Bitter Wild (4 page)

Jack
lifted his fist to rap on the bathroom door. He was just swinging at it when it
suddenly swung open. He came within a hair’s breadth of smacking the woman he’d
come to find in the face. He caught himself just in time and jerked his hand
back before the dog at her side could misunderstand the situation. She blinked
in shock for a moment, then arched a brow at him as she cocked her head to the
side.

“Trying
to knock some sense into me, Agent Hall?”

Jack
frowned. “I’m sorry. I was going to knock on the door and it opened before I
could.”

Casey
shot him a mildly teasing look. “You’re just having one really bad day, aren’t
you?” She held up a hand to silence him when he opened his mouth to answer.
“Never mind. I was only joking. I figure we got off to such a bad start it
can’t possibly get any worse.”

Jack snapped
his mouth shut. She was joking? He expected her to be siccing that dog of hers
on him. He shot her a frown because he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. She
gave him an expectant look.

“I’m
assuming you came here looking for me. Was there something you wanted?”

Yes,
that was it. He was there to apologize to her. He cleared his throat. “Uh, yes.
I wanted to apologize for both my words and my behavior. I could offer a number
of excuses, but I won’t. Suffice it to say that I crossed the line and I was wrong.
Please accept my sincere apology.”

Casey
almost smiled at the dire expression on his face. He was so sincere. It was
incredibly tempting to tease him about it. She reined in that urge, though.
Teasing him might be construed as flirting. Heck, it would be flirting. That
was one line she didn’t want to cross. So she gave him as neutral a look as she
could manage as she nodded.

“I
appreciate your apology. I’m certain that we both misunderstood one another.
This is a tense situation for everyone concerned. A few frayed nerves are to be
expected. Why don’t we return to Stan’s office and talk this thing through a
little more rationally?”

Jack
wasn’t sure why he felt like her controlled expression and tone was contrived.
The only thing he did know was that she was letting him off easy. She could
have made him beg. She could even have made trouble if she’d decided to report
his actions to his superiors. He’d put his hands on her. She had plenty of
witnesses to that fact. If she was the vindictive type, she could raise one
hell of a stink. He nodded in agreement to her suggestion and thanked his lucky
stars that she clearly didn’t hold grudges.

Casey
nodded to Stan as she walked back into the main room of the station. He was
talking with John and they both met her at Stan’s office door. Agent Hall and
his partner followed them into the office and once again they were all shut
into the small room. Casey faced the federal agents.

“Okay,
if we’re going to do this thing, then there are a number of details that need to
be worked out in a hurry. Starting with an understanding that this is my area
of expertise. I don’t mean to sound superior or egotistic, but the fact is,
what you want to do is dangerous under the best of circumstances. I need you to
both acknowledge and accept that I’ll be running the show once we get into the
mountains. If you can’t or won’t do that, then there’s no point in talking
about anything else.”

Jack
felt his hackles start to rise again, but he shoved the annoyance away. She was
clearly just stating her position. There wasn’t any attitude in her tone or
words, so he simply accepted them at face value. Skip nodded and Jack let him
give voice to their side of it.

“Well,
ma’am, I can understand your position. But you’ve got to understand ours. It’s
our job to catch this man using whatever means are necessary. Ultimately, the
responsibility for whatever happens falls on us. That being the case, I hope
you can see why we feel it’s only fair that we be in charge of making decisions
on how to proceed.”

Casey
shook her head. “You’re not getting me.” She lifted an arm and swung it in an
arc to indicate their surroundings. “Out here, you’re the experts. You’ve got
the training and the skills to handle anything that comes up. But things are
different in the mountains.” She paused, then continued. “Standing here in this
office, surrounded by all the wonders of civilization, it’s nearly impossible
to imagine how uncivilized it is just a few miles from here. I assure you that
it’s like another world altogether. The danger is very real, and not just from
your fugitive. Nature itself is the enemy and it takes no prisoners.”

There
was something in her eyes, a tightness in her voice that hit Jack hard. She was
afraid. He was sure of it.

“You
talk like it’s a living, breathing thing.”

Her
amber gaze swung to him. “It is. And that’s why I need to know that out there,
you’ll defer to my judgment. This is your world, gentlemen, the mountains are
mine. You’ve got to trust me to know what’s best.”

She was
right, of course. She was the expert. Jack nodded. “Okay, we’ll follow your
lead as far as the mountains are concerned, just as long as you agree to follow
ours when the time comes to apprehend the fugitive. You track him down for us,
then stay out of the way and let us handle it. Agreed?”

She
nodded and stuck her hand out. “Agreed.”

They
shook hands and Jack tried not to notice the little shock of awareness that
zinged through him at the contact. He focused instead on the firmness of her
grip, taking it as an indication that she was as capable as she claimed to be.
She pulled her hand away from his, then turned to the sheriff.

