by Dana Mentink
Nora dropped her hands to her knees, leaning over and breathing deeply. “Wow.” She half laughed, but the way her voice wobbled could easily be mistaken for a cry. “I love black bears,” she said. “They’re beautiful, but I kept thinking that I was in the way of them enjoying these snacks.” She waved at the spread of food in front of her. “At least she had good taste taking the brownies with her. I don’t think they’d been touched yet.”
Henry finally lowered the branch he’d been holding. A mama bear, he knew, could run thirty miles an hour, but he finally felt confident that if she decided to turn around now, they’d have time to prepare. “Where’s Perry?”
“I don’t know. It’s like he disappeared.”
Henry grabbed his radio and sent a call out to Perry. No reply.
Nora pointed in front of her. “Take a good look at all the food that was left here by the supposed partygoers.”
“It’s like the perfect storm of bear attractants.”
“Maybe it was meant to be a bear party.”
The idea seemed ludicrous. As he studied the grounds, he had to admit the entire crime scene had been ruined. All the sand had been shifted. Branches and foliage had been trampled and…
Henry spun around to the boulders. He struggled to climb back up the slimy rocks as his knee, the side of his leg and his hands stung from his earlier quick descent. No matter which way he turned his head, adjusted his body and squinted, he’d lost sight of the metallic reflection he’d spotted earlier. He balanced on his good knee and grabbed his flashlight. Maybe the beam would catch the reflection if the casing had fallen in a crack.
The cubs had tripped right over this particular boulder. If one of their clumsy paws had hit it, the likely trajectory would be the river. The way the water aerated here, it would pull the bullet casing into the current and toss it around the rapids before allowing it to sink to the bottom.
“Pretty sure the sun is out.” Perry’s deep voice sounded like a Southern drawl when he was joking around. “No need for a flashlight.”
Henry didn’t bother to explain himself and kept the flashlight steady, hunting. “Where have you been?” His beam found nothing.
“Are you serious? I was looking—”
“He tried calling you on the radio,” Nora said, her voice soft. “There were bears here. A mama and two cubs.”
“And I had possible evidence up here that’s gone now.” Henry clicked off the light and made his way back down the boulders.
Perry took off his green hat and rubbed his wrinkled brow. “We’ll need to get a ranger to start tracking the bears, then. Make sure they’re maintaining distance from people.” He gave Nora a side glance. “I need a moment alone to discuss the case with Henry.”
She pursed her lips and gave Henry a meaningful look. He had no idea what she was trying to communicate by the subtle widening of her eyes, but she obviously didn’t appreciate being excluded. She went back to the raft and waited.
“Now, can you tell me where you went?” Henry asked.
“I was deeper in the woods. I must’ve lost my signal, but you can handle a few black bears on your own.” Perry’s eyes shifted, downcast. “I went back behind the trees to check my ATV tracks from the other night. You were, uh…” He cleared his throat. “Right that I should’ve been watching. I’d just come from a meth lab complete with booby traps, and I wasn’t in the best state of mind.”
Henry shook his head as if the thought no longer needed to be considered. They were all human, unfortunately, and the strain of being understaffed at all times was a burden they all did their best to carry.
Perry pointed to the south. “I found another set of tracks. It’s not an ATV, but maybe a dirt bike. I lost the tracks in the foliage, but they seemed to point in the direction of the Englemann ranch. You know how they have signs about private property everywhere.”
Henry’s shoulders somewhat relaxed now that Perry was beginning to see reason. “He wouldn’t take kindly to trespassers. Someone needs to talk to him.”
“Exactly. I’ll go there and interview him as soon as we wrap up here.”
“Are you ready to consider that Dexter was murdered?”
Perry’s forehead creased. “I’m ready to take Nora’s testimony a whole lot more seriously. But it also means someone intentionally tried to discredit her given the way the scene was set.”
“Maybe they intended to make it look like a suicide from the beginning and didn’t want to veer off the plan.” Henry pointed at the trashed scene. “Speaking of which, could this have been done on purpose? Given our high bear population out here, all this food seems straight out of—”
“A black bear cafeteria,” Perry interjected, putting his green cap back on and adjusting it. “I’d rather not have it public knowledge we’re considering suspicious death yet.” He folded his arms across his chest. “We announced it immediately with Tommy and look where that got us. A media circus and it still took the FBI days to get down here. I’d rather let the shooter think he got away with it and see if he makes mistakes. At least until I get the ballistics report. Then we take it public. In the meantime,” he said as he started to walk away, “we investigate all angles.”
Henry knew Perry well enough to know when he’d given his final word.
Nora had dragged the raft to a place they could easily push off into the water. She turned to him as he approached and opened her mouth as if to ask a question, then closed it.
“I meant it before when I said I believed you,” he said. “Perry does, as well.”
Her eyebrows rose and fell in a heartbeat. “He has a funny way of showing it. A bit dodgy, really.”
