Deadly Trail
highlight_author
Christy Barritt
highlight_reads
17,6K
highlight_chapters
48
ONE
“It’s up to you, Sherlock,” Autumn Mercer murmured as she knelt beside her dog. “You have to find her.”
Sherlock barked, his tongue hanging from his mouth as he panted with excitement.
Autumn held a sweater belonging to one of her coworkers beneath her dog’s nose. Sherlock sniffed it before sitting at attention and waiting patiently for her command. The dog was practically salivating to get to work.
Autumn paused a beat before saying, “Search!”
At once, Sherlock tugged at his leash and started toward the thick forest on the edge of the small, secluded parking lot.
The dog never looked as happy as when he had a job to do. The Australian shepherd, a red merle with striking blue eyes, was always a sight to behold. In the three years since Autumn had been training him for search and rescue missions, the canine had become like a family member.
She followed behind him, careful to track her steps so she could find her way back later. Every month, Autumn did these exercises with her dog so they could be prepared when needed.
Just last week, she and her team had to track down a missing fourteen-year-old who’d wandered away from his family on a camping trip. Sherlock had also helped with search and rescue missions involving the elderly, hikers who explored off the marked trail and once an entire family who’d gotten lost while geocaching.
Sherlock paused near a tree and sniffed. Then he veered to the left, deeper into the wilderness.
“Good job, boy,” Autumn said. “Keep going.”
Autumn pulled her jacket closer as she tramped between hemlock and oak trees. Even though it was October, a chill lingered in the air today. It didn’t help that the sun was obscured behind gray clouds overhead. A massive storm system was coming this way, but she had at least two hours until it arrived. She planned to make the most of her time.
As Sherlock pulled her, she glanced around. The leaves on the trees around her were gorgeous. There was nothing like fall in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. At least, in her estimation.
She had worked as a park ranger here at the George Washington National Forest for the past five years, and it was her dream job. She’d always been an outside girl, preferring to spend time with nature rather than people. Being out here made her feel peaceful, and peace was something hard to come by at times. Especially lately.
Before sadness could grip her, she turned her attention back to Sherlock.
“Careful, boy,” she called.
The trail narrowed, and a steep drop-off on one side gave them only six inches of slippery rock to cross to get to where they were going. Sherlock had no problem, but Autumn tried to brace herself. Heights had never been her favorite, and the fifty-foot drop made her feel light-headed.
This part of the mountain was no place for a rookie. A gorge cut through the area, and the Meadow Brook River rushed the depths there. If one wasn’t paying attention, they might lose their step on one of the cliffs or rock facings. It still amazed Autumn how many people tried to hike this terrain, even without the proper gear or experience.
Kevin used to love exploring this section of the national forest. He’d loved adventure—but only when safety precautions were taken first.
At the thought of him, Autumn’s heart squeezed with grief. It was hard to believe he’d been gone for three years now. A heart attack had taken him from this earth but not from her memory. He would always be there with her.
His death was just one more reason she liked being out here. Everyone she’d ever loved was gone. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was a teenager. Then her husband had passed away.
All she had now was Sherlock. Autumn had found the dog on the side of the road as she traveled home from Kevin’s funeral. The canine was like a godsend in her time of need.
Though Autumn had previously been a ranger, she and Sherlock had gotten their certification in search and rescue. Sherlock had been a natural and had become a valuable part of her team.
Autumn and Sherlock had been inseparable ever since.
“What do you smell, boy?” Autumn watched as the dog’s nose remained close to the ground.
Sherlock continued to tug her through the trees. Autumn watched her steps, careful not to lose her footing on the slick leaves that lined the forest floor. As she moved, a chilly breeze swept over the landscape—a breeze that smelled like rain.
The storm was coming. Maybe it was even closer than forecasters had predicted. They didn’t have a lot of time to waste. Thirty more minutes, and Autumn would head back to the Park Service SUV she’d left in the small lot off the windy mountain road. There was nothing else there but a portable toilet, a small display with a map and a wooden box for donations.
Sherlock continued to pull on his leash, leading her through the foliage. But Autumn’s muscles pulled tighter across her back with every pace forward.
Steps sounded ahead of her. Twigs broke. Leaves crackled.
Autumn paused. Sherlock’s tail straightened, and his hair rose.
Her hand went to her gun, and she braced herself, preparing for the worst.
