Page 33 of Canyon of Deceit
“Doubtful our vigilance will do any good.” She blinked, and fear met me from those blue-green depths. She had good reason to dread any signs of the part animal, part man. If fright motivated a person to be careful, then I supported it.
The sun slipped into the western sky around six o’clock, and we settled in around the fire. The freeze-dried chicken Alfredo soothed the emptiness in my stomach. I pulled out my paper topographical map to study where we were headed in the morning and compared it to the map on my satellite phone. The contour lines represented points at the same elevation. The closer the lines in elevation, the steeper the climb.
Therese moved closer to me. “Tomorrow we’ll encounter a few challenges. Expect slopes of small loose rock, called scree. Those canbe slippery. We’ll use ropes when necessary. Do you remember the knots from class?”
“How about a review for this old schoolboy?”
She pulled a rope from her gear and moved into instructor mode. “I’ll show you the three basic loops and a couple variations of the hitch knot, which I’m guessing you already know.” Therese chose a nearby pine tree and demonstrated the knot we’d used on the ranch.
“Thanks. What else?”
“I’d sure like to find Alina tomorrow.”
I infused caution into my words. “We can’t stumble onto them or we’re dead. We’ve got to figure out their exact location and surprise them.” I touched her hand. “With two armed kidnappers, we both must be ready to defend the other and protect Alina.”
She lifted her chin. “I’m your partner, and I won’t fail you.”
“Pulling the trigger on a killer is likely a given in our mission.” In the low firelight, her features paled slightly. According to rumors, she’d encountered dangerous situations before. But this one hadpersonalbranded on it. Maybe one day she’d tell me. “I’ll follow your lead on the trail, and I need you to follow mine when we meet up with Chandler.”
“Yes, I agree.”
“A code word or phrase that indicates trouble?” She nodded, and I continued. “Do you have one?”
She tapped her chin. “Scree.” I gave her a thumbs-up, and she heated water.
We stayed in our own thoughts until she stirred instant coffee into two mugs of hot water. “I assume you’re thinking through negotiations,” she said.
“I am. But a fat lot of good it will do talking to a man who prefers to wield violence to words.” I took a long drink of the hot, bitter brew. “We called this fence-coffee on the ranch. The only thing available when riding fence. Tastes like it was brewed over a pile of manure.”
“Ouch. That hurt.” She finished hers and grimaced. “It is bad. What were you thinking while drinking my bad coffee?”
“Chandler’s grandmother is his weak link, unless he’s blaming herfor dying and abandoning him. He faced theft and murder charges to attend her funeral by disguising himself. No one suspected him until he broke down at the graveside service. I’ll use the grandmother angle to test out his reaction. With no family, friends, or pets, it’s difficult to determine his vulnerability.” I lifted a brow to lighten the moment. “But my cowgirl partner’s got my back.”
A faint smile met my gaze. “Have you considered his favorite places to visit? He obviously likes the high desert mountains,” she said. “He’s been spotted in the Alps, the Andes, the Himalayas, and the Rocky Mountains.”
“You’ve kept tabs on him.”
“Blane, my dad told me the best way to overcome an enemy is to walk every step of his journey.”
“Sounds like some of the lessons my dad taught me. Chandler’s motivated by M&M,” I said. “Mountains and money.”
“Not a sweet mix.”
“Is it possible to live weeks at a time up here in a well-hidden place?”
She nodded. “Skills and supplies are the key, and Chandler would find access to both.”
Myriad stars burst onto the scene like lightning bugs on a summer night. “Who tells the first ghost story?”
“Mine are all true.” She added kindling to the fire. “Tell me why you and God aren’t on speaking terms.”
“Why don’t we start our first night on the trail with deep stuff?”
She waved at me to begin. “Texas Rangers have the best stories.”
“All right, partner.” I held up a finger. “I’ll tell my ghost story tonight, then you tell yours tomorrow night.”
“Maybe. Might not be as good as yours. You came from a family of police officers, and Major Montoya’s family adopted you. Anything else shaping the man today?”
