by Kathi Daley
Michael nodded. “That all sounds right. Are you heading somewhere with this?”
“I’m just trying to work through the sequence of events in the hope of stumbling across the recipient Isabella had in mind when the map and the clues were added to the thumb drive. We can assume that Isabella didn’t need the map or the clues to find her way back to the ledger. We can furthermore assume that if she wanted Beaverton to know where the ledger was, she could have just told him. The only reason I can come up with for why anyone would have taken the time to come up with this elaborate puzzle is because Isabella was trying to reveal the location of the ledger with a specific person she knew would understand what the clues meant and how to decrypt them.”
Michael leaned back in his chair. “Okay, I’m following you now. The question is, who was that person?”
“And did she send that person the map and clues in addition to adding the material to the thumb drive? And if she did send the map and clues to someone, can we trust them? I would have to assume she did.”
Michael got up from the desk, crossed the room, and looked out the window. “Why use encryption anyway? If she wanted someone to know where the ledger was, why not call or email them?”
“Maybe she had a connection on the inside. Maybe that was how she escaped. If one of Garcia’s goons helped her, maybe she arranged to leave clues to the location of the ledger for this person to find before she ever even hid the darn thing.”
“Walk me through it.”
Harper got up and began to pace around the room. Pacing always helped her to think. “Okay, so, Isabella, an attractive young woman, is somehow attached to a man who has both wealth and power. She finds out that she is pregnant, and her love for her child demands that she try to find a way to get both herself and her baby away from this cruel and dangerous man. The father of her child brings her to the United States, and at some point, she sees her chance to escape. This would probably be the point at which she established a relationship with someone on the inside. Someone in a position to help her escape. I’m not sure exactly how the ledger fits into things. As we’ve speculated, it could have been taken to use as a bargaining chip with US officials, but it could have been taken for some other reason altogether. Let’s suppose that Isabella arranges with the person who is helping her to escape to hide the ledger and then to leave a map and clues to its location. Perhaps the reason the man on the inside helped Isabella at all was so he could get his hands on the ledger. It is hard to say right now, but if Isabella did arrange to hide the ledger and to leave a map for someone to find it at some future time, we can assume that the codes she chose to use were ones she believed that person would understand.”
Michael turned away from the window. “I guess that makes sense. Isabella wouldn’t have wanted to leave a note that simply said the ledger was hidden behind the statue in the church. She would have known that someone other than the intended recipient might find the clue before he did. In that case, an encrypted message makes sense.”
“I think the best we can do now is try to follow the clues and not worry about the intended recipient of the coded message. I’m not sure we can figure out who that is yet, and if we get hung up on it, we’ll lose a lot of precious time chasing something we may never know.”
Michael sat down on the corner of the bed beside her. “Agreed. I could use a break. Do you want to try to find some coffee?”
Harper shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind a cup, although we are likely to get soaking wet in the process.”
“A little rain never hurt anyone.”
Chapter 17
Harper woke to find herself fully dressed and in Michael’s arms on top of his bed. How had she gotten here? She remembered going with him to find coffee and settling on tequila instead. She remembered coming back to the room to work on the cypher only to decide that it required a key they did not have. She remembered agreeing to set the frustrating puzzle aside until they had a chance to visit the church on the mountain the following day, which was where they hoped to find the ledger, or at least a key to the first clue, which they hoped would provide the information they’d need to find it. She remembered the conversation drifting toward issues of a personal nature. She remembered them talking again about her heartbreak when Eric died and his pain when the woman he loved chose to spend her life with his twin brother.
She remembered stretching out on the bed, listening to the rain, and telling him about her time in the Army, including the horrors she’d experienced and the victories her team had celebrated. Then he had shared bits and pieces of his life in New York, and his decision to use his hacking ability for good rather than evil after Ben had gotten hold of him. She remembered laughing and crying. She remembered falling in love.
Michael’s arms tightened around her as she moved away from him. He was snoring softly, so she knew he was still asleep. She scooted slowly toward the bottom of the bed, untangling herself from his arms as she went. When she was finally free, she headed into the damp morning and returned to her own room, where she had a good cry in the shower. She knew that the sound of the water hitting the tile flooring would drown out her sobs, but what she didn’t know was why she was crying in the first place. Was she happy? Sad? Had their talk made her grieve for the future she’d planned with Eric but would never have? Or had their words healed her wounds and created a longing for the future? Had her night with Michael opened new doors, or had it only reminded her of the doors that had slammed shut forever?
Harper was left with more questions than answers. She was dazed and confused, and the only thing she knew for certain was that she needed to pull herself together before she joined Michael for the trek up the mountain.
