Page 34 of Shadowed Witness

“Doing all right?”

“Sorry. Just need a breather.”

He closed the distance between them. “Take however long you need.”

The smile she gave him was tired but genuine. “I could spend all day out here with my camera. At least when I’m feeling—” Her mouth snapped shut.

“When you’re feeling what?”

She shook her head. “Never mind.” She scanned the wooded area, avoiding his gaze.

What had she been about to say? He bit down on the question.They might be friends, but they weren’t close friends. And this wasn’t a case. He didn’t have a right to the facts or her thoughts. But he did wish he could make sure she was okay.

“What’s that?” Allye pointed off to the right.

He snapped his head in the direction she indicated. A dark lump protruded from behind a tree about five yards away. He should have noticed it before now, but he’d been so focused on Allye, he hadn’t been paying much attention to their surroundings.

“Stay here.” He moved cautiously toward the foreign object. As he drew near, he could see it was a bedroll—a dark gray sleeping bag rolled tightly around a black pillow. He didn’t touch anything, but he noted the location to report to the park service. Kincaid Lake provided camping spots, but this wasn’t one of them. The items didn’t appear to be brand-new, but neither did they look like they’d been out in the weather very long. Someone had either hiked off trail and dropped them, or they were camping here illegally. Based on the compressed vegetation, he’d guess the latter.

He snapped a photo and made his way back to Allye. “Sleeping bag,” he said in answer to her silent question. “Looks like someone’s camping out here.”

She shivered. “Isn’t it a little late in the year for that?”

“You’d think.” Nighttime temps this time of year often dropped to the low fifties or into the forties. Avid campers in the area still enjoyed the overall moderate weather, but they usually had access to a campfire. There’d been no makeshift fire pit or other sign of illicit burning near the bedroll. Whoever was staying out here was apparently smart enough not to risk detection or a forest fire in an attempt to stay warm, but Eric imagined the nights were less than comfortable. Of course, if the person stayed high or drunk, they might be oblivious to the cold—putting them in more danger.

Nothing he could do though. Allye was his primary responsibility at the moment, and Kincaid Lake wasn’t within his jurisdiction. He’d pass off their findings to the park service and see thatAllye got home safely. He’d prefer to do both before their illegal camper returned.

He extended his hand toward the trail. “Ready?”

“I suppose.” She cast one last look at the campsite before leading the way back. Eric stayed close, ready to catch her if she stumbled, but they made it to the trail without incident and continued on their way.

As they neared the final bend before the trailhead, crunching leaves signaled a newcomer’s approach. They drifted to the right to make room, and a lanky teen with a backpack and ball cap soon rounded the bend. He kept his head down as he passed them, but Eric caught a look at his face.

“Dion?”

The teen immediately broke into a run.

15

Eric took off after the fleeing teen.“Wait here!” he called to Allye.

The kid was fast, but Eric wasn’t about to lose him so quickly. A few yards down the trail, Dion shucked his backpack. Eric hurdled it and kept going. His feet pounded the earth. He was gaining on him.

As Dion rounded a bend, Eric put on a burst of speed. He cleared the curve in time to spot the teen attempting to disappear off-trail. He charged that direction.

“Dion. Hold up.”

The teen ignored him. Eric was only a few feet behind him now. Without warning, Dion changed directions. Eric pivoted, a bit too fast. He tripped. Flung his hand out and managed to grasp the boy’s ankle.

They both went down to the forest floor, Dion flailing.

“Get off me!”

Eric held tight as he pulled himself up from his prone position.

“That’s enough.” He infused the words with as much authority as he could muster. The teen kicked and managed to break Eric’s hold, but as he attempted to rise and take off again, his foot caught on a root, and he went back down.

Eric was on him instantly. Doing his best not to hurt the boy, he pinned him to the ground.

---