Night Prey

by Sharon Dunn

  He had changed. While she was giving her talk she had seen a waiter offer Keith a drink from a tray twice, and he had refused each time. She didn’t have to be afraid of that anymore. Still, she felt a hesitation she didn’t understand. Where was his faith at? He never talked about God.

  Jenna leaned against the metal corral. One of the horses trotted toward her and nuzzled her hand. She touched his velvet nose.

  Peter had said he had more horses in the barn. She opened the small door and closed it behind her. She breathed in the heady aroma of hay and manure. The room was nearly dark. She fumbled on the wall for a light switch beside the door. When she couldn’t find it, she ran her hand over the wall. The aged wood of the barn prickled her fingertips.

  Jenna squinted. She couldn’t see much beyond shadows. From the outside, the barn appeared huge. Though the sound came from very far away, a horse stomped and snorted.

  The loft above her creaked. She heard a thud that sounded like a footstep. She swept along the wall searching for a switch.

  Something tickled her face. A spider, maybe? She shuddered and brushed at her cheek. When she tilted her head, a string hanging from an incandescent light bulb came into view. No light switch required. She pulled on the string.

  The tiny bulb illuminated only a small area, the low end of the barn where Peter kept bags of feed. She could make out the ascending roofline. It looked like the middle of the barn functioned as some sort of indoor arena. The horses must be on the other side of the barn in the darkness.

  Jenna crossed her arms over her chest. Grappling through the dark, looking for a light switch, was not her idea of a good time. She didn’t want to see the horses that badly. Her stomach had settled. Might as well get back to the party.

  She pivoted to leave. The sound of wood scraping against wood reached her ears. A repetitive thundering beat dominated the space before she had taken her first step. When she turned, she was looking up the nostrils of a horse that had to be at least eighteen hands high. The horse stomped its front hoof and snorted. Someone really wasn’t in the mood for visitors.

  Jenna walked backward toward the door. Adrenaline kicked in; her heart pounded against her ribs. The horse continued to paw the ground with its hoof. She swiveled around to open the door and slammed against a hard muscular chest.

  A strong arm grabbed her around the waist and pulled her through the door. Still holding her, Keith leaned forward and yanked the door shut.

  “You all right?”

  She nodded. Keith could feel her rib cage contracting and expanding as she tried to get her breath.

  Her hand rested on his bicep. “That horse gave me a scare.”

  He gazed down at her. “What were you doing in there?” She hadn’t broken free of his grasp. He liked the way she felt in his arms.

  “I…was…just going for a walk. I needed to calm my nerves. Peter mentioned he had some beautiful horses in his barn.” Her lips parted. Did she want him to kiss her? The softening of her expression stirred up old feelings.

  She locked into his gaze. He leaned toward her.

  She eased free of his arms. Her hand brushed over his scarred wrist. “Why did you come out here?”

  Keith stepped back. He had probably read the signals wrong. She hadn’t wanted to kiss him. “I was worried about you. You haven’t seen the news?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve been getting ready for the fundraiser all day.”

  “The game warden was in a car accident. I don’t know all the details, but he is going to be in the hospital for a while.”

  Her jaw dropped. “Which means he won’t be able to look into the shooting.”

  “Too coincidental, don’t you think?”

  “But it is possible that it is a coincidence.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

  He reached a hand toward her. “You really need to be careful. Don’t take matters into your own hands.”

  With each word, she seemed to be retreating emotionally. Maybe it was just the leftover adrenaline from her encounter with the horse or the news about the car accident, but she seemed agitated. And her irritation was directed toward him.

  “I have to do my job. I don’t enjoy feeling like my hands are tied.”

  “I understand, but we can’t ignore what has happened to the warden.”

  “I should get back to the house.” She stalked away from him, her long dress rustling as she made her way.

  Keith touched his wrist where her fingers had trailed so lightly, feeling the rough texture of the scars beneath the cotton. Seeing her look so beautiful had put him off balance. He’d been swept up in the moment. Of course, she didn’t want to kiss him. And he had no interest in being hurt by her again.

  TEN

  Jenna eased her Subaru up the mountain road. An owl in a carrier rested in the back. A knot had formed at the base of her neck, and it wasn’t just because of the hazardous driving. She was on the King Ranch again, this time with permission. She’d phoned Norman and Etta’s home number and was grateful when Etta answered. Hearing Keith’s voice would have been too much for her heart. They hadn’t spoken since they’d gone their separate ways at the fundraiser the previous night.

  Gripping the wheel, she stretched her neck side to side in an effort to release the tension.

  The best survival strategy for the birds was to release them as close to where they had been found. The owl had been found in the spring on the King Ranch, so that was where she was going, even though the driving conditions were less than ideal. This road was always rutty and could be called a road only if the term was applied loosely. Rain from earlier in the day had added extra slickness.

  What had happened to the game warden weighed heavily on her. But Cassidy had called in sick. Jenna had no choice but to go to the King Ranch alone. All of this was so frustrating. She needed to do her job. These people didn’t have a camera in the sky. They couldn’t tell where she was all the time. Still, it would have been nice to feel comfortable asking Keith to come along.

