Night Prey (8 page)

When he pulled into the center's parking lot, the deputy's car was gone.

Jenna's hand touched her cheek as she voiced the same thought that ran through his head. “The deputy must have gotten called out for something.”

“The sheriff is going to patrol by here a couple times.” Frustration coiled inside him. A few drive-bys wouldn't be enough to assure him that she would be okay. “I just wish you had a better security system.”

“We're doing our big fundraiser ball at Peter Hickman's in two days.” She pushed open the door and hopped down. “Purchasing some sort of alarm system just moved to the top of my wish list.”

“Make sure you lock your door and don't go out until Cassidy gets here in the morning.”

“Keith, I'm not twelve years old. I have to check on the birds in the night.” She raised an eyebrow as if to challenge any objection he might give her. “See ya.” She closed the door of the truck.

Jenna waved as she walked past the windshield. Keith watched as she checked the front door on the center to make sure it was locked before heading to the stone path.

Uneasiness spread through Keith as he watched Jenna heading down the hill to her house. Would she be okay tonight?

Jenna's long hair waved in the breeze like a delicate silk scarf. He waited until she unlocked the door and was safely inside before he pulled out of the lot and drove back home.

Etta King was standing in the front yard when he pulled up to the farmhouse. She yanked off her garden gloves after setting a trowel on a stump by the door. “Got some lasagna in the oven if you're hungry, Keith.”

“That sounds good, Grandma.” Despite years of hard work and harsh winters, Etta King projected a youthful energy with her rosy cheeks and perfect posture. Her long silver-white hair was twisted up on top of her head.

He glanced at their front door. He and Jenna had scrubbed so thoroughly that no trace of the warning written in blood remained. He had told them about the trespassers; they needed to know that much.

“You been out helping that Jenna Murphy today?” Etta's blue eyes had a vibrant sparkle to them.

Keith hesitated. He didn't want to alarm his grandparents, but they needed to be aware of what was going on. “Yes, she had some trouble over at the rescue center. There was a break-in and today someone killed one of the birds.”

Etta covered her mouth with one hand and shook her head. “That poor girl. I'll keep her in my prayers.” Etta stared off in the distance. “Who would do such a thing? Used to be, you knew who your neighbors were around here.”

Her voice trailed off and he knew she was thinking about the trespassers as well as what had happened to Jenna. He rested a hand on her thin shoulder. “I am going to get to the bottom of this, Grandma.”

She managed a smile. “I know you will.” They walked into the kitchen together.

Italian spices swirled in the humidity from the oven's heat. His mouth watered. No one could make lasagna like Grandma.

“I always did like Jenna. Don't seem to run into her much anymore. She was such a sweetheart when she was a teenager.”

Remorse spread through him. “Not like me, huh?”

Etta faced her grandson. “What is past is past, Keith.” She cupped a hand on each of his shoulders. She was so short that she had to stand on tiptoe. “You are not that troubled boy anymore, and we are glad to have you here.”

He couldn't undo the past; he could only make amends. Sometimes though, the guilt ate at him.

Norman King appeared in the doorway. “What cha
got cookin' in there, Mother? Smells like an Italian diner.”

Etta bustled over to the oven. “Got some garlic bread and salad made with lettuce from the garden and homemade vinaigrette to go with the lasagna.”

Norman rubbed his gnarled hands together. He wiggled his bushy eyebrows at Keith. “Sounds good, doesn't it, son?”

Keith smiled. He was twenty-nine. He'd faced death and worse. And his grandparents still talked to him like he was a kid. There was something endearing about that.

His grandfather shuffled over to the table. Keith pulled Craig's check for the bull out of his back pocket and handed it to Norman. The old man moved a lot slower than he had twelve years ago. The years had passed too quickly. Keith had been too wounded to accept the love they offered all those years ago. He was happy to accept it now, but chances were his future job would take him out of state. He only hoped to be able to visit them for many more years.

