by Dana Mentink
He had been the one to warn her of the upcoming boulder that had changed the river, right before the bend to the final take-out. No one else had been able to scope the early spring waters yet. Search for a new path or you’re guaranteed to high side. Those had been his words, right?
In the dim light, she was counting on just that. If they were ready for it, then they could adjust, and the two gunmen, even with their experience, would be catapulted into the water. But if Henry didn’t understand her meaning, then it was very possible he’d be catapulted in the water, too. At least he had his hands free. Hopefully.
Perry gave her no indication of understanding unless she counted his moan when they hit a rolling wave. This was the final set of rapids for most trips and instead of a joy ride, it would be a roller coaster of terror. Henry looked over his shoulder and gave her a slight encouraging nod. Did that mean he understood?
Hope swelled in her heart as the current grabbed them and she felt the speed increase. Without moonlight, Frank would have no warning. As if hearing her plans, the wind gusted and the clouds shifted. A soft glow filled the canyon, but it wasn’t enough to see more than dark shapes on either side. The dots in the rivers had to be boulders.
She realized, almost at the last second, the boulder was upon them. The raft jumped, then ramped almost straight up. “Now!” She shot upright, diving to the left and wrapping her hand around the strap on the side. Henry wrapped his arms around Perry, pinning them both to her side, as well. The wiry gunman yelled, hurling backward into the swirling water. The pressure of the raging waters held the raft almost on a diagonal, resting on the enormous boulder.
Her head snapped backward, and she felt her hair being pulled with intense force. She screamed as a strong grip slipped down her braid, yanking some hairs with it. The fingers moved to claw her arm.
“You’re dead!” Frank yelled into her ear over the roar of the water.
* * *
Henry twisted toward Nora’s scream, his left foot slipping and losing its stance on the bottom of the raft. Perry hugged the side with his good arm. Standing on such a steep angle proved precarious, but he had to stop Frank. He stepped over one thwart, straddling it, barely able to stay upright, twisting his body weight and slamming his fist into Frank’s chin.
Frank’s head snapped to the right, but he remained standing, though his balance wobbled as a forceful surge of water came over the lower edge of the raft and hit his ankles. He released his right hand from his hold on Nora and swung the oar at Henry’s head.
Henry dipped his head, but the aluminum handle smacked his ear. The pain radiated down his neck. The momentum cost Frank his balance, and he used the bottom of the oar against the boulder to remain standing. Releasing his hold on the oar, Frank reached for the gun at his hip.
“The knife!” Nora shouted, barely hanging on to the side.
Henry’s eyes widened and he struggled to grab the knife he’d put in his pocket. Frank raised the gun barrel to his chest as Henry’s thumb flicked open the blade. He stabbed the sharp end on the inside of Frank’s hand.
He howled and dropped the gun.
“Duck!”
Henry didn’t question Nora’s order. He dropped into a squat, hunched his torso over the thwart and looked up. Her oar spun in the air and slammed Frank in the chest. The man vaulted backward, airborne for half a second, until he dropped into the churning foam that obscured his foul obscenities as he disappeared down the swift waters.
Nora released a primal growl and planted the edge of the oar into the rock jutting above them, but the raft didn’t budge. “We still need to get out. I’m not strong enough. Please, help!” Her shout sounded like half a sob.
Henry clashed with the pull of gravity to stand on shaking legs. He wrapped his hands next to hers around the oar. They pushed in unison against the unforgiving boulder.
Nothing happened for three full, torturous seconds as they wrestled against flipping into the same rapids the two men had disappeared into. Perry, still next to them, hung precariously on the edge of the raft, his eyes closed tight with pain and effort.
The raft shifted. Water sloshed against their heels and a wave bounced over the raft, drenching them, as the boat slid off the boulder and back onto the river. The water drained through the channels at the perimeter, leaving all three of them spent on the bottom of the raft, rolling with the remaining waves and panting with relief. “It worked.” Her voice trembled. “It worked.”
“Now what?” Perry yelled.
“I was hoping you could answer that.” Nora sat up at the same time as Henry. Judging by her hunched form, every inch of her body felt as beat up as his did. She looked into Henry’s eyes. “This is as far as I thought. I knew we couldn’t make it through Garnet Rapids.”
“That Lou guy might still have a working gun,” Perry said.
“Frank’s gun was lost to the river. I’m sure of that,” Henry said. “At least we have only one potential gunman. Lizzie might be armed, though. And the guy waiting at the take-out spot,” he added.
Nora blinked rapidly. She would have a lot to process over Lizzie’s betrayal. “I think we can get off slightly earlier than the main sandy bank and maybe sneak past her.”
“Let me worry about Lizzie,” Henry said with a growl.
They rounded the bend, searching for the bobbing heads of Frank and the gunman. At least they had the upper hand in the boat. Flashing lights dotted the landscape just beyond the take-out point. Floodlights were aimed at the area right before the river dipped into Garnet Rapids.
“Rope!” a man in a law enforcement jacket yelled. A red bag soared out toward a bobbing head. Someone was trying to save Lou?
