Hunter jogged to keep up with Charlee on the way back to the parking garage. He understood her frantic need to do something, to find Natalie right this minute. But he also knew—as did she—that if they didn’t take the time to think it through, to figure out who had her—or at least make a really good guess—they’d waste time running in circles. And that they couldn’t afford.
“Anything?” she asked as soon as she reached Josh, who had the tailgate down and was using it as a worktable.
Josh shook his head. “The phone has been wiped completely clean. Not even Nat’s prints are on it.” His cell phone rang. “Tanner.”
“Meet us at Charlee’s cottage,” Hunter said as he climbed into the truck. Josh looked up from his call and nodded that he understood. Hunter headed back toward Charlee’s place.
She growled when he pulled up to a fast food drive-through. “I really can’t eat,” Charlee said when he handed her a burrito.
Hunter unwrapped his with one hand while he drove. “I know. But we need to think, cher, and for that we need fuel.”
She nodded, took a small bite and choked it down, then took another and another until she had finished the whole thing. He gave her major points for that. She did what needed doing for the sake of her loved ones, every time. He would do no less for her. And that meant finding Natalie, ASAP.
As soon as they reached her cottage, he walked around the outside, grabbed the palm frond, and climbed up to access the camera’s SD card, hoping they’d get lucky this time. Once back inside, he opened his laptop on the kitchen table. “Talk me through what happened a year ago, would you?”
Charlee sank into the chair opposite and took a sip of her sweet tea, rubbed her eyes. “Haven’t we been over it enough?”
“No. Because like you, I think we’re still overlooking an important piece somewhere.”
“What do you want to know?”
He picked up the newspaper clipping she’d been sent. “You said Tommy looked a lot different then. How so?”
“Well, he wasn’t broken then, if you know what I mean. His hair was groomed, he took care of himself.”
He inserted the SD card while he spoke, loaded the photos. “What about JJ and Nora? We saw their yearbook pictures. Did they look pretty much like that?”
“Yeah, why?” She jumped up. “Wait. I have a picture.”
She hurried into her room and came back carrying a photo. She held it out, and Hunter took it from her. “We took a group shot before we left that day. It, ah, it was my first solo trip as guide, so…” She shrugged.
Hunter studied the photo. “Okay, so there’s JJ and Nora with you in the front. There’s Tommy and Sally.” Hunter pointed. “Who’s that?”
“That’s James, Tommy’s brother.”
Hunter switched from the photos to the report from last year, started scrolling. “He wasn’t with you, though, right?”
“He was supposed to be, but he didn’t go with us, no.” Charlee slid back onto the chair, frowned as she thought back. “There was some bad blood between Sally and James. He started ragging on Nora about how she was talking to JJ, so Sally jumped in and told him to stay out of it. It wasn’t his job.” Charlee waved her hands. “The whole thing escalated in a hurry, and before I knew it, Sally stormed off one way and James the other. She came back, but James didn’t. After a while, Tommy said we should just go on without him.”
Hunter was working out the logistics in his mind when his email chimed. He read the short message, then looked up at Charlee. “Tommy and James Jennings’s mother drowned in her bathtub when James was seventeen, Tommy was ten. At the time of her death, the boys’ biological father was in prison.”
Hunter could see Charlee’s mind racing down the same track as his. She drummed her fingers on the table. “You think James is behind all this? Because of the water connection?”
Hunter fired off another email, then stood and paced, his mind working through the possibilities. He leaned both arms on the table. “What if James didn’t leave? Or what if he came back and killed JJ? Or maybe JJ’s death was an accident, but he tried to kill Nora?”
Charlee’s eyes went wide as she followed the thought. “And I interrupted him.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and started rocking back and forth. “I-I never even thought about it. I should have. Dear God, what if it’s been him all along? He’s got Natalie.”
Hunter came around the table and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Easy. Take a breath. Let’s make sure before we go off half-cocked. It’s still just a theory, albeit the best one we’ve got.”
He went back to the photos from the trail camera and scrolled through them. “Come on, come on,” he muttered, flipping back and forth between photos. He squinted, leaned closer.
“What did you find?” Charlee leaned over his shoulder. “Can you make it any clearer? Or is there a better shot of his face?”
Hunter kept flipping back and forth, frustration roiling in his gut. “No, not really, but maybe Byte can work his magic.” He snapped a photo of Charlee’s group shot, then sent that and several different shots from the trail camera to Byte to run through facial recognition, see if they matched. Then he used the dates Byte had sent and ran a search on James Jennings. While he waited, he drummed his fingers on the table as Charlee flipped through the pages of the old case file, both of them searching, desperate.
“Yes.” He read the report that popped up and shot Charlee a look of triumph. “James was questioned in his mother’s drowning death in the bathtub. His fingerprints are on file. He was a juvenile then, but we should be able to access his prints, given the nature of the situation.”
