Chapter 1

Joe rode the old motorcycle at a moderate pace staying primarily on secondary roads. He was headed for Alaska, or at least that had been the plan when he left home. The reality was that Joe was riding to try to distance himself from the pain of failure. His wife of 28 years had finally died after a long and miserable battle with cancer and Joe could not come to terms with the loss.

His university degree was in mathematics, but Joe had always been a fixer. He had a knack for understanding how things worked and making them better. As a small boy, he had repaired small engines, toys, and even his mother's car. Joe was a natural problem solver and he had always loved puzzles, so the study of math came naturally to him. He had worked for nearly 40 years on missiles and radar systems to defend his country. He was one of many unsung heroes of the cold war, but he was retired now and his services were not in demand.

It was not just her death that bothered him. He had seen death before. The first time was a terrible day in the test lab and then later during the short time he was in Vietnam. He had always assumed that he would die before Carol so he was unprepared when she was stricken with cancer. It was not the awful ordeal of cancer that bothered him either. He had thrown himself into the struggle with his usual determination to fix what was broken and studied medicine during long sleepless nights. Toward the end, he was more of a nurse than a husband. They had made the choice to participate in a hospice program and Carol had died at home with Joe at her side. Even though the ordeal was awful he had found a sort of fulfillment in taking care of his wife. He thought, "When you love someone enough to wipe her butt for her when she can no longer do it for herself—that's love." He would never express this point of view. Joe was not the sort of man who talked about personal things. It was not the loss or the terrible aching loneliness that bothered him either. He found himself avoiding people and wanting to be alone anyway. His doctor had prescribed an antidepressant, Joe tried the drug for a couple of weeks, and then he stopped taking it.

What was bothering Joe was a sense of helplessness and failure that clung to his psyche like a dark cloud. He had always been able to fix anything, but when Carol had needed him, he had failed in spite of all the study and effort. He should have spent more time with her and less time away. They should have had children, but they had not. Joe was too restless to sleep and too depressed to eat. One spring morning he had packed the old bike, paid the neighbor kid a couple of hundred bucks to keep his grass mowed, and headed north.

A storm was brewing to the west. Joe parked the bike and donned his rainsuit. He continued along the highway as it entered a medium sized midwestern town. The highway veered left onto a bypass route that had been constructed in the 1970's. Joe continued straight into the center of town on the old highway as the storm gathered strength and lightning was visible every once in a while. Riding through town did little to improve his mood as he rode past boarded up storefronts and vacant lots where elegant old hotels and businesses had stood. The old railroad depot was still there, but looked as if a strong wind could knock it over. Most of the businesses in town had moved out to the bypass route so the town center had died while the bypass route clogged with strip malls until it no longer bypassed anything. While Joe had been busy defending his country, his country had quietly and steadily transformed itself into the United States of Corporateria. He no longer felt truly at home in so many places. The country was just so different from the one he had grown up in, or maybe it was just his dark mood that made it seem that way. He had been to Alaska many years before for work and he was hoping that the incomparable beauty of Alaska could restore him.

Rain began falling in sheets and the motorcycle headlight bored on through the rain. As he came to the north end of town and the old highway rejoined the bypass route, he saw a weathered sign on the right that said Storybook Motel. He rode into the gravel lot and parked the bike near an old neon sign that said office. He did not mind riding in the rain, but he was not eager to be struck by lightning. The motel was constructed in a row that extended north from a little house that apparently doubled as the office. Joe entered the office and rang the little bell on the counter. A pretty red haired woman entered from the rear of the building and frowned at Joe as he stood dripping all over the place. "Got a room for tonight?" He inquired. The woman looked at the helmet in his hand, looked at the storm outside, and then looked Joe in the eye and said, "Yes. We have some vacancies. Rooms are 75 dollars plus tax."

Joe removed his sodden raincoat and folded it near the door earning a look of weary resignation from the woman as he enlarged the puddle he had already made on the floor. "If you've got a towel I'll wipe that all up." He offered as he fished his wallet from his trousers.

"I'll take care of it." The woman replied.

