Plain Pursuit

by Alison Stone

  Anna tapped her fingers on the center console, realizing they were getting close to the cabin in her brother’s photos. As much as she wanted to clear his name, she feared finding something incriminating. What if witnessing their father murder their mother had shifted something in his personality? What if he had been warped enough to hurt a child? Eli reached over and covered her drumming fingers with his hand.

  She cut him a sideways glance. “Sorry, I can’t help it.’”

  “Let’s take it one step at a time, okay?” Eli smiled, the small gesture warming her heart.

  Anna nodded, unable to form words. The tips of her fingers began to tingle and she sent up a silent prayer. Dear Lord, please help me get through this.

  As they drove deeper into the woods, the thick canopy of tree branches swallowed them. The thick foliage and the clouds rolling in made it seem later than it really was. She ran a hand up and down her bare arms, wishing she had grabbed a sweater.

  Up ahead a downed tree blocked the road. Eli slowed the vehicle and leaned forward, narrowing his gaze.

  “We’re going to have to park here and walk the rest of the way. It’s not too far,” Katie Mae said, pulling on the door handle.

  They all climbed out of the SUV and assembled around front. Anna glanced down at her bare arms. She wasn’t exactly dressed for a trek through the woods.

  “We need to follow the road a little farther.” Katie Mae hiked her dress and climbed over the thick tree trunk in the road. She strode ahead, as if on an adventure.

  Eli grabbed Anna’s hand. “Let’s get moving. We don’t have a lot of time. From the looks of it, rain is on the way.” Without saying a word, Anna took his hand. He guided her over the tree and stuck close by as they trudged about a half mile. Anna tried not to make a big show of it, but every few feet she had to swat at the mosquitoes feasting on her flesh. Only Katie Mae chatted about this and that as they made their way deeper into the woods.

  When they reached a small clearing, a cabin came into view. Large sections of roof tile were missing. A wicker chair sat upended in the yard. The railing was broken, like the one in the photo. Anna’s knees grew weak. She was retracing Daniel’s steps. Had they lead to his death?

  The rich smell of damp soil reached her nose. The entire scene was dreary. She held her elbows tight to her sides and clasped her hands in front of her.

  Eli’s gaze swept over her. “You’re getting eaten alive.” He ran the back of his knuckle across her cheek. “There’s even one here.” His touch lingered. It was a completely innocent gesture, but she couldn’t deny the growing attraction melting her insides. A smile played on his lips as if he knew the effect his touch had.

  “I should have brought you back to my parents’ house. You don’t need to be out here.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  He lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “Okay, let’s go then.” He started walking again and Anna followed. His sister had already reached the cabin. “Wait up, Katie. Don’t go inside until I have a chance to check it out.”

  Nostalgia pulled at Anna’s heart when she heard the protectiveness in Eli’s voice. That’s how Daniel had always been to her. Protective. Now it was her turn to look out for her big brother one final time, if only to protect his reputation.

  “Don’t be such a worrywart.” Katie Mae climbed onto the porch and peered through the window. “No one’s around.” She had all the confidence of a young girl who had lived a very sheltered life. Now that Anna thought about it, it was a wonder her parents allowed her to have a job off the farm working for the Christophers. She thought the Millers would want to keep their only surviving daughter close at all times. But that wasn’t the way they lived. She had heard something once from a devout Christian that worrying was showing your lack of faith in God. Anna fisted her hands and squeezed, wishing she could learn from them. Worrying was a favorite pastime of hers.

  Visible through the small breaks in the branches, lightning continued to light up the sky. Thunder rumbled overhead. A rush of water rustled the leaves. Eli wrapped his arm around Anna’s shoulders and started jogging. Katie waited for them under the porch’s overhang. Head down, Anna ran alongside Eli, aware of his clean scent. Prior to Eli, she couldn’t remember the last time she had been under the protective arm of a man. Her heart shifted. Be careful, a voice inside her head whispered. This man has the power to destroy the reputation of the only family you ever really had.

