When Reid returned just before noon he was pleasantly surprised. A bright orange amphibian aircraft sat in front of Timber Wolf Air's hanger. The Canadair CL-215 had high wings; twin piston engines and was the size of a commuter airliner such as Saab or a vintage DC 3. The fuselage, though, was squarer in design with the underside shaped like a cabin cruiser. Floats extended down from the wing tips. Two doors on the nearest side were open as ground staff loaded piles of equipment aboard from a small tractor and trailer unit. Reid spied his luggage wedged between the gear.

"Well, Cinders," he said to his dog that stood beside him. Her tail lashed and wide brown eyes gazed up as if she understood every word. "It looks as if we'll be in our new home tonight, after all."

Kate Meltz looked worried as she walked out from the hanger and changed direction towards him. "No pilot's come, I'm afraid," she said. "I couldn't even entice the ferry pilots to stay around a few days. I think the idea of landing on water scared them away."

Reid nodded at the Canadair. "It's bigger than I expected. I suppose it needs two pilots."

"Usually," Kate replied." I would take the Beaver but the Elf Commune has heavy stuff they want transported that won't fit in the smaller plane. I'm licensed to fly the Canadair solo but would prefer a co-pilot, especially now I have a passenger."

"Oh, I don't mind," Reid replied and broke into a grin. "I would imagine you're quite capable." He was becoming impressed with his chatty companion.

"Okay," the young woman replied. "The weather will be closing in later this evening so we'll head out as soon as everything's loaded."

Eagle's Claw Lake did, indeed look like a claw with three long narrow forks of water joined at one end in a mountainous valley filled, except for the lake, by endless fir forest. As Kate dipped the CL-215 and approached the nearest fork, Reid noticed an area of cleared land at the upper end of the fork. Half a dozen buildings, cultivated gardens and several green fields hugged the steep hillsides and smaller triangular flat section intersected by a mountain stream. A road or track followed the river to the apex of the triangle before disappearing into the firs. At the lakeshore, a crossroad followed a small beach area to a wooden jetty that reached out over the water.

"It's like a small town," Reid commented as the view disappeared when the amphibian circled down.

"Military camp, more like it," Kate replied with a touch of cynicism in her voice. "You know the whole area is ringed in a eight foot high fence topped in razor wire. " She stopped talking for a moment as she concentrated on leveling the amphibian off ready to drop onto the lake. "They told me it is to keep the bears and other wild animals out but it is more to keep the locals in." She shrugged. "Not that there is anywhere for them to go even if they decided they wanted to leave."

"As bad as that?" Reid observed.

Kate glanced across at him and smiled. "Oh, I guess not. They're friendly enough when I come but never invite me up for a cup of coffee. The head guy gives me the creeps. Anyhow, you can see for yourself in a few moments. Take my advice and don't tell them you're shifting into old Shelton's place."

"Shelton?"

"The old hermit whose place you're renting. He died a couple of years back. As far as I know, it's been empty since then. I would imagine some relation owns it now."

"You could be right," Reid replied. "I rented it through this reality firm and have an option to buy."

Kate caught his eye but made no comment. She reached across to the twin throttles and, with the casualness of an expert, lowered the amphibian onto the lake. The craft surged forward, bounced a couple of times and came to an almost abrupt halt in the water. Kate opened the throttles a little, the nose rose and they surged forward like a boat with white wake fanning out behind them. A moment later the amphibian circled around, engines were cut and it drifted the last few feet to the jetty where a man reached for an unseen handle and tied the nose to a pole. The rear or the craft was pulled in and they were parallel to the jetty with the port wing stretching across the wooden decking. The outer float cleared the surface by a mere couple of feet.

"I'll give them this much," Kate grunted. "They built this new jetty to handle the CL-215 perfectly. This section floats on the surface so I can come in close no matter how high or low the lake level is." She glanced at Reid. "Remember, don't mention you're going to be a neighbor."

"Sure," Reid replied.

He followed her to the front loading hatch and opened it. Two men stood there and, with a minimum of conversation, unloaded their gear into an ancient trailer hitched to a tractor of similar vintage. Reid was introduced and was met by cold eyes but firm handshakes.

"New pilot for Miss Meltz?" one man asked.

"Yes," Reid lied. The man was quite unlike what one would expect. In the remote hinterland, visitors were usually welcomed and regarded as a source of information. These two appeared as grim as guards at a top-secret military establishment would be.

He jumped down onto the jetty and offered to help load the trailer.

"Thank you, but no," the eldest man replied. "We don't require an assistance."

"Okay," Reid shrugged and stepped back. This was when he noticed the women. They were across the gravel road behind the tall chicken-wire fence Kate had mentioned on the way in. Most looked as young as the men were old and wore identical dark blue skirts that reached below their knees, white blouses and had long hair tied back under blue hair scarves. Their faces all looked similar, thin with no make up and large hollow eyes. They stood silently in a line with children ranging from babies to teenagers. Only two of the youngsters gave a quiet smile and one girl wiggled her fingers in a secret wave.

Reid caught Kate's eyes and saw her briefly shake her head. He nodded but still caught the young girl's eyes and smiled. Inwardly, though, he fumed. He'd seen refuges like this from a stint he'd had as a medic in Bosnia, even down to the thin frames and soulless faces, the faces of people with no control over their lives. In disgust, he turned, climbed back in the CL-215 and strolled back to where Cinders sat mournfully in her animal cage.

"No, girl," he said. "I know you hate the cage but you wouldn't want to get out here."

Somehow, the beautiful lake had become sinister and foreboding, the blue water looked black and the silence, ominous.

He turned and saw Kate's head appear in the door. "Got to you, did it?" she whispered. "I thought it might."

"Yeah," Reid responded.

"Look, I'll be about ten minutes. There's a small back load of stuff on the jetty if you wouldn't mind loading it then you could shut the rear door. The Elf commune always pays me in cash, always exactly the right amount and always in crisp new bills." She chuckled at Reid's raised eyebrows. "No it's genuine money. I checked it the first time. Damned if I know where they get it from, though. I suspect they have a floatplane of their own but I have never seen it. There's no other access. The nearest road would be twenty miles away and that is only a forest access road."

"Interesting," Reid replied.

He watched as Kate slipped out of her coverall. Beneath she had a neat maroon jersey and dark skirt that covered an attractive, quite buxom figure. She saw Reid's gaze and flushed.

"More of the protocol," she explained as she reached for a pair of black low heeled shoes and replaced the boots she had been wearing. "They don't like women in trousers or jeans beyond the main gate. It was only after my third visit they even let me inside their compound and that was only when I wore a skirt."

"You look nice," Reid said.

Kate appeared annoyed for a second until she noticed Reid's genuine expression and smiled back. "Thanks," she said in a whisper. "I'm not used to compliments nowadays."