by Dana Mentink
“He was not our typical employee.” Maya shrugged. “The point is, the system has always worked. Until Carl got out of hand.”
“You’re saying you know he was the one who killed Dexter?”
Her eyes widened. “I’m not saying anything.”
“What about Tommy?” Nora asked.
“Carl wasn’t involved then,” Maya admitted.
“Tell me who’s in charge, and I’ll keep you and your sister safe,” Henry repeated.
Maya pointed behind them. “Take that tunnel. At each turn, take the one that goes up instead of down, despite your instincts. When it splits into two with no other choices, go right. That should get you out.” She reached for her satellite radio and twisted the dial. Static filled the air, and she nodded to herself as if it was the confirmation she needed. Switching it off, she handed the device to Nora. “The moment you get out, hit that side button and—this is very important, Nora—say that you’re going deep and mountainside update in four. Got it?”
Nora repeated the words.
“Good. Our voices sound enough alike, it should buy me enough time.” She turned to Henry. “Then you can use the satellite radio on a different channel to get someone to pick you up.”
Nora wrapped her hand around her sister’s. “You’re not coming with us?”
“The only way you’re going to keep me safe is if you let me go for now. If they know you’re coming back with law enforcement, they’ll make this whole place collapse and destroy all those historical buildings before you have a chance, I guarantee it. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any evidence.”
The back of her neck tightened, remembering the dynamite she’d seen.
Henry folded his arms across his chest and eyed Maya. “How much time we talking?”
“I don’t need long at all. You can go ahead and call any law enforcement buddies you want, as long as they aren’t local. I’ll meet you tonight and tell you everything I know. At the lodge.” Maya hesitated. “Nora has to move out first, though.”
“What?” Nora slapped a hand over her mouth, shocked she’d been so loud, as her piercing question echoed through the caverns.
Maya shook her head. “It’s the only way. I need to see for myself you’re not there. As long as I know you’re safe, I’ll spill everything I know.”
“Where do you expect I’ll go?”
“Understood,” Henry said over her question. “She’ll be protected at an undisclosed location until the threat you’re worried about is behind bars. Good enough?”
Maya nodded. “I need to get going and so do you. Nora, be careful.” She took off, practically running away down the tunnel.
Nora squeezed the satellite radio tight and turned to face the other tunnels. Without a headlamp, the darkness intensified. She took her phone from her inside wetsuit pocket. Without a cell signal, she knew it would only be useful as a flashlight.
They made their way in silence, following Maya’s instructions without discussion. Nora’s blood pumped hard and fast. After everything, she was supposed to pack up and move out of the only home she’d ever known on a moment’s notice? That was the last straw for her aunt’s business. The FBI, or whomever Henry called, would take weeks to collect evidence throughout these mines. Murder and drugs, and apparently dirty cops, would mean a firestorm of media. The travel writer would have to be blind to miss that, even if Nora was permitted to still run the rapids, which she doubted. She lost her balance and her shoulder tipped into Henry.
“Do you trust her?” Henry’s voice was soft, punctuated by shallow breathing. The air seemed to get thinner and the walls grew closer. Something dripped ahead in a steady beat.
Nora flinched. Years ago, she would’ve raised a intense defense for Maya before even considering her true thoughts on the matter. Maya was her sister, her only family, but all her defenses had shattered. “I’d like to think so.” She leaned forward to make the incline a little easier on her knees as they climbed. “It’s been my job for so long to…” She huffed a breath. “It’s going to sound stupid to you.”
“Can I take a shot?” He stopped at the top where the paths diverged and put his hands on his head, a trick she’d taught him years ago to help catch his breath quickly. He lowered his arms slowly. “It was your job to keep your sister happy while your mom was working.”
Nora nodded. “Yes, but—”
“And by doing so, that made your mom happy. You’ve worked so hard to make everyone in your life happy, Nora. Even me. But you can’t make anyone be happy.”
Her eyes burned and she blinked back angry, hot tears. “Well, it didn’t work anyway. I’ve lost everyone so far, haven’t I? Dad, Mom, you—” Her voice broke and she inhaled sharply, embarrassed to have included him in the list. She pointed to the right and stepped around him, determined to shove the pain further down. She would not crack. She would be strong.
“Nora,” he said again, softer, pleadingly, “is that what you thought about me?”
She bit her lip, not ready to turn around to face him. Her heart couldn’t take another blow today.
* * *
Henry could see his breath as a white cloud. The faster they could get into the sunshine, the better. The mountain peaks were still covered in snow, and even in the summer months, many mines were known to be close to freezing inside. Maybe the cold had addled his brain and that’s why his tongue had grown so careless. He’d stepped into the dangerous conversation, so he might as well try to get to the other side. “Like you said, we grew apart, I made mistakes—”
She stopped walking and her shoulders drooped, but she didn’t turn around. “We both know you weren’t the only one. I…I think it’s been easier to pick up other’s burdens rather than to figure out what my own are.” She shook her head. “I’ve been so busy taking care of others, sometimes it feels like I don’t even know myself.”
