Midnight Reckoning (Leave No Trace Book 1)

by Jannine Gallant

  “Sitting on my couch with Woody’s head on my lap, regretting it belongs to a big, furry dog instead of you.”

  Warmth circled around her chest at the cozy image. “Sounds nice.”

  “My leg is falling asleep.” His deep voice was laced with intimacy, despite the mundane words. “His head is heavy.”

  She closed her eyes. “I expected to be too busy to miss you. Turns out, I wasn’t.”

  “Good to know. I miss you, too. When can I see you again?”

  She opened her eyes as the bus stopped and a young couple got on. They sat hip to hip, and he bent to whisper something in her ear. The girl giggled and slid her hand behind his neck as he kissed her.

  A twinge of jealousy shot through Raine.

  “You still there?”

  “Yeah.” She let out a breath. “My schedule is pretty packed. I might be able to take next Wednesday off. Thursday morning, too, if I bust my butt between now and then.”

  “That’s over a week away.”

  “I know.”

  “Maybe I can drive down. Our reservations are fairly light midweek in June.”

  “I’d love that.” She gripped the bar and rose to her feet as the bus pulled up a block from her apartment. When the door swished open, she stepped down to the sidewalk. “I just got off the bus. I’ll be home in a minute.”

  “Good. I don’t like the idea of you walking the city streets alone at night.”

  “My neighborhood is pretty safe.” Her flats lightly tapped the concrete as she hurried up the street. She pulled out her keys as she approached the house, only to pause at the door with her thumb on the latch. “That’s weird.”

  “What’s weird?”

  “The exterior door isn’t locked. Looks like the mechanism is broken. I’ll have to call the landlord in the morning.”

  “So, anyone could walk right into the building?” His tone rose in alarm.

  “I live in an old Victorian house. Stuff breaks all the time, but the place has charm. And with only two apartments on each floor, I don’t have a lot of neighbors.” She was slightly breathless as she ran up the stairs to the third floor. “That alone is worth dealing with heating issues and plumbing leaks, especially since I have a killer view of the bay.”

  “If you say so, but I still don’t like the idea—”

  Pausing at her door, she held her cell to her ear with her shoulder as she reached for the knob. It turned easily beneath her hand. “Oh, crap!”

  “What now?” His voice was sharp.

  “My door’s unlocked.”

  “Get the hell out of there. If an intruder is still inside—”

  She stuffed her phone in her jacket pocket while he was still talking and pulled a container of pepper spray from her purse. Holding the bottle at the ready, she gave the door a shove as her heart pounded in triple-time.

  The main room and small kitchenette were empty. Her camping gear had been dumped out on the hardwood floor, and her desk drawers stood partially open. Crossing the room, she checked the bathroom before pushing her bedroom door wide. No one lurked behind the bed or in the open closet.

  With shaking fingers, she pulled out her phone and lowered the spray. “My apartment’s empty. Whoever was here left.”

  “Jesus Christ, Raine. Give me a freaking heart attack. Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” She sat on the edge of the bed, afraid she’d collapse as the adrenaline rush ebbed and her legs trembled.

  “Hang up and call 9-1-1. You can phone me back after you report the burglary.”

  “I’m not sure whoever broke in stole anything.” She stared at her jewelry box on top of her dresser. After a moment, she stood and walked over to flip open the lid. The few necklaces and bracelets were where she’d left them, and all her earrings hung on their rack.

  “Are you certain?”

  Not in any rush to hang up, she cradled the phone, taking comfort in Levi’s voice. “I’m pretty sure.” She pulled out each dresser drawer, and a chill slid through her at the stacks of undergarments and sweaters in slight disarray. “It looks like my clothes were handled, but I don’t think anything is missing.”

  “So, the guy’s a pervert.” His tone was harsh.

  “Maybe. But my guess is someone lifted each pile to look under them since everything is still folded.” She turned toward the closet. “A couple of suitcases have been shifted, and boxes on a shelf were pushed around. There’s no damage of any sort.”

