by Joan Rylen
Addressing Lucy, Wendy and Kate, he said, “Smith will drive you in Lucy’s car.” He pointed his key at Vivian. “You’re riding back with me. Let’s go.”
41
VIVIAN couldn’t remember a quieter car ride. No music, no conversation, nada, the entire way back to The Ridge. Hayes rode up front and kept the silence as well. She was glad to be reunited with her friends and fell into a group hug just inside the front doors. Though she had calmed down, she was still upset. It felt good to have their support.
They whisked her off to the elevators, Smith in tow, but Nelson stayed in the lobby. She caught a glimpse of Shick and Finck in the great room, in front of the fireplace. Finck gave her a wink.
The girls left Smith in the living area of the suite, went into the master bedroom and closed the door. They needed to chat, in private.
“Oh my gosh,” Vivian said as she sat down in a high-backed chair. “I didn’t mean to go off that much on Agent Nelson. I was just so pissed.”
“It’s okay, Viv,” Kate said. “It was your momma bear instincts coming out.”
“He’ll understand,” Wendy said.
Lucy flopped onto the bed. “He’s Mr. Tough FBI Agent Man. He can take whatever you dish out. Whatever jackass Craig can throw our way, too.”
Kate paced in front of the balcony doors. “We need to know what Nelson’s team found out along the river.”
Vivian sighed. “I guess I’ll call him. Nobody said a word on our ride over.” She started to look around for her phone. “Actually, I don’t want to call him. Wendy, you have his number?”
Wendy’s cheeks flushed as she pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed.
They went back into the living area to wait for Nelson. Vivian met him at the door.
“I’m sorry for earlier, but I need you to know how serious I am about catching Craig.”
“Got it,” Nelson said and gestured to the dining table. “Sit down. We’ll talk.”
Vivian complied. “What did you guys find at the river?”
“And did y’all find any trace of him earlier around Breckenridge and Boarders?” Wendy asked, sitting down.
Nelson stood at the head of the table, gripping the back of a chair. He glanced at all of them before explaining, “The search for Craig along the river didn’t turn up much. However, we think we found the spot where he took the shot.” He let that sink in. “Footprints led to a cliff in Royal Gorge National Park where we found a wrapper from some beef jerky.
“We made a cast of the footprints and collected the wrapper as evidence. Motorcycle tracks were found about half a mile away down the road, and we took casts of those as well. We can compare them to ones we took near The Ridge.”
“That’s good, right?” Lucy hadn’t fully sat down and had one knee in a chair.
Nelson ran a hand over his face. “Yes, but there’s more. We think he took several shots.”
Kate sat next to Vivian, patting her arm, but stopped. “Several, as in more than two?”
Nelson nodded. Lucy slumped in her seat.
“We found rifle casings on the cliff with the beef jerky wrappers.”
“Jesus.” Vivian covered her mouth with her hand.
“How many?” Wendy asked.
“We found four, but I suspect he took more shots and the casings either fell off the cliff or he picked them up.”
“Fuck.” Vivian closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry anymore. She was done with Craig making her cry, but it was hard. “What about in Breckenridge this evening?”
“While we discussed the situation in the bar, I had Smith, Shick, Hayes and Finck check the immediate perimeter, and they couldn’t find any trace of him.”
Vivian let out a big sigh. “He’s vanished again.”
Nelson continued. “I pulled them in to come back here with you, but Breckenridge PD is working to canvass the town and facing mountainside. I also have a team coming in from Denver, and if there’s something to find, they’ll find it.”
No one had a response to that.
“Any luck tracing the number Craig called from?” Kate asked.
“Burner phone bought two months ago in Fort Worth. No other activity on it.”
Vivian fidgeted in her seat. “So he must have programmed that number and ringtone into my phone while we were dating. That’s creepy.”
Nelson drummed the chair back. “You can see why I didn’t want you to bike ride or whitewater raft? Now he has escalated the violence beyond what we predicted. We don’t know what he’s capable of.”
