Dangerous mountain missi.., p.22
Dangerous Mountain Mission, page 22
She picked at her foot in silence for another minute before giving him a hesitant smile. “All right. I guess a pair of tweezers would help.”
By the time she had retreated to her bedroom and Logan lay on the couch staring up at the dark ceiling, he could scarcely believe two hours had flown past. No more signs of the intruder, but he wasn’t about to leave her alone.
Some mystery surrounded Ashley, lurking beneath the surface. Her file hadn’t revealed anything insightful. But why would they assign her to Big Bend with no apparent experience in a similar environment? No ranger experience at all, in fact. Something wasn’t adding up.
She had agreed to go with him to Santa Elena Canyon the next day, both to pick up her car and to see if anything jogged her memory. Until then, he had to find some way to fall asleep without thinking about the way Ashley had felt in his arms as he’d carried her back to the house. Even Erin, for all her inexperience as a new ranger, hadn’t stirred such a strong protective instinct.
Maybe it was because five years had passed since Erin had left and Logan had changed during that time. He’d grown wiser. He’d seen more rangers come and go. He’d seen more loss and death.
Sam. That was who Ashley reminded him of. She didn’t have quite the same youthful optimism and enthusiasm, but he could imagine she used to be that way. She certainly had the same energy, the same air of competence. Even some of their facial expressions were similar.
He rolled over on the couch for the twentieth time, wishing the government could afford better furniture. It made sense that Ashley would bring back all his memories of Sam—she was the first new law-enforcement ranger since his death.
But the thought of Ashley ending up with the same fate... He shuddered. He wouldn’t let that happen, no matter how much she objected to his help.
It took another hour of prayer before he finally fell asleep.
FIVE
Ashley was relieved to find a note rather than a ranger in her living room the next morning. The events of last night had been awkward enough without waking up to share a cup of coffee and breakfast. She had felt horribly vulnerable in the last few days and now that her head was healing, it was time to reclaim some control over her life.
Logan’s note indicated he wanted to get some things done before their drive to the canyon and that she could find him in his park office after her meeting with the superintendent.
She showered and dressed in one of the NPS uniforms in her closet; apparently they had been given to her when she’d arrived. More memories had solidified in her mind in the night, her past clicking back into place, giving her a reassuring sense of who she was and where she had come from.
But why she was here? Nothing. The previous months, except for that memory of a cab ride, were like staring at a blank wall.
She glanced at the time on the microwave. She had to meet with Dr. Barclay soon, but no harm in squeezing in another attempt at that laptop password. The last one she remembered hadn’t worked yesterday. What else to try? Names of pets? Bobo the parakeet? Too short.
How about JackyBoy, after their chocolate lab?
Strike one.
College roommate? KristaReed.
Strike two.
She crinkled her nose. Only one chance left.
She closed her eyes, setting her fingers against the keyboard. Maybe muscle memory could pull out the password her conscious mind couldn’t remember. It hovered right there, on the tips of her fingers. How about a hashtag first, for extra security?
Then... P-r-o-v—She stopped, rubbing her forehead.
Favorite Bible verse. Proverbs 3:5-6. But she would’ve abbreviated it. #Prov3:5-6.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding...
So painful to type, with the way the words seared her heart.
But it worked.
Ashley let out a little squeal of delight before sifting through the documents stored on the hard drive. Most of it seemed irrelevant, until she came across a file labeled “Big Bend.” It contained several documents related to the park, including multiple maps and, better yet, several scanned pages of her own hand-written notes.
One name kept coming up over and over: Rico Jimenez. She shuddered. Somebody bad. But who was he?
She glanced again at the clock. Time to go. The superintendent was waiting. Tension crept into her shoulders as she hurriedly scanned the last few pages of notes. No doubt about it, she was here because of Jimenez. Now she had to figure out why.
Her gaze snagged on the message at the bottom of the last page, written in her own hand, as if her past self had left a warning. Don’t trust anyone.
Anyone? Even the rangers? Logan? She shook her head, closing the laptop. Someone had tried to break into her house last night, and there were only two possible items she could think of that they might have wanted. This laptop or the map she’d found in the guidebook.
The map she would carry with her, but the laptop needed to be hidden. She left the case out in clear view but took the laptop itself and wedged it between the mattress and box spring in her bedroom, covering the gap with the sheets. It didn’t seem likely anyone would try to break in during broad daylight, but better safe than sorry.
Ashley wanted to look at the map now, too, but she was out of time. Tucking it inside her shirt pocket, she walked the short distance to park headquarters.
The receptionist took her directly to the superintendent’s office. Dick Barclay rose from his desk as she entered, shaking her hand.
“Good morning, Ranger Watson.” He turned to the receptionist. “Sandy, please shut the door on your way out and see we’re not disturbed.”
Ashley took the seat opposite him. Wherever this conversation went, she’d have to be careful how much she revealed—at least until she knew whom to trust. One thing was sure: she’d have to downplay the extent of her memory loss if she didn’t want to be sent packing.
