Page 17 of The Catcher
Noah pocketed his phone, cupped his hands, and blew into them. Now that fall was well underway, the temperature was dropping. He wasn’t looking forward to another brutal winter and plowing his way out of his driveway.That was the downside to living in the middle of the sticks.
A moment later, his phone jingled in his pocket.
“McKenzie. What you got?”
“The laddie said that he never put a gadget in the geocache. Some of the items found weren’t his.”
“What do you mean?”
“He created the geocache a long time ago. It’s hard to explain. I barely understood what he was talking about. But either way, he doesn’t recall that geocache having a gadget but that if someone else put one there, you would usually find it nearby. He advised looking around, checking the ground, up in the trees, they’re often attached to things.”
“But what is it?”
“Some way to hide coordinates. You have to interact with it.”
“That’s it?”
“Uh-huh. Like I said, I couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was saying, but he said the same thing about my accent. Anyway, I have him coming into the station in the next hour.”
Noah rolled his eyes. “All right,” he muttered before thanking him and hanging up. He turned to some of the deputies who were nearby, waiting to take him back to his truck. “Have you seen any gadgets around here? Anything attached to trees?”
They shook their heads.
Noah began looking, lifting his gaze up and downtrees. As Noah ventured through the dense foliage, the crisp fall air nipped at his skin. His footsteps echoed through the forest, the fallen leaves crunching underfoot with each step. Nearby, the chatter of police radios filled the air, intermingling with the rustle of leaves and the distant call of birds.
After a few minutes of careful exploration, Noah’s keen eyes caught sight of something unusual protruding from a nearby tree. It seemed to blend into the natural surroundings, partially obscured by fallen leaves, unnoticed by any casual observer. Intrigued, Noah made his way closer.
The box was reminiscent of a small fuse box affixed to the tree trunk. Spray-painted in black on the front was a geocache symbol, indicating its purpose. Below the emblem was a warning sign against unauthorized access, labeling the box as a
“Climate Control Monitoring System.”
A metal wand was attached to one side of the box while a padlock secured its contents. Noah glanced down at the photos in his hand, confirming his suspicions: the key to the padlock was contained within the geocache. Cursing under his breath, Noah realized that the evidence he needed had already been bagged and taken back to the station.
“Aaron!” Noah called out, his voice cutting through the forest ambiance.
“Yeah?” Aaron’s response came from nearby.
“Gonna need a bolt cutter or something to get this lock off,” Noah shouted back.
Aaron gave a thumbs-up in acknowledgment before disappearing briefly into the foliage. Noah waited patiently, the anticipation building with each passing second.
Noah rubbed his arms to ward off the chill, the cold seeping through his jacket despite his efforts to stay warm. After what felt like an eternity, Aaron reappeared with a bolt cutter in hand, ready to assist.
With a swift motion, Aaron severed the padlock with a satisfying click. Noah wasted no time opening the metal box door, revealing a small blank screen and an opening with a connector for a rectangular 9-volt battery.
“You got a battery?” Noah inquired, turning to Aaron.
Aaron nodded and hurried off again, disappearing into the surrounding trees for the requested item. Left alone with the mysterious device, Noah examined it closely, trying to make sense of its purpose.
“What the heck is this?” Noah muttered, his brow furrowing in confusion as he studied the peculiar contraption.
Ten minutes later, Aaron returned with a battery and offered it to Noah. “Have you ever seen anything like this?” Aaron asked.
“I didn’t know what a geocache was until today,” Noah admitted, accepting the battery and connecting it to the device. As the battery made contact, the screen lit up, pulsing with lettering that formed a message before Noah’s eyes.
TO FIND THE NEXT STAGE, YOU WILL
NEED IT TO BE 40 DEGREES HOTTER OR COLDER. USE THE PROBE AND YOUR SOURCE OF HEAT OR COLD TO GAIN THE COORDINATES TO STAGE TWO.
