Mountain Peril
Sandra Robbins
According to an anonymous message, a young woman is going to be murdered in the North Carolina mountains. When a body is found, Danielle Tyler is shocked to learn it's her student–the third person in her life to meet an untimely death.Is she next? From disturbing notes and roses left in her office to cold-blooded murder, someone means deadly business. Detective Jack Denton–the stalwart lawman who makes her pulse race–vows to find the deranged madman, but Danielle doesn't dare let him too close. Especially when death seems to be the destiny of anyone she cares about…
Something horrible had happened in the wilderness.
Danielle ran to Jack before he’d reached the end of the trail. “Tell me what you found.”
The dim light accented the sadness in his eyes. “We found Tricia’s body.”
“W-w-was it like the Web site?”
He took her arm and guided her across the parking lot. Then he slumped against the side of the car and rubbed his hands over his eyes. “It was horrible.”
Danielle’s concern for Jack overshadowed her grief for Tricia. Nothing she could do would help the young woman, but Jack needed someone to care about him.
She stared up into his face. “I know what you’re feeling. I’ve been there.”
The hard lines of his face softened. “I still can’t believe what some people are capable of doing.”
“You’re a man who doesn’t share his feelings, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any. I can tell you’re strong, and you’ll be able to do your job.”
He straightened. “Thanks. I’m glad I brought you with me tonight.”
SANDRA ROBBINS,
a native West Tennessean, is a former teacher and principal in the Tennessee public schools. She now writes full-time and is an adjunct college professor. She is married and has four children and five grandchildren.
Her fascination with mystery and suspense can be traced to all the Nancy Drew books she read as a child. She hopes her stories will entice readers to keep turning the pages until wrongs have been righted and romance has blossomed in her characters’ lives.
It is her prayer that God will use her words to plant seeds of hope in the lives of her readers. Her greatest desire is that many will come to know the peace she draws from her life verse Isaiah 40:31—But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
To find out more about Sandra and her books, go to her Web site at www.sandrarobbins.net.
Mountain Peril
Sandra Robbins
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
You are forgiving and good, O Lord,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
—Psalms 86:5
To my dear husband who has encouraged me in my writing journey. Without his love and support this book wouldn’t have been possible.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
ONE
The Webster Falls Sheriff’s Department Asks for Help in Apprehending a Killer.
The flashing words, accompanied by the steady drone of a drumbeat and the eerie sound of distant guitars, hovered above a picture that sent chills down Danielle Tyler’s back. She leaned closer to the computer screen and stared spellbound at the scene below the words. As Dean of Students at Webster University, she was familiar with some of the Web sites her students frequented, but she’d never seen anything like this.
A young girl lay on her back, her dark hair fanned out on a pillow of mountain foliage underneath. Red-tinged leaves littered her blood-drenched clothes. Her open eyes stared upward as if offering a silent plea for release from pain.
Danielle closed her eyes for a moment to shut out the grisly scene of the girl she knew so well and reopened them to stare at Detective Jack Denton from the Webster Falls Sheriff’s Department sitting across from her desk. “H-how did you find this horrible site?”
He opened the notebook he held and glanced at a page. “A man named Harrison Coleman from Marietta, Georgia, called our department this morning. He said his son who attends Georgia Tech said the Web site has become the main topic of conversation on the campus. When I pulled it up, I was surprised at what I saw.”
Danielle crossed her arms and hugged herself to suppress the icy feeling flowing through her body. “It’s given me quite a shock, too.”
“I can understand. I intended to take this to the university’s president, but when I arrived, his secretary told me he was in Asheville today. She suggested I bring it to you.”
Danielle nodded. “Dr. Newman will be back tomorrow. In the meantime, how can I help you?”
The muscle in the detective’s jaw twitched. “The Web site claims the girl on there is a Webster student and has been murdered.” He paused before he continued. “Our department doesn’t know anything about a murder, but we’re concerned that the scene is identical to the murder ten years ago of Jennifer McCaslin who was a student here.”
Danielle took a deep breath. “I realized that when I saw the picture.”
A frown creased his forehead. “Did you know Jennifer McCaslin?”
Danielle sank back in her chair. “We were roommates. She was murdered our senior year at Webster.” She pointed to the screen. “But this girl’s not Jennifer.”
“No, I realized that. I looked at a picture from Jennifer McCaslin’s cold case file. We don’t know who the girl on the Web site is.”
Danielle gritted her teeth. “She’s Tricia Peterson, a student here at Webster. But I saw her on campus this morning and she was fine. She was only a child when Jennifer was killed. How would she even know about the murder?”
“I don’t know.”
Danielle glanced back at the screen. “This doesn’t make any sense.”
“We know that, but we wanted to see if anyone can give us information. From what my caller told me this morning, this Web site is causing panic on college campuses. Not to mention the fact that it doesn’t look good that a sheriff’s office is advertising for help in catching a killer.”
Danielle frowned. “But why are students frightened by this obvious prank?”
He nodded toward the computer. “Why don’t you read what it says next?”
Danielle turned back to the computer and read the lines printed underneath the flashing heading.
The Webster Falls, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Department asks for your help in the apprehension of Damien Carter, the chief suspect in the murder of Lila Barrett. The victim, a student at Webster University, was found on a Smoky Mountain trail outside of Webster Falls in September. Carter, also a student at the school, disappeared soon after the discovery of the body. Various sightings of the fugitive have been reported, but so far he has eluded capture.
Danielle shook her head and frowned. “We don’t have a Lila Barrett or a Damien Carter enrolled at Webster.”
Detective Denton nodded. “I know. When I went to the president’s office, his secretary told me.”
Acquaintances of the suspect report the young man had become obsessed with murders on college campuses and had often threatened to wage his own rampage across the country. Having been blackballed by a fraternity, he harbors animosity against anyone belonging to a Greek organization. Students enrolled in institutions of higher learning are warned to be on the lookout for this suspected killer. If he is seen, notify the Webster Falls, North Carolina, Sheriff’s Department at once.
Danielle leaned back in her chair and pointed to the screen. “I can’t believe this. Who would construct such a Web site?”
Detective Denton glanced down at the notebook. “Actually we know. Our tech guys traced the Internet Service Provider and found out the Web site owner is Flynn Carter.”
Danielle sprang from her chair. “Flynn?” she screeched. “He’s my work study student and Tricia’s boyfriend. Why would he do this?”
“That’s what I need to find out. Can you get Carter in here?”
She reached for the phone, but her hands shook so that it slipped from her fingers. Clutching it with both hands, she brought it to her ear. “Betty, would you find out what class Flynn Carter is in and get him to my office right away?” After hanging up, she glanced at the detective. “Is there anything else?”
Detective Denton nodded. “There are pages of forensics information, a picture of the victim and killer together before the murder. There’s even a page with pictures of the suspected killer at places all across the country—Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, a museum in Oklahoma City, Graceland. It says these photos were sent to the department by tourists who just happened to catch him in their family vacation pictures.”
Danielle clicked on the page with the photographs and gasped. “That’s Flynn in those pictures.”
“That’s what I suspected,” Detective Denton said.
She started to speak, but Flynn shuffled into the room. Wearing faded jeans with blown-out holes and a muscle-fitted, sueded cotton shirt, he looked like any other Webster student, not the designer of a gruesome Web site. His bleached hair tumbled over his forehead, and he glanced from one to the other, before he settled a deadpan expression on Danielle. “You sent for me, Dr. Tyler?”
She nodded in Detective Denton’s direction. “This is Detective Jack Denton, an investigator with the sheriff’s office. He’d like to ask you some questions.”
A crimson flush spread across his face and forehead. “What about?”
Danielle sucked in her breath and frowned. She opened her mouth, but Detective Denton interrupted her. “I’m here investigating a complaint I had today and need to ask you a few questions.”
Flynn tensed. “Fire away.”
“Are you responsible for the Web site that claims to document the murder of a Webster student?”
Flynn’s body relaxed, and a smirk crossed his face. “Yeah.”
The detective’s mouth thinned into a straight line. “Can you explain what made you construct such a site?”
