by Terry Spear
"Sounds like pranksters to me. Using the facilities, but not belonging here."
"But in the storm last night? Where would they have been from?"
He seemed vaguely interested. "I don't know. But I'll keep an eye out for them. Are you sure you don't want me to escort you back to—"
"Thanks, but I've got to run." She hurried off the porch, not having any doubts about what she had to do next and not wanting to delay the inevitable.
"Be careful, young lady," Leidolf said, his voice a warning.
Something about the man seemed mysterious. She couldn't put a finger on what made her feel that way. Something inherently protective. Even though he seemed intrigued with her, he seemed just as willing to help out her "friend," Cameron. Which she so appreciated. She wasn't sure after the way Cameron had reacted to the fact that she'd had a recently ended relationship that she could call him a friend any longer, though.
And that bothered her a lot more than it should have for just having met the guy. But she felt some kind of connection with Cameron and… Well, hell, she was not willing to dwell on that issue, because once she got the flash drive from Hilson, she could just pack her bags and go, and get her life back together where she belonged.
She thought about something more that Leidolf had said. Hilson was pacing and agitated. Why? Had he learned she had followed him here? Or had he tried to sell her father's research and hadn't been paid?
She couldn't imagine he would want to use the research for himself, no matter what it was about. He was a stock broker, although because of the stock market, he'd lost a lot of money recently. Enough to make him want to steal her father's work for a tidy sum? She hadn't thought about that.
Plowing through the fresh snow and getting way too much of it into her boots, she noted that no one had walked anywhere in this area since the blizzard had subsided. Everything was perfectly pristine. Which meant Hilson should be home and hadn't ventured out. Or he left during the blizzard or before it began. She should have asked when Leidolf had seen him last.
What of the men and woman who had dropped by the hot tub? What if they were staying at one of the cabins that was closed due to renovations? It would make sense that they would be from some place close by and slip into the hot tub. Something else she should check out. But a nagging worry warned her she should have Cameron with her for that excursion.
When she finally reached Porcupine Cove, she stared at the bristly, fat little critter carved on the sign. The place was dark, just like Leidolf's cabin had been. Maybe Hilson was taking an afternoon nap. He often did because he was such a night owl. Before she reached the porch, she saw dog tracks. No, not dog tracks. She'd bet her IRA that they were wolf tracks. All around the area, into the woods, up to Hilson's porch. Lots of wolf tracks. She thought it had to be several, or one very antsy, hungry wolf.
She glanced around, suddenly feeling a flush of adrenaline, worried a wolf might be watching her. Not any wolf, but the one that had bitten Cameron. Not seeing anything, she hurried up onto the porch and raised her hand to the door. And hesitated.
Steeling her back, she wondered if Hilson would hand over the flash drive without a fuss. He'd always seemed to genuinely care for her. But how could she be sure of anything where he was concerned now? She growled, then banged on the door as hard as she could.
No answer. Hell. She twisted the doorknob. Locked. She hurried around the place, trying every window, peering inside. Everything was sealed tight. And just like Leidolf's place, this one was neat, bed made, no dishes on the kitchen counter, no sign of any bags, as if no one had ever stayed here. But Leidolf had said he'd met Hilson, so he had to be around. She looked back in the front window. If she broke a window, and managed to get inside, what would that accomplish? There was no sign of any of Hilson's belongings. But what if his bag was under his bed, and his clothes in the drawers?
She wouldn't know for sure unless she made the effort. If she could find the flash drive, she would have done what she came here to do, make her father proud, and learn what he was up to for so long. He would have enough time to prepare his presentation, and that's all that truly mattered. Plus, she'd make a million copies of his research in the meantime, in case Hilson had a mind to snatch it again before her father gave his presentation.
She searched for something to break a window, then spied a log stacked on a rack, half buried in snow. She struggled to get one of the logs off the top, where it was frozen to the others. After several minutes of trying, she broke it loose, stumbled back, and lost her footing. Landing in a pile of snow, she was glad it softened her fall.
