Target on the Mountain

by Elizabeth Goddard

  Tori kept all the rooms dimly lit. Nothing harsh and bright, but just enough so there were no dark shadows. She wanted to see every corner. This way she’d prevent any of those too-stupid-to-live moments she often saw in movies when someone crept forward from the shadows.

  After the day she’d had, Tori should crash along with the adrenaline in her body, but she wanted to dig back into Sarah’s emails. Might as well make a big pot of strong coffee.

  She’d contact Dee James tomorrow.

  Propped in Sarah’s cushiest chair, Tori opened up her emails again and started reading where she’d left off, looking for more about the environmental activities or any other interesting and potentially suspicious mentions.

  It was right to stay here and do this. Ryan couldn’t investigate this like Tori could. So they would solve this case as a team. And that also felt good and right.

  Unfortunately, warm feelings for him flooded her at the thought. She recalled the gentle kiss they’d shared earlier that day and knew without a doubt they both still cared deeply for each other, though neither of them could afford to act on those feelings. Somehow she had to shut down any rekindled emotions that remained for him, which would be hard to do given their current collaboration.

  Tori focused back on the emails. She struggled to stay awake, despite the strong coffee. She imagined Sarah’s fingers typing the emails, or her smile and eyes as she stared at her laptop. Sarah had been a loving, giving person. The best person that Tori had ever known. The saying that only the good die young seemed true in Sarah’s case. Her death was such a huge blow, such a wrongful loss. Tori sniffed to rein in her emotions and the resulting leaky nose.

  If Tori was going to help in securing justice for her sister she had to push past the melancholy.

  Then she spotted it.

  An email sent three weeks ago. In the email, Sarah had added a short line at the bottom about sending Tori a package in the mail. A small intake of breath escaped. She remembered seeing the email now, but just hours after she’d received it, she’d been assigned to a stakeout that lasted for days. Tori—the amazing sister that she’d been—had completely forgotten about the email regarding a package.

  Then she’d gotten the shocking news that Sarah had been killed. In a grief-stricken daze, Tori had packed a few belongings and left as quickly as possible. She’d been in a hurry to get to California, so she’d just grabbed the stash of mail she’d yet to go through after her stakeout and crammed it into her briefcase. Whatever didn’t fit, she’d put in her luggage to go through later or never.

  Tori set her laptop aside and shoved her face into her hands.

  I let you down, Sarah!

  She shoved from the cushy chair and grabbed her briefcase. She dumped the contents out on the kitchen table and rifled through the envelopes of bills and a few padded mailers, but found nothing at all from Sarah. Next, she moved to the bedroom. She’d hung up her clothes in Sarah’s closet next to Sarah’s things after the break-in—a pang shot through her—but left the stash of mail in her suitcase.

  She dumped the contents of her luggage on the bed and skimmed through more mail—almost all of it junk.

  Again she found nothing from Sarah. If Sarah had mailed Tori a package it should be in the stash she brought. She’d left nothing of importance behind in her apartment in South Carolina.

  So...whoever had broken into Sarah’s home could have found the envelope and taken it. It seemed they had been searching for something, given they had taken nothing else that she could see. The only reason Tori could think that someone would go to that much trouble for the package was because it could contain incriminating information. What Sarah had mailed to Tori could hold the details over which she’d been murdered.

  And now, whoever had taken it could believe that Tori knew why Sarah had been killed, and it was only a matter of time before she connected the dots to the killer. And only a matter of time before Tori met the same fate as Sarah.

  To survive, she would have to beat them at their game before the clock ran out.

  The next morning Tori woke up to bright sunshine breaking through the cracks in the mini blinds. Maybe the rain was finally gone and wouldn’t return for a while. She stretched and breathed a sigh of relief.

  Well, what do you know? I survived the night.

  She’d been so exhausted and distraught she was surprised her mind had allowed her to sleep without nightmares, but her body’s need for rest had overruled everything else.

  Still, her mind remained foggy this morning. If she could have slept another hour or two she would have, but she needed to get busy. Grabbing a cup of coffee from the single-cup coffee maker, she guzzled it before she bothered to get dressed.

  She thought about the package she was supposed to have received from Sarah. Was it small or large? What? She didn’t know. Sarah hadn’t left her any details.

  One thing she did know—she’d have to tell Ryan about the package.

  She crunched on a breakfast bar and stared at her cell phone. She noticed that she’d received a call during the night but the caller had left no voice mail.

  She recognized the number. It belonged to Dee James.

  Tori had better fully wake up, and fast. Had she brought trouble to him by going to his address? Did he have any idea that the café’s explosion was because someone had tried to kill her? That had all happened right across from his apartment complex. He could know about the explosion but still not know the cause or that she’d been there at all.

  Or...he could have been the one to try to kill her. She hoped not. Tori cleared her throat and focused her thoughts, then pressed his number to return the call.

  He answered on the first ring. “Hello.”

  “It’s me. Tori Peterson.” As if he didn’t know the number he’d tried to call.

