Hunted

by Margaret Daley

  The finality in his voice robbed Megan of a reply. If someone needed assistance, she would do the same thing. It would be hard for her to walk away from a person in need.

  “We have to figure out what’s going on. Paying a visit to the crime scene might be a way to jog your memory.”

  “I hope so, too.”

  There was a part of her that wanted to go to the school and remember everything that happened, but there was a part that didn’t. She was afraid of what she would recall. Could it be worse than seeing Shelly on the restroom floor dead? She’d known Shelly Baird as a nurse and member of the staff, but they weren’t friends. Shelly had been a new employee of the district last year and someone she only saw in a professional capacity.

  Once Luke arrived at the highway that led to her town, he stopped and got out of the truck. “Be right back.”

  Momentarily Megan thought about driving off and leaving him, but as though he’d considered that, he climbed into the cab less than a minute later.

  He switched on the headlights and pulled out onto the highway. “I had tape over the taillights. I took it off.”

  The thought of Luke taking care of everything comforted Megan. But she kept her vigilance on the road for anyone that might be following them. Until they grew closer to Sweetwater City, their truck was the only vehicle. The closer they got to town, the more traffic appeared. Her tension increased.

  Luke found a place in the park to wait for the time they were to meet Clay. From the street, the truck was hidden from view, and for the time being, she relaxed and leaned her head against her window.

  “We have two hours. You should get some rest, Megan. Later, we’ll need to hike up a mountain.”

  She scanned her surroundings. She couldn’t see much but an occasional far-off light through the foliage. “I’ll try. I’m exhausted but not sleepy.”

  “Come here.” Luke drew her closer to him, his arm cradling her against him. “Since this old truck doesn’t have bucket seats, stretch out as much as you can. Close your eyes and think of being in a bed in a safe place.”

  She chuckled. “That might test my imagination.”

  But his nearness lured her toward a sense of safety. The last thing she remembered was Shep moving around in the backseat. The thought of both of them guarding her whisked her into a deep sleep…

  The sound of a bird tweeting floated to Megan and dragged her awake. For a few seconds, she couldn’t remember where she was. Her cheek pressed against a leather seat. Her legs were curled up against her. Her surroundings finally registered as dim light filtered in around her. Bud’s truck.

  Suddenly she shot up and twisted around.

  Where were Shep and Luke?

  Chapter Eight

  Luke looked through his binoculars in the predawn light at the back entrance into the elementary school. Everything appeared all right. But he couldn’t shake the sensation he was being watched like at the barn. Although he left Shep guarding the truck outside, he needed to get back to it before Megan woke up. Clay should be here soon, and then they could get the visit to the possible crime scene over with. He’d feel better when they could disappear in the wilderness and hoped that Clay could figure out what was going on in Sweetwater City.

  When he spied Clay’s patrol car pulling up to the rear of the school, Luke turned to go back to the truck. As he approached it, Megan thrust the door open and hopped down. Shep came up to her, wagging his tail. She bent over and hugged his dog. Luke moved toward her. She lifted her gaze to him, fear carved into her expression.

  She shot up. “Where have you been? I thought something happened to you and Shep.” Her loud voice rang through their hiding place.

  He put his forefinger against his lips and quickly cut the distance between them. Leaning toward her, he whispered, “Sorry. I wanted to check out the school before we go there. I wasn’t far away. You were safe with Shep.”

  “I thought he was with you.” Her soft words still held the panic he’d seen in her eyes.

  He certainly hadn’t meant to scare her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “I didn’t want to wake you. You were sleeping so soundly.” She felt good against him. They hadn’t known each other more than twenty-four hours, yet she’d become important to him. “Clay’s here. We need to go now. I’ll feel better when we’re out of Sweetwater City.”

  “Me, too.” She pulled back and looked up at him.

  He cupped her face. There was something about her that attracted him. “We’ll get through this. You aren’t alone. I have your back.”

  In the dim light from pre-dawn, Megan smiled.

  It reached deep into his heart. His throat tightened. “Let’s go.” He looked down at Shep. “Stay. Guard.” He opened the cab door for his dog to jump inside, cracked all the windows and then locked the truck. He didn’t want anyone bothering the pickup while they were gone. Shep could appear ferocious when needed. “I don’t want to keep Clay waiting.” He took her hand.

  At the street that separated the park and the main school campus, Luke panned the area around them, studying the shadows. Quiet reigned. He hurried with Megan across the road and into the rear parking lot by the gym. Clay exited his car and waited for them.

  “You heard the news about Riverdale?” Luke asked as they headed toward the back entrance into the elementary school.

  “You know I did. It’s my job. Liliana’s fine. Because it looks like arson, I called another state police officer in to deal with it. One of Zach’s specialties is arson. I came here when Zach arrived at the farm. He’s working with the fire department and the sheriff.”

  “Any questions about where I am?”

  “Liliana told everyone that you’re away. The sheriff asked where you were, but all she said was that you’re on the road.”

