Chapter 12 #3
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He held her close, solemnly thanking God for keeping her safe despite his lapse in judgment. If God was watching over them, he hoped their Almighty Father would protect Evie first and foremost. “Never again.”
“I’m going to hold you to that promise.” She held him tightly for another long moment, before finally loosening her grip. Tipping her head back, she looked up at him. It wasn’t easy to resist the urge to kiss her. “What on earth did Bruno find?”
“Good question. I wish he could talk so I would know for sure, but he led me to another fallen log.” He glanced down at Bruno, then shrugged. “I didn’t see anything unusual, no tracks or prints, but he clearly alerted to something at that spot.”
“More like someone.” Evie’s expression turned grim. “Who else could it be but the killer? Is it possible he’s been burying bodies over here too?”
“I don’t know.” He forced a reassuring smile. “Let’s try not to think the worst. It could be he was here a few days ago.”
“Yeah, right.” She scowled. “He might know we’re staying here.”
He hesitated and eyed the well-worn path again.
It had bothered him earlier and was even more concerning now.
“I don’t see how he could have figured out we’re staying here.
But if you want me to find something else, I can do that.
” He eyed his watch. “No guarantee we’ll find a place yet tonight, though. ”
“I don’t know what to think.” She blew out a frustrated breath, stepped back, and jammed her fingers through her curly hair.
“Logically, I know this guy isn’t Superman with X-ray vision, but I’m on edge about how Bruno took off like that.
” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s too much like the way he bolted away from me that first night at my mom’s house.
He disappeared into the woods, only to return with the bone from Skye’s forearm. ”
“Okay, if you think we should trust Bruno, then I will look for somewhere else to stay.” It was starting to look as if they wouldn’t get back into the nature preserve to look for more bodies anytime soon.
He told himself that if they drew the killer out of hiding and grabbed him, there would be no need to search.
Yet he didn’t like the idea of doing nothing constructive until darkness fell either.
“Maybe wait until you hear back from Doc.” Evie bit her lower lip, clearly worried she was overreacting.
Remembering how his phone had vibrated earlier, he quickly pulled it free. Rather than seeing Doc’s number, he noticed the call was from a local number. Concerned, he was about to ignore it when he realized the only person who had his personal number was Detective Rueger.
Rueger hadn’t left a message, which was interesting. He quickly returned the call. “Grand Haven Police Department, how may I direct your call?”
“This is Cameron Walker returning Detective Rueger’s call.” He hoped it was Rueger. He didn’t like the idea of the detective passing his personal phone number around to other cops in the precinct.
“Please hold.” There was nothing but silence for several seconds before another voice came over the line.
“Walker? This is Detective Rueger. I wanted you to know that the Michigan State Troopers found an abandoned Chevy Black pickup truck with tinted windows on Highway 23, only about three miles from where you were run off the road.”
Abandoned? That didn’t sound good. “Who does the truck belong to?”
“A summer tourist who reported it stolen about an hour ago. Apparently, he was out on the lake all day, and by the time he returned to shore, he discovered the truck was gone.” There was a brief pause, then he added, “Told you the truck didn’t belong to a local resident.”
“Yeah, you did.” He sighed at the news. “I don’t suppose the guy left any useful evidence behind?”
“Not likely, but I’m having the techs go through it anyway.” Rueger didn’t sound any happier than Cam was about the situation. “I thought you should know there’s no reason to look for the truck any longer.”
“Yeah, thanks. Did anyone see the truck get taken?” It wasn’t likely Rueger would give him any useful details, but he had to ask. “I mean, someone should have noticed if our killer stole the truck in broad daylight.”
“Who said anything about the thief being a killer?” Rueger demanded. “For all I know, you’ve made enemies, and this was nothing more than an attempt to seek revenge.”
“Revenge?” His grip on the phone tightened to the point he thought he might shatter the case. “Come on, Rueger. You don’t believe that. Not after the way this guy has taken potshots at Evie.”
“Yeah, well, maybe those shots were intended for you, Walker. Did you ever think of that?” Then Rueger quickly added, “I have another call. But don’t leave town, Walker. You hear me? Stay here where I can keep an eye on you.”
Before Cam could respond, the line went dead. Stunned, he could only stand there, shaking his head. Clearly, Rueger was determined to pin the murders on him.
And if the detective wasn’t careful, his clouded judgment would allow the real killer to get away.