Page 11 of The Creekside Murder (Pacific Northwest Forensics #1)

Finn ducked behind a potted plant and peered at the patio between its leaves, watching Jessica dip her head as she texted on her phone. Unless her boss had just threatened to fire her, he didn’t believe her for one minute.

She’d actually gotten worse at lying over the years, or maybe he’d just gotten over being the besotted fool who believed everything she said. He pivoted and made a beeline toward the bar. Correction. He was still besotted but no longer a fool.

He asked for a couple of containers and a plastic bag, and catching the waitress as she ordered some drinks at the bar, he requested the check.

He took care of the bill and returned to the patio, handing a container to Jessica. “You wanna add more ketchup to those fries before boxing them up?”

“No.” She didn’t even crack a smile, but he noticed she’d finished off her beer. For courage?

He’d eaten more than she had and elected to leave his food on his plate. “At least I can give you a ride back to the hotel.”

“That was my fault for being late. The walk wasn’t bad, though.” She slid her to-go box in the plastic bag and grabbed her purse. “Ready.”

He was ready, too.

As she sat beside him in the passenger seat, her knees bounced, jiggling the plastic bag on her lap.

He knew not to ask questions. Better to pretend everything was normal. Better to make her believe he hadn’t noticed that text had turned her world upside down. Maybe Denny and Ashley had a change of heart and were ready to spill some secrets.

The drive took less than five minutes, and he pulled up in front of the lobby. “Walk you up?”

“No. I’m sorry. I really need to get busy and finish this report tonight. Thanks for dinner.” She patted the plastic bag. “And now I have a midnight snack.”

“Let’s touch base tomorrow. I can have a look at the card section at the student store, as I’ll be on campus anyway.”

“That would be great.”

She couldn’t get out of his car fast enough and slammed the door so hard it made the vehicle shudder. Holding up one hand in a wave, she disappeared into the hotel.

He put the car in gear and rolled around to the side of the hotel, facing the water.

This gave him a clear view of the guest parking lot, and he’d already spotted her Subaru.

He couldn’t listen in on any phone calls she might make or see any texts, but if she planned a late-night rendezvous with Denny and Ashley, he’d see her leave.

He cut the lights and slumped in his seat. He felt as if he were on a stakeout again. Too bad he hadn’t taken a coffee for the road. Finn turned on the radio and watched a few people come and go from dinner, headlights training in and out of the parking lot.

When a lone figure darted from the hotel into the parking lot, he sat up. The lights on Jessica’s car flashed as she scurried toward it.

Finn started his engine but left his headlights off.

If stopped, he knew enough officers on the force that they might let him get away without a ticket.

There wasn’t enough traffic on the road for Jessica not to notice a single car following her.

He’d have to use all his forgotten surveillance skills for this one.

As she pulled out of the parking lot, he trailed after her, allowing another car to get between them.

Hanging back, he duplicated her turns away from the pier toward the university.

For a minute, he expected her to turn into the campus.

Maybe she’d just decided to check out the student store on her own.

Then she turned left onto the road that bordered the university—and led to the forest trail. Was she actually going there? And why?

He made the same turn but slowed down, as he’d lost the car in the middle blocking her view of his vehicle. She couldn’t turn off many places along this route. This road eventually led to the coast, but she wouldn’t have taken the long way around to get there.

When her brake lights flashed ahead, he hung back even more. Had she spotted him in her rearview? Not that she shouldn’t be watching her back after that tire stunt.

Finn let out a breath when she picked up speed, and he accelerated to follow.

His Jeep sat too high to be overlooked, and even with his lights out, a watchful eye would be able to detect his approach.

He’d have to slow down, let her get well ahead and just hope he’d see her car parked at the side or in a pullout.

He also hoped he’d get there in time to save her—from what, he didn’t know, maybe just from herself.

* * *

J ESSICA STEERED HER car into the pullout that would give her access to the trail leading to Morgan’s memorial site. Is this where her killer had parked? Or had he been stealthier, coming from a direction where no one would notice him?

The CSIs on the scene had checked this pullout for tire tracks, but there had been too many to distinguish one set.

They hadn’t had any better luck with the area across the river.

Too many people used this trail, although nobody had witnessed a man in the area.

