Page 25 of Hunted By the Mountain Man

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and keep her safe. She’s her mother’s and my world.” His words excite foreboding in my gut. I won’t rest easy until I see Brynn again.

ChapterTwelve

BRYNN

Ralph and I arrive at the trailhead to wait for the crew.

“Hey, do you know if there are bathrooms up here?” I ask, opening my car door and getting out.

He follows, stretching. “I sure hope to hell there are or you’re going to finally see me pissing in the woods.”

It’s been a running joke all week. I can’t think of a man more ill-equipped to do the HRT. He doesn’t even like to relieve himself in nature.

I shake my head. “That could bring civilization to an end,” I joke as we walk up the trailhead together until we see the big sign with a map from the forest service and a couple of port-a-potties.

Thankfully, they’re not too gross, although a few wasps are hanging out in the one I use, making my adrenaline rise. Done before Ralph, I peruse the map and local history panels on the park service sign. My eyes fall to the hiker sign-in sheet, flipping back through the pages. I don’t see the crew’s log entry, which isn’t like them.

“What’s wrong?” Ralph asks tensely, emerging from the bathroom.

“I don’t see Steve or Tucker’s entry in the book. They would never be so careless. Neither would Raven or Lydia.”

“Huh,” he says with a frown, running his finger over the entries for the day. “You’re right. They wouldn’t be. I hope I got the trailhead right. Let’s walk up a little ways to ask descending hikers if they saw anyone matching their description.”

The hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and I inhale sharply. Side-eyeing Ralph, foreboding fills me momentarily. He smiles broadly, that goofy expression that has disarmed me and the rest of the crew all week. It doesn’t work this time, though.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

I shrug, struggling to put my feelings into words. “Everything feels spooky since learning of the hikers’ murder. Don’t you think?”

He shivers by way of response before pointing at a group of hikers up the trail a little way. They have two black labs making plenty of noise. “Let’s ask them.”

We walk up to meet them, learning they can’t help. But they send us up the trail a little further, where another party is coming down. A strange uneasiness grips me. I don’t know why, so I stop to snap photos, discreetly texting them to Beau. I can’t explain why.

The next party can’t help, either.

I conclude, “This is a wild goose chase, and it’s starting to get dark.”

“But we can’t leave the crew out here alone,” Ralph counters.

I turn my back toward him, approaching a game trail I spy to the left of the main hiking route.Did they take this by accident?I can’t imagine. “I’m not convinced they’re out here at all,” I reply, an uncharacteristic finality in my voice.

* * *

BEAU

I drive around the Paradise Inn, my stomach freefalling when I don’t see Brynn’s car. I head inside to the counter. “Denise, is Emily around? I need to collect on that favor she owes me.”

“Beau, I’m so glad your’e here. What’s going on with the murdered hikers? Everyone feels on edge here. It’s unbearable.”

“I can’t comment.”

“I just saw the CLEAR Alert come over the news about Ralph Jenkins as a person of interest. You know, he’s been staying here all week. And the redhead with the white 4Runner? God, I hope she’s okay.”

My heart races, my pulse pounding so loudly in my temples, I barely hear my own voice as I ask, “What about a white 4Runner and a redhead?”

Denise lowers her voice to a whisper. “Apparently, Ralph was last seen getting into her car, which isn’t surprising because they’re friends. I mean, do you think Ralph would possibly hurt her? He seems so harmless.”

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