Killer secrets, p.1
Killer Secrets, page 1
Also available from Kathleen Donnelly
and Carina Press
National Forest K-9 Series
Chasing Justice
Hunting the Truth
Killer Secrets
Kathleen Donnelly
For Jeff, love you always
And for all the K-9s and their handlers who work hard to keep us safe.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter One
Trey Hansley stared down the slope and its perfect powder. He loved snowboarding in the backcountry mountains. He’d just discovered this awesome area in the Pino Grande National Forest and couldn’t wait to test it out.
His brother, Chase, stood next to him. Trey put a hand on his shoulder. “This is going to be mind-blowing.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Chase asked.
“Seriously? You’re still worrying about that, little bro? Look where we are. We’re in the mountains with no other boarders. We have this slope to ourselves. It’s rad. The sun is out and we have clear blue skies. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Chase shrugged in acknowledgment, but Trey could tell he was still nervous. Chase loved shredding slopes and had spent time at ski resorts doing just that. But Trey had convinced him that there were even better places to go where you didn’t have to purchase a lift ticket and you had peace and serenity. Just you and the mountain. But his younger brother wasn’t fully convinced.
“You’ve got your gear, right?” Trey asked.
“I do.”
“Then let’s test your beacon and make sure everything is set. Just in case. That’s why we have all that stuff. That way we can get out here, have fun and not worry about avalanches and shit like that.”
“Yeah, okay,” Chase said.
Trey went through a full equipment check and made sure their beacons were on. They also each had shovels, probes and an Avalung. The Avalung supplied oxygen if you were caught in an avalanche. People often died in avalanches because while they were buried, they rebreathed their own carbon dioxide. The Avalung helped that problem by allowing them to breathe through a tube, taking the carbon dioxide away from their faces. With that equipment, Trey had full confidence that even if something did happen, they would be fine.
“You go first,” Trey said.
“Really? Don’t you want to go?”
“This is your first time in the backcountry. I want you to enjoy it. I’ll go first the next time we do this.”
“All right,” Chase said, a smile spreading across his face.
“It’ll be a freakin’ blast. I promise. Have fun shredding some pow and I’ll see you down at the bottom.”
Chase pulled his goggles down and turned his board, starting down the hill. Trey watched his brother as powder billowed around him. It was a great run and Trey was itching to get going himself, but he waited until he thought Chase was far enough down the slope. Often it was a skiing or boarding partner that kicked off an avalanche. Trey shoved those thoughts aside and started down on his board, feeling the rush as he picked up speed.
A few feet down, he could already tell something wasn’t quite right. It was like the snow was disappearing underneath him. Then the slab let loose. More snow released and started sucking and pulling Trey with it. Panic welled up inside him, but he fought against it. His brother. He couldn’t help Chase if the avalanche buried him.
Adrenaline mixed with fear fueled him. Trey battled to stay on top of the snow, but the mountain became a monster and felt like it was eating him alive. His whole body trembled in terror.
He used his legs to try to turn his board. Trey’s thighs burned from trying to get his board out of the snow that seemed to come alive and suck him in like quicksand. He saw a tree coming and flung himself toward the branches, grasping and clinging for his life, praying that the bough wouldn’t break. He managed to hang on and the limb held. Other trees and boulders were caught in the large slide and being toppled and sucked under as if the mountain were alive.
Someone was screaming.
Was the screaming Chase?
Trey realized that the sound he heard was himself. He was yelling his brother’s name at the top of his lungs as he saw the snow slide catch Chase and then suck him under. The noise of trees snapping filled the air, the snow creating a sound like a spring thunderstorm.
Then it stopped.
Silence.
Chase. Where the hell was Chase? Trey cautiously let go of the tree branch and tested the snow around him. It seemed to hold. He started down the slope, being careful to dodge debris and hoping another round of snow wouldn’t release. Maybe after this one, the mountain would be a little more stable. He knew he was only trying to convince himself as he headed to the base of the slope.
After activating the beacon signal, he found the area with Chase’s signal. Hopefully he wasn’t too late. He would never forgive himself if something happened to his brother. Shoving his feelings aside for the moment, Trey pulled his probe out of his pack and started sticking it into the snow.
Desperation set in as the end of the probe sank into the powder without hitting anything solid. What if Chase was buried so deep that the probe couldn’t help Trey find him? Why had he insisted that they come to this area today? Yes, it was the best slope, but he’d known with the recent storms and high winds that the snow was unstable. Not to mention that, while this area at the base of the mountain was not a major hike from the road, they were far enough away that getting help would take too long.
