Page 15 of Hard to Kill

“Let’s keep moving.”

They found their stream and performed a necessary washup. Then they seated themselves on the nearest dry rocks and shared a protein bar out of her backpack.

He broke the silence. “I bet you’re wondering about my side of the story. Since you thought I was being ‘standoffish and occasionally frightening.’”

“I’m interested,” she acknowledged.

“General’s aide is a position of some importance. It requires discretion, intelligence, the ability to filter information and assign importance to the constant demand’s on my time.” He sounded very much like an officer instructing a recruit.

“Yes, sir. I know, sir.”

“Of course you do.” He sat and stared across the cavern. “I was looking for an aide, and Aimes came to me highly recommended. He was described as an exemplary soldier. I trusted him, as I have all my aides.”

“Of course.”

General Slater cleared his throat. “Excuses for an embarrassing, nearly deadly mistake. After you’d been in the house a few weeks, Aimes came to me with information. He claimed you had come to him with a proposal to do away with me.”

“Killyou?”

“He told me you wanted the entire reward for yourself and that you were willing to sleep with him to keep him quiet.”

Kellen found herself on her feet. “Sleep with him? With that officious little prick?”

General Slater gestured for her to calm down. “I know. I know. It seems silly now. But the idea that you were willing to kill me for money, and you’d have sex with Aimes but would barely look at me...well, it really stuck in my craw. An old man can only take so many wounds to his delicate sexual ego. It really pales in comparison to getting killed.”

Kellen chuckled and subsided. She did like General Slater. That was something to remember.

“I figured you were going to try to kill me in the cave.” Bitterly, he said, “I asked Aimes to watch my back.”

“Aimes had us monitoring each other, rather than paying attention to him.”

“When it comes to manipulation, the man’s a genius. Though still such an incredible prig.” General Slater stood. “Captain, we understand each other better now. Let’s move on.”

Over the next few hours, they came upon more spiders, an aquifer—with water, which they didn’t dare drink—and more bats, but they occupied their time with conversation.

“Tough break for your friend Hackett, losing his leg like that,” General Slater said. “But he sounds like he’s holding up as well as can be expected.”

“He’s a good kid,” Kellen said, her eyes misting over. “I want to do more for him. All the kids in my unit were great. Well, some weren’t kids, I suppose—but they were a damn fine team. I’ll miss them.”

“I heard you had many visitors in the hospital,” Slater said gently.

Kellen said slowly, “It’s nice. They care about each other and about me. It’s not something I’m used to. Look!” She crawled out of their latest cramped tunnel. “I think we’re here!”

The cave opened up, revealing an enormous underground cavern, faintly lit, dry and empty...except for two large pieces of gorgeous artwork.

“The missing Monets,” she said.

“Holy shit.” General Slater looked dazed.

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

Kellen and General Slater emerged from the cave through a small hole in the rock wall, into the bright morning light of the forest, feeling hungry, thirsty, dirty and triumphant.

General Slater pulled out his cell phone, consulted his map app and then pointed down the hill. “We’re about two miles west of a village. Come on, I’m ready for a good, hearty German breakfast.”

“Wait, sir.” Kellen stopped him and handed him the diary. “Sir, I can teach you the diary’s code and how to read the maps, and I’d appreciate it if you’d handle transporting these paintings to the museum. I’d like to avoid publicity as much as possible.”

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