  * * *

  Anna shivered against Eli’s arm. He squeezed her shoulder, the only physical contact he’d allow himself. As much as he sought justice for Mary, he feared finding his answers at the expense of this beautiful woman. Not exactly the foundation to build a relationship on. Glancing toward the cabin door, he found his sister staring at them with a huge smile.

  “Excuse me.” Eli dropped his arm from around Anna’s shoulder and brushed past his sister. He tested the door handle. It was unlocked, which made things easier for him, but it also begged the question—who else had access? Who didn’t? Teenagers probably used the deserted cabin as a hangout. “Wait here while I check things out.”

  Anna’s eyes flared wide, as if she didn’t trust him. Or did he detect a hint of fear? Her shoulders sagged in acquiescence. “Okay, but hurry.” She swatted at something on her ankle. “I’m getting eaten alive out here.”

  He stepped into the cabin. The trapped stale air mixed with pine assaulted his nose. A few beer cans littered the table next to the couch. An opened bag of chips sat on the cushion. He walked over and picked them up. The expiration date on the bag was two weeks ago.

  “Can we come in?” Katie called from the doorway.

  “One sec.” Eli did a quick sweep of the cabin, the two bedrooms, the bathroom and the closets. Whoever had been here wasn’t here now. Perhaps Daniel had been the last person here. And they all knew what happened to him. Eli made his way back to the front door and pulled it wide open. “Come on in.”

  Katie Mae breezed into the room and flopped down on the couch, the fabric of her full skirt landing in a swoosh. “I got a rock in my shoe.” Yanking at her boot, she worked at the laces without much regard for anything else.

  Anna stepped into the middle of the room, her thin arms around her middle. Her eyes grew wide as she took in her surroundings. He imagined she was thinking the same thing. Daniel had been here and he had Mary’s kapp. Eli scrubbed a hand over his face, fearing the answers he had been so close to finding may now elude him forever.

  “Where do we start?” Anna looked at him for guidance. He was about to answer when a huge clap of thunder made her jump. “Wow. That was close.”

  A torrential downpour pounded the roof while tree branches clawed at the walls. “We’ll take our time here so we don’t have to walk back through this weather.”

  “You don’t think anyone will find us here trespassing?” Anna asked, concern lining her pretty features.

  “Are you kidding?” Katie Mae spoke up. “The Christophers haven’t used this place in years. I heard them say as much when their grandchildren asked about it.” She lowered her voice. “Then they admonished the boys to never venture so deep in the woods. They said it wasn’t safe.” She pursed her lips. “And guessing from the way they take care of this place, I imagine they’re right.”

  “We’re fine,” Eli reassured Anna. “I called Dr. Christopher, Chase’s grandfather. He owns this property. He gave me permission to look around. Told me there’s nothing but cobwebs at that old place.”

  Eli strode over to the kitchen and opened and closed drawers and cupboards. His stomach sloshed with dread. He half hoped and half feared he’d find Mary’s kapp. But even if he did, what would it prove? Without saying a word, Anna strolled around the cabin, looking on bookshelves and under cushions.

  Katie Mae busied herself picking up the empty beer cans. She held one to her nose and
scrunched her face. “What are you guys looking for?”

  Eli caught Anna’s eye. “Something Daniel had.”

  Katie Mae didn’t ask for clarification and went back to tidying up.

  Anna approached Eli as he crouched and pulled out the contents of the closet in the bedroom. “You really don’t think we’ll find anything here, do you?”

  Eli sat back on his heels and scratched his forehead. “I don’t know what to think. Your brother obviously found my sister’s kapp—” he looked over Anna’s shoulder to make sure his sister was out of ear’s reach “—and he was standing outside this cabin when he took a photo of it. I’m trying to put together the pieces.”

