On the Hunt

by SUE FINEMAN

  She stepped back. “I thought you had a thing for blondes.”

  “I did. I do, but the last one I saw looked like a linebacker.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “If you close your eyes, you can pretend I’m a green-eyed blonde?”

  “You don’t have to pretend to be anyone, Mia. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”

  “What a nice thing to say.”

  Mia walked into the cabin, flipped on a light, and glanced around. Holding up her hand, she touched her lips. Had someone been here? Were they still here?

  Dave had the small gun strapped to his leg out in a flash. Motioning for her to stay back, he checked out both bedrooms and the bathroom. Mia had climbed the ladder to a loft over the bedrooms. The loft had an open rail overlooking the living room. Standing on the ladder, peering into the loft, she shook her head.

  They hadn’t spoken since they’d come inside, and for good reason. If the intruder hadn’t come inside to do harm to Mia, if he hadn’t come to steal or tear up the place, he must have had another purpose.

  Dave spotted the bug on the lamp by the sofa, just below the bulb. He pointed to it and she nodded.

  “David, would you like to go hiking with me in the morning?”

  He’d rather question the woman next door and spend the night in Mia’s bed, but if he did, it would blow his cover and end their relationship before it began. Greg wasn’t here to interfere, and it was the perfect time to explore the possibilities. If that kiss was any indication, she seemed willing enough. “Sure, hiking sounds good. That’s one reason I came up here. Shall we make a day of it?”

  “Not all day, David. I have things to do to get this place in shape to sell. Do you think your brother would be interested in purchasing the property?”

  “Maybe. I’ll give him a call when I get back to the hotel.” He walked to the door, apprehensive about leaving her there alone. He wanted to ask if she knew anything about the missing girls, but that would have to wait until morning.

  She walked him out to the porch. Dave saw a flash of light as Mrs. Snyder pulled the drape back to watch them. He turned back to look at Mia’s full, soft lips, knowing he didn’t need this kind of distraction, not with a missing persons case to solve. Still … “I wonder what she’d do if I stayed.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  With her ego still smarting from the last man she’d allowed herself to love, Mia couldn’t put her heart out there to get tromped on again. “Not a chance, hotshot,” she murmured. “Not a chance.”

  He leaned down to whisper, “Do you need a gun?”

  Mia shook her head. She carried a small handgun in her purse, and she intended to sleep with it tonight.

  She watched him walk down the middle of the street, his flashlight beam playing on the pavement, until he disappeared from sight. After waving to Mrs. Snyder, Mia stepped inside. She’d come to Clover Hills to unwind, but she was wound up tighter now, and not just from Dave’s kiss and the bug on the lamp.

  Three girls in one little town didn’t all decide to walk away without telling their parents. She could understand one leaving, maybe two, but not three in one summer, not in a town so small it only had one traffic light.

  Mia locked up, for all the good it would do. Since she didn’t see any signs of a forced entry, someone might have a key to the house. She didn’t want to change the locks right away and tip off the intruder that she knew he’d been there.

  Under other circumstances, she would have invited Dave to stay awhile and talk about the missing girls, but she didn’t want anyone to hear them. They could talk tomorrow.

  Why would someone bug her house? Did it have something to do with the missing girls? That didn’t make sense. Until tonight, she didn’t know anyone was missing, and she didn’t expect to find Dave Montgomery here in Clover Hills.

  The shooting in Tacoma had shaken her, and she’d come here to unwind and figure out what to do with the rest of her life. She’d called Bo the night it happened. She’d spoken with Greg, too, but Bo had been her best friend since the day Mom and Dad adopted him and Greg. He was four and she’d just turned five, and he was already taller than her. Greg always looked for some mischief to occupy his time, while Bo had a way of making awful things seem not so bad. She always talked things over with Bo, even her dates and her problems at school, and he helped her make sense of things.

