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He pulled his phone from his pocket. “He’s here?”
“He’s camping on my dad’s land. He just…confessed.Everything. He and my dad got into an argument and…Jesus, I just freaked out and ran, and…”
“There’s no reception,” Quinn said with a frustrated curse. “Let’s go. We’ll tell Ben. It’ll be okay.” He reached for the gearshift just as Lori gasped. When he followed her gaze to the top of the trail ahead, Quinn saw a man standing in the distance, his features blurred by the falling rain.
“Is it Joe?” Just in case something awful was about to happen, Quinn eased the car into Drive. But the figure only stood there, watching. Then the man raised a hand and gave a little wave, as if he was seeing them off before he turned to head back up the trail.
“Lori?” Quinn murmured.
She nodded. “Go. I think you can get service near the highway.”
Not liking the flat tone of her voice, Quinn took her cold hand again and squeezed it tightly.
“He did it,” she whispered. Rain dripped off her nose. “He killed my dad. He said he didn’t mean to.”
Quinn’s body jerked in shock, but he tried to speak calmly for Lori’s sake. “I’m sure he didn’t.”
She was shivering hard, despite the heated seats. “But…he was hisbest friend.”
Those were the last words Lori spoke for a long time. She huddled silently in Quinn’s front seat as he cranked up the heat and drove as quickly as he could back toward civilization. They were nearly to the highway before his cell phone showed signs of life. Lori didn’t even look up as he called Ben and explained what had happened.
Ten minutes later, Ben arrived along with what seemed to be the entire Tumble Creek police force. The trucks raced past them, heading toward the campsite. Quinn just waited silently, cradling Lori’s hand in his own. Her shivering finally stopped. The rain faded to a mist and then ended altogether.
They waited.
By the time Ben pulled up next to them in his truck, the sun had emerged to glare off every wet surface.
Quinn got out and opened Lori’s door, frowning at her stiff movements. “Did you arrest him?” He didn’t understand the careful look Ben shot him, but he put his arm around Lori’s shoulders just in case.
“He wasn’t at the campsite,” Ben said. “You say you last saw him on the trail?”
She nodded.
“One of the men noticed some marks at the edge of the trail, just at the top of the ridge. It’s awfully slick there right now.”
Lori shook her head. “What do you mean?”
“There are shoe prints in the mud, and some slide marks just above the water. Joe’s things are still at the campsite.”
“He probably ran,” she insisted.
Ben nodded but gave Quinn that same look again.
Quinn understood it now. “Why don’t I take you home, Lori? You can get changed. Ben will let us know what they find.”
“I don’t want to go,” she insisted.
“You’re cold. Let’s at least go get changed. Then we can come back and wait.”
“No.”
What could he do? Tired of trying to silently communicate with Ben, Quinn convinced Lori to at least sit in the car. Then he made his way back to Ben.
“What is it you’re trying to tell me?”
Ben glanced toward Quinn’s car. “People don’t normally just make a confession like that and then go on their way.”
“You implied he might have slipped.”