“I need to stay on the case,” Henry said. “We just need to keep our eyes wide open.” His gut told him that he could no longer trust his mentor. He couldn’t share the battle with Nora, though. The sensation felt uncomfortably familiar. His distrust in Nora all those years ago had also been a gut reaction. His instincts had served him well for many years except in that one moment, but if he couldn’t trust his gut, then what did he have left?
CHAPTER FIVE
The tension between Henry and Nora continued to build as Deputy Carl Alexander drove them back to The Sauvage Run. Carl remained silent while he drove, a welcome change after Zach O’Brien’s talkative nature yesterday. He dropped them off in the lodge parking lot, turned around and drove off.
Uncle Frank, in his designer navy-and-white-striped shirt, jeans and Birkenstocks, stood next to the rafting shed, talking to Bobby and her second most loyal rafting guide, Lizzie Hartman. Ex Uncle Frank, she corrected herself.
No one could deny Frank Milner was a youthful fifty-five-year-old. Somehow his tanned skin didn’t age him. He covered up the gray in his dark hair, though he claimed he was still naturally young. Nora’d found the dye kit once when he’d stayed in the apartment over the office with Aunt Linda.
The women apparently fell for his smooth lines given his philandering ways, but he had the reputation as a hard worker who invested any profits he made right back into the town. He owned multiple businesses, like the bistro, the outdoor store and the competing rafting company. It was probably the reason people had voted for him as county commissioner, as well. He had a vested interest in seeing the tourism industry succeed.
Though, for some reason, Aunt Linda had wanted to keep their businesses separate. Maybe she’d always had an inkling the marriage wouldn’t last.
Bobby and Lizzie caught sight of Nora and waved before they hustled away.
“Would you like me to stay?” Henry asked softly.
“I’m fine. Go get some rest.” If he’d asked a few years ago, she would’ve taken him up on his offer.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said with a nod before he got into his truck and drove away.
Uncle Frank, she’d noticed, had watched the interchange before he approac
hed.
Nora lifted the raft over her shoulder and made her way to the shed. “Commissioner Milner,” she said with a nod.
He raised an eyebrow, maybe a little surprised she’d chosen to stop calling him “uncle,” but his face smoothed into that charming smile. “How are you, Nora?”
She unlocked the padlock with one hand and maneuvered the unruly raft back into its holding place. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“I know your aunt would want me to make sure you were all right, especially considering…”
“She’d want you to try to poach our employees?” She closed and locked the shed with a little more force. In that instance, she knew. “You’re the one who contacted the magazine and told them not to come.” Dexter’s passing hadn’t been featured in any news media yet. But someone had let the magazine know the minute it had happened, otherwise she wouldn’t have gotten the email mere hours afterward.
Frank shrugged. “Word travels fast in a small town. You may not believe me, but I’m working in your aunt’s best interests. If the magazine feature is unfavorable, it negatively impacts my rafting company, too. We’re the only two companies on this river. Better not risk them coming than to find you not at your best.” He gestured at her as if to prove his point.
“Thanks for the concern,” she quipped. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go see if I still have a staff left—”
“When will Linda be coming home? It might be time to consider consolidation.” He gestured behind him at the rafting office. “I’m willing to take this off her hands.”
Nora fought back a snarky response. If her aunt had refused to consolidate the companies during their marriage, why would he think she would do it now? What her aunt did or didn’t do wasn’t his business anymore, but at the same time, Nora didn’t want to hinder Aunt Linda’s healing process by fanning the flames of animosity. “I can’t be the middleman, here,” she said instead.
Frank leaned back ever so slightly and looked around as if she’d just told him the weather forecast. “Well, if she asks, my offer to help is genuine.” He strolled off to where he’d parked his Range Rover.
Nora’s insides felt like they were vibrating. She purposefully dropped her shoulders to their normal place and went back to her room to change before spending the rest of the day helping Bobby train the staff. The office cell phone rang. “The Sauvage Run, this is Nora speaking. How may I help you?”
“Hi, Nora. This is Angela Johnson from Wonder Travel Magazine. I sent you an email but—”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t had a chance to read it, but I can assure you we’re still on target for our early season run.” Sauvage Run needed enough visitors to use the permits they’d bought from the forest service, or Nora had no idea how her aunt would stay afloat this year without selling the business. Aside from the small apartment they’d lived in before her mom’s passing, the rafting company was the only home Nora had ever known. Where would she go? And if Maya ever came back, how would they find each other?
“We had an anonymous—”
“Our competitor admitted he gave you that anonymous tip.” She steeled her nerves. This was the last chance to make her aunt’s business stay afloat. She had to make it work. “We did have an unfortunate death here, but I assure you our rafting guides will be ready to give our visitors the time of their lives when the season starts.” Nora blinked back a wave of desperation.
“Sounds good. That’s why we always confirm our sources,” Angela said with a laugh. “If anything changes, let me know. Oh, and the other reason I called is that our photographer is coming with me.”
“Perfect. We’ll see you soon.” Nora ended the call and lifted her face to the sky. Everything needed to start going smoothly. Now. “Please help,” she prayed in a whisper.
