Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(35)

She had to do this, but she didn’t like it. She’d call Kevin the second her uncle left, and the place would be swarming with deputies and game wardens. She bit her lip hard and got out of the kayak onto the rock ledge, then dropped to her knees. She still couldn’t fit into the opening, so she lay on her stomach and began to pull herself forward with her arms.

The dank smell of dirt and creepy-crawly things assaulted her nose, and she nearly backed out again. The light wavered as she pushed the flashlight ahead of her, then moved along the ground to reach it. Her bare feet were fully inside the cave now, so she paused and trained the glow on the right side of the space. Something glinted and her pulse kicked. She’d grab that bag and get out of here.

Her fingers tugged at the bag, and a big wolf spider raced out from under it. She shrieked loud enough to wake the dead and smashed it with a nearby rock. Her hand shook as she yanked the baggie free. It was stuffed with hundred-dollar bills, and she caught a glimpse of a blue passport. This was what he wanted. How did she get back out without tearing the plastic up on the rocks? She shook the baggie to make sure no spiders clung to it, then stuffed it in the back of her tucked-in pajama shirt.

Her breath sounded harsh, and she felt some evil presence in the cave that made her shiver. It was just nerves. She made an effort to slow her breathing. In and out. She’d get out of here and forget this night.

Some small scuttling noise from the left came to her ears, and she shuddered as she imagined what might be in here. A sense of evil came in a wave again, and she backpedaled out of the cave. The cool night air brushed across her ankles. Moments later she drew in the sweetest breath she’d ever known. She quickly boarded the kayak and paddled for all she was worth through the waterfall and out onto the clear surface of the lake. After the darkness behind the waterfall, the moonlight was nearly as bright as the light of day.

She reached the shore, and her uncle yanked her out of the kayak. “Hand it over. Where is it?”

She dropped the flashlight. “I’ve got it.” She reached behind her back and pulled out the baggie. Before he could grab it, she heaved it to his left, then turned and ran.

She leaped past him and into the blackness of the forest. He knew this area better than she did, so there was no place to hide. Her best chance was to get to the cottage across the road. He’d think she was heading for her house, but she needed help. Drake could call the sheriff and Kevin.

His feet pounded behind her, and his voice rang through the trees. “Kate, come back here! I’m not going to hurt you.”

She didn’t believe him for a moment. If he didn’t intend to harm her, why was he chasing her instead of just slipping off to safety? She darted to the right and entered a copse of evergreens that muffled her passage. She paused and heard his steps go the other way.

He intended to leave no witnesses.

Her throat thickened, but she would not cry. Though he was her uncle, he didn’t love her. His past actions should have made that clear. She’d just been fooling herself to believe he wouldn’t hurt her.

She crept out the other side of the evergreens and ran for the road. On the other side was a line of trees she could escape into as long as he didn’t see her running through the fields. She stopped at the beginning of the field and listened. To her right she saw a glimmer as a flashlight swept the blueberry plants. He must think she was lying flat in the plants. She darted across the field, but he must have seen her because he called her name.

Drake’s cottage wasn’t far, and she screamed his name at the top of her lungs. He would be in bed and unlikely to hear her. She should have just run to her house or stayed hidden until daylight. But moments later the front porch light came on and his wide shoulders filled the doorway. She glanced behind her and saw her uncle’s back vanish into the trees.

Her knees buckled as Drake ran toward her. Her bet had paid off, but it was a close call.





SEVENTEEN


Drake had gone over and over the papers, though he should have been in bed hours ago. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He glanced at his watch. Nearly 2:00 a.m. Time to make himself go to bed, but he took one more look at what the Fish and Wildlife Department wanted him to do with the new drone. The modifications were a little complicated. He reached for a paper and started to sketch it out, but there was no joy in the activity that energized him most, so he rose to go to bed.

He turned out the light and started for the hall when he heard something. It almost sounded like someone shouting his name. He went to the window and peered through the darkness to see Kate running toward the cottage in the moonlight.

His pulse kicked, and he flipped open the dead bolt on the door and ran outside. He leaped down the steps and headed toward her, then put on a burst of speed as she stumbled and her knees began to buckle. “Kate!” He caught her up against his chest before she hit the ground.

She felt nearly limp in his arms, and he eased her to the damp grass. Her face was white, but her eyes were open and staring. “Are you hurt? You’re soaking wet.” He thought about yanking off his shirt, but it was a thin T-shirt and wouldn’t do much good.

“No, no, I’m okay.” She inhaled and swallowed. “M-my uncle. He was waiting outside for me.” She started to get up, then sank back onto the blueberry field. “You have to call the sheriff before he gets away.”

Kevin had been right—she was turning him in as soon as she saw him. Drake brushed dirt from her face, then realized she was covered in it. “Did he throw you down in the mud?”