  “Maybe it was his form of insurance.” Anna knelt down next to him. “He was afraid and by taking the photo, he wanted us to know he found the bonnet here.” Anna looked at him with hopeful eyes. He knew she really wanted him to believe Daniel was innocent in all this. He wasn’t convinced. Even if others had been involved, it didn’t automatically make Daniel innocent.

  Anna covered Eli’s hand with hers. He flipped his hand over so their palms touched. His gaze lingered on her face. He leaned over and wiped at a black smudge on her cheek. “I wish we had met under different circumstances.”

  A small smile curved the corners of her pink lips. “Me, too.”

  Closing his eyes, he cupped her soft cheek and pressed his forehead against hers. “You think this was God’s plan?” The scent of her fresh shampoo swirled around him.

  She whispered, “I wish I knew His plan.”

  He savored the moment a fraction longer, then pulled away and helped her to her feet. “I’ve fallen away from my faith, but I want to believe God has good things in store for you.”

  Nodding, she averted her eyes. Pink colored her cheeks.

  “Let’s see if there’s anything to be found in this place.” He strode away, ignoring the pain evident in her hazel eyes.

  THIRTEEN

  Anna closed her eyes, willing away the swirling panic. The quiet moment she shared with Eli seemed like a dream. Now the musty smell permeating the rundown cabin made the walls close in. Breathing in and out slowly, she stood rooted in place.

  Eli opened and closed the drawers in the dresser, each one banging shut a little louder. The frustration rolled off him in waves. “I don’t know where to start,” he muttered.

  Anna sent up a silent prayer that the truth didn’t mean destroying the warm feelings she had for her big brother. She wouldn’t be able to live with that. Forcing a tight smile, an idea took shape. “The photo was taken outside with the cabin in the background. Maybe we should search outside.” She flicked her gaze to the windows. Heavy rain sluiced down the panes, making it impossible to see outside. “If only it weren’t raining.”

  “Hopefully it will let up soon.” He sighed. “I’m afraid anything outside will be gone by now.” Eli paced the space in front of the bed. “But Daniel had to find it someplace where it had been kept safe for ten years.” A line creased his forehead. “Where would you hide something around here to keep it safe?”

  Anna rubbed her cheek. “Floorboards. Attic. A secret compartment in the wall.”

  Eli turned from searching a cabinet along the wall and smiled at her. A twinkle lit his eyes, a welcome change from the intensity she had witnessed only moments ago. She shrugged, heat warming her cheeks at his slow perusal of her face. “I watch a lot of crime shows,” she said in her defense.

  “Nothing wrong with that.” Eli strode out of the bedroom, tilting his face toward the ceiling. She did the same. No sign of an attic or a basement anywhere. He turned around and faced her. “We can’t start tearing up the floorboards. I can’t abuse Dr. Christopher’s trust like that. Maybe if a few boards are loose, we can peek.”

  “Why would you have to tear the floorboards apart?” Katie Mae asked.

  Eli hesitated, as if debating whether to tell his sister about Daniel’s discovery. “Sit down, Katie.”

  The strings from her bonnet dangled around her chin. “No, you’re scaring me.” Her eyes grew bright. “Is this about Mary?”

  Eli nodded.

  “I knew it. That’s what brought you back to Apple Creek.” Katie’s face grew paler.

  He reached out and took his sister’s hand. Anna stared as time slowed to a crawl. Eli’s words came out even, calm. “Daniel took a photograph of Mary’s kapp.”

  Katie Mae backed up and sat down on the sofa. Her brows snapped together. “How do you know it’s hers? It could be anybody’s.”

  “Remember when she tried to sew the seam herself and she added her initials?”

  Katie Mae nodded but didn’t say anything. The steady drum of rain slowed to a trickle.

  “Let’s go outside and get some air,” Eli said, reaching for his sister’s hand.

  Anna heard him quietly ask his sister if she was all right. Katie Mae answered with a slow nod.

  After the passing rain shower, dusk had gathered quickly, creating long shadows in the corners of the cabin’s front porch. Katie Mae brushed at her skirt as if she was shaking away the dust.