******
He woke to find his arms empty. Had he dreamed the previous night? His head pounded and he was fully clothed, so he didn’t think he’d dreamed up the tequila at least. Sitting up slowly, he looked around. He was alone in his bed, so, he figured, if he actually had slept with Harper in his arms, she must have wakened at some point and returned to her own room. Michael groaned as he ran his hand over his face. What had he been thinking? Harper had only recently lost her fiancé to a terrible accident, and here he was, whispering his most secret dreams into her ear. He slipped his legs over the side of the bed. When his feet came into contact with the sweatshirt she had worn and discarded, he groaned again. He remembered sharing things with her that he never had with anyone else. He remembered being weak and vulnerable, wanting to find comfort in her embrace, but he also remembered her words of encouragement, which had made him feel strong. He remembered their laughter and tears. He remembered falling in love.
Standing up, he grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the shower. He could hear the water running in the adjoining room and smiled. He had known he was developing feelings for this woman fate had thrust into his path for some time. He also suspected if he moved too quickly, those feelings were likely to lead to the same heartache he had experienced with Julia.
He hoped they’d find the ledger today. He hoped they’d complete the mission and go their separate ways. Not only, he reasoned, did he have a family party to get to, but he knew that if he spent any more time with this dark-haired beauty, he’d never have the strength to leave her at all.
******
When he knocked on her door, she opened it with a smile that she hoped masked the turmoil she felt. They’d only talked. Nothing had happened. She knew it was crazy to believe that she was in love with a man she’d yet to kiss. Love took time. It was something that started as a spark, then grew and evolved as lives were shared. She knew that love couldn’t happen in an instant. That wasn’t the way it worked.
“Are you ready to head out?” Michael asked.
She nodded. “Should we bring our things or are we going to keep the rooms for another night?”
“Bring them. If we find the ledger, things might happen quickly. I’m sure we’ll want to head out right away. If we don’t, but find reason to sta
y for another day, we can always check back in. The place is deserted, so I’m not worried about them not having vacancies.”
Harper nodded. “Okay. Come on in while I grab the stuff I left in the bathroom.”
“I’ll just wait in the car. Get it warmed up.”
“Okay. Have you seen my blue sweatshirt?”
“It was in my room. I packed it with my things. I’ll get it to you later.”
Harper tried to smile, but their conversation felt stiff and awkward. She hated that the easy relationship she’d shared with him seemed to have evaporated during their evening of sharing and getting to know each other. She knew Michael was still in love with his brother’s wife. It was crazy of her to think that he would ever want more with her than they had now.
“It looks like the rain has stopped at least,” she said as she slid into the front seat after putting her belongings on the back.
“I checked the weather forecast and it looks like it is supposed to be dry today. The dirt trail up to the church is likely to be muddy, though, so it might be a good idea to change into your heavy boots before we set out. Are you hungry? I thought we’d stop to grab a bite before we start up the mountain.”
She put her hand on her stomach. “I’m not sure my stomach is ready for food quite yet. But coffee would be lovely.”
Michael nodded. “I need to fill up the SUV’s tank, so we can grab coffee from the convenience store. There are plenty of snacks in the back if we get hungry before we can get back into town for lunch.”
She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. “I would love to get this wrapped up today. It seems like we have been on the road forever.”
“I spoke to Ben. He knows we are hoping to find the ledger today and is ready to take over once we do. He has spoken to his friend from the FBI, and while he didn’t fill him in on all the details, he did tell him that something might be going down and he may be called on for help within a minute’s notice.”
“And Princess?”
“He swore to me that he never mentioned the existence of the baby to his friend or anyone else. Other than Garcia’s men, Loughlin and some other CHP, and the DEA, no one even knows the baby exists. He had the information on the thumb drive saved to his computer. He went through it and eliminated all references to the baby but plans to give the rest—the financial information and contact names and addresses—to the feds as soon as we are clear of this.”
Harper looked out the window as Michael pulled into the filling station. “What will happen to her? To Princess? Will Ben and Holly keep her?”
Michael shrugged. “I don’t know yet, but I do know that Ben cares about that baby almost as much as we do. He won’t let anything bad happen to her.”
He was right. She knew that Ben would do whatever it took to ensure that Princess had a wonderful life.
Michael pulled up to the pump and she went inside to buy the coffee while he filled the tank. Other than the clerk, who seemed totally uninterested in her, there was only one other person in the little store. Initially, she wasn’t concerned about his presence, but suddenly, there was something about the way he looked at her that caused goose bumps up and down her arms. Maybe this adventure was just getting to her. Maybe she saw evil intent in every glance and encounter because the events of the past several days had trained her mind to see danger around every corner. Or maybe the guy was one of Garcia’s men. She couldn’t be sure, so it was better to be safe. She paid for the coffee, then went out to where Michael was just finishing up.
“There is a guy inside who seemed suspicious to me. I think we should watch our backs, make sure we aren’t followed.”
Michael looked toward the store. “Suspicious how?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. He just gave me the creeps. It might be nothing, but I think we should go. Right away.”
“I agree. If we suspect we are being followed, we can make an additional stop to be sure.”
