by Vella Munn
The forest swallowed his words, leaving him alone. Still on his knees, he bowed his head.
“Raven. Please.”
Silence.
* * * *
Booth had let go of Winter’s hair. Despite that, his tension swirled around her. Judging by his gulping breaths, he was trying to regain self-control. She wouldn’t last if he couldn’t, but she knew not to say anything.
“Useful! What a demeaning thing for him to say. Ropes and knives are useful. What I loaned him… When he kept putting off returning the files, I got suspicious. When I asked him what he was up to, he said I’d know when the rest of the world did.”
She hated the idea of Doc taunting Booth, but maybe that was how Booth had interpreted things.
“What does this have to do with me?”
Booth pulled the lamp off his head and placed it on the ground. The intense light illuminated the forest in all directions for some ten feet. His eyes were half-closed, and yet she recognized savage determination.
“Nothing. Tonight is all about me.”
Booth was self-absorbed. What he wanted or believed he was entitled to came before everything else, even human lives.
“Gilsdorf went from acting like we were colleagues to closing up. He stopped talking about what he was doing. Shut me out.” Booth again touched the knife to her throat. “Something had excited him. I saw it in his eyes. I deserved to know what it was.”
She guessed he felt that way because he believed that what was in the histories had been the key to Doc’s discovery. The explanation for what Booth had done to Doc was so simple, at least from his perspective. Except he was wrong. Floyd and the wolf mask had been the key.
“What brought you here? If it hadn’t been for you poking around Ghost Totem, there wouldn’t have been anything left of Gilsdorf’s body.”
“Someone would have found—”
“You have no idea how quickly cougars, coyotes and bears can break down a body.” He patted her leg. “That’s why I brought you here.”
Wolf! Jay!
When Booth leaned back and stared at her, she guessed that, despite his bravado, he wasn’t certain what to do next. She hadn’t given up, but neither did she want to provoke him. It might spell the difference between life and death if she comprehended what drove him.
“I don’t know what Doc was up to.”
He growled. “The hell you don’t. He confided in you. You’re the one person he trusted. What did he discover?”
“Even if he confided in me, why should I tell you? You’re going to kill me.”
“Kill? You’ll disappear. You no longer work for the university. Being awarded the grant is a long shot. People will conclude you’ve left Potlatch. Gone somewhere far away to lick your wounds. No one will ever see you again. No one will care.”
Jay will, she wanted to say but didn’t. Jay, we never had a chance.
“You’ve decided that discovering what Doc might or might not have uncovered is worth killing three people? I can’t believe you’re—”
He rocked back then leaned over her again. “Let me tell you something, Winter. Something you might get because you’ve probably been toiling in some tiny room, wondering why you went after that fancy degree you’ll be paying off for decades to come.” He scrubbed his mouth. “I’ve always given everything to whatever I’ve done. I pride myself in giving my employers a full day’s work for my pay. Long ago, I was convinced that, if I proved to be a dedicated employee, I’d be rewarded. But it didn’t happen. Time and time again, I was passed over. Screwed.”
She was starting to understand Booth’s motives. Maybe she should call them rationalizations. “You decided the only way you’d be recognized was if Doc made you part of his, what…his discovery?”
Booth straightened. Even with the unnatural lighting, she could see his eyes were glittering. “What discovery, Winter?”
“I was just throwing out words. He didn’t tell me anything. I came here because I had a few days off, that’s all.”
His frown said he didn’t want to believe her. Maybe couldn’t. Her life might end in minutes. She wouldn’t have to fight to stay in Olympic after all.
She’d never see Jay again.
Was done trying to comprehend Wolf.
Wolf, are you here? Don’t desert me, please.
“You’re lying, just like Gilsdorf did.” Booth stood and flexed his knees. “We all confide in someone—or want to.” He looked down. “For whatever reason, Gilsdorf decided not to confide in me. Before you showed up, I thought he might have confided in Floyd, because, for a while, the two were tight—and secretive.”
“You—”
“Kept an eye on Gilsdorf? I had to. He might have been my last chance to make some kind of mark in this world.”
With distance between them, she pushed herself into a sitting position. Like earlier, she had to lean forward to keep her balance, but at least she didn’t feel quite as vulnerable. “What did you hope to accomplish by killing Doc?”
He stared at the knife. “That hadn’t been my intention. I wanted us to be alone, because our conversation wasn’t anyone else’s business.”
You took a knife with you.
“You need to get something. I was served with divorce papers last winter. Fourteen years of marriage down the tubes. My son… He wanted to live with his mother. It was just me. My ex said she was tired of having a part-time husband, but she knew what the job here would require when I took it. All those hours spent poring over those tapes—I told her it was going to amount for something, but she…”
Booth looked around. “You’re young. You can’t comprehend what failure feels like or how miserable it can be to keep going. The length a person sometimes goes in order to give his life meaning.”
In a way, she felt sorry for Booth. She’d just never condone why he’d done what he had.
“I asked Gilsdorf to treat me with respect. That’s all I wanted. He said it, whatever it was, was bigger than the two of us.”
The wolf mask and where it came from.
