Present Danger

by Elizabeth Goddard

  Someone who also wanted her dead. He’d purposefully locked her inside that cabin by somehow jamming the locking mechanism. She didn’t know how or why, and might never get the chance to find out now.

  To escape the cabin, she had removed the log shelf from inside the cabinet where the artifacts had been stored. Then she’d used the shelf to pound out the nails in the boards covering a window and climbed through, barely escaping the flames that were now consuming the forest she loved. Terra focused on surviving and refused to give in to sheer terror. She had to remain single-minded.

  A whimper fought to escape her dry mouth. Jack. She hoped he didn’t get caught in the wildfire.

  With one last grunt, she pulled herself off the boulder and onto the higher ground of the mountain slope. From here, she could see the fire raging below and the smoke rising. Wildland firefighters should be on their way if they weren’t there already. Even if her text hadn’t gone through, Jack would have seen the fire. Terra swiped her arm across her sweaty brow and eyes. A bitter taste filled her mouth.

  All the times she’d advised others to take a pack with supplies, especially water, and she’d left her pack in her vehicle. She needed water. The forest needed water.

  Apprehension gripped her and could paralyze her if she didn’t push through. She couldn’t imagine any sane person would intentionally set a forest fire.

  Whatever the reason, a fire raged. Anger flared inside her.

  From her perch, Terra searched the areas the fire hadn’t touched. The flames traveled east with the wind. She peered at her cell, which had lost its charge, and she doubted she could have gotten a signal anyway.

  God, oh, God, oh, God . . . please let them put this out before it grows even bigger.

  Though fire played a natural role in forest management, it was a destructive force to be reckoned with.

  Especially when you were in the middle of it!

  Terra was on the side of the blaze opposite of where Jack would have approached on the trail. She hadn’t been able to text him again.

  Terra rubbed her temples.

  If only she could let him know she’d made it out of the cabin alive. The only way to do that was to make her way to safety and tell him herself. Even though the fire was heading east, the direction could change at a moment’s notice, putting her in danger. Depending on how hot the fire burned, it could rage through previously soaked areas, which could slow it down but sometimes not enough.

  As it was, trapped on this side of the fire line was bad enough without the fact that the arsonist was out there somewhere too. He could still be a threat. Terra did a 360. Her breath caught when she spotted more flames coming in from the west. The arsonist?

  Whatever the reason, her escape route options were diminishing fast.

  A wave of heat hit her. She turned back to the closer fire racing this direction. Trees crackled and burst into flames much too close for comfort. A small swath of evergreens still remained between her and the Grayback River to the north of her no more than two miles away.

  Terra scrambled down and over the rocky outcropping, heading for the thick woods that would soon be engulfed. Making it to the river before the flames caught up would be a race against time. She would have to run even though she was already dehydrated. Terra paced herself as she dashed between trees, over dry pine needles, and around shrubs and undergrowth. Here most of it was dry and would feed the fire.

  Terra gasped for breath. Sweat beaded on her face, her back, every inch of her body. She couldn’t afford to lose more fluid, but what could she do?

  What’s more, her limbs cramped and threatened to give out.

  Hot flames bore down on her from behind as she made her way to the river. Hundreds of glowing sparks floated and swirled in the air.

  Chuff, chuff, chuff.

  A helicopter.

  She glanced up and spotted the chopper swooping over the forest. Terra was in the trees. They would never see her. She had another half mile or more to get to the river. Leaning over her knees, she caught her breath. Sucked in the dry, hot air. Pushed through a coughing spasm before she pressed on.

  As she neared the river, the terrain grew rocky. A wide band of large boulders lined the river all the way to the bank. At least it wasn’t a canyon or a ravine that could trap her in the forest. She could climb down.

  Terra clambered over the boulders, making her way toward the river, which she hoped would stop the blaze. But fires could jump water when trees exploded and sparks drifted.

  God, please . . .

  The air was hazy with smoke, and she struggled to breathe. If the flames didn’t get to her, the smoke would take her out. She continued making her way toward the rocky bank of the Grayback River. Where the boulders extended across the river, they caused whitewater rapids. She would have to make her way farther down if she was going to cross.

  Terra breathed in too much smoke and a fit of hacking spasms hit her.

  Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

  Panic could get her killed.

  Calm down.

  You’re the daughter of a forest ranger. You’re a forest service special agent.

  Across the river in the shadows between the trees, a man in a gray hoodie stood watching. Terra almost shouted for help. He turned his back to her and disappeared.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  There!” Jack shouted. “I see her.”

  His heart might have exploded with overwhelming relief, except Terra was by no means out of danger. Firefighters still fought to gain control of the flames.

  Jack had “hijacked” one of the state’s Huey helicopters to search for Terra. Other Hueys were carting three hundred-gallon buckets of water to dump on the fire.

  The chopper swooped closer to the Grayback River and hovered over the whitewater rapids, the din joining the rotors in intensity.

  Hands on hips, Terra stood on a boulder near the rapids. Dirt and ash smudged her face and body, and despite the dry heat, her hair fell limp with sweat. His heart jumped to his throat at the sight of her. Alive. She was still alive. Jack had to keep her that way.

