Glad to hear you're all enjoying this and having a good laugh! All my
thanks again for the wonderful reviews.
Special thanks to my beta, Alaidh, for all her work!!!
Chapter 6
Max was surprised to find the atmosphere in the car was slightly warmer, but the same couldn't be said for the air outside. Even Max, genetically engineered as she was to resist the cold, was aware of the chill in the air.
Banks of thick, black clouds hovered aggressively over the mountains, intimidating even the bravest of bird life, which appeared to have wisely taken refuge from the approaching storm that was already heralded by the increasingly vicious gusts of wind.
"Which direction?" asked Logan, turning the key in the ignition as he spoke.
"Five miles north of town. We're looking for Mine Road. Charlie's place is at the end of it."
"Where's the cabin?"
Max took the leaflet she'd been given out of her pocket and studied it. "North of town as well, but you wind around a few other roads to get to it. Hey, looks nice," she mentioned, looking at the grainy photo. She held it up for Logan to look at briefly as he drove. "Looks like we're on a lake. Not," she quickly amended, "that we'll have any time to enjoy ourselves."
Logan shot her a look.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"This is it," put in Zack at that moment, indicating a faded road sign to their left.
Logan turned the Aztek onto a dirt road that seemed to be facing a losing battle resisting the encroachment of the forest on either side.
"Glad I didn't bring the Ferrari," he murmured, as numerous branches could be heard scraping the sides of the car. Surprisingly, the road improved a little further on, probably because of the presence of logging trucks. There was evidence of newly felled trees.
Eventually the road opened up to reveal a huddle of ramshackle buildings. None of them looked habitable.
"Home, sweet home," said Max, preparing to get out as Logan parked as close as possible to a rickety fence that looked like it would collapse if you leant on it.
"Did you say he was a cook?" she asked Zack, who was standing next to the car as she went round to the back. At Zack's nod, she added, "Hope he was a better cook than he was a handyman."
Watching her getting out the wheelchair, he said quietly, "We should do this first."
She looked at him for a moment, and then went round to Logan's open door. "You wanna wait here a minute while we check it out?"
"Oh yeah, you can set off all the booby traps first," said Logan, sounding relieved.
"I'll try and save a few for you," she promised over the roar of a sudden gust of wind.
Logan watched as the two of them made their way along some sort of a path that led down to what appeared to be the main building, presumably where Charlie lived.
Charlie must have been a good friend with the owner of the bar - there was junk everywhere.
Logan watched as four chickens pedantically picked their way through the mess. It reminded him of the time Bennett and he had been staying on a farm and they'd both hidden in the shed to watch the farmer slaughter the birds. There had been much speculation between the two of them, on how long it would take for the headless chickens to keep running, once their heads were removed. He frowned slightly, trying to remember.
The wind was freezing as it blew in the car. Max had left the door open with Logan's wheelchair next to it ready for him to use. Damn it was cold, he thought, rubbing his hands together to try and warm them up.
He was contemplating whether he'd have time to boot up his laptop when a large black dog bounded up to his door, barking frantically.
He viewed it with a certain amount of suspicion.
After barking furiously at him, it turned around and bounded towards what looked to be some sort of a shed, and began pawing and scraping at the door.
The dog's actions gave him a sudden hollow feeling in his stomach.
Logan looked towards the house to see if there was any sign of Max and Zack.
Making up his mind, he transferred to his wheelchair, and had only gone a few feet before the heavens opened with a vengeance.
"Great sense of timing," he muttered, soaked to the skin in minutes, hair flattened, and glasses almost useless.
He looked back at the car, but decided he was already wet through, so he pushed on. At least the rain is at my back, he thought, as he headed towards the shed where the dog still pawed, regardless of its own wet fur.
Thankfully the dog seemed to view Logan as a friend, which was just as well, thought Logan, because from his vantage point in the chair, its strong teeth were uncomfortably close to his face as it greeted him like a long lost friend. Logan tried to open the door, but quickly saw an old padlock was keeping it shut. Looking around for something to hit it with, he saw an old piece of timber, about a foot in length, lying nearby, and picked it up.
It only took three blows for the padlock to pull away from the rotten timber of the door. Laying the wood across his knees, with a slight sense of trepidation, he opened the door inwards. At the first opening, the dog pushed forward, forcing its way through the door.
Its barking stopped abruptly.
Waiting a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness in the shed, Logan heard the dog begin to whimper.
