if I can help it," said the cop. He reached his stocky partner and asked with a smile, "Did you see her, Frank?"
Frank fanned his face with his hand. "Whew! Have to be blind not to," he said.
Abbot and Costello, Josh thought. He started away dejectedly. How in hell can I get in the Tower?
"Hey, fella."
Josh turned. The tall cop was looking at him. "You say you got friends up there."
"Yeah."
"Caribou Mountain?"
"Yeah. ...Why?"
The cop stared at him a moment. "'Cause you got a hell of a lot more than a blizzard to worry about."
Josh looked at the two policemen. "What do you mean?"
The cop glanced down at his partner. "Tell him, Frank."
Frank turned away from Josh. "I don't know," he said in a hushed voice. "Chief don't want the word gettin' out."
"Kid's got people up there, he's got a right to know."
Frank continued in a whisper. "Yeah, but you're gonna start a goddamn panic."
"One guy ain't a panic."
"Yeah, but one guy leads to two guys, pretty soon..."
"Pretty soon what?" said the tall cop.
Josh interrupted them. "Will one of you please tell me what the heck you're talking about?"
They stopped, looked at him. "There's a killer went down with that plane," the tall cop said at last. "A real freakin' nuthouse whacko killer. Until they find the son-of-a-bitch, there ain't nobody safe within fifty miles of Caribou Mountain."
Josh stood gaping at them.
* * *
"Thanks," Chief Adashek said into the telephone. "And I'm sorry about all this. If you get any word from him, let me know as soon as you can." He hung up the phone and stared gravely out the window at the tumbling snow.
"What is it?" asked Dr. Katukan. "What happened?"
"Ranger Station in Evansville. Their man at the Caribou Mountain post went out three hours ago looking for the plane.
They lost radio contact with him. They think something might have happened."
"Oh, no..." said Katukan.
"That's not all," said the Chief.
The doctor looked afraid to ask.
"Before they lost contact with him," Adashek continued, "he radioed in to say he'd found some stranded skiers holed up in a trapper's cabin. The trapper was gone missing."
Dr. Katukan sat down, a grim look on his face. "We've got to do something," he said.
Adashek looked across the smoky air traffic control room at Dean Stanton. Stanton was coolly lighting a cigarette while another controller argued with him.
"We can't," said the Chief. "Not while Stanton's in charge. He's not letting anything off the ground."
"Is there any way around him?" asked the doctor, peering across the room at the old man.
"Call in the Air Force," said Adashek. He was too tired to even grin at his own joke.
The doctor turned to him slowly. "...Or the National Guard," he said.
Adashek looked at him a moment. "The Guard.... Of course!"
He spun back to the desk and dialed the telephone.
"Hartley, it's me. I want the home telephone number of the governor." He listened a moment. "Yes, the governor of Alaska, whaddya think?!"
30.
The wolf will not wait. It must be fed. Its hunger calls me through the wind. I call it back in my father's name. He gave me the taste for flesh, he gave me the power. I knew my mother's scent in the dark, I drank her blood like water. Women are weak, and the weak are taken first. They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. They offer themselves to me. They will not withhold their flesh from the hungry. Their flesh is soft and warm with blood. I will take their flesh in my teeth, and put their life in my hand.
The wind carries their scent like the breath of God. By the breath of God they will perish.
* * *
Andrea and the girls slept on the floor of the cabin; none had been willing to take the trapper's fusty bed. They lay like worms in their sleeping bags, curled by the radiant heat of the stove. Shadows loomed over them on the timber walls, and the wind wailed and whispered through their fitful sleep like the intonation of a dream.
Out of the dream came
Frank fanned his face with his hand. "Whew! Have to be blind not to," he said.
Abbot and Costello, Josh thought. He started away dejectedly. How in hell can I get in the Tower?
"Hey, fella."
Josh turned. The tall cop was looking at him. "You say you got friends up there."
"Yeah."
"Caribou Mountain?"
"Yeah. ...Why?"
The cop stared at him a moment. "'Cause you got a hell of a lot more than a blizzard to worry about."
Josh looked at the two policemen. "What do you mean?"
The cop glanced down at his partner. "Tell him, Frank."
Frank turned away from Josh. "I don't know," he said in a hushed voice. "Chief don't want the word gettin' out."
"Kid's got people up there, he's got a right to know."
Frank continued in a whisper. "Yeah, but you're gonna start a goddamn panic."
"One guy ain't a panic."
"Yeah, but one guy leads to two guys, pretty soon..."
"Pretty soon what?" said the tall cop.
Josh interrupted them. "Will one of you please tell me what the heck you're talking about?"
They stopped, looked at him. "There's a killer went down with that plane," the tall cop said at last. "A real freakin' nuthouse whacko killer. Until they find the son-of-a-bitch, there ain't nobody safe within fifty miles of Caribou Mountain."
Josh stood gaping at them.
* * *
"Thanks," Chief Adashek said into the telephone. "And I'm sorry about all this. If you get any word from him, let me know as soon as you can." He hung up the phone and stared gravely out the window at the tumbling snow.
"What is it?" asked Dr. Katukan. "What happened?"
"Ranger Station in Evansville. Their man at the Caribou Mountain post went out three hours ago looking for the plane.
They lost radio contact with him. They think something might have happened."
"Oh, no..." said Katukan.
"That's not all," said the Chief.
The doctor looked afraid to ask.
"Before they lost contact with him," Adashek continued, "he radioed in to say he'd found some stranded skiers holed up in a trapper's cabin. The trapper was gone missing."
Dr. Katukan sat down, a grim look on his face. "We've got to do something," he said.
Adashek looked across the smoky air traffic control room at Dean Stanton. Stanton was coolly lighting a cigarette while another controller argued with him.
"We can't," said the Chief. "Not while Stanton's in charge. He's not letting anything off the ground."
"Is there any way around him?" asked the doctor, peering across the room at the old man.
"Call in the Air Force," said Adashek. He was too tired to even grin at his own joke.
The doctor turned to him slowly. "...Or the National Guard," he said.
Adashek looked at him a moment. "The Guard.... Of course!"
He spun back to the desk and dialed the telephone.
"Hartley, it's me. I want the home telephone number of the governor." He listened a moment. "Yes, the governor of Alaska, whaddya think?!"
30.
The wolf will not wait. It must be fed. Its hunger calls me through the wind. I call it back in my father's name. He gave me the taste for flesh, he gave me the power. I knew my mother's scent in the dark, I drank her blood like water. Women are weak, and the weak are taken first. They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. They offer themselves to me. They will not withhold their flesh from the hungry. Their flesh is soft and warm with blood. I will take their flesh in my teeth, and put their life in my hand.
The wind carries their scent like the breath of God. By the breath of God they will perish.
* * *
Andrea and the girls slept on the floor of the cabin; none had been willing to take the trapper's fusty bed. They lay like worms in their sleeping bags, curled by the radiant heat of the stove. Shadows loomed over them on the timber walls, and the wind wailed and whispered through their fitful sleep like the intonation of a dream.
Out of the dream came
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