Chilled by Death (11 page)

There was something about the way she perceived the world around her that was so at odds with others. Maybe she had a heightened perception. He didn’t know. It was special. The photography she did was unique. He wished he could see what she saw when she looked at the cliff face. He’d looked plenty of times already and had no idea what necessitated hundreds of shots. If not thousands of shots. He knew if he saw the final piece, he’d recognize the area, but until she pointed out what was so special, he wouldn’t have seen it first.

Then she’d almost fallen. And not by tripping. From fatigue. She didn’t even seem to realize her own limits.

Damn that girl. Had she any idea how tired she was?

He’d moved into position soon after. He had mentioned leaving within minutes, but she hadn’t even registered he was there. He’d waited another twenty minutes before he’d pushed it again. He doubted she’d even noticed the passage of time.

It was a gentle slope back to the cabin, but he kept a close eye on her in case she fell.

It was late afternoon and with the heavy cloud cover, the winds had picked up. It was getting ugly quickly. “A storm is moving in fast.”

“I see that.” She slipped down a path through the trees. The trees were dark and cold. The atmosphere gloomy. Dark. And much colder. The wind was gone, which helped, but the darkness was falling faster. He was pissed. They should have left a long time ago. It was his fault. He’d seen her. Had known they should have left earlier, but he’d left it so she could take her damn photos. Anything for her.

He was a fool. A lovesick fool.

S
tacy pulled her
jacket closer around her neck. The chill was bone deep all of a sudden. There’d been no warning of the change of weather. Or, she winced, she’d ignored them. Typical of her.

“Are you okay?” Royce called into the eerie silence of the woods.

“Very.” Knowing he might not be able to hear her, she gave a little wave.

The woods appeared to be endless. She knew it was likely only ten minutes. She pictured the warm fire ahead. That and a hot rum toddy together with a hot meal was keeping her going. She was not normally nervous in the dark or in the woods, but there was something about the combination of the two that ratcheted up the anxiety factor tenfold. She had to admit to being glad Royce was close by. He was a strong steady man. And for all the problems she had with him, he was a good man to watch her back.

They wound their way down the slope to the long flat stretch at the bottom. When the path was wide enough for two, Royce shifted up beside her. She hated to say it, but it was a comfort.

He pointed out a small light in the darkness. Her heart lightened. That should be the cabin.

“Are the others back already?”

“They should be.”

She shot him a disbelieving look. “No way. They would’ve passed me on their way back down.”

He nodded. “And while you were busy taking pictures, they probably did another couple runs then called it quits. Chances are they’ve had at least two drinks and have already eaten most of the dinner.”

“They’d better not have,” she said. “I’m starving.”

She took a deep breath and winced as her lungs filled with icy air. She coughed once then twice. She felt more than saw Royce’s hard look. “I’m fine.”

“Good. No more sick days for you.”

She grinned. “No. I can’t afford any more of those.” She could, but such as life was, it was only because she had a great medical plan where she worked that such a thing was possible. She desperately wanted to cough again but tried to hold it back. She plodded on.

Royce clicked on his flashlight. A broad beam of light lit up the gloomy sky. Relief filled her. And she hated to realize how nervous she’d really been.

A shout across the pasture was heard clearly.

“Someone is out looking for us,” she said with a smile. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to have worried anyone. I really had no idea it was so late.”

“No worries.” At her sidelong glance, he grinned. “It’s not your fault.” He reached out a hand as if to steady her as she hit a bump and almost fell, then caught herself. “Besides, I was keeping watch on the time. We’re coming home just when we’re supposed to.”

There was a second shout.

Only there was a third shout. A sense of urgency in the voice.

“What’s wrong?”

But she knew. “Someone’s missing.”

They met up with the other group to find Stevie and George rushing toward them. “Mark and Geoffrey are missing.”

Royce was immediately all business, his cell phone in his hand. “There’s no reception.”

Stacy glanced from one to the other. “A search party?”

Stevie nodded. “Yes. But let’s get you back to the cabin.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m slowing you down. The cabin’s in sight. You’ll need Royce.”

The three men stared at each other. She said impatiently, “Come on. Let’s not be foolish. You need to head back up now. Hopefully they aren’t just having equipment troubles.”

Behind her, there was a sudden shout.

Everyone turned. It was Mark and Geoffrey. Everyone cheered.

“Oh, thank God,” she murmured.

“Well, that’s that then,” Royce murmured.

