Page 9 of Ranger Belief
She met his gaze. “Yes. Maybe he's worried I’ll remember something about the attack, some detail that can identify him. Which is good. That means he’s scared and may make a mistake.”
It could also make her a target. “Laney, you need to be careful?—”
“Okay, we’ve reached the lecture part of the morning.” She hooked an arm through his, the gesture so familiar it sent an ache through his chest. “I have breakfast burritos. You're impossible to deal with when you're hungry.”
And she thought he was infuriating to argue with? Jonah allowed her to tug him back down the path toward her cabin. Scout bounced ahead, tail wagging. “I’m not some troll under a bridge you have to throw food and coffee at.”
“Umm…okay.”
The smile playing on her lips was irresistible. Jonah’s irritation at her unwillingness to discuss her safety faded, but not his worry. Laney kept up a steady stream of chatter as they followed the path back to her cabin. Nothing terribly important. A bird song she recognized, the desire for rain, a funny story about her sister and Asher. The sound of her lilting voice soothed the rough edges of his emotions.
The kitchen smelled of bacon. Jonah crossed to the coffeepot on the counter in three strides and poured more of the dark brew into his empty mug. Laney hummed as she pulled an egg carton and other ingredients from the fridge. Her cabin, like his, was rustic, but she'd added personality. Her dishtowel was teal and matched the mug in his hand. Photographs of her family were attached to the fridge with magnets. His own smiling image reflected back from several of the pictures, a testament to the long history of their friendship. He scanned the cluster of photos almost without thinking, but there were no recent additions.
Jonah stole a slice of pepper from the cutting board and popped it in his mouth. Masochist that he was, he asked, “How’s Mike?”
Mike O’Neill had been Laney’s longest boyfriend. Six months and going. Jonah had a hard time understanding why he’d stuck when Laney had been quick to get rid of everyone else—himself included—but there it was.
Laney flipped on the burner. “Mike and I broke up last month.”
A secret jolt of pleasure shot through him, followed immediately by a familiar warning.Don't go there.Laney cycled through boyfriends like most people changed seasons—always friendly breakups, always "just not quite right." He'd watched her do it for fifteen years and had already been a casualty in her pattern of keeping things light and breezy. Their friendship depended on steering clear of romance.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-grin. “Did you tire of discussing programming hacks and Star Trek movies?”
“Don’t be mean. Mike was sweet, but we didn’t have much in common. Honestly, the relationship only lasted as long as it did because we didn’t see each other much. I’ve been so busy, especially since Superintendent Voss went on medical leave, that dating has been a vague memory.” She poured the egg mixture into the frying pan. “The summer rush is finally over, and I’d hoped things would settle down, but it doesn’t look like that's going to be the case now. Have you heard from Chief Deputy Williams?”
“Yes.” He’d read the string of text messages from the chief deputy before heading out to the yard. “No one in the family has any idea why someone would want to kill Ava. No troublesome exes. Neither she nor Tyler were into drugs or anything illegal. As Sheriff Morrison asserted, they were good kids. But we have to take what the family says with a grain of salt. They may not have known what was going on with Ava or Tyler.”
“It didn’t look like a drug hit to me. I agree with your assessment that Ava was the target. The killer took his time with her. Sexually assaulted her, and then instead of shooting her as he had Tyler, he strangled her. That’s up close and personal.”
He nodded. It bothered him. The intimacy of the murder. If Ava had an ex, he’d be the first one questioned, but she’d beendating Tyler for years. Had she attracted a stalker and not known it? It was something to think about.
Jonah opened a cabinet and removed plates. “Deputies found the gun, by the way. A Ruger SR9 with a suppressor.”
“A suppressor? That explains why the camper who called it in reported fireworks.”
He nodded. A suppressor didn’t make the gunshots silent, they just reduced the noise significantly.
“Where did the deputies find the weapon?” Laney asked.
“It’d fallen into the lake near Ava’s body. The water likely destroyed any fingerprints or DNA, but the lab will take a pass at it anyway. And there were clear signs someone had parked a vehicle in Campsite 9. The undergrowth was crushed. Deputies also found fresh tire rubber on a tree where someone had scraped against it backing in, and there was an oil spot on the packed earth.”
“So you were right. The killer attacked me in order to get back to his vehicle.” She frowned. “What bothers me is the timing. How did the killer know Tyler and Ava would be at that remote campsite? It's not that Campsite 8 is popular or well-known. Someone either followed them there or knew their plans.”
Laney handed him a plate loaded down with a breakfast burrito and fruit. “I think we should prioritize interviewing Ava’s friends. It could help us narrow down which people knew her and are also familiar enough with the park to pull off a murder like this. If the killer is coming after me because he’s afraid that I'll recognize him, then we’re looking for someone both Ava and I know.”
The thought that someone in her daily circle might be a killer made his blood run cold. Laney was smart and tough, but she also believed in the goodness of people. An optimist through andthrough. How was he supposed to protect her from someone she trusted? Someone she might let her guard down with?
Her cell phone beeped. She checked the screen and grimaced. “I have a meeting today with Superintendent Voss. I completely forgot.”
Her boss. He was currently on medical leave while receiving cancer treatment. “Can you cancel it?”
“I could, but I need to go into headquarters to address the park rangers before they start their shifts. The local news channel has already picked up the story.”
She gestured to the television in the living room. It was playing silently, tuned to a morning news show. A reporter was broadcasting from the lake with the caption: Double Murder at Piney Woods. The image changed to photographs of Tyler and Ava, embracing and laughing. Happy.
Jonah’s chest tightened. Two young people with their whole lives ahead of them, reduced to a news caption and crime scene photos. He couldn't bring them back. All he could do now was make sure their killer faced justice.
“Campers will be flooding the visitor’s center with calls and visits. I’ve already sent out an email to the staff, informing them about the deaths and instructing them not to speak to the media, but they’ll have questions and concerns that need to be addressed.” She rubbed her forehead as if a headache was coming on. “Will you want to do interviews?”
