Deadly River Pursuit

by Heather Woodhaven

  Henry walked alongside her, unusually quiet. “You probably can’t wait to get changed and warm,” she said.

  He focused on the ground. “Something’s bothering me, but I can’t pinpoint it. Let me get you inside and make sure you’re safe. Pack up whatever you need for a few days. I’m going to go pick up a change of clothes, make some calls, and be back here in an hour, before nightfall.”

  As they stood in the doorway to her room, the only real home she’d known for the last fifteen years, her eyes and nose burned at the thought of Bobby being shot and struggling under water, the way she’d found Henry...

  “I’m sure Bobby will turn up.” Henry’s voice seemed tight and short. The tenderness they’d shared in the tunnels had vanished. The law enforcement ranger determined to prove himself had taken his place.

  She shook her head and the damp braid whipped around and slapped her chin, keeping her together. She rushed forward and pulled out one of Bobby’s specialty sandwiches—one she’d kept in her fridge for dinner—and a bottled water for herself and Henry. “Take this to go. I think we both need some sustenance to help us think straight after the day we’ve had.”

  And the night ahead, she reminded herself. She grabbed a knife, split the sandwich in two, and handed the drink and food over.

  “I need you to call your aunt and tell her to stay put for now.”

  Nora nodded, averting her eyes. Why did the change in his demeanor hurt so much? She should’ve been used to it after the years since their breakup, but she’d felt so close to him after the events of the week. She bit her lip, not trusting that her untamed emotions wouldn’t begin spilling over. If Maya was right, and they were all in danger, the only way the plan would work to take the drug ring down would be to go in hiding. Nora’s chest tightened at the thought. What was the Lord doing?

  When the walls seemed like they were caving in while they were stuck in the mines, she’d been challenged that it was time to go after the dreams she’d all but forgotten. And now? She might spend months, if not longer, hiding and waiting without anything or anyone she loved. She cleared the emotion from her tight throat. “What’s going to happen to Maya after she officially gives her witness statement?”

  He blinked. “If we get you somewhere safe, and we do this right, she can get a lawyer and probably negotiate a pretty good deal for herself.” He leveled his gaze. “But she’s probably going to have to serve some time, Nora.”

  “I know.” She’d hoped there would be another way, but the truth steeled her nerves. She’d be spending a lot of time praying for Maya’s protection and heart through it all. “I guess I needed to hear it, though. Do you know where I’ll be staying?”

  His eyes flickered with gratefulness as he accepted the sandwich and water from her. “Not yet. Possibly my place at first. But only as a last resort,” he added. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  She flinched and watched his back retreat down the hallway. He spun around. “Lock the door behind you, Nora.”

  She nodded and closed the door. Staying with him would be a last resort? She’d felt alone for most of her life, but never this alone. The two people she had loved most and lost had both been in front of her today as a reminder of what she could never have. “At least You’re still with me,” she whispered to God as a prayer. “I could really use some of that peace right about now.”

  * * *

  Henry ate with one hand during the straighter portions of the drive to the field office. At least he’d found his spare, a set of keys magnetically hidden inside one of the U-channels in his roof rack.

  The top priority was to get the appropriate gear and backup law enforcement set up to properly protect Maya and Nora. He debated calling the DEA—which might take some time to arrive—or an old friend in Coeur d’Alene, Deputy US Marshal Kurt Brock. The man had kept a federal judge and his granddaughter safe despite a private militia contract to take them out. He would probably help him find a safe house for Nora and Maya as a favor until the DEA stepped in. He just needed to find the man’s number—since his personal cell phone had also been in his gear belt, now at the bottom of the river.

  His arms twitched, wanting to take the turn that would take him to a fresh set of clothes and a hot shower. But Nora was right. The food and water must have been what he’d needed because he was regaining a new focus. He glanced at the clock. Sunset would be here before he knew it and, other than the dispatch radio in his truck, he had no way to contact anyone if he went home. The field office would at least have a phone and new gear, so he stayed on the county highway.