Vivian crossed her arms on the table. “I understand, but I want to do everything possible here in Colorado to draw him out, set a trap. It scares me to death, but I need this to be over. I need to know he can’t come back and hurt me or my family. I’m trusting you to help me with that.”
“I won’t put your life at risk to catch Craig. No more adventures.”
Vivian stood. “I don’t think you understand. I will not be held captive here. I will go out, with or without your permission, with that app enabled on my phone and try to draw Craig out. I will do everything in my power to keep him from following me back to Fort Worth.”
Nelson looked her in the eye for a long moment, then nodded once.
“So what do we do now?” Kate asked.
Nelson pushed back from the table. “For right now, you four sit tight. I need to make some calls.”
“Have you let Agent Tucker know what’s going on?” Vivian asked.
“That’s one of the calls I’m going to make.”
Lucy wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “I’m still not warm.”
“Let’s go down to the grotto,” Wendy said. “I’d love to fully submerge myself in some warm water.”
“Yeah,” Kate said.
“Awesome idea,” Vivian said.
They all looked to Nelson for approval.
He nodded. “I’ll send Hayes and Finck down to check it out. If they feel like there’s no threat, we’ll go.”
“Thank you.” Vivian pushed back her chair.
“We?” Wendy asked.
“I’ll be on the men’s side of the spa and checking into the grotto from time to time.”
Her cheeks and chest burned bright red. “Oh.”
“Will the other two agents be hanging out with us the whole time?” Kate asked.
“They’ll leave you alone and look like they’re there separately, but I insist they be in there.”
“They’re cute, I don’t mind,” Lucy said and went into the bedroom to change.
The girls got ready and met in the living room. Nelson had already changed into swim trunks and T-shirt, playing the tourist part. He checked a text message on his phone and then said, “We’re clear. Let’s go.”
“Ummm, Wade,” Wendy paused before walking to the door. “Did you have Shick or Finck search our room just now, before we got back, because the toilet seat in our bathroom was up.”
Nelson rolled his eyes. “I’ll speak to them about that.”
“So gross,” Lucy said and walked out the door.
42
THE group took the elevator down to the spa, and Vivian took in a deep breath of whatever that wonderful scent was. It helped calm her nerves.
“Try to relax, the agents will be around,” Nelson whispered because Suri was at the front desk.
“Hi, Suri.” Vivian waved. “We’re just going back to the grotto for a bit.”
“Enjoy yourselves,” she replied.
Vivian opened the door to the grotto and steam greeted them, full on. Hayes sat on the ledge in the hot tub, close to the waterfall, and Finck sat in a lounger. The grotto was otherwise unoccupied, and neither agent looked up or paid them any attention.
The girls dropped their robes on two loungers and got into the hot tub quickly. Hayes moved a little farther down the ledge.
“I think I’m finally defrosting,” Vivian said. “This feels so good.” She went under for a few seconds
, letting the heat envelope her. When she sprang above water, Hayes had moved a bit closer. He looked at her, then moved back to where he had been. Finck pretended to read a Cycle Sluts magazine, but Vivian caught him checking them all out.
She turned her back to him while Lucy opened a bottle of wine and poured the girls a plastic cup each.
“Here’s to warming up,” Lucy said as she stepped back into the hot tub.
They cheersed to that.
They sipped their wine and enjoyed the water for a few minutes, then Lucy waded up next to Hayes and asked, “So have you ever investigated the mob? Cuz we met this guy on our last trip, named Al, and we think he might have been in the mob. We can’t prove anything, but he sure disappeared quick when the policia showed up.” She touched Hayes’ arm and lowered her voice. “He was into something with that Shorty, I just know it. Oh, and Shorty went to jail. They wouldn’t tell us why, but you…you could probably find out for what and for how long. We rode on his boat, you know. We thought we might become fish food, but we didn’t.” She picked at a piece of cork floating in her glass.
