Shephard (Mountain Men of Danger Falls #1)

Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

D enise

“They took the bodies,” I repeated to Maggie, the statement she’d issued when I’d answered the phone disturbing. She’d contacted me twice, but this was the first time Greg had his door closed and I could chat with her. I’d been warned in no uncertain terms to stay far away from the case again. Maybe Greg was able to read my mind. I honestly believed my boss had been threatened in some manner by the Feds, likely with his job.

What the agents didn’t know was that for an ex-detective like me, their denial of information only pushed me much harder into trying to put all the gory little pieces together. I’d used at least two hundred Post-it notes, sticking them to my whiteboard. It would appear I was obsessed.

Maybe because the case where I’d almost become victim number six lingered in the forefront of my mind. They weren’t the same. It was simply the trauma of knowing a monster was in the area. It never left you, the icy fingers of the beast constantly clawing your skin.

However, I was a smart girl. I had to keep my inquiries on the down-low.

While Shephard and I had compared notes, including about the paralysis drug, I’d been able to see he’d been holding back. I could swear the man knew much more than he was telling me.

“Yes. Two days ago. I’ve been meaning to call you, but had a couple guests I didn’t expect,” Maggie said, meaning two more dead bodies.

“Anyone associated with the… situation?”

“No, and the bastards warned me to keep my mouth shut. They even made me sit in front of my computer and put my files on a jump drive for them.”

“What the fuck?”

“That’s what I said. Of course I’m no fool. I have copies.”

A grin crossed my face. “You are so wicked, which is why I love you. It is possible that you might make a copy for say a really good friend.”

“Maybe,” she said tartly. “I will, but don’t you dare tell anyone where you got it.”

“Mum is the word.” I was eager to spend some time with the photographs and information myself. “Did you have anyone come to identify the bodies?”

Maggie laughed. “Not a soul. I’m not going to lie that having the three bodies in my chiller hasn’t creeped me the fuck out. I kept thinking they were going to return to life. Plus, I have six compartments. I need the space.”

It wasn’t unheard of for the Feds to transfer bodies closer to their offices, but taking every file seemed extreme. They were dead serious about keeping this quiet and classified.

“Let me ask you a question. Did you notice any drugs in their systems?”

“I did run toxicology tests on all three, but they came back clean. What are you looking for?”

I swirled my finger on my desk, craning my neck to ensure I didn’t have anyone listening in. “A paralysis drug.”

“Wow. High tech shit,” Maggie huffed. “I haven’t worked with the substance, but the class I recently attended mentioned the use of the drugs was up in methods of torture. What I can tell you is that depending on the type, they fade into the system leaving no trace after a period of time.”

“Fantastic. Is it a special test?” I knew I was pushing her.

“Yes.”

“Do you have a blood sample left?”

Maggie groaned. “You’re putting me in a very awkward position.”

“But you love me.”

Her laugh indicated she did. “I’m not promising anything but I’ll see. The Feds were pretty thorough about raiding my office and lab.”

“Bastards.”

“Well, the main bastard also warned me about talking to you,” Maggie added.

“He did, huh?” I’d asked hard questions.

“Yes. Not that I care. You know how I am. Why don’t we go out for a drink tonight. It’s been far too long.”

“Let me see what today brings.”

She laughed. “You always say that. I’ll bribe you with the jump drive.”

“You are a bitch as well as wicked.”

“You know it. Shackles at eight?”

I wanted to groan since the last time I’d been there I’d enjoyed some quality bathroom time with Shephard. “Eight sharp.”

“See you then. Party girl. Maybe you’ll finally tell me about that guy you’ve been seeing.”

“What guy?”

“Oh, come on. The rumor mill is wild with curiosity. The fight you had in the lobby of the resort was priceless.”

Of course. Shephard and I had been seen together more than once. Soon, the rumors would be we were getting married. Small towns could be a pain. “Very funny. You know I hate men. And gossipers.”

“You don’t hate men. You just want to fuck them and drop them off on the side of the road as roadkill.”

“Well, there’s that.” We both laughed. “See you tonight.”

“Good deal.”

