Wilderness Reckoning by Warren Troy

Author:Warren Troy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Publication Consultants

Chapter Eleven

The steady drone of the jet liner as it rushed through the air headed towards Anchorage, didn’t help to keep Denny Caraway’s mind off the cargo in the baggage compartment. He had flown with Nathan’s body to Cape Town and after days of making flight arrangements, signing numerous documents, and answering unpleasant questions from the Cape Town police, he was finally headed home with Barker’s remains.

Denny felt numb, filled with an all too familiar emptiness on the sad journey back to Alaska.

He hadn’t eaten much on the flight, but he’d had several drinks of whiskey, which hadn’t affected him at all. Denny had hoped it would help him sleep. Home was still a dozen hours away.

Caraway barely got any sleep until the last leg of his journey back to Alaska, not waking until the “Fasten Seatbelt” chime sounded as they were making their final descent into Anchorage.

When Denny arrived in the terminal, he called the air cargo company Caroline had made arrangements with, telling them the cargo to be delivered to the Fairbanks Funeral Home was at the Anchorage airport. They would fly it up to Fairbanks the next day. With contact made, Denny took a shuttle flight north.

Finally back in Fairbanks after what seemed a never-ending journey, Denny saw Caroline as soon as he walked into the terminal. The situation had been very hard on her. She looked tired, worn down from the painful experience. Maxwell wasn’t with her.

As soon as she saw Denny, Caroline ran up to him, wrapped her arms around him and sobbed, people standing around them looking on. Denny gave several who were staring at them a stern look. They immediately turned away. He and Caroline needed to get to the house, so they could have some much needed privacy.

Caroline finally collected herself, stepped back and looked at Denny’s face. She saw the fatigue and sorrow there. Touching his cheek, she said, “I’m so glad you’re all right. It’s hard enough to deal with Daddy being gone, but if both of you had been killed . . .”

“Come on, C, let’s get out of here.”

Neither of them said much as they drove to the Barker house. Somehow, the place seemed smaller, with Nathan gone. Caroline paid the baby sitter, while Denny made a pot of coffee. They were finally alone, away from all the people who had no idea what had occurred in their lives.

Caroline asked Denny for some whiskey in her coffee. He poured some into her cup, hesitated a moment, then poured some in his own as well.

The two close friends sat on the couch, sipping their drinks, talking little. Caroline suddenly sat up and turned to face him straight on.

“Denny?”

“Yes, C?”

“I won’t hold you to daddy’s request. I know you have your own life to live on the homestead. I don’t even know if you really want to continue on with the lodge. Maxwell and I will be fine.”

“Caroline, I told your father I would make sure you’d be okay, and I meant it.

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