Witness Pursuit (9 page)

Nate snapped his attention to her. “I'm sorry?”

“You get this look when you're worried about something. You think Becca's in serious trouble?”

“No, I was thinking about something else.”

I was thinking about you.

“Care to share?” she said.

“Not at present, no.” Could he ever speak his truth to Cassie?

Cassie's phone rang. “It's Blackburn Adventures,” she said, eyeing the screen.

“Could you put it on speaker?”

She pressed the speaker button. “Hello?”

“This is Blackburn Adventures. I saw multiple calls from this number. Can I help you with something?”

“This is Echo Mountain Police Chief Walsh. With whom am I speaking?”

“Wendy Longmire, trail guide.”

“May I speak with whoever is in charge, please?” Nate asked.

“Sure, I'll get my boss.”

Cassie nibbled her lower lip. Nate shot her what he hoped was a reassuring nod, but even he didn't know where this would lead.

“This is Jeff Porter, can I help you?”

“Police Chief Walsh here. I'm looking for Becca Edwards.”

“She's leading a group up the west side of Echo Mountain. They left at six this morning.”

“I need to contact her. Is that possible?”

“Let's see...by now they'll be a few miles west of Rattlesnake Pass. I can try, but reception tends to be hit or miss on that side of the mountain.”

“I'll be there in about five minutes. In the meantime, can you tell me how she seemed this morning when she came to work?”

“Hang on. Hey, Wendy, how was Becca this morning?”

“She seemed okay,” Wendy said from the background. “Excited about some trip she and her boyfriend were planning. I think they were leaving after today's hike.”

“Did she seem anxious or worried?” Nate asked.

“No, sir.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you want me to try to contact her before you get here?” Jeff said.

“No, I'd rather you wait.”

“Will do.”

“See you soon.” He nodded at Cassie, who ended the call. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. None of this made sense.

“What?” she said.

He shot her a quick glance.

“You're gripping the steering wheel so tight your knuckles are turning white.”

“I can't seem to make sense of this. Someone's after Becca, and she's planning to leave town, but she takes a group up into the mountains? If she's fleeing the jurisdiction she must know she's a target, right? But then why go to work and act like everything's fine?”

“You almost make it sound like she's a suspect.”

“Right now she's acting like one.”

A few minutes later they pulled into the Blackburn Adventures lot. Jeff, the manager, introduced himself.

“I'm Chief Walsh and this is Cassie McBride.”

“Right, Aiden's little sister,” Jeff said.

“That's me.”

He led them into the office and clicked on a high-powered radio.

“Becca, this is base, over,” Jeff said. “Becca, come in, over.” A few seconds passed.

“Why isn't she answering?” Cassie said.

“Like I said, bad reception,” Jeff explained. “If they're in trouble someone will hit the locator beacon.”

“How many people did she take up there?” Nate asked with concern. Not only was Becca in danger, but potentially her entire group.

Jeff eyed a clipboard. “Looks like seven.”

“Could you give her another try?” Nate pressed.

“Becca, this is base. We need you to check in, over.”

Scratchy silence echoed across the line.

“When do you expect them back?” Nate asked.

“About one o'clock.”

Nate had agreed to meet the FBI agent at that time, but needed to be here when Becca returned.

“Hello? Hello, are you there?” a voice said through the radio.

“Becca, is that you, over?” Jeff responded.

“No...she's gone!” a female voice said.

NINE

C
assie's heart leaped into her throat.

“Gone, what do you mean, gone?” Jeff said. “Who is this?”

“Tanya Holmes. I've got a little hiking experience so they put me in charge.”

Jeff clicked the radio so Tanya couldn't hear them. “This is a novice group,” he said to Nate. “Little or no hiking experience to speak of.”

“Let me.” Nate took the radio.

“Tanya, this is Police Chief Walsh. When did Becca go missing?”

“About an hour ago. We stopped to eat lunch. She said she was going to check the trail up ahead because of bear sightings. She never came back.”

“Is everyone okay?”

“For the most part, but one of the gals twisted her ankle when we tried to find Becca.”

“The hiker who injured her ankle, is she mobile?”

“We were just trying to figure that out.”

“Please assess the situation and let me know.”

“Okay, hang on.”

Cassie studied Nate's profile and marveled at his calm and confident demeanor in the midst of a crisis. Somehow his controlled reaction took the edge off the panic swirling in Cassie's stomach.

“Chief?” Tanya said through the radio.

“Yes, Tanya.”

“Carly is unable to put pressure on her ankle.”

“I'll dispatch search and rescue. Do you know your exact coordinates?”

“We're at the Lake Mirage Overlook.”

Jeff pinpointed it on the map.

“Tanya, it should take them about ninety minutes to get to you,” Nate said.

“A few of the guys want to head back down,” she said.

“I'd prefer everyone stay together.”

“I'll tell them.”

“Which direction was Becca headed when you last saw her?”

“North on Chinook Trail.”

“Hang tight. Help will be there ASAP.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Nate clicked off the radio and pulled out his phone.