  Per usual he was quiet for a second or two before responding. “I’d given up on you calling me back.”

  Dee hadn’t left a message but obviously assumed that she would recognize his number and eagerly return the call. Maybe he was spooked and didn’t want to leave messages.

  She responded in kind and made him wait for her reply. Then she said, “You called me in the middle of the night. Sorry, but I just now saw the missed call.”

  “I’ll get right to the point.” He responded without waiting. “I’ve been thinking.”

  Tori’s heart jumped. “So you remembered something that could help me find out who killed Sarah?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I think we should talk, after all.”

  “I’m glad you decided to talk, but we’re talking right now. What can you tell me?”

  “No, I mean...in person.”

  Okay. “Name the time and place.”

  “No cops,” he said.

  “No cops,” she repeated and grabbed a pen and a pad. He didn’t know she was FBI? Sarah hadn’t shared that detail? “Where and when do you want to meet?”

  He gave her the address. He was staying at a motel just outside of Shady Creek, toward Redding. She decided she wouldn’t mention that she knew where he lived and had been on her way to meet him when she’d been attacked. She suspected she knew why he didn’t want to meet at his apartment. He was running and scared. Someone could be after him, too.

  “I can be there in two hours,” she said.

  “I’m not going to wait for you that long. Make it one.”

  What was with this guy? “Okay. I’ll be there.”

  She ended the call and scrambled to shower and get dressed quickly. Now to get out of here without tipping Ryan off. The guy had said no cops. Ryan had given Tori time to make contact and now that she’d made it, Ryan would also want information out of him. Though Ryan had insisted he needed to come with her to meet Dee James, the guy wasn’t going to talk with Ryan there. Tori needed answers.

  She peeked out the window
. The deputy Ryan had stationed outside her house was still there. Of course. But did that mean that she would be followed when she left the house? Or was the deputy there to watch the property?

  Tori got into the car and pulled her cell out in case Dee called. Or in case Ryan called. Dee had sounded scared and had wanted a secret meeting with no investigators—no cops, as he put it. But was this a trap? Did he intend to hurt her?

  Even so, she had a weapon and knew how to protect herself.

  Backing from the drive, Tori headed down the street, surprised the deputy didn’t follow her. He must just be assigned to prevent anyone from entering her home, not necessarily protect or shadow Tori. Good. It wasn’t liked she needed a bodyguard.

  Tori wouldn’t go into this situation if anything raised an alarm or if someone followed her.

  A half hour later, she pulled into the parking lot of the Shasta Motel, fifteen minutes early. Good. That would give her time to assess the situation. This time of morning the parking lot was only half full. Either most everyone had checked out, or they hadn’t had many guests in the first place. The motel wasn’t near any theme parks or anything worthy of entertainment. A family exited their room and climbed into a Suburban. Other than that, the place was quiet.

  She drew in a breath.

  God, please help me find answers about who killed my sister. You know who it is. Please help me to find the killer and bring them to justice.

  Okay, she’d told Ryan she wouldn’t do this alone. But as soon as she spoke with Dee and found out what he knew, she would contact Ryan to fill him in. She just wanted to wait until she finally had some answers. Everything she’d discovered so far had only caused her to have more questions. Her weapon hidden beneath her jacket, she headed toward the opposite end of the motel and then made her way down the walkway until she stood in front of the room number Dee James had given her.

  She knocked softly. Nothing.

  Then she knocked again. “Mr. James? It’s Tori.”

  The door cracked open. She could barely see the redheaded man in the shadows staring out. Hadn’t she just last night thought about stupid people walking into the shadows?

  “Dee James?” she asked. “I’m Tori. Sarah’s sister.”

  He swung the door wide so she could easily see into the room, for which she was grateful.

  She stepped inside and flipped on all the lights to chase away the shadows. “Do you mind leaving that door open while I check the bathroom?”

  “Who do you think I have hidden in there?”

  She pulled her gun out. He threw up his hands. “Whoa, whoa.”

  She scrunched her face. “Don’t worry, Mr. James. This is for my protection only. I’m checking the bathroom, that’s all. I want to make sure this isn’t a trap. Is that okay with you?”

  He relaxed. “Knock yourself out.”

  Dee moved to stand in the corner opposite the door he’d left open, which she appreciated. This wasn’t the best scenario and she hoped she hadn’t just lost his trust.

  She glanced at him before clearing the bathroom, then took in the small space in the wall that passed for a closet. He swiped a hand through his hair and fidgeted. Then did it again. Rinse and repeat.

  She gestured that he could close the door.

  “I don’t like guns. Why did you bring a gun? I should have said no guns along with no cops.”

  “I didn’t mean to scare you or upset you. But a girl can’t be too careful. My sister was killed. Murdered. I’m only trying to protect myself. That said, I’m going to keep my weapon out and close, if you don’t mind.” Tori sat in the only chair in an effort to dial down the tension. She hadn’t meant to spook him.

  “I understand. You don’t trust me.”

