She smiled. “You sound like me. If we don’t find him?”
“We’ll wait there for a while in case he’s running late. The thing is, he won’t be expecting to see a bear.”
“I could be bait. I’m older than Ivy, and not a brunette like her. He might come after me, and then I could zap him with my taser. Then you could sit on him.”
Grayson laughed. “That could work.” Though a grizzly would probably crush him. He just hoped they would catch up to the guy and it wouldn’t be a wash.
When they finally reached the park, they drove to the picnic area parking lot. Several trucks and cars were parked there. The spot overlooked St. Mary Lake and the mountains, a beautiful vista.
No one was there, and Grayson suspected the other vehicles belonged to hikers on one of the trails leading to St. Mary Falls, Virginia Falls, or Baring Falls.
“While no one’s here, I’m going to head up the St. Mary Falls trail and shift. I’ll be in the woods, off the trail, but if you encounter this guy, you call out, and I’ll be there. They have signs all over that warn everyone to stay on the trails and to keep food in their vehicle because of the bears in the area.”
She smiled. “That means you.”
“Exactly. I’ll be one formidable bear.” He got out of the vehicle.
“Okay, go, before he shows up.” Kendra pulled a package of potato chips out of her backpack and exited the SUV, then set her backpack on one of the picnic tables. She slipped her phone out of her pocket to take some pictures of the blue lake and the mountains, pretending to be there just enjoying nature and the park.
Grayson glanced back at her, hoping that she would be all right and that they weren’t making a big mistake.
5
Kendra placed her backpack on a picnic table while she waited for Younger to show up. She sure hoped that neither of them would get into trouble on this venture. Then she heard a car approaching. Her skin chilled, and her heart ratcheted up a notch. When the car parked, a family of four got out of the vehicle: mom, dad, and two male teens, all gathering hiking gear, and headed up St. Mary Falls trail. She took a relieved breath, but hoped they didn’t see a big grizzly bear—Grayson—in the forest.
This was more nerve-wracking than she had expected.
Another vehicle was coming. She tensed and tried to pretend she was taking more pictures of the vista.
The dark green Chevrolet pulled into the last parking place. A teen who appeared to be around 18 was driving.
He spoke on his phone as he eyed Kendra. Was this the guy whom Ivy had met online this time? Were there two of them—the older man and the younger one in on the con?
If so, they probably thought Ivy would be spooked if she saw both of them.
Kendra did consider that Younger might be hiding in the back seat of the car. She texted Grayson, though she knew he would be a bear. But if his clothes and phone were nearby, he could shift and check his phone.
To her relief, he texted back: What’s up?
She texted: A green Chevrolet sedan just parked in the last spot, and maybe an 18- or 19-year-old was driving it.
Grayson: No sign of Younger?
Kendra: No. But he might be hiding in the back seat of the car.
Grayson: What do you want to do?
Kendra: Sit down at the picnic table and eat my chips. I’ve been taking pictures of the view. If he doesn’t approach me after I’ve finished with my chips, I’ll grab my backpack and hike in your direction.
Grayson: Okay. Be prepared for anything.
She took one last shot of the vista with her phone and then strolled over to the picnic table, sat down, and tore open her package of chips. Her back was to the parking lot as she watched the view of the lake and listened to a woodpecker tapping at a tree in the forest. She had her fully charged taser in her pocket.
The teen was still sitting in the car, maybe waiting for Ivy to show up.
Kendra finished her chips, rose from the bench, and tossed the package in a bear-proof trash can. Then she returned to the table, grabbed her backpack, and put it on her shoulders. With a nice brisk pace, she headed for the St. Mary Falls trail.
The car door opened, and she pulled her taser out of her jacket pocket. Either the teen was going to sit at one of the tables, take pictures of the view, or come after her. She suspected he wasn’t just hiking. Then again, maybe he was.
