Chapter 5
FIVE
Jonah groaned as a wet nose touched his cheek.
He opened one eye to find Scout staring intently.
She took advantage of his prone state to swipe a kiss over his mouth and cheek.
He gently pushed the dog away. “Gross. Scout, we’re friends, but we’re not that close.
” Squeezing his eyes shut against the daylight streaming through his window, he buried himself under the blankets. “Go back to Laney.”
His cell phone blared from the nightstand. Happy by Pharrell Williams. Laney’s special ringtone, which she’d programmed into his phone. The tune was irritatingly positive, and he kept meaning to change it, but never remembered to.
He grabbed the cell phone. Hitting answer without cracking open an eye, he growled. “What?”
“Good morning to you too, Sunshine. Time to wake up. We’ve got lots to do.”
He squinted at the time on his phone and groaned.
Seven in the morning. He’d planned to be up at six but must’ve slept through his alarm.
Three hours of sleep was all he'd had, most of it spent at the hospital while they photographed Laney's injuries and a doctor examined her throat. It was going to be a rough day. Jonah rolled over on the lumpy mattress. “I’m up.”
“Liar.”
Scout jumped on the bed and licked his face again. “Scout!” He held up an arm to ward her off before sitting up. “I’m awake, okay. Call off your dog.” He glowered at Scout, who wagged her tail. “How did you get into the cabin anyway?”
“I have an extra key.” Laughter filled Laney’s voice. “Hurry up. Your coffee is getting cold.”
She hung up. He grumbled as he untwisted the blankets from his legs.
Scout hopped off the mattress and pranced toward the doorway.
He shook his head. “Hold on, pup. Gotta take care of business first.” He used the bathroom.
His hair stuck up in spikes, and his cheek still held a crease mark from the pillow.
He studied his reflection blearily while brushing his teeth.
Good grief, was that a touch of gray in his stubble?
On days like these, he felt far older than thirty-six.
Barefoot, he exited the bathroom and followed Scout through the small living room to a tiny kitchen.
She waited patiently for him to open the back door and then bounded off the porch into the backyard where Laney waited.
She was dressed for the day in a fresh uniform, the silky strands of her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail.
A touch of lip gloss was her only makeup.
The bruises on her neck were darker now—deep purple fingerprints that made his jaw tighten.
Jonah stuffed his feet into his boots and stepped outside.
“Your coffee.” She pointed to a mug perched on the railing. “I made it thick enough to be soup and strong enough to grow hair between your toes, just the way you like it.”
Jonah ignored her teasing. He took a long drink from the mug, letting the dark brew spark his brain awake.
The grass was damp with dew, the air moist against his bare arms. Light cloud cover hid the brightest rays of the sun, which kept the temperature pleasant, but humidity was already building, promising another sweltering Texas day.
Below the slope of the yard was the lake. Dragonflies flitted on the surface.
He breathed in the pine-scented air before taking another sip of coffee. Laney picked up a ball and tossed it. Scout took off running. Her tail bounced as she dove into some bushes.
For a moment, it almost felt normal. Like any other morning they'd spent together over the years.
Then Laney's expression shifted, and the illusion shattered.
“I have something to show you, and you're not going to like it.” She glanced at him. “I debated leaving it until after breakfast, but you'd be angrier if I waited.”
His muscles tensed. “What is it?”
“Early this morning, around four, Scout was agitated. She kept pacing in front of the back door. She’s never done that before, so I knew something was wrong.
Initially, I thought it was an animal. Maybe a deer coming up close to the cabin.
” She led him down a small path through the woods to the lake, coming to a stop next to a willow tree.
The moss hanging from the branches swayed in the light breeze.
“But then on my morning walk, I found this.”
She pointed to the tamped-down grass and clear drag marks leading from the water's edge. “Someone brought a small canoe or kayak onto shore here. Could be from last night, could be more recent. But given Scout's behavior and the timing…”
“Someone approached your house.” The words came out flat, but fury coiled beneath them.
Jonah scanned the shoreline, then the open water.