  “Obviously, it’s not going to be a ground landing.” The pilot’s voice resounded through Jack’s helmet. “We’ll use the hoist. I’ll keep a good distance to avoid the rotors hitting the trees.”

  “Good to know. I’ll go down and get her.” Jack secured himself on the cable and motioned for a state guy who went by the name Elk who had joined him on this search operation. Elk worked the winch that lowered Jack’s cable.

  The smoke grew thick. A gust of wind caught the chopper, and Jack swung wildly over the rapids. His pulse spiked even though he was secured to the cable. Squeezing his eyes shut, he focused on calm, controlled breaths.

  Please, don’t let me spin.

  The cable began to lower him again, and he opened his eyes. Once again, the helicopter hovered above Terra, the pilot attempting a dynamic hoist—maneuvering the bird so the cable wouldn’t spin—which Jack appreciated.

  Terra shifted back and forth. Fire and smoke crept dangerously closer, but she didn’t seem to care. She kept looking across the river, then up to Jack. Finally, he was on the rock. He almost stumbled, but she dragged him onto the boulder until his footing was sure.

  Even though the rotors above them should have drowned out most every other sound, the rapids roared in his ears.

  Hope, and something else he couldn’t read, poured from Terra’s wide eyes.

  She yanked him forward into a hug, her voice thick with relief and emotion as she said, “Jack. Thank God!”

  He wanted to keep her there against him. To look at her face and contemplate that she was standing in front of him alive and well. Jack had so much to say, but he had to keep her alive—and they were out of time. He assisted in securing her in the airlift rescue vest, making sure it remained attached to the hoist equipment. Then he glanced up at Elk, who managed their lifeline, and signaled they were ready.

  Terra held on to Jack while the winch
pulled the cable back to the helicopter as it lifted higher. Jack took in the terrifying view below. The violent rapids beneath threatened to reach up and grab them while the blistering fire raced toward them, a furious monster intent on thwarting their escape. When the thick smoke cleared in spots, he could see the bright orange flames that devoured the forest below them—a heart-stopping sight.

  When the cable had been winched all the way to the helicopter, Elk assisted in hauling Terra and Jack inside. They disengaged from the hoisting equipment and shrugged from their harnesses.

  Jack looked into her bright blue eyes, relieved to see the fear subsiding. Again, he considered that he had so much he wanted to say to her. But now wasn’t that moment. Would he ever find the right time?

  Terra’s mouth hung open as if she, too, would speak words she’d been holding back. He could have lost her today, and in a way, he was getting a second chance with her, but he couldn’t know if she even wanted that. His emotions were getting the best of him, and Elk was giving him a funny look.

  He followed Terra’s lead and strapped into his seat, and Terra donned the helmet Elk had handed her. She glanced at Jack but then focused her attention on the woods below.

  Elk offered them both bottles of water. Terra guzzled it. As soon as she came up for air, she said, “Go back. Go back closer to the river where you picked me up.”

  “What? Why?”

  She’d been focused on those woods even as he rescued her. “He’s down there, Jack. He’s in the woods.”

  “Who?”

  “The guy who started the fire! He locked me in the cabin. I saw him running away while I was trapped inside. Before you arrived, I saw him watching me from across the river. He was wearing a gray hoodie.”

  Jack instructed the pilot to return and swoop as low as possible so they could search as long as it remained safe.

  He hesitated before radioing the sheriff. “But you didn’t actually see him start the fire, though.”

  “No. But who else could it have been? No one else was out there. He could have been the guy we chased. The man who killed Neva. I don’t know, but he jammed the lock somehow, then started a fire to destroy the cabin. I don’t know if I was a bonus for him or his target.”

  Jack radioed the sheriff what Terra had seen, and that she was safe, but to be on the lookout for anyone fleeing the forest wearing a gray hoodie. He squeezed her shoulder, but like Terra had done, Jack now concentrated on the dense woods below them and searched for the man who could be behind everything, including the murders.

  Finding anyone in the thickly forested area was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, but there were clearings now and then. And the arsonist was sure to hide while the chopper was above him. After a half an hour, the smoke grew even thicker, and visibility decreased to near zero. They couldn’t see a thing. Jack called the search.

  Terra closed her eyes and rested her head against the seat back. She shoved her still-damp hair behind her ears. “I can’t stand that he’s out there. That he’s free to commit more crimes.”

  Jack took in her appearance. Her hair a tangled mess, smudges along her temple and cheeks. Her clothes, dirty and torn. That she was sitting here with him now seemed nothing short of a miracle.

  He thought he’d lost her.

  Jack wanted to do so much more than sit next to her. He wanted to hold her tight and never let her go, as if that could take all their troubles away. Maybe human touch would comfort them both and help them power through. Jack could use the reassurance.

  Terra opened her eyes and held his gaze. She must have sensed him watching. Sorrow, regret, and anger twisted her features.

  He couldn’t stand to see her this way, so he lifted a hand to wipe the smudges from her face but thought better of it and quickly dropped his hand.

