The Replacement

by Anne Marie Duquette

  Eric reentered the cabin to find both of them sitting quietly on the couch, Ginger at her usual spot on the hearth.

  “Keith’s still working on the generator. I’ve got news,” he said slowly. “It’s not good.”

  Naomi lifted her face, her eyes troubled. “Join the club, twin,” she said.

  “Sweetie?”

  Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lindsey felt the pain of earlier times when Eric spoke. He made the word sound exactly what it was—an endearment between two people bonded since conception—and Naomi did the same in return when she called Eric twin. It made her both jealous and sorrowful.

  Naomi shook her head and stood. “You tell him, Lindsey. I’ll be with Pam.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Rangers’ winter cabin

  Late afternoon

  THE BLIZZARD’S HOWLING WINDS passed by, but the heavy snow continued its fall. Both Pam and Naomi had succumbed to much-needed naps in the women’s bedroom after hot bowls of soup for lunch. Keith lounged in his bedroom with a book he’d started, having finally restored the generator to full power and added a chain and padlock to the generator-shack door. Only Eric and Lindsey remained in the cabin’s main room, Eric perched on the hearth, his back to the fire, and Lindsey sitting cross-legged on the rug, toying with Ginger’s ears.

  The dog snored gently on the rug facing the blazing fire as Lindsey waited for an opening to tell Eric about Naomi’s health, while Eric summarized the situation with Wilson.

  “Pam needs a doctor, and we have a violent felon trying to steal back the child he kidnapped. However, you and Ginger have only worked together a few days, and Ginger could slow us down. We’d have to pack her on the sled to get through the snow—if she’d allow it. Plus we have a blizzard, and although the generator may or may not keep working, thanks to Wilson, Keith has secured the shed and it’s working now. I think our safest bet is to stay put. There’s four of us, and only one of him.”

  Thinking of Naomi, Lindsey asked, “Isn’t there any way to get Pam out of here? Couldn’t Naomi and another ranger try?”

  Eric lifted his head. “How? Naomi might’ve been able to ski out the same way you came in before the storm, but now she’d have to snowshoe out. As for Pam, she can’t walk, not with those frostbitten feet. We can’t track down her father in this weather, and frankly, I wouldn’t risk it. We’d best sit tight.”

  “But…after the weather clears, maybe then?” Lindsey pressed.

  “Hard to say. I want you to talk to Pam and find out if her father has a rifle. We need to know how much of a buffer we have. There’s a big difference between the reach of a high-powered rifle and a handgun.” He shook his head. “I refuse to lose another person.”

  Lindsey moved to touch his arm, but Eric bent to pick up a piece of wood to toss on the fire. By the time he’d finished, the opportunity to comfort him was gone.

  “Here’s the way I see it,” he said suddenly. “Once the storm clears, we reevaluate. I’m in no rush to expose our backs. I’m betting the moment we take Pam out into the open, Wilson will show up. There’s only one route out of here, and I’m sure he knows it as well as we do. He’ll be watching the trail.”

  “We won’t have an easy time of it, that’s for sure.”

  “If we have to keep Pam here until the thaw, we will.”

  “Until spring?”

  “Why not? Then the police can get in to help search for Wilson, and Pam can easily be transported out. Our job is search-and-rescue, not playing posse for some escaped psycho.” He shook his head. “The police have called a temporary halt to the manhunt because of the weather. That new storm front is already causing high winds. So…”

  “Spring’s a long time off.” Lindsey chose her next words carefully. “What if there’s a medical emergency?”

  “With Pam? I’ve thought about the worst-case scenario. If that happens, two of us will act as decoy, while the other two take Pam.”

  “How?”

  “Why go into details? Naomi said Pam’s stable for now. The longer she stays here, the better off she’ll be, especially with those feet. In the meantime…I was wondering how you and Naomi were getting along.”

  His abrupt change of subject took Lindsey by surprise. “Getting along?” she echoed.

  “Yeah. You two always rubbed each other the wrong way. But believe it or not, I think Naomi’s missed you. She was pleased to hear you were coming back, and even fussed with Eva’s room.”

