Present Danger

by Elizabeth Goddard

  Gramps stomped in from outside with a plate of steaks. “Oh, honey, what happened?”

  “Nothing. Just a nick. Owen’s taking care of me.”

  Owen entered the kitchen, opened the bandage, and pressed it over the cut. His bright demeanor when she’d first arrived had now diminished. She focused on finishing the salad.

  “Forget the salad. I’m ready to eat,” Gramps said.

  “No, there’s plenty. I’ll just toss it in a bowl.” She finished up and gathered extra bowls, then sat at the small kitchen table with her grandfather and Owen. Just like old times. Sort of. Owen had been deployed most of the time she had lived with her grandfather.

  Gramps gave her a sympathetic look. “Any news about the murder?”

  “I’m not part of that investigation unless they ask for assistance. A few rangers and forest service law enforcement are helping look for a murder weapon.”

  “A needle in a haystack, that.” Gramps cut into his steak.

  She agreed and closed her eyes as she took a bite of steak, savoring the flavor and relishing the company.

  Staying here gave her more time to spend with Owen, who was home now for good. He seemed to be doing well, but he was a different person from the brother she’d known growing up. And how could he not be changed after what he experienced.

  But he and Gramps were here with her now, and she would enjoy every precious moment.

  Gramps finished his steak but hadn’t touched his salad.

  Owen cleared his throat. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  His expression was somber, but she didn’t miss the excitement edging his tone.

  “Well, don’t keep me in suspense.” She sipped on iced tea.

  “Now that I’m back, and we all know I didn’t come back completely whole, I want to provide equestrian therapy for wounded warriors. Soldiers like me.”

  Terra glanced at Gramps, apprehension knotting her stomach.

  Owen must have read her thoughts. “He’s on board, Terra. I couldn’t do it without his ranch and his horses. Unless I could get a grant together and investors, but I need somewhere to start.”

  “You have what you need right here.” Gramps spoke to Owen but winked at her.

  “Gramps and I are going to a therapeutic riding center in Idaho tomorrow. We’ll be gone tomorrow night too.”

  “Really?” Terra glanced between the two. “You guys have been busy.”

  Owen rubbed the back of his neck. “I have a friend coming in a few days. Without him, I wouldn’t have made it out of there.” Owen hung his head. “I want to have my act together when Leif gets here.”

  Terra shared a concerned look with Gramps. When Owen lifted his face, she saw the fear, but he quickly shuttered it away and put on a smile.

  She rubbed his arm. “I look forward to meeting him.”

  The doorbell rang and Gramps put his napkin on his plate, then scooted his chair out. “I’ll get it.”

  Terra strained to hear who might be at the door, wishing she’d answered it herself. Gramps’s tone sounded anything but warm and friendly. She left Owen sitting at the table and found Gramps still standing at the door. He turned to her.

  “You know this fella?” he asked.

  Jack filled the space, amusement dancing in his eyes.

  Terra pushed her grandfather down the hallway. “You. Go. Back to your dinner. Jack is here on official business.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure. Watch your back with that one.” Gramps stalked the rest of the way down the hall.

  Terra stepped through the door and closed it behind her to stand on the porch with Jack. “I’d ask you inside, but—”

  “It’s okay.”

  Gramps would give him a hard time. Terra had been left in a puddle after Jack left. Gramps held on to grudges much too long.

  “You could have called, you know.” She crossed her arms.

  “I did. Look at your phone lately?”

  Oops. She’d left it muted in her bag. “What’s up?”

  “We found Jim’s vehicle.”

  Terra absorbed the information. “And why are you telling me?”

  He barely hitched a grin, as if he liked that she knew he had more. “I’m inviting you to the party, Terra.”

  Her heart pounded. She’d wanted that, hadn’t she? “Why me? Why not Case Haymaker? He’s law enforcement.”

  “Oh, he’s invited. We’re all working together to find a killer. But I’d especially like your help. Your specific skill sets.”

  “Right. I’m forest service, and I know these woods. So do a lot of people.” Terra should stop talking because she did want to be involved in taking down Jim’s killer. She’d also have to confirm with her superior, ASAC—Assistant Special Agent in Charge—Daniel Murphy. But she was searching for the truth. Terra wanted to know if Jack had ulterior motives for bringing her into his investigation.

  “Yes, you know the woods, and you’re experienced in complex investigations.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and peered at Stone Wolf Mountain, part of the Gallatin Range. “Jim could have come across an illegal marijuana garden worth millions and run by a drug-trafficking organization.”

  That was something Terra would investigate. “But you don’t think that’s what happened.”

  “Do you?”

  “We will certainly search the area for anything he might have stumbled on that could have gotten him killed, but where did you find his vehicle?”

  Jack crossed his arms. “In Lake Perot.”

  “Wait. In the lake? Not near it?”

  “Bottom of it, to be clear.”

  “That’s twenty-five miles from where his body was found.” Could be drug traffickers, but she doubted they would go to that much trouble. She frowned. “Okay. You’ve piqued my interest. But how did you find his car to begin with?”

