Danger on Dakota Ridge

by Cindi Myers

  “All right,” he said. “What would you like to know?”

  “Have you ever been married?”

  He blinked. He obviously hadn’t been expecting that one. Why did it feel like such a victory to throw Mr. Cool off guard? “No,” he said.

  “Why not?”

  He shrugged. “I never found the right woman.”

  “What a cliché. You can do better than that, can’t you?” She leaned across the table toward him. “Are you afraid of making a commitment?”

  “You’re one to talk, Ms. Independent.” He scooted his chair closer. “Though I understand you’ve been married before. What was he like?”

  “How did you know that?” Had he been checking up on her?

  “Parker mentioned it.”

  “Parker? When?”

  “This morning, actually. He came to my room and asked me to look after you.”

  A storm of emotions swept over her—tenderness, sadness, annoyance. “That really wasn’t necessary,” she said.

  “Maybe not. It made me curious about your ex, though.”

  “My ex was not a nice person.” She slid her chair back. “And that’s all I’m going to say on the subject.” Her marriage had been a bad time in her life, when a man she had made the mistake of trusting had used love as a weapon to break her. It had taken a long time for her to find her way back to herself after that. Like someone who had suffered a long, debilitating illness, she had had to build her strength slowly. She was determined to never again go back to that dark place.

  Rob looked as if he wanted to argue, but he thought better of it. “Parker looked good,” he said. “Healthy.”

  “He is. Good and healthy.”

  “He said he had a class this morning. What’s he studying?”

  “History. I told him there weren’t many jobs in that field, but he’s convinced he can make it work. And it’s a subject he loves, so I’m not going to discourage him. Right now he’s just taking the basics, with a couple of extra history courses thrown in. And he’s working, as a delivery driver for Peggy’s Pizza here in town. And he volunteers at the local history museum.”

  Rob nodded. “He’s keeping busy. That’s good.”

  “He is good. He’s staying out of trouble.”

  “Has he made friends here in town? A girlfriend, maybe?”

  Did Parker have a girlfriend? Why hadn’t she wondered about that before? “I don’t think so,” she said. Though maybe that explained where he was disappearing to in his off hours. But if it was a girl, why hadn’t he said so? Did he think she wouldn’t approve?

  Paige realized Rob had continued talking. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I was thinking of something else. What did you say?”

  “I asked if he planned to continue living here with you for a while.”

  “At least until he finishes school,” she said. “Why shouldn’t he? I like having him here.”

  “No reason,” Rob said. “I just wondered. I wish him luck.”

  If he was so concerned about Parker’s future, why had he been so dogged in sending him to jail? But that was an old argument that wasn’t worth rehashing. “Why did you go into law enforcement?” she asked. “And why the DEA? Don’t you get tired of arresting people and putting them in jail?”

  His expression hardened. “The people I arrest need to be stopped and punished. Don’t forget that I put away the people who make the drugs that ruin lives—the way Parker’s life was almost ruined.”

  “All right. I’ll concede that you probably do some good.”

  “So what is your problem?”

  “Law enforcement sees the world in black-and-white. I see so many shades of gray.”

  “No, you don’t,” he countered. “You see the world in black-and-white, too, but your definition of black-and-white is different from mine, so that makes me wrong.”

  “That’s not true!”

  “I don’t want to argue with you.” He leaned toward her. “We can admit that the two of us are never going to agree on everything, but we don’t have to be adversaries. People like me can sharpen your vision—and people like you can temper mine.”

  Where was the hard-nosed officer she had sparred with when Parker was awaiting trial and sentencing? It embarrassed her a little to remember some of the shouting matches they had had in the courthouse hallways back then. The man across from her now was smart and reasonable—and even compassionate. “I never thought of it that way before,” she said. “But I guess you’re right.”

  He sat back. “And I know how much you hate to admit that.”

  “I guess you’re doing it already,” she said. “Trying to sharpen my vision.”

  “And what do you see?”

  She saw a man who was more nuanced than she had given him credit for. A man who tempted her to be far more vulnerable than she liked. Rob made her think about taking risks—an exhilarating feeling, but one she wasn’t sure she would have the courage to act on. She stood. “Come on. It’s almost time to meet Travis,” she said.

  She walked out of the room, aware of his gaze on her as she moved past him. It had all the force and heat of a physical caress.

  * * *

  ROB AND PAIGE met Travis and Gage at the sheriff’s department and caravanned to the parking area for the Dakota Ridge Trail. “We can’t trespass on CNG property,” Travis said. “The company has referred me to their lawyers, but the legal team hasn’t returned my calls.”

  “I checked this morning and the gate is still locked and there’s no sign of anyone around the place,” Gage said. “Of course, we have the authority to break the lock.”

  “Which I don’t want to do if we don’t have to,” Travis said. “If no one is around, there’s no point. Without a warrant, we can’t search any of the buildings.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Rob asked.

  “Paige thinks retracing her steps that day might help her remember more about what happened,” Travis said. “So that’s what we’ll do.” He motioned for her to lead the way.

