When Night Falls (Special Agent Ricki James Book 11) by C.R. Chandler

Author:C.R. Chandler [Chandler, C.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BackDoor Publishing
Published: 2024-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Ricki took the wheel, and with Clay in the passenger seat and Anchorman in back, they waited for Loam and two of his deputies to make an appearance. When a four-wheel-drive cruiser with a large gold star on the side pulled out from the parking lot, Ricki put the rental car in gear and fell in behind it. Once they were on the highway, heading south out of town, Clay held up his cell phone.

“Looks like it’s about twenty miles to the North Park Campground that the sheriff mentioned. From the reports I read, the truck was abandoned just past it on County Road 41, and the body was found about a half mile from there, up an off-road trail.”

“But not in the state park?” Ricki asked without taking her eyes off the road.

“It’s hard to tell from this map, but it doesn’t look like it. It’s state forest land, but the park’s boundary is a few miles to the east.” Clay set his phone on the dashboard and twisted around to face Ricki.

Even though he wasn’t making a sound, she could still feel his stare on her. She ignored it for a good twenty seconds before giving in. “What?”

He stretched an arm over the console and along the back of her seat. “Just trying to gauge how mad you are.”

Ricki shrugged. “It wore off. But you should have discussed it with me first.”

Clay’s fingers idly stroked the side of her neck. “We did. Not out loud, maybe, but the argument was definitely there, lying between us. I pointed out that this jerk seems to have fixated on you, so backup was in order.”

“And I reminded you that it’s my job.” She reached up and pushed his hand away. “Funny, though. I don’t seem to recall this not-out-loud conversation where I said something along the lines of, ‘Oh, you are so right. Please send Anchorman right out. How silly of me not to think of it.’”

“No. You didn’t say that. You protested, and of course I acknowledged you are a great shot with a rifle. However, you didn’t happen to have one with you. But then again, you’re also an expert at moving in the backcountry. Of course for all we know, so is the guy we’re chasing.”

Ricki pursed her lips and slowly nodded. “I see. And what did you say when I pointed out that rifles do indeed exist outside of the western half of the country, and that I was sure I could borrow one from the Acadia rangers? And I used to be based there. I know the land, both inside and outside the park.”

Clay’s arm slid off the back of the seat and dropped to rest on the console. “That was a decade ago, Ricki.”

“Yes, it was,” she acknowledged, her voice overly pleasant, which had him clenching his teeth in response. “But the mountains and trails haven’t moved.”

Before Clay could say anything else, a loud choking noise rose from the backseat. Ricki’s gaze shot to the rearview mirror as Clay’s head swiveled around.

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