Murder at Sunrise Lake

by Christine Feehan

  “You are screwed up,” Bruce said. “Drop all the creepy stuff and be my partner in the brewery. If you give up Search and Rescue, you’ll stop thinking about all those people who put themselves in harm’s way. You know most of them bring that shit on themselves anyway. Then you have to go out there and put your life on the line and try to save them or recover their bodies for their families.”

  Bale, Edward and Sean had joined the circle, Bale jumping into the conversation. “That’s an ongoing argument we always have. Where do you draw the line, knowing you’re risking too many people’s lives in order to save someone who should have known better?”

  Vienna pushed her way through the men to wedge herself close to Stella. “That’s something every rescuer has to ask before they risk their life to help someone else. All of you know that.”

  “Vienna,” Bruce persisted. “Look at the amount of people who are coming up from cities to climb Whitney with absolutely no experience. They have no business doing it. None. They read about how cool summiting the mountain is, look at a few pictures and think they can do it. They don’t bring the necessary gear or even dress in the right clothes.”

  “He’s right,” Bale said. “Sadly, that’s the truth. Every time we turn around, there’s some idiot hanging off the side of the mountain and one of us, usually Sam or Denver, has to climb down to them, risking their lives, to get to them. Are they even grateful? No. They want to know if they got pictures.”

  “How many of these vain idiots fall because they’re taking selfies?” Sean asked. “Vienna, you had to stop those two girls from letting go of the cable on Half Dome last year so they could take selfies. It was just sheer luck that you were climbing that morning.”

  Vienna couldn’t deny she had to stop the two girls from letting go of the cable when they were climbing. They had pulled out their phones to take each other’s photograph. They’d even argued with her until she’d gotten tough with them and all but ordered them to keep climbing. One girl had teetered for a moment as she tried to replace her phone, and that had sobered both girls instantly.

  “It is becoming a bit of a nightmare,” she said. “But we can’t abandon people, Bruce.”

  “I don’t want to lose any of my friends,” Bruce said.

  “I’ve never seen this side of you.” Zahra’s big brown eyes looked up at Bruce.

  “I’ll join Search and Rescue right now if you want me to, Zahra,” Bruce said hastily. “If you think the men and women who come up here and trash the trails and blithely go up the mountain without properly preparing so that our friends risk their lives should be saved, I’m on it.”

  “You don’t climb, Bruce,” Denver pointed out. “We’d have to rescue you.”

  They all laughed, including Bruce. He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter, I’d try.” He looked down at Zahra, clearly sincere.

  “It’s a good point Bruce is making though,” Bale persisted. “Helicopter crews have to make that call all the time.”

  “It’s true,” Vienna agreed. “More and more that’s a question that’s going to be considered, even if we don’t like it. The risk to how many others when one person has been so careless.”

  “I’ll admit I was an idiot once,” Edward muttered. “Decided to ride out a hurricane. Man, was that a bad idea. Because I do search and rescue, I realized what a risk it was going to be for anyone coming to rescue me and I got myself into big trouble. Fortunately, I was able to get out of it, but it was touch-and-go there for a while.”

  “You were an idiot once?” Bruce teased, nudging him. “If that’s all you got, you haven’t lived long. I’ve managed plenty of times.”

  “Bruce, getting back to your problem with the business getting too big,” Stella said, “what are you going to do? You have a good manager. Will he be able to help you keep up?”

  Bruce shook his head. “I need a partner. Genesis doesn’t have that kind of know-how and he doesn’t want it bad enough. I need someone with skills.”

  “An anesthesiologist fits that bill?” Harlow teased.

  Bruce grinned at her. “Denver can do just about anything if he puts his mind to it.”

  “Told you, buddy, not interested,” Denver declined. “As much as I’d like to help you out, I’d be crazy in a week.”

  Bruce nodded toward Bale and Sean. “Jason Briggs is an engineer and a darn good one. He’s got the mind for it and his kind of work can be scarce up here, especially during winter months. You know him. He’s a hard worker. I’ve been taking a hard look in his direction.”

  Stella was shocked, to say the least. Jason was the last person she expected Bruce to name. He would take one of the mean boys as a partner in his brewery? She looked at Denver, her eyebrow raised, hoping to convey to him that he might need to talk to his friend. Denver sent her a look that said he’d already done so to no avail. He felt guilty, but he wasn’t going to make matters worse by taking a partnership he knew he’d end up screwing up.

  Sean and Bale broke into smiles. “Jason is one of the hardest-working men you’ll ever find, Bruce,” Bale said. “Ask anyone he’s ever worked for.”

  “I have,” Bruce said. “I’ve been doing background work on him. He knows it. I didn’t tell him I was asking around because I was looking for a partner. He thinks I need work done.”

  “No, seriously, Bruce,” Sean said. “You’d never regret having Jason work with you. He’s smart. He loves it here and wants to stay and settle down. He’s got his eye on some property to purchase.”

  If she didn’t know Jason was firmly entrenched with Bale, Sean and Edward, Stella would almost have been convinced to have Bruce give him a chance, but the four men were really horrible when it came to the way they treated women. She didn’t want Bruce to be anywhere around them, especially since Zahra was from another country, and for some reason that was a trigger for the four men. She couldn’t imagine that they would influence Bruce, but it would be a tragedy if they did.

