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“Does that mean he could come back?” Autumn said. “Ford didn’t seem to think so.”
Nathan looked from her to her dog. “I don’t think he’s finished here. You described the smell of burning to Ford, but no fire. At every other scene, he has burned his victims’ body. I think you and Thor interrupted the killer before he was finished with his routine.”
Her stomach grew queasy and Autumn closed her eyes. “He was planning to burn her? That wasn’t in the news.”
“It’s a detail the FBI has been keeping close to the chest.”
What about Nathan? “Why are you working this case? Special Agent Ford indicated he didn’t want your help.”
Nathan’s face darkened and a shadow crossed his eyes. “My twin sister was the killer’s third victim. I’m doing this for her and our family.” Grief underscored every word.
“Oh, Nathan. I’m sorry for your loss.” Her words were a useless platitude. She remembered the article in the news about the third victim. The unnamed victim had been planning to go hiking with a friend, but when the friend became sick, she’d gone alone. A park ranger had found the body less than a quarter of a mile from the trail. It made sense now why the ranger had been drawn to the location. A fire along the trail was cause for concern.
“Thank you. Finding Colleen’s killer is the only way I’ll sleep easy at night,” he said.
“You don’t trust Ford to find her?”
“No.”
No explanation.
With his intense dark eyes watching her, she found it hard to think, hard to put together rational thoughts. She’d never had this kind of reaction to a man. It had to be the stress from the night. Finding the body and the exhaustion catching up to her. Being lonely for too long. Missing her father and missing Blaine. She needed a friend, and at the moment, Nathan was the only one who fit the bill.
Nathan straightened his shoulders, as if pulling himself together. “I know you’re tired, but I’d like to ask you a few more questions, if you’re willing to answer them.”
Autumn pulled her hair free of the elastic band holding it. She rubbed her fingers along her scalp, trying to massage away the headache that pulsed there. “Does that mean you’re not planning to follow Ford’s suggestion?” Seeing the raw emotion, she wondered if it was wise for Nathan to stay involved in the case. But how could she refuse to answer his questions knowing how much this meant to him and his family?
“Never considered walking away. Stopping him from killing again is too important.”
Chapter 2
The Huntsman moved to an area and killed one or two victims every four to seven days. Seven victims in total, each a seasoned female hiker or camper spending time on the Appalachian Trail, each a model citizen by the accounts of her friends and family. Nathan didn’t believe the killings were random, especially given the descriptions of the victims. They were carefully planned and executed, in the same manner that a lion stalked its prey, waiting for a vulnerable moment to attack.
Nathan had four days, maybe one week max, until another body turned up. If the killer was hunting in this area, Nathan needed to get one step ahead of him. He needed an expert in the region, someone to help him pinpoint hiker hangouts and popular camping spots. Though the trail had had few hikers in recent weeks, the Huntsman would find someone. “How much do you know about this area?” Nathan asked Autumn.
He had been working the case since Colleen had been killed and he’d found locals to be the most helpful. He wasn’t the outdoors type, and this investigation required a lot of time on the trail. If Autumn could fill in the knowledge he was missing, Nathan would find the killer that much faster.
Autumn shifted in her seat, pushing her dark hair over her shoulders. “I’ve lived here all my life. I know the trail and the plants and animals, at least in this immediate area.”
It was what he’d hoped to hear. “I’d like to hire you to help me.”
Autumn inclined her head. “To help you how, exactly? My brush with his victim is as close as I plan to come to a killer.”
Nathan leaned forward. “I need to know more about the trail in this area. I can tell you about the places where he strikes and you can tell me if anything near the Trail’s Edge fits the description.”
Autumn shook her head, her hair falling around her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you. I understand this is difficult for you.” She touched her fingertips to her chest, momentarily distracting him and drawing his attention. “It’s too dangerous for me to be involved.”
Returning his gaze to her face, he tried to hide the eagerness in his voice. “Please, Autumn. My family is counting on me. I will protect you and keep you safe. I will stay until we know the killer has moved on.” He had given his mother his word. He had promised her that Colleen would have justice. He couldn’t go home until he had seen his promise through.
