Read an excerpt:
From Chapter 1:
The cabin was nicely appointed and provided a comfortable space. We dropped everything inside, put away the food stuffs, filled our water bottles, and went exploring.
“They didn’t lie about the quiet, and it’s very well kept up, both the cabin and the area. I’m impressed.”
Brett scanned the area. “Me, too. You up for trying out a trail?”
“Sure. The signage with colors reminds me of the arboretum at Cold Creek. Black would be the hardest trail, so let’s start with the blue.”
He rubbed my back. “We’ll work our way up to the black one. I’m not sure how many trails there are and which trails end in the park itself. I think they all do.”
I chuckled as I stepped over a tree root. The further into the trail we walked, the less sunlight passed through the trees. It almost seemed spooky. We paused to drink some water and decide which way to go at a fork in the path and no signage. A dog barked, startling me. I looked around, and so did Brett.
“Where are you, sweetie? Come here.” Brett shook his head and studied the trees and brush. I called again and spotted a small white dog. The dog barked and turned around.
“Wait!” I started after him and stopped. “Come here, sweetie. Let’s see if you have a tag so we can find your human.”
He came toward us, and I crouched. He barked and took off. This time he was close enough I could see his leash. I dove for it and missed, colliding with the ground. Brett helped me up, and we moved in the direction the dog disappeared.
“He has a leash. His owner may be hurt. Let’s follow him.”
I nodded. That path turned uphill and curved. Every so often, the dog came back, barked, and kept going. I heard a scratchy voice and turned to Brett. He nodded. “A woman. There’s a chance she’s hurt.”
He put on speed, and I trailed behind. The dog barked and whined as we approached a clearing. A woman laid alongside a man on the ground. The dog went to the couple and came back to us, barking and panting. I spotted what appeared to be a body further away.
“I have a gun and I know how to use it.” The woman’s voice was raspy. “I tried to call the police, but my fall smashed my phone. Michael’s unconscious.”
Brett put his hands up. “Ma’am. We’re only here because your dog led us to you. We mean you no harm. I’m a detective with the State Police. That looks like a gun someone in law enforcement might have. Are you law enforcement?”
Her shoulders relaxed a bit, she put the gun down, and her lips trembled. “It’s Michael’s gun. Michael’s a detective in Beckman Springs. Can you call for help, please?”
“I’m Sheridan. I’ll call for you. Do you know the best way to direct them here?”
“Black trail. I don’t know how else.” She leaned over the man and cringed.
“Ma’am, are you hurt? Can you tell me what happened?” Brett moved to the man to check him out. He wasn’t moving.
“I’m Stacie. We were coming up the trail from that side.” She pointed in the opposite direction we’d come from. “Jasper growled and pulled on his leash. I tried to hold him, but he got loose. Michael moved forward. I heard Jasper yelp and rushed over."
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