“When I asked if what I’d been doing played a role in his discovery, he didn’t answer. I had no doubt I was right. All those times when I let people take advantage of me, I couldn’t let it happen again. Too much was at stake.”
“You told Doc that?”
“Yes. I’d backed down for the last time.”
“How did he respond?”
Booth stared into the night. She was certain he was replaying Doc’s last seconds of life. “The same as earlier, only with more feeling. He said I couldn’t grasp what was at stake.”
Unable to stop herself, she fought her wrist restraints. So this was what a nightmare felt like. “That’s when you killed him?”
He shuddered. “I gave up trying to talk sense into him. I had no choice.”
No choice? He could have walked away.
“I grew up on a farm,” Booth continued. “I’ve seen just about every injury that can happen to an animal. What cripples both animals and humans.”
“What did you do?” The question made her sick to her stomach. “Incapacitate him the same as you did to me?”
“There were differences, but, essentially, yes. I severed his Achilles tendon so he couldn’t walk.”
No!
“There was no going back,” he whispered. “I’ve always prided myself on my self-restraint, but something snapped.”
Imagining what Doc had endured, she couldn’t hold back a whimper.
“I didn’t realize what I’d done until it was too late. Then I couldn’t stop.”
Another whimper pushed past her lips.
“Stop it!” He kicked her in the side, knocking her over. As she struggled to right herself, he started to walk away only to immediately return. “I’ll never get used to this place at night,” he muttered. “Bad enough in the day. It swallows me.”
Wolf, are you scaring him?
“You can’t go on killing people. What about Dr. Wilheim?�
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“What about him? He doesn’t have the light in his eyes that Gilsdorf did. He doesn’t study the forest as if he loves it like you do. Either Gilsdorf told you the essential stuff before you came here, or you have files that weren’t on his laptop. You will tell me everything. Wilheim will waste time and money blundering around then go home with his tail between his legs. That’s when I’ll go to work.”
Even though she couldn’t give Booth’s explanation her full attention, she was certain there were holes in his plan. The federal government was responsible for what happened in Olympic. Someone would come across her storage unit contract and find the wolf mask. Bureaucrats and politicians would argue over who should be in charge of a large-scale exploration. Booth would be pushed aside. Doc and Floyd would be dead, she’d be missing. Jay would be left with too many questions.
“Gilsdorf didn’t tell me anything.” Booth shook his head. “I—damn it, I didn’t give him time.”
“What about Floyd?”
“He was drunk. At least, I believe he was. I gave him plenty of time to tell me about what he and Gilsdorf had been up to, but he just kept crying.”
While you tortured him—same as you intend to do with me.
“He didn’t say anything?”
“Nothing I could make sense of. That, in part, is why I came after you.”
She struggled not to react.
“I have your laptop. Maybe what I need is in there.”
“I don’t want to die.”
He shrugged. “I can’t have you messing things up. You need to disappear, which you will.”
Booth was right. Between the lush vegetation, miles and miles of wilderness, and scavengers, in days there wouldn’t be anything left of her. No one would realize what had happened to her.
I will, a deep voice whispered inside her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
For a moment, Winter thought Jay had shown up to save her. Then she realized she’d heard Wolf. Her spirit had done more than just tell her he existed. He’d spoken to her!
Feeling strong, she glared at Booth. “What if your son learns what you’ve done?”
He slapped her, knocking her over again. “Shut up. I know what you’re up to. It isn’t going to work.” He hauled her upright via her hair. Teeth clenched against the pain, she stared at him. Wolf was out there! Wolf who—what? What could a spirit do?
“I’ve spent too damn many years doing everything to live up to other peoples’ expectations. From now on, I’m in charge.”
A howl vibrated through her. Wolf was there, somehow, somewhere.
She was already shaking from fear and the effort of remaining erect, but Wolf’s unnecessary warning made it even worse.
Damn you, Doc. Why did you antagonize Booth, if you did?
A yip now, a sound of disapproval.
Wolf was right. She didn’t dare let anything distract her from trying to reach Booth. However, she’d barely reminded herself of that when her mind’s eye filled with an image of her drifting through the forest. She wasn’t walking so much as floating. Remarkable as that was, it paled next to the realization that she wasn’t alone.
Wolf was with her. Matching her pace. His essence blending with hers. Accepting her.
“Where are Gilsdorf’s files?” Booth demanded. “I went through everything in that damn cabin. Looked everywhere.”
Except inside Doc’s slipper. “That’s why you took his laptop.”
“Of course.” He kicked her ankles again, hard enough this time to force a gasp from her. If he hurt her enough, she might tell him about the storage device she’d tucked under her car’s rear floor mat. Maybe she’d be unable to hold back from revealing the wolf mask’s existence.
“I’d all but given up on getting any kind of recognition before Gilsdorf showed up. When I sensed his excitement, I vowed to be part of it.”
“How? By killing people?”
His boot connected with her side. She gasped but managed not to topple over.
“Don’t make me mad, Winter. It’ll be worse for you.”
Reality faded a little, replaced by an image of Wolf gazing at her. Connecting with her. Sharing his courage.
