A Reason to Kill (Reason #2) (18 page)

“Why do we assume it’s a man?” Lucy asked.

“Has to be, a woman wouldn’t have the strength to fight either man,” I told her.

“Yet, the police think it’s you?”

“Stetson thinks it’s me because the killings started when we came to town and the fact they haven’t had a murder in thirty years. Since I found Curly too, he decided it’s me.”

“Then we need to find out what they found at the scene,” Jess responded.

I tried to picture the scene in my head. Was there anything other than Donald’s body and the axe? Then I thought about my escape and subsequent fall into the river and it hit me.

“Wait a minute. Stetson never had me show him where I fell off the ridge.”

“So there could be evidence there?”

“Maybe, I better call him in the morning.”

Frank walked up talking on his phone as we spoke and when he hung up, he smiled and announced, “SIOZ got their lawyers involved and we’ve been cleared to go back to work, Lucy.”

“Thank God, at least we won’t lose five years of research to this mess,” Lucy replied.

“Mia, just a thought,” Jess broke in. “If Stetson has a hard-on for you and there
is
evidence on the ridge, you need to know what that is. I say we take a look and see what’s what before you call him.”

“I’m not allowed up there, Stetson’s orders, he’d know if I went up with Frank and Lucy.”

“Then we go in under the cover of darkness, say, right now.”

“I’m in,” Lucy immediately responded.

“I’m in too. What are we talking about by the way?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know, Jess. Me, in the dark, climbing the ridge?”

“Loosen up kid have I ever steered you wrong, you’ll be fine.”

“My junior prom dress?”

“You looked hot.”

“That perm?”

“Okay, not my best idea.”

“Nude modeling?”

“Jeez, get over it already. I didn’t know they would use you, I figured hot guys laying on the couch.”

“You modeled in the nude?” Frank whispered a little huskily.

“I’ve blocked it out,” I sighed.

“I’ve just blocked it in,” he grinned.

“Keep it up and I’ll tell your wife you had a dick in your mouth.”

“Really? Do tell.” Jess perked up.

“It was chocolate,” Frank chuckled.

“Mmm, even better, chocolate covered co—”

“Jess!”

“Sorry, sorry. Ok, focus children. I say we grab a flashlight and climb tonight, who’s with me?”

“I’m in,” we all replied because, per usual, when Jess said jump, everyone said how high.

“That was nice of Stetson,” Lucy mumbled as Frank shined the flashlight on the crime scene.

Armed with bear repellent and a flashlight, the climb so far had been uneventful. I’d tripped a few times and we’d made enough noise to keep any animals at bay. Now, having arrived at the crime scene, an eerie quiet settled over the four of us. They may have opened Grizzly Pointe, but they hadn’t taken down the crime scene yet. And seeing the yellow tape coupled with the ghostly quiet, sent shivers down my spine.

“Where did you go from here?” Frank asked as we stared at the blood on the ground.

“I went that direction, straight forward,” I pointed. “Maybe fifty yards or so is the ridge, so be careful,” I explained as we all headed west.

The full moon cast a decent amount of light the closer we moved to the edge and I could hear the water rushing below. I thought back to the moment I broke through the bush and lost my footing, falling, thankfully, into Max’s waiting arms. That, of course, had me thinking back to the “clinch” that we’d been in before Jess arrived. Then I thought about his mouth, his hands, and the way his tongue fought for dominance and won. Everything about him was powerful, dominant, from his body to his personality. I had no experience with men like Max. Most men I knew were pacifists, activists. Compared to them, he was a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal hell bent on ordering me around. The feminist in me should have been offended, but I was attracted to it for some reason. He may be the opposite of every man I’d ever dated, but my Cavewoman seemed to like his bossy ways.

“Does any of this look familiar?” Frank asked, shining the flashlight back and forth.

I tuned back in, and surveyed my surroundings, noting the tree limb I’d gone under in my escape.

“There, I ducked under that limb. In fact, it’s what saved me ‘cause it slowed him down. He had to duck down lower than I did to get under it, giving me time to fall off the edge.”

“If he’s trying to set you up why would he chase you?” Jess asked.

“Maybe he thought I saw him and panicked?”

“You sure you didn’t turn around, maybe catch a peek?” Lucy inquired.

“Positive, on a good day I can’t walk upright. No way was I taking my eyes off the ground when my life depended on being surefooted.”

We moved towards the branch and Frank swept the ground for footprints, looking for anything the killer might have dropped. Say, like a business card that said, “My name is so and so and I killed Donald.”

There was nothing.

The pine needles on the ground covered any tracks he might have left behind so we moved past the limb and stopped in front of the bush I’d pushed through before falling off the ridge. Jess went to move past it and I grabbed her arm.

“You’ll fall if you go any further,” I told her.

Jess turned back to Frank and stuck out her hand for the flashlight. He handed it to her and she pushed back the side of the bush and shined the light on the edge.

“Mia Bear, how did you manage to fall?”

At her question, I looked over her shoulder and found that the edge of the ridge was not a foot or two from the bush but more like ten feet.
Shit, that’s what I get for keeping my eyes to the ground.

I’d run straight off the edge.

“Ha, for once my vertical challenges saved my life.”

