Devil's Rock

by Gerri Hill

  Andrea frowned. “Excuse me?” She glanced at Jim, her eyebrows raised expectantly.

  “You have the most experience, Andi. You’ve been to all three sites.” Jim gave her a somewhat sheepish smile. “What? Should I have offered up Randy?”

  “Tell me about LA,” Agent Ross said. “How long were you there?”

  “A number of years,” Andrea said evasively. She didn’t talk about LA with her own department, she certainly wasn’t about to with this arrogant FBI agent.

  “Yeah? That’s quite a change, going from LA to out here. Why did you leave?”

  Andrea clenched her jaw. “That’s none of your goddamn business,” she said evenly. Agent Ross’s blue eyes turned a bit sharper, but she appeared to shrug off Andrea’s refusal to discuss it.

  “Well, if we’re going to work together, I’d like to know who I’m trusting to watch my back. That’s all.” She raised her hand, getting Rosa’s attention. “Another round before we order dinner?”

  Andrea nodded, wishing for nothing more than to be able to get up and leave. This was her town, her people. She shouldn’t be the one feeling uncomfortable, but uncomfortable she was. Three years, yet she still didn’t want to discuss LA and her departure. She didn’t want to talk about that night. She didn’t want to talk about Erin.

  “So, tell me about the dump sites. You said horses would be needed for one,” Agent Ross said, pausing to smile—flirt—with Rosa. “We’ll have another round, please. That tequila was excellent.”

  “Thank you. I’ll have your drinks right out.”

  When Rosa left, the agent leaned closer to Andrea. “Are you sure you’re not involved with her?”

  “I guess I would know, wouldn’t I?”

  “I’m just getting this vibe, you know.”

  “Rosa’s been asking Andi out for two years,” Jim said.

  Andrea glared at him.

  “Oh, and she keeps turning her down. I see.”

  “Can we get back to business, please?”

  “Sorry. The dump sites. You were going to tell me about them.”

  “The first victim found was right off the trail, going up Oak Creek Canyon. It’s a popular hiking trail so the killer wasn’t trying to hide the body. It was left in plain sight.”

  “This would be Sandy Reynolds, a student from Flagstaff?”

  “Yes. First body found, not the first killed.” Andrea waited as Rosa placed fresh drinks in front of them. She didn’t stay for conversation as customers at another table got her attention. “The victim at Sycamore Canyon was badly decomposed.”

  “The ME estimated the body had been there three, four weeks before it was found,” Jim said. “But I guess you already know that.”

  Agent Ross nodded. “I read a briefing, yes. They’ll have a more concrete time of death after test results are back. This was the student from Tempe?”

  “Yes. She was found by hikers up on Rim Trail. They called it in.”

  “The one we’ll need horses for?”

  “Yes. Randy has agreed to drive the trailer with the horses over to Sycamore. It’ll be noon before we make it back down, I’d guess. Then we can hike up Oak Creek Canyon for the other two sites. They’re not far apart.”

  “Okay. I’d like to get started at first light. Is there an online version of the trails in this area? I’m going to need that data.”

  “I can send you a file with that information,” Andrea said. “What do you need? Coordinates? Elevation?”

  “Yes. As well as distance.”

  “Okay, no problem.”

  “No problem? We have all that other than in my file cabinet?” Jim asked.

  Andrea smiled affectionately at him. “The Forest Service has that information electronically. And I’ll get the Oak Creek trails from Bethany over at the park.”

  “Now you see why I keep saying we’re lucky to have you.” He tipped his beer bottle at her. “If it were left up to me and the guys, Cameron here would be hard-pressed for assistance.”

  While Andrea knew that was true, she hated when he belittled himself. Andrea knew when it came to real police work, Jim Baker was top-notch. He knew the law in the books, but he also knew the law of the land. He was fair and honest, the main reason he’d kept his job all these years.

