by Lynn Cahoon
“We’ve got a few minutes. Everyone, go stock up on refreshments. Use the bathrooms if you need to because the first one to say they need to stop gets dropped off on the side of the road to walk back.”
The group chuckled and moved into the dining room. Archer handed his cup to his wife and took off for the restroom on the bottom floor. Seth glanced at Cat. “What?”
“I’m not kidding. Go get some food. Some coffee.” He glanced toward the stairs. “Do you need to run to your room?”
“No.” She grabbed his arm and leaned into him. “Is this the way you’re going to run kids around? Like a drill sergeant?”
“Seems to work.” He leaned down and kissed her. “And exactly who’s kids are we talking about me running around?”
“Let’s talk about that later. Like maybe in a few years?” She giggled as he let go of her, then went into the dining room and put a few cookies into a paper bag and filled up his cup, chatting with the guests.
She went into the kitchen to say goodbye to Shauna, but she wasn’t there. A note on the white board said, Gone shopping. Cat checked the back door to make sure it was locked, then left to meet up with the group.
Time to go exploring. And with Shirley on hand, her uncle wouldn’t be griping about her getting involved in his investigation. At least she hoped he wouldn’t.
Chapter 15
The ride out to the trailhead was filled with chatter. Archer told stories about miners in the gold rush days and how other miners would jump claims. “A lot of people died, just over a rumor of gold being found.”
“Well, you know ‘money is the root of all evil,’ ” Jocelyn added.
Sydney laughed as she watched out the window. “I’m sure I could avoid the pitfalls if someone would just give me the chance of being rich. I’d be a very good girl.”
Tristin tousled his wife’s hair. “You’d be living the good life out of an all-exclusive resort.”
“Yeah, but you could be writing the Great American Novel while I laid by the pool and worked on my tan.” Sydney rested her head on Tristin’s chest. “I totally have a plan for the situation.”
“Well, let’s just hope the money holds out until I get the book written, find a publisher, and get on the NYT’s list.”
“We’ll only need, what? Two three months for that?” Sydney lifted her head, gazing at him hopefully.
“How about two or three decades?” Archer corrected. “I hear the book business is rough, right, Cat?”
“It’s not as easy as some people think, but at least you all are doing the right things. It’s a write, revise, submit, repeat type of business. The more you finish and get out there, the closer you’ll be to winning.” Cat pondered the question. “If you want to talk more about this, we could have a fireside chat tonight after dinner?”
“That sounds lovely. As much as I’ve enjoyed playing at Bernie’s this week, I think I’ve hit my limit of dark bars and White Russians. And, since we’re hiking today, maybe we could do at least one sprint tonight to get some words in? I have to admit, writing at the library every day has been heaven. I’ve gotten more done on this book in a few days than I did the last couple of months.” Jocelyn poked Archer in the belly. “Maybe you should win the lottery so I could stay home and write full time. Then I could get this level of word count done every day.”
“I’ll get right on that. Right after I capture a real, live unicorn for the backyard.” Archer glanced out the window. “Honestly, Cat, I don’t know how you write here. I’d be out every day seeking out new historic places to catalog and photograph.”
“Now, hold on, Archer, travel logs are our business, not yours,” Tristin complained.
“You could go in together with a historic tour business. Archer could find the places, Jocelyn write about the history, and then Tristin and Sydney would lead the tours.” Brodie grinned at the couple. “And I could drive the bus and write my books on the off season. Of course, you’d have to pay me a living wage to drive so I could take the winter off.”
“Everyone wants a piece of the action,” Archer said. “So what about you, Cat? Do you and Seth want a piece of this? We could use the retreat house as our preferred housing provider.”
“Then I’d have to work as a hostess more than one week a month.” Cat shook her head. “I mean, I like you guys, but you should see the house when it’s not retreat week. It’s so quiet, I can write all the words.”
“Well, our evil plan has been thwarted,” Jocelyn said. “I guess I better call my boss and tell him I will be at work on Monday.”