I sat back, folding my arms. Maybe getting out of my self-imposed cocoon would be a good idea.

The case had been on my mind even though nothing else unusual had occurred. I found that interesting given the earlier timing. However, there was little I could do. I had my hands full and long days to come.

Four days.

Almost four days had gone by since I’d seen or heard from Shephard. Granted, we hadn’t exchanged phone numbers. We also hadn’t made any plans to see each other again. It wasn’t either one of our styles.

But that didn’t mean he hadn’t affected me.

Sharing dinner had been fascinating, his alternation between being silent and trying to engage in conversation often difficult. When we’d talked about the case, it had been easier. He’d struggled with carrying on a basic discussion, which had prompted me to ask questions he clearly hadn’t wanted to answer.

But the man was a wealth of information about all things dangerous. That was extremely attractive.

He’d left just after dessert. I’d been surprised that not only had he cleaned his plate, but had enjoyed seconds on almost everything.

Including the bread.

Including me.

I’d been anxious the entire four days, taking extra precaution when heading up the trails for my day job. I’d also locked my doors at night, keeping the front porch light on. There was a strange feeling of being watched that I couldn’t get over.

There were no new dead bodies, but I honestly believed whoever was responsible was close. Too close.

Here I was sitting in my office lamenting on the time spent with Shephard when I should be handling paperwork. In the four days, Cane and I had tracked and successfully discovered three lost hikers and a child who’d walked away from a birthday party.

No blood.

No destruction.

Normalcy.

Bullshit.

With the resort and surrounding hotels full, the town was hopping with tourists. It was good to see so much business activity, but just walking the crowded streets was a pain in the ass. I’d purchased groceries, a few toys and treats for Pepper at the small pet store, and had decided to hibernate inside my cabin after work at least for now.

I’d also continued checking on Shephard and his family, learning everything I could about his brothers. The three of them were amazing. That was my final determination. All decorated in the military. All disappearing into some clandestine action before resurfacing in what some might consider dead-end jobs. An entire family? Who the hell was his father and was he an influence?

And I continued going back to what the reporter had alluded to. Even if I hadn’t heard the question directly, it had set Shephard off. I’d almost called the guy, but that would betray what tiny bit of trust the mountain man and I had developed.

The funny thing was that Dexter wasn’t easy to discover any information on either. What I’d learned was enough to frustrate me without providing answers.

I’d made the promise to myself to just stop before I became lost in the task that had no possibility of a good outcome.

“Let’s go, Pepper. I have a feeling it’s going to be a very busy day.” The office was quiet, more so than usual. As I walked by Cane’s office, I realized it was empty. I thought I’d seen him earlier, although keeping tabs on the jerk wasn’t in my job description. We’d been civil, but that’s all I could say at this point.

I was out the door and all the way to my Jeep when Greg was suddenly right behind me, huffing and puffing.

“You need to stop smoking,” I told him as I opened the passenger door, allowing Pepper to jump in.

“Not at this point. Too much crap going on in this little town. Cane is down,” Greg struggled to say. He’d obviously run from his office.

“What do you mean down?”

“He made a report and his communicator went dead when I asked him to repeat it.”

We had walkie-talkies to use given the areas of sketchy internet reception. The last thing I wanted to do was to find Cane with some chick on the trails. “Where?”

“Rough Rider.”

It was a nickname for one of the most beautiful hiking sites in the Shenandoah, the area considered for experts only. It also backed up to an access road that led to the interstate within a few miles. Every sign leading up to the trail had the letters indicating in bold lettering how dangerous it was. Sadly, we couldn’t keep novices from the area and I’d heard a hiker had died three years before after losing his footing.

I had to consider the possibility he’d heard a scream or had been tagged by another hiker to help.

“What was he doing there?”

“I don’t know,” Greg admitted. “I was attempting to find out when he went silent.”

Well, fuck. This was the reason I’d pushed for additional park rangers to be hired. It would still be two days before our third ranger was back on duty. That was two days too long. We needed more so we could return to traveling in pairs. Not that I’d experienced that since arriving. All the excuses about the lack of a budget meant the team had a higher percentage of failure.

And accidents.