A few small boats and scattered kayaks dotted the glassy surface—fishermen out for a morning catch, pontoon boats prepping for family outings, rowers squeezing in exercise before the heat became unbearable.
The lake was man made, a reservoir fed by the Colorado River, and crossed several jurisdictions. Part of it belonged to Piney Woods State Park, but other sections were privately owned or accessible through county-managed parks.
He turned back to Laney. “You should have called me the second Scout alerted. At four in the morning.”
“First of all, I wasn’t certain there was trouble. Second, you were dead on your feet and needed the sleep. And third, I’m a law enforcement officer too.” Her chin lifted. “Former military, I might add. I can handle myself.”
“I know what you are.” The words came out sharper than he’d intended. Jonah pulled in a breath and tempered his tone. “But after what happened last night, you should have called. I was fifty feet away, Laney.”
She chewed on the inside of her cheek and then blew out a breath. “Okay. Maybe I should have called out of an abundance of caution.” Her gaze narrowed. “But you’re also being overprotective.”
“You got that right. And I make no apologies for it.”
She threw up her hands in exasperation. “You’re the most infuriating person to argue with.
Can we focus on what’s important? If this was the killer, he knows the area well enough to have brought his boat up to shore and found the trail that leads to my cabin.
He’s a local. Probably a frequent camper or outdoorsman.
Someone who spends a great deal of time in the park. ”
An icy finger of dread touched the back of his neck. “Someone you might know.”
She met his gaze. “Yes. Maybe he's worried I’ll remember something about the attack, some detail that can identify him. Which is good. That means he’s scared and may make a mistake.”
It could also make her a target. “Laney, you need to be careful—”
“Okay, we’ve reached the lecture part of the morning.” She hooked an arm through his, the gesture so familiar it sent an ache through his chest. “I have breakfast burritos. You're impossible to deal with when you're hungry.”
And she thought he was infuriating to argue with? Jonah allowed her to tug him back down the path toward her cabin. Scout bounced ahead, tail wagging. “I’m not some troll under a bridge you have to throw food and coffee at.”
“Umm…okay.”
The smile playing on her lips was irresistible.
Jonah’s irritation at her unwillingness to discuss her safety faded, but not his worry.
Laney kept up a steady stream of chatter as they followed the path back to her cabin.
Nothing terribly important. A bird song she recognized, the desire for rain, a funny story about her sister and Asher.
The sound of her lilting voice soothed the rough edges of his emotions.
The kitchen smelled of bacon. Jonah crossed to the coffeepot on the counter in three strides and poured more of the dark brew into his empty mug.
Laney hummed as she pulled an egg carton and other ingredients from the fridge.
Her cabin, like his, was rustic, but she'd added personality.
Her dishtowel was teal and matched the mug in his hand.
Photographs of her family were attached to the fridge with magnets.
His own smiling image reflected back from several of the pictures, a testament to the long history of their friendship.
He scanned the cluster of photos almost without thinking, but there were no recent additions.
Jonah stole a slice of pepper from the cutting board and popped it in his mouth. Masochist that he was, he asked, “How’s Mike?”
Mike O’Neill had been Laney’s longest boyfriend. Six months and going. Jonah had a hard time understanding why he’d stuck when Laney had been quick to get rid of everyone else—himself included—but there it was.
Laney flipped on the burner. “Mike and I broke up last month.”
A secret jolt of pleasure shot through him, followed immediately by a familiar warning.
Don't go there. Laney cycled through boyfriends like most people changed seasons—always friendly breakups, always "just not quite right.
" He'd watched her do it for fifteen years and had already been a casualty in her pattern of keeping things light and breezy.
Their friendship depended on steering clear of romance.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-grin. “Did you tire of discussing programming hacks and Star Trek movies?”
“Don’t be mean. Mike was sweet, but we didn’t have much in common.
Honestly, the relationship only lasted as long as it did because we didn’t see each other much.
I’ve been so busy, especially since Superintendent Voss went on medical leave, that dating has been a vague memory.
