Murder in the Devil's Cauldron (25 page)

"It's perfectly safe," the man said again,
inching closer to the edge of the Cauldron. "See? If you're scared,
I'll protect you."

Starr rolled her eyes. She wondered, not for
the first time, why grownups said such stupid things all the time.
As if… But she noticed that his wife didn't look that impressed,
either.

"Oh, all right," Diana said. "If it means so
much to you." She stepped cautiously out onto the rock. "But this
better be good."

"It's fine," he insisted. "It's a lot wider
than it looks. Besides, the river is absolutely amazing this close.
You really can't see anything from there."

Diana stopped for a moment and smiled. "Now
you're going to say it's elemental."

"Something like that. Come on, darling. Live
a little."

Starr rolled her eyes again, wanting to barf.
More importantly, though, she was losing the light. She checked her
camera again to make sure everything was set. Her thumb resting
lightly on the shutter release, she watched impatiently, wishing
she could do what Ansel Adams had once done. He had seen his shot
slipping away and had jumped up, ordering everyone off the
monument. It had been cleared just in time for him to get two shots
of the place before the light was gone. It was one of his most
famous pictures.

But that was Ansel Adams. Starr knew she'd
never get away with it. At least not
yet
, she amended with a
grin. No one might take her seriously now, but when she was older,
it would be a different story. For now, all she could do was wait,
her thumb resting lightly on the shutter release button so that the
moment they left she'd get the shot.

Diana stood halfway between the trail and the
Devil's Cauldron. David was beckoning to her, a goofy grin
plastered across his face. For some reason, she was reluctant to go
out there. She didn't want to get anywhere near the Devil's
Cauldron.

She tried to put a name to what was niggling
at her, but it evaded her, like a wary cat. Worse, his smile seemed
odd.

She stared at him. Well, maybe it wasn't the
smile. But it was
something
. And that vague sense of unease
was making her uncharacteristically uncomfortable about getting
anywhere near the Devil's Cauldron. It had been years since she had
been here and had been looking forward to seeing it when they got
to this park. But now, what she really wanted to do was head back
to the trail and keep going.

"Come on, honey," he coaxed again.

Maybe it was all those years of meeting men
who only wanted to take advantage of her in some way that was
making her so hesitant, she thought. Maybe it had made her too
cautious. Too ready to believe the worst.

She laughed at her thoughts. She had finally
taken the plunge and married him. They were on their honeymoon. And
while it hadn't been everything she had expected or hoped for, it
was a bit early to get the willies. She chuckled a little to
herself. She was definitely going to have to learn to trust a
little more.

Diana started across the rock towards the
Devil's Cauldron.

The couple below her seemed to operate in
slow motion and Starr watched in agony as the woman slowly made her
way towards her husband before finally taking his hand.

"Now look," he said, pointing. "Isn't it just
amazing?"

The water from the Enchantment River, tightly
channeled through the twists and turns of the long chute from the
top of the mountain, sent sprays of water up as it pounded past the
couple into the huge caldera of the Devil's Cauldron.

"They still don't know where it comes out,"
he said. "Isn't it truly one of the most elemental things you've
ever seen?"

"You're right," she said. "I'd forgotten how
amazing it is."

"Aren't you glad you came now?" he asked.

She smiled. "Yes, David. And now, as I
recall, you were going to show me something romantic."

"Of course, sweetheart."

As the woman turned, Starr saw David look
around quickly and then pull on her arm. As she tilted towards him,
he put his other arm behind her and pushed. Starr stared in horror
as the woman fell right into the Devil's Cauldron and vanished.

Starr was just about to jump up when she saw
the savage grin on the man's face. She shrank backwards as he
looked around, suddenly terrified he would see her. When she dared
to peer over the cliff again, all she could see was his back as he
headed back down the trail.

Her photo shoot forgotten, Starr packed up
her camera and tripod quickly and hurried down the path to the
park's Visitor Center. She had to tell someone what she had
seen.

Fowler took his time going back down the
trail.

The sun was slipping towards the horizon,
descending behind the trees and sending shadows across the trail
like elongated fingers. They blended with those cast by the rocks
and he was having trouble telling which was which, making the going
tricky. A broken ankle was the last thing he needed now. Especially
since he could finally get out of this godforsaken wilderness.

A bead of tricked down his spine and his
mouth felt drier than the dust on the rocks surrounding him. As
Fowler stepped into the shade at the next vista point, all he could
think about was a double Scotch on the rocks from the bar at the
Lodge. He thought of the way it would feel as it carved an icy path
down his throat. The way he would go from parched to feeling human
again. How good it would feel to sit by the window without Diana
yakking interminably.

He snorted. They might have only been here a
few days, but it felt like the month from hell.

He sat on the stone bench and closed his
eyes, realizing he could barely hear the river now. At the Devil's
Cauldron, the roar of the rapids had seemed to fill the entire
world. But because the river had carved so deeply into the rock,
here it was a barely discernable growl.

Fowler allowed himself a faint smile. He
could hardly believe it was finally done. Diana had been a
micro-managing pain in the ass and the pleasure he was experiencing
from pushing her into the Devil's Cauldron wasn't completely due to
the money that would now come pouring into his bank account.

What he hadn't expected was that it would be
so easy. She was in great shape. Much better than he was. So he'd
expected a struggle of some kind. But she hadn't suspected a thing.
He grinned. After all the trouble getting her here, it was beyond
satisfying that it had gone so well.

His smile grew as he thought about her
millions and how he was going to spend them. He was going to love
being truly rich.

Starr scrambled down the path on the upper
side of the river as fast as she could, keeping an eye out for
roots and loose rocks. The trail on the other side was
well-maintained since that was where most of the hikers were. Few
people knew about the trail on this side. It was narrow and
meandered through the thick clumps of trees and brush.