“It’s not Monday yet,” Seth announced as he pulled into the parking lot for the trailhead. “And today’s a perfect day for a hike. Let’s get going and not wish our time together away.”
As they unloaded the SUV, Cat pointed to a small sedan at the far end of the parking lot. “Looks like we’re not the only ones taking advantage of the good weather.”
Seth glanced over at the car. “Looks like a rental.”
Cat peered at the vehicle. “It has Colorado plates.”
“Yeah, but it’s new and has a sticker in the front driver window. I’m pretty sure that’s the logo for the local rental car agency.” Seth moved to the back of the car and started handing out backpacks. “Come get your supplies.”
As he handed out the packs, Cat crossed the lot and looked at the car more closely. Seth had been right, it did have a scannable sticker on the front window. She pulled out her phone and took a picture of the plates, as well as the car. Just in case. She didn’t want someone messing with her vehicle while they were gone. And if they did, at least she had a clue to one person who might have seen the activity go down.
When she got back, Seth handed her a bag. “The car’s going to be fine here. Your uncle sends out patrols to check out the lots on every shift. Just in case.”
“I know, but now I feel a little better leaving it here alone.” She pulled on her pack. “Did you lock the doors yet?”
“Get used to the constant reminders.” Archer elbowed Seth. “It’s just what women do.”
Seth took out the keys from his pocket and double-clicked the remote locking the car and let Cat hear the beep. “Locked up. Again.”
“Thanks.” She glanced at the trailhead. The last time they had been here was to help Uncle Pete go through Chance’s cabin. She made eye contact with Seth and imagined he was thinking the same thing. “Are we ready then?”
Shirley came and stood next to her. “I just wanted to remind people that there has been a crime committed somewhere here in this section of the woods. So if you see something out of the ordinary, please let me know. And don’t touch it or pick it up.”
“You mean like this gun in the bushes here?” Brodie asked, pointing to a spot near the parking lot. When Shirley’s eyes widened and she started to move toward him, he laughed. “Sorry, just kidding. There’s nothing there.”
“Kid, you’re going to find out you don’t mess with a law enforcement officer, retired or not.” Shirley pointed a finger at him. “I’m pretty good at finding dirt in anyone’s background. Do you want me to start digging and let your new friends know what I found?”
“No, please, I’ll be good.” Brodie fell to his knees in an exaggerated begging motion.
The group laughed at his antics.
“If we’re done playing”—Seth pointed to Brodie—“can we get this hike started?”
Brodie jumped up and saluted Seth. “I’m ready to go.”
“I kind of liked him better when he didn’t talk so much,” Seth fake-whispered to Cat, who broke out in laughter.
Archer slapped Brodie on the back. “Son, you need to temper your moods. You’re up, then down, then up again. Have you talked to a doctor about this problem?”
His eyes widened as they moved to the trail. “No, do you think I need to?”
“It couldn’t hurt.” Archer and Brodie disappeared into the tree line.
Seth shook his head. “I better get u
p there or they might take the path going to Thunder Mountain instead and we’ll be knee-deep in snow before you know it.”
Cat watched as he took off to get ahead of the men. Cat pointed to Tristin and Sydney. “You guys go next.”
“Mind if I walk with you?” Jocelyn asked Cat.
Shirley nodded. “Go ahead. You guys follow Sydney and Tristin, and I’ll bring up the rear. That way I can keep an eye out for any uninvited visitors joining our group.”
Jocelyn put her hands over her ears. “If you’re talking about hairy animals, I really don’t want to know. I could end my vacation without seeing one bear and I’d be perfectly content.”
Cat started walking to the trails. “Typically, they stay away from the trails, especially if they think hikers are going to be out and about. They’d rather not be seen.”
“That works for me.” Jocelyn matched Cat’s pace. “So tell me about how you published your book. Did you get an agent with the first book?”
