Mountain Pursuit: Smoky Mountain Investigation ; Mountain Rescue

by Annslee Urban

  “What kind of evidence do they have?”

  “You were at the camp when Conrad was killed. More murders started happening when you arrived back in town. You’re a trained soldier and, in his mind, capable of killing.”

  Nick nodded. “Contrived guesses, but not evidence.”

  “I suppose.”

  “And what do you think, Kylie? Do you think I killed Conrad? Or would ever hurt you?”

  “Well, this has been such a confusing time.” She ran a hand through her auburn curls and wrinkled her nose. “Everyone has been pointing fingers, suspecting one person or another. For fleeting moments, I suppose I’ve considered every option.” As she circled the question cautiously, Nick’s heart plummeted like a torpedo to the pit of his stomach.

  She didn’t trust him. But how could she? He’d abandoned her once. Turned his back on the woman he’d loved.

  Nick took a breath. God, I know it’s been a while, but please help me figure this out. I still care about Kylie. Please show me what to do, Lord, to keep her safe. I need Your help.

  The revelation that hit Nick almost took his breath away. All these years he’d held on to guilt, trying to heal on his own. Forgive me, Lord. Emotion rose in his chest. He no longer wanted to do life alone.

  “Kylie, I know you’re hearing conflicting suspicions from everyone involved in this case, but you need to trust me on this. The serial killer is still out there. He may be lying low now, but he will strike again.”

  “Nick, please, let’s not jump too quick. For all we know the killer is back in hiding. He may have caused enough chaos and fear to satisfy his monstrous desires for another ten years.”

  “No, Kylie, I’m not going to take that chance. I think you need to come back to my brother’s house. You’ll be safe there until the real culprit is found.”

  The look in Kylie’s eyes grew tender. “I appreciate your concern. If the phone calls start again or if I start to feel unsafe, I’ll come hang out at Steven’s house. Until then I just want to get my life back to normal.”

  Normal? He didn’t even know what normal was anymore. “I can’t force you to do anything, but I want you to call me with any concern. And please answer when I call. I want to keep up with you.”

  She nodded and he smiled. He wasn’t a hundred percent okay with the situation. Progress nonetheless.

  * * *

  From her front porch, Kylie watched Nick head down the dirt driveway to his motorcycle. She wasn’t surprised by the tightening in her chest, knowing Nick would soon be out of her life forever. Still, her heart was warmed by the fact that he wanted to ensure her safety. If nothing else, she thanked God for that.

  EIGHTEEN

  For the first time in years, Nick felt as though he had a direction. God had taken hold of his life.

  A moment of surrender and all things seemed possible.

  Nick picked up the yearbook from his brother’s kitchen table. He needed to focus on two things. First, figure out who Kylie’s stalker was, bring him down and get him convicted. Second, move on with his life. Start fresh. Leave the past in the past.

  Daunting? No way. He was up for the challenge.

  He opened the yearbook and turned to the photo of their senior class. He knew right where to go—he’d marked the page.

  What he was looking for, he wasn’t sure. Still, he scanned the faces, zeroed in on the eyes. Studied each student’s body language, looking for clues. If one was a killer, what would stand out? He blew out a breath and then gave the photo another searching look. Nothing.

  Nick set the book on the table, let the cover slam shut.

  He was missing something. Something right under his nose.

  Scratching his right temple, he went to the refrigerator and grabbed a canned soda. One long swig and the sweet flavor satisfied his taste buds and hopefully cranked up his brain.

  Nick sank into a chair at the table and as he drummed his fingers on the wooden arm, he rolled dozens of motives around in his mind, possible perpetrators and umpteen scenarios.

  Steven appeared in the doorway. He lifted the walker with ease and stepped into the room.

  Nick grinned at his brother. “You’re getting around better.”

  “I’m not as stiff as before. It’s definitely getting easier to walk. I can’t wait to ditch this contraption.” He patted the metal frame.

