Call of the Cougar

by Terry Spear

  "You suffered a knife wound," Hal reminded her.

  Annoyed at herself for being injured, she scowled. "I shouldn't have been. Stupid mistake on my part. As a cougar, I tracked them up into the cliffs. The one who was wounded in the side, turned to shoot me. I leapt from the boulder and grabbed his wrist and bit down. He cried out and dropped his gun, which I expected. But then he reached for a knife with his free hand, which I hadn't expected. I had intended to incapacitate him and turn him over to the police so we could get some information out of him. But once he stabbed me, I couldn't risk that he'd cut me in a place where I'd bleed out before I could get help. And I still had to think about my partner. The other man had taken off. As soon as I went after his wounded buddy, who had stabbed me, the other guy was out of there."

  "Okay, so what about him? Maybe one of the guys you killed was a brother or a really good friend. Partner maybe."

  "I don't know. A cougar was up on the cliffs near the miners' shacks when I was on my way here. Was…that you?"

  Hal snorted. "You were supposed to be on administrative leave, not looking into the case any longer. Mick said you were headed straight for Pinyon Pines Resort. I couldn't believe it when I saw you there with that patrolman. And just that patrolman. With you, you need a whole army to keep you safe."

  She smiled a little. "So it was you. Looking for clues?"

  "Yeah. But I didn't expect you to be there. I'd gone home to check on the mare, and found everything was fine, but I couldn't quit thinking about what had happened to you and your partner. I knew that if I climbed around the cliffs as a cougar, I might be able to smell something that everyone else missed."

  "Did you find anything?"

  "Yeah, that the cougar who had taken down the one guy was you. I'm sorry it had to happen—any of it. But I was glad you survived the encounter and the trafficker didn't. So what are we really up against?"

  She couldn't believe he'd act as though this was his fight also. But if he was willing to help her, she was willing to let him. He wasn't just a civilian after all. And he was a cougar like her, so he could be a great aid.

  "You have an elephant tusk smuggling ring. You found the fragment of the tusk in that mine tunnel. Maybe these men are hiding ivory in the tunnels on a regular basis. But there must be hundreds of abandoned mines all over the state, at the very least. On the last case where you were in the line of fire, that had been a ploy to get you there. It was only a way to set you up to take you down, don't you agree?"

  "I believe so. Do you know if anyone checked out any of the mines?"

  "Not likely. Just made sure they were secure. I do that from time to time at Anderson to ensure that no one is crawling around in them. They're too dangerous for the average person to explore. Even trained spelunkers have died in them."

  "Okay, let me talk with my sister and find out what she was doing in the mines." Tracey got on her phone and called her sister. "Jessie, did you take pictures of ghost towns?"

  "Yeah. Did Mom and Dad tell you? I'm writing a book about them."

  "Why were you in the gold mine taking pictures?"

  "Which one? I've been to fifty or so."

  Tracey couldn't believe it! "Are you crazy?"

  "Hey, I always take a guide who knows the mine, and I've got another cameraman with me. I'm writing a different book about gold mines, since many of the ghost towns were related to abandoned gold or silver mines, it's an easy way to document both. I don't get shot at in my line of work."

  No, just had her dive regulator ripped off her face, which could have killed her.

  "Jessie, you know that whoever's trying to kill me might think you and I are the same person, don't you? That they might be trying to shoot you? Thinking it's me?"

  "Yeah, Dad said I was restricted to the house. Good thing Stan likes to play video games. It's driving me batty though. You know me. I'm happiest when I'm out shooting something. With my camera."

  "Who the hell is Stan?"

  Jessie didn't date for months, then all of sudden, she had a boyfriend who was her nearest and dearest, and she knew they were soul mates. The longest relationship she'd had may have lasted a month.

  "We're not soul mates. But hey, Mom said you picked up a live one. And he's really well-built."

  "What?"

