"What’s your name?" Hazel inquired as she worked to splint the injured man’s arm and ease it into a sling she retrieved from her supplies.
"Rob," he rasped.
Hazel laid a hand gently on his good shoulder. "All right, Rob. We’re going to take you back to the campground and check you out properly there."
"Got any … water?" Rob’s tone verged on pitiful as he looked around at them, the whites of his eyes starkly arresting against the muddy backdrop of his face.
Quashing down the random thought that she might be looking into the eyes of a killer, Blair hurriedly pulled out her water bottle from her jacket and unscrewed the cap. Sam took it from her and held it up to Rob’s lips. He sucked greedily on it and then spat out a mouthful of mud, repeating the process a couple of times before swallowing the rest of the water in a few hasty gulps. His thirst quenched, he sank back in Sam’s and Matt’s arms, eyelids drifting half-closed.
"We need to keep him moving." Matt’s voice vibrated with a heightened sense of urgency. "He's going into shock."
Blair flashed her husband a tight smile of encouragement. Despite the traumatic circumstances they’d been unexpectedly thrown into, he was holding up well and doing everything he’d been trained to do. It wasn’t the first time he’d carried a wounded man to safety. This certainly hadn’t been on the itinerary they’d drawn up before they’d pulled out of her father-in-law’s driveway a few weeks earlier. But this was the hand they’d been dealt. Blair only hoped it didn’t prove to be too big a setback on Matt’s road to recovery.
The return trek to Bird Creek was woefully slow, and, more than once, Rob pleaded with them to stop so he could rest.
"No can do, buddy," Matt replied firmly. "We’re going all the way. The sooner we get you to a hospital, the better."
Blair breathed out a silent sigh of relief when the campground came into view. Overhead, a hint of blue had made a weak appearance in a crack between the clouds, a welcome indication that the storm had finally moved on, and that they could pack up and leave.
Back at their trailer, they divested themselves of their outer garments and tossed everything into the bed of Matt’s truck. Sam tied Duke up outside while Matt and Hazel half-carried Rob up the steps and inside the trailer. Blair threw an old blanket over the couch and helped Rob hobble over to it. Sam followed them inside and sank down in one of the captain's chairs by the door.
Blair retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge and opened it before handing it to Rob. His hand trembled as he gripped it and guzzled it down, exhaling a satisfied sigh when he was done. Blair discreetly draped another blanket around his shaking shoulders. Other than trying to keep him warm, she wasn’t sure how to help him.
Hazel knelt at his side and took his pulse. "Apart from your arm, does it hurt anywhere else?"
"Everywhere." Rob groaned softly. "I’m battered head-to-toe. It was like being in an industrial-sized trash compactor with boulders, rocks, and branches smashing up against me."
"I need you to lie down so I can check you out," Hazel said. "I’ll try not to hurt you, but I have to press on your abdomen and make sure nothing’s swelling in there."
Rob closed his eyes and nodded his permission. Hazel prodded him carefully for several minutes and then adjusted his sling. "I don’t detect any traumatic internal injuries, which is a good start," she announced with a measure of relief in her voice. She held a finger up in front of Rob's face. "Can you follow my finger?"
His eyelids popped open and he flicked his eyes obligingly left then right.
"Good," Hazel said. "No apparent sign of concussion. That in itself is a miracle considering what you went through."
"Did you … find any other survivors?" Rob asked.
Matt and Sam exchanged an uneasy look. Matt tightened his lips. "Not yet. Were you tent camping?"
Rob gave a despondent nod. "We were on a five-day hunting trip."
"How many were in your party?" Sam asked.
"Four, including myself." Rob hesitated before adding, "My brother was with us. I don't know if he got out or not. He was in a hunting blind about a half mile away scoping out bear. He spent most of the last forty-eight hours there."
Blair’s stomach churned at the news that Rob might have lost a family member in the mudslide. Everything about this scenario was a nightmare.
Matt motioned to her. "Let me see your phone for a minute."