  Megan dug into the pocket of her jeans, removed the key to the building, and inserted it into the lock. When she entered the school, she inputted the code on the security pad near the entrance. As they walked toward the restroom in question, Megan led the way. When she rounded a corner, the hallway before them was darker than the previous one. Luke glanced at Megan. Her mouth tightened. He wouldn’t be surprised that memories must be assailing Megan concerning the last time she’d turned this corner.

  “Now I understand why you didn’t see the face of the suspect well.” Luke walked beside her.

  “My hall is the darkest one in the school.” She came to a stop at a door with women written on it.

  Clay moved to the door, pushed it open, and switched on the overhead light. “Let’s see if we can find any blood residue on the floor.”

  Luke walked to the entrance while Clay sprayed Luminal on the floor.

  Clay stood on the other side of the restroom. “Flip the light off.”

  Luke stared at a few places that glowed and glanced back at Megan. “Where was Shelly lying?”

  “In front of the middle stall door.”

  “Take a look.” Luke moved to the side to allow Megan to peer inside.

  She remained where she stood several yards away from the restroom. “I can’t!”

  * * *

  With her heartbeat thudding against her ribcage, Megan stared at Luke. She couldn’t move forward. She wanted to, but her feet were rooted to the tiles as though blocks of cement were attached. Sweat coursed down her face and dropped to the floor. Tremors rippled through her.

  Luke let the door shut, covered the distance between them, and took her hands. “Do you want to figure out what happened to you?”

  She nodded, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

  “Then we’ll go together. I’m here for you. Clay is, too.” Hands linked, he took a step backward.

  But Megan didn’t move. Her gaze zeroed in on the dark entrance. It taunted her. She squeezed her eyes closed, but in her mind, she still saw the black opening beckoning her. If she didn’t deal with it, what happened would haunt her forever. She needed to find out the truth.

  Megan loo
ked at Luke and slid her left foot toward him then her right one.

  “You can do this.”

  Her steps leaden, she closed the space between her and the restroom. Luke pushed the door open and stood next to her as she peered inside. Her gaze riveted to the evidence of blood—Shelly’s—on the tiles. “That’s where Shelly was.”

  “Do you remember anything about Thursday morning?” Luke flipped on the light.

  With words stuck in her throat, she shook her head. She’d never seen someone die like Shelly had, her blood pooling on the restroom floor.

  “We need to leave before it gets too late.” Slightly behind her, Luke laid a hand on her shoulder.

  “I agree. I’ll go see Chief Franklin about the crime scene.” Clay made his way toward them, circling around where the blood evidence was.

  Megan swallowed several times. “What are you going to tell the police chief?”

  “I received a tip that Shelly was killed in the restroom. This scene needs to be processed. There may be other pieces of evidence.”

  “Good. While you do that, we’re going to disappear. I’ll call later to see what Chief Franklin said. Remember my cell phone will be disconnected.”

  They exited the school.

  “Keep in touch at least once a day,” Clay said.

  “Will you check in on Liliana for me? I don’t want to drag her in any more than she already is.”

  Clay nodded and opened his driver side door. “Hop in. I’ll drive you to your truck. The longer you two are on the street, the better chance you’ll be recognized. Whoever’s behind this is willing to kill to stop you.”

  “When you go to see Chief Franklin, that could include you, too.” Luke waited until Megan slid into the backseat before he sat in the front passenger seat.

  “I know. That’s why I brought in another state police officer.”

  Would that be enough? She didn’t even know why someone would murder Shelly. This kind of crime spree didn’t happen in Sweetwater City. She closed her eyes and rubbed her fingertips against her temples. She’d hoped returning to the restroom would give her a hint at the very least to what happened—like why someone would murder Shelly—but her mind remained locked as tight as the gold vault at Fort Knox. Maybe she was trying too hard. Getting away from the town and the threat hanging over her head might be what she needed to remember. She hoped so.

  God, I need You. Please help me to recall what went on Thursday.

  * * *

  Luke parked Bud’s truck in the grove he’d used before when coming to the cabin near the top of the small mountain. This was as far as he could drive and a good place to hide the pickup. He and Megan would have to hike the rest of the way.

  “Will the truck be okay here?” Megan asked as she opened the front passenger door.

  “I’ve camped here several times and haven’t had a problem. This is off the beaten track. A friend of my cousin uses it a couple of times a year. The rest of the time he’s let us stay there when we want to get away from civilization.”

  “Then it’s perfect for us.” She jumped down to the ground while Luke exited the other side.

  He let Shep out of the backseat. “We have a lot to carry. I want to do it all in one trip.”

  Megan looked up the mountain. “How far?”

  “Around twelve hundred feet up the back side.”

  “We have to go around then up?”

  Luke nodded while he let the tailgate down and hopped up into the bed. “I’ll pass you our equipment and food.”

  “You brought a tent. I thought we were staying in the cabin.” She took the canvas bag from him.

  “I like to be prepared in case we need another place to stay. It’s a small one, though.”

  “Someone might find us here?”

  Luke gave her a backpack. “Like I said, I want to be ready for any kind of situation that might develop. I learned that while involved in search and rescues.”

