Black Forest, Denver Cereal Volume 5 Read online

  “I’m calling Uncle Seth,” Charlie said. “Okay?”

  Pete nodded. Charlie looked around the hallway for his phone. It had shattered. He began picking up the pieces.

  “Use mine,” Nash gave Charlie his iPhone. “But if you break it, you buy me another one with your own money. Deal?”

  “Deal,” Charlie took the phone from him.

  Charlie looked at the phone and shook his head. Nash held out his hand and Charlie gave the phone back to him. Nash found the number and dialed it. He gave the phone to Charlie.

  “Hello?” Charlie said to Seth.

  “Charles,” Seth said. There was piano music in the background.

  “Sorry to bug you but…”

  “You’re never bugging me, son,” Seth said. “Did something happen?”

  “No,” Charlie said. “Well, yes. How did you know?”

  “Delphie told me you would stop lying to me when something happened,” Seth said. “Ready to talk?”

  “It’s Razor, Uncle Seth,” Charlie leaned close to the phone. “He’s hanging.”

  “Where?” Seth said.

  “I have to show you,” Charlie said.

  “I’m on my way.” Charlie heard Seth footsteps and a door close.

  “Pete won’t let me go,” Charlie looked up to see Pete’s face marked with concern. Pete shook his head.

  “A police investigation is no place for a child,” Pete said. “Aden agrees.”

  “I’m not a child,” Charlie said.

  “They’re right,” Seth said over the sound of his car starting.

  “But I have to show you!” Charlie said. “You’ll never find it otherwise. You can’t see it from the street or the path or anywhere. You have to know where it is.”

  “Can you see it from above?” Nash asked.

  “Yeah, probably,” Charlie said. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

  Nash pulled his laptop from his bag and started typing.

  “I’ll be at the shop in fifteen minutes,” Seth said. “But I’m picking up Delphie on the way. If you lie this time…”

  “She’ll catch me,” Charlie said. “Fair enough. Nash thinks he can help from here.”

  “Good thinking. Work with Nash,” Seth said. “I’ll be right there. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Like that’s possible,” Charlie said.

  “We all lie, Charlie,” Seth said. “Let’s just hope your friend doesn’t have to live with the consequences.”

  “Yeah,” Charlie mumbled. “Or die with them.”

  Seth had already hung up. Charlie slid down the wall until his behind hit the floor. He set down Nash’s iPhone.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” Charlie screamed and began to hit his thighs. Pete dropped to his knees to try to help Charlie. Nash picked up his iPhone to protect it.

  “What’s going on?” Teddy asked.

  “I fucked up,” Charlie said. “And my best friend is going to die because of it.”

  “He’s gonna die because you can’t go?” Nash asked.

  Charlie nodded.

  “What if we figure out how to be there and not be there?” Teddy asked.

  “What are you talking about?” Charlie asked.

  “We can use the satellite to help Seth and his guys find your friend,” Nash said. “We’ll be there to guide them.”

  “How?” Charlie asked.

  “First let’s see if Google Maps can get us close.” Nash turned back to his laptop. “Sandy has wireless. I installed it myself but we’ll need more bandwidth than that.”

  Taking the laptop, he ran downstairs. Charlie, Teddy and Pete followed him closely behind. Nash found a network jack and plugged in the laptop.

  “Ok where?” Nash asked.

  “It’s kind of by where Stapleton was,” Charlie said.

  “Streets?”

  “Smith road,” Pete said. “Quebec. By the Home Depot?”

  “Past that,” Charlie said.

  “Got it,” Nash said.

  “That’s just a map,” Charlie said. “I can’t find it by…”

  Nash clicked a button and the satellite image appeared. Nash dialed in to the closest view.

  “That’s it,” Charlie said.

  “Where?” Nash asked.

  “See where those old planes are?” Charlie asked.

  “Right there,” Teddy asked.

  “Ya, see that cement? Those big pieces on the bank of the river? The entrance is under there.”

  “I don’t see it,” Teddy said.