She frowned back at him, her eyes widening when it dawned on her what he was getting at. The dead man might be Rob’s brother. Surely Matt wasn’t planning on showing him the pictures of the body. She doubted Rob was capable of absorbing any more bad news at the moment. The last thing he needed was to see his brother’s corpse. Not to mention the fact that they’d have to tell Rob he’d been murdered. And then they’d have to break the news to him that they’d left his brother’s body where they’d found it—and that it might never be retrieved now.
Blair chewed on her lip. On the other hand, if she were in Rob’s situation, she’d rather know her family member’s fate, regardless of how dire it turned out to be. Hesitantly, she fished out her phone and clicked on the camera roll. She scrolled through to the series of pictures she’d taken of the dead man and then passed the phone to Matt.
"Rob," he began. "We stumbled on a body yesterday on the hiking trail up to the lake. Maybe you can take a look at these pictures and tell us if you recognize him. I really hope for your sake it's not your brother, but you should check just in case."
A deep furrow formed on Rob’s brow. He held out a shaky hand for the phone and studied the screen for a long moment. "It’s not him."
"Do you recognize him?" Sam asked.
Rob shook his head. "Never seen him before. He’s not one of our hunting party." His eyes darted uncertainly around the room before settling back on Matt. "You said you found him yesterday. So, he didn't die in the mudslide?"
Blair rubbed her hands on her pants, swallowing back the dread rising in her throat. They’d come full circle to the subject of the unidentified killer.
"He was stabbed in the stomach," Matt said quietly.
Rob’s jaw dropped. He took another look at the picture before handing the phone back to Matt. "So if he's not one of our hunting party, and he's not camping here with you, who is he?"
Matt folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned back against the counter, his gaze boring into Rob. "That's what we're trying to figure out. There’s a camper van here that's been sitting empty ever since we got here. It's possible it's this guy's rig, but that begs the next question—who killed him?"
Rob shot another nervous glance around the room. "It wasn't one of us if that’s what you’re thinking. I've known the guys I hunt with for years." He rubbed a hand over his jaw contemplatively. "Come to think of it, there was another hunter in the area a couple of days ago. He stopped by our site briefly. Kind of aloof. Seemed irritated to see us. He said he was going duck hunting."
Matt locked eyes with Sam. "Maybe he owns the empty van next to you."
"So he hasn’t shown up here, yet?" Rob asked.
"I haven’t seen anyone, and I was the first to arrive—shortly before Sam," Hazel said. "It's possible he got caught up in that mudslide."
"It's a police matter now," Blair said. "Our first priority is to get Rob—and Sandy, of course—to a hospital. We should get to work clearing the fallen branches off the road."
Sam got to his feet. "I'll bring Harvey up to speed and see if he needs any help getting their RV ready."
Matt opened the door, hesitating at the top of the steps at the sound of a truck pulling into the campground. Duke broke into a frenzied barking fit. "Sounds like we have company." Matt reached for a hoodie hanging by the door and pulled it on before heading outside with Sam.
Moments later, Whitney and Logan sprinted into view. Blair watched as they communicated something to Matt, gesticulating wildly. Heart thumping, she called down to them. "What's wrong?"
Matt’s
expression was grim as he ushered Whitney and Logan up the steps and inside. Whitney’s face paled at the sight of the mud-encrusted man sprawled on the couch.
"This is Rob." Matt glowered at Logan. "He was one of the hunting party camping up by the lake. We found him buried in the mud."
Logan ogled Rob with an air of distaste, not even momentarily chagrined at being introduced to a survivor he’d elected not to search for.
Blair didn't bother masking the look of contempt on her own face. Honeymoon aside, Logan was a self-centered jerk. She wasn’t impressed with Whitney either—hanging on his every word instead of calling him out on his egocentric attitude.
Before Logan had a chance to say anything, Sam and Harvey appeared in the doorway. Harvey nodded to no one in particular, zeroing in on Rob with a mistrustful air. Blair wouldn’t blame him if he was wondering whether Rob was the killer. The same thought had crossed her mind. But Harvey didn’t know about the lone hunter still out there somewhere.
"How's Sandy doing?" Hazel asked.