As his eyes focused, Logan could see the dog poised over the figure of a man.
"Oh no," he muttered, as he reached down to check for a pulse. He didn't need to - one touch was enough to ascertain that the man was already cold and stiff. The reason for his death was not obvious until Logan managed to half turn the body, and found an ugly wound at the back of his head. The man had been hit there more than once.
Logan turned his head suddenly.
The doorway was empty. The rain hadn't let up and the sound of it on the tin roof was deafening. "Don't go gettin' jumpy," he said to himself.
"Logan!"
He could just make out Max's voice above the storm.
"Max," he called back in reply, making the dog jump skittishly at the unexpected noise, only to go back to its place of mourning next to the body.
He headed back to the doorway, pausing under a small awning that offered some protection from the rain, and called to her again, his voice barely carrying against the wind.
Logan could see her standing at the Aztek, one hand shielding her eyes from the rain as she looked for him. Logan was about to call again when a movement to his left made him jump, and look up startled.
It was Zack.
"Max is looking for you," he stated, as if Logan had done something wrong.
Annoyed already that he'd jumped at Zack's approach, Logan snapped, motioning with his head, "If that's Charlie in there, he's cooked his last meal."
Zack called firstly to Max, making Logan roll his eyes - his voice was so loud he could have woken Charlie - and signalled with his arms to attract her attention. He would have felt better if he'd been close enough to see the look of relief cross Max's face when she saw Logan next to Zack
Leaning back in his chair, he waited while Max came towards him. The driving rain didn't seem to bother her at all, although he knew it wasn't her favourite weather to be out in.
Coming out of the shed as Max reached Logan, Zack said in his serious way, "Logan found Charlie."
Max looked at Logan for a moment, and then followed Zack back inside the woodshed.
"I knew you'd come in handy," said Max to Logan as they came out. "Pity he's dead."
"Well I'm sure Charlie's not so thrilled about it either," replied Logan, dryly. This was not what he'd been hoping for. "Did you take a good look at the body?"
"Looks like he's been dead since morning. A bit hard to tell 'cause it's so cold up here."
"Hit with a blunt instrument," added Zack, in his clinical manner. His eyes fell on the piece of wood still on Logan's knees. "Where'd you get this from?" he asked, picking it up and turning it over in his hands.
"It was just outside, by the door. Why?"
Zack showed it to Max, then said, "I'd say you've found the murder weapon." He held it out for Logan to see. Looking closely, Logan could see the blood and hair stuck to one end.
Logan wasn't keen on the idea that he'd been carrying around a piece of wood used to bash someone's brains in.
"We'd better go and check the house," said Max, "We might find some leads there."
"We'll have to think about what to do with Charlie's body," said Logan. "Either of you notice any local law enforcement?"
Zack sniggered. "We're strangers in town, we tell the town we're looking for Charlie, then he turns up dead with your prints all over the murder weapon ..?"
Max wrinkled her nose. "He has a point, Logan."
"Well, we can do something about the prints."
Seeing his meaning, Zack, with his gloved hands, took the timber and wiped it thoroughly on his shirt, which was still reasonably dry under his leather jacket.
"Have you seen anyone else around?" asked Logan, not relishing the prospect of another trip in the rain.
"He told me he lived alone," said Zack, stepping back out into the rain. They all had to raise their voices to be heard above the storm. "You comin'?" he asked Max.
"We're both comin'," she amended.
Zack turned and walked briskly towards the house, while Max walked beside Logan.
"You sure you wanna do this tonight?" she yelled at him doubtfully, trying to make her voice heard above the wind and rain. "A roaring fire sounds real good to me at the moment."
Keeping his head down against the rain, Logan didn't reply.
Once under cover, he reminded her accusingly, "You promised me you wouldn't enjoy yourself this trip."
"You think this qualifies?" she asked, standing in the rain. "Besides, who said anything about 'enjoying' the fire."
There was little daylight left now, and Zack had already found a lamp and lit it. There was no electricity connected to the house.
Logan took his glasses off and wiped them on the inside of his jacket as Zack lit another lamp, passing it to Max. It was really quite dark inside now. Max stayed next to Logan holding the lamp for his benefit. Her own eyesight was exceptional in the dark.
Looking around, Logan shook his head. Charlie had been a hoarder, and there were piles of stuff everywhere.
"You always liked a challenge, right?" Max reminded him.
