Murder at Granite Falls (8 page)

“This river has some Class I sections, but even if you’ve been white-water rafting before, the wilder stretches are dangerous. Right now, with spring runoff, they’re up to a strong Class IV, and the river channels are changing all the time. Have you been rafting before?”

“California Salmon River, Class V. Colorado River, Grand Canyon.”

He whistled. “Those must have been exciting vacations.”

She tipped her head in agreement.

“But being a passenger and being a guide are two different things. The responsibility…”

Penny rounded the corner with an armload of life jackets and plopped them on the ground next to the raft. “I see you two are getting things settled, then. Glad to have you on board, Carrie. We need the help.”

Startled, Logan looked between Carrie and his sister. “Wait a minute—”

Penny beamed. “I actually had to sort of talk her into it, but we are
so
lucky. I had no idea that she’d been a raft guide
before. And experienced guides usually just want to hire on with the bigger companies.”

Eyeing Carrie’s petite build, Logan felt his mouth drop open. If she could handle a kayak on a glass-calm lake, he’d be surprised. “Experienced?
Her?
”

“It isn’t all about brawn,” Penny retorted, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t suppose you asked her, but she put herself through college working as a raft guide on the Snake.”

He blinked. “The Snake.”

“Jackson Hole area.”

“I do know where it is.” He felt a new sense of respect for the young teacher standing in front of him, though for the life of him he still couldn’t imagine her having the required strength. The Snake was beautiful, but its changing channels could be fast and treacherous in the spring, and had even claimed a number of lives in recent years.

Penny toed one of the life jackets. “I know you’ll want to check out her skills, so if you two want to take a trial run, go right ahead. Tina and I can handle everything here for a while. And hey, it might even be a good chance to get to know each other. Honestly, I’ve never in my life seen two people trying so hard to ignore each other. I think you’d find each other to be good company.”

Uncomfortable, Carrie looked away.

She’d expected that she’d need to demonstrate her river skills, but she’d been thinking that Penny or Tina would go with her because they were the guides who were on the river the most. The
last
thing she wanted was to face those hours alone with Logan.

Sure, the water was fast and high. Reading the currents, channels and hazards of an unfamiliar river would require fast decisions and decisive maneuvers, leaving little time for awkward conversation.

But since she’d come to terms with her concerns about his
past, her traitorous heart had gone back to its old routine—with that little extra skip every time she saw him, along with an unwanted sense of extra awareness that had no place in their strictly business relationship.

And she definitely wanted nothing more than that.

She’d already succumbed to foolish attraction once before and had discovered that she was apparently a poor judge of character. And where had it gotten her? A precipitous marriage to Billy, and after it was over, she’d ended up watching the shadows and fearing the night, regretting her poor judgment. It would be a long, long time before she had any interest in taking that risk again. Distance
was
the best policy.

Though from the pained expression in his eyes, Logan had little desire for greater proximity, either. Exactly how she felt…so why did his cool reserve rankle?

He cleared his throat. “Sounds like a good plan, Penny—except I have an appointment at the bank at eleven, and they close at noon so I can’t be late. You’ll have to go with her instead.”

“I have two two-hour float trips scheduled today.” Penny folded her arms across her chest and frowned. “You could reschedule that appointment.”

“Nope. It’s with Rob Peters, the loan officer. He’s leaving on vacation later this afternoon. Tina—”

“Has to watch the office while I’m on the river, so she can collect the money and release forms from the second set of customers today. Then she has to bus them down to Hawk Landing so they can board, and bus the first group back up here.”

Logan thought for a moment. “We’ll also need to check with the insurance company about adding another guide.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Carrie murmured, backing away. “I…um…have lesson plans to work on and errands to run.
Penny can just let me know when she has the time…or we can forget about it altogether. It doesn’t really matter to me.”

Penny frowned. “But you said you’d be interested in some hours, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“If you could handle the office this afternoon, that would be great. As a guide you’d be getting tips, but at least this would be an extra paycheck. And if things are slow, you can work on your lesson plans in the office.”

