Twilight at Blueberry Barrens

by Colleen Coble

  Drake muttered something, then blinked and opened his eyes. He took a gulp of hot coffee, and his eyes became more alert. He struggled to sit up and Luke helped him. “K-Kissner.” His lips were blue and his teeth were chattering.

  Luke’s expression grew grim. “We heard from him. We’re heading in to try to reach Kate with Jonas and the rest of the sheriff’s department.” He handed the coffee to Claire.

  Drake shook his head. “W-what do you mean?”

  He was probably still confused. Claire offered him another sip of coffee. “Kissner is sure they’ll find her.”

  Drake’s eyes darkened. “Kissner has h-her.”

  “No, no. He’s looking for her.” Surely his thoughts would clear shortly. She gave him more coffee.

  The color started coming back to his face. He pushed the coffee away and shook his head. “Kissner pushed me off the cliff. He’s the stalker.” He shook off their grips and struggled to stand, and Luke helped him up.

  Claire’s skin prickled with goose bumps. She looked at her husband. “What’s he mean?” Kissner was a friend—and a deputy.

  Drake gripped the railing to steady himself. “I mean what I just said. Kissner was supposed to be setting me up to help watch over Kate, but he lured me to the edge of the cliff, then shoved me off the side. I should have hit the rocks and been killed instantly, but a big wave rolled in as I plummeted down, and I hit the water instead. It dragged me out to sea. We have to get to shore and look for her.”

  A wave of dread shuddered over Claire. “How is this possible? He likes Kate.”

  Luke directed the boat’s captain to head for the dock a little ways down the shore from where Kate was supposed to be waiting. “Stalkers often know their victims. They see them in normal circumstances and get obsessed.”

  Drake shivered in his blanket and looked toward land. “We’ve been feeding Kissner information all along. I bet he got to work this morning and heard it was all a trap, so he laid one of his own. What story did he tell the sheriff and all of you?”

  Luke grabbed another blanket and draped it over his shoulders. “He told us the stalker had forced Kate off the road, and she disappeared.”

  “That’s impossible even if he hadn’t shoved me off the cliff. He came to pick me up, and Kate left only moments before me. He passed her on the way to get me. It’s the story he used to cover up what he’s done. He called off everyone else with that story, but he assumed I’d be dead and there’d be no one to contradict his tale.”

  Luke asked one of the men to radio the sheriff and tell him what had happened. “It’s only been twenty minutes since I saw you fall into the water. He couldn’t have gone far with her. We were just getting into position when I saw you fall, so we never reached our viewing spot. We’ll look for her tracks near the granite steps up the cliff. We’ll find her. Have the sheriff call in some search dogs too.”

  Claire went to the railing and gripped it with cold fingers. She stared toward the approaching cliff walls. What if they found Kate dead on the shore? She’d never forgive herself for letting this crazy plan go forward.

  * * *

  Kate sat on a flat rock at the top of the hillside. She had no idea where she was. The woods were dark with approaching storm clouds blocking out the light. She hadn’t been in this area in quite a while. The trees had gotten bigger, but she recognized the rocky hilltop she’d managed to climb. It wasn’t the best place to hide. He might be able to see her from the bottom, but her muscles trembled with fatigue from the arduous climb, and she was having trouble thinking of a plan. She’d escaped him, but for how long?

  She still couldn’t absorb the fact that Jonas was the stalker. She’d befriended him in high school and had encouraged him as much as she knew how. Why would he want to hurt her?

  If only she had her purse with her phone. She’d call the sheriff and someone would be here to rescue her. She pressed her hand to her head and willed herself to think past the “whys” and the “what ifs” and figure out how to save herself. No one would know where she was. They might think the stalker had taken her in his vehicle and may not even look for her in the forest. And they certainly wouldn’t be looking for Jonas. He’d likely fed them wrong information all day.