He fired off an email request for that, then picked up his cell. “Hey, Sanchez, listen, do me a favor. I know it’s a real long shot, but run down to the Outpost and dust the canoe and kayak registration forms filled out the day Brittany died for prints, would you? Thanks.”
* * *
Charlee felt like she was going to burst out of her skin. She escaped Hunter’s concerned gaze by taking refuge in her room, desperate to settle her mind, force the panic away. Her hands tingled, and her heart raced like a runaway train. She sat down on the side of her bed and put her head between her knees so she wouldn’t hyperventilate. Slow, deep breaths. In, out…in, out.
She had to be strong. After a few minutes, she stood and paced, still taking slow, deep breaths. She wouldn’t be able to help anyone if she didn’t calm down.
As she paced, she turned toward her dresser and stopped. Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains and glinted off something on the dresser top. She stepped closer to investigate, surprised to find a gold, heart-shaped charm lying there. It looked like it should be on a charm bracelet or necklace—and she’d never seen it before in her life.
Maybe it belonged to Natalie? No. Her sister never wore gold, only silver, and only chunky, funky modern pieces. This necklace was more old-fashioned. She turned it over. Fourteen carat gold. Not costume jewelry, so definitely out of her sister’s price range. Their mother used to wear gold all the time. Had she given this to Natalie, and Nat had left it here?
That didn’t make sense either. Natalie hadn’t been to the cottage recently.
Her heart started racing again, so she sat on the edge of the bed, repeating her slow-breathing routine. If Hunter saw her now, he’d know she’d turned into a complete weakling.
“Yes! We got him! Charlee?”
She ran to the kitchen, heart pounding all over again. “What did you find?” She leaned over his shoulder and took a deep, calming breath, inhaling his clean male scent. She did it again. He exuded utter calm, and everything inside her settled as she absorbed his strength.
He pointed to two images on his laptop, side by side. “Byte got a hit through facial recognition. Byte used what we sent, plus a photo Troy had taken on the river the day Brittany died. Despite the bleached hair and beard, Oliver Dunn and James Jennings are the same person.”
Charlee leaned closer, stunned. Her eyes bounced back and forth between the two images, merging them in her mind. “Unbelievable. I never even guessed. He didn’t act the same or move the same or anything.” She shook her head. “I should have seen it.”
Hunter looked up. “Stop. You shouldn’t have. You weren’t supposed to. That’s the whole point of a disguise. Besides, how much time did you spend with Oliver, I mean James, that day last year?”
Charlee thought back. “None, really. Just enough to get introduced, collect paperwork, and go over the safety check. After his fight with Sally, I never saw him again.” She banged her fist on the table. “We have to find him!”
The charm popped out of her hand and hit the table.
“What’s this?” Hunter asked.
“I just found it on my dresser, but it’s not mine. I don’t think it’s Natalie’s either. Not her style.”
Hunter thought a moment, then picked up his cell phone. “Mrs. Jennings, may I speak to Nora? No, ma’am, I just have a quick question for her.”
Charlee froze as she realized what he was thinking. No, oh, please no.
“When was the last time you saw her? Okay, take a deep breath, ma’am. You said the window to her room is open. Is there any sign of a struggle? Good, that’s good. My guess is she just snuck out of her room. Does she do that often? Then it’s a safe bet she’s done it again.” He paused. “Ma’am, does your daughter wear a gold, heart-shaped charm on either a necklace or bracelet?”
Charlee leaned closer so she could hear the conversation.
“Her father gave it to her for her last birthday,” Sally said. “Actually, two gold charms on a bracelet. One for Nora. And one for…JJ. It’s here on her dresser. But…one of the charms is missing. How do you know this?” Her voice rose. “What’s going on? What’s happening with Nora?”
“Nothing that we know of yet. But I’d like you to call your daughter, Mrs. Jennings, and check in. Let me know when you hear from her. I just want to be sure there’s nothing more going on here than normal teenage behavior.”
Charlee could hear Sally Jennings yelling more questions and accusations as Hunter disconnected the call.
She met Hunter’s troubled gaze. “You think he has Nora, too?”
“Not necessarily. He might have taken the charm to make us think that.”
“But you think he has Natalie. And he’s the one behind everything.”
“It all fits.”
James wouldn’t hesitate to kill, not after Brittany. That’s the part Hunter wouldn’t say. She knew exactly what she had to do, how to end this thing. She also knew he’d never go for it. Her heart pounded, and she sat on her hands to stop the trembling. The whole idea sounded crazy, even to her, but it would work.
“We’ll find her, cher. You have my word on that.”
“I don’t doubt it.” She straightened, met his gaze head-on. “But I’m not sure you’ll find her in time.”