Etta set the steaming casserole dish on the table. “Keith's been helping Jenna Murphy over at the bird place she runs.”

Norman plumped down in a chair and stuffed a fabric napkin into his collar. “I always did like that girl.”

“She goes to that church over on Beacon Street now, but I see her once a year when all the churches get together for the annual garage sale. Such a sweetie.” She held out her hand to Keith. “Hand me your plate, dear.”

Keith shifted in his chair. If he didn't know better,
he'd say that his grandparents were matchmaking. “I'm just here until the end of summer.”

Etta piled the lasagna on Keith's plate and then sat down, lacing her fingers together. “I'm only saying how nice she is.”

They bowed their heads and said grace.

Norman scooted his chair closer to the table. “Been thinking about fixing up some fence in the northern quarter.”

“I can give you a hand with that.” Keith grabbed a piece of garlic bread. He had vowed to make sure that anytime his grandfather went to the remote parts of the ranch, he would go, too. He didn't want to think about what would happen if his grandfather stumbled on the trespassers.

They discussed the repairs that needed to be done on the tractor before harvest time and other things. After dinner, Keith spent some time watching television with them before heading up to his place.

He fell into his bed and slept for a few hours. When he awoke, it was still dark outside. He had yet to sleep a full eight hours since his discharge. He lifted the thin blanket and sauntered over to his easel. A canyon with a silver and blue river roaring through it was starting to come to life on the canvas. He and Jenna had rafted this river together.

He squeezed out some white on his palette. They had just been kids having fun back then. Rock climbing and rafting were a lot different than a relationship. As easy as it was to be with her, it didn't make sense to start anything now.

He was still alert after painting for several hours.
He opened his Bible and read for a while. Jenna's weary, anxious look from earlier kept flashing through his mind. That uneasy feeling that snaked around his rib cage returned. He wasn't going to sleep anymore tonight.

“Come on, Jet. Let's go make ourselves useful.”

He padded softly down the stairs. The lights were out in his grandparents' place so he was as quiet as possible as he started up the old Dodge. The headlights cut a swath of illumination as he rumbled down the road. He was sure everything was fine—Jenna was right when she said the birds had been targeted, not her—but he knew he wouldn't feel easy again until he saw that she was safe with his own two eyes.

He pulled into the dark parking lot and retrieved his cell phone. He'd probably be waking her, but that would be better than scaring her by making her think he was an intruder. He was surprised when she picked up after the first ring.

“Hello.” She didn't sound like she had been sleeping.

“Jenna, it's me, Keith.”

“I know, I saw the caller ID.” A second of silence filled the line. “Besides, I know your voice.”

“I'm in the center parking lot.” When he leaned his head sideways, he saw that her living room lights were on. “I thought I would watch the place for a couple of hours.”

Jenna sighed audibly. “Thank you. I haven't been able to sleep a wink. Every noise makes me jump. But what are you doing up?”

Thinking about you.

“I keep kind of strange hours.” He scooted across the seat. She was visible in the living room window. “It's a holdover from Iraq. I sleep lightly and in short intervals.”

She turned facing the window so she was looking directly at his truck. “That sounds like a lot to deal with.”

“Sometimes it is.” The compassion he heard in her voice made him want to share more, but maybe this wasn't the time. He shifted on the seat so he could see her better. She waved from the window. Light washed over her, making her hair appear glittery and her expression bright.

After saying goodbye, Keith hung up and grabbed a flashlight from his glove compartment. He walked the grounds with Jet padding silently behind him. The stillness of the night surrounded him. He patrolled for several minutes and then returned to the truck. Unless someone hiked in from the hills, the only access to the center was on the road behind him. He'd be able to see headlights way before they got to the center. He rolled down the window to catch any out-of-place noises.

Jenna's living room light clicked off.

Maybe now at least one of them would get some sleep.

T
hough Jenna could not discern words, Cassidy's voice sounded frantic. Distortion on the line made it hard for Jenna to understand her assistant.

