Rob turned his attention back to the task at hand. He’d get this over with, then go home to his wife. He’d watch for the opportunity to get to the lodge and back in one shot, and then he would go. Samantha wouldn’t like it, but she’d probably like starving, even less. Either way, he wasn’t going to let her try it, and find out.
Cabin one loomed ahead, and Rob was filled with a sense of foreboding. He forced himself to maintain a steady pace, when what he wanted to do, was slow down, turn around, and go the other way.
He scowled a little, and ordered himself to snap out of it. Setting his jaw and steeling his nerves, he walked around the side of the cabin, to the front.
Snow drifts rippled the terrain, camouflaging the dirt road underneath. The icy covering deepened as it rose in a gradual slope to the tops of the pines. It would be the envy of any snowboarder, if only there was something more substantial than tree limbs underneath.
Animal tracks crossed the open space, marring the smooth white surface. Rob’s eyebrows knit as he examined them. If he had to guess… which was all he could do… he’d say they belonged to a coyote.
Whatever it was, he hoped it and the rest of the animal kingdom were better prepared for the perpetual storm than the weather forecasters.
A brief gust of wind stirred the snow, reminding Rob he couldn’t afford to stand there analyzing paw prints all day. Every minute wasted in putting off the task at hand, was a minute closer to the storm’s next onslaught, and another minute away from his wife.
Rob steeled his nerves yet again, and turned his gaze in the direction of the lodge, and the drift that formed Randall Jerome’s and Jess Stilton’s icy tomb.
There it stood, in the same general form as when he first observed it. All signs of his previous visit were effectively erased by the storm, but the SUV’s twig-like antenna remained, marking their resting place.
He moved forward purposefully, with grim determination and long strides. He reached the back of the vehicle, and began raking away snow with his gloved hands. He shoved it to one side, then the other, until the hatch was free. Then Rob took a deep, calming breath, which did very little to ease his tension. He reached for the latch, then froze, as shadows shifted at the edge of the forest.
Rob’s skin crawled, and he glared fiercely, as he searched for further signs of movement.
It was a coyote. Or a rabbit. Or one of any number of other creatures indigenous to the area, he told himself firmly. In spite of his determination to believe it, he felt shaken. For several long minutes he listened, waited, and watched.
The forest was still, the silence broken only by the sound of his own heart.
Rob slowly reached for the latch again, and pulled.
The hatch rose into the air with a faint creak, revealing the SUV’s interior. On the floor of the storage space sat an ice chest, and a metal toolbox. With another intense glare at the woods, Rob unlatched the box and opened it. He sorted briefly through the tools contained there, then closed the lid and turned to the ice chest.
A couple of ice packs; several bottles of Pepsi and Mountain Dew; a paper sack from Taco Bell containing five tacos, three burritos, two packages of cinnamon twists, and a receipt with Monday’s date. If Jerome and Stilton stopped to have lunch in the midst of their attempt to do damage to Pine Mountain’s model homes, they left no indication. Rob’s forehead creased as he considered that, and their probable intended destination. Maybe they thought after they were through wrecking the lodge, they’d have all the time in the world to eat.
Were they ever wrong. It was hard for Rob to feel too sorry for them, but he was thankful he didn’t wait until it was too late to turn his own life around.
He shut the ice chest, and latched it. He’d have to be a whole lot more desperate than this, to consider bringing any of the contents back to Samantha. The thought turned his own stomach, he could just imagine what it would do to hers.
Rob closed the SUV hatch, then waded through the snow to the vicinity of the middle row, passenger-side door. He shoveled and raked away at the icy barricade, until it was free. With an apprehensive glare at the woods as he readjusted his scarf, and a grim look at the occupants in the front, he opened it.
Nothing on the seat, or floor. Rob used his flashlight to search the pocket of the door, and the one behind the passenger seat, with the same result. He looked underneath the floor mat, and discovered absolutely nothing there. Either Jerome had his vehicle detailed recently, or he was fastidiously clean.
