Deadly Dreams

by Mary Stone

  But he still kept thinking of Kevin. It was damn odd. They’d said the same thing about the other SAR woman, who’d been killed there. It’d been damn odd for Beez to fall, knowing all he knew about the way she’d worked.

  In fact, all of it just seemed creepy.

  Amy Cooper? He’d heard from one of the rangers that, before this, the park hadn’t had a death in twelve years. Now? There’d been three deaths and one near-death in a month. He couldn’t shake the feeling that some dark force was at work in those mountains, trying to sabotage their rescue efforts.

  Trying to sabotage them?

  He laughed at himself. That was silly. The product of being overly tired.

  Yes, it was a good thing he’d left early. He really needed the sleep.

  He thought of his new house, which was an awesome bachelor pad. Kind of big for just him, but he knew it would impress the ladies. Unfortunately, he’d struck out with those tonight. Just as well.

  The one-lane road curved up into the hills, and dark pines surrounded him on both sides. Occasionally, the trees would part, and he could almost imagine that he could see the lights of Atlanta far off in the distance. He pressed on the gas pedal, eager to get himself home.

  As he did, though, a car came speeding up behind, hanging on his tail.

  A glance in the rearview mirror, and Will was nearly blinded by the lights glaring back at him. Damn fool had his high beams on.

  He looked back at the road, blinking away the starbursts that now clouded his vision. The car behind him swerved so dangerously back and forth and looked so damn close that Will expected to feel the tap of an impact at his bumper.

  He tightened his hands around the leather-wrapped steering wheel.

  He slowed, drove to the side of the road, powered down the window of his pickup, and motioned for the guy to move around him.

  Just go, asshole, but don’t blame me if you end up wrapped around a tree.

  But the idiot didn’t. He stayed there, hugging Will’s bumper. Will slowed more, and so did the car behind him. Another pickup, maybe? Will couldn’t tell. Maybe a large SUV. Will sped up, and the vehicle remained right on top of him. In the back seat of the truck, Star bobbed her head excitedly, thinking it was a game.

  “All right, fine,” Will said aloud, wrapping his hand tight around the steering wheel. He threw his truck into a higher gear and gunned it as fast as he could, creating distance between the two vehicles. “You want to play? Let’s play.”

  It didn’t last. As expected, a moment later, the other truck—Will was sure it was a truck now—sped up, only to race right up to his back tailgate.

  Will cursed and looked down at his speedometer. The speed limit on this road was fifty, but he was now approaching ninety miles per hour. He knew the curves, though. Knew when he’d have to slow down. He could handle this. He just hoped no deer, which he always saw on the shoulders of the road, would dart out in front of him.

  He pressed on the pedal, firing up to one-hundred miles per hour. As he did, a trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face.

  What the hell is wrong with me? he thought to himself, laughing at his stupidity. He’d lost his grandfather to a road rage incident a few years ago. And what had he been thinking just a few minutes ago, when he was with Jaxon?

  Don’t engage.

  That was the rule to live by. Just walk away.

  Or in this case, drive.

  After he slowed down.

  Tapping his brakes, he slowed for a curve as the road crept higher into the hills. There was a guardrail as the only protection from a sharp dive down the mountain, and no shoulder to speak of. When the road opened up, he’d simply pull over to a safe place and let the asshole leave him in his dust.

  He looked back at the truck, trying to see if it was the big, mean biker guy from the bar. Or any of the other enemies they’d made during their short time there. All he saw was an outline and thick hands wrapped around a steering wheel.

  He gunned it, waiting for the moment when the guardrail would disappear, and he could safely pull aside. His breath came in spurts. His pupils dilated. His heart hammered in his chest.

  What he didn’t expect, though, was that at the minute the guardrail disappeared, the truck would swing around the driver’s side and choose that exact second to ram into him, sending his truck skidding uncontrollably toward the road’s edge.