She worked all afternoon in the office, already two days behind in the prep work she needed to do. Tomorrow morning, she would hit the fastest currents and prepare all the other sites. She would have to keep a lookout for somewhere besides Sandy Cape for the guides to stop to prepare a lunch break for their rafting guests or, possibly, locate a completely different launch point. She studied maps and made note of potential new break points. The ideas were theoretical at best until she could get on the river to see what the high snowmelt had done. She jotted down a note where Perry had warned her of a mountainous boulder before the final take-out location.
By the time she joined her staff at the campground for dinner, Bobby and Lizzie seemed to be avoiding her pointed gaze. Today, the trainees had learned how to make grilled salmon, salad, and sliced apples for a gourmet dinner. One of the reasons Frank had likely wanted to recruit Bobby was for his renowned cooking and teaching skills. And Lizzie, only seven years older than Nora, was in her late thirties and had been a rafting guide for almost twenty years. Besides Maya and Aunt Linda, those two employees were the closest Nora had to family. Had they finally agreed to let Frank steal them away?
“We said no,” Lizzie said as she handed Nora a paper plate and sat next to her. “But he’s getting harder to resist with the promised increase in pay.”
“You know I would match it if I could.”
“I know, which is why I keep saying no.” Lizzie smiled. “Besides, it seemed obvious he was really there to talk to Bobby more than me.”
Bobby joined them. He looked over his shoulder. “I kept Frank from talking to the guides, Nora, but it’s only a matter of time. Some of these guys are townies and have connections to Frank’s employees. They get back to their cell phones and internet in the lodge at night and they’ll eventually find out they can make more money at Frank’s.”
The salmon no longer melted in her mouth. She forced herself to smile and make conversation about training. At the end of the week, she would be the trainees’ final instructor with a full day on the river, testing their swift water rescue techniques. If the students and Bobby had done their jobs well, the day on the river would be more exhilarating than scary.
Once darkness enveloped the campground, she left the lesson on fireside Dutch Oven pineapple upside-down cake to the professionals. She’d never been a fan of pineapple anyway. Always made her tongue itch. She made her way back to the lodge but slowed as she noticed the moonlit shape of a vehicle at the far edge of the parking lot. The outline of a person shifted in the front window.
Someone was watching her.
* * *
Henry gritted his teeth together. Nora shouldn’t be out at night. He thought she’d be safely inside the lodge by now. Maybe she wouldn’t notice that he was sitting inside the truck. Her hair was loose, something she only allowed in evenings when she was no longer expected to help customers or be on the river. The breeze blew the dark strands from her face as she squinted into the night in his direction. She turned on her heel and entered the employee quarters.
He blew out a breath. If she had noticed him, she wouldn’t have let his presence go without comment. On one hand, this meant he didn’t need to explain why he planned to sleep in the parking lot until the case was solved, namely that he still cared and worried about her.
He exhaled. Even now, his fingers itched to dial her on the phone. She should’ve instantly reported a vehicle in the parking lot. He clicked his radio volume a tick louder in case she actually did call the dispatcher. He strained his eyes toward the employee lodge, willing his vision to see farther than natural into the darkness. Maybe he’d see Nora’s light flick on behind the blinds, and know she was safe for the night.
Floodlights burst on from four points of the lodge. He reared back, eyes squeezed shut, and elbowed the console. The sharp plastic edge scratched his arm. “Aw, come on!” His seat vibrated. He looked around, blinking rapidly, and hoped the bright white spots would go away sooner than later so he could find his phone, which had slipped between the seat and the console. His fingers strained through the narrow space, wiggled the phone bac
k out and answered the call, his breath heavy.
“Did anyone ever tell you it’s impolite to spy?” Nora asked.
Henry placed a hand over his closed eyes. “Did anyone ever tell you it’s impolite to blind an officer of the law with floodlights? Any chance you could turn those back off now? They must be brighter than the sun.”
A knock on his window made him flinch. He twisted to find Nora standing at the driver’s-side door. She pressed her lips together, but couldn’t conceal her amusement from him. He clicked off the phone and rolled down his window. “Okay, you caught me. But I was just—”
“Doing your job. Yes, I knew you would say that, but it would’ve been nice if you had let me know first.” She gestured with her chin at the thick blanket and pillow in her arms. “You could either make sure I’m safe from the confines of your uncomfortable truck or do the same thing in an empty room across the hall from me.” Her eyes widened and her forehead creased. “You’re bleeding, Henry. In two places.”
He glanced down. His elbow had the slightest cut and his knee wound had reopened from the nasty jab it’d endured on the boulders. He’d meant to bandage it up after dinner and a shower, but it had stopped bleeding at the time and he’d forgotten. “It’ll be fine.”
“At least come inside and wash the cuts properly.”
He was about to point out that he was a ranger with an amazing first-aid kit in the back when a scent wafted through the open window. He closed his eyes and inhaled appreciatively. “Bobby’s cooking?”
“Training the cooks tonight. Upside-down pineapple cake. I’m sure he’d be willing to give you my piece in exchange for ensuring him a good night’s sleep.”
“I don’t know how you can dislike—”
“Heated pineapple is the worst. Shouldn’t be part of dessert or pizza.”