  “It’s not you.” Though she couldn’t be sure that he was safe. “I’ve been attacked a few times since I arrived in California. Now, please tell me what you can about Sarah and what happened to her. It’s obvious that you know something.”

  Sweat beaded his temple to go with his constant fidgeting. Dee began pacing the small room.

  “Why don’t you have a seat on the bed and calm down?” Tori suggested.

  She noted that he acted like someone who was sitting on explosive information and she wanted the information so she could get out of here before things blew up. She would pull pen and paper out, but she didn’t want to take the time to write things down. She had a great memory. She had a feeling he wasn’t the kind of guy who would allow her to record their conversation.

  “Okay. Okay. Sarah...she was always so radical. Outspoken. I think she made some people mad in Sacramento. Some of the legislators.”

  “You mean when you protested about the pollution issues? Why do you think that she made someone mad, specifically? She wasn’t the only one protesting.”

  He shrugged. “She might have threatened someone.”

  A chill ran over her. “Who did she threaten? How and why?”

  “I don’t know. Look. I told her to use a secret email. To get an alias, if she was going to be so in everyone’s face.”

  Her sister had used an email to threaten someone. That was what Tori was hearing.

  “But isn’t that part of the point of belonging to an activist group and protesting? To stir things up and be in-your-face, as you said, in order to affect change?”

  “I guess so, yes. I just thought she would take more precautions.”

  He wasn’t giving her enough information to make heads or tails of this. “When I read up about A Better World, I found a few articles that loosely linked ecoterrorism back to your group. What can you tell me about that? Was Sarah involved in ecoterrorism? Is that what you’re telling me—that she threatened politicians with violence?” No way would Tori believe that Sarah would actually hurt someone, but if her targets thought she was dangerous, they might have decided to strike first. Or had Sarah decided to use more subtle tactics to perhaps change laws, like blackmail? There was much more going on here.

  Dee’s face reddened. “Look. I’m telling you all I know, all right? When I heard about the murders and that Sarah was killed, I wanted to believe that someone hadn’t targeted her specifically—that she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “But now you think she was targeted. You know something you’re not telling me. What did you bring me here to tell me, Mr. James?”

  He leaned closer and lowered his voice as if someone could hear them in this room. “She told me that she thought someone had been following her. That she was in danger.”

  Tori bolted upright then, startling him. “And you’re just now telling someone? Why didn’t you come forward earlier?” Okay, she was downright angry now.

  “I didn’t want to get involved—I still don’t! I’ll deny talking to you or telling you that if questioned. I’m only telling you because you’re Tori’s sister and I wanted you to know.” He stood from the chair and pulled car keys from his pocket. “That’s all I wanted to say.”

  Did he want her to leave or was he the one leaving? Either way, she wasn’t done with him yet.

  “Why would you deny what you told me to law enforcement? What are you hiding?” Tori put her gun away. It wasn’t helping him talk. “Look, I only want to find out who murdered my sister. Are you afraid to admit to some criminal behavior of your own? I already know that Sarah was involved in ecoterrorist activities with you. That’s already on the table—you’re not helping yourself by keeping quiet about it.”

  He swiped the sweat from his forehead. “I’m scared. I don’t know who I can trust.”

  “Then come in and let us—” she cleared her throat “—let Detective Bradley and the sheriff’s department protect you.” Better not to mention her own job title. He probably already knew that the FBI would want him if he was truly involved in ecoterrorism.

  “Get real,” he said.

/>   “Who did she threaten? I need a name.”

  “Look, if I knew who Sarah had threatened I would tell you. It happened right after the protest. She got into an argument with a state legislator coming down the steps. A couple of days later, she told me she thought someone was following her. That she’d done something she hoped would make a difference. That’s all I know.”

  “Okay, then, who is the legislator she argued with?”

  “Look, there were a lot of people there that day. I only heard about the argument later. I don’t know who it was.”

  Right. Tori wanted Ryan to bring this guy in for questioning. Maybe he could get more out of him. She was running out of patience.

  She crossed her arms. This wasn’t adding up. This man made it his business to terrify organizations, though he hadn’t been caught yet, and now he was running scared? “What’s her email alias?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. I told her to use one and that I didn’t want to know about it. So she didn’t tell me and she didn’t communicate with me.”

  Hmm. “Then what was the point? Who did she need to email while keeping her identity a secret?”

  “I’ve told you all I know.”

  Well, that was it. He’d shut down on her. Mr. Dee James was about to meet Detective Ryan Bradley.

  “I appreciate you calling me and what you’ve told me. I wish it was more. If you think of something else, please tell me. I want to get to the bottom of this.”

  “You should be careful. If what you said is true and someone has attacked you, then you could end up like Sarah. You should stop digging things up and asking questions.”

  Tori put her hand on the doorknob. That sounded more like a threat. Had Mr. James been playing her?

  Gunfire resounded on the other side of the door.

  * * *

  From behind the brick wall where he took cover, Ryan returned fire. He’d already called for backup, but unless they arrived soon, they would be of no help.