“Stan,
I need Roger Thornton, Will Cardigan, and Tom Smithers in here as quick as you
can get them.” The sheriff nodded, then picked up the phone. He gave the names
to the dispatcher as Casey turned to glance at Jack. A moment later she called
out to the sheriff. “And you’d better get Bob Lampson over here, too. These
boys are going to need outfitting before they go anywhere.”

The
sheriff nodded and continued talking to the dispatcher. He hung up the phone
and nodded. “What else do you want us to do?”

“I’ll
want to take a look at the maps so we can work out a search grid.” She paused.
“We’re going to need the best animals we can find.” Something dark crossed her
face, but it cleared too quickly for Jack to decipher the expression. “I’ll
call Sam.”

Jack
watched as John put his hand on her shoulder. She reached up and touched him
briefly, then turned to the sheriff.

“Can I
use your office?”

He
nodded. “Of course. Take your time. We’ll just get the maps and things
organized.”

He
headed for the door and pulled it open before nodding to Jack and Skip.
“Gentlemen.”

It
wasn’t a request. Jack shot Casey a look, then left the office. The sheriff
closed the door behind them, leaving Casey and her boyfriend in the room alone.
Jack watched as she headed over to the phone and began to dial. He turned to
the sheriff.

“Who’s
Sam?”

The
sheriff led the way to the table where they’d laid out a number of maps of the
area before he answered. “Sam McAllister. He’s got some of the best horses in
the state. They’re as sure footed as mules.”

Jack
glanced back at the office. Casey was speaking into the phone. Her face looked
strained and by the way she was moving, it looked like she was arguing with
someone. He turned back to the sheriff. “And what aren’t you telling us about
this guy?”

The
sheriff met Jack’s gaze. “Nothing.”

“Do you
think we’re blind? From the moment you first mentioned Casey Nolan’s name there
have been all sorts of heavy undercurrents flowing around this place. They just
got worse when she brought up Sam McAllister’s name. If there’s something going
on that we need to know about, you’d better just spit it out.”

The
sheriff shook his head. “There’s nothing.”

Jack
couldn’t help feeling that the man wasn’t being completely honest. He couldn’t
force him to admit it, though. Behind them, the office door opened and Casey
came out. She looked upset. Though the dog and her boyfriend were each close
enough to offer comfort, she didn’t lean on either of them. Instead, she
cleared her throat and spoke to the sheriff.

“Sam’s
going to get his animals ready.” She moved to the sheriff’s side and glanced
down at the maps. “Let’s get this thing started.”

Contents

CHAPTER
TWO

She was
close enough to kiss. He itched to reach out and catch her to his chest, to
taste her mouth. He wanted to see what her magnificent eyes looked like when
they were full of passion. He smiled as she said his name, then frowned when he
realized she wasn’t calling him Jack.

“Agent
Hall?”

Jack
blinked his eyes open and for a moment was completely confused as to where he
was and what was going on. Then his gaze focused on the woman leaning over him
and everything came back to him.

“What?”

She
turned around and pulled up a chair so that she could sit and face him without
having to lean over. “How long has it been since you got any sleep?”

Jack
shrugged. “A while, why?”

She
nodded. “That’s what I thought. You need to get some rest.”

He
shook his head and sat up straighter. “I’m fine.”

“No,
you’re not. You’re exhausted.” She turned around to scan the room, then called
out. “Bob!”

A man
in his late fifties looked up, then nodded when she motioned for him to come
over. She turned back to Jack.

“You
and your partner are going to get some rest.”

Jack
frowned. “There isn’t time to sleep. We’ve got to get going.”

She
shook her head. “That’s not true. There’s plenty of time for the two of you to
get in a good couple of hours of sound sleep.” He opened his mouth to protest,
but she held up a hand to silence him. “Take a look at your partner.”

Jack
turned around and spotted Skip a few feet away. He was slumped over a desk,
sound asleep. He turned back to Casey.

“He’s
getting a nap. He’ll be fine when he wakes up.”

She
reached out and caught his hand, shocking him with the unexpected touch.
“Listen to me, you need to sleep. Not a nap. The next few days are going to be
tough. You’ll both just slow us down if you’re so exhausted that you can’t even
stay on your horses. Get some sleep while you can.”

She let
him go as the man she’d called came to a stop beside her. “You need something,
Casey?”

She
nodded. “Yes. I want you to take Agent Hall and his partner and get them
outfitted. Then I want you to get them a hot meal and someplace to sleep for a
couple of hours. They’re worn out.”

The man
didn’t hesitate. “No problem. I’ll just go tell the others where I’ll be
going.”

Jack
frowned at the man as he turned away, then frowned at Casey as she got to her
feet. “We don’t have time for this.”

