Unfounded Fears

Part 26

Peter pushed his weary body from the ground, forcing himself to ignore the stabs of pain which penetrated his sides and shoulder. His normally graceful movements were now awkward as he tried to avoid any unnecessary contact with his injuries.

Leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree, he took a deep, centering breath, trying to calm the inflamed nerves. The fire in his side had intensified and showed no signs of easing.

Peter lifted his shirt a second time to examine the wound, expecting to see blood pouring from it. Instead, the flow had slowed to a trickle. There certainly did not appear to be enough damage to justify the pain he was feeling. That scared him, but he wasn't sure why.

He held his breath, listening for any signs of pursuit. Since the gunshot had echoed, there had been no other sound. It appeared that those who were chasing him had abandoned their search. That, too, scared the detective. If they had given up looking for him, they must have found something better to occupy their time. His stomach knotted in fear as his concern turned to Claudia.

"Keep your hands off me," Claudia growled at Chet as the man pulled her close.

"I wouldn't complain, Ranger. Believe me, you would much rather have me be friendly," Chet whispered in her ear.

"Chet, lay off," Jake grumbled as he prodded Paul forward with his rifle.

Paul readjusted his grip on Caine, who had found it difficult to keep up the quick pace his captors had set. When Paul pulled the priest close, Caine groaned, but said nothing.

"Are you okay?" Paul whispered.

"I must embrace the pain," was the only response.

Tony brought up the rear, keeping a careful eye out for possible pursuers. He and his partners were well aware that the original object of their search was running free in the forest, and for that reason was a threat. They had come too far to have some bumbling cop and those looking for him interfere now.

The group broke through the dense forest and into a small clearing. In the center was a single room cabin. Chet grabbed Claudia and pushed her to the right, around several trees and into the clearing, avoiding the direct route. The woman frowned at the illogical approach. "Booby-trapped?" she guessed.

Chet only let out a grunt in response. The rest of the group followed the indirect route until all were standing on the front porch. Jake pulled out a key and slid it into a small hole which was located near the floor. He turned the key and then removed it. He then put a second key in a padlock which secured the door.

Paul watched the security procedures and felt a sickness grow in his stomach. He had just confirmed what he had begun to suspect earlier. These men were not your typical poachers. They were up to something. . .something that involved a lot more than hunting animals illegally.

Tony pushed the Captain in the back with the barrel of his rifle and Paul lifted Caine up the steps, noting the Shaolin's quick intake of air. "You still with me?"

Paul whispered.

"Yes," Caine responded. "I will be fine."

"Yeah, right," Paul muttered with an air of disbelief.

"Inside," Jake ordered, as he gave the helpless men a push through the door. Paul stumbled as he fought to maintain his footing and keep Caine upright at the same time.

"Sorry," Paul whispered, knowing that the jarring movement had hurt his companion.

"It is not your fault," the injured man replied.

Paul turned to face his captors. "I need to treat his injury."

Jake roughly pushed Paul in the chest, forcing the Captain and Caine to fall to the floor. "You need to sit down and shut up."

"Don't!" Claudia exclaimed as she rushed forward to try to help the two men. Her arm was grabbed, holding her in place. Chet spun her around and into a chair.

"Here's rope," Jake said as he threw a length at Chet. The heavy-set man set about tying the woman's arms behind her.

Tony kept his gun trained on the cop and the priest as Jake took more rope and climbed behind the captives. Jake pulled Blaisdell's arms behind his back and tied them tightly. He then completed the same process on Caine. The Shaolin pursed his lips together, vowing to make no sound at the painful movement.

After their prisoners were secured, Tony lowered his weapon and moved to a chair on the opposite side of the room. "So now what?"

Chet shook his head. "This was not in the plan."

"No, it wasn't in the plan," Jake spat. "Just like the hunter who was in this cabin wasn't in the plan, either." The man kicked at the empty ash bucket near the fireplace. The metal bin rebounded off the wall with a thud and then came to rest. Suddenly Jake spun around to face his partners, a smile on his face. "But this might just turn out even better than the original plan."

Peter stumbled through the forest, trying to make his way back to the main trail. His progress was slowed by his injuries and he had to stop several times to regain his bearings. He was trying to retrace his steps, which was difficult since they had been so erratic while he was being chased.

After what seemed like hours, he saw something familiar. It was his handprint smeared on the trunk of a tree. He remembered when he had used the tree for support. Grinning to himself triumphantly, he knew he had found his original path.

He began to take a step forward but then froze in place. Something was wrong. There was a darkness here. There was pain and suffering, and Peter was sure it wasn't from inside him. His mind flashed on the gunshot he had heard earlier. This was the place. Someone was injured here; someone was a victim of the men who had been hunting him.

Peter closed his eyes and then opened them again, looking for what did not belong, trying to identify the disturbance in nature, as his father had taught him.

The ground had been heavily trampled. The grass, leaves and pine needles were crushed into the ground. Then a dark spot caught his attention. Kneeling down, he extended his fingers to the stain. It was blood.

The detective swallowed down his fear. Instinctively he knew that the blood belonged to someone he cared about, probably Claudia. She had been searching the woods for the poachers and they must have found her. "Please be safe, Claudia," he whispered.

Peter stood, holding his side protectively. He stepped through the brush, trying to detect any sign of the direction his friend had taken. Reflected light caught his attention. He kneeled down in the tall grass and reached to the source. His hand came up holding a gun.

Peter examined the weapon, his stomach sinking. He turned the gun upside down knowing what he would find before he even bothered to look. The initials PMB were engraved on the gun's butt. Paul Blaisdell had been there, no doubt looking for his foster son. And if Paul had been there, there was no question in Peter's mind that his father had been there as well. New-found fear overwhelmed him. Paul would never leave his gun behind unless he had no other choice. Setting his jaw against the pain which erupted in his side, Peter pushed himself back to his feet, renewing his vow to find out what had happened to those who had been looking for him.

Kwai Chang Caine had allowed his head to drop forward in an effort to achieve a proper state of meditation. The bleeding had slowed, but that had only occurred with a great deal of his chi energy being redirected to the wounds.

Paul watched the priest's head slump forward, trying to fight the surge of panic which rose up in his chest. He had been watching Peter's father for a time. The brown eyes were open, but distant, not fixed on anything in the room. Then suddenly the eyes closed and the gray haired man's head slumped forward, lifeless.

"Caine?" Paul whispered. There was no response.

Paul pulled at the bonds restraining his hands. They were firmly secured behind him. Paul looked at the gunman standing above him. "This man needs help."

Jake ignored Blaisdell's words and walked back over to his partners. Tony looked at the leader. "So what are you thinkin'?"

Jake smiled and pulled out a cigarette. He slipped it into his mouth and pulled out a lighter from his pocket. "We're wanted men, right?"

Tony and Chet nodded. "The cops know that three people pulled off the robbery, right?" Jake continued. The cohorts nodded, once again. "Well, isn't it just damned convenient that we found these three."

After sliding Paul's gun into his waistband, Peter followed the blood trail through the forest. Drops from someone's injury were sprinkled along the trail, indicating that the injured party was losing a lot of blood. Peter couldn't help wondering who had been hurt. Was it his father or Paul? Claudia or the Ancient?

Knowing that whomever it was had been wounded looking for him made Peter pick up his speed. Guilt always had a unique way of motivating him.

End Part 26

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