Autumn searched his eyes. She was considering it. Weighing her options. The Huntsman was a dangerous man, and he was looking to add more victims to his list.
Nathan played his trump card. “Ford suspects your brother and I know how Ford operates. He wants someone to pin this on. Do you want that person to be your brother?”
Autumn leaned back in her chair and her eyes went wide. “My brother did not do this. I don’t care what the sheriff said or what Ford thinks.”
Though Nathan wasn’t ready to say her brother was innocent, he wasn’t jumping to the conclusion he was guilty, either. Nathan wasn’t looking for a patsy. “Then work with me to prove it.”
Autumn appeared dumbstruck for a moment. “I could show you a few places around here that are popular.”
Relief rushed over him. “Thank you, Autumn. You’re doing a brave thing.”
Autumn set her elbows on the table and rubbed her forehead.
The urge to comfort her struck him and Nathan laid his hand over hers. Unexpected heat flared at the contact. Her eyes flew to his and he held her gaze for a long, loaded moment. He had noticed how beautiful she was. It wasn’t relevant to the case, except that he’d need to remind himself to keep every interaction professional. He wasn’t opposed to breaking the rules, but only when it benefited the investigation. A flirtation or an affair with Autumn Reed would be a distraction.
Nathan withdrew his hands before he was tempted to stroke her hand or her wrist with his thumbs. “I know you’re worried about your brother. He’ll be fine. The FBI has undercover agents spreading the word to hikers.”
Autumn tucked her hands against her body. “My brother is impulsive at times. He doesn’t always stay on the trail. He might not know how dangerous it is. The best I can hope is that Blaine won’t cross paths with the killer.”
What could he say to make her feel better? The odds were small of meeting the Huntsman, but as evident by his victims, not impossible. “The trail is hundreds of miles long. The chances of this man finding your brother are slim. Males have not been his target.”
“A man? Are you sure the Huntsman is a man?” Autumn asked.
His work in psychological forensics told him they were dealing with a man, possibly ex-military, with a love of guns and an obsession with nature. “I can’t say for sure until we find him, or her, but I have a basic profile. A man, mid to late fifties, may have had a regular job in society at one time, but now he keeps to himself. People who know him would describe him as a loner.”
Autumn stood and walked to the stove. She set a teakettle on it and turned on the burner. “I don’t want to be forced from my home, but I don’t want to be foolish, either. Do you think it’s safe to stay here? I might be able to stay with a friend in town for a few nights.”
If she was away from the trail, she would be out of the killer’s reach. Based on what he knew, the killer didn’t leave the general vicinity of the Appalachian Trail. He was probably more comfortable where he had places to hide. “It’s your decision if you want to leave.” Nathan didn’t want her to feel unsafe in her home, as if she had to run and hide.
Autumn took a deep breath and seemed to consider that. “How often does a serial killer break pattern?”
Nathan hedged. He hadn’t expected the killer to leave a body this far from the trail in a nondiscreet location. “The Trail’s Edge is the first campground where a body has been found.”
Autumn shuddered. “In other words, he’s broken his pattern or there isn’t a pattern.”
Both were possibilities. “Right.”
Autumn swallowed hard. “I won’t let him chase me away from my home. I won’t go running scared. If he comes here, I’ll be ready for him.”
* * *
Autumn hated leaving the Trail’s Edge. Even when she had errands, she made them quick. In the past decade, she could count on one hand the number of times she had spent the night away from her home. The slim possibility that the killer would return to his crime scene while the FBI was circling seemed too remote a reason for relocating, something that would put her even more off balance.
Her world had been flipped upside down by the killer. She’d lost reservations. Parents who’d enrolled their children in her after-school nature program had pulled them out. She lived with the constant fear of Blaine being in danger.
Her kettle of hot water whistled and she pulled out two mismatched mugs, one with a picture of a bear stamped across the front and the other with the Trail’s Edge logo. Hot chocolate. Hot chocolate would calm her. “Can I get you a mug?” she asked and held up the box of hot chocolate.
