Striking Edge

by Kelsey Browning

  “I must love Joss, then, because she’s beautiful and I’m scared. But I don’t know what to do about it.”

  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned recently, it’s that you can’t always bulldoze your way through everything and do something about it. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and let things work out in their own time.”

  “That is the problem. I don’t have a lot of time. Joss will go back to Los Angeles.”

  “Then, little brother,” she said, “you might want to work fast.”

  Shep was still thinking about his sister’s explanations and advice as they neared the cutoff they would take to hike up to the caves. But he quickly put it aside for the work at hand. “The cave where Joss and I were is about half a mile to the northeast. I set traps at the base so the person couldn’t climb up without tripping one of them. I need to get inside the cave.”

  “Why? Do you think someone’s inside?”

  “Fiona is.”

  Hands on her hips, Maggie glared at him. “Fiona? Who in God’s name is Fiona? And why am I just now hearing about her?”

  “Fiona is Joss’s guitar. And she… Well, Fiona is her family.”

  “Okay, let’s take care of finding a killer first, and then we’ll see about rescuing the guitar.” Maggie turned to the team. “Heads up, everyone. We think this person has killed before, so even if they’re injured, they are probably armed and dangerous.”

  Everyone was silent on the covert trek through the trees. About fifty yards away from the spot where Shep had set the spear traps, Maggie held up her hand in a signal to stop. Another signal and the group silently fanned out, crouched down, and began to close in.

  On the approach, they were slow. And they were stealthy. But it didn’t take long for Shep to realize that one trap had yet to be sprung. The other had been tripped, but the butt-end of the spear lying in a snarl of naked brambles made it clear they were too late. The only thing Shep’s trap had done was slow down the person. Maybe.

  Maybe it hadn’t even hit its mark.

  Maggie squatted to look more closely at the broken spear and pointed toward what should’ve been the pointed end. “There are traces of blood here. Your spear worked, Shep.”

  “Not well enough.”

  “You didn’t exactly have enough supplies on you to fashion a full-scale human trap.”

  “I could have if I’d had more time.”

  “So this guy still has part of a stick lodged in his body, lower leg most likely,” Maggie said.

  “I never saw blood on the trail,” Shep said.

  “Maybe our suspect had another way off this mountain. You were forced to hike, but I bet you anything he had an ATV.”

  If that was the case, it meant he could be anywhere by now. Across the state line into Tennessee. Or down into South Carolina. Or back in Steele Ridge. Something silver caught Shep’s eye, and he hunkered down to get a closer look. Recognition and sick fear hit him at the same time, and he called out to Maggie, “I know who the killer is, and I think he’s probably already in Steele Ridge by now.”

  27

  Damn Buffalo Moody. Joss didn’t enjoy thinking ill of the dead, but that man had been a douche face. Her personal belongings weren’t at the B&B. They’d never been brought over from the tent.

  Thank God she’d taken Fiona with her on the hike. Then again, Fiona might now be lost to her forever.

  Although she’d wiped down with a washcloth at the cabin, she still felt dirty. She smelled, she was hungry, and she had no phone. As much as she wanted a long, hot shower and a steak, she couldn’t indulge herself right now. She had to get back to Puck.

  Even if the dog had no idea she was there, she would know. Shep would know. And if Shep could be brave enough to hike back into the wilderness, Joss could be brave enough to face Puck’s condition.

  She took a couple of wrong turns, but Steele Ridge wasn’t that big, and she eventually found her way back to the vet clinic and parked Shep’s truck.

  Inside, the receptionist said hello. Then her eyes popped wide. “Wait a minute. I didn’t recognize you before, but you… you’re…”

  “Here to see Puck Kingston,” she cut in.

  “Of… of course. Let me just check with Dr. Orozco.” She gestured toward a grouping of park benches clustered around a piece of artificial turf like a mini dog park. “Have a seat.”

  The receptionist disappeared through a door into the treatment area. Was Puck still back there in surgery? Or was he sleeping off the effects of anesthesia? Or was he—

  No. Don’t even let your brain cells move in that direction.