“Ninety minutes is pushing it,” Jeff said.

“You're not familiar with SAR,” Nate countered. “It becomes a contest to see who can get there first.”

* * *

As Nate drove Cassie to a safe location so he could join the search, she considered what could have happened to her friend, a seasoned climber.

“I'll find her, Cassie,” he said.

She glanced across the car at Nate, realizing he knew her so well he could sense what she was thinking.

“I want to go with you.”

“Not an option. You know that.” He pulled onto Resort Drive and only then did she realize where he was taking her.

“Nate—”

“Echo Mountain Resort has the best security in the county. I know you don't like being told what to do, but this once, could you be okay with my plan to keep you safe?”

Her automatic reaction was to argue, to come up with all sorts of reasons why she didn't want to be dumped at the resort into the midst of her overbearing family, but she stopped herself. There was something about his voice, a hint of desperation that made her reconsider.

“What's the plan?” she said.

“You'll stay at Echo Mountain Resort while I'm gone, either in your sister's cottage or in a resort room, but please don't go anywhere alone.” He paused. “I'm sorry if that sounds like an order, but I don't know a nicer way to say it.”

“I understand.”

And she did. Somehow she was able to appreciate Nate's concern for her well-being without growing defensive.

“What's wrong?” he said.

“Why do you think something's wrong?”

“You're being too agreeable. I mean it, Cassie, no leaving the resort.”

“I know.”

“And stay out of sight if possible.”

“Ten-four, Chief.”

He pulled up to the front of the resort, got out of the car and opened the door for her, his eyes scanning the parking lot.

“I got it from here,” Aiden said, approaching them.

“I thought you'd be on the team heading up to Lake Mirage Overlook,” Nate said.

“Too much going on here today. Besides, I heard it was just a sprained ankle.”

“And Becca's missing,” Cassie said.

“Missing?” Aiden questioned, looking at Nate.

“I'll know more when I get up there.”

Aiden nodded at Cassie. “Okay, I'll take care of trouble here.”

Cassie would have normally shot off a retort to her brother, but she couldn't be bothered. Not when she feared for Nate's safety. Who knew what trouble he'd find once he reached the spot where Becca had disappeared?

“Be careful,” she said, only this time she didn't touch his cheek. She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug. When he didn't return the gesture she thought maybe she'd crossed a line. But it was her way of wishing him well.

Just as she released him, his arms tightened around her back and he held on for a few seconds. He leaned forward and whispered, “Be safe. Promise?”

“Promise,” she uttered, barely able to speak against the ball of emotion tightening in her throat.

He released her and without making eye contact, got into his car and drove off.

* * *

It was almost as if the hug had energized him, Nate thought as he practically sprinted up the incline of the trail. The first team radioed that they were nearly at the site, and Nate wanted to get there as quickly as possible. He'd called his sister at Healthy Eats, described the FBI agent, and asked her to let him know Nate wouldn't be back for their meeting.

Joining Nate on the mission was Officer “Red” Carrington and Nate's friend Will Rankin, a widower who was dating Detective Vaughn. None of the men spoke much as they motored up the mountain with purpose.

The other team would probably take the lead on assisting the injured hiker, while Nate and Red would search the surrounding area for clues as to what happened to Becca. He'd send Will back down with the first team, not wanting to put the single father in danger.

“Hey, speedy,” Will said, short of breath.

Nate glanced at his friend.

“I'm in good shape and you're killin' me here. Trevor's team is perfectly capable of dealing with a sprained ankle.”

It wasn't just the thought of the injured hiker that made Nate run uphill. It was the look on Cassie's face, the look of worry about her friend being in trouble.

Nate would do anything to ease her fears, to make her smile.

“Nate, say something, grunt, anything,” Will pushed.

Red chuckled.

Nate slowed down a bit. “Sorry.”

“What's really going on here?” Will asked.

“Guess I'm worried about Becca Edwards. She's gone missing.”

“I know that, but I assumed she slipped and took a tumble or something. Is there more to this?”

Nate motioned for Red to hike ahead, while Nate hung back with his friend. “Her apartment was tossed. We can't rule out foul play, which is why I want you to head down with team one once we get to the injured hiker.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Red and I will search the area for clues, some indication as to what happened to her.”

“Well, if she needed help, she should have activated her locator beacon.”

“True. In a way, I'm hoping she intentionally disappeared.”

“That makes no sense. A trail guide wouldn't abandon her tour group.”

“There's a lot that hasn't made sense since we found a dead woman at the Whispering Pines cabin.”

“Yeah, I heard about that.”

Nate glanced at him. “News gets around in a small town.”

“Smaller when you're dating the lead detective.” Will smiled.

Nate hadn't seen him smile like that for years, since his wife had died.

For a brief second Nate wondered if that's how he looked when he thought about Cassie.

“Speaking of dating...” Will started. “You been out on any lately?”

“No time.”

“You seem to be spending a lot of time with Cassie.”

