Even worse, the man who had pushed the log into the water, was somewhere on her side of the river.
Ashley darted her head around and took in the landscape. It was quiet and serene and belied the drama that had just happened.
That said, unless the man had taken off immediately after pushing the log in, he was still out there somewhere. And he would see that she was alone.
“I need to get over to you ASAP!” she yelled. “This wasn’t an accident. I saw a man push that log in front of our raft.”
“What?” Alex yelled back. He upped his hand to his ear.
The water was deafening.
Sean blew a kiss at her, and everyone waved.
The gap between the two sides was broader than upstream as the river had widened the farther they went.
“Sean!” she yelled. “I need to get over there with you! Ask the guide what I should do.”
Sean shouted out to her that they would get to her soon.
Ashley could see him talking to the guide, and they started to all walk downriver and gestured for her to do the same. They were giving her instructions, but the river was so loud now that she could only hear part of what they were saying.
She surmised that they would join up as the river narrowed again or the water was calm enough for her to swim to the other side and join them. Either way, it looked as if it would be awhile as she could only see roiling water as she looked off in the distance.
Ashley kept nervously glancing around as she walked along the banks. She’d stay close to the water in case the man appeared. Then she would jump in.
She still had her life jacket on, and she’d rather take her chances with the river than some crazy man on the shore.
Chapter Eight
For several more minutes, they trudged on. Sean kept waving to her, and she waved back. The guide gave her thumbs-up signs, and she occasionally heard him yell to her above the din of the river. She couldn’t hear what anyone was saying, but she knew they were encouraging her.
It didn’t feel encouraging, though. Someone had made a deliberate attempt to hurt them. Even though Sean, Alex, and the other rafters didn’t know it yet, they were still in danger. After what the man had done, who knew what else he was capable of?
As she looked around, she noticed that the sun was slowly disappearing over the treetops now. Fear gripped her. She had no water or other supplies after having to jump out of the raft. And soon it would be dark.
“I can’t give up,” she thought.
A fitting Shakespeare quote came to her mind from Measure for Measure. “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”
Her legs ached, and her throat was getting parched. But she kept glancing all around her and then over at the crew. She looked downriver again and it seemed that it was starting to flatten out and get smoother in the distance.
Wait.
Was that a wide riverbank off to her side in the distance in front of her?
Suddenly, she heard a shout from the other side.
It was Alex, yelling at her and gesturing to her.
He must see the wide bank downriver too, she thought.
She yelled back that she saw it, but wasn’t sure he heard it. She nodded and gestured and waved, hoping to convey communication between the two sides. Even though she was exhausted, she picked up the pace. She waved at Sean and noticed that he started walking faster too. She couldn’t wait to hug him again.
Just then, someone grabbed her ankle and pulled her down.
Before she could even let out a scream, a man’s voice hissed, “Be quiet.” His hand tried to cover her mouth, but she twisted her head and started to kick and bite his hand.
She then punched wildly at his head.
“Whoa!” the man said. He whispered close in her ear. “Be quiet, or he might hear us.”
He tried to cover her mouth again, but Ashley kept swinging at his head and kicking wildly.
He got in close to her and hissed once more, “Stop! Look at me! I’m the cop who came to your cabin the other day.”
Ashley gazed at his face and saw it was the cop who was named Hernandez, who questioned them about the break-in at one of the cabins in their area. She paused for a moment but quickly remembered the crooked cop, Joshua Jackson, from the last case. She didn’t know this guy or his intentions. All she knew was that she had dropped out of sight and hoped Sean or Alex would cross the river from the other side and find her.
“Listen,” Ashley said. “All those people over there would just have seen me disappear, and they will be crossing the river soon to come over here and get me. You’re not going to get away with anything.”
Ashley tried to sound tough, but her heart was racing with fear.
“I know. There’s a bank coming up, and the river is starting to calm down. I’m sure they will come and get you. My job is to keep you safe until they do. There’s a dangerous guy out here roaming around. We’ve been after him for a few days. He was last sighted out here near the river. He could come after us, so let’s not tempt him, okay? Please whisper.”
Ashley started to relax a little bit, but she kept staring at the cop’s face. She needed to decipher if he was telling the truth.
“Okay, thanks. Can we stand up now and keep walking to the bank?” Ashley asked.
“Not just yet,” he said. “I need to make sure my men reach the other side of the river first. We don’t want this guy popping up and hurting us or anyone else over there.”
Off in the distance, she could make out people shouting her name. She was sure she had heard Sean’s voice. He must be frantic at not being able to see her.
Just then Hernandez pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. “Closing in on rafters. Everything okay?” When he received an affirmative, he radioed back that he had one of the rafters on the other side and to let the others know she was safe. Then he slowly peeked up over the grass and saw two cops and some rescue workers talking to Alex and the group on the other side.
“Can we go now, Officer?” Ashley whispered. “I’d like to get away from this river. And I have to talk to you.”