  “I assume you would have noticed if your TV or any artwork was missing.”

  Raine left the bedroom and walked through the main room to shut the door, then slid the deadbolt into place. “The TV is still on the wall. I don’t have any valuable paintings, just framed photos.” Heading toward her desk, she pulled each drawer fully open. Her files were in order, and her laptop and printer remained where she’d left them. “I don’t keep cash in my apartment. I’m nearly positive whoever broke in didn’t take anything. And there’s no mess to speak of, except my camping stuff was dumped on the floor.”

  “That’s pretty damned weird.”

  “No kidding. It’s almost like whoever jimmied my lock was looking for something specific.”

  “You need to report a break-in. Does your lock still work?”

  “Yes. My ex-boyfriend installed a deadbolt on the inside for when I was home alone. The door lock is old and probably didn’t take a heck of a lot of effort to pick.”

  “Terrific.” His tone was disgruntled. “At least you should be safe. Any idea what the person was after?”

  “I don’t have a clue.” She sat on the couch and let out a long breath. “All I wanted to do was go to bed. Now I’ll have to wait for the police to show up.”

  “Call them.”

  “I will. Levi . . .”

  “Are you okay?” His voice was soft.

  “Yes.” She swallowed hard as her eyes burned. “Thanks for talking to me this whole time. I didn’t feel so alone, and it helped. A lot.”

  “I’m only sorry I can’t be there in person. If I leave right now—”

  “Don’t. I’m fine. Honestly. I have a full day of work tomorrow, and I’m sure you do, too.”

  “If you don’t feel safe—”

  She glanced toward the deadbolt. “I’m locked in tight, and I won’t open the door for anyone but the cops.”

  “Okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Thank you.” She hesitated, wanting to say more, but couldn’t come up with the words.

  “Bye, Raine.”

  “Bye, Levi.” She disconnected and stared out the window at the city lights for a long moment before finally tapping 9-1-1.

  Chapter Eight

  “Thanks, Levi. Our whole family really enjoyed today’s hike. I’m sorry our vacation’s over, but we’ll definitely be back again next year.”

  “I’m glad you all had a great time. Have a safe trip home.” He gave Jim Evans a fist bump before the man followed his wife and two kids down the hall toward their rooms.

  “Good to know you’re keeping our guests happy and earning your keep for a change.”

  Dalton crossed the front porch with Woody trotting at his side and stopped just inside the open doorway. His brother was three years his senior, and the family resemblance was pronounced in his pale blue eyes and fair hair. There, the similarities ended. Dalton had a good two inches on him and outweighed him by thirty pounds. With his full beard and penchant for flannel, his brother looked like a blond Paul Bunyan.

  “Hey, I do my job.” Levi walked over to scratch Woody’s shaggy head. “Where’ve you been all morning?”

  “I went to Reno to stock up on supplies and could use a hand unloading.”

  “Sure.”

  Levi headed out to the van with their logo on the side door. A depiction of the lodge against a backdrop of trees and mountains with Sierra Wilderness Retreat above the image in scrolling letters. When a squirrel chattered from a tall ponderosa on the far side of the driveway, Wo
ody loped over, planted his paws on the trunk of the pine tree, and barked like a lunatic. Grinning at the dog’s antics, he grabbed two bags of groceries and a giant package of toilet paper before heading toward the rear of the building.

  Dalton grunted as he lifted a cooler. “Speaking of work, what’s your schedule look like for the rest of the month? Do you have any ultras?”

  “No events until late in the summer. Just training. I may head down to the Bay Area next week if we aren’t too busy. Why?”

  “Ursula’s due date is a little over three weeks from now. When she goes into labor, we’ll need you here.”

  “I’ll make sure I’m available. I marked the date on my calendar.” Levi shifted his load to hold open the kitchen door.

  “Dude, babies aren’t always born exactly on time. She could go into labor at any minute now, although I hope not this early.”

  “I thought mom and dad were planning to help out.”

