Ninety Degrees Out

Jett rode up to the lodge, swinging off his horse at the steps to the porch. Killika was there in a second, taking care of the kids.

“Go get your sketchbook and pencils. I’ll take care of the kids and the horses. I’m sure Erik or on of the other guys is around.”

He nodded, racing up to the room next to his parent’s, he flung the door open and grabbed his art bag. It had everything he needed. He dropped the camera, then changed his mind a put the strap around his neck again. He could hear the engines on Kanti’s plane running up.

He took one more look around and ran for the runway. Jogging across the field toward the hangar and storage Quonset at the east end, he noticed how much drier the ground was. Where was the permafrost water disappearing to? He’d have to ask Hakan when they got back.

His father was waiting for him, holding the twin Otter’s door open for him.

“Go Jett, get in there. Tell Kanti I’ll pull the chocks as soon as you have the door latched.”

He clambered into the airplane turning to pull the steps and door closed, making sure the latch was secure.

Kanti moved her headset off one ear, and he took the hint.

“My Dad’s pulling the wheel chocks,” Jett pitched his voice louder to get over the engine noise.

“Get into the right seat and put your seat belt on. I’ve got some cargo in the back for the homestead. I’ll deliver that and come back to pick you up from Anchorage. I’ve already talked to the tower there and they’ll have an ambulance waiting at the airport.”

“Sounds good. Do you have a way for me to stay with them?” Jett asked as he slipped a set of headphones over his ears.

“They will take you all. Getting you back to the airport will be the trick.”

“Yeah, I’ll work on that while they’re working on Catherine.”

“Once we’re in the air, you can go back. I wanted to settle the details with you. Akira will stay with her the whole time, but someone has to handle the details.”

Kanti turned the airplane onto the end of the runway. She stopped to run the engines up once more before starting toward the hill and rotating as she came up to the correct speed. She flipped the landing gear switch, and nodded at Jett, letting him know he could move.

Slipping the headset off and leaving it on the seat, he worked his way back. Catherine was bundled into blankets on the first seat. Since Kanti had the aircraft configured for both passengers and cargo, there were only eight spots for passengers down one side.

There were rails and hooks for pallets of cargo on the other side. He noted the survival gear stowed toward the back as he grabbed the back of the first seat. Catherine sat in the second seat, her arm supported by a sling and splint. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was shallow.

“Are you asleep Catherine?” Jett pitched his voice just loud enough to be heard over the drone of the engines.

“No, but I’m pretty high,” she mumbled.

“I gave her a couple of the codeine pills we had left over from your Dad’s knee surgery,” Akira said. “She says she’s never had anything that strong in her life.”

“These are the good drugs,” Catherine slurred.

“Do you think you can describe the guy’s face?”

“No problem. I’m never going to forget it.” Catherine’s eyes snapped open. “The painkillers can’t stop me from seeing it.”

“Then let’s get it on paper.” Jett flipped his sketchbook open, turning past several sketches of her he’d done after the first evening he noticed her.

“He had a bruise that was fading on his jaw. He looked like he liked to brawl. Like he would take things by force, so I knew I was in trouble the second he forced his way through the gate. I was trying to close it when he found me.”

Jett winced as he listened to her bitter voice. He asked her to describe his face, gently getting the details as she told the story of the attack. His heart hurt, constricting as he drew. No one should have to go through such a brutal experience.

He had a passable portrait when Kanti told them to put their seat belts on. She was descending to land. Looking out the window he saw the city divided by rivers of water running between the low hills. Boats ran up and down them, and he wondered if they could even get to the hospital. It looked like all the bridges were swamped.

“Holy hell, she’s going to land on the water.” Jett braced himself with his feet wide apart. There didn’t seem to be enough room between the trees, but the tops flashed by as Kanti touched down with barely a bump on glass smooth water.

“She’s good. I’m impressed,” Akira said. “I see the ambulance by the floating dock. There’s a cop car there too.”

“I’ll stay to talk to the trooper. There’s probably someone that will go with you to the hospital, victim support, I would think,” Jett guessed. “The trooper can take to meet you at the hospital after I give him this sketch.”

“Okay, talking helped, Jett. Thank you,” Catherine sounded steadier as their floats bumped into the dock.

“I promise, I’ll catch up with you at the hospital.”

“It’s not too far from the airport,” she told them as Jett opened the door to let the paramedics in. The first one gave them instructions.

“Kanti told us what happened. Jess is coming with us, she’s vice and sex crimes, and so are you, ma’am.”

He beckoned for Akira to follow them. The paramedics helped Catherine out of her seat, supporting her unsteady steps.

Jett took a deep breath and walked over to talk to the trooper as he watched the loaded ambulance pull away.

“I’ve got a sketch and description of the guy who did it to her.”

“Let’s get it to the station and we’ll see if it matches anything in our system. If we can ID him it will help us track him down quicker. Hop in.” The trooper pointed at the front passenger seat before he went around to climb into the police car.

Jett wondered how much pull Kanti had with the local authorities.

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. This is going to go well, and I’m going to have a name for Catherine when I catch up with her. I wonder about her, what is it that caught my attention when she spoke up at our planning meeting?