“She's a witness in a murder investigation.”

“I meant before that.”

“She comes into the station to get ideas for the community blog.”

“She's a sweet lady.”

“Who's traveling to the far corners of the world once she gets enough money.”

“Maybe she just needs a good reason to stay.”

“Can we focus on the mission?” Nate said.

Will winked. “Which one?”

“Chief, I see the group up ahead,” Red called out.

Nate and Will picked up their pace and reached the tour group within minutes. The first team seemed to have it under control. They had wrapped the ankle, secured the hiker to the litter, and were ready to head down.

“Sorry if this was a wasted trip for you,” Nate said to Will.

“Any day out here in the mountains is a blessing, not a waste. I'd be happy to stay and help you look for Becca.”

Nate recalled the incident when Will suffered from amnesia after being injured by a criminal in the mountains. He would not put his friend at risk again.

“No, we're good.” Nate looked at the hikers, who assembled to head back down. “May I have your attention?”

They glanced in his direction.

“I'm Chief Walsh with Echo Mountain PD. Who spoke with your trail guide before she disappeared?”

A woman raised her hand.

“Are you Tanya?” Nate asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“I'll need to talk to you for a second. Anyone else speak with Becca Edwards?”

They shook their heads that they hadn't.

“I'm asking for a refund, that's for sure,” a fiftyish man said.

“Don't be so heartless, Roger,” a woman about the same age scolded. “What if something happened to the poor girl?”

Roger shrugged.

“So, no one else spoke with the guide, or noticed anything unusual?” Nate said.

“She seemed nervous,” a man offered. He was in his midforties, wearing a blue ski cap with the letter
B
on the front, and dark sunglasses.

“And you are?”

“Owen Banks.” He shook Nate's hand.

“How did she seem nervous, Owen?”

“The way she looked around, like she was worried about something.”

“There are bears out here,” Will offered.

Nate looked at Tanya. “Did you sense Becca was nervous?”

“Not particularly.”

“Thanks.” Nate motioned for them to rejoin the group.

“You sure you don't want me to help search for her?” Will offered.

“I'm sure.”

Nate sent the hikers back down. He and Red got to work following the trail in the opposite direction, looking for clues.

About an hour later, Nate spotted a small glove on the ground. He picked it up. “Could be Becca's.”

“Chief,” Red pointed up ahead. A woman's hiking boot lay in the middle of the trail.

Twenty feet from the boot was a dark green jacket.

“What happened out here?” Red muttered.

“Let's pack this stuff up and keep moving.”

* * *

A few hours later the sky grew dark and Nate sensed a storm brewing. Rather than backtrack, Nate decided to consider other options.

“Hang on a second.” Nate pulled out his binoculars and the topographical map. He handed the map to Red. “Can you find us the quickest way down?”

Nate peered through the binoculars, scanning the immediate area for signs of Becca. Could she still be out here, held captive by someone? He didn't figure this for an animal attack because her jacket wasn't torn, nor were the other items of clothing they'd found: the other glove, a scarf and a knit hat.

“Huh,” Red said.

“What?”

“If we veer left in about half a mile, the trail leads straight down to Echo Mountain Resort.”

A chill raced down Nate's spine. Cassie was at the resort.

“Let's move.”

* * *

It had been nearly five hours without word from Nate. Through a slit in the resort room curtains, Cassie watched the sky grow dark with angry clouds. She couldn't stop thinking about Nate, worrying about him. To distract herself, she'd turn the television on and then turn it off, irritated by the inane programs that seemed to be on every channel. She wanted him to call or text or something.

A soft knock echoed across the room. She rushed to the door, hoping...

Instead of seeing Nate through the peephole, she saw Bree with Dasher in one arm and a grocery bag in the other.

Cassie swung open the door. “Hey.”

“Brought you dinner,” Bree said, waltzing into the room. “Ham and cheese melt sandwiches, fruit salad and raspberry brownies.” She turned and narrowed her eyes, studying Cassie. “No? I thought you liked raspberry brownies.”

“I do, it's not that.”

“What then?” She put Dasher down and the dog sniffed his way around the room. “Wait, did Mom say something to make you feel guilty about not staying with her? I know she was upset when you said you wanted your own room. I guess I was a little miffed you didn't want to stay with me either, but—”

“I haven't heard from Nate.”

“Where is he?”

“He went to search for Becca. She disappeared while leading a tour group up Echo Mountain,” Cassie said, her voice pitching.

“Oh honey, I'm sorry.” Bree gave Cassie a hug and patted her back. “I'm sure he'll find her.” She broke the hug and looked into Cassie's eyes. “Becca's a resourceful woman. If she's in trouble, she'll figure out a way to signal the chief.”

“I hope you're right.”

“C'mon, let's eat something. Chocolate always makes you feel better.”

* * *

Within the hour Cassie had managed to consume a sandwich and two brownies. “I was hungrier than I thought. Thanks for bringing all this food by.”

“Sure. Guess you're lonely without your bodyguard.” Bree smiled.