Deadly Dreams Read online

  Kylie’s phone rang. Frowning at the screen, she shot a glance to Linc. “It’s Dina, the SAR woman I’m supposed to interview first. Hope she isn’t cancelling on me.” She took the call. “Hello?”

  Linc could hear the other woman talking but couldn’t understand the words.

  Kylie covered the mouthpiece. “They have another missing hiker, and they are all gathering to get ready to search.”

  “At headquarters?” he asked.

  Kylie repeated the question into the phone, but Linc had already made his decision by the time Kylie nodded her response. He had everything he needed for a search in his truck. He could help. He needed to help.

  “Tell Dina that I’m on my way,” he said to Kylie. “Storm and I can help.”

  Kylie raised an eyebrow and spoke into the phone. “Linc, Storm, Vader, and I can help. We’ll be there soon.”

  After she disconnected the call, Linc reached over and squeezed her knee. “You don’t have to go out. It will be miserable and treacherous in this—”

  “No. You need someone to help control Storm because of your shoulder.” She smiled and rubbed her hands together then lifted a finger in an eureka gesture. “Oh. Dina mentioned that a drone they’d been using to assist with the search picked up a flash of something, but it hasn’t been able to get close enough to identify what it is for some reason or other. Also, the rain has caused a small rockslide, which has hindered the search. The bad weather is forecasted to stop within the hour, and the search will renew while they catch that bit of a break.”

  He squeezed her knee again. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  She turned toward him as much as she could while buckled up. “I want to do this. I just need to…you know. Psych myself up.”

  “Okay. Can I help?”

  A small smile played on her lips. “You could sing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ for me or something.”

  He laughed but played along, humming a few bars of it for her, grinning as she started to move her upper body around like a fighter, throwing air-punches, getting into it. By the time they reached headquarters, they were full-on singing the verses as loud as they could, and she looked more relaxed.

  “Okay. I’m better. Let’s do this thing.”

  The psych-up had worked. By the time they stepped out of the truck, Kylie was smiling. After tossing the dogs a few treats to keep them happy, she grabbed onto Linc’s hand as they dodged more raindrops on the walk to headquarters and whispered to him, “I’m sorry for being a brat.”

  Linc laughed. She was often a bit of a brat, but this was the first time she’d recognized and apologized for it. But she hadn’t been nearly so bad…yet. Maybe she was apologizing in advance for all the complaining that would likely be coming when they set out on the trail? Probably.

  Linc opened the door and let Kylie in, then found himself in a small, crowded room. He wasn’t a fan of crowds, especially people he didn’t know. He was a leader, but only on the trail or while training dogs—places he felt comfortable.

  Groups didn’t normally qualify, which Kylie knew. It warmed his heart to see her take the lead. Not only because it was her nature to be outgoing, but because, in her own way, she thought she was protecting him.

  They made a good team.

  “Hi,” she said in her normal bright, loud voice. “Is this the SAR group?”

  A basketball-player-tall man near the door looked down at them. Linc knew him. It was Kevin. Kevin and his dog…Molly. They’d worked together a few times at least. The man spoke in a deep voice. “It is. And who are you?”

  All heads swiveled toward them, and Linc lifted a hand, recognizing many of the faces.

  “I’m Kylie Hatfield, a private investigator, and this is Linc Coulter, a fellow SAR. We’re investigating the disappearance of Beez Crosby at the request of her hus—”

  “Linc!” everyone shouted, almost in unison. They seemed genuinely glad to see him.

  He momentarily hoped that maybe his panic attack in the parking garage collapse hadn’t made the gossip rounds to Georgia, even though he was slowly learning not to be embarrassed by his temporary meltdown. He was currently dealing with those emotions, those fears, and to hell with anyone who would judge him.

  The people who mattered most understood.

  Kylie looked back at him, eyes wide. “I guess introductions aren’t necessary,” she said with a smile.

  He shook the first hand that stuck out at him. “Hey, everyone. Nice to see you all.”

  After a round of handshakes, Linc knelt to pet a pretty Golden Retriever that had been giving him eyes and wagging his tail, hoping for attention. As he did, a couple of other dogs noticed and came forward.

