Page 20 of Peak Suspicion
“Why?” Carter asked. The parking area at Galloway Basin had restrooms and a good view of the surrounding mountains—a good place to let the customers stretch their legs and take pictures.
“I talked to your brother this morning and he tells me the sheriff’s investigators will be working up there. We don’t want to upset our guests.”
Aaron would have filled his mother in on all the details of yesterday’s excitement. “I guess they’re looking for evidence in the kidnapping case,” Carter said.
“Guess so.” Mom was focused on the computer once more.
“I guess Aaron told you what happened yesterday,” he said.
“Uh-huh.” She looked up. “Did you know he’s training to be part of the SWAT team? As much as I worry about him putting himself in danger, your father and I are so proud.”
“That’s great,” Carter said. “Good for him.”
The door burst open behind him and Bethany rushed in. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I had a hard time getting to sleep after all the excitement yesterday and I didn’t hear my alarm this morning.”
“You don’t work here anymore,” Carter said. After her engagement to Ian Seabrook, Bethany had left the family business to work for Ian’s climbing business.
“I’m filling in while Kaitlynn is at her sister’s wedding in Oklahoma.” Bethany shoved her purse into the bottom drawer of the desk and sank into a chair beside their mother. She frowned at Carter. “I told you. You just don’t listen.”
“Speaking of weddings, did you look at the photos of flower arrangements for the reception that I sent you?” Mom asked.
“I did and they look great, Mom. Ian likes them, too.”
“It’s going to be a beautiful wedding,” Mom said. “And you are going to be a beautiful bride.”
“Aww, Mom.” Bethany hugged her.
The door opened again and Dalton came in. “Dalton!” their mother said. “Tell me what you did to the scheduling program. I tried to enter all the information for the Taveres family reunion bookings for next month and the computer won’t let me.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Dalton pushed past Carter and moved in between him, Mom and Bethany. “I revised the software so that once you have a customer’s details entered once, you just hit this button here and it automatically fills in the info on subsequent reservations.”
“You are a genius!” Mom declared, and leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “What would we do without you? And don’t answer that. I don’t even want to know.”
“I’ll get the Jeep ready for the Packards,” Carter said, though he doubted anyone heard him.
He checked the Jeep’s fluids, the air in the tires and that the first aid kit was fully stocked, then loaded a cooler with bottles of water. He laid folded blankets on the seats—in the high country it could get cool in the open Jeep. As he worked, he tried to shrug off his disappointment that his mom hadn’t even said anything about Bryce Atkinson. Maybe Bethany or Dalton had told her he didn’t want anyone making a big deal out of his role in the rescue. That was probably it. His mother was respecting his feelings.
Except Mom wasn’t really like that. She always did and said exactly what she wanted when it came to family. She had embarrassed each of her four children at various times in their lives. When Carter was sixteen, she had informed his prom datethat Carter didn’t know how to tie a tie and that Bethany had picked out the date’s flowers “since Carter has no taste in these things.” At his high school graduation she had said—loudly—that he was the one child she feared wouldn’t graduate since “he was a beautiful child but not blessed when it came to brains.”
Maybe all parents of multiple children were like that—assigning each sibling a role in the family. Aaron, the oldest, was the responsible, serious one. The hero risking his life as a law enforcement officer. Bethany, the only girl, was sweet, if impulsive. She was finally getting her life on track by marrying a handsome—and rich—man. Dalton was the family brain, the baby who Carter suspected was his mother’s favorite.
Which left Carter to the role of charming rogue. Good-looking and not-too-bright, always ready for a laugh.
Except there was more to him than that. He might not be a genius, but he was intelligent enough. He hadn’t done well in school because he’d been bored. People liked him, sure, but did they all think he was so shallow?
He was on his way back into the office when the fire alarm at the station two streets over sounded. The wail echoed off the peaks around town. Dalton came out of the office. “What’s the alarm for?” he asked, almost shouting to be heard over the piercing sound.
Carter shook his head. The siren continued for a full minute, then died away. Bethany rushed out of the office. “Mom called Aaron and he said the siren sounded because there’s an emergency at the school.”
“Which school?” Carter asked.
“The high school.”
Mira’s school. Was she all right?
“Aaron wouldn’t say what’s going on,” Bethany said. “Mom’s mad because he hung up on her.”
Carter took out his phone. “Aaron will hang up on you, too,” Bethany said.