  When the receptionist finally returned, she wasn’t wearing an everything-gonna-be-all-right expression. In fact, her mouth was trembling and her eyes were red.

  Joss jumped up from her seat. “Can I go back? Can I see him now?”

  “Not… not yet. Dr. Orozco will come out and talk with you. But she really wants to speak with Shep. Is he coming in soon?”

  Joss didn’t know what she should and shouldn’t divulge about the manhunt situation, so she just said, “He asked me to come for him. Anything Dr. Orozco would say to him, she can say to me.”

  The cute chairs didn’t appeal anymore, so Joss loop-de-looped around the waiting area. Something was wrong. Something had happened to Puck. Shep would be devastated. How would she tell him—

  The chimes on the door trilled, but Joss ignored them. She didn’t have the energy or inclination to smile at someone else’s pet right now. But she felt the air move behind her as the person neared.

  “Ms. Wynter?”

  No. Of all the times she didn’t want to be approached. She never wanted to sign another autograph. If this person would just walk away, Joss would give up her need for adulation for good. Forever. “I’m sorry, but I can’t sign anything for you today. I—”

  The beefy man who’d been snubbed by Moody in the Do or Die tent held up his hands. “You have it wrong. That’s not why I’m here. I’m Dan Cargill, the owner of Prime Climb Tours. We didn’t get a chance to officially meet. I understand from talking with Shari over at the sheriff’s department that Sheriff Kingston and some others left town. I’m awfully sorry to hear about Mr. Moody and what happened on the trip.”

  Joss’s shoulders unclenched. “Has anyone seen Lauren, Bradley, and the others?”

  “From my understanding, search and rescue is out now. But the reason I swung by here is because Shep called me and asked me to check on Puck. To help you if you needed anything.”

  That was nice. Small-town neighborly. Or maybe this man was just worried about what kind of lawsuits might crop up against his company. Stop being such a cynical bitch.

  She tried to smile at him, but her lips weren’t particularly cooperative. “I’m just waiting on the vet now—”

  “Ms. Wynter?” The vet had poked her head through the door.

  “Yes?”

  “You can come on back.”

  That had to be good news. Had to be.

  Dan Cargill took Joss’s arm with a familiarity that sent a shudder up her back. But he was Shep’s boss and this was a small town. He was just trying to be helpful and supportive.

  Joss wanted to bolt through the door, but the man holding her arm was walking slowly, as if he’d pulled a muscle. When they made it through the door and into the surgery area, she casually stepped away and approached Puck. He was lying on a table, an IV snaking into his leg. Bandages were wrapped around his torso and his breathing was slow. He looked so lifeless. Was it possible for a dog to look pale?

  If so, he did.

  “Is… is he going to be okay?”

  Her dark hair still tucked under a surgical cap, Dr. Orozco gazed down at Puck. “Do you want the details or just the reassurances?”

  “I want to know how bad it was and what his chances are.”

  “The arrow pierced the chest wall and then went through his diaphragm. Fortunately, Shep left the arrow, which helped slow the bleeding, bu
t by the time I got in there, blood had started to seep into the chest and an abdominal hernia was forming. Basically, I had to put things back in their proper place and close up between the abdomen and the chest.”

  That sounded as bad as Joss had feared. “And the fact that it took us so long to get him here complicated things.”

  “He was pretty shocky and was in a lot of pain, but Puck is young and strong. He tolerated surgery as well as could be expected based on everything he’d been through. The next few hours are critical. It’s really up to rest and time now.”

  “Can I stay with him?”

  “Only for a few minutes. No more than ten. I promise to call when he wakes.” Her smile was gentle, and when she touched Joss’s arm, compassion seemed to flow from her. Puck was in good hands.

  “I don’t have a phone right now.” Joss cleared the tears clogging her throat. “Could you call Shep’s parents? They’ll let everyone know.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Dr. Orozco walked out of the room and Joss just stared at Puck. This was the dog that had tested her debris shelter, brought her food and water, and comforted her. He was Shep’s best friend. “Come back, Puck,” she whispered. “You have to come back. If he loses you, it will kill him.”

