Page 77 of Cherry Picked
“Who’s Lacey?” Gracie whispered.
“I don’t know,” I murmured. I suddenly wondered if there was anything Ididknow about Simon Wentworth. “But I’m for damned sure going to find out. First things first, though, let’s call for help—”
I pulled my phone from my pocket, but Gracie already knew what I was going to find.
“No service here,” she said with a grimace. “Up the trail, closer to the creek, I was able to send Em a message, but as soon as I got a little further, it disappeared again.”
“Right. Okay. I don’t suppose you can make it back to your car on your own?”
She swallowed hard and glanced with wide eyes in the direction of the trail. “I could t-try? But what if I run into any Evola guys?”
“Never mind,” I said, quickly making a new plan. I didn’t want Gracie on the trail alone, scared and shivering as she was, with a storm coming in to make the terrain more difficult. Frankly, I wasn’t sure I could get her back down to my car without help if the rain picked up. “Come with me. We’re going to find Simon and hisradio, we’re going to find shelter, and we’re going to get someone up here to help us.”
But first, I was going to get an explanation.
ChapterSeventeen
JACK
“My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” ~ Elizabeth Bennet
There was nothing quite so volatile as an angry Sunday… except, in this case, an angry Wyatt.
I’d managed to sidetrack Webb from whatever kind of glove-slapping come-to-Jesus he’d been planning when he first walked in by uttering five simple words, “I think Hawk’s in trouble.”
In an instant, Webb had tabled his issues with me and demanded details, so I’d filled him in on what little I knew and suspected about Simon and his scheme.
“Hawk’s still not answering,” Webb said for the third time in as many minutes.
“Try him again,” I instructed.
The pile of papers on my desk scattered as I grabbed my keys, but I didn’t stop to pick them up. I was too consumed with the need to beat Simon Wentworth into the ground and then bury his body where nothing but rabid wildlife could find it.
Did northern long-eared bats eat humans? If not, perhaps they’d make an exception.
“According to our family tracking app, Hawk’s last location was the pullout for the Rock Cut Trail on the northern side of Fogg Peak, two hours ago,” Webb said, checking his phone as he followed me back to the dining room. “Why would he be there instead of at the main parking area for one of the easier trails? And why isn’t he calling us back?”
“I don’t know,” I said, responding to both questions. “He’s supposed to be meeting Simon for dinner soon. He should have been back in cell range long before now. Maybe he got delayed.” I waved to get Crys’s attention, and she excused herself from a customer to head toward me.
“Or he’s ignoring our calls,” Webb finished.
“Hawk wouldn’t ignore my calls,” I said without thinking.
“Oh really.” Webb raised an eyebrow. “And remind me why that is, exactly?”
I pretended not to hear him. “I’m leaving for the night,” I told Crys. “You all set here?”
“Katey, Tom, and I will manage,” Crys assured me. “Go warn Hawk.”
I pulled Webb back through the kitchen and out to my truck. “Rock Cut pullout, you said?”
“Yeah. But I’m thinking we should head to the Stag and Crowne. If Hawk’s running late, we could have a little chat with Simon before Hawk even gets there.” His voice was the kind of angry rumble he got only when someone he loved was threatened.
I understood that growl on a fundamental level now.
“Let’s head to Rock Cut first and see if his car is there, then double back to the restaurant.” I hopped in the truck and started the engine, making sure Webb was inside the vehicle before jamming it into reverse. “Keep your eye on his location.”
I drove through town, gritting my teeth against the urge to speed, especially when thick raindrops began spattering the windshield. Webb remained silent, except for the periodic side-eye looks he sent me, which spoke volumes.