She scrambled to her feet, grabbed the small log, and headed for the porch. As soon as she readied it for a good hard window-breaking swing, she heard someone rapidly approaching from behind.
Chapter 9
HOLDING THE LOG IN HER CLUTCHES LIKE A WEAPON, FAITH whipped around, her face white with fright. Then she let out a frosty breath as if she'd found an angel instead of the devil.
"What are you doing?" Cameron asked, closing in on the porch. He'd followed her trail here, although a stop at Leidolf's place had given him the information that she had gone to see Hilson at the next cabin on the path around the lake.
He assumed she might have decided to return to the ex-boyfriend to renew her relationship with him, which didn't sit well with Cameron, even though he shouldn't have cared one way or another. On the other hand, he thought she might be planning to have words with Hilson. And although it wasn't any of his business, he wanted to make sure she was going to be all right. That this Hilson Snowdon wasn't a violent type. But he never expected to see her like this.
She lowered the log and frowned at him. "What are you doing here?"
He chuckled darkly and joined her on the porch, then took the log from her. "Apparently, I'm here to stop a breaking-and-entering criminal trespass in progress. What's going on, Faith? What's the deal with you and Hilson and Trevor Hodges, your father, everything?"
"I thought you were pissed off at me and didn't want to talk."
He tossed the log into the snow bank off the side of the porch and reached out to run his gloved fingers over her cheek, red again now from the cold. "I want to know what's going on. Maybe I can help."
"The… the man who was dead that you went to see, he wasn't one of your partners?"
"No. I have to think they're both fine." But he appreciated that whatever issues she was dealing with, she was still concerned about his situation, even if it meant she tried to sidetrack him about her own troubles. For some reason, he wanted to talk to Faith about the strange way he was feeling, and about the odd conversation he'd had with Charles. Something about Faith made him want to share with her things that he didn't even want to disclose to his partners. Not even with his former girlfriends. "Faith, we've got to talk. Hilson doesn't appear to be here, so why don't we head back to your place and get warm and discuss this?"
"You were angry with me over Hilson." Her eyes flashed annoyance along with the accusation.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her tight as he guided her off Hilson's front porch. Angry, yes. He couldn't help thinking she had unfinished business with Hilson that meant she might end up going right back to the bastard. The first girl Cameron had dated had done the same to him. He sure as hell didn't want to fall into the same trap again
But somehow this whole scenario was different. He wasn't willing to let her go back to Hilson, if she had half a notion to get sidetracked in that direction. And why he was even thinking along those lines, he wasn't sure. Maybe that he figured the guy didn't deserve a second chance.
He noted the wolf tracks all over the place and eyed the woods, looking for any sign of the wolf or wolves now. Nothing. Yet, a trickle of concern wormed its way into his blood, the feeling that any second now the wolf that had bitten him might materialize out of the snow-filled scene and attack. But he didn't worry about himself, as much as he worried about protecting Faith.
As they crunched through the snow back toward her cabin, Cameron kept an eye out for trouble, trying not to alarm her. But he wanted to know what her deal was with Hilson, so he figured he might as well share his own story first. Maybe that would encourage her to talk. At least he hoped so.
"One evening, my girlfriend, Marjory, was talking to me about a vacation we'd planned to Canada, and then the next morning she called it quits."
"I'm so sorry, Cameron."
He shrugged, although he hadn't gotten over the hurt. Not exactly. "My fault."
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears.
"Ah, Faith, I didn't want to upset you." He figured she must have been through the wringer with Hilson recently and the parallel was making her feel badly, but he wanted to get this out in the open. "Later that night when I was on a stakeout of a house where a guy lived who'd been skipping child support payments, he grazed me with a single shot fired. Marjory decided she couldn't deal with the life-and-death dangers I might be involved in. I could understand that to a degree. But, there was someone else."
