Target on the Mountain by Elizabeth Goddard (the chimp paradox .txt) 📕

shadowed her eyes before she nodded and headed down the steep mountainside. After a second, he followed.

Once they reached the valley, Alex glanced around for the best spot to build a fire without it being seen by anyone above.

He pointed to a treed area. “Let’s set up camp over there.”

Alex took off his backpack and leaned it against a tree. “I’ll gather some wood. Let’s get a fire going and then dive into those sandwiches Jenny made. I’m starving.”

With the beetle infestation of recent years, there was plenty of dead timber around. Alex gathered an armful and found a good spot for the fire.

Once it was roaring, he and Rachel unrolled their sleeping bags and Rachel took out the food and handed him a sandwich and some chips along with a drink.

“There’s fruit if you want some.” She took a bite of her sandwich.

Alex didn’t answer. He said a prayer of thanksgiving in his head and then dug into his meal with relish. A simple ham sandwich had never tasted so good.

Rachel must have spotted his reaction because she laughed. “It’s the mountain air. It makes everything taste better.”

He put down his sandwich and watched her. “I remember. All those picnic lunches we used to enjoy. Good times.” He swallowed back his regret. He’d give anything to go back to that simpler period in his life.

Alex studied her expression in the firelight. He could almost swear he saw her blush.

She brushed a crumb from her mouth. “They were good times, weren’t they? When I first left the CIA and came back home, I used to come up here all the time. I think it was just being in touch with something I loved from childhood that helped ground me.”

He understood. He felt the same way.

Alex hesitated, needing to tell her something that could prove touchy. He hadn’t been completely honest with her when she’d asked about the last time he’d had contact from Liam. For unknown reasons, he’d chosen not to mention the strange letter he’d received from his friend. Now, more than ever, they needed answers. Maybe something about it might make sense to her.

Alex stared at the fire, unsure of how she would take this new piece of news. “I need to tell you something, Rachel.” He glanced her way. Immediately he could see he had her full attention. “A few days before you called, I received a letter in the mail from Liam.” Alex stopped and shook his head. “I don’t know what to make of it. It’s nothing but ramblings to me. Liam talked about our childhood here in Midnight Mountain and some of the places we used to explore together. One in particular is underlined.”

Alex took out the letter and handed it to her. When he’d gotten her call, he’d shoved the letter inside his jacket pocket and brought it with him. She unfolded it and read through it, a tear slipping slowly down her cheek.

“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” she whispered sadly, and then handed him the letter back. He tucked it back in his pocket, the desire to comfort her running deep. Alex reached over and touched her face gently, brushing aside the tears.

Before he could voice the regrets of his heart, a noise close by had them both jumping to their feet, weapons drawn.

A woman and man emerged from the shadowy woods. The woman spotted their weapons right away and quickly raised her hands.

“Oh...we’re so sorry. We didn’t mean to frighten the two of you. We just lost our way in the dark. When I saw the fire, I was so relieved,” the woman said with the tiniest of giggles, her voice accented.

Dressed in dark clothing, she was tall, almost six feet. She stepped closer and Alex got a better look. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail; she wore a baseball cap that covered part of her face.

The man hung back a little ways in the shadows. He held his hands up, too. There was something familiar about him, too, and an uneasy feeling sped through Alex. What was going on here?

Alex moved closer to Rachel’s side in a protective gesture that came naturally. “It’s okay. We just weren’t expecting company tonight.” Like her, Alex hadn’t lowered his weapon yet.

“We’re really sorry to bother you, but would it be okay if we camped out with you tonight? We’re both exhausted and I promise we won’t be any trouble.”

There was something in the woman’s voice he couldn’t place. Fear. Some type of warning. He was unsure, but Rachel’s reaction to hearing the woman speak triggered all sorts of alarms. Was it possible that she recognized the woman?

Rachel reached out and clasped Alex’s hand, squeezing it once, then letting go. She was definitely trying to warn him of something.

“Why don’t you both come warm yourself by the fire?” Alex said when Rachel stood, silently assessing the woman.

The woman glanced oddly at Rachel, almost as if she knew her. She moved over to the fire and warmed her hands. After a brief hesitation, her partner joined her.

Once Alex got a closer look at the man, he was positive he recognized him. He had no idea how.

Slowly Alex lowered his weapon. Rachel did the same and the woman let out a breath, relieved.

“Sorry to draw down on you like that. We thought you might be a bear.” Alex came up with the best explanation he could.

The woman smiled again, but it didn’t seem sincere. “No problem. I’m Michelle Mullins, by the way. This is my husband, Peter. We’re from Colorado. We’ve been hiking all the mountains in the Midnight Mountain Range.”

Alex strove for calm and eventually found it. He held out his hand and she shook it. Her husband wasn’t nearly as friendly.

The woman turned to him. “Peter, shake the man’s hand. They’re keeping us from freezing to death,” she said with another laugh.

The two seemed to be communicating something to each other. After another second, the man smiled and