  “Shouldn’t be long and you’ll be ready to run marathons.”

  “Yeah. I was gearing up for the Timber’s Edge bike marathon when I got hurt. I might start working toward that again.”

  Nick tried not cringe, but couldn’t stop himself. “Steven. I’m thinking bikes aren’t your best friend.”

  Steven glanced at the cast taking up the space between his left thigh and his ankle. “This is true.”

  “There’s always golf.”

  “You remember, don’t you?” Steven smiled. “I got hit with three stray balls during a golf outing in middle school.”

  “I guess I forgot.” Nick grinned. “There’s swimming. Nah. You could drown doing that.”

  “You’ve always been the athletic one. And I’ve just been cursed to have all the girls.” Steven shook his head, feigning a sigh.

  Unlike Steven, Nick had only cared about one girl. Immediately, he squashed that stray thought and swallowed. “Speaking of women, I’m still at a loss about Kylie’s stalker. Although it has to be someone who went to high school with us.”

  “That’s an unnerving thought.” Steven thumped his walker across the floor and lowered himself into a chair by the table.

  “Well, there’s not much about this murderer that isn’t unnerving.” Nick opened the yearbook and started poring over the picture again.

  “Hey. I almost forgot. The police were by earlier. They had some questions for you.”

  Nick snapped his head up and looked at his brother. “They came by to question me?”

  A shrug from Steven. “I guess.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “I said you were working at the store today and then running errands. That is what you were doing, right?”

  “Yeah.” And a little personal business he wouldn’t get into.

  “Why? Is there something wrong?”

  “Actually, the police consider me a suspect in the murders. They believe Pruitt was involved, but they also think he had an accomplice.”

  “What? They think you and Pruitt—” Steven leaned in, his eyes wide.

  Nick nodded and started to peruse the faces again. “That’s what I hear.”

  “I hope you set them straight.”

  “Nope. Haven’t talked to them and don’t plan to.”

  “Why, may I ask?”

  He looked up, caught Steven’s stare. “They have nothing that could link me to the murders except speculation. But if they’re looking for a scapegoat, I don’t want it to be me. Especially since I haven’t gotten to the bottom of who the real killer is yet.”

  Nick straightened in his seat as a notion flashed in his mind like a beam of light. He dug his cell out of his pocket and called Kylie.

  She picked right up. “Hey there.”

  “Hey there yourself. I just had a thought. The pictures you took when we hiked the mountain that night at camp, do you still have them?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “I have a hunch. Do you think you can locate them quickly?” Now that the police wanted to question him, time was really of the essence.

  “I had all my photos put on disc a couple years ago. There are thousands of pictures on twelve discs, so it could take me a little time.”

  “You took some photos of the camp from one of the overlooks just before nightfall. Blow them up and see what you find. I’ll be by shortly.”

  “What am I looking for?”

  “Anything unusual. Wh
en you find it, you’ll know.”

  “Okay.”

  * * *

  On her trek to the spare bedroom, Kylie shook off a chill. She hadn’t looked at the photos Nick referred to in years. And even then she’d only glimpsed them.

  She entered the room, marched to the closet and pulled open the door. Small boxes and plastic tubs lined the top shelf and larger ones took up the space on the floor. She popped a hand on her hip as her gaze skittered from one container to the next. She’d been meaning to organize this stuff.

  If I were a disc, where would I be? She huffed out a breath. Up on her toes, she reached for a cardboard box on the top shelf and started with that.

  Forty minutes and five storage containers later, she pulled out a CD case with twelve discs inside. She dropped into her swivel desk chair and wiggled the mouse until the screen saver popped up. She loaded the disc labeled High School Years.

  Sucking on the corner of her lip, Kylie sat forward and scrolled through a menagerie of photos, sweet memories drifting through her mind as she glimpsed silly pictures of her and Nick. And every glance made the love in her heart expand.

