Twenty-Three
The first thing Natalie does is point Beck and me to the automatic hot water machine.
The second thing Natalie does is take her gun and head outside.
Beck and I sit on the floor of an annoyingly seatless visitors’ center, mugs of hot cocoa mix steaming in our hands. Natalie was aware enough to lock the door behind her, but neither Beck nor I can take our eyes off the lock, as if it’ll disappear at any moment.
“You know what’s insane about this whole situation?” Beck says, letting the steam of the cocoa caress her face.
“What?”
“My mom had a stalker once. She was trying to get to her car, walking through a studio lot in the ’80s.
This guy got so close that he slashed her leg open and she barely got to the hospital before she bled out.
It turned out the guy was a deranged fan who snuck onto the lot that day.
She used to tell that story whenever something random and bad happened to one of us.
She said some people just have negative energy surround them and their loved ones. ”
Jesus Christ. I nudge my foot against Beck’s, neither of us willing to take our vice grips off our mugs. “That can’t be true, you know.”
She sips her drink. “With what happened to Pais, I don’t know.”
Beck puts her cup beside me. She jumps to her feet and starts poking around Natalie’s workspace. I think about asking her what the hell she’s doing, but the comedown from the adrenaline is an intense drain.
Besides, it’s not like she’d stop.
“Do you think the police would even listen to us?” I ask.
“Seems like between the weird townspeople and the forest FBI, we’re shit out of luck.”
Should we leave? The words hang heavy in my chest. The logical part of me says yes, of course, whatever happened out there isn’t worth finding out the truth. But for some reason, I can’t get my mouth to form the words.
Natalie returns, closing the door behind her and putting her shotgun safety on. Beck vaults over to the visitor side before Natalie can turn back to us.
“So, bad news and good news,” Natalie says as she sets her gun on the counter.
“Good news is I can’t find whoever was chasing you.
Bad news is, well, I didn’t find whoever was chasing you.
Whoever they were, they didn’t follow you onto the gravel entryway here.
” She hoists herself up onto the countertop.
“You sure someone was following you? It wasn’t just a jogger or someone? ”
I grind my teeth. Why is everyone trying to find logic in this? I get that I watch horror movies more than the average person, but I know when I’m being chased down.
“We’re sure,” I growl.
Natalie puts her hands up. “Okay. Look, I don’t not believe you. If you want an escort to your car—”
Beck sighs. “Our car’s in the shop.”
Natalie purses her lips. “Got it. Well, are ya sticking around here until it’s fixed? I’m sure Gerry told you, but taxis don’t really operate out here.”
I exchange a look with Beck.
“Yeah, we’ll be here,” Beck says.
“Cool.” Natalie slides off the counter and back to her feet. “Then let me escort you guys back to your campsite. The rest area is closed and guarded against trespassers. No one passes by here without me seeing. You’re okay.”
Yeah, everyone except one woman. “Do you remember someone named Vanessa?” I ask. “She would’ve been here when Ivy and those girls were here.”
Natalie frowns. “Ivy asked me about her when she checked in yesterday. We filed a missing persons report, but nothing has come up. These parks are a lot bigger than you think. Sometimes it takes a while to thoroughly comb for someone.”
I deflate a little at the nothing answer. I guess it’s confirmation Vanessa was a real person, but her fate remains as unknown as when Ivy brought her up this morning. With the stalker encounter still fresh in my head, our time with Ivy feels like ages ago.
“I don’t think someone following you and Vanessa’s disappearance are related,” Natalie continues.
“Statistically speaking, when people go missing, it’s because of the terrain.
I know true crime has every woman convinced she’s going to be some exception to that, but I promise, if you’re smart and careful, the forest here is safe. ”
Still, Natalie grabs her gun before the three of us head back into the darkness.
In a way, Natalie’s words are comforting. Because whatever just happened to us with the stalker confirms what we need to do.
We need to go to the old mining town.
“Could you help us with a trail for tomorrow? We want to go to the old ghost town,” I say, cringing, waiting for Natalie to connect the dots of how reckless we’re being, waiting for her to finally tell us to go home.
“Okay,” she says, relaxing as we take the subject away from disappearances.
“It’s a really easy trail. There’s a more scenic way, but that one goes along the road a bit and tucks back in.
You go around a lake that way and it’s really pretty if the sky’s clear.
But the most direct way is just through the woods following the creek.
It’s the most popular path, but you have to be careful.
” Natalie’s eyes widen. “It’s…it passes by where those girls fell.
” My heart freezes. “The trail narrows and you need to keep your eyes peeled. Don’t do it at night. ”
My skin crawls as Natalie speaks. I knew logically we’d go by where they were found, but actually nearing that moment fills me with a tar-like dread.
And then to have Beck go there knowing it was her sister—god, my heart already hurts thinking about it.
Beck chews on her thumbnail. It may not have nail polish on it anymore, but the sight of it flashes me back to her hands at the burial.
“Do you recommend one?” I ask, despite knowing which trail we’re taking before she says another word.
Natalie bites her lip. “The only other thing I’d consider is if you want a pair of extra eyes.
The long route has you passing by my partner Evan’s ranger station.
He still patrols the whole area, but it’s always nice to get face-to-face.
He’s like me, not from here. He doesn’t buy all that witch stuff either. He’s cool.”
My stomach burns thinking about Evan; there’s a whole ranger assigned to that area and he couldn’t prevent three teenage girls from getting murdered? Not exactly a ranger I’d trust to save my own life.
“We’ll go the direct way,” I say.
“Okay,” Natalie says. “I’ll let him know you’re headed out.”
She hands us each a paper map with the two routes highlighted, as if that’s really all we need to stay safe in these death woods.