  “Is Dina here?” Kylie asked after everyone had gone back to their seats.

  “Present.”

  Linc grinned as the rough female voice replied and the stout woman with a short blonde buzz cut approached, shaking Kylie’s hand. “Good to meet you, Kylie. We were just about to set out.” Linc got the strong handshake next. “Linc and I go way back. It’s an honor to have your help out here in my neck of the woods. We don’t usually get much action like this. Although I’m no stranger to action. I was in the army too. Afghanistan.”

  Linc couldn’t stop his surprise. Not at her admission but at the number of words the seasoned SAR had strung together. Dina was usually the strong, silent type. That she’d said more than two words to Kylie was interesting.

  “Great to help out,” he said from a crouch, petting a white German Shepherd that had nosed his way into the crowd of dogs competing for his attention.

  Kylie leaned over and petted the dog as Dina took the animal by his collar. “This is Ghost. She’s my baby.”

  “Hey, Ghost,” Kylie said, ruffling her ears. She let her lick her face. “She’s so pretty. Did she serve overseas with you?”

  Dina nodded proudly. “Yep. Been with me for six years. I live right here in Tallulah Falls, so this is a little close to home. I’m glad you could come up here, Kylie. You too, Abraham Lincoln.”

  Kylie raised an eyebrow at him.

  Fondness for that odd nickname aside, Linc liked Dina, who essentially had so much in common with him, it was a little bizarre. She introduced Kylie around to the rest of the SAR team.

  “This is Kevin and Molly,” Dina said, pointing at the Golden. “And this is Forrest and his German Shepherd, Shep.” Kylie shook hands until they came to the last one, a skinny man standing with his black lab. “This is Lonnie and Dozer. They just joined the team last year.”

  Dina, who had the most experience, had been the leader of this group. Linc had more seniority but didn’t know the trails the way Dina did, so he let her take the lead. When everyone was organized, she explained to Linc and Kylie that they had twenty miles of trails and about 2,700 acres of the Tallulah Gorge State Park to cover, although the drone had narrowed that expanse considerably.

  “Listen, guys,” she said, sipping her coffee. “It’s too wet out there, so that’s going to leave us off most of the permit trails. But when you get to the nearest station, just check in with the ranger there to let them know you’re out and searching with dogs. No one is allowed to go missing.” She gave them each a pointed look. “Understood?”

  Good-natured chuckling went around the room before Kevin held up his hand. “Molly and I will take Lonnie and Dozer and cover the North Rim Trail, though I have a feeling the rangers are going to keep us off most of the trails. Hear there’s been even more rockslides all over the park because of the rain.”

  Forrest rubbed his thick double chin as he studied the map on the wall. “Shep and I’ll go along the Shortline and head on off there to see what I can see.”

  Kylie had her nose in the trail map. She nudged Linc. “We should take this trail,” she said, pointing it out on the map.

  He followed her finger. It was definitely the shortest line on the map, which would explain why she wanted to take it. “That one?” He laughed. “No. You don’t wan
t to take that one. Trust me.”

  She scrunched her nose. “Why? It’s quick. And we’re not experts in this park, so we should take the easiest one.”

  “Lee, let me explain something to you,” he said, taking the map from her as she struggled to fold it. “In hiking, shortest doesn’t always mean easiest. There are other things to take in consideration. Elevation, for one. Plus, it’s called Sliding Rock for a reason.”

  He pointed to the elevation map for the trail she’d pointed out. It went straight down at a forty-five-degree angle and had staircases heading down to the gorge floor. Normally, it’d only be difficult going back up, but with this rain it’d be slippery as hell. He could bet money the rangers would be keeping people off it until it dried up. If Kylie was already thinking this was a nightmare, she’d rue the day she was born if he let her take that trail.

  Kylie grimaced as she realized what he was saying. “Oh.”

  “I’ve been on that trail. A lot of this park is for experienced hikers only, because there are some seriously steep drops. That trail is a permit trail, and the rangers won’t give out permits during weather like this,” he explained, pointing to the South Rim Trail. “Why don’t we try this one? Easy elevation. Only three miles. Should be pretty good.”

