Author's Note: I know this is a bit shorter, like the early chapters, but it serves a purpose. And at least I'm able to update, rather than make folks wait.
Oh, and a couple of people asked for ages. Duo is about 24, Heero about 26, Trowa 28, Quatre 26, and 'Fei would have to be the old-timer at 29 or so, which is probably pushing it, considering the huge education he had to have, plus time to rise to the head of a forensic institution. Other ages would be Hilde 24, Solo 27, Trant and Otto 27, Ralph 28, Alex 24, Sally 29, etc...pretty close, since most of the Smoky Hills crew attended high school more or less at the same time. "I've tried for weeks to reach Jacob, but am told that mail is slow in reaching soldiers, if it makes it at all. He needs to know that Annabelle is pregnant. I know he'd come back if only he was aware. I swear, it was guilt that motivated him to leave. But the prospect of a child could help him move beyond it. I know it could..."
--excerpt from the private journal of Ephraim Barton
Smoky Hills Part 27
Warnings
It was late afternoon when Duo and Quatre reached the Jeep, and opened up the back so they could throw their gear inside.
"Wow. I'm glad to unload that," Quatre sighed, shoving his bulky pack into the vehicle.
"Aw--goin' soft on me, Quat?" Duo teased. "You kept up great on the cross-country skiing that time--"
"Yes, but we weren't carrying camping gear then," Quatre reminded him. "It was just a nice, easy aerobic activity."
"Hm, true," Duo acknowledged. He smirked evilly. "Wanna try some winter camping next year?"
"No!" came the decisive response. "I want to be curled up by a toasty hearth with a fuzzy blanket and a cup of cocoa in the evening--like last time." He let his gaze go a bit distant. "Maybe a tall, auburn-haired guy to keep me warm would be a nice addition, though."
Instead of teasing, Duo sobered. "Don't get your hopes up. If he's with Heero--"
"And what if he's not?" Quatre retorted. "For once would you just dare to hope for the best?"
Duo shrugged, looking a bit chastened. "Guess I can try," he offered.
They headed out the old logging road shortly thereafter, bouncing along the deeply-rutted track towards civilization--or at least what passed for it in those remote, wooded hills.
"Wanna swing by Hilde's and pick up something for supper?" Duo asked, when they hit blacktop and turned towards town.
"Definitely--and coffee, too. Your campfire coffee sucks."
"I told you to pack tea bags."
"Yes, well, I forgot. And while I'm not half the coffee drinker you are, I do like it to at least resemble real coffee when I drink it."
"Campfire coffee will put hair on your chest."
"Thanks, but no thanks. Now--what were you saying about picking up supper?"
"Hilde usually makes stew or soup on weekends. Thought that'd be easier than trying to cook when we get home."
"It sure would," Quatre sighed, leaning back in the seat. "I'm not at all in the mood to cook. In fact, I think I need a hot bath even more than a meal."
"So, we can have both," Duo suggested. "We'll pick up sandwiches, or soup if she's got any--and when we get home, you can have first dibs on the bath." He knew his roommate didn't enjoy roughing it as much as he did. And truth be told, he was kind of looking forward to cleaning up and changing into comfy sweats and a tee shirt and lounging on the couch for a couple of hours before bed. "Y'know the best thing about camping, Quat?"
"Coming home," murmured his companion, already sounding a little drowsy.
"Yeah."
As they passed the place where the forensic crew and police had been, Quatre sat up and peered out the window. "Hey--they're gone!"
"Who? The cops?" Duo shrugged as he kept driving. "What did you expect them to do--set up shop here? They probably found a few more bones and called it a day. Not like there'd be much for them to stick around for."
"What about examining the location and stuff?" Quatre wondered. "Hey--you wanna stop and see if we can find the place?"
"No!" Duo said sharply. "Did you not hear me yesterday? Let the dead lie, already."
"But there's no one there now," Quatre argued. "They've taken the remains, I'm sure. We'd just be looking at a place."
"So why bother?"
"Argh!" Quatre snarled in frustration. "Don't you have a curious bone in your entire body?"
He got a narrowed, sidelong glance. "Haven't you ever heard what curiosity did to the cat?"
"But you're the one with the wild imagination--talking about Yuy and Barton being psycho axe murderers and stuff. You told me you used to sneak around the train yard. And you just love the latest gossip at the diner!" Quatre sounded downright accusing. "You have to be curious."