“Thank you. That would be great.”
Autumn fixed the two drinks and handed one to Nathan. She stirred her mug and then lifted it to her lips to take a sip.
Nathan did the same with the cup she’d made him. “Thanks for the hot chocolate. What would you say to allowing me to return the favor? I can take you into town for dinner.”
Autumn almost spilled her mug. His question was a jolt to her system. Was Nathan asking her out? His interest was in tracking a killer. Was his request in that vein?
Nathan flashed a smile at her, one that reached to the corners of his eyes. It made his entire face change. The intensity disappeared, the harshness erased. He seemed more approachable and laid-back. She pressed her hands to her mug, keeping herself from reaching out and touching his jawline. Running her thumb over his lips to see if they felt as soft as they looked. Pressing her lips to his to taste him. Pushing her body up against his. One gorgeous smile and her imagination took flight. She was already reconsidering her stance on relationships—that is, that she wasn’t ready to date after ending her engagement to Daniel.
Nathan set his mug on the table. “You can show me where the locals hang out on the weekends. We might catch some rumors about the murder that could prove useful.”
Not a date and that was good, right? Why did she feel disappointed? In the space of a couple hours, her emotions had been slammed around inside her, leaving her off-kilter. Fear. Excitement. Lust. Confusion. “Going into town has nothing to do with the trail.”
“You can point out the people who have stayed here and I can talk to them about what they’ve heard about the Huntsman. With the number of investigation vehicles here, rumors will run wild. People will want to talk to you about the murder and I can ask them what they know.”
Autumn swallowed hard. She avoided going into town for a number of reasons. Among them was keeping away from gossip and crowds. Dealing with everyone knowing a body had been found at the Trail’s Edge was overwhelming. She hadn’t processed the events of the night and wasn’t ready to discuss them in public. “I don’t want to talk about the murder.”
Nathan inclined his head. “I’ll deflect the questions from you. You won’t have to say anything.”
But she’d have to hear it. The gossip. The slander. She was best staying at the Trail’s Edge. “I’ll take you to an available cabin and give you a list of places to eat in town. I’ll give you directions and you can go on your own.”
He shook his head. “I won’t know whom to talk to and insiders won’t talk to an outsider like me. I need you with me, Autumn. You’re honey to the bees.” His voice was low and smooth, rolling off his tongue, utterly persuasive. It wasn’t what he said; it was the smooth way he said it. He could have told her he wanted to go for a hike naked, and she’d strip out of her clothes and sprint toward the trail.
Perhaps she was making a big deal about nothing. She could go into town this once and get it over with, show the town she was fine after her broken engagement and a murder at the Trail’s Edge. She’d face the gossip head-on, set the record straight and not let it blow out of control. “We can have dinner in town. A quick dinner.” Of course, showing up in town with a handsome stranger would set off rounds of new gossip, but Autumn would hold her head high.
Nathan radiated an air of authority, and in combination with his good looks, he could talk his way into anything. Autumn didn’t care for that. Daniel had been that way, charming and sweet. But he wasn’t ready to settle down, a fact he’d hidden from her but not many others in town.
“I’ll show you to your cabin.” Autumn set her mug on the counter and grabbed the key to the cabin she’d rented him. The paperwork could wait. She’d put some distance between them before he talked her into doing something else.
She and Nathan trudged outside. The wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped. Many nights, Autumn had enjoyed sitting on her front porch rocker and drinking in the tranquility of her slice of heaven. But tonight, for the first time in years, she was afraid of the woods and of what she couldn’t see. The perfect, soothing darkness was now a hiding place for a killer.
Autumn ignored the people milling around, tried not to think about the body and pretended Nathan was another guest renting a cabin. “Have you ever been camping before?” Autumn asked. If she were alone, she would have cut through the woods, but she made it her policy to teach guests to stay to the marked trails. Staying to the trails meant she and Thor could find them if they were lost, versus attempting to locate someone in the vast forest that lined the trail for miles on either side.
“This case has required I spend a good number of nights under the stars. But I’m not really the camping type.”
