“Oh. I don’t guess I’ve flown into Denver more than once or twice and I haven’t flown into the Springs since college.”
“I thought your parents lived near here.”
“Not anymore. When Dad retired from the Air Force, they moved home to Alabama. He’s working in Huntsville these days.”
Outside, the lights of the Springs were now within a thousand feet.
“Do you see them often?”
“No, not really. I went back for Christmas the year before last, but it’s hardly like home. Besides, Dad and I haven’t gotten along too well since I left the Marines. He thought I was quitting, running away like I ran away from college without finishing my doctorate. ‘I didn’t raise no damn quitters.’” He chuckled mirthlessly.
“John I’m sorry. I had no idea. Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I’m not even sure why I mentioned it. Forget I said anything.”
There was if a jolt as the wheels touched down. The plane slowed rapidly then turned off the active runway toward the terminal. It was another ten minutes before the door was unlatched and the passengers pushed toward the exit.
John and Caitlin sat still until the most of the other passengers were gone, then rose and followed them out.
As they entered the main terminal, Caitlin noticed the obvious search John was making of the waiting crowd. Most had already greeted arriving passengers, and the few others didn’t appear to notice them.
“Do you think they might be looking for us here?”
“No, it’s just the smart thing to watch for.”
“Tell me if you spot someone,” she said.
“Sure, you’ll be the first to know.”
They tagged along behind the rest of the disembarking passengers as they moved toward the main terminal. They took their time at the top of the escalators and chatted briefly about the weather and skiing conditions until John tilted his head toward the lower floor. They rode the escalator down and then went to the baggage carousels.
It was easy to spot their bags. Most of their fellow passengers had already retrieved luggage and moved toward the exits. John lifted each of their bags from the moving conveyor and stacked them until the last one came by. Taking the bags, they went to the car rental agencies, where John motioned her toward the less crowded one.
Ten minutes later, they were loading their luggage into the back of Jeep Grand Cherokee. John took a moment to check their surroundings for watchers, then unlocked his bag, and removed his handgun. He loaded it and then it disappeared beneath his coat.
“Get in,” he said.
Caitlin went to the driver’s door.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“You haven’t been to my parents’ house. I thought you’d want me to drive. Unless you’re one of those macho male drivers that can’t ride with a woman driver.”
“If these were ordinary circumstances, I would be happy for you to drive me, but I’m supposed to be protecting you. Unless you can convince me that you’ve had a VIP chauffeurs’ driving course, I’ll drive.”
Caitlin put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “And I suppose you’re going to tell me you have one.”
“Certainly. There’s a good one near San Francisco. I recommend it if you get the chance.”
Caitlin surrendered and got in the passenger side. John got behind the wheel, cranked the car, and pulled out of the parking space. At the entrance to the lot, a guard checked their paperwork and then motioned them on.
“Which way do we go? Isn’t their house out in Black Forest?”
“Yes, turn right on Powers Boulevard. It’ll take us out there.”
Powers wasn’t far. John followed her instructions, turned north, and accelerated up the wide avenue. In a few minutes, they crossed state highway 24. A few miles farther, they reached Woodman Road, and Caitlin pointed east away from the city lights.
“It’s changed. The city never used to come out so far,” John commented.
“Really? I guess that’s because you’ve been gone a couple of years. It’s not as noticeable when you come back more often. Just over this hill, you’ll want to turn to the left.”
John nodded and then slowed as he crested the hill. He stopped, waited for a couple of cars to pass, and then turned left onto Black Forest Road. The road left the plains and climbed into the thick pines that gave the area its name.
“How far?”
“Not far, turn right at the stop sign.”
In a minute, they reached the small country store, post office, and the few other buildings that marked the community center of Black Forest. Black Forest was a rural community on the outskirts of urban Colorado Springs. The main reason it had remained rural was the foresightedness of a few people in the early 70’s. That was when developers were beginning to buy up sections of Black Forest. Their intent was to turn it into one more planned community, but the citizens got together and changed the zoning codes to restrict the sale of any land parcel smaller than 2.5 acres. The result was that more thirty years later you could still build a house out of sight of your neighbors.
At Caitlin’s direction, John turned to the east. They traveled a few minutes more and turned off the main road onto a cross street.
“How much farther?”
“About a mile.”
John slowed the Jeep and pulled onto the shoulder. Snow filled the drainage ditch, and he was careful not to drop the tires into it.
“What are you doing?” Caitlin asked.
“There’s something I need from my bags. It’ll only take a minute.”
He left the motor running and got out. A few seconds later, he opened the rear hatch. The cold mountain air mingled with the unpleasant scent of the car’s exhaust and swirled
