Going to Extremes

“That’s good news.” He glanced around. “Mind if I sit?”

“Please.” Kaitlyn motioned to the chair Eden had vacated. Now that she’d managed to regain her equilibrium, she was in no hurry for Aidan Campbell to leave. No hurry at all.

He pulled up the chair and sat down at her bedside. “Are you up to answering a few questions?”

“You sound like a cop,” she said in surprise.

He shrugged. “I’m just curious as to what you were doing out in the middle of nowhere alone in a rainstorm.”

“That seems to be the question of the day,” Kaitlyn muttered. “I’m a reporter for the Ponderosa Monitor. I was on my way to Warden Green’s press conference…” She trailed off. “You’ve heard about the prison break, I assume?”

“It’s been all over the news for the past two days.”

She nodded. “Anyway, I was on my way to the press conference when I got caught in the flood. I had to leave my vehicle and head for high ground. I was hoping if I kept walking, I’d be able to get a cell-phone signal. And I knew if I headed north, I’d eventually reach Eagle Falls.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “And then you what?…walked off the edge into that ravine?”

“Well, see, that’s where things get a little screwy,” she admitted. “I can’t seem to remember what happened. I must have stumbled in the dark. Or maybe I got caught in a mudslide.” She lifted her shoulders helplessly. “I don’t remember what happened. I only have a vague recollection of the rescue. I heard the helicopter and then I saw you staring down at me…the next thing I know, I’m in the hospital.” She paused. “If you hadn’t come along when you did, there’s no telling how long I might have been on that ledge. I don’t know who sent you and your friend out to look for me, but I’m grateful to everyone involved.”

“Actually, we were already out there searching when we got the call that a woman was missing. But if you hadn’t had the presence of mind to use your flashlight to send up a signal, we’d never have spotted you.”

“It was the only thing I had in my pocket,” Kaitlyn said. “I must have lost my cell phone when I fell. Anyway, when I heard the helicopter, I started clicking the light on and off and praying that whoever was up there would see it.”

“And we did.”

“And you did.” She eyed him for a moment. “But now I have a question. You said you were already out there searching when you heard about me. Who were you looking for?”

“We were looking for the fugitives.”

Kaitlyn frowned. “But…you said you’re not a cop.” Her tone sounded vaguely accusing.

“I’m not.”

“A fed, then?”

“I’m a bounty hunter.”

“A bounty hunter?” Kaitlyn would never have guessed that. Bounty hunters were oily little men who crept around in dark, sleazy places, weren’t they? Aidan Campbell didn’t fit that image at all. She bit her lip. “Wait a minute. You must work for Cameron Murphy.”

It was Aidan’s turn to seem surprised. “You know Murphy?”

“Only by reputation,” Kaitlyn admitted. “His apprehension of Boone Fowler is practically legendary around here. I’ve been trying to get an interview with him for years. I’d give anything to know what his reaction is to the prison break. Maybe you could put in a good word for me.”

She regretted the request the moment the words were out of her mouth, especially when she saw the shutters drop over Aidan’s blue eyes. His expression, friendly before, became remote and chilly, and he stood abruptly. “I should get out of here and let you rest.”