  Star let out a long, wolfish howl, a haunting sound she’d never made before. The impact and loud screech of the tires was such a shock that, by the time Will thought to correct himself, he was already airborne, heading straight for the tops of the dark pines illuminated in his headlights.

  It was as if his truck was stretching out to meet the lights in the distance. The lights of a city he called home but would never reach.

  15

  Linc and Kylie had to leave early to get down to the state park, so after they made it down the hill, they stopped at Asheville Veterinary and to drop Vader off. Kylie tried to pull him out of the truck, but he dug his feet in, like a stubborn mule.

  “Really?” Kylie was saying to the dog as Linc came around the side of the truck. “You’re going to make a big thing out of this, aren’t you?”

  Linc looked at the Newf. They normally had sad eyes, but Vader’s were some of the saddest he’d ever seen.

  Kylie pulled on the leash again, waved a biscuit in front of him, and said, “Treat, boy? Treat?”

  He didn’t even look. He clearly couldn’t be bribed.

  “Belly rub? Ear scratching? Walk?” She groaned. “You can sleep on my side of the bed for the rest of the month?”

  Nothing. The dog knew what he was doing. Kylie seemed about ready to give up.

  Instead, she looked over at Linc. “Advice, Dog Whisperer?”

  He shook his head, secretly enjoying watching her struggle. She was so cute whenever she got that little crinkle over her nose. But his favorite thing was when he could sweep in and save the day.

  When Kylie pulled the leash again, Storm got in the way. Now, it was two against one.

  “Not you too, girl! No! Come on!” she whined, her shoulders slumping. “Thick as thieves, those two are. And here I thought Storm was a good girl. Why are they ganging up on me?”

  He laughed. “Go on inside and fill out the paperwork. I’ll handle it,” he said as she handed him the leash, glowering. He stood in the open door and gave Storm a look. “What are you doing, girl? Your boyfriend can’t fight his own battles, huh? You better mind yourself.”

  Storm whimpered, admonished.

  Then he brought Vader forth and whispered kind but firm words to him. Eventually, he jumped out of the truck without any trouble.

  Dina called while he was leading Vader into the building. He answered as Kylie whirled on him and sighed.

  “I hate you,” she mouthed when she saw that he’d succeeded.

  Grinning, he talked to Dina for a little bit, getting the update of the day. When he was finished, he handed her the leash. “It was simple…if you have the magic touch like I do.”

  She punched him in the arm. “It’s a long ride down to the park, and you don’t want my silent treatment.”

  He snorted out a laugh. “All three minutes of it?” He waved at the receptionist. “All the paperwork filled out?”

  “Done!” Kylie said, handing the clipboard to the woman behind the counter as well as a bag filled with Vader’s food and favorite toys. “It’s all on here. We should be back in a few days.”

  “We’ll take good care of him,” the receptionist said, leaning down to take his leash. “Come on, Vader.”

  When the big dog whimpered, Kylie leaned down to nuzzle him while Linc patted his side. “It’s all right, boy. We’ll be back before you know it. You’ll have so much fun here with all the other dogs, you won’t even miss us.”

  If ever a dog could look doubtful, that was Vader. But eventually, he went into the back with the other dogs.

  Linc shook his head as they
went out front and piled back into Linc’s truck. “Geez. You’d think that Vader was going to miss us,” he said with a smile.

  “Not so much us.” Kylie sniffed, her eyes red from the threat of tears. She hooked a thumb behind her. “Her. His little partner in crime.”

  Linc started the engine and looked into his rearview mirror. He didn’t see Storm, so he turned around quickly to find her lying down on the seat, her head on her paws. She looked up at him with sad eyes, like the world was ending. He couldn’t help thinking she was pouting.

  It was funny. He hadn’t really thought about it too much, but now that Kylie had brought it up, he knew it was true. Storm and Vader had developed quite a friendship. He was wild, and she was sedate. They made a good couple, like yin and yang. Like…him and Kylie.

  “Well. They’ll be reunited soon enough.”