  Until something rattled, Joss had forgotten all about Dan Cargill. She looked up to see him fiddling with a small locked refrigerator. “What are you doing?”

  He yanked the door hard and plastic cracked. Quickly, so quickly she couldn’t process his actions, he swung open the door and grabbed a vial of milky liquid. From his other hand, he produced a syringe.

  Joss’s heartbeat double-timed. Needles were bad news.

  Her instinct was to run, to jerk open the door and flee. But she couldn’t leave Puck lying on this bed. Maybe she could pick him up and—

  “Whatever you’re thinking,” he said easily, “shut it down. If you yell for Dr. Orozco, I will shove this needle into her neck. But if you’re a good girl and come with me, everything will be all right.”

  No, everything would not be all right. He was filling the syringe and gazing at it like a lovesick freshman mooning over the head cheerleader. “What do you want? Money? I have a lot of it.” Hell, she didn’t even have an ATM card right now. It hadn’t been a problem in the woods, but now it seemed like insanity. “Well, not on me, but if you’ll let me call my manager, I can—”

  He looked up and laughed as if she’d told a slightly amusing joke. “I don’t want your money.”

  What then? Maybe she could maneuver him outside somehow and get away. Run. She could work with this. “Then why don’t we leave here and you tell me what you do want?” Joss tilted her head and tried for a flirty smile. “I bet the clinic has a back door. We can leave that way.”

  “You know, you have more brains than I thought a rock star would. You’re tougher, too. The way you took to the backcountry surprised me.”

  What? How would he know that when they’d only met a few minutes ago… “You,” she gasped. “You were the one following us through the woods.”

  “Yep,” he said, with a proud smile bisecting his wide face.

  “Why?” Maybe if she understood that, she could give him what he wanted without anyone else getting hurt.

  “Because Shep Kingston needed to be taught a lesson.”

  “What lesson?” Keep him talking. Distract. Disarm. Then disappear.

  “He always thought he was so much better than everyone. Than me. Bullshit. How could a guy who doesn’t have all his marbles have a leg up on somebody like me? But he was never interested in actually trying to prove he was better. Just walked around like he was God’s gift to the mountains or something.”

  “So you’re saying he never took your bait.”

  “He isn’t smart enough to realize I ever tossed it out. So when the producer from Do or Die called, I knew this was my chance. Kingston would never back down when people’s lives were on the line.”

  “He’s not stupid, you know,” she said, edging sideways, trying to lure Cargill toward the back door. “He’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever met.”

  “Not smart enough to save you and the dog,” Cargill said pleasantly and jabbed the needle into Puck’s haunch.

  * * *

  “What did you find?” Maggie asked as she jogged toward Shep.

  He held up the carabiner gadget. “This is Dan Cargill’s.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. No one would actually climb with something like this. I’ve always thought it was a gimmicky piece of equipment. It’s his. I know because I saw him use it the day before Do or Die started.”

  “Give me a second to check in with the forest service officers, and then you’re going to tell me why you think Dan Cargill was up here trying to kill people.” Maggie stalked over and conferred with the rest of the group.

  Shep didn’t have time for all this standing around and chitchatting. He followed Maggie and shouldered his way into the group. “I’m going back to Steele Ridge,” he told her. “Now.” He would have to come back to get Fiona. Yes, she was Joss’s family. But Joss was his family.

  “Dammit, Shep.” Frown firmly in place, Maggie braced her hands on her hips. “Give me something solid here.”

  He shook the carabiner in front of her face. “I don’t know what else I can give you besides this.”

  Maggie pulled him away from the other law enforcement officers and lowered her voice. “That doesn’t really prove anything. Why in the world would Dan want to create chaos during the shooting of Do or Die? That doesn’t make good business sense.”

  “Is murder always about business?”

  “No, but money is a hell of a motivator. And this show would have been good—very good—for Dan’s bottom line. You can’t buy that kind of publicity.”

