Stowaway in Time

Fortunately, she always carried pepper spray. No guns. Her dad had taught her to shoot, but guns made her nervous. Her dad had made it clear that if she pulled a gun on someone she had to be willing to use it, and Diamond wasn’t certain she could.
Once the sugar and caffeine hit her bloodstream, Diamond turned up the radio and settled in for the long drive. She narrowed the distance between herself and her quarry, but stayed far enough back he wouldn’t notice her. She was so certain Bob was headed back to Reelfoot Lake that she almost missed him turning off the highway. Where is he going? Does he need gas, food or a pit stop?
She caught the exit just in time, ignoring the driver who honked at her when she nearly cut him off. “Sorry, Charlie,” she muttered. “Duty calls.”
She expected the tracking device to show Bob stopping at a gas station or restaurant, but the blinking red light showed him still moving. Diamond kept well back, worried she’d be spotted for sure on the country road. At last he stopped, and she cautiously approached, anxiety knotting her stomach. Was it a trap?
She pulled into the parking lot where Bob’s car had stopped. There were a handful of other vehicles already there, most of them pickup trucks. A lodge, looking like a giant Lincoln Logs playset come to life, sat at the end of the lot. Diamond spotted Anne’s car immediately and parked a few rows over. She pulled out her binoculars, but unless Bob was hiding, he wasn’t in the car. She saw two other buildings. One was clearly a barn. It connected to a paddock which held a few horses, already saddled, and tied to the fence post. The other appeared to be a warehouse or storage building. Bob had probably gone into the lodge.
Diamond lowered the binoculars and opened another power bar. As she chewed, she considered her options. She needed to see what Bob was doing, but didn’t want him to see her. There might not be many places to hide inside; she would wait and see if Bob came back out.
Twenty minutes later, she gave up, pulled on a baseball cap, and entered the lodge. She kept her head down as she scanned the room. There was a check-in desk to the right, a large gift shop to the left and a snack counter directly in front of her. Her stomach growled as she caught the savory smell of roasting hot dogs. No one stood in line at either the snack counter or desk, so Bob was either in the gift shop or had checked in and gone to his room. He might have slipped out the back, got into his car and made his escape but she still had the tracking device. Unless he found and removed it.
She slipped into the gift shop. Bingo. Bob was browsing through a selection of camping gear. There were a handful of other people in the store and no one appeared to be in a hurry. Diamond figured she had time to order herself a hot dog before approaching the front desk. She squired mustard on the sausage and took a bite, sighing as the savory meat hit her tongue. It wasn’t gourmet fare, but it was quick, hot and tasty, all pluses in her opinion.
She wolfed it down, keeping an eye on the entrance to the gift shop. No sign of Bob. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and strode over to the front desk.
“How much for a room?” she asked the clerk.
“Sixty a night during the week and seventy-five on weekends. More during the summer. That’s our busy season. We also have packages available. You interested in horseback riding, ATV rental or zip-lining? We have a pool, but it’s outdoors and closed for winter.”
Diamond pretended to consider. “I would like to take out an ATV,” she said. She thought that seemed more likely to be Bob’s objective rather than horseback riding or zip-lining. He and Anne had taken a boat out earlier. He almost seemed to be searching for something. Or maybe he just likes doing outdoorsy stuff. Is my editor right? Is this all a wild goose chase?
“All day or half a day?”
“All day.” She showed the man her driver’s license, filled out some paperwork and put the charges on her credit card. “You do a lot of ATV rentals?” she asked, hoping to learn if Bob had rented one.
“We’re crazy busy in the summer. Usually you need to book in advance. Not so much in January. We don’t get many walk-ups either,” he said, casting her a vaguely suspicious look. He wrote her name in a ledger, followed by a number. Trying to look inconspicuous, Diamond scanned the names above hers. In the slot directly above hers was the name ‘Bryce Poole.’ Her shoulders slumped. She’d been hoping for Bob’s name.
“How did you hear about us?” the man asked.
“A friend.” When the clerk turned his back to grab a set of keys from the back wall, she swung the ledger towards her and read all the names. No Bob Rivers. But there was Bryce Poole, right above her own name. Rivers/Poole. Bob/Bryce. Could Bob be using an alias?
“Right this way.”
Diamond followed the man out to a warehouse. It was full of three-wheelers. The man drove the one he’d assigned to her out of the building and showed her how to use it.
“Sure you want to go out alone? Most people go in groups, especially if it’s their first time out. It can be dangerous if you’re not careful.”
Diamond nodded. I know, I just signed my life away on your stupid forms. “I’ll take it easy. I just want to get a feel for it since I told the guy I’m dating that I was into it.”
“All right, then.” The man seemed happy to have an explanation for her showing up alone, out of season, and without a reservation.
Diamond didn’t care.