Dalton, who had remained seated at Nate’s side, rose and responded, “You know we don’t exactly have the largest police force, and these woods cover a lot of ground. We’ve been canvassing during the day, and staking out different spots each night. We’ll catch this fellow, don’t you worry about that.”
“You had better, Burnsoll, or some of us are ready to take matters into our own hands.” Tank’s words rung out. Basil’s gavel interrupted the response that had been poised on Nate’s tongue.
“We will not resort to vigilante justice; we can’t have word getting out that Ponderosa Pines doesn’t welcome tourists. Like it or not, our occasional guests make up a portion of our town revenue. Give Harper and Burnsoll a chance; we’ll reconvene if the problem isn’t solved in a timely manner.”
Nate chanced a glance at Chloe, who had been studying his face through lowered lashes ever since the Tank Daniels threat. For a fleeting moment, their eyes met, and the rest of the room faded away. That was when the meeting ended, and as people started rising from their chairs the spell was broken. When the crowd cleared, Chloe was gone.
Chapter 24
Dalton zipped up his fanny pack—or, as his ex-wife used to call it, his dork sack—and pulled his hunter’s orange sweatshirt down to cover it up. Stylish or not, the fanny pack was a useful hiking accessory, and he refused to stop wearing it. What difference did it make now, anyway? He didn’t have anyone to impress; EV was the one, and since they were at odds yet again, it didn’t matter.
He needed fresh air, and some peace and quiet. A nice hike along his favorite trail seemed like a perfect way to clear his head. Duty kept him from giving her the details he and Nate had turned up on Vincent, but that same duty was keeping them apart. Her ability to sense that he was holding something back put them at odds—and right when she’d finally let him in. Now all he could think about was how her skin felt under his hands; how she had tasted, smelled; how much he wanted her again.
Straight ahead, Dalton could see someone standing at the edge of the boat dock, looking out at the lake. Moving closer, he realized it was Chloe. Her hunched posture alone was enough to tell him she was hurting over something. “Hi there.” She rubbed a hand across her face, cleared her throat, and looked up into his eyes. Dalton realized she had been crying, but the determined set of her jaw dissuaded him from asking any questions.
“Hi, Dalton. What are you up to?”
“Oh, I’m hiking my pain away. You?” he ventured.
Chloe’s eyes focused on something in the middle of the pond. “The same.” She said simply.
“I know we don’t know each other all that well, but if you want to talk about it, I’m game.” His gentle smile tugged at Chloe’s heartstrings. Everything she knew about him told her he was trustworthy; he wouldn’t go back and blab all her secrets to Nate. So instead of holding back, as she normally would, Chloe let loose a deluge of frustration that neither she, nor Dalton, had expected.
“I’m angry at your stupid partner. Everyone keeps saying he’s in love with me, but apparently, he’s not; I’ve seen his hot, redheaded girlfriend around a couple of times. I knew I shouldn’t have let myself have feelings for him. I knew I’d just get hurt and ruin our friendship. He shouldn’t have flirted with me if he wasn’t interested. Or maybe I imagined the flirting. Hell, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had a relationship, or even a crush for that matter. I’m probably acting like a teenager. But I’m still mad.” She finished petulantly.
When Dalton didn’t say anything in response, Chloe suddenly felt as though she had made a mistake. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I didn’t mean to put you in an awkward position. I’ll see you around.” She turned to walk away, but Dalton placed a hand on her arm.
“No, Chloe, that’s not it. Stay and talk. Are you really serious about Nate? Are you in love with him?”
Chloe considered the question. “I’ve been trying to answer that question myself ever since he came back to town. It hasn’t ever been easy for me to get attached to anyone; I learned not to, after being uprooted so many times as a kid. The people here, in the Pines, always felt permanent—even though I only saw them occasionally. When he first came home, I thought we would fall back into the friend routine. But after seeing him with that woman, I realized that I’ve probably always been fooling myself. When you don’t know what you’re missing, it can be hard to recognize it when it pops up in front of your face.”
