“Thank you.” He pulled out his phone and dialed Gilbert’s number as he ran down the road, looking right and left, hoping to catch a glimpse of Raine.
“What’s up, Levi?”
“That bastard grabbed Raine while she was in the bathroom this morning. I thought she was still inside until a woman came out and said the place was empty. She described a big man holding a woman against his side, walking down the road. Maybe he knocked Raine out or drugged her or something.”
“I’m parked near the entrance to Upper Pines. I’ve been here all night, and no one has driven out of the campground in the last ten minutes. The alert I put out didn’t turn up a gray Explorer in the park, either.”
Levi clenched his hands into fists as dread filled him. “Maybe he dumped her in a tent somewhere. If she’s out cold—”
“Time to question Foster. I can’t hold him without evidence, but maybe he’ll slip up and say something useful. I’ll meet you at your campsite in a couple of minutes, just as soon as I get a search started.”
“Okay.” He stuck his phone in his pocket and headed back to their campsite.
Neither Matt nor Ava was up, but snoring still came from the green tent on his right. Stalking past the fire ring filled with ash and the sodden remains of a charred log, he bent to unzip the flap.
“Get up.” He kicked the bottom of the sleeping bag, connected with a foot, and the snoring stopped.
Matt rolled over, but his head was still buried inside the bag. “What the hell? Leave me alone,” he mumbled.
“Get your ass out of the tent. Now.” Levi kicked him again.
“Jesus Christ.” Matt sat up and glared at him. “What’s your problem, dude?”
“My problem is you.” He turned as Gilbert parked next to his pickup and slammed the door. “Get up. The detective has some questions for you.”
Matt crawled out of his tent, wearing the same clothes he’d had on the night before, and blinked red eyes. “Isn’t that the cop who questioned us when Cooper died?”
“Don’t you mean when Cooper was killed? Yes, it is.”
“Why are you looking at me like that? Christ, my head hurts. I should never have started doing shots last night. I need some aspirin.”
Gilbert approached them, his face stoic. “I have some questions for you, Mr. Foster. I’d appreciate it if you’d give me a few minutes of your time.”
“Sure, but I need to pop a couple of aspirin and use the, uh, facilities first.”
“I’ll walk with you.” He retreated a couple of paces as Matt slipped on the shoes he’d left beside the tent door and rose to his feet.
“Sure. Is there a problem, Detective?”
“New information has turned up in our investigation, and I’m hoping you can shed a little light on it.”
“Should I call my lawyer?” His laugh trailed off as he met Levi’s gaze. “For Christ’s sake, you look like someone just died. What the hell happened?”
When Levi stepped forward, fists clenched, the detective grabbed his arm. “If you need to use the restroom, Mr. Foster, let’s go. Time is of the essence.”
As the two men walked away, Levi pulled out his phone with a shaking hand and dialed Raine’s number. If the asshole who’d grabbed her picked up . . .
Faint ringing sounded from inside their tent, and he swore softly. After unzipping the door, a quick search turned up her cell phone in the pocket of the heavy jacket she’d been wearing at the campfire the previous night.
Closing his eyes, he rubbed his temples. Surely, he could be doing something right now to find her. Standing around, simply waiting, was killing him. His gaze strayed toward Ava’s tent, but there was no movement from inside the nylon walls. How anyone could sleep through raised voices literally feet away was beyond him, but she’d been drinking pretty heavily the night before. The wine bottle leaning against the firepit was empty, and she’d done at least a couple of tequila shots with Matt.
When footsteps approached on the road, Levi spun around. Matt entered the site and dropped onto the picnic table bench. Gilbert followed close behind, talking on his phone. He hung up a few seconds later and stood with his arms crossed over his chest, regarding the other man.
“Any news?” Levi asked.
“Rangers are checking tents both here and in Curry Village. Most people have been cooperative, but we’ve had no luck so far. Still no sign of the Explorer. Every official in the park is on alert.”
Matt straightened and blinked a couple of times. “What’s going on? Where are Raine and Ava?”