  “We obtained the GPS data from his vehicle, and that led us to the lake. His smartphone could possibly provide additional information. We’re working on a warrant to get any data he backed up. The phone was at the bottom of the lake with his vehicle. I’ve since put someone on cross-referencing the homes of people Jim was actively targeting for sales against the data and activity on the days surrounding his murder.”

  Admiration swelled inside. But then she would expect a former FBI agent to think outside the box. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the door and hoped he didn’t see that she was impressed. He was only doing his job, and he was good at it. “I have a feeling there’s more.”

  “According to the data, he had parked at the Maverick Trailhead on the night of his murder.”

  “And you don’t think he was meeting someone to sell them insurance.”

  “No.”

  “What exactly do you need from me?”

  “I’d like you to accompany me up that trail and search for . . . anomalies.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t ask, Terra, but evidence disappears quickly in the elements. And . . . frankly, I don’t like Case, so I’m asking you.”

  His cheek hitched. Had he winked too? His dimpled grin and that wink still affected her, even now.

  She couldn’t help but return the smile. Jack had spent enough time in the woods, climbing mountains. He knew his way around too. But she wouldn’t remind him. He’d invited her to the party, to join the investigation. She didn’t care about the reasons, after all. “I’ll meet you there at the trailhead at sunrise.”

  “Good.” He lingered as if he had something else to say, but she knew he’d come to deliver the only news he had.

  In person.

  To be fair, she hadn’t answered her phone. She held his gaze.

  “Thanks for driving all the way out here, Jack.” Big Rapids, the Grayback county seat, was about twenty-five minutes away, and Jack’s aunt’s house was just outside of town. But as a county deputy, he was accustomed to covering a large area.

  Was it her imagination, or was he going out of his way to keep her close? So he could somehow make u
p for the past? Oh, come on, Terra, you are reaching with that one.

  “I’m impressed that you learned this information so quickly.” Maybe she shouldn’t ask, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Would you like to come in for some coffee before you head back?”

  He seemed as surprised at her invitation as she was. “What about pie? Did you make a pie?”

  A laugh burst from her. “Sorry, we’re fresh out.”

  His shoulders sagged in exaggerated disappointment as he scraped his palm across the lower half of his face.

  His warm smile brought back good memories. “Thanks, but I have to get home and check on my aunt, plus I really don’t want to be the subject of your grandfather’s interrogation. If you had pie, then I might risk it.”

  That elicited another smile from her. “Fair enough. Good night then.”

  He had worked some kind of magic to show up here and lift her spirits, make her feel warm inside.

  She watched him head to his unmarked county SUV. Lingering as he drove off, she thought through their conversation while she attempted to ignore the way he made her heart pound.

  Terra stayed to watch the bright pink sunset behind the mountain’s silhouette.

  And over by the stables near the corral, she caught Owen standing next to a horse, watching.

  Later that evening, Terra lay in bed in her old bedroom. Gramps had left it the same even after she’d officially moved out. She couldn’t shut her mind down enough to sleep, so she stared at the ceiling. The day’s events swirled in her thoughts. Too much information coalesced in her mind. She was the only agent for her region and was actively working twelve cases, including timber theft and assault on one of their ranger station volunteers. The job of forest service law enforcement included protecting the natural resources—water and soil—as well as the cultural aspects. Her investigations helped to enforce and prosecute those committing acts against the forest. And they could assist the county sheriff’s department in searching for a suspect.

  Finding a killer could unfortunately take months rather than days.

  Would she and Jack be working together on this investigation in six months? Could she continue to work with him and not think about what they’d had before?

  Both she and Jack had attended Montana State. She knew she would go into the forest service in some capacity to follow in her mother’s footsteps, so she got her degree in natural resource management with an archaeology minor, her goal to somehow live up to her mother’s legacy.

  Strange to think that she hoped to live up to her mother’s legacy when Jack strove to prove he was nothing like his father. He had nothing to prove, if you asked her, but he hadn’t asked her.

  Instead, he’d left town.

  The week after they graduated college, Terra had sensed that Jack was anxious. She thought he was as in love with her as she was with him. She’d let herself hope for a proposal since they had often talked about a future together. But Jack had also dreamed of joining the FBI. Terra just didn’t realize how their dreams could end up so diametrically opposed.

  Jack had left a letter explaining that she deserved better than him.

  His words scraped across her heart now.

  “I love you enough to let you go.”

  The ceiling blurred as the memory took over—her heart crushing again at the news Nadine had delivered.

  “I’m so sorry, Terra. He’s gone. He packed up his things earlier today and left.”

  TEN

  Jack parked at the curb at his aunt’s house, barely registering that he’d arrived. He was relieved to finally be “home,” though he still struggled to accept that he was truly back in Big Rapids, Montana, living with his aunt. This arrangement was the best one for her.

  His mind kept flashing back to all the times he’d stood on that porch with Terra—before he’d left for Quantico.

  He’d planned to propose. Bought a ring—weird that he still had that ring.

  Jack carried some bad DNA in him. He had baggage and feared that, with his legacy, especially compared to Terra’s family, he wasn’t the best man for her. Still, he’d been in love. He would have proposed that night. And if he had, they could have gone to Quantico together, but he’d overheard Robert Vandine telling someone over the phone that Jack was from bad stock. He talked about Jack like he was nothing more than livestock. The man had bad-mouthed his father, and all Jack’s doubts came crashing down on him. He definitely wasn’t the man for Terra.