Days off at this point were all denied unless there was a serious need for one.

It came with the job, or so I’d heard, but the recklessness of the decision had pissed me off since the beginning.

“I’ll head up there, but you need to listen to me. We need help. You know that. You need to talk to the mayor, the governor, whoever can help us.”

“My hands are tied.”

“Of course they are.” I left my driver’s door open, fuming as I stormed back inside and into Cane’s office. I scanned the room quickly, finally looking behind the door. He’d left a jacket there with his scent. It would come in handy if for no other reason than to wrap the sleeves around his neck.

Greg was standing in the same place when I returned, the sheepish look on his face annoying. I understood Greg’s position, which was a tough one, but something had to be done.

“Find a way, Greg, or you’ll lose another ranger and I’m not talking about Cane.” I was furious, tired of Cane’s antics and his private tours when he didn’t tell anyone where he was going. It was something he’d done since my arrival, acting like some cowboy who could do anything on his own. “Keep trying to contact him and if he calls and is fine, I will kill him myself.”

“Don’t go off halfcocked, Denise. He could be hurt.”

“Well, he damn well better be.” With the man’s antics over the last few months and his carelessness, I was shocked he hadn’t gotten himself into trouble before.

I jumped into the Jeep, rolling out of the parking lot within seconds. Rough Rider wasn’t for the faint of heart no matter what time of year. With some leaves already changing yet so many species still full of greenery, there were two issues. The humid mornings left dew on the fallen leaves while the greenery hid the various drop-off locations. Yes, there were markers, but they were easily hidden by the significant growth from the extensive rains in the spring.

And neither Cane nor I knew the hundreds of acres cold. There was no way of doing that given our short staff.

I fumed the entire way as I drove, almost driving recklessly by weaving past various slow vehicles in my way. What the hell was he doing up there? At least there weren’t sign-up sheets for the trail in the resort or located in the various sports equipment stores. No, it didn’t keep curious tourists away completely, but without the area being as heavily targeted, most tourists had no clue of its existence.

It took me almost thirty minutes to get to the pull-off point at the start of the trail. Greg had texted the last coordinates of where he thought Cane had stopped communicating, which thankfully weren’t too far up the trail. At least Cane’s Jeep was here and from what I could tell, there was no sign of any issue.

As I grabbed my gear and the jacket, ushering Pepper to follow, I started thinking about the glossy brochure I’d seen about park rangers almost five years before. I’d picked it up on a three-day jaunt I’d made with the abusive ex, curious as to what they did in their job.

The concept about providing tours and setting up education classes wasn’t a part of the budget around here. Dozens of departments had their funding cut, but we’d moved from protecting the area and the tourists to nothing but search and rescue. At least I was trained for it, my specialty in the Marines.

Not Cane.

He’d assumed the glossy brochure would be his main function, including providing tours for pretty girls.

The hike was steep, but not as much at this elevation. It was one of the hidden gems I adored, the waterfall and natural lagoon pristine given so few people had discovered its location. But it was a still a major drop-off and an attraction for a wayward tourist.

I had to remind myself it was possible Cane was trying to rescue one of those.

With every step I took I fumed more, which wasn’t a good thing. Still, I was furious with myself for allowing Cane to bother me. He was just one of those guys who took advantage of every situation.

After hiking for almost a mile, I’d found no sign of Cane, but I knew I was in the area where his communications had gone down. I pulled his jacket from around the bag’s strap, crouching down to Pepper. “Yeah, girl. I don’t like this either, but take a nice deep whiff and go find this jerk for me.”

She did as she was told, immediately heading up the trail by a few feet, sniffing every inch of the ground around her. When she took off running, I knew it was a good sign. Unless I had to haul his injured ass back to my Jeep.

I jogged behind her, grateful on this humid as shit day I’d worn shorts. At least cooler nights were expected in the next week.

Pepper had managed to get way ahead of me, her silence troubling. I never liked her to be so far out of my sight but for so long.

I stopped long enough to listen, finally hearing a series of barks in the distance. I took off running, moving as quickly as I could toward the location. As I rounded a corner, I slipped on the rocks, going down hard on one knee. The sharp pain was instant, but I didn’t lose a beat, getting up and racing toward Pepper’s barks.

