Hide'n Go Seek (4 page)

Several men jostled her, almost spilling her coffee on their way past.

Brad patted her shoulder and pointed to a spot away from the action. Walking ahead, Shiloh sprawled in a small patch of shade. A huge boulder provided a place to sit and enjoy their drink in relative peace. Kali curled up with her legs crossed, while Brad stretched out his six-foot length. Covered in dust and both in jeans and black tee-shirts, except for their bright fluorescent vests, the two people could have been any two tired people.

"Jarl could be struggling today. This gets to you after a while. We have to remember tomorrow is a new day."

Kali exhaled noisily, staring at the heat waves rising around them. "I don't know. We work so hard to free these poor survivors, then to have this happen?" She eased her sore body into a more comfortable position. "I don't understand how someone could do this. It's senseless."

Brad frowned. "Like what? Who? What did I miss?"

Kali motioned toward the commotion in front of them. "I don't know exactly what happened here, but remember the guy we found several days ago? Stephen? The one with the broken left arm that had been pinned between the two cement slabs?"

Brad narrowed as his gaze as he considered her description. "Yeah, I remember. Construction worker or something similar. What about him, outside of the fact he's damn lucky to be alive?"

With a tight smile on her face, she said, "That's the problem. Someone decided he shouldn't be. Alive, that is."

Brad shot her a startled look. "What?"

Kali swirled her cup, watching the black brew slosh around. Brad deserved the full explanation. He'd been in on the poor guy's original rescue. "Shiloh signaled when we were walking through here a couple of hours ago."

She glanced over at him. "Heaped on one side appeared to be freshly turned dirt. I requested a crew to check it over. When we found the clothing we went into recovery mode, thinking this was a slide victim. It didn't take long to realize we were wrong."

"Wrong?" Brad frowned, a crease forming on his forehead. "What could be wrong with finding another victim?"

Kali stared up at him, the ghosts from too many disasters, accidents, and deaths swirling through her mind. "This one was murdered."

How was the Best of the Best now? Standing quietly, Texan watched as Kali wandered along the temporary road, Shiloh ever at her side. His position was perfect. Close enough to keep abreast of the running conversations but far enough away to mask his interest in what was going on.

He'd orchestrated this lovely little mess, so why shouldn't he enjoy the results? After all, this was his debut. Well,
public
debut.

People surged forward, with the recovery team bringing out the victim. The crowd’s gasps and cries were his well-earned accolades.

Shifting his weight, he slid his hands into his dusty jeans pocket.

He hadn't realized how much he would enjoy hearing and seeing their reactions. How much he would enjoy being the only one who truly understood. How much he would enjoy being God's inside man. His stomach had roiled initially at the hands-on work, but he'd never been the squeamish type and he'd gotten over it quickly. Besides, practice had improved his technique. Less messy. He straightened, rolling his shoulders as a sense of freedom washed over him. A heartfelt sigh gusted free. Such a difference this had made in his world. A small smile played at the corner of his lips. Life was good.

Kicking the loose dirt at his feet, he considered returning to the temporary command center, except that could mean missing something good here.

He watched Kali and Shiloh again. She'd almost reached the center. Several people stopped to talk to her as she walked. Everyone loved her. A little girl offered Kali a flower and a hug for Shiloh. He frowned with disgust. She'd been blessed with a model's body, a dancer's grace, and a queen's regal air. Only he knew her now. It had taken him a bit, but he'd finally seen the light. She had no soul. How dare she defy God's plan? Shooting a dirty look in her direction, he refocused on the scene going on around him, determined to enjoy the fruits of his labors. He could bide his time. There was a natural order to everything.

Her turn would come...and soon.

Four days later

K
ali awoke early. She ached deep inside, a weariness, a heaviness weighed on her as she lay in bed. Now if only she could go back to sleep.

There was such joy in saving a life. She could only liken the experience to what a doctor must experience in an Emergency, when a case offers little hope - yet a miracle happens, and the patient survives. Heart-wrenching, painful, satisfying.

