I wandered away from my siblings as Edward turned to Esme as if Rosalie hadn't said a word, which was probably a good thing. I drifted back to Carlisle; there was something he needed to hear, something that I wanted him to make the decision on what to do.
"Chris?" he asked "what is it son?"
I lowered my voice so much that there was no way Bella would hear it and the others would have to really strain to listen.
"It's the tracker,"
"What about him?"
"I left something out of the profile, not because it isn't relevant, but because I'm not sure, if it is relevant nor am I sure what to do 'bout it."
"What is it?"
"When you introduced us in the field, he was taking each one of us in, you know determining the threat level." I paused and watched out of the corner of my eye as Esme took Bella by the hand and led her upstairs and my eyes drifted further up the stairs to where Alice and Jasper were packing, unaware what I knew.
"Chris if it is important you need to tell me."
"It was when you said Alice's name, he zeroed in on her, Carlisle right away like he knew her. He recognized her, I know it." Carlisle's face turned serious
"Son, are you sure?"
"I am more certain of this than I have been of anything today." I paused and looked at my father "that tracker knew Alice 'fore she became a vampire, how long I cant be certain, but he knew her, he seemed generally surprised to see her, but his expression changed quickly to a more smug look."
Carlisle rubbed the back of his head as he processed all of this. It has always confounded us that Alice has no memories of anything prior to becoming a vampire, especially not her transformation.
As much as both of us would love to help her, we don't have any information to go on, we don't even know WHEN exactly she was turned, though Carlisle and I have narrowed it down to sometime in the early 20s. But it isn't like we can post an ad in the paper with her photo plastered on it.
The only thing we do know is that she met Jasper in a little diner in Chicago in 1948 and two years later they found us. The only memory Alice has was waking up in a glade after being turned and getting a vision of Jasper.
Emmett came up behind us, he had heard what I had said and had a look of sympathy on his face.
"Carlisle?" he asked
"At the moment there is nothing we can do." Carlisle said softly
"But-" I started to say
"Christian, we have to focus right now, I understand that your profile is screaming at you and you want to do all you can to help your sister. I am not ignoring that Chris. Do you understand?"
I nodded, but put my head down just the same, this felt wrong, it felt wrong hiding it in the field as well.
"Do we tell Alice?" Emmett asked and we both looked upstairs and then looked at our father. He seemed to contemplate this for a second before shaking his head.
"No, and we do not tell Jasper either."
"But if either of them find out that we knew something and kept it from them, they're going to be-"
Carlisle raised a hand to stop me
"When Bella is clear and we are tracking this James, you study his body language allow Edward to read his mind, we'll try to piece together as much as we can from there."
I lowered me head
"And if we kill him, whatever he knows 'bout Alice dies with him Carlisle." I paused "this may be our only chance to help Alice."
"And do we risk Bella's life at the same time? Can that really be justified Christian?" I shook my head, he was right of course
"No sir," I replied. "of course not." I put my head down, I knew my father was right, but this one was difficult to ignore.
Emmett darted to the side closet and returned with his large hiking pack. Edward looked over at me and I caught his sympathetic look. He reached picked up a hooded sweatshirt from off the couch and held it out to me. He didn't have to explain. I understood what Edward wanted me to do.
I heard Bella on the steps coming down and glanced up at her momentarily as Emmett reached forward and helped me pull on the thick hoodie, I was suddenly overwhelmed with Bella's strong scent and had to cough a couple of times to regain my composure, man was her scent powerful, a fire I haven't felt in my throat in a long time returned briefly almost choking me. I had known Bella's scent was strong, it had hit me in the car the first time I caught it. But this was more powerful then that fading scent and I couldn't believe how painful it was.
I could feel Bell's eyes watching me in confusion, she couldn't understand why I had her sweat-shirt.
"Esme and Rosalie will be taking your truck, Bella," Carlisle explained to Bella walking back towards Emmett and me. I saw Bella shiver a bit which caught my eyes, I followed her nervous gaze and blinked at my sister. Once again Rosalie looked ready to kill someone and for the first time in my life as a Cullen that someone wasn't me or Edward, it was Carlisle. She was really against this whole thing. "Alice, Jasper…take the Mercedes. You'll need the dark tint in the south." There was another pause as Carlisle continued the orders "We're taking the jeep." Again my eyes darted over to Bella, she looked scared, but not for her own life, but at sudden realization over who made up the James hunting party. I think she expected Edward and Emmett, but Carlisle and I were not on her list of expectations. "Alice," Carlisle spoke up catching my attention "will they take the bait?"
