Page 74 of Present Danger (Rocky Mountain Courage 1)

Finding anyone in the thickly forested area was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, but there were clearings now and then. And the arsonist was sure to hide while the chopper was above him. After a half an hour, the smoke grew even thicker, and visibility decreased to near zero. They couldn’t see a thing. Jack called the search.

Terra closed her eyes and rested her head against the seat back. She shoved her still-damp hair behind her ears. “I can’t stand that he’s out there. That he’s free to commit more crimes.”

Jack took in her appearance. Her hair a tangled mess, smudges along her temple and cheeks. Her clothes, dirty and torn. That she was sitting here with him now seemed nothing short of a miracle.

He thought he’d lost her.

Jack wanted to do so much more than sit next to her. He wanted to hold her tight and never let her go, as if that could take all their troubles away. Maybe human touch would comfort them both and help them power through. Jack could use the reassurance.

Terra opened her eyes and held his gaze. She must have sensed him watching. Sorrow, regret, and anger twisted her features.

He couldn’t stand to see her this way, so he lifted a hand to wipe the smudges from her face but thought better of it and quickly dropped his hand.

Terra propped her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her palms.

“What do Jim and Neva and this guy who killed them have in common?” She pushed up to sit straight again. “Jim and Neva potentially have the artifacts in common.”

“Then what’s your role in this?” Jack asked. “If this is the same guy, then why did he try to kill you today? That reminds me. I learned that the tracks in the woods behind Neva’s don’t match those found near your grandfather’s home.”

“So the two incidents are not related.” She rubbed her arms.

“Regardless, you’re somehow too close to it all. Why would he try to kill you?”

“I could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He locked me in so I wouldn’t get in the way of his plans.”

Or the man wanted her dead because he feared she was getting too close to the truth.

“Jack, it could be a distraction. Start a fire, and we all scramble. Our focus is divided.”

He nodded. “That’s something to consider.”

Whatever his reasons, this guy didn’t act like someone who had anything to lose. Jack remained concerned that someone had followed her to her grandfather’s that night. Had someone monitored her activity, working with the safecracker to warn him to get out before she arrived home, and that effort had failed?

“Good news. The eastern side of the fire has been contained,” the pilot said.

“Oh, thank God.” A relieved sigh whooshed from Terra. It seemed like a week since she’d gone to the cabin, but it had only been a few hours.

“Can you take us back to our vehicles near the Maverick Trailhead?” Jack asked.

“Sure thing.”

Terra closed her eyes for a moment and silently prayed. When she opened them, she unzipped her jacket pocket and pulled out a palm-sized object wrapped in latex gloves. “I found this.”

She slowly unwrapped it so he could peer at the jagged corner of a stone.

“Looks like a square piece of stone or clay. Another artifact? Where did you find it?” he asked.

“A few yards from the cabin. It was in the dirt under a bush. I took pictures, don’t worry. I would have marked it with an evidence marker, but I didn’t have that with me.”

“You don’t think it’s part of another archaeological site that needs to be protected, do you?”

Frowning, she shook her head. “No. This was clearly dropped there.”

“What do you make of it?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

He scratched his chin. “What if Jim fought with someone there. Somehow it got broken during the altercation, and that’s also when Jim was stabbed. There could be more evidence. Blood. Something. Somehow this was missed when we searched. And now the fire has destroyed anything else we might have found. That could be the sole reason he started the fire. We’re getting too close to the truth.”