Pressing the phone harder against her ear, Jenna paced through the raptor center. “What did you say?”

“I said I'm pretty sure I just saw a bird, an eagle, shot out of the sky.”

Ice froze in Jenna's veins. “Where…where are you?” She sank into a chair as the numbness invaded her limbs.

“Gleason's Road just west of the center, but the bird was off in the distance.” Static broke up her words. “It will take a while to figure out where it went down.”

“I'll come out and help you. Do you mind waiting?”

“I can start looking.”

“No.” Jenna's heart squeezed tight. “Don't start searching for it alone.” She didn't want to alarm her friend but given what had happened the last few days, if the shooter was still around, Cassidy might be in danger. “Stay close to your car and just wait for me, okay?”

“Okay,” Cassidy said. “You think this has something to do with the vandalism?”

“We can't take that chance.” Cassidy knew most of the details of everything that had happened.

Jenna grabbed her purse and headed out to her Subaru. Keith stood in the parking lot holding a cardboard box. For a guy who never slept, he looked pretty good. The teal shirt he wore gave his eyes a bluish hue. The five o'clock shadow and ruffled hair made him look rugged but not unkempt.

“Back already?”

When she had awakened this morning, his truck was gone. His coming to keep vigil over the center was just what she had needed to finally get some sleep.

He lifted the box toward her. “I was in town and I found this motion sensitive light at the pawnshop. It's not a whole security system, but it will help. I can install it.”

His thoughtfulness warmed her heart, but panic over what might have happened to the eagle and concern for Cassidy overtook her good feelings. She ran her fingers through her long hair. “Thank you. You can just leave it inside with one of the volunteers.”

“What's wrong?” Keith stepped closer, his eyes searching. “You seem upset.”

She never could hide her emotions from him. “Cassidy thinks she saw an eagle being shot. I'm going out to see if we can find where the bird went down.”

“I'll go with you.” He placed the box beside the door and turned to face her.

“We'll take my car.” She had no desire to argue with him about joining her. She had no idea what she and
Cassidy might be facing. Having Keith along sounded like a good idea.

Keith opened the passenger-side door and pulled out the dry-cleaning bag she had hung over the seat.

“That's my dress for the fundraiser tomorrow night. Just toss it in the back.”

Jenna drove a little too fast over the gravel road. Her heart raced as she fought to keep panicked thoughts at bay. If this bird had been shot, it meant the eagles were being targeted. The first eagle hadn't just been an isolated incident.

Jenna sailed over a bump and the car caught air. The impulse to get there and get there fast made it hard for her to slow down.

Keith cleared his throat, but didn't say anything. She noticed he gripped the handle of the door.

She took in a cleansing breath and let up on the accelerator.

Jenna rounded a hill. Cassidy's white truck was visible in the early evening light. She must have been looking for Jenna in the rearview mirror because she had opened the door and stepped out by the time Jenna brought the car to a stop.

Cassidy walked over to them while they got out of the car. Her blond hair was pulled back from a face etched with worry.

Jenna stood beside her friend. “Where did you see the bird?”

A flat area with clumps of grass stretched out from the road and went on for a mile or so. Forest to the east and west and buttes to the south bordered the flat area.

The sky took up three quarters of the view. “I was driving home when I spotted the eagle soaring.” Cassidy pointed up midway in the sky. “I stopped the car to get out and watch him. They are so beautiful when they fly, so carefree.”

The sight of a soaring raptor had always filled Jenna's heart with admiration, too.

“And then,” Cassidy continued as she drew the path of the bird across the sky, “I heard a sound. I can't say for sure that it was a gunshot. But…he wobbled and spiraled downward.”

“Do you think he landed in the flat area?” Keith paced away from the road, studying the area around him.

Cassidy nodded. “I got out my binoculars and started looking.” She touched her fingers to her lips. “I couldn't see any kind of movement on the ground.” Sorrow permeated her voice.

