Tuesday Tales: From the Word CAREFUL

Welcome to December, the last and darkest month of the year. This week, the ladies from Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt, CAREFUL. I completed the NaNoWriMo challenge on November 30, and the book, A Case of Mistaken Identity, is almost finished. In fact, it has a shiny new cover. here is this week’s scene.

“That road, if you can call it that, wasn’t here in May. This is crown land, leased to Hydro Quebec as an easement to allow them to get to the lines when and if required. I’ve come here plenty of times. There’s a good swimming area at the end of what used to be a narrow trail, wide enough for dirt bikes or small ATVs, but it looks as if something larger came through here. I wonder if Phil knows about this. Sit tight while I check it out and see if we can safely take the bike through.”

“Be careful.”

I got off the bike, removed my helmet, and stood on the far side of the Harley, away from any potential traffic.

Al walked over to the makeshift road and disappeared into the trees. I swallowed, suddenly aware of how isolated I was here, with the sun roasting me alive inside the leathers. I unzipped the jacket but left it on since I couldn’t get to the sunscreen in my bag. I shifted nervously from one foot to the other, trying to figure out if there were some way this renovated path could have anything to do with the other strange happenings around here.

After what felt like an eternity, Al came out of the trees, his leather jacket open the way mine was. I stepped away from the bike and hurried over to him.

“What did you find?”

He put his arm across my shoulder and led me back to the motorcycle.

“A mess. Whoever did this doesn’t care about the environment, but I only went as far as we used to go in the ATVs. We can ride in about a hundred and fifty meters, but the trail is hilly and rocky beyond that. I’m sure that hasn’t changed, although it looks like whatever made this mess drove in all the way to the river. I don’t think anyone has been here since Friday and the rain. There are still some wet spots without fresh tire markings. As curious as I am about what happened here, I don’t think we should go in there alone. Something doesn’t feel right. I’m going to call Phil and tell him about this, and then we should head over to Raoul’s. It’s only half a kilometer from here. He probably knows all about this, too, considering how close it is to his place. Whoever did this wouldn’t have been too quiet in the process. We may get answers from him, but we won’t get any here.”

Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.