"Could you take sixty bucks?" Joe offered. "It's all the cash I've got at the moment."

"We take MasterCard, Visa, and Discover." She stated firmly.

"Well. I was hoping sixty might be enough. Perhaps you have senior citizen discount or a special rate for wet motorcycle riders."

The trace of a smile appeared on the young woman's face. Joe suddenly realized that she was uncommonly beautiful. Her red hair was drawn back in a ponytail and her deep green eyes had lit up when she had smiled. She had muscular forearms and a slender willowy figure. Dark circles under her eyes suggested an excess of stress or lack of sleep. She wore no makeup and was wearing jeans and a tee shirt. She appeared to be in her late twenties.

"You don't look ready for the senior rate yet, and I don't have a motorcycle rate either." She said complementing him and sticking to her guns at the same time.

Joe handed her his MasterCard and filled out the registration slip. "You'll be in room number two." She said and handed him the key. "We have coffee in the morning starting at six."

Joe thanked her and went back to his bike as the woman retreated into the house. He retrieved a clean rag from his saddlebag and returned to the office. He was wiping up the puddle he had made when she returned and caught him in the act.

"I was going to do that." She stated. Joe replied, "I like to take care of things and I'm about done." He stood up and left the office. He carried his saddlebags to his room and unpacked. He removed his boots and lay back on the bed staring at the ceiling. He did not sleep and he did not move. It occurred to him that he should eat, but he did not feel like going to the effort. He remained on his back staring and thinking.

Hours may have passed or maybe it was only a few minutes. There were traffic sounds from the highway and rain drummed on the roof. The door to the room next to his opened. He heard voices—a man and a woman. They were laughing. They sounded young and happy. He heard the sound of water running from next door. After a while, he heard bedsprings creak from the other room. Their voices were murmuring softly, but the words were not intelligible through the thin motel wall. He heard the sound of them kissing. Small sentence fragments and snatches of conversation were all he could make out.

"Just fingers."

A low moan.

"Yes. Baby."

"Ahh."

The bedsprings creaked again.

Another moan.

They were kissing again.

Joe had been discouraged when he first heard the couple, but then he thought 'what the hell—they have to go somewhere.' He listened only because there was no television in the room to drown out the noise of their lovemaking. His own sex life had been nil for the last couple of years. Carol had still wanted to make love even after she had become very ill. Joe found it difficult to become aroused with her being as sick as she was. Now he felt a bit guilty about it.

The bedsprings were creaking rhythmically now and the moaning was rising in pitch. Finally, the show audio show was over and only the sounds of the couple softly kissing and murmuring could be heard from next door. Joe got up and turned out the light. He returned to bed and slept fitfully. As was his custom, he was awake with first light the next morning.

He walked around the motel in the dawn light. The place was much more attractive than he had realized last night. A pot of flowers was sitting in front of each room. Geraniums he thought. There was a stone wishing well in the center of the parking lot covered by boards. A park of sorts surrounded the motel grounds with picnic benches and rusty playground equipment. A few metal animals on springs were near one end of the building. The menagerie included a donkey, horse, elephant, and a dog. The biggest surprise was an old wooden carousel sitting in the weeds and brush just north of the motel. To the east behind the motel were other large objects covered by vines and brush. The motel room itself had been very neat and clean if a bit basic. Joe came around the rear of the office/house and found a boy sitting in a small antique car kicking his feet in the dirt. The boy had reddish brown hair and appeared to be eight or nine years old. Joe presumed he was the son of the woman he had met the night before. "Mornin'" Joe said. "Hi." Was the boy's only reply.

"You're up early this morning." Joe stated.

"So are you." The boy retorted.

"Interesting car." Joe continued.

The car was actually a scale model of a Ford model A. Someone had adapted some sort of tractor or lawnmower engine and had custom fabricated the rest. The car was rusty and battered, but the creativity and workmanship were still apparent to a discerning eye.

"It doesn't run anymore." The boy informed him.

"What's wrong with it?

"I dunno. It's been broke a long time. My grandpa built it."

"Mind if I look it over?"

