Death and Her Devotion (Rogue Vows #1)(2)

“What happened to your friend?” Stevie asked Josh.

“I’m not sure.”

She’d originally thought Josh was in his early twenties, but as she walked next to him, she realized he had to be at least thirty. He dressed young: baggy cargo shorts and a tank top. No wedding ring. Brandon appeared to be about ten, and she assumed Spider was his father.

“Chase wasn’t in his tent when I got up this morning. I didn’t think much of it until I’d been up for fifteen minutes and he hadn’t appeared. That’s when I asked Spider and Toby if he’d said he was going somewhere.”

“Toby?”

“He’s up ahead with . . . with the body.” Josh shook his head and wiped his eyes. “He’s a mess . . . we’re all a mess. The four of us are pretty tight. And finding Chase like that . . .”

“Had either of them talked to Chase this morning?” Stevie asked, stepping over a well-worn root that crossed their path.

“No. The three of us started hollering his name and decided to search.”

The Rogue River grew louder as they walked, and Stevie smelled the cool water and damp moss that covered its rocks. “Who found him?”

“Toby.” Josh stumbled, but Stevie didn’t see a rock in the path. “Oh God.” His voice cracked. “How did this happen to us?”

Stevie spotted a man up ahead. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his cargo shorts, his shoulders slumped, and his cap was slightly crooked. Where Josh and Spider looked as if they spent a lot of time in the gym, Toby appeared to prefer time on the couch. Stevie noted he wore the same expensive shoes and watch. He was crying and had a difficult time looking her in the eye.

Josh and Ralph stayed back as Toby led her past a giant fir, its trunk at least five feet in diameter. On the other side lay a man on his back. A belt was cinched tight around his neck and his arms were stretched above his head. Toby halted several feet from the body.

“I wanted to take off the belt, but the other guys wouldn’t let me,” whispered Toby through a fresh wave of tears. “They said he was long dead and to leave it because it’s evidence.”

“They were right. Stay back, okay?” Stevie pulled out her camera and started taking pictures, working her way to the body. Their friend was dead. Flies were buzzing in his mouth and eyes, and she smelled a hint of decay, something putrid and rotting, over the fresh, wet smells of the river. “Did you touch him?” she asked Toby.

“I shook him, but he was cold. Then the other guys pulled me away.”

“What’s his name again?” Stevie asked as she started taking pictures of the corpse. Same shoes; same watch.

“Chase.”

“Chase what?” she asked with a touch of impatience. Toby didn’t answer, and she turned around to see if he was listening.

Toby looked at his shoes. “Chase Ryan,” he said softly.

Stevie froze and then spun to look at the body, recognizing the hair and face.

Chase Ryan. Big-time TV star.





Solitude Police Chief Zane Duncan plowed through the woods. A half step behind him, Kenny talked nonstop about the Hummer in the campground.

“I’ve never driven one,” Kenny said. “Heck, I’ve never even sat in one. I really think they look good in black, although I’ve seen them in a sporty yellow. It takes a lot of guts to drive a big vehicle in that color. I don’t know if I could do it. Think it’d be okay if I took a closer look at it when we’re done?”

“Might need it for evidence,” Zane said.

“Oh! Good point.”

Zane followed the path that Spider had indicated, wondering what they’d find. Up ahead he spotted Ralph with a guy in a cap. With her camera in hand, Stevie stepped out from behind a huge tree with a third man.

Stevie made introductions and indicated for Zane and Kenny to follow her. Hanging back, Josh slung an arm around Toby’s shoulders, and both men looked ready to collapse. “What happened?” Zane asked Stevie in a low voice as they left the small group.

“These four guys and the ten-year-old were up here for a week of camping and fishing,” Stevie reported as they rounded a fir. “This morning when they got up, the fourth guy, Chase, was missing. After searching, they found him here. It looks like he was strangled with a belt. They said it’s the victim’s belt.” She turned and held a hand up to halt him and Kenny midstride, a serious look on her face. “There’s one more thing. The victim is Chase Ryan.”

Zane couldn’t place the name.

“The actor?” Kenny squeaked. “From Detective Alex Gunn?”

It clicked. “The TV crime show?” Zane asked as shock blew through him. Last night he’d caught a Gunn rerun and shared popcorn with his dog Magic on the couch beside him. He’d frequently relied on the dog for company since Stevie’s mother had insisted she live at home until the wedding. When Patsy put her foot down, people obeyed.

It can’t be the TV star.

Zane stepped around Stevie and studied the corpse. Flies were everywhere. Swelling had distorted the man’s face, and his eyes were clouded. The resemblance to the young detective on TV was rapidly diminishing, but it was still there. Kenny took off his hat and held it against his chest. “I love that show,” he whispered. “What the heck was Chase doing out here?”