Flynn chuckled. “What’s the big deal? It was just a joke. You know, shake some fraternity and sorority kids up a little.”
Anger flashed on Jack Denton’s face, and he advanced on Flynn. “I don’t consider it a joke when our department gets calls from parents in other parts of the country who have kids scared to venture out on their college campuses.”
Flynn glanced at Danielle. “You mean they thought it was real?”
The frown on Detective Denton’s forehead deepened. “Yeah. There’s no telling what harm your little prank has caused. With all the crazy people out there, all it would take would be for one to see your site and decide to copy the murder.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. Nobody would do that.”
Detective Denton jabbed his finger at Flynn’s chest. “Look, Mr. Smart Guy, if you could see all the information that comes across my desk about copycat crimes, you’d have thought twice before you put up that Web site.”
Flynn gritted his teeth. “I can’t help it if there are crazy people out there. It has nothing to do with me or my Web site.”
“Well, just to make sure, our department wants you to take it down.”
Flynn shook his head. “You can’t make me do that. My dad’s a lawyer, and he’s taught me all about my rights. I haven’t broken any laws, and you know it.”
“That remains to be seen.”
Flynn started to respond, but Danielle interrupted him. “I suggest you do as the detective tells you, Flynn, before your enrollment at this university is affected.”
Flynn’s eyes widened. “Dr. Newman wouldn’t kick me out, would he?”
Danielle nodded. “You involved the university when you depicted the murder scene of a former student. Since that case has never been solved, you used information from an ongoing investigation.” She paused and took a breath. “And I might add that in all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you act as disrespectful as you have today. Now unless the detective has more questions, I want you to leave.”
Detective Denton held up his hand. “I do have one more question. What about the pictures on the Web site of you at different spots across the country? How did you pull that off?”
Flynn pulled his attention away from Danielle and faced the detective. “That was really cool, wasn’t it?” A laugh rumbled in his throat. “A friend and I drove from California when we came back to school. We stopped at tourist attractions along the way. We’d spot a family group. I’d walk over close to them, and my friend would snap the picture. I posted them and said they were pictures sent from people who caught a killer by mistake on their vacation photos.”
“Humph!” The snort reflected the disgust on Jack Denton’s face. “That’s all the questions I have at this time. I’ll be talking to you later, though.”
Flynn glanced from one to another before he whirled and stormed toward the door. When he’d left, Danielle turned back to the detective. “I want to apologize for Flynn’s behavior.”
Detective Denton closed his notebook and smiled. “I’m used to it. That’s one of the hazards of police work.”
Danielle walked around her desk and stuck out her hand. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention.” He grasped her hand, and his touch warmed her cool skin. She pulled away and flexed her fingers. “What will you do next?”
He glanced at his watch. “I’ll talk to the district attorney. See if we have legal grounds for making Carter take the site down.”
“Will you do that today?”
“I don’t know. I’m expected in court to testify in a case. I have no idea how long I’ll be there, but I’ll get back in touch as soon as I know anything.”
“Thank you. Do you think you can charge him with anything?”
He shrugged. “I doubt it. He really hasn’t broken any laws. I suppose his dad could say he was just exercising his right to free speech.”
She clenched her fists. “Well, his right to free speech has brought back one of the most horrible times in my life.”
He said nothing for a moment, and she saw a flicker of sympathy in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Dr. Tyler. We’ll do everything we can to get this matter resolved.”
“I appreciate that.”
As he walked out the door, Danielle thought about the surprising turn her morning had taken. As much as she had tried, for the past ten years, she hadn’t been able to put Jennifer’s death from her mind, and now it had returned to haunt her even more.
She crossed her arms and hugged herself. Jennifer’s murder made no sense when it happened, and ten years later it still didn’t. The police had never found any motive for the murder, and they had eventually abandoned it to the cold-case files.
Maybe Flynn’s Web site would provide a reason for them to study the murder again. Detective Denton hadn’t given any indication the department was willing to reopen the investigation, but something about his demeanor gave her the idea he was a dogged investigator. Maybe he would be the person who would finally shed some light on the nightmare she’d lived with for ten years.
Danielle walked to the door, stepped into the hallway and gazed at the retreating figure of Jack Denton. Just before he reached the foyer, he turned his head and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes widened as if surprised to see her standing there. For a moment their gazes locked before he turned away and disappeared through the front door.
There was something about the handsome detective that intrigued her. Perhaps it was that momentary flash of sympathy for her feelings she saw in his eyes. Then again, she might be imagining his concern. After all, he knew nothing about her or the devastating events in her life that started with the discovery of Jennifer’s body on the mountain trail.
Days went by when she wouldn’t think about what had happened. Then something would remind her. Old wounds would be laid bare, and those things best forgotten would resurface. All she could do was pray that she would survive again as she had done so many times before.
Jack Denton climbed into his car and sat there taking in the Webster University campus. The stately, brick buildings surrounded by manicured lawns and ringed by the Appalachians in the background provided a picture of wealth, affluence and privilege, not anything like the small state college he’d attended.
He stared at the Administration Building, which he’d just left. The structure was really a mansion that sat in the middle of a bustling campus. The information he’d read said it had been home to generations of the Webster family before Thaddeus Webster, at the end of World War I, established a university on the property. Today the mansion housed staff offices and classrooms.
The more modern buildings that bordered a rectangular grassy area across the back of the campus looked slightly out of place in the shadow of the main house. He’d read that the newest structure, the Nathan Webster Pavilion for concerts and recitals, had been completed a year before.
Students hurried from one building to another on their way to class. He thought of Danielle Tyler and wondered why she’d returned to work at Webster after going through the trauma of her roommate’s death.
Her sea-green eyes had held a sparkle until she saw the site, and he’d been disappointed to see it disappear. He could smell the perfume she wore, and the familiar scent reminded him of another woman from what seemed like another lifetime ago. He grunted in disgust, turned the ignition and punched the play button on the car’s CD player.
The music of Jade Dragon, the hottest rock band in history, filled the interior. They’d been his favorite band since his teenage years. Whenever the past threatened to intrude, he could always depend on them to distract his thoughts.
For some reason it didn’t seem to work today. Jack sighed and glanced toward the building. In another time of his life, he would have made it his business to find out all he could about the woman with the tantalizing eyes. That person had vanished, though, and had left a shell of a man who was incapable of caring for anyone. There was no time to think about a woman he’d probably never see again. He had a job to do.
He had come to Webster Falls hoping he could find peace in the small mountain community. Instead, he’d encountered a town with an unsolved murder and a Web site depicting a gruesome reenactment of that crime. It was enough to raise the concern of any law enforcement officer.
Was there some evil force that resided in the mountains around Webster Falls? If so, perhaps there were other secrets waiting to be discovered.
TWO
The sun was beginning its descent into the west when Jack walked out of the courthouse. The trial had taken up most of the day. He’d have to talk to the district attorney tomorrow before he went back to see Flynn Carter.
The name of the Webster student brought to mind the woman he’d met earlier in the day. Throughout the day, he’d thought about her from time to time. He gritted his teeth and shook his head. It was ridiculous to dwell on a fleeting encounter. For all he knew she had a husband and children at home.
The idea of home with its frozen meals waiting to be defrosted and the makeshift dinner table in front of the television filled him with sadness. He hated the thought of going to the small apartment tonight and repeating his routine. A stop at the Mountain Mug, home of the best cup of coffee in Webster Falls, could delay that for a little while.
Fifteen minutes later, he stepped up to the counter at the Mountain Mug and ordered a large cup of the dark Colombian coffee he’d come to enjoy. He glanced around the crowded room for an empty table. Most of them were taken by young people engrossed in their computers.
His traveling gaze came to an abrupt stop at the sight of Danielle Tyler, wearing jeans and a Webster sweatshirt, seated toward the back of the room. Her dark hair, pulled up in a ponytail, revealed the earphones of an iPod strapped to her arm. From time to time her head bobbed at the music only she could hear. She stared at the screen of her laptop and sipped from a large mug.
Realizing he was blocking the exit of customers with their orders, he took a step to his left and collided with a man who’d just left the counter. The coffee in his mug sloshed over the sides and onto the floor.