  “He threatened to fire me if I didn’t lead this group.”

  “That makes him a jerk, but not a murderer.”

  “I don’t know why!” Agitation was crawling over him like a cluster of spiders. “But this carabiner is his! It’s the stupid gimmicky one he carries everywhere.”

  “And you think he went back to Steele Ridge because he was hurt. Why don’t I call the hospital—”

  “No, I think he went back to Steele Ridge because that’s where he knew Joss and I would go,” he yelled at his sister.

  “Fine.” Maggie reached for her satellite phone. “I’ll get someone over to her ASAP. Didn’t you ask Dad to help her find her things?”

  “She could be one of several places right now—my cabin, the B and B, Mom and Dad’s house, the vet clinic. I don’t know.”

  “It’s okay,” Maggie soothed. “We’ll find her.”

  “I don’t even know her phone number.”

  “This is the beauty of small-town living. Someone has seen her.”

  “Call Dad first.”

  Maggie dialed. “Dad. Hey, we think we’ve got problems. Is Joss with you?”

  Shep paced a circle around his sister. One. Two. Three. Fou—

  “When did you last see her? Do you know if she’s still at the B and B? Okay, I’ll call there next. But I need you and everyone else looking for her. Also, if you come across Dan Cargill, give him a wide berth.” She waved a hand to punctuate her words. “I don’t have time to go into all of it right now. Just look for Joss and avoid Dan.” She hung up and dialed again.

  “What did he—”

  “Mrs. Tasky? This is Sheriff Kingston. Is Joss Wynter there? I see. When did she leave and did she say where she was headed next? Okay, thank you. You’ve been a big help.”

  Shep spun toward Maggie. “What did she—”

  “Joss left a while ago, and she was going to the vet clinic to check on Puck. And before you ask, that’s where I’m calling next.”

  Another phone call, another paced circle around Maggie.

  “Stefanie, I’m looking for Joss Wynter. Is she there by chance?” Maggie’s face blanked, and her hand tightened on the phone. �
��What? When? Please tell me you called 911.”

  Wait–911? Why had they called 911? He grabbed his sister by the arms. “Maggie—”

  She stepped back to break his hold and kept speaking into the phone. “That’s good. How is Puck?” She blinked and drew in a sharp breath. “Okay. Please keep my mom and dad informed on that.”

  When Maggie hung up this time and looked at Shep, her eyes held something Shep wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his sister show before. It looked like fear. “What happened? You look scared.”

  “Dan Cargill was there at the clinic. Dr. Orozco left him alone with Puck and Joss. They heard something break and a muffled yell, but by the time they got back to the room, Joss and Cargill were gone, and the clinic’s back door was swinging wide open.”

  “Fuck. We have to go now.”

  Maggie put in a call, asking for a helicopter. Before she even took her hand off her radio, Shep grabbed her wrist and started running for the location she’d specified for the landing.

  “That’s not all, Shep,” Maggie panted as they broke into a jog. “He also injected Puck with a big vial of Propofol.”

  28

  Please, please help Puck. Joss repeated the little prayer in her mind, but she wasn’t sure if she was praying to God or Dr. Orozco.

  After tying her hands in front of her, Shep’s boss had shoved her into a truck and driven away from town. Now, he parked and came around to manhandle her out of the vehicle.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said, clearly distracted. “What matters is that once Shep gets a clue, he’ll know to come here.”

  “I know why you’re doing this,” she said as he herded her toward a wood tower with multiple staircases leading up to a tiny platform.

  “Yeah, because I told you.”

  “It’s because he intimidates you.” And for some reason, this guy had decided she was the perfect bait to draw Shep in.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Oh, but she thought she did. It was clear that Dan Cargill had probably once been in very good shape. But he had a softness about him, that extra layer of fat that stocky men developed when they got older and stopped pumping themselves up. Quite simply, he was past his prime while Shep was the kind of man who would always keep himself in tiptop shape. “Did you kill Buffalo Moody, too?”