Page 57 of Midnight Secrets

Another yawn overtook me. I ran a hand through my hair and over my face. Solving the problem wouldn’t happen tonight. I was too tired.

Eight minutes later, my headlights washed over Claire’s Land Rover. I pulled up behind her and put the truck in park, leaving it running, then got out.

She met me outside her driver’s door.

“Thanks for coming.” She huddled into her coat against the wind that had picked up in the last hour or so and offered me a strained smile.

It was enough to kick my heart rate into overdrive as memories of my dreams sparked.

I willed them back into their box. “Of course. You want to lead the way? Or we can take my truck.” I tipped my head toward the vehicle.

“Just follow me. I don’t want to leave my car here.”

With a nod, I took a step back toward my pickup. “Sounds good. How far is it?”

“Ten minutes or so.”

A frown pulled at the corners of my mouth. She’d been out here alone and that far out with no cell signal? “Okay. Don’t lose me.”

“I won’t.” She opened her car door.

Taking that as my cue, I turned and jogged the few feet back to the truck, climbing inside. Her brake lights lit up, then she put the SUV in gear.

Less than a minute into the drive, my phone lost signal. I had a radio, but I wasn’t sure it would work out here. To the south, the faint glow that was Juneau lit up the sky over themountaintops. If there was no transmitter on the summit, I wouldn’t be able to quickly call for help unless there was a ranger or a state trooper on this side of it. This truly was the sticks.

Claire’s brake lights glowed, then her blinker lit up, and she turned onto another dirt road, this one barely wide enough for a single vehicle. The forest closed around us, blocking out most of the starlight. It was like driving into a blackhole.

Several minutes later, she braked again, making another turn. When she crawled along at just under twenty miles an hour, I knew we had to be close.

I saw the fabric flapping in the wind at the same time Claire braked again. She rolled to a stop and parked. I pulled in behind her.

“Here we go,” I muttered. Shutting off the engine, I went around the vehicle to the passenger side and opened the rear door. The patrol truck had a storage compartment built into the backseat. Grabbing a flashlight and my evidence kit, I closed the door and walked toward Claire.

“It’s back there.” She raised the black flashlight in her hand and pointed. The beam bounced off the pine boughs and the colorful fabric waving like a windsock. It took me a moment, but I recognized it as the scarf she’d worn Saturday when I ran into her at The Cozy Cup.

“That was genius.” I motioned to the scarf.

“Thanks. I knew I’d never find it again if I didn’t mark it. I don’t know how I found it in the first place. Probably because I was looking for that road we turned off of a couple minutes ago. I saw the shine in my headlights and thought it was unusual. There’s nothing out here but a cabin and a few ramshackle hunting blinds.” A gust of wind hit, and she raised her shoulders, shielding her ears.

Gooseflesh erupted on my neck and down my arms inside my coat. “Let’s go take a look before this weather system fully arrives. I don’t want to get caught out in the snow.”

“Me, either.” She opened the rear door and removed her crutch, then stepped off the road.

I snagged her coat sleeve. “You sure you should be walking through there?” I gestured to the boot on her foot.

She glanced down, then shrugged. “It already aches. The car isn’t that far in. I’ll be fine.”

Lips clamped together tightly, I narrowed my eyes. “How about you wait in your car?”

“Uh-uh. It’s too creepy.” She waved a hand. “I’m not one who normally gets the willies in the woods, but tonight?” She shook her head. “There’s just something about all this that’s just… It’s weird.” With her light, she shooed me toward the trees. “Let’s go. We’re wasting time and the storm’s only getting closer.”

I didn’t like it, but I understood her reasoning. I could also see by the set to her jaw and the look in her eyes she wouldn’t stay behind unless I handcuffed her in the back of my truck.

“Fine.” I swept out a hand, indicating she should lead the way.

Without a word, she hobbled down the embankment and entered the forest.

Just a few feet in, I saw the car. Most of it was hidden by the trees, but the badge on the front grille was unmistakable.

---