“Watch out.” The man’s voice rose over the din in the shop.
Convinced everyone in the room had turned to stare, Jack grabbed a napkin from the counter and stooped to wipe up the spot at his feet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”
“No harm done.” The man gave a quick nod and headed toward a woman seated at a table by the door.
As Jack rose from his squatting position, Danielle looked up. Her lips parted in a smile, and she pulled the earphones out. She looked around at the filled tables and motioned to him. “Detective Denton, come join me.”
He started to decline, but there were still no unoccupied tables. Taking a deep breath, he ambled forward and slipped into the offered chair. He set his cup on the table and tried to smile. “I didn’t expect to run into you.” He nodded toward the iPod. “What are you listening to?”
A smile pulled at her lips. “My favorite rock group, Jade Dragon.”
A chuckle rattled in his throat. “It looks like we have something in common. They’ve been my favorite band since I was a kid.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners, just as they had done earlier today. Then she smiled again, and he suddenly felt at ease. “I’m glad to hear you say that. They’re my parents.”
The cup almost slipped from his fingers. “You’re kidding. Kenny and Mary Tyler are your parents?” He laughed and shook his head. “I can’t believe it. I think I have all their CDs.”
“So do I.” Danielle cleared her throat and straightened in her chair. “But tell me, did you get a chance to talk to the D.A.?”
“No, I didn’t get out of court until about fifteen minutes ago. I’ll see him tomorrow.”
“Good.” She leaned over and propped her elbows on the table. “Dr. Newman didn’t get back from Asheville today, but I e-mailed him and Mr. Webster about the site.”
“Who’s Mr. Webster?”
“He’s the chairman of the board. His great-grandfather founded Webster University—gave the land and built the first buildings. Their family has been involved with the school ever since. Nathan is very committed to the school’s success. I’m afraid he’s going to be upset when he sees the Web site.”
“I don’t blame him. It’s not good publicity for a school.”
“No, it’s not.” She picked up her cup and peered at him over the rim. “I’ve never seen you in here before, Detective Denton. Do you come often?”
“Several times a week, Dr. Tyler.”
She laughed, and the sound tinkled like tiny bells. “Please call me Danielle. I have trouble thinking of myself as anything but a girl who grew up watching her parents perform at rock concerts all across the country.”
He crossed his arms on the table, and his mouth crooked into a half smile. “Call me Jack. I’m just a soldier turned deputy sheriff.”
She twisted in her seat and pulled one leg up under her. Her head tilted, and her eyes grew large. “Soldier? What did you do?”
“I was in Special Forces. After I got out, I looked for a nice, quiet town and ended up in Webster Falls. It’s close to home. My mother lives in Asheville.”
She scooted her computer to the side and clasped her hands on the tabletop. “My parents live in Atlanta now. I see them several times a year. It must be nice to live so close you can visit your mother whenever you want.”
He averted his gaze and took a sip from his cup. “Yeah. I try to go at least once a month.” They sat silent for a few moments. Then he reached for her cup. “Want a refill?”
Her ponytail bobbed up and down as she nodded. “That would be great.”
Jack rose and walked away from the table. What was he doing sitting with this woman? He’d talked with her more since he’d walked in the door than he had with any woman in the past three years.
He stopped at the counter and glanced back at Danielle. She smiled at him, and he forced his lips to respond. He should leave. He didn’t need any complications in his life, and something told him she could be just that.
The day had produced more surprises than Danielle had experienced in a long time. The last thing she would have expected was to be sitting drinking coffee with Jack Denton. She had to admit, though, there was something about the quiet detective that intrigued her.
“Tell me, Jack…” she began but stopped.
He swallowed the coffee in his mouth and set the cup back on the table. “What?”
“I started to ask you about your family, but I don’t want you to think I’m prying.”
“No, it’s okay.” His eyes clouded, and his forehead creased into a small frown. “My mother is my only family. She has Alzheimer’s and is in a nursing home in Asheville. That’s why I go once a month.”
A pang of regret pierced her heart. “I’m sorry, Jack. That must be very painful for you.”
Jack nodded. “It is.” He cleared his throat and glanced at her. “But what about you? I’m sitting here with you, and for all I know you may have a boyfriend, or even be married.”
Another memory she struggled to suppress drifted into her mind. As she’d done so often in the past, she tried to shake it from her head. “No, there’s not a man in my life. There was one when I was in Chapel Hill attending graduate school, but he died.”
Jack leaned forward. “Oh, I’m sorry. What happened?”
Danielle swallowed before answering. “He was killed during a robbery of his apartment.”
“That’s terrible. Did the police catch the killer?’
Danielle shook her head. “No. They said there had been an increase in robberies in that area. They decided he must have walked in on a burglary in progress.”
Sympathy shone in Jack’s eyes. “Then I guess we have something besides Jade Dragon in common. My wife died in a car crash with another man while I was away on special assignment with the army.”
Danielle sucked in her breath. “Oh, Jack. I’m so sorry.”
Surprise flashed across his face. “I can’t believe I said that. You’re the first person I’ve told that to since I came to Webster Falls, and I’ve only known you one day.”
She smiled. “Then maybe this means we’re going to be friends.”
“Maybe so, but I have to warn you. I don’t make friends easily.” He leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table. “The way you talk, it seems you’ve been able to accept what happened in your life. How have you been able to do that?”
Danielle tilted her head and arched her eyebrows. “Oh, I have times when I feel overwhelmed. Two of the people I’ve loved most in my life, Jennifer and my fiancé, both died, but my faith got me through the bad times. So I try to remember that my life isn’t over and God still has plans for me.”
Jack cocked an eyebrow. “Faith, huh? Glad it works for you.”
His stony expression relayed his skepticism. Danielle shifted in her chair and debated what to say. “It can work for anybody, Jack.”
He sighed and pushed back from the table. “Not me.” He glanced past her toward the door, and his eyes widened in surprise. “Flynn Carter just walked in, and I recognize the girl with him from the Web site.”
Danielle stared in the direction he was looking. She hadn’t seen Flynn since early this morning, but his arrival reminded her of his behavior then. “He seems a lot happier now than when he was in my office. I wonder if he’s told Tricia about our meeting.”
Jack shrugged. “They don’t seem to be too concerned, do they?”
Danielle sighed and shook her head. “One thing I’ve found out about working with college students is they don’t tend to get too upset about anything but what’s happening at that minute.” She glanced at Jack. “Don’t get me wrong. We have some great kids at Webster, but they haven’t had the life lessons yet that will mold them into the adults they’ll become. They’re preparing for the world, and they have no idea how tough it can be at times.”
Jack studied Flynn and Tricia as they purchased coffee to go. “I hope their little prank doesn’t cause them to get some of that experience.”
“I do, too.” Danielle watched Flynn and Tricia as they disappeared out the door.
After a moment, Jack stood. “I guess I’d better be going. It was nice to see you.”
She stuck out her hand. “It was good seeing you. I hope we’ll meet again.”
He grasped her hand, and his gaze moved over her face. “Maybe we will. I’ll probably be back out at the school in a day or so if Carter doesn’t take the Web site down.” He smiled. “Good night, Danielle.”
“Good night, Jack.”
He turned and strode toward the door. Danielle watched him go before she picked up her iPod. As she stared at it, she replayed her conversation with Jack Denton in her mind. She’d never talked with anyone who seemed to guard each word like he did, and yet there had been a connection between the two of them.
They shared a love for her parents’ music, but there was more. They’d both had a tragedy with the person they loved. The difference was in the fact that Jack couldn’t accept what she’d found—faith. If they became friends, perhaps in time she could help him face his difficult memories.
THREE
Danielle sat at her desk the next morning studying a report on students’ midterm grades. She ran her finger down the page until she came to Flynn Carter’s name. His extracurricular activities hadn’t caused any academic problems for him yet. She hoped it remained that way.
Her phone rang, and she picked it up. “Danielle Tyler. May I help you?”
“Danielle.” Nathan Webster’s soft voice sounded in her ear. “I’m in Jeff’s office and Detective Denton is with us. Can you come?”
