by Cassie Miles
Lucas was also in the room. And Special Agent Smith who, she assumed, had taken over the search coordination efforts since Silverman was at the hospital with Sunny.
Her gaze went to Burke. A forest-green turtleneck outlined his broad shoulders. Though his brown hair was mussed, he looked awake and supremely competent. His dark eyes met hers in brief acknowledgment. There was no time to indulge in morning-after conversation or sweet, sexy whispers. There could only be a glance between them.
Corelli pushed the play button and stepped away from the screen.
When Nicole’s face appeared, Dylan shuddered.
“It’s Sunday morning,” Nicole said.
Behind her was a faded yellow sheet that looked like it had been tacked to a wall. The image showed only her head and shoulders. She reached up and tucked her blond hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m fine. I have plenty to eat and drink, and I’m being well cared for.”
Her blue eyes seemed calm and untroubled. Considering what she’d been through, she looked good.
“I’ve been asked to remind you about the ransom. One million dollars in cash. That’s a lot of money, isn’t it?” She drew her fingers across her lips. “If you follow instructions, everything will turn out okay. See you soon.”
The screen went blank.
Burke moved in front of the screen. “First impressions?”
In a choked voice, Dylan spoke, “I’ve never seen that blouse before.”
“Are you sure?” Carolyn asked. “I didn’t think you paid much attention to clothes.”
“I know what she had on yesterday. I’ll never forget.”
Polly said, “I think Dylan’s right about the blouse. I’ve done my share of laundry here and Nicole doesn’t have anything with flowers. I’m not so sure about the beige cardigan.”
“First impressions,” Burke repeated. “Carolyn?”
She forced her drowsy mind to focus. “It didn’t sound like she was reading from a script. She was conversational, but distant. Like she was using her bedside manner.”
“Explain,” Burke said.
“I’ve gone with Nicole a couple of times when she’s treating a sick animal. When she chats with the owner, she uses that tone.”
“Right,” Dylan said. “It’s her ‘Don’t Panic’ voice. She’s trying to tell us to stay calm. Damn it, she always puts other people first.”
“Lucas,” Burke said, “what’s your impression?”
“Didn’t look like she’d been hurt none.”
Carolyn studied the old, bowlegged cowboy. He sat on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward. His hair looked like it hadn’t been washed recently, and his stubble was a couple of days old. More than anyone else in the room, he showed signs of falling apart. She wanted to believe it was because he was concerned about Nicole. But if he was the traitor, he’d feel guilty. Remorse would gnaw at his gut.
“Okay, Smith,” Burke said. “Give us a profiler’s opinion.”
As Agent Smith stepped in front of the screen, Carolyn realized how short he was, probably only five feet seven inches, with square shoulders and a thick torso. His blond hair was cut short, military-style, and it made his head seem square.
“It’s all good,” he said. “As Lucas pointed out, she doesn’t appear to be injured. Or drugged. The tone that Carolyn referred to as bedside manner might not only be for our benefit. She could have established a rapport with the kidnappers. That’s positive.”
“Why?” Dylan asked.
“In captivity, a hostage undergoes feelings of panic, fear and rage,” he lectured. “Nicole appears to be suppressing those primal reactions. Instead, she’s cooperating, forcing the kidnappers to see her as an individual, convincing them that she’s on their side. In that circumstance, they’re far less likely to hurt her.”
As Burke paced across the floor, Carolyn couldn’t help admiring the way he moved. Smooth, long strides. He said, “We’re going to play this tape several times. I want you to look for any clue to her whereabouts. Nicole might be giving us some kind of signal.”
“Like what?” Polly asked.
“A facial expression. The way she blinks. The way she phrases her words.”
As she watched, again and again, Carolyn’s anger returned. She wished she could jump inside the picture and drag Nicole home.
In the Polaroid, Nicole had put them on the right track with hand signals indicating the Circle M. This time, she seemed to be doing the same thing.
She had gestured twice. Once to tuck her hair behind her ear, forming a circle. Then she stroked her finger along the line of her mouth. Actually, three fingers. A sideways M.
