David Dun - At The Edge

"This could be from before-that I told you about. Or we might have some visitors. Probably berry pickers. Keep the gun hidden."

Corey stuck the. 45 down the front of her pants and pulled out her blouse. Janet did the same. Walking quietly down the road, they heard a chattering squirrel and a jay in the distance. They came to a bend and Corey crept up to a tree. When she looked around, she saw a parked four-wheel-drive.

"I don't see any berry pickers." They approached the vehicle cautiously with the guns drawn. Nobody. It was a Toyota Land Cruiser. New and loaded.

"Come on," Corey said. They passed an obvious trail to the house. Running to the end of the road, Corey turned off on a small trail clear enough that men could run single file. "Most don't go this way," Corey said over her shoulder. They made a large loop used by the berry pickers. To either side there were redwoods and dense huckleberry, mixed with salal ground cover. Eventually the smaller trail intersected the larger. As they neared the main trail, Corey slowed and then crept forward. They listened. Soon they heard the swish of brush. There were whispered words. Janet and Corey crouched low in the brush.

"Speak of the devil," Corey whispered, recognizing Kenji Yamada in the lead. "Dumb shits, all tight together in a row."

All three men wore bush clothing that looked like it came out of a Macy's catalog. Corey motioned Janet to kneel. The trio would pass within twenty feet. She held out her hand to Janet and mouthed the word: "Gun." Janet placed the Smith amp; Wesson in Corey's hand, and she popped the safety.

When the men were opposite Corey, she rose with utter calm, aiming point-blank. Mouths dropped open, open hands went up. Corey shot. Both pistols cracked simultaneously. Crimson mushrooms sprung onto the torsos of the two men following Yamada. They dropped with barely a quiver.

"Get your hands on your head or you're as dead as they are," Corey said to Kenji, who still stood openmouthed. When Corey turned to look at Janet, her partner was down on one knee, shaking. "Get used to it," she said to Janet. "These guys play for keeps."

Yoshinari watched the fish in his aquarium. It stood twelve feet high, two feet thick, and ten feet long with a capacity of 2,000 gallons of salt water. There was tranquillity in the looking, and he blocked out all that was going on in America, knowing that after a time of rest his mind would create clarity of vision. A rainsquall came and went; his grandchildren ate their lunch and retired for a nap. His wife, saying nothing, and making no sound save the slight rustle of her kimono, set tea in front of him. His eyes remained opaque, and he saw nothing but the fish.

When at last the rain began to fall a second time, he rose and walked to the edge of the porch overlooking the garden. It was time to decide.

There was a deep irony in the fact that the Schneider woman, a creature whose destiny had been tampered with by Groiter, now had him in her control. From all that they could tell, he had told her everything. So adept was Shohei that he had managed to get copies of all the woman's tapes- Groiter's entire confession. It was a fascinating tale indeed. Should he rescue Groiter? She would almost surely kill him. What should he do about the lawyers? About Kenji?

Maria spent most of her time in Dan's house, notwithstanding her insistence that she be free to go wherever and whenever she wished. Then, quite conveniently, Dan's home office became her office, with her laptop on-line instead of his floor-model computer. Dan's fax line became her fax line, his phone her phone. He emptied the filing cabinets so she could have files shipped from Sacramento. She had everything she needed right there. Dan and her mother made that point with regularity.

Pepacita needed help in the garden; Nate needed help with his homework. Since Dan's finances and Maria's business finances were going to overlap to some extent, she was the logical choice to take over the bookkeeping. Dan had no aptitude.

For some reason a cell phone wouldn't do. It had to be Dan's phone (now hers) in Dan's house (soon to be officially shared by her).

Being in love helped. There were worse prisons, she decided. And it did seem she could work many hours each day, planning her campaign to save the Highlands. So she gave in to the conspiracy and for the most part resolved to stay home.

On her fifth night at Dan's, she tried to imagine what marriage might be like. As nearly as she could recall, she was sitting with the shades open, taking in the last of the evening light. She had just finished running her fingers across a newly developed picture of Dan standing by her father, and was turning her attention to attacking a timber harvest plan when she was profoundly startled. A man's shadow fell across the desk. She stifled a scream. He had appeared literally out of nowhere, standing beside her, wearing a hat and sunglasses.

"Don't be afraid," he said.

''Well, I am," she said, aware now of her heart pounding.

His face was definitely Asian. He looked strong and had a flat, narrow waist under broad shoulders.

"We want to clear up all the mysteries. We have proof of what happened to you and what is happening in Amada's forest. Everything."

"Who sent you?" She tried to discern his features, but he seemed to gather the room's shadow around him like a cloak.

"My principal will make himself known to you in forty-eight hours."

"What about the police?"

"We will talk first."

"Why are you telling us?"

"One of your sacred ones once said: 'Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.' "

"What's that mean?"

"It means you will be rewarded for your diligent efforts. But there is a condition."

"What is that?"

"You must come alone without your police. There will be no meeting if you bring them-you will not get your answers. There will be time enough for the police." Then the man bowed. "If you will excuse me."

She noticed that the door onto the patio was slightly ajar. How had he done that? Quickly he stepped out into the night and was gone. He could have killed her easily.

She looked at her watch. It was 9:20 p.m., and Dan was attending an office function with out-of-town clients. He had promised to leave early, and she expected him at any time. At 9:33 she heard the family-room door open. Forcing herself to wait, she counted to ten to ensure that Nate could get there first. Nervous with anticipation, she wondered how long these newlywed-type feelings would last. Then she walked faster than she intended into the family room to find him hugging Nate. Instantly Dan's eyes went to hers.

"Hey, Dad, we caught five fish this morning," Nate said.

"That's great," Dan said.

She put her hand on Nate's back and the other behind Dan's neck, kissing him firmly on the lips.

"Did you catch them in the same place?"

"Yeah. By the water tower. Hey, can I go over to Tim's and spend the night tomorrow?"

Dan tilted his head at Maria. She appreciated the consultation and nodded.

"Well, Maria and I are going to discuss it a little later, but I think it's gonna be fine."

"What's to discuss?"

"It's the principle of the thing, son. You know what that is?"

Nate smiled up at Maria. "She'd never say no if you said yes."

"I won't always be a pushover, buddy boy," she said, running her fingers through Nate's hair.

"I'm gonna go watch The Simpsons on video," Nate said.

"I had a really unusual visitor," Maria said when Nate had disappeared.

"What do you mean?"

She told him the story.

"Those cops outside are incompetent," he said. "I'm gonna go give them a ration-''

"No," she said, hugging him around the waist. "I think there's another set of players here and they mean us no harm. In fact, I think one of them stopped the shooter from killing you and me both. Maybe even this guy."