“I’ll be right there.” She hung up and pressed her hand against her chest. She knew Jack was coming, but she thought they wouldn’t call her to the meeting.
She pulled a compact from her purse and took a quick look at her reflection. Her makeup and hair looked okay. Standing, she smoothed the pants of the new suit she’d put on this morning, straightened her jacket and headed toward the president’s office.
Jeff Newman stood from behind his desk as she entered. Nathan Webster, to his left, smiled, but Jack Denton’s stony gaze made her wonder where the man she’d spent time with the night before had gone.
She nodded to Nathan and turned her attention to Jeff. “You wanted to see me, Dr. Newman?”
“Yes, Dr. Tyler, have a seat.”
Jack pushed a chair toward her, and she sat. He settled into one next to her and leaned toward her. “How are you this morning, Dr. Tyler?”
Her eyebrows arched at the formal tone of his voice. “I’m fine, Detective Denton.” She turned back to Jeff. “Have you met with Flynn?”
Jeff nodded. “I’m afraid we got nowhere with him. He insists he hasn’t broken any laws, and he refuses to take down the site. He said if we try to force him from school, his father will take us to court.”
“Then what are you going to do?”
Nathan Webster’s shoulders drooped, and Danielle noticed how tired his eyes appeared this morning. Although in his mid-forties, Danielle had always considered Nathan to be the most handsome man on campus with his brooding good looks and dark complexion.
Nathan glanced from Jeff to Danielle. “If it comes to that, we’ll have to let our lawyers handle it. Maybe we should leave it alone for a few days and see if Flynn comes to his senses.”
Jack tapped his index finger on the notebook in his lap. “I really doubt he’ll do that, but I could be wrong. If he doesn’t, maybe the police department can contact the service provider and see if they would ban the site. Of course, Carter might just go to another one.”
Jeff’s brow wrinkled as he stood and stuck out his hand. “Well, whatever happens, we appreciate your help, Detective.”
Jack gripped the hand and nodded to Jeff. He pushed up from his chair and shook Nathan’s hand. “I’ll be in touch.”
Danielle rose and smiled at Jeff. “Thanks for letting me know what happened. Now I’ll get back to work if you don’t need me for anything else.”
She turned and hurried toward the door, but she could sense Jack was right behind. In the hallway she slowed her gait, and he fell into step beside her. He leaned close, and their arms brushed. “It’s good to see you again. I enjoyed our time together last night.” His soft voice held a hint of reluctance.
“I did, too.” They stopped at her office. She opened the door and turned to him. “Maybe we can do it again sometime.”
He swallowed. “I’d like that. How about tonight?”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You want me to meet you for coffee tonight?”
He stuck his hand in his pocket and jingled some coins. “Sorry. You can’t read my mind. I meant dinner. How about having dinner with me?”
Danielle smiled. “I’d like that. What time will you pick me up?”
“How about seven o’clock?”
“That will be fine. I live at 295 Pikeville Road. Do you know that area?”
He nodded. “I do. I’ll see you then.”
Without saying another word, he whirled and hurried down the hall. She watched him go for the second time in two days. He hadn’t seemed enthused about asking her out. In fact he’d mumbled so that one would have thought he was being forced to offer the invitation. Jack Denton perplexed her, but she had always been good at solving puzzles, and she intended to find out what made this man tick.
The flame from the flickering candle in the middle of the table cast a honey-colored glow on Danielle’s skin. Jack studied her over the rim of his coffee cup as she put the last bite of linguini in her mouth.
When he’d left the Mountain Mug last night, he’d promised himself he would stay away from Danielle Tyler. That idea vanished the minute she walked into Jeff Newman’s office earlier in the day. Jack couldn’t believe it when he heard himself asking her to dinner, and yet it seemed the natural thing to say.
He had to admit it—Danielle Tyler fascinated him. It wasn’t just the fact that she was smart and beautiful. There was something more he still couldn’t understand. Perhaps it was the fact that she’d had two tragic losses in her life.
She finished chewing, wiped her mouth with her napkin and smiled. “That was delicious. Thank you for bringing me here tonight.”
He glanced at the customers in his favorite Italian restaurant. Soft accordion music drifted across the dining room filled with linen-draped tables. He pushed his plate back and leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “I should be thanking you. You saved me from a lonely frozen dinner in front of the TV.”
She laughed. “Then I’m glad I accepted your invitation.”
“Would you like a refill?” The waitress stood beside their table with a silver coffeepot.
Jack nodded, and she poured the steaming liquid into their cups. When she’d walked away, Jack directed his attention back to Danielle. “I know you went to school at Webster, but what made you end up working there?”
Danielle sighed and traced the rim of her cup with her finger. “When I graduated, I couldn’t get away from this place fast enough. Everywhere I looked I was reminded of Jennifer and what had happened. But I still had good friends here. Nathan had been a fan of my parents, and he took a special interest in me while I was in school. Jeff took over as president my senior year, and I worked in his office some. So they both knew me well. They were very supportive after Jennifer’s death.”
“I’m sure it was good to have someone to lean on during that time.”
“Oh, yes, and even afterward. They kept in touch with me when I went to graduate school because I had received the Webster Scholarship for Graduate Study.”
Jack frowned. “What’s that?”
“Nathan’s grandfather established a scholarship for the graduating senior with the highest grade-point average to attend the graduate institution of his or her choice with all expenses paid.”
“And you won?”
Sadness flickered in Danielle’s eyes. “Actually Jennifer should have been the winner. After her death, I was next in line. At first I refused to accept, but Nathan and Jeff told me I was being foolish. They said Jennifer would have wanted me to have it. I’ve always felt guilty because I benefited from her death.”
Jack’s heart constricted. Before he realized what he was doing, he reached across the table and wrapped his fingers around Danielle’s. “They were right to make you take the scholarship.”
Tears glimmered in her eyes. “Do you really think so?”
“Of course. I’m sure your friend would have been happy for you.”
She smiled and squeezed his hand. “As I mentioned, Jeff and Nathan kept in touch with me while I was getting my master’s degree and then my doctorate. In fact they both visited me several times. When they heard about my fiancé’s death, they began to hint at my returning to Webster to work. At first I didn’t want to do that, but they finally wore me down. So I came back.”
“I’m glad you did,” Jack whispered. “I might never have met you otherwise.”
Danielle glanced down at their intertwined fingers. The ringing of her cell phone interrupted her response. She fished it out of her bag and frowned at the caller ID. “I don’t recognize this number.” She flipped it open. “Hello.”
She listened for a few moments before she glanced at Jack. “It’s Flynn Carter. He says Tricia was supposed to meet him two hours ago to drive to Asheville for dinner, but he can’t find her. He says he lost his cell phone this afternoon and he’s calling from his roommate’s phone.”
Jack’s eyebrows arched. “Ask him when he last saw Tricia.”
Danielle relayed the question and then looked at Jack. “He says he saw her at lunch in the cafeteria, then he spent the afternoon in the library. He thinks he lost his phone there. But he’s worried because he’s called her cell phone for hours, and she hasn’t answered.” Danielle’s eyes grew wide. “What did you say?” she squealed.
Fear flowed across her face. Jack grabbed her arm. “What is it?”
Danielle’s lips trembled. “He says there’s a message on the Web site that scares him.”
“What does it say?”
“It says, Do you want an encore? Then watch it at Laurel Falls,” Danielle whispered.
Jack pulled his wallet from his pocket and signaled for the waitress. “Where is Carter now?”
“In his room at the university.”
“Tell him to stay there. I’ll get an officer and check this out.”
Danielle repeated the message and closed the phone. She grabbed her coat and purse and followed Jack from the table.
At the door, she grabbed his arm. “Jack, what do you think this means?”
He halted and shook his head. “I don’t know. The message could have been left by some kook that came across the site. But it worries me that Tricia Peterson is missing.”
“What will you do?”
“I’ll call for backup and head to Laurel Falls.”
Danielle pulled her coat on. “I’m going with you.”
He debated what to do. After all, she didn’t have her car. “You don’t need to do that. I can drop you at home before I go out there.”