  "Six foot? Great shape? Sounds like a winner to me. Besides, we looked up his profile on the Yuma Town sheriff's department page. Hot, hot, hot. If you don't like him, maybe he's my kind of guy."

  "He's not." As soon as Tracey spoke, she thought she sounded like she had a vested interest in Hal. Which she didn't.

  Jessie started to laugh. "Okay, Sis. Sounds like you got your hooks in this one. Great hunting. How long will it take you to get here?"

  "Another hour and a half. Are dad's friends getting involved in this?"

  "Secret meetings. Check. Late night shooting at the range. Check. The guys taking turns sitting in their cars outside Mom and Dad's house, totally conspicuous like. Check. I'd say they're involved."

  "Great. Just stay out of trouble until I get there. I mean, stay out of trouble. Period."

  "You too. See you in a bit. Oh, and Mom said you are on guard duty, so you are off cake-making duty. I argued with her since I know you like to decorate them, but she's standing firm on it."

  Tracey laughed. "I'll lick the icing off the spatula and see if you made it properly."

  "Hey, baby, who are you talking to?" a man said in the background.

  "My twin sister. Just don't get us mixed up when she gets here. All right?"

  "No way, baby. I have eyes only for you."

  Ugh. Tracey already didn't like boyfriend number, well, she'd lost count. "See you soon, Jessie. Bye." Tracey hung up on her. "Don't you ever call me baby," she said to Hal.

  "Huh?"

  When they arrived at her parents' home on the outskirts of Loveland, a beautiful two-story, red-brick home with a five-acre forested lot, her sister and Dad walked out to greet her and Hal.

  Hal shook Jack Whittington's hand, but before he could offer his hand to Tracey's sister, Jessie, he got a big hug. He hoped Tracey wasn't scowling about the intimacy. He couldn't believe how much the two women looked alike. Though they were different in small ways and definitely they had dissimilar scents, so he would never get them mixed up that way. But their voices too, were very similar. He could see where someone else would think they were the same woman. No matter what, he wasn't interested in Tracey's sister.

  The dad was blond-haired, though his hair was starting to gray, but he had the same color of green eyes as Tracey. Jessie's were more amber, and her hair a darker blond. The dad was looking him over as if measuring him for the job of bodyguard. Maybe for more.

  Jessie was smiling at him like Tracey had won a prize.

  "You're not here to offer to protect Tracey," Jack said, his eyes spearing him, telling him to speak the truth in the matter.

  "I couldn't let her come here all alone. Not after all that's happened to her recently."

  Jack smiled. "Like I said. You have more of an interest in this than just protecting her."

  Tracey said, "Dad, if you keep badgering him, he's going to want to leave."

  "Is that right, son?" Jack asked.

  Hal caught Tracey's eye, and she looked uncomfortable. Hal smiled at her, not bothered in the least by her father's comments. In fact, he appreciated his frankness. "I think you know the answer to that."

  Jack slapped him on the back as though they were good friends, gave a thumbs up to a man sitting in a black car curbside, and then followed Tracey and Jessie into the house. "Mom's baking a cake, crucial stage, and so she couldn't leave the kitchen to greet you."

  "And Stan is at a crucial stage in his game and couldn't break free," Jessie explained.

  Jack snorted. "The only time he can leave that blasted game is to join us for meals."

  "Dad, you're not investigating this business having to do with me, are you?" Tracey asked, joining her mom in the ki
tchen.

  Her mother had blond hair, even lighter than both girls' hair, but her eyes were more of a blue-green. She quickly set the cake pan in the sink and took in Hal's appearance.

  "So glad to see you home." Melanie gave Tracey a hug. "Though I wish the circumstances for your visit were different." She considered Hal again. "He looks like he doesn't eat donuts or he works them off."

  "I work them off, ma'am," Hal said, patting his belly and smiling at Tracey, who blushed beautifully.

  So did Jessie.

  Tracey promptly changed the subject. "Dad, you didn't answer me."

  "Of course, we're looking into the case. The agency needs every good man it's got to investigate it."

