Page 54 of Suspicion

Leaning against the nearest tree, his fingers skimmed over the aged bark. A tree was a thing of great beauty. They stood the test of time, spreading their roots into the earth and providing homes for other creatures while other living things around them wilted and died. Tucker had an enormous amount of respect for trees, but he especially appreciated the one propping him up now.

“Why didn’t I tighten the ropes?” His jaw stiffened at his own lunacy. “Or choose a stronger branch?”

Blowing out a breath, he leaned his brow gently against the same trunk, breathing in the scent of the wood.

“Where is she?” he whispered softly, as though the tree would unfurl with the answer. “Can you show me?”

He was sure, on some level, the tree could hear him, in the same way, its roots sucked moisture from the soil, and its leaves reached for the sunshine. Trees knew things.

“Has she passed by this way?”

Lowering his gaze, he inspected the grasses growing over the tree’s roots before he scanned the nearby bed of gold and auburn leaves. Scarlet and ginger colors folded over one another, lapping in their own unique and ever-changing patterns thanks to the autumn wind.

With no idea where she was going, she could be running futilely in circles, but eyeing each leaf in turn, he wondered if she might have headed back to the cabin once he’d left. If for no other reason than to stock up on essentials like a flashlight and blanket. It would have been a sensible choice.

“Should I go back to the cabin?” His brow furrowed as he mused on the idea. Surely, even if she had returned there, she’d have taken her fill and fled again by now. It would be better to—

His concentration was scattered by something shiny glinting between two leaves. He bent lower to see it, moving the neighboring leaves aside to get a better view.

“Is that gold?” His heart rate accelerated as he grasped the item between his large thumb and forefinger. Bringing it up into the light, his eyes confirmed what his instincts had told him—it was gold, meshed with a pearl drop to create an ornate-looking earring.

Ella’s earring.

“She was here!” Gratitude flooded his senses as he smiled at the trusty tree. It had provided him with the answer just as he’d hoped. Slipping the jewelry into his back pocket, he turned to see the world as Ella would have done, not so long before.

“Where did you go, little girl?”

The wind slowed at his question, as though the elements sought to offer the solution, and there, in the calm that remained, was the clarification he’d been looking for—the sound of rushing water.

Of course!

“The river.” Certainty emboldened him as his lips curled. “She stood here, and she heard the river. That’s where she’s gone.”

Naturally, he had no way of knowing that for sure, but as he strode off in the river’s direction, he sensed he was right. His little girl had heard water and headed for it.

It was a pretty decent plan. Water would at least provide her with sustenance to carry on. After all, she’d never waited for nor received the drink he’d gone to retrieve for her. She must be desperate for refreshment. But her longer-term strategy was shaky. It was colder by the river, and the ground could be hazardous. Ella might not be the only creature attracted to its crystal water.

Perturbed by the idea, he picked up his pace, running faster in the direction of the tributary. What if the wolf he sometimes heard had stopped by for a drink and found her resting there? His wildcat wouldn’t stand a chance.

Reaching the steep bank that led down to the waterway, his eyes searched through the labyrinth of trees to see if his hunch had been right.

Was she there, and if she was, was she alone?

Slowing his pace as the trees thinned out, he spotted her squatting by the edge of the water. Her blonde hair shone in the light of the sun, reminding him of how her earring had looked when he’d spotted it nestled between the leaves. She was a thing of splendor set in an already exquisite scene. A peculiar mixture of relief and indignation rushed to replace his fear as he surveyed her.

Yes, she’d been stupid. What had she been thinking running from him? However bad she imagined her life to be as his restrained guest, dying alone in the forest was a far worse fate.

She had to see that.

But if his instincts about the scene were correct, she’d discovered something she hadn’t anticipated by the water—a type of stillness and joy.

“Ella.”

He murmured her name as he walked toward her. With a light tread, he closed the distance until she was less than a hundred meters from where he stood.

He didn’t want to announce his presence too early and risk her taking flight again. She’d proven to be skittish on more than one occasion—a fact he’d do well to remember the next time he decided to leave her unsupervised—but creeping up on her had another unexpected benefit. He got to observe her without her realizing she was being watched.

Dangling her fingers into the water, she smiled. She dipped her palms into the running stream and lifted her bound wrists, attempting to pour what remained of the contents into her waiting mouth. He stifled laughter as she, too, chuckled at her poor performance, her attention shifting back to the river to try again.

---