"No, I don't," Duo said flatly, this time keeping his attention firmly on the road as he maneuvered around a sharp bend where there were liable to be deer crossing. "Some things are just too fucking creepy to mess with, Quat. And dead bodies definitely fit that description."
Quatre subsided, wondering why his usually-mischievous roommate was so set against exploring the final resting place of the mysterious bones. More often than not, he was the one holding Duo back, and urging him to be sensible and cautious.
And he knew Duo had hiked almost every square mile of the State forest land around the reservoir--usually alone. It made no sense that he'd suddenly balk at a simple hike on relatively-familiar ground.
Unless--
"Are you afraid of ghosts?" Quatre asked bluntly.
Duo's lips clamped into a tight line, and then he gave a short, sharp shake of his head. "Don't be stupid," he snapped. "You can't be afraid of something that doesn't exist."
"Sure you can," Quatre assured him, convinced he was on the right track. For all of Duo's bluster, the young man had grown up hearing chilling tales of the back woods near Smoky Hills. It made sense that he'd shy away from anything hinting at the supernatural.
"I'm not afraid," Duo growled. "Damn it, Quat--I've slept out in these woods alone a million times. I've hiked them and camped in them."
"But not somewhere that you knew a body had been found--right?"
"It's not about ghosts," Duo insisted. "It's about me--okay? I just-- I've buried enough people close to me, Quat, that I don't want to be around death any more than I have to. Get it?"
Quatre nodded. "I guess I do." He frowned a little. "But how come you go to the cemetery every year--on the anniversary of the fire?"
"Out of respect," Duo said curtly. "I owe those people something." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "That person back there--I owe nothing. And I have no desire to explore the last resting place of a total stranger." His brow furrowed as he looked out into the shadows the trees cast across the road. "No point in disturbing one more ghost out here."
Quatre barely caught the last sentence, and realized Duo hadn't meant it to be heard. So he let it drop, and occupied himself fiddling with the radio to try to tune in a clearer station than the quiet, staticky one currently playing.
They pulled into Hilde's store a few minutes later, and Quatre had to force himself to open the door and get out.
"I am so out of shape," he groaned, stretching his legs and shaking out the stiffness.
"Yeah, you are," Duo smirked, looking none the worse for wear, except for a small collection of twigs and debris that had found its way into the last few inches of his braid.
Quatre bent over to touch his toes and then straightened, wriggling his shoulders to loosen them up. As he did so, his gaze lit on the sign atop the convenience store. "Hey--how come Hilde never changed the name of the place from 'Howie's?' Wouldn't 'Hilde's' make more sense?"
"It would, except that Howie's was established so long ago that it's a veritable icon." Duo shook his head. "It'd be like re-naming the Mona Lisa or something."
"Actually," Quatre pointed out as they walked. "The painting does have another name--La Gioconda--after the woman, Lisa Gioconda, who--"
"Quat!"
"Hm?"
"Too much information," Duo said with a grin and a shake of his head. "Seriously. Does it ever get crowded in your head with all those facts floating around?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," Quatre said with a determined tilt to his chin. "It's not easy being the fountain of knowledge you lack, you know."
Duo threw an arm across his shoulders as they crossed the parking lot. "Well I'm glad somebody's up to the task, pal."
Hilde looked up the instant the door bell chimed, and her eyes widened as she saw them. "Duo! Hey--are you in trouble?"
He blinked and paused, exchanging a look with Quatre. "Not that I know of. Why?"
"Alex was in here looking for you."
"When?"
"This morning. Early. He came to get coffee--lots of coffee." She rolled her eyes expressively. "He said something vague about there being a bunch of volunteer firemen up near the Gorge. Y'think someone fell in?" Without waiting for a reply, she kept up the running dialogue. "It's a little early in the year for folks to be swimming--but you never know who might--"
Duo cut into her rambling monologue, while Quatre headed for the fresh pot of coffee, his nostrils twitching.
"So why'd Alex want me?"
"Didn't say." She eyed him suspiciously. "You haven't been messing with Otto or Trant, have you?"
"No! Do I look suicidal?"
"Hard to tell," she sniffed loftily.
"Well I'm not. I haven't seen either of those jerks since Otto and I crossed paths at the auto parts store. And I don't know what the hell Alex would want from me. I just saw him yesterday."
"You did? Where?"
"Up at the Gorge," Duo told her, his glance drifting to the steaming pot of homemade chili behind the counter. "You made your dad's famous chili?"
"Yep," she smirked. "Want some?"
