Page 58 of Deadly Target (Rocky Mountain Courage 2)

TWENTY-FOUR

Muscles tensing, Nathan kept his gun ready but hidden from plain sight as he cautiously treaded the walkway through the cemetery, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. Their shadow could have followed them and was intending to cause harm.

He struggled to comprehend he was even in this scenario. How had he let things go this far? Had his need to know the truth and find his father’s shooter clouded his judgment?

Lord, forgive my stubbornness.

While he continued to pray with his heart, his mind focused on his surroundings. He hoped he wasn’t walking into a trap. At least Erin was waiting in the car and could escape and call for help if needed. He’d spotted a couple walking among the gravestones, but they finally exited where he’d entered, leaving the cemetery empty now, as far as he could tell.

He found an old elm tree to lean against, where he waited and watched. He was here at the meeting place a minute early. Why would someone choose this cemetery—or any cemetery, really—to meet, when information could be delivered in so many different ways?

Minutes ticked by and still, no one else was around. Just him ... and ... the night creatures. The sun had set and dusk was falling.

He watched for the man he’d chased two blocks away from Dad’s house. Crickets chirped. A bat flitted, chasing after bugs that were drawn by the streetlamps flickering on. Was this the way Dad would have handled it? Nathan hated that he constantly second-guessed himself lately, but this scenario was like nothing he’d ever experienced.

Dad responded to his investigation by showing up in Big Rapids. Nathan might have done better to wait there to see what clues floated to the top. But he’d been impatient and driven insane with the need to know who shot his father—who his father was running from. He was some kind of idiot to come here. This was a mistake. He would find Erin and get out of here. Nathan pushed from the tree and headed back the way he’d come.

Before he stepped from the shadow of the elm tree, he heard soft footfalls along the path. He waited until the source of the sound came into view. A tall, slender woman strolled as if she were walking along the boardwalk by the sea at sunset. He remained in the shadows and wouldn’t draw her attention but prepared for anything. Something about her demeanor struck him as odd—then he realized that her wary eyes searched the cemetery as she walked.

“You’re at the wrong grave,” she said as she walked past the elm.

Nathan stepped from the shadows onto the sidewalk behind her. He remained standing in place as she continued forward.

“Excuse me?” His palms slicked with sweat.

Without a reply, she continued forward and away from him, strolling nonchalantly up the path that weaved between gravestones. He reconsidered moving back against the tree to wait for the man who’d arranged the meeting, but he was done waiting. He and Erin were getting out of here. Whoever had left the message could find another way to contact Nathan if he truly had something important to share. They had the crime board, after all, so their trip here wasn’t a complete loss.

The woman moved between the gravestones and onto the grass. A breeze shook the leaves. Dusk made it seem much later beneath the canopy of the old elms. Nathan took one last glance at her before heading back to Erin. The woman stopped at one particular gravestone and lifted a hand to Nathan, waving him over.

What in the world? He didn’t have time for conversations with a stranger.

A sound to his left drew him around.

Erin rushed up to him.

“I asked you to stay in the car,” he whispered.

“I was getting worried. Sorry. Besides, I didn’t see anyone lying in wait for you, so I figured it was safe. But looks like he didn’t show.” She shivered and hugged herself. Where was the gun he’d given her?

“No one’s here, so we’re leaving. I was just heading to get you, in fact.”

“No one’s here except that lady waving us over,” she said. “Why don’t we see what she wants?”

“I don’t want to stay here one moment longer. If we were going to stay, then we’d wait for the man I chased.”

“I think we need to talk to her. Maybe the man was just a delivery boy.” Erin stared at the woman, who had stopped waving.

“What? You think she’s who we came to meet?”

“We won’t know until we talk to her.” She tugged him across the walkway and down across the grassy knoll to where the woman stood.

“Thanks for coming,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if you would show up, and then I wasn’t sure if you were going to figure out that I left you the message.”

Nathan subtly shook his head. “I thought—”

“You thought what? That I would show my face at your father’s house? Of course not. That’s why I sent a messenger.”

“But how did you know I would be there, or even who I am?” Nathan asked the questions but remained fully aware of his surroundings. Even though they spoke in low tones, their voices seemed to echo off the gravestones and trees, reverberating across the cemetery.

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