6 Maple Leaf Hunter Page 4

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  I clutched the poncho tighter to me, but I couldn’t keep water out. Darby and Nate were already up on the Hurricane Deck, and Alex was contemplating joining them as he slowly climbed the stairs. All three of them had given up fighting the mist and water a long time ago.

  I was on sensory overload from Niagara Falls. The rumbling under my feet, the thunderous sound, the smell, the views; it was more exciting than I ever imagined it could be.

  We were at the base of the American Falls. We made the trip down in an elevator and exited to the Niagara River. Wooden walkways and stairs guided us up alongside the Bridal Veil Falls. The final landing was the Hurricane Deck. The conditions on the deck were the same as a tropical storm, and the adventurous people already there reminded me of television weathercasters who broadcast in the midst of a hurricane.

  “Let’s go up,” Mick said. The smile on his face let me know he was enjoying himself immensely, and even though I didn’t relish the thought of wet underwear, I also didn’t want to be a stick-in-the-mud.

  “Ok. I’m game,” I said with a smile.

  We took the final set of stairs to join the other guys. Wind whipped my poncho and threw the hood back. My face and hair quickly became soaked. Water ran down the back of my neck. We were only a few breathtaking feet from the torrent of water crashing onto boulders behind the wooden structure. Water poured onto the deck.

  Darby and Nate were at the corner closest to the Falls. Nate leaned over the rail with his arms outstretched and performed his I’m king of the world imitation. Both guys were giddy with laughter. It was hugely entertaining to watch them. Alex couldn’t help smiling, but he kept to himself along an outer rail. I walked over to stand beside him, while Mick joined the antics of Darby and Nate.

  A man walked across the deck to stand on the other side of Alex. I had seen him earlier as we walked around Goat Island. He appeared to be visiting the Falls by himself.

  “Powerful, isn’t it?” he yelled to Alex over the roaring noise.

  Alex yelled back, “Yeah. I wonder about the rate of erosion.”

  Still hollering over the sound of the water, the man replied, “It’s a foot per year at the crestline.”

  Alex nodded at hearing the information. I should have known he would be more interested in the geology of the natural wonder than the fun aspect.

  Mick, Darby, and Nate came out from the heavier sprays and stood before us like three kids who had just finished riding a roller coaster.

  “That was fantastic,” Mick exclaimed.

  “So cool,” said Nate.

  Darby simply smiled from ear to ear as he tried to shake off water and wipe his face.

  I was ready to get off the deck and go topside, so I could dry out. I led the way down the stairs, onto the walkway, and I didn’t stop until I reached the elevator.

  “Where to next?” Mick asked as we waited our turn to ride up. “Are we ready to head over into Canada yet?”

  “I want to go out to Terrapin Point at the edge of the Horseshoe Falls,” I said.

  “Nate and I want to go up in the observation tower,” Darby said.

  Alex was done with attractions and said, “I’ll sit on a bench and wait for you guys.”

  A few minutes later, we disposed of wet ponchos and went our separate ways. Alex promised to stay in the general vicinity of the bench he had parked himself on, and we all agreed to meet up again in an hour.

  Mick and I held hands on the walk down to the point. The sun beat down on us. It wouldn’t take long to dry out. As usual, I couldn’t help noticing the glances cast Mick’s way by other women - young and old alike.

  All three of the guys were attractive. Nate was tall and lanky with wavy, reddish-brown hair and a smattering of freckles across his tan face. He was good-looking in a more cute than handsome way. Darby garnered his fair share of flirtatious females. He was adorable with always tousled, sandy-colored hair and a lean but muscled body. He could have easily had a career in modeling.

  But Mick was gorgeous. His eyes drew everyone in, but his dark look wasn’t brooding. It was approachable and friendly – and yummy. I felt a surge of happiness as we stepped up to the railing.

  The up-close view of the Horseshoe Falls was spectacular. There was no possibility of coming here and being disappointed. I knew I would be talking Samantha and Larry into coming up with us next summer.

