Margin of Error

by Christy Barritt

  Brynlee had expected that beast to return. She’d expected to hear that horrible shriek. To hear his claws digging into her home. To feel the cold fear that came with knowing something deadly considered her prey.

  Thankfully, it hadn’t happened.

  “What’s on your schedule today, Boss?” Boone stared at her, a halfway amused expression on his face.

  Something about the way he said that word “Boss” made Brynlee’s stomach clench with resentment. Was he mocking her? She brushed it off. “I have to stop by the sheriff’s office, for starters.”

  “Check.”

  “I also need to see about getting my car back and having a new key made. I’ll probably need to pick up a new cell phone.”

  “Sounds good. As soon as you’re done eating, we can get moving.”

  How was it that Brynlee had hired him, yet he still seemed to be ordering her around?

  More irritation pinched at her, and, just to annoy Boone, she took her time eating the rest of her yogurt.

  She was in charge, and a bossy outdoorsman wasn’t going to convince her otherwise.

  12

  Boone offered to drive Brynlee to the sheriff’s office. As he parked and walked Brynlee toward the station, he called hello to a few people. No doubt more rumors would emerge about him and the mystery woman—especially since they’d been spotted together two days in a row now. Not that Boone cared. He’d lived in the small town for almost his entire life, so he should be used to the gossip in a place so close-knit.

  As Brynlee stepped inside to give her statement to Luke, Boone grabbed a donut from the breakroom and then stepped outside to make a phone call to Chigger.

  “Hey, I need you to supervise the store today. You think you can handle that?”

  “I think so. But you should know, there were some big rocks, some new ones, in the stream down from the store this morning.”

  Boone’s spine stiffened. “Really? How many?”

  “Hard to say. Maybe six or seven. They were pretty big. The mountainside is becoming more unstable.”

  Great. That was the last thing Boone wanted to hear right now. He’d hoped the earlier incidents were just flukes, but no such luck.

  “What do you have going on?” Chigger asked. “Does it have to do with LL Bean?”

  Boone’s stomach clenched. “Maybe—but it’s not like you think.”

  Chigger let out a low whistle that implied there was more to this arrangement than there was. “She’s a pretty thing.”

  Boone scowled. “I’m working for her. You know me. I’m not looking for any kind of relationship. Not a fling, not a long-term something. Nothing.”

  “Okay, man, okay. Didn’t mean to push your buttons. I’ll keep a watch on things. You can count on me.”

  Last time Boone had counted on him to watch his store for a significant amount of time, Chigger had managed to unplug the refrigerator and all the bait went bad. In the process, the entire store had reeked for the next week.

  “Let me know if any hikers come in and mention anything strange out there on the trails, okay?”

  “You got it.”

  Boone ended his call and stepped back inside, toward Luke’s office. He got there just in time to see Luke raise something up from the floor behind his desk. “And look what someone turned in this morning.”

  Brynlee’s eyes widened. “My backpack.”

  “Unfortunately, your wallet is gone. But at least you can rest assured that whoever killed those two men didn’t take your bag.”

  Brynlee looked through it, almost frantically. When she stopped, her face paled.

  “What’s wrong?” Boone asked. “What are you missing?”

  She looked up, her eyes wide with surprise “Nothing. I mean . . . just my wallet. My father’s ashes, my phone, and my keys are here. That’s an answered prayer.”

  “You might want to cancel your credit cards and report your driver’s license as stolen to the DMV.”

  “Good idea.”

  “And you said you’ll be in town for the next week in case we have any questions?” Luke continued.

  “Yes, sir.” Brynlee glanced at Boone then back at Sheriff Wilder. “I’m going to start calling some of those companies right now before my credit cards get charged up.”

  “Feel free to use the conference room down the hall.”

  “Thanks.”

  As she disappeared, Boone stepped into Luke’s office. “How’s it going?”

  “Not much sleep last night and not many answers yet.” Luke looked tired. This case was already taking a toll on him. With such a small department, a crime like this would easily consume the staff on hand.

  Boone sat down across from him. “Did they identify those two bodies yet?”

  “They were college kids from up in Michigan, here on their spring break. Their IDs were still on them when we recovered their bodies.”

  “Interesting.”

  “We also had two witnesses come forward and tell us they saw Ms. Parker talking to these men the day before.”

  Boone’s back muscles tightened. “What? She didn’t mention that.”

  Luke’s stern look made it clear he shared the thought. “Apparently, they were hitting on her. Being pretty obnoxious. She told them to get lost.”

  “Does that play into this investigation?” Boone waited, holding his breath as he waited for Luke’s conclusion.

  “It means we keep an eye on her. She had a bad encounter with those men, and then they ended up dead, and she was the one who reported the incident.”

  There had been some friction between Boone and Brynlee, but he couldn’t see the woman being a killer. Besides, how would she make it look like a bear attack? It wouldn’t make sense. Plus, she’d been so frightened from witnessing it.

  But Boone understood that his brother had to consider all the options.

  Boone cleared his throat, trying to keep his thoughts focused. “What’s next?”

