G.I. Joe: Agent Blue Jaye and the Beasts of Lakeside

Chapter 25

Ben Hart walked into the elevator of the penthouse apartment currently serving as his safe house and pushed the button for the parking garage. Flint had said he and Marie should be able to go home tomorrow or the next day and they were anxiously awaiting the call. Knowing they could return home also meant Flint had caught the person responsible for the killings that had the town in a state of panic for the past week. Lakeside had never experienced anything like what was currently going on, and knowing it would be over soon was a relief.

The elevator bell rang, and the doors slid open. Ben walked into the garage and clicked his car beeper. A faint chirp echoed in a far-off corner. Ben continued to press the car beeper walking toward the chirps as they got progressively louder.

His blue minivan was parked in the back corner of the lot, washed and full of gas. Ben had planned to go through the van and clean it up. Apart from an empty Vermont Mountain Coffee cup in the front cup holder, the car was clean. Happy that Flint had taken good care of his vehicle, Ben walked into the back of the van and started checking in and around the seats.

In the far back of the van, Ben found Flint's olive canvas duffle bag. Partially unzipped, Ben opened it the rest of the way. It appeared to be empty. Flint probably took everything out and forgot the bag when he left, Ben thought.

Turning the bag around, Ben saw two pockets in the front. Patting one of the pockets, Ben felt a small rectangular box and heard a rustle of paper. He unzipped the bag and pulled out a leather box and a map. Sitting down, Ben opened the box and saw that it contained an earpiece and a contact lens case.

Ben saw there were spots for two earpieces, but one was missing. Opening the contact lens case, Ben only found one lens. Concluding the box contained Flint's backups, Ben closed the box and turned his attention to the map.

The map was of Lakeside and the surrounding area north to the Canadian border. Ben looked down at the town of Lakeside and saw three dots made with a silver marker. Ben suspected the dots marked each of the attacks. Ben then saw a single dot by the town of Riverbury. A straight line ran from Riverbury north through Pike River and Parker Gorge up to Curvy Mine, right outside of St. Joes.

Ben had hiked around the St. Joes area for years. One of his favorite trails ran through an old abandoned railway station right by Curvy Mine. Ben remembered the rustic scenery of the hike as he looked at the markings on the map.

What should I do with these, Ben asked himself? He wondered if he should give what he found to the police, but realized that from what Flint had told him, they were probably heading up to St. Joes right now. Just like the earpiece and the contact lens, Ben figured the map was also a backup.

Setting the box and the map down, he searched the large duffle bag again, wondering if Flint had left anything else. Standing up in the back of the van, Ben turned the bag over and shook it a few times until he heard a soft thud. Looking down, he saw that a worn paperback had fallen out. Turning it over, Ben saw it was Flint's copy of his own short story collection. Flipping to the last page, Ben read Alison's inscription again. Remember, in your heart, I know you will always do what you believe is right.

Ben closed his eyes and thought deeply to himself. Flint was here because he had called, fearing something from Alison's past had come back with a vengeance. Flint had no reason to come other than his commitment to Alison. Now, Flint had uncovered the killer and was on his way to stop him.

"And what am I doing?" Ben asked aloud to himself alone in the back of his van. He looked down at the inscription again and wondered what Alison would do if she were in his position. Ben took the map again and looked at the silver line pointing to Curvy Mine.