Silent Hunter

by Maggie K. Black

  “Actually, I think I’m okay to stay with the rest of the group,” Luke said. “I’m a bit sore, but nothing major.”

  “Glad to hear it.” She didn’t even let herself look at him. “But you were trapped underwater just a few moments ago. I think, just to be on the safe side, I’d feel better if you went back with them and got checked out by a doctor. After that, maybe you should consider staying on the mainland until George gets out of the hospital. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate that you wanted to come on this trip, see the island and support what we’re trying to do here. But it sounds like George really wanted to talk to you about something, and maybe that should be the highest priority right now.”

  The words felt heavy on her tongue, almost as though she was betraying something or someone as she said them. But her highest priority right now was to bail out this sinking camp enough to keep it going, even just for a few more years. While someone like Russ could help with sporting goods, Bear could help with construction and David and Aaron could help with volunteers, the only thing she could see Luke contributing was some newspaper article. Press and publicity were nice, but they were hardly the most important thing right now. Besides, floating here, surrounded by wreckage of the course she’d once built, was a stark reminder this whole place was in danger of collapsing around her. The last thing she needed was a distraction like Luke, knocking her off kilter and sending her emotions into chaos.

  “Look, it just makes sense,” she added. “George is in the same hospital that Trevor is going to be taking you to. You should at least go along, get a five-minute checkup, chat to George if he’s got visiting hours, and then decide if you want to come back with Trevor, hang around on the mainland or head back to Toronto.”

  He looked at her as if she was nothing but a block of carpentry wood he was turning around in his hands. “Nicky? Why are you trying to get rid of me?”

  She pressed her lips together. “George was the one who invited you up, not me, and he’s on the mainland. It’s hardly like you were planning on staying up here more than a couple of days, anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really thankful for everything you’ve done. But I think it would be better for both of us if you just went.”

  She pushed away from the log and swam for the shore.

  * * *

  Frustration surged through Luke’s chest so fiercely he almost laughed. Did Nicky honestly think she could just order him off the island? Yes, he’d come up here as a favor to George. But last he checked, Nicky was the one in danger. It was bad enough that Trevor was now going to be leaving with their only motorboat. Did she believe Luke was just going to pack up and leave her here on the island without any kind of backup?

  By the time he caught up with her, Nicky had already climbed back on shore and was in full-fledged camp director mode. The plan was for people to get changed out of their wetsuits, then relocate everyone to the beach and sort out some quick-packed lunches for those going to the hospital, along with sandwiches for those staying behind. She quickly and calmly explained to the group that it would take Trevor about half an hour to get back to camp and another half hour to drive to the hospital, although if anyone needed it, once he got back in cell signal range he could call for an ambulance. If all went well, they’d only be in the hospital for an hour or two. Trevor and the campers who’d gone with him would easily be back on the island in time to join the others for dinner. Unless, of course, anyone chose to stay behind on the mainland.

  It all seemed so rational and simple, even reassuring under normal circumstances. Quick ride to the mainland, short hospital visit and back before sunset—no worries. Except for the fact someone might have just tried to kill them. The group split into those Trevor was leading through the woods to the beach and those heading back to the tents to get changed. Luke waited as people filed past. Then his hand touched Nicky’s elbow. “You’re going to cancel this camping trip, right?”

  She stopped in her tracks. “Can you please keep your voice down?”

  He had been. Why was she acting like this? Until a few minutes ago it looked as if they had actually started trusting each other, and now she was pushing him away again. He had to admit, he was getting pretty tired of being treated like the bad guy. “Nicky, the obstacle course just collapsed. Someone could have been killed.”

  Nicky leaned in so close he could almost feel her shoulder brush against his. “Yes, the obstacle course just collapsed, injuring one person and nearly taking out three more. Which is why Trevor is taking people to hospital—”

  “And you don’t find it suspicious?”

  She glanced toward the departing others, then stepped back against a tree. “That an obstacle course just happens to collapse the day after the lodge catches fire? Of course I do. But the whole reason George invited these sponsors up here is that the camp is so cash strapped it’s in danger of falling apart.”

  “So that’s what you think, then? That the lodge fire, the dangerous trespasser who stole our boat and now this—” His hand waved over the floating debris. “This is all just some big coincidence?” The words flew out of his mouth so rapid-fire he was practically shooting them out like arrows. But the harsh tone froze on his tongue when he saw tears floating in the depths of her eyes.

  “You think I want to believe my camp is in such bad shape it’s gotten dangerous without my realizing it? Or would I rather believe that the trespasser who threatened me yesterday also decided to sabotage the obstacle course before he stole my boat?” Her shoulders rose and fell, as if admitting defeat.

  “In either case, what’s our rationale for not staying here a few more hours and limiting ourselves to low-key things like walking and roasting marshmallows? Even if I did decide to give up and evacuate the island how exactly would I do that? There are ten people on this island right now and only four seats in the motorboat. Do I try to convince everyone to leave their gear behind and overload the boat with more people than it can safely handle? Do I make a camp full of already exhausted people pack everything up again and paddle another two-and-a-half hours to dry land?”

