Deadly Dreams

by Mary Stone

  Or, now.

  She stared at her email, willing something to come through.

  Now.

  But nope. No new emails.

  Linc caught her slumping. “Let me guess. No new cases?”

  She paged over to Starr Investigations’ new website, checking to make sure the online contact form she’d installed hadn’t crashed. It hadn’t.

  Sitting back in her chair, she sighed. “Something is definitely up with that boss of mine. I’m telling you. He doesn’t seem the least bit concerned about the business.”

  He poured himself a cup of coffee and kissed the top of her head. “He trusts you now. You’re making money for him with the cases you do take on, so what’s the difference? He’s happy with you.”

  “I don’t know. It just seems suspicious.”

  “That’s because, in your line of work, it’s a good thing to be suspicious. That’s what you get paid for,” he said, sitting next to her on a stool and squinting at the display. She realized too late that she’d forgotten to close out of the tent company’s website.

  “Hey.” His smile was so wide and filled with hope that it made her heart swell in her chest. “You doing some wedding planning?”

  “Yes, I was.” Barely.

  He clicked to another tab and frowned. “Or…are you just looking at bounce castles?”

  She stuck out her tongue and ruffed his hair. “Thought you might enjoy a little bouncing fun at the reception.”

  Her phone rang, making her jump, and she rushed to pick it up. Anything to avoid talking about her nonexistent plans. It was her mom, who she hadn’t seen in weeks, though they talked on the phone nearly every day. Rhonda Hatfield had Kylie’s effervescent personality, and their phone conversations often went on for the better part of an hour.

  Kylie collapsed on the couch and made herself comfortable for another marathon call. “Hello?”

  “Oh, my goodness, Kylie,” her mother gushed. “You’ll never believe what Jerry surprised me with yesterday!”

  Kylie smiled. Her mother’s new boyfriend, an ear, nose, and throat doctor, was a total dream. Just ask Rhonda, who squealed about Jerry like a teenager every chance she got. Kylie had to admit, it was odd seeing her perpetually single mother in the dating scene again, but it was nice to see her so deliriously happy. And Jerry? He treated her like gold.

  “What did that hunk do now?” Kylie teased, using the word Rhonda had always used to describe Linc.

  “He took me roller-skating last night, and then we went to an old-time diner and had root beer floats. I don’t know where he gets his ideas, but he’s always thinking of something fun to do.”

  Roller-skating? Did her mother even know how to do that? “Well, that’s good. You didn’t break anything?”

  “Miraculously, no.”

  Kylie laughed. It was so strange how one person could transform another’s life so dramatically. All her life, Kylie’s mother had been Super Mom, devoting herself fully to Kylie and never thinking of herself. Her husband had disappeared into thin air four days after Kylie had been born, and Rhonda had been forced to raise Kylie as a single mother.

  But just recently, and with Kylie’s help, Rhonda had discovered William Hatfield’s ties to the mafia, and had finally divorced him. Now happily single, she was busy sowing her wild oats and making up for lost time. As odd as it was, Kylie loved seeing her mom so happy.

  “Well, that’s a good thing.”

  “So, I was just calling to give you a little kick in the pants,” she said.

  Uh-oh. Kylie sensed what was coming and cringed. She decided to play innocent. “About what?”

  “Your wedding dress shopping, of course!” she said. “You told me over a month ago that we’d go out together and browse. And you haven’t said boo to me since then!”

  Kylie crossed her fingers. “Well, I’ve been kind of busy…”

  “Honey. This is important. Don’t you want to find the perfect dress?”

  Kylie chewed on her bottom lip. There was that word again: Perfect. Everything about the day had to be perfect.

  She got the feeling her mom’s interest was less about finding the perfect dress for her wedding and more about her mother scoping out options for her own possible wedding. No, her mother had never indicated anything about the possibility of marrying Jerry, but with how well they were getting along, it seemed the next logical step. Jerry was a widower, and a traditional guy too.

  “Yes, I do, but—”

  “So, no dragging your feet. Let’s do this. I’ll make us an appointment at the boutique in downtown Asheville for tonight. We’ll have dinner. Okay?”