She lifted her chin and directed a determined stare toward him. “Tricia’s parents expect the school to keep her safe. If something’s happened to her, I need to know.”
Jack knew this was one battle he couldn’t win. “Okay, but you’ll have to stay in my car.”
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called Dispatch as he and Danielle rushed out of the restaurant. The memory of the girl’s body on the Web site flashed into his mind. When he’d first seen it, he had hoped the beautiful girl wasn’t really dead. Now he realized it might be too late to repeat that wish.
Two patrol cars drove up to the Laurel Falls Trail parking lot just as Jack and Danielle arrived. Danielle sat up straight in her seat, grabbed his arm and pointed to a red sports car parked at the entrance to a path that led up the mountain. “That’s Tricia’s car.”
“Maybe she hiked up to the falls.” He patted her hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll find her. I’ll leave the car key in case you get cold. You can start the car and turn up the heater.”
She pulled her coat tighter and shivered. “Thanks.”
Jack climbed from his car and nodded to the four deputies who joined him.
One of the officers pushed his hat back on his head. “What we got here, Jack?”
He tilted his head toward the parked sports car. “It may be nothing, but the girl who owns that car posed for the Web site we’ve been investigating. She’s missing, and a message on the site said to check out Laurel Falls.”
The deputies exchanged worried glances and hurried to their cars to get flashlights. When they returned, the officer in charge faced the three other men. “Two of you stay here. With this many police cars in the parking lot, we may have passersby who want to stop. Keep everybody off the trail until we get back.” He pointed to the third man. “Come with us.”
Jack shivered in the night mountain air as he and the two officers started up the trail. The beams from their flashlights cut through the darkness, lighting the path in front of them.
He waved his flashlight beam to the left, then straight ahead. “You two search up the trail and to the left. I’ll take the right side.”
They walked in silence for perhaps twenty minutes as they headed deeper into the wilderness that led to Laurel Falls. Jack struggled through the undergrowth that threatened to trip him. As the incline of the path grew gradually steeper, the vegetation became thinner, making it easier to walk. His heart hammered in his chest, and his lungs burned from the high altitude.
The sound of roaring water could be heard in the distance. They were approaching the falls, and they’d found nothing. Maybe Flynn had already found Tricia, and they were on their way to Asheville. They were probably warmer than he was right now. It was time to call it quits for tonight. If Tricia was still missing in the morning, they could bring in the mountain rescue team to search.
Jack was about to call out to the others that it was time to head back when he saw her. He pushed a low-hanging tree branch out of his face and stopped. Tricia lay just as she had on the Web site. He exhaled and squatted at her feet.
He gagged from the nausea roiling in his stomach, then stood and backed away so as not to disturb the crime scene. He couldn’t look away from the still form.
Jennifer McCaslin and now Tricia Peterson. How could he tell Danielle that the nightmare she’d lived with for ten years had returned? He thought of how her body had shaken all the way to Laurel Falls and how frightened she looked when he’d left her at the car.
With a sigh he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called the officers in the parking lot. Briefly he described what he’d found, asked them to notify headquarters and cautioned them to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.
As he flipped the cell phone closed, he took a deep breath and called out to the two deputies searching with him. “Over here!”
Within minutes the other two officers joined him. None of them spoke as they stared at the dead girl beside the trail.
Jack turned and started toward the parking lot. “I’ll be back shortly,” he called over his shoulder.
His feet felt like lead as he trudged down the path. Telling Danielle was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done. At that moment he wished he didn’t know her. It would be so much easier to tell a stranger. In twenty-four hours’ time, she was no longer a stranger, and he was about to deliver news she didn’t want to hear.
The coat Danielle wore did little to ward off the chill of the October night air as she climbed out of Jack’s car. She crossed her arms and hugged herself in an effort to keep warm. Every few seconds she glanced at her watch and wondered when Jack would step from the dense forest.
The two policemen guarding the entrance to the trail watched as she paced back and forth across the asphalt parking lot. After fifteen minutes and no sign of Jack, she approached them. “Have you had any word from Detective Denton yet?”
“Can’t tell you anything, ma’am,” one of them said.
She pulled the car door open and crawled inside. The only policeman she wanted to see was Jack Denton, and she had no idea how long it would be before he would reappear.
Thirty minutes later Jack was still nowhere to be seen, but other deputies stood all around the parking lot. One after another police cruisers had arrived, and now they lined the roads. The blue lights of the cars blinked in the darkness, and several deputies stood in the road directing traffic to keep cars from stopping.
The scene, so similar to one at the same spot the night of Jennifer’s murder, told Danielle that something horrible had happened in the wilderness. She squirmed into a more comfortable position and glanced out the car window. The beam of a flashlight appeared on the path. She sat up straighter and strained to see who was coming out of the forest.
Danielle shoved the door open and ran to Jack before he’d even reached the end of the trail. “Tell me what you found.”
The dim light in the parking lot shadowed his face and accented the sadness in his eyes. He licked his lips. “We found Tricia’s body.”
“W-w-was it like the Web site?” Her lips trembled so she could hardly speak.
He took her arm and guided her across the parking lot. Then he slumped against the side of the car and rubbed his hands over his eyes. “It was horrible.”
Danielle remembered how Jennifer’s body had looked and how she had reacted. Her concern for Jack suddenly overshadowed her grief for Tricia. Nothing she could do would help the young woman, but Jack needed someone to care about him and what he was feeling.
She reached up and pulled his hand away from his face. Wrapping her fingers around his, she stared up into his face. “I know what you’re feeling. I’ve been there.”
The hard lines of his face softened. “I’m a police officer. I’m supposed to be able to see violence and not react. But somehow, I still can’t believe what some people are capable of doing.”
“You’re a man who doesn’t share his feelings, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any. I can tell you’re strong, and you’ll be able to do your job.”
He straightened and pulled his hand loose. “Thanks. I’m glad I brought you with me tonight.” He glanced at the policemen across the lot. “There’s nothing you can do here, so I think you should take my car and go to the school. Someone has gone to notify Dr. Newman and Mr. Webster that I’ll meet with them at the school in an hour. One of the other officers will drop me off, and I’ll see you there.”
She thought of the problems this was going to cause the school. “Okay.”
Danielle watched Jack as he trudged back up the path into the dense forest and disappeared into the dark before she climbed into his car. As she drove along the winding road, the horror of what had happened began to sink in. She was glad she hadn’t seen Tricia’s body. She really didn’t want to remember her the way she did Jennifer.
Tears filled Danielle’s eyes as she remembered seeing Tricia dash across campus on her way to class. They’d often joked about how she could never get anywhere on time. But the spirited young woman had a talent like few Danielle had ever seen. When Tricia sat at the piano, she had the ability to weave lilting melodies and complex harmonies into a performance that transported her listeners on a breathtaking musical experience. Now her gift had been silenced forever.
Danielle shook as tears slid down her face. What kind of monster could end such a beautiful life?
Another thought popped into her mind. According to Jack, Jeff and Nathan were being notified. But what about Flynn? Tricia’s death would devastate him.
The aftermath of Jennifer’s death had been a nightmare for the school and its students. Now the horror had returned, and they were facing the same situation again.
FOUR
An hour later Jack paused outside Jeff Newman’s office. The door was cracked open just enough for Jack to hear inside. He listened for Danielle, but he could only make out Nathan Webster’s voice. “I can’t believe this has happened. A student murdered? We’ll be lucky if we have any applications for next year’s freshman class.”
“We’ll have time to worry about that after we’ve faced this latest crisis. Now’s not the time to discuss next fall,” Jeff Newman replied.
“Maybe not for you, but it’s my family’s endowment that’s on the line here. Who’d want to come to a school that can’t even protect its students? You’d better be thinking of some way to counter all the bad press we’re going to get over this.”
A chair scraped on the floor. “Don’t worry, Nathan. I will.”
Jack raised his fist and knocked. To his surprise Danielle flung the door open. Tears streaked her face. He cleared his throat and looked past her to Nathan and Jeff. “Excuse me. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Jeff and Nathan turned to face him as Jack walked into the room. Nathan stepped forward. “Come in, Detective Denton. Do you have any news for us?”