"Quat and I'll take a couple of the biggest containers to go."
She moved to dish up the simmering food, glancing over at Quatre. "You don't know why Duo's in trouble, do you?"
"Haven't a clue," he said promptly, sipping his coffee and enjoying the warmth. "We saw Alex on our way out to go camping yesterday, and he said nothing about it."
"So how could I have gotten into trouble while I was gone?" Duo wondered.
"You're just that good at it," Hilde quipped, putting lids on the chili containers and setting them on the counter.
"Want to stop at the police station on the way home?" Quatre asked, bringing over a coffee for Duo.
"No!" Duo snapped hastily. "I do not." He added some bags of chips and a six-pack of soda to their purchases. "If Alex wants to talk, he can come to me."
"I can't imagine what he'd want," Quatre mused. "Unless of course Trant was gruesomely murdered in his sleep, in which case, you'd be the prime suspect."
"Har har," Duo drawled. "I'm not that lucky. It'd almost be worth it, to be rid of him for good."
"You didn't mean that," Quatre chided.
Duo smirked. "Maybe not the 'gruesome' part."
Hilde reached across the counter to smack his arm. "You're awful!"
"Yep. Now how 'bout ringing us up so we can get home and take hot showers to wash off the dirt we slept in last night?"
"You really went camping?"
Duo nodded.
"How was it?"
"Cold," Quatre spoke up with a dramatic little shiver.
"I told him ghost stories," Duo said with an evil grin.
"And we had s'mores," Quatre added. "It was a lot of fun. Except for that weird noise--" His eyes widened, and he abruptly stopped rambling, when Hilde fixed a curious look on him.
"Noise?"
Quatre hesitated, recalling all the times Duo had to deal with skepticism about the things he'd reported seeing or hearing.
"Might've been a moose," Duo said, smoothly stepping up to the plate. "Quat heard it better than I did." He gave a teasing grin. "Kinda spooked him a bit."
"Well more than your lame ghost stories did--that's for sure!" Quatre joked back, regaining his composure and the rhythm of the conversation.
Hilde had finished ringing up their purchases by then, and Duo paid her and gathered up the bag.
"We'll see you around, Hil. 'Kay?"
"Sure thing. And when you find out what Alex wanted, fill me in!" she called after them.
They piled back into the Jeep and headed for home.
"Maybe we should stop at the police station," Quatre said pensively.
"Um, no!" came the vehement reply.
"It could be important. What if it's news about the office?"
"They'd have been looking for you, not me."
"And what if someone had an accident?"
"Who, Quat?" Duo demanded. "I have no one but you that the police might need to contact me about."
"There's Howard."
Duo's eyes widened, and then he shook his head. "You are the biggest worry-wart ever. First off, the Smoky Hills cops would be the last to hear of anything happened to Howard. Hilde would hear about it way before them, and she'd have been the one looking for me."
Quatre huffed in frustration. "Okay. Can I just admit that I'm curious? And a little worried for your sake, too. I want to know you aren't in any trouble."
"I'm not," Duo said stubbornly. "I'd know if I'd done anything that'd get me into trouble." He glared briefly at his boss. "We're gonna go home, Quat. And if you wanna call Alex and dig for dirt, go right ahead. I'm taking a nap, after I hang up the camping gear to air out, wolf down a bowl or two of chili, and take a nice hot, soothing shower."
Quatre didn't comment further, and Duo just shook his head, sure his roommate would make that damned call the minute they got home.
He didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed when he pulled into the driveway and saw the police cruiser sitting there.
"Okay--now I'm worried," he admitted, reaching for the shifter.
"Don't you dare think of taking off!" Quatre cautioned. "We are going to park, shut off the Jeep, and see what he wants."
"Easy for you to say," Duo muttered, following Quatre's orders. "You have a sister who's a lawyer."
He tried to look relaxed and unconcerned as Alex approached the Jeep.
"Hey, Officer Brown," Quatre piped up cheerfully. "Is there something we can help you with?"
"Kiss-ass," Duo mumbled in an undertone, darting a sidelong glare at his friend.
"At least I'm not a pig-headed, stubborn one," Quatre shot back between gritted teeth and a falsely-cheerful smile.
"Maxwell--"
Duo looked up at the officer outside his car door. "Yeah?" he asked defiantly.
"The Chief sent down orders. Nobody's to spill the beans about finding the rest of that skeleton."