  Her hive grew a hive, but she tried to ignore it. “Fine,” she muttered. “Tonight.”

  Her mother started to talk about her crazy workweek, but suddenly, Kylie wasn’t interested in hearing one of Rhonda’s famously long and drawn out yarns. She sat up on the couch and looked over at Linc, who was looking at his phone, pretending he wasn’t listening. Which he totally, totally was.

  “I’ve got to go, Mom,” she said. “I’m really busy.”

  “Oh. Okay, honey.”

  Kylie felt bad for lying, and worse, for cutting her mother off. She threw the phone down in her lap and sighed, deciding she would work on new blog and social media posts to drum up more business.

  She caught Linc watching her and smiled. “I’m going dress shopping with my mom tonight. And to dinner. Looks like you’re on your own.”

  “Okay.”

  She pouted at him. She wanted him to beg her to stay home. Because she’d happily agree. What was wrong with her? Why was this so hard?

  He must’ve read it on her face, because Linc went over to her and sat on the coffee table across from her. “You know what you need?”

  “A new, exciting case?”

  “No. A massage. You’re all tense. Come on up. I’ll give you one.”

  She raised a doubtful eyebrow at him. That was code-word for him wanting a little something-something in the bedroom. Really, as much as she loved him, she would’ve much preferred a new case, and not just a simple background check. Something meaty, and maybe even a little bit dangerous. It’d been over a month since they went looking for Beez, and that had been short-lived and mostly miserable. She wanted to detect, find clues, get to the bottom of a mystery.

  “You’re going to screw me, right?” she singsonged as he took her hand and dragged her toward the bedroom.

  “No. Massage,” he said innocently.

  She started to shake her head when her phone began to ring again. It was from a 762 area code. Georgia. She held up a finger and said, “Hello?”

  “Is this Kylie Hatfield?” The voice was gruff, familiar.

  Her ears pricked up.

  “Yes, speaking,” she said, looking over at Linc.

  “This is Ollie Crosby. You remember me? Greg Starr’s friend. You stopped by last month after my wife’s death and gave me your card with your number in case I needed anything.”

  Yes, she’d done that. After calling Greg and reporting the news, they’d stopped at Ollie’s house before heading out of town. He’d already known about his beloved wife’s demise because Dina had told him, but when he saw Kylie, he burst into tears and cried on her shoulder so long that her sweatshirt was just as wet as if she’d been caught in another torrential downpour.

  She’d held him, even though he smelled like sour milk, and let him cry all he wanted as she stroked his back. Linc had watched, stiffly, not used to such displays from another man. Eventually, though, Ollie’d gotten it together long enough to thank her. He’d really seemed appreciative that she’d stopped in.

  “Yes, Mr. Crosby,” she said, giving Linc a glance. She almost hadn’t recognized his name, because his voice sounded much stronger, which was a good sign. “How are you? I’ve been thinking of you.”

  “Can’t complain. It’s been hard without Beez, but I keep on keeping on.”

  “I understand, Mr. Crosby. It can�
��t be easy. What can I do for you?”

  “Well, I just had to tell you. I knew there was something off about my wife’s disappearance, and this proves it.”

  She blinked. Something off? She liked the sound of that. “What do you mean, Mr. Crosby?”

  “You ain’t heard? Another SAR and his dog are missing. Went missing looking for a hiker a day ago. Vanished without a trace.”

  Kylie’s eyes widened, and she met Linc’s gaze before tapping the speaker option on the phone so he could hear too. “Missing? Really? At Tallulah Gorge?”

  “Yes, ma’am. And they been searching far and wide and can’t find him. Police are sitting around with their thumbs up their asses again. See, I told everyone there was something shady goin’ on,” he said. “Ain’t no way this was natural, two of them going missing so close together.”

  Kylie’s heart began to pound. Linc looked concerned as well. He opened his mouth to say something then frowned and patted his pocket. When he pulled out his phone, Kylie could see the display lit up with a phone call of his own. He walked to the other side of the room and lifted it to his ear as she took her own call off speaker.