"What happened to the 'go into town, find where he lives, and talk to him' part?" Logan asked her, brushing his hand through his hair to try and stop the water dripping into his eyes.
"With any plan you have to be prepared for every contingency," put in Zack, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Yeah, well I think the first plan was more to my liking," replied Logan, attacking a pile of papers that looked to be reasonably recent.
"It's not something you get to choose." Zack was beginning to sound more than annoyed.
"What, the plan, or the contingency?" asked Logan, enjoying himself.
"Zack, why don't you check one of the other rooms?" suggested Max, throwing Logan a warning look. "He is here to help," she reminded Logan, under her breath, as Zack left the room
"Yeah? Well I don't see why he has to be such a pain in the ass about everything," retorted Logan, flipping through the pile of papers in front of him.
"And you weren't?" she flung back.
"No," he replied coolly. "The difference is that I was 'trying' to be."
"Well maybe you don't have to try as hard as you think you do," she snapped back.
Putting the lamp down with a thump on the table in front of him, she walked out saying,
"I'll be in the other room if you need me."
Logan frowned at the paper in his hand. He hadn't wanted to argue with her. On the other hand, they'd gone nearly a whole day without biting each other's heads off. "Must be some sort of a record," he muttered to himself.
Blowing on his hands to try and get them warm, Logan worked steadily on the various piles of papers and magazines that Charlie had hoarded indiscriminately. The old gas lamp flickered incessantly, and after an hour or more of sifting through the piles, all he had to show for it was a stiff neck and blurred eyes. Add that to the fact that he felt like he'd never be warm again, and now Max wasn't speaking to him, and he was in a fair way to being completely miserable.
Zack had been pleasantly surprised to have Max's company, his dark mood lifting quickly. He entertained her by telling her some of his adventures over the years and the various jobs he'd had, as they worked side by side, systematically working through any papers and paraphernalia Charlie had collected. Max couldn't remember seeing him so relaxed. It reminded her of the evening they'd spent together at Uncle Jonas's cabin. Her own mood had been too black to appreciate his company that night.
With a sigh, she realized they'd worked their way through the room and had found nothing that would indicate who Charlie had worked for or where he had been.
"I'll go check how Logan's goin'," she said to Zack, as he packed away the last box they'd gone through.
Going back to the other room she stood at the doorway for a moment, waiting for Logan to notice her. He sat with his arms folded, only unfolding them to turn the page in front of him. After a few moments he still hadn't noticed her, so she said, "Find anything?"
He gave her one quick glance, then turned back to the page in his hand, saying "Nope," with a hint of attitude.
She was about to offer her help when she thought she saw him shiver slightly. "Are you cold?"
"I'm fine," he replied shortly, still not looking up.
Considering him for a minute, she said, "Zack and I have finished in there. I think we should go and finish this tomorrow."
Zack came in just in time to hear her words. "We came here to do a job. I don't see anything to say we're finished. What about the body?"
"We can finish it in the morning. It's not as if Charlie's goin' anywhere."
Looking at her closely, Zack said, "We might be walking away from the information we need. I thought that was important to you."
Throwing daggers at him with her eyes, she said curtly, "It can wait. You ready to go?" she turned to Logan.
Casting a quick glance in her direction, he slowly wheeled himself to the door. Max followed, holding the lamp up to illuminate the rocky pathway, purposefully not looking back to see if Zack was following.
At least the rain had stopped, but the wind still menaced them.
Logan was glad to see the car.
Grunting with the effort, he got in his seat, only to curse abruptly when the keys dropped from his hand just as Max got in herself. Logan was already feeling for them when Max saw them by his feet. "There they are," she said quickly, leaning forward herself to pick them up, her hand brushing his as she gave Logan the keys.
"No wonder you dropped them - your hands are freezing."
"I forgot my gloves," Logan explained quickly.
"You want me to drive?" Max suggested.
"No, but I could sure do with those eyes of yours to navigate."
Max gave him a small smile. "Sure."
Just as Logan was about to start down the road, Max grabbed his arm and said, "I forgot something." She opened the car door even as he slowed down, and raced towards the house where she was soon swallowed up in darkness.
Logan closed his eyes while he waited, wondering what she was up to, resisting the urge to shiver. Stretching his neck and shoulder muscles he forced himself to relax.