She’d been terrified, but now her courage grew. No matter what happened, she wouldn’t beg Booth not to kill her. She’d make Wolf proud of her and be worthy of the ancient mask. “You’re the one who’s going to have to live with what you’ve done.”
Booth stood on one leg in preparation for kicking her again. She dug her heels into the ground and scooted away. He stalked after her.
Another image—this one of Wolf taking hold of her hand and guiding it behind her, directing her fingers toward something.
Holding her breath, she extended her fingers. They encountered a jagged rock.
“You really are crazy,” Booth said as he hauled her back to the tree via the rope around her ankles. Despite the burning in her arms, she managed not to let go of the rock. “What the hell did you think doing that would accomplish?”
Wolf turned her hand until the rock’s sharp edge became a weapon.
Sweat ran down her sides as she fingered the rock. One side was so sharp she nicked a finger. Praying Booth couldn’t see what she was doing, she jammed the rock against the tree trunk.
“I don’t understand why you killed Doc.” She barely cared what she was saying, just that she distracted him. “He was a reasonable man. He’d realize that all you wanted was to have your effort recognized.”
Booth faced the forest. As she started sawing, she looked in the direction he was, half-expecting to see Wolf.
“You think I haven’t worked toward that goal?” His voice dipped. “I have. For years.”
“You must have had some successes. You’re a historian.”
“Right! I got on at a small museum. When the director retired, I thought I’d get a promotion, but I was passed over. I took a job at a larger museum, but that, too, became a dead end.”
Wolf again. His shoulder pressing against hers and his strength flowing into her.
Thank you, she told her spirit. As she continued the back-and-forth motions, she pulled up the memory of what Wolf looked like. Magnificent.
“Did you watch both men die?”
Booth again headed toward her. “Don’t ask me that. I’d tied Floyd up so he’d have to listen to me. When he died—I told you I let him down.”
Did Booth really believe she’d forgive him? With him so close, she didn’t dare continue working on the rope. “You obviously love your son, so how can you—”
“I’m backed into a corner. Grasping at my last straw.”
That wasn’t true, but, the point was, Booth believed it. Unless she could get free and overwhelm him, she was going to die tonight.
Never see Jay again.
Wolf drew back his lips. His fangs glittered.
“I’m out of options. There’s only one way to make something of my life.”
“By killing three people? How can you face yourself?”
The knife descended, sliced through denim and opened a several-inches-long wound in her right thigh. She screamed.
“Shut the fuck up!” He held the flat side of the knife to his chest with a still-shaking hand.
Wolf’s snarl vibrated through her.
“The hell I’ll be quiet!”
“What was— No!” His voice squeaked. “Oh no. Can’t be.”
Liking herself to her predator, she watched as Booth scrambled to her left. Using all her strength, she pressed the rope against the rock.
The knife headed for her thigh, a single-minded metal monster bent on inflicting pain and drawing blood.
A howl cut through the night. Low and strong, it drifted around her, relaxed her. Gasping, Booth jerked back. He clutched his weapon in both hands.
Wolf howled again, longer this time, a mystical, magical breath. Much as she longed to simply experience Wolf’s gift, she didn’t dare let herself be distracted. Gritting her teeth against
the throbbing in her thigh, she attacked the rope. Her arms burned, and rope dug into her wrists.
“No, no,” Booth whimpered.
Let him fight his monsters. She had work to do. To prove herself.
“What was that? Did you do it?”
Surely Booth knew how insane his question was, but maybe he was too unnerved.
He started to wipe his forehead only to hit himself between his eyes with the knife base.
He rubbed himself there. “That’s a wolf.”
“Are you sure?”
“Hell, yes.” Careful this time, he wiped his forehead. “What’s it doing here?”
“You’re asking me?”
“The smell of blood must have drawn it in. He’s coming for you.”
She almost laughed, because the sound hadn’t come from a flesh-and-blood predator. Another howl circled around them.
“Oh, shit, shit.” Booth reached into his coat’s front pocket and withdrew a revolver. “Where is it? I’m ready for it.”
Instead of telling Booth that Wolf was responsible, she watched as he tried to determine where the howl was coming from. He took care to remain in the fragile light as he stalked its perimeter. She continued working. In an attempt to ease the strain on her shoulders, she scooted a few inches away from the tree. Her shoe struck a branch, causing it to crack.
Booth whirled toward her. “What are you doing?”
Before she could come up with a lie, Wolf let go with a sharp cry. Booth whimpered. He looked from the pistol in one hand to the knife in the other.
“Don’t want to risk a shot if I don’t have to.” He seemed to be talking to himself. “The wolf’s coming. It’s the blood.”
“That’s your doing.”
Instead of responding, Booth continued his jerky movements. Then he stopped as if he’d run into a barrier and focused his full attention on her.
“Blood. Lots of blood. Coming in for the kill.”
Muttering something she couldn’t hear, he slipped the pistol back in his pocket, gripped the knife in both hands and started closing the distance between them.
Wolf! Feel me. Sense my need. Even as she prayed, she sawed.
Predator strength again pressed against her.