“Well, that’s certainly true.”
“Don’t get me wrong: I didn’t have some horrible childhood. I was always taken care of; I was always loved. There are so many benefits to the lifestyle I was given, but the grass is always greener on the other side. I experienced so many wonderful things in this world, and now I want to experience the wonderful things about settling down and being in a committed, loving relationship.” Chloe couldn’t believe what she was about to say out loud, to Dalton, of all people.
“Yes, I’m in love with Nate. It’s not just about stuffing some hole in my heart with whatever I can cram in there. It’s about the fact that I didn’t realize how deep the hole was… until he filled it. And now he’s there, but not really.”
“So why don’t you tell him? It seems like the kind of thing a guy would like to hear” He spoke from experience.
“I’ve been saying it’s because I think he’ll leave; go back to Portland and I’ll be left alone again. I don’t want to live anywhere but here, and he wants to live anywhere else. Though, I will admit that it’s more about being scared of getting hurt.”
“Well, what I can tell you is that keeping yourself closed off is going to hurt you for sure. You may or may not get hurt by opening up, but you can be damned sure that denying your feelings is a recipe for disaster. I can also tell you that Nate doesn’t hate the Pines. I think he might already have decided to stay.”
Chloe turned this new information over in her mind. Could Dalton be right? He’d be the one to know; he spent nearly every day with Nate. There was still one problem.
“He’s already moved on. If you can move on from something that never even started, that is. And he’s pulling away from me. We can’t even talk without fighting anymore. Or without some kind of tension. Plus—girlfriend.” She waved a hand to indicate he was forgetting the obvious.
“That tension is caused by mutual, unrequited feelings; it doesn’t take a genius to see that. I’m going to tell you something, and I’m probably going to get my ass handed to me for doing so. But I can’t sit around and watch you two mess up your relationship. Elise is not Nate’s girlfriend. She’s a private investigator he hired to help figure out who was blackmailing Evan Plunkett.”
He let the revelation sink in for a moment before continuing. “He worked with her in Portland, and when the elders urged—or rather, ordered—us to put a stop to the investigation; we had to take it underground for a while. I think part of him enjoyed that she made you uncomfortable.” Dalton reached down for a stone to toss into the lake. “Nate’s stubborn, same as you. You two are peas from the same pod; sometimes that’s not a good thing, and sometimes it is. Talk to him. Don’t Chloe-rant at him.”
“That’s a term we’re using now? Excellent.” Chloe deadpanned, somewhat unsuccessfully. Dalton could see hope shining in her eyes. Chloe leaned over and gave Dalton a kiss on the cheek. “You’re a wonderful man, Earnest Dalton Burnsoll. EV is lucky to have you in her life.” She treated him to a grin, “Not as lucky as you are to have her, I’d say, but then, I’m biased.”
“I don’t think I do have her. Not after the way she ran me out of the house after we…” his face flamed red. Chloe barely resisted the urge to tease.
“Be patient. She’s been on her own for way too long; I truly believe you two will wind up together in the end.”
“You’re a sweet girl for saying so, and I hope you’re right. Maybe we’ll both get a happy ending.”
And the urge won. “From what I heard, you already did.
” With a saucy grin at his flaming face, she turned, and, feeling lighter in her heart than she had in weeks, walked away down the path toward home.
Chapter 25
This time, it was Chloe who rose early—and in good spirits, to boot. It was EV who was sleepy and out of sorts. The revelation that Nate wasn’t dating had calmed Chloe’s ruffled nerves, and removed a significant weight from her chest. Feeling charitable, she had volunteered herself and EV to rake leaves at the church this unseasonably warm Saturday morning. Chattering away, Chloe barely noticed EV’s funk.
“Do you have any of those big orange yard bags that look like pumpkins left? I was thinking we could decorate our backyards and do a little haunted house kind of thing for the kids. Wouldn’t that be fun? I’m really getting into the holiday spirit this year, and I think the weather is going to hold out, so it won’t be completely frigid for trick-or-treating. Let’s make popcorn balls, and caramel apples!”