Back on more solid ground with the conversation, Cat fell into her “bought” story. She had one that she told most retreats and surprisingly at several reader events when she had a Q&A session. There was always a writer in the group who wanted to know the magic handshake to getting published. But they always seemed a little disappointed when Cat explained there wasn’t one. She always finished with a caveat. “Networking is all good and fine. But if I hadn’t written a great book, Michael introducing me to Alexa at a party would have just been small talk. Write the best book you can. Then write another one. Didn’t someone say you needed to write one million words before you became a master at your craft?”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve written more than that over the last five years, but it’s nice to hear that you feel like the work is how you got your agent. I know life is all about who you know, but there has to be a chance for the rest of us, right?”
The group was gathering around what Cat knew as Chance’s cabin. When she got to the front, she realized the front door had been kicked in. She looked at Seth. “Call Uncle Pete and let him know there’s been a break-in.”
Shirley shook her head. “We need to clear the area and make sure no one’s still in there. Take the guests over next to the outhouse. Keep Pete on the line while I’m going in, just in case I need backup.
Seth handed Cat the phone. “You call your uncle. I’m going in with Shirley.”
“Hold on a second.” Tristin pulled what looked like a club out of his backpack. “Take this. I always carry one just in case we get attacked during a hike.”
“Tristin can use mine and protect the group while we wait.” Sydney pulled a matching club out of her bag, but this one had a bedazzled star on the front. Sydney started moving the others to the edge of the trail.
Cat hung behind. She dialed Uncle Pete, then hugged Seth as she waited for him to answer. “You be careful.”
When her uncle picked up, she walked toward the others and explained the situation.
“What do you mean Shirley and Seth are going into the cabin?! You all need to get out of there and back down the hill.” Uncle Pete sounded like he was already on his way to the cruiser.
“I don’t think anyone’s here, but we wanted to make sure before we finished our hike. Just because someone broke in, doesn’t mean it’s the guy who killed Chance. And besides, he’d have to have a lot of bullets in his gun to get all of us.” Cat watched the front of the cabin, holding her breath as Seth and Shirley disappeared inside.
“Seriously, did you have to say something like that?” Jocelyn whispered. “It’s like tempting fate.”
“We’re fine here, honey.” Archer rubbed his wife’s arm. “Kids probably broke into the cabin. You know how kids are, they don’t let anything that even looks abandoned be untouched for long.”
Cat turned away from the group and spoke quietly into the phone. “I’m sending you a picture of the rental car that was parked on the trailhead. I’m not sure who it belongs to, but we didn’t see any other hikers on the way up the mountain.”
“Another reason you should turn around now.” Uncle Pete sighed. “Hold on a minute.”
Before her uncle had returned on the line, Seth and Shirley had emerged from the cabin. Shirley waved Cat over. “Let me talk to Pete.”
She crossed the opening and handed over the phone. “I’m on hold.”
As Shirley explained the situation to Uncle Pete, who came back on the line, Cat gave Seth a hug. “Everything all right?”
“Honestly, I couldn’t tell any difference in the cabin from when Pete brought us up. Nothing was missing. Maybe some kid just wanted to see if he could get the door open and then lost his nerve.” He scanned the forest around them. “Do you think we should take them back?”
“Depends on what Uncle Pete says, but it would be a shame to cut short a second try at this hike. Besides, Archer was really looking forward to seeing a real-life mining claim.” She waved the rest of the group closer. Shirley finished her call and handed the phone back. Cat slipped it in her pocket. “What do you think? Go back or go on?”
“Pete is on his way here with a deputy, you might as well finish the hike. I’ll stay here and wait for them to arrive.” Shirley sank down on the porch step.
“Do you want me to stay with you?” Cat glanced at Seth, who nodded. “They can go ahead and I’ll wait with you.”
“Girl, I’ve been at worse crime scenes by myself. I’ll be fine. Besides, if you remember, I’m the professional here, not you.” Shirley added a smile to her words to lighten the mood. “And, if you’re here, I don’t get to spend some time alone with your uncle.”
