Mountain Refuge

by Sarah Varland

  “Tyler.” Clearly he’d overestimated the amount of trust she’d have in a stranger. She needed to get out of her situation badly enough to jump in the truck, but now that she was momentarily safe, she was trying to keep herself that way by being guarded. Clay understood, but needed a way to convince her he wasn’t a threat.

  “My phone is on the dashboard. You can call Tyler from it if you want—you’ll see that I have his number. He’ll also confirm who I am if you ask him to. I’m Clay Hitchcock and I’m guiding at the lodge this summer.”

  She reached for the phone and pressed the screen a few times. Calling Tyler, he assumed.

  “It’s Summer. I’m safe and I’m with Clay, your friend?”

  He didn’t miss how that last part was a question. When he’d found out she was missing, he’d assumed that in this remote area of Alaska, she’d had a bad encounter with a wild animal or had issues with the terrain. The darker possibilities of meeting a human who wanted to cause her harm had crossed his mind, but he hadn’t thought they deserved a great deal of consideration up here in this small, picturesque Alaska town and had written them off as paranoia. Now he wasn’t sure. She was too upset, too skittish and hesitant to trust to have been running from an animal.

  He stole a quick look at her and thought her frown had eased slightly. Good. With that tension on her side out of the way, he could focus on getting whatever information he could out of her about her encounter. He knew law enforcement would want to talk to her as soon as they got to the lodge, but it wasn’t uncommon for the edge of a person’s memory to fade the longer they were out of a traumatic situation. Maybe talking about it now would help cement some of the details in her memory.

  “I’m okay for now, Tyler. I’ll be okay, alright?”

  Not a very convincing voice she was using, and Clay didn’t blame her. Whatever happened had clearly been extremely traumatic for her to get in the car with a stranger when she was so shaken up.

  “Alright, bye.” She finished the conversation and set the phone down and looked back at him.

  Clay kept his eyes on the road, though he could feel hers on him. After so many years in law enforcement, he was more used to being the one doing the assessing than the one being measured. Her stare disconcerted him.

  “What happened out there, Summer? Can you go over it for me?”

  “Who are you?”

  “I told you, my name is Clay Hitchcock, and I’m your brother’s friend.”

  “I mean, who are you and why are you asking me questions like that?”

  “I’m just someone who wants to help.” That was the truth now. He may have the heart of a cop, the mind of a cop, but he was a civilian now. His choice, yes, but it was still taking some getting used to.

  Her eyes narrowed but she took his answer. Not, Clay noticed, because he had done anything to convince her that he was trustworthy. No, the only reason she was willing to entertain trusting him at all was the fact that her brother liked him.

  He made a mental note about her character—family was important.

  Not that he necessarily needed to make notes about Summer Dawson’s character. After tonight they might only see each other in passing. Clay didn’t remember what she did at the lodge, but with as many warnings as Tyler had given him not to think about dating one of his sisters, especially Summer, Clay felt it was safe to assume he wouldn’t be assigned to any task that would lead them to cross paths often. But his old habit of analyzing people, observing things about them, died hard. He might not have a badge, but he was still a cop inside.

  Maybe this was what the chief had tried to warn him about when he urged Clay to consider what he was doing by leaving the force in Treasure Point. But Clay hadn’t listened, couldn’t have. He’d needed to get out of there.

  Out of that whole line of work.

  He stole a glance at Summer. Much as he wanted to drive her back to the lodge and accept the no-trespassing sign she’d clearly placed in front of the details about whatever had just happened, he couldn’t. Despite himself.

  Clay let out a breath. “How do I get to the Moose Haven Police Department?”

  “What?” The edges of her tone were sharp from fear or surprise, it was hard to say which—the two were often so intertwined.

  “You’re running from something,” he explained, keeping his voice calm like he usually did when he was talking to a victim. “I’m assuming if it were an animal you wouldn’t be so jumpy now that you’re in a car and safe. I’d like to know what happened, but I don’t need to. However, if I’m right about why you’re running, the police do need to know.”

  *

  Why hadn’t Summer paid more attention when Tyler had talked about who he was hiring for work this season?

  As this man, Clay, looked at her, she got the impression he knew her somehow better than he should. From Tyler? Or was he just that talented at reading people?

  Summer didn’t know, but she wasn’t accustomed to such perceptive scrutiny, and didn’t like it. She made herself not break his gaze though, saying without saying anything that she wasn’t intimidated by him. Because she wasn’t. He may be seeing her at her worst right now, but Clay needed to know she was no damsel in distress, no pushover.

  Still, he had a point about going to the police. “Fine,” she relented. “Turn left.”

  He did so. Then said “thank you” so quietly she thought maybe she’d imagined it. Now it was her turn to study him. Strong, solidly built, definitely attractive. And yet, he didn’t seem pushy. Seemed steady, calm.

  Actually he reminded her in some ways of her older brother Noah. He was the police chief of Moose Haven now, and at thirty was the youngest person to ever hold that role.

  Clay had the same kind of bearing.

  “You’re a cop, aren’t you?”