  Tamping down her growing sentiment, she continued to scan the images. Hundreds rolled by, and toward the end of the album, the first picture from the mountain appeared. It was of the sunset. She could still picture it. Such a beautiful evening that had ended so tragically.

  Poor Conrad. The memory loomed in her mind and her heart broke for the hundredth time.

  Before the melancholy thoughts could take over, she moved on to the next photos. Finally one from the overlook came into view. The panoramic picture of the camp. Late-May dusk hovered over the scene, backlit by the last remnants of the glowing sunset.

  Kylie double clicked on the edit-picture button on the right column of the screen. She enlarged the photo and lightened it. Squinting one eye, she zeroed in on the two-story cabin. It was a short walk from the girls’ cottages, nestled in the pine trees and nearly camouflaged by the stand of evergreens except for a patch of yard beyond the back deck.

  And in that small field, a figure appeared. She clicked the mouse to enlarge again. Her mouth gaped.

  It was a man, carrying something.

  Frantically she clicked the mouse over and over, trying to enlarge the picture enough to see who it was. The little figure grew larger, but the clarity was lost.

  Huffing a sigh, she reduced the size a bit and then flung open the desk drawer. She dug around and located a magnifying glass.

  Holding it to the screen, she leaned in and squinted again. She made out the man’s thick physique, the black cowboy hat on his head and a plaid shirt as he carried something in his arms. Someone?

  Dropping the magnifier, Kylie fell back in her seat, holding her chest. Her heart constricted so tightly she wasn’t sure it would ever pump normally again. Only one person at camp had dressed like that. And it had to be Conrad he was carrying.

  Disbelief barbed through her, making her shudder. How could he do such a thing!

  With that question still assailing her, she caught a movement from the corner of her eye. She whipped her head around to the door. It stood ajar. Her gaze tunneled through the open space and down the short hall to the living room. There was nothing.

  Kylie got to her feet. A sinking feeling hit the pit of her stomach. She needed to inform Nick about what she’d found. She quickly headed into the living room to retrieve her cell phone.

  As she jogged around the corner, she abruptly halted, so fast she almost lost her balance. She grabbed a chair and righted herself, her breath catching as she stared at the man who stood a few yards away, just inside the front door.

  His icy green eyes firmly locked on hers as he returned her stare.

  “Good afternoon, Kylie.” His dry tone revealed even more than the coldness in his eyes. He was there for her.

  “Dave.” She breathed only the one word.

  * * *

  Nick placed the heated bowl of soup in front of Steven. “What else can I do before I take off?”

  “Not a thing. Nadine will be here soon.”

  Good. Nick was already running later than he planned. He sat down across from Steven and stepped into his boots.

  Steven dipped his spoon into the bowl. “If Kylie locates the photos you asked her about, what do you expect she’ll find?”

  Nick finished tying his shoelaces and sat up. “Maybe nothing, but you never know where hidden treasure lurks.”

  “True.” Steven smacked his lips. “Wow. This soup is hot.”

  Nick’s lack of culinary skills rose to the surface. “I guess eight minutes in the microwave is too much.”

  “Yeah. By about six minutes.”

  “Good info. I’ll remember that.” Nick chuckled and got to his feet. He glanced at the yearbook still on the table. He flipped to page eighty-three. He ran his eyes across the faces one last time.

  “Nick, we have company.”

  Nick’s head snapped up. Through the kitchen window, he watched two police cars pull into the driveway. This was getting serious.

  He glanced at the yearbook picture again, his gaze landing on Dave Michelson’s picture. His crooked smirk. His placid eyes.

  Jaw clenching, Nick shot another look out the window. Four officers stepped out of patrol cars. He knew none of them. Dave was the chief investigative detective. He ran the department and had worked elbow to elbow with Nick on the case. Where was he now?

  Nick’s mind was reeling. Dave had shared information with him, more than he needed to, and now he was out to get Nick. Interesting.

  Ice poured through his veins. His thoughts came to a screeching halt as the pieces fell into place.

  It was Dave.

