Deadly River Pursuit

by Heather Woodhaven

  Nora turned to him, an eyebrow raised. “Do you miss being a guide at all?”

  He scoffed and shook his head. The best thing about being a guide was meeting you. He came to a sudden halt at the surprising thought.

  Nora had already looked away, though. “I thought so, but was just curious.” She reached up to examine some areas in the rocks.

  “Watch out for black widows. This is the time of year.”

  She grabbed a stick and poked several locations in the rocks just above her head. Henry went in the opposite direction to all the spots in the trees that Tommy might have stashed a bag like Dexter had. His wrist vibrated with his ten-minute alarm after what seemed like mere moments. He’d made it as far as the rock face that blocked them from the rest of the world. He looked up to find Nora.

  Her face looked crestfallen. “I’m sorry, Henry. This is all my fault. It was my idea to come here, and it’s been a waste.” She took a few steps toward him.

  “We knew it was a long shot.” He moved to cross the divide between them.

  Rocks fell from above their heads, bouncing until they rested at Henry’s feet. Nora had jumped back, her hand on her chest. They both looked at each other before shielding their eyes and squinting up to see what had caused the disturbance. In between the fir trees, so tall the tops weren’t visible, and the rock wall, the faces of mountain goats looked down at them, on a perch at least twenty feet above their heads.

  “I can’t even see where they can stand,” Nora exclaimed in a hushed voice. “That’s a sheer vertical drop.”

  Henry simply allowed himself the pleasure of watching for a moment as the goats moved higher. “That’s because they can find the tiniest rocky crags that are imperceptible to us. Their hooves spread apart, incredibly flexible, with little stabilizers on each one. And in the middle of each hoof, the leathery pads work like suction pads on the rocks. It’s amazing all the built-in safety gear they have for their habitat. God’s design always impresses me.”

  “When we were little, my sister used to think the mountain goats were actually unicorns. The way they could jump and look like they were flying from rock to rock.”

  And just like that, the mention of her sister, reminded him of drugs and the stakes they were dealing with. He wasn’t there to spend time with Nora. He turned to look at the scene of the crime once more. “I’d always imagined if I were in charge of the case, we’d have found the killer by now. And instead, he’s been here all along and has killed another guide.”

  “We don’t know that. We only know that the cases are connected. If it is the same killer, then we could rule out Zach as a suspect for good. He wasn’t around here back then.”

  Henry trudged forward without commenting. If he looked at the case with fresh eyes, who’d been around at the time of Tommy’s murder that would have the means and opportunity to shoot Dexter? “Come on,” he finally said. “We need to go if we’re going to have time to get the drugs.”

  If he couldn’t find the killer, the least he could do was keep Nora safe. But to do that would likely mean the death of her aunt’s company and keeping her off the river. Would the realization that his help was worth nothing be the final nail in the coffin of their relationship?

  “What’s your plan for getting out of here?” he finally asked, eyeing the rotting log six feet away.

  “Boarding that rotten log certainly won’t work. The only way out is floating down the river. Feet first, just like you’d do if you’d fallen out of the raft. We’ll just need to choose our currents wisely.”

  “You were right. I didn’t want to know.” There had to be a better way. He racked his brain for other solutions and came up empty. He was failing her again. He couldn’t even come up with a way to keep her safe without the risk of killing them both.

  ELEVEN

  Henry stared at the churning waters below. “You want me to do what?”

  “It’s the only way, Henry.” She pointed to the opposite side of the boulder that had almost killed him. “Look. There’s no undertow here. If we hit the right current, we can get to the next stop relatively quickly. It’s not that far. If the rain hasn’t interfered, we only have to endure one very minor rapid. If you do what I say—without question—we should get to Bobby and Carl quick as a flash.” She ripped off her life jacket and removed her splash jacket. “You’ll need to take off your splash jacket, as well. I’m glad you dressed properly this time, or I’d be worried about hypothermia.”