  Mick moved to stand behind me and slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. I leaned back into his hard body. Tingles of excitement raced through mine. My desire for him never waned.

  “Hmmm,” he murmured into my ear. “As amazing as this place is, I think we’re going to have to check into our hotel room soon. I don’t think I can keep my hands off you much longer.”

  “Did you know it would be like this?” I asked. “I can see why people come here for honeymoons. It’s powerful, and magical, and amazing.”

  “You’re amazing,” he said as he nuzzled my neck.

  My tingles increased exponentially.

  We stood snuggled together in the heat and watched mesmerized as water poured over the edge and pounded the riverbed below. We were completely under the spell of Niagara Falls.

  Mick finally said, “It’s been over an hour. We should probably head back. I’m sure Alex isn’t happy he’s been sitting on a bench for so long.”

  I couldn’t believe so much time had passed. I had been content and happy in Mick’s arms and could have easily stayed there for a few more hours.

  Approaching the bench, I saw Darby on one end with his arms spread out along the back. His eyes were closed, and his face was turned upward to the sun. Nate was lying down on the rest of the bench with his knees drawn up. He, too, had his eyes closed. Alex was nowhere in sight.

  “Hey, wake up,” I said. “Where’s Alex?”

  Both guys perked up. “Don’t know,” Darby said. “He wasn’t here when we showed up about ten minutes ago. We thought maybe he walked down to meet you.”

  Mick frowned and shook his head. “We haven’t seen him.”

  “Should we wait a few minutes?” I asked Mick. “Or do you want to go look for him?”

  He pondered the situation for a moment before saying, “You guys stay here in case he comes back. I’ll look around.”

  Nate jumped up from the bench and said, “I’ll help you look.”

  “Me, too,” said Darby. “He couldn’t have gone too far.”

  I sat on the bench and dug my phone out of my purse. “I’m going to call home and check on Lizzie. I’ll stay here.”

  The guys took off, and I punched Evelyn’s speed dial number.

  After twenty minutes of listening to Lizzie talk about baking cookies, Joe barking into the phone, and Mick’s mother assuring me everything was going swimmingly, I closed my phone. We hadn’t even been gone a full day yet, and I was already missing Lizzie and feeling pangs of homesickness.

  I looked around but didn’t see any of the guys. I pushed Samantha’s speed dial number and waited.

  “Hi, Susan,” she said. “Did you leave yet?”

  “We’re in Niagara Falls,” I said. “The guys are off looking for Alex. He’s roaming around somewhere. I wanted to ask you about what happened at the mall yesterday.”

  “Did you see the news?” she asked.

  My heart jumped. I didn’t want there to be any news. “No,” I said. “What happened?”

  “There were four gold bars stolen from the Pirata exhibit yesterday. They’re worth over half a million dollars. There aren’t any suspects, but I’ve been wondering if the guy running in the mall had anything to do with it.”

  My voice caught in my throat. It had been a long time since I had been involved in anything bizarre, and I didn’t want to get involved in anything now. I swallowed hard.

  “Those bars weigh about five pounds each,” I said. “He couldn’t have had them on him when he died. The paramedics would have found them.”

  “I hav
en’t had a chance to talk with Dick, so I don’t know anything else,” she said. “Do you want me to call you if I hear anything?”

  I had to think about it for a moment. “Not really,” I said slowly, “I’m not interested in the theft, but I do want to know who the man was if you can find out. I can’t stop thinking about it, and it feels like he knew as soon as he ran into the food court that he was going to run into me. I can’t shake the feeling it was deliberate. If I hear his name, or if I can find out where he worked, maybe it will trigger something.” I saw Mick approaching. “Sam, I have to run. Call me if you find out anything about him.”

  “Ok,” she said. “I will. Have fun, and don’t go over the Falls in a barrel.”

  I hung up the phone and laughed. That was the last thing I would do. How anybody ever thought going over the Falls in a barrel was a good idea was beyond me.