Alice closed her eyes and was still, allowing her visions to surround her senses, while the rest of us waited patiently.
"He'll track you, he will see you moving quickly towards the jeep and he will get the strong scent of Bella as you rush to the jeep." Alice and I exchanged a look and I felt Bella's eyes on me once again, she had just figured out why I had her sweat-shirt and more than that, she had just realized who the bait was. "The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that." Alice finished and looked over at me.
My profile would complete her vision. Like with Edward, Emmett, and Jasper, my own ability works in step with my siblings, abilities or not, I give my assessment and Jasper with his military background and Emmett with his own experience of not only having Jasper for a brother, but his human experiences growing up in the backwoods of Tennessee, take it and apply it to benefit us. When it comes to fighting, we Cullen boys are lethal, especially when we are all working together.
I took a deep breath and closed my own eyes, sorting out everything I had learned in the past hour or so.
"They won't know which vehicle to follow." I spoke up looking at my family "you guys need to wait at least ten minutes maybe fifteen before you leave in the 'Cedes, do not leave before ten minutes, we need to lead them off far enough." I finished looking over at Jasper and Alice, who nodded.
"Lets go," Carlisle said, he walked towards the kitchen. Emmett and I exchanged a look and he draped his heavy arm over my shoulder, protectively, pulling the hood up over my head as we bolted into the kitchen.
Out near the garage, Emmett hesitated as both of us caught the tracker's scent. He was close and would pick up on Bella's scent from that distance mainly because of the slight wind which had started this whole thing had remained. The jeep was waiting for us in the drive.
Too make it seem like I was Bella, Emmett lifted me up under his arm like he had done for Bella earlier and hustled me to the jeep gently pushing me in and climbing in right behind me, as Carlisle and Edward climbed into the front seat.
"Chris?" Carlisle called from the front as he started up the jeep and peeled down our drive.
"I think it worked." I said glancing behind me out the back window.
"It did, he's following us." Edward replied with sigh. "Head north." He paused "Chris when I tell you to-"
"I know, drop the hat that Bella was wearing." I slipped the hat that Bella had been wearing at the field out of my pocket and handed it to Edward. It was heavy with Bella's scent and with Edward holding it, his scent would add to it. That way the tracker would discover the hat, and automatically figure Bella was in the jeep, being held by Edward. This guy was focused he wouldn't question the appearance of the hat at least not right away and by the time he started to we would have him far enough away and that was all we needed.
Edward handed me the hat and I was careful how much I handled it, using only the long sleeves of the sweatshirt to touch the hat. I held it up to Emmett and he leaned forward to give it a sniff before nodding.
"Perfect." He replied a huge grin on his face. Emmett rolled down the window and poked his head out, the air wafted through the jeep. I could smell the moisture in the woods thick and heavy with dew from the storm, and amongst that I could smell the tracker, his stench was strong and stood out against the other smells of the forest, mainly because all I could smell was blood.
Emmett looked over at me and the grimace slid from his face, he could smell the same thing I could and was just as overcome by it.
"He's close…and moving closer," I profiled, "a little more gas dad. If he gets to close he'll catch our scents and not Bella's." Carlisle looked back at me through the rearview mirror and pressed the gas a bit more.
The jeep roared as Carlisle navigated the winding roads heading for 101. We were reaching nearly eighty-five clicks, but we all knew the tracker had no trouble keeping pace.
"Let it go," Edward whispered
I rolled my own window down just slightly and dropped the hat carefully. It bounced on the road and landed into the woods, there the tracker was sure to find it.
Edward glanced back at me and I gave him a half smile trying to reassure my brother, he was understandably stressed and concerned for Bella's safety.
"It'll be ok Edward, she's safe with Alice and Jasper. They'll keep her out of trouble and the tracker's following us and we'll get him into trouble."
Emmett grinned with that one, it took a little coaxing, but even Edward had to smile at that one.
"The kid's right Eddie, we're gonna make that bas-"
"Emmett," Carlisle reprimanded
"Sorry Carlisle," Emmett looked over at me and gave me a slight nudge "that lovely chap sorry he ever stepped out of that clearing." I rolled my eyes at my brother and pushed him back.