“No kidding. Now stop talking about the agent.” When part of the trail tumbled and Cal’s foot slid, she grabbed his arm to steady him.
“Okay there, flyboy?”
It was a strange sensation being on the receiving end of a rescue. New and a bit unsettling. Kind of knocked the cockiness right out of him for a second, which he assumed was her goal.
He cleared his throat in an effort to clear his head. “We should double-time it to the crash site because Josh might be right about one thing.”
“What’s that?”
Cal pointed up the canyon to the gray clouds rolling in. “A storm is on the way.”
Josh swiped the beading sweat off his face with his forearm. The damn suit was a nuisance. He wished he could work in casual clothes like Ted did because, despite the wind, the sun beating down turned his navy jacket damn hot.
Surveying the rich landscape of rocks and trees, Josh decided he would rather be back in an air-conditioned room. But this crusade by Cal and Cassie made relaxation impossible. Thanks to their nagging interference, he had a huge problem.
He walked the short distance to the edge of the overgrown and mostly unknown dirt road access used by rangers to get in to this end of the park.
Ted sat in the Jeep with the window down listening to the radio. “Have fun out there?”
“Not really.”
“Cassie is not going to stop looking into this.” Ted reached out to turn the music down.
Josh balanced his hand on the window and ducked his head to see Ted. “I know.”
“Can you tell what they’re doing?”
“Getting in the way.”
“Any chance you can convince them to find another hobby? Preferably one on Maui. Hell, on any island but this one.”
“They’re determined.” The sweltering heat made Josh’s shirt stick to his skin.
“We’ve got to figure out a way. If these two walk into the wrong place again—”
“I know.” Josh wiped a hand through his hair. The entire scheme was getting too complicated. He had not counted on all of these outside interruptions.
Ted leaned back against the headrest. “I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
“Makes two of us. And I’m worried that they’ll start asking the wrong people the right questions and blow everything.”
“And end up like Dan?”
“That, too.”
Chapter Twelve
It took another half hour for Cassie and Cal to reach their destination, as unimpressive as that destination turned out to be. Thirty minutes of sliding downhill, squabbling, and Cassie hated to admit it, ogling.
The one benefit of following behind Cal on this ridiculous romp through the dragging heat was the view. She could wipe her mind clean, forget everything else including the real reason for the terrible hike, and focus on his impressive butt.
“This must be it,” he said.
Cassie’s head shot up just as she smacked into Cal’s expansive back. “Sorry.”
“Lost in thought?”
From the knowing smile on his face she wondered if she had extolled his body’s virtues out loud. “Something like that.”
“The site is down there,” Cal said. “You can see the yellow police tape outlining the general area. It’s been knocked down in most places, likely by the wind, but the footprints start right about here.”
Cassie’s heart withered. She actually felt it deflate inside her. “Don’t forget the scorched earth.”
A deep pit, burned black, marred the landscape where the helicopter had crashed to the ground. The resulting fire singed the few trees in the area and marked a crude circle around the hole and up the incline to where they stood.
“I was trying to be respectful,” he said in a low, almost reverent, voice.
She appreciated the gesture, but gentle words could not soften the reality of the violent death that had occurred here. To her, the area constituted sacred ground.
She tried to separate her emotions and concentrate on the investigation. To ignore the waves of sadness and concentrate on cold facts. Having Cal turn all soft and mushy would not help that plan one bit. She needed his scowling seriousness right now.
“This is about as close as I got last time. How do we get the rest of the way?” she asked.
“Slide.”
“Please be kidding.”
He lifted one eyebrow. “Believe it or not, I am not known for my sense of humor.”
Cal delivered the comment in such a deadpan tone that Cassie had to chuckle. When he started down the slope, she followed his lead. After all, this was the guy with all the training.
They angled their bodies, dragging their feet along the loose rocks and dried underbrush, slowing the rapid descent by touching their palms against the dry ground. Cal whistled, proving the damn man enjoyed every minute of the treacherous slide.
After a few minutes, they landed in the middle of the site and immediately went to work. Searching in silence, they covered the general area, picking up and discarding useless scraps of paper and material.
“This is hopeless.” She crouched down, inspecting the ground and muttering more to the dirt than to Cal.
“That’s not the woman I know.”
His wording caught her attention. She glanced over at him a few feet away. “Do we know each other?”
“I know the basics.”
“Which are?”
“You’re smart, loyal.”
She drew figures in the dirt to keep her finger busy. “You make me sound like a puppy.”
He shrugged. “But a cute puppy.”
Only Cal could deliver squishy lines like that and make them sound real. “Might want to watch out for my bite.”
“You’re also bossy and grumpy.”
“So, you’re done with the compliments?”
He dropped the rock he was holding. “You’re human, Cassie. Imperfect and complex. Interesting and attractive in more than a physical way.”