  “No luck?” I asked Mick.

  His brow was furrowed, and I knew he was worried. He dropped down hard beside me “I don’t know if we should call someone or not,” he said. “Because he’s eighteen, I think we have to wait twenty-four hours before we can report him missing.” His shoulders slumped.

  I put my hand on his arm and tried to reassure him by saying, “He’ll show up. He’s not really mad at any of us, and he looked like he was having a good time up on the Hurricane Deck. I don’t believe he ran away.”

  “What if someone abducted him?” he asked.

  “That’s not likely,” I said. “He’s got a smart mouth when he wants to use it, and I think it would be hard to abduct someone with so many people around.”

  Darby and Nate came jogging toward us from a picnic area. We stood to greet them, but it was obvious they hadn’t seen him either.

  Darby shook his head and said, “We’ve been all over the islands, but there’s no sign of him. Let’s head back toward the parking lot. Maybe we’ll see him along the way, or maybe he went to wait by the RV for some reason.”

  It seemed the only option at the moment. We made a gloomy group as we started the long walk back.

  Because of its size, Nate had parked the RV at the rear of the lot. When it came into view, we saw Alex talking with the man from the Hurricane Deck. Both were smiling, and the man clapped Alex on the back before walking away.

  It only took a few moments before he saw us walking toward him, and he flashed a broad smile.

  Mick wasn’t having any of his smile. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked. “Why didn’t you stay by the bench? Do you know how worried we were? We thought something happened to you.”

  Alex’s smile vanished. I put my hand on Mick’s arm. I knew he didn’t mean to sound so harsh.

  “I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I thought I’d be back before you guys.”

  Mick wasn’t able to contain his frustration. “It’s been nearly two hours since we last saw you.” He stopped and took a breath before saying, “I’m glad you’re ok, but you have no idea what you just put us through.”

  Alex looked truly contrite. “Guys, I’m sorry,” he said. “I guess I lost track of time.”

  “Who was that?” I asked. I didn’t like that a complete stranger had taken an interest in him.

  He reached around and picked up a gym bag from the ground behind him. It was noticeably heavy. “His name is Bob, and he’s a rock collector, too. When you guys left, he sat down with me. We talked some more about the geology here. He said his dad used to take him panhandling for gold downriver when he was a kid.”

  Nate laughed and asked, “Did he give you a bag of gold?”

  Nate had no idea how much his question filled my stomach with a sick feeling. I half expected to look in the bag and find the stolen gold bars from the mall exhibit.

  Alex grinned and said, “No. He lives here. He said his wife wants to kill him for having rocks all over the house, so he said he’d give me some. I waited here while he went to get them.” He unzipped the bag and pulled out a dark gray rock. “There are some local specimens in here, but look at this meteorite.” He poked around in the bag some more. “There’s jasper from Wyoming and lava rock from Hawaii.”

  Mick’s frustration appeared to melt away, and all three of the guys expressed interest in the rocks.

  I looked in the bag and dug through it until I was satisfied it held only rocks. There were no side pockets or zippers. I didn’t really think I would find the gold bars, but I was still disturbed by the stranger.

  “Ok,” Mick said to capture everyone’s attention. “Let’s get on board and get out of here.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Darby, drop us at the Mariott, and then here’s the address for the campground on Lundy’s Lane.” He handed the slip of paper to him. “The space is already reserved. I have a car waiting for us at the hotel, and we’ll pick you guys up at seven to go grab some dinner. How does that sound?”

  Everyone was agreeable.

  We crossed the bridge into Canada.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  My mouth hung open in disbelief, and my heart raced.

  I ducked back into the interior of the building. Did I really just see one of the construction workers from the mall? Here in Canada? I peeked around the corner and saw Alex watch the man for a moment as he walked away from him. He then resumed taking pictures with his camera.

  I rushed up to him and asked, “Did that man talk to you?”

  “He wanted the time,” he said. “Why? Do you know him?”

  “No,” I said. “I don’t know him, but was that all he wanted?”