  Never before had he been closer to solving Tommy’s murder. Bringing in other law enforcement to make it happen stung, but it was time for him to let go once and for all and be a team player without his ego getting in the way. He exhaled a long breath. Ironic that the more confident he grew of his career and value, the easier it was to lay down his pride and let disapproval from others roll off his shoulders. If only he’d had that perspective when he’d first started his career. He’d probably be married to Nora by now.

  The sudden regret was like a knife to his heart.

  He hoped whoever was to be in charge of the drug ring investigation and Carl’s involvement would at least give Henry’s thoughts some consideration. Perry didn’t seem like a real suspect, but he had been there at the time of Tommy’s death and certainly had the type of power Maya would fear. Then there was the sheriff. He definitely had power, and he’d also been around when Tommy was killed. But he didn’t seem like the type hungry for more money, more power.

  His eyes widened. There was one person that fit all of the criteria and had the means and opportunity. How could he have missed it until now?

  As he rounded the bend, a black SUV sat parked on the shoulder against a steep hill. The narrow highway was the only main road on the north side of the river, and it was illegal to park on the bank unless it was an emergen—

  The SUV’s hazard lights began flashing. He felt his forehead tighten as he pulled over. He really didn’t have time to help someone out. He needed to follow up on the lead and, if he was right, Nora and Maya would be safe by nightfall.

  Henry left the engine running, jumped out of his truck and rushed to the vehicle. He’d see if it was an easy fix, like a flat tire, and be on his way in under ten minutes. If not, he could at least alert Dispatch with the truck radio to send someone from the sheriff’s department.

  Lizzie Hartman stepped out of the SUV with a wave as he approached. “I’m so glad to see you. I wasn’t sure what to do.”

  His steps slowed. For him, the hardest part of being in law enforcement was making the conscious effort to remain impartial. In trying to avoid giving special treatment to those he knew, he’d lacked compassion in the earlier years. These days, he made an effort to exercise an open mind and compassion with every citizen he needed to stop, and there weren’t many people he disliked. Lizzie had been someone he counted as a friend. Until today. She’d abandoned Nora, having been poached by Frank’s company.

  “You’re not happy to see me, though, are you?” Lizzie made an apologetic face. “It’s not as if river guides make a lot of money, Henry. You don’t know how many times I’ve turned down the offer to work at Frank’s until yesterday.”

  He blew out a breath. “It’s none of my business, Lizzie.” Besides, neither rafting company would be able to start the spring season on time when the federal investigation started. He wasn’t about to divulge that tidbit. “What seems to be the problem?”

  “I have no idea. The engine was idling rough all day, acting weird, and then just stopped.”

  He gestured to the hood. “I can see if your battery just needs a jump or if someone can run out a sparkplug to you, but beyond that, I’m no mechanic.”

  She leaned back into her vehicle and he heard the pop before the hood lifted an inch.

  “I’ll hope for so
mething easy,” she said.

  He ducked under the hood and reached to check the sparkplugs when the ominous click of a bullet going into a chamber set the hairs on the back of his neck on edge. He stared at the engine for a second, as if he hadn’t heard. This wasn’t one of the SUV models that kept the tire iron under the hood, but he searched for something to defend himself.

  “Come on. Let’s not make it harder than it needs to be. Hands up, McKnight.”

  He slowly straightened. “I really shouldn’t have stopped for you.”

  She tilted her head, studying him. “It’s too bad you got in the way. I always thought you and Nora made a cute couple.”

  His head suddenly exploded with pain that pounded into his temples and rushed down his spine. He dropped to his knees.

  “You didn’t have to hit him that hard,” Lizzie said. “Tie his wrists and ankles, and get him in back before someone sees. I’ll take his truck and park it in his driveway to buy us time.”

