Chapter 8

Mike and Jeannie only stopped for a few more minutes to freshen up in the restroom and to save time they got their thermos refilled rather than stop for coffee. Mike was so high on adrenaline after the bumpy plane ride that he felt he could do without a caffeine buzz for a while, but another couple of hours on the road and he might feel differently about it!

Father and daughter reluctantly left the shelter of the airport building to find their rental car in the snow covered parking lot. To Mike's great relief the snow was not as bad as on the mountain pass and he felt confident that he could negotiate the slippery roads. He was glad to see that Jeannie had managed to rent a sturdy and safe car, fitted with snow chains already.

The parking lot was quiet, as you would expect so late at night, but not too far from them there was some activity going on. Of course, Mikey and Nicolas! Like Mike and Jeannie they needed transport to get to their final destination. At the moment they were busy loading their boxes with wooden toys into a small truck.

"Sweetheart, I'll just go over and give them a hand; we owe them far more than that! You get the heater in the car going!" Mike gave Jeannie the car keys and squeezed her hand as he dropped their bags next to the car.

Mikey and Nicolas greeted him with a smile and let him help with the last few boxes. Mike realized well that his help was more of a token action, but he was glad he could at least do something for his benefactors.

He caught a glimpse of the expertly carved toys and whistled softly. "This is beautiful, just beautiful! You must spend the whole year doing this. These are works of art!"

Nicolas smiled. "Well, we both enjoy doing it. I'm just a craftsman, but Mikey is the proper artist; he adds the finishing touches and brings the figures to life." He pointed at a little carved foal craning its neck as if there was something enticing on the far side of the fence.

Mike smiled and imagined the joy of a pony mad little girl finding this beautiful gift in her stocking.

Mikey looked at him and slapped his head to indicate he had forgotten something. Then he took something out of the pocket of his heavy overcoat and pressed it in Mike's hand. A small crumpled brown paper bag that seemed to contain something hard and oddly shaped.

Nicolas spoke for his friend. "Happy Christmas! This is one of Mikey's special puzzles. One part is for you, one for your daughter and one for your friend. The three pieces fit together to create a shape. It's actually harder to put together than you think!" Mike glanced into the bag and saw three filigree pieces of beautifully structured wood. Nicolas pre-empted Mike's protests and said. "Take it as a good luck charm and as something to remember us by! Now we must be on our way and you too, my friend! Godspeed!"

Somehow Mike wasn't surprised by the old fashioned farewell. He waved his hand once more and then went back to Jeannie and the rental car. The interior had heated up nicely and the windscreen was free of ice and snow. The next leg of their seemingly never ending journey was about to begin

"Weston!" he called out. "He's out there!" and instinctively jumped away from the brightly illuminated window and let himself drop on the floor, pulling the Deputy with him.

As they were leaving the airport grounds, Mike realized that he wasn't clear on where he and his daughter were headed. Moderate wet snow came down, but he was happy to see that it melted as it hit the windshield instead of sticking. Redirecting his thoughts on reaching the resort, he commented, "Many of the ski resorts have turn-offs near the lake. There's a south road and a north road. If I knew which way would be closer, I'd pick the shorter route."

Jeannie opened up a bag of chips she managed to acquire from a vending machine and handed the snacks to her father. "Here, thought you might like a little something. I had some spare change in the bottom of my bag. There are a couple of bags of chips and two packages of cakes. I've got some drinks, too."

"What kind of cakes?" Mike asked as crunched the first of the salty chips.

"Chocolate with white creme and then a yellow sponge cake with white creme," Jeannie responded with a smirk he could not see.

"Kid food. Well, beggars can't be choosers, so I'll take the sponge cake," Mike replied. "But let me cleanse my palette after the chips."

Jeannie giggled. While their search for Steve could end in a way that she didn't want to consider, the time she was spending with her father reminded her of just how special he was. Their world could be falling apart around them, but only he could make her feel safe and secure.

Now at the point where her father needed to make a decision to turn right or left, Jeannie responded, "And to answer your question, take the south road. I asked the attendant at the rental car agency the best way to get to Mount Sumter. He said the road conditions weren't good either way, but that the south road would get us to the resort in fewer miles."

Pleased that his daughter asked questions, he felt a wave of relief and took the main road exit south. "Sweetheart, with this weather, it could take us a while to get there. I just hope I can keep you warm enough."

"We'll be fine. We have our bags with our extra clothes. And in case we get stranded and very hungry, we also have the honey gingerbread I made for Steve."

"Say, why aren't we eating that instead of this junk food?" Mike asked suspiciously.

"Because it's for Steve," she answered with a defiant air. "I didn't carry it all this way not to give it to him. Unless of course, we get stranded."

Mike simply nodded his head. While he felt miles better as they left the airport than he did when they arrived, he knew that he and his daughter were on their own.

Steve peered around the window frame to see the dark figure roaming around the vehicles. Deputy Weston turned out the lights in the front area of the small station house to help them see better into the darkness. The action also made them less of a target. He was only seconds behind the vacationing detective in his assessment of the situation they faced.

"Recognize him?" Weston asked quietly.

"I think so. I remember seeing him in the crowd just after the housekeeper found the body. There were several people in the room and I saw his reflection in the mirror. I ushered him and the others out so I could secure the scene." Steve answered. He secretly wished he had his gun at that moment, but instead flashed backed to the instance when he handed it to Mike as he stopped off at his partner's home on the way out of town several days earlier. The last thing I thought was that I should bring a weapon with me skiing. A voice kept telling me, 'Don't leave home without it...' Where have I heard that before?

Weston continued to observe the scarred man outside and realized that he was targeting the family's car. "What's he looking for?" he asked aloud.

"My guess is the deed. They took it back from Midlem and now our new friend out there wants it," Steve added.

"What could be on that land that would be worth all of this?" Weston pondered.

"I think we already know that," Steve replied. "The property is near Carson City and apparently a new silver vein was found nearby. Midlem was telling the family - actually Agnes's mother - that prior mining had made the property unstable."

"I'm guessing that was a crock," Weston mused.

Steve nodded his head. With the car door already unlocked, the mysterious red headed man quickly slid into the front seat and began rifling through the seat. He leaned to the passenger side and then opened the glove compartment. Steve saw a flash of light from what must have been the suspect's flashlight. All remained quiet for a moment as the suspect quickly looked over his findings. A deed to property in Carson City.

Folding the document and stuffing it inside his coat, the man exited the family's car and made a mad dash to his own vehicle.

"Okay, enough games," Weston replied as he pulled the gun from his holster before he burst outside. "Stay down," he instructed Steve as an afterthought.

Steve was surprised at how quickly the deputy reacted once Weston decided to make a move.

"Hold it!" Weston yelled from the steps of the station. "Police, stop right there!"

The mysterious man had darkness and shadows as his allies and boldly slid into the passenger side of his own vehicle and ducked beyond Weston's view. In no time, the engine was on and the car chunked wildly backward through the snow into the side street which lead back to one of the main roads around Tahoe.

The south road...