  "You're not with the agency any longer."

  "I'm not dead either. And this involves both my girls. I'm not keeping my nose out of it. Any more than you are. You can't seriously believe the other guys would, either. So exactly what are we looking at here?"

  "We are not looking at anything here." Tracey began washing the cake pan.

  Everyone watched her for a moment as if they expected her to change her mind. Then Jack turned to Hal. "So, like I said, you have no intention of just guarding my daughter. You want to solve this case every bit as much as we all do. You and I can discuss it while Melanie brings us some sandwiches and such."

  Hal considered the ladies' response to that and Jack smiled. "My wife and Jessie had it all planned out for when you arrived. Tomorrow, you and I get to grill ribs. Not sure about the gamer in there."

  "He'll help, Dad, if he comes back tomorrow to join us." Jessie kissed him on the cheeks. "Or he won't get to eat any."

  "Good." Jack grabbed a couple of beers and offered one to Hal. "This all right?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Call me Jack, if you don't mind. We're on the same team."

  "Do you need my help with this," Tracey asked her mother, motioning to the cooling cake.

  "No. Go discuss this situation with Hal and your father. And keep your father and his friends out of trouble."

  "All right. Thanks." She gave her a hug and raised a brow at Jessie.

  "Good with me."

  "We'll need to see those photos you took."

  Jessie waved in the direction of the other room where her father and Hal had taken seats. "On the laptop in the living room. Dad's got it all set up for you to search through. I looked at the photos, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then again, I wouldn't know what you're looking for exactly, so maybe you'll find something."

  "Okay, thanks."

  From the loveseat where he was sitting in the living room, Hal watched Tracey and her sister talking.

  Both of the women did look similar—smiles, eyes, expressions—but Tracey's hair was longer and she was probably a half inch shorter, unless it had something do with the sandals the ladies were wearing. But the differences would be negligible if one didn't see the women together like this. Would Hal get them mixed up? He didn't think so. He wasn't sure if they'd decide to test him though.

  "If you're looking to see the differences between my two daughters, it's easy. Tracey loves blue. She wears it nearly all the time. Jessie loves fluorescent colors, hot pink and the like. Of course, being cougars, we can smell the difference easily enough. But from a distance like this, and upwind, it could be difficult. If you're worried about them trying to pull a fast one on you—you should be. That's how they've broken up with more guys over the years. Oh, and I know you said you're only here as a bodyguard and to investigate this case, but I know differently. You want to make a rancher out of my little girl."

  Tracey turned to look at her father and frowned.

  Hal laughed.

  ""If you can do that, you'll have my blessing. She was hell-bent on working for the agency, and I blame myself for it. I used to tell her about all the good cases where we saved wildlife. And so did my friends. Who would have the heart to tell a little girl about all the killings? There's so much more ugliness to this business. Now with this deadly situation, well, I want her out of it. But she's not going to listen to me."

  Tracey shook her head as she joined Hal on the loveseat. He was glad he had sat there and not on the couch or a chair. "Stop telling Hal to marry me, Dad, so I'll quit my job. Which I have no intention of doing." She opened up the laptop.

  Jack smiled and winked at Hal.

  Hal smiled back. He liked her dad a lot too.

  With the expanded view of the pictures, Tracey began to look for any clues. "Over fifteen-hundred photos in here. It's going to take forever."

  Jessie joined them, bringing the tray of sandwiches, pickles, and chips. "Image 0523 is the beginning of the fifty or so photos I shot in the cave where you had the firefight."

  "Thanks." Tracey ran the cursor down until she reached the first of the images and clicked on it.

  Hal pressed against her arm, looking for anything also, mainly any hint of more ivory fragments, or the one she had found. But he couldn't help breathing in her scent, and feeling her warmth and softness. She suddenly turned to face him.

  He smiled. He couldn't help that sharing the same space with her made him think of being with her earlier today by the waterfall, naked. And he couldn't help that she stirred his libido every time they were touching, even like this.