As the other two met up with them, Geoffrey grinned. “It was my fault. I wanted to check out another slope. Sorry for the worry.”

“No problem. Let’s head back.”

As one, they trooped back to the warmth of the cabin.

*

Royce walked into
the cabin to cheers and shouts as those left in the cabin realized everyone was back safe and sound. The smell of fresh chili filled his nostrils. Good. He was starving. He caught the look on Stacy’s face and almost grinned. She looked ready to steal the bowl from George’s hands, and George saw it. He held his bowl to the side. “Get your own.”

She grinned. “Will do. Just make sure you save me some.”

Royce packed away his boots and gear. He came back in just behind Stacy, her own footsteps faster and perkier now that they were back. The high energy of the group was contagious.

He headed for the chili pot, happy to see there was a lot left. He dished up one bowl only to have it gently removed from his hands. Stacy flashed a grin at him and said, “Thanks.”

He could only grin back. At least she was looking better. He scooped a second bowl full and set it down. And damn if Geoffrey didn’t pick it up. “Thanks, man.” But there was an odd tone in his voice.

Surreptitiously, he studied Geoffrey’s face. He had a sour look as he stirred his chili, adding sour cream and cheddar to the top. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Geoffrey said, his tone brusque. “At least nothing more than usual.” He turned away at the same time Royce turned, and he watched as Geoffrey caught sight of Stacy standing beside her brother.

And damn if that look on Geoffrey’s face wasn’t a lot closer to hate.

It chilled Royce to the bone.

*

George studied the
undercurrents going on around him. Damn it. Stacy was in the middle of it. Again. Kathleen squeezed his hand. He smiled down at her, loving the reminder of her presence at his side. It was not something he was used to. He’d had dozens of girlfriends, and none had left him feeling like half of him was missing.

Not since Kathleen. Besides, he’d hoped that having Kathleen and Yvonne along would help Stacy adjust to being here. The group had been doing these trips together for a long time. They were friends. He trusted them all.

It was a great feeling.

As he glanced over at his sister, then at Kathleen, he realized that right now, his world was complete.

T
he argument that
broke out startled Stacy. She hadn’t seen it coming. Hadn’t even noticed the undercurrents – until they’d turned into a rip tide.

“I was being safe,” Geoffrey snapped. “Sorry if I didn’t meet your expectations.”

George glared at him. “You know the rules as well as any of us. Stick to the timeline. If someone has to go out after you, then you’re putting them at risk.”

“So no one needs to come after me,” snapped Geoffrey. “I’m not an amateur.”

“Neither was Andrew Corso. He’s still missing. And so is Karl Henderson. They’re both experienced.”

“Well, they couldn’t have been that experienced then, could they?” Geoffrey said impatiently. “Come on. I’ve been coming to these mountains for over a decade. I’ve never even had a close call.”

Stacy hated the raised voices and the dissension. Not good for anyone. Especially not good for a small group like theirs.

“We just don’t want anything to happen to you,” she said in a gentle voice.

He rolled his eyes at her. “Neither do I want anything to happen to you, Stacy, and we were just behind you.”

“True. I got lost in my photography,” she admitted with a small smile.

“And what’s Royce’s excuse?” Stevie said with a laugh. “Did he get lost in you, I wonder?”

Raucous laughter filled the air and eased the tension brought on by the earlier sharp words. Trying to hold the tidal wave of heat washing over her cheeks, Stacy smiled good-naturedly. As she slid a cautious gaze at Royce, hoping he’d realize Stevie’s comment was a shot in the dark, she realized he’d gone silent. Grim.

Shit. See, this was why she wasn’t into relationships. They were too much work. She stood up and collected the many empty chili bowls. “Thanks so much to whoever made the chili, it was delicious.”

“I made it,” George said with a grin.

She laughed. “That’s why it was so good – it’s my recipe.”

“Hey, it’s Mom’s recipe originally,” he protested. “Now it’s got my own personal touch, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, like what?” she challenged him with a grin, happy to feel the others relaxing. It was the way the evening should be.

“It’s got elephant garlic in it instead of the regular stuff,” he said quickly.

Kathleen laughed, then said. “And that’s because the store was out of the regular stuff. You asked them specifically for the little guys.”

He gave her a mocking look to shut up, but the rest of the room had already erupted into laughter.

Stacy carried the bowls into the kitchen and called back. “I’ll do the dishes if someone wants to carry that kettle of water in here and pour.”