  Clay glanced over, surprise on his face. She’d phrased it as a question but her tone had shown her certainty. He didn’t confirm or deny her suspicions. Summer kept going.

  “What are you doing in Moose Haven, really?” she asked without waiting for him to answer. His silence was confirmation enough. Summer shivered. Had he been fired from some police department, was that why he’d needed a new job? She’d heard stories about dirty cops, obviously, though she preferred to think they were the exception rather than the rule. Still, Clay’s appearance right after she’d been attacked did feel a little coincidental…

  Her brothers would have confidently called it “God’s provision.” Such phrases hadn’t slipped off Summer’s own tongue comfortably for years.

  “I’m working at the lodge, I told you.”

  “But you’re not like the usual workers. You’re different.” The words slipped out before she could analyze them, decide if they could be read into at all. Summer left them hanging there, and didn’t know what to make of it when Clay didn’t comment.

  They pulled into the parking lot of the small Moose Haven Police Department without any more conversation between them. Summer exited the car as fast as she could and headed toward the double doors at the front of the station.

  Not until she heard a car door slam behind her and then footsteps catching up did it occur to her that Clay might be coming inside.

  She mustered up the strongest, most take-charge voice she could find. “Listen, thanks for the ride, but I’m good. I can take it from here.”

  Was that a slight smile? “I’m sure you can,” he agreed as he reached for one of the front doors and held it open for her. Summer frowned a bit before entering the building ahead of him. “But they’re going to want to talk to me too.”

  “Why?”

  “Because like I told you in the car, I suspect you’re running from someone, not something. In that case, this is a crime or a potential crime and they’re going to want to know where I was, how I found you, if I noticed anything. It’s standard procedure.”

  It might have been, but Summer feeling like this certainly wasn’t. She was already shaken up from the whole ordeal and now
she just felt embarrassed by the way she’d treated Clay suspiciously, even after Tyler had managed to mostly convince her that he was one of the good guys.

  “Fine.” She didn’t have anything else to say and ignored the tugs inside her heart urging her to apologize to Clay. She’d deal with those impulses later, but for now she wanted to stay focused on reporting what happened. It had been too long since she’d felt ready to move on with her life after what had happened in the past. Tonight she felt ready and she didn’t want this to slow her down.

  He followed her into the building.

  “Summer.”

  Noah saw her before she saw him and swept her into a tight hug. Tyler was always the more demonstrative of her two brothers, so having Noah act this way surprised her. She hugged him back and tried not to shudder under the impact of realizing how deeply Noah had been worried. Her family had been her rock through all her troubles—she hated the thought of making them scared for her again.

  “Come into my office.” He looked in Clay’s direction. “You too. Clay Hitchcock?”

  Clay nodded and Noah gave him an approving smile. Any fears Summer had about him being on the wrong side of the law dissipated. To get past one of her brothers was difficult enough, but to get past both would be nearly impossible. Clay must be who he said he was.

  Which left her really no reason to dislike him other than that she was still shaken up by him seeing her in such a vulnerable state—a state that had made her treat him rudely. It wasn’t his fault she’d been attacked, wasn’t his fault she’d learned several years ago that vulnerability with men was dangerous and to be avoided at all costs.

  They went into Noah’s office and sat down in the uncomfortable wooden framed chairs in front of Noah’s desk. Noah went behind the desk, looking very officer-like and Summer felt a burst of pride in her brother. At least she knew he would do everything to find whomever had tried to attack her. The man who’d attacked her had really picked the wrong family to mess with.

  “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

  Summer did so, remembering all the details, which surprised her and the men also, judging by the looks on their faces. She even remembered to tell them that her attacker was left-handed.

  “Not something that necessarily helps figure out who did it but it could help you narrow down a suspect list,” Clay said so quietly Summer almost didn’t hear. She was more convinced than ever that this was a job he was used to doing and surprised herself by hoping she’d get a chance to talk to him about it later. It didn’t have anything to do with him, really, or how attractive he was in his quiet way. She was curious. That was all.

  She swallowed hard.

  “It’ll be okay, Summer.”

  Noah thankfully mistook her expression for worry about the case, which it should have been, not angst over how tangled up her emotions felt from being rescued by this man, whether she wanted to be the type that needed rescuing or not.

  “I hope so.” She hoped everything would be okay.

  “What did you notice?” Noah turned his attention to Clay, and Summer let herself relax a little. She hadn’t meant to close her eyes, but when she heard the words safe house and her eyes popped open she realized she must have been nodding off. Her adrenaline was crashing, no doubt.

  “What?”

  “I think we need to take you to a safe house.” Noah’s words were firm and Summer widened her eyes even further, then started shaking her head.

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Someone is after you.”

  “Someone was after me,” she corrected. “I got away. That’s the end of it…isn’t it?”

  “Why would she need a safe house?” Clay asked Noah. It didn’t seem like he thought it was necessary, either. Good, maybe her brother was overreacting. Although, was it Summer’s imagination or did she see something in Noah’s expression? Something that implied a bigger issue he wasn’t telling her?