“That would be fine.”

“Good. Then we can sort out the other issues later.” Penny gave her brother a long, pointed look. “After Logan and I sit down for a talk, I’m sure we can get this settled.”

SIX

C
arrie hesitated on the steps of the Granite Falls Community Church and glanced at the sign listing service times, needing an extra moment or two to settle the butterflies in her stomach.

She’d always loved old churches, and had admired this white clapboard church with its towering steeple and tall stained-glass windows along both sides of the sanctuary when she’d first come to town for her interview.

But this was her first Sunday service here. She hardly knew anyone in town. Light rain was falling, so no one was standing around to visit on the sidewalk, and already she felt like an awkward outsider.
But this is about You and me, God. Right? It isn’t a social occasion.

Taking a fortifying breath, she pulled open the massive oak door and stepped into the small crowd of people chatting quietly just inside. Ahead, through an open set of double doors leading into the nave, a center aisle led to the altar, with oak pews on either side.

“Ms. Randall!” Rachel, one of her students, sidestepped through the gathering with a middle-aged brunette in tow. “This is my mom, Ivy Graham.”

“What a nice surprise,” Carrie murmured, offering her hand. “Rachel is a fine student. I’m so glad to have her in my class.”

“She talks a lot about you.” Ivy smiled warmly. “There are
several of your students who attend here, actually.” She craned her neck to search, then waved a hand toward a tall, barrel-chested man at the far end of the entryway. “There’s Garrett’s dad. Have you met him?”

“Not yet. Is Noah here?”

“Now, that’s hard to say. He’s such a quiet little guy—not that I blame him.” She craned her neck. “Ah—see over there, by the water fountain? There he is. And the redhead next to him is his aunt Linda Bates. She’s been living with her brother and Noah since Sheryl died.”

As if they’d heard her words, Noah and his aunt both looked in her direction. Linda’s eyes widened when Noah tugged on her sleeve and whispered something, then the two of them hurried away from the entry toward a side exit.

Oblivious to their departure, Ivy continued to survey the other churchgoers. “There’s Margaret, from down at the bank…and Oscar Nelson—he owns the drugstore. Oh, and there’s one of the deputies in town. Have you met Rick Peterson?”

Surprised, Carrie looked across the room and caught sight of the tall, slender deputy. “Briefly.”

Dressed in a white polo shirt and khaki slacks instead of his crisply starched uniform, he still wore a military aura of command. “He’s the older brother of one of my high school classmates.” She winked. “Come with me. It’s always nicer to visit with someone if he isn’t giving you a traffic ticket, don’t you think?”

Carrie followed Ivy across the entryway. “We did meet, but it wasn’t over a traffic violation.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Ivy’s hand flew to her mouth, a pink tinge climbing up her face. “There was some sort of…a
domestic
call, wasn’t it? I heard it on the scanner.”

“You and everyone else in the county, apparently.” Carrie offered a wry smile. “But it wasn’t a domestic issue. I saw a prowler and called 911.”

Clearly flustered, Ivy blushed a deeper pink. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to pry, or anything…I spend more time with my feet in my mouth than anyone I know.”

The soft sweet strains of “Beautiful Savior” began, and the stragglers in the entryway all headed toward the pews. The deputy started to follow, until he glanced over at Ivy and turned back. “Mornin’, Ivy,” he said, his voice soft and warm.

Until now, Carrie had only seen him in his terse cop mode, but if the man wasn’t carrying a torch for Rachel’s sweet mom, Carrie would be surprised.

“Rick, I believe you two have met briefly once before, but under less pleasant circumstances. This is the new teacher in town, Carrie Randall,” Ivy whispered. “Carrie, this is Deputy Rick Peterson.” She looked between them and smiled, then backed away. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to join my mother and the kids.”

When Ivy stepped away, the deputy pinned Carrie with a hard, searching look. “Are you still staying out at the Bradley place?”

“I am.”

“Any more troubles out there?”

“There were, actually. Someone damaged one of the river rafts.”

“Damaged?”