“Ava is still asleep.” Levi glanced over at the detective. At his nod, he planted his hands on the table and leaned forward. “We don’t know where Raine is. The bastard who’s been trying to kill her grabbed her this morning.”
Matt’s jaw sagged. “Who . . . Why . . .”
“Because the person who shoved Cooper Swanson off a cliff believes Raine saw something that night.” Gilbert’s eyes narrowed. “Which is why we need to talk.”
“I’d love to help, but I don’t know what happened to Cooper. Or Raine. Is that why you’re looking at me like you want to punch me, Levi? You believe I would hurt Raine?”
“That remains to be seen, but I know a whole lot about you, Mr. Foster.” Gilbert’s words were clipped. “For example, we discovered one of your clients lost a fortune investing with Cooper Swanson. Does the name Vlad Malikov ring any bells? If you tell us where Raine is right now, I can try to make a deal to reduce your sentence once the indictments are handed down.”
“What indictments? I didn’t do anything wrong.” Some of the color leached out of Matt’s face. “While we were on our backpacking trip, I admit I talked to Cooper about reimbursing my client. So did Bobby B and Camille. Cooper robbed us all blind. But that’s all I did. Talk.”
“Why don’t I believe you, Mr. Foster?”
“Well, you should.” He gripped the edge of the picnic table. “Cooper swore he was trying to recoup our losses and would give us at least some of our money back. Probably a total lie, but he sure wasn’t any good to my client dead.”
“You’re telling me the Russian mob didn’t demand reparations? That they were willing to let a crook who cheated them out of a half a million bucks simply walk away?”
“Look, I don’t give a shit about what happened to Cooper.” The vein in Levi’s temple throbbed. “All I care about right now is Raine. Where the hell did your goon take her?”
“I didn’t touch Raine.” Green tinged Matt’s skin, and he looked like he might puke. “If Vlad sent someone after her, he sure as hell didn’t inform me of his intentions. But I don’t understand why he would consider Raine a threat. It’s not like he was up here hiking in June. He was in Vegas at a bachelor party that weekend.”
“Here’s what I think.” The detective’s voice was cool. “I think Vlad’s father gave you an ultimatum, and you got into an argument with Swanson. Things got out of control. You shoved him and freaked out when you realized he was dead. Then, to add to your problems, Raine was awake when you got back to your campsite shortly after midnight. Ever since, you and your pal have been trying your best to eliminate her before we got the proof we needed to back up her testimony. How am I doing so far?”
“Not good. None of that is true. Vlad didn’t even tell his father about losing the money since this isn’t the first time one of his risky investments went south on him. He’s scared to death of his old man. I promised Vlad I’d talk to Cooper and see what I could do. The rest of your scenario is total crap, and you sure as hell can’t prove something that didn’t happen.”
When his phone rang, Gilbert stepped away from the table to answer it.
Matt took a few deep breaths and let them out slowly before meeting Levi’s gaze. “Some friend you are, believing that shit about me.”
“After Cooper was killed, we all knew someone in our group was likely responsible.” Doubt nagged at Levi. The genuine hurt in Matt’s eyes couldn’t be easily faked.
“You aren’t the only member of our old club Detective Gilbert checked out. But you’re the only one who is working for the Russian mob.”
“The Malikovs have a right to legal representation, just like everyone else. My firm provides that. Doesn’t mean I would hurt Raine, for God’s sake.”
“Well, someone tried to run her down is San Francisco, which is how she broke her wrist. And the bastard who grabbed her this morning has been stalking her in Truckee. Yesterday on our hike, he shoved her off the trail. She would have wound up dead like Cooper if I hadn’t grabbed her when she went over the cliff.”
“That’s freaking crazy! I didn’t hire some lunatic to hurt Raine. I swear on my mother’s life.”
“Looks like the lunatic has a name.” Gilbert approached the table. “Sullivan Dwyer owns a gray Explorer with a storage container on top. It’s currently parked outside his home in Sacramento. The man has a couple of priors for public intoxication and vandalism.” Gilbert held up his phone. “Is this the guy you saw outside the showers yesterday?”