  “I don’t understand. Why do you need my jacket?”

  She demonstrated instead of answering. With a series of knots, she fashioned her splash jacket into a miniature pillow of sorts and then put her life jacket back on over her wet suit. “You’ll want something to hang on to. Let your life jacket do the rest, but this will help you balance and keep you from flailing your arms and legs.”

  The more she explained the plan, the faster his heart pumped. Flipping upside down in a kayak was sounding pretty good in comparison. “Even if we can make it there, they can’t fit us in their kayak.”

  “Well, if we straddle—”

  “You’ve got to be joking,” he said, handing over his splash jacket.

  She grinned and began tying his jacket with the same tight knots. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist. We can hope for the unlikely event that Bobby caught our raft, but Carl has a satellite radio, right? He can at least call for another boat to get to us. That take-out should be easy for another raft to reach. Or other options will present themselves.”

  Henry eyed her. “You would make me take the kayak with Carl while you and Bobby ride the top of the kayak?”

  “It would be hard to paddle, and we’d probably sink, so no.” She pointed to the sky. “If we don’t get a move on, it’ll be nightfall before someone could reach us.”

  That would mean spending the night outside. “That’s the only part that doesn’t sound so bad.” The temperature would drop a good thirty degrees in the middle of the night. “Except we’re both soaked, and it’s illegal, even for me, to build a fire on this land.”

  She clicked her harness and flashed a dazzling smile his way that doused him with a feeling of courage. “I know you’ve struggled with a fear of water the past few years. After your belt got stuck, that probably hasn’t changed. But I think you’re doing amazing.” She reached over as if to pat him on his back, except her palm gave his back a good shove.

  The slippery rock offered no friction and he launched off the rock as if on a waterslide. He dropped ten feet in the air before his feet slapped the water. The water rushed over his head, but he bobbed up as fast as he’d dropped. Nora popped up beside him, her teeth already chattering from the cold.

  She reached for his hand even as the stream grabbed them and rushed them forward. “Just pretend you’ve fallen out of a raft.” She took shallow, rapid breaths, her lips already turning a darker shade.

  Henry felt sure his must have seemed bluer as she cast a concerned glance at his face. “I don’t think pretending I’ve fallen out of a boat helps keep me calm.”

  She grinned and he tried to keep his fingers from holding on to her hand too tightly. “Fair enough, but remember, feet forward, following the downstream. Don’t try to stand, even if the water is shallow or the river calms.”

  A wave swept over their heads. Henry wiped his face with his free hand, refusing to let Nora go. He didn’t need to be told not to stand, especially after getting stuck in a crevice. She also didn’t need to remind him to keep his feet high. Boulders were hidden below the surface.

  She raised her chin and continued her safety lecture. “Knees up. Try to keep your feet as close to the surface... I know you know these things, but in a stressful situation, it can help to voice them as reminders. For both of us.”

  “I suppose I deserve that after diving in after the raft.”

  She eyed him, her blue lips parte
d. “Why do you always assume I’m trying to tell you ‘I told you so’? That’s not what I was doing. I was trying to be helpful, Henry McKnight.”

  He could feel her fingers pulling from his ever so slightly. “Okay, okay. That’s not what you were doing.” Her face relaxed ever so faintly, even though her teeth still chattered. He did have a tendency to assume people were trying to control him or to criticize him, but in his defense, that was often true in his life. He’d forgotten that, for all of Nora’s supposed easy-going nature, the moment she thought someone was trying to control her or had misjudged her, she turned into a stubborn, immovable spitfire. It didn’t make sense why he missed that so much.

  “Why are you smiling like that?”

  “No reason.” He fought against a laugh.

  She eyed him. “Why do I feel like I’m missing the joke?”

  “I was remembering how fierce you can be.”

  She pursed her lips. “Well, don’t forget it. We’re entering another canyon.”

