Page 57 of Mile High Mystery

“It is. The sheriff will have moved his car and his body by now. I like the symmetry of having everything take place here. I hope my uncles appreciate it.”

Zach turned into the campground and bumped along the rutted road, past parked vans, RVs and tents set up next to stunted trees and stone fire rings.

Yellow crime-scene tape still fluttered from the last campsite on the road, and the broken tree still lay across the parking area. Zach pulled alongside the tree and cut the engine. The lights remained on, shining into the darkness. “If you shoot us here, the campers will hear,” Zach said.

“There’s no cell service here,” she said. “By the time they call for help, I’ll be long gone. I left my car in another campsite nearby. With a tent set up and everything. So the other campers probably think I’m sleeping. I hitchhiked to your place. It’s not hard for a woman who looks like me to get a ride.” She opened the passenger door. “Get out. We’re going to take a little walk. And remember, if you try anything, I’m not going to miss at this range.”

Zach squeezed Shelby’s arm as she started to slide across the seat away from him. She glanced back at him, but couldn’t read his expression in the darkness. “Go on,” he whispered.

She wanted to tell him to run. She would distract Janelle and probably die in the process. But Zach could disappear into the darkness and would have a chance of getting away.

“Come out on this side, Zach,” Janelle said. “I don’t want you out of my sight.”

He maneuvered his big frame awkwardly over the center console of the truck and joined them beside the vehicle. The headlights blinked off and darkness surrounded them. They could use the darkness to their advantage, Shelby thought. If they could get even a few feet away from Janelle, she wouldn’t be able to see well enough to hit them.

And then what? They could try to get help from one of the campers, and possibly involve innocent bystanders in a firefight. They could run, but where? From what she remembered from her visits in the daytime, the area around the campground was a wooded mountainside along the river, full of uneven terrain, fallen trees, loose rock and other hazards. For all her law enforcement training, she had spent most of her career patrolling, interviewing, researching and compiling reports. She didn’t feel prepared for a situation like this.

ZACH’SMINDRACEDthrough all the possibilities in their situation. They were at the very back of the campground, away from most of the campers. In the darkness, he had only noticed a few sites occupied, and at this hour most people would be sleeping. He could hear the murmur of the river to their right. The terrain beyond the campground was rugged woods, scattered boulders and fallen trees from the recent storm ready to trip up anyone trying to flee in the darkness. If they did succeed in breaking free, they would have to run a long way before they got to a place where they could call for help.

They had darkness and numbers in their favor, but the pistol in Janelle’s hand and her determination to use it evened the odds, or put them in her favor. He could try to distract her and allow Shelby to get away. He would probably be wounded or killed. And then what? Janelle would go after Shelby. Shelby was from the city. She didn’t know the terrain around here. He didn’t like her chances alone in this remote area with a killer after her.

He had to keep Janelle talking. As long as she was talking to them, they would still be alive. “Do your uncles know you’re here, doing this for them?” he asked.

“They think I’m back home on the ranch where I belong.” Bitterness colored her words. “When they find out I’ve accomplished what my brothers couldn’t, they’ll see me in a new light.”

Zach eased one step back, moving as soundlessly as possible. Every foot away from her would make it harder for her to see him and easier for him to make a break if he got the chance.

“Come over here closer to me.” She gestured with the pistol. “I don’t trust you. You’re probably thinking you’re a big guy. You could overpower me. But I won’t hesitate to shoot, and I’m a very good shot. There’s not a lot for me to do on the ranch but practice.”

Reluctantly, he did as she asked, moving not only closer to her, but to Shelby. He would do all he could to keep her safe. Keeping the gun aimed at him, she turned to Shelby. “Get some of the police tape that’s around the campsite and tie up Zach,” she said. “Ankles and wrists. And remember, if you try to run or scream or do anything suspicious, he dies.”

Shelby turned toward the road. “How am I going to see what I’m doing?” she asked. “Even with the moon, it’s so dark.”

Janelle shifted and slipped her pack off her back. “Look in there, and you’ll find a flashlight.”

Shelby opened the pack and, after a few seconds, drew out a small flashlight.

“Give it to Zach,” Janelle said. “Zach, you keep the light on her. I’ll keep the gun on you.”

Shelby’s fingers brushed his as she handed him the light. They were ice-cold. Then she moved away, toward the tape strung on the far side of the camp.

The light was small, not heavy enough to use as a club. He trained the beam on Shelby. A powerful blue-tinged glow cut through the blackness. There was another campsite directly across from this one, but it was empty.

Zach shifted his stance and the back of his heel struck something solid. The broken tree. He pictured it in his mind, five inches across and shattered into two pieces. Could he pick up one of the pieces and use it as a club? He thought he could do it. Could he knock Janelle off-balance before she shot him? At this range, one shot could be deadly.

“Do you have a knife or scissors?” Shelby asked, her voice sounding loud in the stillness. “I can’t undo these knots, and this stuff is designed to not tear.”

“Keep working at it,” Janelle called. “I’m not going to hand you anything that could be used as a weapon.”

Keep her talking, Zach thought.Keep her distracted.

Shelby grunted and tugged hard on the tape. “It’s not coming loose,” she called.

“That’s because you’re making the knots tighter,” Janelle said. “If you keep being difficult, I’m just going to go ahead and shoot you.” She was frowning in Shelby’s direction, and though the pistol still pointed at Zach, the barrel had dropped slightly. He swung the light up, aiming for her eyes, the brilliant light blinding her.

Janelle swore and put up a hand to shield her eyes. Zach bent and hefted the log. The gun went off, the bullet striking the log in his hand, the impact forcing him to take a step back to regain his balance. But he recovered quickly and swung the log at Janelle, aiming for her head and shoulders.

The impact of the heavy wood striking flesh and bone shuddered through him. Janelle screamed, and the gun went off again, then she crumpled to the ground. He dropped the log and retrieved the flashlight from the ground.

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