Levi studied the mugshot on the screen. “That’s him. If his vehicle is in Sacramento—”
“According to his neighbor, he also owns an old VW camper van, which he rarely drives. It’s not currently on his property. We got the plate number from the DMV, and I don’t imagine it’ll be long before someone spots it here in the park.”
“That name sounds familiar.” Matt frowned. “Who’s this Dwyer guy?”
“You screwed yourself, Matt.” Levi did his best to hold his anger in check when all he wanted to do was grab the man around the neck and squeeze. “Dwyer is the person who booked our campground reservation, so you can’t very well deny knowing him.”
“We ran the name through the law enforcement database to see if you had ties to him but couldn’t find anything concrete.” The detective’s eyes narrowed. “We just received the information about his vehicles a few minutes ago.”
Comprehension dawned in Matt’s blue eyes. “When Ava and I talked about going camping, she said she knew someone who would let us have his reservation in Yosemite.”
“You told me this trip was your idea,” Levi spoke sharply.
“Not exactly. Ava brought up the subject when I called her, but then she backed off. She said it would probably be a mistake to come here. I convinced her she needed to find a way to confront what happened to Cooper and move on with her life. That’s when she mentioned the campsite.”
Levi turned to stare at Ava’s tent before sprinting around the table.
“Hold up.” Gilbert clamped a hand on his shoulder as they stopped beside a pair of hiking boots resting on the tarp in front of her tent. “Ms. Talbot, this is Detective Gilbert with the National Park Police. Come out, please. I need to speak with you.”
Nothing stirred. Not even a shadow against the tent wall.
The detective bent to unzip the door. “She’s not in there, but she left her sleeping bag and clothes.”
“Shit!” Levi let loose a string of curses. “Her daypack is missing. I’m not sure what else. I never heard her get up, and I was awake at dawn. Do you really think—”
The detective held up his hand as he barked orders into his phone. Finishing his conversation, he tucked the cell into his pocket. “We’ll look for a link between Ms. Talbot and Sullivan Dwyer. Hopefully we can locate that van before they . . . uh . . .”
“Kill Raine and dispose of her body?” Feeling more than a little lightheaded, Levi braced his feet and faced Matt. “Do you have any idea where Ava would go?”
“Not a clue. We’ve talked a few times since our backpacking trip in June. She’s been struggling with Cooper’s death. Anger. Depression. Anxiety. I wanted to help her since I always had a soft spot for Ava. Of course, if she actually pushed Cooper over that cliff, I can see why she’s been having issues.”
“No kidding, but I don’t give two shits about her problems. Eliminating Raine sure as hell isn’t the best way to make them go away. All I care about right now is finding her.”
“She must be with Dwyer since her vehicle is still here.” The detective nodded at the older, white compact squeezed in next to Matt’s Ferrari.
“I was kind of surprised she wasn’t driving Cooper’s Camaro. Ava loves that car, and I guess his parents have been letting her drive it.”
Levi stared at Matt as bits of his conversation with Raine’s old neighbor, Fred, sifted through his mind. They’d been standing in the apartment building lobby, talking about the car that had nearly hit her.
“The maniac who tried to run Raine down in San Francisco drove an old Camaro.”
“Damn.” Gilbert pressed his lips into a tight line. “At the time, we checked vehicle records for anyone we considered a suspect, but Cooper Swanson wasn’t included in that search. Based on this new information, it looks like I jumped to conclusions about you, Mr. Foster.”
Matt narrowed his eyes on the detective. “You sure as hell did.”
“I’m sorry, Matt.” Levi kicked a rock. “If it helps, I didn’t trust anyone who was with us on that hike. Not when Raine’s life was at stake—and still is.”
“Too little too late.” His tone was curt. “You’re a real asshole.”
Silence stretched between them, broken by a ringing phone.
Gilbert answered and listened for a moment. “Thanks. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
“Did they find Raine?” Levi held his breath.