  She shouldered the day pack she had brought and started up the trail, Rob close behind her. She walked quickly, with a sure stride, her head up, back straight. If she was nervous, she certainly didn’t show it.

  No one said anything for the first quarter mile of walking, until the trail began to parallel the former resort property’s fence. Paige slowed, scanning the fence line, until she came to the break in the underbrush that Travis and Rob had investigated the day before. “I think about here was where I heard something and ducked to the side to look.” She parted the low-growing branches of scrub oak with her hands and darted into the open space next to the fence. Rob and Travis followed, crowding in close around her. Gage stayed on the trail to keep watch.

  For the second time in as many days, Rob looked through the fence to a stretch of vacant forest, at dry leaves carpeting the ground beneath the white trunks of aspens and the dark green branches of evergreens. Nothing disturbed the peacefulness of the scene, and the only sound was the soft whisper of the dry aspen leaves that still clung to the trees.

  “What’s that?” Travis whispered. He pointed at a spot to their right.

  Rob turned his head and caught a glimpse of a figure in the distance, running away from them.

  “Hey!” Travis called. “Come here!”

  The figure wasn’t completely visible through the trees, but Rob thought it slowed for a fraction of a second before running away even faster.

  Travis grasped the iron bars of the fence. “Stop! Police!” But his shouts went unheeded.

  “Let’s go back,” Paige said, already pushing aside the oak branches. “Whoever it was is gone.”

  “What’s going on?” Gage asked, as they emerged onto the trail.

  “We saw someone,” Travis said. “Someone who ran when I ordered him to stop.”


  They hurried down the trail. Rob kept watch along the way for any sign of the fleeing man. It had been a man, he was sure, though not a big one—not someone who fitted the description Paige had given them. “Do you think the person we saw was either of the men who shot at you?” he asked, wanting to confirm his opinion.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t get a good look. I don’t even know that it was a man. Maybe it was a deer or elk or something.”

  “It was a man,” Travis said. A slight man wearing dark clothes, not camouflage.

  In the parking area, Travis stopped beside his SUV and scanned the small gravel lot. “Whoever that was must be parked up by the resort,” he said.

  “They could be behind CNG’s gate,” Gage said. “We wouldn’t necessarily be able to see their car from the road.”

  “We’ll go check.”

  Travis and Gage climbed into the SUV and left. Rob took Paige’s arm. “Come on. Let’s follow them,” he said.

  “We don’t need to do that,” she said. “Let’s go back to town and wait there.”

  “They might need help,” Rob said. He started the truck and followed Travis and Gage out onto the road.

  The sheriff turned in at the entrance to CNG’s property and stopped at the gate, his engine idling. He and Gage both climbed out of the SUV. Rob got out and followed them, though Paige remained in the truck. The three men looked through the bars of the gate, scanning the property, alert for the flash of sunlight on chrome or the metallic sheen of an automobile. “I don’t see anything,” Rob said after a moment.

  “Me either.” Travis studied the broken asphalt of the drive. “It’s impossible to tell if anyone has driven over this recently.” He studied the gate. “Though it doesn’t look to me as if this chain and padlock have been moved in a while.” He indicated the fine road dust sifted over the metal.

  Gage looked around. “Maybe he parked somewhere near here and scaled the fence—or found a break and slipped through.”

  “How much farther does the road go?” Rob asked.

  “Not far,” Travis said. “It dead-ends in another fifty feet or so.”

  “Let’s take a look,” Gage said.

  “Are we going back to town now?” Paige asked, when Rob returned to the car.

  “In a minute. We just want to check the end of the road.” He waited while Travis turned the SUV around, then followed him back down the drive. The sheriff had just started to turn onto the pavement when a dark-colored, older-model sedan came barreling toward them. Travis had to jerk the wheel sharply to the left to avoid being sideswiped.

  Paige screamed and grabbed on to Rob, who had stomped on the brakes, narrowly avoiding a collision into the rear of the SUV. Travis brought his vehicle around and lurched onto the road, in pursuit of the vehicle, which had already disappeared around a curve.

  “Hold on!” Rob said, and shot after them.

  “Did you see the license plate?” he asked, as they barreled down the road.

  “I didn’t see anything,” Paige said. Her fingers dug into Rob’s shoulder as they skidded around a sharp curve. “Slow down. You’re going to get us killed.”

  “Sit back,” Rob ordered.

  She released her hold on him and did so, though Rob could hear her gasps and moans each time the truck skidded in gravel or rocketed over a rough spot in the pavement. They rounded yet another curve to find a straight stretch of empty road ahead. The SUV sped up even more, and Rob followed suit, but there was no sign of the sedan.

  “I hope we haven’t lost him,” Rob said.

  “He could be anywhere,” Paige said. “On a side road or in a driveway—or halfway to Junction by now. And you don’t even know if he had anything to do with what happened to me.”

  “It seems pretty suspicious if you run when a cop tells you to stop,” Rob said.

  “Not everyone trusts the police,” she said.