Nicole’s message was the same: Circle M.
Carolyn looked toward Lucas. If he was in communication with the SOF, she didn’t want to say anything in front of him. He might report back and get Nicole in trouble. Why was Burke allowing Lucas to stay in the room?
“I’m drawing a blank,” Polly said. “Anybody need coffee?”
Carolyn raised her hand. “I do.”
Coffee and some kind of breakfast sounded heavenly. She followed Polly into the kitchen and poured herself a mug. “Thanks for moving up to the house, Polly. Did you sleep well?”
“I did, thank you. My husband could hardly close his eyes. He’s so excited about being in the middle of all this. Not that he’s happy about the kidnapping.”
“Of course not.” Carolyn understood that Polly’s husband and his illness took precedence over anything else. “How long have you and Juan been married?”
“Almost twenty years. Second marriage for both of us.” She grinned. “And the second time’s the charm.”
They had a good marriage, and Carolyn wondered what went into that kind of relationship. Was it something she could learn? “How did you know you and Juan were in love? Was it fast as lightning?”
“More like a slow, gathering storm. We were friends for months before anything happened. But as soon as he kissed me, I knew he was the man I’d spend the rest of my life with.”
“All it took was one kiss?”
Polly raised an eyebrow. “You’re asking a lot of questions, Carolyn. This wouldn’t have anything to do with that good-looking FBI agent, would it?”
She wasn’t ready to talk about Burke, not even to Polly. Carolyn sipped her coffee. “Where do you think Nicole got that blouse?”
“Not sure, but I was glad to see her in clean clothes.” Polly opened the fridge and took out an orange. “You didn’t answer my question about Burke.”
“I guess I didn’t.”
“The way you were brought up, surrounded by cowboys and having to be as tough as they are, you need a man who’s as strong-willed and stubborn as you. Burke would be a good match for you.”
“That’s your opinion,” Carolyn said.
“Mark my words. You’re not going to end up with some fancy-pants, city-boy lawyer.”
Burke strode into the kitchen and they both went silent. He was definitely not a fancy-pants. The opposite, in fact. Totally rugged, he exploded with masculine energy.
“Get dressed, Carolyn. We’re going for a ride on the Indian Trail.”
“Give me fifteen minutes.”
He checked his wristwatch, a habit that she’d come to realize was his way of maintaining control. “Ten,” he said.
“Twelve,” she countered.
“Meet me in the barn.”
BURKE STOOD IN THE BARN doorway and tapped the face of his wristwatch. Twelve minutes had passed. He hadn’t really expected Carolyn to get ready so quickly, and he was surprised to see her stride from the house wearing her boots, hat and a canvas jacket. From this distance, her expression was unreadable, but her confidence showed in every swaggering step she took.
Stopping in front of him, she planted her fists on her hips. “Fast enough for you?”
“You’re a speed demon.” He wanted to tell her that she was the sexiest demon he’d ever seen. Naturally beautiful
. No need for makeup. Her black lashes and arched brows high-lighted her transparent green eyes.
Carolyn took an energy bar from her jacket pocket and tore off the wrapping. “Mind telling me why I’m here?”
“I need your help to find the cave Sunny mentioned.”
“Ah, yes. Her supposedly romantic hideaway near Cathedral Rocks.” She raised the bar to her mouth. “I don’t know the exact location, but I can take you to the rocks. Why are we going there?”
“It occurred to me that a secluded hideout might be the place where Nicole is being held, being guarded by Butch Thurgood and Richter. I was wrong about that.”
“How do you know?”
“This morning, at first light, I sent the chopper team to investigate. They located the cave. No one was there.”
“Then, why are we—”
“Closer inspection,” he said. He nodded to two uniformed men who were already on horseback, waiting outside the corral. “These deputies are going to run some forensic tests. We might find evidence that Nicole was at the cave.”