  Kylie looked appalled. “Three miles?”

  “That’s a walk in the park, Lee.”

  Literally. He grinned at her and received an elbow in the ribs in return. “You’re hilarious.”

  Dina poked her head in, handing him a walkie-talkie before addressing the entire group. “Good news, folks. Our missing hiker from today has just been found, so we can put all our focus on Beez. We’ll report back here at five, okay?” She turned her attention back to Linc. “Did you say you’re taking South Rim?” Before he could nod, she clapped her hands together. “Okay, great.”

  Kylie’s eyes followed the woman and then snapped back to Linc. She frowned and whispered to him, “That woman is the female version of you.”

  He looked after her and laughed. “Not nearly as attractive and charming, though, you have to admit.” He gave her a wink, trying to keep her spirits up. “Come on.”

  They went outside, where it had actually started raining harder—was that even possible? As they climbed into the truck, Linc noticed that Kylie had gotten her pout back. She stared out at the rain like it’d murdered her family.

  “Come on,” he said to her. He started to hum “Eye of the Tiger” again. “Tell you what. After all this is over, I’ll treat you to a nice meal somewhere.”

  She snorted. “The only place near our motel is Frank’s Chicken Hut. It looks like they kill cats out back.”

  “Just chicken looking ones,” Linc joked and tossed Storm and Vader another treat. “Keep an open mind. Okay, Lee?”

  She gave him a doubtful look as he drove toward the trail. When they got to the lot, it was empty. Most people had the sense not to go out and seek invigorating nature experiences in such awful weather. Linc pulled up in the spot closest to the ranger’s station, and they got out. As the rain poured down on them, Linc fixed on the dogs’ SAR vests and clipped on their leashes. Meanwhile, Kylie stood there, staring forlornly into the distance. She really did look like she was about to melt away.

  He followed her line of sight to a sign that read:

  WELCOME TO TALLULAH GORGE

  Over 900 Feet Deep, the Deepest

  Canyon East of the Mississippi.

  BEAUTIFUL BUT DANGEROUS!

  He snapped his fingers at her. “It’s just water.”

  “And danger.”

  “Okay. Water and danger. No big deal. And beauty. Don’t forget the beauty.”

  She meandered like a lost puppy toward the sign as a gust of wind blew her hood clean off. She growled and flipped it back again, tightening the strings. “But you should know better than anyone. Isn’t it impossible to scent anything in this deluge?” she asked, blinking raindrops out of her eyes.

  “Hard. Not impossible,” he said, walking toward the ranger’s station. “Let’s check in here and let them know we’re going to be on the trail with dogs. Sometimes they don’t allow them. Dina’s orders.”

  Kylie rolled her eyes. “I wish they wouldn’t allow humans, either. Is that a possibility?”

  He figured she’d say that. Honestly, as much as he liked the outdoors, he had to admit this was the pits. It was one thing if the victim had just gone missing, but after fifty-one hours, the chances of finding a survivor dropped to one percent. Worse if that person was over sixty years old. Beez was almost sixty. Still, he wouldn’t count her out.

  But why hadn’t she radioed in for help?

  Where was her dog?

  Shaking off the negative thoughts, Linc tried to focus on that slim one percent. Beez’s radio could be broken or lost in some fall. There was a chance…

  Right then, he was looking forward to spending tonight snuggling in bed with a warm, dry Kylie. If only their hotel room didn’t look like Serial Killer Central.

  “Maybe they won’t allow humans on the trail today,” he said, opening the door for her to let her pass first. “That’s why we’re going to talk to the ranger.”

  As he did, he smiled when she crossed her fingers.

  The ranger’s office was barely big enough to fit a desk, a water cooler, and a brochure rack filled with Tallulah Gorge State Park guides, as well as a bunch of coupons for area attractions. Linc noticed one for Frank’s Chicken Hut and stuffed it in his pocket.