  Lindsey remembered the herb sachet under her pillow. “That was kind of her.”

  “Naomi promised to do her best to get along during your stay. I know she meant it.”

  “That’s…good to hear,” Lindsey said, noncommittal. A few days weren’t enough to generalize about a person’s behavior. “Besides, I knew what I was getting into. Jack Hunter was quite clear about the situation when he called me. I could have said no.”

  “He told me you almost did.”

  “Almost.”

  “Because of the danger, or because of me?”

  Lindsey didn’t answer immediately. She rose from the carpet and joined him on the hearth so they were both at eye level, the dog between them at their feet.

  “Because of you,” she said softly. “I didn’t know what to expect. Didn’t think you’d want me here.”

  “That was never true. Not then, and not now.”

  “I wasn’t sure you’d feel that way, considering—”

  “Considering we couldn’t talk out our problems,” Eric said, completing the sentence for her. “Missy’s death wasn’t the issue.”

  “You realize that now?” she said.

  “Yeah. It was just the latest in a long line of events that showed we didn’t really know each other well. Didn’t understand how the other feels…reacts to things. Not that I’m blaming you,” he quickly added.

  “We never agreed on anything except in the bedroom.” Lindsey sighed. “I didn’t postpone the wedding because you thought I chose an animal—a dead animal, no less—over you. How could you think that of me?”

  “What else could I think?”

  “You could’ve thought for yourself, instead of letting Naomi do the thinking for both of you. Which proves your point. We weren’t ready to get married. Marriage requires more than great sex.” A long pause, then Lindsey gathered her courage. “You never told me what Naomi said to you to make you change your mind about delaying the wedding a few days.”

  “No.”

  “Will you tell me?”

  No answer.

  “Why not? I’d really like to know.”

  “Because I still don’t know if Naomi lied to me four years ago. Until I can straighten that out with her, I can’t talk about it to you.”

  “That’s me—always the third wheel.”

  Eric’s expression spoke volumes, but he didn’t deny it.

  The quiet sputtering of the fire behind them was the only sound in the room. Though physically they were only inches apart, the emotional distance between them seemed like miles. She knew this particular topic of conversation had been tabled. Lindsey opened her mouth to broach the subject of Naomi’s medical condition, but Eric spoke first.

  “So, this new guy in your life. What’s his name?”

  “Wade.”

  “He make you happy?”

  She shrugged. “Why wouldn’t he? He’s a nice guy.”

  “Which doesn’t answer my question.”

  Now Lindsey chose to remain silent.

  “So…is he any good in bed?”

  “Eric!”

  “Does he satisfy you?”

  “That’s none of your business,” Lindsey said, her voice unsteady.

  “You brought it up.”

  “Just to illustrate a point! Besides, sex isn’t everything.”

  “So he doesn’t,” Eric concluded. “Yet you’re wearing his ring.”

  “I said I—he insisted—” Lindsey broke off at the smug look on Eric’s face, angry at ha
ving revealed so much. She’d forgotten how Eric’s blunt honesty frequently disarmed her. “Damn you, Ric!”

  Eric’s lips twitched upward. “No one’s called me Ric since you left. Or told me to go to hell. I’ve missed that.”

  “I haven’t missed your lack of tact. Now, would you please drop the subject and listen for five minutes? I need to talk about Naomi.”

  “What about Naomi?” Eric asked impatiently. “Or is this just a convenient change of subject?”

  Lindsey reached for Eric’s hand and took a deep breath. “There’s no easy way to say this. Naomi found a lump in her breast. Or rather, Ginger did.”

  “What?”

  Lindsey quickly explained, her voice low. “And worst of all, she says she hasn’t done a self-exam since last summer.”

  “My God! How’s she taking it?”

  “She’s shook up. So badly, she asked me to tell you.”

  “It could just be a cyst. Something harmless.”