She held his heated gaze until looking at him became uncomfortable. Well, uncomfortable for her. His sexy smile suggested he was just fine with whatever kept zinging between them. That made one of them.
She tried to ride the emotions whipping through her, one minute experiencing growing feelings for Cal and the other being ashamed of having thoughts about anything other than Dan’s death. He died here. In a horrifying ball of fire, right on this site. He deserved her full attention.
She gave herself a mental shake and dug back into work. The task wasn’t easy. Almost all evidence of the crash had been removed. Finding anything new or relevant would be difficult at best.
After another fifteen minutes, after turning over every rock only to find more rocks, Cassie was on the verge of giving up. Her feet burned. Her hair was plastered to her head. She needed a warm shower and an even bigger bottle of wine. Cheap or expensive, it didn’t matter.
“Here we go.” Cal made the statement as he stood at the base of a tree looking up into the branches.
Cassie walked over and stared up, her movements mimicking his. She had no idea what they were supposed to be seeing. Darkening clouds hid the bright sunshine, and the subtle smell of burning wood lingered in the air.
Maybe it was some kind of ecology lesson. “Well, it’s a very nice tree, or it was before most of it caught fire.”
Cal slowly turned his head and glared down at her as if she had lost her mind. “You don’t see it?”
Didn’t she just say she did? “The tree?”
“I’m talking about the bag.”
She squinted, trying to focus on what was left of the top of the tree. “There’s a bag up there?”
“What did you think I was talking about?”
“No idea.” Which was not unusual.
“If you see something, go get it.” She pointed into the tree to prove her point.
“Yes, ma’am.” He dropped his pack and wiped his hands on his pants.
From a standing po
sition, he pulled his arms back and jumped up, catching the lowest branch dangling about nine feet off the ground. After a few seconds, he disappeared up and into what was left of the tree.
Cassie decided right then to find out whatever the Air Force fed its boys and buy some of it. Aerobics like that were impressive, especially in energy-zapping heat.
“Do you have it?” she asked even though she still didn’t know what the “it” was.
He didn’t answer, but a ripped canvas laptop case dropped at her feet.
“I guess that’s a yes,” she mumbled.
“Is this where I say ‘I told you so’?” he yelled down from the burned-out top of the tree.
“Not if you want to live.” She kneeled down to investigate just as Cal jumped to the ground next to her.
“Is it Dan’s?”
“If it is, about half of it’s missing.” Part of the bag was torn, its edges ripped and frayed. If a computer had been in there at one time, it was gone now.
Cassie slipped her hand into a ripped side pocket and grabbed the tattered papers crumpled inside. “What the hell?”
“Looks like we found something.”
Gray clouds continued to roll overhead and rumbles of thunder echoed in the distance. “Well, look fast. The weather is turning and we need to get moving.”
Cal looked up and his scowl grew as dark as the sky. “Damn. We need to find shelter.”
She thought about punching him. “Didn’t I just say that?”
“I mean now, Cassie. We’re about to get hit by one hell of a storm. We’ll be drenched in a few minutes and these papers will be useless.”
Her stomach flipped. “Can we make it back to the helicopter?”
“No way.” He shoved all the papers into the bag and tucked it under his arm, leaving some to stick out and others to fall to the ground.
She grabbed the dropped papers and shoved them into her pocket. “What are we going to do?”
“Move.”
Before she could protest, he took her hand and started tugging her behind him as he traveled back up the hill. So much for his attempts to be less bossy.
“Cal.” She pulled back on her arm to throw him off balance.
“What are—”
“We need to go the other way.”
“Why?”
She remembered the area from her last trip. Part of how she got control over her tears that time was to focus on the landscape and memorize every detail of the place where her brother died. “There’s a small inlet about twenty feet down.”
His resistance faded and the tug-of-war between them stopped. “Can we fit inside?”
“I didn’t take that close of a look.”
“That’s not very comforting.”
“Well, Mr. Difficult. Do you have another idea?”
He nodded as if warming to the idea. “It’s worth a try.”
She refused to let him off the hook that easily. “And then there’s the part where we don’t have a choice.”
They turned and started down the canyon wall. This time instead of fighting, her hand slipped into his. Working together, they fell into a steady rhythm. The worn soles of her sneakers slipped across the rocks and rubble as she fought to keep her balance, but his hands held her steady.
Seeing became more difficult as black clouds filled the sky. She feared they were two seconds too late. “The storm is blowing in too fast.”
“It’s going to be tight.” Pebbles rained down as he rushed them down the steep decline.
She stopped watching her feet and peered over his shoulder to gage the distance to potential safety. A vertical drop loomed in front of them. All she saw was Cal and miles of dirt and trees in front of him in a sixty-degree slope to the base of the canyon. This wasn’t her worst nightmare, flying to the site claimed that award, but this was close.
“Did you see another place higher up? Maybe one that doesn’t involve scooting down a mountain?” she asked.
He flashed her a bright smile. “You tired of being in charge already?”
