Chapter 5

They gathered in the diner for breakfast the next morning. Megan was musing over Don and Charlie, watching them surreptitiously over her menu. They both looked tired and grim, and at first she wondered if they were having some kind of argument, but Don had made it a point to sit next to his brother, forcing Edgerton to move over to another chair, so she ruled that out. She looked over at Colby and David, who were enthusiastically debating which of the breakfasts appeared to promise the most food, and sighed. Maybe she was reading too much into it. 'Too many psych classes,' she thought. 'I have to quit trying to analyze everything.'

Charlie slumped in his chair, his hands cupped around a hot mug of coffee, ignoring the menu. Don glanced over at him and spoke quietly. "Better get busy with that menu. We don't have a lot of time."

Charlie sighed. The last thing he wanted was food; the mere smell of bacon grease and eggs was turning his stomach. "I'm really not hungry. The coffee's fine."

Edgerton spoke from the other side of Don. "You'd better get something in you – we have a long day of hiking." Charlie sighed again, straightened and reluctantly flipped the menu open.

Don's jaw set in a hard line. 'Sure, he listens to Edgerton,' he thought. He closed his own menu with an irritated snap. He saw Megan's curious glance and forced a smile. "Pancakes sound good," he said lamely.

Charlie made a face, and looked up at the waitress, who had appeared next to him. "Toast, please."

99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

Between Don's SUV and Edgerton's truck, they managed to find enough room for all of them and their gear. The trailhead that was the starting point for the hike was about twenty minutes away. Colby ended up riding with Edgerton, and Megan and David rode with Don and Charlie. The brothers didn't have two words for each other during the entire ride, Megan noted; Charlie was flipping listlessly through his notes, and Don concentrated on the road with a scowl. She looked at David, and he glanced back at her and shrugged. 'David notices too,' she thought, 'at least it's not just me.' The silence was uncomfortable; she and David tried to make conversation with little success; and at the trailhead, they piled out of the vehicle with relief.

Edgerton gathered them together at the trailhead map, his face dark. "I had a call from Peters on the way here. Another missing hiker was reported early this morning. He was part of a group of three – he went missing last evening." They exchanged grim looks, and he indicated the map. "We're here, and we expect to get to here by the end of the day." He moved his finger along the map as he talked.

"Along the way, we'll pick up these two sites; tomorrow, we'll see three others, one of them the new abduction site, which is here. That'll be five of the seven. At that point we can decide if we've seen enough, or if we want to take this loop and pick up the last two. We've got enough provisions if we want to do that. We will hit a few spots that are classified as strenuous, and there will be some light climbing right along here, and also here. Any questions?"

Edgerton looked at them; then tapped the "Trail Closed" sign for emphasis. "Much of the trail is narrow, and we will have to walk single file. We're a pretty formidable group, and I doubt that he will get anywhere close to us, but anybody that ends up in the back needs to keep up for obvious reasons. Keep your eyes open and stay together."

Don glanced at Charlie, who was standing at the back of the group, gazing listlessly at the trees. Don shook his head. 'Did he hear any of that?' he wondered. As they headed for the trail, he jockeyed for position, and managed to steer Charlie in line behind Megan, who followed Edgerton. Don pulled in directly behind Charlie, and Colby and David brought up the rear.

Megan, realizing what Don was doing, shot him a knowing smile over her shoulder as she passed Charlie, and Don returned it wryly. 'Good, I got a smile out of him,' she thought. She glanced at Charlie, wondering how well he would be able to keep up. His pack looked disproportionately large on his small frame; it was a good deal bigger than hers, she noticed, and appeared to be packed.

It wasn't long into the hike before she had her answer. The path had been following a steady uphill grade; between that and the extra weight of the pack, she already felt a burn in her legs, and was huffing a bit. She hit a wider section of trail, and was surprised to see Charlie come abreast with her, climbing easily. He flashed a shy smile at her and pulled ahead to walk next to Edgerton. She glanced back, relieved to see that Don, Colby and David were also breathing a bit heavily, and had a light sheen of sweat on their foreheads; that it wasn't just her that was struggling with the climb. Don's eyes were on Charlie, and she turned her head forward to see that the trail had narrowed, and Charlie was now in front of Edgerton.

If anything, the pace picked up with Charlie in front, and by the time they reached the first site, they were all in need of a break. All but Charlie, apparently; not realizing the significance of where he was, he overshot the mark and continued up the trail, not hearing Edgerton's call. He did pick up Don's bellow, "Charlie!" and turned in surprise, and then leaped lightly down the rocky trail to join the group.