  The mud sucked at Anna’s tennis shoes as she made her way across the property to where Eli stood. Anna turned around and framed the cabin in her sites. “I think Daniel must have been standing near here when he took that picture.” Her brother loved nature. He loved capturing what other people tended to not see. But what had brought him all the way out here? What had led him to this cabin?

  Eli searched the area. “The ground is wet but overall pretty solid. I don’t see that anything was buried out here.”

  “If that kapp was Mary’s, where is it now?” Katie glared at Anna accusingly.

  “Exactly what I’m wondering.” Eli seemed to be picking his words carefully. “Why didn’t your brother turn it in immediately?”

  “He feared it would make him look guilty.” The words tumbled out one after the other. That was the only explanation that made any sense.

  Eli ran a hand across his mouth. “He had the chance when he met with me. But he didn’t. Or he could have called the sheriff.”

  The sheriff’s smug face came to mind. “He didn’t like the sheriff.”

  “I imagine that’s true. The sheriff came down hard on him ten years ago.”

  Anna planted her fists on her hips. “The sheriff investigated a lot of fraternities in town the day Mary disappeared. The only reason he focused on my brother was because of the rumors surrounding my parents’ deaths.” Her anger heated her ears. “My father’s wrath infected my family long after his death.”

  “Okay, we do know your brother had Mary’s kapp.” He shifted his weight and seemed to be taking in the surroundings. “Where is it now?”

  Anna swatted at another mosquito.

  “I think I saw bug spray near the sink.” Katie Mae had strolled to the edge of the clearing and was staring at the lake. A few rays of sun poked through the clouds close to the horizon.

  “Be careful near that cliff, Katie Mae,” Eli called. His sister nodded and moved back from the edge.

  Going insane from the itching, Anna started to walk toward the house. “I’ll be right back.” She couldn’t figure out why the bugs weren’t bothering Eli or Katie Mae. She supposed it was because she had the most exposed flesh. She scratched at her arms and her ankles. It was maddening.

  The first porch step creaked under Anna’s weight. Once again, when she opened the cabin door, the thick musty smell assaulted her. It seemed the shadows had grown longer in the short interval since they had left. A shiver crawled across her skin. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the beam of light from Eli’s flashlight bouncing around the property. Nightfall was coming fast. Pushing back her shoulders she swatted at yet another mosquito and made her way inside. It would only take a second. In and out.
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br />   Anna stepped into the room and stopped. Her heartbeat kicked up a notch. She had the distinct sense she wasn’t alone. She backed up and reached for the doorknob. A figure emerged from the shadows on the other side of the room. With a sweat-slicked palm, she tried to turn the door handle but her hand slipped off. She tried to scream but couldn’t find her voice.

  Dear Lord, help me.

  The figure stood there, staring at her, but she couldn’t make out his features in the darkened room. He made a sudden move toward her. Against the dim light filtering in through the windows, she discerned the distinct shape of a hat with a broad brim. She stood transfixed, her legs like jelly, before she willed herself to move. She bolted toward the back exit. Dizzy from the surge of adrenaline, she leaned heavily on the door. Her fingers found the handle and she yanked it open.

  Thank God.

  She stepped onto the back porch and ran to a nearby crop of trees, trying to determine the best path to make her way around to Eli. Footsteps on the back porch made her blood run cold. She dipped behind a tree and crouched down. Dear Lord, please protect me. She squeezed her eyes shut. Watch over Eli and Katie Mae.

  Silence stretched for what seemed like an eternity. She lifted her head, her rasping breaths joining the cacophony of night critters. An explosion ripped through the night air. She buried her face in her arms. A searing heat whooshed across the back of her neck. Her heart plummeted. Oh, no.

  Orange flames shot out the windows, consuming the cabin in greedy licks.

  * * *

  An explosion made Eli spin around. Icy dread coursed through his veins when he saw the cabin in a ball of fire. Anna!