Hearing Max open the hatch, he turned around to see what she was up to. His glance fell on Zack, who sat looking out into the darkness, apparently not the least moved by the cold or the rain. I could do with a bit of this genetic engineering myself, thought Logan darkly, turning back around to stare out the front window.
Max got back into the car, taking out the directions to the cabin they were to stay in, as Logan proceeded back down Mine Road.
At the back of his mind, he wondered what Max had been up to, but he couldn't be bothered to ask. He assumed she'd tell him at some stage.
"We turn right at the main road," Max advised him, "then make a left at the next road."
Logan nodded, frowning slightly, while he concentrated on the road ahead.
At the main road, Logan looked left before coming out, but even as he did so he was aware of a pair of headlights coming at them.
Another car was turning into Mine Road, and obviously not expecting a car to be coming out of it, they were now turning directly in front of the Aztek.
Cursing the numbness in his hands, Logan pulled the wheel to the right, at the same time accelerating hard to avoid the now oncoming car.
Fortunately the driver of the other car had probably realized his mistake a few seconds before Logan had seen him and had been already braking and flinging his own car to the right.
Miraculously neither car skidded on the wet road, and they both missed each other by perhaps only an inch- it had been so close. Any further down Mine Road, without the room to manoeuvre, they would have hit head on.
Without stopping to acknowledge their stupidity, the other car sped off down Mine Road.
Letting out the breath he'd unconsciously held in, Logan stole a quick look at Max.
"Nice moves," she admired.
"At that point in the road, there was room for the two cars. It was simply a matter of avoiding each other." Zack clinically assessed the situation.
Logan half turned his head and let his eyes flicker in Zack's direction. With considerable restraint, he said nothing.
"Here's our turn," put in Max quickly, glad to give Logan something to focus on.
"I wonder why anyone was turning down that road," mused Logan.
"It was a forestry truck," replied Max, "I saw some sort of logo on the side."
Consulting the small map on the pamphlet she'd been given, Max said, "Somewhere along here there should be another road on the left."
It was a little more open this side of the main road, the forest less dense.
"Here it is," she pointed, indicating the road. "Logan," she said again, when he failed to react to her words.
"I'm on it," he replied tersely.
They only had to drive another three hundred yards or so, when Max's keen eyes picked out the driveway to the cabin they were to stay in.
Logan drove up the circular driveway, parking immediately in front of the house.
Turning to Zack, she gave him the key, "See if you can get some light out here. It looks nice," she mentioned to Logan, before getting out.
"I'll have to take your word for it." On such a dark night, all he could make out was an outline, and even that seemed a little blurred.
As Max came round to Logan with his chair, an outside light came on, illuminating the area about them, and then several others in the house came on as well. Everything appeared far more welcoming.
Zack came back out to collect some bags, and then they all made their way inside.
The cabin was of the rustic variety, which meant while in need of repair, it was liveable. Everything was 'rustic' nowadays, thought Logan dryly.
Everything was on one level, three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and living room. Although there was the slight musty smell of a house that had been closed up, it was particularly clean, and generally quite homely, if unfortunately, rather cold.
The only form of heating was the open fire in the living room.
Max walked through and checked out the bedrooms. The third bedroom was quite small, but the other two were larger, with en suites. Following her, Zack immediately insisted on taking the smaller one.
"You don't wanna flip for it?" asked Max.
Zack smiled at her. "Uh uh."
Max came out to find Logan checking out the kitchen facilities. Everything seemed reasonably accessible.
She took one look at him, and then walked over to where his bag was. "You gotta get changed," she said, throwing the bag to him.
Not waiting for his reply, she called to Zack. "I gotta do somethin'," she said to him as he came up to her, "we need a fire," her glance flickered to Logan as she spoke.
Zack went to say 'yes', but seeing the way her thoughts were turning, he felt the same feeling of annoyance that had bothered him the whole day. "In a minute," he replied instead, no sign of his previous charm.
"Thanks," she answered, ignoring his obvious resentment, and going out to the car.
***************************
Sometime later, Max entered by the kitchen door, hoping to hide her surprise. She was looking forward to kickin' back in front of the fire for the evening. Considering the matter, she thought Logan's apartment would have been perfect if it just had an open fire as well.
Going through to the living room, she felt a growing sense of trepidation - of Logan there was no sign, Zack sat reading in one of the armchairs, and the fireplace was patently bare.
"What happened to the fire?" her words shot out accusingly.
