The two cars head out of town toward Tillamook State Forest. It's a straight shot on Route 18 and you should be there in 15 minutes. The sun is dropping lower on the horizon as dusk settles in. During the drive, Webb calls the Timber Grove Police Department and, without identifying himself, asks to speak with Chief Perry.
"Chief, we're heading to Tillamook right now," Webb says, hoping Perry either recognizes his voice or instinctively knows what he's talking about. "We believe the 'answer' to the current crisis will be found there. Can you call ahead and let the park staff know we're arriving? We're going to need some tools as well, so they'll want to have those standing by for our arrival."
"Yeah, I know who this is," Perry says. "I don't have much time to talk as I'm dealing with what happened here. There is no staff at the park though, since it was designated a crime scene. There's no one there except for a couple of deputies guarding the main gate. To get you guys in without a lot of questions, I'll have them drive a patrol around the perimeter of the park. That should take about a hour, pulling them from the gate so you can get in. The gate's unlocked, so just drive in and shut it behind you so they don't notice when they get back. As far as tools, there's a maintenance shed next to the main office when you first drive in. You should be able to find what you need in there. Look, I'm taking a chance on you guys. I hope you know what you're doing."
"So do we, Chief," Webb says as the connection is broken. "We're on our own fellows," he says.
Upon arriving at the Tillamook State Forest main gate, you see that the deputies Perry mentioned have left their post as there's no sign of them. Stretched across the gate is a yellow tape stenciled with “CLOSED BY THE ORDER OF THE OREGON STATE POLICE”. Jack steps out, cuts the tape with a handy penknife, and swings the gate open. The two cars drive through, and Jack shuts the gate behind you, putting the tape back as well as he can from the other side. The two vehicle wend their way deeper into the park. The tree canopy shutting out any remaining sunlight as dawn becomes twilight.
A short distance down the access road, and the cars reach the park's main office building. You pull the cars into the lot next to the office. Next to the office is the maintenance shed Perry mentioned. A series of paths lead away from the offices and into the forest's depths. You put the cars into park and shut off the engines. As the motors die out, you can feel how silent and still the woods are.
What will you do?