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Spence was pretty sure he knew the answer to the next question but asked anyway. “And I’m thinking no one saw anything odd or weird when they were on the trails yesterday?”
The other ranger spoke up. “No, sir. I’ve interviewed everyone we can locate who was hiking yesterday, and nothing out of the ordinary was reported. Whoever did this blended in and looked like he, or she, for that matter, should be here.”
“So, next stop is the lodge and find the sister.”
“Like I said, due in later today. I asked them to call us as soon as she showed and not to mention anything about this. The whole staff and the gal that found her have all been told not to talk to the press or anyone else, for that matter.”
Spence nodded and then said, “Okay, I’m heading back to the hotel to get my team straightened away. I want to be at the lodge when the sister arrives tonight. I do not want her to hear about this from anyone else. If she plans on meeting Dulcie for a late dinner, then I’ll be there waiting.”
After the other men left. Spence took the time to take one more good look around the area before removing the crime tape. He cast around and could find little that couldn’t be easily explained as normal. No real point in leaving it up; animals didn’t know what crime tape meant, and there was little else to be discovered there. Wearily, he hiked back down to his rented vehicle and made his way back to town.
CHAPTER4
It was late in the evening when Harper arrived at the lodge. She followed the smell of food to the dining room. Dulcie had told her the food was great and she was looking forward to a meal cooked by someone who wasn’t her.
She stood in the entrance looking around for her sister.
Where on earth is she? I’m hungry and the smells here are not helping. I know I’m running a little late, but where is she?
“Harper?” called a familiar voice. She turned to look; her smile bemused.
What was Spence doing here? She knew he was in the area, but surely the government wouldn’t spring for his room at the lodge, not when the hotel in town was so much cheaper.
She spun around, pasting a smile on her face, and once again crashed into the man. She hadn’t expected him to be so close. He was the original hard body and was built like the proverbial brick house. She hadn’t seen him when she’d come in but there was a man in a park ranger uniform standing just behind him.
“What are you doing here? You didn’t have to follow me; if you wanted to go to dinner, all you had to do was call. I left you my cell phone number on the paper with Tank’s info. I knew we weren’t done with each other, but I wasn’t sure if you even knew we’d gotten started.”
“Spencer? I might ask you the same thing.”
“I’m here on official business. Your turn.”
Harper shook her head. “I’m not sure I’m under any obligation to answer your question, but I can assure you that I didn’t follow you all this way, hoping I’d run into you. Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m meeting my sister here to spend some time together, having dinner first and then enjoying a week of hiking, canoeing and being with nature.”
There was a flash of something grim that came over Spence’s face. She had a sudden understanding of why he had the reputation he did: hardnosed, irascible, dominant alpha male.
“Harper. What’s your sister’s name?”
She swallowed down the instant flash of fear his question provoked and answered. “Why?”
“I need you to just answer the question.”
“Dulcie. Why? What does that matter to you? Spence, why are you here?”
She studied his face. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. All the survival instincts that she relied on to get her in and out of some of the gnarlier areas she needed to access to feed the firefighters kicked in.
“Just tell me, Spence. Whatever it is—regardless of how bad—I’m better off knowing.”
“Let’s go over here by the fire and sit down,” he said, reaching for her arm.
She jerked it away. “I don’t want to sit down by the fire. Tell me. Tell me now.”
He blew out a harsh breath and brought his fingers up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “There isn’t any good way to tell you this. Yesterday, a hiker found the body of a woman; she’s been identified as Dulcie Simpson. I didn’t connect the two of you because of the different last names.”
Harper’s knees began to buckle, and she would have found herself in a puddle at his feet if he hadn’t steadied her and led her to one of the chairs by the fireplace. Denial and shock warred inside her. Denial won.
“I don’t believe it. Somebody’s made a mistake. I want to see the body for myself.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We identified her from her fingerprints.”