Faith shook her head. "Like my mother."
Cameron looked down at Faith, not expecting that. She didn't say anything more, just watched her boots as she navigated the trail of tracks they'd left in their wake the first time.
When she didn't speak, Cameron figured he'd have to coax it out of her later and continued. "Gavin, one of my partners, discovered the truth. He'd just happened to see Marjory at Starbucks with another man. He didn't think anything of it at first, but the guy was acting a little too intimate, hand on her thigh, head leaning in toward hers to whisper something in her ear. So although I didn't know it, Gavin began following her, assuming I'd be pissed if I learned of it. But he's like that, can't let a notion go. And he wanted to prove to himself she wasn't being unfaithful. He didn't want to see me going down the same road again."
"This happened to you before?"
"Yeah, guess I'm just a magnet for cheating women." Cameron squeezed her tight as they trudged through the snow, loving how her body warmed his, wishing that he hadn't upset her though. He wondered if this was what rebound was all about. He supposed that Marjory had been the reason for such a whirlwind romance after Katie had dumped his butt. Now was Faith the same to him? There to fill the void in his life, but when he had his act together and she did, too, they wouldn't suit?
Getting way ahead of himself, Cameron cleared his throat. "Gavin followed Marjory and her boyfriend to the guy's apartment. And after that, every time she said she was supposed to be one place or another, Gavin would jot down exactly where she'd been. With this guy."
"Who was he? Anyone you knew?"
"Gavin wouldn't tell me at first. But I warned him I'd find out myself. So he explained who it was, but only on the condition I wouldn't kill the bastard."
"Someone you knew?"
"Former police officer friend."
"That sucks."
Cameron kissed her forehead. "Yeah, so she was trading me in because she was afraid I'd get shot in the P.I. business when this man is still on the police force."
"He can't be half the man you are, Cameron." She smiled up at him, her expression much brighter.
"No. He's a loser. But then I guess that's what she needed. Someone she could boss around, and I'm not very bossable." This time he smiled down at Faith, feeling much more lighthearted than he had since Marjory left him several months ago.
He hoped Faith would feel like sharing her story with him. But when she opened her mouth to speak, she was back to being concerned for him. "Did you see Leidolf? He's staying at the Eagle's Nest cabin. He said he was bitten by a wolf, too, and wanted to talk to you about it. He seemed real nice."
Cameron gave her a heart-warming squeeze. "He didn't say a word about it when I came looking for you. He seemed a little amused, but not surprised that I was chasing you down. He also was worried that you were alone and so didn't say anything except where you were headed, and that he'd tried to talk you into letting him go with you to keep you safe."
"I told you he was a nice man."
As long as he wasn't too nice. As they neared the Eagle's Nest cabin, Cameron suddenly thought back to what Faith had been saying. "Did Leidolf tell you one of Lila's wolves had bitten him?"
"No. Just that a wolf had bitten him." Faith's eyes grew big. "You think he might collaborate our story, that the same wolf bit him that attacked you? Or one of Lila and Kintail's other wolves?"
"Yep, that's exactly what I'm thinking. Let's pay Leidolf a visit." He led her up the steps to Leidolf's deck, but when he knocked, there wasn't any answer.
"Maybe he's gone to the lodge." Faith glanced at her watch. "They should be serving early lunch there now."
"Okay, let's go. You can talk to Charles about finding Trevor, too."
Faith didn't say anything and he got the impression she had other things in mind. "You still want to go, right?"
"I… thought if I could talk to Hilson, I might not bother with Trevor."
Cameron stopped walking and pulled her to a stop. "So what's really up, Faith?"
She let out her breath. "Hilson stole my father's flash drive containing his research. Hilson's been gone for a couple of days now, but I located him in the area by discovering his password and finding his itinerary."