She held her breath, waiting to see what creature might emerge from the trees in the distance. Whatever it was, it sounded big. A bear? She’d seen her fair share of the beasts out here. She liked admiring them, but only from a distance.
Sherlock let out a low growl.
A moment later, someone darted from the trees. A big man with broad shoulders and short dark hair. He wore jeans, a thick vest and a knit cap.
As soon as Autumn saw his face, she knew he wasn’t trouble. Instead, he was in trouble.
Sherlock began barking at him, and the man froze. His breaths seemed shallow. Too shallow. His cheeks were flushed, and his gaze unsteady.
“Heel, boy,” she told the dog. Caution lined her voice.
Sherlock quieted and waited for her instructions, but his eyes remained on the stranger. Autumn quickly studied the man. Just looking at him, she didn’t see any visible injuries. But the look in his eyes told a different story.
“I’m Ranger Autumn Mercer,” she called. “Can I help you?”
The man continued to heave with exertion. “I’ve been trying to find help. It’s my brother. He broke his leg, and I don’t have any cell service out here. He needs help.”
Based on the desperation in his eyes, the break had been bad. The man was clearly concerned.
Autumn glanced above her at the clouds that were becoming darker and darker by the moment. She didn’t have much time to make her choice. She would radio for backup, she decided.
Then she would go and try to help the man herself.
Because if his broken leg wasn’t dangerous enough, the approaching storm was.
Before the thought had time to fully develop, gunfire rang out in the distance.
Her back muscles tightened.
It appeared a trifecta of trouble had found them. Autumn braced herself for whatever waited ahead.
Derek Peterson’s lungs tightened, and his gaze swerved to the park ranger’s as the sound of someone shooting echoed across the mountains.
“It’s probably hunters,” she said, her voice as calm and steady as her gaze.
“I wasn’t aware people hunted around here in October.” He wasn’t an outdoorsman himself, but he knew that the season didn’t start until November.
“They’re not supposed to, but that doesn’t always stop them.” Ranger Mercer plucked her radio from her belt. “I’ll call it in, along with a request for help.”
Derek found only slight comfort in her statement about the gunfire.
He’d never been so happy to see another living soul as he had when he spotted the ranger and her dog. He’d been rushing through the wilderness for what felt like hours. Trying to quickly navigate these mountains had been challenging, at best. As an attorney, he got his adrenaline rushes in the courtroom.
He observed the woman for a moment.
She almost looked too young to be a park ranger. She had auburn-colored hair that had been pulled back into a neat ponytail. Now that Derek thought about it, her hair and her dog’s hair almost matched. Both were a lovely shade of a rusty red.
Ranger Mercer put her radio back on her belt. “Help is on the way, but they’re probably thirty minutes out still.”
“Thank you.”
“Where’s your brother?” Ranger Mercer asked as she began walking in the direction he’d emerged from. “I want to see him myself.”
“We set up camp down by the river,” Derek said. “We’ve been backpacking through the area for the past three days.”
She nodded, but her features still looked tight. She was apprehensive about all of this also, wasn’t she? Anyone in their right mind would be.
“How did he hurt his leg?” she asked.
Derek took a deep breath. He usually had an even disposition. He had to for his job as an attorney. Besides, all those years in JAG—the justice branch of the military, also known as the Judge Advocate Generals Corp—had trained him to stay cool under pressure. But seeing his brother hurt and having to leave him...it had Derek rattled.
“He was climbing up some rocks when he fell. His leg got caught between two boulders. He managed to get himself out, but his leg...it was torn up.” His voice cracked as he remembered seeing the injury. “Just looking at it, the bone was obviously broken. He’s in a lot of pain and can’t walk.”
Her expression remained even. “How long ago did this happen?”
“Probably an hour.” Derek continued walking beside her through the forest. The woman seemed to know where she was going, and she kept a steady pace as she moved. Thank God he’d found her when he did. She was an answer to prayer, for sure.
“You did the right thing by coming to find me.”
“That’s good to hear, because I hated to leave him.” Derek prayed that William was okay. Derek didn’t see how a rescue helicopter could get down to the thickly wooded area. He had no idea how his brother would be rescued, considering there was no way William could walk right now.
“These mountains aren’t for amateurs, that’s for sure.”
