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Chapter Seventeen

Perry

Delia was quieter than usual. She seemed preoccupied as we gathered boxes and placed frozen ice cream treats inside. The boxes closed up tight, a digital lock on the outside. Once finished, each box was placed inside a larger freezer in the pavilion.

We were finishing with the third one when I finally asked, “Are you all right?”

Delia lowered the third box into the freezer before straightening and saying, “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“I think we already know how I’m doing. That’s no secret.” Delia had been present for my earlier rant. I’d kind of lost my shit when I talked about the photos. I’d also gotten more emotional than I’d like to admit when I expressed my concern for my coworkers.

“Sweet Perry.” Delia gave me a half smile before walking back to the counter and starting on the fourth box. “You’re always so concerned about everyone else. If there were more men in the world like you…Well, I suppose that is a pointless fantasy.” Delia opened a box of frozen ice cream sandwiches. “You don’t need to waste your worry on me. I will be fine.” Delia’s grin didn’t exactly meet her eyes, nor did it ease my concern. She blew out an exasperated breath, and this time, her grin appeared more genuine. “You didn’t quite buy that, did you?”

“No,” I answered easily. “Want to try again?”

Delia’s soft laughter filled the pavilion. “I don’t believe you’d let me get away with answering no.” With a gentle sigh, Delia’s gaze became distant as she stared across the scattered picnic tables. “You’ll have to forgive me, Perry. I’ve spent so long wearing my armor that I now find it difficult to remove. But for you, I’ll make an effort. In short, what happened yesterday disturbed me more than I care to admit.”

I placed the ice cream sandwiches in the box. By now, I knew the routine. The frozen fruit treats would come next. “You wouldn’t be the Delia I knew if it didn’t bother you.”

Delia’s eyes widened before gentling. “No, I suppose I wouldn’t. However, I can typically handle violent events better than that. I’m afraid my mind isn’t as clear and focused as it typically is.”

I leaned in and gave Delia a side hug. “I get it. Really, I do.”

Delia wrapped her arm around me and hugged me back. “I know.”

Releasing me, Delia reached for the fruit treats and loaded the box. We placed more goodies inside and closed and locked this one. We were working on the fifth box when I finally asked, “Why are they locked?”

“All part of one of Malcom’s games. We’ll have to wait and see.” She threw me a wink as we finished the box and placed it next to its siblings.

M id-morning found Nate and I tearing our cabin apart as we searched for the clue Malcom had hidden in each cabin before we’d arrived. It had been fun at first. That fun dissipated into frustration quickly.

“Where in the hell is it?” Nate asked while wiping sweat from his brow. “I swear, we’ve searched every damn inch of the cabin.” Nate glanced out the open screen door. I figured about half the others had found their clue and were waiting around the main firepit.

I already found the band encircling my wrist irritating. I felt like Goldilocks. One spot was too tight, and the other was too loose. I’d gone for making it loose rather than tight, but that meant it slid up and down my wrist with a little too much ease. I stared down at the blue thing and said, “I already want to take this thing off.” I gave the band a little tug.

“Don’t,” Nate said forcefully. “I mean, Malcom said they’re important for the rest of the retreat. They’re waterproof and everything.” Nate grinned like that made the situation better.

“Yeah, yeah. They’re fancy like that.” I didn’t think they were really that fancy , but I figured I could suck it up and deal. Besides, Nate had pointed out that ours were special. He’d told me about the tracking chips inside—just to be on the safe side. Wearing the band should have made me feel more secure. Instead, it made me queasy. It was a constant reminder that Willie was out there hunting me.

Nate pulled pots and pans out of the cabinets. There weren’t many. The glassware, plates, and silverware were already scattered across the countertop. His hands were dusty, and sweat trickled down his back, darkening Nate’s t-shirt.

“I swear, if Malcom is fucking with us and we don’t have a clue in this cabin, I’m going to—” Nate’s sudden “a-ha!” ended his threat. “Found it.”

Scooting back, Nate held a nondescript wooden box in his hand. It appeared to have the same type of digital lock as the boxes Delia and I’d filled with frozen goodness. Ass firmly planted on the floor, Nate looked up at me before he ran his wristband over the lock area. We both heard the mechanism release, and the box popped open. Inside was a wooden puzzle piece with a couple of lines on it.

My eyebrows rose skyward. “Looks like there’s more to do.”

