Chapter Twenty-One
They passed a sign for the company Drew had said was based nearby.
“At least we know we’re on the right track,” he said.
The roads became less like roads and more like dirt tracks. Dark clouds were gathering on the horizon, and he knew rain wasn’t far off. The flash of lightning in the distance had Drew jumping in his seat. It was another few seconds before the thunder reached them.
“Don’t worry, a car is the safest place we could be. Faraday cage and all that.”
“It’s not the storm,” Drew replied, his voice quiet. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
“Believe it. We’re almost there.”
Except not quite, when they took a final turn and ran out of road. Ahead of them, the ground rose steadily into a rocky hill, scattered with trees and shrubs.
“I guess we’re walking from here,” Sam said.
They clambered out, Sam grabbing the backpack and slipping it onto his shoulders. Halfway up the hill, the skies opened. Within seconds they were both drenched and tracking through muddy ground. Overhead, lightning flashed and thunder roared, drowning out every other noise.
Drew was a few feet ahead of him but on his next step, his foot went from under him and he went down, hard.
“Drew!” Sam slipped a hand under his arm, giving him a chance to get to his feet. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” He made a face, wiping the mud from his hands on his jeans. “Just wet. And a little humiliated.”
“Why? I was the only person around to see.”
“Exactly. Brave, strong, special forces police officer watches me trip over my feet and fall in the mud.”
“Hey.”
Sam spun him around so they were face to face. “I need you calm and focused, okay? I don’t care that you fell, that you’re wet and muddy, as long as you’re not hurt. But I need your attention on where you’re placing your feet and not on trying not to look foolish. A sprained ankle and we’ll both we in trouble.”
“You’re right,” Drew said. “I’m just on edge, I guess.” He was looking down and to the left, avoiding Sam’s eyes as he rubbed his hand against his pants leg.
Sam cupped his cheek, urging his gaze up. “Me, too. We’re in this together, okay? Fingers-crossed, Diego is waiting for us over that hill with some towels and a nice hot cup of coffee.”
“Diego always has coffee,” Drew said, brightening at that.
“Then let's keep moving. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can dry off.”
Rainwater was dripping from his hair, his nose, his chin. Shaking it off, feeling very much like a wet dog, he followed Drew who began to take tentative steps up the hill, placing his feet carefully. The going only got steeper and Drew slipped a second time, crashing backward into Sam. He managed to keep them both upright, but only just.
When they finally reached the top of the hill, it didn’t illuminate their path any better. The sleeting rain meant they had little view of what lay in the valley below.
Drew shielded his eyes and peered around, Sam doing likewise.
“Over there,” Drew called suddenly, pointing. Sam glanced in that direction. In the distance was a structure, indistinct but it might have been a house.
“I see it,” he shouted back, fighting to be heard over the storm. “Let’s go.”
He led the way this time, feeling Drew was safer behind him. Drew stayed close, a constant presence at his back. As they reached the base of the hill and the ground leveled off, he got a better look at their destination. It was a house, with the look of a rustic cottage that you might expect out in the middle of the countryside. From what little Drew had told him about Diego, that wasn’t his style.
“Do you think that’s it?” he asked.
Drew looked all around them. “I don’t see anything else that looks habitable. And this is definitely where he told me I’d find him.”
“Then let’s go say hi.”
They trudged through the long grass, rain soaking its way up Sam’s leg and through his socks. It was easy enough to ignore while they were moving, but once they stopped moving, once the cold started to seep in, it would be less than pleasant.
The closer they got to the cottage, the more Sam revised his initial impression. At a distance, it looked old and unpolished. But up close there was something that didn’t quite fit. The windows were too new and from the way the light was failing to reflect he guessed there was something behind them, maybe metal. Reinforcement? Bullet proofing? All possible and all the kind of thing to set alarm bells ringing.
The ground they walked on didn’t raise any suspicions, it was reasonably flat with knee-high grass and scattered plants and mushrooms here and there. A flash of something from a nearby tree had him pause, reaching a hand back to still Drew.
Drew froze, mimicking him. “What is it?”