"Go ahead."

Joe located the fuel tank and found only dust when he removed the cap. He found the oil fill plug and determined that the crankcase was full of a gooey black substance that had once been engine oil. He pulled the starter cord gently and to his surprise, the engine could be turned.

"It isn't seized." He said. "Have you tried to start it?"

"Not for a long time."

"Do you have any gas? Like for the lawnmower or something?"

"I'll get some." The boy went into a small shed behind the house. Hr returned a moment later with a small plastic gas can. Joe had removed the air cleaner assembly using the screwdriver blade of his pocketknife. The filter element disintegrated into dust when he touched it. He dribbled a small amount of gas into the carb throat and put the air cleaner back on. He pulled the starter cord and nothing happened. He pulled it a second time and the engine barked to life. It only ran for only two seconds and then it sputtered to a stop.

"It will take a little work, but it can be fixed." Joe stated.

"Can you fix it?" The boy asked hopefully.

"I probably can, but I need to be going soon. I am headed for Alaska. You should be able to fix it yourself."

"You're driving to Alaska?" The boy asked incredulously. "Actually I'm riding to Alaska" Joe informed him.

"Oh. Yours is the old bike parked out front."

"That's right."

"What kind of bike is that?"

"It's a MotoGuzzi."

"Is it as fast as a Harley?"

"I'm not sure."

"How fast is it?"

"I don't really know."

"You don't know very much." The boy stated flatly.

Joe chuckled and said, "I learned a long time ago that I don't need to know everything. If I want to know about something, I can always read about it. Like this old car for example. To fix it you are going to have to clean and rebuild the carburetor. It looks hard, but after you read about it it's not that bad."

"I do the same thing." The boy said. "I read about lots of stuff. I have read all the Harry Potter books and I read extra stuff in school. Let me see your motorcycle. My name's Kyle."

Kyle turned and walked briskly around to the front of the motel. He stopped in front of the bike and put his hand on his hips. "It doesn't look very fast."

"I don't ride very fast. My name's Joe by the way."

"Nice to meet you Joe."

"Kyle. What's the deal with this place? Why is there a carousel over there?" Joe inquired as he gestured to the north.

"My Grandpa built all of this!" Kyle said and spread his arms wide. He dashed to the edge of the lot and proceeded to give Joe a guided tour of his home. "I think Grandpa actually bought the carousel and it was built a long time ago, but he built all the other stuff." The other stuff that Kyle revealed was actually rather extraordinary. Hidden in the weeds and brush around the old motel were the ruins of storybook characters from a dozen nursery rhymes all built by hand. Jack gazed up at a rusting beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty reclined on her bed, and the three little pigs had a small house of crumbling brick.

Kyle explained to Joe the history of Storybook Motel as he led him around the grounds.

Kyle's grandfather and grandmother were Hank and Irene. They had built the small house north of town just after the Second World War and then they built the motel adjoining their home because they lived on a major highway and it was a good source of income. Hank began to expand the motel to include picnic benches and playground equipment. The fifties were a very prosperous time for them because of the baby boom and all of the people on the road. Irene suggested that they install a swimming pool, but Hank decided that the pool upkeep was more trouble than it was worth. He built the wishing well and then started building his displays of storybook characters. The little kids loved it and would beg their parents to stop and see them. They would play on the playground and rock back and forth on the animals. Hank built figures out of wood, plaster, and metal. The beanstalk was constructed of steel sheet. Each leaf had been hammered into shape on a wooden form and then welded into place.

Hank and Irene were very happy during these years except for the fact that Irene wanted children of her own and she did not conceive. Hank was twelve years older than Irene and adored his wife. In the early seventies he felt pressed for time so he began spending a lot of the money they had made on special doctors and hospitals. None of the medical people helped and they considered adopting a child. They were placed on a waiting list for many years and then one day they got a phone call from children's services at their church. A baby girl was up for adoption. Irene saw Jessica the next morning and declared that she was the most beautiful child in the world. They filled out all the forms and went through all the court proceedings. They gave more money to lawyers. Hank was worried that the court would say he was too old to adopt, but after a couple of months Jessica went home with them.