  “Left bank,” Nash pointed to what looked like a set of old cement sidewalk pieces. “I think that’s Sand Creek.”

  “See you don’t have to go,” Pete said. “I’m putting my foot down here. You boys don’t need to be out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.”

  “But how will we know what happens?” Charlie asked.

  “You’ll just have to wait until the morning,” Pete said.

  The bell to the shop rang and Pete left to get the door. Nash started busily working on the laptop.

  “Don’t worry,” Teddy whispered. “We’ll be able to follow.”

  “How?” Charlie whispered.

  “We might have borrowed someone’s satellite access code,” Nash said.

  “Might?” Charlie’s eyebrows went up.

  “Shhh,” Teddy said.

  Nash clicked a button and the Google satellite image came back up on the screen. Seth, Delphie, and Noelle ran into the shop.

  “Where is it, Charlie?” Seth asked.

  “Right here,” Charlie pointed to the spot on the Google Maps satellite image.

  “Good work,” Seth said. “You kids stay here. I’ll drop by after I take Delphie home. If you’re still awake, I’ll tell you everything.”

  “Ok,” Charlie said. “Sure. That’s fine.”

  Prepared for an argument, Seth squinted at Charlie. Charlie smiled.

  “I don’t know what you’re up to,” Seth said.

  “He’s not lying,” Delphie said.

  “Don’t worry, Uncle Seth,” Noelle said. “We’ll be right here.”

  Seth gave them one last doubt-filled scowl. He and Delphie ran out of the shop. The kids waved them good-bye.

  “Do I want to know?” Pete asked.

  “Not if you want full deniability,” Teddy said.

  Pete gave Teddy a long look.

  “Is it illegal?” Pete asked.

  “Only sort of,” Nash said. “But we won’t get caught. We have permission. Sort of.”

  Trying to decide, Pete chewed the inside of his lip.

  “Can I stop you?” Pete asked.

  “Nope,” Nash said. Teddy and Charlie shook their heads.

  “You’re not in danger?”

  Nash, Teddy and Charlie shook their heads.

  “You’re not going to hurt yourselves?”

  They shook their heads.

  “You’re just going to work on this computer?”

  The gang nodded in unison.

  “I’ll make popcorn,” Pete said.

  Pete went up the stairs of Sandy’s salon to the apartment. Nash opened the laptop and the children stared at the image. Sensing movement, Charlie looked up to see Noelle slip her hand into Teddy’s hand. They gave each other a goofy smile.

  “Do I have to be the dog?” Charlie asked.

  “The dog?” Nash asked.

  “Ted here is Fred. Noelle is Daphne,” Charlie said. “I’m definitely not Velma.”

  “I’m not Velma!” Nash said.

  “Right,” Charlie said. “So you’re either Shaggy or Scooby and I don’t want to be the dog.”

  “Shaggy’s kinda a stoner,” Teddy said.

  “You’re kinda a stoner,” Nash said.

  “He’s addicted to those Scooby snacks,” Noelle said.

  “If the shoe fits, Norville,” Nash said. “I think Scooby is cool.”

  Charlie shook his head at them.

  “Sissy can be Velma
,” Noelle said.

  “Sissy’s going to love that,” Charlie said.

  “Ooh look,” Nash said. “It’s started!”

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-NINE

  Rut Roh

  The gang leaned toward the laptop to watch. Two police cruisers on each side of I-70 had shut down the highway. A score of uniformed police officers appeared from under the I-70 overpass. With their hands on their weapons, they ran down the embankment to the path. An all terrain vehicle with SWAT personnel drove past the running officers. Jumping from their vehicle, the SWAT team launched themselves up into the trees surrounding the right bank of Sand Creek.

  “Wow,” Charlie said. “Did you see…?”

  He pointed as another SWAT vehicle flew down the embankment from the direction of Smith Road.

  “Look,” Nash said.

  He pointed to at least twenty uniformed police officers skulking through the old and rusted aircraft in the salvage above the left bank of Sand Creek. Pete arrived with two bowls of popcorn. He gave a bowl to Charlie and another to Teddy before going upstairs to make more. Teddy pointed to the rusting planes.