Jack shook his head. “I wanted to tell you we won’t release Tricia’s name until we’ve notified her parents. I thought you would probably want to talk to them, too. I’ll be back in touch in the morning to answer any questions you might have.”
Nathan frowned. “Will you have the killer by then?”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t know, but I’ll do everything I can to assure Tricia’s parents that I won’t rest until he is found.”
Jeff sank down in his desk chair and raised a shaking hand to his forehead. “I can’t believe this is happening again. Do you think it’s the same murderer?”
Jack shrugged. “We don’t know at this point. It could be, or it could be a copycat who saw the Web site.”
A groan came from Danielle’s direction. “Oh, why did Tricia and Flynn get mixed up in this horrible situation?”
Jack glanced around, and his eyes widened at the paleness of her face. She needed to get out of there. “My partner’s gone to bring Flynn Carter to the station. I need to get down there, too, but I’ll come back tomorrow.” Jack turned to Danielle. “Dr. Tyler, you look like this ordeal has gotten to you. Why don’t I take you home?”
Nathan’s lips parted, and his eyebrows arched. “Don’t you have your car, Danielle?”
Before she could answer, Jack took her by the arm. “We were at dinner when she got Flynn’s call.”
What Jack interpreted as disapproving looks flashed across Nathan and Jack’s faces. Before they could say anything, he steered Danielle out of the room and down the hall. At the building’s entrance, he pushed the front door open and stood back for her to exit.
“Thank you,” she murmured as she walked outside.
The forlorn hoot of an owl from the distant hills matched the mood that hung over them as he walked beside Danielle to where she’d parked his car. He could almost feel the grief radiating from her body at this latest tragedy, and he felt helpless. Policemen weren’t supposed to become emotionally involved in their cases. Although he’d never let anyone know it, he hadn’t learned how not to care about those affected by violent crime.
They stopped at the car, and he opened the door. She looked up at him. The tears in her eyes shimmered in the glow from the inside light. Her lips trembled. “Thank you for all your help tonight.”
He jammed his hands into his pocket. “Just doing my job.”
She started to get in the car, but she turned back to him. “It really hit me on the way back from Laurel Falls. Tricia is dead. Just like Jennifer and Stan.”
He frowned. “Stan?”
“My fiancé.”
“Oh, I didn’t know his name. I’m sorry.”
“Stan,” she whispered. “Stan Winters. He was a wonderful man.”
She looked so vulnerable standing there in the parking lot shadows. A cold wind blew from the distant mountains, and she shivered. The urge to put a protective arm around her shoulders washed over him, and he shoved his hands deeper in his pockets. “Let’s get out of here. After all, there is a killer loose.”
Her forehead wrinkled, and her gaze darted across the lit area. “And he could be watching us right now.” She moved closer to him. “I thought you had to go to the station.”
“I’ll go after I see you safely home.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
Jack waited for her to get inside before he closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. As they pulled out of the parking lot, he turned up the radio, adjusted the heater and tried to concentrate on anything but the woman sitting next to him. It was no use.
As bad as tonight was for her, tomorrow might be worse. He wondered how she would react when she found out that a text message on Tricia’s phone asking her to meet him at Laurel Falls had been sent from the phone Flynn said he lost.
The concern Jack felt for Danielle Tyler surprised him. He’d sworn he would never get involved with another woman, and he’d worked hard to perfect the image of a man with no feelings. It scared him to think she might make him want to change his mind.
Danielle studied the streetlights as they drove toward her house. Their beams cut through the interior of Jack’s car and cast a protective glow through the interior. Jack’s presence beside her comforted her. She didn’t want to go home alone. A sadistic killer had surfaced in Webster Falls again, but in the wake of his appearance, she’d met Jack.
Her house came into view, and she sighed with relief. Jack turned into the driveway of the small log cabin where she’d lived for three years and stopped behind her car. The fluid movements of his lean body made her heart skip a beat as he slid from the car and hurried to open her door.
He grasped her arm and helped her climb from the car. Once outside, he continued to hold her, and she leaned against him as he guided her up the steps to the front porch. His muscles rippled, and she recognized a sense of security flow through her. She hadn’t felt that in many years.
At the door he released her, and she fumbled with the key. Her hands shook so she couldn’t insert it into the lock. Jack leaned over and took the key ring from her hand. “Let me.”
In one swift move he unlocked the door and pushed it open. Uncertain what to do, she faced him. “Thanks for seeing me home.”
The security light in the yard cast a shadow across his face as he surveyed the surrounding area. “You don’t have any close neighbors.”
“No. That’s what I liked about this place. It’s private.”
He glanced inside the house and back across the dark yard. “I’m wondering if it’s safe for you to be here.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Why?”
He frowned. “Two people close to you have been killed.”
Fear raced through her as her gaze flitted toward the shadows around the house. “At the school you said it could be a copycat. What if it’s not? What if the person who murdered Jennifer has been here all these years?”
“That’s what I hope to find out. But for now, do you want to go to a hotel for the night?”
She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “I don’t want to be run out of my home because I’m scared. Besides I have an alarm system.” She opened her eyes and glanced into the dark house. “But I was in such a hurry this morning, I didn’t set it.”
Jack nodded toward the inside. “Want me to go in with you?”
Danielle opened her mouth to refuse. She hadn’t invited one person inside in the three years she’d lived here, but the thought of entering the house alone scared her. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. “Come on in. Do you have time for a cup of coffee?”
Jack glanced at his watch. “I have a few minutes before I told my partner I’d be at the police station.” His gaze drifted over the small living room. “This is nice.”
Danielle turned and smiled. “Come on in the kitchen.”
He followed her and sat without speaking at the table while she bustled about trying not to look at him. Suddenly, she felt like a high-school girl desperately wanting to impress her date, but Jack wasn’t here because of a date. He wanted to protect her.
When she filled his cup, he looked up her and smiled. “Thanks.”
She smiled at the sound of his soft voice. “I really appreciate you coming in with me. I don’t think I could have entered this house by myself.”
He nodded. “You’ve had a rough day.”
“Yeah.”
He leaned forward, his eyes staring into hers. “Are you sure about staying here?”
She realized he would leave soon. She’d be alone. What if the killer knew her? A lump of fear rose in her throat. “I—I think so.”
They drank in silence for a few moments. She tried to figure out what thoughts were running through his head, but his expression remained unchanged. After a moment he pulled a notepad from his pocket and wrote something, then pushed the paper across the table. “Here’s my cell phone number. Call me if you need someone.”
Relief flowed through her. Tears welled in her eyes. “Thank you. I don’t mind telling you Tricia’s murder has me scared.”
His gaze locked with hers, and his eyes softened. Pushing his cup away, he stood. “I’d better be going.”
Danielle nodded and followed him to the front door. They reached for the knob at the same time, their fingers touching. He jerked his hand away, and she opened the door. “Thank you again, Jack.”
He exhaled. “I’d better go.” He stared at her for a moment, then nodded. “Good night, Danielle. Sleep well.”
She closed the door and leaned against it. Her life had taken a detour since this morning. One of Webster’s most promising students had been murdered, and her school was once again plunged into a horrible nightmare.
Only time would tell if Tricia’s murder was related to Jennifer’s. At the present time there was no concrete evidence to believe it was, but something told her a killer had returned.
Danielle’s breath puffed a vapor mist as she stepped onto the front porch the next morning. It seemed chillier than usual, but she hadn’t felt warm since she’d stood in the parking lot at Laurel Falls the night before. She pulled the key from the locked door and turned toward the steps just as a car stopped at the curb.
A smile creased her lips at the sight of Jack crawling from behind the wheel. He walked toward her as she descended the steps. Stopping a few feet away, he smiled. “Thought I’d check to see how you made it last night.”
His eyes looked tired, and the stubble of a beard showed on his face. “Have you been up all night?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Just left the station.”
“What about Flynn? How is he?”
Jack shook his head. “Not good. One of the officers drove him back to the dorm last night. We were afraid for him to drive himself because he was so upset.”