Zack bridled at her tone, but before he could answer she fired out, "Where's Logan?"
TBC
Special thanks to my beta, Alaidh, for all her work!!!
Chapter 6
Max was surprised to find the atmosphere in the car was slightly warmer, but the same couldn't be said for the air outside. Even Max, genetically engineered as she was to resist the cold, was aware of the chill in the air.
Banks of thick, black clouds hovered aggressively over the mountains, intimidating even the bravest of bird life, which appeared to have wisely taken refuge from the approaching storm that was already heralded by the increasingly vicious gusts of wind.
"Which direction?" asked Logan, turning the key in the ignition as he spoke.
"Five miles north of town. We're looking for Mine Road. Charlie's place is at the end of it."
"Where's the cabin?"
Max took the leaflet she'd been given out of her pocket and studied it. "North of town as well, but you wind around a few other roads to get to it. Hey, looks nice," she mentioned, looking at the grainy photo. She held it up for Logan to look at briefly as he drove. "Looks like we're on a lake. Not," she quickly amended, "that we'll have any time to enjoy ourselves."
Logan shot her a look.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"This is it," put in Zack at that moment, indicating a faded road sign to their left.
Logan turned the Aztek onto a dirt road that seemed to be facing a losing battle resisting the encroachment of the forest on either side.
"Glad I didn't bring the Ferrari," he murmured, as numerous branches could be heard scraping the sides of the car. Surprisingly, the road improved a little further on, probably because of the presence of logging trucks. There was evidence of newly felled trees.
Eventually the road opened up to reveal a huddle of ramshackle buildings. None of them looked habitable.
"Home, sweet home," said Max, preparing to get out as Logan parked as close as possible to a rickety fence that looked like it would collapse if you leant on it.
"Did you say he was a cook?" she asked Zack, who was standing next to the car as she went round to the back. At Zack's nod, she added, "Hope he was a better cook than he was a handyman."
Watching her getting out the wheelchair, he said quietly, "We should do this first."
She looked at him for a moment, and then went round to Logan's open door. "You wanna wait here a minute while we check it out?"
"Oh yeah, you can set off all the booby traps first," said Logan, sounding relieved.
"I'll try and save a few for you," she promised over the roar of a sudden gust of wind.
Logan watched as the two of them made their way along some sort of a path that led down to what appeared to be the main building, presumably where Charlie lived.
Charlie must have been a good friend with the owner of the bar - there was junk everywhere.
Logan watched as four chickens pedantically picked their way through the mess. It reminded him of the time Bennett and he had been staying on a farm and they'd both hidden in the shed to watch the farmer slaughter the birds. There had been much speculation between the two of them, on how long it would take for the headless chickens to keep running, once their heads were removed. He frowned slightly, trying to remember.
The wind was freezing as it blew in the car. Max had left the door open with Logan's wheelchair next to it ready for him to use. Damn it was cold, he thought, rubbing his hands together to try and warm them up.
He was contemplating whether he'd have time to boot up his laptop when a large black dog bounded up to his door, barking frantically.
He viewed it with a certain amount of suspicion.
After barking furiously at him, it turned around and bounded towards what looked to be some sort of a shed, and began pawing and scraping at the door.
The dog's actions gave him a sudden hollow feeling in his stomach.
Logan looked towards the house to see if there was any sign of Max and Zack.
Making up his mind, he transferred to his wheelchair, and had only gone a few feet before the heavens opened with a vengeance.
"Great sense of timing," he muttered, soaked to the skin in minutes, hair flattened, and glasses almost useless.
He looked back at the car, but decided he was already wet through, so he pushed on. At least the rain is at my back, he thought, as he headed towards the shed where the dog still pawed, regardless of its own wet fur.
Thankfully the dog seemed to view Logan as a friend, which was just as well, thought Logan, because from his vantage point in the chair, its strong teeth were uncomfortably close to his face as it greeted him like a long lost friend. Logan tried to open the door, but quickly saw an old padlock was keeping it shut. Looking around for something to hit it with, he saw an old piece of timber, about a foot in length, lying nearby, and picked it up.
It only took three blows for the padlock to pull away from the rotten timber of the door. Laying the wood across his knees, with a slight sense of trepidation, he opened the door inwards. At the first opening, the dog pushed forward, forcing its way through the door.
Its barking stopped abruptly.
Waiting a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness in the shed, Logan heard the dog begin to whimper.
