Present Danger

by Elizabeth Goddard

  Terra sent him a wry grin. “What is it?”

  “Don’t take chances like you did today going up the trail without me. Don’t put yourself at risk. Do we have a deal?” He wanted to say more. If it turns out that someone really is out to kill you, then you need to consider dropping this investigation. Let’s report and get protection too. He wouldn’t say more because she could end up keeping any attempts on her life from him, and he couldn’t have that.

  She was a professional. A good agent. But she was also human.

  Everyone had their weaknesses.

  And their failures.

  “Okay. Sure.”

  “That means I want to stick close. That’s my part of the deal.”

  “Within reason. We have a job to do, and sometimes that will mean you go one way and I go another. I promise to let you know my every move.” Terra’s lips twisted into a full-on smile that did crazy things to his heart. “The bottom line is that the sooner we solve this, the better for everyone—including the next potential victim.”

  Terra’s cell buzzed, and she snatched it up. Her eyes grew wide.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It’s a text from Joey’s lawyer. He has a message from Joey.”

  THIRTY-FIVE

  Terra contemplated what the text could mean.

  “Well, what is it?” Jack sounded impatient.

  She didn’t blame him. “One word. Janus.”

  “Who’s Janice?”

  “No. J-a-n-u-s.”

  “What difference does the spelling make. Who is this person?”

  “Janus is an ancient Roman god. It’s said he has two faces, and he looks into the future and the past.”

  “What does it mean?” he asked.

  “It means Joey sent me a cryptic message, and I’m not sure what he’s telling me.”

  She climbed all the way into her vehicle to sit and started the engine. She wasn’t sure she was up for driving after today’s events. Her legs were still shaking.

  Jack was watching her much too closely. She didn’t want his scrutiny.

  “Meeting with Joey didn’t help us to find out why two people are dead,” she said. “At least not yet. I need to dig deeper to understand the significance behind Joey’s cryptic text. In the meantime, I have a fragmented piece that could shed some light. If Jim was killed for it, that is. I need to get that into, um . . . my friend’s hands.”

  “A friend? An expert? Come on, Terra. I need more information than that. Potentially both the victim and the suspect touched this. It’s evidence.”

  “It needs to be analyzed, and I’ll maintain all the proper documentation. Don’t worry. His name is Dr. Jeremy Brand. He’s currently an archaeology professor at the University of Wyoming. I think he’s still in Jackson Hole leading a dig.”

  “He’s someone you keep up with then?”

  “I met him during an earlier investigation with the NPS.”

  Jack searched her eyes, like he often did, trying to get a read on her. “I’m going with you.”

  “Fine. But I’m not going anywhere until I wash the grime away. I’ll call first. Maybe I can Skype with him or send him a picture.”

  “You don’t think he’ll need to get his hands on it to make an assessment?”

  “One step at a time. I’m heading to the ranch to get cleaned up. I’ll see you later. Don’t forget Owen’s party.”

  Jack looked beat. But at the same time, he looked good. How did he do that?

  “I’ll be there,” he said. “You’ll see me tonight too. I’m following you to your grandfather’s to make sure you get there okay.”

  “I can take care of myself.” With those words, she remembered that desperate moment when she thought she had to choose between the river and the fire, and then Jack showed up in the Huey to pull her out of death’s reach. She had so much more she wanted to say to him, to confide, and she sensed he was holding back as well. “Listen, Jack . . . I . . .”

  He angled his head. “Yeah?”

  She couldn’t hide the emotion that surged inside. And she also couldn’t tear her gaze from his. Instead, she soaked in his forest-green eyes. “How . . . how did you know?”

  His brows crinkled, and he edged a little closer. “Know what?”

  Her heart rate inched up at his nearness.

  Standing inside the door, Jack looked at her with such longing, Terra had the strongest urge to get out of her vehicle and get closer to him again. She struggled to remain seated and, for the first time, to remember why she shouldn’t be in his arms.

  Terra hoped her voice sounded steady. “My text said I was locked inside that burning cabin. How did you know I had survived? How did you know to even search for me? I . . . don’t even know how to thank you.” Thank you should have been the first words out of her mouth, but her thoughts had been on getting the man behind the fire.

  “I didn’t know you had survived.” Jack looked away, but she hadn’t missed the emotion welling in his eyes, and he almost sucked her into that wave with him. He cleared his throat as he looked at her again. She saw in his eyes that he still cared deeply for her, and it took her breath away.

  He reached across the short distance to cup her cheek. “But I couldn’t live with the thought of losing you, Terra. I kept telling myself that you were still alive. I listened to my instincts, my heart . . .”

  Oh. My.

  That was it then. She couldn’t hold back. Terra slid from the seat and into his arms. With her head against his chest, she heard the steady beat of his strong heart. If he hadn’t listened to his instincts and followed through, she could have died in the fire or in an attempt to cross the river. She could still be out there in those woods.

  Jack had come for her.

  Was Terra losing her grip? She’d been in his arms already today—and that had felt good and right, despite the reasons she’d ended up there.

