The next few days passed in a blur of hunting for more caches. Colton kept watching behind them as they went from place to place. The clues were getting tougher, the hunts more challenging, and the fear more tenuous.
Then one morning, he found a note tucked on Garrett’s car.
Peekaboo. I see you. You can’t hide from me.
He refolded the note and paced next to the car. Should he show it to Reagan? She was living in such a good spot, really shaking off the fear—he hated to reignite it. But if something happened, and he hadn’t shown it to her …
“Whatcha doin’?” Garrett came alongside him.
“I just found this.”
Garrett studied the piece of paper like it might turn into a snake and bite him. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yep. Proof the stalker’s here.” Colton pinched the sheet between two fingers. “What do we do?”
“Call the detective.” Garrett looked ready to pass out. “Let him notify the local police, and then we get Reagan out of here.”
“Do we tell her?”
Garrett ran his hands over his short hair. “What else can we do?”
“You’re right. Make the call, and I’ll tell her.” Reagan took the news better than he expected. “You shouldn’t be surprised. Now we have proof he’s here.” “Garrett’s calling Detective Myers now.” Reagan nodded. “Okay. What next?”
“We’ll take a day off. Go rent a boat. Give the police a chance to work.”
Garrett entered the apartment and held his phone out to Reagan. “Detective Myers wants to talk to you.”
She walked to a corner, put a finger to her ear, and started talking. Colton only caught sporadic phrases. Things like she didn’t have any ideas. That’s what bugged him. He’d peeled his eyes for a week and still had no idea where the stalker hid. Whoever he was, he knew how to hide, stick to the edges, stay out of view.
The waves rocked the boat as it shot across the lake. Garrett seemed to believe speed would protect her. She was glad she’d left the camera behind. The spray could ruin it.
She closed her eyes, grateful for the Dramamine that kept her stomach settled. She tipped her face to the sky, letting the sun kiss her face. Detective Myers had promised to call the Osage Beach police, but the force was too small to spend resources looking for her mystery man. She shuddered, remembering the message. Peekaboo.
God, help me push away the fear.
She let the prayer whisper through her mind over and over until it sank in. When the fear started to lift, she breathed a thanks. God was making it so clear she wasn’t supposed to stay in her fear. She could be alert and on guard without giving in to a paralyzing fear.
Colton had relaxed the second they stepped into the rented boat. They hadn’t gotten skis, but that was okay. With the picnic lunch he’d brought, they could still spend the day on the water, relaxing. She’d sensed the moment he didn’t have to worry who might sneak up behind them.
After awhile, Garrett slowed the boat. They sat in the middle of an expanse of water so blue it almost hurt her eyes. The occasional bird flew overhead, but other than the sound of other boat engines and Jet Skis, peace settled.
“You know what we should try next?”
Reagan startled from her reverie and turned to look at Colton. “What?”
“We haven’t looked for any of the caches near the caves. There are caves all over this area. We can’t leave here in a couple weeks without checking a few out.”
Garrett nodded. “I’d love to go spelunking.”
“I’m not sure how much I’d like tight, dark spaces, but I’m game to at least go look around them.” Reagan would try it if Colton wanted to go. “Do you have any in mind?”
“A couple. There’s one that’s supposed to be near Camdenton. That’s only thirteen or so miles according to the GPS.”
“Want to go now?” Garrett started turning the wheel as if to steer the boat back toward shore.
“Nope, we’ll enjoy today, head back to the condos, and go caving tomorrow.”
Colton turning down a cache? Reagan hadn’t thought that day would come, even if he was trying to keep her safe.
The next morning, the three were in Colton’s car bright and early. If they pushed, they might reach three caves before the end of the day. Reagan looked a bit sunburned after the time on the lake, but relaxed and ready for the next adventure, even after her brief conversation with the police chief in the area. The police hadn’t found anything, and she seemed determined to not worry.
Colton glanced in the rearview mirror and noted her camera in her lap. Yep, his girl was back and ready to capture every moment of the trip. She met his gaze and quirked an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Ready to try out some caves?”
She mock shivered, only making his grin grow. “At the first bat, I’m outta there.”
“Don’t worry, sis. I’ll protect you.” “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
The miles passed quickly, and soon the GPS alerted them to turn into the parking lot at Bridal Cave. Garrett frowned. “This is pretty commercial.”
