Hunter's Quest

Chapter Nineteen

The temperature had moderated, and a fresh breeze made a walk on the grounds a pleasant experience. She wasn't the only one taking advantage of the nice weather, but no one interfered with her. Kristie found her way to the machine shed, which was hidden from the rest of the grounds by a hedge. The door stood open, making it easy for her to edge inside and look around. But there was nothing to see beyond a couple of ride-on mowers and racks of trimmers, blowers, shovels, and other garden tools. No place to hide someone.

She noted the fact into the wire for Jason's benefit.

A double garage at the far end of the grounds looked more possible. The big doors on the front were down and locked, but a smaller door in the side opened when she turned the knob. A '50s vintage Cadillac and a much newer BMW occupied the two bays. She glanced inside both but saw nothing. She wondered about the trunks, but the layer of dust on both cars suggested they hadn't been disturbed in a while. No other cubbyholes or openings offered any possibilities for concealing a person. She brushed away her own footprints in the dirt on the floor as she edged out again.

A small well house proved even smaller than she'd thought on first glance. She looked in, but aside from the machinery for pumping water the space was empty.

Only the gazebo remained, but on such a beautiful evening it was occupied by a young couple with more than talk on their minds. Kristie walked around the base, trying not to spy on the lovers within. A small, low door at the back led to a crawl space underneath the plank floor of the structure. She ducked down to peer in. Shadows made it hard to see anything at first, but when her eyes adjusted she noted a dirt floor and nothing more.

With only ten minutes left before the start of Brightley's talk, Kristie had to hustle back to the building. She slid into a seat in the conference room just as Brightley introduced himself and his topic.

He explained his purpose that evening was to show each person how to identify their own personal values and to consider them in relation to what their lives demanded.

Kristie was prepared for a shyster spouting psychobabble or a rabble-rouser for some sort of new-age self-actualizing mumbo-jumbo. Brightley was neither. She quickly began to understand why Tom, Brian, and Lynn held him in such high regard.

His talk was calm, measured, amusing, and useful. Almost intellectual in parts yet peppered with enough anecdotes to keep it from being dry, it outlined a method for analyzing where you spent your time and your money as a way to finding out what you really valued in life. It made sense to Kristie, although it mostly reinforced what she already knew about herself and what she liked to do. She nonetheless gained some insight about her own reluctance to form relationships with people, something she would have to think about more when she had the time.

Brightley was a superb speaker with a charismatic presence. Although he had to be close to seventy and no more than five foot six or seven, he had a quick, dry wit, and an engaging smile that made his bright blue eyes twinkle. Put a beard and fifty pounds on him and he'd make a terrific model for Santa Claus, if old Saint Nick had as much intelligence and sense of humor.

When the talk concluded, people crowded around him to ask questions, make comments, and just bask in his presence. Kristie waited until the crowd started to disperse before she approached. He was gathering his notes by then, but gave her a welcoming smile that showed no sign of strain or impatience to be gone.

"That was a wonderful talk," she told him. "I learned a great deal from it and you gave me a lot to think about."

"That's the real purpose of it," he answered. "To get you to think about things most people never examine."