Even as angry as she’d been at Flynn over the Web site, she knew Tricia’s death must have been devastating. “I’ll check on him when I get to school. But first, would you like a cup of coffee? There’s some in the kitchen.”
He shook his head and glanced at his watch. “I’m going home to shower, then I have to get back to work. I’ll come out to the school later. I want to look through Tricia’s room. See if I can find anything that might point to the murderer.”
“Do you need my help?”
“Yeah. I’ll call before I come. Now I’d better get going.”
Danielle followed him to his car and stood behind him as he pulled the door open. Before he got into the car, he turned and faced her. “Watch your step today. Be suspicious of everybody around you. Don’t trust anybody.”
A tremor rippled from her legs and swelled as it traveled upward. She swayed toward Jack, and his steadying hand clamped on her arm. Ten years ago with her parents on tour in Europe, she’d faced her friend’s death alone. Perhaps this time would be different.
She took a deep breath and straightened. “Thank you. I’ll remember your advice.”
He stared at her for a moment before he released his hold. “I’ll see you later.”
Danielle watched his car disappear in the distance before she headed for her Jeep. She’d put off leaving for school long enough. She couldn’t ignore her responsibilities there, but today she wished she could go somewhere other than Webster. Jack’s words had left her wondering what secrets might be hidden inside the walled campus.
FIVE
Danielle tossed her briefcase onto her desk and dropped down in her chair. Most mornings she couldn’t wait to get to her office and begin the day’s work. Not today.
The usual happy mood of the students had disappeared. The atmosphere on the campus hung heavy with a veil of fear. The few students she’d encountered on her way from the parking lot walked in groups of twos or threes and cast glances over their shoulders as they headed from one building to another.
She wondered if Jeff had come in yet, but she had no idea how late he and Nathan had stayed. Jeff, who usually was the first one to arrive in the mornings, had probably been at his desk for hours. She pushed up from her chair and strode from her office toward his.
Betty, Jeff’s assistant, wasn’t at her desk when Danielle stepped into the president’s reception area. Just as she started to knock on his office door a voice startled her.
“He’s not in there.”
Danielle whirled to see Landon Morse, conductor of the school orchestra, standing in the entrance behind her. She sighed in relief. “You scared me.”
Landon leaned against the doorjamb. His rumpled suit looked like it hadn’t been pressed in weeks, and the bow tie he always wore was missing. “Sorry. Just thought I’d save you the trouble of knocking. I saw Betty in the dining room. She said Jeff would be back at nine o’clock and wanted to meet with the faculty advisory board then.”
That meant she and Landon would join Jeff and Nathan to discuss the events of the night. “All right.” Danielle took a step back toward him. “Did she say where Jeff went?”
Landon shifted the backpack he carried in one hand to the other. “He went to Nathan’s office.”
Danielle’s eyes widened. “Oh, Nathan’s already here? He never gets here this early.” Then she frowned, closed her eyes and put her hand to her forehead. “But this isn’t like most mornings.”
Landon shook his head. “No, it isn’t. Too bad about Tricia. It’s just like when we were students and Jennifer was killed.”
A slight tremor prickled her skin. What was it about Landon that made her uneasy? Maybe she remembered how he’d stayed to himself while they were students and didn’t seem to want any company. Why he’d decided in the last few months to seek out her friendship, she didn’t know.
Danielle shuddered. “It’s too much like Jennifer’s murder.”
“Yeah. Brings back some bad memories, doesn’t it?”
Danielle bit her lip and nodded.
“I’ve left several messages on your answering machine, but you haven’t returned my calls.”
She frowned. “I’ve been busy. Sorry. Is there something you wanted?”
He shook his head. “I just wanted to ask you out.”
She walked toward him, but he didn’t move. Was he deliberately blocking her exit from the room? “Landon, I’m sorry. You know how I feel.”
“Yeah, but don’t you think you’ve used your fiancé’s death as an excuse long enough?”
Danielle drew back from him in shock. “That isn’t for you to decide. Now please let me pass.”
He stared at her without moving. “There is one more thing.”
“What?”
“The Christmas Fundraiser Reception. I’ll get my students’ performance information for the program to you before the day’s over so you can get it to the printer.”
Danielle gasped. “This isn’t the morning to be thinking about that. We’ve had a student murdered.”
Landon chuckled. “Tell that to Jeff and Nathan. I’d already had calls from both of them this morning about our meeting before I saw Betty. They want to make sure the plans for the fundraiser don’t get lost in the middle of a murder investigation.”
Danielle could only stare at Landon. After a moment he moved aside, and she hurried past him into the hall. As she entered her office, she glanced over her shoulder, but he wasn’t following. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She closed the office door and walked to her desk. Stopping, she stared in confusion at what lay before her. A single red rose with a white ribbon tied around its stem lay next to her computer. A sealed envelope lay next to it.
She slid her letter opener underneath the flap, pulled the card out, and blinked in surprise at the ornate calligraphy that adorned the page. She held the note closer and read—You have sent light into the darkness of my heart.
The words sent a chill down her spine. As she stared at the note, her hands began to shake. She’d received a rose the morning after Jennifer’s death. There was no card with that one, and at the time she’d assumed it was left by a fellow student. Suddenly the air in the room chilled, and she shivered. Ten years ago she’d felt an evil presence on Webster’s campus. Try as she might, she couldn’t rid herself of the feeling it had returned.
At nine o’clock Nathan, Jeff and Landon rose from their seats as Danielle walked into Jeff’s office. Nathan, fatigue lining his face, pointed to the chair next to him. “Sit here, Danielle.”
The kind tone of his voice poured over her and eased the ache in her heart. She smiled at him and took the offered seat. “Thank you.”
He settled next to her and sighed. “We’re all having trouble dealing with what happened last night. Perhaps the police will have some news for us today.”
Danielle turned in her chair to face him. “Detective Denton came by my house this morning. He’d been at the station all night, but he said an officer brought Flynn back to campus.”
Nathan’s eyes grew wide, and he stared at her. “The detective visited you at home?”
Danielle’s face warmed, and she laced her fingers in her lap. “He only wanted to see how I felt.”
Nathan cleared his throat. “That seems strange. You hardly know the man.”
Danielle gasped and shrank back in her chair. “He was kind enough to make sure my house was safe last night and to check on me this morning. I appreciate his interest.”
Nathan pursed his lips. “Well, when you put it that way, I suppose you’re right.” Waving his hand in dismissal, he glanced toward Jeff. “Why don’t we get on with the reason for this meeting?”
Jeff cleared his throat and shuffled some papers on his desk. “Before we do, I think you should know that Detective Denton called and said he was coming to search Tricia’s room. Security locked it last night, and no one has entered it since her death.”
Danielle nodded. “She didn’t have a roommate, did she?”
“No, so everything should be just as she left it. Detective Denton said that since you’re Dean of Students, he’d like you to accompany him there.”
“I’ll be glad to go with him.”
Jeff smiled. “Good. Betty will give you the key to the room.” He hesitated for a moment and glanced at each of them. “The past twenty-four hours have been difficult for all of us at the school. Nathan and I have talked with Tricia’s parents. They’re flying into Asheville today. We plan to meet them at the airport and drive them here.”
Danielle reached for a tissue in her pocket and wiped at the tears pooling in her eyes. “That’s kind of you. I’m sure the Petersons will appreciate anything we can do to make this ordeal easier for them.”
Nathan leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. “We’ve also talked with Flynn Carter. He’s all too willing to take the Web site down now, and we’ve decided to let him stay in school.”
Danielle breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you came to this decision. I think he’s going to need all of us to get through this.”
Nathan’s expression softened, and he looked at Danielle. “I know everyone here thinks I’m an ogre, but I feel such responsibility to my family to make this school a success. However, I don’t want to lose sight of the people who help to make the school what it is. I’m truly grieved over Tricia Peterson’s death and don’t want to cause Flynn any more remorse than he probably already feels. Also, Jeff and I plan to do everything in our power to help the police find the killer.”
“I’m sure we’ll all be relieved when the police know something.”
