Chap 7
Over the next hour, John gave Susie the low-down on his Gift. From skating accident to car accident and a few highlights of all the people he had helped. How he had grown so weary of the publicity, the needy people, and those who wanted to protect their secrets. How he had finally retreated to this place to decide what to do with the rest of his life. He was torn between the philosophy of being a good steward of the Gift and enjoying life. She was moving from disbelief and wariness to resigned amazement. After an hour of mostly one-sided conversation, he gradually grew quieter and came very close to her as they walked through the forest.
"Keep walking and act normal," he said carefully. "I've been thinking whoever took the body might be keeping tabs on us. We're going to stop up here and I'm going to say I need to pee. I think if someone is following us, he will watch you and wait for me to come back. I'll circle around when I'm out of sight and see if there's anyone following."
They stopped in a small clearing after another few meters. John kept walking, turned his head, and announced with a little extra volume "Be right back, gotta pee."
He made some noise for several meters then dropped into a crouch and started making a wide arc around the direction they came from. He had known the terrian from a youth. He left his hiking gear with Susie so he wouldn't make any noise. Wind was 5-10 knots so the noise he did make was masked by the rustling trees and bushes. His clothes were forest cammo. Finally, there were plenty of large rocks in the area that aided concealment. He moved quickly before anyone following might get suspicious.
Mr Furtive didn't have a chance. John might have well as been a stalking mountain lion. He had his back to a rock with a line-of-sight on Susie – who with ingenious forethought had been removing layers of clothing in the warming morning temperatures. She was down to her bra and short-shorts and the perp was practically drooling. Next thing she heard was a quick scuffle and ran over to see if John needed any help.
John had his arm securely around the man's neck who wasn't making a sound. He didn't seem to have a gun and the radio was still on his belt.
"Take off his belt and secure his hands," John directed as Susie came into sight.