Rob closed the middle row door, and moved to the front. As he raked snow away from the passenger side door and window, he caught a glimpse of Jess Stilton’s pale face. Rob looked away, and focused on the task at hand. Free the doors, search the vehicle, go back to Samantha, and come up with a long, long list of ways for Erik and Amber to make this up to him!
The door was free. Rob didn’t waste time on calming breaths that didn’t, or on attempting to relax the tension in his shoulders. He did pray he’d find something to help Erik and Amber, and lifted the latch.
The door scraped against the snow, and he shoved hard. No way was he searching with it anything less than wide open! With a crunch, it gave in.
Rob investigated the front of the vehicle with his eyes, as he took a brief moment to adjust his scarf and catch his breath. The lighting wasn’t the best, and told him nothing he didn’t already know. He reached for his flashlight, and its bright beam lit the space. It also cast grotesque shadows as he moved it slowly from side to side, but revealed nothing of use. He popped the glove compartment, doing his best not to touch Stilton in the process. He found a pen, but nothing more. The dash was empty of all but a mat, and a search of the floor yielded no more than that. Unless he counted Stilton’s feet. Rob hesitated, then gingerly lifted a corner of the floormat. If he was careful… Stilton shifted in spite of it, and Rob jumped back, his heart pounding.
He closed the door firmly, and moved to the other side of the vehicle.
Please let there be something here, he prayed, as he undug the driver’s side. Preferably something on the floor, just inside the door. Maybe Randall’s phone, maybe a note, maybe…. Rob shoved aside the last of the encumbering snow, and opened the door.
There was no evidence waiting conveniently inside. A thorough search with his flashlight turned up no more than Randall Jerome himself, another floormat, and the console between the two men.
Rob was filled with desperation. He was desperate to get out of there, desperate to have something to show for his efforts, and desperate not to reach over either man, to get it. His eyebrows knit with determination as he shut the door, and plowed through the snow to the other side of the vehicle, and the middle row.
He yanked the latch, threw open the door, and climbed inside before he could change his mind. With a press of the button, the console opened, and Rob rapidly sorted through the contents.
A phone charger, an open package of red licorice, a bottle of hand sanitizer, a folded sheet of paper…
Rob sat back, unfolded it, and found a detailed map of Pine Mountain. As he studied it, his blood began to boil. The lodge, the model homes, the cabins, and the roads, were all penciled in. Models B, C, D, E, and F were marked out. Model A wasn’t, and it wasn’t tampered with, either. The lodge was also unmarked, and that gave him grim hope that it was also unaffected.
No thanks to these guys, he scowled. If they had their way, it would’ve been next. Rob removed his phone from the inside pocket of his coat, and took a photo of the map. There was nothing written on the back, so he folded it and returned it to the console. He closed it, and the latch caught with a click. He climbed out of the middle row and slammed the door, then flung open the passenger side.
Gone was his apprehension. All that was left, was outrage at what these men, and this group, almost cost him and Erik. Outrage that his little brother—and Samantha’s little sister—were now in danger, because the person behind all this, was determined to erase his tracks.
Rob grabbed the front of Stilton’s jacket and searched his pockets, only to find an open package of cigarettes, and a lighter. With a glare, and considerable difficulty, he searched the pockets of his jeans, and found the wallet, keys, and change, he was expecting. The keys and change were of no use whatsoever. The wallet, he searched carefully. Stilton’s driver’s license, two credit cards, a ten-dollar bill, a five, and two ones, were its sole contents. Rob took a picture of the license, which the Sheriff might want. Then he returned Stilton’s belongings and moved to the driver’s side, and Randall Jerome.
No keys, which was no surprise, since they were dangling from the ignition. Jerome had no change, either. But when Rob searched his wallet, he did find a business card.
A number was handwritten on the back. On the front, was printed Stevens Construction.
Chapter 22
SAMANTHA heard the pounding of feet on the back porch, and ran to the door. She threw it open as Rob reached for the knob, and he nearly lost his balance. She grabbed the front of his coat, and pulled him inside.