  Walls on either side engulfed them, offering no sign of any banks to climb out upon. “Stay to the right, close to the wall. That’s the safest current. Remember to breathe,” she added, her voice gentle as they bobbed along the calmer waves.

  Her eyes flickered above him. “Henry, look.”

  The terror returned to his gut. It took all his willpower to look away from what lay ahead to the rock face above him. A line of mountain goats dotted the wall. From his vantage point, they appeared to be standing in midair, as if their fur must have just stuck to the side of the cliffs.

  “Looks like they found their way.” She lifted her free hand and pointed. “Hopefully, we will find ours, too.”

  There, two stragglers—the goats they’d seen back at the site, if he had to guess—were rushing effortlessly across the sheer rock wall to join the rest of the herd.

  The sound of a snapped branch sent a shiver up Henry’s neck. Surely it was just the wind. But the mountain goats seemed spooked, as well. They all took off at unbelievable speed, disappearing over the cliff edge.

  “I wonder what—”

  A bullet hit the rock wall and sprayed debris over them. Nora let go of his hand, instinctively covering her face as she screamed. Henry reached for the gun on his waist he no longer had and fought not to lower his legs. On the opposite side of the ravine, a gunman perched on the top of the cliff, a rifle aimed in their direction. A bullet splashed the water a foot to his right. Too close. The gunman had them trapped. They had nowhere to run or hide.

  Except under water. No, anything but that, please, Lord. An idea hit him over the side of the head. “Nora, how is the current next to the other cliff side? Any undertows?”

  She looked over. “Risky but should be—”

  A bullet hit his helmet. The force flung him back as the sound of Nora’s scream pierced the air. He felt her fingers dig into his wrist and drag him closer. “The bullet hit your helmet. Come on!” Her voice shook. “Swim parallel before we have more boulders. Now!”

  Henry’s brain felt like it was still rattling around his skull, but he reached up to find a foam edge where a chunk of the helmet was missing. He didn’t need to be told again. She tugged on his arm and released. He kicked, careful to keep his feet up high, and strained to move toward the opposite rock face even as the stream pressed them forward. Another bullet kicked up a splash of water too close to his hand for comfort.

  Just past the halfway point across the river, Nora twisted and pointed her feet up. “We can’t go farther but...” She pointed with her left hand, reaching with her right to grasp his hand.

  He couldn’t quite reach her but kicked his feet forward, trying to understand. Instantly he spotted the churning water near the rock face. Another undertow. The bullets had stopped, though. He looked up. They were in a shadow now. The cliff was so steep, they’d passed the point where the gunman could see them.

  A fistful of water sloshed into his mouth as an unexpected wave slapped his face. But even if the gunman couldn’t get them now, he’d clearly been waiting for them. And if he’d shot at them, then there was a good chance he’d shot at Bobby and Carl. The waves bounced more violently, interrupting his train of thought. They were rounding a bend.

  “We need to be on the other side if we’re going to get our chance to get the package.” Nora pointed ahead. “Henry, there’s no kayak. I’m worried... Bobby?” The fear in her voice spiked his adrenaline. But what could he do without gun, radio or boat? He’d never felt so helpless in his life.

  * * *

  Nora splayed her arms and legs wide, which only slowed her speed for half a second, but it was enough to get close enough to grab Henry’s foot. They needed to be side by side to get back across the river to the site. “This is the hard part.”

  Henry barked a laugh. “Let me guess. Another plan? I’m not sure I want to know.” He looked over his shoulder. “I think we might be past the shooter’s vantage point.”

  “We have other problems now. We’re coming up on the take-out site fast. There are several smaller creeks that dump into the river here.” She flashed him a sheepish grin. “I forgot that the river is going to rise fast here. And there’s only one place that’s safe to approach the bank without worrying about an undertow.” On a boat, it would be different, but in the water, the risk level jumped exponentially. I really need Your wisdom and guidance now, Lord.