It was easy to understand why Brad went on a bender after some of the bad rescues. It was hard enough on his wife with him racing off to disasters around the world, without adding days of wallowing in it, as well. Several others, like Jarl, used God to help them get through the pain. Other rescuers depended on the people in their closest relationships to help them heal.

Rolling over, she dropped a hand over the side of her bed, reaching until a cold nose nudged her palm. Grateful for Shiloh's presence, she stroked the dog's furry head - the two of them inseparable as always.

"Let's go for our run Shiloh, before it gets too hot."

Shiloh's ears perked up, her head cocked to one side. She barked once.

It took a couple of minutes to change into a black tank top and matching shorts and pull her hair into a ponytail. Running on the beach was unlike any other type of jogging. It was much harder. The first couple of times she'd thought the run would kill her. Time and practice had improved her speed and technique. Now she loved it. She'd lived in Oregon all her life, on the coast for the last year. She couldn't imagine living anywhere else now.

Kali and Shiloh navigated the fifty-odd steps down the cliff to the rocks and sand. Large boulders and crashing waves dominated this part of the coast. The crescendo was always noisy and boisterous, giving extra energy to anyone lucky enough to be in the vicinity. Another reason for running here. No matter how little she might want to run beforehand, as soon as her feet hit the cold moist sand they gained a will all their own to send her speeding along the waterline. Today was no different.

Shiloh barked and danced in circles, and Kali laughed. The miles churned under their feet as she dodged the tidal pools of water. They ran daily when their schedule allowed. Staying fit was mandatory for rescue work. Besides, she loved the way running made her feel.

Thoughts tumbled around in her head as she looped back several miles of the beach. It was a good thing the tide was out, or she wouldn't have been able to go as far. The beach narrowed to a strip winding between the rushing water and majestic cliff face. The slope was unstable there. Made so by tumbling rocks and sand.

By the time they'd returned to the cascade of rocks below her stairs, Kali was covered in sweat, life thrummed through her veins. She gasped for breath as she slowed to a walk and stretched her upper body.

The sun slipped behind the clouds, giving her a brief respite from the sun and helped her to cool down faster. She walked up the stairs and across the long stretch of wilderness to her yard.

A small white envelope sat on her back doorstep.

She searched to see if the person who'd delivered it was still around. There was no sign of anyone. It hadn't been there when she'd left. At least she didn't think so. Wiping her sweaty hands on her shorts, she picked it up and flipped it over and back again. No return address and only her first name printed in ink on the front. Written in all capitals, it appeared more businesslike than personal.

Weird.

After unlocking the kitchen door, Kali stepped into the kitchen before ripping the envelope open. A small folded sheet of paper fell into her hand. She flicked the paper open and read aloud.

Game on

Start of round one

I hide and you seek, see

-it's simple

If you don't find them in time

- they die

So use those mad skills

- and see

Are you really so much better

- than He?

Get ready, because it's

- Game On!

Kali dropped the letter on the table and backed away, almost stepping on Shiloh. What the hell was that? Her heart raced and it was all she could do to stay calm. She wiped her sweaty palms on her tee-shirt. She studied the letter from a distance, searching for some identification. No signature, no letterhead, no watermark. Nothing. Reaching for the envelope again, she searched for clues she might have missed. Nothing. The note was printed in the same style as her name on the envelope, blocky hand printed letters, only
not
all capitals this time.

Shit.

She took several deep breaths as confusion and disbelief argued with fear. Common sense won out. This couldn't be real. It had to be a sick joke. Giving herself another moment to calm down, Kali reread it, this time slowly, trying to analyze the words - the meaning behind them.

What game? Who was going to do the hiding and what was being hidden? It sounded like a child's game. As part of her SAR work, she found people all the time. Did this person know her personally? Know of her? Know her enough to understand the type of work she did? Was the person a psycho or a sicko? Hard to tell. Best-case scenario, this was a stupid prank. Worst-case scenario...well she didn't want to go there.