  “I’ve been there,” Teddy said. “We played in all the old planes with Dad. It was a blast. The place is under that?”

  “Some old military or airport thing,” Charlie said. “I think people just forgot it was there.”

  “Until now,” Noelle said.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday night — 8:45 P.M.

  Middle of Denver, CO

  “Whatcha doing?” Alex asked.

  Her partner, Arthur ‘Raz’ Rasmussen was sitting at the main dining room table peering at his laptop. He glanced up at her, gave her a quizzical look, and turned his gaze back to the screen. Alex looked over his shoulder.

  “What’s that?” Alex asked.

  “I have no idea,” Raz said. “I wanted to review that satellite and heat imaging before I went to bed. When I logged in, the system said I was already connected. This is what came up.”

  He turned the laptop so that she had a clear view of the beginning of a police action somewhere near I-70 and the Stapleton housing development on the old airport property.

  “That’s Sand Creek Greenway,” Alex said. “We’ve trained there.”

  “I remember,” Raz said.

  “Who took your password?” Alex asked.

  “I don’t know,” Raz said.

  “You didn’t check their webcam?” Alex asked.

  “What?” Raz looked up at her.

  “There’s a program on every computer. Some kind of parental control.” Alex opened a browser to the US Military Intelligence Center. “If the computer has a webcam…”

  “Which most do,” he said.

  “New ones,” Alex continued typing. Voice security came up and she said, “Fey.” She turned to Raz, “You need to have some security clearance to do it on a random computer.”

  “Do I have the clearance?” Raz asked.

  “Sure,” she said.

  She continued typing and clicking. The image of Nash, Teddy, Noelle and Charlie peering at the computer came on the laptop monitor.

  “There are your password stealers,” Alex said.

  “Little shit,” Raz said.

  “Who?” Max Hargreaves, Alex’s identical twin, asked as he entered the room.

  “Nash,” Raz said. “He asked me to show him how satellites work. He wanted me to do it on his computer to prove that it worked on any computer.”

  “Must have had a keystroke collection program,” Alex said.

  “I’m going to wring his neck,” Raz said.

  “Sounds like you were showing off,” Max said.

  “We just received a memo about Senior Homeland Security Agents using governmental resources to show off,” Alex said. “Strictly forbidden.”

  “I showed him how the satellites work,” Raz said. “It’s not like I did a DNA test on my partner’s childhood nemesis.”

  “That was international security, my friend,” Alex laughed. “The PIRA are a registered terrorist group!”

  “Yes, we’d hate to have another one of those evil PIRA terrorists living in the house,” he laughed. “We’re running out of space.”

  Alex laughed.

  “What are we going to do to the kids?” he asked.

  “Nothing nice,” Alex said.

  “Should I make the popcorn?” he asked.

  “If you make it, everyone will come to get some,” Alex said.

  “Do we care?” Raz said.

  The friends gave each other a long look.

  “I’ll make the popcorn,” he said.

  “Oh look,” Alex pointed to a SWAT team member in a tree. “I know that guy. And that guy too. This is going to be fun.”

  Alex sat down in his chair. Max pulled a chair next to hers.

  “Take notes!” Raz yelled from the kitchen.

  “Hurry up!” Alex yelled.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday night — 8:45 P.M.

  Near the Sand Creek Greenway

  Seth and Delphie waited at the light on Quebec to turn on to south Sand Creek Road. Neither had said much since they left Noelle and the kids at Sandy’s salon.

  “I don’t like the feel of this,” Delphie said.

  “I don’t like it either,” Seth said. “But a child’s life is at stake. We can’t take any chances.”

  “I know how badly you feel about Jeffy. You couldn’t have saved him, Seth,” Delphie said. “Even if you’d found him sooner, sent the Brighton Police, brought a mess of Denver police, or whatever else, Jeffy would have still died. When the coroner gets her results back, she’ll see that he was poisoned.”

  “What are you telling me?” Seth asked.

