Mountain Peril

by Sandra Robbins

  Betty closed the leather folder with Jeff’s official calendar in it. “Oh, before I forget, Landon Morse was looking for you earlier.”

  Danielle’s skin prickled at the mention of Landon. “What does he want?”

  Betty propped her elbows on her desk and leaned forward. “I don’t know. Maybe he wanted to talk about the Christmas Fundraiser.” Betty paused for a moment. “Or maybe he wants to ask you out to dinner again.”

  Danielle grasped the two cups of coffee tighter and walked back toward Betty’s desk. “Oh, I don’t think so. But I’ll check with him later.”

  Betty got up and walked around her desk. She stood in thought for a moment before she took off her bifocals and dropped them to dangle from the gold chain encircling her neck. “Jeff has asked you out time after time, and you won’t go. Poor Landon can’t get you to give him the time of day. It’s time you had a life, Danielle. Why won’t you at least try one of them?”

  Danielle tried to sidestep Betty, but she blocked the path to the door. If Betty only knew how this conversation was upsetting her. She gave a nervous laugh. “Try one of them? You make it sound like I’m buying a used car.”

  Betty arched a pencil-thin eyebrow. “You know what I mean. You need to get a social life.” She paused, and her lips parted as if she’d just had an important thought. She stepped closer to Danielle. “Or maybe you’re not interested in going out with anyone because there’s someone else.”

  Danielle frowned. “Who?”

  Betty smiled. “I’ve noticed that good-looking detective has visited the school on a regular basis. Is there something going on between the two of you?”

  Danielle’s face grew warm. “Betty, I assure you there’s nothing but friendship between Jack and me.”

  “Aha!” Betty smacked her hands together. “Jack, is it? Since when did you get on such friendly terms with him?”

  Danielle felt as if her skin were on fire. She pushed around Betty. “Stop it. There’s nothing between us.”

  “Between who?” Jeff Newman stood in the door from the hallway, a smile on his face.

  Danielle glared at Betty and strode toward the doorway. “Betty is giving me a hard time this morning. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my office.”

  “Give Jack my best,” Betty called.

  “Jack who?” Jeff’s voice drifted behind Danielle, and she stopped to hear Betty’s response.

  “I was just teasing Danielle about being smitten with the handsome Detective Denton.”

  Jeff gave a disgusted snort. “I’d think she had better taste than that.”

  Guilt about eavesdropping washed over Danielle, and she hurried across the hall toward her office. She stopped at the door, placed one of the cups in the crook of her arm that held the other cup and opened the door. She could see Jack’s profile from where she stood. April was talking, and a muscle in Jack’s jaw twitched as he concentrated on her words.

  Granite. Danielle recalled the word she had first used to describe him, but now that didn’t seem to fit at all. His reaction to seeing Tricia the night she was murdered, his concern for her safety that same night, the enjoyment of a simple meal with her, and the starstruck awe of her parents—all these told her a kind soul with a soft heart lurked somewhere within Jack Denton.

  It saddened her to think she might never be able to scrape away the layers and find that hidden person.

  He glanced around and smiled when he saw her. Her heartbeat quickened, and she suddenly knew one thing. No matter how long the task of searching out the real Jack, the end results would be worth the wait.

  ELEVEN

  Jack had breathed a sigh of relief when Danielle arrived with the coffee. Although April had given him some interesting information, the interview had been a challenge. April’s flirtatious manner had prevailed throughout. Now April was off to run errands for Danielle, and he could relax.

  Danielle took a sip from her cup and directed a mischievous smile at him. “I think you made a conquest, Detective.”

  Jack waved his hand in dismissal. “I get the feeling I’m not the first one to be the recipient of her charms.”

  Danielle laughed. “I forget you’re a policeman with fine-tuned skills in understanding human nature.”

  Jack chuckled and reached for his notebook. “I don’t know about that, but I’m pretty good at spotting a phony. I imagine April is already gushing over the next male she’s encountered.”