Cat studied her. “I thought you said he was bringing a deputy.”
“He is, but the guy will probably stay with the car, waiting to see who comes down for it.” Shirley’s eyes twinkled. “You don’t want to ruin my afternoon, do you?”
Seth took Cat’s arm. “We’ll pick you up on the way back down. Come on, Cat, let’s get this group going.”
Cat snuck a peek back at Shirley, who was now leaning back on her arms, taking in the warm autumn sunlight. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say she planned this entire thing to get some time with Uncle Pete.”
“You’re saying she snuck up here last night, broke the door in, went back to the house, and pretended to be surprised. All to get a short date?” Seth looked skeptical.
Cat just shrugged. “I’ve known women to do more to get a guy’s attention.”
“But she already has your uncle’s attention, just not his time this week,” Seth reminded her.
As they were walking out of the clearing toward the guests, Seth stopped and picked up something from the ground.
Cat leaned toward him. “What’s that?”
He held it out so she could see. “An American flag pin. The back’s broken off, but we all got one of these last night at the reunion.”
“You’re saying one of your army guys was out here last night breaking into Chance’s cabin? Why?”
He shook his head. “I’m not saying that. All I’m saying is this is the same type of pin they gave us last night. Heck, it could be mine.” He reached up to his lapel on his coat and fingered the flag pin still attached to the coat. “Okay, then, maybe not mine. But maybe I stepped on one at the party and it stayed in my shoe until right now.”
“Convenient.” Cat stared at him.
“Seriously, this is not about the guys at the party.” He held up a hand when Cat tried to say something else. “Sorry, the discussion is closed. For now, we’re on a nice, relaxing hike. That’s all. Nothing else. No talk of murder unless we find another body.”
Cat rapped her knuckles on a tree. “Don’t talk like that. You know my history of being at the wrong place at the wrong time is legendary.”
She followed him to the group, where everyone had to hear Seth’s story for themselves. Then, finally satisfied, they fell into line and headed to the mining claim. Archer fell back to walk with Cat.
“Thank you for not just taking us back. I feel like I’m right on the edge of getting to finally see a claim and then something bad happens. Like you seeing the dead guy last time. And this time, we come across a break-in. Maybe we shouldn’t go any farther. Maybe I’m bringing you all bad luck?”
“You don’t really think that, do you?” Cat paused and adjusted her backpack. She glanced behind to make sure no one was following them.
“Sometimes I wonder. I mean, bad things happen when I’m around. The only good thing in my life was when Jocelyn agreed to marry me. I couldn’t believe my luck that day.” He smiled at the memory. “And so, I ran her up to the justice of the peace at the courthouse and we tied the knot. No way was I going to let her get away. I hadn’t even bought a ring yet.”
“How long have you been married?” Cat asked as they started walking up the trail again.
Archer grinned. “Twenty-three years. I have a surprise for her on lucky twenty-five. We’re going to Scotland. I’m already saving all I can to pay for the trip.”
“Sounds like the perfect gift.” Cat put her hand on his arm. “We’re going to get you to a mining claim, come heck or high water. You just keep faith in the process.”
He wiped away tears off his cheeks and smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate this.”
Cat watched as he made his way back up the trail to meet up with Jocelyn. It was apparent that the pair loved each other. Now all they had to do was get the group to the mining claim, take some pictures, and return to meet up with Shirley and Uncle Pete.
It should be easy.
Chapter 16
Cat swallowed down the unease she felt as they continued their climb up the trail. Going around the mountain, they found themselves in shadow, and the light dimmed even more. Cat felt her pocket to make sure she had a flashlight. Just in case. She’d stashed one in her pocket before leaving home. Along with a box of matches, a newspaper, and a pocketknife, she felt prepared for most eventualities. Including getting lost in the woods. Of course, she hadn’t mentioned her over preparedness to Seth. The actions kind of felt like she didn’t trust him to get them there safe and back home. Which wasn’t true at all.