He whispered back. “Yeah, we can go but don’t talk much. We need to keep low in case the guy is still out there and has a gun.”
They set off downstream in a crouch position. Even though all of Ashley’s muscles burned from stooping over, she felt relieved to be heading toward Sean.
It seemed to take forever, but as soon they reached a wide sandy bank where the river narrowed, she collapsed on it. A sense of relief came to her. After all, surely the crazy man who was out there wouldn’t dare do anything now with so many cops around.
Despite what Hernandez had said, Ashley jumped up and waved and shouted at Sean.
“I’m okay. Are you?” Ashley said.
Sean turned around, spotted Ashley, and grinned at her. “Yes!” he yelled.
Chapter Nine
The river was rolling quietly now, and the last of the day’s sunlight sparkled on its surface. It looked beautiful and peaceful. A flock of birds flew low over the water, then swooped high toward the distant mountain.
Ashley blinked. All the colors in the canyons were muted, and the shadows were again changing the landscape. Pale pink and streaks of orange bands softly glowed in the sky as the sun disappeared over a ridge. It was absolutely stunning. And deadly. She turned to the officer and smiled at him.
“Thank you for protecting me, Officer Hernandez. Can I talk now? I have to tell you something important.”
He nodded, and she took a big breath.
She explained that just before the accident took place, she had seen a dark-haired man push a big log in front of the water—one that had sharp branches that ripped a hole in the raft.
“Did you see what he looked like?” Hernandez asked.
“No, just the top of his head in the grass. But he stretched out his arms to push the log, and I saw a lot of tattoos on them. Can’t tell you
what they were, though. Then he slunk back down, and I yelled to the guide to watch out. But it was too late, and we hit the log. After that I just went into survival mode,” Ashley said.
“Most everyone has tattoos around here. Could be anyone,” Hernandez said. “Think some more about anything else you might have noticed about him.” He handed her his card. “You can always call me later. Now we have to get you across the river to the other side. Don’t worry, you’ll be okay.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”
Of course she’d have to go over there. Easier than bringing everyone else across. She looked nervously at the river.
I’ll be fine, she thought.
Sean had obviously been told about the plan to row her over as he yelled out, “Stay there, I’ll come get you, and we’ll go back together.”
But Alex and a rescue worker cut in. “No, you’re not. If anything happens, it is harder to rescue two people than one. She’ll be fine.”
Ashley stood there as the rescue workers set off rafting toward her. When they reached her, she got into the raft. Once she was securely in, the rescue workers turned around, paddled across the river, and deposited her on the opposite shore.
She thanked them all profusely, then hugged Sean as tightly as she could.
When she pulled back from the hug, she turned around and told everyone what she had seen just before their accident.
Alex looked shocked. “What the…? Why that son of a…”
Another rafter cut him off. “We could have drowned!”
“Yep,” Sean said.
Everyone stood in shock for a moment.
Ashley addressed the cop that was standing next to her. “Aren’t you going to go back and get Officer Hernandez?”
“Nah, he needs to keep searching for our suspect. We’ve been after a suspicious guy for a while now. This new information means we have to find whoever is responsible ASAP. Plus Hernandez’s vehicle is on the other side. I’m going over there to keep him company.”
The cop grinned at her, then got into the raft.
One of the rescue workers rowed him across the river.
Officer Hernandez waved goodbye from the other side of the river.
Ashley waved back at him. She felt bad that she had been so suspicious of him. But although most cops were good, it only took one bad apple to unnerve her.
“Okay, folks, enough excitement for one day. Let’s all get back and dry off and get something to eat,” Alex said.
Ashley’s fellow rafters filed behind the other officers and rescue workers and headed to the vehicles.
“Everyone needs to be checked out before we can let you go,” one rescue worker said.
The rafting group lined up to get their vitals checked. Once that was done, one-by-one, they got into Alex’s transport van.
Chapter Ten
Everyone rode in silence on the way back to the lot where their cars were. Alex cleared his throat every now and then. The evening air was cool and the only sound was the engine and ravens off in the distance. They jumped out as soon as they got to their cars.
There was a chorus of “Bye,” “See ya,” and “Take care” from the rafters to one another.
Alex cleared his throat again. “Everyone stop for a second. I’m happy all of you folks are okay. Sorry about what happened. But as you heard, it was neither my fault nor the tour company’s. There was a maniac out there who was intent on doing us harm. I hope you felt secure in how I handled it and don’t sue us. There’s no way we could have foreseen or prevented what happened.”
Two of the rafters hit him on the back.
“Hey, man, we know. Good job getting us back in one piece,” one said.
“I second that,” said another.
Sean laughed. “Hey, Alex, not so fast, man. I have to think about that. I haven’t been that water-sick in a long time. Are you sure you didn’t speed up as we hit that first big bend just to see me turn green?”
Everyone laughed, and there were final waves to each other before Sean and Ashley drove off.
***
In the car, Ashley reached over and stroked the back of his neck. She was still in shock from what happened and suspected Sean was too.