  Danielle’s gaze swept over the notebook. She crossed her arms, and he detected a slight shiver in her body. “What did you think about what she told you?”

  “It’s definitely something to check out.”

  “Are you going to see Landon now?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll call him and ask him to drop by the station. I like to question suspects on my own turf. It gives me an advantage.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “Suspect? Do you think Landon could be involved in Tricia’s death?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll question him and go from there. Now I’d better go back to the station and let you get to work.”

  She followed him to the door. “Thanks for coming, Jack.”

  He stopped at the door and turned back to her. “I’m glad you called. I really enjoyed last night.”

  She smiled. “I did, too.”

  He pulled the door open but didn’t step into the hall. Being this close to Danielle made him feel like a schoolboy, and he didn’t want to leave. He took a deep breath and shifted from foot to foot. “Would you like to meet me after work at the Mountain Mug? We could have a cup of coffee, then maybe go somewhere for a burger.”

  “I’d like that very much. I’m done by five. I’ll meet you there.”

  Still looking at Danielle, he stepped into the hallway. “Good. I’ll see you…” A gasp reached his ears, and he jerked his head around. He’d plowed right into April, who was about to enter the room. She sagged toward him, and he grabbed her arms to steady her. “April, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

  She smiled up at him. “That’s okay, Detective Denton. I should have been watching where I was going.”

  He cast what he hoped was a help-me-out-of-this-situation glance toward Danielle, and she reached around him and drew April into the room. “April, you need to be more careful around older people. Their reflexes aren’t as quick as yours.”

  He could tell Danielle was thoroughly enjoying every minute of his predicament. Her body practically shook with the laughter she was suppressing. He glared at her and cleared his throat.

  “Well, this old policeman has to go. I’ll see you later, Dr. Tyler.”

  She gave a solemn nod. “Five-fifteen at the Mountain Mug.”

  Jack gripped his notebook and strode toward the exit, embarrassment increasing with each step. Danielle had enjoyed making him squirm. Old people, indeed. Since when did a thirty-two-year-old guy qualify as a senior citizen? He could still run the department’s obstacle course faster than any rookie, and his sharp shooter skills were the best on the force. He’d have to inform Danielle that he wasn’t ready for retirement yet.

  He stormed from the building and hurried toward his car. With each step he thought of how animated her face was and how her eyes had danced with amusement when he tried to extricate himself from April’s clutches. His steps grew slower as he remembered her mocking expression and her raised eyebrows.

  Jack stopped next to his car. If he was honest, the whole situation had been funny. A young girl coming on to him. And April had been so obvious about it.

  A chuckle started in his throat, bubbled upward, and exploded from his mouth. He leaned against the side of the car and laughed. Several students passing by looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, but he didn’t care.

  Something wonderful had just occurred in his life. He didn’t feel as alone as he had, and he knew why. For the first time in years, he’d laughed at himself and enjoyed the feeling. He’d thought it would never happen, and it might not have except f
or one thing. He’d met Danielle Tyler.

  Jack scooted his chair closer to the desk and stared at Landon Morse sitting across from him. The shaggy hair hanging over Landon’s ears and the rumpled suit that looked as if it hadn’t been pressed in weeks didn’t fit Jack’s image of a professor at Webster. Neither did the big-framed glasses that kept slipping down his nose. There was nothing about Landon that suggested the professional demeanor of Jeff Newman, Nathan Webster or Danielle.

  Jack had kept Landon waiting fifteen minutes after he arrived, but he didn’t seem upset. Jack pulled a legal pad from inside his desk and picked up a pen. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Dr. Morse. I appreciate you taking time out of your schedule to come down here today.”

  Landon shrugged. “No problem. I didn’t have any classes this afternoon, but I do have a rehearsal with some students at four o’clock. I’m glad to answer any questions, but I will need to leave shortly.”