  If Terra could forget the past, forget the pain he’d caused her, then maybe . . . maybe she could get comfortable snug against him.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, the emotional connection with him tugging at the deep places of her heart. But not deep enough. A wall still remained. She could forgive him, and she had, but she wasn’t able to fully trust him not to utterly devastate her again. Terra couldn’t seem to get beyond that scar over her heart.

  She should move away from him, but . . .

  Jack was the one to step back.

  He left her feeling cold and empty by comparison.

  His features had grown stern. “It’s getting late, and you should get home. We need to give our statements about today’s events.”

  She rubbed her eyes. “Tomorrow.”

  Jack’s expression softened. “Remember, I’m going to follow you home.”

  Terra was too exhausted to argue with him. She steered from the trailhead and headed back to Gramps’s ranch. She glanced in the rearview mirror to see Jack still following her when she finally turned into the circular drive. A smile broke through her exhaustion. Former FBI Special Agent Jack Tanner turned county detective had a way of making her want a relationship even in the midst of a nightmarish day.

  At the front door, she waved and he took off.

  She could smell the smoke, but the fire was far from Stone Wolf Mountain and the ranch, and she prayed it would be contained soon.

  The day had been long and exhausting, and she was relieved when she didn’t run into Gramps or Owen, each of them caught up in doing their own thing, which was just as well. Terra grabbed leftover tuna from the fridge, along with a fork, and headed to her room to finish it off. After showering and changing into comfy clothes, Terra carefully set the artifact on a ziplock bag and took a better picture in brighter light.

  She pursed her lips. She needed answers from someone she could trust, so she sent a quick text.

  Dr. Brand, we need to talk.

  While she waited for his response, she rested on her bed and closed her eyes. Images of the raging fire f
illed her mind. Terra jolted awake. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

  She eyed her phone. Still no text.

  She tried again.

  Jeremy, I need your help.

  Terra chewed on her lip, then sent the photo. She explained briefly where it was found and that it was linked to a murder investigation. Then she sent another text.

  What is this?

  While she waited for his response, she knew she would fall asleep unless she kept busy. So she checked her email and wrote a report of the events of the day. Her cell buzzed with a text.

  Not Native American.

  The text became a call. Terra frowned. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear his voice. “Hey.”

  “All right. My interest is sufficiently piqued.”

  “If it’s not Native American, then what is it?”

  “I can’t tell you much from a picture.”

  “Of course you can. You have all you need.”

  “I’m going to have to get a close look at it. That is, if you want my help.”

  Did she want his help that much?

  “I could have the local forest service archaeologist assess it.”

  “But you contacted me. Why?” His brusque tone didn’t give her the warm fuzzies.

  Something’s going on, that’s why. But how did she tell him she was getting some weird vibes? “Listen, two people have been murdered, and I think their deaths could be related to this. I can’t be sure, but I just didn’t want to turn this over to the wrong person.”

  “I’m surprised to hear you think I’m not the wrong person.”

  Touché.

  “Wait, you’re not turning it over to me either.” He huffed a laugh.

  How long could a person hold a grudge? But Terra was one to talk. She weaved her fingers through her damp hair.

  “Does the word Janus mean anything to you?”

  Silence filled the connection. Before she could ask if he was still there, he spoke.

  “In what context, Terra?”

  She didn’t miss the hesitation in his tone. Good. That meant she should push it. “In the context of stolen artifacts, what else?”

  He heaved a sigh. “The term isn’t used often, but the Janus is a person who facilitates the movement of an illegally trafficked item to the licit world market. Think of the Janus as a portal, the laundering point.”

  “Any thoughts on the profile of such a person?”

  “Wait, are you suggesting that there’s a Janus connection through Montana?” His voice sounded incredulous.

  “You know as much as I do. Maybe the person is here right now. Has a ranch but another home elsewhere. What kind of person am I looking for, Jeremy? A scientist like you? Someone who’s wealthy and is a collector? Or a museum curator? Someone who travels?”

  “My answer will depend on the item. I need to see it, Terra. I could drive up to you.”

  Wow, he wasn’t kidding. “No, that’s okay.”

  “The Janus has many connections, political and social, and probably travels a lot. More than that, this could mean a world market. It could mean . . . international collectors. Bigger money.”

  There was that word bigger again.

  Just as she was thinking, but she didn’t want to believe it. Jeremy had been the right person to ask. “Okay. You have a deal. But I’m coming to you.”

  THIRTY-SIX

  Chance sat in the dark corner and waited. This wasn’t his preferred method, but he had no choice.

  Blevins flicked the lamp on at his bed and spotted Chance in the chair aiming a gun at him.

  Fear flickered across his face. “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s time for you to remember something.”

  The man lifted his palms. “You don’t want to do anything stupid.”

  “I already did that a long time ago. You’re the one who doesn’t want to do anything stupid.”

  “You’re not going to shoot me.”

  “I have nothing to lose.”