  Henry gave a resolute nod. “How do we get to that one place?”

  “The moment we round the bend, there’s a small waterfall to our left, off the rock face. Don’t take time to look at it. It produces a crosscurrent only for a moment. We need to use that to our advantage.”

  She squinted at the area twenty feet from the bank. “See that floating branch up ahead? We’re going to need it.” The confidence he had in her threatened to break Nora’s concentration. She couldn’t let him down, but she also couldn’t do it on her own, a thought that terrified her. “I don’t think I can swim fast enough, even with the cross current, to get across to the branch before we pass it, as much as I try. I’ve got endurance, not speed.”

  “Then let me try, Nora.”

  She remembered all the kayak races they used to enjoy before his accident, but there was no time for reflection. “When I say go, I need you to swim as hard as you can and get on top of the branch.”

  His lips had turned a purplish shade, but his cheeks were still flushed. “I’m not leaving you behind!”

  She twisted, frantically released the throw bag, and pulled out the rescue rope, still gripping the end. Her fingers trembled with the cold as she fought to weave it through the sleeves of her life jacket and knot it at the front.

  “I’m not exactly at my peak condition, Nora.”

  “We’ve got a better chance together than separately, and we’re running out of time. We’ve got one shot.” She pressed her shoulder into his, kicking her left leg out to keep them away from the undertow against the rock face.

  She grabbed the current and they slid around the sharp angle of the south-facing rock wall. The soft rumble of the thin waterfall just around the corner stirred up mist. “Go. Now!”

  She shoved him with as much strength as she could muster, also flipping over and kicking, doing her best to follow him. Her muscles were spent already and so cold. Her brain told her limbs to move faster and faster, but yet they reacted like they were in quicksand.

  Henry seemed to be struggling as well, but he was already six feet ahead of her. She fought to lift her head high enough to pull in a breath before a wave slapped her helmet, veering her off course. The rope tugged. She rolled sideways, the pull of the water twisting her despite her forceful kicks.

  “Nora!”

  The rope tugged again, and she looked down to see the knot unraveling, loosening. She grabbed the rope with one hand. A wave sloshed over her head and she fought against the conflicting
currents, desperate to keep hold of the rope.

  She launched forward at an unbelievable speed, no longer fighting, but sliding under water, almost like she was flying. She lifted her head up and pulled in a greedy breath, only to feel Henry’s hands gripping the top of her life jacket. He lifted her onto the tree branch, much thicker in diameter and longer in length than she’d guessed. As soon as her stomach hit the rough bark, she wriggled her way to sitting, bouncing the log precariously on one end, but Henry leaned the opposite way, ensuring it’d stay afloat.

  “I knew you could do it,” she whispered, trying to give her lungs and heart a chance to catch up.

  He panted, his chest heaving with the effort of trying to catch his breath. “Failure wasn’t an option. Now what?”

  “Your legs face north. Mine will face south. Our feet will have to act like oars.” She loved the river, but if she could go a day without having to dip a body part into frigid waters, that would be great. “Ready?”

  She gave out commands, straining her abdominals, as she had to lean backward in an awkward move to make her legs forceful enough to mimic a paddle. The log soared across the water, keeping them from the danger of an undertow, and smacked against the sand.

  She rolled head-over-heels, falling flat onto her back on the ground. Henry had managed to stay upright, facing the log. He offered his hand and pulled her upright. “Thanks for saving my life.” She brushed the sand off her legs, which would likely be covered in bruises by nightfall from all the trauma of the day.

  Henry stared deeply into her face, his eyes full of emotion, as if trying to hold back a secret.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” He blinked and nodded, then turned away, scanning the empty bank. “Let’s see if Carl and Bobby are here.”

  “The gunman—”

  “I prefer to stay positive. Besides, the shooter seemed to have it in for me instead of you this time. There’s a chance this has become personal and the others aren’t in danger.”