Page 17 of Peak Suspicion
The boy took a step back. “The sheriff?”
“You’re not in trouble,” Danny said. “Come on. Your parents are waiting for you.”
The quartet made their way down the trail toward the parking area. Other volunteers fell in behind them, forming a parade down the mountain. By the time they arrived at the trail head a number of locals as well as officers from area law enforcement agencies and the press had gathered.
“Bryce!” The woman’s voice rang out over the conversations of the crowd.
Bryce looked up and seconds later a woman rushed forward and scooped him to her. A worried-looking man followed. “Son, are you okay?” he asked, his voice breaking.
Carter left the family reunion and joined the other volunteers who were packing gear, ready to head back to SAR headquarters. Ryan caught up with him. “How did you find him?” he asked.
“I saw movement and a flash of blue in the distance,” Carter said. “I headed toward him, then stopped when I got close and pretended I was looking somewhere else. But I said, kind of loud, that I was with search and rescue and looking for Bryce Atkinson. I told him I was there to take him to his parents. He came crawling out of a willow thicket, his legs all bruised and bleeding. The guy that grabbed him took his pants and shoes to keep him from running away.”
“Brave kid, to run anyway,” Ryan said.
“That’s what I told him.”
Ryan slapped his back. “Good job. We don’t get happy endings on searches like this often enough.”
Carter accepted congratulations from others as they heard the news, but he downplayed his role. Anyone else would have done the same, if they had been the one to spot the boy first.
By the time they reached SAR headquarters, the news had spread. People from all over town had gathered, anxious to hear details about what had happened. Carter tried to slip away before anyone could spot him and start firing questions. He was glad Bryce was safe, but he didn’t want to be singled out for being the one to find the boy. Everyone there was giving of their free time to look for a missing kid. They all deserved credit.
“Carter!”
He looked around at the sound of his name and saw Mira jogging across the parking lot toward him. “I heard what happened,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“Sure. I’m fine.”
“Somebody said you were the one who found him. Bryce.”
“We were all searching in the same area. Someone would have found him soon. I was just in the right place.” Did that sound too humble-brag? “I’m glad he’s okay,” he added.
He braced himself for the next questions. She would want to know details. What had happened to the kid? But none of that was really his story to tell.
She put a hand on his shoulder. Last night, at Spanish class, she had treated him like any other student. But this felt different. His heart beat hard at the contact. When she looked up at him, he found himself focusing on her lips. So soft. Beguiling. Not a word he could remember using before.
“Do you have to be somewhere else right now?” she asked.
“No.” His parents were probably looking for him, not to mention Bethany and Dalton, but he wasn’t a lost kid they had to keep track of. “I’m free.”
“Could you come back to my place?”
His heart beat even faster at this. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but was she, well, propositioning him? Surely not, but…
“I want to talk to you,” she said. “I want to tell you about David.”
Chapter Six
By the time Carter’s Jeep pulled in behind her at her apartment complex, Mira was second-guessing her decision to invite him over. She should have suggested they go to a coffee shop, or a bar—someplace less intimate. But would she really have been able to tell him her story if there had been a chance of other people overhearing? He had been here before, of course, the day of her accident. He hadn’t done anything to make her uncomfortable then.
He followed her up the stairs to the second floor and waited while she unlocked the door. She could feel his gaze on her, studying her, but he didn’t say anything. She led the way into the apartment and locked the door behind them. When she finally faced him, she was struck by how weary he looked, fine lines she hadn’t noticed before at the corners of his eyes, his shoulders a little slumped. “How long were you out searching for Bryce?” she asked.
“A couple of hours.” He rolled his shoulders and grimaced. “Before that, we had a call to look for a missing elderly woman. Her relatives found her at a house down the street and we had just gotten back to headquarters when the call went out about Bryce. I worked all day before that so…long day.”
“Can I get you anything?” she asked. “Have you eaten dinner?”
“No.” He glanced toward the kitchen. “I don’t want to put you out.”