  She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You make it sound like I haven’t actually been thinking about any of this. This is hardly my first rodeo.”

  His heart fell. He’d mistaken her composure for callousness. “So, we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Then how about instead of shutting me out, you fill me in on what you’re thinking, so I can at least back you up?”

  “Fair enough.” Nicky glanced toward the campers. “Trevor’s going to file a police report and brief George. He won’t be gone for more than three or four hours. If George wants us to evacuate immediately, Trevor can get one or two of our friends to come along with their boats to take us all back. He may very well bring the police with him, too. Or, George might say we all stay here overnight and paddle home tomorrow. I don’t know. Sadly, someone has to stay here with these campers, and that person is me. But if you’re really worried about it, how about you go back with Trevor and report it to the police yourself?”

  Nice try. He wasn’t going anywhere.

  TEN

  They all gathered on the beach to wave the boat off. Luke hung back by the canoes and watched as Nicky quickly went over new plans. Anyone who wanted to was of course welcome to leave the island now, but if they had more takers than would fit in the motorboat they’d have to either all leave via canoe or wait until the motorboat came back. She offered to give them a few moments to think it over. Then she pulled out the hunting knife, as cool as a spring breeze, and asked if it belonged to anyone. Silence swept across the beach. She waited, nodded and then calmly locked it in the motorboat glove compartment. Like a pro.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was a natural leader. He found himself searching his mind for any clues the cute and spunky girl who’
d once captured his heart as a teenager would grow up to be such a caring, capable camp director. But all he came up with were scattered references to how much she simply loved being at camp, and far too many memories of him cutting her off, to fill the air with dishonest tales of his own. She’d always been a better listener than he knew how to be.

  Hey, Lord, he found himself praying, she was so obviously made for this. Please, sort this whole mess out in some way that she gets to stay camp director of Camp Spirit. Either that or find her something even better.

  In the end Trevor, David, Martin and Tabitha made the trip back to the mainland. A bit surprising that the politician claimed the fourth seat in the boat, as Luke would have expected Aaron would want to stick close to his injured brother, and Tabitha to want to stay on the island with her daughter, Gracie. Or did the politician not notice Gracie seemed to be embroiled in some kind of drama with the twins? But as a former nurse, Tabitha had volunteered to help keep an eye on the injured. Despite Trevor’s recent burst of responsibility, Luke also suspected Nicky was secretly grateful to have Tabitha along to keep the trip on track. The last thing they needed was for Trevor to get sidetracked on the mainland and delay coming back.

  As the boat pulled away Luke mentally updated his list of who was left on the island. Gracie, the moody college student. Aaron, the twitchy twin with something to hide. Bear, of Big Bear Construction, who was definitely grumpy, probably had a drinking problem and was potentially corrupt. Russ, the rumored ladies’ man who sold sporting goods. Himself and Nicky. In one fell swoop their camp of ten was down to six. At least for now.

  They all returned to the campsite. Nicky took them on a gentle walk around a few of the highlights of the island. Then Russ strung a rope between two trees and played a lighthearted game of volleyball with Gracie and Aaron. Bear napped under a tree.

  Luke kept an easy-going grin on his face while his reporter’s mind watched them each as suspects. But suspects in what exactly? Had one of them really tried to sneak a knife onto this trip, been in cahoots with whoever had attacked Nicky last night and stolen their boat, or known something about the damage to the lodge and obstacle course? If so, why? To help a rival camp? To totally devalue how much money George and Trevor would eventually be able to sell the camp for? Because of some personal vendetta against Camp Spirit...or even Nicky?

  Every trail Luke could feel his mind racing down seemed to hit a dead end. If George gave up and sold for some cut-rate price, the only people who came away with money in their pockets were him and his son. While Luke hadn’t exactly been a fan from what he’d seen of Trevor so far, as Nicky had pointed out, it was only in Trevor’s best interest for the camp to succeed financially. It was no surprise he’d offered to come along and help with this trip—if some of these sponsors did invest, Trevor’s inheritance would only increase in value.

  What they were looking for was someone who wanted the camp ruined, worthless and destroyed. How did a wistful politician’s daughter, the nervous half of a youth employment charity or a potentially sleazy sporting good’s salesman benefit from that?

  While Aaron and Gracie had been behaving oddly, neither of them had given so much as a peep when David had risked his life by climbing up the obstacle course. Also, while the maps in Bear’s bags made it even more likely he hoped to score some kind of lucrative construction deal with the land’s future buyer, it still didn’t explain who that buyer was or prove that Bear would be willing to go to all this trouble for them.

  The day wore on. The sun dipped lower and lower until long, golden rays brushed the treetops. Eventually everyone gathered around the campsite, with that kind of restless, idle chatter that comes when people expect to be interrupted. Finally, Nicky started to build a campfire in the fire pit, then started prepping a pot of stew for dinner. Trevor and the others had been gone almost seven hours. Apparently, Trevor was taking his sweet time returning or planning their rescue was taking longer than they’d expected or something had gone terribly wrong.