As his eyes focused, Logan could see the dog poised over the figure of a man.
"Oh no," he muttered, as he reached down to check for a pulse. He didn't need to - one touch was enough to ascertain that the man was already cold and stiff. The reason for his death was not obvious until Logan managed to half turn the body, and found an ugly wound at the back of his head. The man had been hit there more than once.
Logan turned his head suddenly.
The doorway was empty. The rain hadn't let up and the sound of it on the tin roof was deafening. "Don't go gettin' jumpy," he said to himself.
"Logan!"
He could just make out Max's voice above the storm.
"Max," he called back in reply, making the dog jump skittishly at the unexpected noise, only to go back to its place of mourning next to the body.
He headed back to the doorway, pausing under a small awning that offered some protection from the rain, and called to her again, his voice barely carrying against the wind.
Logan could see her standing at the Aztek, one hand shielding her eyes from the rain as she looked for him. Logan was about to call again when a movement to his left made him jump, and look up startled.
It was Zack.
"Max is looking for you," he stated, as if Logan had done something wrong.
Annoyed already that he'd jumped at Zack's approach, Logan snapped, motioning with his head, "If that's Charlie in there, he's cooked his last meal."
Zack called firstly to Max, making Logan roll his eyes - his voice was so loud he could have woken Charlie - and signalled with his arms to attract her attention. He would have felt better if he'd been close enough to see the look of relief cross Max's face when she saw Logan next to Zack
Leaning back in his chair, he waited while Max came towards him. The driving rain didn't seem to bother her at all, although he knew it wasn't her favourite weather to be out in.
Coming out of the shed as Max reached Logan, Zack said in his serious way, "Logan found Charlie."
Max looked at Logan for a moment, and then followed Zack back inside the woodshed.
"I knew you'd come in handy," said Max to Logan as they came out. "Pity he's dead."
"Well I'm sure Charlie's not so thrilled about it either," replied Logan, dryly. This was not what he'd been hoping for. "Did you take a good look at the body?"
"Looks like he's been dead since morning. A bit hard to tell 'cause it's so cold up here."
"Hit with a blunt instrument," added Zack, in his clinical manner. His eyes fell on the piece of wood still on Logan's knees. "Where'd you get this from?" he asked, picking it up and turning it over in his hands.
"It was just outside, by the door. Why?"
Zack showed it to Max, then said, "I'd say you've found the murder weapon." He held it out for Logan to see. Looking closely, Logan could see the blood and hair stuck to one end.
Logan wasn't keen on the idea that he'd been carrying around a piece of wood used to bash someone's brains in.
"We'd better go and check the house," said Max, "We might find some leads there."
"We'll have to think about what to do with Charlie's body," said Logan. "Either of you notice any local law enforcement?"
Zack sniggered. "We're strangers in town, we tell the town we're looking for Charlie, then he turns up dead with your prints all over the murder weapon ..?"
Max wrinkled her nose. "He has a point, Logan."
"Well, we can do something about the prints."
Seeing his meaning, Zack, with his gloved hands, took the timber and wiped it thoroughly on his shirt, which was still reasonably dry under his leather jacket.
"Have you seen anyone else around?" asked Logan, not relishing the prospect of another trip in the rain.
"He told me he lived alone," said Zack, stepping back out into the rain. They all had to raise their voices to be heard above the storm. "You comin'?" he asked Max.
"We're both comin'," she amended.
Zack turned and walked briskly towards the house, while Max walked beside Logan.
"You sure you wanna do this tonight?" she yelled at him doubtfully, trying to make her voice heard above the wind and rain. "A roaring fire sounds real good to me at the moment."
Keeping his head down against the rain, Logan didn't reply.
Once under cover, he reminded her accusingly, "You promised me you wouldn't enjoy yourself this trip."
"You think this qualifies?" she asked, standing in the rain. "Besides, who said anything about 'enjoying' the fire."
There was little daylight left now, and Zack had already found a lamp and lit it. There was no electricity connected to the house.
Logan took his glasses off and wiped them on the inside of his jacket as Zack lit another lamp, passing it to Max. It was really quite dark inside now. Max stayed next to Logan holding the lamp for his benefit. Her own eyesight was exceptional in the dark.
Looking around, Logan shook his head. Charlie had been a hoarder, and there were piles of stuff everywhere.
"You always liked a challenge, right?" Max reminded him.