He pulled onto the highway. She watched the rearview mirror the entire time. So far, no one seemed to be following them, so she began to relax. “Is the trailhead off this road?”
“No. According to the map, there should be a forest service road about two miles from town. It is a narrow dirt road, but with the four-wheel drive we have, we should be fine. Maria at the museum said to follow the dirt road until we came to a gate. That would be the point where we would need to park and start hiking.”
She looked toward the overcast sky. “I hope the rain holds off.”
“I think it is supposed to be dry until this evening.” He turned his head slightly. “How are you feeling today?”
She put her hand to her head. “I’ll live. I may never drink tequila again, but I’ll live. How about you?”
“Same.”
“I don’t know what we were thinking. We knew we had this trip up the mountain today. Why on earth did we think it was a good idea to buy a bottle of the local stuff and toast our partnership on this journey?”
Michael adjusted the rearview mirror. “We’ve both been under a lot of stress and I guess we were beginning to feel the effects. A single toast would have been fine if we’d stopped there, instead of finding a half dozen other things to toast after that.”
He had a point, she realized. It wasn’t the first toast that had done them in, it was all the ones that followed. Still, she wasn’t sure she would undo it even if she could. While the tequila might have been a bad idea, it had helped them to relax and to get to know each other in a way they might not have otherwise. She knew she’d always treasure the memory of Michael sharing the details of his summers in the Hamptons, and the painful event that had caused him to retreat into himself and trade outdoor adventures for summers in front of a computer. She supposed those long days at the computer had helped to make him the superhacker he was today, but her heart still bled for the teenager whose younger sister had drowned and whose parents had pushed away their remaining children for a time as they dealt with their grief.
“So, when do you need to go east for your parents’ party?” she asked.
“If we wrap this up today, I plan to go directly back to Minnesota. I figure I can catch a plane from the MSP Airport, and you can take the SUV and drive to Moosehead.”
She frowned. “I see. I thought we had more time.”
“I thought so too, but my sister wants me to show up a few days early.” Michael smiled, although it looked forced to her eyes. “You know how little sisters can be. Pushy and bossy.”
She did know how that could be, but she had a feeling there was more going on than that. She decided to let it go. “Maddie. The sister who drowned. Was she the youngest?”
Michael nodded. “Maddie was just four when it happened. Marley was seven, Megan was ten, Macy was thirteen, and Matthew and I were fifteen.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure her death was hard on your whole family. I may have already said as much last night, but there seem to be quite a few holes in my memory today.”
Michael chuckled. “Don’t worry. Things will begin to come back to you once the tequila works its way out of your system.”
While Harper was the sort to want to keep in control of her faculties at all times, she had a feeling that memories of the night before might not be her friend.
Chapter 18
Michael pulled the vehicle to the side of the road when they came to the gate Maria had told them about. So far it didn’t appear as if they had been followed, which allowed him to relax just a bit. He recognized the importance of completing things today if he wanted to maintain his sanity and give Harper the space she needed to heal from the loss of her fiancé, so all his energies had to stay focused on finding the ledger.
“It looks like we just take this trail to the top.” He looked up to where it crisscrossed up the mountain. A structure, he assumed the church, could be seen at the top.
“Wow. That really is steep.” Harper took a step forward. “I guess we should get started.”
; “After you.” Michael gestured for her to go first.
“I have to wonder why Isabella would hide the ledger all the way up on the top of a mountain, if that turns out to be where it is,” Harper mused. “I don’t know how far she was in her pregnancy when she ran away, but even if she was only a few months along, I would think she would have chosen a hiding place with easier access.”
Michael could already feel his heart pounding in his chest. He suspected that Harper was going to leave him in the dust by the time they got to the top. She’d spent the past fourteen years engaged in active pursuits both in the Army and as a scuba diver, while he’d basically spent his time sitting at a computer. Sure, he went to the gym when he had time, which wasn’t often, and he participated in several sports. But even if he’d been to the gym every day, he knew that the sort of workout he got there could in no way be compared to the one she got from everyday life. “We’ve speculated Isabella had help. Maybe whoever helped her brought the ledger up to the church for her.”
“Maybe.” Harper paused. “Would you look at that view?”
Michael paused and gazed out over the desert. It felt as if you could see forever. “It really is something.”
“I like that we can see the parking area. I still think it is a good idea to keep an eye on the cars.”
Michael nodded, then looked up to the trail ahead of them and groaned. He had a feeling the hike to the top was going to be even harder than he had imagined.
******
She found that she was enjoying the hike. It had been a while since she’d had the opportunity to test her body in such a beautiful location. She was a bit worried about Michael and the deep purple color of his face. Perhaps she should slow down a bit. It had been a while since she’d had any challenging physical tasks to complete, but even after Eric died and she had stopped diving, she’d kept herself in shape by running, swimming, and cycling.