  Luke glanced to the sky. There was probably less than an hour of daylight left. If he wanted to take a closer look at the broken obstacle course before the sun set completely, he’d have to go now. He tossed a backward glance at where Nicky now crouched beside the fire and waved his hand in the direction of the stream. She nodded and he started for the cove.

  It was so weird being around her after all these years. Some moments it was as if someone had erased the past decade and they hadn’t been apart more than a day. Others, the strength in her shoulders and the lines of her face made her seem like a virtual stranger—so much older and more confident than the young girl he’d left years ago.

  Instinctively his fingers felt for his key chain, before forgetting he’d left it tucked safely in his bag. The wolf she’d once carved for him had long been smoothed over by the rhythmic rub of his fingers as he felt for his keys, or simply stroked it in the kind of mindless way another man might otherwise have tapped his fingers. He never felt fully dressed without it in his pocket.

  Nicky was like a box that he’d dumped his heart and soul into then buried somewhere, never expecting to see it unearthed. Despite his best attempts at dishonesty, it was funny just how much real stuff he’d managed to spill out into her hands. Here, she was convinced he was nothing but a liar because all the facts had been invented. But as for his emotions—his fears, doubts, longings and hopes—he’d been more honest with her than he’d been with anyone before. Maybe even since.

  The sky was dark blue above the lake. The deep cold waters of the cove looked almost black. The wooden remains of the fallen diving tower lay half submerged like a fossil receding slowly into the mud. His eyes ran over the remains with the precision of a sports journalist—calculating possible angles and trajectories, examining splintered beams and broken poles, with the same skill and precision he’d use to map out how to swing a bat or shoot a hockey puck.

  The biggest tower, the one set inside the cove, had collapsed into the water just before David had gotten there. The weight of it had apparently dragged the rest of the course down with it. This meant that whatever evidence had made the structure fall was now under water, being washed away or sinking deeper into the mud. It would be impossible to lift fingerprints when the crime scene was underwater.

  A dark orange glow was creeping into the hazy outline of the very distant shoreline. Long rays sent shadows dancing on the water. A breeze brushed the trees and movement caught his eye. Something was sticking out of the wooden wreckage of the fallen tower. Bright yellow and neon green. It was fluttering.

  Luke kicked off his shoes and dove cleanly into the lake, feeling the water seep into his T-shirt and jeans. He broke through the surface and shivered. If he’d realized there was a chance he’d go swimming he’d have brought a wetsuit. His body cut through the water, dodging the underwater obstacle course of tattered ropes and broken wood. He reached the splintered base of what was once a tower and a growl filled his throat.

  One of the Hunter’s arrows was imbedded in the top.

  * * *

  “What are you doing?” The words flew from Nicky’s mouth even before her feet reached the water’s edge.

  Luke was swimming in the middle of the cove, surrounded by broken wood and debris on all sides. This man was unbelievable.

  Luke treaded water. “I found something you’ve got to see.” He pulled off his T-shirt, wrapped it around his hand and tried to yank something from the wood. He sighed. “It’s another titanium hunting arrow. Exactly like the one you found yesterday. But it’s in pretty deep and I can’t get it out of the wood without breaking it.”

  A painful breath filled her lungs. The Hunter was back, and he’d fired an arrow into the obstacle course. As a calling card or as a warning?

  Luke swam back, holding his shirt in his hands. “I’m going to leave it there. I don’t want to risk breaking it and ruining potent
ial evidence.” He reached the rocky shore and pulled himself up. Water streamed off his muscles and flowed over his childhood scars, his skin bronze in the dying light. Her eyes traced from the intensity in his eyes down the strong lines of his jaw. His teeth were clenched.

  She swallowed hard. “Any chance the arrow was there before the tower toppled and we just didn’t see it?”

  He ran both hands through his hair. “Nope. It was clear through the top of a broken pillar. It was definitely fired sometime between when we all left the cove and when I got back here ten minutes ago.”

  A shiver ran down her spine. While she’d been casually showing the few remaining sponsors around the island, the same man who’d held a knife to her throat barely twenty-four hours ago had shot an arrow into the wreckage of the course that had nearly drowned them.

  “So, he’s still here on the island and he’s toying with us.” The words slipped over her lips as barely more than a whisper. For a moment she felt so helpless that hot tears rushed to her eyes.

  Luke spread his arms wide to make room for her. She stepped between them until the comforting strength of his chest pressed up against hers. Her hands dropped down at her sides even as she fought the urge to let them creep up around his neck. He brushed the fingers of one hand lightly along her arm, making her crave an emotional intimacy with him that she knew she’d never have.

  She stepped back. People were counting on her. The besotted girl who had once fallen into Luke’s loving arms was now long gone. And he was the only person on this island she knew for sure she could depend on to help get everyone else back safely.

  “So, the Hunter came back after stealing our boat yesterday. We never did find where he hid his boat. Maybe he needed to come back for it. Either that or he somehow snuck onto the island sometime today.”

  “Or he might be one of the four people back at the campsite right now,” Luke said. “I don’t know about you, but I didn’t have eyes on Aaron, Gracie, Russ and Bear the whole day. It’s possible one of them snuck away, came down here and fired this arrow. Either because they are the Hunter or they’re working with him for some reason.”