Page 21 of Canyon Killer
Aaron narrowed his eyes, as if weighing the truth of Ian’s statement. “You saw all that in her?”
“She volunteers with search and rescue. That takes courage. Dedication. Hard work. I saw her in action when that protester was hurt. She’s respected by the other team members.”
“She shocked us all when she moved down here and joined search and rescue.”
“Maybe because you only saw her as your little sister. But she’s not so little anymore.”
“That’s what worries me,” Aaron said. “She’s still naive about a lot of things. She’s not used to high rollers like you.”
Ian laughed. “I’m not a high roller. I’m just a rock jock.”
“You drive a Porsche. That’s a high roller in my book.”
“I drive a Jeep now.”
“I don’t want to see my sister hurt. I think she might be a bit infatuated with you. That could end badly.”
The words reverberated through him, as if he’d hit his elbow on a jagged rock. He resisted the urge to ask for details—what did Aaron mean byinfatuated? Had Bethany said anything about him? What did she think of him? Instead, he kept his voice neutral. “I’m not going to hurt her. It was a legitimate job offer.”
“And if she turned you down?” Aaron asked.
“I like to think we’ll still be friends.”
Aaron didn’t comment, but he didn’t seem as hostile as he had before. “Call us if you find any more bodies,” he said after a pause.
The comment surprised a laugh. “I hope not.”
Aaron cracked a smile. “Me, too.”
Ian followed him outside. “Will you continue to investigate Abby and Gerald’s murders?” he asked.
“We’ll do what we can, but with so little to go on, it won’t be a priority.”
“That’s understandable, I guess.” He looked up at the caves. “Still, it would be good to know what happened to the—”
The crack of a rifle cut off his last word. The window behind them shattered.
“Get down!” Aaron shouted and dove for the SUV.
Bethany guided herSubaru around a deep pothole on the road to Humboldt Canyon. She hadn’t called to let Ian know she was coming. She hadn’t even been sure about it herself until she had turned onto this road. She still didn’t know what to tell him regarding his job offer, but she wanted to talk to him. Maybe they could laugh over her parents’ reaction to the news that someone had offered her a new job.
She braked to avoid hitting a rabbit that raced across the road in front of her—a snowshoe hare—big white feet standing out from its summer-brown body. She was about to speed up again when a pickup truck shot from a narrow side road she hadn’t noticed before. The truck skidded in front of her, fishtailing wildly before the driver regained control and rocketed past her.
Some people, she thought and continued cautiously toward the canyon.
Her mood didn’t improve when she pulled up to Ian’s trailer and saw a black-and-white sheriff’s department SUV parked next to Ian’s Jeep. She pulled in beside it and looked around but saw no one. Maybe Ian was inside with the sheriff’s deputy. She started to open the car door to get out.
“Bethany, get down!”
Aaron’s voice cracked with anger, but she heard the fear behind his words. He peeked out from behind the SUV.
She stared at him, confused. “What?”
“Get your head down. Someone just shot at us from the cliff.”
She ducked her head below the level of the door but turned to look up toward the cliffs. All was still. Then she carefully eased open the driver’s door. “Where’s Ian?” she asked.
“I’m under the Jeep,” he said.