  “I’m sure you would manage just fine,” Andrea said. “Now, if we’re through talking about decomposing bodies, I’d like to eat.” And get out of here, she added silently. She’d had enough for one night. And if Agent Ross wanted to get started at first light, that would mean she’d miss her solo hike to her rock ledge, something she suspected she’d need now more than ever.

  Cameron watched Andrea Sullivan drive away in the old dented, yellow Jeep, her mind filled with questions. She picked up her phone, speed-dialing without looking. She leaned against her truck, waiting four rings before his sleepy voice sounded in her ear. She’d forgotten the time difference to the East Coast.

  “Sorry. I didn’t think you’d be in bed already. You could have let it go to voice mail,” she said.

  “No, it’s just been a long week, that’s all,” Murdock said around a yawn. “What’s up?”

  “I need a favor.”

  “Another one?”

  “Andrea Sullivan. I want the full workup. How deep can you dig?”

  “You know my clearance level, Cameron. I can get anything you want.”

  “I want to know about LA, why she left, why she’s here, who she was involved with—the works.”

  “You don’t trust her?”

  “I’m not sure. But she’s hiding something. I want to know what it is.”

  “Okay. Give me a day.”

  “Thanks. Get some sleep.”

  She paused before getting in her truck, her gaze following the outline of the distant mountains and rock formations. It was nearly nine but enough light still colored the sky for her to see the red glow from the spires to the west. She’d never spent time in the desert before, certainly not in the wilderness like this. But in the five and a half months she’d been on this assignment, she’d hit nearly every state in the west, except Washington and Oregon. She found she loved the vastness of the high mountain desert, the endless vistas, the varied terrain. She was actually looking forward to their trip on horseback tomorrow. It would give her a close-up view of the canyon, of the rock formations.

  She shoved off her truck, reminding herself she had a kitten waiting for her. And that thought brought an unexpected smile to her face

  Chapter Nine

  Cameron turned, the leather of the saddle squeaking with her movement. She pulled her horse to a stop, the beauty of the sunrise too awesome to miss.

  “Wow,” she whispered. They’d been heading west, the sky still heavy with darkness. But to the east, the sun shimmered behind the red rock formations, making the whole landscape glow and pulse with light. She glanced at Andrea, noting she too stared at the colors. “That’s incredible.”

  “Yes. It used to make me sad to think so many people sleep this time away,” Andrea said, pulling her eyes away from the sunrise to look at her. “Now I realize how lucky I am. You can’t make someone love this.”

  “True. But still, everyone should experience this at least once. It’s breathtaking up here.”

  Andrea pointed across the canyon. “That’s Devil’s Tower,” she said. “The rock formations around it are quite impressive. Devil’s Bridge still stands. Devil’s Kitchen was once a natural bridge that collapsed in a sinkhole. At this time of morning, with the sun shining—”

  “It looks like the gates of hell,” Cameron finished.

  “Exactly.” Andrea nudged her horse on. “We should head up. It gets blistering hot once the sun is high.”

  Cameron followed, reminding herself of the reason they were up here in the first place. It wasn’t intended to be a pleasure trip, but that didn’t keep her from enjoying the scenery just the same. She was amazed at the changing colors as the sun rose higher. Ahead of them, she could se
e the red glow as it raced across the earth, waking the land to the new day, changing from dark to light, from dull brown to bright crimson.

  Cameron finally brought her attention to the woman in front of her. She felt a bit guilty at having Murdock do a background workup on her. Some things are meant to be private and obviously Andrea Sullivan felt the same way. Unfortunately, Cameron wasn’t in a position to blindly trust someone, especially if they were going to be working closely together. Perhaps she would give her another chance today, before Murdock filled in the gaps.

  “So, you ready to talk about LA?” She saw the stiffening of Andrea’s shoulders, but she didn’t turn around.

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I want to know why someone would give up an exciting career in LA and come to a sleepy little town as this.”