"Not great. Worse, actually." Harvey cast another wary glance at Rob. "Looks like we won’t be the only ones heading straight to the hospital once we pull out of here."
"No one’s going anywhere anytime soon," Logan said through gritted teeth.
Harvey frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"
Logan scowled around the room. "We're trapped at Bird Creek."
8
"The mudslide took out the road leading from the campground down to the highway," Logan blurted out.
"It’s washed out a huge section," Whitney added, looking every bit as distraught as she sounded.
Gasps of disbelief reverberated around the trailer, followed by a momentary stunned silence.
"How did you find out?" Sam asked, pinning an accusatory gaze on Logan, who narrowed his eyes, his posture decidedly defensive.
"Whitney and I tried to drive out of here earlier. I … we have to get back to work or we’ll lose our jobs. The road’s shot. I’m telling you, we’re trapped. The only way we’re getting out of here any time soon is by helicopter."
Trapped! Blair fought to resist the fear that pummeled her mind. She cast a hesitant glance Rob’s way. So much for getting him to the hospital today. She only hoped Hazel’s initial diagnosis was right that his injuries amounted to nothing more than a broken arm. And what about Sandy? By the sound of things, she was worsening by the hour. She’d barely been outside her RV since they’d got here. Hazel might be able to set a broken bone in a pinch, but there wasn't much she could do for an advanced case of cancer. And then, of course, there was the frightening possibility that the killer was still out there. Her stomach twisted and she quickly quashed the thought.
As if reading her mind, Harvey took a step toward Logan, a half-crazed look in his eyes. "There must be some way out—some way we can get around the slide."
Matt scratched the stubble on his jaw. "Did either of you get out to take a closer look at the road? Maybe we could dig around it. Even if we have to wait for a backhoe—"
"You can’t—there’s a gaping chasm to the valley below," Logan cut in.
Whitney threw a skittish look around as she picked at her nail polish. "Maybe we can build some kind of a bridge to walk across it."
Logan threw her a scornful look. "And how are we supposed to do that? This is a campground, not Bird Creek school of engineering. Like I said, the only way we're getting out of here is by air. It’ll take months to rebuild that road."
Harvey clenched and unclenched his fists. "I need to get Sandy out of here. Today."
Hazel laid a hand on his arm. "We’ll do the very best we can for her until we figure this out."
Matt folded his arms across his chest. "All right, listen up, everyone. I’ll drive out to the road and evaluate the situation. I don't doubt what these guys are saying, but maybe there's something that can be done about it."
Logan snorted. "Who do you think you are, Superman?"
Matt narrowed his eyes at him. "I’ve been trained to get out of some pretty tight spots. I’m willing to wager you’ve had a pretty cushy run of life so far."
Logan scowled and took a step toward him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Blair stepped between them, holding up her palms. This had to end now before Matt exploded. There was no knowing how far he would take it once he began to unload. Not that Logan wasn’t asking for it. "Enough! Calm down, both of you! There's nothing to be gained by winding each other up. What we need to do is work together—take stock of our circumstances and assess what we’re going to do next."
"I’m guessing it won't be long before search and rescue have helicopters flying over the area," Sam said. "As soon as they spot that mudslide, they’ll be looking for survivors."
"What makes you think they’ll spot us anytime soon?" Logan retorted. "We’re in the middle of nowhere. It could be days, or possibly weeks, before the forest service comes anywhere near here."
Whitney let out a whimper and pressed her knuckles to her lips.
Matt looked daggers at Logan. "Way to go with the fearmongering."
"Someone will call it in," Sam insisted. "Some backcountry pilot will spot the mudslide and fly low to investigate."
"And even if they don’t, my family—and the other hunters’ families—will alert the authorities when we don’t show up tonight," Rob added. "They know the general area we were camping in."
"In the meantime, we need to figure out what we can do to help guide SAR to our location," Matt said. "The first priority is to get Sandy and Rob airlifted out of here."
Harvey drew his brows together and combed his fingers through his beard as if he was weighing something up. Blair got the distinct impression he wasn’t buying into the idea of Matt taking charge and telling people what to do.