“Sorry we had to go through that,” she said.
He reached up and squeezed her hand. “I’m just glad we’re okay.”
Ashley sighed in agreement and stared out the window. It was too dark to see much now, but soon the moon would be out and no doubt shining brightly in the dark sky. She rolled down the window to let more air in. It felt good.
“How about we skip the cave exploring tomorrow and just relax?” Ashley asked.
Sean exhaled. “Oh yes, please.”
Ashley tried to brighten the mood. “We could go shopping or to an art gallery,” she said.
“You mean, my choice is possibly risking life and limb in a deep cave or going shopping?” he asked. He gave her a small smile.
She barely smiled back. “Or what else?”
“How about sitting in that Jacuzzi out back, having some beers, and eating some barbecue?”
“Okay. Can’t argue with that.”
Sean drove around the last corner before they came to the road leading to their cabin. The moon was up and so bright now Ashley could see out into the canyons and the outlines of some of the shrubs.
“Pull over a minute and really look, Sean. Isn’t it amazing how light it is with that moon…?” Ashley started to say.
Just then, a tall figure in a robe jumped out on her side from the bushes and reached into the car.
Ashley screamed. Sean grabbed a hiking stick in the back seat and tried to jab it out at the man.
“Please stop!” the man said. “Don’t be afraid! I won’t hurt you.”
The man’s voice was soft and deep.
In the glow of the moonlight, Sean and Ashley could see the deep lines etched in the man’s face and the silver-gray strands in his black hair that were pulled back in a braid. His robe was a mixture of colors, and he wore several strands of beads around his neck.
Ashley yelled again. “Who are you?”
“Shh…please. Stop.” His voice stayed calm.
“My Anglo name is Sam. My real name is Sani.” He stood quietly by the side of the car. His hand was still in the outstretched “stop” sign and holding on to the hiking stick. He stared at them intently. “My name in Navajo means ‘the old one.’”
All of a sudden, Ashley didn’t feel afraid anymore. The man’s presence was almost soothing. His eyes were kind, and her instincts told her he was telling the truth. She quickly glanced at Sean. He was staring calmly back at Sani.
Sani spoke with purpose. “I need your help.”
“What do you want us to do?” Ashley asked.
“I need you to help me stop the madness. They are going to take our land,” Sani said.
“Who is?’ Sean asked.
“All the people who want money. White men. Some of our own, too, who are blinded by greed. I need to tell you my story. Can you come with me?”
Ashley immediately felt a twinge of fear. Not about this man, but other people who could be out there. Like the man who had pushed the log into the river earlier that day.
“I’m sorry. We had a big scare today. Someone caused an accident on our river-rafting trip and tried to drown us. We need to get back and rest. We would love to help, but we can’t go off in the night with you,” Ashley said.
“I think I might know who this man is who tried to hurt you. He is one of the bad ones. Please help me, and I will help you,” Sani said.
“I think we need to talk about it…” Ashley started to say. She glanced nervously at Sean.
“That’s okay, Ash. We can do this.” Sean looked resolute.
Ashley cut in. “But not tonight. We have to rest.”
She turned to Sani. “Can we meet you tomorrow?”
Sani glanced off and pointed out into the dark. “There,” he said. The mesa ridge you see fro
m your cabin. I will be there tomorrow. Come to meet me. Just before the sun rises.”
“All right,” Sean said. “Good night.”
“Rest well. I will keep a watch on your cabin. You will be safe,” Sani said.
“Thank you,” Ashley said.
Sani’s tall figure melted back into the shadows by the side of the road.
Sean slowly drove back to their cabin.
***
Thirty seconds later, he turned up into the cabin driveway and parked the car. As they walked inside, they heard a long howl off in the distance.
Sean turned on the light and through the window, they could see the bright orb of the moon illuminating the top of the mesa. They sat for a few minutes gazing out, and soon there was a flicker of a figure on the top ridge. It spun around, and the robe twirled in the light.
Another mournful howl.
Then, it was quiet.
Ashley was sure now—Sani was the man who had been up there before. She was also confident that they didn’t need to be afraid of the figure on the hill anymore.
Ashley shivered. “Time to get into dry clothes.”
“You mean pj’s. Time for bed,” he said.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked.
“About helping him? Yeah. This is what we do, right?” He gave her a weak smile.
“Well, it’s what I do, but you don’t need to…”
“Ash, it’s time for bed. Have to be up there before sunrise.”
“Oh, right.”
They’d get up early, and they would go up to meet Sani together. It was amazing how resolute Sean was. Like a rock. She had never wanted to drag him into anything, but he seemed perfectly intent on helping this man out. So much for the lazy day they had planned tomorrow, sitting in the Jacuzzi and barbecuing.
“I hope we don’t regret this,” she thought.
Sean fell asleep quickly. She thought about how powerful this pull was toward Sani. He seemed to have hope they could help him.
Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set Page 51