  Linc was starting to get very comfortable with the drive to the park now, but he was glad that they were going to stay at the hotel. He didn’t mind the drive, but he could see, last night, how on edge Kylie had been. Her job consumed her. She never rested when there were leads to pursue. Where he was out like a light, thanks to the PTSD meds he was on, he could tell from the dark circles under her eyes that she probably hadn’t slept a wink.

  The morning had started out chilly, so Linc had been blasting the heat. He lowered it now as they hopped onto the highway and said, “So, boss. What’s the first order of business?”

  Kylie checked her phone. “I have a bunch of places to go. But when we get there, we should head straight for the park. The police are going to update us on Kevin and conduct interviews of anyone who might have seen something in the Amy Cooper case, so we should be there. They’re trying to nail down a profile of the perp.”

  “Yes, sir. That’s what Dina said she was going to do too,” he said, looking over at her. She had that intense look on her face that she only got in the middle of a heavy investigation. “You know that no one in law enforcement actually says ‘perp,’ right?”

  She poked herself in the chest with her thumb. “Well, this girl does.”

  He laughed. “All right. Whatever you say.”

  “What did Dina say?”

  “She said the autopsy came back on Amy Cooper and that she was not sexually assaulted.”

  “Really? That’s interesting.”

  “Why is that interesting?”

  Kylie shrugged. “You just said that the deaths of Beez and Amy Cooper were nothing alike. Well, that makes them more alike. Doesn’t it?”

  “I suppose.”

  “So…” she said, eyeing him suspiciously. He knew what that meant. She had a long line of suspects to interview, and he was the first.

  “I’m innocent, I swear,” he deadpanned, holding up a hand in surrender. “I have an alibi, officer, honestly.”

  “Har-har. Be serious.” When Linc straightened his face, she went on. “Something you said yesterday was interesting. You said you knew a lot of the other SARs from before. Have you all worked together much?”

  “Yeah. The community’s not that big. I’ve worked with a number of them. Like I said, Beez. Dina. Kevin. Will…”

  Kylie held up a finger. “Yeah. You seem really close with that one.”

  “Will?” He nodded. “Yeah. He’s an old buddy of mine, out of Atlanta.”

  “Hmmm. What did he say yesterday? Something about a prison break?”

  Linc nodded, not sure what this had to do with anything. “Yeah, there was a jailbreak at Arrendale State Prison.”

  “Arrendale? Where’s that?”

  “About a half hour from Tallulah Gorge. It’s a maximum-security penitentiary for women. It’s where the women on Georgia’s death row are kept.”

  Kylie’s jaw dropped. “Women?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. These three women managed to kill a guard and escape into the forest. SAR was called. Hours and hours of searching because, obviously, these three didn’t want to be found. So, they kept us on our toes. When they were found, there was a standoff because they refused to give in. One of them ended up getting shot and killed by police.”

  Kylie stared for a moment, her mouth slightly open. “Wow. I didn’t realize you went after prison inmates.”

  He quirked a smile at her. “We track whoever is missing, wherever we’re needed. It was pretty stressful for all involved. Lasted the better part of a weekend.” He yawned and drummed his hands on the steering wheel. “Beez really took it hard. She wasn’t as familiar with the terrain down there and ended up doing a number on her ankle, I remember.”

  Kylie stared at him. “Beez was there?”

  “Yeah. That was the first time I met her. It was actually Will who set me up for the job. Told her he knew someone that could help out short notice, so I went down there. That’s the problem with SARs a lot of time. Not too many people are able to drop everything and rush down at a moment’s notice. But I was a loser with no life, so I was available. Now I have you.”

  She grinned and smacked his thigh. “Don’t worry. You’re still a loser.”

  He winked at her. “Thanks.”

  She rubbed her chin, thinking. “So, Storm can track a killer?”

  “Well, yeah. She can track whatever you want her to track. You just need something for her to scent. In order to do that, you pretty much have to know who the subject is, in that case a killer, and that the article of clothing you have definitely belongs to that person. And that’s not always easy to do.” He could see the wheels turning in Kylie’s head, so he quickly cut her off. “But there’s no way for us to know under these circumstances. There are just too many different people going in and out of Tallulah Gorge, so we wouldn’t be able to target anyone in particular. Especially since we don’t have a scent.”