  What must he have felt when he realized the letter she’d left was a trap? Probably after he’d gotten into work and heard the plan from the sheriff. No wonder she’d felt the rage shimmering off him in waves. It was ridiculous to feel pity for a man who stalked her now like a hunter, but would he have listened to her if she tried to talk to him? Probably not.

  She put her hands over her face and tried to pray, but all she could whisper was, “Please, God, please.” Her breath was harsh in her ears, and she longingly remembered the bottle of water in her purse.

  The muscles in her legs protested as she rose and looked around. If she remembered correctly, the east side down ended with a sharp cliff overlooking the water. No escape there. She’d come up the west flank. The north and south sides were both extremely sharp inclines, and she’d likely fall before she reached the bottom. Her best bet might be to find a place to hide up here and wait for him to be gone, but where?

  Crouching over, she roamed the top of the rocky hillside. She almost gave up when she found a small indentation in the hillside, just the right size to crawl into. While not a cave, if she moved some rocks around the side of it, he might miss her if she huddled into a ball. It was worth a try.

  She picked up a rock and put it into place, then another and another. By the time she was finished, her fingertips throbbed and she’d ripped her right thumbnail, but her chances might be good for escaping detection.

  Shaking with exhaustion, she crawled into her hidey-hole and leaned her head against the rock to rest. Did everyone think she was dead? She prayed again for deliverance, and the tension seeped out of her body. She relaxed and began to drift to sleep when the snap of a twig brought her out of her twilight state.

  She clenched her hand around the bottle of bear spray she still held. Her only weapon would be useless if he kept his distance and shot her, but she clung to the can like her last hope.

  Barely daring to breathe, she waited and prayed he wouldn’t find her. Footsteps crunched on rocks, and she heard heavy breathing. He was close, so close. Her heart pounded in her ears. He was going to find her.

  She shrank into the smallest ball she could manage and waited. If only she’d had better cover of some kind. Her pitiful efforts weren’t enough.

  Then the footsteps trudged off. She lifted her head and waited. Was he leaving?

  “I know where you are, Kate. That puny little hole can’t hide you. I’m far enough away you can’t hit me with your bear spray this time. That wasn’t very nice, by the way. My eyes still hurt, but they aren’t so bleary I can’t shoot you. Come out of there.”

  What if she just stayed where she was? He’d have to get closer to haul her out, and she could hit him with another dose of her bear spray. Maybe it was all a ploy to flush her out. He might not really know where she was.

  Then a sharp retort of gunfire rang out, and a bullet zipped by her head. She gulped and tried to press harder against the rock at her back.

  “All I have to do is stand over you and shoot inside. This can be your coffin if you’d like.” His voice was hard, and a thin layer of rage vibrated through his words.

  Did that mean he didn’t intend to kill her? Where there was life there was hope.

  She rose on shaky legs and exited her small haven. She held out her hand toward him in a plea. “I’ve always liked you, Jonas. I’m really upset that you want to hurt me.”

  The skin around his eyes was a lurid red where she’d hit him with the bear spray. “You’re the one who hurt me, Kate, in so many ways. Hitting me with the hoe should have told me what you were really like.” He held the gun pointed at her chest. “You chose this way. I thought you were different. I read that letter and thought you understood me like no one else. I wanted us to spend th
e rest of our lives together.”

  “I didn’t know it was you, Jonas. If you’d just given me the gifts from yourself, I wouldn’t have been afraid.” She wet her lips and attempted a smile. “Can we start over? I remember how nice you were to me after Claire was rescued. Then after my stem-cell transplant, you brought me flowers. I saw your kindness, but I never knew you were interested in more.”

  His scowl faltered, and he lowered the gun a few inches. “How could you not know it was me?”

  “Think about it! How could I know? Please, let me make it up to you. You frightened me when I saw you pull your gun. I wouldn’t have hurt you otherwise.”

  His mouth worked and he blinked rapidly. “I have our marriage license in my pocket. I’d thought we’d go to Bangor and get married tonight.”

  If she could get to a courthouse, she’d have help. “I think that’s a fine idea. Let’s go now.” She held her hand out to him.