  “Yeah? Well maybe it was too exciting.”

  “Why did you leave LA?” Cameron asked again.

  “As I said last night, it’s none of your goddamn business.”

  “And I didn’t want to argue with you last night in front of Jim, but it is my goddamn business. I want to know who I’m working with.”

  Andrea jerked her horse to a stop and turned around. “Fine. Then get someone else to work with,” she snapped. “I didn’t volunteer for this, you know.”

  Wow. Who would have thought that anger could make someone more attractive than they already were? But Andrea’s eyes flashed nearly black, her jaw clenched tightly, the look on her face daring Cameron to argue with her.

  “True.” Cameron smiled, knowing it was a bit condescending, but she smiled all the same. “But you’re stuck with the job now. Sorry.”

  “The hell I am. I’ll head right back down this trail and leave you on your own.”

  Cameron laughed. “Are you serious? That’s your retort? That you’re going to leave me?” Cameron nudged her horse up beside Andrea’s. “Listen, I just thought I’d give you the chance to tell me about yourself before I read the file on you.”

  Brown eyes widened. “What file?”

  “The file I requested on your background.”

  “You son of a bitch. You have no right.”

  “Actually, I have every right. I’m FBI. Remember? I can do whatever I want.”

  “Goddamn...arrogant,” Andrea muttered, “...bitch.”

  Cameron laughed again. “Oh, come on. Surely you can do better than that.”

  “I hate you,” she shot back as she kicked her horse, trotting up the trail away from Cameron.

  “Like I haven’t heard that before,” Cameron called as she followed. “So what did you do? Have an affair with a superior?”

  “Shut up.”

  “We all have skeletons, Andrea.” No response. “I noticed that most everyone calls you Andi. Is that what you go by to your friends?”

  “Don’t you dare,” she threatened. “Don’t even try to pretend we’re friends.”

  “Why can’t we talk?”

  “I don’t want to talk to you.”

  “Look, I’ll let you ask me some questions,” she offered.

  “Don’t care.”

  “Come on. Don’t you want to know something about me? Like if I’m seeing anyone?” Cameron called, still trying to catch up. “I’m single, by the way,” she added.

  “Oh, I don’t doubt that for a minute,” Andrea said. “I can’t imagine that someone would actually date you, much less stay with you.”

  “Why not? I’m cute enough.”

  “Your looks will get you a first date. I seriously doubt anyone would suffer through a second one.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m saying you’re arrogant. Conceited. A bully.”

  “A bully? Okay, I might give you the first two. But a bully?”

  Andrea led her horse off the trail and Cameron followed. “Yes, a bully. You’re trying to bully me into telling you about my past. You’re threatening me. You’re running a goddamn FBI background check, for God’s sake.”

  “I told you, if I’m going to work with you, I need to be able to trust you.”

  “Well, that works both ways. How do I know I can trust you?”

  “The FBI trusts me. That should be enough.”

  Andrea shook her head. “What exactly is it that you do for the FBI?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Andrea looked over her shoulder at her. “I’ve worked with my share of FBI agents in LA. Suits and ties for the men, business suits and jackets for the women. You don’t fit the FBI profile.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s where you’re at a disadvantage. I can’t really tell you anything.”

  “No? See, that’s why I don’t trust you.”

  “I’d like to tell you, but I can’t. It’s classified.”

  “Classified? I thought you were FBI, not military?”

  “Currently, I’m FBI.”

  “Currently?”

  Cameron knew she could reveal more than she was, but she was having too much fun pushing Andrea’s buttons. “I was military. Special Ops.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Sorry. It’s classified.” That, at least, was true. But again, she was surprised by the flash of anger on Andrea’s face. “Most of my past is classified.”

  “I see. So your offer of sharing—you ask me questions and I ask you—is just a joke. You can hide behind the classified line. But I’m not afforded the same luxury.”

  “I don’t believe the LAPD had classified missions, did they?”

