Ana

CH 25

She wanted to keep this meeting in public for now so she resisted playfully, pulling away from her. "You know I love the outdoors but you don't honestly expect me to go down a dirt path dressed like this do you? Let's sit at that nice table over there and have a little chat."  She pointed at a nearby picnic table.

Naomi took hold of her arm again. "Believe me, I know exactly how you feel, but it's not far and I can get you all the new clothes you want when we get there."

Heidi looked at Naomi with renewed intensity. "What do you mean you can get me new clothes when we get there? Since when did they open a mall in the woods?"

Naomi smiled, but it was the kind people used when they were hiding something. "You're not going to understand until I show you."  Naomi leaned close and kissed her on the lips. "Now come with me."  Naomi took her hand and started to pull her toward the darker shadows of the forest.

Heidi let herself be led along the path until her heel caught on a root and she almost fell down. "See, I'm going to break my ankle like this. Let's go back to that picnic table, or even better, let's go to a Mexican restaurant. I'm craving fajitas."

Naomi didn't let up. "Don't worry. See, we're almost there." She pointed at a rusty shack in a small clearing just ahead.

She really didn't like how this was turning out. Heidi stopped and took a good look around for anything out of place or unusual but Naomi squeezed her arm.

"Come on, it's a lot nicer on the inside, you'll see."

It was then that Heidi noticed the broken branches lying all around the shack. She froze, and then looked up to found that the trees had been broken in a way that left an opening in the otherwise dense canopy. The same type of damage she had seen in the mountains of California during her investigation a few weeks ago. It suddenly occurred to her that the large depression on the ground at that site was about the same size as this building.

At first her mind refused to accept that there was any possibility these events were related. Then, in a rush, it all clicked together. Suddenly, every detail around her became important. It was as if her very life was dependent on soaking in as much information as possible. The angle of the sun through the trees, the stillness of the air, the eerie silence as if nature itself was holding its breath. Could she have been fooled this badly? She fought to stop the shudder that ran through her body as she desperately reviewed everything she thought she knew about this seemingly simple woman standing in front of her.

Heidi's eyes bore into Naomi. "What does this building have to do with you and Tom?"

"If you'd stop fighting me and go inside, you'll find out. Now get your ass in gear and let's get out of this humid air before my hair frizzes."  Naomi dragged her closer to the structure.

Heidi's curiosity overcame her instinctive resistance so she let Naomi escort her to the door and then inside. To her surprise, the interior was decorated with pleasant contemporary furnishings. The teal colored walls looked freshly painted and there was even a small decorative fountain next to the entrance. Heidi relaxed. This certainly didn't look alien. It did raise the question of why someone would decorate an old rusty building like this. There was a stairway at the other end of the room leading down that certainly seemed out of place. Buildings in this area didn't typically have basements because of the shallow groundwater table and high risk of flooding.

"I hope you like it. I've been doing a lot of redecorating the past few days," Naomi said walking further into the small room.

Heidi gestured at the furniture. "This is yours?"

Naomi brushed off the question with a wave of her hand and went to the stairs. "Come down stairs and we can talk about that and more."

It was then that Heidi noticed that the door she had deliberately left open behind her was now closed. She waited until Naomi's back was turned then tried to open it but was unable to find any handle or latch. How wonderful, so much for making a quick exit if she needed. This may not be an alien hideout but there were still too many facts that didn't add up for her to let her guard down. She felt the side of her purse for the large heavy lump that should be her gun. But, of course, she didn't have it. Why would she? She was only having a romantic outing with her girlfriend. Well, she was a second degree black belt in Kuk Soo Won and felt she could handle herself in close quarters better than most agents.