“Not yet, but Dwyer’s VW van has been spotted. I’ll call you just as soon as I know something.”
“Oh, hell no you won’t. One way or another, I’m going with you.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Raine lay in the back of a van, her wrists chained to the leg of the table beside the bed—with velvet lined handcuffs. Despite their frivolous nature, the cuffs were surprisingly sturdy, and no amount of jerking had loosened the locking mechanism in the slightest. Tears slid down her cheeks, and her hands shook as she pulled against the restraints.
From her current position, she could only see the back of the driver’s head. Definitely the man who had grabbed her in the bathroom. He occasionally said something to the person in the passenger seat, but neither spoke loudly enough for her to hear their conversation. Though she couldn’t see his partner, her money was on Matt.
Bastard.
The duct tape across her mouth tugged at her skin, and her arms were bent at an awkward angle. The least he could have done was make her more comfortable when he chained her up. Having regained consciousness maybe fifteen minutes earlier, feeling nauseous and with her head pounding, she had no idea how long they’d been traveling. The curtains were drawn tightly across the windows in the rear of the van, and all she could see out the windshield was an ever-brightening, blue sky and the tops of trees.
Taking a few deep breaths through her nose, she tried to calm her queasy stomach. Impossible when fear held her in a merciless grip. Surely Detective Gilbert had every official in the park out looking for her. Her heart ached, just imagining how worried Levi must be. She had no idea where these two were taking her, or how long they intended to keep her alive, but she’d do her damnedest to give the police enough time to find her.
I sure as hell don’t have anything to lose.
Suddenly, the light outside disappeared completely, and the sound of the tires on the pavement echoed weirdly, along with the rush of other vehicles passing in the opposite direction. She forced her throbbing brain to think. A tunnel. They were in a long tunnel. Finally, they burst out into the light, and she blinked against the glare. The Wawona Tunnel was far longer than the one on Highway 120, so they must be headed toward the Mariposa Grove at the southern entrance to the park.
Not that knowing where she was would help since she had no way to communicate her location to Detective Gilbert. Or Levi. Closing her eyes, she fought back more tears, praying she would have the opportunity to see him again.
To spend the rest of my life with the man I lo
ve.
Not long afterward, they slowed to a stop and made a hard left turn before picking up speed again.
What the hell? Why had they turned when they couldn’t be anywhere near Wawona yet?
Raine tried to recall what she knew about the roads inside Yosemite, and the knowledge finally clicked. They were on the Glacier Point Road, which led to a dead end high above the valley floor. Surely, the bastard who’d abducted her didn’t plan to drag her out of the van into a crowd of tourists and shove her over one of Yosemite’s most iconic landmarks?
Pulling against the cuffs until her wrists ached, terror that they were nearing their final destination gave her strength she hadn’t know she possessed. But she still couldn’t break free. The van slowed again and made a right-hand turn, rolling to a stop.
Apparently, her time was up.
The driver turned to face his passenger. “I don’t see anyone around, do you?”
“Only a few cars parked down that way. Probably hikers who left them there for the day. I think we have to risk it.”
“Easy for you to say. If someone notices us, it isn’t your damn van.”
“We have to take the chance. This is the way we planned it.”
He grunted and hit the gas. They bumped along an unpaved road while Raine’s pulse raced. Breathing deeply, she tried to calm her heart rate.
Not Matt. The voice had been distinctly female—and one she knew well. Ava. If the authorities were wasting their time questioning Matt . . .
Her shoulder slammed into the edge of the table as she bounced and jolted on the bed when the van left the road and finally came to a stop. The engine died, and the driver unfastened his seatbelt. Turning, he met her gaze.
“She’s wide awake back here.”
“Good. I have a few questions to ask her before we do this.”
A chill slid through her, and she bit her lip beneath the tape as Ava got out of her seat and leaned one arm on the headrest to stare at her.
“I’m sorry this is the way things turned out. You know Cooper deserved exactly what he got, but I can’t trust you to keep your mouth shut any longer.”
Midnight Reckoning (Leave No Trace Book 1) Page 26