  Lindsey tightened her fingers around Eric’s. “I hope you’re right. But Eric, Ginger wouldn’t act so aggressively toward a cyst. She wouldn’t react at all. Cysts are fluid-filled pockets and don’t necessarily transmit specific chemical scents like cancer. I didn’t tell Naomi what I’ve read on the subject—frankly, it wasn’t the time—but I’m as worried as she is.”

  Eric’s face paled, and he abruptly withdrew his hand from hers to run his fingers through his hair. Her hand felt empty without his touch.

  “I know you said it makes sense to sit tight with Pam,” she continued. “Wait until her feet heal and the weather clears. Wait here until it’s safer. But Eric, if it were my sister…if it were me…I wouldn’t want to wait that long. Not with this.”

  Eric nodded just once. He glanced at his watch and stood. “Time to check the generator again,” he said in a clipped voice.

  “Need some help?” Lindsey asked.

  “No.” Eric bent and, to her surprise, kissed her cheek. “But thanks.” Then, before she could make any kind of reply at all, he left.

  INSIDE THE GENERATOR ROOM, Eric did nothing more than take a perfunctory look at the equipment. He’d used that excuse to be alone for a few minutes, to calm down. He’d barely been able to enjoy Lindsey’s presence after four long years before that pleasure had been replaced by the horror of her walking in on Wilson’s camp. Then his triumphant discovery of Lindsey’s lukewarm feelings for her new fiancé had warred with fierce jealousy that she’d found comfort with someone else. There’d been no one for him since Lindsey. He knew what he wanted, and unlike her, he was unwilling to settle for substitutes. Then after his tactless, but driven, queries about her sex life, she’d changed the subject to Naomi’s health.

  Two days back in his life, and Lindsey had already turned it upside down—along with everyone else’s. Eric knew his twin. Naomi wouldn’t want to spend the rest of the winter at Yosemite, nor could he blame her. She’d want to leave immediately, which meant even more danger to the rangers, and no medical personnel left at the cabin. Pamela Wilson needed medical care. If Naomi left the park, should they risk taking Pam on that journey as well?

  Two days with Lindsey Nelson had changed so much, yet some things remained the same. Eric still loved her. Her unpredictability was her greatest asset as a ranger, because she saw things differently. She’d climbed Half Dome in the summer just to see the view from the top. Risked her life to scale the rocks above Bridalveil Fall in her quest for beauty. Saw rare dimensions in people and animals that even hard-core environmentalists—like him—could miss.

  It was that aspect of her that also troubled him the most. Life was simpler for Eric. Peaceful. Even boring at times. Boring wasn’t bad, not to him. No adrenaline junkie, he didn’t need armed kidnappers and daring rescues and hair-raising rock climbs to satisfy his soul. He’d never be the type to jump out of a perfectly good plane just to try skydiving. Or bungee-jumping off some bridge to get bounced around for the thrill of it. He wasn’t afraid of those adventures; they’d just never appealed to him. He’d always been satisfied with what he had and what he did, and considered himself damn lucky to have such a good life. When things went wrong, he solved the problem as best he could, with as much courage as he could, and continued on. He could enjoy the beauty of Half Dome, and life, from the peaceful comfort of his present world. Most people searched their whole lives for stability; Eric had been one of the lucky ones born with it, and was wise enough to realize that.

  Lindsey had never been satisfied with one job, one lifestyle, one home or—he hated to admit it—one man. No matter how high she climbed, there was always the next climb. The next rescue. Or discovering something no one else would even have noticed. Like a missing little girl, or Naomi’s lump. With Lindsey, these things weren’t blind luck or pure coincidence. They were a normal part of the life she led.

  Hence the problem. Lindsey was right. I don’t know her as well as she wants, but I know I love her. It would take the rest of his life to get to know the real Lindsey, and he’d sometimes worried she’d find him—and life with him—dull. Only when they made love had he felt truly connected with her, confident of her love for him. To have her say “Sex isn’t everything” hurt deeply, because without their lovemaking, he and Lindsey were oil and vinegar. They didn’t mix well—but he didn’t care. She was the only woman for him, and somehow, some way, he’d get her back.

  If they all managed to survive the dangers that lay ahead of them.