  Denver seemed to know what she was thinking, but they’d been friends for several years. He shook his head slightly, as if to say it was impossible. He nudged Zahra with his foot. “What’s going on, shrimp? You’re looking sober this afternoon.”

  “Some of us work,” Zahra said. “You docs just pretend to. I’m heading back over to the hospital. Go right ahead and pickle your brain.”

  “You’re just jealous, sweetheart.”

  She flashed him her killer smile. “You know I am.” She looked up at Harlow. “Thanks for everything. I really appreciate it.”

  “I’m texting Raine.”

  “Have at it,” Zahra approved and waved at the others as she moved out of the circle.

  Bruce trailed after her. “I’ll walk you over to the hospital, Zahra.” He fell into step beside her before she could protest.

  “Are you really looking to change jobs, Denver?” Stella asked. “It isn’t like we have too many anesthesiologists around here. You’re kind of a big deal.”

  “It isn’t like I’d quit my day job,” he answered. “But Martha’s work is fascinating.”

  Stella gave a delicate little shudder. “You sound like the vet tech, Vincent, when he talks about doing surgery with the vet. He gets all enthusiastic. Spare me the details.”

  “I always forget what a baby you are about certain things,” he teased.

  Stella wasn’t a baby about most things. She had to deal with bloated, dead bodies in her lake when partiers insisted on drinking too much and falling into the water when no one was around. Still, she wasn’t the person dissecting them. She hadn’t been great at dissecting frogs. She’d done it, but she hadn’t liked it. She certainly wasn’t going to dissect human bodies.

  “Is that what you really want to do?”

  Denver shrugged. “No. After being there a few times, I realized I wouldn’t want to do that day in and day out either. I think I’m just res
tless. Maybe I need a long vacation.”

  Stella laughed. “Everyone comes here for vacation, Denver.”

  His brows drew together. “That’s right, they do.”

  * * *

  —

  Stella had rarely been nervous alone on her property. Long before she had hired Sam, she had handled many of the difficult drunk partiers in the middle of the night alone, or with one of her security guards. She just wasn’t a person who panicked. But now she found herself uneasy, pacing through her house looking outside, feeling as if maybe she’d been followed back to the resort.

  Sam had stayed in town in order to talk with his father. She’d run a few errands, picked up groceries and made the hour-long trip back from Knightly without incident. Her resort was up higher in the mountains, so it was decidedly cooler. The elevation assured she received snow and ice when the town was often spared.

  It wasn’t that late by the time she returned home, but the sun had set and it was already getting dark. She had checked, but no one appeared to be on the road behind her. Still, the feeling of uneasiness had begun to grow in her, and now that she was home and had put her groceries away, that feeling persisted.

  “What do you think, Bailey? Should we stay trapped in here or take a little walk around the property?” She dropped her hand onto the dog’s head. He seemed as restless as she was, but just the way she was acting could convey anxiety to the animal and put him on alert.

  He padded to the window and looked out as if to answer her. Stella sighed. This wasn’t the night for Sam to be gone, but he had family issues that were important for him to deal with. She was certain the watcher was out there. She’d set the alarm, but that didn’t mean anything. A good sniper could shoot right through the many windows she had and kill her if that was what his intentions were. She hated the feeling of being trapped in her house.

  Finally, she decided she would go outside with her security guard and just walk around the property, something she did often. If the watcher knew her at all, he wouldn’t think she was doing anything much different than normal. Sonny was on duty and she texted him. He would be there already, making his rounds. He always answered immediately and he would come up to the house and meet her.

  She waited, scratching Bailey’s ears, grateful she had her dog. Sonny didn’t text her back. Time seemed to slow. She called him, her heart beating. Sonny always answered. He was reliable. He liked his job. He was thorough. He might even be considered overeager. Unlike Patrick, he didn’t miss a single area when he checked the resort at night. He knew every inch of the property, which made him valuable when they were looking for missing partiers or a child who wandered off.

  Sonny didn’t answer his phone. Now she was more than worried. That was totally unlike him. She checked the log-in she could access from her phone. He’d gotten to the resort before she had and relieved Patrick on time. Swearing softly under her breath, she did the only thing she could do under the circumstances. She sent a text to Sam.

  Sonny not answering. Afraid he’s hurt. Am going to look for him. Calling Griffen.

  Wait for Griffen.

  Sonny could be hurt.

  She couldn’t take the chance and Sam knew it. They had to rely on one another. She put the call in to the sheriff’s office and hoped they had someone available. Most times, they could get someone there in ten minutes.

  Stella armed herself with two guns just in case, slid a knife into her boot and went out the front door. “Bailey, find Sonny.” She gave the command and turned him loose.

  Bailey took off fast, rushing into the gathering darkness. Stella jogged after him, sending up a prayer to the universe that Sonny was alive and okay, that he was out of range, even though her text had been marked delivered. The dog skirted around the lake and then made a rush toward the heavier trees, where he disappeared from her sight altogether. There was no path or trail to run on to follow him. The ground was uneven, and even though it wasn’t completely dark, running could be perilous. She didn’t want to trip and fall or sprain an ankle. She kept jogging, but she slowed her pace enough to pay attention to where she was putting her feet.

