The Athena Effect, Page 3

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  Sheriff Brown had seen a lot of things in his many years in law enforcement, but he could say for certain that this was the worst day of his entire career. He thrust his hands in his pockets and stared down at his feet. He’d been a newly hired deputy almost eighteen years ago when Jenny and David had arrived on the scene–two scruffy kids that looked like something the cat dragged in.

  The land they settled on had once belonged to David’s grandmother, but there hadn’t been a Mackenzie living in these parts for many years. Stories about the area still swirled throughout the town: tales of a forest haunted by the ghost of Old Lady Mackenzie, along with rumors of witchcraft and demonic goings on. Lingering suspicions kept the locals away, and that suited David and Jenny just fine.

  No one ever came looking for them; they paid the property taxes regularly and kept out of trouble. They were grimly determined to hang on and stay out here in the middle of nowhere, despite the overwhelming odds against them. Heck, the sheriff remembered, they’d even spent the first few rainy months living in an old army surplus tent.

  Some folks speculated that they were involved with the drug trade, growing pot on a remote plot hidden away in the deep dark woods. But when year after year went by without any ill-gotten gains appearing, folks pegged them as reclusive back-to-nature types that simply wanted to be left alone.

  Odd … but then again, odd was not illegal.

  The Mackenzies were always nice and polite to Sheriff Brown, and he admired their tenacity. He looked around at the tidy little cabin with its neatly stacked woodpile and wire enclosed chicken coop. It was a damn shame.

  He’d just seen David and Jenny for the last time, and he squirmed, because now he had to break the news to the kid. He heaved a deep sigh, wishing he had a cigarette. A movement caught his eye, and he looked up to see the girl rushing up the long gravel path, her golden hair reflecting the last long rays of the sun despite the advancing gloom. Even hidden under baggy clothes that looked like they’d be more suited to her father, he could still see the beautiful young woman she’d grown into.

  He watched her sadly, wondering. Where did all the time go?

  When she looked up to meet his eyes she froze, and the bag that she carried slipped from her shoulder and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

  ~

  Chapter Two

  ORPHANED