Page 44 of Rain Washed

“So you can get to Lake Windemere straight from Barn Bluff?” Nico asked. They should probably know this, and Nico was showing his lack of knowledge by asking the question. But this was important, because it meant the group might not be coming back this way after all.

“Yes, you can.” Mila had removed her backpack—much larger than the ones she and Nico were carrying—and placed it on the table. But Lacey didn’t miss the look Mila shot Griff as she eased her shoulders and turned around.

“Shit,” Nico swore. “We’d better get going if we’re going to catch them. Thanks for your help.”

He was already three strides away, turning to see if Lacey was following him, when Griff said, “You might want to keep your eyes open for the other lady we saw up there. She looked a bit lost.”

“What?” Nico stopped so sharply, Lacey nearly ran into the back of him. “What woman?”

Griff’s eyes narrowed slightly. “She was in the trees a few hundred yards off the trail. It was Mila who saw her, I missed her completely. We thought she was with the group and they might’ve left her behind, so she was cutting cross country to catch up. We called out to her, to tell her which way they went. But she completely ignored us.” Griff shrugged his impressive shoulders. “She was so far away, there wasn’t a lot we could do. And people often go off track up here.” This time instead of shrugging, he studied both Lacey and Nico carefully.

Could this woman possibly be Sandra? The coincidence was too much for it not to be, Lacey decided.

Lacey stared at Nico, trying to communicate without words. What should they do? Try and find the woman? Or just careen up the track as fast as they could.

“What’s going on?” Griff asked suddenly, widening his stance, spreading his legs and adopting an intimidating attitude. “There’s something you’re not telling us.”

“Nothing,” Lacey said, at the same time as Nico said, “None of your business, sir.”

The two men stood in a sort of Mexican standoff for immeasurable moments eyeballing each other. Shit. What should she do?

In the end, it was Mila who ended the deadlock. “Let me introduce myself formally,” she said, stepping in between the two men. “Sergeant Camila Whiteaker. I work for theelite police drug task force at Waverley Station in Sydney. Sorry I’m not currently carrying any identification, but you’re welcome to call my superintendent if you’d like to confirm.”

Lacey took a surprised step backward.

“And I’m Griffin Porter, ex-SAS and consultant to the NSW Police Force,” Griff said, his gaze never leaving Nico’s.

So, she’d been right in her assessment of them after all.

“I’m wondering if we can be of service to…whatever you’ve got going on here,” Griff continued.

“If you need any help, we’re both highly qualified,” Mila added when Nico continued to hesitate. Lacey wondered what he would do. Of course, she’d play along with whatever move he chose to make. It wasn’t her place to make these kinds of decisions. But something shouted at her that they could trust these people.

Nico removed his cap and ran an agitated hand through his hair, tugging strands loose from his man bun. Finally, he said, “Are we that obvious?”

“Probably not to a civilian,” Mila said, not unkindly. “But to us, yes.” She lifted one eyebrow as if it was a no-brainer. “That weapon you have hidden under your shirt is a dead giveaway,” she added.

Wow, Lacey was impressed by their powers of observation. She knew Nico was carrying, but she thought he’d done a good job at keeping it well hidden from everyone else. Her own service weapon was tucked away in an easy-to-reach side pocket of her backpack. It’d give away her undercover persona in a second if she wore it around her waist like she normally did.

“It couldn’t hurt to have backup,” Lacey said softly. “They may have just confirmed Sandra is hot on Teresa’s heels. And now Teresa’s changed her plans, we really don’t know what we’re up against.” Lacey glanced toward Barn Bluff, staring at the soaring rocky peaks and long drop-offs.

“I need to call this in,” Nico said eventually.

“Can you do it while we’re walking?” Lacey asked, a sense of urgency filling her when she thought about how far ahead Sandra and Teresa were now. If Griff and Mila had passed them in the foothills as they were coming down, then the group must surely be at the top by now. She squinted her eyes and tried to see if there were any visible figures at the peak. But it was too hard to tell.

“Here.” Griff passed her a pair of binoculars he must’ve had stashed in the top of his backpack.

Before she even had a chance to use them, Nico said, “Let’s go.” He pointed toward the edge of the clearing and the forest beyond. “Would you mind following us while I confirm a few things with HQ?” he asked the couple over his shoulder. “I’m sure you appreciate I can’t reveal too many details, but yes, your help would be appreciated.”

“Sure thing,” Mila seemed to answer for the both of them, stashing her backpack under the table, Griff following suit, and then all four of them began to stride along the boardwalk, which was only wide enough for one person now, two planks running parallel, leading to the pimple-shaped monolith. Soon, they were all jogging in single file, with one objective on all of their minds.

CHAPTER TWENTY

NICO’S LUNGS WERE burning, but he kept pushing forward, forcing one leg in front of the other, up the steep slope. He was going as fast as was humanly possible; they had to get to the top before it was too late. Griff and Mila had no trouble keeping up with his pace, and they’d already climbed this mountain once today. Lacey seemed to have no trouble either, with her long legs taking each step easily on the rocky path. To top it all off, a light rain was starting to fall. It looked as if the weather also had a mind of its own and was coming in faster and harder than anyone predicted. Even though it was only an hour past midday, the sky was dark and heavy with clouds making it appear much later. The wind had also increased, whipping the leaves into a frenzy as they’d passed through the last of the forest. Now they were on the barren scree slopes where practically nothing grew, they were being buffeted by the wind from all angles; it was hard to keep his footing as they hopped from rock to rock.

He looked up toward the soaring rocky outcrops above. It was still a long way up. Then he turned his gaze to the vista spread out below. He could imagine on a clear day this would be spectacular. But now, with the low clouds and rain, it was hard to tell where the plateau rose up to become a mountain as it was all draped in a layer of misty clouds. Lake Will was still visible below and it looked bigger from up here.

The rain started to come down in heavy sheets now, blowing into their faces by the wind. But they had no time to stop to put on their rain jackets. Every second was precious. There’d been no sign of either the group of hikers or Sandra. Was Sandra still staying off the trail in an attempt to keep herself hidden? If she was, did that reduce her speed, or would she perhaps find a faster way up the mountain?

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