Beneath Copper Falls

by Colleen Coble

  She looked up and stared into the face she’d loved most of her life. The man who’d protected her and stood by her no matter what. And yet fear shuddered along her back. How could she fear him? This was Chris.

  She swallowed. “I’m not sure what you mean. You said you needed time to think. Isn’t that why we’re here?”

  He ran his hand through his hair and swore. “You’re as obtuse as a post stump, Dana. You’d swallow anything, wouldn’t you? You always made it too easy.” He took the gun casually out of his waistband and pointed to the sofa. “Sit.”

  “What about dinner?”

  “I don’t care about dinner!” His face flushed and spittle flew from his mouth. “Now sit down!”

  Shaking, she turned off the pot and went to sit on the sofa. She clasped her hands together in her lap. “You don’t need to scream at me, Chris. I’m your sister.”

  “Only because I decided you’d be. It was what I wanted so I made it happen.” He shook his head. “You’re so stupid. I really thought you’d figure it out once you started looking at the boat.”

  The accident. “My parents?” Her voice trembled. “Are you saying you had something to do with it because you wanted me to be your sister?” She half rose to her feet to scream at him. “You were only fourteen!”

  He shrugged. “I was an early learner. My parents told me they weren’t going to have any more kids, and I’d always loved you so it seemed the right thing to do.”

  There wasn’t a hint of remorse in his expression or voice. He was a sociopath.

  “I’d like to have had a brother too, but he insisted on going on the boat with your parents.” Chris sat on the edge of the cot and his creepy smile faded. “It was only because I loved you, you know. For years I’ve tried to find a good replacement for you, but they have all been inferior. They say the right words, but they soon show their true colors, and I have to eliminate them and move on.”

  The cold that shivered down her spine had nothing to do with the temperature. The metal box flashed into her memory, the article about Renee. Chris traveled a lot. He wasn’t a pharmaceutical rep, but he was obviously a good liar.

  “Renee? Faith? Who else have you had to eliminate?”

  “You wouldn’t know them.”

  “How many?” Her voice wobbled, and tears blurred her vision. She had to get hold of herself or she was going to be next. He’d brought her here to kill her.

  “Six others. It would have been seven, but I’m about to be found out so I might not get to her. I’d planned to, but this storm blew in and I ran out of time. Boone figured it out. He found a picture on Renee’s phone, and he looked at a police composite. I’m sure the FBI will be descending any moment.” He gave that weird chuckle again. “That’s not counting family, of course.”

  She felt light-headed. “The fire? You surely didn’t set the fire.”

  He shrugged. “Mom started putting things together. She wanted me to check myself into a hospital, if you can imagine that.”

  She closed her eyes to hide the smirk on his face. If she looked at him any longer, she’d vomit. Tears trailed down her cheeks until his other boast penetrated. He’d been targeting someone else.

  She opened her eyes and sprang to her feet, then dropped back down when he waved the gun in her direction. “Please don’t hurt Lauri. I’ll do whatever you want.” Think, Dana, think! “S-So there’s no pancreatic cancer?”

  He laughed. “No, you dork. I’m perfectly healthy. This is all cleanup.”

  “Chris, y-you’re not well emotionally. Let me call and get you some help. You won’t go to jail. You just need some help.”

  His face went red, then white and he stood. “Tonight I’m going to chain you to the bed frame. Tomorrow you’ll drown beneath Copper Falls just like the rest of your family.” He raised the gun. “I’ll join you in death. I’m not going to jail. No one understands me, not even you.” Tears filled his eyes.

  Her vision wavered as he came toward her and reached for the chains. Before she could react, he snapped a leg iron around her ankle. Phantom whined again and pressed his nose against her, but she couldn’t reassure him. She was trapped.

  The snow was nearly up to the Jeep’s grille by the time they neared Chassell. Boone’s shoulders hurt from the tension of driving in the horrific storm. “How much farther?”

  Bree consulted the GPS on her phone. “We’re still about two miles from the turnoff to the property.”