  “I have reason to believe it would be a good idea.” Noah stood his ground.

  Summer shivered. “Why don’t you tell me what that reason is?”

  Noah shook his head. “Summer, listen, you’d go away for just a few weeks, okay? We will do our best to get this solved…”

  A few weeks of isolation during her favorite season, missing mountain running, her hikes with the tourists, time with her family… For what? Yeah, this man was dangerous—she definitely knew that. The police department would need to catch him before he harmed anyone else. But this had been a crime of opportunity. As long as she didn’t make herself an easy target, there was no reason to believe this man would come after her again… Was there?

  Not to mention, the thought of leaving town and going somewhere by herself made her seriously uneasy. She shivered at the memory of how alone and vulnerable she’d been when she’d run from her would-be killer. All she wanted right now was to go home and surround herself in comfort, familiarity and her siblings’ love until she felt safe again. The idea of leaving her support network behind felt chilling and wrong.

  “I’m not going to a safe house, Noah. You’re going to have to figure something else out.”

  A few beats of silence passed.

  “Let me see what else I can work out,” Noah said slowly. “Summer, would you mind stepping outside with Officer Lee?”

  She looked at her brother, looked at Clay and frowned a little, then looked back at Noah.

  Then she nodded, stepped outside of the room with the other officer and shut the door. And hoped she might find an unlikely ally in Clay, that he’d be able to convince Noah to drop the safe house idea. Anything had to be better than that.

  *

  “You want me to do what?” Clay said on the off chance he might have heard wrong.

  Noah repeated himself. “I’m going to have Tyler assign you to do everything Summer does at the lodge so you can follow her around, serve as a bodyguard and keep her safe.”

  Clay scrambled for words, managing to say, “You don’t even know me.” Had he really moved four thousand miles away from the only home he’d ever known for a fresh start only to be pulled back into the job he’d left behind?

  “I know you’re a good man. You come highly recommended by your friends in Georgia and by the police chief of the department where you used to work. We do a pretty extensive background check for people who work at the lodge. Alaska’s a good place for people who are running from something, and summer employment especially can attract those types. I like to know who’s working for my family. So I know a lot about you. And I know you’re more than qualified for the job I want you to do.”

  Clay exhaled.

  Noah kept his gaze on him steady. The man didn’t seem easily phased, or easily dissuaded—a good quality in law enforcement. Something they had in common, at least according to people Clay had worked with before who had said the same thing about him.

  “I want to shoot straight with you,” Noah continued. “I’m not completely comfortable with turning this protection detail over to you. Nothing against you, but she’s my sister and I don’t want to trust anyone but myself to keep her safe. But I can’t devote all my time to that and still do my job. And if I’m not doing my job, then the Moose Haven PD suffers and this guy might be able to keep operating longer with one less agency searching for him.”

  “But why me? Surely you’ve got other resources.”

  “Limited. You know how it goes in a small town. There’s no proof that there’s an ongoing threat against her and I only have a few officers. State troopers don’t have a lot of manpower to spare down here, either—state cutbacks.”

  It had been months since anyone had counted on Clay for anything. Sixty days, almost exactly, since he’d officially worked his last shift in a police department. He met Noah’s eyes, noting that the other man’s look was serious, heavy with expectation. And Clay knew he was going to have to tell him no.

  “Don’t you think it’s likely that this was a onetime thing—just Summe
r being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Our guy might have no idea who Summer is or where to find her even if he wanted to attack again. And protective details weren’t what I signed up for. I came to help Tyler around the lodge.” But the excuse sounded weak even to his ears. Clay winced at his own words.

  Noah took them in stride. “Tyler won’t mind. He wants Summer safe too. And…it may not be a onetime thing.”

  “What do you mean?” He heard something in the other man’s tone. There was more to this story than overprotective brother syndrome.

  “Anchorage Police Department has had a serial killer around the city for the last month and a half or so. Summer fits the age range, the general description—female, between ages twenty-five and early thirties, fit. I’m not entirely sure this isn’t related to that.”

  “You think she was deliberately targeted by a serial killer—that he knew where to find her.”

  Noah grimaced. “It had barely crossed my mind as a possibility down here in Moose Haven until today. I knew about it, of course—it’s been in the news and I try to keep track. But he hadn’t left the Anchorage area, to our knowledge.”

  “What makes you think he has now?”

  “Just the general similarities…gut instinct mostly, I guess.”

  “So are the troopers going to come investigate?” Clay had researched a bit about the local law enforcement agencies before he’d moved to Alaska, because even though he knew leaving the job behind with his old life was the best course of action, he couldn’t quite give up the idea of returning to it one day.

  “No. Not enough similarities for them.”

  “From what Summer told you, it sounds like a similar MO though?”

  “Yes. I can show you the files for details, though it’s not pretty.”

  “What’s missing?”

  “He usually kills in pairs. Not together necessarily, but two women in a short time span. Every time, it’s been that way.” Noah stood, paced toward the small window in his office, then returned to face Clay. “Listen, like I told the trooper I spoke to on the phone a few minutes ago, I just have a bad feeling about this.”