The search team in the chopper had also made another discovery. Hovering near the pine trees where Sunny met up with them last night, they spotted a grave-sized mound of earth. Tonight, under cover of darkness, he’d take a team to excavate.
Past experience taught him that the body would be buried at least two-and-a-half feet deep with rocks on top. Otherwise, the coyotes would have dug up the corpse of Barbara Ayers. A check of the FBI database showed that she and her sister, Lisa, were listed as missing persons. The sisters had disappeared over a year ago.
Carolyn chomped on the energy bar. “If we head out on the road, we’ll hook up with the Indian Trail. It’s easy to follow.”
“I don’t want to go that way,” he said. “The SOF could be watching the ranch, and I don’t want them to know what we’re doing.”
“Good point. We can go west, then south over the ridge. That way, we’ll stay on Carlisle land for most of the ride.”
“I knew you’d have an answer.” He turned on his heel and went into the barn where their horses were saddled and ready. After Logan’s threat of revenge, he hadn’t really wanted Carolyn to leave the house. But he needed her help. “GPS isn’t much good in unmarked mountain terrain.”
She went directly to Elvis and stroked his nose. “We’re going for a ride, pal. What do you think about that?”
Elvis bobbed his head. Burke had never seen a horse with so much personality. The bay with a white blaze on his forehead was one of a kind. Like his owner.
He went to a wood bench and picked up a Kevlar vest. “You need to wear this, Carolyn.”
A frown pulled at the corner of her soft pink lips. “Why?”
“Because we need to take the SOF seriously.” He lowered his voice, though no one else was in the barn. “Corelli accessed Logan’s computer and he’s been listening to the bug. Logan didn’t see us make the rescue, but he assumes you’re somehow responsible. He thinks you influenced Sunny.”
“Of course he’d blame me. The wicked city woman.”
“Put on the vest, Carolyn.” He paused, then added the magic word. “Please.”
She took the vest from him. “I don’t see you wearing any kind of protection.”
“Logan’s ticked off at you, not me.” She seemed to have that effect on people. “But I suppose you’re right. I’ll stop at the van and pick up my own vest.”
“I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“I’ll be okay,” he said. “Logan might have shot up my vehicle, but he’s not dumb enough to injure a fed.”
“Don’t underestimate Sam Logan,” she said. “He’s a lot dumber than you think.”
Chapter Seventeen
In spite of the uncomfortable bulletproof vest under her jacket, Carolyn was glad to take an active part in the investigation. Astride Elvis, she rode with Burke and the two deputies from the sheriff’s department. They headed west toward the burned-out structure of the old stable. The acrid stench of charred wood hung like a poisonous cloud in the crisp air.
This was the first time she’d seen the destruction up close, and she reined Elvis in to take a closer look. The one-story structure had been reduced to a grotesque skeleton with only parts of walls still standing and rubble where there had once been neat stalls. A scorched backhoe—an expensive piece of equipment—huddled at the far edge of the stable like the remains of a prehistoric beast.
The fire had been her motivation for coming home, and the sight troubled her. Was Lucas responsible for this needless destruction? He’d admitted to being first on the scene. He was the one who called in the alarm. But she couldn’t imagine him doing this, risking the livestock, risking a wildfire that could have spread across the grassland. They could have lost acres and acres. Lucas wouldn’t want that; he loved this ranch. Or did he?
She didn’t trust her own judgment anymore, not after seeing that list of enemies that Burke and his agents had compiled. Half the county seemed to hate the Carlisles.
Burke reined his big bay horse up beside her. She tore her gaze away from the ruins. Watching Burke was a welcome distraction. Despite the fact that he wore a Chicago Cubs cap instead of a Stetson, he looked comfortable in the saddle. Those summers he’d spent with his grandparents in rural Wisconsin had served him well. “You don’t ride too badly,” she said, “for a farmer.”
“Once you learn how, you never forget.”
But there seemed to be something else he’d entirely forgotten. He’d made no mention of their lovemaking. But then again, she hadn’t said anything, either. Should I tell him that he’s the best lover I’ve ever known? That last night was spectacular?
