In Darkness Transformed Read online

  “We were on a training run, getting ready to ship out again. We hadn’t been given specifics about when, but it was supposed to be soon.”

  He paused, not sure how to continue. The rest of the story would only make him sound crazy. Maybe it was time to throw in some information about his family. “It’s hard to know where to start, but I’m going to back up a few years. When I was a kid, both of my parents were killed in a car wreck while we were visiting my grandparents over in Spokane. As near as I could tell, my mother’s family never liked my dad, much less his father. It didn’t help that Granddad showed up at the funeral acting all crazy and screaming. He shoved my other grandfather up against a wall and accused him of killing my dad a second time by having him cremated too soon.”

  That memory still hurt. “They used his whack-job behavior to take full custody of me and even changed my last name to theirs allegedly to protect me from any negative fallout from his craziness. To make a long story short, I didn’t see much of Martin after that. I stopped by here to see him after I’d enlisted and was about to report for duty. He went on a total rant again, telling me I couldn’t afford for the truth to come out. Something about dying and not staying that way. Then he stormed off into the trees without explaining what he meant.”

  The scene played out like a movie in his mind. “Turns out he was right.”

  Mike frowned big-time, clearly struggling to get his head around what Eli was telling him. “So your dad had the same ability?”

  “Hell if I know. If my folks were aware of any weirdness like that, they never told me about it. Of course, I was just a kid when they died. Maybe they’d planned to explain things when I was older.”

  Time to move on. “Anyway, back to the crash. Everything went as planned right up until we were on the way back. There was a loud noise. No idea what it was, and there was no time to figure it out. We went from flying to plummeting in a matter of seconds. I remember screams, then moans, then silence. Weird as it sounds, I’m pretty sure I died right along with everyone else.”

  He half expected Mike to interrupt him. When he didn’t, Eli went on, nearly choking on the grief he’d been living with since the crash. “I checked everyone for signs of life, but no one else made it. The wreckage was filling up with smoke, and I could see sparks of fire. It was only a matter of time before the whole thing would blow. I made it as far as some boulders before that happened. While I waited for my ears to quit ringing, I assessed my condition.”

  By this point, he wished he hadn’t just eaten. His stomach roiled as he listed his injuries. “There’s no describing how fucking weird it was to watch them healing up all on their own. By the time I changed clothes and started down the mountain, they were all but gone.”

  Mike leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “And up until this point, you had no idea you had this ability? No other miraculous recoveries?”

  “Not that I can remember. For sure, I don’t remember ever being sick for more than a day. No broken bones, either. And I always just thought I was lucky to never get a scratch despite being deployed all those times.”

  “What happened next? Why did you leave?”

  Wasn’t that obvious?

  “How could I explain how everyone else died and I didn’t? Not only did I survive, I couldn’t even prove that I’d been badly hurt. Even if I’d been thrown clear of the explosion, I should have had some major injuries. I was covered in blood, but not a mark on me to explain it. I figured I’d end up in a loony bin if I told the truth or in Leavenworth if they decided I’d somehow sabotaged the mission. Neither prospect held any appeal. Then there was the chance someone would want to turn me into a lab rat.”

  “I can’t argue with that assessment.” Mike stared at Eli for a long moment before continuing. “How are you managing to fly under the radar? You can’t access your bank account or use your credit cards without drawing attention.”

  “My grandfather must have figured I’d run into problems at some point. I was deployed when he died, but he’d named me as his sole heir. I had the attorney put all the legal papers in my storage unit. That was my first stop when I came down off the mountain. I found a key to a safe deposit box, which contained a shitload of cash, a letter explaining things, and a birth certificate with my original name on it. That’s why I go by Eli D. Jervain these days. It was Eli Yates who ‘died’ in the crash.”

  He needed to get up and move around. After gathering their dishes, he carried them into the kitchen. While he was there, he put on a pot of coffee, more as something to do than from any desire for a shot of caffeine. As it brewed, he thought back to earlier that morning when he’d found Safara in his kitchen impatiently waiting for her first cup of coffee of the day. It seemed longer ago than just a few hours.

  “How do you take your coffee?”

  “Black is fine.”

  He delivered Mike’s drink and then stood by the front window, staring out into the quiet shadows beneath the surrounding Douglas firs. “That’s pretty much my story. I’ve been keeping a low profile while I try to figure out where I go from here.”

  Glancing back at Mike, he asked, “What happened since the crash that has you worried?”

  “I was in meetings on the base when the helicopter went down. I wasn’t able to visit the crash site for the initial investigation, but I did get there on the third day. Investigators were swarming all over the place, still trying to figure out what brought the chopper down in the first place. For what it’s worth, they determined that it was mechanical failure. No foul play of any kind.”

  That didn’t change the tragic loss of life, but learning that it was no one’s fault came as a relief. Just bad luck, that’s all.

  “But while I was up there, another bunch of investigators showed up, all flashing some kind of federal identification. Any kind of crash can draw investigators from different agencies, but this bunch stood out. They were dressed in identical black uniforms that had no identifying insignias. Mainly, though, it was the kind of questions they were asking.”