  The gun came back up. “Prove you mean it and throw the bear spray away.”

  She managed to keep her smile pinned in place as she tossed the can onto the ground. “There, see? I trust you.”

  He lowered the gun again, and a smile finally lifted his lips. “Let’s go.”

  THIRTY-SIX

  Gulls squawked overhead, and the wind had nearly dried Drake’s clothes. The storm would be here any minute. Claire and Luke kept pace with him as they rushed down the length of the rocky beach toward the place where Kate had planned to meet her stalker. As long as he lived he’d never forget that moment he’d gone sailing toward what he’d thought was certain death in the choppy waves below. God had other plans, and he prayed God was keeping Kate safe until he could find her.

  Luke reached the steps cut into the rocks and knelt to examine the thin sand. “Looks like a man’s footsteps here.” He rose and began to climb the granite stairs. Drake hurried after him.

  Claire started up with them. “Does Jonas have a boat? He might have taken her off that way.”

  Luke’s voice floated down as he continued the climb. “The sheriff says he has no boat. Danny is on his way here now. It hasn’t been that long, so Kissner is probably still on Folly Shoals somewhere. The only way off is by ferry, and they’ve shut it down.”

  Drake shook his head. “I don’t buy it. Kissner has thought this all through. He’s not going to get trapped here on the island. He could have chartered a boat or borrowed one. We have to think of every possible escape route.”

  But what if his intentions weren’t to escape? Maybe Kissner planned to kill Kate, then slip off by himself. Drake curled his hands into fists. They had to find her first—they had to. It had been an hour since he’d plummeted into the ocean. They could be anywhere by now.

  “You have a point.” Luke paused on the steps and pulled out his phone, then shot off a quick text. “I’m having my crew check for boats docked offshore. We’ll get more Coast Guard cutters around here. He won’t get away.”

  The first drops of rain began to fall when Drake stepped onto the cliff top. The forest began twenty feet away on the other side of a dirt road that circled up to Mermaid Point. He stared at the marks in the dirt. The rain would soon wash away any footprints. Tires crunched in the rocky dirt, and he looked up to see a truck sporting a Maine Warden Service emblem roll to a stop.

  Kevin O’Connor got out and jogged toward them. “Any sign of her?” He wiped rain from his face. “Man, I bought his story hook, line, and sinker. He found me settled into my hiding place and told me he’d found her car abandoned with her gone from it. We all believed him. Drake, if you’d died, he wouldn’t even be suspected right now. We’d all be looking for some unknown attacker without a clue. He probably still doesn’t know we’re on to him.”

  “I bet he got Kate to go with him willingly. She wouldn’t have any idea he was the man who’d been stalking her.” Drake pointed at the footprints. “You’re good at following a trail?”

  “Yep.” Kevin knelt in the rain and looked over the disturbed ground. “Two people came this way. One big set of shoe prints and a smaller set wearing sandals. And it looks like the guy was on his knees at some point.”

  “Kate and Kissner.”

  “Most likely.” Kevin rose and headed for the trees.

  Claire pulled the hood up on her Windbreaker and followed with Luke. Drake gave another quick look around. “Could he have parked his truck somewhere close and maybe he’s circling back around to it?”

  Kevin paused by a large sycamore tree. “It’s likely. He’s got to have a getaway, but the tracks lead here. It looks to me like Kate was running. She may have disabled him temporarily and gotten away.”

  “She’s resourceful, and she had a pistol and bear spray,” Claire said. “We’re wasting time. He’s tracking her right now. We have to find them before he hurts her.”

  Drake jogged over to join them. “Lead the way, Kevin. You’re the tracker.”

  The warden nodded and walked slowly through the trees. In the shadow of the forest it was harder to see, so he paused often and shone his flashlight at the moss and grass. “Looks like she tricked him for a while. She backtracked, then climbed the rocks here. He went that way”—he pointed to his right—“then came back and went up here after her.”