  She brought the car to a stop and pushed her door open. Her feet were clumped with mud by the time she opened the hatchback. She relished the stillness of early evening and drank in the clean air. Since this bird was an owl, the best time for his release was close to dark.

  Jenna pulled the carrier toward the edge of the car. She’d have to hike in to get the bird to a good release area. She knew that there was a meadow up ahead surrounded by pine trees, good owl habitat.

  She grabbed her vest from the backseat, slipped into it and picked up the carrier. Releasing the birds was her favorite part of working at the center. It meant she had done her job right, one more of God’s creation would thrive.

  Work was a lot easier to think about than Keith. He had almost kissed her last night…and she had wanted to feel his lips against hers. A flash of fear had caused her to step back. Both of them were keeping secrets. How could a relationship move forward if he wouldn’t share his past with her? And every time she thought about telling Keith about her father, shame dominated her emotions. She felt foolish for having kept the secret so long.

  She hiked toward a stand of trees that would lead into the clearing. The silence of being so far away from civilization surrounded her and every thought became a prayer of thanks.

  As she walked, the symphony of the forest played. It was a composition she couldn’t hear unless she listened very closely. The sway and creak of the trees provided the melody, her feet pounded out a rhythm and even the uncluttered air contributed an indiscernible but necessary part to the whole.

  Her thoughts returned to Keith. From all she could see, he was not drinking anymore. Yet there seemed to be parts of his life he kept a tight lid on. She had no idea where his faith was at or what had taken place that led to him coming back to the ranch.

  Oh, God, tell me what I should do.

  She took in a deep breath. Like a glass breaking, a clanging and whirring noise shattered the silence. A second later, light
s flashed and rose slowly upward. The helicopter. Jenna dropped to the ground. Even though she lay flat on her stomach, this open area left her exposed and vulnerable. Inside the carrier, the owl’s wings beat against the plastic.

  The helicopter was close enough that she could make out the outline of the pilot’s head though she couldn’t discern any details in features. Another man perched in the open door holding a gun.

  The copter hovered, then angled in her direction. The windows of the helicopter looked like giant bug eyes staring at her. She pressed harder into the ground. No matter what she did, the bright colors she always wore meant she would never blend in with her surroundings. Maybe dimming evening light would work in her favor.

  The helicopter turned to face her. The cacophony of blades and motor drowned out all other noise. Her heart hammered against her rib cage and the adrenaline kicked in. She fought the urge to get up and run for the cover of the trees. A brightly covered moving object was a lot more noticeable than a motionless one. If she held still, she might get lucky, and the pilot and his gun-toting friend would be focused on the sky, not the ground.

  The helicopter surged toward her. She took in a sharp, quick breath and pressed her cheek against the grass. Without even thinking, she had placed a protective hand on the carrier. Her other hand dug into the soft earth. The helicopter flew directly over her. Once it was on top of her, the noise made her feel like she had been pulled under by an ocean wave, losing all control of what happened next, at the mercy of the tug of the waves. She remained motionless, not even daring to take a breath, fearing that she had been spotted, fearing that it would turn back merely trying to get a better angle on her, fearing that its armed occupant would take aim at her and she would be able to do nothing.

  At first the whirring of the blades remained strong, but then it slowly grew more distant, started to fade as the volume of the forest turned back up again. Even after she could no longer hear the whop, whop, whop of the helicopter, she remained immobile, her stomach pressed into the earth.

  Still shaken, Jenna rose to her feet. Off in the distance, she could see the glowing light of the helicopter, though she could not hear it anymore. As it had done before, the machine descended and disappeared for several minutes and then rose straight up.

  Whoever was in that helicopter was dropping something off or picking something up at various locations. She had to find out what it was.

  Jenna turned her attention toward the trees the helicopter had risen out of. She picked up the carrier and returned the traumatized bird to the back of the car, then double-checked to make sure she had her flashlight and her pocket knife. Even though logic told her these would not be viable weapons, they made her feel safer.

  The helicopter had done its second drop at least three miles from where she was, as the crow flies. Chances were they weren’t coming back. Still, taking precautions always worked to dispel fear. Having the knife calmed her jittering nerves. She felt a twinge of pain. If Keith had been here with her, she wouldn’t have been afraid at all. He knew how to handle this kind of thing.

  Jenna closed up the car and jogged out to where she’d seen the helicopter rise. It was the same place she had planned on releasing the bird. A large open area surrounded by a circle of trees. The soft earth revealed where the helicopter had come down. The feet of the helicopter had left deep impressions in the mud.

  In the time since she had started her hike, the sky had turned from blue to gray. She turned on her flashlight and surveyed the area around the helicopter markings. She walked a full circle, finally locating a footprint. The helicopter’s weight probably would have left an impression even if the ground wasn’t soft. The footprints, though, were not as discernible. Where the ground was harder, they seemed to disappear altogether. By getting low to the ground and shining her flashlight, she was able to follow the path of the runner into the trees. Jenna stepped into the forest. Deadfall and accumulated pine needles made the ground soft, and the tracks were cleaner.