One couple had passed Morgan on the trail, probably less than fifteen minutes before she’d been murdered.

Jessica gave a little shiver and slid her Sig into her pocket.

She might be taking her life in her hands by agreeing to meet a stranger at the site of two murders, but she was going to have a gun in at least one of those hands while she did it.

The texter had said come alone, not come unarmed and defenseless.

She eased from her car and snapped the door closed.

She’d leave it unlocked in case she needed to make a quick getaway.

Before diving into the woods, Jessica glanced over her shoulder.

A few sets of headlights had been behind her up until the university, and she thought she’d seen a shadow behind her on the road out here, but that didn’t make sense.

Whoever had invited her was probably already in place waiting for her.

She dipped her hand into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around the handle of her weapon.

The hiking boots she’d swapped in for the low heels she’d worn at dinner crunched through the forest floor.

She didn’t try to conceal her presence. She didn’t want to startle the guy.

This could be another prank, but she couldn’t risk not knowing. If someone had information about her sister’s murder, well, that’s what she was looking for. A little danger wasn’t going to deter her.

She strode toward Morgan’s memorial, which had grown since the last time she and Finn had found the rag doll here.

Her classmates wanted to pay their respects, maybe even pressure the police, who didn’t seem to have much to go on right now—and she should know given that paltry evidence list. Something else was going to have to crack this case—and she just might hold the key.

She called out. “Hello? It’s Jessica Eller. Tell me what you know. Show your face.”

A rustling noise beyond the trees answered her, and she spun toward it. “This is your meeting. I’m here. Tell me what you got. What do you know about Tiffany?”

Whispering filtered through the cedars and the red alders, their branches still full from summer and bulking up for the winter, but Jessica couldn’t tell if it was a human voice or the sound of the leaves playing tricks on her willing mind. “Hello?”

A crunch of sticks and a crackle of twigs vibrated through the air, the rhythmic sound an echoing of footsteps on the trail. Was he running away from her? Had she scared him away with her bold approach?

Putting her head down, she used her arms to swim through the foliage at the edge of the clearing, stumbling on the path next to the creek.

She tipped her nose to the sky like an animal catching a scent from the breeze and held her breath.

Beyond her thundering heart, she heard the footsteps traipsing through the forest, the littered ground beneath his feet pinpointing his direction.

She veered to the right, and clutched a stitch in her side as she took the path to her sister’s murder site. Was he playing some cruel game with her? Did he want her to follow him? He didn’t seem to be doing anything to conceal his tread.

“I’m coming. I’m following you.” She panted the words, more out of apprehension than any physical exhaustion.

Still, he remained ahead of her, teasing her, goading her, leading her to the one place in the world that had the power to break her. And he knew it.

She stumbled to a stop at a place where the creek gurgled louder and where a twisted branch reached out from the water to grab her. She dropped to her knees, the pebbles gouging the flesh beneath her jeans.

A sob bubbled in her throat. She choked out, “I’m here. Is this where you want me? Tell me what you know.”

Sitting back on her heels, she ran her arm beneath her nose, her gaze scanning the area. What did he want? The footsteps, louder now to compensate for the rushing water, stomped ahead. He wasn’t finished with her yet.

She scrambled to her feet and lurched forward, like a drunk craving one more drink, even though he knew he’d had enough. Even though he knew nothing good lay ahead.

Adrenaline raced through her body now, and her legs pumped faster and with more assurance. She’d catch him. She’d catch him if it was the last thing she did this night. She plowed ahead with purpose, her jaw clamped, her breathing heavy through her nose.

When she heard the laugh, she froze. The high-pitched sound sent rivers of ice down her back. She pulled the gun from her pocket, her itching finger on the trigger.

She crept forward more slowly. “What’s so funny? Why don’t you show me what’s so funny?”

She took a few steps, stopped and listened. Took a few more steps, stopped and listened. Nothing. The owner of that hair-raising laugh had stopped moving, stopped communicating with her.

“Jesssssica.”

Had that been the breeze breathing her name? She cranked her head toward the creek and jerked back. Hunching forward, Jessica inched close to the water’s edge.

Then she clapped a hand to her mouth, but it didn’t do any good. A scream ripped through her throat as the eyes of a dead girl stared back at her.