"What happened to the 'go into town, find where he lives, and talk to him' part?" Logan asked her, brushing his hand through his hair to try and stop the water dripping into his eyes.
"With any plan you have to be prepared for every contingency," put in Zack, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Yeah, well I think the first plan was more to my liking," replied Logan, attacking a pile of papers that looked to be reasonably recent.
"It's not something you get to choose." Zack was beginning to sound more than annoyed.
"What, the plan, or the contingency?" asked Logan, enjoying himself.
"Zack, why don't you check one of the other rooms?" suggested Max, throwing Logan a warning look. "He is here to help," she reminded Logan, under her breath, as Zack left the room
"Yeah? Well I don't see why he has to be such a pain in the ass about everything," retorted Logan, flipping through the pile of papers in front of him.
"And you weren't?" she flung back.
"No," he replied coolly. "The difference is that I was 'trying' to be."
"Well maybe you don't have to try as hard as you think you do," she snapped back.
Putting the lamp down with a thump on the table in front of him, she walked out saying,
"I'll be in the other room if you need me."
Logan frowned at the paper in his hand. He hadn't wanted to argue with her. On the other hand, they'd gone nearly a whole day without biting each other's heads off. "Must be some sort of a record," he muttered to himself.
Blowing on his hands to try and get them warm, Logan worked steadily on the various piles of papers and magazines that Charlie had hoarded indiscriminately. The old gas lamp flickered incessantly, and after an hour or more of sifting through the piles, all he had to show for it was a stiff neck and blurred eyes. Add that to the fact that he felt like he'd never be warm again, and now Max wasn't speaking to him, and he was in a fair way to being completely miserable.
Zack had been pleasantly surprised to have Max's company, his dark mood lifting quickly. He entertained her by telling her some of his adventures over the years and the various jobs he'd had, as they worked side by side, systematically working through any papers and paraphernalia Charlie had collected. Max couldn't remember seeing him so relaxed. It reminded her of the evening they'd spent together at Uncle Jonas's cabin. Her own mood had been too black to appreciate his company that night.
With a sigh, she realized they'd worked their way through the room and had found nothing that would indicate who Charlie had worked for or where he had been.
"I'll go check how Logan's goin'," she said to Zack, as he packed away the last box they'd gone through.
Going back to the other room she stood at the doorway for a moment, waiting for Logan to notice her. He sat with his arms folded, only unfolding them to turn the page in front of him. After a few moments he still hadn't noticed her, so she said, "Find anything?"
He gave her one quick glance, then turned back to the page in his hand, saying "Nope," with a hint of attitude.
She was about to offer her help when she thought she saw him shiver slightly. "Are you cold?"
"I'm fine," he replied shortly, still not looking up.
Considering him for a minute, she said, "Zack and I have finished in there. I think we should go and finish this tomorrow."
Zack came in just in time to hear her words. "We came here to do a job. I don't see anything to say we're finished. What about the body?"
"We can finish it in the morning. It's not as if Charlie's goin' anywhere."
Looking at her closely, Zack said, "We might be walking away from the information we need. I thought that was important to you."
Throwing daggers at him with her eyes, she said curtly, "It can wait. You ready to go?" she turned to Logan.
Casting a quick glance in her direction, he slowly wheeled himself to the door. Max followed, holding the lamp up to illuminate the rocky pathway, purposefully not looking back to see if Zack was following.
At least the rain had stopped, but the wind still menaced them.
Logan was glad to see the car.
Grunting with the effort, he got in his seat, only to curse abruptly when the keys dropped from his hand just as Max got in herself. Logan was already feeling for them when Max saw them by his feet. "There they are," she said quickly, leaning forward herself to pick them up, her hand brushing his as she gave Logan the keys.
"No wonder you dropped them - your hands are freezing."
"I forgot my gloves," Logan explained quickly.
"You want me to drive?" Max suggested.
"No, but I could sure do with those eyes of yours to navigate."
Max gave him a small smile. "Sure."
Just as Logan was about to start down the road, Max grabbed his arm and said, "I forgot something." She opened the car door even as he slowed down, and raced towards the house where she was soon swallowed up in darkness.
Logan closed his eyes while he waited, wondering what she was up to, resisting the urge to shiver. Stretching his neck and shoulder muscles he forced himself to relax.
Hearing Max open the hatch, he turned around to see what she was up to. His glance fell on Zack, who sat looking out into the darkness, apparently not the least moved by the cold or the rain. I could do with a bit of this genetic engineering myself, thought Logan darkly, turning back around to stare out the front window.
