Chapter 5
Ray approached the still form on the ground cautiously. Even in the darkness of night he could see the dark stain that spread slowly outward on the ground, forming a black halo around the prone figure.
Scooping up the rifle that lay nearby, Ray kicked at his client. There was no reaction. He gave the man one more kick before he knelt down beside him. No doubt. The man was dead.
What a stroke of luck it was happening on the city slicker. The man had been stupid enough to try and build a crude shelter on the north side of an outcropping of rocks. The wind had blown away most of the branches and leaves he’d used as cover, and he was damn near frozen when Ray came upon him.
Truth be told, Ray might never have spotted him if the man hadn’t groaned in his sleep. But he did, and Ray saw his chance.
And Ray was not a man to let a chance pass him by. He’d walked up bold as brass on the man and shot him twice in the head.
Now the only witness left who could pin the shooting of the rangers on him was Bobby.
Chances were Bobby would never rat him out. He knew he’d be charged as an accomplice. And since it was only Bobby’s word against his and Bobby was the one with a record, there was a good chance the authorities would believe Ray if he pointed the finger at Bobby.
No, he could trust Bobby. Without him, Bobby was nothing. A loser with no job and no friends. Bobby didn’t just need him, he depended on him. Ray was all Bobby had.
And he needed Bobby. He still hadn’t figured out how to accomplish phase two of his plan. Until he settled the score with Scout Windrider, his father’s soul could not rest. And Ray was not about to let his father down. He’d promised to avenge his father’s death and that was what he was going to do. No matter what.
Pushing to his feet, he cut a look around. Chances were good that no one would find the city boy for days. Hell, maybe even weeks. No need to bother burying the body. Scavengers would take care of the disposal for him.
Satisfied that he didn’t have anything to be concerned over, he continued on toward base camp.
* * * * *
Scout and Cole had been traveling for almost an hour when she stopped. He moved up close behind her. “You hear something?” he whispered close to her ear.
“No. Smell,” she replied almost too softly to be heard. “Stay here.”
“Hold on!” Cole grabbed her arm to stay her. “Where’re you going?”
“Just want to check it out. I’ll be back in five minutes. Just stay here.”
Cole did not like the idea of staying behind, but figured it was best not to argue. She couldn’t get that far in five minutes that he couldn’t catch up to her.
She disappeared into the darkness, and he crouched down, listening. The only sounds he heard were those of the night. The wind. Nothing seemed to be moving. Not even Scout.
He wondered how she did it.
Scout was prepared for the sight of death because the smell that led her was blood. What she was not prepared for was the sight of the dead man, half his head and brains spattered on the ground.
She knelt beside him and felt his skin. No way of telling how long he’d been dead by his skin temperature. He’d been out in the elements without shelter. From the looks of things, he’d tried to build shelter but done a poor job of it. His rifle lay nearby, but from the position of the body he hadn’t been holding it. He looked more like he’d been asleep.
Which brought up the question of who had killed him. Was he one of the people responsible for the murder of the tracker? If so, then what had happened to find him sleeping alone without food or shelter?
Pushing aside the distaste it brought, Scout touched the pool of gore beside the man’s head. He couldn’t have been dead long. It looked like two shots had entered the front of his head. That had to have been what she heard in the cave.
So where was the person who’d killed this man? That was something she needed to figure out and fast. Careful to retrace her steps so as not to disturb any more than necessary, she quickly made her way back to Cole.
Cole darn near jumped when Scout materialized in front of him. “There’s been another shooting,” she said. “A man. Shot twice in the head. I want you to follow me, and make sure that you step in my tracks. I need to figure out where the person who killed this guy headed, and to do that we have to make sure we disturb as little as possible.”
“Got it,” he agreed and pushed himself upright.
He followed her to the scene of the crime. Bile rose in his throat as he got a look at the man. In the moonlight the man’s pale skin looked almost ghostly, and the gore beneath his head, black and grisly.
Scout paid the dead man no attention at all. With slow, steady steps, she circled out from the body, her eyes scanning the ground. It wasn’t long before she stopped, knelt down, touched the earth, then started forward.
“This way,” she said softly over her shoulder.
Cole hurried to where she was. She talked softly as she followed a trail he could not see. “One man. Big. One ninety or so. Not a greenhorn. Soles of his boots are worn. He favors his right leg. Not a limp, but definitely a difference in weight distribution. Could be carrying a pack. He wasn’t in a hurry but wasn’t wasting time by the length of the stride.”
“Hold up.” Cole took her arm and stopped her. “That fellow from CBI said to radio in if we found anything.”
“The longer we wait, the more distance there is between us and him,” she argued. “I say we follow him and when we discover where he’s holed up, then we…” She stopped short and her eyes turned up and then to one side in a gesture he related to the look of an animal sensing danger.
“What?” he asked.
“Let’s back up and radio Jonas,” she said after a moment.
“What changed your mind?” he asked.
She dropped her eyes then turned her head away, seemingly scanning the darkness.
“Scout?”
“I need to find the cat,” she said softly. “Time’s running out.”
