Mark caught the keys. “Is it okay if I use the Navigator to pick up Gem and pack my bag before I drop it off at the jail? Then I can get my vehicle. That is where Jenna Hart left it, right?”
“Yeah, but why don’t you pick it up first?” Alex asked.
“I need gas—meant to fill up yesterday afternoon and got sidetracked. By the time I drive across town and I do all that, I can be halfway to my house.” He turned to Dani. “Or does your SUV need gas?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Filled up when I first rolled into town.”
“Okay,” Alex said. “I’ll tell Gram you’ll be sleeping on her pullout sofa because of the early morning flight.”
A few minutes later, the sun felt good but the cold north wind had him zipping his jacket as he jogged across the hotel parking lot to where the Navigator was parked.
He reached for the door handle, and the hairs on his neck raised. Someone was watching him. Mark scanned the parking lot, but nothing seemed amiss. He looked for Alex’s SUV and didn’t see it. She must have tucked it out of sight because they couldn’t have left for Sheriff Stone’s house yet.
With his spidey senses still on high alert, Mark opened the driver door and slid across the seat. Nice. It even had a cage for Gem. He familiarized himself with the dashboard and noted the rich leather seats and wrapped steering wheel. He’d bet they were heated too.
Once he started the SUV, his hunch was confirmed as the steering wheel warmed his hands. After scanning the parking lot once more, he pulled onto the street and turned the vehicle toward Eagle Ridge.
Traffic was normal, and he kept an eye peeled for a tail. No one seemed to be following him. By the time he turned on the road to Eagle Ridge, Mark had met hardly any vehicles, but when he passed the first S curve he noticed a pickup in his rearview mirror.
Uh-oh. There weren’t that many houses on this road, mostly just cabins that were rented out during the summer and fall months. Mark slowed down to see if the truck would pass him. Nope. It slowed as well, but they were on a double yellow line. He was still a few miles from his house, and there were no roads he could turn off on between his location and the house. Oh, wait. There was a logging road just up ahead. He could pull in there and see who was following him.
Mark searched for the road. There. He drove past the almost hidden road, then stopped and backed into it, facing out. Then he opened the door and scrambled out.
He used his cell phone to call for backup, then unsnapped the strap on his Sig Sauer as he jogged to the edge of the lane. If someone was looking for trouble, he needed to be ready.
Minutes ticked off. The truck should be here by now. He checked the time, blinking when he saw two watch faces. That hadn’t happened since last night.
Mark didn’t move, his spidey senses still on alert. Something wasn’t right. He glanced toward the Navigator just as a man eased up to the door and opened it.
Mark crept toward the SUV, wincing as a branch snapped under his feet.
The door slammed, and a bullet whizzed by his head. He hit the ground and searched for the shooter, the gun in his hand at the ready.
He barely glimpsed the man as he dashed into the woods. Mark blinked, trying to focus as he jumped to his feet and ran after him. “Halt! Police!”
The man turned and fired. Mark ducked behind a huge oak as a bullet splintered the bark near his head. More bullets buried in the tree trunks around him. But no gun report. He must have a silencer. Mark eased around the oak to shoot, and immediately the gunman fired.
A siren wailed in the distance. Good old Hayes. “You might as well give up. Backup is here,” he yelled.
No answer. He eased around the tree again, expecting the assailant to shoot. Instead, total silence. Mark waited for a few minutes before he crept forward. At least he no longer was seeing double. Somewhere to his left an engine fired up.
He got away.
Mark kicked at a mound of dirt.