Colby watched him, wiping sweat from his brow. "He's like a freakin' mountain goat," he complained to David, as Charlie undid the straps on his pack and slung it off his back.

"We're carrying extra food and water," David reminded him.

"Yeah, that's true," admitted Colby. He stepped closer to Charlie and lifted his backpack experimentally; then shot a look at David. "Jeez, Charlie, what do you have in here?"

Charlie shrugged. "Notebooks, computer, extra battery, water -," he broke off and grinned at them. "It's all in finding the right balance point – find your center of mass and make sure the load rides just above it, so you reduce the moment of the pack relative to your body- it's a fairly simple calculation –,"

"Okay, okay," said Colby, raising a hand, "we got the idea." He muttered to David, "I still think he's part goat." He broke off as Don approached, with a black look on his face.

Don grabbed Charlie's arm, and swung him around, speaking quietly through clenched teeth. "If you have to be up front," he growled, "keep your head in the game. Edgerton and I shouldn't have to baby sit you. Stay with the group." He thought he was speaking quietly, but he was apparently not quiet enough; he glanced around and saw his team staring at him; then suddenly busy themselves with their gear.

Charlie looked up at him with a mixture of surprise, hurt and anger in his eyes, and pulled his arm back, rubbing it. "I turned around when I heard you," he said in a low voice. "I don't need babysitting." Scowling, he turned and dug in his pack for his notebook.

They walked the site with Edgerton, Charlie writing in his notebook, noting the position of where the body was found; and he continued to take notes for several minutes after Edgerton finished, wandering the site while rest of them took a break. The hiking had improved his mood, and helped him out of the funk he had been in that morning, or at least it had before Don had scolded him.

He stood by himself at the edge of the site, looking at the view through the trees, and snuck a wounded glance behind him at his brother. 'What's with him?' he wondered. When they set off again, Charlie made purposely for the front of the line, shooting his brother a defiant look as he did it.

They stopped at sunset, at a clearing on the trail. They had made good time, only briefly stopping at the second site, which was an abduction point, and had actually gotten a little further than Edgerton had planned. Edgerton started a fire and they set up camp. To keep their loads light, they hadn't carried full tents, just small light lean-tos that were open on one side and slept two. They were trying to figure out how to separate up for sleeping arrangements, Megan being the sticking point. "It's not a big deal – we're going to be in sleeping bags," she was saying to Colby and David. "I don't care which one of you I'm with, as long as you don't snore."

Charlie threw his pack next to Don's near one of the lean-tos and wandered over to a large rock formation across the trail. He clambered up on the rocks and sat on a large boulder, his feet hanging. He could see the group moving around the campsite, and the sun setting through the trees behind them. He wondered idly if Amita was looking at the sunset, then with a pang remembered her request for the restaurant. Spiro's had a nice view of the sunset, he remembered. A lump rose in his throat; the view of the sky suddenly didn't seem so appealing, and he pulled his knees up and put his head down on them, arms crossed.

His head jerked up suddenly at the sound of a shoe scraping on rock, and stealing a quick look, he saw Don climbing up to join him. He groaned inwardly and put his head back down.

Don sat next to him, saying nothing for a few moments. The silence stretched, and he looked at the top of Charlie's head. "Sorry I yelled today. I was kind of pissed about something, and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

Charlie's face remained buried in his arms, and his reply was muffled. "It's okay."

"Is it?" asked Don softly.

Charlie looked up at this, glanced at him quickly and turned his face forward. Don watched his profile for a moment, and said, "You can talk to me, you know. I may not always be the best at it, but I am your brother."

Charlie frowned and shot him another look before looking back out at the sunset. "I know," he said quietly. He sat and stared; the silence becoming so long that Don was ready to give up again, and almost rose, stopping himself suddenly as Charlie spoke again in a low voice.

"Amita and I broke up." He shot a glance at Don, looking for a reaction, but saw only sympathy. He looked away again. "About two weeks ago. I should say; she broke up with me. She's seeing someone else." He swallowed hard, and closed his eyes.

Don thought to himself, 'finally,' with relief, but there was no triumph in it, as he watched his younger brother struggle for control. "I'm sorry, Charlie," he said simply, his heart aching.

"Yeah, me too," whispered Charlie, his eyes still closed. He opened them, and looked at his brother searchingly. "You don't seem surprised." It was Don's turn to look away. "You knew," said Charlie softly, realization dawning. "Why didn't you say something?"

Don glanced at him wryly. "I could ask you the same question. I thought maybe you just didn't want to talk to me; and, I don't know; I didn't want to pressure you."