Mother Nature was strong, swift and unforgiving. “I’ve marked the paths through camp. I recommend you stay on them whenever possible.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, sounding serious.
If he did as she asked, she wouldn’t spend the night wandering in the dark looking for him. Desire edged at the fear inside her. Finding Nathan Bradshaw in the dark could have some interesting possibilities.
“I plan to have my trusty trail guide with me if I venture onto the trail,” Nathan said.
She stopped and faced him, feeling uneasy about the idea of Nathan depending on her too strongly. “I said I would help you, but I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do. Don’t get your hopes up.” Set the bar low and be pleasantly surprised if things went well.
Nathan touched her upper arm and heat waves shuddered down her body. “You’ve already helped more than you know, and I have confidence in your outdoor skills.”
She gave him a wry grin and stepped away from him. “Usually people assume when it comes to the trail, I’m incapable and incompetent.”
“Why’s that?” Nathan asked.
Was he digging into her psyche or did he really not know? “I’m a woman, which many people assume means I don’t know how to rough it or that I’ll complain if I can’t wash my hair. Also, I’m what my dad used to call ‘scrawny.’” All her life she’d been waiting for curves that hadn’t come. “I don’t pack a lot of muscle but I’ve got endurance, and on the trail that can be important.”
Autumn took the stairs to the front door of the cabin. She looked around and noticed that Roger Ford was watching them. Why was he opposed to Nathan working the case? Did he worry that Nathan would undercover something he couldn’t?
“I don’t think you’re incompetent or incapable, but I do want you to be cautious.” Nathan was standing close behind her, his breath hot on her neck. “I’ll be watching over you, and I take that job seriously. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
A warm shiver ran down her spine. She fumbled with the keys trying to make them work, her hands behaving as though disconnected from her brain. With Nathan standing behind her, she felt jittery and nervous in a very feminine, giddy way. “I will advise you to do the same.”
His fingers reached and covered her hand, taking the keys from her. “Let me try.”
The brushing of his hand against hers sent electric currents moving from the point of contact all the way to her toes. She released the keys and he unlocked the door quickly, pushing it open and stepping inside.
She could feel the heat radiating from his body, and she fought the impulse to lean close. Entirely inappropriate. Uncalled for. She had more control than this. Nathan would think she came on to every man who stayed here. She shoved her loneliness into a deep, dark place and slammed the door on it.
“Nice place,” he said, no hint of sarcasm in his voice. “I’ve stayed in motels less inviting.”
It had been Autumn’s idea to remodel the cabins and outfit them with modern-day luxuries—coffeemakers, microwaves and quality linens and curtains to create a sense of home away from home. She did the cleaning and maintenance herself. Though the cabins were small, she’d arranged the furniture into a small eating area and a sitting area and placed a queen-size bed in the alcove opposite the fireplace. Two additional single beds folded out from furniture in the sitting area for children. The pellet stove in the middle of the room generated enough heat to keep the cabin toasty in the winter, and the shade from the trees kept it cool in the summer.
Autumn walked to the far end of the room where a double bay window gave an amazing daytime view of the forest. “This cabin is one of my favorites. It was the first one we remodeled.” Autumn pulled closed the hunter green curtains that covered the windows. Not being able to see into the woods made her feel as if someone was watching them. “In the morning, you’ll probably catch a few deer wandering past. I’ve seen a few foxes at night, too. I think they have a den nearby. I’ll bring you some fire starters and some logs.” She turned, feeling the heat of Nathan’s gaze at her back. He was watching her with those perceptive eyes, eyes she knew were taking in every detail.
She started the pellet stove. Though it was weak when first ignited, an hour from now, it would be throwing off a lot of heat.
“Don’t put yourself out. I can gather wood if I need it.” His voice had taken on a husky baritone, lower than it had been before. She felt the shift in the atmosphere, heat that crackled in the air.