Chloe’s enthusiasm was infectious, and by the time they had accumulated three full bags of leaves, EV had suggested asking Horis to dress up as a zombie farmer for their more-spectacular-by-the-second Halloween party.
Across the churchyard, a white shape caught EV’s eye. She pointed and called to Chloe, “Look over there. Is that white thing moving? I don’t have my glasses…”
Chloe squinted, and after a second, a grin spread across her face. “It’s that little rascal, Drambuie. Let’s go.” EV grabbed Chloe’s rake from her hands and leaned both it and her own up against the side of the church.
“We need to go slow, or we’ll scare him.” EV headed for the edge of the woods, curling around the border where the cat was standing. Chloe fell in behind her, moving as quickly and quietly as possible through the fallen layer of leaves and pine needles.
They were close, and getting closer, when the cat turned and caught sight of them. His eyes bugged out, his tail shot straight up right before he spun and bolted toward the woods. EV took off after him, snaking through the trees with the ease and swiftness of a woman half her age. Chloe followed, and for a full five minutes ran, zigzagging across fallen trees and around walls of thick brush. Drambuie, being smaller and far more agile, disappeared over the crest of a hill. By the time Chloe and EV were able to catch up, he was long gone.
EV bent over, placing her hands on her knees to catch her breath. “Well, that was a nice workout. At least we can tell Lottie he’s still alive, and apparently, thriving.”
“While we’re out here, we might as well collect the memory cards from the wildlife cameras. It shouldn’t take too long.”
“Let’s do it. I was tired of raking leaves, anyway.” Covering the remaining distance at a much slower pace allowed time and energy for conversation. “We’ve been so caught up in this business with the thefts and the Sasquatch hunters; we haven’t had any time to work on solving the blackmailer mystery.”
“Oh, I haven’t told you yet. I talked to Dalton yesterday.” Chloe paused, chancing a glance at her friend. Dalton was a touchy subject, and Chloe did not want to risk poking the bear.
“Go on.”
“He told me that Nate’s not dating Elise. She’s a private investigator he hired to try and identify the blackmailer. Apparently, he’s been working the case this whole time, but the elders told him to stay out of it. So he had to keep it quiet.” Chloe blurted, in a rush that wasn’t quite quick enough to distract EV from the most important part of the revelation.
“That’s why you’re so damned peppy today. You found out Inspector Hottie is still on the market! I knew something was up with you; you barely even sipped your coffee, and you haven’t snapped at me once.” EV teased, knowing full well she’d get a rise out of her friend.
“Go eat worms.” Chloe stomped off, but didn’t get far before EV’s long gait caught up to her. “Chloe and Nate, sittin’ in a tree…”
Chapter 26
“Ready?” Chloe asked EV as she pulled the memory card out of the fourth digital camera and slipped it into a port on her laptop. All irritation at EV’s insistent prodding about her relationship with Nate was long forgotten.
“Less than I was when we were checking camera number one. We’re down to two memory cards left to look at, and so far—bupkus. Cross your fingers.” Seconds later, another slide show of night-vision images appeared on the screen.
The first three photos featured a marauding skunk: a small, hunched over animal covered in black fur; the notorious white stripe up the back was a dead giveaway. Chloe flicked through several shots where, other than the trees, she could see nothing at all—probably triggered by the wind or an animal not visible in the frame. Her next click netted the first glimpse of the man who had been causing a ruckus amongst Ponderosa Pines residents over the last few weeks.
Early morning frost covered the blanket of fallen leaves along the forest floor, and bare trees provided a backdrop before which stood a tall, shaggy-looking man. In profile, an untamed beard billowed to at least an inch below his jawline; straggly hair protruded from a camouflage-print cap perched atop his head. The mystery man—for he was, indeed, a man—sported a canvas backpack that looked full to bursting, and carried a walking stick in one hand. EV and Chloe turned to one another, wide-eyed, but unable to utter a sound. Chloe took a deep breath and clicked to the next photograph.