That question about whether she was better than He made her stomach drop. They couldn't know. She closed her eyes.
Don't panic. Don't panic.

Added to that line was the fact that the letter had been delivered to her kitchen door. Talk about scaring the crap out of her. The letter writer knew her - in ways she didn't dare contemplate. It might have been a coincidence that she hadn't been here at the time of the delivery, except she couldn't stop wondering if she'd been watched and the letter delivered after she'd left. The fine hairs on her arm stood straight. Unable to stop herself, Kali relocked the back door then ran to make sure the front door was locked too.

What the hell should she do now?

She had to inform someone. She'd never sleep again if something bad came of this and she hadn't spoken up. That it could be nothing more than a bad joke didn't matter. Ignoring the letter and the envelope, she put on a small pot of coffee, then headed to the shower. She did some of her best thinking under hot water.

Twenty minutes later, her hair still wrapped in a towel, she walked out onto her deck, and took a bracing gulp from her freshly poured java.

Staring blindly out at the garden, Kali considered her options. The simplest answer was to call the police. They might come and inspect it, take her statement and possibly make a couple of inquiries. Still, they weren't likely to do more until something else developed.

All she really had was a piece of ugly fan mail.

Great.

Or she could call Stan. In the twenty-something years since starting the Second Chance SAR center, he'd received several threatening letters. Stan
was
the center. He was as well-known as Kali, maybe more so. Had he received a similar letter? She reached for the phone.

An hour later the sound of crunching gravel drew her to the front porch. Beside her, Shiloh stood alert barking madly at the unfamiliar large black truck. Kali narrowed her gaze as it parked beside her jeep. As she watched, Stan stepped down from the passenger side waving at her. She relaxed against the doorframe.

"Hi, Kali." Stan's smile reassured her further. She waved back before turning her attention to the driver. Tall and slim, dressed in jeans and a stretched black Henley, he looked big, dangerous, and vaguely familiar. Her stomach twisted. Energy stirred inside. A faint zap crackled between them. She puzzled on it as he fell into step behind Stan. The two appeared opposites. Stan had wizened into a small gnome of a man, while the larger man resonated health and purpose.

Stan gave her a quick hug. "I called an old friend for help. This is Grant Summers."

Kali welcomed them both inside. She'd known Stan a long time and couldn't remember hearing the name before. Nudging the door shut, she led the way through to the deck. "Can I get anyone coffee? It's fresh."

"Always, thanks." Stan beamed.

Grant shook his head. As she walked into the kitchen to find another mug, she glanced back. Grant watched her, an odd look on his face. Kali flushed. She'd seen him before, yet more than that, her energy knew him. Did he sense it too? From where? When? Her stomach pulsed. Which was crazy - she didn't know
him, yet she
knew
him.

The two men had taken seats at the outside table. "Here you go." Kali placed the mug in Stan's waiting hand. "Careful, it's hot."

"Thanks, Kali."

"No problem. I was ready for another cup myself." She motioned to the letter on the table at Stan's side where she’d placed it earlier. "There it is."

Stan reached for it, when Grant interrupted, "Read without touching it - just in case."

Glancing over at Kali apologetically, Stan read the letter aloud.

When he stopped, Kali spoke, her tone wry. "It's covered in my fingerprints. Honestly, I never considered that issue."

Grant moved over to study the envelope beside the letter. "Is this the envelope it came in?"

"Yes. It has no markings either."

He gave a short nod, a muscle in his jaw clenched and unclenched like he had a twitch.

Under lowered lashes, she studied his lean face and narrowed gaze. Jet black hair matched by imposing brows, squared high cheek bones led to a chin that said capable and strong-minded. This was not someone to cross. So still, so stern, she couldn't read him. And if she'd seen him before, surely she'd have remembered that air about him.

Yet his energy synced with hers. She didn't really know what that meant. Her energy and Stan's were comfy together. She'd always figured it was because he'd treated her as the daughter he'd never had, giving her the opening to treat him as the father she'd lost.