  She shone her flashlight around a fallen log. Why would someone jump off a helicopter and run into the forest? Maybe they weren’t dropping something off, maybe they were picking something up. If something had been left behind, she would find out what it was.

  She took a few more steps forward, leaning so she could shine the light low on the ground. She spotted an impression in the muddy earth. The waffle pattern of tread from a boot materialized as she studied the forest floor. She ran her fingers over the tiny bumps and then shone the light in the direction the footprint pointed.

  The footprint led toward a healthy evergreen that was separated from the other trees because of its hugeness. If someone was going to hide something, this tree would be a good marker. Jenna searched all around the tree and then shone her light upward. Nothing.

  Disappointment spread through her. Maybe something had been stashed here and taken away. Then she noticed one of the branches was longer than the others, like an arrow pointing. She followed the direction of the arrow to a log.

  Closer inspection of the log revealed that it had been cut along the top and hollowed out. Jenna lifted the cover off the log. She drew out a note with numbers on it, a canister with a set of keys in it and a pistol.

  Jenna looked around. Even though she knew the helicopter was gone, finding the gun made her edgy. Thoughts of Keith bombarded her mind. This would have been less scary with him.

  The sheriff would want to see these items, maybe even come up here. Her hand shook as she drew out the pistol. Guns made her nervous.

  A tree creaked somewhere in the forest.

  Jenna slipped the canister and the index card into a pocket of her vest. She held the gun at her side. Maybe there were fingerprints on these things. She headed back to her car, treading through the forest and out into the clearing. In the dim of evening, her car took on a dull shine differentiating it from everything else that was a natural part of the forest. Jenna placed the items on a piece of cloth and then put them into a box she had.

  She should tell Etta and Norman King about this. She lifted her phone off her belt, but paused remembering that Keith didn’t want to alarm his grandparents anymore than he had to. That meant talking to Keith first. She dialed his cell number.

  “Hello.”

  “Keith, it’s me, Jenna.”

  A moment of silence filled the line before he responded. “Hey, what’s going on?” His voice sounded distant and guarded.

  With some effort, Jenna managed a business-like tone. “I saw the helicopter on the ranch, and I found something hidden in a hollowed-out log about a mile from the double buttes. I thought you should know.”

  “Is the helicopter still there? Are you okay?” Concern colored his words.

  “Yes, I’m fine, and no, the helicopter is long gone.” A shiver ran down her spine. His concern was not unfounded. When they had been shot at before, it had probably been to scare them away from another cache that was being dropped. She’d been very lucky this time.

  “What did you find?” His voice sounded shaky.

  “Are you driving?”

  “I just got done with a meeting in town. I’m headed back to Gramps’s place. What did you find?”

  “A gun, a metal canister with keys in it and a note with numbers written on it. I can’t make heads or tails of it. Do you want to see it before I take it in to the sheriff?”

  “I’ll meet you up there.”

  “You might have trouble finding me. I am not even sure how far up the road I am. I can come down to you. Where are you?”

  “I’m almost to the crossroads. How soon can you get here?”

  “I’ve got to release a bird and then I can get right down there, probably in less than half an hour,” she said.

  “I can wait at the crossroads for you.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Jenna hung up. She pulled out the note card and looked at it closer. Most of the numbers didn’t make any sense. One sequence of numbers, 20-8, might stand for Augu
st 20, tomorrow’s date. Keith might know what the other numbers meant.

  Jenna pushed the box farther in her car and straightened her spine. More shadows were evident in the trees as the sun slipped down in the sky. Her heart skipped a beat; a chill climbed up her back. She turned, taking mental snapshots of each section of the trees. Her heart fluttered. This whole thing had stirred her up; made her feel like the forest was no longer a place where she could find serenity. She’d be glad to get down the road and out of here.

  Jenna grabbed the owl’s carrier again. A repeated thudding caused her to turn halfway. She caught a glimpse of face before an object slammed against her shoulder. Then, as she crumpled to the ground, a flash of metal revealed a car hidden in the trees.

  She saw feet. The box with the items she’d found in the log being lifted out of the car. She stirred, digging her fingers into the cold muddy earth. She had to stop him. She tried to pull herself to her feet.

  A second blow caused her world to go black.

  Keith tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Two intersecting roads stretched out before him. Only a wooden sign indicated that one road led to the King Ranch and the other to Craig Smith’s place.

  From the passenger seat where he sat, Jet craned his neck, resting his nose against his chest.

  Keith checked his watch. “It’s been half an hour.” He let out a burst of air.

  As if picking up on his anxiety, Jet whimpered and licked his chops.

  She could have just been delayed with releasing the bird. Keith grabbed his cell and dialed her number. By the third ring, unease entered his awareness. He’d noticed that she usually kept the phone on her belt. After the fifth ring, urgency replaced concern.

  Jet whimpered again.

  “I agree, my friend.” He rubbed Jet’s head. “Let’s go find her.”

  Somehow, he had a feeling that she wasn’t on her way down the mountain. Anger at himself caused his muscles to tense. His hurt over last night had made him hesitate. He should have just headed up there when she called. So what if it was hard to find someone on that road. The last time they had encountered the helicopter, it had been right after they were shot at.