  She sighed and slumped in her seat. “When was this prison break, and how long have you known Will?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “A couple years ago. And if you’re asking me this because you consider Will Santos a suspect in this girl’s murder, you can cross him off your list. Will’s a good guy. Not some murderer.”

  She pressed her lips together. “I wasn’t. I just think we have to look at everyone. I read somewhere that in serial killings, the murderer often returns to the scene of the crime. Gets a sick satisfaction of watching the police work to find out who did it. He might even volunteer for the search party.”

  “Interesting, but it doesn’t apply to Will.”

  “Still, our killer could be close by, so we should keep our eyes and ears peeled.” She rubbed her hands together, as if planning something big. “As for Will…how well do you really know him? He could—”

  “No. Seriously, no. I’ve known him at least a decade. He’s a good guy. I’m telling you, if he ends up being a murderer, I’ll retire from this business and never work again.”

  When she opened her notebook, Linc took a peek to see where she’d written the names of all the people they’d dealt with in SAR and over the course of the past few days. She slowly drew a line through Will’s name. He did a double take when he saw another name on the list.

  “Wait.” He was genuinely incredulous. “Seriously. You have my name on there?”

  She shrugged. “Well, a good PI never rules anyone out.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him before crossing out his name. “Fine. I mean, obviously, it’s not you. I’m just trying to be thorough.”

  “Balance out your thoroughness with some common sense, maybe?” he suggested.

  “Yeah yeah yeah,” she muttered, studying the list. “I guess you’re right. There are way more suspects than I have on this list. But if the person who murdered Amy also murdered Beez, then there’s a good chance that he knows his way around the park and that people have seen him and would recognize his face. I bet some of the rangers and people on this list might remember him.”

  “Or her.”

  “Right. Or her.”

  “Because if I’m on that list, you might as well put yourself on it too.”

&nb
sp; She smacked him. “Ha.”

  “Even though you and I were both up in Asheville when the murders happened, how well do I really know you? You might have snuck out at night and gone down there. You’re awfully suspicious looking.”

  She gave him her most innocent face, batting her lashes as she did. Damn, she was adorable.

  Closing the cover on her notebook, she pocketed it. “I think I should go through this list and interview everyone. Order and method. Eliminate the suspects one by one.”

  A sick feeling hit him. “Wait. Don’t get in the police’s way, though. Remember Jacob?”

  She nodded. Originally, things had been kind of thorny between Kylie and his best friend, who also happened to be a Buncombe County detective, simply because Kylie kept stepping on his toes. Eventually, she’d gotten her man, so it had all worked out, but Jacob still got worried whenever he saw her coming.

  “Fine. I’ll wait for them to finish their work, and then I’ll strike.”

  Linc wasn’t sure if he could trust Kylie to wait for anything. She was too impetuous and had the patience of a flea. “Just…be careful. Okay?”

  “What kind of trouble could I possibly get into?” she said, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. “I have you. My warden.”

  “I prefer the title bodyguard if it’s all the same to you.”

  They pulled into the main road heading through the park at a little before ten. A park ranger directed them to headquarters, where the parking lot was filled to the brim with cars and news vans. Kylie slid out of the truck and slammed the door, eyes wide. “Look, Linc. CNN. Does that mean this news is going national?”

  Linc shrugged. “I guess we’ll soon find out.”

  It was standing room only in the small headquarters, so Linc was forced to leave Storm outside, tied to a post. When they went in, the place was hot and stuffy with bodies, crammed so tightly into the small space that he longed for a fresh breath. It smelled like stale coffee and body odor. Linc helped Kylie to find a place to stand among the camera crews, police officers, and SAR equipment. As he did, he saw Dina near the podium at the front of the room. Dina was looking at Kylie, like she wanted to take a bite of her.