  “That’s really quite extraordinary, Mr. Crosby,” she said. “It can’t be a coincidence, can it?”

  “No, it can not,” he said pointedly. “Regardless of what the police think. So, listen here, Miss Hatfield. I want to hire you. Whatever it takes, I want you down here. If my wife’s death wasn’t accidental, I need to get to the bottom of it and bring whoever did this to justice. It’s the least I can do for Beez.”

  “I understand,” she said, nodding fervently. “I want Beez to see justice too.”

  “Good. You’ll take the case?”

  “Of course. I need to check some things first, but I’ll try to be there tomorrow. I’ll call you later to give you a more accurate time.”

  She finished with him and hung up, rubbing her hands together, brimming with excitement. “That was Ollie Crosby,” she said as Linc hung up his phone. “He still thinks there’s been foul play, and he wants me to investigate the case of Beez’s disappearance some more, along with the disappearance of another SAR.”

  Linc held up his phone. “That was Dina at Georgia Search and Rescue. She’s asked me to come in and help look for the missing SAR. It’s Kevin and his dog, Molly. I have to leave now.”

  Kylie was already heading toward the stairs and their bedroom. “I’m going with you.”

  Really, there was no decision. It was either stay in Asheville for the night and be subjected to the shopping trip from hell, or else go down to Tallulah Falls and solve a mystery. No contest. Kylie grinned, excited again for the first time in what seemed like weeks.

  “Well, look who’s happy again,” Linc observed, pinching her side. “So, does that mean I’m not getting lucky?”

  Grinning, she swatted him away and opened the closet to pull out her suitcase. “You’re lucky just being with me.”

  10

  By the time they reached Tallulah Gorge State Park, it was obvious that seeds of doubt had begun to bloom inside Kylie’s head.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Kylie asked as he drove to the entrance of the park.

  He glanced over at her, then reached out to place his hand on her forehead. “Are you sick? I thought you were chomping at the bit for a new case.”

  She pulled his hand down and held it between hers, watching him closely to see if he winced at the movement. He did, but only a little.

  “Your shoulder. I—”

  “My shoulder is just fine,” he muttered, tilting the visor back now that the trees were overhead, blocking the sun. It was nice to be here in something other than a torrential downpour. At least, he hoped Kylie wouldn’t complain as much. “It’s been a month since the pull, Lee. Stop worrying so much.”

  She snorted, but the sound didn’t carry any heat. “Famous last words. You thought it was fine last time. You want the doctor yelling at you again? He told you to take it easy for the next couple months, at least.”

  “I will be taking it easy,” Linc insisted. “The doc cleared me, and PT has been going fine.”

  “Yeah, but he told you to avoid activities that could pull it out of whack again. This qualifies.”

  “Right. Which is why we left Vader at home. This way, I can concentrate on Storm,” he said. “Seriously. I feel good as new. I’m ready for this.”

  She looked over at him, and her doubt gave way to a smile. “Okay, okay. I’m just worried. Don’t want you doing any permanent damage.”

  “I won’t. I’ll tell the guys I want to take it as easy as possible this time,” he assured her as they pulled into the parking lot by the South Rim Trail, where they’d been just over a month ago. The place was, once again, swarming with people. Not as many as when they’d found Beez’s body, but it was crowded. Considering it was a nice day, there were a lot of pleasure hikers about.

  But there was nothing pleasurable about this excursion.

  Kylie had read him a few news stories on the way down about what had happened. According to the newspapers, a graduate student named Amy Cooper had gone hiking on the Sliding Rock Trail early one morning and hadn’t been seen since. The rangers reported her missing after her car was left in the lot, unattended for a couple of days. She was an inexperienced hiker, so the thought was that she might have fallen somewhere on the treacherously steep trail, but no body was found during the initial searches.

  A day later, the search had been broadened, and more SAR personnel had been called in. Kevin Friedman, married, father of four girls, gym teacher at the local high school, and all-around beloved citizen of Tallulah Falls, was reported missing that evening. According to the news reports, he’d been partnered with Lonnie, the new kid, who was shadowing him with his pup, Dozer. They separated for a short period, and then Kevin and his dog simply vanished.