  Henry struggled to clear his mind and get his eyes to refocus, but the man had already tied and lifted him like a sack of potatoes. His shoulder hit the backseat before the man shoved the rest of his body in sideways. His head and ears still roared with throbbing pressure. But he could think straight enough to realize he’d been wrong. He’d never suspected Lizzie as the mastermind. Except, she didn’t have the type of power Maya feared.

  “Don’t try to be a hero, Henry,” Lizzie said as the SUV’s engine came to life. He fought to sit up. A tall man with a baseball cap pulled down low sat in the driver’s seat and Lizzie stood at the open back door closest to the hill. “If you want Nora to stay alive, you’ll cooperate.”

  Henry gritted his teeth and blinked until his vision could focus on her face. Why would she assume he’d believe anything she said? “What have you done with her?”

  “I haven’t done anything, which is why you need to take me seriously. If you don’t cooperate, she’s automatically dead.” Lizzie’s voice shook ever so slightly.

  “I’ll cooperate,” he finally said. He clamped his lips shut before he could speak the rest of his thought. Until I see the moment when I won’t.

  “Goodbye, Henry. Take him away, Lou.” She slammed the door and the SUV took off on the highway, picking up speed, leaving Lizzie and his truck behind. He hadn’t even had a chance to call in other law enforcement and still was without a weapon, yet he knew with every fiber of his bones that there was no way the drug ring would let him live after this. As soon as he saw his opening, he would take it. He’d die fighting to give Nora a chance at survival.

  FIFTEEN

  Nora zipped up her suitcase, assuming there wouldn’t be any whitewater rafting where she’d be staying. It was time to stop procrastinating. She needed to call her aunt. She moved to grab her cell phone. Except the counter where she’d always put it was empty.

  She rifled through the top drawer and, just underneath the photo of her and Henry, she found the small gun he’d bought her as an engagement gift. Her uncle—ex-uncle, she corrected herself again—owned the outdoor supply store and had instructed the manager to give Henry a deal on it. She wasn’t legally allowed to carry it on the river, though, so she hadn’t had it on her person since gun safety class. She’d never felt a need for it before now. She pulled the gun out, checked the safety and moved to peek outside her door.

  No one was in the hallway—likely because Bobby had been right. The remaining employees had been poached. She fought against the way her body wanted to cave inward, ashamed at failing her aunt, and raised her head purposefully. She’d tried her best to save the rafting company. That was going to have to be good enough.

  She ran out of the lodge and across the space to the back door of the office, looking over her shoulder as she went. Once inside the office, she breathed a sigh of relief. The cell phone was charged and ready. She set the gun down on the counter, within arm’s reach, and dialed the number she’d been dreading.

  With each ring, she saw herself as a fifteen-year-old showing up at the doorstep of a woman who didn’t know the two children had existed. And after crying together, each with conflicted emotions, Linda had never threatened to send them into the social system. If Nora had been in her shoes, would she have done the same?

  “Hello? Nora?” Her aunt’s voice was accompanied by soft music in the background.

  She could feel the emotion building at the base of her throat, the temptation to tell her aunt that everything would be fine warring with what she should say. She just needed to spit it out. “I’m afraid the business is not going to make a profit this year.”

  Once she began, Nora made sure she took the least amount of breaths possible. If Aunt Linda interrupted to ask questions, she might not get it all out. She started with Dexter’s murder, and the connection to Tommy’s murder, and ended with Maya’s confession.

  “So, all that to say you need to stay put for now for your safety, Aunt Linda, but once the case is wrapped up, you need to come back. I will no longer be managing the Sauvage Run.” Nora blew out a breath.

  The music in the background clicked off and her aunt exhaled. “Wow. Well, I guess first I need to know if you’ll no longer be manager because of the murd—”

  “No. Dexter’s death was only the catalyst to make me realize I’ve been waiting around for something that won’t happen.”

  “Are we talking about Henry or Maya?”