  “If your past can remain a mystery, why can’t mine?”

  “You know, if you had told me just a little, even just something insignificant, I’d probably be okay. But your adamant refusal has now piqued my curiosity to a point where you’re forcing me to dig into your past. And the FBI can dig as deep as we like.” She shrugged. “That was your choice. Not mine.”

  “My God. You’re not just a bully. You’re mean. I think you take pleasure in hurting others.” Andrea pulled her horse to a stop and slid out of the saddle.

  “Hurting?” Cameron did the same, sliding to the ground on legs that were sore from two hours on the horse.

  “Yes, hurting. Did you ever think that maybe my departure from LA was painful for me? Maybe I don’t want to talk about it. Maybe I don’t want to relive it. I spent three goddamn years trying to forget it. Three long years where I wasn’t sure I would see the next day, the next week. I’m finally past that. This last year has been almost normal. So I don’t want to tell you about it.” Her angry eyes filled with tears. “I lost my whole team. I don’t want to go back and relive it. I have enough scars.”

  Cameron knew she should just let it go, but she didn’t. She suddenly got very angry. “Scars? You’re not the only one with scars. You’re not the only who’s lost a team.” Cameron yanked her T-shirt over her head, standing still as Andrea’s eyes raked across her body, landing on the numerous wounds of her past. “We all have scars we have to live with. We all have memories we’d just as soon forget. But we can’t. They sneak in, they make you relive it every damn day.” She pulled her shirt back on, now angry with herself for losing control but unable to stop. “Don’t tell me about scars,” she said loudly. “I can match every one of yours, both physical and emotional. I’ve got scars on my soul that are so deep, nothing can heal them.”

  She walked away, taking deep breaths, trying to regain some composure. She was out of line, and she knew it. But that wasn’t enough to make her offer an apology. She wasn’t here to make friends. And if Andrea Sullivan hated her, so be it.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Cameron turned, the quiet voice filled with sadness. She lost every ounce of her anger just by the look on Andrea’s face. She shook her head. “No. My fault.” She cleared her throat. “Is this it?” she asked, getting back to business.

  “Yes.” Andrea walked about twenty feet away, then stopped. “She was here.”

  Cameron took her digital camera from her pack, along w
ith her notebook computer and the handheld GPS. There was very little evidence that a body was once there.

  “The ME said she’d been dead...what? Three, four weeks?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Yes. That coincides with when she was last seen.”

  “And it’s been three weeks since you removed her?”

  “Yes.”

  Cameron took pictures of the site, then recorded the coordinates in her notebook, along with the elevation. “Did anyone take photos of the body?”

  “Yes.”

  “They weren’t in the file I read.”

  “They were in the file we submitted to Agent Collie.”

  “Figures.” Fucker. “He hates me and enjoys making my life miserable,” she explained. “Can you e-mail me the file you sent him?”

  “Sure.”

  “In fact, any correspondence you have with him from now on, please copy me.”

  “Okay, but it’s not like we actually correspond. We were instructed to send him our files after the third body was found. He never responded back. I sent him my findings on the serial killer angle, and he did respond, but you already know how he feels about that.”

  “You want arrogant? Spend some time with Collie. He’ll make you want to slit your wrists.”

  She got a slight smile out of Andrea with that, so Cameron went closer. “Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I was out of line.” She held out her hand. “Truce?”

  Andrea stared at her hand for a few seconds, finally reaching for it. “Truce.”

  “Good. And I’ll refrain from reading your file. If you want to tell me, fine.” She shrugged. “If not, well, I guess I’ll just have to trust you on what I see.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  Cameron turned a circle, looking around them. She was no longer seeing the rock formations, no longer looking at the scenery. She raised an eyebrow.

  “How the hell did he get a body up here?”

  “We have to assume on horseback. There are several stables that rent horses.”

  “Four-wheeler?”

  Andrea shook her head. “They aren’t allowed on this trail.”