Max got back into the car, taking out the directions to the cabin they were to stay in, as Logan proceeded back down Mine Road.
At the back of his mind, he wondered what Max had been up to, but he couldn't be bothered to ask. He assumed she'd tell him at some stage.
"We turn right at the main road," Max advised him, "then make a left at the next road."
Logan nodded, frowning slightly, while he concentrated on the road ahead.
At the main road, Logan looked left before coming out, but even as he did so he was aware of a pair of headlights coming at them.
Another car was turning into Mine Road, and obviously not expecting a car to be coming out of it, they were now turning directly in front of the Aztek.
Cursing the numbness in his hands, Logan pulled the wheel to the right, at the same time accelerating hard to avoid the now oncoming car.
Fortunately the driver of the other car had probably realized his mistake a few seconds before Logan had seen him and had been already braking and flinging his own car to the right.
Miraculously neither car skidded on the wet road, and they both missed each other by perhaps only an inch- it had been so close. Any further down Mine Road, without the room to manoeuvre, they would have hit head on.
Without stopping to acknowledge their stupidity, the other car sped off down Mine Road.
Letting out the breath he'd unconsciously held in, Logan stole a quick look at Max.
"Nice moves," she admired.
"At that point in the road, there was room for the two cars. It was simply a matter of avoiding each other." Zack clinically assessed the situation.
Logan half turned his head and let his eyes flicker in Zack's direction. With considerable restraint, he said nothing.
"Here's our turn," put in Max quickly, glad to give Logan something to focus on.
"I wonder why anyone was turning down that road," mused Logan.
"It was a forestry truck," replied Max, "I saw some sort of logo on the side."
Consulting the small map on the pamphlet she'd been given, Max said, "Somewhere along here there should be another road on the left."
It was a little more open this side of the main road, the forest less dense.
"Here it is," she pointed, indicating the road. "Logan," she said again, when he failed to react to her words.
"I'm on it," he replied tersely.
They only had to drive another three hundred yards or so, when Max's keen eyes picked out the driveway to the cabin they were to stay in.
Logan drove up the circular driveway, parking immediately in front of the house.
Turning to Zack, she gave him the key, "See if you can get some light out here. It looks nice," she mentioned to Logan, before getting out.
"I'll have to take your word for it." On such a dark night, all he could make out was an outline, and even that seemed a little blurred.
As Max came round to Logan with his chair, an outside light came on, illuminating the area about them, and then several others in the house came on as well. Everything appeared far more welcoming.
Zack came back out to collect some bags, and then they all made their way inside.
The cabin was of the rustic variety, which meant while in need of repair, it was liveable. Everything was 'rustic' nowadays, thought Logan dryly.
Everything was on one level, three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and living room. Although there was the slight musty smell of a house that had been closed up, it was particularly clean, and generally quite homely, if unfortunately, rather cold.
The only form of heating was the open fire in the living room.
Max walked through and checked out the bedrooms. The third bedroom was quite small, but the other two were larger, with en suites. Following her, Zack immediately insisted on taking the smaller one.
"You don't wanna flip for it?" asked Max.
Zack smiled at her. "Uh uh."
Max came out to find Logan checking out the kitchen facilities. Everything seemed reasonably accessible.
She took one look at him, and then walked over to where his bag was. "You gotta get changed," she said, throwing the bag to him.
Not waiting for his reply, she called to Zack. "I gotta do somethin'," she said to him as he came up to her, "we need a fire," her glance flickered to Logan as she spoke.
Zack went to say 'yes', but seeing the way her thoughts were turning, he felt the same feeling of annoyance that had bothered him the whole day. "In a minute," he replied instead, no sign of his previous charm.
"Thanks," she answered, ignoring his obvious resentment, and going out to the car.
***************************
Sometime later, Max entered by the kitchen door, hoping to hide her surprise. She was looking forward to kickin' back in front of the fire for the evening. Considering the matter, she thought Logan's apartment would have been perfect if it just had an open fire as well.
Going through to the living room, she felt a growing sense of trepidation - of Logan there was no sign, Zack sat reading in one of the armchairs, and the fireplace was patently bare.
"What happened to the fire?" her words shot out accusingly.
Zack bridled at her tone, but before he could answer she fired out, "Where's Logan?"
TBC