It was a lot of territory to cover, but the probability of finding the bird was far greater than if he had gone down in the trees. “The three of us can do a grid search.”

Jenna's gaze scanned the open area. If someone had shot a bird, where would they have hidden? The trees provided cover. If they lay on their stomach, the rolling hills that jutted up against the buttes would be a good place to hide. She shivered. Was the shooter still out there?

It didn't make sense to call the sheriff unless they found something. She had been seeing way more of Sheriff Douglas in the last few days than she did all year. If the eagle had been shot, it was a crime, and they
would have to report it, but first they needed to find the eagle.

“I can only give a rough estimate of where I think I saw it go down.” Cassidy's shoulders jerked. “I was looking away when it registered in my brain what might have happened.”

“So maybe he was just diving?” Anxiety made Jenna's stomach churn. She did not want to find a dead eagle.

“Maybe.” Cassidy didn't sound too hopeful. “He was moving across the sky and then he was gone.”

Jenna ran to her car and grabbed two pairs of binoculars. She handed one to Keith. He must have picked up on her fear because he leaned close and whispered, “It's gonna be okay.”

The small assurance bolstered her resolve. “How far out do you think we need to walk?”

Cassidy retrieved her binoculars from the bumper of her truck. “It was closer to the buttes than the road. I'd say we need to hike almost all the way out there.”

“Okay, let's spread out.”

Cassidy placed her hands on her hips. “About thirty yards apart should do it. If we can't find him, we can't find him.”

Of course, Jenna knew Cassidy wouldn't give up as easily as her words implied. Neither would she. They would stay out here until dark if they had to.

Jenna paced out toward the buttes, examining the ground in front of her and to each side. She ran a little faster, still scanning the hard earth for the distinctive white feathers, knowing that the eagle could be hidden by the tufts of grass and rock.

Once she reached the base of the rolling hills, she
jogged out ten yards toward the trees and then turned and faced the road and parked cars. When she looked up, Cassidy's blond hair was easy enough to spot. Jenna worked her way closer to the road and then whirled around to do another trek back to the buttes.

More determined than ever, she continued to search. Some of the tension in her muscles subsided when she saw Keith working his way east. The light had begun to dim, making it harder to see him.

Jenna headed back toward the buttes again. Her feet pounded out a rhythm. She stopped to study the ground. The eagle's coloring was designed to help him blend into his surroundings. Years of bird spotting, though, had trained her eyes to separate wild animal from wilderness.

She stepped forward. Her heart stopped. Ten yards in front of her was a lump that didn't look like grass. She took two big strides and then ran. Instantly, she dropped to her knees. Sorrow flooded through her as wind rustled the feathers of the dead bird. She reached out a hand to touch its head. The mature bald eagle had had at least a six-foot wing span. It must have been beautiful in flight.

Her hand trailed down to the bloody breast feathers.

She heard pounding footsteps and then Keith knelt beside her. He gasped in air from running.

She touched the bloody spot. “That is a bullet hole, isn't it?”

His voice was gentle. “Yes. It's a clean shot.” He turned, looking at the area that surrounded them. “If
Cassidy never saw the shooter, he must have had a high-powered rifle with a good sight on it.”

“We have proof now that someone's doing this on purpose. The sheriff doesn't seem to be able to make much progress. This is clearly poaching. We can bring the game warden in on this.” Jenna clenched her teeth, trying to hold back the rising tide of fury.

“Somebody is sure gutsy.” Keith rose to his feet. “Do you know who owns this land?”

“It's government land.” Jenna rocked back and forth. She couldn't get a deep breath because of the tightness in her chest. “I don't know who is leasing it. Mrs. Ephron's acre of land isn't far from here.”

“Gramps's place is behind us.” He pivoted. “It's all happening in the same area.”

Jenna heard Cassidy's hurried footsteps.

Cassidy dropped down beside her friend. Her breath caught. A faint moan escaped her lips.