  He grabbed his cell phone and punched Kylie’s number.

  “Steven, take your time getting to the door. Stall them, tell them whatever you want,” he said, holding the phone to his ear and heading toward the basement stairs.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I think Dave Michelson is the culprit. And whatever he has planned, he wants me out of the way.”

  “How are you going to get out of here without them knowing?” Steven called after him.

  “Back road, buddy. For once your cycle will come in handy.”

  Nick bounded down the basement steps, the phone still to his ear. Kylie wasn’t answering. Something was wrong.

  A punch of adrenaline rocked through him. He slipped out through the basement door. Staying low and close to the outside wall, he tramped through the overgrown weeds shooting out from cracked ground by the foundation.

  At the corner of the house, he hazarded a glance to the four officers waiting for Steven to open the door.

  Good job, brother.

  With measured steps, Nick made his way across the rocky ground to the side of garage. He was grateful he hadn’t pulled the bike inside. Maybe God was looking out for him. That thought brought some peace.

  With his boot, he eased up the kickstand, then silently pushed the motorcycle back into the woods behind the house. Out of earshot, he jumped on the bike and took off across the rocky terrain. Fifteen minutes to Kylie. Lord, protect her!

  NINETEEN

  The crazed look in Dave’s eyes kept Kylie rooted in place. “What do you want, Dave?”

  A slow smirk inched across his jaw. “You, Kylie. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

  Stunned and disbelieving, Kylie grappled for her voice. “Dave, I had no idea you felt that way about me.”

  Garbled laughter rumbled from his chest. “You knew, Kylie. You just chose not to acknowledge the truth.” His assumption shocked her more, jarring intrusively in her ears.

  Her knees shaking, Kylie reached for a semblance of composure. She needed to stay calm. In a single glance she gauged the distance between her and the kitchen, wondering if s
he stood a chance of making it there and out the side door. Then she remembered the new dead bolt she’d recently installed. The key was on her key ring along with the canister of pepper spray Nick had given her.

  Her heart slipped, but she kept her chin up. “What truth are you referring to, Dave?”

  With a smug tilt to his head, Dave grinned again. “That you and I were meant to be together, of course.”

  Now Kylie was completely dumbfounded. Her mouth fell open. “How could you think that?” The moment the words tumbled off her tongue, she wished them back.

  Dave’s features hardened. “For the last ten years I’ve been in the background of your life. If you had paid attention, you would have noticed.” He advanced one step. The anger that lit in his eyes coiled a knot in Kylie’s stomach.

  She swallowed thickly. “Over the years I’ve seen you at various functions in town and at church. I would have never guessed that you were there because of me.”

  His expression eased some. After a pause, he responded, “I knew Nick had hurt you. I was waiting until the timing was right and I thought that time was getting close. But then,” he strongly enunciated, “I had Nick to contend with again. I got rid of him once, but as it turned out, not for good. The man couldn’t stay away.”

  Pressing a hand to her throat, Kylie worked to stay calm. She met Dave’s intense gaze to hold his attention. Keep him talking. She was buying minutes. “Nick came back to help his brother after the accident.”

  “No!” Dave’s brow furrowed and he wagged his head. “That was only his excuse to sneak back into your life.”

  Kylie’s jaw dropped at the fabrication. Only an obsessive mind would jump to such a conclusion.

  “I want you to understand how conniving Nick Bentley is.” Dave moved another step in her direction. Fear detonated in her chest.

  Fighting to even breathe, Kylie managed a weak nod, encouraging him to keep talking. Lord, please get Nick here before it’s too late.

  “Do you realize how hard I worked to orchestrate such a perfect plan?” Some steel in Dave’s voice now. He lifted a clenched fist. “A body at the airport to mark Nick’s arrival and when I found out you planned to be there also, the plot turned flawless. I thought for certain that Nick would turn and run at the sight of the first slaughtered victim, like he had after Conrad’s murder. I wanted you to see the kind of man he was so you could move on once and for all.”