you’ll be on the right track. You probably could have done it with what I gave you before, but maybe this will make it easier for you.” He dropped fifty cents on the counter as a tip for the bartender and then turned toward the door and left, stepping aside only briefly to let a few people enter the quickly filling venue.
CHAPTER NINE
Paige hoisted her tote bag over her shoulder and walked to her car. She opened the door, tossed the bag across to the passenger seat and then straightened up to look at the sky. The rain had stopped, at least temporarily. But she had gotten to know Jackson Hole too well by now to trust the weather to stay the same for very long. Still, it was nice to have a break in the rainfall. The gray clouds were slightly lighter in color, though there were no patches of blue sky to be seen. She looked up the street toward Snow King, the pine covered mountain that bordered Jackson, rising to an impressive altitude of 7780 feet. A layer of fog hovered across its slopes. A glance in the other direction brought her gaze upon the town square, deserted at the moment.
Paige paused, narrowing her eyes a bit. It seemed once again that there was a slight glow coming from the antler arch. She looked up at the sky, as was now her habit, to check for a ray of sun that might be slipping through the clouds anywhere, but there was nothing. She pressed the lock on her car door, pushed it shut and walked briskly toward the arch. It seemed ridiculous to be irritated by an inanimate object, but enough was enough. If it was some sort of prank, she intended to get to the bottom of it.
As opposed to the other times she had seen the mysterious light surrounding the top of the arch, this time it didn’t fade away as she approached. Instead, it appeared to deepen, blending mysteriously with the misty air. She stepped closer, stopping when she was just a few feet away. Looking around, she saw the square and sidewalks were still deserted.
She took a few more steps forward, continuing until she stood almost directly underneath the well-known, stacked antler landmark. Above her, the glow continued to grow even brighter. Paige was certain this time that she wasn’t imagining it. The light quickly grew diffused as it spread outward into the air, but the immediate glow on the arch itself remained constant.
Paige looked around for some sort of logical source for the light, perhaps an electrical plug for Christmas lights that had been turned on early. But there were no power outlets or cords anywhere and she saw nothing else out of the ordinary. The antlers simply rose from their cement bases with nothing attached in any way.
Once again Paige looked around on the ground surrounding the front of the arch and then focused her attention on the walkway. What appeared to be an old, rusty skeleton key rested at an angle on the ground, just a few feet beyond the arch. She looked around, thinking she might see someone who had dropped the key, but there was no one on the square or surrounding sidewalks. Curiosity finally getting the best of her, she stepped through the arch and reached for the key.
* * * *
Paige picked the key up in her hand, feeling the coarse texture of the rust against her skin. Aware of a sudden sensation of tightness around her chest and some difficulty breathing, she straightened up, unprepared for the scene that met her eyes.
The well-maintained landscaping and central statue of the town square were nowhere to be seen. There was no neon sign across the way announcing The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and not a single souvenir-stuffed shop in any direction. Nothing but dust stretched out before her, a concave hollow of dirt mixed with a few stray bushes of sagebrush scattered across the land.
Bringing her hand to her chest, she found the source of her shortness of breath wasn’t only the shock of the change in scenery, but the stiff
CHAPTER NINE
Paige hoisted her tote bag over her shoulder and walked to her car. She opened the door, tossed the bag across to the passenger seat and then straightened up to look at the sky. The rain had stopped, at least temporarily. But she had gotten to know Jackson Hole too well by now to trust the weather to stay the same for very long. Still, it was nice to have a break in the rainfall. The gray clouds were slightly lighter in color, though there were no patches of blue sky to be seen. She looked up the street toward Snow King, the pine covered mountain that bordered Jackson, rising to an impressive altitude of 7780 feet. A layer of fog hovered across its slopes. A glance in the other direction brought her gaze upon the town square, deserted at the moment.
Paige paused, narrowing her eyes a bit. It seemed once again that there was a slight glow coming from the antler arch. She looked up at the sky, as was now her habit, to check for a ray of sun that might be slipping through the clouds anywhere, but there was nothing. She pressed the lock on her car door, pushed it shut and walked briskly toward the arch. It seemed ridiculous to be irritated by an inanimate object, but enough was enough. If it was some sort of prank, she intended to get to the bottom of it.
As opposed to the other times she had seen the mysterious light surrounding the top of the arch, this time it didn’t fade away as she approached. Instead, it appeared to deepen, blending mysteriously with the misty air. She stepped closer, stopping when she was just a few feet away. Looking around, she saw the square and sidewalks were still deserted.
She took a few more steps forward, continuing until she stood almost directly underneath the well-known, stacked antler landmark. Above her, the glow continued to grow even brighter. Paige was certain this time that she wasn’t imagining it. The light quickly grew diffused as it spread outward into the air, but the immediate glow on the arch itself remained constant.
Paige looked around for some sort of logical source for the light, perhaps an electrical plug for Christmas lights that had been turned on early. But there were no power outlets or cords anywhere and she saw nothing else out of the ordinary. The antlers simply rose from their cement bases with nothing attached in any way.
Once again Paige looked around on the ground surrounding the front of the arch and then focused her attention on the walkway. What appeared to be an old, rusty skeleton key rested at an angle on the ground, just a few feet beyond the arch. She looked around, thinking she might see someone who had dropped the key, but there was no one on the square or surrounding sidewalks. Curiosity finally getting the best of her, she stepped through the arch and reached for the key.
* * * *
Paige picked the key up in her hand, feeling the coarse texture of the rust against her skin. Aware of a sudden sensation of tightness around her chest and some difficulty breathing, she straightened up, unprepared for the scene that met her eyes.
The well-maintained landscaping and central statue of the town square were nowhere to be seen. There was no neon sign across the way announcing The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and not a single souvenir-stuffed shop in any direction. Nothing but dust stretched out before her, a concave hollow of dirt mixed with a few stray bushes of sagebrush scattered across the land.
Bringing her hand to her chest, she found the source of her shortness of breath wasn’t only the shock of the change in scenery, but the stiff
Similar Books
The Evil That Men Do: FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood's Journey Into the Minds of Sexual Predators
Stephen G. Michaud, Roy Hazelwood