She met
his gaze. “We’ve got all kinds of time. I’m not leaving until some of the
details have been worked out. You, your partner, and I are going in first.
We’ll be the lead team. Everyone else will come along behind us to make sure
your boy doesn’t double back. Some of them will circle around and come at it
from a different direction. Organizing all that takes time. Whether you like it
or not, it’s going to be a few hours before anyone gets near those woods. You
might as well take that time to get as much rest as you can.”

He
tried to argue, but she cut him off with a hard look. “It’s not negotiable,
Jack. You’re no good to me if you’re half-sick with exhaustion. Either sleep or
we call the whole thing off here and now.”

His
first instinct was to fight her. One look at her face told him that she wasn’t
making an idle threat. Damn the woman, she had a stubborn streak a mile wide!
He finally nodded. “Fine. But I’m never going to be able to sleep.”

She
nodded. “You’ll sleep. You’re about to drop already.”

Bob
returned and she gave Jack a nod. “Go get your partner and get out of here. I
promise I’ll have someone wake you the moment we’re ready to go.”

She
turned and walked away then, that monster dog of hers right at her side as
always. Jack woke Skip and noticed he looked somewhat relieved by the idea of
getting some food and some sleep. Just before they left the station, Jack took
one last look at her. She was standing at the map table issuing instructions
like a drill sergeant. Most of the men gathered around the table looked old
enough to be her father, but every one of them was clearly willing to follow
her lead to the letter. They respected her that much. It spoke volumes. Jack
turned and followed his partner out the door.

Jack
felt like someone had filled his eyes up with dirt. One look at Skip said he
felt much the same. Despite his irritated eyes, though, Jack had to admit that
he felt better overall. Bob had taken them to a store he admitted was his and
outfitted them with everything from the hats on their heads to the boots on
their feet. They both carried heavy jackets that Jack couldn’t even begin
imagining wearing. He was already dressed in so many layers that he felt like
he’d been wrapped in gauze and stuffed into a sausage skin. And the boots and
hat felt absurd. Still, Bob had insisted that they were necessary.

Jack
glanced at his watch, then looked out the windshield of the truck Bob was
driving. Bob said they were on their way to Millie Pratt’s house. That’s where
they’d set up the staging area. Jack found that a bit unsettling, considering
the house was a crime scene. As they neared the place, he realized that staging
area didn’t even come close to describing the scene. Circus seemed more
appropriate. Bob stopped the truck and the trio got out. Jack stared at the
activity surrounding them in awe. There was a large field beside Millie Pratt’s
house. It had been taken over. There were all kinds of trucks parked in the
field, a couple of which had horse trailers behind them. Half a dozen horses
stood in a temporary paddock that someone had set up. There were people
everywhere, some hauling equipment and tack for the horses, others just
apparently standing around watching the excitement. Jack was relieved to see
that everyone was keeping well away from the house itself and the area
immediately surrounding it. No doubt that was due in large part to the deputy
that was standing guard in the driveway.

Jack
scanned the area but didn’t see either the sheriff or Casey Nolan. He hefted
his coat and the small bag that held the few toiletries and miscellaneous other
necessities Bob had allowed them to bring along, then strode toward the deputy.

“Where
are the sheriff and Ms. Nolan?”

The
deputy nodded toward the house. “Inside.”

Jack
frowned. “He took her into the house? Why?”

“They
wanted to get a firm list of the equipment the fugitive has with him. The
sheriff figured Casey would catch anything that might have been missed
earlier.”

Jack
felt an odd sense of forewarning. “Why would Ms. Nolan know what was or wasn’t
taken?”

The
deputy shot him a look that said he thought Jack must be an idiot. “Because
Millie was her aunt.”

Jack
blinked, then swung his gaze around to focus on Skip. His partner was clearly
as surprised by the revelation as he was. Jack nodded to the deputy, then
headed up the drive toward the house. He stopped when he caught sight of
Casey’s dog. It was sitting in the yard in front of the house. Its focus was
locked on the front door and it sat so still that it might have been a statue
instead of a living animal. Then the front door opened and Jack watched as
Casey came out. There were tears on her face as she strode to the dog and
dropped to her knees in front of it. The animal nuzzled her as she put her arms
around it, seeming to understand how upset she was. The sheriff followed her
out of the house, pausing beside her to offer a hand up. She took his hand as
she stood and Jack could clearly see him saying he was sorry. Casey shook her
head and wiped at the moisture on her face. A moment later she turned and saw
Jack. Their gazes met and locked. A horn honked somewhere behind them and the
moment was broken. Jack turned around to see a truck pulling into the field
hauling another horse trailer. Casey’s boyfriend got out and waved to her. Jack
watched as she all but ran to him. He folded her into his embrace and held her
for a long moment. Jack turned away then.