Her skin felt achy and hungry to be touched. It had been six months, almost seven, since she’d had a date, too long since she’d gone out with a man. Her last date had been with Daniel, and by then their relationship had been circling the drain. She had found out he was cheating, and they’d been pretending they could move past it. That denial lasted about a week. “If you’re running short on time and can’t find dry wood, I have a woodshed twenty feet behind my cabin. You’re welcome to take whatever you need. The pellet stove is pretty warm, but it can get cold in the morning. The bucket on the hearth has more fuel.” She was rambling, a nervous habit, trying to deflect some of her feelings away from Nathan and fixate instead on the cabin.
He stopped a foot from her, sliding his hands into his trouser pockets, setting his attention on her. His gaze smoldered and a shower of sparks burst from her chest. Was she imagining the fire between them, or was this a reflection of her feelings for him?
He shifted and she caught a glimpse of the gun strapped to his side. His eyes blazed with passion, never leaving her face. This man was dangerous in more than one way.
She was hyperaware of the bed eight feet away, knowing the sheets would be cool and clean, and the feel of his body on top of hers heavenly. She drew in a deep breath, feeling as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in it. She wouldn’t let herself be stupid over a man again.
Nathan had warning signs she couldn’t ignore. He had lost his sister, he was desperate for her help to find a killer and he was around for only a short time. They could keep their relationship firmly on professional ground for a week. When the killer moved on, so would Nathan.
Autumn needed to go outside and get some fresh air before she became light-headed. “Let me know if I can get you anything.” She said it casually, but replaying the words in her mind, she wondered if he heard the unintended double entendre. Anything. Her in bed?
He caught her arm and heat sizzled in his touch. “Tomorrow evening, drinks and dinner at seven?”
She made the mistake of meeting his gaze. It was impossible to say no to him when his face filled with intensity and expectation. “Seven is fine, but I can’t stay out late.” She needed some boundaries between them and she wanted an excuse to end the night early.
He dropped her arm and stepped back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With a final nod, Autumn fled outside.
* * *
The FBI and park rangers finished at the scene at 10:00 a.m. the morning after Autumn and her dog had found the body. The last vehicle to leave was the county coroner’s van.
Nathan had slept restlessly. It wasn’t just the noise. It wasn’t just the gorgeous brunette sleeping in the cabin next door. He was closer than he’d ever been to catching the Huntsman. Excitement and determination sizzled in his veins. Nothing could get in his way. Not Roger Ford and not Nathan’s attraction to Autumn Reed.
Nathan dragged a hand through his hair, rereading the page of case notes he’d written. Too little sleep and too much coffee had his nerves on edge, his concentration frayed. The words on the page were interrupted by thoughts of Autumn Reed. Of course the only witness on the case would be strikingly beautiful. Nathan enjoyed the company of a pretty woman, but in this situation, he would have preferred a bridge troll whom he found unbelievably unattractive and who wouldn’t create any unnecessary distractions. He needed to focus on the case. He had enough factors playing against him.
Nathan turned to a fresh sheet of paper and jotted down a few notes about Autumn, her brother, Blaine, and the Trail’s Edge. It was easier to record his observations of her while she was on his mind. Maybe if he wrote it down, he’d stop thinking about her.
He was sucked into his work, one detail leading to another, and when he looked at the clock, it was nearly six-thirty. He’d been reviewing the case since six in the morning, and after more than eleven hours of graphic descriptions, photos and notes, he needed a break.
Nathan showered and changed into clean clothes, figuring he’d treat his evening out with Autumn like a date to make it easier to blend with the residents of Smithsburg. Waltzing into a local hangout and announcing he was investigating a murder had a way of sealing lips and making people nervous. But taking a woman out for dinner had a way of inviting gossip, and if anyone had learned what had happened at the Trail’s Edge, they’d be eager to talk about the case.
Which suited his motives perfectly.
At precisely 7:00 p.m., he knocked on Autumn’s door. She opened it almost immediately, making him wonder if she’d been waiting for him, and if she had, why it sent a pulse of excitement through his body. He was doing this to find justice for his sister, not have an affair with a pretty outdoorswoman.
He let his eyes wander over Autumn. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she wore a pair of black trousers and a green fitted top. It was a casual outfit, but it would catch the attention of every man in the restaurant.