Charlie sighed. "I guess I was trying to deny it. Talking about it made it seem real. There's still a chance –maybe- she says she's not sure if their relationship will work out yet -," he trailed off hopefully. "I didn't tell Dad, yet – who knows – maybe we'll get back together before he even finds out."

Don frowned. He didn't want to see his brother set himself up to be disappointed by a false hope, and he felt a surge of anger at Amita for even suggesting it, but he said nothing, just nodded.

Charlie took at deep breath. The burden of carrying the knowledge alone had been exhausting, and lonely. He hadn't realized how good it would feel to know that there was someone else who knew, someone he could depend on. He looked at Don, his eyes dark and solemn. "Thanks," he said softly. "Thanks for listening."

Don smiled softly. "Anytime. Just don't wait so long to talk to me next time, okay?" He ruffled Charlie's hair, and got a small grin for his efforts. "Let's go get some of that delicious freeze-dried what-ever-it-is."

Megan saw them walk back into the campsite; Charlie glancing up at Don and saying something with a smile, and Don replying, with a casual pat on the back and a smile of his own. She looked across the fire at David, who was also watching them, and he pursed his lips, raised his eyebrows and nodded at her. Colby caught the look between them and turned back to look at the brothers. "What? What did I miss?"

"Couldn't tell you," said Megan, as Don and Charlie reached the campfire. "Hey guys, there's hot water here. I know you're dying for freeze-dried enchiladas."

"Actually, they're not that bad," said Colby through a mouthful.

David snorted. "You say that about anything that remotely resembles food." He launched into a story of what Colby had managed to consume once during a single stakeout, eliciting laughs all around; and the sound rose with the sparks from the fire on the chill evening air. Edgerton leaned back against a tree with a coffee cup in his hand, smiling at the conversation, but distant from it; eyes absorbing his surroundings without seeming to.

Sometime later, after the marginal meal was over, Don glanced at Edgerton, who had made for his pack. He was pulling a case from it, and popping it open, began to assemble a lightweight rifle. The others followed Don's gaze, and the mood changed. A gust of cold wind blew through the camp, and Charlie shivered, as Edgerton walked over to the fire, rifle draped casually in front of him. "We'd better turn in," he said quietly. "David and I will take watch tonight. We'll leave the fire going – it'll reflect off the lean-tos and provide some heat. It's dropping down into the 30's tonight." He looked at David. "I'll take first watch."

The rest of them headed for the lean-tos; Charlie and Don in one, and Megan and Colby in another, David in the third, and burrowed into their sleeping bags. Megan heard Colby snicker behind her.

"What's so funny?" she said defensively.

"I can't wait 'til Larry gets back, to tell him about this."

"Tell him about what?" said Megan derisively. "That I kicked your ass out and made you sleep by the fire? Go to sleep."

"Yes, ma'am," said Colby, grinning in the darkness.

Edgerton sat near the fire, but out of sight, in the shadow of a huge pine. The moon was rising, and was casting a glow nearly as bright as daylight. It made the shadows under the trees appear even darker. 'Clear night, it'll be cold,' thought Edgerton. His ears sharpened as the talk died down, and silence descended. He had learned to trust his intuition, and it was talking to him now; the hair was raised on the back of his neck, and he had the distinct impression that they were being watched. He sat silently and listened, his sharp dark eyes drinking in the night.

9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

Charlie awoke at sunrise to the sounds of the camp stirring, and of Colby complaining. The smell of coffee cut through the air, and when Charlie exhaled, he could see his breath.

"Damn, it's cold," exclaimed Colby as he crawled from the warmth of his sleeping bag. "This is worse than Afghanistan."

Megan's teeth were chattering as she laced on her boots. "It's hard to believe that it's May."

It wasn't too much later that she was glad for the cool air. They had broken camp and hit the trail, which took a decidedly sharper rise, and they were all huffing, even Charlie, as they navigated steep runs and rocky sections. At one point, the trail rose over a rock formation, and they had to climb. The section of the trail was beautiful; pine forests rose up around them, and sunlight hit the rocks, bringing out a myriad of earth tones mixed with lighter colors. On their left, steep cliffs rose, and on their right, the hillside fell away into a small valley. From between the pines, they had a breathtaking view of the valley and the opposite ridge.

Edgerton had relaxed a little; not because he still didn't feel a presence, but because he decided that the risk of anything happening on this section of the trail, especially in daylight, was remote. The killer could hardly scale the cliffs on their left, and they had a fairly unobstructed view of the terrain to their right. There was really no cover to operate out of. He had been on that portion of the trail already, and knew it continued on that way for quite some time, before they hit a high point and a gradual decline.