What I found was more irritating and interesting than shocking, although the rage would arise within a short period of time.

Pepper was acting as if she was going to eat some unknown guy, her barks and growls indicating the person standing in dark jeans and a polo wasn’t a good man. Or that he had drugs on him.

I was no DEA agent and given the mystery man was standing in front of Cane, I knew frisking him would not be the best thing to do.

“Get the fucking menace away from me.” The mystery man dared raise a hand and I immediately pulled out my weapon.

“I suggest unless you want a bullet between your eyes that you put your hand down nice and slow. And make certain it’s very slow or Pepper will rip it off.” No, she wouldn’t unless I gave the command, but the jerk with the snarl on his face didn’t know that.

What I found chilling was the stark darkness in his eyes. It wasn’t that they were a gorgeous dark shade; there was no light to them. No life. No verve. It was as if he was dead inside.

Cane had turned toward me, his hands on his hips as he offered a sharp glare.

When the stranger didn’t move, Pepper continued barking, now sitting back on her haunches. The unknown person definitely had contraband on him.

“Last warning,” I said as I walked closer, the weapon pointed at his eye level.

“Hold on now, Denny,” Cane said. He knew I hated when he called me that and was doing it on purpose.

Bastard.

“I suggest you tell your friend to lower his arm, Cane.”

Cane grumbled but threw a look to the guy. “Do what she says. She’s trigger happy.”

I wanted to pistol whip Cane, but resisted. Anger management. I almost laughed. The mystery man finally lowering his arm, but wasn’t happy about it.

“Pepper. Come.” I stood my ground for a few seconds. “You went off the grid, Cane. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I called it in, for God’s sake. A break. I’ve been working since seven this morning.” He made it sound like he’d been breaking his back.

“You called it in?” I lowered and secured my weapon, not trusting the man with the cold eyes in the least. He was staring at me as if I was food.

And he had a permanent sneer on his face.

There was something way off about the guy.

“Well, I texted it to Greg. He messaged me and I assumed to give the okay.”

I laughed. “He doesn’t pay any attention to texts. He was trying to get in touch with you and you’d all but disappeared.” I studied Cane’s friend. The man was completely out of place in his dark clothes and lack of any hiking gear or water for that matter. That meant he had a vehicle on the road leading to the parkway. Another hidden gem, which meant Cane had told him about the trail.

Why did I have a feeling there was more going on here?

“I tried,” Cane whined.

I took three long strides and was within his face. “I am going to recommend you be fired for this little stunt. You put your life, my life, and Pepper’s life in danger.”

“You can’t do that,” he said in a much deeper voice than I was used to.

“Oh, I can and I will.” I turned away from him, Pepper immediately in step as I headed down the trail. The man had performed his last ridiculous antic. He was a dangerous person within the organization and deserved to be canned.

I was almost to the Jeep when I was jerked hard, enough that I was almost dragged to the ground. Cane. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“You’re not going to report this. I did text my time. We still get a lunch, you know.”

When I tried to pull my arm away, he squeezed it until a wash of pain flashed all the way to my shoulder. “I suggest you fucking let me go, Cane.”

He suddenly realized what he was doing, immediately letting me go. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

It was the first sincere thing he’d said in a long time. Something was bothering him and I think it had Mr. Cold written all over it. “What was so important you dropped off?”

“You wouldn’t get it.”

“Try me.”

Cane shook his head. “He’s family. Okay? He’s been bugging the fuck out of me to lend him money and I fell into that well twice. I’m not going there again.”

I just glared at him. What did he want me to say?

“He’s in trouble. He always is. Anyway, he won’t be bothering me again. Just let it go, okay? We all have our crosses to bear.” He didn’t wait for me to give him an answer. He strutted to his park ranger Jeep and climbed in.

It was a reminder the Wrangler I was supposed to get from the county had yet to arrive. Months. Months I’d been waiting. I watched him drive off then turned to face the other direction.

Why did I have a bad feeling about Mr. Cold?

Something told me he was watching.

And that it wasn’t the first time.