Deception

“I almost wish I did. Then it would be easy to find out who pushed me.”

Colin agreed. “In that case, I don’t want you to be alone until we figure this out. Do you understand?”

“That should be easy enough to comply with. After all, my sister is here now for a short visit.”

Colin didn’t bring up that she was supposed to be with her sister when someone had tried to kill her—Meral hadn’t been any protection for her then. At any rate, maybe her sister and husband would stay until this investigation was closed. “Come on. I’ll give you that ride home now. Doc give you some scripts?”

“Yeah, painkillers and an antibiotic, I think.”

“Fine. I’ll get you home first, then I’ll run those over to the pharmacy for you.”

Jewel stood, ready to leave, her confusion over the day’s events evident, mingling with exhaustion from the strain on her beaten body. Colin was glad to be the one to see her safely home. If it was actually even safe. He’d determine that when he arrived.

He pursed his lips, envisioning what he wanted to do to her attacker or attackers once he got his hands on them, and before he put them in a jail cell. But that was all it was—a vain imagining.

He opened the door and assisted her out to the waiting room, where they found Tracy with David. Tracy said she had encouraged Meral to go back to the B and B, seeing that she wasn’t feeling well, reassuring them that she and David would get Jewel home. Colin could see the relief in Jewel’s eyes that she hadn’t been abandoned, but all Colin could think was Tracy and David were behaving more like family to her than Meral and Buck. While Jewel thanked Tracy for finding her, Colin talked to David about going back to the falls to look around.

Then he ushered Jewel through the exit where his Jeep waited and assisted her into the passenger seat, taking care he didn’t hurt her. On the drive back, he took the bumps and the potholes slowly and carefully.

Anger boiled beneath the surface at the thought of her injuries. At the thought of someone actually trying to hurt her. At the image of someone pushing her into those falls.

He would have to prevent them from trying again.

But he knew firsthand how difficult it could be to stop a killer. He’d attempted and failed before, and as a result, Katelyn, the woman he’d planned to propose to, had been murdered.

And he’d known all along who had wanted to kill her, and still Colin hadn’t been able to prevent her murder. With no idea where to even look for Jewel’s attacker, how was he going to be able to keep her alive?

THREE (#ulink_91f66888-5695-5f53-a116-2742adba031b)

The next morning, Colin walked the trail with one of his officers, Terry Stratford, along with Cade and David Warren, who were friends and had been part of the search and rescue for Jewel.

He almost wished Dead Falls Canyon, both the river and several waterfalls, were far from town, where they’d be less of a danger to the people under his jurisdiction, which included the city and borough of Mountain Cove and encompassed two thousand square miles, most of that wilderness in the Tongass National Forest.

But the majestic scenery and unparalleled adventures of the region were all part of the package. The splendor, the pristine nature and magnificent views brought tourists. One of the many reasons people chose to live here.

But beauty had turned deadly more than once.

After his officers and forest rangers had searched the area yesterday and came up empty-handed, he’d decided that Jewel’s attacker was long gone, and there wasn’t reason enough to close off the whole region to nature enthusiasts.

Today’s revisiting of the crime scene hadn’t turned up any evidence or clues either, so far. Jewel’s party hadn’t been the only one to hike the trails or view the falls, so there was no way to try to trace anyone’s tracks.

Colin maintained a keen sense of his surroundings in case someone was watching him. He had that sensation as they hiked the trail, but it could simply be curious hikers wondering what had brought the police out on the trails today.

They’d walked the five-mile circular trail that led to the top where Jewel claimed to have stood and looked down. This was some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and now it would likely be ruined for Jewel unless she could somehow put those events out of her mind.

He was asking for the impossible. Colin had moved to Mountain Cove to escape his own devastating experience in Texas. He hoped Jewel wouldn’t have to take such drastic measures.

Under normal circumstances, he’d have his officers roam the woods now, searching again for evidence, rather than coming out here himself. He had enough paperwork stacked on his desk and phone calls to answer to last a lifetime, and the tourist season was only beginning.

But this wasn’t normal. This was Jewel Caraway. The thought of losing her, that moment when he’d thought she could have been dead, had forced him to look deep, even though he knew he couldn’t make it too personal and had to tread carefully.

As police chief, loving someone would only cloud his judgment and get someone killed one day—he’d already paid that price. He would never let that happen again. He found it easy to care about someone from a distance, but better not to care at all.

David and Cade stood next to him, staring down at the crushing force of rushing water. Listened to the roar. Felt the moisture cloud envelop them. No wonder she hadn’t heard someone approach from behind until the instant before impact. And she certainly hadn’t known to be wary of someone who would push her over.

“I’m still wondering how nature could push a body under and keep it there, and that body still survive,” Cade said.

“Maybe it’s more the nature of God that she survived.” It was easy to believe that Jewel had a special place in God’s heart like she had in Colin’s.

“Why would someone try to kill her?” David asked. “Was it just a random act of violence?”

He voiced the question they were all wondering, but had no answer for yet. David had endured a fight to protect the woman he loved not long ago and understood better than most there had to be a reason. A secret not shared.

Finding the person responsible for the attacks against Tracy had taken far too long. Colin could still hear the questions from the city council echoing in his ears, and they mingled with the new questions. The same questions.

What are you going to do about it? How are you going to stop it before it happens again?

* * *

Two women approached the falls from the trail, pulling Colin from his thoughts. He nodded to David, Cade and Terry. They’d seen enough for now. They moved away from the falls and headed back down the trail.

“What do you know about her sister and brother-in-law?” Colin asked.

“Not much,” David said. “They’re newlyweds, I hear. I imagine it means a lot to Jewel that they’ve come to see her, since she’s been estranged from her family for a long time. Once when Silas and I were out fighting wildfires in the interior, he shared a little about Jewel. What a rare find she was.”

Colin wouldn’t argue with him there. Her name said it all.

“She comes from a wealthy family, and they didn’t think Silas was good enough for her. When her parents made it clear they disapproved of him, he almost walked away. He loved her too much to tear her away, but in the end, he’d been selfish, after all. He couldn’t let her go. They were young and impulsive.”

“And that’s why she hasn’t been in touch with her family all these years?” Colin asked.

“They didn’t give her much choice—her family disinherited her when she chose to marry him.”

“What kind of parents did that? Disowned or disinherited their child?” Cade asked.

“That’s just weird,” Terry spoke as he led them down the trail.

Colin couldn’t say much. Guilt and shame over how he’d treated his own family had followed him here to Alaska. He’d left his parents behind in Texas and, as they aged, his sister was forced to take sole responsibility for their care. Colin hadn’t been much of a son or a brother, but after what happened, he saw himself as a burden to his family—one they would be better off without. They must see what he wanted to forget every time they looked at him.

“She left it all behind—her family and the wealth—to follow Silas to Alaska.” David kicked a rock down the path.

“I can see why he would think she was special,” Colin said. “She must have loved the man deeply. It’s not easy to live here or to give up your family. To give up wealth on top of that.”

“You know, she could love deeply again, right?” David studied Colin.

Cade and Terry walked together up a ways. Colin was glad they hadn’t heard David’s question. He was just prying into Colin’s personal thoughts. Either that or nudging him toward a place he had no business going.

They’d almost made the trailhead where they would kayak back to Mountain Cove, following the path Jewel’s group had taken in their search. Colin eyed his friend. Understood the meaning behind his words.