Chapter 29
Even though Charliewas feeling so much better, Nick convinced her to stay at the lodge for the day. She had to admit he was right when she got up to say goodbye after breakfast. Even though her thigh didn’t burn anymore, it still throbbed. Driving into town would be uncomfortable to say the least.
One more day of babying herself wouldn’t kill her.
Before she got into her “tasks” for the day—most of which required tracking down April—she went out onto the terrace and called her father.
“Hi, bunny.”
The sound of his voice gave her such a rush of relief and gratitude that she had to grip the railing for support. “Hi Daddy. Is everything okay? How are you feeling?”
“There’s a nurse here who has a crush on me.” He sounded so delighted that she had to smile.
“Of course there is. You’re the ultimate charmer, always have been. Say, any more visits from Hobbs?”
“Not a one. Please tell me you’re having nothing to do with them.”
Charlie’s eyes closed as she offered up a little prayer to the higher powers. “I have nothing to do with them. Not a thing. No contact. I’m just glad they’re leaving you alone.”
“It’s smooth sailing from here. I don’t want you to worry about me. I’m going to be fine. Taraji, that’s the nurse, she says she’s going to help me find a place to live and all that kind of stuff. If I find a place near the hospital, I can walk here for my appointments.”
“I’ll find you a place, Dad. I have some funds set aside. You can buy a house.”
“No.” The firmness of that word made her flinch. “Honey, I’m going to stand on my own.”
In the background, she heard a woman talking about needing some blood.
“I have to go, Taraji’s here.”
“Okay. I love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too. Oh, before I hang up—do you know a Nick?”
“Nick?” She was so shocked she couldn’t come up with an answer. “Yes, why?”
“Well, you should watch out for him. When the man from Hobbs was here, I overheard him on the phone when he was leaving. He said, ‘Nick was right about her. This’ll work.’’ I forgot to tell you the last time we talked because I was so upset.”
“It’s okay, Daddy. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“Oops, Taraji’s about to scold me, she wants my blood! I love you, bunny.”
And he was gone.
She stared off into the forests surrounding the lodge, a wild mix of emotions coursing through her. Some of it was about Nick. What had he told Hobbs about her? How had he resolved this situation?
She put that aside for now, until she could confront him.
Her father—it was hard to even formulate the thought—didn’t need her anymore. He was moving forward in his life. He was getting better. He had plans. He was free.
That was all good. It was great news. So why did she feel like crying?
A touch on her arm made her jump. Beside her, Ani leaned on the railing, wearing jeans and a tunic top that matched her golden skin. As soon as she saw Charlie’s face, her smile disappeared. “Are you okay? Did you tear your stitches? What happened?”
“No, no, I’m fine. All good here.”
But Ani knew her too well to be brushed off. And Charlie was tired of always being strong and self-sufficient. So, with a sigh, she filled her friend in on her conversation with her father.
Maybe Molly would have laughed at her sad tale of watching her father grow up and leave her behind. But Ani was all sympathy.
“As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been taking care of your father, both emotionally and financially. Of course it’s a hard adjustment. That’s perfectly normal.”
Charlie gave a short laugh. “You really think I’m normal?”
“I think you’re Charlie. You’re brave and caring and loyal. But you’ve never really let yourself have a life, you know?”
“I have a life! It’s a fabulous life. I travel, I see the world, I…” She trailed off under Ani’s knowing gaze. “Okay, it’s a little lonely. I didn’t want…”
She stopped, hesitant to share the details of her rule-breaking ways.
“You didn’t want anyone to know about your Robin Hood corporate hacking.”
Charlie stared at her in utter shock. “You knew?”
“I put it together a while ago. I figured you’d tell me when you wanted to. I also figured it would be safer for me if I didn’t know.”
“What about Molly and Lila?”
“I can’t say. I’ve never told them, that’s up to you.”
Charlie’s breath caught in her chest. All this time, Ani had known and kept it to herself. That took amazing powers of discretion. “And you don’t…despise me?”
Ani shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. “I worry about you. But I know you, Charlie. Remember what happened after the track meet shooting?”
The mention of that event sent chills along Charlie’s spine. They rarely talked about it, the four of them. Lila’s intuition had saved them when she insisted they all skip that meet.
“You got really involved in marches and advocating for more mental health support and gun restrictions. You’re a fighter for justice. I don’t know exactly what you do with your hacking, but I trust that you’re doing it for good.”
Charlie’s throat was so tight she had to force the words out. “You always believe the best in people.”
Ani’s face went shadowed. “Not always.”
Charlie cursed herself for being insensitive. If anyone knew the dark side of humanity, it was Ani. “Sorry.”
Impulsively, she pulled her friend close for a hug. “Thank you. Thanks for being my friend.”
“That goes both ways, you know.”
They hugged each other for a bit. After all this was over, she was going to tell Lila and Molly too, Charlie vowed to herself. Then she pulled away. There was work to be done. So long as someone with a bow and arrow was lurking in the area, she couldn’t just sit around moping because her father was all grown up now.
“I need to find April and ask her some questions.”
“Let me check your bandage first,” Ani said firmly. “Then you can do your detective thing.”
But as much as Charlie searched for April, the entire day passed without a single sighting of her. No one seemed to know where she was.
The only success Charlie had was unearthing the ownership status of Fire Peak.
Which was a real shocker.
April owned the entirety of Fire Peak.
Everything else in the immediate vicinity was federal land, except for the stretch of border along Chilkoot property.
Another search told her that no other mountain peak in the Wrangell-St.Elias ranges was in private hands. Somehow, April had managed to claim the entire thing. Had she paid off a surveyor? An assessor? All of the above? Or just gotten lucky?
She was a member of the Whitfield family, after all.