After scanning the rocky edge for any evidence, we all turned back the way we’d come. It was clear it had been a waste of time coming up here, but I suppose there were worse ways to spend an evening, like in jail for instance. I’ll admit I’d had a
small
glimmer of hope that we’d find something to put it on someone besides me. So, with each step we took I became more pissed off at my situation. With my job on the line yet I couldn’t leave to smooth things over, I’d never been this off balance in my life. No wonder a man like Max was getting to me. I was floating in a sea of failure and his strong shoulders were holding me up.

“Wait, shine a light on that limb again,” Lucy shouted.

Jess moved the light back and started at the end. She made her way down, until sure enough, the color red appeared.

“Is that blood?” I asked hopefully.

“I don’t think so,” Frank replied walking forward.

Jess kept the light trained on the branch as Frank reached out and pulled the object o.

“What is it?” Lucy asked.

“Guys, I think we’ve got something,” Frank announced. He raised his hand and was holding what appeared to be a small scrap of red and black checked flannel.

“Is that from a flannel shirt?” Jess asked excited.

‘Yep,” Frank answered.

I snatched the cloth from him, saw it was red and black checked flannel, and then lost it.

“This is great,” I laughed, “You’re telling me the only clue to the killer
and
my freedom is a red and black flannel shirt, in a
lumberjack
town, with possibly fifteen hundred men? This is great, now all we have to do is figure out is which one wears,” and I held up the scrap “black and red flannel. Oh, my God, I’m so screwed.”

Pushing past, needing to have a good old fashioned meltdown, I ducked under the limb hell bent on leaving. I don’t know what I thought I would find up here, but the hilarity of my life at this moment had me on edge. I was so on edge that if the killer walked out of the shadows right now I’d knee
him
in the nuts and ask questions later.

The beam from the flashlight jumped around casting the forest with light as Jess, Frank, and Lucy followed me. Quietly, I might add. They kept their distance, giving me space to calm down, as I mumbled and cursed down that path. Soon the light dimmed a bit so I stopped and looked back at Frank.

“Is the flashlight running out of juice?”

“Yeah, let me change out the batteries,” he answered, pulling his pack off his back. While he dug around for the batteries, Jess opened her purse and produced a can of beer.

“You got another?” I asked, not giving a shit if drinking while hiking down the path was a good idea.

Handing me her unopened can I popped the top taking a deep pull. As I handed it back I heard Frank whisper, “Shit, I pulled the batteries out of my pack.”

“Um, we can’t see to get back down without a flashlight,” I pointed out so Lucy pulled her pack from her back and started digging.

“I, uh, found a light source,” she chuckled.

“Pull it out we need to get moving,” Frank replied.

When she started laughing, I thought it was odd until the light emanated from her pack and I heard the distinct sound of vibration.

“Green Willie,” I shouted and dropped my own pack.

When Maxine had given them to us our packs, which serve as a purse as well, were in the living room and we’d thrown them inside to finish decorating. I had mine in a side pocket so I pulled it out and turned it on.

Lucy and I both held them up and they surprisingly put out enough light so we could see.

“Mia Bear, you’ve surprised me at every turn tonight,” Jess laughed as we turned and hiked down the ridge.

“You act as if I’ve never done anything wild.”

“Staying out past your curfew in high school does not count as wild.”

“Can I just say that I’m feeling a little emasculated right about now,” Frank complained, “there’s just something wrong about green glowing dicks lighting the way.”

“Ha, best use I’ve had for one my whole life,” I shouted over my shoulder.

Then, not paying attention, I slammed head first into a very large, very firm body as Jess laughed, “Look out.”

I took a step back, saw a large chest, dressed in flannel, and then my eyes traveled up until I saw green eyes looking down on me. He looked pissed so I stuttered, “Fancy meeting you out here.”

Max grabbed my wrist holding the Green Willie, looked at it, and then sighed.

“You wanna explain what the hell you’re doing out here in the middle of the night?”

No, no I did not, so I bit my lip.

When I didn’t answer, he looked at Lucy and she just smiled. Then Frank cleared his throat so Max looked to Jess.

“I wanted to see where the body was found,” she lied rather convincingly.

She’d always had a gift with fibs, could make anyone believe her and that sucked because I couldn’t lie to save my life. Until now, that is . . . he didn’t buy her lie.

Max narrowed his eyes and then looked back at me and asked, “Did Maxine send you up here to do her dirty work?”

“No, we were—”

“There’s a killer runnin’ loose and you and your friends are out in the middle of the fuckin’ night playin’ detective,” he bit out. Then, for some odd reason, growled, “I should tan your hide.”

“Oh, I like this one, Mia Bear.”

“Excuse me?” I hissed.

“I don’t know what she’s got you doin’ but this ends now, you hear me? No more runnin’ around the woods in the fuckin’ dark. No more runnin’ around lookin’ for a fuckin’ killer at all, are we clear?”

“Oh, we’re crystal clear, Thor. You man, me frail woman. Beat your chest as much as you want bucko, but don’t you ever tell me what I can and can’t do,” I spit out and then moved around him with my green dick held high.

This man has a serious bossy complex!

One second I was marching downhill, the next I was up and over his shoulder.

“Pain in my fuckin’ ass,” he announced as he kept trudging down the trail.