Most avalanche victims had about fifteen minutes before they died, unless Chase was using the Avalung. Avalanches could also crush their victims and sometimes people died from those injuries too. Trey pushed that thought away as he kept stabbing, double-checking the beacon. Chase had to be somewhere in this area.
“Chase!” Trey yelled out.
No answer.
He kept searching and just when he thought he would have to give up and try to find more help, his probe struck something other than soft snow. Leaving the probe, Trey pulled the shovel out of his pack and started digging. Even though it was cold, he had sweat pouring down his face and body. He stopped for a split second to take his jacket off and then kept digging.
“Chase!” Trey yelled over and over.
After what felt like an eternity, Trey spotted a sliver of blue. Chase’s jacket.
“Please be alive. Please be alive,” Trey chanted. Not only would he never forgive himself, but his parents would never forgive him either. He dug carefully so that he didn’t hit Chase, but also quickly, until he managed to uncover Chase’s torso and his face.
“Chase? Chase,” Trey said.
His brother’s eyes fluttered and then opened. He had managed to get the Avalung to his mouth and was using it to breathe.
“Holy shit, you’re alive,” Trey said, as he started sobbing.
Chase reached up and grabbed Trey’s arm. “I think I broke my legs. I’m in pain and can’t move.”
“Okay, I’ll get you out of here. I’ll get you help, but the big thing is that you’re okay. I’m so sorry, little bro.”
Trey continued to dig, thinking through if it was better to try to move Chase or get him stabilized, make sure he was warm enough and go get help. As he debated both options, Trey’s shovel suddenly hit something hard. But not hard like a rock or a tree. Whatever it was, it was draped over Chase’s legs, making it hard to dig any farther.
“There’s something blocking me from completely digging you out,” Trey said.
Chase gave a thumbs-up but didn’t answer. Trey kept working the shovel around, trying to dislodge whatever it was that had his brother pinned. As he dug closer to the object, a strange odor wafted out.
“What’s that smell?” Chase asked. “It’s disgusting.”
“I don’t know,” Trey said, now carefully scooping more snow away.
Then he saw it. He screamed and flew back, landing on his butt and scrambling away from what he’d found. What the hell? That couldn’t be...? Was it? No freakin’ way.
“What?” Chase said. “What’s wrong?”
Trey braved getting back up and going back over to where he had been digging. He took another look at the gruesome sight. That, along with the smell, made him run as far away as he could and puke.
“What the hell?” Chase asked. “What’s wrong with you?”
Trey wiped his mouth. He had to be seeing things, but he glanced again and was certain he wasn’t.
“Bro,” Trey said, “the thing that’s got you trapped under the snow is a freakin’ dead body.”
Chapter Two
Maya Thompson could see her breath swirling around in the cold air as Velvet, the little mare she was riding, picked her way through the snow. January in the mountains was not the best time to be out for a ride, but today the weather had improved and the temperature high would reach close to thirty degrees—a heat wave for a Colorado winter.
Maya had been helping her grandfather, Wayne Thompson, who she fondly called Pops, train the young mare he had foaled out and raised. Today was about as good as it was going to get temperature-wise to ride. The sorrel mare had her ears pricked forward, interested in her surroundings. Velvet hadn’t been ridden or worked with consistently, so she could be a little frisky.
Luckily, there were several feet of snow they were forging through. If Velvet decided to spook or get excited, she would tire a little quicker in the snow. Not to mention, Maya would have a soft landing if they parted ways. Or so she told herself. She rubbed the little mare’s neck and encouraged her into an easy jog. Velvet responded beautifully, making a nice transition and picking her hooves up a little higher, almost prancing through the snow. Maya loved the feel of the little mare and the fun of connecting with another living creature.
In the distance, she heard barking coming from her U.S. Forest Service patrol vehicle. Her K-9, Juniper, was in her heated compartment and indignant about the fact that Maya’d had the nerve to stop out at Pops’s place and spend time with a horse. In Juniper’s opinion, they should have been at work hours ago and patrolling the forest to keep things safe. Relaxing and hanging out was not one of Juniper’s hobbies. Maya knew Juniper would be jealous and chew or rip something up to show her displeasure.
Maya sank a little deeper in the saddle and asked Velvet to come back to a walk; she didn’t want to overdo the work since Velvet hadn’t been ridden much. She glanced at her watch and realized she needed to start heading back to the barn where Pops was waiting. He was happy that she was able to get some training in on Velvet as he was still recovering from a leg injury from the past summer and didn’t know if he was up for schooling a young horse.