Henry stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. He knew her. He could tell her exactly who she was. But it was like a hand had been placed on his heart, holding him back. Even though it was his instinct to challenge others to rise up and be the best they could be, this seemed like one of those times he needed to check his desires against what God may have in mind for her. He blew out a breath, remained silent, and simply held her in his arms.
If he was honest, he struggled sometimes to be himself. The few times he dropped all the armor in front of Him, though, he became overwhelmed with a sense of freedom and joy. The thought jolted him. Why didn’t he go to the Lord more often, then?
Nora lifted her cheek ever so slightly from his chest, her fingers gliding over his forearms. “I think I’m grieving over Maya’s choices. I know they’re her choices, but I hate feeling like I can’t help.” Her smile wobbled. “It’s probably time to figure out what a healthier relationship with Maya looks like. New boundaries and all. This might be a rough road ahead. And then there’s my aunt…”
She stepped away from him, the phone light illuminating the blush in her cheeks. “Well, my hand was about to be forced anyway. Lizzie Hartman and a bunch of the guides decided to move to Frank’s company. I can’t blame them. The pay is better.” She sighed.
He wanted to encourage her, but still fought to stay quiet. Without Maya or her aunt keeping her at the rafting company, would she leave the area?
“I’m afraid of being selfish,” Nora said with a sigh. “I want to be the type of person who helps the people I love, but I’m also tired of being taken advantage of. And right now, I’m certain of one thing.” She looked into his eyes, searching.
He held his breath for half a second. “What’s that?” he whispered.
Her eyebrows jumped as if surprised she’d spoken aloud. “Uh, that I want to get out of this freezing cave before I completely melt down.”
He forced a laugh, troubled that despite his resolve, there was a part of him that had started
to hope for a new start. Today he’d realized they work better together as a team. And maybe Nora would’ve been able to see that if not for Maya’s reminding her of the rocky times. It served as a reminder for him, as well. They’d lost their chance of a future together long ago, and the faster he accepted that, the better. He turned back to face the never-ending hike in the darkness.
The terrain of the mine shifted and started a sharp decline. Henry shifted in front of her. Her hands gripped his shoulders at the most precarious dips as his shoes barely gripped the ground among the shifting shale. They walked quietly for what seemed like an hour. He kept his eyes directed at the ground, fully conscious of the fact Maya had been mistaken about one vertical shaft. He wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
“How did you figure out the boundaries with your parents?” she asked suddenly.
“I think I’m still practicing. I tend to swing the opposite of you. You will bend over backward to rearrange your priorities just to make someone smile, whereas I often mistake the desire for teamwork as people trying to control me.”
“You used to be proud of your assertiveness. I volley between doormat and stubborn bull with not much middle ground.”
“I was going to say ‘guard dog.’”
She laughed. “What?”
“You’re usually trying to protect someone else when you get like that.”
Nora gasped, and his heart jumped. “What? What is it?”
“I don’t want to get my hopes up but…” She clicked the phone off and darkness draped them except a sliver of light. “An exit.”
They slid down the remaining rocks and the light engulfed them. Nora held a hand up to block the sun from her eyes, squinting and smiling. Henry hated to hold her back, but he had to be certain. “Please. Wait here for one second.”
Her smile vanished. “You’re worried it’s a trap.”
“I’m being cautious. I don’t have any way to protect you right now.” He found a foothold and vaulted through the opening. Brown and green rolling hills held patches of thick snow and the rest of the expanse was dotted with spruce, fir and lodgepole pines. He turned back to see how the mine had been hidden. The opening reminded him of a whale’s mouth, narrow and wide. The sun hit the rocks and produced a green and yellow hue. But he was at such a sharp incline, anyone walking or driving on an easier path would never see the opening.
He reached out a hand and guided Nora outside. She exhaled in relief. “I’ve never missed the sunshine so much, but it’s a little closer to the horizon than I’d expected. We’ve been gone most of the day.”
His throat objected to leaving the humid confines of the tunnels, reminding him of how long it had been since he’d had a glass of water despite hiking for miles. A motor revved in the distance and they both froze, staring at each other for half a beat.
“The radio,” she whispered, holding it up with a question in her eyes.
The revving sound grew louder and he spotted a cloud of dust in the distance. He wanted to believe it was a group of friendly ATV drivers, but with snow still on the high hills, they’d need to be pretty determined to venture up this high. Most people waited until July when all signs of snow had disappeared from the mountaintops. He turned around and spotted the summit where Copper City was located. How many hours had they been hiking and stuck in that cave?
He stepped behind a grouping of trees. If the ATVers came around the bend, he and Nora would hopefully be hidden. “Go ahead and call, before they get any closer to overhear.”
She swiveled the knob on the sat radio Maya had given her. Rapid-fire, with bursts of static in between, male voices sounded off updates in terms Henry didn’t understand. They were using a code of some sort. Nora raised the radio up to her mouth. At the first break of silence, Henry nodded his encouragement.
“Going inside.” Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Sorry, I mean, going deep. Mountainside update in four.” She snapped the radio off and clamped her lips closed. “Maya would’ve never apologized.”
He was thinking the same thing, but he reached out his hand with a smile to take the radio. “We’re finally in my neck of the woods.”
“You know where we are?”
