Death Message

Chapter Nine

"Brad wake up, wake up!" were the first words he heard. Slowly turning his head to where the sound was coming from, he saw Maggie sitting next to him in bed, but it wasn't his bed. It wasn't their bedroom. "Where am I?" Brad asked noticeably agitated and disoriented.

"You're in Tennant Creek, Brad. You had a nightmare. Are you all right?"

Brad looked around the room and then at Maggie. It all came rushing back. He was safe; it was a nightmare, thank God. They weren't home; they were at the Safari Lodge Motel in Tennant Creek where they'd arrived scarcely six hours ago.

"God, I've never had a dream like that. It seemed so real. I thought I died."

"You scared me," Maggie said.

Brad looked at the concern in Maggie's eyes and then noticed the puffiness over her right brow. "Are you okay? Did I do that?"

"Well, unless there's someone else here," Maggie said while gingerly petting the swollen area. "I'm fine, although I'd prefer to be awakened with a kiss."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't look so good yourself," Maggie said gently pawing the enlarged cheekbone on the right side of Brad's face.

"Ouch!"

"That must have been some dream," Maggie stated.

Brad was utterly embarrassed. He spent the next fifteen minutes describing the nightmare in minute detail. When he finished, Maggie remarked that they might want to change to a room with double beds. But aside from the humorous aspect of the episode, Maggie was concerned. Ever since they'd found the cone, Brad's personality had been changing. Mostly in subtle ways, but also in the extreme, as when he spent day and night trying to crack the combination to the cone, and now, this dreadful nightmare. She hoped it would pass.

"Okay, what's on the agenda for today?" Maggie asked.

"Well, as we discussed on the plane, I think we should take one of those guided tours of Devil's Marbles the travel agency suggested. That'll save us a lot of time getting familiar with the countryside. I'm sure the tour guides are just full of information. Then we can outfit ourselves for an overnight or two and explore the Marbles region by ourselves. Using the maps we've made, I'm sure it won't take us long before we find the location of the next clue. What do you think?"

"I think I want my tent. That way when we get back, I won't have another black eye and people won't think you're a wife-beater."

"Your eye isn't going to be black," Brad said rather defensively.

"I'm just kidding Brad. Lighten up, Montana."

"I'm sorry. I'm still embarrassed by what I did and how I reacted."

"Don't be. Maybe my eye won't turn black, but I guarantee yours will. That must have been some wallop you gave yourself."

"I told you; I was trying to wake myself up and I didn't have the time to gently pinch my cheek."

"Do me a favor, use a different approach if you ever have to wake me from a nightmare," Maggie said smiling at her wounded husband.

"You got it," Brad said and kissed Maggie gently on the cheek. "I'm going to run down to the office and see if they have anything we can use for the trip.

Brad popped out of bed, threw on some clothes, and hurried down to the front desk. He introduced himself to the day clerk and proceeded to rifle through a mountain of flyers touting the area attractions in and around Tennant Creek; several of which contained information about the Devil's Marbles. Brad made two cups of coffee, grabbed a couple of Danish from a courtesy Continental breakfast table, and returned to the room. Maggie had already showered and was waiting when he opened the door. She was dressed in dark tan, mid-thigh shorts, hiking boots, and a washed-out blue denim short-sleeve shirt. Maggie's jet-black hair was wet, and she'd combed it straight back revealing her perfect complexion and beautifully proportioned facial features. She didn't need make-up. Her skin was naturally tan, her full lips were always a sensuous soft pink, and her eyes deep, oh those eyes, raven black. In so many ways, Maggie was the most attractive woman Brad had ever known. Standing there facing her, he thought of how very lucky he was to have found her, and how blessed he was that she loved him.