Read Online Behind Mt. Baldy by Christopher Cummings - Free Book Online Page B

pointing guns at me. I should report you.”
    Roger wished Graham wouldn’t
antagonise the man. He noted the man’s eyes narrow, even though he kept a smile
on his face. Worried that Graham would say something else Roger pushed forward
and took Graham’s arm.
    “It’s alright,” he said to the
man. “We are just on a route march. We’ve got another twenty kilometres to go.
We are sorry we gave you a fright.”  He forced a smile even though he was
so scared he felt like he would lose control of his bowels.  Despite his
fear he managed to turn and smile at the other man, who had placed the rifle in
the car and stood with the car door open.
    Graham went to speak but Roger
cut him off. “We have to go. Good day,” he said. Roger then started walking.
The man stepped aside. Roger didn’t dare look back but to his relief the others
followed him. Then he had to fight down an urge to run, an urge his more
rational mind told him was ridiculous. Weighed down as he was he knew he wouldn’t even be able to raise a lumbering trot.
    “Roger, what the ..?” Graham
began.
    “Shut up!  Keep walking!”
Roger hissed.
    Graham did as he was told. After
about fifty paces Roger glanced back. Both men were standing watching them. Neither
was smiling. Roger walked even faster, feeling very scared and defenceless.
    They had only covered another
hundred paces when a car door slammed behind them. Roger glanced back and saw
that both men were now in the car. Its engine roared to life.
    By now the road was curving to
the right. An overgrown track went off on their right and on that side the
jungle gave way to open pine forest. The sound of the car came towards them.
    “Wave! Smile! Look friendly,” Roger
ordered. He forced a grin with muscles that felt like old rubber as the car
drew level. The men looked hard at them, then the driver’s teeth flashed in a
grin and the car accelerated away, to vanish around the next bend.
    Roger suddenly turned down the
side track. Graham let out a surprised exclamation. “Roger, you’re going the
wrong way!”
    “I know. Follow me. Into the jungle, quick!”
    Roger turned and pushed his way
into the jungle and didn’t stop until confronted by a tangle of vines and
‘wait-a-while’ ten metres in. Then he dropped his pack and turned to face the
others.
    “I’ll bet those men are the
murderers,” he said.
     

CHAPTER 6
     
    WHAT WERE THEY DOING IN THE JUNGLE?
     
    Roger pulled out his notebook and
wrote down the car’s registration number and make. The other three stared at
him in surprise.
    Roger repeated himself. “Those
men murdered the old man. I’m sure of it.”
    Peter shook his head. “Don’t be
silly Roger. You’re just imagining things.”
    “I’m not. Have you ever seen two
blokes look more worried and guilty in all your life?” Roger replied heatedly.
    Graham nodded. “I certainly think
they acted suspiciously. When that bastard pointed that rifle at me I thought
he was going to drop me. He pushed the safety catch off.”
    “I saw that,” Stephen added.
    Roger went on, “And that first
man. I’ll bet he had a pistol in his pocket. Did you see how his hand went to
it?”
    “He had something there that made
a lump,” Peter confirmed. “They thought we were soldiers.”
    Roger nodded vehemently. “Yes.
They were foreigners, Europeans of some sort. I don’t think the one with the
rifle even spoke English.”
    “What language was it?” Stephen
asked.
    “Search me. It wasn’t German
anyway,” Graham said. Both he and Stephen learned German at school. Peter and
Roger both studied French.
    “That second guy,” Roger went on.
“His name was Bruno.”
    “I didn’t know he was a mate or
yours Roger,” Peter quipped.
    “It’s no time for joking Peter!
It’s not funny. I’m going back for a look.”
    The others again looked
surprised.
    “Why? What for? Let’s just get
out of here,” Stephen said.
    “Because when the blond man
pulled his cigarette packet out