“Henry—” Nora gladly released the oar to his waiting hands. “The DEA is here. You called them?”
He reached for Nora’s hand. “No. Someone else must have tipped them off. I’ve never been so thankful for help.”
* * *
“There’s one more,” a search and rescue volunteer called out. Nora was so focused on the water, she didn’t notice DEA officers rushing for their raft to help pull them up onto the beach until their hands gripped the sides.
“That man…they…those two men kidnapped us.”
“They’re drug runners,” Henry said, finishing for her. “One of them murdered a guide years ago. The Tommy Sorenson case.”
Nora looked to Henry as the officers nodded, draped them in emergency blankets and led them to higher ground. “It’s finally solved,” she whispered, shaking her head. “And the murderer was with us the whole time.”
Her eyes lifted and spotted her sister standing next to a squad car. “Maya?” Nora rushed forward, her muscles aching as she pushed through the sand. Maya reached her arms out wide, the only time her sister had made the first move to hug her since before their mother had passed. Her embrace felt so good. Nora laughed, tears dripping down her face. “I’m sorry, I’m getting you wet.”
“Worth it,” Maya said, her face dripping with tears. “I thought I might’ve been too late.”
“I wasn’t sure you were still going to come.”
“I wasn’t so sure myself. I was still debating as I drove to the lodge. I saw Lizzie driving away in Henry’s truck. I knew right then I had to call the DEA direct.”
Nora watched as Henry shook the hands of both officers flanking them and introduced himself. Their conversation became background noise, a comforting buzz as Nora tried to understand her sister. “You knew about Lizzie?” she asked her.
“I didn’t know everyone on the payroll, but I learned about her recently.” Maya hung her head. “Look, Nora. The DEA usually likes to take their time before showing up like this. I had to do a lot of convincing to get them to act so quickly, and it means, well…”
“You turned yourself in.”
Maya grabbed Nora’s hands. “I’ll be servi
ng some time, but I’m going to point them to all the evidence I know of to put Frank and all his accomplices away for a long time. I set some traps that I need to help them disable.” She offered a sheepish grin. “Hopefully that earns me at least a few points.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I want to say more, but I think that’s all I can handle right now.”
The first sign of vulnerability she’d seen in her sister sparked newfound hope. Nora kissed her cheek. “We’re sisters.” She straightened. “I can wait. But how’d you know to show up here?”
“Bobby, actually. He spotted me when I looked for you at the lodge. He said he’d barely escaped someone trying to shoot at him and had to hitch a ride back. We both looked for you and when I found your gun pointing at—”
“The sign?” Nora exclaimed. “I didn’t think anyone would get that.”
“Like you said, we may have spent a lot of time apart, but we’re still sisters.”
An officer opened a back door to the DEA’s SUV. “We should get going. We have a long drive and a lot of questions for you.”
Maya nodded and gestured with her chin toward Henry. “Don’t feel like you have to wait for me.”
Nora followed her gaze and met Henry’s smiling eyes. Don’t worry, she thought. I don’t intend to. But the real question swirling in her mind was if Henry was ready to open his heart again to her.
Maya slipped into the SUV and was driven away with the other officers escorting Frank and Lizzie and Lou.
“It’s been quite a night,” Zach gushed as he approached. “The DEA think Frank’s arrest was done quietly enough, that with your sister’s help, they can still do a raid on Copper City and catch all the guys coming to deliver and pick up the drugs this weekend.”
Nora’s head spun slightly with the influx of information as the sheriff approached with water bottles and protein bars for her and Henry. She sipped the water heartily, though her arm protested from the effort of even lifting the plastic bottle. The next few days were going to hurt.
The sheriff looked between her and Henry as Zach kept rattling off information, some of which she already knew about, namely Bobby being safe and waiting back at the lodge. “Zach, I think we can get their statements tomorrow,” the sheriff finally said. “Why don’t you head home before your wife thinks I let the wolves get you?”
Zach nodded solemnly and waved goodbye before heading for his vehicle.
The sheriff held out a set of keys to Henry. “Lizzie still had your keys, which corroborated Maya’s story. Plus, the vehicles in the parking lot at the lodge. We dusted your truck for fingerprints. It’s good to go now but still sitting in your driveway.”
Henry’s eyes widened. “I’m glad I had a team to back me up.”
The sheriff offered a sad smile, likely still recovering from the news about Carl. “I’m going to see if the DEA is ready to wrap up here.” He gestured at the three officers who appeared to be having a hearty discussion with Perry while he was being tended to on a stretcher. “I’ll give you two a ride home when you’re ready,” he said as he walked away.
The coyotes howled and the wind blew. The moonlight streamed through the jostling leaves and branches. Henry stepped closer, his eyes never wavering from her face. Even though she knew he was thinking of what to say, his intense stare had the same effect she imagined it would on one of his suspects. She was ready to talk.
“So…do you think you’re completely over that fear of water?”
He took another step closer and her feet seemed rooted to the spot. “Absolutely.” The right side of his mouth lifted in the way that used to make her swoon. “As long as you’re guiding.”
