“Please don’t let me keep you from it then. But you don’t have to bring me along. I’m sure you want privacy.”
“Oh, you should meet Ansley. I think you’ll like her.” Boone flashed a smile that sent Brynlee’s nerves shooting through the roof.
“Great.” But her voice sounded unconvinced.
A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the Hometown Diner, he parked, and they stepped outside.
Brynlee froze there on the sidewalk and grabbed Boone’s arm. “Look at that.”
He followed her gaze and, with confusion in his voice, asked, “What am I looking at?”
“That view.” She stared at the mountains in the distance. Fog cloaked the peaks, and the whole scene reflected on the lake below. She’d never seen anything like it. “It’s breathtaking.”
Boone smiled at her. “Yes, it is, isn’t it?”
“I can see why my parents liked it here.”
He raised his brow. “Your parents?”
Brynlee nodded. “They came here on one of their first dates. My dad said this place was magical.”
“I’d agree. There’s no place like Fog Lake.” Boone put his hand on her back and directed her away.
His touch jolted her, but Brynlee ignored the feeling. She tried to, at least.
“Come on. Let’s get inside. I’d hate to be late and face the wrath of Ansley.”
But as they turned, Brynlee nearly stumbled into a man who stood behind them. She hadn’t even heard him approach.
Her gaze traveled down to his chest, and she saw his necklace.
It was a gigantic bear claw.
Brynlee sucked in a breath as her eyes fluttered to the man’s face. A hostile look stained his eyes.
Terror coursed through her. Was this the man Brynlee had seen murder those two college boys on the trail? Why else would he be staring at her with such malice?
14
Boone ushered Brynlee away from the man and inside the warm restaurant that smelled like childhood outings with her mom. Oldies music blared overhead, and the place looked surprisingly full.
“It’s okay,” Boone muttered to Brynlee as he shut the door behind them. “He’s harmless.”
“That man didn’t seem harmless.” She remembered his face. His leathery skin. The scar on his cheek. His silent stare.
“He’s . . . well, he’s a bit of a fixture around here. We call him Big Ben.”
“What do you know about him?” Brynlee made no effort to move from the entrance.
“He never talks, for starters. He’s lived here for nearly as long as I can remember, and I’ve never heard him say a word.”
“How does he work and support himself?”
Boone shrugged. “I’m not 100 percent sure. I think he owns a small cabin up in the mountains. Maybe it was passed on to him by his family. The last I heard, he was making baskets and selling them on the side of the road.”
Brynlee remembered the look in the man’s eyes. She remembered . . . “That bear claw . . . around his neck . . .”
“I know.” Boone’s jaw tightened.
He was worried too, wasn’t he? But he didn’t want to admit it to her. Was this man connected with the crime she’d seen?
Before they could talk about it anymore, Boone’s gaze met someone’s in the distance, and he ushered Brynlee in that direction.
Brynlee watched as Boone kissed the cheek of the pretty woman who waited for him in the corner booth.
Ansley looked a little wilder than someone Brynlee had expected Boone to date—not that she knew that much about the man. She’d just pictured him with someone more natural looking, she supposed. Someone outdoorsy but pretty and athletic.
This woman—Ansley—had bleached blonde hair down to her shoulders, multiple earrings, and even a tattoo peeking out from her sleeve. Her eyes sparkled, and her tight jeans accentuated her killer body. She seemed like a firecracker, the type who could handle anything life threw at her. At least, she did based on first impressions.
“Ansley, this is Brynlee,” Boone said, extending his hand toward her. “Brynlee, Ansley.”
“I’m sorry to impose on your lunch.” Brynlee’s throat squeezed with regret.
“It’s no problem,” Ansley said. “It’s always good to see a new face. Have a seat.”
Brynlee lowered herself at the end of the table while Boone and Ansley sat across from each other. She shifted, realizing she should have refused to come. Not even John Denver playing on the jukebox made her feel any better.
This was not how she’d envisioned her trip going.
“So, how do you two know each other?” Ansley asked, glancing down at the menu before looking back and forth between them.
Boone hesitated, probably feeling awkward as he tried to answer. Brynlee had put him in this situation. The least she could do was try to smooth it over.
“I hired him to act as private security for me,” Brynlee finally said. “I hope that’s not weird for you.”
Ansley raised her thin eyebrows. “Weird for me? Oh, no. That’s not weird at all. At least he’s making himself useful. Finally.”
Boone gave her a look. “Ha ha. Very funny.”
“Just saying . . .”
“You’re always just saying.” Boone gave Ansley a pointed look.
Brynlee glanced down at her menu, feeling like she was in the middle of something. The two were playful, but the vibes she got from them . . . weren’t what she’d expected.
“I’d get the corned beef,” Ansley told her. “It’s delicious.”
“I don’t eat meat.”
“Then the tomato soup is really good.”
Brynlee closed her menu. “Fine. It’s settled then.”
It was one less decision she’d have to make.
Boone’s phone rang, and he stood, excusing himself. “It’s Abe. Let me see what’s up. I think he has a group that wants to go kayaking next weekend and needs extra equipment.”
Brynlee watched as he walked away, calling hello to several people as he did.