  At that point, Kylie had looked up from her screen, tears in her eyes. “He was the man we met. Do you remember? The tall one, kind of balding?”

  Linc had nodded. Of course he remembered. “I’ve been on searches with him before,” he’d reminded her.

  Now, it was clear the man was still on Kylie’s mind. She looked out the window and swiped at her eyes. “His poor family. Those poor kids. Four of them! Young ones! They must be so frantic with worry.”

  “He and the missing college student might be just fine, Lee. It’s still early.”

  “Right. But what if they’re not?”

  Yeah. He knew that was a possibility, but he was trying not to think about that. That’s what he’d learned to compartmentalize and tuck away whenever this work needed to be done: Just finding the victims. Assigning humanity to them only made this stuff tougher.

  He’d been learning to do that since the army. Kylie had only been at this kind of stuff for six months. No wonder she’d matured so much since he met her. She’d seen some pretty harrowing shit.

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Try not to think about it. Remember, concentrate on the search, not on what you’re going to find.”

  She nodded, but he knew her. She’d be thinking about it.

  A police officer was posted in front of the entrance to the park, where the gate was. Linc rolled down his window, and the officer said, “Sorry. This area’s closed off to the general public.”

  Linc reached into the cup holder and pulled out his wallet, showing his ID. “I’m part of the search party.”

  The officer nodded. “Go on ahead, then. They’re parked in the South Rim Trail lot.”

  Linc thanked him. “Any sign of either missing person?”

  “Not from what I’ve heard, sir,” he said, waving them forward.

  The small lot had no spots left, so Linc parked his truck on the grass. He stepped out of the truck and tilted forward the seat to let Storm hop out, then the three of them walked to where a number of people and search dogs were assembling at the base of the South Rim Trail.

  “I need to us
e the little girl’s room,” Kylie said, pointing to the shack near the ranger’s station. “I’ll be right back.”

  Linc looked around, seeing a few familiar faces among the somber crowd. There was Dina, wearing a baseball cap, who waved at him. He waved back and noticed Lonnie with his black lab, Dozer. The newbie had long, unkempt brown hair and a goatee, and was wearing a t-shirt for some band Linc had never heard of.

  Linc was pretty sure that he’d been the one shadowing Kevin the day they’d gone out looking for Beez, so he took Storm by the leash and made his way over to him. The men shook hands.

  “Some crazy shit, huh, man?” Lonnie chattered, his eyes darting around nervously as he fisted Dozer’s leash in his hands. “That’s four in less than two months. The guys I hang out with have been calling this place the Gory Gorge. Not so good for tourism, huh?”

  “Yeah. Were you out with Kevin when he disappeared?” Linc asked.

  He sucked in a breath, clearly distressed. “I was. Craziest thing, man. I made a rookie mistake, so I kind of feel like it’s all my fault.”

  “Yeah? What happened?”

  “There were hunters out in the woods, and Dozer got skittish from the gunshots.” He patted the dog on the head, almost like he was trying to take the sting out of the words. “He got away from me. I ran off to try to get him, got turned around, and when I came back to the place I left him, Kevin was gone. Tried radioing. No answer. Finally found my way back to headquarters ‘cause I thought he’d be there, but the guy’s been missing ever since.”

  “Where was that?”

  “On the North Rim. Not far from here.” He leaned in. “Hell, if anyone was gonna go missing, I’d have bet money on me. Between you and me, I know the guy didn’t have as much experience as Beez or you, but he knew his shit. He knew that trail up and down. Something really funky’s going on, man. Not legit. Not legit at all.”

  Dina jogged over to them. “I was really hoping when we saw you again, Linc,” she said, shaking his hand, “that it would be under better circumstances. This is not the best thing to be happening to this park.”

  Storm laid dutifully at his feet, but Linc could tell from the way her ears were cocked that she was eager to get on the trail and do some searching too. “Yeah, I’ll say. This happened yesterday, right? How long have you been searching?”