“Not my area of investigation,” Hayes said. “Sounds like one helluva trip, though.”
“Oh, lemme tell ya, Vi—”
Vivian splashed her. “It was an interesting trip and we met lots of, uhhmmm, charismatic people. Let’s leave it at that.” She gave Lucy the look.
Nelson popped his head in and looked around. “Good?”
Vivian nodded. He stole a glance at Wendy, who was under the waterfall, top on this time. “The spa closes in 10 minutes. You guys ready to head back to the room?”
“Uh, yeah,” Vivian said and walked up the steps in the hot tub. “To change before we go to the fire pit. There’s wine to drink and s’mores to be had.”
Nelson walked into the grotto and closed the door behind him. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”
Vivian wrapped herself in a towel.
“I have four, four kids who need me. Their dad’s not an idiot, but the thought of him raising them without me is too much. You do your job. You do it well, and I know I’ll be fine.”
He looked at Hayes and Finck who both got up and walked past him, toward the men’s locker room. “I’ll be waiting for you in the spa gift shop.”
The girls and Nelson ran up to the room, dried their hair and layered up. Lucy grabbed their s’mores-making stuff and two bottles of wine.
“If I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die happy,” Lucy said, stuffing marshmallows into a bag.
“Great philosophy,” Vivian said, reaching into the bag and popping a marshmallow into her mouth.
Nelson escorted them downstairs to the fire pit. He threw a few logs on and sparks flew into the air. Then, he took the empty chair next to Wendy. Vivian sat with her back to the great room, Lucy and Kate on either side.
Shick and Smith sat at opposite ends of the large patio, one in front of Felix’s and the other by Timberline. Vivian didn’t see Hayes and Finck but figured they were out there somewhere.
“It’s so quiet here,” Kate said and leaned her head back on her chair. “Look, it’s a waxing moon. Perfect time to cast spells for new beginnings, progression and growth.”
“Cast what?” Vivian asked. “Do I need to get you a pointy hat and a broom?”
Kate smiled. “I get it from my mom’s side.”
“Steve and I could use a new beginning,” Lucy said. “But I don’t know any spells.”
“Me, neither,” Vivian said. “But I could damn sure use a new beginning! Cast something my way, would ya?”
“Ouuuuuuuuu, ouuuuuu,” Wendy sang out, stretching her legs and propping her feet up on the ledge.
“Witchyyyy,” Lucy sang.
“Woman,” Kate finished.
“I love the Eagles,” Wendy said.
Nelson shifted in his chair.
“I don’t actually know any spells,” Kate said and picked up a skewer. “But who wants a marshmallow?”
All of the girls did. Nelson didn’t respond.
She pointed a skewer at him. “It’s probably not illegal for you to partake, Agent Nelson. We won’t tell your superiors.”
He looked at the Hershey’s and caved. “Yeah, I’ll take one.”
The night was perfect, not too cold, and the fire warmed Vivian just enough. A sliver of moon peaked in and out of the clouds that rolled across the mountaintops. The smell of the roasting marshmallows and melting chocolate mixed with the surrounding evergreens helped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the peacefulness.
Kate and Lucy passed around some s’mores and they roasted more marshmallows. Lucy caught hers on fire and ran around the fire pit, singing the Olympic theme. She stepped back onto the ledge and blew out what was left of the charred mess. “Who wants this one?”
“It’s a throwback,” Vivian said. “Toss it in the fire.”
Wendy sang, “Burn, baby burn,” and the girls joined her in singing “Disco Inferno” by the Tramps.
Vivian resumed her peaceful state, sipped her wine, ate her s’more and put her feet up on the ledge.
“So why the FBI?” Lucy asked Agent Nelson.
Nelson wiped the graham cracker crumbs from his lap. “Finished school with a masters in criminal justice. I can speak seven languages, and I have an extensive information technology background.” He smirked a little.
“What does that mean, extensive IT background?” Kate prodded.