  She rolled her eyes, but the thing of it was, his increased pheromones triggered an increase in hers, so the effect she had on him meant he affected her as well.

  "There." He pointed at the screen.

  She saw it too. A tip of a tusk mostly hidden in a burlap sack.

  "Jessie, you took a picture of the stolen ivory tusks."

  "No way." Jessie moved over to see the picture. "Omigod. That was the last picture I took. We were in a hurry to get out of there after I took a picture of the old mining cart, and then we heard a cave-in. I hadn't even had a chance to look in that direction. If you hadn't told me that this was a tusk, I would never have realized what it was. Our guide grabbed my arm and yanked at me to hurry through the tunnel to the shaft. We were covered with dirt and dust from the cave-in and choking on it before we made it to the shaft. The sound was deafening, and to tell you the truth, it was the last mine we went into. After that, I was really spooked about going into another."

  Tracey scowled at her. "You said it was safe! That you had a guide who knew what he was doing!"

  "Well, yeah. That was the only one in the fifty mines that we visited that we had any trouble in."

  "What if these tusks were buried in the cave-in? Were you deeper in the mine?"

  "Deeper than what? I don't know where you were exactly when you found the piece of ivory."

  "Okay. We went down a shaft, then walked through a tunnel for about five-hundred feet and then down a second shaft."

  Tracey studied the picture again. "We only went down one shaft. So either they chipped off a tusk when they went in to hide it. Or broke it off on the way out, which means they recovered their stolen ivory before the cave-in."

  Melanie brought in a glass pitcher of a beverage to the coffee table that smelled of bourbon and mint. "Mint julep," she said. "Should we invite Albert in?"

  "No," Jack said. "Jessie can take a sandwich and soda out to him. He's on strict guard duty."

  Jessie got up and went to get Albert his dinner.

  "Hey, Jessie, what about the ghost towns? We were at Anderson when my partner was killed."

  Returning from the kitchen, Jessie had a baggie with a sandwich in it and a soda in hand. "There's a list of the images with locations right next to the laptop."

  "Thanks. I love how organized you are."

  "Have to be if I'm going to write about them. Be right back. Don't find any more clues about this until I return." Jessie headed outside.

  Tracey got on the phone to her boss, while Hal opened up the first picture listed for Anderson. "I was looking at Jessie's pictures. The staff you have that are checking them over might have seen it already, but they might investigate and see i
f there was a cave-in after the second shaft." She explained in more detail what she saw in the photo and what had happened to her sister with the cave-in right after that.

  "Nope. I'm not investigating this. Just sitting here visiting with Mom, Dad, Jessie, and Hal, having mint juleps and sandwiches, enjoying my family—like you said for me to do. If I get any other ideas, I'll be sure to run them by you."

  She set her phone on the table and began to look at the pictures of the ghost town.

  "What did he say about you investigating this further?" Hal was certain Mick knew her well enough to realize she wasn't leaving the case alone.

  "He told me to have a nice visit."

  Hal's phone rang and he quickly looked at the caller I.D, concerned it was Ted and there was some trouble back at the ranch. Instead, it was Mick. Hal rose from the loveseat and headed for the door. "Be right back," he said to the family. Tracey frowned at him.

  He didn't want to hide anything from Tracey, but he didn't want to speak to Mick in front of the whole family. "Yeah? What's up?"

  "Are you somewhere you can talk?"

  "Uh, yeah, just a second." Hal walked outside and shut the door, but Jessie was still within cougar earshot.

  After delivering the sandwich and soda to the retired Special Agent on house watch, Jessie turned and smiled as she headed back to the house and saw Hal on the phone speaking to Tracey's boss. "So what's up?"

  "Just needed to take a call in private."

  Jessie frowned at him. "You're not seeing another woman behind my sister's back, are you?"

  He chuckled. "First, we just met. Second, you would have smelled another woman on me. Tracey would have smelled her first. So no."