Cole thought it odd in the extreme that she’d change her mind so abruptly. “Look, a second ago you were gung-ho on tracking the shooter. Now you just back off and say we need to go after the cat. What’s up? I need the truth, Scout, and now.”
She turned to look at him. “Fine. The truth is I…hear the cat. Satisfied?”
Before he could answer she started back the way they’d come.
“Just hold on!” He hurried and grabbed hold of her arm, forcing her to face him. “You hear the cat? Granted you hear things I don’t because of your experience in reading the sounds animals make, but I’ve heard nothing that sounds remotely like a lion. So just exactly what did you hear?”
Scout sighed. Aside from Jed, she’d never told another living soul about her ability. The way she saw it, people would either think she was a liar or crazy. Jed understood because he possessed the ability. He’d always told her she’d inherited it from his people, and it was nothing to fear, simply a gift that she could choose to use for good or ill. He’d stressed using it for good. Otherwise, he warned, the gift could turn against her, and her soul would be forever stained.
Now she faced telling Cole her secret. It gave her more than a little anxiety. Perhaps because she’d had such an immediate reaction to him. She’d told herself the first few hours that it was because she’d been lusting after his bull-riding brother from afar. But she knew now she wanted him, and it had nothing to do with his brother or a fantasy crush. He drew her like a magnet, and it was something she could not control.
But trust was another matter. For a few moments she searched inside herself. What she’d sensed from him during the connection was still jumbled but some things had become clear. Such as the fact that he was a man of honor. And there was something else. Something he hid. About witches.
“Tell me about the witches you know,” she said suddenly, acting on impulse.
His eyes widened. “How—What makes you think I know any witches?”
“You said it was time for truth,” she challenged him both verbally and with her eyes. “You want truth from me, and then you have to be willing to share your truth as well.”
Cole was silent for a moment, and then blew out his breath. “All right. But before I say anything else, let’s get this clear. I am not crazy.”
That one sentence alone gave her comfort. “Okay,” she said with a slight smile. “You’re not crazy. Now about the witches?”
“My sisters-in-law,” he said. “Ana and Rusty. Both of them.”
Scout nodded. “And do either of them have any special…affinity with animals?”
“Actually yeah, both of them.”
“Then there’s your answer,” she offered.
“You mean you…you’re a…witch?”
“I don’t choose to call it that. I simply have some skills and abilities. And one of them is that I have an affinity with animals. Particularly cats.”
“So, you’re hearing the cat, but not with your ears, right? You have a, uh, connection with it?”
“Exactly,” she said with relief, thinking how amazingly easy that had been. “And I know she needs help and fast. So, radio Jonas and we’ll give him the coordinates and let him, and his men deal with the killer. We’re not armed except with trancs and a knife, and whoever the guy is we know he’s armed. Best leave the dirty work to the pros. You and I can go help the cat.”
“Okay,” he agreed without hesitation and pulled out the radio. “You sure it’s safe to call in?”
She nodded. “He’s got enough of a lead that he’s not going to hear it. Make the call.”
Cole pulled out the radio and called in. Tim answered. “We were starting to be concerned,” he said. “You find anything?”
Cole handed the radio to Scout. “Tim, it’s Scout. I need to talk to Jonas.”
“He’s here,” Tim replied.
A second later Jonas’ voice came over the radio.
“What you got?”
“Another victim,” she replied. “White man, mid-forties, approximately five-ten, one seventy-five. Shot twice in the head at close range. Probably a handgun. My guess is a .44. He appeared to have tried to build a shelter. Probably was near frozen. From his clothing he looks to be a greenhorn. Probably one of the hunting party the ranger described.”
“You pick up a trail?”
“Yeah, can you triangulate on the radio?”
“Can do. We’re on it now.”
“Okay, from my position the victim is west-south-west approximately 35 degrees, two miles at most. The killer is headed in a south-east direction, averaging…I’d estimate about two miles an hour.”
“In the dark?”
“He’s experienced, Jonas. No doubt about it. Knows the lay of the land and where he’s headed. You have teams nearby?”
“It’ll take us a couple of hours to get close. I’ll have my men head in from the south and east and try to intercept. You continuing to track?”
“Negative. We’re not armed. And we have another matter that needs dealing with.”
“Which is?”
“Wounded cat. I suspect the killer and his party are responsible. I need to get to her fast.”
There was a moment of silence before Jonas came back. “Affirmative. But I need contact from you in three hours. If we don’t intercept the shooter, we’ll need you to pick up his trail and lead my men.”
“Got it,” Scout replied. “Out.”
She turned off the radio and handed it to Cole. “You think they’ll find him?” he asked.
“If they don’t, we’ll come back and pick up his trail. Right now, we need to head due north.”
“Which means we’re going to be climbing in the dark, so we have to go back and get our gear.”
“No time,” Scout argued. “You’ve climbed freestyle before, right?”
“Climbing without the proper gear is dangerous anytime, but at night? Scout, that’s asking for trouble.”
“We don’t have a choice.”
“Fine.” Cole wasn’t sure it was the wise choice, but grudgingly agreed. Without another word, Scout started forward, leaving Cole no choice but to follow and hope they did not end up victims of their own design.