“I'll have to wait here until the game warden comes,” Jenna said. “No doubt this bird was a trophy to someone and they might come back for it. She had a feeling Cassidy had interrupted the hunt. The tail feathers and the talons all had monetary value—maybe that was why they were being hunted.

“I can wait with you,” Cassidy offered.

“You go on home. I'll stay here with her,” Keith said.

As she stared at the dead bird, its feathers ruffled by the breeze, Keith's voice sounded so far away.

Cassidy wrapped her arm around Jenna and squeezed her shoulder. She could barely feel Cassidy's touch. It was as if she were experiencing everything underwater.

“I'll call the warden before I leave,” Cassidy said.

Jenna uttered a “thank you” though her voice did not sound like her own.

 

Keith leaned close to Jenna. He touched her face at the jawline and gently turned her head away from the bird. “Don't torture yourself by looking.” The devastation on her face floored him.

“I'm going to get to the bottom of this.” Anger colored her words. “I'll do everything I can to make sure the warden finds this guy.”

He could only hope that the warden and not Jenna found the shooter first. The resolve he heard in her voice told him nothing would deter her. He couldn't blame her for her anger. But the thought of Jenna confronting someone brutal and arrogant with no respect for life made Keith's heart clench in fear.

Jenna sat back on the ground. Keith scooted up toward her. On the road, Cassidy waved at them before getting into her truck.

Jenna dug her heels into the earth. “This bird was killed with a bullet from a rifle, not a shotgun. Bullets can be traced.”

Keith's gaze darted from one high place on the landscape to another. They were exposed if they stayed out here. “Why don't we wait over by the car?”

“We can't move the bird. It's just like a regular crime scene.”

Keith rose to his feet, spotted a stick a few feet away and walked over to it. “We can mark the spot and watch from the road.” He pushed the stick in the ground next to the dead eagle. “Hand me your scarf.”

Jenna untied the scarf from around her neck. It fluttered in the breeze as she handed it to him. Keith knotted it firmly to the stick to enable them to sight it from the road.

They walked back to the car and settled on the bumper. Jenna crossed her arms and kicked at the dirt. The wind caught her long hair and it brushed over his cheek. He'd do anything to take her anguish away. “This game warden is pretty good?”

“I don't know. He's new. I don't think we have even had a poaching case since he got the job.” Frustration undergirded her words.

Keith pushed off the bumper and stalked forward a few steps. “Maybe you should let the warden do his job.” The harder Jenna pushed, the more he feared for her safety.

“I will, but I am not going to stop trying to figure out who is behind this.” She shifted slightly on the bumper. “I just hope I can keep the birds at the center safe. Peter's fundraiser should give us enough to buy a security system. That will help a lot.”

“Who is this Peter guy, anyway? You keep talking about him.” Jenna spoke so warmly of him; Keith's curiosity was piqued.

Jenna drew back as though she had been caught off guard. “He's the center's biggest supporter. Last year his fundraiser allowed us to build the flight barn. You should come to the ball. It's a lot of fun.”

A fundraiser that could finance a whole security system made his motion sensitive light look like nothing. Keith rubbed the back of his neck where it had
grown tense. “It's a formal thing, huh?” The thought of wearing a tie made him itch.

“The women like to go all-out, but dressed up for a Montana guy means you wear clean jeans and you scrape the mud off your boots.”

The sparkle had returned to Jenna's round brown eyes and her dimple showed when she smiled. Talking about the birds did that for her.

“You are welcome to come to the event,” she said.

Formal events really weren't his thing, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

Up the road, a dust cloud indicated that the game warden was on his way. The warden pulled over to the side of the road and opened the door. He was a weathered-looking man with white hair and a silver white beard. Though he had a start on a pot belly, his stride indicated strength.

“Keith, this is Leland Furness. Leland, this is Keith Roland, Norman King's grandson.”

Leland offered Keith a handshake with a solid grip.

“Been seeing a lot of you in the last couple of days, Jenna.” Leland pulled a toothpick out of his shirt pocket and rolled it around in his mouth.