  “They are, but not until July.” His brother lowered the cooler to the floor. “Ursula’s parents are coming in August. We scheduled their visits for after the baby is born. Which means I’d appreciate it if you could stick around until then.”

  “Oh.” The pack of toilet paper landed with a thump, punctuating the single word. With a little more care, he set the grocery bags on the counter.

  Dalton’s brows knit. “What’s the problem. Why do you need to go to the city?”

  “I wanted to see a . . . uh . . . a friend.”

  “Female, I assume. If you’re looking for some companionship, I can think of three local women off the top of my head who would date you.”

  Levi scowled as he followed his brother back out to the van. “I’m not talking about a quick hookup. This is someone I knew in college. We reconnected on the Yosemite trip, and—”

  Blond brows shot up as Dalton lifted a bag of dog food and a canvas tote full of produce. “Not that girl from your hiking club you moped over for months? God, you were a downer that Christmas break.”

  “I can’t believe you remember that.” Levi grabbed the last four bags of groceries and nudged the van door shut with his shoulder.

  “Ursula and I had been dating for a couple of months, and I brought her home for a ski weekend. I was hoping to show her how fun my family was. Let’s just say you weren’t.”

  A grin curled his lips. “Hey, my heart was broken.” He walked back to the kitchen and deposited his burden on the counter. “Actually, Raine is the woman I’m talking about. I didn’t get a chance to fill you in yesterday after I got home. A lot happened on that backpacking trip.”

  “You can tell me all about it while you help put away the supplies. Skip the graphic details about any tent time with your lost love.”

  Levi rolled his eyes. “I don’t kiss and tell. That’s not what I meant, anyway. One of our group was killed. The cops think it was murder.”

  His brother turned slowly to stare at him. “What the hell?”

  “It was pretty awful. We found Cooper, the guy Raine used to date in college, over the side of a cliff. Dead.”

  “Holy shit! I hope the cops don’t think you pushed him because of this woman.”

  “Doubtful. Cooper was in a long-term relationship with someone else. He and Raine hadn’t been involved in years. It’s possible this woman, Ava, got pissed and shoved him since he was probably cheating on her, but I don’t think his death was about jealousy.”

  Dalton opened the cooler and unloaded dairy products into the industrial-size refrigerator. After shutting the door, he turned. “Then what was it about?”

  “My gut says money. The guy was a financial advisor who may have made some sketchy investments for his clients. But that would probably give Bobby B the strongest motive to kill him, and I don’t see Bobby getting angry enough to commit murder.”

  “That’s right. I’d forgotten you were pals with a baseball superstar. He went on the Yosemite trip with you?”

  Levi nodded as he pulled boxes of pasta out of a bag to stack on the counter. “The problem is, I can’t image that any one of my old friends is capable of murder.” Lifting the pile, he carried the boxes to the pantry.

  “Maybe it was an accident.”

  “Not according to the detective investigating Cooper’s death. Someone grabbed him around the neck and squeezed before he went over that cliff.”

  “Jesus.”

  “And to make matters worse, some asshole broke into Raine’s apartment while she was at work yesterday evening. I talked to her last night and then again early this morning. She says she’s fine, but . . .”

  “You want to go see her.” Dalton organized cleaning supplies on the bottom pantry shelves.

  “Family first. I’m not going to be a jerk and leave you in a tight spot. Anyway, I’m responsible for keeping the lodge running smoothly, too.”

  “And watching Dex while we’re at the hospital.”

  “Uh, yeah. Of course.” He pushed Woody out of the way when the big mutt wandered into the kitchen and sniffed the bag of dogfood. “Where are Ursula and Dex? I haven’t seen them.”

  “They went to meet friends in Truckee for a play date. Ursula must have left right before you got back from your hike with our guests.”

  “Oh. Good for her. She needs to relax for a change before she uh . . .”

  “Before she does what?” Dalton raised a brow. “Even knowing how your mind works, I’m curious.”