  Bailey roared a challenge, the sound shocking in the night, rising to a horrible crescendo, and then just as suddenly he shrieked in pain, over and over. The breath left Stella’s lungs, but she increased her speed, throwing caution to the wind. Bailey had never sounded like that, never once in all the years she’d had him. Not that scream of agony that was wrenched from him. It was worse when he went silent.

  Once she hit the grove of trees, she slowed, pulled her gun and also her phone, shining the light over the ground. “Sonny? Bailey?” She called to both of them, uncaring if the attacker heard her. He would see the light. She held her weapon close to her body. If he saw her, hopefully he wouldn’t see she was armed.

  She saw a splash of blood on the leaves first and her heart nearly stopped. Still, she resisted the urge to go rushing in without first taking a cautious look around with her light. She shone it completely around her and then up into the trees before taking steps farther into the grove. Bailey lay on his side, panting in pain, blood pooling on the ground under him, his coat matted with it. Beside him, Sonny stirred, tried to sit, groaned loudly and dropped his head into his hands.

  Stella rushed over to them, but again shone the light in a circle to make certain the attacker was gone. He couldn’t be too far away. Bailey had four stab wounds that she could see visibly. Cursing, she took off her jacket and then her outer shirt to tie around him tightly.

  “Sonny, how bad are you hurt? A sheriff will be here any minute. I’ve got to get Bailey to the vet or he won’t survive. I’ll take you down with me to meet the police or you can wait here for the sheriff.”

  Sonny looked out of it, but she couldn’t see any stab wounds on him. There was no way she could leave him alone, not if the attacker was close by. Why had the watcher stabbed Bailey and not Sonny? Sonny looked like maybe he’d been hit on the head.

  Sonny put his hand to the back of his head and looked up at her, moaning again. “What happened?”

  “Someone hit you, I think. I’ve got to get Bailey to the vet.” She’d already texted the vet to meet her at the clinic, that it was an emergency. She hoped Bailey would survive the hour-long trip in. He had lost so much blood.

  A powerful light burst over them. “Stella?” Griffen Cauldrey’s voice bellowed loudly. “Where are you?”

  “In the grove,” she yelled back. “We need help, Griffen.”

  She heard two sets of boots running, then Griffen was kneeling beside her and another deputy, Mary Shelton, was beside Sonny. Stella was grateful to turn over Sonny’s care to Mary so she could concentrate entirely on Bailey.

  “Get a tarp. We’ll slip it under him and carry him to my rig. Let the vet know he’ll need blood,” Griffen said. “I can make it down the mountain faster than you can. Mary? Can you handle Sonny?”

  “Yes, go,” Mary answered. “I’ve got this.”

  “The attacker could be close,” Stella warned.

  “I’ll be careful,” Mary said.

  Stella was fast when she needed to be, but she had no doubt that Griffen knew what he was talking about. She ran to the shed and caught up a tarp and raced back, feeling as though too much time was passing. She just wanted to pick up her dog and run, but he was too big, and when a dog was in that much pain, he could be dangerous.

  She talked softly to him while they maneuvered the tarp under him. It wasn’t easy, and even Sonny and Mary had to help. He bared his teeth, but he didn’t snap. Stella thought he didn’t have the energy because he’d lost too much blood, and that terrified her.

  “Put your jacket on,” Griffen reminded before they started to lift Bailey onto the tarp.

  She’d forgotten she’d taken it off. She’d forgotten her gun, which was lying on her jacket. She holstered the weapon and put on h
er jacket, unaware she’d been cold until that moment. They carried Bailey to the sheriff’s rig. She texted Sam to meet her at the clinic and then she texted Zahra, asking her to tell their friends. If Bailey didn’t make it, she didn’t know what she was going to do. Bailey had been her constant companion for years. Her family.

  “He’s strong, Stella,” Griffen said.

  “He lost so much blood,” she whispered.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “I don’t really know. I had this really eerie feeling that someone was out there watching. It wasn’t the first time. Sam has felt it too. I texted Sonny and he didn’t answer. He always answers. Then I called him. He didn’t answer his phone. I immediately called your office, but I couldn’t wait for you to come just in case Sonny was hurt and needed attention. I gave Bailey the command to find him. I heard Bailey roar as if he had gone into attack mode, and then he was screaming. When I got there, I found Bailey on the ground bleeding and Sonny was just waking up. He was trying to sit up. No one was around that I could see.”

  “Damn it, Stella, the attacker had to be close by. He could have gone after you.”

  “I know, Griffen. I did have weapons on me. I was afraid he might kill Sonny. I had to go. Believe me, I made certain you were on your way.”

  He didn’t reply, but he drove fast and got them to the clinic in record time.

  Dr. Amelia Sanderson had bought the clinic from old Fiddleson, who had retired nearly two years earlier. The town had tried to entice several veterinarians to come, but they were remote, and those with families had decided against it and those without felt they didn’t have much of a chance finding a partner.