“Am I ever glad to see you,” she exclaimed, hurrying him out of his snow-covered clothing. “I was so afraid you’d be caught in the storm, and—you must be freezing!”
Between his weather appropriate attire, his mental state at discovering Conner Steven’s business card in Randall Jerome’s wallet, and the exertion of beating the returning blizzard back to the cabin, he was more over heated, than he was under. Samantha was preoccupied with leading him to the couch and cuddling up with him there, so he didn’t bother telling her that.
But, he did have a call that absolutely must be made.
“I’m glad to see you too,” Rob said, and they both looked up as a blast of wind struck the cabin. “Before I do anything else, I’ve got to call Erik.”
“Did you find something?” her eyebrows knit.
“Yes… I’m afraid I did. What it means, I don’t know. I need to talk to Erik.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” she said in concern, as he woke his phone, and selected his brother’s number.
“It probably isn’t,” Rob replied, as he waited for his brother to pick up.
“Rob. What did you find?” Erik answered.
“Aside from the obvious, a map of Pine Mountain. The models and lodge were penciled in, and labeled. So were the roads.”
“So Avenger is one of the contractors that bid on the development,” Erik stated. “It makes the most sense. Who else would have any idea what Mr. Henry had planned, and have something to gain if we failed?”
“Yeah, it uh… does makes sense,” Rob agreed.
“Was there any indication where the map came from?” Erik asked.
“Not on the map itself. I’m texting it to you now, along with what else I found,” Rob replied, as he did so. “I don’t know what to make of this, but I found a business card for Stevens Construction, on Jerome.”
“What?” Erik asked sharply.
“I found a business card for Conner’s company on Jerome, that’s what I said,” Rob confirmed. “There’s a number on the back. It might tell you something, if you can figure out who it belongs to.”
“Why would Randall Jerome have a business card for Stevens Construction?” Erik tried to fathom.
“I don’t know. Unless Conner’s involved,” Rob forced himself to acknowledge.
“I can’t believe… You don’t think so, either. Do you?” Erik questioned.
“I don’t know what to think. I really don’t. But that’s what I found. That’s all I found, because that’s all there is. If Jerome had a phone, it isn’t in the SUV.”
“That’s fine,” Erik said, as he studied the image of Conner’s card on the screen of his own cellphone. “We got his texts and email, already. His contacts, too. I’m not sure what more we’d get off that.”
“Okay, well… good. And you two owe me. Speaking of you two, it’s unusually quiet on your end. Where’s Amber?”
“She’s right here,” Erik said, as she entered the room, bearing pie. Caleb wasn’t with her, so he put the phone on speaker.
“You’re obviously referring to me,” Amber replied, as she set the plates of dessert on the table. “Is that Rob?”
“Hi, Amber,” her brother-in-law answered.
“Hi. So what did you find?” she replied, as she joined Erik on the couch, with an enthusiastic bounce. She saw the image on his phone, and her eyes widened. “You found that in the car?”
“The SUV, and yes,” Erik answered. The thought that Conner might be involved, made him feel ill. She saw the look in his eyes, and toned down her excitement.
“Anything else?” she asked.
“A map of the development,” Rob answered, and Erik swiped to the next photo. Amber studied it briefly.
“The guy who’s working on the ski lift said it looked fine when he left on Monday,” Amber commented. “Since it isn’t marked off, and they were headed that way, then it’s probably alright.”
“That’s comforting at least,” Rob replied. “Now what’s your plan?”
“It could still be someone involved in Conner’s company, without him knowing,” Erik reasoned. “It’s his card, fine, but that doesn’t mean he gave it to Jerome. We need to figure out whose number is on the back.”
“You might want to call your grandfather, too,” Amber said gently. “I know you don’t believe Conner’s involved. But we don’t know for certain. You said you thought Conner stepped down, to make a place for you and Rob to step in. Are you absolutely positive your grandfather didn’t encourage him to do that?”