Hunter studied her, folded his arms over his chest. “What are you scheming in that beautiful head of yours?”
“We use me as bait to draw him out.”
Hunter froze, didn’t move a muscle, but fury exploded in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was utterly calm and controlled. He stood, leaned over her. “Over. My. Dead. Body.”
Charlee stood and forced him back a step. He wouldn’t intimidate her, not now. This mattered too much. Her sister’s life hung in the balance. “Just hear me out.”
“This is not open for discussion.”
“It absolutely is. I am not done talking about this.”
“Well, I’m damn sure done listening.” He grabbed her upper arms and hauled her close. “I won’t lose you to this lunatic, cher, do you understand? I won’t risk you, too.”
He pulled back when he realized what he’d said. Charlee seized the opportunity. “I’m not your brother, Hunter.” When would he finally realize that?
“No, you’re not. But you’re just as important to me.”
The words dropped like a ticking bomb into the sudden silence.
Charlee’s breath caught. Oh, this so wasn’t the time for this conversation, even though his words made her heart sing. “Then you have to trust me to do what I need to do.”
He made a slashing motion with his hands. “This doesn’t have a thing to do with trust. It has to do with skill sets and strategy. This guy is a cold-blooded killer. I know you’re trained law enforcement, but one person is no match for this guy, Charlee. Let your brothers and me do our jobs and get this scumbag.”
“While I stay here and bake cupcakes for the team?” she asked sweetly.
Hunter started to respond, then saw her face. “I’m not trying to be condescending, cher.”
“Trying or not, you’re doing a fabulous job.”
“I’m trying to keep you alive!” His roar echoed in the small room.
She leaned in until they were nose to nose. “And I’m trying to keep my sister alive.”
The silence lengthened. Finally, he sighed, scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “How about we work together?”
Charlee crossed her arms. “And that would be how, exactly?”
“Once Pete, Josh, Fish, and Sanchez get here, we’ll come up with a plan.”
She narrowed her eyes at his easy acceptance. “You’re not shutting me out of this, Lieutenant.”
He nodded. “I won’t. But if you try to run off on your own, I’ll truss you up like a hog on a spit until this is over.”
“Don’t threaten me.”
“Oh, this isn’t a threat, cher. I can guar-an-tee I will do exactly that if you try to put yourself in this killer’s sights.”
* * *
Within a few minutes, Pete, Josh, Fish, and Sanchez were crowded into Charlee’s kitchen. Hunter kept an eye on her as she prepped a batch of cupcakes. He hadn’t meant to insult her. He knew baking helped her clear her mind. Running generally did the same for him.
How to keep her involved in finding and saving Natalie without her getting killed? That question circled round and round in his brain until he had a raging headache. No way would he let a civilian—never mind her law-enforcement experience—get in the middle of the hunt for a ruthless killer. Especially since she was the victim’s sister. What was she thinking?
As he watched her pour the batter into the muffin tin, he sighed. He knew exactly what she was thinking. The same thing he would be if their positions were reversed. She would do whatever it took to save her sister. Just like he would do whatever it took to protect her. He’d meant every word of his earlier threat.
Everyone pulled up chairs at the kitchen table while Charlee slid the pans into the oven, then she sat down beside him.
“What have we got?” Pete said.
“Facial recognition says Oliver Dunn is really James Jennings, Nora and JJ’s uncle who walked away from the kayak launch the day JJ died and hasn’t been seen since.”
Sanchez shook his head. “You mean there was someone else on the river with Charlee last year??”
All eyes turned to Charlee, and her face flamed. “Maybe. He and Sally Jennings fought before we left, and he stormed off. It was in my report, but both the investigator and Rick pretty much blew it off, since JJ’s death was ruled an accident.”
There were muttered curses from the others, then Josh asked, “He wasn’t there when you came back?”
“No, I never saw him again.” Charlee cocked her head, thinking. “The whole time we were questioned by the police, Tommy just rocked back and forth, mumbling, ‘Oh, Jimmy, oh, Jimmy.’” She looked up, expression anguished. “I thought he meant JJ. His legal name was James Junior, he’d said. Did that mean Tommy suspected his brother killed his son?” She shuddered. “Is that why he was killed? To keep him from talking?”
“We’ll look into all that, cher. Later,” Hunter said. “But first, we need to find him.”
“None of this should ever have happened.” Charlee wrapped her arms around her middle.
The way she curled in on herself made him mad. He took her hand, ignoring Pete and Josh’s exchanged glance. “I’ll keep saying it until you believe it, cher. None of this is your fault. You didn’t cause any of this.”
Josh nudged Hunter’s hand aside and took Charlee’s in his own. “He’s right, you know. You didn’t kill anyone, Sis. The opposite. You saved Nora. Brittany, too.”