“It looked like it was slashed, actually, with a knife.” She met his gaze squarely. “But Logan said it wouldn’t do any good to call in a report.”

“I hear his rafting company isn’t doing so well financially.” Rick’s cold eyes narrowed. “Things aren’t always what they seem, Ms. Randall.”

“If you’re implying that he did it himself for the insurance claim, you’re wrong.” She caught the rising emotion in her voice and took a slow breath. “Anyway, he’d want a police report on the vandalism, right?”

Rick snorted in derision. “Maybe he knew we’d see things a little
too
clearly. You do know about the charges against him last year. Right? And the trial?”

“Yes, and the fact that he was acquitted. Seems to me that justice was served.”

“Or maybe not. Just remember I warned you,” he said in a low voice. “Associating with the bad elements in town can mean you get tarred with the same brush.” The pager on his belt hummed. He reached for it, read the screen and turned for the arched front doors of the church. “If I were you, I’d watch my step.”

On her way home from church an hour later, Carrie smiled to herself, thankful she’d gone. After the service, Ivy again apologized over her gaffe, then proceeded to introduce Carrie to everyone in sight. She’d already seen many of the members around town or at school, so being able to connect names and faces would help her fit into the fabric of the community.

But the deputy’s insinuations had played through her thoughts during the service, and even now she couldn’t forget what he’d said. Clichéd or not, his words had held more than a veiled warning about her association with the Bradleys.

Logan hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that reporting the damage to the raft wouldn’t do him much good because he figured the local sheriff’s department probably wouldn’t be much help.

And now she had to wonder. If she ever had trouble with prowlers or stalkers or a certain ex-husband while living at the Bradley place, would they bother to come quickly…or even come at all?

Logan tightened the final strap on the life jacket, then grinned at the elderly man who had been grumbling for the past ten minutes about his wife’s decision to go rafting. “It’s
an easy run, from here down to the fork. You’ll think you’re in an easy chair back home.”

“Right. But if that little girl over there—”

“Tina. She’s been river guiding since she was seventeen.”

“Well, if she misses that fork, what then?”

“The Wolf is calm to that point. There, she’ll take the right fork into Selby Creek and you’ll enjoy another five miles of quiet water before you land.”

“Hmpf. And if she goes to the left, we die.”

“No. The main channel does change to some serious white water.
That
would be more like a cycle through your washing machine. But it won’t happen. Promise.”

“You’d better be right. She looks about as strong as my twelve-year-old niece.”

Tina finished loading the last of four women, then beckoned. “Ready, sir.”

Grumbling, the man squared his shoulders as he trudged over to the raft, clearly not wanting to be shown up by his wife and the other silver-haired women who were already on board and chatting gaily about their river adventure.

At the sound of tires crunching on gravel, Logan turned and found Carrie pulling to a stop by the office. She stepped out of her car, pretty as a daffodil in a slim yellow skirt, top and matching jacket, the sunshine picking out golden highlights in her sleek cap of mahogany hair.

He felt his heart stop for just a moment before it remembered to pick up its regular beat.

“Howdy,” he called out, knowing it was probably better to get this over now…despite Penny’s feelings to the contrary.

Carrie smiled and walked over, slipping out of her jacket and draping it over one shoulder as she crossed the parking area. “Beautiful day for a float,” she said, eyeing the elderly group of passengers in Tina’s raft. “Are you going out, as well?”

“Later. About the raft guiding…” He cleared his throat. “I
checked with our insurance agent. Do you have the certificates for Swift Water Rescue and Wilderness First Responder?”

“That must be something new. I haven’t guided since I was in college.”

“So you probably just had First Aid and CPR.”

She nodded. “And the usual river training, plus four summers of experience.”

“Unfortunately, our insurance rates are sky-high as it is, and we’re required to supply proof of certification for every guide or they’ll double the cost of our policy.”

Her face fell. “How soon can I be certified?”

“The First Responder class takes eight days, and the Level I and II Water Rescue classes add up to over four. Not that much—but they’re only taught a couple times a year in this area.”