  Bo had warned her about Ted, her last boyfriend, but she hadn’t listened. She wanted so much to believe it could work between them, and it had, until he took her home to Boston to meet his family. They took one look at her and it was all over. She overheard Ted’s mother telling him it was all right to be friends with those people, but not to marry one of them. His family wanted him to marry a socialite, someone with an impeccable pedigree, a woman who socialized in the same circles, whose family had money, a daughter-in-law they could be proud to show off to their friends. Mia didn’t fit the profile.

  That day, listening to a private conversation she had no business hearing, Mia felt like a mongrel, but she was a proud puppy. Early the next morning, she left a note on her pillow, escaped the family home, and took a taxi to the airport. She didn’t stay anywhere she wasn’t wanted, and Ted’s mother didn’t want her there.

  Since her lover was also her dancing partner, she’d quit dancing. She found it too painful to continue the activity that had always brought her such joy. There would never be another dance competition for her, but dancing might be a way to earn a living. She could teach it. After all, she’d been dancing since she was three years old. She should be an expert by now.

  After propping kitchen chairs under the door knobs, Mia turned out the lights in the living room and went in to make her bed. The old mattress bowed in the middle from years of use, so she flipped the mattress and found she had a hump in the middle. Bouncing on it didn’t help. The bed was shot.

  The bed in the other room was smaller and newer, but with just her, the size didn’t matter. A picture of Dave’s quirky smile and sexy blue eyes popped into her head and she shook it away. She couldn’t share a bed with Dave Montgomery. Like her former fiancé, Dave came from a socially prominent family. She wouldn’t fit into his family, and she didn’t want to set herself up for more heartache. No matter how hard her heart pounded when Dave kissed her, she’d rather not get involved in the first place than to go through that experience again.

  <>

  Dave walked back to the Four Leaf Clover. Dogs growled at him as he passed by, porch lights came on, and people pulled their curtains back to stare at him. He waved and kept on walking. People in Clover Hills had every right to be spooked. Three of their daughters had disappeared without a trace. Losing a child of any age had to be the worst tragedy for a parent. He’d seen the grief and despair on the faces of the families of victims many times, and it never failed to move him. Finding killers and getting them off the streets so they couldn’t kill again held a certain satisfaction, but there were too many they didn’t find until after they’d killed again, until they’d torn another family to shreds.

  The chief of police stood by the porch steps of the Four Leaf Clover, his arms crossed in front of him and a stern look on his face. Dave tried to walk around him, but the man stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop.

  He’d spoken with Chief of Police Ken Knight on the phone a few weeks ago, and Dave was not impressed. The man didn’t want the FBI intruding on his territory. It wasn’t an unusual reaction, but most people couched their disapproval in polite terms. Knight was in-your-face rude about it. He insisted the three missing girls were old enough to decide whether or not to leave town, and once gone, he wouldn’t spend any time looking for them. Tonya Ayers’ mother was certain someone had taken her daughter, but good ole Ken Knight didn’t appear to give a rip. He insisted the girls had left of their own free will, and he didn’t want the FBI snooping around his town, stirring up trouble. Period.

  In the stream of light from the porch, Dave stare
d him down. After Mia’s experience today and the way this jerk behaved, he wondered if the police hadn’t planted the bug in Mia’s house. He wouldn’t put it past Police Chief Ken Knight, cock of the walk and the biggest jerk of a law enforcement officer Dave had ever met. He wanted to lock this guy up somewhere and interrogate him, but he couldn’t jeopardize the case.

  “Something wrong, officer?”

  “It’s chief, and I want to see your ID.”

  Dave stood his ground. “Why?”

  “Would you prefer doing this at the police station?”

  Reluctantly, Dave reached for his wallet. He opened it and took out the license with his fake ID. Handing it to Chief Knight, Dave asked, “Have I broken the law or done something wrong, or are you the Welcome Wagon of Clover Hills?”

  The cop flipped on his flashlight, examined the license, and flipped the light off. “What were you doing with Mia Gregory?”

