Alaskan Mountain Pursuit Elizabeth Goddard (best short novels .TXT) 📖

Living secluded as we were here, that meant a daily ride in the helicopter to and from school. That drew too much attention to me. Even though most of the students came from wealthy families, I was embarrassed. But then, one day while on the way to pick me up, for reasons unknown, the helicopter crashed and killed the pilot. A man I had come to love and trust. Not to mention I, too, could have been on the helicopter. I guess the whole incident traumatized me. But after that, I had a tutor at the house. She was a Christian. Faith had never really been part of my life before that. Mom started taking me to a tiny church in town just up the road. Then I went off to college and followed my dreams. I haven’t flown since then...except with you that day when you saved my life.”

Will cleared the thick emotion from his throat. “I’m sorry to hear that happened, Sylvie. Real sorry.” And now, of course, she could add her mother’s death to the list of reasons to be afraid of flying. He had his own morbid story but they had other issues to discuss. Will flew low and radioed the flight tower in Bellingham, hoping to land there. And where was that Camaro? His stomach tightened as he thought about what they’d been through. What they must still face.

“Tell me about the letter now.”

Sylvie pulled it from her purse, and using a small map light, read the letter to him, her voice shaking. The letter revealed much and yet remained cryptic. They needed a plan and quick.

“So what’s next, then, Sylvie? Since your mother didn’t feel safe going to the police, should we follow her intended path and head to Mountain Cove? Nobody would expect us to go there, would they? We could show Chief Winters the letter, or get back in touch with the state troopers.”

When she didn’t answer, he found her staring out the window. She always liked to think before she spoke. He had learned that much about her. She must be more than confused, as was he, about whether Damon Masters was involved or not, considering Ashley had tried to convince them otherwise. The woman sounded emotionally attached to her boss, though—in a way that might color her opinion. Had Sylvie caught on to that? What was Ashley’s role in this, if any, other than as assistant? Will had a lot of questions, but he needed time to think. To clear his head.

This was moving too fast.

“No.”

“What?”

“We can’t talk to anyone until we have that thumb drive in hand.” She shifted in her seat, turning to look at him. “Don’t you see? Nothing can be proved, even if we go to the police, without the solid evidence on that drive. That’s why they wanted to kill me, so that I wouldn’t find it. They knew I was getting too close. If they’d succeeded, who knows if anyone would have found me for months or even years, if ever?”

Just like their mothers in the downed plane. Will frowned, watching the airport lights grow near. “If they wanted the thumb drive they would have made the dive and searched for it already.”

“No. They haven’t found the plane. Only knew that I was diving in the general vicinity where they expected it would have gone down. I haven’t found it yet, either, but I spotted something suspicious—something that looked like it could have been part of the plane, just before Diverman attacked. Think about it, Will. Diverman is the same one we’ve seen everywhere, trying to kill me. He and Rifleman. He hasn’t been diving after the thumb drive or else he wouldn’t have had time to follow us. And it’s doubtful he, or whoever is calling the shots, wants to bring in yet another person just to dive for that plane. The fewer who know about the thumb drive and information worth millions, the better. Diverman’s only mission, at the time, was to kill me there. Make it look like an accident, but he failed. He told us he doesn’t have the drive yet—that means we still have a chance to get there first. We have to go back. We know what we’re looking for this time, and it’s about much more than finding my mother.”

Will thought he heard tears wrapped around desperation in her voice.

“We have to get justice for them, Will. And we might just be running out of time to do that. We have to go back and get the thumb drive before someone beats us to it. I have a feeling Diverman knows that, too. We have to beat him there. We have to find that plane so we can end this once and for all. Our lives are on the line here. I’m not going to trust anyone else with them.”

Will didn’t respond while he landed the helicopter. He grabbed the first aid kit. They jumped out and he grabbed her hand and they ran. Seemed like they were always running. Sylvie was always behind him. What would life feel like once it returned to normal and he and Sylvie were no longer running for their lives?

He led her into the airport terminal. Will took care of his wound in the restroom. Fortunately, it wasn’t more than a graze, just as he thought. That could have been so much worse. He’d never discount what his knife-throwing skills could accomplish. Finished with dressing the wound, Will hurried out and found Sylvie waiting for him, then pulled her into a secluded corner. She stared up at him in surprise, her mouth half open as if she wanted to say something, then she shut it.

Now. Will was ready to respond to her pronouncement. “Let me get this straight. You want to go back to where this all started. Where a diver tried to kill you. And look for the plane?”

She shook her head. “You heard me right.”

“You’re asking me to dive?”