The first few years with Jessica were the happiest of their lives, but their prosperity was starting to dwindle. The motel was starting to face fierce competition from the corporate chain places and they had reduced their rates to stay fully booked. At the same time Irene was preoccupied with the demands of motherhood and they had to hire more help to operate the motel. When Jessica was only five years old Hank died of a massive heart attack. Irene never took much time to grieve. She simply worked harder every year. As she grew older and more capable Jessica pitched in as well.

Kyle continued his tour by showing Joe the Alice in Wonderland display. He then led Joe back toward the motel, but they stopped in front of a small metal building. "This was grandpa's workshop." Kyle declared and he tried to open the door. "Mom has got it locked." He stated.

At that moment Jessica appeared from around the corner of the motel. She strode purposefully toward them. Her scarlet hair had been released from the ponytail and it swirled in the breeze. She brandished a cleaning rag as if it were a weapon and asked, "What are you doing back here with my son?"

"It's Ok mom." Kyle protested. "I was just showing Joe all the stuff Grandpa built."

"You know better than to go off with someone you don't know Kyle." Jessica stated forcefully. She turned on her heel and started back toward the motel clearly expecting Kyle to follow. Kyle and Joe followed in her wake. "You're grandfather was really an artist as well as a craftsman Kyle." Joe remarked trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm pretty good at art." Kyle declared.

"I guess you're wearing his genes then."

"Hunh." Kyle said and looked at his dungarees. After a moment he said, "OK—I get it."

Joe had know way of knowing that Kyle was not related to his grandpa genetically, but Kyle did not know this either.

"Coffee's ready sir." Jessica informed Joe coldly. She still regarded him with suspicion. The motel had once catered to families traveling, but it was increasingly a meeting place for perverts of every description.

Joe went into the office and poured himself a Styrofoam cup of coffee. He returned outside to see Jessica loading a bundle of sheets into a cart in front of room number 3.

"Good coffee." He stated.

"Thanks." Jessica replied. "I'd like to have a breakfast area like the chain places, but I just don't have the time. I won't skimp on coffee though."

"This place keeps you busy then."

"You have no idea how much of an understatement that is! I have some help coming in at ten, but other than that Kyle and I take care of everything."

"I almost feel bad about trying to talk you into giving me a discount." Joe kidded.

Jessica shot him a dirty look and then smiled wearily.

"The truth is we really need the money. This place was built over forty years ago and it needs work. We need a new roof and we just cannot afford it. The cheapest quote I got was over 12,000 dollars. I guess I'm going to be doing the roof myself." Jessica said with grim determination.

"Have you done roofing work before?" Joe asked.

"No. However, I can swing a hammer and I can damn well read. It has to be done so I'm going to do it." She declared.

"Best get to it soon then. I've done a some roofing work myself and it is really hell to work on a roof in midsummer."

"I can imagine." She replied. "I need to get to work now."

Jessica disappeared back into room number 3. Joe sipped his coffee and looked up at the roof. Shingles were torn and curling everywhere. If the roof wasn't leaking now it would be soon. He had briefly felt good this morning while Kyle had led him around, but now his depression came back full force. He thought about getting back on the road and went back into his room. He began to pack his saddlebags, but hunger intruded. It had been 3 days since he had eaten. He decided to ride into town for breakfast. Without thinking Joe rode main street back into town, but there were no restaurants open. He did find an old-line family hardware store still open and he stopped and entered. He found the lawn and garden section and located what he was looking for in the second aisle. Was that carburetor a Tillotsen or a Walbro he asked himself? He bought four different carb rebuild kits and hoped that one would fit. He bought a can of powerful solvent and checked out.

Joe realized that all the restaurants had located out on the bypass so he left town and had a bowl of overpriced oatmeal at a Denny's. He and Carol had both become strict vegetarians after her diagnosis. His research had led him to believe that it would help fight the cancer. The cancer had won, but he kept to his diet just the same.