They hit that point, or nearly so, late in the afternoon. They had stopped at two other sites, and had one to view yet before they reached their stopping point for the night.

They flung their packs down in a wider area on the trail to take a break; it was rocky, but there were no good stopping places on this section. Don looked up ahead; there was a very short steep section of trail in front of them, partially obscured by trees, and a rocky outcrop, about twenty feet high, stuck up to the left of the trail above them, edged against the blue sky. Edgerton followed his gaze. "That's the turning point for trail," he said. "The trail winds around to the right of that rock formation; and it's downhill from there."

David shook his head as he sank wearily onto a rock. "I'm all for that."

Charlie had pulled out his notebook, and was examining his notes. "Can I see the map?" he asked. Edgerton pulled out the map and handed it to him, and Charlie spread it out on a rock near David. Charlie pointed, and the group gathered around to look. "Do you see the topography of these sites? They're all at higher elevations."

"We noticed that too," said Edgerton, "but we weren't sure what the significance was."

"Well," said Charlie, "when you look at a few of the sites, and then compare them to surrounding areas, you find that they are all alike in that they have similar vegetation; similar cover. There are two basic ecosystems in the park. At the lower level, it's warmer and drier; at that elevation you have basically nothing but chaparral. It's thick in many spots, but it's not tall, three feet, four feet at the most. At these higher elevations, there are more pine forests; it provides cover. You can probably rule out a large portion of the park by simply eliminating the lower elevations. He may cross the lower elevations at certain points, but he will generally stick to the higher areas. We still have to look at a large area, but I think I can narrow my analysis significantly based on this assumption."

"Your bubble analysis," said Edgerton, nodding.

"Soap bubbles," agreed Charlie with a grin. He handed the map back to Edgerton, and stretched, looking at the rock formation above their heads. "You said the trail starts descending from there? There's probably a decent view, then."

"Yeah," said Edgerton. "On this side, you get the view we have here, of this part of the valley." He indicated the view of the drop-off to his right. "As soon as you round the rock formation you have a view of the trail and the rest of this valley. The next site is a fair way down that trail, but it's downhill, so we should make decent time."

Charlie started up the trail with his notebook. "I'm going to run up and take a quick look."

"Whoa," said Don, rising to his feet, "wait a minute. Just take a rest; we'll be up there soon enough."

Charlie turned to face him, backing up the trail as he talked. "Don't worry, look, you can see it from here – I'll be right there."

Edgerton spoke quietly. "I can't imagine anyone trying anything there – you can see for hundreds of yards from that vantage point, in both directions." Charlie turned and jogged up the trail.

Don sat down slowly, watching as Charlie disappeared into a section of trees ahead. He saw him reappear up higher, near the base of the outcrop, and then lost view of him again as the trail swung to the right. He was extremely uncomfortable with the situation, but no one else appeared to be. He remembered the looks he had gotten the day before, when he had scolded Charlie for running on ahead. 'Maybe I'm over-reacting,' he thought. He saw Charlie wander back into view at the base of the rock formation, and then back out of sight into the trees to the right, and he relaxed a little, realizing that his brother was right there, behind the trees, but staying close to the rock formation.

Charlie walked around the base of the rock outcrop. The side toward the group was actually more like thirty feet high, and there was a section to the right of it that was about twenty feet high. He eyed it, walking around, thinking that it wouldn't too difficult to climb up to get a better view, but when he followed the trail around it; the view was good enough that he realized he didn't need to. The trail skirted the rock formation closely, and turned left and descended. The cliffs continued all the way down on the left side, and the valley to the right.

Charlie stood for a moment, enjoying the view and the late afternoon sunlight, and then backed up against a huge pine, and jotted down a few notes. He heard a sudden noise behind him and he jumped, heart pounding, glancing around the right side of the tree behind him at the hillside. A squirrel bounded away down the hill through the underbrush, each leap sounding like a footstep. He grinned wryly to himself, looking back down at his notes, feeling a little foolish. He heard another rustle, this one closer to the tree, on his left, and he smiled again. Squirrels. Pulling himself away from the trunk slowly, still looking at his notes, he began to step away from the tree. Something caught his peripheral vision, and he turned, not quite in time to catch the source of the sudden movement. He felt a blinding pain in his head, and his world exploded, turning suddenly white, then dark.

--------------------------End Chapter 5----------------------------------------------------