“What?” She chuckled. “But you don’t like to take orders from anyone.”
“Oh, I’ve discovered going it alone is not nearly as fun as I made it look to be.”
She laughed but stopped short as the paramedics released the hydraulic lift on the stretcher and began wheeling Perry in their direction. Perry saluted with his left hand, then turned his head to look behind him at the EMT steering. “I called it, you know. I knew they’d get back together.”
The man gave an amused glance at Henry and Nora as her cheeks and neck flamed with heat despite the cool temperatures and her damp hair. The paramedics continued to wheel Perry to the waiting ambulance. “Uh, do you want to correct him or should I?” Nora asked.
Henry shook his head. “I’d really like him to be right.”
The wind gusted against her back and she fought to stay upright. “What?”
He reached for her shoulders, offering her balance. “Nora, would you ever consider…” He looked up at the moon, as if searching for the right thing to say. “I mean… The point is…”
Her throat swelled with emotion. She didn’t know what he was trying to communicate, but she was going to burst if she didn’t get one thing she was sure about off her chest. “I love you.”
His eyes widened and he looked in such a state of shock that if the paramedics were still there, they’d probably have been concerned. “You do?”
His gentle smile returned. He wrapped his arms around the emergency blanket still draped over her shoulders and pulled her closer. “I love you, too,” he said softly. He bent and touched his lips to hers, warming her from her head to her toes. He pulled away, almost hesitant. “Are you sure? With everything going on you might need time to process.”
“I’ve never been so sure.”
He grinned. “Well, then that settles it.”
She moved her arms to around his neck and kissed him with the promise of many more to come.
Three Months Later
“The Killer’s just around the bend,” Henry said. “How about we stop for a picnic?”
“It’s not even noon yet, though. I thought you wanted to get farther down the river.”
“I decided I can’t wait.”
She laughed. “I think Bobby has made you more sandwiches this season than I can count. You’re not getting sick of them?”
He pointed to the bank as a way of answering. The river rafting season had started a month later than planned but, to everyone’s surprise, Angela, from World Travel Magazine, had been happy to reschedule. The interview grew into the story about the rafting company’s part in solving a cold case and shutting down a major drug operation.
In fact, Nora had been interviewed by more regional and national press reporters than she could count. But she hadn’t minded. It was her parting gift to Aunt Linda and Bobby, who had teamed up to manage the rafting company together. They had plans to work all summer, then travel together to Chile to work the rest of the year. Maybe she would get the uncle she’d always wanted.
Nora slapped the oar playfully against the water, splashing Henry. He laughed and sent the water splashing right back at her.
When they reached the shore, he jumped out first and pulled the kayak farther onto the bank. Reaching for her hand, he helped her up. “I’m not really excited about the sandwich.”
She stepped out and grabbed the picnic bag she had prepped and stored in her seat. “No?” She straightened to find him holding a bag of scones and a bouquet of flowers. Her mouth dropped open. “How’d you hide that in your kayak seat?”
“Very carefully.” He beamed. “I wanted to properly congratulate the newest contracted third-grade teacher for Sauvage Elementary and also applaud your decision on a summer job working for the Bureau of Land Management.”
After a whirlwind two months of substitute teaching, moving out of the lodge into a new apartment in town, and interviewing for teaching jobs, Nora’d applied to work as the river patrol during the summers. While it was a relief to no longer be in charge of a business, she longed to be on the river every day she could. She accepted the bouquet of wildflowers with an appreciative sniff. “I’m officially your coworker now,” she teased. “Should you really be bringing me
flowers?”
“First of all, you’re not on the clock yet. You start tomorrow. Second, we’re on forest service land so…”
She leaned her head back and laughed.
“What if we were married? Would it be okay to bring you flowers while we’re coworkers then?”
Her breath halted and it took a second before her heart started beating again. Was this just a conversation about a hypothetical coworker romance? She didn’t dare assume it was more.
“Nora, I want to do this right this time.” He pulled out a little white box and opened it. Inside was a silicone ring, hot-pink, her favorite color. “I got this ring for you in case you might consider…” He frowned, as if nervous.
“Consider…?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded. “Wearing it during the summer while you’re on the river when you want to leave this at home.” He dropped to one knee and opened a little black-velvet box. The sun caught the diamond and threw flashes of color onto the sand. “That is, if you’ll have me. I love you, Nora. Will you marry me?”
She nodded, her throat tight with emotion. Henry straightened and wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, too, you know,” she whispered. “So much.” He pulled her close and kissed her, the top of the flower bouquet tickling their necks.
She set the flowers on top of the kayak and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Married or not, we probably shouldn’t kiss while at work.”
His eyes widened. “Then we better take full advantage of our days off.”
She laughed and did just that.
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining me on this wild ride with Nora and Henry. I loved learning more about the wild whitewater experiences available in Idaho. While the Sauvage River may not exist, the inspiration for a lot of its best features comes from the Salmon River. I have a lot more respect for the work and training rafting guides and rangers do each summer to ensure their guests have a safe summer adventure.
