Ghost Canyon (The John Decker Supernatural Thriller Series Book 7) Anthony Strong (popular romance novels .TXT) 📖

He pushed the piles of dirty plates away with a grimace and shot Carlton a disapproving look, but kept his mouth shut. Another confrontation with the crotchety old man would only make their forced stay in his cabin that much more uncomfortable.

Decker decided the floor was his best option and sat with his back to the chest of drawers they had used to barricade the door. Neither man slept. Decker was worried about Agent Fowler, Robyn, and Tieg. He trusted them not to venture outside, but they would worry, none-the-less. Regardless, a return to the hotel before daybreak was too risky, and neither he nor Barnes had brought their cell phones. With no other option, he settled down to wait out the hours.

When dawn broke, they left and made their way back toward the hotel. They had barely covered half the distance when the hotel doors flew open and Robyn hurried down the steps. She rushed toward them, a big grin on her face. Tieg, elated, ran ahead of her. Special Agent Fowler followed behind at his own pace, obviously relieved to see the pair, but unwilling to express it with such exuberance.

“Oh my God, I’m so happy to see the pair of you.” She flung her arms around Decker, then did the same to Barnes. “We couldn’t tell what was happening. I thought that hideous creature might’ve gotten you.”

“Not a chance,” Decker said, faking a nonchalance he didn’t totally buy into. “We were fine.”

“Except we had to spend the rest of the night locked inside with Carlton in that mangy old cabin,” Barnes said, a tinge of disgust in his voice. “That guy needs a maid more than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“He doesn’t get many visitors,” Robyn replied.

“And I can see why.” Barnes frowned. “The signs he has peppered around warning people off are bad enough, but man, does it reek in there. I used to play football back in high school, and it smelled worse than my old locker room. I was holding my breath for the first fifteen minutes we were there.”

“The place could certainly use an air freshener or ten,” Decker agreed. “But that’s not what I’m worried about. I miscalculated.”

“How so?” Fowler asked.

“I thought that padlocking the mine entrance would keep the creature contained. I was wrong. It escaped anyhow. I only hope it didn’t kill anyone else.”

“Might be an idea to check the mine,” Barnes said. “If that thing busted through the gates, we need to know.”

“Agreed.” Decker nodded. “Probably sooner rather than later.”

“How about now?” Fowler suggested. “I’ll come with you.”

“Suits me,” Decker replied.

Robyn shook her head. “Not until all of you have eaten something.” Her gaze shifted between Barnes and Decker. “You must be famished.”

“This is more important.” Decker was, in fact, hungry, but he didn’t want to waste another moment. If there was a problem with the mine entrance, they would need to figure out how to solve it before darkness fell again and the creature emerged once more.

“All right,” Robyn said. “But I’m going to rustle up some breakfast, anyway. Don’t be too long. When you return, I expect you to eat.”

“Yes ma’am,” Barnes said with a chuckle. “You’re worse than my mother.”

“Dang right I am.” Robyn pursed her lips. “Now scoot. And don’t be long.”

“We’ll do our best,” Decker replied. Then he turned toward the trail with the two FBI agents at his side.

Chapter Forty-Nine

They made their way up the trail as the sun rose higher in the sky. Far above them, a prairie falcon rode the thermals in lazy wide circles looking for prey, hoping to snag a jackrabbit, or possibly even an unlucky collared lizard or desert iguana. After his encounter with the creature the night before, Decker could easily sympathize with whatever poor desert dweller fell victim to the prowling raptor.

After a ten-minute hike, they reached the flat plateau in front of the mine. Beyond this the trail wound higher, creosote bushes and sagebrush pushing in on all sides. It was up this path that Decker and Barnes had followed the pair of interlopers the previous day.

Decker came to a halt and looked around. Nothing looked out of place, and when he approached the mine’s entrance, he discovered the gates were still padlocked.

“All secure,” he said, tugging on the chains just to make sure. “The creature didn’t get out this way.”

“That’s a relief, at least.” Barnes wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

“On the contrary, it’s worse.” Decker scanned his surroundings, paying close attention to the sandy earth under their feet. If the creature had been here recently, it would have left faint but distinguishable tracks. He could easily see their own boot prints, and those of the two men they encountered the previous day. He even noticed the impression of older footprints, probably left by the geologists and search and rescue team earlier. “It means the creature is escaping the mine from another location.”

“Or it left the mine after the first killings and hasn’t returned,” Fowler said.

“It’s possible.” Decker rubbed his chin. “But I still think my original assessment is correct. The creature has been trapped in the mine since pioneer days. That’s the only scenario that makes sense given the original incident and the fact that the mine entrance was blocked until recently. Those geologists were the first people to venture that deep into the mine since Robyn reopened it. The three corpses they found appeared to be hiding from something. They were afraid. There was a symbol drawn into the earth nearby, which denotes a superstitious angle. The geologists found bones too, suggesting violent deaths occurred in the tunnels prior to their own fatal encounter. This is ground zero, I’d stake my reputation on it. The creature probably has an attachment to this place. I’ll further speculate that it doesn’t do well in daylight given the circumstances of each attack. I’m sure it returns here before dawn.”

“And let’s not forget that it can fly.” Barnes looked unhappy. “As if a demonic