  Seth turned on to south Sand Creek Road and immediately turned onto Forty-Seventh Avenue Drive. Dodging a police cruiser, he stopped at the barricade on Quebec Street. The uniformed police officer looked at his badge. Waving to Delphie, the policeman moved the barricade and they drove through. Seth pulled up along the curb next to the Sand Creek Trail.

  “What are you telling me?” Seth repeated.

  “Razor is dying or already dead,” Delphie said.

  “How is that possible?” Seth asked. “It’s only been a few minutes!”

  Delphie shrugged.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Seth’s voice rose with anxiety and frustration. “Usually you’re all talk. Blah, spirits, blah, universe, blah. We’re in the middle of all of this with a child’s life on the line and now you clam up?”

  Delphie put her hand on Seth’s forearm.

  “I’ve told you this entity blocks my vision,” Delphie said. “I can’t get a clear picture. I only know what I’ve said. I don’t think Razor is alive because I can’t see him. I can’t be sure and…”

  “And?” Seth asked.

  “I feel this growing menace toward you,” Delphie said.

  “The entity is mad at me?” Seth gave an indignant laugh. “The feeling’s mutual.”

  “No, the killer is mad at you,” Delphie said. “I’m sorry Seth. I wish I could help you more. My connection and experience with this entity blocks me. And…”

  Delphie looked out at the night. The uniformed police moved like waves around them. There was a city of black uniformed men and women preparing to do what they do best.

  “And?” Seth asked.

  “I’m afraid for you,” Delphie said. “This man is furious. You stole his trophies. You took his safe haven, the barn. You’re now going to take away another one of his hideouts. He wants to get back at you. Like he did…”

  Delphie’s clamped her mouth closed. Her lips formed a tight line. If Seth didn’t know her better, he’d swear she’d sealed her lips in a zipper like a twelve year old child. He pushed a piece of her red hair behind her ear.

  “You can tell me anything,” Seth said. “But you have to tell me fast. We’re moving in… uh… eight minutes. Action at 9:30 p.m.”

  “Were you workin
g on this case when Bonita died?” Delphie asked.

  “I don’t really remember. Everything is a blur from that time in my life,” Seth said. “We’d just gotten our first case which was…”

  “The bones found at Coors Field?” Delphie asked.

  “He killed Bonita and the kids,” Seth whispered. His face went completely blank. “Oh.”

  They sat in silence while Seth digested the information.

  “I can’t think about this right now,” Seth said.

  “That’s why I didn’t want to say anything,” Delphie said. “Just put it away, sweet Seth. We’ll deal with this later.”

  Delphie’s hand stroked Seth’s forehead.

  “What did you just do?” Seth asked.

  “I helped you put it away,” Delphie said.

  Seth nodded to her.

  “You’ll tell me everything,” Seth said. “No matter how ugly. Don’t protect me Delphie.”

  “I protect you because I love you.”

  “I know,” Seth said. “You love me like a brother. I love you like a sister. I’ve been meaning to ask… Are we?”

  “We have been in many, many lifetimes,” Delphie said.

  “Huh,” Seth said.

  Delphie hugged him.

  “I’m going with you,” Delphie said. “I wore my hiking boots.”

  Delphie held out her feet.

  “Deep inside, I know I can’t stop you,” Seth said. “But you really shouldn’t go.”

  Delphie patted his arm and got out of the car. A police officer brought over two Kevlar vests. He helped Delphie with her vest. When Delphie looked up, Seth was surrounded by the head of the police units on scene. The officers updated him on the status of the situation. Walking over, Delphie stood just behind him. When Seth looked up to find her, he was ready to go. Delphie nodded.

  They jogged down the Sand Creek trail.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday night — 9:15 P.M.

  Middle of Denver, CO

  “The sound’s off,” Alex said.

  Munching on a handful of popcorn, Alex stood up so that Raz could take her place in front of his laptop. Raz clicked a button and the sound came on.

  “Got it,” Troy Olivas yelled from the other room.

  The picture from the laptop came on the large flat screen television in the living room.