  Levi grinned. “I was thinking popped like a balloon. Are you sure she isn’t having twins?”

  “Positive. You’re an idiot.” His brother slid the empty cooler into a closet. “Don’t you need to set the old guys up with bait for this afternoon’s fishing trip?”

  “Yep. I’m meeting them in fifteen minutes.” He patted Woody’s furry head. “I’ll see you later.”

  Letting the kitchen door slam shut behind him, Levi headed to the shed where he took a container of worms from the fridge before walking down to the lake. The group of septuagenarians here for their annual getaway were loading gear into the canoes. From what he could tell, the trip was all about escaping from their wives for a week of beer drinking and cigar smoking while they hung fishing lines in the water and told stories about the good old days. Levi was a fan.

  “You’ll catch a few big rainbows with these babies.” He handed over the worms and then helped the oldest member of the group into one of the canoes.

  “You bet we will. We’ll bring back some real trophies.”

  “Have a good time, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” A big guy with a full head of white hair grinned broadly as he pushed away from the dock.

  When Levi was certain they wouldn’t capsize, he pulled out his cell. One missed call from Raine. He swiped to connect as he headed toward his cabin.

  She picked up on the first ring. “I’m glad you called me back.”

  His steps faltered. “Did something happen?”

  “Yep. I tried to call earlier, but—”

  “I was on a hike with some of our guests, and cell service is crappy in the woods. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, but when I got to work this morning, I discovered someone broke in last night after I left. Whoever it was disabled the alarm system. I’m pretty positive it was the same person who searched my apartment.”

  Levi hurried up the path to his door and pushed it open. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because the only thing taken was the bag of trackers I left in my desk drawer. Detective Gilbert planned to pick them up today. Nothing else was touched, and there’s some expensive china and crystal stored here for high-end parties.”

  “Bloody hell. So that’s what he . . . or she . . . was after at your apartment.”

  “I imagine so.”

  “Whoever it is must think the mileage will incriminate them. Too bad you can’t give that information to the detective.”

  “Except I can since I’d already written down the
data. I called him right after I talked to the local cops.”

  Levi filled a glass with water and took a few swallows before pacing across the main room. “Did anything in those numbers stand out?”

  “Not really. Everyone’s mileage was different. You actually had the most.”

  “Because I went on a couple of runs alone at night.”

  “Exactly. I’d have to sit down and fully analyze everyone’s movements to find discrepancies. And if there are any, I’m sure people would have reasons.”

  “Like my night runs?”

  “Yeah, except I know you weren’t the one who pushed Cooper over that cliff. Even if Detective Gilbert is suspicious, you must have an alibi for last night.”

  “Yep, but the guilty person could have hired a professional to break into your apartment and office, especially if whoever did it managed to dismantle the alarm. Did the police find any prints or other evidence?”

  “Not to my knowledge, but I’m not sure they’d give me that information.”

  “Damn.” Levi finished his water and set the glass in the sink before staring out the window into the thick forest. “The only positive is you should be safe now since the guy got what he was after.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that, but yeah, I suppose so.”

  “Which makes me feel only slightly better about the fact that I can’t drive down next week. I’d really hoped to see you again sooner rather than later.”

  “Oh.” She hesitated for a moment. “I understand about work getting in the way of pleasure.”

  “In this case, it’s more family obligation than work. Until my sister-in-law has her baby, I have to be on standby to take over here. According to my brother, I can’t simply plan to be available on her due date. Who knew babies were so damned unpredictable?”

  Her throaty laugh curled his toes in his hiking boots.

  “Spoken like a male with zero experience with childbirth. I have several nieces and nephews. I don’t think any of them were born on schedule.”

  “My parents were here when my nephew, Dex, was born. I was on a backpacking trip in Europe. Kids aren’t on my radar.”

  “I don’t imagine they would be at the moment, considering your single status.” Before he could interrupt, she continued, “As it turns out, I may have been premature in thinking I could get more than a single day off next week. Moselle wasn’t too happy when I mentioned it.”