Not one, but two people had tried to kill Rook. He would have bet money that Fossen’s son attacked him on Fossen’s orders. He couldn’t remember the exact sequence of events, but he suspected that Fossen gave the order after first meeting Rook, and didn’t manage to rescind it before realizing that he needed Rook’s help. The town had brains, Rook realized, but lacked brawn. With his employees being targeted, Rook thought Fossen must have assumed that the creature got his son, too. Fossen might be questioning that assumption now, given the newly discovered identity of the creature, but all evidence to the contrary had been burned to dust and swept out to sea.
Then there was the second attempt on his life, the shots fired at him as he drove Peder’s car. Who had done that? Maybe Fossen had arranged it because he didn’t want Rook rooting around where the creature had disappeared. Or maybe Fossen didn’t intend to kill him, but had just arranged the shots to keep him focused on his own survival and not thinking too much about the town’s secrets. Or hell, maybe Fossen wasn’t behind it, maybe someone in the town took a shot because Rook was working with Fossen.
The truth was, he had no idea about those shots. One more reason to stick around and find out which heads needed busting for that particular attempt on his life. But even without the attempts on his life, he knew he couldn’t leave without getting some more answers about Edmund Kiss and Eirek Fossen. The piece of paper he held in his hand only made him more determined to do just that.
In court, they would have called it a “dying declaration.” He had discovered the single sheet of paper behind the photograph in the envelope that Kiss had clutched as he died. It was written in German, in the same scribbled hand as the document he had found during his first visit to the old lab—now rough and nearly illegible, as though written quickly.
Ich hab ihn gesehen, Deinen Wolf. Du musst aufh?ren. Es ist zu gef?hrlich Zu schrecklich. Ich kam zurück um Dich aufzuhalten aber ich bin zu sp?t. Du musst die ---- versiegeln—
Rook had memorized the translation.
I've seen it, your Dire Wolf. You must stop. It's too dangerous. Too horrible. I came back to stop you, but I'm too late. You must seal the ---- or —
Dire wolf?Is he talking about the large black wolf? Rook shook his head. Couldn’t be. He protected them. And seal what? The old man’s chicken scratch was hard to read in general, but that single word was illegible. If only the man had finished the note, which was clearly intended for Fossen and likely regarded his research. The only thing the note made clear was that even the Nazi turned yeti feared Fossen’s research, and Rook was pretty sure that Nazi yetis didn’t typically fear a whole lot.
Rook stood and wrapped his arms around his chest as a cool breeze flowed down the hillside and plummeted over the cliff. The wind howled for a moment and Rook felt a chill run up his spine. The sensation was momentarily so intense that he nearly dropped to a knee. That wasn’t the wind, he thought, fighting the shiver. The howl sounded distant. Miles away. Yet it emanated power and fear. He quickly ran through the possibilities.
Not the yeti.
Not the wolves.
I've seen it, your Dire Wolf.
Fossen’s research.
The crunch of approaching footsteps snapped Rook’s attention away from the distant sound. The wind carried wood smoke and moth balls.
“Peder,” he said in greeting.
“Have you decided, Stanislav?”
“Yeah,” Rook said. A part of him hated this decision. He’d been gone too long. His team would be worried. Queen would be… Thinking of her was nearly enough to change his mind. But if any member of Chess Team stood in his shoes, they’d see it through, too. Something dangerous brewed in Fenris Kystby and it would eventually find its way to the outside world. It has to be stopped, Rook thought. It’s what we do.
Rook turned to Peder and the old man frowned. He could see Rook’s decision in his stone faced expression. Peder sighed, turned and walked away.
“Where are you going?” Rook asked.
Without looking back, Peder said, “To reload my shotgun.”
###
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
JEREMY ROBINSON is the author of eleven novels including PULSE, INSTINCT, and THRESHOLD the first three books in his exciting Jack Sigler series. His novels have been translated into nine languages. He is also the director of New Hampshire AuthorFest, a non-profit organization promoting literacy. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.
Click here for a sample of Robinson’s novel, THE LAST HUNTER
Visit him on the web, here: www.jeremyrobinsononline.com
EDWARD G. TALBOT is the pen name for two authors. Ed Parrot lives in Massachusetts and has long been fascinated with turning ideas into written words. Jason Derrig lives in Maine and likes to tell stories, especially about conspiracies. The two authors have collaborated to create a brand of thriller that keeps the stakes high while not taking itself too seriously. In addition to the Chess team thriller, their current work includes the conspiracy thriller novel New World Orders and the thriller half-novel Alive From New York. Their second novel, 2012: The Fifth World, is available now.
Click here for a sample of Talbot’s novel, 2012: THE FIFTH WORLD
Visit him on the web at www.edwardgtalbot.com
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