The
sheriff came to a halt at Jack’s side. “You boys at least look like you’re
ready for this thing, now.”

Jack
turned to meet the older man’s gaze. “Why didn’t you tell us that Millie Pratt
was Casey Nolan’s aunt?”

The
sheriff shrugged. “I didn’t really see where it was anything to tell.”

Jack
tightened his jaw as he mentally reviewed the scene inside the house. None of
the murders Jester had committed had been pretty, but then he wasn’t looking at
them through the eyes of someone with a personal connection to any of the
victims. He could only imagine how tough it had been for Casey to see the
evidence of her aunt’s violent death first hand. Jack glared at the sheriff.
“And you thought it was necessary for Casey to see how and where her aunt
died?”

The
sheriff met his gaze steadily. “She felt it was necessary to know exactly what
the fugitive had taken with him. The only way to know that for certain was to
go through the house with someone who would know exactly what was missing.”

Jack
finally dropped his gaze. The sheriff was right. They needed to know what they
were up against. He focused on Casey once more. She was still talking to John,
though they were no longer embracing. She looked fragile, Jack realized. Too
delicate to shoulder the burden they were asking her to take on. Were they
asking too much from her? She was personally connected to one of the victims.
Could she put her personal feelings aside? Jack turned to his partner and they
exchanged a look. Skip must be asking himself the same questions.

Jack
turned to look at her again, but realized she was gone. He scanned the area and
finally spotted her talking with another woman. The woman was clearly upset. As
Jack watched, an older man came along and put his arm around the woman’s
shoulder. He said something to her and she fell silent. Finally, she nodded.
Casey leaned forward and gave the woman a hug, then nodded when the woman said
something to her. The man patted Casey on the shoulder, then led the woman
away. Casey watched them go, then turned around and again found Jack. She held
his gaze for a moment, then began heading in his direction. When she reached
them, she gave both him and Skip a once over.

“You
look ready to go. How do you feel?”

Jack
shrugged. “Like I’ve been poured into my clothes.”

She
smiled. “You’ll get used to it.” She turned around as a horse let out a loud
whinny. They all watched as her boyfriend led a magnificent buckskin toward the
paddock. The animal was giving him a hard time and everyone gave the horse a
wide birth. He finally got the horse tied up to the fence, then he turned and
sought out Casey. He nodded to her and she cleared her throat. Jack focused on
her once more.

“It’s
just about time to go. I’ve got to get changed. There’s just one thing I need
to know. I should have asked earlier, but it just slipped my mind. Have either
of you ever been on a horse before?”

Jack
nodded. “I did some riding when I was a kid.”

She
turned to Skip and he nodded as well. “I’ve done a bit of riding, too.”

Her
expression suggested that she wasn’t sure she quite believed them, but she
didn’t argue. She just nodded toward her boyfriend. “John will get you
acquainted with your mounts and run you through a quick lesson on how to take
care of the animal and its tack. Pay attention to him. It’s important.”

She
turned and walked away then, heading for the truck her boyfriend had arrived
in. She pulled out a bag, then headed for the trailer behind the truck. She was
going to change in the horse trailer? Before he had time to work that out in
his head, her boyfriend was calling them over. The man didn’t appear to be all
that thrilled about doing the job Casey had given him. He brought two horses
out of the paddock and tied them up, then instructed Jack and Skip about the
correct way to handle the bridle and saddle. He explained why it was important
to make sure the cinch was tight and demonstrated how to be certain that the
horse wasn’t holding its breath while the saddle was being cinched up. It was
all familiar to Jack, though he’d forgotten that he knew these particular
skills. He said a small prayer of thanks for his mother’s insistence that her
son know a little refinement. She’d made him take riding lessons when he was a
kid. At least he wasn’t going into this thing completely blind. John watched
them both as they took all the tack off their respective horses and then put it
back on again. If he was impressed by their skill, he didn’t show it. If
anything, his scowl was getting darker. He finally nodded and told them they
were on their own from that point forward. Jack took the time to transfer the
few things he was taking along with him to the saddlebag that hung over his
horse’s rump, then watched as John piled miscellaneous gear on the back of a
packhorse. Once he finished with that, he headed for his truck.

Jack
turned around, then froze when he caught sight of Casey. The dress was gone,
replaced by clothes that were very similar to those he and Skip wore. Hers
weren’t brand new, though. They’d clearly seen some wear. The jeans were faded
and the flannel shirt looked as soft as down. She wore a thermal shirt
underneath that he could just see peeking through the top of the flannel shirt.
She hadn’t done all the buttons up. Both shirts were tucked into her pants and
despite the layers it revealed just how small her waist was. He followed her
long legs down to the boots she wore, then brought his gaze back up to her
face.