Research, like the police officers had mentioned her father was doing. Cameron shook his head. "Breaking into someone's computer and…"
"Hey," she said, poking his chest with her gloved finger, feigning annoyance, "did you hear what I said? Hilson stole my father's research paper. And Hilson's computer was at my place and he abandoned it, and me. So fair play."
Cameron took her hand and wrapped her arm around his waist, then hugged her tight, looking down into those sparkling green eyes. "What am I going to do with you?"
She gave half a shrug. "Treat me to lunch."
"We've got some other business to take care of first." He didn't often use his lock picking kit, but every once in a while, a situation justified the use. He turned her around and headed back toward Hilson's cabin.
"What are we doing now?"
"We're going to see if Hilson has your father's flash drive."
Faith frowned at him. "But the place is locked tight. I didn't think you believed in breaking and entering."
"Not the way you were going about it. That would add charges of destroying property."
She tightened her hold on Cameron and gave a relieved smile.
"So, Faith, what's the research about that's so important Hilson wanted it?"
"I have no idea why it would be so important. But something Dad had witnessed while he was on his sociology research project with Trevor Hodges was what spurred him on to write the paper. He's supposed to be speaking on it in just a week. So I have to have it to him before then."
"He didn't have any other copies?"
"On his hard drive, but Hilson stole that also, and Dad wouldn't tell me what it was about. Super hush-hush. All I know is that initially he went on a hunt for Bigfoot out in this area with a group who really believed in the elusive creature. My dad didn't. He was just doing a study of the group's behavior, how they goaded each other on, how that affected what they might find. Of course they didn't know he was a nonbeliever and that he was studying them. But something happened while he was out here. He was shaken when he first came home, wouldn't talk about what he'd seen, thought he was being followed even, and then dove into writing the paper with such enthusiasm, I was thrilled to see him interested in his research again. But no matter how many times I asked, he just wouldn't tell me what it was all about."
"But Hilson must have known."
Faith didn't say anything in response and that's when it dawned on Cameron. The guy had used her to get to her father's research. Then again, maybe not. Maybe he'd just learned of it while he was seeing Faith and thought he could make a quick buck off it if he could find a buyer.
"How long ago did you say Hilson stole it?"
"A couple of days."
Cameron frowned.
"I know. Hilson's probably already sold it. But I still have hopes I can find it. And if not, Trevor's my next best bet. Maybe he can help me reconstruct what had happened. I thought if I learned what happened from Trevor's perspective, I could help my father put the pieces back together in time for his lecture if I couldn't get the flash drive from Hilson."
"I'll help in any way I can."
She looked up at him, her smile dazzling. "Thank you, Cameron."
He shook his head. "That's another of my problems. Helping women in distress."
She chuckled, the sensual tone triggering another bout of deep-rooted need. "Seems I have the same problem, except I help men in distress—rescuing my father from failure, and you from a wolf."
"For which I'm grateful." He didn't think his friends would ever let him live the fact down if the word got out that a petite lady like Faith had saved his butt from a big, bad wolf attack.
When they reached Hilson's cabin, Faith acted as lookout, and Cameron used his lock pick to unlock the door. But, inside, the place was empty. No bags, nothing out of place. Either Hilson had already vacated the place, or he hadn't actually moved in. Faith's shoulders slumped forward slightly.
Cameron rubbed her back. "Come on. Let's get some lunch and talk to Charles about leaving to see Trevor."
He locked the place up and escorted her in the direction of the lodge. But they hadn't gone very far when they saw Charles stalking toward them on the path. "I've gotten word that Trevor is at a campsite about three hours from here and wishes to see you, Faith, concerning your father's trip."
Faith took in a deep breath, exhaled, and smiled. "When can we go?"
"Now, if you want to grab a bag." Charles looked at Cameron. "Still going?"
"Yep."
"Are you certain, Cameron?" Faith asked, looking worried, but he noted a hint of hopefulness in her expression that he truly wanted to go with her. "What about your partners?"