  “What do you want from me? Why are you doing this, man? This isn’t like you. Not at all.”

  “Oh, so you do remember me.”

  Blevins stared at Chance but said nothing.

  “Who’s behind the deliveries?” Chance asked.

  “I don’t know anything.”

  Chance fingered the trigger, hoping Blevins believed the bluff.

  “Okay, okay. I remember you. But maybe you shouldn’t be so anxious for me to remember. Maybe it’s better that I forget I saw you.”

  “Yes, please forget. But only after you give me something I can use. I need to face off with him. This was supposed to be my last run, and then I was free.”

  Blevins laughed. “Did you ever stop to think that your freedom simply meant your death?”

  Chance paused at that. “No, actually, I hadn’t. But since it sounds like my life is threatened, you’d better start talking.”

  Blevins wiped the sweat from his brow. “Friends stop by the bar and have a beer with me. Sometimes it’s a stranger who hands off information for a drop point or pickup point. Or we walk out together, and I take the package. It all happens in plain sight. When you sat down, I knew that something had gone very wrong.”

  “How did you know I wasn’t supposed to be there?”

  “I was told to expect the delivery. Then I saw on the news that the plane had crashed. Then you—the pilot from the crash—showed up, and I knew you were going to be trouble.”

  “So once the package is handed off to you, what do you do with it?”

  “I hand it off to a woman. She meets me at the bar. We have a beer and a few laughs. We sometimes leave together like there’s something going on, and I hand off the item. I’d say she could tell you what you want to know, but she was murdered.”

  “She was murdered. Jim was murdered.”

  “Tonight I was packing up to get out of town for a while.”

  “Because you could be next?”

  The man barely nodded. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll disappear too.”

  “I already disappeared once. Biggest mistake of my life. I intend to end this once and for all. But if you don’t have the package, then who does?”

  “I have no idea.” Blevins sat on the edge of the bed. “Do you know what you were delivering?”

  Chance pursed his lips. Unfortunately, he did know. In fact, he’d looked inside the box. Just this once, on his one last trip, he wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

  He’d been shocked to see what was inside.

  And . . . the one person who Chance would suspect to be behind that particular delivery had died a long time ago.

  Chance eyed Blevins. “I’ll help you pack.”

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  The next day started early. After giving statements regarding the previous day’s events, Terra and Jack piled into her vehicle to drive to an archaeological dig near Jackson Hole—a three-hour drive one way.

  She’d suggested that they could accomplish more by going their separate ways, but Jack insisted he wanted to ride along. She hadn’t wasted time arguing with him, though she knew he’d shifted to protective mode. They’d both been left shaken by what happened yesterday. In the end, Terra was glad for his company.

  The day would be a long one, most of which would be spent traveling. But they could use the time to discuss what they’d learned so far.

  The first couple of hours, they rehashed everything that had happened. Terra hoped she would remember something more about the man she’d seen. Some small clue that would give them insight into who he was, but he was good at creeping around and keeping his face in the shadows. Neva, Jim, and the cabin were entangled, and Terra strongly suspected the man she’d seen running from the cabin was the same man she’d seen running from Neva’s home.

  “We’re driving three hours so you can show the artifact to your expert friend. You know, you could have let the Billings Curation Center look at it. That’s sort of out of the circle o
f locals.”

  “That’s Bureau of Land Management’s repository. Not forest service.”

  “So? Think of artifacts discovered when an oil company is drilling, and the BCC holds stuff for all kinds of agencies. They could have kept it for you, and their archaeologists could have looked at it. No need to spend six hours driving.”

  “Are you trying to tell me you don’t like being in the car with me this long, after all? I mean, you insisted on riding along.”

  He chuckled. “Not what I mean. You know what I’m saying.”

  Terra passed a car on the curvy two-lane road leading into Jackson Hole—the valley between the Wind River and Teton ranges. Home to Grand Teton National Park and gateway to Yellowstone National Park. Gorgeous place.

  “Look, that’s still local as far as I’m concerned. And as I mentioned, I trust this guy, at least where artifacts are concerned.” Oh, great. Terra hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud.

  “Sounds like there’s more to the story.”

  “There’s no story.”

  “If you say so.”

  Terra hadn’t wanted to drift into personal territory during this drive, but she and Jack shared a volatile past. One they’d never talked through or worked out. In a way, it was just left there hanging with no true closure, and here they were together again in a completely different capacity.

  She opened her mouth to give at least a heads-up about her expert friend. Her openness would head off any knee-jerk reactions on his part, though she couldn’t know he would have any reaction at all.

  She sucked in a breath to speak—

  “That’s it.” Jack snapped his fingers. “That must be it.”

  “What are you talking about?

  “Neva Bolz’s connection. We were talking about the curation center.”

  “What does she have to do with the curation center?”

  “Not the center, but the oil and gas. Think about it. Artifacts can be discovered when oil and gas wells are being drilled. Federal or private, aren’t archaeologists called in at that point? Maybe Neva was somehow involved with the looting of a drill site turned archaeological site.”