“As a teenager I was mischievous. For fun, I’d hack into company networks. I never did anything malicious, but I shouldn’t have done it.”
“You little criminal you,” Vivian teased.
“I never got caught, thank god. You have to have a squeaky clean record for the FBI, you know.”
“Then what?” Wendy asked.
“My senior year I got lucky. I had a computer science teacher who figured out that my skills outmatched his own by a long shot. His brother worked in the FBI, and he got me connected to the FBI’s honors internship program. For 10 weeks I worked alongside agents at FBI headquarters in D.C. After that, I was hooked. I figured out what I needed to do in college, including take a lot of languages, then got my masters.”
“Seven languages, geez!” Lucy said. “How do you say ‘overachiever’ in Farsi?”
Vivian heard a sound off to the right. She leaned around her chair and looked but didn’t see anything. Then she heard it again, a rustling, scratching in the darkness.
Nelson got up and put his hand on his holster.
“What?” Shick stood up.
“I thought I heard something over there.” Vivian pointed into the night.
“Go inside. Now!” Nelson jumped in front of her, shielding her from the invisible threat.
The girls grabbed their wine and Lucy grabbed the chocolate (priorities), and they hustled into the great room. Hayes and Finck rushed past them, out the door, guns drawn.
Nelson sent the agents in different directions as Vivian and the girls watched from behind the windows.
“Should we hide behind something?” Wendy asked.
“Maybe,” Kate said.
“What did you hear?” Lucy asked Vivian.
“Something moving, for sure.”
They crouched down behind one of the couches, but continued to watch the action outside. Nelson used his phone as a flashlight, holding it in one hand and his gun in the other. He scanned the outer seating area surrounding the fire pit. He flashed the light toward the ski lift. One of the chairs was swinging back and forth. He moved in that direction as Shick flanked him. They moved around either side of the lift and came back together.
Finck and Smith had gone in opposite directions, Finck toward the cabana and pool, Smith toward a grassy, open area that led to condominiums.
Hayes walked close to the fire pit and then stopped, listening. He turned his head to the right and glanced at the trash can. When he reached to remove the lid, a raccoon jumped out at him, hissing, causing Hayes to
yell and throw his gun in the air. The other agents trained their guns on the little animal, only to pull back once they saw it scurry away.
The girls walked outside to the fire pit, laughing at the scene.
“Bandit get ya?” Finck said to Hayes.
“Girly man, afwade of a wittle animal,” Smith teased.
“Both of you shut up,” Hayes said, picking up his weapon. “I’ve had no sleep the past 48 hours.” He jerked his thumb toward Finck. “You try sleeping in the same room with this snore machine.”
Finck shrugged. “Earplugs.” He fell into one of the chairs around the fire pit. “May I?” He pointed to the s’mores fixings.
“Sure thing,” Lucy said.
“I think this calls for Buttery Nipple shots,” Kate said. “Wendy, I don’t really know what’s in those. Will you go up to the room and get it. Please?”
“Buddy system!” Lucy chimed in, then nudged Nelson in the shoulder.
43
WENDY and Agent Nelson made their way to the elevators.
“So I guess you were assigned Craig’s case because of your mad computer skills?”
“That’s part of it.”
“What’s the other part?”
The elevator doors opened. Wendy tapped the 12.
“I think the other part was luck,” Nelson said. He moved in close as the doors shut, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply.
She let him.
The doors opened and closed on their floor, but neither moved to step off. Wendy reached around him, feeling his muscular form, and moved her fingers up and down his back. He caressed her face and ran his hand through her long, brown hair.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he said, then kissed her again.
He felt amazing to her. Her breath quickened and she pushed him against the wall, wanting to feel all of him. Her hands slid over his chest and down to his waist. She was tugging on his shirttail when the door opened and she heard an “Oh!”
Lucy and Kate.
“Oh, errrr, sorry to interrupt,” Kate said. “We were going to grab another layer, it’s getting chilly.”