  Jack nodded. “Then let’s get started.” He shuffled through the pages of the legal pad until he found a blank one. “Now, Dr. Morse, I believe you were a student at Webster when Jennifer McCaslin was murdered. Is that right?”

  “Yes.”

  “How well did you know Jennifer?”

  Landon shrugged. “Not very well, but I knew who she was. I kept to myself, wasn’t too social, but I saw her around campus a lot.”

  Jack nodded. “With her roommate, Danielle Tyler?”

  “That’s right.”

  “What about Tricia Peterson? Did you know her well?”

  “No more than any other student until recently. You know she was a piano major. She and Flynn were scheduled to play for the Christmas Fundraiser. They were going to perform a piano and violin work that I wrote. I’d been attending some of their rehearsals, so I got to know her better over the last few weeks of her life.”

  Jack scribbled on the paper. “Is Flynn one of your students?”

  Landon shifted in his chair. “Yes. He’s a violin major and plays in the orchestra I conduct. He’s a very talented young man.”

  “Did you ever see Flynn demonstrate any violent actions toward Tricia?”

  “No.”

  “Did you ever hear him threaten her?”

  Landon’s eyes grew large. “No. He seemed to care about her very much.”

  Jack leaned forward and stared at Landon. “And what about you? Did you have any feelings for her?”

  Landon’s mouth gaped open, and he half rose from his chair. “What? She was a student.”

  Jack frowned and glanced down at the pad on his desk. “Well, you knew Julie Travis was a student at your last school, but that didn’t keep you from being interested in her.”

  Landon’s face became mottled with rage, and he pulled the glasses from his face. Holding them in one hand, he shook the spectacles in Jack’s direction. “Who told you about that? Have you been snooping in my past?”

  “It’s a matter of public record, Dr. Morse. You were accused of stalking a student.”

  A fleck of spittle hung in the corner of Landon’s mouth, giving him the appearance of a rabid dog. “Check your facts, Detective. Accused, but not charged.”

  “Then why don’t you tell me your side of the story.”

  Landon stood up, turned his back on Jack and walked to the one small window in the room. He propped his hands on his hips and stared outside before he put his glasses back on and returned to his seat.

  “I’m sorry I got so upset. It happens every time I think about that period of my life.”

  Jack tossed the pen he held onto his desk, leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands across his stomach. “Then why don’t you tell me about it.”

  Landon nodded. “Along with my other teaching responsibilities I got stuck with teaching the Physics of Music course one year. Being a violin player, I’d always been intrigued with how physics plays a part in the production of tones on instruments. Unfortunately, many of the students weren’t.”

  “And Julie was one of them?”

  Landon gave a wry chuckle. “She couldn’t understand the first thing I said. So one day she came to my office, batted her big blue eyes at me, and asked if I’d go over the notes she’d taken in class and offer her some more help. When I said yes, she pulled her chair up next to me and spent the next hour hanging on every word I said.”

  Jack had a mental vision of the unkempt professor and the beautiful young girl. It almost sounded like the way April had acted earlier. He pushed the thought from his mind. “So what happened next?”

  “She started coming by every day. Sometimes she’d bring food, and we’d even work through dinner.” His eyes took on a faraway look. “I loved to hear her laugh.”

  “And?”

  Landon jerked his attention back to Jack. “Soon it just seemed natural for me to go by her apartment and eat dinner with her. We’d talk about her assignment some and then we’d watch TV. She’d sit close to me on the couch and hold my hand. By the end of the semester I was head over heels in love, and I’d even gotten up the nerve to kiss her. She was the first girl who’d ever paid me any attention, and I wanted to marry her.”

  “How did she feel about it?”

  “She encouraged me. That is until she got her final grade, a C that I padded a lot just to pass her. She came to my office, thanked me for all my help, told me she was going home for the summer and kissed me goodbye. When she didn’t take my calls or answer my e-mails, I drove the two hundred miles to her home to find out what was the matter.”