  “You know my idea of roughing it is a two-star hotel room. I’ve never gone camping overnight. I’ve hiked, but that’s the extent of my abilities involving the outdoors. And the only reason I’ve done that is because hiking isn’t that hard. It’s just like walking down the street.”

  He laughed. “Not some of the places I’ve hiked.”

  After the equipment and supplies were on the ground, Luke vaulted over the side of the truck and landed a few feet from Megan.

  “You’ve got energy after the night we’ve had?”

  “I love the outdoors. It invigorates me. We’ll take it slow and easy up the side of the hill.”

  “It’s a mountain. It’s over a thousand feet tall.”

  Luke handed her the lightest backpack, which she put on. “It’s a tiny mountain compared to some I’ve climbed.”

  Megan smiled, her blue eyes lighting up. “Thanks for taking my mind off what’s going on for a moment.” She reached for the nearest duffel bag.

  “Here, you take this one. It’s not as heavy.”

  “But you have two that you’re going to carry. The least I can do is take the heavier one. I can pull my own weight.”

  “Okay. I’ve learned not to argue with you over the small stuff.” He couldn’t believe it had only been the day before that he’d met her. After the ordeal she’d gone through, she’d been intent on helping him as much as possible. A lot had happened since his first encounter with Megan.

  “I call that progress.”

  Luke shut the tailgate and locked the truck then pointed to Megan. “Shep, guard. Keep up with me. If I go too fast, tell me. Let’s go. First, we’ll hike around part of the hill—I mean mountain—then up.”

  In spite of little sleep and a traumatic couple of days, Megan kept up with Luke’s pace. He didn’t go nearly as fast as he would if he was alone. Earlier at the school he’d hoped she would remember the man she’d seen leave the restroom. They were back to square one. When he arrived at the cabin, he would call Clay and see what happened when he went to see Chief Franklin. Maybe there was progress on the case, and they wouldn’t have to stay long on the mountain. He’d also have to contact Liliana. He hated leaving her alone to deal with the aftermath of the fire.

  But right now, Megan needed him more than anyone else. He glanced over his shoulder at her. She was focused on the rocky path upward. When she looked up at him, her cheeks flushed. A thin layer of perspiration dotted her face. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her breathing came out labored, but she uttered not a word of complaint.

  “Let’s take a break.”

  She lifted her head to peer up the mountain. “How much further do we have to go?”

  “Not too far. But I could use some rest.”

  She grinned. “You don’t have to pretend this is hard for you. But you aren’t going to hear me complain about stopping for a few minutes.” She slung her backpack to the ground and dropped to a leveled patch of grass. Shep sat next to her, and she ran her fingers through his fur.

  On her other side, Luke settled near Megan, seeing the exhaustion in her face. The emotional upheaval she’d gone through the past two days could break a lot of people, but without complaint she kept going. She reminded him of Rochelle—delicate on the outside and tough on the inside.

  He couldn’t change the past. He shook away the memories of his dead wife, needing to stay focused on protecting Megan. He looked at her reclining back with her eyes closed. “Megan,” he said in a soft voice.

  She didn’t move. Her exhaustion had overcome her. He studied her beautiful face with a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and a rosy tint to her cheeks. For a long moment, he stared at her full lips and wondered how they would feel against his. A light breeze blew a strand of her blonde hair across her forehead and right eye. He gently brushed it away, drawn to her calm, peaceful look in sleep as if those two men hadn’t tried to kill her. But they had, and he had no idea who they were.

  He lay on the grass next to Megan while Shep stood guard. Relaxing, Luke closed his e
yes. His last thought as sleep whisked him away was what would kissing Megan feel like.

  * * *

  Even though she shook from head to toe, Megan laid her palm against the restroom door and pushed it open. When she stepped inside, she turned on the overhead light, illuminating the horror on the white tiles. The school nurse lay face down, blood flowing from a slit on her neck. From the amount of blood on the floor, Shelly had to be dead.

  A scream welled up from the depths of her soul. A man had just left. Megan slapped her hand across her mouth to keep the scream inside.

  Megan fumbled with her purse and finally managed to retrieve her cell phone from its depths. As she punched nine, a slight sound behind her alerted her that she wasn’t alone. Before she had a chance to turn to see who it was, something struck her head. As the room swirled around her, she shot a look over her shoulder at the face of the head of the campus police, the metallic scent of blood added to the spinning room, nauseating her.

  That was the last thing she remembered as she sank to the floor.

  The next thing she recalled was waking up in the trunk of a car as it went over a bump, bouncing her against something in a plastic bag. She tried to move her hands to explore what was beside her. They were handcuffed behind her back. As she struggled to free herself, the vehicle hit another rough patch of road and bounced her continually against the plastic bag. The last pothole slammed Megan into the side of what felt like a face.

  Shelly!

  Fear strangled the scream inside her…

  Megan bolted upright, her eyes wide.

  Where was she? She scrambled to her feet, blinking at the brightness of the sun. She looked down. Shep sat, watching her.

  That’s right. We’re on the side of a mountain.

  She scanned the area. Where was Luke?

  He’s left me!

  After the dream she’d had, panic blanketed her in a cold chill in spite of the warmth of a summer day.