  LATER, THE FOUR ADULTS regrouped once more at the kitchen table and listened to Eric’s plan.

  “This is a mess,” Keith groaned, pouring himself a coffee from the newly brewed pot. “Whether we stay or go, we’re sitting ducks.”

  “I’m not staying here the rest of the winter. I’m leaving as soon as I can,” Naomi insisted. “And if I’m going, we might want to consider taking Pam along, too, that’s all I’m saying.”

  “I wouldn’t give you five minutes if you did,” Keith warned.

  “I’m not going three more months without a doctor,” Naomi said. “I can’t afford to wait.”

  “No one’s asking you to wait, twin,” Eric said calmly, resting his hand over his sister’s. “I’m just trying to think of the safest way. If you take Pam, you become a target for Wilson.”

  “I don’t want to leave her behind, either,” Naomi said, stirring her own coffee. “Her feet need medical attention, and I’m the medical ranger. She’d be okay for a daytime sled ride, and much better in a hospital.”

  Lindsey nodded. The park had small hand-held sleds they used in the winter for transporting injured people, supplies or wood. “It would take two of us to pull the sled. I’ll go,” Lindsey volunteered. “I skied in a few days ago. I’m the most familiar with the trail.”

  “What’s left of it,” Naomi said. They all turned toward the window and the heavy snow still falling. “Besides, you’re out of shape. You’re not up to moving out quickly if Wilson’s on our backs. And you never qualified on firearms. I’m medical staff, so I didn’t, either. I’d need Keith or Eric with me.”

  “If and when the time comes, we’ll set out in pairs,” Eric said. “We’ll split up, and the decoy will be two rangers with an empty sled.”

  “That’s only gonna work for so long.” Keith sipped at his coffee. “There’s only one way in and out of the park this time of year. Our sicko will know to follow the couple taking that route.”

  “Not once you ditch the empty sled and keep heading out,” Eric announced.

  “Pam will stay here?” Lindsey asked, immediately catching on.

  “For now. I’m guessing Wilson will use a park map and move into one of the cabins or some other building. That’s what I’d do. We’ll try to flush Wilson out of hiding. If so, we may be able to catch him with no danger to the child or to us.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Keith said. “Let’s hope the weather cooperates.”

  “We’re not leaving soon, that’s for sure,” Naomi said gloomily. “
I’m gonna check on Pam.”

  “I’ll start dinner,” Eric said.

  “I’ll do it,” Lindsey volunteered. “Eric, go with Naomi and talk to Pam. Time to find out if her father has a rifle.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Women’s room

  Same day, late evening

  PAM SLEPT FITFULLY IN Naomi’s bed while brother and sister sat side by side on what used to be Eva’s.

  “Her toes are turning blacker. They’re worse than I originally thought,” Naomi said. “She’s going to need surgery, after all, but I don’t know how we can pack her out with her father hanging around….”

  Eric slung his arm around Naomi’s shoulders. “She’s doing okay for now. How are you holding up?”

  Naomi shook her head. “I can’t leave Pam, Pam can’t leave the cabin, I’m desperate to get to a hospital, and there’s a madman out there gunning for us. I could’ve caught this earlier, but I didn’t bother doing a simple monthly check. How do you think I’m doing? Stupid question, Eric!”

  Eric pulled her close. “I know.”

  “Yeah, well, what about you?” Naomi asked, leaning against him. “You’ve got all this on your hands, plus Lindsey. Talk about lousy timing for romance.”

  “There’s no romance. She didn’t waste any time volunteering to escort you out of here,” he said.

  “She volunteered because of you.”

  Eric lifted his head. “Nice try.”

  “It’s true. You should’ve seen her give me the third degree about examining myself. She’s as pushy as you are when she thinks she’s right. And she’s talked about everything but you—which, from a woman’s point of view, is a good sign.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I know so.”

  The two were quiet as they studied the feverish child.

  “Things can only get better,” Naomi said. “Pam didn’t remember her father having a rifle. And if we’re lucky, Wilson’s frozen solid by now.”