Joe returned to the motel at around ten AM. He walked back to the little car and inspected it briefly. He went back to the bike and took the Walbro repair kit out. He found Kyle in the office and showed him the kit. Kyle took the plastic package from him and pocketed it. The boy did not seem thrilled.

"Checkout's at eleven sir." Jessica informed him as she sped past him from outside.

"I'd like to stay another day if that's Ok." Joe called to her retreating back. "That'll be seventy five dollars in advance then." She said as she returned with another armload of sheets.

Joe flipped his credit card onto the counter and Jessica ran it through. He returned to his bike for a few minutes and removed the toolkit from under the seat. Then he went back to the old car behind the motel. Kyle found him back there as he was removing the carb from the engine. Joe asked Kyle for the repair kit and Kyle pulled it from his pocket and tossed it on the ground.

"Did you decide to fix it after all?" Kyle asked.

"I still think you should fix it." Joe replied. "I'll help though."

Together they restored the old car in a few hours. Kyle drove the car and roared around the corner of the motel at four PM just as his mother finished cleaning the last of the rooms.

"It was nice of you to help Kyle with that, but it's just going to suck gas and break down." Jessica pronounced dourly.

"That's what cars do best. Break down." Joe replied.

"If only you were good at roofing." Jessica stated.

"I was wondering about that." Joe replied. "I could fix that roof for you, but I can't pay seventy five bucks a day for the privilege."

"I can't afford to hire you if that's what your after." Jessica responded.

"I was thinking about a trade. A room in exchange for work."

"I'll think about it." Jessica stated and she retreated into the house.

Joe rode back into town and found the only grocery store left that had not closed or relocated. He bought a loaf of bread and enough lettuce and vegetables for a large salad. When he returned to his room he prepared his feast and ate with gusto. It was the first time he had enjoyed an appetite since Carol had died.

He slept that night in relative peace and woke with the dawn the next morning. Over coffee he discussed the situation with Jessica. She agreed to provide him with a room as long as he would work on the roof, but she reserved the right to change her mind. Joe returned once more to the old hardware store and returned with tarps and a few tools. The rest of the tools he needed were found in Hank's workshop exactly as they had been left many years before. After the last of the guests had left he began tearing off roofing and throwing it on the ground behind the motel. He worked without a break and had removed all the old roofing from the house section by the time Kyle got off the bus from school.

Kyle wanted to help of course, but Joe did not want him on the roof without Jessica present so Joe suggested that he start fixing up the old wishing well. Kyle began pulling weeds with some reluctance and then he started scraping old paint from the arched sign over the well.

Joe came down from the roof around four pm and found Jessica as she was cleaning the last of the rooms. "I'll need to borrow your car or get a ride to get roofing material. I don't want to do the whole roof at once because it might rain again. I'll try to get the new roof on the house tomorrow." He said.

"You think you'll be done with the house tomorrow?" Jessica asked incredulously.

"I'll run you to the builder's supply, but there's something you should know. You don't need to kill yourself fixing this place. I'm probably going to have to sell it soon anyway."

"I'm not sure I understand." Joe responded.

"We have some debt from when my mom was ill and we had some work done on the motel a few years back. We're barely making ends meet right now. I just can't afford to put a lot of time and money into this right now. I've gotten some offers for the place, but I think I can do a lot better if I can just hold on another year or so." Jessica informed him.

"I do not really understand what difference a year would make, but it's your place." Joe remarked.

"There's a big highway project coming through in a year or so. It's going to bypass the whole town. We're going to get a new super Wal-Mart and a Lowes store. The new highway is going to go in right over there. Therefore, my land here is going to be worth a lot of money to somebody because of the location. I do not believe any of the offers I've received are anywhere close to what the place is going to be worth."
Jessica informed him as she gestured across the parking lot.

Joe smiled involuntarily at the stupidity of it all. They were bypassing the bypass! Just to make it more ridiculous there would be new sources of traffic congestion built immediately on the new highway.

Jessica saw his smile and frowned. "I'm glad you find my predicament amusing." She lied.

"I don't think it's funny at all." Joe responded. "I was thinking about Jackals."