  “Next, I get to call their parents. The medical examiner is still doing the autopsy.”

  “Do their deaths appear to be from a bear attack?”

  “It does. The tracks make it look like a big one. Probably five or six hundred pounds.”

  “What would make a bear do something like that?”

  “Who knows? Maybe it was hungry or rabid or provoked. It’s hard to say. We’ve put out a warning to anyone who’s thinking about hiking, though. They need to be on guard until this creature is captured.”

  Boone shook his head. “A bear attack, huh? It’s been four years since we’ve had one of those around here.”

  Luke frowned. “I know. And with tourist season coming up, this isn’t good.”

  “I heard Jason Sawyer with the park service and Abe have been tracking the bear.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Hopefully, they’ll catch this creature and everyone’s fears will be put to rest.”

  “Let’s hope.”

  An incident like this wouldn’t affect just Luke. No, it would affect the whole town. If too many people were scared away, it could even harm their livelihood here.

  That meant there was a lot riding on finding answers.

  Brynlee paused outside Sheriff Wilder’s office. She’d come back to ask the man a question, though she’d forgotten what it was now.

  She got to the door just in time to overhear the last part of the conversation.

  A bear. Everyone was still convinced an animal had done this.

  What if she was wrong and they were right? What if, in her stress, her eyes had deceived her?

  Brynlee looked up as a man approached from the lobby. The older gentleman offered an affable smile before raising his hand to knock at Luke’s office. The man had thin white hair, he was tall and lanky, and had a grandfatherly vibe about him.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting,” he said.

  “Not at all.” Brynlee stepped back, her cheeks heated. She’d so clearly been eavesdropping that she couldn�
�t even deny it.

  “Sheriff Wilder, it’s Lonny Thompson with Fish and Wildlife. I heard you had some questions about yesterday’s attack.”

  “Lonny, yes, thanks for coming.” The sheriff’s voice rang into the hallway. “Come on in. I have a few questions for you.” His eyes shifted to Brynlee. “You can come in also. Maybe you can add some insight into this.”

  With some hesitation, Brynlee stepped into the room and stood quietly. Boone was also inside, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed, looking as if he had all the time in the world. For a moment, she envied how laid-back he looked.

  “Lonny is a bear expert, and we’ve asked him to come here to help us identify if a bear was involved in this attack. Later, he’s going to examine the bodies—the claw marks. Saliva. He’ll look at the bear tracks. But I wanted to get his insight into the situation.”

  The sheriff ran over the account with the man, who listened intently. Luke then pulled out some of the crime scene photos, showing the claw marks and footprints.

  Lonny examined them for several minutes, asked some questions, and then lowered the photos back onto Luke’s desk.

  “It clearly sounds like a bear was behind these attacks,” Lonny said. “That’s what all the evidence points to. So why is this even a question?”

  Luke pointed to her. “Brynlee, why don’t you tell him what you saw?”

  “I saw . . .” She fumbled for her words a moment. “At first, I thought it was a bear attack. I mean, this . . . this . . . thing moved differently than I thought that a bear might, but I’ve never seen a bear in real life either. But as the second man was attacked, this creature stood up on his hind legs. When I saw his face . . . it almost looked human.”

  “So, it didn’t have a snout or black eyes?”

  “No, it did.” Brynlee shook her head. “But it was almost like that head was covering a . . . a human head.”

  Saying it out loud, she knew she sounded foolish. But she told the truth.

  “Throughout history, there have been times when bears have been mistaken for humans or even for Bigfoot,” Lonny said. “Bears have an interesting bipedal gait they use to walk upright sometimes, giving them an appearance of almost being human. There are numerous reported cases of this happening.”

  Brynlee bit back a frown. What if everyone was right? What if she was reading too much into this?

  No, she had to stick to her guns. Besides, there were other things that weren’t so easily explained . . . “But, if that’s true, then what about the bear that came to my place last night? Was that just a coincidence?”

  “It’s not uncommon for bears to sometimes get nosy. It’s a little early in the year for them to be coming out now. But it’s entirely possible.”

  “I have a hard time believing I’d have encounters with two separate bears.”

  “I also feel like it’s unlikely,” Lonny said. “But I’ve seen stranger things happen.”

  Brynlee held back a frown.

  This wasn’t what she wanted to hear . . . but maybe it was what she needed to hear. Maybe she should listen to these people who were more objective about this situation. Because her emotions were telling her there was more to this story than anyone else wanted to believe.

  13

  Boone’s heart twisted when he saw the disappointment on Brynlee’s face. She really was honestly having a hard time believing this could be a bear. Sometimes the truth was hard to accept.

  For a moment, he was tempted to reach out to her. To try to make her feel better. To offer a shoulder to lean on.

  But he didn’t.

  Boone had been hired to protect her physically, not to guard Brynlee’s heart.

  Instead, he stood, thanked Luke and Lonny, and met her in the hallway. “Did you get those cards canceled?”

  She pushed a hair back from her face. “No, I didn’t. I came to ask a question.”

  “What question would that be?”

  “My SUV . . . can we pick it up sometime soon?”