Then the awkwardness set in. She wasn’t sure what exactly to say to Ansley, and she halfway feared an ugly confrontation.
“Listen, I really do feel like I’m interrupting something here.” Brynlee decided to be direct. “When I hired Boone, it was on a purely professional level.”
Ansley stared at her. “Professional or not, it doesn’t bother me either way.”
“It doesn’t?” Ansley was entirely more laid-back than Brynlee would be in a situation like this.
Ansley tilted her head. “Why should it? My brother can do what he wants.”
The air left Brynlee’s lungs. “Your brother?” Had she heard correctly?
“Yes, my brother. Wait, he didn’t tell you that?” Ansley’s eyes crinkled with humor.
Brynlee’s jaw locked in irritation as she realized all her worry had been for nothing. “No, he didn’t.”
“Oh, he’s messing with you then. I would give him a big old whooping if I were you. He likes to do that sometimes. Play games with people. Messing with people’s heads—in a fun-loving way, of course.”
Brynlee glanced behind her at Boone. He talked on the phone while still waving at people. The man should be a politician.
Ansley followed her gaze. “It’s a shame everything that’s happened. He loves this town, and he’s a good man.”
“Everything that’s happened?” Brynlee asked, a new round of curiosity surging to life inside her.
Ansley pushed her eyebrows together. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
Ansley leaned back and shrugged, as if trying to brush it off. “It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t sound like nothing.” What exactly was Boone Wilder’s story?
“He’ll tell you when he wants to. Until then, just know you can trust him, okay?”
Brynlee nodded but didn’t feel as reassured as she would like. Maybe she just needed a moment to compose herself. �
�I think I’m going to run to the restroom. Please, excuse me.”
She hurried to the back of the building. But as Brynlee stepped into the restroom, she nearly collided with an older woman who was leaving.
Brynlee tried to brush past her, but the woman blocked her until she was forced to make eye contact.
“You better hope Boone Wilder doesn’t do to you what he did to Katherine,” the woman growled, her voice a hoarse whisper. “I’d be careful if I were you.”
“What?” Brynlee gasped, certain she hadn’t heard correctly. “Who’s Katherine?”
The woman didn’t say anything. Her glimmering eyes stayed on Brynlee’s a moment longer. Then she stepped out of the bathroom, leaving Brynlee with more questions than answers.
Boone observed Brynlee out of the corner of his eye.
Why did she seem shaken? Had something happened on her short walk to the bathroom? What could have possibly taken place?
He shoved the feeling down, figuring it would come up later.
Their food was here, and they all dug in. Not surprising, the donut he’d had for breakfast hadn’t held him over. But his burger and fries would.
“So, I heard there was another bear attack,” Ansley said, shoving a crispy french fry into some ranch dressing and sounding casual.
“Another one?” Brynlee’s voice rang with surprise. “Do they happen a lot in this area?”
“We had some bear attacks about four years ago,” Boone explained. “Two people were killed up in the mountains. Hikers.”
“And there were the bear attacks ten years ago,” Ansley added, waving a french fry at her brother. “Don’t forget about them.”
“I had no idea there were so many in this area,” Brynlee said. “I didn’t think they were that common.”
“There really haven’t been,” Boone said. “It just sounds like a lot.”
The last thing he needed was for Brynlee to freak out. Maybe he should have given Ansley a head’s up about what had happened to Brynlee yesterday. He’d had no time to talk to her privately.
Brynlee’s hands shook so badly at the moment that her tomato soup sloshed from her spoon.
Ansley seemed to notice at the same time Boone did.
“Oh my goodness.” Ansley’s voice dropped with surprise. “You were the one who was out there when those two men died, weren’t you?”
Brynlee swallowed hard and lowered her spoon back into the bowl. She licked her lips, but no words escaped.
“She was,” Boone answered for her, a surge of compassion rising in him.
“Man, I can’t imagine. I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t have brought it up if I’d known.”
“It’s okay.” Brynlee put her spoon down. “It’s still just . . . shocking.”
“I can imagine. It’s been all the buzz around town today. No one can believe it.”
“Don’t say it,” Boone said, anticipating the next words out of his sister’s mouth. His shoulders tensed as he waited for the inevitable.
“What?” Brynlee’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as she peered at them.
“It was the Skookum, wasn’t it?” Ansley’s eyes widened, her horror turning into fascination.
Boone shook his head. Ansley had done it anyway. Of course.
“It wasn’t the Skookum,” he muttered.
“Why do people keep bringing the Skookum up?” Brynlee asked. “Do people really believe this thing exists?”
Boone started to answer, but Ansley beat him to it. “Absolutely. There’s a lot of folklore around this area. You know about the Native Americans—”
“And the massacre that occurred here,” Brynlee finished.
“Yes. Right here in this area. It’s crazy to think about how many people lost their lives right here on this very land. It makes up the history of this place. The fiber of it. There’s blood in this dirt and tragedy all around us. Nature knows it.”
“That’s a little dramatic, Ansley.” Boone resisted an eye roll.
Ansley leaned back, making it clear she didn’t care what anyone else thought. She never had. “But it’s the truth. Maybe this town really is haunted.”