Nate sighed. “Of course there is.”

I reached out and offered Nate a hand getting up. We both took a moment to look around our disrupted cabin. “If Nat and I were working the case, we’d think the place had been tossed.”

“It has been,” I replied. “And we were looking for something in particular.”

“True enough.” Nate gave the mess a forlorn look.

“Let’s worry about it later,” I suggested. “It looks like almost everyone’s found their puzzle piece. We better get out and join the group.” Honestly, I was glad today didn’t involve any walks through the woods. My legs needed the rest. Maybe Malcom thought everyone else’s did too.

“You found it!” Gabe cheered when we walked out of the cabin. “Delia found ours. She went right to it like a homing pigeon.” Gabe tapped his temple. “I swear, that woman is wicked smart.”

“Flattery will get you somewhere, Gabe. However, I’m not sure you’ll appreciate the destination,” Delia purred.

Gabe shivered, but his grin was near maniacal. Or maybe crazed. I couldn’t exactly figure out which. “Oh, such temptation.”

Delia rolled her eyes, but her amused grin softened the rebuke. “What does your piece look like?”

Nate showed her our puzzle piece, and Delia held hers up, trying to fit them together. They didn’t match. “I suspect we’ll need to work with our colleagues to complete the puzzles.”

That would make sense, considering the purpose of the retreat. Nate and I headed for the rest of the group. Several others were already lining up their pieces. A few had found partial matches. Those groups were eager to have the newer pieces tried against their puzzles.

“It’s a number,” someone shouted. “Ours is three.”

That discovery sparked renewed interest, and within fifteen minutes, all the puzzles were completed. Not surprisingly, at least to me and probably Delia, the numbers ranged from one to five.

“Excellent,” Dr. Schroder climbed onto a nearby table high enough that everyone could see and hear her. “There are five boxes in the pavilion. You will need to work with everyone in your group to open those boxes. As you’ve been told already, your wristbands have microchips in them, but they are not all the same code. You will need to scan your wristbands over the boxes in a specific sequence to open them. I assure you, the treats waiting inside will be worth the effort.”

When we got to the pavilion, Malcom was standing in front of one of the longer picnic tables, the five boxes Delia and I’d filled earlier that morning laid out on individual, smaller tables. “Go to your numbered box. The first one to successfully open their box gets more than the treat inside. You may each remove one treat. Later, if you want more, you’ll have to contact each member of your group to collectively open the box again.”

I was a little bummed that Delia and Gabe weren’t in our group, but the people we wound up with were nice enough, if not overly competitive. Nate fit right in, and although we weren’t the first to open our box, we were the second.

Nate grabbed an ice cream sandwich while I went for the strawberry fruit bar. There were still plenty of treats left after each of us had taken one a piece.

It wasn’t long before everyone had gotten their boxes open. Surprisingly, Delia and Gabe’s team were fourth. Delia didn’t appear nearly as upset regarding that fact as I thought her overcompetitive side should be.

Malcom praised everyone’s success, and Dr. Schroder joined him with a speech that could have been summed up by reiterating that teamwork makes the dream work. Malcom and Dr. Schroder called a few employees out. Evidently, the rest of the day would be spent meeting with individuals singly or in groups. I didn’t know if Malcom would want to meet with me or if this was an exercise geared toward the insurance agents.

Nate and I shook hands and thanked our team members, each of us joking about midnight ice cream cravings and late-night rousings in order to satisfy those cravings.

“Hey, guys.” Park Ranger Hank Shelton peered around the edge of one of the pavilion columns. “Am I interrupting?”

Nate placed his hand on the small of my back, and we wove our way around tables to meet Hank halfway. The man looked so average, so damn normal, it was difficult seeing him as a possible child molester. I had to keep in mind that nothing had been proven. Hank hadn’t been convicted of a crime. The circumstantial evidence Nat had dug up so far was suspicious, but it wasn’t proof.

Still, it was difficult to smile and sound congenial when I answered, “We were just finishing up.”

“That’s great.” Hank’s eyes flicked around the pavilion before settling back on me. “I wondered if you might give me that introduction we discussed earlier. I believe you recommended an agent named Delia.”

I wasn’t the only one that stiffened. Nate’s fingers dug into my back. When I’d thrown Delia’s name out there, it had been without the knowledge this guy could be a sexual predator. That knowledge slammed into my brain, and I wasn’t sure how to politely back out.

