Part 34 (1/2)
Ellen looked up. ”Sorry?”
”The men in his office. They've been waiting a long time?”
”They were here when I arrived about an hour ago. They smell like smoke. Probably been camping the past few days. Got that kind of funk to them. You know, sort of like how you and Jenny smell.”
Annja laughed. ”We could do with hot showers.”
Ellen smiled and looked back at her report. Annja leaned forward. ”Have you seen them before? Around here, I mean.”
Ellen frowned. ”You ask a lot of questions, don't you?”
”I'm curious by nature,” Annja said.
”Nope. I've never seen them around these parts before. Of course, that doesn't mean much. We have a lot of folks who live sorta off the grid, so to speak. They make their own way in life and every once in a while turn up. Could be these guys are like that, too.”
Annja took a breath. ”I doubt that.”
Jenny sat down next to her. ”So what do you want to do? Barge in and confront them?”
”Well, they did hold a gun on me yesterday,” Annja said. She stood.
Jenny grabbed her arm. ”You're not serious.”
”Why not? No time like the present to figure out exactly what the h.e.l.l is going on around here.”
Jenny shook her head. ”Annja, you can't just barge in there. What if-”
”What if what?” Annja jerked her arm free. ”I'm tired of wandering through the woods. You've got big-foot fever. I've had guns held on me. You nearly died from exposure. A fourteen-year-old kid who can communicate with wolves is off on his own. I took some sort of weird spirit trip.”
”You did?”
”Don't ask.” Annja shook her head. ”No, I want to know what is going on and I want to know now.”
Ellen looked up. ”Everything okay with you two?”
Annja smiled at Ellen. ”Does David's office door have a lock on it?”
Ellen frowned. ”What would make you ask a thing like that?”
Annja shook her head. ”Never mind. I'll find out.”
She walked across the office and kicked David's door open.
The door banged against the inside wall and the blinds rattled. David and the two men jumped out of their seats as Annja blocked the doorway. ”Hi, guys. I've got some questions I'd like answered.”
David started to stand behind his desk. ”Annja, what the h.e.l.l do you think you're doing?”
She kept herself in the doorway. While the gunman had initially jumped at her entrance, he had regained his composure and sat staring at Annja with an expression of mild amus.e.m.e.nt.
Annja glared at him and then looked back at David. ”That guy's the one who came into Jenny's camp yesterday and made us all leave at gunpoint.”