“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” Barclay said. “Have you remembered yet what happened?”
“No, but I’m hopeful it will come back when we drive down to Santa Elena this afternoon. My older memories have almost fully returned.” Only a slight stretch.
Barclay nodded, eyeing her thoughtfully. “Do you remember why you’re here, Agent Thompson?”
Thompson. He knew she was undercover. That meant he must know about Jimenez, too. “Of course,” she answered smoothly. “To catch Rico Jimenez.”
Whoever he was.
Barclay sighed, pulling off his eyeglasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “This operation is a fool’s errand. I tried telling Morton that two months ago.”
The name clicked into place. Special Agent in Charge Donald Morton, her superior at the Bureau. She wiped her sweaty palms against her pants.
“I assure you, Dr. Barclay,” she said, injecting her voice with as much confidence as she could, “that I’m quite capable of doing my job. It won’t take long to apprehend Jimenez and bring him to justice.”
Barclay leaned forward, elbows braced on his desk. “Agent Thompson, I don’t know what happened to you yesterday, but this park has an incredibly low crime rate. I’m not going to let that change on my watch.”
Her brow furrowed. A threat? Clearly, he didn’t want her here. She forced a smile. “We’re on the same side, Dr. Barclay.”
His mouth pressed into a thin line. “Let me be blunt. There’s no way Rico Jimenez or any other cartel leader is operating in this park under our noses. I didn’t want you here before, and now that you’ve managed to injure yourself in your first twelve hours, I still don’t want you here. My rangers are top-notch. We don’t need FBI intervention.”
She swallowed but held his gaze. “It would seem the Bureau doesn’t agree. But I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.”
“You’ll do more than that, Agent Thompson.” Barclay’s eyes narrowed. “You’ll give me solid proof of Jimenez’s activity, or else I’ll call Morton and tell him about your memory loss.”
“He’ll send someone else.”
He shrugged, one eyebrow rising over his wire-rimmed glasses. “But it won’t be you.” After a pause, he leaned forward in his seat. “Here’s the thing. I agreed to this scheme as a favor to Morton, but I don’t want any of you agents in my park. The sooner you get out of here, the better.”
“Of course.” She smiled, trying to exude the confidence she didn’t feel. “I’ll get you something soon.”
“Three days.” Barclay drummed his fingers on the desk. “I’ll give you three days.”
Not long, especially given the true extent of her memory loss. But Barclay didn’t need to know that. She extended her hand. “No problem.”
Barclay shook it firmly and rose. She stood, also. The interview certainly hadn’t gone the way she’d hoped—putting her in the hot seat rather than revealing the crucial information she needed.
But as she turned to go, the superintendent held out a file. “Here’s everything we’ve got on Jimenez. I hope it helps.”
Was that sarcasm? Ashley took the file, resisting the urge to start looking through it on the spot and keeping back the thousand questions bursting to get out. “Do any of the other rangers know who I am?”
He shook his head. “Only myself and Ed Chambers.”
“Thank you.” She reached for the doorknob.
“Oh...and, Thompson? If you cause any trouble for me...”
She nodded, letting the rest of the threat go unspoken. “I won’t, sir.”
Do your job quickly, quietly, and get out. His eyes said all of it loud and clear.
* * *
Logan was working at his desk when someone knocked on the door. “Come in.” He didn’t bother to glance up.
“Good morning.” Ashley.
At the sound of her voice, his heart skipped. He gritted his teeth. Never should have carried her last night... Not that she had given him much choice.
Erin had made his heart skip, too, almost from the first moment they’d met at headquarters. She’d been so young—twenty-three—cute and bubbly, full of energy. Fresh out of college. The world had held so much promise.
Now wasn’t the time to dwell on the past, or the long years of heartache and loneliness Erin had left in her wake. Ed knew, but nobody else.
Work. Training the new ranger. Doing his job—that was why he was here. Every time he requested reassignment at Big Bend, it was because of this job and this place. Not because he was hoping for another Erin in his life. One was enough.
“Good morning.” He forced himself to keep his eyes on his work a minute longer. Anything to help maintain a safe distance. “How are you feeling? Still up for a trip to Santa Elena?”
“I am,” she said.
When Logan finally let himself look up, he was rewarded with wide, staring eyes and long, dark lashes. Irrelevant. “How did you sleep?” He rummaged under a stack of papers to find his keys.
“Better. I remembered my laptop’s password.”
“Really?”
She nodded but didn’t say anything else. Just casually shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Secrets lurked behind those eyes. Maybe he’d be able to get answers this afternoon.
“The superintendent gave this to me for you.” He handed Ashley her holster and gun, lips tilting. “Don’t point it at me again.”
A grin played at the corners of her mouth. “I won’t.”
He led the way out to the parking lot and as they stepped into the front lobby, Will Sykes came through the door.
Logan nodded in greeting, but Will stared at Ashley, the color leaching out of his naturally dark skin. Could Don Juan be nervous about meeting the new ranger, after all? Or did she remind him of Sam, too?