“The tree at ten o’clock.”
Drew peered around his shoulder. “What about it?”
“On the trunk, about two-thirds of the way up. There’s something there. I caught a flash of light.”
“Might be a trail camera with a motion sensor. Given it’s pointed in our direction, that makes the most sense.”
“Alright. So if it is, does Diego know we’re here?”
“That depends on if the camera is connected to anything. I’m guessing it must be, because it’s too high up to be trying to film the wildlife.”
Whoever was watching, was looking for animals of the human variety.
“Then let’s get out of this rain and say hello,” Sam replied, giving a wave to the camera.
He watched the house as they walked, and swept his eyes over the ground in front of them, one hand resting against his holster. Nothing and no one moved.
“Diego?” Drew called as they neared. “It’s Drew, and I’ve brought a friend.”
There was no answering call, so they kept moving, climbing up onto the porch.
Sam knocked on the door, noting how it too wasn’t what you’d expect for a country cottage.
“It’s reinforced steel. Multi-point locking mechanism,” he pointed out to Drew. “For when you don’t want unexpected visitors knocking down your door.”
“Is it soundproofed as well or can he hear us banging?” Drew asked.
“Can’t be sure from out here but I think he’d be hard pressed to ignore this,” he replied, hammering on the door.
“We’ve got another camera,” Drew said, pointing to a corner above the door. Sam took a step back, so they were side by side.
“Is it on?”
“Hard to tell. There’s no light but that doesn’t mean much.”
The rain continued to drench them, and Sam knew the clock had started ticking now they weren’t walking about. They either needed to get inside or get back to the car, dry out and warm-up.
“I don’t think he’s here.” He voiced the words he knew Drew didn’t want to hear. “The grass around the house is completely undisturbed. The trail leading here from the road was overgrown enough that I’d guess a few months have passed since anyone walked them. I know you said Diego is resourceful and can probably lie low here for a long time, but I think we have to strongly consider the possibility that he moved on after your email.”
“It was stupid to come,” Drew said, slamming his hand against the wall beside the door.
“Hey, hey.” Sam grabbed a hold of his arm before he could punch the concrete wall a second time, spinning Drew around so they were face to face. “That’s not helping anyone. Take a deep breath and calm down. We need level heads. Both of us knew there was a chance Diego wasn’t going to be here. We took that risk, and it didn’t pay off. Now we move on and try to figure out—
“Drew?” a voice said, startling them both, Sam’s hand going instinctively for his gun as he glanced all around them, searching for the source of the voice.
“Diego?” Drew asked, doing likewise. There was no one there, the house still locked down, the surrounding area devoid of life.
“Hey, Drew.” There was the slightest tinny quality to the voice that Sam picked up the second time around. Glancing at the door, then above it, he found the speaker grill, nudging Drew, and pointing to it.
“Yeah, that’s where my voice is coming from, Sam,” the voice said, sounding tired.
“How do you know my—”
“I can hear you and see you,” he said shortly. “Drew, what are you doing there?”
“It’s good to hear your voice, Diego,” Drew said, waving up at the camera. “Can we come in? I need to talk to you about that email I sent.”
“Oh, yeah. That one was a doozy. I’ve dug up a little more since, not easy since that PC you emailed from was rarely connecting to the outside world. And hasn’t been connected since. Someone who knows the true meaning of privacy.”
“Diego, I hate to hurry you, but could you let us in? It’s pouring rain and we’re drowning like rats out here. I’d really like to talk face to face.”
“No can do, Drew. I’m not there, I’m here.”
“Where’s here?” Sam asked.
“The less you know the better. I can let you into the house though, hold on.”
There was a long pause.
“Drew, put your left thumb up to the camera.”
“What?”
“Left thumb in front of the camera lens.” Diego repeated the words impatiently and Drew did as Diego asked.
“Closer, a little closer. Good, hold it there.” Another pause. “Got it. Now, press your thumb against the door handle. Make sure you’re touching the black strip.”
Drew did as he was told. A few seconds later there was an audible click, and he pressed down, the door swinging open beneath his hand.