River of Bones by Dan Padavona (books you need to read TXT) 📕

The woman collected her belongings and strode to the door where she glared at Thomas before leaving.

“If you can’t protect us, Sheriff, our blood will be on your hands.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Friday, August 13th

5:25 p.m.

“Yes, Mr. Middleton. I’m happy we resolved your dispute.”

Chelsey held the phone away from her ear as Carl Middleton barked through the speaker. The man should have been satisfied she’d proved fraud in the Herb Reid case. But a jerk like Carl Middleton was never content. Now he wanted to sue Herb Reid.

“I’m sorry, but that’s a legal matter. You have the video footage. I can’t tell you how to proceed, but I feel you should take the win and call it a day.”

The curse words flying out of the phone made Chelsey wince.

After Middleton finished screaming and hung up, she lowered her head and rubbed her aching neck. Bending her neck made the cuts on her chest flare with red agony. She unclasped her necklace and pushed it into her desk drawer.

Two missed calls awaited Chelsey on her phone. The first had come from a nurse at the incompetent doctor’s office, the idiot who diagnosed her heart condition as anxiety. The nurse wanted Chelsey to schedule a followup appointment. Like hell she would waste another dollar on that doctor. The second call was Raven’s. Chelsey set the phone on her desk and tapped the voice-mail icon, playing the message through her speaker.

“Hey, Chelsey. Just checking in on you.”

I don’t need you to check on me, Chelsey thought with a scowl.

“I need to run an errand in Syracuse this afternoon, then I’ll drop by the office.” Raven paused and composed her words. “There’s something we need to discuss. Don’t worry. I’m not lecturing you. I’m your friend, and all I want is to help.” Raven’s footsteps scuffed the sidewalk as she walked through the city. “I love you, Chelsey. Never forget it. If you’re in trouble, you can talk to me.”

Chelsey hit the delete icon. The last thing she needed was Raven mothering her. Raven had enough skeletons in her own closet—her drug-addicted mother, her gangster brother. Who was Raven to judge Chelsey?

She shoved her rolling chair back as she stood. The chair collided with Raven’s desk and jiggled the mouse, activating the computer screen. Chelsey walked away and stopped. A digital map of the state park filled the screen, a green dot pulling her attention. She examined the satellite image of the terrain surrounding Lucifer Falls.

Chelsey moved the mouse before the screen saver reactivated. Studying the image, she let her arms fall to her sides. The green locater on the map marked where the sheriff’s department unearthed bones beside the creek.

Why was Raven investigating the Jane Doe murder behind Chelsey’s back?

* * *

Charcoal grills sent mouthwatering scents through the state park as Darren cut down the ridge trail. It was dinner time, and everyone at the camp had sat down to enjoy a meal except him. After placing the trail cameras earlier, he’d obsessed over them. Were they working? Three times he tested the cameras and walked through their fields of vision, then checked the footage on the computer in his office. There had to be a way to send the pictures to his phone. But he hadn’t figured out the app. Raven would know what to do.

He checked his reception and dialed her number, pleased when she answered. A motor growled in the background. Raven was driving with the windows down.

“Hey, babe. Where are you?”

“I’m coming out of Syracuse now,” she said. She raised the window and squelched the noise, making it easier for Darren to hear her. “I picked up two security cameras in the city. They’re top of the line models. Scout should be excited. Once we set them up, we can monitor the guest house on our phones.”

“Good work. I’m starting to dig this Nancy Drew, Scooby Doo mystery busting team. Speaking of cameras, I haven’t figured out the app for my trail cameras.”

She snickered.

“And you need my help.”

“Yep.”

“Ranger Holt, are you concocting reasons for me to visit you on a Friday night?”

“I’m rather helpless with technology. I need a strong, smart woman to set me straight. And do other things.”

“Meow. Give me an hour. I haven’t checked on Mom since breakfast, and I want to drop the cameras off with LeVar.”

“All right, I appreciate the help. How’s Chelsey today?”

Raven cussed.

“I completely forgot to stop by the office. Add that to my to-do list.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Something is up with Chelsey, but I can’t talk. I’m behind a dump truck, so this isn’t the best time to discuss what’s going on. We’ll talk later.”

“I’ll be here.”

He ended the call and stared at the phone. Something was going on. He’d heard the worry in Raven’s voice when he mentioned Chelsey.

Waving away a curious bumblebee, Darren cut through the trees. Birdsong played through the forest, and the late afternoon light created a picket fence pattern through the trees. He was half a mile from camp when movement in the forest caught his eye. Darren pulled up and stood behind a thick maple tree. A hundred feet away, a shadow shifted in the woods. Hikers weren’t allowed off trail. The forest held hidden dangers—dead falls, bramble, even the occasional bear. But he wasn’t a stickler for the rules, provided the hiker complied after he asked the person to return to the trail.

What bothered Darren most was this person didn’t seem like a hiker. Instead, the stranger moved from tree to tree, concealing himself. Darren checked the GPS on his phone. As he suspected, the unknown figure hid near a drop off that plummeted fifty feet into Wolf Lake. One wrong move, and the soft forest ground might give way.

Darren slipped out from behind the maple tree and jogged toward an oak, staying light on his feet to avoid spooking the stranger. He was close enough to see a man peering through binoculars toward the lake. What was he