  “Yeah,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “He asked if I was getting some good pictures. He said he got great ones from the view in his hotel room.” He paused for a moment. “He asked where I was staying.”

  Alarm bells went off in my mind. I didn’t mean for my tone to be so sharp when I asked, “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

  He looked at me with disdain and said, “Of course not. I’m not an idiot. I told him I wasn’t staying anywhere, and we were leaving soon. He seemed like a good guy. What’s your problem?”

  “Do you think this was the same guy who tried to get into the RV last night?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No, that guy was older and kind of fat. I think he was just lost.”

  In my heart, I knew this wasn’t a chance encounter. Neither was the rock-hunter man yesterday and probably the door-knocker last night.

  It had been nearly twenty-four hours since we crossed the bridge into Canada. We were in tourist mode and had been running non-stop from one attraction to another. Mick, Darby, and Nate were below Table Rock taking the Behind the Falls Adventure. I had my fill of raincoats and getting wet, so I decided to wait above with Alex while he took pictures.

  I had just come out of the restroom when I saw the man. Why did the two construction workers sit next to Samantha and me at the mall in the first place? And why was one of them here now asking where we were staying? I couldn’t help thinking it had something to do with the man who had run into me. Or worse, the theft at the Pirata Exhibit.

  It was beyond unsettling.

  Last night, we followed an early dinner together with an evening of fun on Clifton Hill. Darby wanted to ride the giant Ferris wheel, and Alex wanted to go into the wax museum. Nate talked everyone into Ripley’s Believe It or Not, while Mick had the final pick of the evening with dinosaur miniature golf. We had a great time together. Even Alex managed to be pleasant, and he appeared to enjoy the evening more than I thought he would.

  We dropped Alex off at the RV around eleven o’clock, and the four of us headed to the casino. It was over breakfast when Alex told us someone had tried the door handle of the RV around one in the morning.

  “Did you open the door?” Mick asked.

  Alex shook his head no. “I knew it wouldn’t be Nate and Darby, because they had a key. I looked out the window and saw the man walking away.” He looked over at Nate and asked, “Did you guys see him? You came in a minute later, so he was probably out th
ere when Dad dropped you off.”

  Nate shook his head and said, “There were a few people milling around, but we didn’t see anyone near our spot. He was probably drunk and couldn’t find his own RV.”

  Everyone agreed, but I kept my disagreeing thoughts to myself. And now, the man talking with Alex a few minutes ago only served to reinforce my suspicions.

  Alex looked over my shoulder and smiled. I turned around to see Mick, Darby, and Nate coming out of the building from their latest adventure. They were wet around the edges.

  When he saw we were looking, Nate leaped into the air and kicked his heels together. “I love this place!” he shouted.

  Everyone in the immediate vicinity smiled. Some people laughed. I think Alex laughed the hardest.

  “I got a picture of that,” he said.

  “I hope so,” Nate told him. “I can’t believe we were behind the Falls. It was awesome.” He turned to Darby. “Let’s go buy some more souvenirs, and I want to send a postcard to Aunt Sony and Uncle Alfred.”

  Mick came over to slip his arm around me. “We’re going to head out soon,” he said. “Is there anything else you want to do before we go?”

  I shook my head. “Not really,” I said. “I’d just like to stand at the edge again for a few minutes.”

  “Alex,” Mick called over to him. “Take a few pictures of Susan and me.”

  We stepped up to the railing at the corner of the Horseshoe Falls and turned to face Alex. He snapped several pictures before turning to walk farther down the plaza to take some final shots of the view.

  Half an hour later, Darby and Nate were back with several bags of items emblazoned with Niagara Falls.

  Nate cupped his hands and yelled, “Alex!”

  I don’t know if he heard him, or if he just happened to turn at that moment. Nate motioned for him to come back.

  Darby reached into one of the bags and pulled out a small object wrapped in white tissue paper. He pressed it into my hand and said, “I couldn’t leave without buying this for you to put in our collection.”