Trace Evidence by Diane Capri

Author:Diane Capri [Capri, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542045902
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2017-08-22T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Red Maple Lake, California

Six Years Ago

Later, Josh awakened again, still uneasy, for reasons he couldn’t pinpoint. It was dark outside. He fumbled for his watch: 4:23 a.m. Mark would be coming for them at five, he’d said. Might as well get up now.

He tossed back the covers. The morning air hit him like a blow and stole his breath away. Man, it was cold in here.

He wrinkled his nose as he slipped into his pants and the blood, sweat, lake water, tears, and fears enveloped him, imbued with yesterday’s nightmare. But he slid his arms into his sweater and jammed his feet into his boots. He patted his pockets and found his wallet and his phone where they should have been. He would buy new clothes in Tahoe. Until then, these would suffice.

Josh had been to Tahoe before. There were shops and restaurants and a good hospital there. The commercial airport was in Reno, thirty-five miles away. He could fly Skip’s wife to Reno. As much as he dreaded facing Debbie, Skip would feel a thousand times better if she was here.

Dan was still snoring. Josh left him for a few more minutes. He’d check on Skip and confirm that the weather had cleared and get them all out of here.

He slipped out of the bedroom and pulled the door closed behind him. He walked quietly down the hallway to Skip’s room. He opened the door.

Instantly, he sensed something was wrong.

His body began to thrum as if he’d been plugged into a high-voltage electrical tower.

Skip was alone. Mark and the others had promised to take shifts sitting with him all night, but no one was there.

Josh walked over to the bed and touched Skip’s face. His skin was as cold as the room. Why had no one turned the heat on?

He placed three fingers on the side of Skip’s neck to check his pulse. He felt nothing. He pushed harder against Skip’s carotid artery. Nothing. He checked the other side. Still no pulse.

He bent down to put his ear close to Skip’s face. He felt no breath emerge from Skip’s nose or mouth. Instinctively, he pinched Skip’s nose and opened his mouth to start CPR. He began the count. He put both hands flat on Skip’s heart and pushed.

A deep part of his mind supplied the truth, but he ignored it.

He continued CPR for several minutes. Sweat formed on his brow. His arms fatigued. His breathing labored. He felt tears streaming from his eyes and still he kept going.

He began to accept that his efforts were failing. He continued to try for a long time before he gave up. He felt exhausted in spirit. He clamped his jaw, hard, to stop the screams that rose from his chest. He balled his fists instead of throwing something as hard as possible.

How could this happen? Skip was one of the best men on earth. He was young. He had a pregnant wife. A kid. He had the heart of a lion and yet he was kind and gentle.

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