Justice Overdue: A Private Investigator Mystery Series by Rayven T. Hill Read Free Book Online Page B

tucked it into his back pocket.
    “Here’s a map of the area.” The woman handed him a sheet of paper. She tapped at one spot with her pencil. “Here’s Wendigo Lake.” She moved the pencil down to the bottom of the page. “And here’s a list of all the trails. Please keep your vehicle on the main road until you reach the lake.” She smiled and added, “There might be some rough terrain, so drive carefully.”
    Jake assured her they would and stuffed the map and permit into his shirt pocket. “Let’s go, boys.”
    They got in the car and drove to the main gate where he showed his pass. The attendant gave it a cursory look and handed it back. “Have a good time now.”
    The road was smooth going for the first couple of miles, and then slowly deteriorated into a narrower, bumpy ride. According to the vehicle’s compass, the trail wound south for several miles, and then west. As the vehicle topped the final rise, the sparkling lake waters came into view.
    “There it is,” Matty shouted.
    Jake drove a few hundred more feet, and then pulled the SUV onto a lush, grassy area between two towering maples. He looked around at their private getaway, nestled in a forest of mature pine, maple, and hemlock trees. To the right, masses of blueberries grew near smooth rock outcrops. Everywhere, the goldenrods were in full bloom, a reminder autumn was not far away.
    “Don’t wander off,” Jake said, as they climbed out. “I want to get the tent up before dark and I’ll need your help.”
    It took them half an hour to erect the shelter, the boys possibly being more hindrance than help. Matty and Kyle unloaded the rest of the gear, lugging it to the tent.
    “Not the food,” Jake said. “Bears are constantly looking for food and they’ll smell it a mile away. Our tent will be a shambles if they dig for it and they’ll keep coming back. We’ll never get rid of them. Leave all the food inside the vehicle, as well as soap, toothpaste, and anything they can smell.”
    In a few minutes, they had everything organized and Jake dropped into a lawn chair and stretched his legs in front of him, enjoying the quiet, unspoiled calm. A small woodpecker worked in the tree above his head. A flock of geese honked as they flew over, heading south.
    “Hey, Dad. We’re hungry.”
    They spent a few minutes scrounging for firewood. The wild forest around them was littered with dead branches and trees and soon they had a fire going, wieners sizzling over the flame, and buns toasting nearby.
    When they finished eating, Matty asked, “Can we go look at the lake now?”
    “And go swimming?” Kyle added.
    “Sure.”
    The boys changed into their swim trunks and soon the three of them snaked their way through the heavy grass and down to the water’s edge. A moose fed in the shallows a hundred feet away. It reared its head when they approached and lumbered into the thick foliage.
    Off to their right, a mother loon taught her lone chick the finer arts of fishing. It paid them no attention, safely out of reach of the intruders. To the east, where the large bay on the edge of the lake met the western sky, a natural rock dam forced a river into a torrent where it dumped into the lake. This was nature at its best.
    Matty and Kyle had wandered into the water, the shallow beaches of the lake allowing them to wade out fifty feet where the still water was only waist deep.
    Jake sank down onto a rock, enjoying the serenity of the spot, entranced by the majestic beauty. The evening sun painted the sky as it dropped over the western horizon. It would be dark soon.

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 13
     
     
     
    Thursday, 7:12 PM
     
    VARICK LUCAS leaned against a towering pine and observed the cabin. It perched in the middle of a small clearing, surrounded by weeds, and everything appeared to be undisturbed, just as it was when he was last here, several years ago. Back then, he and the guys were more interested in whatever bass and lake trout they could pull