Duo snorted wryly. "You shittin' me? With all the volunteer firemen you had there, you think it's gonna stay a secret?"
Alex grimaced slightly. "No. A couple of the guys already mouthed off over at Sally's. But we got to them before they talked about the location. Since it was a weekend and we were on a pretty remote stretch of road, hardly any cars went by all day. And you were the only one I talked to before the gag order came down. So--if anyone asks, you have no idea where the forensic crew went into the woods, right?"
"People are gonna figure out it's the Barton place," Duo pointed out. "The dog found the first bone there, so it's common knowledge."
"Yeah, but the Barton place is a few hundred acres. And both Yuy and Barton made it clear that if they have problems with trespassers lookin' for the place the skeleton was found, they'd make a nuisance of themselves calling us."
Duo grinned unsympathetically. "Sucks to be you, Al."
In a flash, the officer had reached in and grabbed the front of Duo's tee shirt, pulling him closer. "Listen up, Maxwell. If I find out you told one person where those remains were found, I'll personally make your life a living hell!"
Duo's eyes narrowed in response. "Too late, asshole--it already is. So go threaten someone who gives a shit!"
"Actually," Quatre spoke up in an icy tone. "I don't believe police officers are supposed to be threatening anyone--especially innocent citizens." His blue eyes gleamed dangerously. "Do I need to call your Chief to report abuse, or are you going to let go of Duo and apologize?"
Alex let go, stepping back and glaring down at them.
Duo smoothed his rumbled tee shirt with exaggerated care.
"And the apology?" Quatre said sweetly.
Although his face turned an interesting shade of mottled red, Alex ground his teeth together and muttered, "Sorry."
Duo smiled with false benevolence. "Accepted, asshole."
Alex's fists tightened, but a sharp warning look from Quatre's icy blue eyes made him hold back his obvious rage.
"Look Duo," he said between clenched teeth. "I shouldn't have told you what was going on out there. Chief Tsubarov showed up right afterwards and had us move the forensic van out of sight--told us if anyone asked, we were just hauling some dumb shit kid out of the Gorge with a broken arm or something. He read the riot act to the rest of the guys up there about not divulging the location, 'cause it was a potential crime scene and all."
He swallowed hard, relaxing a little. "And he personally warned both me an' Ralph that if word got out, he'd have us walking a beat and making out parking tickets until we got writer's cramp and flat feet." He grimaced at the end of his speech.
"Well if you'd just asked me nicely, instead of playing the bully," Duo pointed out. "I'd have been happy to cooperate." He shrugged one shoulder. "Not so sure now. I mean, you stepped all over my civil rights just now. Maybe I wanna exercise some freedom of speech."
Quatre fought back a smirk at Duo's defiant tone.
"Maxwell--" Alex growled.
"Say 'please,'" Duo said abruptly, blinking wide, innocent eyes at the officer.
It was a wonder to both Duo and Quatre that Alex's head didn't explode; his face got so red.
But he throttled his anger, and in a strangled voice said, "Please."
Duo immediately smiled and relaxed. "Sure thing, Al. Mum's the word."
Quatre nodded as well. "We'll be happy to cooperate with our local constabulary, Officer Brown. All you had to do was ask. Nicely."
Alex threw them both a sullen glare before turning on his heel and stalking back over to his cruiser. He got in and revved up the engine, using the lawn to turn around so he could get past the Jeep, and then peeling off down the street with a screeching of tires.
"Think I pissed him off?" Duo asked sweetly.
Quatre dissolved into a fit of laughter. "He looked ready to chew nails!"
"Well, shit," Duo said, throwing open his door and getting out. "If he hadn't come on so strong-- I mean, damn. He knows how much I hate authority figures. He's known that since we were kids."
"Yes, well, it'd be easier to respect authority figures if they acted more mature."
"This is true," Duo conceded, as they began unloading the Jeep. "Tsubarov is really the only cop in town I do respect. I know too much about the rest."
"You went to school with most of the rest," Quatre added.
"Exactly." Duo smirked as he pulled out his backpack. "On the plus side, I know all their dirty little secrets. So if they ever wanted to play hardball, they'd lose--big time."
"Yes, but doesn't that mean they know all your dirty little secrets?"
"Y'mean, like my sexual preference?" Duo smirked. "Common knowledge, my man."
Quatre eyed him warily, while shaking out the tarp. "That can't be the only secret you've ever had--"
Indigo eyes glimmered wickedly. "It's not. But as for the rest--I'll never tell!"
TBC...
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