Page 88 of Fatal Witness

“Then I guess we better get to walking.”

“That’s what I like about you—no matter what happens, you don’t stop. You keep on going.”

“Like the Energizer Bunny,” she said dryly.

He laughed. “You’re funny too. Okay, Gem, let’s go home.”

The dog barked, and Dani watched as she loped along the ledge. “I swear, I think she understood you.”

“She did. And she’ll alert us if there are any rattlesnakes on the ledge.”

“Rattlesnakes?” She looked down at her feet. Of all times not to wear her boots.

He nodded solemnly. “It’s April and getting warmer, especially where the sun hits the rocks, so when we get to a sunny patch, watch for them.”

She cocked her head. “Why can’t you call for a helicopter to come pick us up?”

“I tried. No service. I have a booster at the house—it’s the only way I have service. I’ll try again when we get there.”

Gem loped back to where they were and barked. “We’re coming,” Mark said. “You ready?”

“Might as well be.”

Dani followed Gem along the path, always conscious that Mark was close behind.

Doubts assailed her. What if the shooter had been close instead of far away? He could be on them before they knew it. Her thoughts circled back to the bullets pinging off the SUV, then to the possible rattlesnakes Mark mentioned. She tried to corral her wild imagination, but it was no use.

Maybe this was when she should focus on a Bible verse like Mark said. She did know one ... right? The verse he’d told her about earlier popped in her mind.Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.Dani silently repeated the words, seeking that peace Mark talked about.

The walking grew harder now that they’d left the ledge and were climbing. Sweat beaded her face. She turned to check on Mark.

“I’m here,” he said. “You want to stop and rest a minute?”

“How much farther?”

“Probably another hour.”

“What do you mean, probably?”

“If it were just me and Gem, it’d take about forty-five minutes to reach my house from here...”

“Are you saying I’m slowing you down?”

“It’s always slower with two people. Plus, we don’t have any water with us.”

What she wouldn’t give for a drink of water. But Mark was kind to try and make her feel better. Shewasslowing them down. “I’m fine—let’s keep going.”

She’d barely gotten the words out of her mouth when she tripped over a rock. Dani grabbed a bush to keep from falling, but Mark was faster and grabbed her around the waist.

“We’re stopping to catch our breath,” he said when she was steady.

His tone brooked no arguing, not that she wanted to. She sank to the ground. A minute later, Gem bounded up and sniffed her before plopping next to her. “Why do you live way out here in the boonies?”

He sat on the ground near her. “I like seeing the stars at night. And it’s quieter than in town.”

“You’re a lot like my grandmother.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

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