“You called your attacker a he,” Chief Winters said. “So you know it’s a male this time.”
“Yes. Of that I have no doubt.”
“Height, weight?”
“Taller than me by half a head or more. Strong, but not muscle-bound. Heavier than me.”
Chief Winters resisted the urge to hang his head. Her description wouldn’t do them much good, but it was more than they’d had before.
“Just one more question, Jewel.”
She rubbed her arms. Doc Harland appeared in the doorway, his brows furrowed.
“What’s that?” Jewel directed her question to Chief Winters but stared at that good doctor, wishing he would come in and save her from an interrogation.
“Why did you go to the attic?”
Why indeed.
She must have blanched, because Doc came all the way into the room, looking concerned. “Any more questions can wait until later. If everyone wants to give us some space, and Jewel some privacy, that would be appreciated.”
Everyone left except Chief Winters.
Doc gave him a stern nod. “And you, Chief. Can I see my patient alone?”
Chief Winters complied with a frown, but the look he gave Jewel told her she wasn’t off the hook. He expected an answer to the question. Jewel didn’t have one she felt comfortable delivering.
When he left the room she sighed with relief. Doc Harland paused, stethoscope midair, and looked at her. “It can’t be that bad, Jewel. You just relax. This has been too much stress on you. Falling into the river and now taking a tumble in the attic.”
How much did Doc Harland actually know?
Jewel nodded as he rambled.
“Tell me where you hurt the most.”
How could she possibly explain? More than physical pain, the emotional pain of being assaulted in her own home overwhelmed her. There were no words.
And now she could only think of one reason someone had attacked her. Jewel wished she had a confidante. Someone she could trust enough to share her secret. If she’d trusted Silas enough those twenty years ago, then maybe this wouldn’t be happening to her now. Maybe someone wouldn’t be trying to kill her.
FIVE
Frustration roiled inside as Colin crept up to the attic with a flashlight. He’d have to wait for answers from Jewel, so he’d use the time to see if the attacker had left behind any evidence.
What had Jewel been doing up here? What had been so pressing to drag her out of bed when she’d been through so much already?
Downstairs, Meral had gone to see Katy out. A nurturer, Katy had wanted to stay and help Jewel, but David insisted on taking his grandmother home. Evidently, she was already booked as a babysitter, thanks to Heidi and Isaiah Callahan.
Mountain Cove had some good people, and that encouraged Colin, kept him going when so much else seemed to be deteriorating into chaos and crime. Katy Warren and her entire family were pillars in the community and they had proven themselves to be his friends. He could always count on them.
Katy had that glow about her—loving the great-grandmother years now that they had finally arrived. For too long she hadn’t been sure any of her grandchildren would marry. But they were all happily settled now, growing their families with healthy, happy babies for her to spoil. Little wonder she was a spry one for her age.
He only hoped he could be as active when that time came. But if love and family were what kept someone young, then his prospects looked bleak.
He’d never fallen in love and gotten married after losing Katelyn, and he had no legacy. No children. He hadn’t allowed himself to think on those things. How did Jewel feel about children? She and her husband had never had them. Had they agreed not to, or was there some other reason? Or had Silas’s life been taken from him too soon? That seemed the most probable explanation. As if it was any of Colin’s business.
He shoved away the errant thoughts and focused on his investigation and protecting Jewel. He couldn’t think of anything that was more important to him at this moment.
In the attic, he flipped on the soft lighting, then added to it as he shined the flashlight beam around where Jewel had fallen. Where the attacker had possibly stood to strangle her. The dusty floor was too disturbed in the scuffle to get any footprints.
Colin wished he had gotten an answer to his question. Why had Jewel come to the attic? Had she heard a noise and come up to investigate? He couldn’t believe she would have done that alone after what had happened. Unless she thought it was that raccoon that kept nesting.
That had to be it. She hadn’t been thinking about a possible intruder, only about protecting her investment. She needed to start thinking about her safety now. The B and B was secondary. Or was it tertiary now that her sister was back in her life?
Meral held a special place in Jewel’s heart, and from a family who had hurt her, too. Disinheriting, disowning someone had to have cut Jewel in a way Colin couldn’t fathom. And now the sister and husband had suddenly shown up. Why now, after twenty years? And why was Jewel’s life in danger right after they arrived?
He didn’t want to rely on instinct, but neither did he believe in coincidence.
Why would the attacker have come to the attic? To hide? Or was there some other reason? Making assumptions was never a good idea. Colin walked around shining the light on boxes and old luggage, trunks, furniture, toys, knickknacks—some of which he’d seen decorating the B and B over the years. She could have come up here to think on moving some things down. One fact he had—he wouldn’t solve this until Jewel answered some very pointed questions. He wished he had a crime-scene division to gather fingerprints. But Mountain Cove had no budget for that. Investigating this would take good, old-fashioned police work. And anyway, gathering prints didn’t always give an answer or paint the correct picture.
Colin made his way back downstairs to look around the rest of the house for clues. He was torn between hoping that Doc Harland would give him the free and clear to question Jewel further and hoping he’d be told to leave her alone for a while longer. Every time he looked at her, asked her a question, he felt as though he was beating her up. She needed to recover fully, and Colin wasn’t helping.