  Although Jack knew the answer, he had to ask anyway. “What had happened?”

  “Her father met me at the door, told me to get off their property. It seems Julie had told them how I had stalked her on campus and how scared she was of me. I couldn’t believe it. I could see Julie standing inside the house, and I begged her to tell her father the truth. She just screamed at me to leave her alone and quit following her. Her father was so angry he even turned his dog on me. I had to run for my life when that rottweiler came after me.”

  “Did they file charges against you?”

  Landon nodded. “They called the police in the town where I lived, but the police couldn’t find any evidence to support her claims. They never filed any charges. Julie didn’t come back to school the next year, and I left when Jeff offered me a job back here.”

  Jack made a few notes on the legal pad. “It sounds like you had a pretty rough time of it.”

  Landon shook his head. “It taught me a lesson. Now I keep my distance from students. I remember that I’m the teacher, and I don’t cross that line.”

  Jack pursed his lips and arched an eyebrow. “So what were you doing in the parking lot with Tricia Peterson the afternoon before she was murdered?”

  For a moment Landon didn’t speak. Then his shoulders sagged, and he pulled off the glasses again. “So you think because of Julie I must have something to do with Tricia’s death.”

  “Not necessarily. We’re questioning everyone who saw her that day, and as far as I can tell you were the last one with her. Except for the killer, whoever that may be.”

  Landon leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. “Do I need a lawyer?”

  “Do you want one?”

  Landon stood. “I don’t think I want to answer any more of your questions until I have an attorney present. Now if you have nothing else, I have a rehearsal to attend.”

  Before Jack could stop him, Landon strode to the door, opened it and hurried down the hallway. Jack stood behind his desk and thought about what he’d just learned about Landon Morse.

  His story about the flirtatious Julie sounded plausible. It could happen to any man working with a young woman who saw herself as a temptress of the opposite sex. His encounter with April earlier in the day led him to believe Landon’s story could very well be true.

  If it was, then why wouldn’t he answer questions about Tricia?

  Jack rubbed his chin in thought. Landon could have been scared because there was more to his rel
ationship with Tricia than he’d indicated. Maybe Landon had become obsessed with Tricia as he’d worked with her and Flynn for the fundraiser.

  Jack sighed and put the legal pad with the notes he’d made during the interview in his desk. Landon Morse had just made it to the top of his suspect list in the Tricia Peterson murder. To prove his theory, though, he’d have to find a motive. Maybe the answer lay in what Julie Travis could tell him about her experience with Landon. What she had to say might very well shed some light on two unsolved murders.

  TWELVE

  Every table in the Mountain Mug appeared occupied by people sipping coffee and staring at their laptops. Nobody looked up as Danielle weaved her way between the tables to the back where Jack sat stirring a cup of coffee.

  He looked up and smiled as she dropped into the chair opposite him. “Glad to see you made it.”

  Danielle pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and sighed. “I thought five o’clock would never come. I’m exhausted.”

  Jack pushed his cup back and stood. “I’ll get you a cup of coffee. Maybe that will help.”

  She nodded. “That would be great.”

  As Jack headed toward the counter, Danielle couldn’t help but notice the woman at the next table glance up from her computer and stare as he walked by. Danielle thought of how April had flirted with Jack earlier and now a strange woman also seemed to be studying him. Although Jack did nothing to attract the attention of women, it was obvious he did.

  Her heart thumped as she recognized the unfamiliar sensation that pricked her thoughts. She hadn’t felt it in years, but she identified it right away—jealousy.

  The realization hit her and she gasped. Why should she resent other women looking at Jack? After all he was a handsome man, and they were nothing more than friends. She still pondered the question when he returned to the table and set a cup of coffee in front of her.

  “Here you go.”

  She straightened in her chair and reached for the steaming mug. “Thanks. I needed this. I’ve been tied up all day with this fundraiser.”