Derek frowned at her words. She was right. This trip had been tough, had made both Derek and William dig into their adventurous side. The slopes were steep and rocky. The area was lonely and not well traveled. Plus, the weather had been iffy.
“This trip was my brother’s idea,” Derek said, squeezing through the trees. “I was just trying to help him out. He had an especially bad breakup a couple months ago, and I think he needed to get away.”
None of that really mattered anymore, did it? All that mattered was helping his brother. William had always been the troublemaker of the two.
He was younger than Derek by two years, and something about his little brother had always been rowdy. William had been the one in detention. The one who’d gotten into fistfights. Yet he’d also been the one who was the captain of the football team and homecoming king. Derek, on the other hand, was the responsible one. He’d played baseball, studied hard and worked part-time jobs to save money for college.
“What’s your brother’s name?” Ranger Mercer asked, clucking her tongue at her dog as the leash pulled tight. The canine seemed eager to move ahead.
“William.”
The ranger’s dog continued to lead her through the wilderness, acting like he knew exactly where he was going. As they moved forward, he remembered the sound of bullets just a few minutes ago.
“Where are the two of you from?” Ranger Mercer asked.
“I’m from Washington, DC. I’m a lawyer there. My brother works in finance in New York City. We don’t get together that often, but we both thought this trip might be good for us.”
“Seems like an interesting choice of places to meet.” She glanced back at him, as if trying to study his expression.
“My father used to take us camping and hiking in this area when we were boys.”
“Sounds nice.” Her voice softened.
“He passed away a couple years ago. We thought this could help us get some closure.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
Derek was also. It had been one of the most challenging times of his life. Only a year later, Derek’s fiancée had left him at the altar.
To this day, Derek had a hard time trusting people. When the people you cared about the most let you down, whom could you put your faith in?
He still wasn’t sure about the answer to that question.
They continued through the wilderness. Thankfully, Derek had a good sense of direction. Otherwise every path would look the same.
Finally, Derek heard the river in the background. In this section, the rapids skipped and hurried over large boulders. Not far from here was Beaver Falls, a one-hundred-foot waterfall. The rapids grew more turbulent as they inched closer to the drop-off.
Earlier, he’d thought the sound was soothing. Now it seemed a grim reminder of what had happened.
Thankfully, they were almost to the area where he’d left William. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Derek knew he didn’t have much time.
Even though the park ranger had called for backup, Derek knew that getting out to this area was going to be difficult for the rescue teams. It wasn’t easily accessible, which was one of the reasons that he and William had wanted to come here.
No, Derek corrected. It was one of the reasons William had wanted to come here. Derek would’ve been just as happy hiking the Appalachian Trail or a path a little more well traveled.
“It’s just ahead,” he said.
“We should walk a little faster.” Ranger Mercer glanced up and frowned.
Her expression seemed to confirm that this was a bad situation all around. The weather would not be their friend.
They quickened their pace, just as the wind began to pick up. Derek knew it was going to storm today. He and his brother had set up camp early because of it, knowing they’d need shelter.
“This is the tricky part,” he called to the ranger. She probably already knew this area, but he felt inclined to say something anyway.
But they’d reached a ledge. They had to angle themselves through a small opening, walk along the side of a rock wall and then they’d eventually reach the riverbed. Normally people hooked up safety lines here, just in case they slipped. They didn’t have time for that, though.
“Watch your step,” she muttered.
Derek wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or to her dog. Either way, they all needed to be careful.
They squeezed between the rocks and began the challenge of balancing themselves on the rocky cliff. As the ranger stepped in front of him, the rocks crumbled beneath her feet, and she started to slip.
Derek grabbed her arm and pulled her back up. Her wide eyes met his as she murmured, “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
They continued walking.
Derek hadn’t anticipated any of this happening. A medical emergency while they were in the middle of nowhere. The strange thing was that he’d always been a planner. He liked to know what to anticipate. He didn’t like surprises.
All of this was like a test. He knew they were going to get through it. He just dreaded the process.
“It should be right on the other side of this boulder.” Derek pointed to the moss-covered rock ahead.
Ranger Mercer nodded and took the lead, her dog walking in front of her.
But just as they cleared the boulder, another sound rang out.
More gunshots.
“Get down!” Ranger Mercer yelled.
Derek ducked to the ground just as a bullet splintered the tree beside him.
What was going on?
One thing he knew for sure: those were not hunters.
They were killers.