But she would keep getting hurt until he found the person attacking her. And to track down the culprit, he needed answers.
He heard voices downstairs. A male voice that didn’t belong to David. Maybe one of the guests had returned? Or had Meral’s husband, Buck, finally shown up?
Colin made his way to the first floor and found Meral in the kitchen in the arms of a man nearing fifty, a good ten if not fifteen years older than Meral, around the same age as Jewel and Colin. They both tensed when they saw him. Meral stepped out of the man’s arms.
“Hello, Chief Winters,” she said. “This is my husband, Buck Cambridge.”
Stepping forward, Colin held out his hand to shake Buck’s. The man had a strong grip in return. Well-groomed, graying chestnut-brown hair and a beard framed his mostly square, tanned face. About the same height as Colin—five foot eleven. Stocky but solid. Brown eyes stared back at him, measuring. Gauging.
A strange sensation raked over Colin.
Blocking the wariness creeping in, Colin nodded at the sacks on the floor. “Did some shopping?”
Buck laughed, the sound so jarringly familiar that Colin had to take a steadying step back as he listened. He couldn’t put his finger on the associations he had with that laugh, but he knew they weren’t good.
“We thought we’d hike the Bledsoe Glacier as soon as Jewel is ready. Maybe we can hire a guide and see one of the ice caves.” He hugged Meral closer. “We’re here in Alaska to see Jewel for the most part. The scenery is just gravy. Had to get the proper clothing and gear to walk on a glacier. Isn’t that right?”
“I suppose. Just a tip, you can always rent the gear you need, too.”
Displeasure
flickered in Buck’s eyes. Colin read that to mean the man didn’t like being given tips.
Colin tucked that away for later. Good to note.
Doc Harland entered the kitchen and gave as good of a report on Jewel as he could. He introduced himself to Buck, and Colin studied the man further. He used Doc’s distraction to gather his composure. He shouldn’t have lost it to begin with.
But something was painfully clear. Somehow Colin knew this man. He couldn’t remember from where, but every instinct in him told Colin to be on his guard, that this man couldn’t be trusted.
He needed to get Jewel alone to find out what she knew about her sister’s husband. And he’d need to tread carefully. Jewel hadn’t said so, but he could tell her relationship with Meral was fragile as well as vital. He’d seen a light in Jewel’s eyes he hadn’t seen in years.
That was her sister’s doing.
But Meral’s husband was giving off nefarious vibes, and the fact that he’d entered this circle near to Colin’s heart—Jewel and her B and B—right before trouble had started set off additional warning sirens in Colin’s head.
During his conversation with Doc Harland, Buck held Meral close like a possession, not like someone he cherished. He glanced at Colin, and behind the man’s gaze, Colin could swear he saw a smirk.
The man recognized Colin, as well. That had to be it.
Colin’s gut tensed. He mentally drew the weapon holstered at his hip.
Doc Harland swung his gaze to Colin. “Now, now, Chief Winters. Jewel is going to be all right.”
The man had mistaken Colin’s expression for concern over Jewel, which meant he wasn’t hiding his emotions. At all. He forced a smile and gave the Doc his due, but stayed fully aware of Buck Cambridge standing to his left.
Colin shook the doctor’s hand. “You’re a good man, Doc, to come out here to check on Jewel. I know you have other patients and responsibilities.”
“I make house calls when it’s called for. But Chief Winters—” Doc’s expression turned sober “—you find who did this. You take care of our Jewel of the Mountain, and I don’t mean the B and B.”
“I hear you, Doc.” Colin watched the man nod to Meral and Buck and head out of the kitchen. He heard the front door to the B and B open and close.
Attuned to every sound, it was as if they all had been waiting for the doctor to leave. When Colin turned his focus completely on Buck, the man appeared prepared. As if he was expecting to be interrogated. But that wasn’t an unusual response.
Now to the more serious question. “Buck, have we met before?”
The man laughed. That familiar, unnerving laugh that Colin couldn’t place. “I think I’d remember if we had. I’ve never been to Alaska before meeting Meral.”
The man wasn’t lying about Alaska. Colin would trust his instincts on that. But Colin hadn’t missed the careful way he’d phrased his answer. No, Colin hadn’t met Buck in Alaska. But he hadn’t lived in Alaska all his life. Suspicions aside, he needed the facts.
How could he leave Jewel alone in the house with Buck? Her attacker had proved to be much closer than any of them knew. Colin had a feeling he hadn’t gone very far. And this time Colin needed to listen to his instincts.
* * *
Jewel rested, both to follow Doc Harland’s instructions and because she was well and truly exhausted. She’d heal quicker if she’d give her body the chance to recover. But even though she lay still, she couldn’t turn off her mind. Too much had happened, and thoughts constantly bombarded her mind. Who was trying to kill her? Was she safe right now? Would others be hurt because of her? Had the man who wanted to kill her followed her into the attic, or had he already been there either hiding or searching?