Though tempted to gush, she decided to play it cool. When she was younger, she’d had her share of meaningless sex and knew how it was supposed to work: no flowers, no phone calls in the morning, no sweet talk.
But last night was different. The depth of their passion wasn’t what she expected from a one-night stand. Making love with Burke left her craving more. She didn’t want last night to be the first and only time.
I should tell him. Instead, she nudged Elvis with her knees and moved forward. Skirting the edge of the forest, they came into sight of one of the main feeding pastures, about four miles from the ranch house. Contained by a barbed wire fence, over three hundred head of Black Angus milled from water troughs to feeding on the hay spread on the ground.
This was usually the last stop for these cattle before being herded to the slaughterhouse in Delta. Unlike non-organic ranches that crammed the cattle into feed lots and stuffed them with corn to fatten them up, this wide valley offered plenty of room to move around and graze.
Burke rode beside her. He pointed to a fat boulder near the south side of the field. “Interesting rock formation.”
“La Rana,” she said. “The frog. When I was a girl, I thought La Rana watched over the cattle at night and croaked really loud to chase away predators.”
“A protector frog. Nice.”
She regarded the herd with pride. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”
“Not the word that springs to mind when I think of a nine-hundred-pound steer.”
“Don’t you dare say fat.” She bristled. “These guys are so healthy.”
“When I think of beauty,” he said, “I think of you.”
Taken aback, she met his gaze. His dark brown eyes warmed her, melting her attempt to be cool. Without saying another word, he seemed to be telling her that last night had meant something more to him, too.
But they were busy people with full, active lives and tons of responsibility. She couldn’t possibly think of settling down. Still, the idea of sharing her hectic life with Burke held a certain appeal. She imagined coming home after work and finding him waiting with a glass of Chardonnay. What would it be like to go on an actual date? Or to make love in an actual bed?
He urged his horse forward, leaving her gaping behind him. She took a moment to tamp do
wn her fantasies, then tapped her heel against Elvis’s flank. Her big brown horse happily sped up, bringing her even with Burke.
“About last night,” she said, “I want you to know—”
“Not now,” he interrupted.
His abrupt manner shouldn’t have surprised her. By now she knew that Burke was a man whose action agenda easily outweighed his sensitivity. “Burke, I have something to say.”
“So do I.” The heat from his gaze poured over her like hot fudge on a sundae. “There’s a hell of a lot to say, but now isn’t the time. We need to keep focused on the kidnapping.”
“Fine,” she responded with as much gumption as she could dredge up while her insides liquefied into a gooey mass of desire. “Here’s a point of focus. Why did you leave Lucas in the room when you played the tape of Nicole?”
“You think he’s the traitor?”
She hadn’t clearly stated her suspicion. Even now she was hesitant to accuse. “It’s possible.”
“You didn’t want to say anything in front of him,” Burke said. “That’s why you didn’t mention Nicole’s hand gestures. She made another Circle M.”
“Pointing at Logan. Again.”
“I agree that Logan is probably our culprit,” Burke said, “but there’s something bothering me. We got ransom calls from two different kidnappers with requests for two different amounts. I have a nasty feeling that Butch and Richter might have taken Nicole and split off from the SOF to make their own big score.”
“Any evidence?” she asked.
“Nothing. Corelli has been listening to the bug I placed in Logan’s office nonstop. He hasn’t mentioned Nicole once.”
At this point, the trail went uphill through thick forest and rocky terrain. They went single file with Carolyn in the lead. She hadn’t been in this backcountry for years, and the land had changed, as it always did. Rock formations stayed pretty much the same, but the forest was always different. During the last few years, they’d lost a lot of trees to pine beetles. Whole hillsides had to be clear-cut. Later, they’d be replanted.
She picked her route carefully, relying on an internal compass. Figuring out directions had always been easy for her. Her father once said that he could drop her in the middle of a forest at midnight and she’d find her way home by morning. Even with the sun almost directly overhead, she sensed that they were moving south and west.