There was silence as Rob and Erik considered that.
“I… don’t know,” Erik finally answered.
“If it wasn’t Conner’s idea, Grampa never said anything about it,” Rob added. “But… you’re right. We need to find out.”
“I know, you’re right,” Erik replied soberly. “I’ll call and ask.”
“You said Conner was more like a son to him, than your father was,” Amber persisted, as she reached for Erik’s hand supportively, in an effort to soften her words. Although if he wanted to get back to wherever they were before her dad barged in, she wouldn’t complain. Unless he was about to tell her he didn’t like her like that, and that he could tell she did like him, like that. She frowned a little.
Erik was both distracted and encouraged, when she held his hand. Her frown sent him back to the roller coaster.
“What are you saying, maybe Conner expected to be made partner, or something?” Rob questioned.
“Huh?” Erik and Amber both responded. Now Rob frowned.
“You just said—never mind. I’ll leave you two to call Grampa, and figure it out. I’ve done my best to find out who Avenger is, and then some. You both owe me, don’t forget. I’ll have a list for you by the time Samantha and I get back. I’m calling the sheriff to tell him about Jerome’s and Stilton’s deaths, unless you have some reason to go back and not break-in again.”
“No, we’re good,” Erik replied. Amber was still holding his hand… although she did look serious, and a little preoccupied.
“Alright. Be careful, and I’ll talk to you later,” Rob said, and ended their call.
“You think it’s Conner Stevens?” Samantha asked, her eyes filled with concern.
“I don’t know what to think,” Rob admitted, as he looked up the number for the sheriff office. “There’s not anything more I can do to help figure it out, so… I need to make one more call, then I’m all yours.”
“I love the sound of that,” she replied, and they both smiled.
ERIK glanced at Amber. There was a faint crease between her eyes, and she appeared to be lost in thought. Maybe that was why she still held his hand.
He needed to admit how he felt, and… deal with the consequences, if she didn’t feel the same. That thought made him nervous, but the thought of alleviating his uncertainty, brought relief.
He would talk to her. But… she did look preoccupied, and
he had a phone call to make. And yes, he was chickening out, he admitted to himself. Being on a perpetual roller coaster was better than hearing her say she only liked him as a much older friend.
Erik sighed quietly, and selected his grandfather’s number. Amber heard the phone ringing on the other end of the line, and was drawn out of her distraction. She loosened her grip on his hand a little, but she didn’t let go—
“It’s good to hear from you, son. How are you?” his grandfather answered, and Erik set the phone on speaker.
“I’m good, Grampa. So is Amber, she’s here with me,” he made certain to point out.
“Hi, Mr. Davison,” Amber greeted him.
“How are you, Amber?” his grandfather replied. “How’s the baby?”
Erik heard the teasing in his voice, although she probably didn’t.
“He’s great,” Amber said. She wondered how Erik’s and Rob’s grandparents would take it, when they found out Caleb was actually their great-grandson. “I think Erik wore him out, when they were playing this morning. He’s on his second nap.”
“We enjoyed getting to visit with you this week. I hope we get to do it again, some time,” his grandfather said.
“Sure, why not,” Amber replied. With Caleb’s father and mother now reconciled, it was inevitable. Samantha would have to tell Rob sometime, and then everyone would know… She wondered how Erik would take it, when he found out.
“That sounds great, we’ll have to come visit again soon,” Erik said. “I’m not sure how to say this, Grampa, but… when Conner Stevens left Davison Construction, whose idea was it? His, or yours?”
“Hm. Well, I’d say it was his, I suppose. I did want you boys to take over for me someday, if you wanted to, and Conner knew that,” his grandfather answered.
“Conner knew. It wasn’t a surprise to him,” Erik restated.
“It was no surprise,” his grandfather confirmed. “You mind telling me what you’re thinking? It sounds like you suspect he might have something to do with the problems you’ve had.”
Disengaged (Terms of Engagement Book 3) Page 37