Chuckling at the woman’s practicality, Mel bid her goodbye and went back to the car to get her suitcase and laptop computer. It would be nice to have a temporary home base. She’d flown into Toronto two days ago, taken a smaller flight to Sudbury yesterday and had spent the day driving to Timmins and doing some sight-seeing. The area really was beautiful with incredibly blue skies, a myriad of waterways and miles upon miles of forests.
Inhaling deeply, she appreciated the cool crisp air that seemed to contain more oxygen than her urbanized lungs had ever thought possible. Used to the staler air of city life, she found this to be almost intoxicating and eagerly looked forward to taking a few walks in the forest during her time here. Mel eyed the heavily treed area situated behind the cabins and wondered how safe it was. Were there many dangerous wild animals in there? She’d have to ask when she stopped in town to get groceries.
Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was almost noon. Quickly, she finished emptying the car, locked the cabin door, and drove back to town. The small diner she’d seen earlier would probably serve a good lunch; the thought of food was rather appealing at the moment. After that, she’d drive out to Taylor’s, introduce herself to the man, and maybe even arrange an interview schedule. Once that was done, she’d get some groceries and head back to her cabin.
*****
Standing outside the locked gate, Mel furrowed her brow and considered the situation. While at the diner, she’d checked a phone book and there was no listing for Ryne Taylor. Contacting him at his house seemed the next best solution, but it wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d thought. Signs stating ‘No Trespassing’ and ‘No Hunting’ hung in clear view, but so was the mailbox with the name Taylor printed on it. The man she wanted to see was somewhere behind that gate and she needed to get to him. She could leave a note in the mailbox, but making personal contact with him seemed important.
She got out of the car and approached the gate, giving it an experimental shake. It creaked slightly and the ‘No Trespassing’ sign slipped a bit to the side. Hmm... Chewing her lip, Mel considered the idea that had popped into her head. What if the ‘No Trespassing’ sign fell off the gate? If it was lying face down in the mud, then she couldn’t see it and no one would be able to blame her if she went on the property, would they? Her conscience pricked her, but she firmly ignored it in favour of achieving her goal. Glancing up and down the road to ensure that no one was about, she grabbed the sign in her hands and pulled.
At first it was resistant to its imminent removal and she pulled even harder. Leaning back, she used her weight to aid her efforts. There was a screeching sound as the nails began to give way, then suddenly Mel found herself stumbling backwards, the sign clenched in her hands. Unable to regain her balance, she felt herself falling and scrunched her face in anticipation of the pain that would surely accompany her sudden stop. Surprisingly enough, the impact with the ground was softer than she thought it would be, probably due to the fact that she’d landed in one of the few remaining snow-banks that were heaped along the side of the road.
Mel lay on her back and stared up at the sky, regaining her breath before easing herself into a sitting position. Bits of snow were sliding icily down the back of her neck and she reached around to pick them out of her collar. Well, at least the sign had come off. Gingerly, she stood and moved about, checking for injuries. Besides a slight tenderness around her backside, and some bruising to her ego, she felt all right.
Checking again to make sure no one was around, she approached the gate once more and dropped the ‘No Trespassing’ sign face down on the ground. Her rental vehicle was pulled to the side of the road already, so she wasn’t blocking traffic if she left it there for a little while. Not that there was much chance of traffic in such an out of the way location. She hadn’t passed a single house on her way here. It really was an isolated area. Still, if Taylor specialized in photographing nature, she supposed it made some sense for him to immerse himself in his subject.
Shifting her purse onto her shoulder, Mel studied the gate. It was made of wood and almost a foot over her head. She considered going around it, but a fence extended from each side for about fifty feet in either direction. Beyond that, a large ditch filled with water from the melting snow formed an impressive barrier to keep people off Taylor’s property. There was a slight gap along the bottom of the gate, but Mel knew she’d never be able to wriggle underneath. Going over it appeared to be the only option.
She jiggled the gate once more in the vain hope that the lock would pop open. Of course, it didn’t and she made a mental note to learn how to pick locks, before taking on another such assignment. Then, giving a resigned sigh, she began her ascent. Grasping the top of the structure, she pulled herself upwards, while trying to gain a foothold on the latch. It wasn’t the most dignified sight she was sure, but at least she was wearing jeans and not a dress. With a good deal of huffing and puffing, she finally managed to pull herself to the top of the gate and sat astride the structure, catching her breath and savouring the sweetness of success.