  He actually thought he’d been doing the right thing by leaving her with only a letter instead of talking to her face-to-face. She deserved so much better than him, and it had been best to walk away cold turkey. He had never told her about the conversation he’d overheard. If she had known about her grandfather’s words regarding Jack, it would have broken her heart. Considering that her father had left her, and then Jack too, Terra deserved at least one man whom she could count on.

  Jack had broken both their hearts—the manner of his departure one of his biggest regrets.

  He’d let her down. He’d let many people down. Now he was determined not to do that ever again.

  Especially to his aunt.

  Jack strode into the small ranch house he now shared with her and headed to the kitchen. A sensation swept over him.

  Emptiness.

  No one was home. He hoped he was wrong. “Aunt Nadine?”

  Her car was still in the driveway. After searching the house, he rushed outside into the backyard. Two of the dogs, Dusty and Tux, also strays that had now found a home there with Nadine, met him and wagged their tails. But no Freckles or Aunt Nadine.

  “Have you guys seen Aunt Nadine?” Jack crouched to rub the dogs behind their ears. “I know you tell us not to worry, Lord, but I can’t help it.”

  Jack rushed around to the front of the house and looked down the county road. Aunt Nadine lived just outside the city limits, with a few neighboring houses nearby.

  His gut clenched. He hoped he wouldn’t find her out roaming around at this time of night. It was already ten o’clock. He should have come home earlier, as promised, but he’d wanted to give Terra the information and secure her help, then he’d stopped at the county offices.

  Jack darted back into the house and looked at the list of Aunt Nadine’s friends and phone numbers taped on the refrigerator. She hadn’t driven anywhere, so a friend could have picked her up. He called the first person on the list—Francine Carmichael—even though it was probably past her bedtime, but he needed to find Aunt Nadine. He waited for someone to answer.

  At sixty-nine, Aunt Nadine was young to struggle with dementia—at least what little he knew about it—though the risks increased with age. He’d read some information about the disease on the Internet, but he had better make the time to get thoroughly educated before she—or someone else—ended up hurt.

  At least she was still well enough to be independent, but Jack had made his decision to stay close and live with her. Maybe his career move to county detective was the wrong one for this situation, and he should look for other employment.

  “Hello?” A woman answered the call.

  “Hello, Mrs. Carmichael?”

  “This is she.”

  “This is Jack, Nadine’s nephew. I’m wondering if she’s there with you.”

  “Goodness, no.” She coughed, then continued, “If you don’t know where she is, that can’t be good. Did you look to see if her car is in the garage?”

  “It’s in the drive, actually. I’ve already looked everywhere here at the house. I’m calling her friends before I call the sheriff.”

  A ruckus at the front door drew his attention, then Freckles dashed inside dragging his leash. The door shut and Aunt Nadine entered the kitchen from the hallway, wearing a purple hoodie and looking exhausted. Relief washed through him but was replaced with another concern as she paused to stare at him. Did she even recognize him?

  “Mrs. Carmichael, she’s here. No need to be worried. She just walked in.”
He ended the call and prepared himself for what came next.

  “Jack, what on earth are you doing? Are you trying to make my friends think I’m crazy?”

  “What? Of course not. I got home and couldn’t find you.” He hated seeing the disappointment in her eyes. “I’m sorry, okay? Let me get you a drink.”

  “I can take care of myself.” She brushed past him to grab Freckles, then crouched to release the dog from his leash. She opened the sliding glass door to let Freckles into the backyard. “Go see Tux and Dusty.”

  Freckles dashed through the door, and the other two dogs barked and welcomed him like he’d been gone for a year. Aunt Nadine flipped on the lights in the backyard.

  “Freckles wanted to take a walk, so I took him with me. We were out putting up posters, that’s all. You were supposed to help.”

  Guilt surged. “I’m sorry. I got caught up with work. But it’s after ten at night. You can’t blame me for being worried about you. You shouldn’t be out putting up posters late at night.” Something could happen. But he’d scolded her enough.

  Aunt Nadine glanced at the clock on the wall over the sink, a confused look in her eyes. “We left right after dinner. It was still light out.”

  That was hours ago, but saying so now wouldn’t help her.

  Time to lighten the atmosphere. “It sounds like you got caught up with work too, putting up those posters so Freckles can find his boy.” Jack grinned. He hated that he wasn’t nearly as hopeful as his aunt about reconnecting a dog and a boy who had lost each other.

  Trembling, she pulled a chair out from the table and sat.

  Jack opened the fridge and took out some orange juice. He poured his aunt a drink without asking if she wanted it and set the glass on the table in front of her. She drank it as though her mind were somewhere else.

  He thought she had medication that she took at ten every night.

  What am I going to do?

  He joined her at the table and watched helplessly as her eyes filled with unshed tears. Was she thinking about Sarah, her granddaughter who had run away with her boyfriend and then disappeared? Jack wouldn’t bring Sarah up if his aunt didn’t.