He had asked Maya for her help and at first she’d hesitated, but after a while, she’d found the riding therapeutic and discovered it helped her relax. And she knew heading out on horseback for some patrols might be part of her job as a Forest Service law enforcement officer. Pops had already offered to let her borrow Velvet, so she figured she should spend some time with the mare and get to know her quirks.
As she shifted her weight in the saddle, the leather creaked and Velvet flipped an ear back toward the sound, but to Maya’s relief, the mare didn’t spook. Instead, she responded by following Maya’s weight and turning toward home, picking up her pace as they headed back. Maya turned her in a few circles and worked on making sure Velvet didn’t get in the bad habit of racing back to the barn.
Maya leaned slightly forward and rubbed the mare’s neck again. Velvet had worked up a slight sweat, making her coat appear darker as steam rose off her and the sweet smell of horse wafted through the air. When Maya shifted back, she could feel the crinkle of a letter she’d stuffed into her coat pocket the day before.
Her little secret. At least for now.
The letter had arrived at the local Forest Service office where Maya was headquartered. It was from a federal prison, and as soon as Maya saw it in the mail pile, she’d known who it was from—Abigail Harper.
Abigail was a corrupt former detective from Montana in prison for killing Maya’s mother, Zoey, and grandmother, along with other crimes and murders. Abigail’s trial was still about six months away and Maya had worked hard to forget her, although it was hard not to think about Abigail. When Maya had reopened her mother’s case, Abigail had burned down her cabin and tried to kill her and Juniper.
During that time, a man named Eric Torres had contacted Maya. Eric was a cop who’d been in the same department as Abigail. He’d known and had even arrested Zoey when she had run away to Montana. She’d become involved in prostitution and was found in possession of narcotics. But, when Maya was born, Zoey had become sober and decided to change her life for the better by moving back to Pinecone Junction. Maya had a childhood memory of Eric showing up at their house to warn and try to save her, but Abigail had killed Zoey before Eric could stop her.
When Abigail targeted Maya, Eric had helped save her life. He’d said that he had promised her mother before she died that he would keep Maya safe. He’d kept his promise, but Maya never fully knew his true motivations. Did he want something from her? Why save her when he too was guilty of so many crimes in his past? He had crossed a line by doing things like taking bribes and changing his testimony at trials. Was he simply trying to make up for those crimes? However, he maintained that Abigail had framed him for murder. Maya believed his claim based on some evidence Zoey had hidden that implicated both Eric and Abigail.
Rather than face justice for the less serious crimes he’d committed, Eric had managed to escape custody on his way to jail. He’d been on the run ever since and the U.S. Marshals continued to look for him. Last Maya had heard there were no leads.
But for some reason, Abigail had decided to reach out and give her a possible tip and perhaps more insight into why Eric had promised Maya’s mother he would protect her. The letter claimed Eric Torres was Maya’s biological father. To say Abigail was a liar and devious would be an understatement. Cunning was another word that described her, and Maya didn’t know what to do about the letter. Dismiss it as Abigail messing with her? Throw it away? Or see if Maya could submit DNA and find out if Eric really was her father?
Was that something she wanted to know or not?
Maya still grieved the loss of her mother and grandmother. She supposed she always would to some degree. But to find out she might have a biological parent still alive was a shock. Then there was the fact that he was a criminal. On the flip side, he had also saved her life last fall and helped put Abigail behind bars. Did that give him some sort of pass? Maya had debated that question and couldn’t make up her mind.
There were other questions too, including: Why had Abigail told her this now? Did she think Maya would go after Eric and find him? Abigail was probably using her. No, she was definitely using her. There was always an endgame with the former detective. Maya needed to process all of this before she talked it over with Pops or Josh Colten—the chief deputy sheriff and second-in-command to Pops, and the man she’d fallen in love with and had been living with since her cabin burned down.
Maya had sworn to herself she wouldn’t keep things from Josh, but somehow, she hadn’t been ready to talk to him about this letter. Maybe tonight, after dinner, she’d tell Josh more about what was going on.
As thoughts swirled through Maya’s head, Velvet suddenly tucked her hindquarters and tensed up her back. A strange whooshing sound that escalated into sounding like a train coming down the tracks bounced off the mountainsides in the distance. Maya snapped back to the moment and gently turned Velvet’s neck so she would step her hindquarters over and settle down. Adrenaline coursed through Maya’s body. Even though she had told herself that a snowy landing would be soft, she didn’t feel like being sore the rest of the day.