"Jackals?"

"Yes. Jackals will not attack their prey right away if they think it is weak or wounded. They'll wait awhile and attack when it's easier to move in for the kill."

Jessica felt a small shiver go down her spine. "I wish you wouldn't be so melodramatic!"

"I'm sorry." Joe responded. "I just wanted you to know that I'm taking you seriously. There are people who regard business as a war of sorts and they can be quite ruthless."

"Perhaps we should talk about something more pleasant. No wait. What would you suggest?" Jessica asked.

"If you don't have a really good attorney I think you had better find one. This situation is a little bit outside my area of expertise." Joe replied.

"I can't afford a lawyer right now, but I know I need one. What is your area of expertise anyway... or have you always traveled the country as a volunteer roofer?"

"I'm retired now, but I've always fixed things." Joe replied evasively.

Jessica paused a moment and tried to decide how to phrase what she wanted to say.

"Look. I do not know who you are or where you are from. I don't need to know your life story, but I would appreciate a little honesty. You must realize that this place is my home as well as my business and I have a child who lives here as well. If you are going to live and work here I would like to know a little bit about you. Where is your wife for example? I couldn't help but notice your wedding band. For all I know you could be some kind of criminal on the run!"

"I'm not a criminal." Joe retorted wearily. "And my wife died 3 weeks ago. Her name was Carol if you must know. I'm from a small town in Tennessee. I used to work for the government but I'm retired now."

"I'm sorry about Carol." Jessica replied truthfully. "I have gotten very protective of Kyle lately. We get a few unsavory types here at the motel and you were spending a lot of time with him."

"I don't blame you. He's a great kid and I wouldn't hurt him for anything. I completely understand your concern."

"Well as long as you're being so understanding I'd still like to know a little bit more about you. You said you worked for the government. Doing what? And don't tell me you worked for the CIA or some such nonsense."

"No. I worked for a government lab in New Mexico. After a few years there I worked for a couple of different companies that contracted with the government." Joe replied.

Joe was getting more than a bit uncomfortable with her third degree treatment. Her comment about the CIA hit uncomfortably close to the mark.

"I think you know that you just told me absolutely nothing." Jessica told him coldly.

She continued, "I'll quit probing for now, but I'd still feel better if you could be more honest about yourself."

Joe replied, "I've told you the truth and I don't mind your asking. Right now I'm just an itinerant roofer."

Jessica led him to her car, a late model Taurus, and took him to the builder's supply and lumberyard. She was not happy with Joe's answers to her questions, but he was the only roofer she could afford right now, and she couldn't help liking him. He was very patient with Kyle and she considered him good looking. He was kind of old. She wouldn't call him a hunk by any means, but he was very fit and healthy. Joe filled her trunk with roofing materials and they headed back toward the motel in stony silence.

Jessica broke the silence by asking about his trip. "Kyle tells me you're headed for Alaska. That should be quite an adventure."

"Yes. I went to Alaska many years ago and I've always wanted to go back." Joe replied.

'Did Carol go with you?" Jessica asked tentatively.

"No. I was up there for work. She wasn't welcome." Joe replied as he turned a bit pale.

Jessica asked, "What sort of work took you all the way up there?"

Joe waited a few minutes as he tried to decide how to answer. He had gone rigid in the passenger seat of her car. "It was a research project. We were trying to gain a greater understanding of the Aurora Borealis." He finally stated.

Jessica fell silent as she realized that something had upset him. Joe recalled his first trip to Alaska. He'd flown commercial into Anchorage and then gotten into a small plane with only the bush pilot, himself, and some kind of well armed CIA spook. They arrived north of Fairbanks at a tiny airfield and unloaded the test equipment. Three days later they fired a rocket north into the ionosphere high above the earth. The payload released some barium and they were able to learn a little bit about the earths magnetic field and the Aurora effect. They were able to learn a lot more about the Soviet air defense system as the Soviets lit up every radar they had when they saw the rocket launch from northern Alaska in their direction! Joe and his team frequency mapped the radars as rapidly as possible and spent months analyzing the data.