He nodded. “We’ve dismissed classes for the week, and many of the students have already left campus. There are counselors available for any who stayed and feel the need to talk.”
“That’s very wise. I’ll work with them to make sure the students’ needs are met.”
Nathan cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’re going to help us get through this difficult time. However, in the meantime we have to think about the school. It’s imperative that when we resume classes next week the students feel they’ve returned to a safe and unchanged environment.”
“So what do we need to do?” For the first time Landon spoke up. He’d been so quiet Danielle had almost forgotten he was in the room.
Nathan turned his attention to Landon. “We as a staff have to renew our efforts to continue the traditions we’ve begun.”
Landon nodded. “I’ll do everything I can to make that happen, Nathan.”
“Good.” Nathan stared at him for a moment before he glanced back to Danielle. “We have to make sure this year’s fundraiser is the biggest and best we’ve ever had. I’m depending on you to see that it is.”
She pushed up out of her seat. “I thought we were coming here to talk about Tricia’s death and how we need to deal with our students’ reactions to it. Not the money we expect to raise this year.”
Nathan rose and reached for her hand. “Please understand, Danielle. If this school falls short in contributions this year, we may see reductions in programs and staff terminations. I, for one, don’t want that to happen. We have to do everything in our power to make it appear that nothing has changed here at Webster. And one way to do that is to assure our donors that their money is going to a stable program. I need you to make sure that’s the message we give at the annual fundraiser.”
Nathan’s words held a plea for help. He’d been there for her many times in the past, and she couldn’t refuse his request. “I’ve loved Webster ever since I entered as a student, and it means even more to me now. I’ll do everything I can to make sure this year’s fundraiser is the best one ever.”
Nathan squeezed her hand, released it and smiled. “Thank you, Danielle. I knew we could count on you.”
Danielle glanced at Landon. A wry smile pulled at his lips. The idea of having to work with him filled her with repulsion, but she would do it for Nathan. She backed away. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my office.”
She hurried from the room and stopped at Betty’s desk in the outer office. “I need the key to Tricia’s room.”
Betty pulled her glasses off and wiped at the tears in her eyes. She held out the key to Danielle. “If there’s anything I can do for you, let me know.”
Danielle’s fingers curled around the cold metal, and she swallowed. “Thanks, Betty.”
No other words came to mind, so she hurried from the room. All she could think about was Tricia lying on a mountain path. The people who she thought would have been most concerned with her death only had money on their minds. The idea sickened her.
Pushing the door to her office open, Danielle stopped in surprise at the sight of Flynn Carter sitting in a chair. His body was slumped forward, and his head rested on his crossed arms on her desk. His shoulders shook from the sobs that filled the air. She rushed forward and touched his arm. “Flynn, are you all right?”
He looked up at her, and Danielle had never seen such anguish in anyone’s eyes. With a cry, he turned to her. “Why, Dr. Tyler? Why would anyone do such a thing?”
She knelt beside him and put her arm around his shoulder. “I don’t know, Flynn. It’s a question I’ve asked myself for ten years about Jennifer McCaslin’s death. Now you’re going to have to live with the same questions I have.”
He doubled his fists in his lap and gritted his teeth. “But I didn’t send that text message.”
Danielle frowned. “What text message? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The police told me there was a message on Tricia’s phone asking her to meet me at Laurel Falls. It was sent from my phone, but I don’t know anything about it. I lost my phone yesterday. Remember? I told you about it.”
Danielle nodded. “Yes, you called me from your roommate’s phone.”
Flynn grabbed her hands, and fresh tears ran down his face as he stared up at her. “Please, Dr. Tyler. Tell the police I wouldn’t lie about something like that, and I wouldn’t hurt Tricia. I loved her.”
Danielle squeezed his hands and smiled. “I know you loved her, Flynn. I’ve seen the two of you together ever since you were freshmen. I don’t believe you would hurt her.”
Tears continued to run down his face. “But it’s my fault. I talked her into doing that Web site, and it got her killed.”
She thought carefully before she responded. “Tricia should have thought about how dangerous it was before she got involved.”
A voice sounded behind them. “That’s a good point, Dr. Tyler.”
She looked over her shoulder at Jack standing in the open door. She stood up. “Detective Denton, come in.”
Flynn rose to stand beside her. He wiped his hands across his cheeks. “Do you know anything?”
Jack shook his head. “Not yet. It’s too early in the investigation, but we’ll find Tricia’s killer.”
Anger flashed across Flynn’s face. “When you catch him, I wish I could have a few minutes with him. Make him pay for what he did to Tricia.”
Jack walked forward and stared at Flynn. “You’re feeling guilty, and I can’t do anything to take that off your shoulders. When we find the killer, you can’t transfer what you feel to him. I’m afraid you’re going to have to live with your part in this mess.”
Flynn nodded. “You’re right. It’s all my fault. I’ll have to live with that thought.”
Flynn bit down on his quivering lip and headed for the door. Before he stepped into the hall, he stopped and turned toward them. He glared at Jack and pointed a shaking finger at him. “I don’t care what you believe, I didn’t send that text message to Tricia. And you can’t prove I did.”
Danielle watched him go before she turned to Jack. “I feel so sorry for him.”
“I do, too. I don’t have any proof, but I tend to believe him about the cell phone, too. I just hope no other students turn up dead because of his Web site.”
“So do I.” She tilted her head and studied him. “When I first met you, I thought you seemed distant and indifferent, but I think I’m changing my mind. There’s a lot more to you than the uncaring policeman you want everyone to believe you are.”
His face flushed, and he glanced away from her. “I think we’d better…” He stopped and stared at the rose on her desk. “Where did that come from?”
The uneasy feeling of earlier returned. “It was there when I came in this morning.”
“Who sent it?”
Danielle shrugged and walked to the desk. Picking up the card, she handed it to him. “I don’t know. This note was with it.”
He held the note up and looked at it. When he’d finished, he handed it back to her. “Those are mighty fancy words.”
She nodded. “I can’t figure out who would have left this for me.”
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Maybe he’s shy and thinks you wouldn’t like him. Or maybe it’s some old boyfriend who wants to get back with you.”
The cold tone of his voice sent shivers down Danielle’s spine. The aloof man she’d first met was back, and she wondered where the Jack she’d laughed with at the Mountain Mug had gone. She frowned. “There’s no old boyfriend.”
He pointed toward the door. “I came to search Tricia’s room. Want to come with me?”
“Yes.” Thankful to change the subject, she reached for the key. “Security locked her room last night.”
She walked past him into the hall, and he followed. As they headed across campus to Tricia’s dorm, she couldn’t help studying Jack out of the corner of her eye. When she’d first met him, he’d seemed like a hard-hearted man. Last night and this morning he’d given her a glimpse into the private places of his soul, and she liked what she saw. She’d thought the ice inside him was beginning to melt, but now she wasn’t so sure. There seemed to be too many layers to him, and she doubted if she would ever dig through to find the real Jack Denton. Maybe it would be best if she didn’t even try.
SIX
Danielle turned the key in the lock and pushed the door to Tricia’s dorm room open. She stood on the threshold and thought about the talented girl who’d lived here only yesterday but would enter no more. Danielle blinked back the moisture about to spill down her face.
“Are you all right?” Jack asked. The impassive expression on his face held none of the concern for her she’d seen last night.
She straightened her shoulders and pointed down the hallway. “Jennifer and I lived in the second room on the left. I haven’t been in this dorm since I’ve been back at Webster. Just couldn’t make myself enter.”
“If you’d rather not do this, go back to your office.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll be okay. I want to do anything I can to help.”
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room and flipped the light switch. The cluttered room looked like the living space of a college student. Books lay in stacks on the desk next to a laptop, and the twisted blankets on the bed looked as if Tricia might have jumped from bed and rushed off to class. A bicycle leaned against the wall where a small corkboard hung with pictures displayed of life on the Webster campus.
Jack followed her into the room and stood in the center of the floor looking around. “So this is where she lived.”
Danielle nodded. “Where do you want to start?”
He looked toward the desk. “I think I’ll go through the desk first.” His blue eyes studied her for a moment. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. My partner’s coming to help.”
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