“But JJ died. So did Brittany.”
“Charlee.” Pete’s harsh tone had everyone looking his way. “If we’re right about all this—and I’d stake my life that we are—then James Jennings killed Brittany and Tommy. On purpose. There is no way you could have saved them. He had a definite agenda.”
Everyone at the table agreed.
Charlee swallowed hard, then met Hunter’s gaze. “So how do we save Natalie?” She looked around the faces at the table, and Hunter watched her expression harden. “I am going to be part of the plan, so keep that in mind.”
Both her brothers immediately launched a protest, but she held up her hands, sent them each a steely glare. “Don’t try to stop me. Include me, or I’ll do it on my own.” She waited, glaring at both of them, not giving an inch.
Hunter finally spoke up. “Every murder—or attempted murder—involves water, usually drowning. Except Brittany’s. Which may have been to keep her from talking, so it messed with his original plan. I think he’s holding Natalie near water.”
“But which water?” Charlee asked. “Everything that’s happened has been somewhere different.”
“He could be anywhere,” Josh agreed. “I think we need a way to draw him out, get him to let us know where he is.”
“Use me as bait. Set up a trade.” Charlee’s stubborn chin jutted out at a challenging angle. “I’m the piece that connects all this.”
“Absolutely not,” Pete and Josh said instantly, seconded immediately by Sanchez and Fish.
Hunter watched Charlee. Her scowling siblings presented a rather intimidating front, but she didn’t look cowed in the least. “So far, you’ve all said exactly what Hunter said. I’m still waiting for someone to offer up a better idea.”
“Can we get a location through his phone’s GPS?” Fish asked.
Hunter shook his head. “He had a burner phone and turned it off the same day Brittany died. I’ve had Byte set up an alarm if he turns it back on for any reason, but he won’t. Jennings is too smart for that.”
“He use a debit or credit card anywhere?” Sanchez asked, but his expression said he already knew the answer.
“He told Charlee he didn’t trust ‘big brother’ and paid cash for everything.”
“Do we have a BOLO out on his truck?” Fish asked.
Hunter nodded. “I already called it in.”
Fish studied Charlee from head to toe as she took the cupcakes out of the oven. “How about this? Why don’t we modify Charlee’s idea a bit? We let the killer think he’s getting Charlee in trade for Natalie, but it’ll be me instead.”
“How are we going to let him know any of this? We have no idea where he is. He hasn’t contacted anyone.” Charlee’s voice rose with every sentence.
“He will,” Hunter said. “And we’ll be ready.” His phone rang. “Boudreau. What have you got?” He listened for several minutes, then hung up. “Dispatch got a call from a cop up in Lake City who saw the BOLO. Says he chatted with a guy matching Jennings’s description at a small gas station just outside of town.”
Hunter looked around the room, his excitement starting to build. “I’m guessing he’s headed back to Tommy’s place. He doesn’t know we’re onto him yet, so we’ll have the element of surprise.”
Everyone jumped up from the table, cell phones to their ears, calling for reinforcements, getting a plan together.
Charlee grabbed Hunter’s arm. “I’m coming with you.”
“Cher, I—”
“Don’t. If you try to leave me behind, I’ll find a way to follow you.”
He studied her face and knew she meant every word. Memories of his brother’s death flashed through his mind, and he knew a bone-deep terror he’d never felt before. He couldn’t lose her to this lunatic. This beautiful, tough woman had burrowed into his heart in ways he’d never expected and had only just begun to explore. If something happened to her, he’d never be able to forgive himself.
He glanced around the room, realized the others were already outside. Options, alternatives, plans ran through his mind as he pulled her close. But then he shoved all that aside, just for a minute, and kissed her with every bit of the emotion crowding his heart. He gave her all of it, every single feeling surging through him. Want. Affection. Fear. Apology. Love, most of all.
As she melted against him, into the kiss, he absorbed the taste and feel of her, tucked it away to savor in the days ahead. He knew he’d never get another taste of her.
His brother’s lifeless face flashed through his memory, and his resolve hardened. She could hate him forever if it meant she’d be alive to do it. He cupped her face for one last kiss, imprinting the memory on his heart. Then he reached around her neck and used a pressure point to render her unconscious.
He caught her as she sagged in his arms and carried her to her room, gently tucked her under the covers. He kissed her forehead, brushed the hair back from her face. “I love you, cher.”
He pocketed her car keys as he hurried outside. Then he raised the hood on her Jeep, yanked out enough spark plug wires that it wouldn’t run, and hopped in his truck.
With this one decision, he knew he’d lost any chance to be part of her life. She’d never forgive him, ever. He understood. Agreed with her, even. But he didn’t regret it. Her life mattered too much.