Page 29 of Cry Wolf

The woman sounded empathetic to Dania’s situation. Dania didn’t want to say anything that might change the woman’s mind.

The trucker leaned back in her seat. “With Attorney General Tyler as your father-in-law, prison life must have been pretty tough. Am I right?”

“Yes.” Dania could hardly believe it. Despite the odds, this woman could possibly be an ally.

Another rig sped by them, going in the opposite direction on the two-lane highway.

The woman tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “I’m sorry as I can be, but here’s the thing: if the authorities were to find that I’d given you a ride, they could take away my license.” She geared down, slowing the semi, and pulled to the side of the road. “I won’t lie for you, but I won’t tell on you either. I think it’s best if we part ways right here, right now.”

Dania felt the gun once again in her pocket. There was no way she’d force this woman to let her stay. She opened the passenger door and started to climb out.

“I’ll keep you in my prayers.” The woman didn’t look at her.

“Thank you.” Dania jumped to the ground and closed the door.

The big rig rolled away, leaving Dania alone in the dark.

Stranded, the only thing she could think to do was go back to the gas station and get Brett’s SUV. She needed transportation. Walking wouldn’t get her to her final destination.

Which was... where? Oh man, she’d messed everything up.

Hoping the police had left, she hiked toward the gas station, staying in the gully, off the highway. It would take nearly an hour to cover the distance on foot.

She ducked every time a vehicle passed. She didn’t want to risk getting picked up again and especially by another trucker. The next one might not be as kind as the last if Walter really did have a bounty on her head.

Plus, even though the woman had sounded sincere, she could very well tell the other drivers about Dania or report her. She could do any number of things. Deep down, Dania didn’t think she would, but she might.

Dania really needed to stick to her plan. So far, she had a disguise, and she had a little money, so now she needed to work on a place to hide, where she could concentrate on finding Matthew’s murderer.

The place needed to be close to Bear Claw. But where? Bear Claw wasn’t a big town. Her options were limited. Her father had taught her how to survive off the land, so she could hide in the forest next to town. She could find a cave or something. But staying in the forest would make it hard to track down the killer.

What would help would be to read the police reports on the case. See what they might have missed and what they had already covered. Brett had said he’d looked over what the sheriff had years ago and that he planned to do it again.

If only she could get Brett to help her without turning her in. If only...

He’d be putting his career on the line. He’d be going against everything he’d worked for. And on top of all that, she’d treated him horribly.

Why hadn’t she thought of asking him to join her in the search for Matthew’s killer before cuffing him to a tree? She’d been so focused on getting away that she hadn’t been thinking clearly. Really, she wasn’t used to thinking of Brett as a friend. For years, she’d avoided him because of what his father had done. The cruel twist of fate that had put her in this situation now had her thinking of Brett differently.

She’d never seen the vulnerable side of him before today. The way he’d talked about his grandmother and the love Dania had heard in his voice for the woman spoke volumes about his character. In the past, Dania had been too overwhelmed with the loss of her mother to see the real person Brett had become. He wasn’t his father. Brett had lived his life trying his best to be a good guy.

Good guy.Matthew had called him that. And she herself had called him that when he’d taken Jasper. After all this time, Brett seemed to genuinely care about her and finding justice for Matthew. She’d had no idea that he’d tried to investigate her case. And from what he’d told her, he’d done as good a job as he possibly could, given his circumstances. He’d already gone above and beyond in his efforts. Would it be fair to ask more of him?

Fair or not, she had to succeed and find the vile man who had taken Matthew’s life. Brett’s help was her only option. He was a grown man and would know the risk he’d be taking, but she had to try.

She quickened her step. She had to reach the Quick Mart, get his Pathfinder, and return to where she’d left him with the hope that nothing had happened to him or Jasper.

Drawing closer to the store, she crouched down. Two more highway patrol cars were parked out front. Great. Now there were more of them. That was all she needed. Fortunately, she’d left the SUV with the semitrucks in the back.

Staying low, she hurried toward the rear parking lot. A couple of truckers stood outside their rigs, having a smoke and shooting the breeze. Tidbits of their conversation drifted to her. One had been on the road nearly a week. The other was anxious to get home to his family. She hid behind a scrub brush on the other side of a barbed-wire fence around the area to wait until they went inside.

She glanced up at the sky. Even with the store’s bright lights, the heavens were filled with a curtain of twinkling stars. It had to be near three in the morning.

A dog barked and growled, and then a black Labrador raced toward her.

His master chased after him. “Get back here!” the surly man yelled. “I don’t have time for you to chase no squirrels or coyotes.”

The dog looked back at his master but stood his ground just on the other side of the fence, barking in Dania’s direction. For some reason, the animal didn’t charge through the wire. Maybe he’d gotten tangled in fencing like this before. Whatever the reason, she was grateful and held very still.

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