  Two miles, then what? The drifts along the side of the road were six feet tall in some places. There would be no traffic along the drive back to the cabin, and that drive was half a mile long by itself. They had to get there though. Had to. No telling what Chris intended to do with Dana. He prayed they’d bust into that cabin and find them cozied up to the fire. That they’d find Dana safe.

  And it was all up to them. The sheriff’s car was already in the ditch about fifteen miles back.

  The Jeep shuddered from the force of the wind striking it as they hit an area of road unprotected by trees on the north side. The wheel twisted in his hand as the vehicle slewed to one side. The Jeep tilted as one wheel hit the ditch, then the entire front end slid into the snowbank. Snow flew up over the windshield as the vehicle finished its trajectory off the road and came to a stop.

  “No!” Boone slammed his palms onto the steering wheel, then forced open his door to survey the damage. The wind blew with such power that he had trouble standing upright.

  “My door won’t budge.” Bree slid across the seat with the dog and stepped out beside him. “We’re going to need a wrecker.”

  “And I bet we won’t get that until sometime tomorrow.” He relived that moment when he began to lose control of the Jeep. If only he’d managed to keep it on the road. He whipped out his phone and looked up the closest tow truck service, then called the number. A recorded message told him the weather was too bad to answer any calls for assistance.

  He ended the call and told Bree. The snow was still coming down heavily, and it was hard to see more than a few feet in front of them. “I think we need to follow the road and see if we can find a house or something. Maybe we can find a wrecker willing to come out.”

  “We sure can’t stay in the Jeep in this weather.” Bree called Samson to her, and he leaped down from the backseat. The snow was over the top of his back even on the road.

  Bree reached behind the second seat. “I’ve got snowshoes in the back. That should help.” She handed him a set, then sat on the edge of the seat and put on a pair herself.

  Boone did the same. The storm howled around them, and he was already shivering from the cold in spite of his coat. “Let’s go.”

  She slipped her phone into her pocket and put her glove back on. “I texted Mason to let him know what we’re doing.”

  It was going to take a miracle to even see a house unless the place had a light on. The wind was driving the heavy snow sideways creating a whiteout. They were in trouble, and it was all his fault. “I should have let you drive.”

  She shook her head and raised her voice over the wind. “I’d have put us in the ditch miles back. This isn’t your fault.”

  He pulled out his phone and called up the GPS. “Hey, there’s a bed-and-breakfast just a few feet away. Hamar House.”

  “Oh I know it! Kade and I have stayed there a couple of times. Let’s try to get there.”

  “It’s this way.” He set off in the thick snow.

  The dot signifying their location quit working after a few feet, and he frowned. “We’ve lost the signal.” The best they could do was to try to continue on the path the map had shown and hope they didn’t get disoriented in the storm. He called up the compass app. “We need to stay in a slightly northeasterly direction. It should only be about three hundred yards this way.”

  He trudged on and wished he could carry the poor dog who was having trouble bounding through the snow. It had to have been hours since a car came this way, and even the tracks in the road held a foo
t of snow. The snow was suffocating and disorienting.

  He peered through the swirls. “I think I see a light.”

  “Me too!” Bree’s breath was labored.

  They both headed toward the welcome beacon. He passed a sign. “It’s Hamar House.” The snow-covered steps loomed in the faint light penetrating the snowstorm.

  He mounted the steps with Bree at his side and rang the doorbell to the stately red Victorian building. He glanced at his watch. It was nearly midnight, so he was surprised a light was still on.

  “I’m coming, I’m coming.” The breathless female voice accompanied footsteps across a hard surface, then the door opened and a woman dressed in pajamas and a fluffy red robe appeared. Her gaze flickered from Boone to Bree. “Bree Matthews, what are you doing out on a night like this? And Samson.” She slapped her leg, and the dog, tail wagging, went to her. “Come in.”

  “You’re a lifesaver, Barbara. My Jeep went off the road a little ways from here. We couldn’t get a wrecker to pull us out.”