He nodded and shifted the radio function to the text feature. His fingers stilled. Who would he call? If Perry or anyone in the sheriff’s office was involved, then Maya had reason to be concerned for Nora’s safety. He’d need to tread carefully. And while he didn’t trust Maya fully, she had led them out of the mines and given them a way to call for help. He took her assurances to heart that all evidence would be destroyed if he called in the wrong people. The closest FBI office was in Coeur d’Alene. Was that too close? If Carl was on the take, it was possible the drug ring had an FBI officer also on the payroll. Maybe that was the real reason behind Tommy’s killer having never been brought to justice.
“Can…can we text Bobby to see if he’s okay? I told him to run to get help.” The strain around her eyes overwhelmed him. He was ashamed to admit that after the fight with Carl in the tunnel, he’d forgotten about the shots they’d heard on the river. Another set of engines revved nearby, causing them both to still. Without his holster and in the middle of nowhere, his earlier bravado about keeping her safe seemed to drift away with the clouds.
He took a deep breath. “Do you think you’re up for more hiking? I know the way back to the highway from here. Once we get a little farther away from whatever is going on here, we’ll make some calls.”
“Who will you call?”
He’d been hoping she wouldn’t ask. “From what Maya told us, whoever is in charge was also here when Tommy was murdered.” He reached for her hand as they traversed a path covered in pine needles.
“So that rules out Zach as a likely suspect. Besides, he got injured, so he probably can’t pick us up. But Perry—”
“Helped get us the only lead we have. He gave us the lead that the gun used to shoot us from that bank was the same gun used to shoot Tommy.”
“But maybe he did that just to throw off our suspicion. He’s got broad shoulders like the guy who tried to attack me.”
“He’s got an athletic build, sure, but an average height.” Henry tried to shake off the irritation every time she mentioned Perry’s shoulders. “Plenty of guys can match that description. Like me,” he added half-heartedly.
“No.” She shook her head and stomped forward.
Her reaction gave him pause. “No? No, what?”
“Your shoulders are much broader.” She waved a carefree hand over her shoulder. “Never mind.”
He fought to ignore how pleased he was with her observation. Before they’d dragged up the past guarding his heart had been easier. Any temptation to flirt or care what she thought would’ve been far from his mind. He needed that hard edge back now more than ever. Not only for his sake but also to keep her safe. “Nora, whoever comes to pick us up—”
“Call whoever you want. I just want to make sure Bobby is okay.” She lifted her chin, a determined gleam in her eyes. “We can pretend we don’t know anything. We heard gunshots—we can say that much, right? It doesn’t reveal we know all about Maya, Carl and the drugs. So we say the gunshots made us get off the river. We took a trail and got lost.”
He cringed and gestured to the left, to a path down the hillside behind the trees. “Maybe skip the last part. I can’t admit to getting lost. I’m a ranger.”
“Hurts your street cred?” she asked with a laugh.
“Something like that.” He nodded, the easy humor they’d shared gone. “We can work on our story on the way down.” The words gripped his heart with new meaning. He felt certain that they’d never get a second chance to start their story again.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Nora stared at the door in the sheriff’s backseat, wondering if it was locked like that when he transferred prisoners. It turned o
ut she and Henry had wasted time arguing about who would pick them up. When they’d gotten far enough away from the revving engines, the only person they could reach was the sheriff himself.
The man had definitely been around since before Tommy had been killed, and as he and Henry discussed the events—an edited version—of the day, she wondered if Henry considered the sheriff a suspect, as well. He certainly was in a powerful position.
“So, we’ve got two missing men,” the sheriff explained. “Perry hasn’t been seen since after he dropped Zach off at the urgent care clinic to get a tetanus shot and stitched up—”
“He was hurt that bad?”
“Oh, you know. Nothing worse than you see in a typical whitewater season, but Zach is playing it up as injury in the line of duty. His wife will be spoiling him rotten, mark my words.” The sheriff chuckled and shook his head. For a potential suspect, the sheriff sure didn’t seem like the type to be a drug lord and a murderer.
“Who’s the other missing man?” Henry asked. Nora’s gut clenched.
“Bobby Olson, but it’s too soon to call out—”
“He was shot at,” Nora blurted. “We heard—”
“Every available man went out on the river to look. That is why I’m the only one available to drive you back. But it’s too soon to panic. Let’s give it a few more hours. I imagine, like you, Bobby probably found his way back to land, and Perry probably got caught up following a lead without a cell signal to check in to his office.” He waved at Henry. “You know how these things work. We can’t go jumping on assumptions. There’s no sign of blood or foul play so far.”
There certainly was foul play all day when they were out on the river, but Nora held her tongue. The sheriff pulled up next to Henry’s truck in the lodge parking lot. They got out wordlessly, aside from a wave of thanks.
Henry walked alongside her, unusually quiet. “You probably can’t wait to get changed and warm,” she said.
He focused on the ground. “Something’s bothering me, but I can’t pinpoint it. Let me get you inside and make sure you’re safe. Pack up whatever you need for a few days. I’m going to go pick up a change of clothes, make some calls, and be back here in an hour, before nightfall.”
