Grave Shadows (13 page)

Chapter 51

I hit the Light button on my watch
and saw it was 3 a.m. Only 10 minutes had gone by since I had checked. I knew I’d be worthless on the bike with no sleep. Jeff’s heavy breathing didn’t make it any easier.

I wanted something to eat—maybe that would help—but the leader had made us put all our food in airtight bags and store them in the trunk of a car. I guess he was scared of bears.

I looked through the opening in the tent, hoping to see a star streak across the sky. That happens all the time in the movies, and I hear it happens a lot in Colorado, but I’ve never seen one.

I heard a car in the distance. Something rustled in the pine needles a few feet away. A twig snapped. Maybe big animals making small sounds.

Who could have stolen Jeff’s stuff? I tried to bore myself to sleep by running through all the possibilities. Was it possible Gunnar’s disappearance and the missing items were linked? What were the odds?

I had a lot more questions than answers, but I’ve found it’s best to just let your mind run. What if Gunnar’s mother was covering for him? What if the goons who showed up at her house bought sports items? Maybe Gunnar had sold them something fake.

Something crackled outside the tent, and I looked at my watch. 3:10. I scooted down in my sleeping bag and imagined Pippin and Frodo were with me.

Next thing I knew, Jeff was hovering over me with a big smile. “Time to wake up, bed head.”

I could feel my hair sticking straight up, and I couldn’t wait to get my helmet on.

By 8:00, we were on the road, pedaling away from Leadville. My legs and back were sore, but as soon as I got on the bike I found myself in rhythm with Jeff, who seemed stronger.

Chapter 52

I awoke early and rode to Jeff’s house,
eager to find out if I’d had the wrong room all along. I found both rooms with glass cases, and both were empty.

I was about to get back on my ATV when a garage door opened across the street and a man wearing a suit and tie walked out to retrieve his Sunday paper.

“Heard anything about the bike trip?” he said. He must have recognized me from the send-off.

I told him what I knew. “Have you noticed anything funny at the house the past few days?”

“I’ve been away, but you can talk with my wife.”

He took me inside and introduced me to her. She was having coffee and grabbed the newspaper from him when he came inside. I thought the guy might be going to church, but he said he was off to work. When he left, she offered me breakfast.

“Thanks, but I already ate. I don’t want to take much of your time. I was just wondering if you’d noticed anything at the Alexanders’ house.”

She squinted. “As a matter of fact, there was a truck outside yesterday morning. Real early. A blue pickup. Had one of those toolbox things in the back.”

“Did you see anybody?”

“A guy in a hard hat went to the door, but of course no one was home. He carried something back to his truck, a big armload of stuff.”

Chapter 53

The road from Leadville
eventually ran by the Arkansas River. The riding wasn’t as hard as the previous day, but as the sun rose, it got hotter. We had to take several breaks to rest and drink water.

Ashley beeped my phone, and I called her back when we took a break. She told me what she had found at Jeff’s house. I covered the phone and asked Jeff if anyone was working on his house.

“My dad had some work done on our roof a few weeks ago,” Jeff said. “Why?”

“Ashley says a construction guy was at your house yesterday.”

“What was she doing at our house?”

I told Ashley I’d get back to her and hung up.

Jeff faced me, his face tight. “What’s going on?”

I didn’t want to lie, but I also didn’t want to betray his parents or get him upset.

The leader, Gary, blew his whistle and told us it was time to mount up.

“Come on,” I said.

“Tell me or I’m not getting on the bike.”

I sighed. “Can’t Ashley keep an eye on your house while you’re gone? I’d think you’d appreciate that.”

He looked at the ground and shook his head as he climbed on. “Something’s fishy.”

Chapter 54

Hayley wanted to stay away,
but I talked her into going to her aunt’s house. I asked her aunt if we could see Gunnar’s apartment again. “If you think it might help,” she said.

She gave us the key, and we went outside and climbed the stairs. The wood by the doorknob was splintered, and the door stood open a few inches.

“Think they could still be in there?” Hayley whispered.

“They probably came last night,” I said, but I pushed the door slowly and peeked in. The mattress was off the bed, and the dresser drawers had been dumped on the floor. The closet had been rifled, and the little desk in the corner was a mess too.

I went to the computer monitor and hit the Power button. The screen flickered, but nothing came on. I tapped the keys. Still nothing.

“Ashley, it’s gone,” Hayley said, pointing at the floor.

The cables connecting the computer tower to the monitor and keyboard lay on the floor.

“Call the police,” I said.

Chapter 55

Jeff and I
passed several blue Adopt a Highway litter-control signs. Other signs advertised horseback riding and property for sale. Another said Support Our Troops! The 14,000-foot mountains near Buena Vista, instead of being covered with trees, seemed to have had a buzz cut. Clouds cast huge shadows along the landscape.

A small plane passed overhead. Sam was supposed to be on a trip, but I wondered if he had detoured to fly over our group. The plane descended and circled, then flew so close to the ground that it took my breath away. As it passed, the pilot dipped its wing, and I saw the familiar numbers on the side. Sam actually gave me a thumbs-up.

“Hey!” Jeff said through the speaker in my helmet. “Isn’t that the plane we were on?”

I had goose bumps. “Yep,” I said. “That’s my stepdad.”

We went through Buena Vista, a small town with real elk walking around in it. People lined the streets, clapping and waving flags. Jeff’s parents had driven ahead and were waiting with their video camera. Signs at restaurants advertised ice cream and root-beer floats, and I hoped we could come back later.

We followed our leader right and rode toward the hills, then left onto a dirt road. A few riders had dropped out, some with bike trouble, others had become sick. The rest of us bunched together, filling the road. People crowded around Jeff and me, encouraging us and patting us on the back.

We rode up a steep driveway to a camp run by a Christian group. At the top the driveway went straight down, and we had to ride our brakes. The cafeteria was a log cabin, and there was a nice gift shop across the grounds where I hoped to find a shirt for Ashley and something fun for Dylan. There was a basketball court, but people were so tired they went to the log cabin above the courtyard for our meeting.

There Gary congratulated us all for our determination. “We’ve gone almost halfway. We’ll rest here and start off again late tomorrow morning.”

Gary invited everyone back for a movie after dinner, and I was all for it until we got our room assignments. “Have a little surprise for you and Jeff,” Gary said. “You two are headed over the hill for some intense R & R.”

I wasn’t sure I liked the word
intense
. Sounded like rock climbing or something.