  “One of my rooms is free, and I can put your friend here up on the sofa in the parlor.” Barbara shut the door behind them.

  The welcome warmth touched Boone’s face, but he stayed near the door. “I’ve got to go out and try to find Dana.”

  “I want to find her too, but it’s hopeless tonight, Boone. You have to know that. There’s no signal to follow the GPS, and you can’t see well enough to navigate by yourself. We have to wait until the storm breaks.”

  Barbara nodded in agreement. “Let me fix some hot cocoa and sandwiches, then we’ll get you settled.”

  Boone rubbed his forehead, still tempted to go back out. He hadn’t been able to get to Allyson in time, and the thought of failing Dana was too painful to contemplate.

  CHAPTER 38

  The howling wind would have kept her awake even if her thoughts hadn’t. The skin on Dana’s ankle was raw from her efforts to free herself through the night, but the chain still kept her within three feet of the cot. Chris hadn’t seemed to stir all night, and he still lay on the sofa with his back turned to her as the thin light began to poke through the windows.

  She sat up and yanked on the chain once again. Maybe he’d be himself this morning, not that cold-eyed stranger who had shot Garret without compunction right in front of her. There had to be a way to get through to him. Scenes of her childhood had run through her mind all night long, and she understood so much of what had happened now. Kory had been right about Chris, but she hadn’t wanted to see it. She loved Chris so she’d only seen what she wanted to see, what fit with her image of a loving brother.

  She’d been so blind, so deluded.

  And her parents and brother were dead because of some sick fascination Chris had with having her for a sister. And he’d killed his own parents as well when his mother realized he was a sociopath. She’d be dead by evening herself if she didn’t think of some way out of this.

  The springs on the sofa creaked as Chris rolled to his back and sat up. His blond hair was in disarray, and his blue eyes were sleepy. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

  She lowered her feet to the ground. “What do you think? I need to use the outhouse. Can you unchain me?”

  “I’ll take you.” He rose and fished a key from his pocket, then unlocked the leg iron.

  If only she had some kind of weapon to smash into his head. She’d steal his keys and get to the truck. But as he marched her to the back door, she realized she’d never be able to drive out of here. The blizzard had left a foot of snow behind, and the drifts were six feet high in many places. The track from the road was snowed in.

  The wind nearly took her breath away, and she rushed through the knee-deep snow to the outhouse. Phantom loped off into the woods to do his business. The chill inside the outhouse was as bad as outside, and she could see Chris standing in front of the door after she closed it. She looked around for a way out the back, but there was no other exit. She quickly finished, then shoved the door open and hurried as fast as she could for the cabin’s back door.

  She called to her dog, but he didn’t come. Maybe it was just as well. Chris might shoot him.

  Did he have his gun? Maybe she could lock him out, then use his phone to call for help. But who could get here even if she knew where to tell a would-be rescuer to come? She reached the back door and yanked it open, but Chris was right on her heels. She’d be unable to shut the door before he could stick his foot inside.

  Her face felt numb when he closed the door behind them. She went to the tiny kitchen. “I’m famished. You want an omelet?”

  “Sounds good.” He measured coffee into the stovetop coffeepot, then carried it to the wood stove and put it on top before he threw more wood on the fire.

  She found an iron skillet and put it on the propane burner. Could she use the skillet as a weapon? It was heavy and soon it would be hot as well. Keeping her options open for the moment, she cooked the omelets and put them on paper plates. A knife was somewhere here too, but she wasn’t sure she could bring herself to thrust it into Chris. She handed him a plate of eggs, then sat beside him on the sofa.

  They ate in a silence that deepened as the wind quit howling around the eaves. Surely he’d have to wait for the weather to break to carry out his plan.

  He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Storm’s over.”

  “The road is still impassable.”

  He shrugged and rose to check the coffee. “I’ve got a snow machine in the shed out back. I can’t wait until the road clears because they’ll come for me. If you love me, you know I can’t live in jail, Dana. I have to do this.”