Colton hadn’t expected that either. “Guess I should have done more homework. Well, we’re here. Shall we go in?”
“Of course.” Reagan placed the camera’s strap around her neck and headed for the entrance before Colton could get the key out of the ignition. When he arrived at the ticket counter, she was telling the agent all about their hunt. “So is there a discount or waived entry fee for the Rainbow’s End hunters?”
“Let me check.” The teenage girl picked up a phone and had a quiet conversation. “The manager says to go on in. The church arranged payment. Enjoy the cave.”
Once they were inside, Reagan held the camera to her eye, framing shots over and over. Too bad she couldn’t take photos and would have to rely on postcards. She eased away from the guys then glanced at Colton.
“I’m not going far.”
“I know.” He wouldn’t let that happen. He pulled the clue up on the GPS. “So here’s the clue:
Where the bride’s veil meets the rocks You’ll find a place that mocks. Look deeper, deeper still. Until you find your fill.”
Reagan wrinkled her nose and glanced around. “Find your fill?”
“These folks aren’t professionals.” Garrett thrust his hands on his hips and frowned. “I’m about ready to pack it in. Bride’s veil? Come on, that’s what this whole place is.”
“We’ll find it.” Colton knew they would. They always did. “Maybe we have to hunt. Nothing wrong with that.”
Reagan looked around. “This looks interesting over here.”
Garrett looked the direction she pointed and frowned. “Not to me.”
Before Colton could say anything or present a plan, Garrett took off. Guess the guy was ready to be done. Odd, since it had originally been his idea. Hope his attention span lasted longer in law school, or that could be a long ordeal.
Colton turned back to Reagan.
Just in time to watch someone pull her into the shadows.
“Scream and your brother dies.” The low voice filled Reagan with the certainty that whoever this was would do exactly what he said.
She nodded but kept silent as he pulled her off the marked path into the depths of a cavern. Surreal images played in the light and darkness, and she willed Colton to turn around, to see her before she disappeared. The man jerked her around a corner. Had Colton turned in time? She prayed he had.
Fear should scream in her veins. Instead, she felt cold but certain. Now she’d unmask her shadow.
He tugged her closer and kept pulling her backward. Her shoes slipped on the damp rock, and she struggled to stay on her feet. Would it be better to let herself fall and then try to run? Or should she wait?
God, help me.
The whispered words filled her mind, a steady refrain as the man’s progress slowed. He bumped into something, and his grip loosened a moment as an oomph escaped. Garlic-tinged breath overwhelmed her, and she tried not to gag.
“Let me go.”
“Not yet.” Good. Maybe that meant he didn’t mean to harm her, just scare her. As a tremble coursed through her, she decided he was very good at that.
“Who are you?” Keep him talking. Learn something about him in case he suddenly disappears again.
“A friend.” The word held an overtone that was anything but friendly.
“Friends don’t do things like this.”
“They do when it’s the only way to get your attention. You’ve missed all my messages.”
“Messages?” She frowned and thought back over the summer. “I only got a couple.”
“Peekaboo. I’ve watched you all summer. Garrett thought he was so smart. Taking you away from St. Louis so we couldn’t threaten him through you. He thinks he’s smart, but when he comes to find you, he’ll learn how serious we are.”
His words didn’t make any sense. “Garrett?”
“Your precious baby brother has a side you don’t know. He likes to play the games. You know where he’s gone all summer? He’s been driving to Boonville.”
“No, he’s never even mentioned Boonville.”
“Ask him about the Isle of Capri.”
“The what?”
“It’s a fun little place where his debts have multiplied rather than dwindled. He had a run of beginner’s luck and never learned to stop. Now he has to pay. You’re the bait.”
Garrett gambling? She didn’t believe it, but did she know the signs? He’d disappeared several times—at least once a week. Always exhausted the next morning. He never introduced the mystery girl he supposedly spent time with. Why would he start gambling? It didn’t make sense.
His hold tightened on her, and Reagan collapsed, trying to bring him down. She had to get away. He cursed and scrambled to tighten his hold. She scurried to her feet and ran as fast as she could in the dimness that hung like a veil. A shadow in the rock caught her attention, and she aimed for it. Nothing. She slid down the side of the cavern, her hand searching for a break. There! She felt a gap and lunged for it, praying she could disappear into the darkness before he found her.