One of Katy’s framed cross-stitched Bible quotations hung on the wall. Jewel had made the right decision in hanging them. She had hoped to plant seeds in the lives of her guests. Give them peace when they had none. And now she was grateful because she was the one who needed that calming reassurance that could only come from the Lord. She read the words from Psalm 23, letting them wrap around her heart.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
She knew the scripture already, but seeing it on the wall, created with care and love, reminded her there were good people in the world. Loving people. And that God also loved her. Then, finally, she closed her eyes and felt herself drifting to sleep. But a soft knock came at the door. Jewel inwardly groaned. Her lids were heavy, and she kept her eyes closed as if already asleep. Stirring to answer the door would wake her fully.
She heard the door open.
She heard Meral’s whisper and Chief Winters’s soft reply.
He’d wanted to ask her about why she’d gone up to the attic. But he’d have to wait for another time, for which Jewel was grateful. She could feel the weight of her past pressing in on her from two floors above behind the plank in the wall.
There hadn’t been a raccoon up there.
She hadn’t heard a noise.
But had her attacker been in the attic for the same reason as Jewel? Her heart told her yes. But her head still wasn’t sure.
To Jewel’s surprise, Meral crept all the way into the room and set something next to the bed. The aroma of soup teased Jewel’s nose. Chief Winters was there in the room, too, oddly enough. She heard his soft steps, the rustle of his clothes. Felt his presence. His musky scent mingled with the scent of cowboy soup.
She felt his gaze on her face, and her heart cringed at what he must see, but somehow she knew he looked beyond all the damage to the inside. Part of her longed for him to press his hand against her face as he’d done earlier when he’d coaxed her awake.
She couldn’t care about him that way. Could not afford to go there with anyone. She was resolved never to give herself away as she had once done. But that didn’t make the pain go away. Her determination didn’t make it easier.
Meral and Chief Winters left her alone, and Jewel let herself fall the rest of the way to sleep.
* * *
Days later things had quieted down, and her bruises were healing. The stiffness and soreness decreased. Though Doc had told her two weeks on the sutures, that was now only days away. She could almost forget what had happened. Almost pretend she was safe now. Except she wouldn’t forget. Not until this was over.
Chief Winters had questioned everyone staying at the B and B, including Meral and Buck, about their whereabouts during the attacks. Jewel had successfully evaded his question about the attic.
Patience had ridden the waves of emotion in his eyes. He very likely could wait her out. But Jewel wasn’t sure she would ever be ready to tell him what she wanted to forget. Not unless she was sure her past had anything to do with her attacks. If it didn’t, then her secret could remain buried.
There was always a police officer sitting in his vehicle outside, and twice a day he did a walk through the B and B per Chief Winters’s orders. A rash of burglaries in Mountain Cove had drawn away the chief’s personal attention. She could tell he was frustrated he couldn’t be by her side every minute, but why he felt so personally invested in her safety, she refused to examine. It was best she wasn’t with him too much.
A plainclothes officer always checked the house after the day’s departing guests had left in the morning, and just after they arrived and settled in for the evening for additional security. But never to disturb or cause anyone concern. She found the gesture both frustrating and endearing. It somehow felt like overkill, but also reminded Jewel that her attacker was still out there and could try again.
Tracy and Katy had volunteered to come in to help Jewel’s regular employees, Jan and Frances. She thought they secretly wanted to keep an eye on her. So the chores had been done early, and dinner was already simmering in the slow cookers without any effor
t from Jewel. She should be grateful, but instead, she felt almost smothered. She couldn’t stay cooped up like this forever. Like the B and B had been turned into some sort of safe house. It made her wonder if Chief Winters was trying to repair his reputation. Restore the citizens’ perception of Mountain Cove as a safe town.
But she made a decision.
This was absolutely the last day she would stay in her room resting, reading books or watching television.
Meral and Buck had gone out snorkeling with Sylvie and Will Pierson this morning. They had returned earlier than Jewel would have expected from the excursion. Funny to think of calling Billy Pierson Will now, but that was what Sylvie, his new bride, called him, and the rest of the town had caught on. She’d moved here after they’d got engaged and they’d married quickly. Even before the wedding, Will and Sylvie had added a scuba diving tour business to his bush piloting. It made Jewel happy to think two opposites like that could be together. Reminded her that obstacles could be overcome when two people knew how to love each other. She’d had that once.
And a freak lightning strike had taken it from her.
She thought back to Chief Winters’s words to her in the hospital right after the fall.
“Accidents happen, Jewel. People fall where they shouldn’t all the time, including in the shower, where some die every year.”
He’d been attempting to reassure Jewel. Convince her she had no blame in what he’d thought then had been merely an accident. Jewel had said similar words to Tracy when she’d needed reassurance that her attacker would be caught and she would be safe. Those words, that conversation, came back to haunt Jewel now.
“We’ll get him before he takes someone else down.”
“You can’t promise that, Jewel.”
“No, I can’t. But there are no promises in life. People die every day, people who don’t have a killer after them. I lost my husband a few years back. He was a firefighter—he mentored David Warren, in fact. But he didn’t die fighting a fire. No. He had to get struck by lightning while he was hiking in the mountains. A lightning strike killed my husband.”
Mountain Secrets Page 5