  “Absolutely.” Boone kept a hand on her elbow and led her back down to the conference room. “You get your cards cancelled before you regret it. You don’t need financial problems on top of everything else, right?”

  She nodded stiffly, still looking flustered. “Yes, of course.”

  “Do you need me to help you?”

  “I think I’ve got it. I saved my card numbers on my phone, so I just need to call.”

  “I’m here if you need me.”

  Brynlee looked up at him, the first touch of gratefulness in her eyes. “Thank you.”

  Before Boone could say anything else, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was Witherford Johnson, a friend who worked for the city. He and Boone were on the Planning Council together.

  He excused himself and answered. “Hey, Witherford. What’s going on?”

  “Hey, Boone. I just found out something I thought you should know. Someone has submitted a commercial zoning permit for Dead Man’s Bluff.”

  “What? What do you mean?” He held his breath, waiting for his response.

  “As you know, the land is privately owned. Well, the owner wants to build a resort up there.”

  “Who? Who’s behind this?” About ten years ago, someone affiliated with the owner had come into town, wanting to develop the mountain. Thankfully, he’d been shot down.

  “A company called Brinkley and Sons. Ever heard of them?”

  “Aren’t they the same company who filed several years ago?” The name was familiar. If he remembered correctly, Tom Brinkley was a developer who’d opened several resorts across the country.

  “Yes, Brinkley and Sons have tried this before. They own the land, but without the right permits, they won’t be able to get the infrastructure up there to support something like this. We can make sure of that.”

  Boone’s heart lifted. “So it’s been blocked?”

  “Not officially. We’re looking for legal loopholes that will make this null and void before the process even starts.”

  “Good. I hope you find them. I mean, it’s not really a possibility that this can happen, is it?” The area was special, even more so because Katherine had loved it so much. Because of that, Boone felt fiercely protective of the mountain.

  “I mean, it is private land. And it was, at one time, zoned for commercial use. Last time, we had protests to demonstrate our displeasure at the proposal. Our message came across loud and clear. Anyway, I thought you’d want to know since . . . well, you know.”

  “Yes, thanks. Please keep me updated. A resort is the last thing this town needs.”

  Suddenly, Boone’s bad day felt even worse. He took a few deep breaths. He would take this one step at a time . . . but no way would he let the area around Dead Man’s Bluff be developed . . . he would do everything in his power to stop it.

  As they walked back out to Boone’s truck, his phone rang again. Brynlee tried to mind her own business as she reviewed what she needed to get done. The important thing was that she’d been able to cancel her cards. The bad news was that it would take two days to get her new ones in the mail. She’d had them sent to her chalet address. Until then, she was going to have to get by with only thirty-three dollars to her name.

  The other bad news was that her papers were gone. The ones that she’d had a lawyer draw up. The ones that would make it clear to anyone who found them why she was here.

  Her stomach twisted at the thought. Why would someone take those papers? What would they do with that information?

  It just didn’t make any sense. Her dad had warned her that she would have opposition. That she’d make enemies. That the town wouldn’t welcome her.

  But . . . things weren’t supposed to go like this.

  As Boone grinned and spoke into the phone, Brynlee’s curiosity spiked. She listened to the one-sided conversation, wondering who he was speaking with.

  “Oh, Ansley,” he said with a grunt. “I’m sorry. I totally forgot
about lunch today. Something’s come up.”

  Ansley? Was she a girlfriend? Brynlee hadn’t given much thought to how Boone’s girlfriend might feel about him acting as bodyguard for another woman. She hoped she hadn’t put him in an awkward situation.

  “I know, I know. You know you’re important to me,” Boone continued as they climbed into his truck.

  Brynlee’s heart lurched again as she realized the trouble she could be causing for him. She hadn’t really thought everything through before hiring him.

  Brynlee would probably be okay by herself during daylight hours, especially if she stayed in town. It was only when she went near the woods that trouble seemed to be drawn to her. As much as she longed for security right now, maybe it was better if she let Boone off the line for now.

  Brynlee motioned toward him and mouthed, “Don’t cancel on my account.”

  Boone paused and craned his neck toward her before looking back through the windshield.

  She could hear the other woman—Ansley—talking through the phone line, though she couldn’t make out any words. The woman definitely sounded animated, though. High maintenance? That’s what Brynlee would guess.

  “Okay, okay.” Boone’s voice turned placating. “Wait just a minute. Maybe I can meet you. You mind if I bring someone with me?”

  Oh, great. He was going to bring Brynlee to meet his girlfriend? This was going to be awkward, not to mention unnecessary.

  He said a few more things into the phone before ending the call and looking back at Brynlee.

  “You sure you don’t mind?” he clarified.

  “Not at all. I know our arrangement was all last minute.”

  Boone put his phone on his dashboard and cranked the engine. “If you don’t mind then I think I will keep this lunch date. It’s kind of important to me. It’s been longstanding for the past three years. Every Tuesday.”

  That sounded nice—having someone that stable in your life. That kind of consistency was something Brynlee had never had.

  “Please don’t let me keep you from it then. But you don’t have to bring me along. I’m sure you want privacy.”