I'll Be There Part 4

"Thanks." She took it and drank half in one pull. "How much further?"

"Not far. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes."

"What happens when we get to your car?"

"We'll be back in cell range, so I'll call the sheriff over in Angel Ridge."

She nodded and drank the rest of the water. "Let's go then."

She stood and walked over to him. Cord watched. She was a fine looking woman... "It can wait." He looked out across the stream and up at the sky, heavy with snow-filled clouds. "It's kinda peaceful here."

She looked up at the sky, too. After a few moments had pa.s.sed, she whispered, "That can change quickly. We just saw that."

"For what it's worth, they never should have had you on this mountain. It's too close to Angel Ridge."

"Is it? I didn't know. Doesn't surprise me, though. They tried everything. Guess they thought no one would look for me so close to Angel Ridge."

The sound of the stream flowing by soothed, but looking at Jenny, he saw that nothing could put her at ease right now. Maybe they'd make enough arrests that she'd get her old life back. It might happen, but he knew it wasn't likely.

They stood there for several moments allowing the sound of the stream to wash over them. Finally, Cord said, "We can go whenever you're ready."

She nodded and smoothed her hands over her hips, then rubbed her arms. "It's getting colder."

He shrugged out of his coat and handed it to her. She held up a hand.

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"It's okay. I have a pullover in my pack."

After a moment, she accepted it and said, "Thank you."

Cord had to look away from her smile. It warmed him like the summer sun. He couldn't go there. Wouldn't go there.

Without speaking or looking at her, he hefted his pack and walked back into the woods. The sound of footsteps behind him and her scent his only a.s.surance that she followed. The sooner he turned her over, the better. Prolonged involvement with Jenny Thompson would complicate his life. He didn't need more complications.

Chapter 4.

"I'd be happy to speak with you, but now's just not a good time."

"I haven't had an update on my sister since they took her into protective custody, Sheriff. Surely you can spare five minutes."

The pleading, soft look in the pretty brunette's blue eyes spoke to him. Other than the hair color, she looked just like Jenny.

"Ms. Thompson, I will answer any questions you have. It's just that we've had an emergency that requires my immediate attention. I'm sure you understand. My a.s.sistant, Clara," he stood and raised his voice a bit when he said his clerk's name, and like an angel, she appeared in his office door. "Ah, here she is. Clara, this is Jenny Thompson's sister, Frances."

"Frannie, please."

Grady gritted his teeth, more than smiled. He didn't have time for pleasantries and politeness. So he just nodded and moved towards the door, hoping she would follow.

She did, but said softly enough so that only he could hear, "Sheriff, I know two months have pa.s.sed and it's likely that you and everyone else in this town has forgotten all about my sister, but as you know, she and her family have made quite a sacrifice so this town and the people in it can be safe."

Grady's sigh was heartfelt. He'd woken up this morning with a funny feeling in his gut. Lark, or Candi as everyone else called her, had told him that the snowstorm due to hit today would be the worst for East Tennessee in more than a decade. Beyond that, he'd had a feeling that all h.e.l.l was about to break loose in the case he'd been working with other state and federal agencies since Jenny had been taken into protective custody.

And sure enough, his cell phone and scanner had lit up like a Christmas tree about three this morning. The incompetence of U.S. Marshal Service knew no bounds. In all their wisdom, they had decided to hide Jenny in a hikers' cabin on Laurel Mountain, of all places, on just the other side of the lake from Angel Ridge, never mind that Jenny had had to sign an agreement that she would never come back here. Apparently, that did not preclude them from keeping her within spitting distance of the town she'd been taken from.

Now, these hills were crawling with remnants of the crime syndicate Jenny had uncovered after Lark came to town this past fall to open up her business. These backwoods thugs had been re-enlisted to help flush Jenny out. The cabin Jenny had been held in last night had gotten shot up. Two marshals and two unidentified men were dead in his jurisdiction. To top it off, Jenny was missing. Even now, the highway patrol had a roadblock set up trying to find her. Like the people looking for her weren't following local law enforcement's every move.

In short, he had more trouble than a dog had fleas, and on top of it, Jenny's sister was here in town at the worst possible time. She could never know that Jenny had been found everywhere the marshals had hidden her, and that it was a miracle she was still alive. Miss Estelee would say "when it rains it pours," but Frannie was a complication he didn't need right now.

"Grady, did you know there's a roadblock-oh, I'm sorry," Fuzz Rhoton said. "I didn't know you were busy."

Fuzz pulled up short in the doorway to his office just behind Clara. "Ms. Thompson," he said, "this is Fuzz Rhoton. He helps out from time to time when the sheriff's office needs extra hands."

"And are you in need of extra hands now, Sheriff?" Frannie asked.

"As I said, there is a situation that needs my attention." To Fuzz he said, "Could you go pick up the constable? With this storm, I have a feeling we're going to need all hands on deck today and tonight." He gave the man a meaningful look, hoping he got the underlying message.

Fuzz nodded, eyebrows raised, indicating he understood. "Of course. I'll do that now."

The man turned and headed back outside. "Clara, would you mind showing Ms. Thompson to the diner? Y'all could have a cup of coffee and a piece of pie while I take care of my pressing business. I'll get there as soon as I can to continue our conversation." He put his hat on. To his deputy, he said, "Woody, you stay here and hold down the fort. I'll check in."

"Sure thing, Boss," the deputy agreed.

Grady edged around everyone and out the door. His cell phone rang before he made it to his Jeep. "Wallace."

"Sheriff, this is Cordell Goins."

Grady pulled the phone back from his ear and checked the caller ID. The display read, "C. Goins." This day was just full of surprises. Why in the world would Goins be calling him? He'd been in the area for years and had never spoken to him until now.

"Goins. This is a surprise. Everything all right out your way?"

