Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(34)

Drake watched Kevin slide under the wheel and put the key in the ignition. “Thanks for your honesty. I’ll hold off for now. Maybe you’ll be able to track down her uncle before too long.” He put his hand on the truck’s roof. “I’ve got a chance to sell some of my drones to the Fish and Wildlife Service. They intend to use them to track poachers and to map inaccessible areas.”

Kevin’s eyes widened. “I wouldn’t have thought of that. Guess that’s why I’m not a director. Is it a good order?”

“Yeah, I’ll have to hire some new workers to fulfill it. They want me to make some modifications so the drones can deliver supplies to remote areas.”

“There’s been a time or two I would have appreciated that.”

“I need to get home, make the alterations, and see if I can wrap up the deal.”

“I’ll put in a good word for you. I think it sounds like a great idea.”

Drake removed his hand from the truck. The tires crunched on gravel and pulled out onto the road. He still had to figure out what to do about the revelation that Melissa was involved with Wang.

*

The recent rain had left the woods smelling of pine and fresh mud, an appealing scent after the dry days of the past week. He’d parked his truck well out of sight on a fire-access road, then hiked in the rest of the way through the blueberry barrens. He wore Wellington boots and a rain slicker in case the storm struck before he got out of here.

Mud squished up the sides of his boots as he made his way through the trees. Ever since Claire’s wedding, he’d haunted Kate’s vicinity. Claire had been gone a week now and was due back soon. He might not have as much opportunity to observe Kate with her sister back, but he could watch them both. Not a bad night’s work.

He’d driven slowly past the houses on the way here and had seen the cozy scene of Kate getting the girls into her car while Newham waved at them. The domesticity of it turned his stomach, but he was sure the man meant nothing to her. He was just her boss, and there had been no sign of anything more over this past week.

Where was she going with the girls at nearly dinnertime? To the library or maybe a movie? If she knew and understood his devotion, she would have invited him to join them.

He shook off the thought and ducked under the low-hanging pine branch in his way. His haven was just ahead through the thick copse of trees. He skirted a big puddle, then stepped into the clearing by the small lake. The sound of the waterfall was loud after the rain, and he stood a moment and watched the water glisten in the moonlight.

A rock face rose twenty feet in the air on the other side of the lake, and the water poured over it into the pool below. Access was behind the waterfall. He knew of a way to get there without getting wet, but it was a tortuous climb along slippery rocks. He had no choice though if he wanted to get his trophies.

He circled the lake and began to climb the slick stones. Four feet from the ground his foot found the three-inch ledge that would take him horizontally along the rocks where he could slip behind the falls. He was panting and perspiration slicked his skin by the time he felt the cold spray of the waterfall. Then he was behind the water and in total darkness.

He reached for the flashlight hanging on his belt and shone it around. This entry to the cave was always the hardest. The opening was small, nearly too small for him, but so far he’d still been able to wriggle through. He dropped onto his hands and knees, then onto his belly, and crawled through the opening. The place always felt so welcoming. The dank smell was something that reminded him he was completely alone.

He paused when a spider raced for his left hand. He let it crawl on him a moment, then smiled as he brought his right hand down on it. He relished the way it squashed under him. That’s what he was going to do to everyone who got in his way. He was too close to his goal to turn back now.

He trained his flashlight against the left wall. The rock ended and jutted back into a small pocket. It was the perfect spot for his treasure. He reached in and his fingers closed around his precious pouch. He pulled it out and put it in the pocket of his slicker.

A sound broke the silence. Someone was outside. How could it be? A flashlight beam pierced the darkness at the mouth of the cave, and he looked around for a place to hide. The cave widened near the back and split in two different directions.

He crab-crawled to the left corridor and pressed himself against the wall, then flipped off his flashlight. His pulse pounded in his ears, and he touched the reassuring hilt of his hunting knife. He would dispatch whoever got close.

*

The cold spray from the waterfall hit Kate’s face, and its roar filled her ears. She maneuvered the kayak as close to the rocks as she could until she saw the small space between the water and the rocks behind it. Holding her breath, she paddled for that opening, but the water drenched her as she entered the falls. In the next instant she was free of the cold flow. It was totally dark back here, so she groped for the flashlight and flipped it on.

There. The maw of the cave was small, and she wasn’t sure she would fit. Her sweep of the flashlight revealed tree roots hanging into the space. Kate tried not to look too closely in case she saw spiders and centipedes. She nearly reached for the paddle again to leave, but remembering her uncle’s threat against Claire and Luke made her pause. She gritted her teeth and turned back to the cave. The light poked into the recesses, but she didn’t see what she was supposed to retrieve.