” She poured the egg mixture into the frying pan.
“The summer rush is finally over, and I’d hoped things would settle down, but it doesn’t look like that's going to be the case now. Have you heard from Chief Deputy Williams?”
“Yes.” He’d read the string of text messages from the chief deputy before heading out to the yard.
“No one in the family has any idea why someone would want to kill Ava. No troublesome exes. Neither she nor Tyler were into drugs or anything illegal. As Sheriff Morrison asserted, they were good kids. But we have to take what the family says with a grain of salt. They may not have known what was going on with Ava or Tyler.”
“It didn’t look like a drug hit to me. I agree with your assessment that Ava was the target. The killer took his time with her. Sexually assaulted her, and then instead of shooting her as he had Tyler, he strangled her. That’s up close and personal.”
He nodded. It bothered him. The intimacy of the murder. If Ava had an ex, he’d be the first one questioned, but she’d been dating Tyler for years. Had she attracted a stalker and not known it? It was something to think about.
Jonah opened a cabinet and removed plates. “Deputies found the gun, by the way. A Ruger SR9 with a suppressor.”
“A suppressor? That explains why the camper who called it in reported fireworks.”
He nodded. A suppressor didn’t make the gunshots silent, they just reduced the noise significantly.
“Where did the deputies find the weapon?” Laney asked.
“It’d fallen into the lake near Ava’s body.
The water likely destroyed any fingerprints or DNA, but the lab will take a pass at it anyway.
And there were clear signs someone had parked a vehicle in Campsite 9.
The undergrowth was crushed. Deputies also found fresh tire rubber on a tree where someone had scraped against it backing in, and there was an oil spot on the packed earth. ”
“So you were right. The killer attacked me in order to get back to his vehicle.” She frowned.
“What bothers me is the timing. How did the killer know Tyler and Ava would be at that remote campsite?
It's not that Campsite 8 is popular or well-known. Someone either followed them there or knew their plans.”
Laney handed him a plate loaded down with a breakfast burrito and fruit.
“I think we should prioritize interviewing Ava’s friends.
It could help us narrow down which people knew her and are also familiar enough with the park to pull off a murder like this.
If the killer is coming after me because he’s afraid that I'll recognize him, then we’re looking for someone both Ava and I know. ”
The thought that someone in her daily circle might be a killer made his blood run cold.
Laney was smart and tough, but she also believed in the goodness of people.
An optimist through and through. How was he supposed to protect her from someone she trusted?
Someone she might let her guard down with?
Her cell phone beeped. She checked the screen and grimaced. “I have a meeting today with Superintendent Voss. I completely forgot.”
Her boss. He was currently on medical leave while receiving cancer treatment. “Can you cancel it?”
“I could, but I need to go into headquarters to address the park rangers before they start their shifts. The local news channel has already picked up the story.”
She gestured to the television in the living room. It was playing silently, tuned to a morning news show. A reporter was broadcasting from the lake with the caption: Double Murder at Piney Woods. The image changed to photographs of Tyler and Ava, embracing and laughing. Happy.
Jonah’s chest tightened. Two young people with their whole lives ahead of them, reduced to a news caption and crime scene photos. He couldn't bring them back. All he could do now was make sure their killer faced justice.
“Campers will be flooding the visitor’s center with calls and visits.
I’ve already sent out an email to the staff, informing them about the deaths and instructing them not to speak to the media, but they’ll have questions and concerns that need to be addressed.
” She rubbed her forehead as if a headache was coming on. “Will you want to do interviews?”
“Yes, starting with whoever checked them in when they arrived.” Jonah steered Laney to the table and gently pushed her into a chair. “But first, breakfast. Otherwise, I won’t be the only cranky one.”
Her lips quirked. “Heaven forbid.”
They joined hands, bent their heads, and blessed the food. They’d done this hundreds of times over the years, but for some inexplicable reason, this time, Jonah was achingly aware of the softness of Laney’s skin. Silently, he offered an extra prayer.
God, please help me keep her safe.