  Eli frowned. “How so?”

  “They asked about all of the men who were on that flight, but they asked way more questions about you. By this point, the bodies—or what was left of them—had already been removed. There wasn’t much to look at up there other than scraps of metal and the burned grass and bushes. These guys started at the wreckage and kept circling farther and farther away from the impact site, snapping photos and taking measurements.”

  Eli’s gut was tied in a solid knot. “You’re thinking that maybe I didn’t make as clean a getaway as I’d hoped.”

  Mike joined him at the window. “Hell, I don’t know what to think, but it sure seemed suspicious to me. I couldn’t postpone the trip to Europe, but I figured I’d come up here when I got back to Seattle because you’d mentioned having family in this area. I don’t know what I hoped to accomplish, but for sure it wasn’t to find out you were still alive. That was a real surprise and damn good news.”

  “What do you think I should do? I’ll turn myself in if you think that’s the right thing.”

  “Don’t. Not yet, anyway. Give me a chance to find out what’s going on. Maybe it’s nothing, and they were just another bunch of feds looking to make a name for themselves.”

  “But you don’t really believe that, do you?”

  “No, I don’t, but I can’t put my finger on why. There was just something off about them. Seemed like they were part of a black ops group or something. For sure, most of them had a military background, most likely in one of the elite units.”

  Well, damn, what was he supposed to do with that knowledge? Nothing for now. Maybe some fresh air would clear his head.

  “Want to go for a walk while it’s still light out?”

  Mike stared out at nothing for a long time. “No, I’d better not. In fact, I’m thinking I should head back down the mountain instead. I don’t know if those guys are keeping an eye on anyone known to be close to you, but I woul
dn’t put it past them. I’d hate to think I might’ve led them straight to your door.”

  Eli clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. You had no way of knowing I was up here. If they find me, so be it. In some ways, it would be a relief. Going to ground like this goes against the grain and feels cowardly. I never expected this to last forever.”

  “Even so, I’d stick pretty close to home if I were you, at least until we have a better idea of what’s going on. It might be nothing, but I’ll let you know what I find out either way.”

  “I’d appreciate it, but don’t jeopardize your own career to protect me. No use in both of us going down for the count.”

  Eli grabbed a pencil and paper to scribble down the number for Martin’s landline as well the one for the burner phone he’d picked up after the crash, not that he’d even used it. After all, who could he call? It wasn’t like he could talk to any of his friends. When the helicopter had gone down, he’d lost everything in his life that held any meaning—his job, his friends, even his damn name.

  Biting back his bitterness, he handed Mike his contact information. “No one else has this new e-mail address. You can also reach me at either of these phone numbers or drop a note in the mail if you think that’s safer. I don’t go into town often, but I do stop at the post office when I’m down there.”

  “Thanks.”

  They both walked outside, the air already noticeably cooler. “You’d better head out while it’s still daytime. The road is tricky after dark when you’re not familiar with it.”

  Not to mention there was still a crazy bastard running around out there waving a sword. He followed Mike over to his car. After he got in, Eli decided he’d better say something and signaled for Mike to roll down the window. “One more thing. I had a run-in with a nutcase last night. The police down in Ridgewick are investigating, but I doubt they’ve managed to track him down yet. The man had to be off his meds or something, so be careful. If you see someone acting crazy, keep driving.”

  “Man, you do live an interesting life these days.”

  Mike was still laughing as he drove away.

  5

  Two days later, Eli swung his ax down in a smooth arc, splitting the log in two. He tossed the pieces toward the woodpile and set another log in position. He had three more to go to finish the day’s allotment. After which, he needed to make a trip down to Ridgewick to restock. It was either that or resort to chewing bark off the trees. Well, that was an exaggeration, but he could use a break from his own cooking. Besides, he was feeling closed in and trapped even though he had this entire mountainside pretty much to himself. He hadn’t run into the crazy guy again, which was a good thing. There was also no sign of any mysterious men on his trail, which was even better.

  He hadn’t heard anything from Mike, but he really hadn’t expected to this soon. Funny how having his friend there with him for even such a short time had made him so painfully aware of how alone he was these days. The only other people he’d talked to for any time at all were Safara and her father. While he was in no particular hurry to have another conversation with the police chief, Eli wouldn’t mind spending a little more time with the man’s daughter.

  Had they managed to track down her attacker? Safara might deny it, but she knew far more about the man than she would admit. She’d also been back on the mountain. The morning after he’d taken her back to town he’d gone looking for her ATV only to discover it was already gone. A second set of tire tracks led up to where she’d left it parked.

  Most likely her father had driven her up to retrieve her vehicle. They’d done more than that. Two sets of footprints had disappeared into the woods, headed in the direction of the area where she’d been attacked. He’d followed them until they turned back to where the ATVs had been parked. No telling how much time they’d spent up on the ridge, but he’d just missed them judging by how fresh the tracks looked.

  Maybe he’d cross paths with Safara while he was in town. The idea had him picking up speed, quickly finishing off the last of the wood. After stacking it, he headed into the house for a quick shower and to change clothes.