  “We had dinner together with two men. I forgot their names.” Knight undoubtedly already knew who they’d eaten with. “One of our dinner companions mentioned some missing girls and nobody wanted Mia to walk home alone. Is walking a girl home a crime around here?”

  Knight handed the license back to Dave, who tucked it in his wallet and stuffed the wallet in his hip pocket.

  “How long have you known her?”

  Dave scratched his neck. Damn beard drove him crazy. “We met tonight, but it turns out I went to college with one of her brothers.”

  “Where?”

  After a few seconds of silence, Dave asked, “Does it matter? What is this? Why are you giving me the third degree?”

  Knight stepped back. “No reason. Enjoy your stay in Clover Hills.” He turned around and walked down the street, leaving Dave standing alone, shaking his head. What in the hell was that all about?

  As Dave walked upstairs to his room, the light came on in his brain. The old snoop next door to Mia must have called the cops again. Did the old woman see everything that went on in this town, or did she just watch Mia’s place? She must have seen whoever went inside to plant those bugs. He wanted to walk over there, knock on her door, and interrogate her, but he couldn’t do it now.

  When Stipes and Kowalski got here, Kowalski could take care of it. He had a face like an over-the-hill prize fighter, but he had a way of charming the ladies. Stipes, the muscle man on the team, had arms bigger than most men’s legs. An ex-Marine, Stipes was tough as nails. Even though he was one of the youngest members of the team, Stipes was one of the most capable men Dave had ever worked with. Kowalski, a seasoned professional, had turned down promotions time after time, saying he didn’t want or need the additional responsibility. He’d skillfully honed his instincts over the years, and Dave trusted him with his life.

  Stipes and Kowalski should arrive day after tomorrow. Until Dave revealed his identity in Clover Hills, Kowalski would work with the local police. With Mia’s help, Dave would scope out the town before his men arrived.

  <>

  A ringing phone woke Dave out of a sound asleep the next morning. He rolled over, grabbed the phone, and mumbled something into the receiver.

  “David, where are you?” said Mia. “I thought we were going hiking the first thing this morning, and it’s already daybreak.”

  He groaned. “Tell me this is a bad dream.”

  “Get your butt downstairs or you’ll go without breakfast. Ten minutes, David.” The line went dead.

  Nobody in this business kept regular hours, but this wasn’t business related. Muttering to himself, he dragged his sleepy body out of his warm bed and headed for the shower.

  Twelve minutes later, Dave walked downstairs with his backpack and coat. He had no idea what to take along on a hike, but Mia would no doubt set him straight.

  She sat at the big table in the center of the room, sipping coffee and laughing with a pink-cheeked man at least three times her size. She glanced over at Dave. “There he comes now.” Staring at the backpack, she asked, “You don’t plan to lug that thing along on a short hike, do you?”

  “Uh...”

  She slowly shook her head. “David, have you ever in your entire life hiked in the mountains?”

  He glanced around to see every eye in the room on him. Had she blown his cover? “I’ve been on skis a time or two.”

  “It looks like you mugged a boy scout.”

  Laughter spread through the room, and he knew Mia hadn’t blown his cover. Her lighthearted teasing had reinforced it. He sat down beside her and the waitress poured him a cup of coffee.

  Dave looked up at the waitress. “I’ll have the special,” he said. “And a piece of humble pie.” He held up a finger. “On second thought, better make it the whole pie.”

  The man sitting across from them reached out to shake his hand. “I’m Bert. Takes a big man to admit he made a mistake.”

  Dave scratched his neck. “I’m David, and I think growing this beard was a mistake, too.”

  Bert stroked his own red beard. “It don’t itch as much if you shave your neck.”

  “I’ll try that.” Dave turned to Mia and her sparkling eyes. “Mugged a boy scout?”

  “I’ll bet you don’t even know how to put it on, do you?”

  Staring at her impish grin, he had an urge to take her upstairs and have her for breakfast. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re an irritating woman?”

  She laughed, infecting him and nearly everyone else in the room.