  Maybe both, Nora realized with a jolt. “I’m going to teach,” she said, deftly sidestepping the question. “And, if the river ever gets safe enough to be open for visitors, offer my river guide services to the Bureau of Land Management during the summers.”

  “That’s what you’ve always wanted to do, isn’t it? Bobby tried to tell me, but I thought, if it was true, you’d have told me by now. Maybe I didn’t want to see the truth because I had a lot to think over.” She sighed. “And this all started with Dexter? I’m a little surprised. By your description, he really doesn’t sound like the type of person we usually hire.”

  Nora reared back. “You wanted me to hire him.”

  “Me? No. I usually have Lizzie go through the applications first and give you her recommendations before interviewing.”

  Nora opened the frustrating filing cabinet. “No. You specifically wrote a note on the application.” She flipped through the files trying to find the copy the police had made before taking the original. A file she’d never seen before flopped open, full of photographs. Nora hesitated, pulling one out. Her aunt and Frank, standing side by side, much in the same pose of Nora’s photo with Henry. Except, she didn’t see the same genuine happiness on their faces. Something else about the photograph bothered her, but she couldn’t pinpoint it...

  She dropped the photograph back into the file and flipped forward. “It was on a paper application, which is unusual for us. I didn’t even know we had paper forms anymore.”

  “Oh! That one.” Her aunt grew quiet for so long, Nora began to wonder if she’d lost the connection. “Well, I’m not proud of it,” Linda finally said, “but I asked you to hire him out of spite.”

  “What?” Nora felt the twinge of a headache at the temples developing, perhaps due to her intense frowning.

  “It was the last time I saw Frank, just after we’d signed divorce papers. He was trying to steal my employees again. We had words about it, but when I left, I took one of the applications on top of his pile when he wasn’t looking. I... I’m sorry, Nora. It was a vengeful impulse. If he was going to take our employees, I was going to get one of his. I really wasn’t thinking straight. It was actually the last straw for me. I knew I needed to get away. I couldn’t even look at Lizzie, either.”

  “Lizzie? Why?”

  “I...I didn’t have any proof and didn’t really trust my judgment at the time, but I suspected Lizzie of being one of the women Frank was having an affair with.”

  Nora
’s world spun on a dime and she couldn’t focus on the rest of what her aunt was saying. Frank had moved from being a ranch hand and handyman to starting his own rafting business just after Tommy died. Linda and Frank hadn’t started dating until a few years later, after Frank’s rafting company had been established.

  Frank had wined and dined her aunt right up until they’d married. Everyone assumed his money had come from good investments into the town and the surrounding ranches. His was the type of rags-to-riches story everyone loved. He’d worked two jobs at minimum ever since high school, as he’d tell anyone who’d listen. His rafting company instantly did better than Linda’s, but they’d always chocked it up to better salesmanship, even though The Sauvage Run always had better customer reviews. Soon, Frank had opened a small bait shop that had eventually grown into a full-fledged outdoor gear shop. A year later he’d opened a bistro. A year after that, a coffee shop—

  Nora gasped.

  “What? What is it?”

  “Frank owns a gun shop. I mean it’s the outdoor shop, but they sell guns.”

  “Yes. So?”

  Frank could’ve forged paperwork to make it appear Dexter had purchased a gun from his store. He would’ve easily had access to guns. He was good at shooting. He had access to rafting guides. He’s a county commissioner. Did commissioners have a working relationship with the sheriff’s office?

  “I have to let you go, Aunt Linda.” She spun back to the filing cabinet and found the photograph. “I need to call Henry. I just remembered something. Just stay put until you hear from us, okay?” She hung up before her aunt could say goodbye.

  Nora’s hands were shaking. No wonder Maya was scared. Frank had the entire town’s loyalty. The back door behind her creaked, but it had to be the wind. She had locked the door behind her the moment she’d entered. A quick glance over her shoulder to confirm—