  Half an hour later, he drove down the mountain, hoping he’d see her while he ran his few errands. If he didn’t, he could always stop by the police station to find out if she was there. He assumed she lived somewhere in town. Considering how small Ridgewick was, it shouldn’t be hard to track her down.

  ELI CRUISED THE length of the main street through town twice, pausing at the post office in between laps. Nothing but the usual ads and bills. One more stop to buy groceries, and then he’d head back home.

  Just as he parked in front of the store, a police cruiser pulled in behind him. Good to see it was Safara behind the wheel and not her father. His mood considerably improved, Eli walked around to the driver’s side of her car.

  She lowered her window and smiled up at him. “I was driving by and happened to spot you pulling in. You saved me a trip up to your place.”

  Well, damn, he was sorry to hear that. He wouldn’t have minded having her show up on his doorstep again, all spit and polish in her khaki uniform that still managed to emphasize her femininity and looked sexy as hell. “Did you need something?”

  She pointed to a file folder in the front seat. “My father requested the report on Martin’s death. I thought you might like to see it.”

  “That was nice of you.” Even though he’d told her to forget about it.

  When he held out his hand, she shook her head. “I haven’t had a chance to make a copy for you, and Dad needs this one back. I can bring it up to your place later unless you want to follow me over to the office while I go in and run off a copy.”

  “I’d hate for you to go to all that trouble.”

  She bit her lower lip as if giving the matter more thought. “I’ll tell you what. I was about to take my lunch break over at the diner. If you have time to grab a quick bite, you can read over the report there. I’m afraid there’s not much in it other than the initial crime scene details and the coroner’s report.”

  “That sounds great. I’ll follow you over there.”

  She nodded and drove away. Eli found himself smiling as he got back into his truck. A coroner’s report might not make for the best mealtime conversation, but at least he’d be having lunch with an attractive woman. Things were looking up.

  SAFARA SNAGGED THE only available parking spot, but luckily another opened up in the small lot behind the diner just as Eli pulled in. She was tempted to touch up her lipstick before getting out of the car, but she didn’t want to give him the impression that she thought this was anything like a date. No, this was strictly business, a professional meeting between a police officer and a member of the public.

  Yeah, right.

  If that were true, her hand wouldn’t be trembling as she reached for the file folder. She glanced in the rearview mirror as he climbed out of his truck. Today Eli had on jeans and a white T-shirt with a dark green plaid flannel shirt worn unbuttoned over it. In this part of Washington, the combination was practically a uniform—worn by most men and even a good portion of the women.

  Uniform or not, Eli Jervain would stand out in the crowd. Part of that was his size. He had to be at least six three or four, all of it well-honed muscle that even bulky flannel couldn’t disguise. But his behavior stuck out, too. He always seemed hyperaware of his surroundings, constantly scanning the area as if worried an attack was imminent. Clearly Martin’s late grandson hadn’t been the only family member to spend time in the military.

  And now Eli was staring in her direction with a slightly puzzled look on his face, probably wondering what was keeping her. How long had she been sitting there watching him in the mirror? Too long. After all, this was business as usual. He wasn’t the first citizen she’d discussed a case with at the diner.

  However, he was the only one who kicked her pulse into high gear.

  She grabbed her cell phone and joined Eli in the parking lot. “Sor
ry about that. I had to let dispatch know I was going to be unavailable for the next hour unless there’s a real emergency.”

  Not exactly a lie, except she’d actually made that call before she’d spotted Eli at the grocery store. “Let’s see if there’s a booth available. If not, we’ll get lunch to go and eat at one of the picnic tables over at the park.”

  He frowned and stuck his hands into his front pockets. “I might actually prefer that. I don’t always do well with crowds these days.”

  Interesting, but she didn’t press for details. “Not a problem. We’ll run less of a chance of being interrupted that way. If you’ll tell me what you want, I’ll place the order. You can head on over to the park and stake out a spot for us.”

  “You sure you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all. I almost never make it through a meal here without someone deciding it’s the perfect time to complain about their neighbor’s dog barking or that the speed limit through town is too slow. Or too high, depending on who you talk to.”

  Safara softened her comment with a smile. “I actually love my job, but I hate it when my fries get cold.”

  He laughed. “I get that. I’ll eat them cold, but there’s nothing better than hot fries made with just the right mix of grease and salt.”

  Eli studied the menu posted in the window next to the entrance. “Are their pies really homemade?”

  When she nodded, he pulled out his wallet and held out three twenties. “My treat today. I’ll have a double cheeseburger, fries, a chocolate shake, and whichever pie looks good to you. I like fruit pies best, but I’d be happy with coconut or banana cream, too.”

  Part of her wanted to say she could pay for her own lunch, but another part pointed out how long it had been since a handsome man had taken her out for a meal. Next time, she’d do the buying. As she tucked the money into her shirt pocket, she said, “Got it. A cheeseburger, fries, chocolate shake, and a piece of pie.”

  He grinned. “No, not a piece. I want a pie—the whole thing. And if my fries are still hot when you get to the park, I might even share some of it with you.”