It was strange how long the ride seemed to take. In reality it was only a, few minutes, a couple of miles. For Elden Tegg, attempting to work this out in his head, those minutes passed slowly. Another complication. This heart harvest had brought him some bad luck, but he wasn't going to bail out. Not with Wong Kei's money in hand. Not with a donor all lined up. You seized a problem by the throat and you squeezed until it died. It was as simple as that. Problems left breathing came back to life. You killed them the first time, or you suffered the consequence.
Michael directed Tegg through the turns that lead Tegg onto his own property. Tegg remarked convincingly, "I've been coming up these country roads for years. Never knew this place existed." "Me either," Michael said. "You're on foot, are you?" Tegg asked, needing as much information as possible. His hope was to discourage this person, to convince him he had heard wrong, send him on his way. But if this failed, what then? Where was a person like Maybeck when you needed him the most? "Hiking." "You're a long way from anywhere." He added, "I was under the impression this is mostly private land out here." It was all privately leased land now-timberland owned by paper companies. The hiker had been trespassing-probably knowingly and this seemed useful ammunition. You preyed on a person's vulnerabilities. It was always the weakest link that broke first.
When his passenger failed to respond, Tegg said, "The thing of it is, the police may wonder what you were doing up here in the first place. Especially if it turns out to be a wild goose chase-a couple of cats fornicating. You say you were hiking? Are there trails up here?"
"There's an old railroad grade," the young black man snapped defensively. "I don't care what the police say!" Tegg knew all about the old railroad grade, about the Nature Conservancy's attempts to purchase much of this land. He remembered the tree spiking. The radicals who chained themselves to the trees.
He glanced over at his passenger, who seemed so righteous, so determined. Tegg rolled down his window and fished for air. What next? He thought of a possible way out. "We won't have any trouble with those dogs you mentioned," he said, once again getting the other's attention. "At least we shouldn't. Hmm? Did I tell you I'm a veterinarian?" There it was, the biggest risk to take, but if offered as an asset he hoped it might be accepted as such. "No shit?" the young man asked. "The rangers keep a couple horses out here," Tegg lied convincingly. "Out at the reservoir," he added, keeping his story straight. He glanced over at his passenger-was that relief he saw? He explained quickly. "I have my kit in the back. If the dogs give us any trouble we'll be fine."
"It's just up here," his passenger informed him. "Did you speak to anyone in the house?" Tegg asked as they rounded the bend in the road that revealed the cabin. He felt in more control now, though his adrenaline was still pumping. He felt slightly giddy with anticipation. "Are you kidding? I mean, what if someone is in the house? What if there is a woman locked up in that hangar?"
"There isn't," Tegg said, asserting some authority. "There are some strange people back in these woods."
"I know that."
"I mean really strange."
Tegg pulled the Isuzu to a stop. The dogs barked ferociously.
With one eye on the cabin Michael stated, "Leave it running. If they're armed ... if there is someone here, and they turn out to be armed, we should be prepared to leave in a hurry."
"Agreed." They both climbed out. Tegg felt suddenly enlightened-what a perfect idea. "You've given me an idea. I just happen to have something that might help us." Feeling stronger now-himself again-he returned to the car, opened the back door, and rummaged in his veterinary supplies.
One thing was for certain: If he made it through this, a few things were going to change. He would leave Felix uncaged, free to patrol the aisle. Free to attack if a stranger opened the door. And he would muzzle the woman. The Bitch. No more screaming. "This ought to help us," he said, showing it to Michael Washington. "A gun?"
"A dart pistol. Armed with something called Ketamine. Quite effective, I assure you. Now, let's have a listen." He motioned the young man over to the structure. "Over here. I heard her over here," Michael said, indicating the north side of the structure. "We won't hear anything with this barking," Tegg said. "Maybe if we just sit here," Michael Washington said, "they'll calm down." He seemed nervous about the possibility of somone coming from the cabin. He checked it, continually. "I haven't got all day, young man. Hmm?"
"If we could get a look inside."
"It's locked up tight.
We've already trespassed. You don't want to add breaking and entering to that, do you? The police treat all crime the same, you know. I for one want nothing to do with breaking any more laws." Tegg felt a strange lightheadedness. The air seemed crystal clear. He knew what had to be done. He checked the dart gun.
Once again Tegg attempted to discourage him. "I for one have other things to do. What about you? I thought you said you were lost. Won't this delay of yours be noticed?" He tested, "Are you with anyone else?"
"me? No. But I understand what you're saying. We can't wait around here forever. Maybe it was just a cat."
The dogs quieted. Tegg lifted his hand like a preacher and they waited in silence as the last of the barking stopped completely. It surprised him they should stop so soon; sometimes they went on for hours. "Nothing," he whispered.
Michael stepped toward the building. He raised his arm, preparing to bang on the wall! "Without actually breaking inside," Tegg added, stopping the man, "there's not much more to be done. We're sure as hell not going to break that lock." Tegg's finger slipped onto the trigger. Despite the isolation, Tegg had no desire to do this out in the open. He had made a similar mistake once before in his life, and he was not prone to repeating mistakes. "Helllppp!" came the distinctive cry of a woman's voice from inside. It was quickly buried in barking, but there was no mistaking it.
The hiker exploded into a frenzy. "What did I tell you?" He ran for the door.
The pistol was no good for moving targets; Tegg was no marksman.
He hurried after him. Above all, he wanted them both inside before he used the dart gun. It would take anywhere from thirty seconds to several minutes for the Ketamine to take effect. He needed the man contained for this period, not running wild. Shoot him inside the kennel, then get out quickly and lock the door until the drug took effect.
in a calm, almost serene way, he examined his options. What was left? There could be no trusting this man. The threat was too great. Even if Tegg were to move the woman, his research laboratory was here in the basement of the cabin. Could he give it all up on account of one lost hiker? Problems tended to breed like rabbits. Solutions required quick decisions. "Something has just occurred to me. What about a hidden key? A spare key for this shed? People always hide a spare. I certainly do. it shouldn't be too hard to find." Tegg said this as he fingered the appropriate key in his pocket. "You're right!"
"All we have to do is think like him. Hmm? Where would you hide a spare key? I'll take this side, you take that."
it took Tegg only a few seconds to separate the key from his key chain, although he had to set the dart gun down to do so. He turned over a rock so that it would look as if he had found it there. Then he announced loudly, "I've found it!"
The man named Michael came running. Tegg retrieved the dart gun and led the boy to the door. He inserted the key and turned. The padlock snapped open. "You first," Tegg said. "This was your idea." He added, "I'll back you up," and displayed the loaded dart gun.