  Terra propped her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her palms.

  “What do Jim and Neva and this guy who killed them have in common?” She pushed up to sit straight again. “Jim and Neva potentially have the artifacts in common.”

  “Then what’s your role in this?” Jack asked. “If this is the same guy, then why did he try to kill you today? That reminds me. I learned that the tracks in the woods behind Neva’s don’t match those found near your grandfather’s home.”

  “So the two incidents are not related.” She rubbed her arms.

  “Regardless, you’re somehow too close to it all. Why would he try to kill you?”

  “I could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He locked me in so I wouldn’t get in the way of his plans.”

  Or the man wanted her dead because he feared she was getting too close to the truth.

  “Jack, it could be a distraction. Start a fire, and we all scramble. Our focus is divided.”

  He nodded. “That’s something to consider.”

  Whatever his reasons, this guy didn’t act like someone who had anything to lose. Jack remained concerned that someone had followed her to her grandfather’s that night. Had someone monitored her activity, working with the safecracker to warn him to get out before she arrived home, and that effort had failed?

  “Good news. The eastern side of the fire has been contained,” the pilot said.

  “Oh, thank God.” A relieved sigh whooshed from Terra. It seemed like a week since she’d gone to the cabin, but it had only been a few hours.

  “Can you take us back to our vehicles near the Maverick Trailhead?” Jack asked.

  “Sure thing.”

  Terra closed her eyes for a moment and silently prayed. When she opened them, she unzipped her jacket pocket and pulled out a palm-sized object wrapped in latex gloves. “I found this.”

  She slowly unwrapped it so he could peer at the jagged corner of a stone.

  “Looks like a square piece of stone or clay. Another artifact? Where did you find it?” he asked.

  “A few yards from the cabin. It was in the dirt under a bush. I took pictures, don’t worry. I would have marked it with an evidence marker, but I didn’t have that with me.”

  “You don’t think it’s part of another archaeological site that needs to be protected, do you?”

  Frowning, she shook her head. “No. This was clearly dropped there.”

  “What do you make of it?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  He scratched his chin. “What if Jim fought with someone there. Somehow it got broken during the altercation, and that’s also when Jim was stabbed. There could be more evidence. Blood. Something. Somehow this was missed when we searched. And now the fire has destroyed anything else we might have found. That could be the sole reason he started the fire. We’re getting too close to the truth.”

  She nodded. “You could be right. Yeah, that makes sense.”

  She turned the piece over to look closer, studying the broken piece a few moments. “I’ve made the decision to show it to a friend in the field. An expert.”

  “Wait. This is evidence.”

  “And I’m securing it as such and will take it to a safe place.”

  “A friend in the field. You mean you’re not giving it over to your forest service archaeologist?”

  “Let’s just say when there’s artifact trafficking going on, one can never know how far and wide it goes. I’d like to put some distance between this and the locals, and I know I can trust my guy.”

  The helicopter landed in the middle of the mountain road. Jack climbed out first, and Terra ignored his assistance and hopped down on her own. They ducked and rushed away as the Huey lifted.

  Terra turned to head to her SUV but stumbled. Jack caught her before she tumbled to the ground. He held her against him, admittedly right where he wanted. Again, he thought about those moments when he’d feared the worst—that she was gone. That he’d lost her forever. He . . . he wanted her back. How did he say what he was really feeling? Terra wouldn’t accept those words from him. Not yet. If ever.

  Terra pressed her hands against his chest, and
his arms encircled her. “That was a close call,” he whispered.

  She eased away slightly and peered up at him, a soft smile on her lips. “Thanks for catching me. I’m more exhausted than I thought.”

  Jack had been referring to the fire, but he didn’t correct her.

  He released her but kept his arm around her waist for added support as he ushered her to her vehicle. “You’ve been through an awful trauma today. Give yourself a break.”

  Though he didn’t want to, he relinquished her. Terra opened the vehicle door and fished her cell from her pocket. Jack lingered—he wasn’t sure she was okay. Or maybe he was the one who wasn’t okay.

  She found the charger and plugged it in, then turned her attention back to him.

  “I need a favor from you,” she said.

  “Anything.”

  “Anything? Wait until you hear what I have to say.” She stood taller now. No stumbling for her.

  “I don’t think I was actually targeted today. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t know about being followed the other night. That could have been my imagination. Or, again, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone wanted in the safe, and I came to the ranch house too soon. The point is that if you report that someone is trying to kill me, then I could be taken off this investigation. We don’t know that’s what’s happening. And I have to see this through.”

  “Why is it so important?”

  “Come on. Forest service special agent. Those jobs are few and far between. Not easy to get.”

  “Don’t tell me you feel like you need to prove yourself.”

  “Of course I do. Didn’t you feel the same way when you headed to Quantico? I want to prove that I can do this job.” Her searching stare wouldn’t let go. Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

  He understood far better than she knew. This was about her living up to her mother’s legacy. Funny that he was trying to change his father’s.

  “Only if I can get something from you in return. Wait. That didn’t sound right.”