Harvey got to his feet abruptly. "I have to go check on Sandy, see if she needs anything."
"Why don’t we all grab some lunch and meet back here to make a game plan, say around two?" Blair suggested.
Matt eyed the sun filtering through the clouds. "Bring your camping chairs. I’ll get a fire going."
"We’ll keep a close eye on you for the next twenty-four hours or so," Hazel said to Rob, as she got to her feet. "I’ll check for any signs of swelling again after lunch."
After the group dispersed, Matt helped Rob into the shower while Blair found some clean clothes for him to dress in. When he reappeared a few minutes later, she scarcely recognized him. He was a large-boned man in his late fifties with ginger hair, a scruffy beard, and hands as big as paws. His forehead was badly scratched above his left eye and a nasty bruise bloomed on his right cheek. An intimidating figure by any standards. A tiny shiver crossed Blair’s shoulders. Was it possible they were hosting a killer in their trailer?
Suppressing the frightening thought, for now—after all, he was incapacitated with his broken arm—she determined to treat Rob as she would any other guest. She pulled out a chopping board and set about making some ham and cheese sandwiches, careful not to turn her back on him, another safety tip she’d learned from Matt. "What can we get you to drink, Rob? Water, soda, coffee?"
"Just some water, thanks. Can't seem to quench my thirst. My throat feels ripped raw."
Matt unscrewed the cap from a bottle of water and handed it to him. "You probably swallowed some mud mixed with ash."
"I’m worried about internal injuries," Blair said, setting a paper plate with a sandwich on the couch next to Rob.
"I’m beat up, that’s all," he assured her. "Sounds like Harvey’s wife is in worse shape."
Blair pressed her lips together. "Her cancer’s bad. Harvey told us the doctors referred them to hospice."
Rob furrowed his brow. "It’s odd, I feel like I know him from somewhere, like we’ve met before. Maybe at another campground."
Matt gestured to the recovered backpack that Sam had left lying by the front door. "Do you recognize that?"
Rob let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah
, it’s my buddy, Jeff’s." He lifted his sandwich and then set it back down on the plate. "Did you … find anything else?"
Blair shook her head. "Just a broken camping lantern."
"I can't thank you guys enough for pulling me out of there. And Duke for finding me. I only hope no one else is still trapped in the mud. I’ve hunted with those guys for years. Salt-of-the-earth folks. I know all their wives and kids." Rob sniffed and frowned down at his sandwich. "I need to go back out there and look for my brother. I can’t tell his kids I didn’t even try."
Matt scratched his chin. "You’re in no condition to look for anyone. We’ll go back out and take another look this afternoon. First, we need to focus on assessing the damage to the road and figuring out how to alert SAR that we're here."
"I can’t help wondering if that hunter who came by our site killed the man you found," Rob said quietly, almost as if he was talking to himself. "I feel bad now that we didn’t question him more. He was a bit of an oddball to be honest—not the least bit friendly."
"If he died in the mudslide, it’s possible we’ll never know for sure," Blair mused.
Rob shot her a wary glance. "Or the killer could be alive and well—here in this campground. You don't know these people. They’re all strangers."
Matt stared fixedly at him. "Which is why I keep a close eye on folks until I get the feel of them."
Rob threw a questioning look Blair’s way, but she averted her eyes. Of course Matt didn't trust Rob. He didn't trust anyone. And, given the circumstances they found themselves in, she could hardly fault him.
Two o'clock rolled around, and one-by-one the other campers gathered at the blazing fire Matt had started in the pit outside their trailer with the help of a blowtorch. Rob had fallen asleep on the couch, and Matt and Blair had elected to let him rest after his ordeal. Ordinarily, a flickering camp fire had a way of stimulating good conversation of its own accord, but the atmosphere was strained and the faces reflected in the flames wore the defeated air of prisoners reeling from the sound of the gate clanging shut on their sentence. Duke was the only one who seemed contented, resting his head on his paws at Sam’s feet.
You Will Never Leave: A psychological suspense thriller Page 6