"I wouldn't know. I've been hikin' for the better part of a week."

"Good time for it. You're likely to be confined to that mountain you live on for a good while after the snow comes, not that I can imagine that bothers you near as much as it does most."

"Sheriff, if you don't mind, I have a matter of importance to discuss."

All right then. "I apologize. State your business."

"I was hiking up on Laurel Mountain last night and ran into some trouble."

Great. "I can imagine you did. There's a unit of state and federal officers headed that way."

"They'd be about a day too late."

"No survivors then?" He didn't want to say too much. Still, he prayed Jenny was all right.

"Only one that matters."

"Male or female?"

"Female."

Grady let out the breath he'd been holding.

"I was thinking to pay you a call."

"Negative." If Goins had Jenny, he could not bring her to town. Even if he got through the roadblock, they couldn't risk Jenny being seen by her sister. "I'll come to you. What's your location?"

"Trailhead parking lot for Laurel Mountain, but it's no good meeting here, if you get my meanin'."

"I do."

"Sheriff, I need to pick up supplies before this bad weather lays in. If I could kill two birds-"

"You and everyone else in East Tennessee. Meet me at the Wal-Mart just outside of town."

"All right. I'll park outside the garden center. I'm in an older dark Jeep Wrangler."

"I'll find you. And Goins?"

"Yeah."

"You're likely to hit a roadblock before you get to that shopping center. Think you can handle that?"

Goins let loose several curses before replying that he could. "Be there soon as I can."

Grady put his hat on the seat next to him and drove as fast as he dared out of Angel Ridge. He didn't need to draw attention and have anyone follow.

The sky was overcast and heavy with moisture. The temperature had dropped even more. Jenny pulled Cord's coat closer around her. She pressed her back to the tree where he'd left her while he scouted the parking area at the trailhead. If she knew how to hotwire a car, she'd be out of here. Lord how she hated being at the mercy of others-particularly men. She was an independent, competent woman accustomed to taking care of herself. But since the explosion, she'd been at the mercy of a string of people who could barely read a map much less keep her safe, not that a lot of the area around Angel Ridge was even on a map.

And now she was with this man, Cord... On the one hand she wasn't sure she should trust him and frankly, he terrified her. On the other hand, he'd helped her, if grudgingly. He was the most compelling and mysterious man she'd ever encountered. Even with the few times she'd seen him in town, she'd been curious about him, but he kept to himself and talked to no one. When she'd asked Dixie about him-and Dixie knew everything about everyone in and around Angel Ridge-she'd gotten next to nothing. Just that he lived in the mountains and kept to himself.

The man had secrets, no doubt, and there was nothing that intrigued her more than a mystery that begged solving, but she no longer had that luxury. If she would survive this, she couldn't get distracted by an uncommunicative mystery man. She had to stay focused. Only a couple of facts about Cord mattered. One, he knew how to kill a man, and two, she couldn't give her trust to a man she knew nothing about. Furthermore, the marshals had proven over and over that they couldn't keep her safe. So, she was going to have to find a way to take matters into her own hands.

"Jenny?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Cord touched her shoulder.

Good Lord, the man moved like a cat. With a tree between them, the result was a nasty sc.r.a.pe across her cheek as she jerked away from him. She touched a hand to her stinging face and looked at it. Blood smeared her fingertips. "Dang it!"

"Sorry."

Before she could move away, he'd reached into his pocket, removed a bandana, and pressed it to her cheek. Jenny took the handkerchief and moved away from his touch. She needed to keep a clear head.

"Is it safe? Can we go?" she asked, looking around as she had been the entire time he'd been gone.

"That needs cleanin'."

"I'm fine."

"What's this?"

"What?"

"These." He lifted her hands, displaying the sc.r.a.pes crisscrossing her palms, the result of her struggling through the earthen tunnel twice. "Looks like you have splinters that have already started to fester. I have a first aid kit in my pack."

Jenny shoved her hands in her coat pockets. "I can do it while you drive." Turning the conversation back to the task at hand, she asked, "What's the plan?"

He nodded and looked away. Had she seen a flash of emotion in his cold dark eyes? What was that about?

"I'm taking you to meet the sheriff at a shopping center outside Angel Ridge."

"Grady Wallace?"

"Yeah. I called him when I got to the car. You'll have to hide in the back of my Jeep because there could be a roadblock between here and there."

"That doesn't sound at all safe."

He stared up at the sky, still not looking at her. "It isn't."

Jenny laughed harshly. "Of course it's not. It's not safe for me anywhere around here."

"The sheriff will correct that as soon as I get you to him. We should go. The longer we wait, the more likely we are to encounter other hikers."

"Or the people looking for me. They probably have the parking lot staked out."

"Could be, but you can't stay here."

Jenny pressed the fear down. "Let's go, then."

He reached behind her and pulled up the hood of the coat so that it covered her hair and partially concealed her face. "Keep your head down."

Cord pulled a ball cap low over his eyes. He turned to lead the way down to the parking area, then decided to make it look like they were a couple to throw off anyone who might be watching. He took Jenny's hand, lacing his fingers with hers. She looked at him, surprised. "Just play along," he said softly.

She cooperated and didn't try to pull away. They quickly emerged from the woods at his Jeep. He unlocked her door and helped her in, then came around and got in on his side. The gloom of the coming snow hung over them like an ominous warning.

He tossed her the first aid kit before putting his pack in the back, and then said, "Crawl back behind my seat. It's pretty junky, but you can clear out a spot and pile some blankets on top of you."

Jenny hesitated. She looked over her shoulder at the tangle of blankets, fis.h.i.+ng tackle, hunting fatigues, and a gas can. She tried not to wrinkle her nose and wondered for the thousandth time in the past couple of months how this had become her life.