  “Why punish me? I don’t understand.”

  He stood with his back to her and poked at the fire. “I’ve always protected you. You’re not a good judge of character. Look how you let Garret manhandle you. I love you too much to leave you alone to face men like that. You’re too weak to handle life. And I sure can’t let you end up with Boone when this is all his fault.”

  Her face went hot at his mention of her poor judgment about men. Maybe there was some truth to what he’d said. “I let Garret manipulate me too easily, but I’m stronger now. I figured out that I cared too much about what other people thought when all I really needed was to pay attention to what God wanted.”

  He turned and his mouth twisted. “Religion never did anyone any good.” When she opened her mouth to argue with him, he held up his hand. “Enough. I don’t want to hear it. Get your coat and boots on. There are scarves and hats in that chest too.” He pointed toward an old battered metal chest that served as a coffee table. “Bundle up well for the trip.”

  She lifted her chin and stared deep into his eyes. “And if I don’t?”

  He plucked his gun from his waistband. “Then I’ll have to shoot you too.”

  Where there was life, there was hope. She might be able to jump off the snow machine and escape in the woods on the trip to the falls. Pressing her lips together, she went to get her coat and boots. There was still no sign of Phantom, and she prayed he was off chasing squirrels where he’d be safe.

  The scrape of the snow plows outside shot Boone into high gear. He’d just finished a crazy-good muffin still warm from the oven and gulped down coffee. “I’m going to get out there and see if I can find the cabin.”

  Bree looked dubious. “I’m sure the lane back to the cabin isn’t plowed. It will take hours to try to walk it in the snow even with snowshoes. I talked to Mason this morning, and he’s mobilizing some help. It will be an hour before he gets out there though.”

  “I have a snow machine you can borrow,” Barbara said. “I just had it serviced.”

  Boone caught her in a hug and lifted her feet off the ground. “Thanks for saving us last night and again today. I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can.” He set her feet back on the ground.

  Her cheeks pink, Barbara snagged a key ring from a hook by the door to the garage. “Keep it as long as you need it.” She picked up a
basket on the end of the beautifully set dining room table. “I fixed you some sandwiches, and there’s hot coffee in a thermos as well.” She led them to the back door. “The garage is unlocked. I’ll pray for you.”

  He and Bree pressed through the snow with Samson. The air was cold and crisp, but at least the wind had died down. Two minutes later they were sailing over the tops of the massive snowdrifts. The machine would be a tremendous boon getting out to the cabin. Bree held Samson on her lap with one arm and clung to Boone with the other.

  It only took fifteen minutes to reach the cabin on the machine. Boone cut the engine down the trail a bit, then dismounted. “I don’t want them to hear us coming.”

  Bree let Samson jump down. “I see smoke spiraling from the chimney. They must still be here.”

  Boone nodded, and he pulled off his right glove with his teeth, then pulled out his gun and made sure the safety was off before putting his glove back on. “Stay here until I call for you. I’m going to take a peek inside.”

  She grabbed Samson’s collar when he started after Boone. “Signal me when you want us to join you.”

  Boone waded through the thigh-high snowdrifts. A Lexus partially hidden in the scrub caught his attention. Someone else was here. He stopped and glanced back to where Bree stood with Samson. He motioned to her, and she headed toward him with Samson laboring to keep up.

  He pointed to the Lexus. “We’ve got double trouble.”

  Her expression mirrored his dismay. “It looks like it’s been here overnight too.”

  “Maybe Garret is behind this. He might have taken Dana and Chris.” That didn’t explain the box of newspaper clippings though or the pictures. Chris was clearly the Groom Reaper. Boone held his finger to his lips and moved toward the rear of the cabin. An outhouse and old shed with its door hanging open occupied the small yard before the forest began.

  His stomach plunged and he stopped and stared at the snow machine tracks. “They’re gone.” He pointed to two sets of footprints.