“I hear you,” Boone said.
“You should talk to Fowler,” Ansley continued. “He could tell you some stories.”
“Fowler?”
“He works for Boone’s best friend, Abe. He’s a local Skookum expert. He thinks a Skookum killed his dad. Now he’s an unofficial authority in the area.”
“Good to know,” Brynlee said.
Before Boone could argue with her anymore, his phone rang again. It was Chigger.
“You need to get to the store. Pronto. The county inspector is here and asking questions.”
Boone frowned and glanced at Brynlee. She was about to discover that he was a terrible person to hire to handle her security. He had too much going on in his own life . . . things that he wished would disappear.
15
Brynlee stared at Boone, trying to figure out what his conversation was about. Had he heard something else about the murder yesterday? Whatever it was, it looked like bad news.
He put his phone away and frowned at Ansley then Brynlee. “Listen, I’m sorry to do this. But I need to stop by my store. It’s an emergency.”
“Do what you have to do.” Brynlee bit back her disappointment.
His store? She’d been selfishly hoping the phone call would provide some answers for herself. When she realized the frustration in her voice had been too apparent, she cleared her throat, determined to cover it up.
“Although, I am starting to think you should be paying me to tag along with you,” she finally said, keeping her voice light.
He frowned and pulled out his wallet. “You’re probably right.”
Brynlee shrugged. “My hourly pay might be more than yours.”
Ansley laughed. “I like this woman.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Boone dropped some cash on the table. “Lunch is on me.”
“Hope everything works out, bro,” Ansley said.
What did that mean? Was Boone having trouble with his store? There was so much Brynlee didn’t know. So much she was curious about.
A few minutes later, they were in his truck and headed into the mountains. She tried to relax as Boone drove. She thought about the camping store. The log-sided building was nestled near the mountain. A small creek rippled behind it, and a little water wheel turned at the side of the building, near part of the creek that swept under the roadway.
The building was rustic with a porch and rocking chairs. The inside had been simple yet screamed of every kind of adventure imaginable.
The whole place fit Boone.
The farther away they got from town, the more Brynlee’s throat tightened. She wanted to enjoy this area. She really did. But the memories made it hard.
And what about that woman in the bathroom? Who was Katherine? Why had the woman warned Brynlee about Boone?
The thoughts churned inside her.
What if this Boone guy wasn’t as trustworthy as the sheriff made it seem? Sure, he seemed laid-back and friendly, but . . . people could hide dark sides. Brynlee couldn’t afford to be naïve here.
“You have something on your mind?” Boone tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
Brynlee shrugged, wondering whether or not she should bring it up. Then again, how could she hire someone not knowing if she could trust him?
She cleared her throat and tried to sound casual as she asked, “Who’s Katherine?”
His eyes widened and his voice rose with surprise. “Katherine? Where did you hear her name?”
Tension embedded itself between her shoulders as she sensed Boone’s emotions rising. “A woman stopped me in the bathroom. Told me she hoped you didn’t do to me what you did to Katherine.”
His face tightened even more. “Nancy . . .” he muttered. “I thought I saw her leaving out the back. I should have known.”
“Who’s Nancy? Who’
s Katherine, for that matter?”
Boone shook his head, and his jaw tightened as he stared at the road in front of them. “It’s a long story, far more than I can tell you on this drive.”
That wasn’t going to work. Kat’s mother, Nancy, had practically accused Boone of being a criminal. How could Brynlee trust him if she knew so little about his past?
“You’re going to need to tell me soon,” Brynlee said. “Because I’m having second thoughts about hiring you. Is there a reason I should be concerned?”
Boone pulled to a stop in front of his store, hitting the brakes harder than she’d anticipated. She lurched forward in the seat.
“If you don’t trust me, then feel free to find someone else to act as security for you. But hiring me doesn’t mean you’re privy to all my business.”
A frigid chill filled the air.
Ouch. Brynlee had touched a nerve. But why?
Before she could say anything else, Boone threw the truck into Park and opened the door. Without another word, he stormed into his store.
What had just happened?
Boone’s stormy attitude surged to a new level. It was bad enough that Todd Michaels had stopped by his store unannounced. But now Nancy was going around telling Brynlee about Katherine? When would Katherine’s family ever accept the truth?
He didn’t have time to think about it right now.
No, Boone had bigger problems—like keeping his store open. He wasn’t going to let the county inspector change any of that.
“Mr. Wilder.” Todd smiled as he stood near the checkout counter. The small, bald man had exaggerated features and expressions. Everything about him got on Boone’s last nerve.
Chigger stood by the register, clicking and unclicking his pen—probably just to annoy Todd.
“Todd.” Boone paused and rested his hands on his hips, reminding himself to act professional. “What a surprise.”
The man smiled again, the expression smug. “I came to see how the safety improvements were coming.”
Boone’s jaw tightened. “Haven’t started implementing them yet.”
“Things are going to get busy real soon. I’d hate to see you shut down right before tourist season gets underway. I can only imagine the money you’d lose.”
Margin of Error (Fog Lake Suspense Book 2) Page 7