Page 22 of Murder at Rescue Ridge

Conrad obliged.

“What’s the plan here? I mean, are we heading to the barn or the murder site? Are we sticking together or breaking up in case one of us gets caught? Is there a meetup plan?”

Having a plan would eliminate confusion. “We can make those decisions right now.”

“Okay, what about staying together or breaking up?” she asked.

“I think it’s best to split up,” he stated.

“Why is that?”

“In case I’m found first,” he reasoned. “Whoever finds me won’t be as likely to shoot at first sight because they’ll wonder where you are.”

Nikki gasped. “Is that a real threat? You being shot at?”

“It is now that there’s a reward for your safe return,” he said.

“My stepfather,” she muttered. “He thinks he’s helping, but he’s making everything worse.”

“He’s looking out for you,” Conrad corrected. And, yes, it was only making the situation worse for him. Having strangers do the work of locating her and ensuring she returned to her family unharmed had been a smart move on her stepfather’s behalf.

“He needs to be less protective,” she said with a frustrated grunt. “It’s good that he wants to help me, but he confronted one of my exes who broke it off and only made everything worse. And now, despite his good intentions, he’s making it worse for you, too.”

“I can’t fault him for this one.”

“So, we split up,” she said, resigned.

Conrad took note of the subject change. “Searching for blood-stained clothing in the wooded area makes sense, except that using any kind of light would only draw attention to us.”

“I thought the same thing about everything we’re trying to do,” she said. “What about in the barn?”

“There’s always some kind of light on inside,” he said.

“What if someone catches us?” she asked. “We should figure out a meetup spot in case one of us is detained or if this whole thing goes south.”

“Run as deep into the woods as you can without being caught,” Conrad said.

“Damn, it’s a good thing you’re here because I never would’ve thought of running away on my own,” she quipped. “I’m talking about once the dust settles. How do we find each other again?”

Conrad was reasonably certain Nikki was going to ditch him the second she believed she didn’t need him any longer. So, no, he hadn’t really thought about a meetup spot. She would never find the fort again on her own. She didn’t know the property like he did. Where could he suggest? “If this really goes south, I could end up in jail, so I wouldn’t want you to wait anywhere for me.”

“I’d bring bail money.”

“Why?”

“Because we are no closer to finding out who really did this than we were before, and I already told you that I plan to see this through to the end,” she said. The determination in her voice reminded him that arguing would do no good. They’d been down that path—the one where he’d tried to save her and had only ended up hurting her.

Rather than argue about whether or not a judge would even set bail, considering Conrad might now fall into the category of a “flight risk,” he nodded.

A small fire lit inside him at the thought Nikki would fight this hard to not only help but ensure his freedom.

Was hope dangerous?

8

“I’ll take the crime scene,” Nikki said to Conrad, figuring he knew the barn better than anyone. Therefore, his risk of getting caught was less than hers. If someone heard her in the building, she could be cornered. Whereas he would know all the ways out and be able to act quickly enough to escape. Being able to act quickly might just mean the difference between escape and capture.

The idea of splitting up suddenly felt bad as she walked away from him. What if he was captured and arrested? Would she be able to make good on her promise to get him out? What if she was “saved” by someone who wanted to cash in on the financial reward offered by her stepfather? She would be returned home unharmed but then would be under scrutiny. Her stepfather had her followed once when he’d thought she was meeting up with her ex. Granted, she didn’t have proof that it had been him, but she’d known down deep thatthe private investigator she’d confronted had been sent by Heath.

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