This time, the man was staring in the direction of the camera, his line of sight positioned above and slightly to the left of the frame. From the front, even through the whiskers and dirt that caked his gaunt face, the man’s expression was calm and gentle. A slightly wild, but benign, sadness showed in his eyes. “What do you suppose happened to him? I would guess he’s been out in the woods for a good couple of months, considering the length of his beard and hair.” EV asked, her eyes still riveted to the image.
“I couldn’t begin to venture a guess.” Chloe clicked to the next photograph, and was once again taken aback, but for a completely different reason this time. The Yeti, as Chloe had begun to refer to him—and would probably continue to refer to him until his real name came to light—was crouched down, arms curled around a fuzzy ball of white fur. Drambuie had apparently found a companion; and, the Yeti had found a friend. In this shot, he was peering down at the cat, his mouth turned up in an indulgent smile as he scratched Drambuie’s chin. This was no psychopath; this was a lost man who had obviously been through some sort of traumatic event.
EV was the first to speak, having collected herself sufficiently. “Well, he seems like a regular guy; which is what we’ve been expecting since the art attack he launched on the town.”
“Now the question is: what do we do with these photos? We have to give them to Nate, obviously. But, I’m going to do some research of my own first—now that I know what he looks like, I can narrow my search.” Chloe’s eyes took on a faraway look, and EV knew she was already formulating a plan and making a mental list of websites to visit.
“I’ll put on a kettle for tea and order some food. That bus boy at the Mudbucket delivers if I throw him a fiver. I’ll go grab my laptop while we wait; then we can tackle this together. I can look through missing persons reports while you scour social media for our guy.”
“Perfect.” Chloe replied, settling on a cushioned dining room chair with her laptop. Within minutes, she had logged into Facebook and opened several group pages related to missing persons. When EV returned with her computer, she spent the time while it booted up puttering around making tea and tidying up Chloe’s normally spotless kitchen before answering the door and paying for their food delivery.
“Thanks, Bobby. We really appreciate it. Put this towards your college fund.” Bobby nodded.
“Thanks, EV.” EV thought she detected an eye roll, and she would have been correct.
The two women chatted, contemplating the Yeti’s true identity while they enjoyed a couple of the Mudbucket’s famous veggie wraps and split a chocolate whoopie pie. Chloe kept one eye on her computer screen, occasionally reaching over to tap t
he scroll button and check for possible matches.
Several hours passed before EV reached her limit, stood up, and attempted to throw one of the kittens’ toy mice across the dining room. It flew all of three feet before Spice sailed in from out of nowhere and pounced. He skittered sideways before picking up the toy and racing through the kitchen, feet slipping and sliding along the tile floor.
“Come look at this one.” Chloe called to EV for at least the dozenth time that evening, having needed confirmation on several possible matches. EV reluctantly, and with little faith that this prospective would be the correct one, rose from her chair and walked around to stand behind Chloe and peer over her shoulder.
“Oh my Goddess, that’s him! Don’t you think?” She nearly did a little dance when she realized they finally had a name to go with the face. Though, the fact that Chloe had even recognized him surprised the hell out of EV. The man in the missing persons photograph was an entirely different person: incredibly fit and healthy-looking, attractive even; his face lacking the wistful sadness from the photograph they had taken.
“Christian West is his name. I can’t believe it’s the same man. His mother says he left about four months ago to go on an extended hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail. Six weeks later, he stopped checking in. First, his family filed a report, and when the authorities failed to turn up anything, launched an extensive search.”
EV looked at the most recent updates on the efforts to find Christian West. She stood in silence for a long moment. Chloe could see the wheels turning until, comprehension dawning on her face, EV ran around to her seat at the table, and pulled up a map. “They’re looking in the wrong spot; they’re too far away and they don’t even realize it. There’s something playing at the edge of my mind. It feels like once it jogs loose, I’ll know where he is.”
Crafting Disorder (Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) Page 14
