Page 13 of Peak Suspicion
Tony stopped just ahead of Carter and held up his hand. Carter froze. “What is it?” he whispered.
“I heard something up there.” Tony pointed up the slope. “I thought I saw something move in that oak brush.”
Carter leaned forward and stared at the area Tony had indicated. The branches of the oaks rustled. “Helen!” Tony called. “Helen, is that you?”
Something burst from the brush, sending Carter and the others stumbling back. The mule deer buck stood for a moment, staring at them, then shook its head, a branch caught in its antlers drifting to the ground, and bounded off, away from them.
The radio mounted on Tony’s chest chirped and he keyed the receiver. “Everyone stand down,” Sheriff Walker said. “Mrs. Wakefield is home safe.”
They trudged back to their vehicles. The return hike seemed longer and more grueling, and no one spoke much. Sheriff Walker waited at their vehicles. “Thanks for coming out,” he said.
“Is Mrs. Wakefield okay?” Deni asked.
The sheriff nodded. “A neighbor came home from work and found her asleep on a chaise on his front porch. He woke her up and brought her home to her family.”
“I like a happy ending,” Deni said as Tony drove them back to headquarters.
As they pulled into the parking lot of search and rescue headquarters, their phones pinged. “It’s another callout,” Deni said.
The others groaned. Like Carter, they were ready to go home, eat and relax. “Looks like it’s going to be one of those days.” Tony pulled out his phone. “What is it this time?”
“It’s another missing person,” Deni said. She looked up, frowning. “A little kid.”
Carter read the message on his phone screen and a chill shot through him. “Possible abduction,” he said. Someone had tried to kidnap a child. This time, had they succeeded?
Chapter Five
Mira was packing up to go home from school Thursday afternoon when Shayla slipped into the classroom and shut the door behind her. “I was hoping you were still here,” she said. “Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Of course.”
Shayla collapsed into a student desk on the front row. She wore a denim skirt and a red knit top, the color vibrant against her dark skin. But her face was pinched. “Is something wrong?” Mira asked.
“What do you think of Mitch?” Shayla asked.
Mira blinked. She hadn’t really thought much about the coach. “I don’t really know him,” she said.
“But you think he’s a nice guy, right?”
“Uh, sure.” She studied her friend more closely. “Is someone saying Mitch isn’t a nice guy?”
Shayla shook her head, then nibbled her thumbnail. “It’s just, you know. He’s a coach. Some people might mistake him for a dumb jock.”
“But you don’t think he’s a dumb jock, do you?”
“No.” Shayla sat up straighter. “He’s really smart, but he’s not the type to show off, you know? I mean, he didn’t go to an Ivy League school or anything, but he’s incredibly well-read and he knows a lot about a lot of different things. He’s the technology teacher, too.”
Mira suppressed a smile. “It sounds like you’ve spent a lot of time talking to him.”
“I have. He’s so easy to talk to. Yesterday we stood in the parking lot for over an hour after school let out, talking about, well, everything.”
“Has he asked you out?” Mira asked.
Shayla flushed. “I think he wants to, but every time it feels like he’s getting close, I change the subject.”
“Why would you do that? You like him, don’t you?”
“I do, but…” Her voice trailed away.