“It’s a thankless job, far as I can tell.”
“Come on, it’s too early to admit defeat.”
She was not sure that was true. She was seconds away from waving the white flag. “You sure?”
“Move that impressive butt of yours. We only have a few minutes.”
The childish comment should have pissed her off. Instead she felt a wave of giddy relief. Probably the same sensation all victims of tragic accidents feel right before the end.
“Impressive, huh?” Sounded like the feeling was mutual.
He leaned back and whispered over the howling wind. “Didn’t hear you. What did you say?”
Good thing. “I said a little rain won’t kill us.”
“Sure you did.”
His wink let her know they were talking about exactly the same thing.
Chapter Thirteen
Cassie and Cal hit the small inlet just as the skies opened and the rain pounded down. The deluge soaked their clothing in the two steps it took to get inside.
The dark, cool, ten-foot-square area provided a refuge from the harsh storm, but imprisoned him in a new kind of hell. Concentrating with Cassie standing next to him looking the way she did was hard enough. Staying in control after her clothing turned transparent proved impossible.
Did the damn things shrink? Sure seemed that way. That top of hers looked a lot tighter than before.
“That was close,” she said as she waved her arms, sending drops of water flying in every direction.
“Close would mean we missed the rain. We failed on that score.” Two more seconds and he would fail on an even more important score—keeping his hands off Dan’s grieving baby sister.
Cal looked away and cursed the rain. He knew the weather would turn, but he had hoped they would conduct their investigation and hike to safety before the worst hit. His timing was off.
And now Cassie was all but naked.
“Have any idea on what we can talk about?” she asked as she slipped deeper into the cave and away from the splashes of rain that kept blowing into the cave.
“No.”
“You could use a little work on your charm.”
He was too busy thinking about car chases and any other non-Cassie subject that popped into his head. “I’ll be fine once we’re out of here.”
“Now’s your chance to regale me with tales of your exploits.”
He could think of better ways to spend time. “I thought women didn’t like to hear about stuff like that.”
She rolled her eyes in the disgusted way only she could do. “I meant work exploits.”
That was a relief. “Oh.”
“We could try something more basic.”
He watched her sit down on the cold dirt floor. “Like math.”
“Like bio stuff. Your parents. Siblings. That sort of thing.”
He recognized digging when a hole appeared right in front of him. That was the only explanation for the sudden interest in his real-life story, one that was not exactly a secret to anyone who had ever read a newspaper.
“Sounds boring,” he said, knowing his past was actually the opposite.
“A man’s background says a lot about him.”
The lining of his stomach froze. She had managed to touch on the one subject guaranteed to shut him down. “I think everyone knows enough about that.”
“What does that mean?”
He studied her face. The mix of curiosity played out as he watched. She didn’t know. For whatever reason, Dan had not shared that part when he retold the rest of his stories.
“My family’s history is pretty well known.”
She laughed. “Are you sure you’re not just thinking a bit more highly of yourself than you should?”
“It’s been in the papers.”
She stopped laughing. “Wait. You’re serious?”
To anyone else, the simple questions would not bring back a flood of bad memories. For
him it was more of a nightmare than any rescue or mission he’d ever been on.
“If it’s too personal, we can talk about something else.” Her words came out as a whisper. One tinged with a touch of pity.
With that, she touched on the very reason he hated this subject. People feeling sorry for him. Cal despised that. He decided he’d rather get the story out on his own terms than deal with a false wave of compassion.
He leaned back against the opening of the cave. “The story has been on television. There’s a book.”
“They’re famous?”
“Not in a good way.” He blew out a long breath as he contemplated how to tell the story by only hitting the low-lights. “There’s even a movie about their relationship.”
“An actual movie?”
She was looking at him. He could tell from the sound of her voice. Faced him head on, likely with sympathy in her eyes.
“It was a big-money divorce. A best-selling author and a scientist.” He started the story without ever glancing in her direction. “The problem was the dead mistress.”
He heard her move and glanced at her. With a nod of his head, he asked her not to come any closer. “My dad’s.”
“Cal, I—”
And now for the worst part. “Dad insisted Mom killed the other woman. Mom insisted Dad did. Any of this sound familiar?”
Her mouth fell open. “Of course it does.”
Yeah, everyone knew the scandalous parts. His mom had a huge following. The papers went wild at the idea of a murder triangle dealing with someone so public. “Some of the information got blown out of proportion, but a woman is dead. There’s no good news there.”
So few people knew the truth. In general, Cal didn’t think it was anyone’s business. He certainly didn’t want to be defined by his parents’ bad choices. Having a generic last name and having a guardian who insisted that a false first name be used for him in the movie helped give cover.
“I’m sorry.”
He waved his hand. “Long time ago. It’s over.”
“Hmmm.” She followed the non-word with an all-too-knowing look.
It’s Hotter in Hawaii Page 8