  The rain continued to fall in a gentle patter, soaking his skin, but Drake was already chilled from his dunk in the ocean, so it made him shiver even harder. She might just be up this hillside. He could only pray they found her alive.

  With Kevin leading the way, they clambered up the steep incline. Shale slid away under Drake’s feet, and he fell onto his knees several times. He wanted to rush past Kevin, who moved at a steady pace, but he knew the warden was stopping often to make sure they stayed on the right trail.

  Her expression set, Claire trudged along and shook off Luke’s help. Drake thought some of the moisture on her face was tears, not rain, but he said nothing to comfort her. Any words of reassurance would ring false. None of them knew what Kissner planned, and it was clear he’d laid a macabre net that they’d all fallen into. They’d trusted him completely, and he fooled them.

  What did he want with Kate? Rape, murder? When he’d pushed Drake off the cliff, he’d proven he was willing to do anything to get to her. And they’d been friends in school.

  Now her friend planned something for her that didn’t bear thinking about.

  * * *

  He stood hidden in the thick foliage and watched the scene in front of him through binoculars. A deputy held Kate captive. He still couldn’t believe the scheme he’d watched play out ever since the guy shoved Newham over the edge. One dead that he didn’t even have to take care of.

  Knowing how close the sisters were, he was sure Claire would be along to look for Kate soon. This could all play out to his advantage. If the deputy killed Kate and Claire, he’d be off scot-free and would just have to take care of the kids in a realistic accident. The situation couldn’t be better. Good thing he’d disabled the deputy’s vehicle so there was no danger of the pair escaping the forest until Claire arrived. Or the perfect plan could all fall apart.

  Dry in his slicker, the rain didn’t bother him as he waited for Kissner to bring Kate down to where he’d parked his truck. Last time he’d seen Kissner, Kate’s purse still dangled from his shoulder. If Claire didn’t show up soon, he’d text her from Kate’s phone and end this.

  He felt almost jovial as he swiped the moisture off his face. The heft of his gun in his holster reassured him of his plan. Kissner wouldn’t be expecting such a rude interruption of his plans.

  Muffled by the rain, the sound of voices to his left was faint. He recognized Kate’s and grinned. The game was about to get interesting. He melted into the hazy fog of rain behind a large tree and waited for them to appear out of the mist. His hand settled on the butt of his gun, and he went ahead and pulled it. Holding it casually at his side under the rain slicker, he squinted toward the trail to the clearing.

  Kate appeared first. Her hair h
ung in wet strings around her face, and she was pale. Kissner was right behind her. He was smiling as if he’d gotten everything he ever wanted in life, but he was about to be in for a rude awakening. They half slid and half walked the rest of the way down the hillside, then stepped from under the gloom of the trees into the small clearing where Kissner had left his truck.

  Kissner took Kate’s arm and led her to the vehicle. He opened the door and helped her inside. “Don’t try to run, Kate.”

  She flashed a smile up at him. “I’m not going anywhere, Jonas. We’re finally together, and it’s what I want.”

  Smart, very smart. Play along until the right time. Unfortunately for Kate, there would be no right time. Kissner went around to the other side and climbed under the wheel. The engine ground as Kissner tried to start it and failed.

  Grinning, he stepped out from behind the tree and opened the truck door, then aimed his gun at Kissner. “You might as well give it up. I disabled it. Hand me your gun.” He gestured with his Glock. “I’m going to let you stay in there out of the rain until Claire gets here.”

  Kissner’s jaw flexed, but he handed over the gun. “Who are you?”

  He ignored the deputy and tucked the man’s handgun into his belt.

  Kate stared at him. “Claire? She’s not here.”

  “But she’s coming. I’m sorry to say neither of you will leave this clearing, and I have the perfect patsy to take the fall for your deaths. Lover boy here took care of Drake for me, so I just have a few strings to tidy up.”

  Her blue eyes widened, and she stared at Kissner. “What about Drake?”

  Kissner looked back at her with an almost bored expression. “I tossed him over the cliff a little ways down from Mermaid Point. He’s dead.”