Untraceable

Survivor Skill #32

When hiking, be aware of hunters and know when hunting season is for certain animals.

~

I glance over his shoulder. “What is it?”

Wyn points to a ridge that runs down both sides of the cylinder. “Dum dum.”

I flick the back of his head. “Dude, stop with the ding dong and dumb, dumb crap.”

Wyn thumps my forehead back. “Not you, silly. That’s what this is called. A dum dum.”

“What do you mean?”

He faces me, still pinching the bullet between his pointer fingers. “It means this isn’t really a standard .308. These dudes are making their own bullets in the woods. They’re serious about this, and they don’t want to get caught.”

“How do you know?”

“Captain’s talked about these types of bullets before. I think he caught someone using them a while back. One-Stoppers. At least, that’s what he calls them. Here, I’ll show you. Give me your knife.” I hand him my pink Swiss Army knife, and he jams it into the seam. After jiggling the end, the bullet pops open. A couple small steel balls roll across the table. “See. These guys are loading bullets with ball bearings. The bears don’t have a shot in hell.”

I pick up one of the little balls and roll it around in my palm. “What does it do?”

“The bullet expands on impact, making the hole much bigger. Guarantees a kill, and the bullet is completely untraceable. Wonder why they’re using these? Not really standard for your average jerk hunting off season.”

My eyes widen as another puzzle piece falls into place. “When I was in Dad’s office earlier, there were some articles about bear poaching. Talked about hunters selling bear parts—gall bladders and paws—for a ton of money overseas.”

“What about the bear at the Station 19? Was he cut up?”

I picture Simon lying on the ground. “No, he was intact. Nothing seemed to be missing. From what I saw, it was a thrill kill.”

Wyn whistles. “Well, if anyone is poaching and selling bear parts, it’s more serious than we thought. It’s a federal offense. We gotta tell Captain.”

I plead with him. “Wait. Not yet. I need your help first.”

He shakes his head and frowns. “Noooo way. I know that look. Your idea of help is either a felony or a hike up Mount Kilimanjaro.” I stare at him, pleading with my eyes. His face softens, and he pokes the dimple in my chin. “Damn it! I hate that I can’t say no to you.”

I grin. “No, you don’t.”

“You don’t deserve me.” He releases an exasperated growl before answering. “What do you want me to do this time?”

“I need to get on Carl’s computer.”

“You’re nuts!” His voice has a pinch of panic mixed with dash of anger. He pushes me aside and hops to his feet, pacing the room like a caged animal.

I grab his arm and get him to look at me. “Hear me out first. I saw a note in my dad’s case file that Carl found a bullet shell. If I can see a picture of it, maybe it’ll match this one.”

“Captain would have noticed a dum dum.”

“Maybe he missed it.”

His body tenses, and his lips purse. “I doubt it.”

“Then maybe he knows about it and isn’t saying anything,” I blurt out.

Wyn glares at me and his voice rumbles. “So what, Captain’s crooked now? You’ve gone too far this time. I’m outta here.” He storms toward the door.

I block him from leaving. “Wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

He crosses his arms. “How dare you accuse him? First of all, he’s the closest thing I’ve known to a father, and you know how I feel about him. Secondly, Captain’s known you your whole life. Not to mention he busts his butt for this town. In more ways than one. Take it back, or I’m leaving and you can do this on your own.”

I hang my head. He’s right. I’m so desperate for answers, I’m now accusing friends and family of crazy stuff. “I’m sorry. I’m tired. This is starting to get to me.”

He takes in a deep breath. “Starting to? Look, I know you’re having a hard time, but you gotta be careful what you say. Blaming innocent people because your world is messed up is not going to change anything.”

Clutching his hand, I nod. “I know. I’m sorry. Will you help me? I need to get that evidence file. Find out about that bullet.” I grab my notebook and start rifling through the pages. “On CSI, they catalog everything in some kind of evidence software.”

“Only this isn’t CSI. This is real life and, if you get in trouble, it doesn’t end in an hour.”

I hold up my notebook and point to the file name, smiling. “See. Here it is. If I can match this bullet to the ones in the file, we’ll have proof there’s a connection. But I need your help.”

Wyn sighs. “Fine. But this time … you better get in and out.”

I pounce on him and hug his neck. “I’ll be as quick as a cricket.”

“Let’s hope you don’t get squashed.” I realize we’re embracing so I peel my arms off his neck and we separate. Even though we are now standing a few inches apart, I can feel the heat drawing me in.

He clears his throat and steps back. “Captain’s still out of town until tomorrow night. It’s the only day we can go.”

I follow where he’s going. “Yeeeaaaaahh. Only Bernice will be there.”

He waves me off and struts toward the door. “No problem there. I can get her outta the office, but it won’t be for long. She’s real picky about leaving the place unattended in case Captain calls.”

Then I snap my fingers. “Shoot, I have an appointment with Dr. Head. Mom’ll kill me if I don’t go.”

Wyn strolls over to the door and flings it open to leave. “With the current condition of your psyche, I would recommend you never miss it. So I’ll meet you there when you’re done.”