, his quiet voice now loud enough to leave a look of surprise on the other workers’ faces. “You want facts?” he spoke to only Paul now. “Go talk to Jennings. He’s the only one that’s been in Hinsdale as long as Rone has. He used to work these mines until his son went missing. Some say he lost it, and that’s why he never leaves that place of his up on Eagle’s Point; some say other things, but whatever the case. You’ll get further with him than with any of us. We’re just all trying to make a living here that’s all. You want answers, talk to him,” Finn nodded towards Paul, ignoring the disapproving whispers from the other men.

  The meeting that Paul had called in hopes of bringing some order to the work load at Golden Wonder adjourned without him getting in another word. He watched the group go their separate ways, some of them heading back towards the main tunnel that would carry them more than a mile below the surface. He’d intended to put a stop to today’s work load until he got some answers, but one more day wouldn’t hurt. He would go to see Jennings, and start from there.

  Chapter 5:

  It was his third time in the one stop shop today, and Paul expected the cheery greeting and wide smile he got from its stocky owner this time. Before he’d even made it to the register Sam had him in his sights, calling out a “What can I do for you?” even though this arms were already loaded down with a crate of oranges.

  “Hard to get up here in these parts, so I order them by the truck full. Probably won’t even last me a week,” Same explained, setting the bright orange fruit on the wide counter.

  “Well I don’t want to bother you…” Paul started, stepping aside to let a young woman pile her basket full of groceries on the counter beside the crate. “I’m trying to get some sort of order going at the mine, and my meeting with the miners didn’t go too well this morning,” Paul explained.

  The young woman’s eyes went from Paul to Sam, her brow rising in question as she waited for the conversation to continue. Paul could see the shift in Sam’s features, his friendly smile pulling tight, now forced.

  “Them boys giving you some trouble about being the new inspector…?” the woman asked when Sam started to ring her up without saying anything.

  “Well it’s not exactly that, it’s just…”

  “Now mind your business Millie,” Sam chided, dropping the items she’d placed on the counter into large paper bags he already had waiting and open. “Mr. Adler’s here on official business, and we don’t need no rumors getting started.”

  “But Jeff said…”

  “Millie…” Sam warned, his continued forced smile turning down into a grimace now. “I’m sure if there’s anything that you need to know, Jeff will tell you this afternoon, but I’d like to speak with Paul alone, so if you don’t mind…” he pointed to the total on the screen, rolling his eyes when the woman took her time pulling out her check book.

  In D.C. checks were almost unheard of, unless it was a business check, and Paul watched in amusement as the woman took even more time neatly printing the store’s name and amount before signing with a lavish swirl. He offered to help her carry her bags to her car, but was
answered with an unlady like snort as she snatched them from the counter and huffed away.

  “Sorry about that. That woman’s always trying to get into someone’s business…”

  “What’s with all the rumors around here?” Paul chuckled, leaning against the counter as Sam began to unpack the oranges.

  “Small town, ya know,” Sam shrugged without looking at Paul.

  And there it was again. The same look he’d seen on some of the miner’s faces when a curse had been mentioned during the meeting. Sam suddenly seemed to be hiding something, his brow creased in concentration that wasn’t necessary for unpacking the fruit.

  “So do you know a man by the name of Jennings? Uh…Finn Beckett told me that I should talk to him, and…”

  “You stay away from Jennings ya here,” Sam snapped, grabbing up the loose bundles in his arms and heading from behind the counter. “Crazy old coot probably couldn’t even tell you his full name anymore if he tried. No one’s even seen him since…” Sam stopped in his tracks, turning back to look at Paul. “Well never mind,” he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, cuz I don’t even know where he lives anymore,” he shrugged, refusing to meet Paul’s eye as he headed around the corner towards the grocery section.

  “Strange…” Paul murmured to no one in particular, scanning the other aisles up front for any other customers.

  Sam probably wouldn’t appreciate him sticking around to ask questions, but the young teenage boy that popped into sight was too easy. He looked to be around Hannah’s age, and would probably have heard of Jennings if there was a rumor around here no one wanted to talk about. Paul followed the boy down the aisle labeled ‘Guns & Ammunition’, pretending to browse just a few feet away before the boy turned and stared.