The Other Side of Lone Mountain

Chapter Nineteen

The following morning Mandy woke up early. She got up and went for her morning jog. Upon returning she showered, dressed and had breakfast before leaving for work. She arrived at the office a few minutes before her shift began so she went directly to Jeff’s office. She gave Jeff the license plate and the copy of fingerprints she got from Lone Wolfe. She brought Jeff up to date on what they had found out so far. Jeff promised he would run the prints through their files and the FBI files. She then told him that she was leaving for the hospital to talk to Mark, hopefully. She went to her desk and called Lone Wolfe. After agreeing to meet him at the hospital, she left for the hospital.

She and Lone Wolfe arrived at the hospital just about the same time. Paul was already there with Vickie. Dr. Cabral was in the room with Mark when they got there so they had to wait for him to come out. Paul said good morning to Lone Wolfe and then he looked at Mandy and said hello but he was having a tough time looking straight at her. He felt awkward around her after last night. Mandy couldn’t understand what was going on with him. She thought that maybe she had done something to upset him. Mandy took a deep breath and approached Paul. “Paul, what’s wrong? Did I do something to upset you? You left so abruptly last night and now you won’t even look at me. Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I’m really sorry for last night Mandy. I should never have done that.”

“Why? We’re both consenting adults. Do you have someone else at home? Is that it?”

“No, there’s no one else. You do deserve an explanation; can we get together after we leave here?”

“Sure, we can go back to my house, unless you prefer to go somewhere else.” “No, your house will be fine.”
“Okay, did you drive up here with Vickie or did you bring your car?” “I came with Vickie.” “Then you can ride back with me. That is if you don’t mind.”

“I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t want to be with you. I can promise you that it’s quite the opposite.”

Dr. Cabral came out of Mark’s room so they postponed their conservation and walked over to talk with him. Mandy was the first to ask, “How is Mark this morning, is he able to answer a couple of questions?”

“He’s still quite weak but you can talk with him. Just don’t stay too long and don’t excite him.”

“Thank you doctor”, she said. “Paul, Lone Wolfe, would you guys care to join me?” The trio excused themselves and walked into Mark’s room. Mark lay there with his eyes closed but when he heard them enter he opened his eyes. He looked at Paul and said very softly, “Hi good buddy, who are your friends?”

“Mark, these are the two people I told you helped rescue you. This is Deputy Mandy Blake.”

Mandy said, “Hi Mark, it’s good to see your improving.”

“And this is Lone Wolfe.”

Lone Wolfe gave him a quick salute, and just said “Hi”.

“Mark, they’re here to find out what happened up on that mountain the day you went over the ridge. Can you tell us anything more than you told me the first night?”

Mark thought for a moment, then said, “I was up there searching for a couple of good spots to take soil samples. I started down the trail when suddenly I heard voices. I went a little further until I spotted two men back in the brush. They were really going at it. I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying but I could tell that one guy was really mad because he kept shaking his finger in the other guys face. I figured I’d try to get a little closer to hear what they were saying when suddenly someone cold cocked me from behind. I don’t know how long I was out because when I woke up I found myself on that ledge where you said you found me. When I came to, I called out for help but no one answered. I kept calling until I couldn’t call anymore. When night came it got bitter cold so I rolled up into a ball and shoved myself as close to the wall of the ridge as I could and that’s where I stayed all night. The following day, I thought I heard voices so I tried calling out again but no one came to my rescue. After that I kind of lost track of time and I began to drift in and out of consciousness until I guess I lost consciousness altogether.

Mandy asked, “Did you get a good look at the two guys who were arguing? Would you be able to identify them if you saw them again?”

“I don’t think I could identify them because I never got close enough to really see their faces. I can tell you that one guy reminded me of Paul Bunyon. He was very tall, six-four, or six-five, he was quite large, not fat, just big. He wore jeans and a jacket. I believe the jacket was red and black plaid. He also wore heavy work boots. Looked like they might have been spiked. But I can’t be sure.”

“What about the other guy” said Mandy.

“Well now, the other guy struck me a bit odd.”

“Why?”

“Because he was wearing casual dress pants, shirt and sport jacket. Instead of hiking boots, he wore loafers. I remember thinking, “what is a man dressed like that doing up here? He’s got to be cold, especially in all this rain.”

“Mark, do you remember how tall he was?”

“The second guy was much smaller, about five-ten, maybe five-eleven.”

“Did either of the men wear a hat or cap of any kind?”

“No, they were both bareheaded as far as I can remember.”

“Thanks Mark. I just have one more question then we’ll leave you to get your rest. Do you know where your truck is?”

“You didn’t find it up there? I parked it in the clearing between the two trails.”

“No, we didn’t find it. That’s why we hoped you would have been able to tell us where to find it. We did find one of your license plates on the trail. It was pretty messed up. But don’t you worry about anything I’m sure we’ll find your truck. You just concentrate on getting well.”

“I want to thank you guys for saving me. I don’t know how I could possibly repay you.”

Lone Wolfe replied, “Hey man, just get well enough to get out of this place. That will be thanks enough for us. Right Mandy?”

“Right, and we’ll talk with you again.” Lone Wolfe turned and left with Mandy right behind him. Paul said, “I’ll be right with you Mandy.”

“I’ll be outside waiting” she replied and then walked out of the room. When the door closed Paul turned to Mark.

“Mark, I need your help. I know you’re suppose to be resting, but this is important or I wouldn’t ask.”

“It’s Mandy, right?”

“Yeh! Is that obvious?”

“I could tell the way you kept trying not to look at her. You look like you got it bad old buddy.”

“I think I’m in love with her but I don’t know what to do about it. What if she doesn’t feel the same way and I end up making a fool of myself.”

“Paul, take it from me. The lady is crazy about you. Can’t you see how she looks at you? Go for it. Tell her how you feel. She seems like a great person.”

“Vickie and the kids like her. So I guess that says a lot”, said Paul. “Thanks buddy. You
get well fast because we have work to do. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He then turned and walked out the door.

Mandy was in the waiting room talking with Vickie, when Paul came out. He walked up to her and asked if she was ready. She said goodbye to Vickie and got up. On the way out of the hospital Mandy said, “I need to stop at the department to let Jeff know what we found out. Maybe he'll have an idea who those two men were. I have my own ideas; let’s see if his are the same.”