She hadn't taken the time to put the tripod
into the carrying case that she could sling over her shoulder. It
felt awkward and almost tripped her up a couple of times when it
caught on low tree branches. Starr broke into a run a couple of
times, then forced herself to slow down a little. She didn't want
the killer to get away, but she also didn't want to fall and break
her camera.

Finally, though, she came out at the bottom
and skirted the giant boulders that masked the trail from the
highway. She considered dashing across the highway, but even though
the speed limit was low here, cars were whizzing by. This part of
the road was on a sharp curve and she couldn't see far enough in
either direction to take the chance.

Abandoning the idea, she dashed up the road
and through the tunnel, her camera bag banging heavily against her
hip.

Inside the Visitor Center, Starr found the
park ranger behind the counter. As he came over, she saw his name
tag. Tom Donovan.

"I just saw a man push his wife into the
Devil's Cauldron," she blurted out.

His eyes widened and he came out from behind
the counter. "When?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I got here as quick
as I could."

"Did you get a good look at him?"

Starr nodded emphatically. "He's a guest at
Storm Point Lodge."

"Come on," he said and headed for the door.
"Can you see him?" he asked as the got outside.

Starr looked towards the parking lot, shading
her eyes with the flat of her hand. "No."

"Let's see if he's still up there." Donovan
started towards the tunnel.

Starr turned to follow him and hadn't taken
more than a couple of steps when she saw the killer coming out of
the tunnel. She gaped, unable to believe he was walking right at
her.

She grabbed Donovan's arm and pointed. "There
he is."

Donovan strode purposefully over to the
killer. Starr followed slowly, suddenly terribly uncomfortable.

"Excuse me, sir," Donovan called. "Could you
hold up a minute."

The killer stopped and turned, a quizzical
look on his face. "Yes?"

"Could you step inside for a moment?"

The killer looked at his watch and then back
at the ranger. "Why? The shuttle leaves in a few minutes and I
don't want to miss it."

"We've had a report that someone fell into
the Devil's Cauldron."

"My God," the killer exclaimed. "How
terrible. Is she all right?"

"No one gets out of the Devil's Cauldron,"
Donovan said evenly.

"Oh my." He shrugged. "Unfortunately, I
didn't see a thing." His glance went past the ranger to Starr, his
eyes narrowing slightly.

"You were just hiking up there. It's possible
you might've noticed something," the ranger said.

"Sorry." The killer shrugged again.

"Someone said it might've been your
wife."

The man stared at Donovan, his face
completely blank for a long moment. "My wife?" He snorted. "Not
likely." His gaze flicked briefly over to Starr and then back to
the ranger.

"And why is that?" Donovan asked. "Where is
she?"

"In Duluth. Shopping. Something about new
hiking shoes. Although she'll probably come back with a lot more
than that by the time she's finished."

"So she'll be back when?"

The killer shrugged. "Tonight or tomorrow
probably. Depends. She likes to shop." He looked at his watch
again. "Now if that's all, I'd like to get going. It's been a long
day and I'm famished."

"You're staying at the Storm Point
Lodge?"

"Yes."

"Could I get your name?"

"David Fowler," he replied curtly.

"And your wife's name?"

"Diana."

"When she returns, could you bring her by?
Just to set my mind at ease," Donovan added.

"This is ridiculous."

"Maybe," Donovan said. "But it'd sure go a
long way to eliminating any potential problems."

Fowler heaved a big theatrical sigh and shook
his head. "Fine. We'll stop by. Anything else?"

"Not for now."

"He's lying," Starr blurted out as the killer
started walking away.

Fowler stopped and turned, staring at her.
"What did you say?"

"He's lying," Starr repeated. "He pushed her
in. I saw him."

The killer scowled at her, but Starr glared
at him defiantly and then looked at the ranger, her heart sinking
when she saw his face. Donovan had one of those expressions her
mother got all the time. The kind that said "you're just a kid and
probably got it wrong or made it up." As if she was stupid or mean
like some of the kids she went to school with. The kind of
expression that made Starr want to throw something. The problem
was, she had no idea how to convince the ranger that she
wasn't
stupid and
didn't
make things up.

"Are you sure it was him?" Donovan asked her
quietly. "This is pretty serious, you know."

"I
know
that," she said impatiently.
"He pushed her. I saw him do it."

"How can you even say that?" Fowler said
loudly. "My god! What kind of a girl are you."

"The kind who tells the truth," Starr
retorted. "Unlike
some
people."

"We'll sort this out later," Donovan told
Starr. He turned back to the killer. "Just bring your wife by and
then there won't be any problem, all right?"

"What kind of a place is this?" Fowler glared
at Starr for another moment, then at the ranger. He shook his head
angrily and then walked away.

Starr shivered as she watched him go. Just
for a moment he looked as if he wanted to push her into the Devil's
Cauldron, as well.

"He's lying," she said again quietly. "Aren't
you going to arrest him or something?"

"I can't right now. We don't have any
evidence, for one thing. And he says she's still alive, so it'll be
interesting if he brings her to see me tomorrow."

"But he killed her. He could get away." This
wasn't the way it was supposed to happen, Starr fumed as she
watched the killer walk into the parking lot.

"He could," Donovan said. "But there are
certain procedures we have to follow and right now, this is the
best we can do. Besides, we have his name and we can always track
him down if we have to." He looked at Starr, curious. "You live at
Storm Point Lodge then?"

"Yes. My mom works there."

"Tell you what," he said. "Why don't we go up
to the Devil's Cauldron and see if there's anything we can see.
OK?"