government, had flipped a switch on the levers of power. And it had been orchestrated and executed beautifully. Terry could see it now, but he couldn't quite connect all of the dots to complete the full picture of the coupe. The list of seventeen names was too long to focus on for now. He had to trim that down.
So, for the moment, he repeated a much shorter list of four names over and over in his head.
Ch. 9
Historic Latta Plantation
The sun was gone now and had been for a while. The shadows of the trees on either side of the power line cut through had grown so dark and dense that Alyssa couldn't see anything beneath the canopy. They hadn't passed a building in a long time, and Alyssa was tired. She wanted nothing more than to sit and rest her aching legs, but Mike still pressed on.
Every few dozen yards, he would kneel and check something in the shadows along the left side of the cut. After a moment, he'd stand and shake his head before moving on down the path. Finally, Mike nodded and motioned for Alyssa to come to him. He pointed down at a faint arrow laid out in small, round stones. Mike held his finger to his lips to keep her from talking yet. He knelt and touched one finger to the last stone in the stem of the arrow, and he looked up to wink at her.
Mike stood and turned his back on the arrow, marching quickly across the cut through. Alyssa hurried to follow him. At the other side, he scanned the edge of the woods quickly and found his target. He pointed to a small flat rock that had three round stones roughly the size of her fist, each stacked on top of each other. Mike bent and collected the stones quickly. He grabbed Alyssa's hand and pulled her quietly into the shadows beneath the trees.
"What the—" Alyssa began, but Mike shook his head firmly and placed his finger back over his lips. He pulled her along in a generally straight line for a time, then turned sharply to the left and knelt behind the stump of an old windfall pine tree. He motioned for Alyssa to sit behind him, and she did.
Mike leaned back and whispered, "If someone saw the arrow and went into the woods there, they might have doubled back to wait for the person that put down the arrow in the first place. This way, if they are there and they follow us, we'll know it, and they won't be able to tell where to enter the woods. Now, stay quiet, no matter what you see, got it?"
Mike's tone was calm, but serious, and Alyssa could just make out how wide his eyes were in the dim shadows cast by the thick woods. Mike was scared, and she knew it. Alyssa nodded and waited, her ears straining to pick up any sound of pursuit. Mike turned to face the edge of the woods and began untying a pair of braided leather chords that hung around his neck. He pulled a small patch of tooled leather from his wallet and tied the two chords to the patch to complete the sling. The pouch was just big enough for the stones he'd stacked to mark his trail, and they would do a lot of damage even from a glancing blow if it came to that.
It was quiet.
They waited for what seemed like an eternity, and Alyssa's feet began to tingle from kneeling in an awkward position. At last, Mike nodded and stood. "If anyone was going to follow us," he whispered, "I think they would have by now. C'mon. I've got a camp set back a few hundred yards with fresh water and a small shelter. All we need to do is prop the roof up."
Alyssa's scowl turned to confusion, but she followed Mike as he turned and began walking confidently through the near pitch black woods. "Look," Alyssa said finally, planting her feet in the leaf litter and pine straw and her fists on her hips. "Where the hell are we, and where are we going?"
Mike sighed and gestured around them. "This is the Latta Plantation," he said, then leaned closer to her, "and even though we're a long way from the main roads, do you mind keeping your voice down ? It's quiet out here and noise carries farther than you'd think."
Alyssa nodded
So, for the moment, he repeated a much shorter list of four names over and over in his head.
Ch. 9
Historic Latta Plantation
The sun was gone now and had been for a while. The shadows of the trees on either side of the power line cut through had grown so dark and dense that Alyssa couldn't see anything beneath the canopy. They hadn't passed a building in a long time, and Alyssa was tired. She wanted nothing more than to sit and rest her aching legs, but Mike still pressed on.
Every few dozen yards, he would kneel and check something in the shadows along the left side of the cut. After a moment, he'd stand and shake his head before moving on down the path. Finally, Mike nodded and motioned for Alyssa to come to him. He pointed down at a faint arrow laid out in small, round stones. Mike held his finger to his lips to keep her from talking yet. He knelt and touched one finger to the last stone in the stem of the arrow, and he looked up to wink at her.
Mike stood and turned his back on the arrow, marching quickly across the cut through. Alyssa hurried to follow him. At the other side, he scanned the edge of the woods quickly and found his target. He pointed to a small flat rock that had three round stones roughly the size of her fist, each stacked on top of each other. Mike bent and collected the stones quickly. He grabbed Alyssa's hand and pulled her quietly into the shadows beneath the trees.
"What the—" Alyssa began, but Mike shook his head firmly and placed his finger back over his lips. He pulled her along in a generally straight line for a time, then turned sharply to the left and knelt behind the stump of an old windfall pine tree. He motioned for Alyssa to sit behind him, and she did.
Mike leaned back and whispered, "If someone saw the arrow and went into the woods there, they might have doubled back to wait for the person that put down the arrow in the first place. This way, if they are there and they follow us, we'll know it, and they won't be able to tell where to enter the woods. Now, stay quiet, no matter what you see, got it?"
Mike's tone was calm, but serious, and Alyssa could just make out how wide his eyes were in the dim shadows cast by the thick woods. Mike was scared, and she knew it. Alyssa nodded and waited, her ears straining to pick up any sound of pursuit. Mike turned to face the edge of the woods and began untying a pair of braided leather chords that hung around his neck. He pulled a small patch of tooled leather from his wallet and tied the two chords to the patch to complete the sling. The pouch was just big enough for the stones he'd stacked to mark his trail, and they would do a lot of damage even from a glancing blow if it came to that.
It was quiet.
They waited for what seemed like an eternity, and Alyssa's feet began to tingle from kneeling in an awkward position. At last, Mike nodded and stood. "If anyone was going to follow us," he whispered, "I think they would have by now. C'mon. I've got a camp set back a few hundred yards with fresh water and a small shelter. All we need to do is prop the roof up."
Alyssa's scowl turned to confusion, but she followed Mike as he turned and began walking confidently through the near pitch black woods. "Look," Alyssa said finally, planting her feet in the leaf litter and pine straw and her fists on her hips. "Where the hell are we, and where are we going?"
Mike sighed and gestured around them. "This is the Latta Plantation," he said, then leaned closer to her, "and even though we're a long way from the main roads, do you mind keeping your voice down ? It's quiet out here and noise carries farther than you'd think."
Alyssa nodded
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