“Did I hear my name?” Delia walked up to my side, her posture relaxed and expression congenial.

I couldn’t speak. I could barely blink. Delia had to have been confused by my deer-in-the-headlights expression. She raised a single eyebrow but stuck her hand out all the same, shaking Hank’s offered hand. “If you’re Miss Delia Carpenter, then this gentleman tells me you’re the lady I want handling my insurance.”

Delia’s smile widened, slightly thinning her plush lips. “That’s very flattering, and also very true. Tell me, what kind of insurance are you interested in?”

I stood there, stone-cold silent, as Hank and Delia discussed life insurance policies. While I didn’t know much, I figured Delia was only hitting the highlights. Hands clasped behind her back, she politely listened and threw out a couple of suggestions before saying, “Why don’t you contact me at the office when the retreat is finished? I suspect there are quite a few more details you’d wish to discuss in private.”

Hank threw Nate and me a questioning look before nodding in agreement. “I’ll do that.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Delia answered, holding out her hand again and shaking on it.

“I hope the weather holds out,” Hank said while slapping his hat back on his head. “They’re calling for some nasty storms. Nothing too bad tonight, but tomorrow afternoon isn’t looking so good. If you’ve got any plans out on the trails, best get to them early.”

Tomorrow was the last full day of the retreat. We had the cabins rented until the following day, and Malcom said he expected most of us, if not everyone, to stay until that morning. Nate and I planned on sleeping the night in the cabin and heading back to Indianapolis the next morning.

“Thank you for the warning,” Delia said. “That’s very gracious of you.” Hank’s cheeks flushed, and he dipped his head. “It’s part of the job,” he muttered before turning on his heel and heading back the way he’d come.

With Hank gone, my throat loosened, as did my tongue. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I blurted.

“What’s not?” Delia asked.

I nodded in Hank’s direction, unsure how to phrase my concerns. Thankfully, Nate helped me out.

“We’ve come across some information that is concerning regarding Hank Shelton,” Nate said. “While nothing has been proven, he’s been under investigation for some rather heinous acts.”

“And he’s in the middle of a nasty divorce,” I nearly shouted, unable to keep my concerns inside any longer. “It doesn’t make sense that he’d want to take out a life insurance policy on himself to help out his wife if something happened to him.”

I hadn’t realized how forced and fake Delia’s smile had been until it softened when she looked at me.

“Dear, sweet Perry.” Bopping me on the nose with a fingernail, Delia said, “You worry far too much. But it’s refreshing, and selfishly, I can’t find it in me to wish you wouldn’t.” This time, her smile turned wistfully sad. “I will miss you terribly.”

“ Miss me ? Why would you miss me? I’m not going anywhere.” Delia’s words reminded me too much of my conversation yesterday with Malcom.

Delia glanced Nate’s way before her attention focused back on me. “Sometimes circumstances dictate differently. Let’s hope our separation won’t be for some time, but it will eventually come, and when it does, know that you will be missed.” Changing the topic abruptly, Delia said, “The rest of the day will be individual meetings with staff. I don’t believe Malcom intends to speak with you privately, Perry. You and Nate are free for the rest of the day. If you enjoy swimming and haven’t taken a dip yet, I’d recommend heading to the pool. Have a good day.” Unwrapping her pineapple fruit bar, Delia licked the treat delicately as she walked away.

I stood there, watching her leave.

“You keep scowling like that and your face will become stuck. If that happens, we’ll be explaining your sour expression in our wedding pictures for years to come.” Nate’s tone was light and teasing, just like the finger he ran over my creased forehead.

My slow blink released the tension.

“That’s better. What do you say? You want to go check out the pool?” Nate asked.

Cool water sounded heavenly. “Only if I get to just sit there and float.”

“Done,” Nate easily agreed. “We’ll grab some lunch first, let that digest for a bit, and then head over early this afternoon. How does that sound?”

I could already feel my muscles relaxing and thought a nap would wind up figuring into that schedule somewhere. “Perfect,” I answered easily.

Nate’s responding, easy grin lightened the heavy weight on my chest. As sappy as it sounded, I could feel the love radiating through him when he looked at me. I suppose Delia was right. People switched jobs, and there would most likely come a day when I no longer saw her. That wouldn’t happen with the man standing beside me. Nate had told me numerous times that I was stuck with him. I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather have glued to my side.