Ashley obviously didn’t share his anxiety. She held out her hand, smiling. “Hello, I’m Ashley Watson.”
Will recovered instantly, making Logan think he’d imagined it all. In fact, the younger man lavished such a warm smile on Ashley as he shook her hand that her cheeks turned rosy pink.
He was holding her hand far too long for a polite handshake. Logan cleared his throat. “Sykes, Ranger Watson and I need to get going.”
Will gave Ashley another suave grin full of excessively white teeth. “Hope I’ll see you around.”
A few minutes later Logan steered the Jeep out onto the main road that would take them north and west around the Chisos Mountains and then south toward Santa Elena Canyon. Ashley stared at the landscape as if seeing it for the first time. Right—it’d been dark when he’d taken her on this road before, and her memories of driving out there were gone.
“Here, I brought you this.” He handed her a park map. “I thought you might want to see where we’re going.”
“Thank you.” The paper rustled as she spread it across her lap.
“So...what have you remembered?”
She laughed. “What are you looking for? My life story or something?”
“Sure, whatever you want to tell me. Maybe talking about it will help the rest of your memories come back.”
“Maybe. I think I’ve got back everything up until about a year or so ago. After that, it’s still pretty fuzzy.”
“What about your family? You remember them? And where you came from?”
“What is this, Twenty Questions?” The sound of her laughter made his heart light. “Yes, I remember my parents. Ne—” She coughed, cutting herself short, almost as if she’d done it on purpose. But she picked back up almost immediately. “Never could forget them for long. One brother, too. His name is Sam.”
“Older or younger?”
“Younger.” She stared out the window for a long moment but when she turned back her eyes were bright. “He loves anything outdoors. He’d love it here.”
Logan grinned. “Maybe you can invite him to visit sometime.”
She smiled, but some of the excitement had faded.
Why? Already contemplating her escape from Big Bend?
They made the turn to the south, where the volcanic activity of ages long past had created what looked like a lunar landscape. Ashley stared out her window.
“I take it you don’t remember seeing this scenery before?” he asked.
“No. I had no idea this park was so vast.”
“Mountains, desert and river all rolled into one area. You could spend a lifetime here and never be done learning about it all.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“It’ll be seven years this fall.” Five years since Erin had left. He hadn’t heard from her since. But why was he thinking about Erin again? That chapter of his life was over.
“That’s a long time to live somewhere so remote. Don’t you miss civilization?” Ashley eyed him skeptically.
He couldn’t help laughing at her expression. “Civilization’s overrated. Besides, I love it out here, and the work I do is meaningful.” God’s will for his life. The knowledge that God had prepared him for this work was what had kept him going when Erin walked away.
“What about your family? Don’t they miss you?”
“Sure.” He shrugged, taking a deep breath. No avoiding the spiritual nudge to share his faith. “But they’re glad I’m following God’s call for my life.” He waited for the awkward silence, or worse, the ridicule he usually received when he talked about his faith.
But Ashley smiled. “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?”
“Since childhood. Although I haven’t always walked faithfully with the Lord.”
“Me, either.” She was silent for a long moment. “I wish... I wish it was easier to understand God’s plans.”
“Sometimes things don’t make sense until we look back on them later. I guess that’s why so many people in the Bible were commended for walking by faith not sight.” A lesson he needed to remind himself about. Maybe even his broken heart would make sense one day.
“Maybe.” Her voice sounded hard now, almost bitter.
Was it because of the memory loss and her confusion over what had happened to her? Something else? Pain lingered there, but it wasn’t his business.
Ashley stared back out the window. He wanted to ask her more questions, about what she had remembered, or whether she had requested this assignment at Big Bend. But the timing seemed all wrong. So instead he changed the subject, spending the next half hour teaching her about safety and survival in the desert. Barely the tip of the iceberg, but he’d keep going over it every day until he’d drilled it into her head.
They were nearing the road to the canyon, but first he turned into the parking lot at Castolon.
“Why are we pulling in here?” Ashley asked.
“We had your car towed here for safe-keeping. Rangers are stationed at Castolon, but Santa Elena is only monitored by patrols.”
He parked the Jeep next to her black sedan, which had been left in the lot outside the general store, ice-cream stand and restrooms.
“Apparently it didn’t work,” she said grimly, “because one of the rear windows has been broken out.”
Logan frowned as he watched her get out of the Jeep. First her house and now the car.
What did Ashley have that somebody wanted?
SIX
The backseat was littered with fragments of broken glass, bits of leaves and windblown sand. Ashley climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Is anything missing?” Logan’s face was lined with concern.
“I don’t know.” She opened the glove compartment and rummaged through the contents. Anything to shake this nagging sense of vulnerability. “I thought I took out all of my personal belongings when we left it behind, but maybe I missed something.”
“The trunk was empty when we left it.” His brows pulled together. “Maybe it was the same person who tried to break into your house.”