  Rob said nothing, but continued to follow the sheriff’s SUV. By the time they reached Eagle Mountain, Travis had slowed to the speed limit. Rob’s cell phone rang and he hit the button on the steering wheel to answer it.

  “We lost him.” Gage’s voice filled the car. “Did either of you get a look at the plate?”

  “No,” Rob said.

  “Paige?” Gage asked.

  “No,” she said.

  “All right. You two can go on back to Paige’s place. Travis and I are going to drive around a little more. Maybe we’ll get lucky and spot him.”

  “Will do.” He ended the call and drove to the Bear’s Den, where he parked in the side lot.

  Paige had her door open and was out of the car and headed up the walk before he could come around to her side. “Where are you going in such a hurry?” he asked, when he caught up with her in the entryway.

  “I’m going to my room.”

  She started to turn away, but he took her arm and turned her to face him. Her skin was the color of paste and her lip trembled, as if she was fighting tears. “Hey,” he said. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” But everything about her, from the haunted look in her eyes to the pinched sound of her voice, said that statement was a lie. Seeing that man up there and the subsequent chase had shaken her up more than he had imagined.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he said.

  He tried to pull her close, but she jerked free from his grasp. “I’m going to lie down,” she said. She almost ran down the hall, and half a second later he heard a door slam.

  Rob frowned after her, debating knocking on her door and demanding that she talk to him. But he had already learned that pushing Paige was never a good idea. Later, when she came out again, he would try to get her to open up about what had her so upset.

  The back door opened and Parker came in. He started when he saw Rob. “I, uh, didn’t know you were still here,” he said. He looked around. “Where’s Paige?”

  “In her room.” Rob took a glass from the cabinet by the sink and filled it with water. “She’s resting.”

  As if to prove him a liar, the door to Paige’s room opened and she came down the hall to join them in the kitchen. She ignored Rob and walked straight to Parker, grabbed his arm and shook it. “What were you doing up at Eagle Mountain Resort this afternoon?” she demanded.

  Chapter Eight

  Paige was counting on Rob’s presence to force Parker to tell the truth about what he had been up to this afternoon. Though she had caught only a fleeting glimpse of the figure running through the trees, the punched-in-the-gut feeling that glimpse had engendered had raised her worst fears. The sight of Parker’s car speeding away from them had confirmed those fears.

  She shook his arm again. “Don’t lie to me,” she said. “I saw you.”

  Parker’s face had lost all color. He glanced at Rob, desperation in his eyes. Rob folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the counter. “Yes, tell us what you were doing up there.”

  Parker slid his arms out of the straps of his backpack and let it fall to the floor with a thud. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” he said.

  “You were trespassing,” Rob said.

  Parker jutted his chin out. “Are you going to turn me in for that?”

  Paige wondered if she was the only one who recognized the fear behind her brother’s defiant glare.

  “That depends,” Rob said.

  Parker stared at the floor, the muscles of his jaw clenching and unclenching. “I’m helping Professor Gibson with a research project,” he said.

  “Professor Gibson?” Paige searched her memory for the name. “The old man who helped Brenda get the grant for the history museum?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Who’s Professor Gibson?” Rob asked. “One of your instructors?”

  “No, he’s retired.” Parker shoved his hands in the front poc
kets of his jeans. “But he’s interested in the history of this area. He and I are trying to find the location of that World War II government research lab—the one that was developing biological and chemical weapons.”

  “We already determined the underground lab on the resort property isn’t old enough to have been in use during the war,” Rob said.

  “That lab, sure,” Parker said. “The professor thinks there’s another one on that property.”

  “What makes him think that?” Paige asked.

  “He’s got all the declassified documents from the project, and letters and maps and stuff,” Parker said. “He goes over them and finds out stuff, but he’s eighty years old and it’s hard for him to get up in the mountains and check stuff out. That’s where I come in.”

  “So you were on the resort property, looking for this supposed lab?” Rob asked.

  “Well, yeah,” Parker said. “I told the professor about Paige seeing those two guys carrying a box into a hole in the ground, and he thought it was a good possibility. I didn’t touch anything, I swear. I just walked around and looked.”

  “Did you find another underground chamber that could have been used as a lab?” Paige asked.

  “No.” His shoulders sagged again. “You came along before I could see much.”

  “How did you get in?” Rob asked. “The gate is chained shut.”

  “There’s a place about two-thirds of the way along the fence line on the east side,” Parker said. “Part of a big tree fell on the fence and took it down part of the way. All I had to do was shimmy up the trunk and walk right in on the fallen log.”

  “Why did you run from us?” Rob asked.

  “Because I knew if Paige saw me, she’d have kittens,” he said. “And trespassing is a violation of my parole.”

  Paige went ice-cold all over. She hadn’t thought of that. “Promise me you won’t turn him in,” she said to Rob, clasping her hands together in a begging gesture. “Please.” When it came to her brother, she had no shame.

  He gave her a long look she found impossible to interpret. He turned back to Parker. “Did you see anyone else while you were up there?”