Alaskan Mountain Murder

“As in Babe Ruth. Adriana’s a huge baseball fan, especially the Yankees,” Ellie explained.

A police cruiser pulled up before Cassie had the chance to respond, which was probably good because she knew very little about baseball and even less about the Yankees. Will had asked to play T-ball last year for the first time and Cassie had almost signed him up but had to back out at the last minute because she couldn’t work it around her job and daycare schedule for him. Yet another thing he was missing out on because he didn’t have a dad. Or, well, he did but not in his life.

Another failing that was hers alone to own.

She looked back at the police car. The driver’s side door opened, and Officer Wicks, who Cassie had met the day before, stepped out. Adriana climbed out of the passenger side and immediately went to her dog and started petting him like they’d been separated for days instead of maybe half an hour at most, Cassie guessed.

“Everyone ready?” Jake asked the group as a whole, then directed his attention to Officer Wicks. “Officer Wicks, you ready?”

The man appeared to have given up on Jake using his first name when they were working, because he didn’t make nearly as much of a face as he had the night before.

“I’m ready when the rest of you are,” Officer Wicks answered. “Thanks for letting me join you. I don’t intend to interrupt your usual search procedures. I just want to be on hand in case we find…any evidence of a crime scene.”

His eyes darted toward Cassie and she heard the unspoken message, gripped Will’s hand a little tighter though she hadn’t meant to. Jake didn’t expect to find her aunt alive.

But Cassie had to believe. Had to try anyway.

Officer Wicks continued. “I also want to be on hand to observe some of the…unorthodox methods your team uses to search, to assure the department and anyone involved in a trial later that you were supervised.”

Cassie thought she saw Adriana bristle from where she stood beside her dog. Was that what he meant, he wanted to supervise the use of the dog? She sure seemed to have taken something personally. Or maybe she was one of those people whose facial expressions didn’t always display what they were actually feeling.

Officer Wicks looked in Adriana’s direction, and to Cassie it almost looked like he wanted to say something to her and then shook his head slightly. Interesting. The vibe between them intrigued Cassie’s secret romantic side and she wondered if anything was going on between them, or if it was just tension she was misreading.

“Anyway, I’m ready.” Officer Wicks looked back at Jake.

“Okay. Cassie is going to take us on some of the trails her aunt used to use. Follow her. This area overlaps our previous search area to a degree, from what she told me, but then branches off into an area where we didn’t go. She sketched out a map for me and I emailed each of you a copy in case we get separated for any reason, or we need to split into groups. Be aware, some of it’s pretty overgrown.”

“That’s good news for me,” Adriana mumbled as they all started walking and she came into the line just behind Cassie. Cassie guessed she was in the front because she was leading, and then Adriana was next because of the dog. Cassie was enough of an animal person to think it was cool that the dog could help in some way.

Will looked over at the dog and, reading his mind the way moms do, Cassie reminded him not to pet it and told him that the dog was working.

Cassie looked over at Adriana after walking in silence for a minute, too intrigued by her work with the dog to resist asking the question. “What did you mean earlier about it being good news for you?”

Adriana motioned around them. “In an area like this, the scent disperses quickly and mingles with other scents. The integrity is degraded a lot sooner. In an area like Jake is describing, with thick brush, the scent could get trapped and will linger much longer, making it easier for Babe to identify the scent he’s looking for.”

“So he’s a search-and-rescue dog?”

“Yes.”

Though she was trying to keep her hope from rising too high for fear of the crash that would come with disappointment, Cassie felt her expectations lifting anyway. The idea that the dog was trained to do something humans couldn’t fully understand intrigued her.

“Mind if I join y’all up here in front?” Jake’s voice was barely winded despite the fact that Cassie was keeping a pace that had her catching her breath frequently. Will was up for the challenge—he was the very definition of an active boy—and Cassie knew she shouldn’t have been surprised to see Jake not breaking a sweat, face completely relaxed and not betraying any effort whatsoever.

She was also surprised anew by how good-looking he was. He’d been handsome before. But this new fully grown man version of Jake was even more attractive, so much so she was startled whenever she glanced at him.

“Sure, if it’s fine with Cassie.” Adriana looked at her and Cassie found herself wanting to tell the woman the whole story. Right now no one but her and Jake knew the truth about Will and it was weighing on Cassie. She needed a friend. Maybe Adriana wouldn’t mind being one? She was certainly perceptive enough, in a way Cassie couldn’t quantify. Much like the way the dog had skills no one could quite pinpoint, Adriana seemed like the kind of woman who saw things others couldn’t. Cassie was certainly under the impression that Adriana knew there was more to Cassie and Jake’s relationship than old friends.

“It’s fine.” Such a multi-purpose word, fine. Able to mean everything from yes, this is great, I don’t mind at all to actually it’s not fine with me at all but sure.

Her current use of fine was leaning more to the second.

“Great.” Jake smiled at her, still looking wary, like he was scared to get close to her, even while they were hiking. But the weird vibe from this morning, after the “almost kiss,” was gone.

She braced herself for conversation with him, but he looked down instead, started talking to Will.

“So how’s it going with you today, little man?”

“I’m not a little man. I’m just a kid. I’m six.” Will picked up a stick from the side of the trail. “See this? It’s my gun in case we see any bad guys.”

She resisted a comment about bringing a stick to a gunfight, but still felt herself crack a slight smile. With any luck, there wouldn’t be any bad guys today. Really, she didn’t even think they needed luck. It was broad daylight and they were a large group. She didn’t feel any of the foreboding that she had last night, and while she knew she needed to keep her guard up, she felt confident that today was, at least, a chance to breathe.

“Have you been on hikes like this before?” Jake was asking Will. Talking to his son and not telling him who he really was. Cassie needed to have a conversation with Will, explain the truth to him as soon as possible.

“No, we don’t hike in Florida. Mom just goes to work and I go to school, and then we go home.”

Jake’s eyes swung to Cassie’s. His eyebrows were raised and she heard all of his questions. Yes, she’d once been a more active, adventurous person. Yes, time had changed her. A lot.

“Well, I’m glad you’re getting to hike here. I loved hiking when I was a kid.”

“I like it so far. Especially because Mom said when you hike, you get snacks. She packed marshmallows for me.”

“That’s great, bud!”

“My name is Will.”

“Not so much into nicknames, are you?”

“Not when they’re not my name. But I do like marshmallows. Did you pack any?”

Jake laughed, his face looking more relaxed than Cassie had seen it in years. All of this, the entire interaction between him and their son was too much for her heart to handle. She smiled a little, ignoring the stabbing in her chest, and then focused her attention on the trail, letting Will lag behind her slightly. “You’ll stay with him?” She double-checked with Jake.

He met her eyes and nodded.

She pushed her pace harder, letting the burning in her legs and lungs drown out the pain in her heart.

And letting all of it push from her mind the idea that she was being stalked by someone who wanted to bring her pain.

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