Page 10 of Storm Warning

Her heart might have stopped right there. Hadn’t she already tried? Now someone was activelystalkingher, prodding her. Lungs aching, Remi realized she wasn’t breathing and sucked in a breath.

What should I do? Run again? Hide again?

A light knock on the door drew her attention. Erika opened the door and stepped inside, then frowned. “Are you okay?”

I don’t know.“Yes.”

Erika pursed her lips. Remi expected her friend and assistant to press her for the truth, but she didn’t.

“A family in Cabin 8 is having issues with the woodstove. Dylan says he can’t fix it and needs Jo. We can’t find her.”

“Are you sure she isn’t on the property?” Remi asked. “Because I saw her this morning.”

“Dylan says she’s not here,” Erika said. “I shouldn’t have bothered you with this. I can look for her.”

“If you find her, let me know. In the meantime, I need to get those supplies she was supposed to get. In fact, she could be in town right now, so I’ll look for her while I’m there.”

“That seems like an inefficient use of your time.”

“It’s fine.” If a deputy was at the Timberbrook County Substation, then she could drop in and report the rope ladder incident. The substation was a new addition to the county services but was rarely staffed.

Erika stepped forward as if still concerned. “You seem upset. Is it because you got trapped on the beach chasing Paco?”

Remi tried to wash the distress from her features, but her efforts weren’t working. “That wasn’t a great start to my day.” And she’d leave it at that.

Dylan’s voice suddenly squawked over Erika’s radio. “What’s happening? Did you find her?”

“On my way,” Erika replied into her radio. She shrugged at Remi. “I’ll help Dylan. I’ve learned a thing or two in the time I’ve been here.”

Remi couldn’t help but smile. She appreciated the people she worked with. Dylan was a scrawny ranch hand from Wyoming who still wore his Lucchese cowboy boots and Stetson. He and Erika couldn’t be more different. But everyone worked together.

“Keep me posted.”

Erika nodded and left her alone. Remi shoved the two puzzle pieces into her drawer and locked it. Her office provided a door that opened directly outside so she wouldn’t have to take the long way down the hall and through the lodge to her vehicle in the parking lot. She tugged on her coat and gloves and grabbed her rain boots just in case the deluge hit before she returned. Then exited her office and stepped out into the weather. She rushed around to the parking area and found her old, red four-wheel drive Ford Bronco and got in.

Buckled in, she grabbed the steering wheel and took a moment to catch her breath.

“Remember before it’s too late.”

In a rush to get to Forestview and back before nature’s fury was unleashed, she drove too fast as she steered down the rutted path. That should have taken most of her attention, but that second puzzle piece filled her mind, which was already racing with a kazillion thoughts.

Puzzle pieces.

What image would all the pieces ultimately create? Would she remember once she saw it?

The fact that she’d received the puzzle pieces meant that someone had found her. The eerie feeling that she was in imminent danger crawled over her. She thought back to her first meeting with Dr. Holcomb.

The woman was small and thin, her blond hair chopped. She had sat in a plush chair in her office. Remi sat in the other.

“Tell me the last thing you remember before waking up in the hospital.”

“It’s kind of a blur, really. I was sitting outside at a small café. It’s just so fuzzy. It’s like I kind of have this sense of dread. And then when I woke up in the hospital, I didn’t know why I was there. It was the most unsettling feeling.”

“Understandable. People often can’t remember the events surrounding a traumatic incident. Feeling disoriented and confused isn’t unusual.”

“I wish I could say that makes me feel better, but it doesn’t.”

“What were you told about what happened?” Dr. Holcomb asked.

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