  Dave spoke loud enough to be heard by all. “The chief of police was waiting for me here last night. I guess he doesn’t like strangers walking the local girls home.”

  “Did you tell him—”

  “I told him Greg and I went to college together, but you and I hadn’t met before last night. I don’t think he believed me.” He hoped word would get around that he was friends with one of the Gregory boys. It might open some doors.

  Mia brought the discussion back to the backpack. “So tell me, David. Where did you get the backpack?”

  “I borrowed it from my brother. He’s a boy scout leader.”

  The waitress served their breakfast and Dave stared at the plates piled high with food. Bacon, sausage, pancakes, eggs, hash browns, and a big glass of orange juice. “This is the special?” He could almost feel the cholesterol clogging his arteries. It smelled good, though, and he was hungry. But not this hungry.

  The waitress said, “If you can’t finish it all, Bert will help you out, won’t you, Bert?”

  Mia had a bowl of oatmeal and an English muffin with cream cheese and jam. Her eyes sparkled with amusement and he knew he’d been had. Bert eyed the pancakes, so Dave pushed them over and tossed the sausage on top.

  “Hey, thanks,” said Bert. He poured half a bottle of syrup on top and dug in. Dave wondered if this was a way to get someone else to pay for his breakfast or if the man had already eaten one breakfast this morning.

  After breakfast, Dave took his pack upstairs and came down to strap on the fanny pack Mia had brought him. Inside, he found first aid supplies, a pair of socks, two bottles of water, and a fruit and nut bar. “What, no apple pie?”

  Mia ignored his remark and drove them to a trailhead about a mile from town. She parked and turned to him. “The waitress used you this morning.”

  “For what?”

  “To feed Bert. He lost his job a few months ago. She said he comes in often, but he can’t afford to eat there, so he just has coffee and looks pitiful. Nobody wants to hurt his feelings by giving him a handout, so the cook makes one order big enough to share.”

  “Sounds like a test of character.”

  She opened her car door. “It is, and you passed with flying colors.”

  He put his hand on her arm. “Hey, thanks for—”

  “Forget it. Sometimes saying the obvious is the best way to ease the tension, and the tension in Clover Hills is high right now. What happened to those three girls? Do you know?”

  “No bodies, but something strange is going on
here. The female agent I sent last month couldn’t get into the back rooms at the Four Leaf Clover.”

  “It’s men only in the game room and bar. It’s discriminatory, but that’s the way it’s always been. Most men go in and out through the back door, including the local cops.”

  “So you’ve never been back there yourself?”

  “A man invited me to the bar once, about five years ago. They needed a dancer, and the man who invited me knew I danced, but he didn’t know what I did for a living. But the bouncer did, and he barred the door. I don’t do that kind of dancing anyway, but I was curious. Bo and Greg have been back there, but I’m not allowed.”

  “What kind of dancing? Strip?”

  “According to Bo, it’s suggestive and sometimes topless.” Mia put her hands over her breasts. “I don’t have enough up here for that anyway.”

  He cocked his head. “Oh, I don’t know. Looks adequate to me.” He reached over and, surprisingly, she didn’t stop him from putting his hand over her breast. “More than adequate,” he whispered, leaning down for a slow kiss that left him wanting more.

  “This is not a good idea, Dave.”

  “Hiking?” They both knew that wasn’t what she meant.

  She shook her head and left the car. Dave zipped his jacket, pulled on his hat and gloves, and stepped out into the frosty air. “Is this much fresh air really healthy at this hour of the morning?” he asked as he followed her down the trail.

  Her bright laughter floated on little puffs of steam. He grabbed at one and another one. And another.

  She propped her hands on her hips. “What are you doing?”

  “Catching your laughter to save for a gloomy day, although... there is a better way.”

  Mia gazed into his eyes and her smile slid away. He wanted to kiss her, but she stepped away and pointed to a very tall tree in the middle of the trail up ahead. “I’ll race you to that tree.”

  “What do I get if I win?”