  Kylie flipped down her hood and shook out her wet jacket as Linc went back out and tied the dogs up to a post under the eaves outside. When he followed her in, she was already talking to the park guide. “Awful!” he heard her say, and assumed she was talking about the weather.

  “Tell me about it,” the ranger said, leaning on the counter. He probably wasn’t much older than legal drinking age, his thin face marred with acne scars. “What are you two doing out in it?”

  Linc read the placard on the kid’s thin chest. His name was Tanner Peck. “Ranger Peck, we’re part of the SAR team searching for Beatrice Crosby.”

  The kid studied Linc’s ID and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Oh, yeah. I heard about that. The SAR needing a rescue of her own. Kind of ironic, huh? I thought you guys were supposed to be good at finding stuff.”

  Linc bristled, and Kylie, clearly sensing his irritation, moved to stand between the two men. “Did you know her?”

  The kid came out from behind the desk. He was all lines and angles, like a teenager who hadn’t filled out and become a man yet. He shook his head. “Nah. But…” He pointed behind them to a bulletin board. They swung their heads in unison, and Linc caught sight of a small MISSING sign pinned to the corner of it. “I’ve seen her around, of course. We’ve had a lot of missing people lately, but she’s the only one not accounted for.”

  True to his word, there was only one picture still pinned to the board.

  Beatrice Crosby, in all her smiling glory.

  Linc studied the flyer closer. It had a different photo of Beatrice than they’d seen at the Crosby house. In this one, her light, curly hair and big, dark eyes were visible.

  Kylie stared at the picture. Then she reached out and smoothed a curled edge of it back. Was she going to cry again?

  Linc scanned the rest of the board. It was empty except for a bunch of thumbtacks, an advertisement for firewood with half of the numbers ripped off the bottom, and a flyer for BINGO happening at the First Baptist Church of Tallulah Falls.

  “Sorry, guys. I’m still getting the hang of things around here. Started this job a couple months ago,” Tanner Peck was saying. He tilted the blinds and looked outside. “Hell of a day to be performing a search and rescue. Can your dogs find a scent with the weather like this?”

  “I guess we’ll see,” Linc said, scanning the rest of the small space. “Can we head out on the South Rim Trail with the dogs? Storm is experienced in SAR, but our other dog is in training.”


  “Yeah. Sure. That trail’s pretty easy to navigate,” he said, reaching for a map. “You two familiar with the trail?”

  Linc held his hand in front of him and tilted it back and forth in a “somewhat” gesture. “Haven’t been here in a couple years, though.”

  Tanner spread out the map on the counter, and the three of them huddled over it. The ranger pointed out the trail, then ran a yellow highlighter over it to make sure it was clearly seen.

  “You might have a little trouble with puddles. A few slippery rocks and stuff. That’s about it. Kind of level. Trail’s pretty wide. You won’t have to worry about the dogs slipping or anything. Just be sure to get back here before five. You have plenty of time, but that’s when it starts getting dark, and you want to give yourself plenty of time to make it back to the gate.” He gave them a serious look. “You don’t want to get caught out here in the dark, especially if you don’t know the trail very well.”

  “Sounds good,” Linc said, folding the map and zipping it in one of the waterproof pockets of his jacket. “Thanks for all your help.”

  He turned to leave and saw Kylie leaning against the counter, still shaking the raindrops from her hood. He realized she was leaning into a little space heater that the ranger had set up. When she saw that he was ready to go, she sighed. “All ready? I’m still wet.”

  “Yep. The sooner we start, the sooner we get it over with, and you can be nice and dry in the hotel room.”

  Kylie lifted her hood reluctantly and tucked her dark hair in. She tied the drawcord tight around her neck so that only her nose and eyes were visible. “Fine.”

  Tanner Peck waved at them. “Good luck, guys. Thanks for all your help. Let me know if you need anything.”

  They walked outside, where the dogs were waiting, and they each took a leash. “Come on, Lee,” he said to her, stepping out into the driving rain. It bounced off his face, not unpleasantly, but Kylie looked like she was undergoing Chinese Water Torture, blinking like she was on the verge of madness. “Think of it as an adventure.”