Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense March 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Dana Mentink (good fiction books to read .txt) 📕

“Laughter is the best medicine?” She fished out her water bottle from the guide bag, took off the lid and offered it to him. “You might want a drink of some clean water.”

He accepted but forced himself not to guzzle the entire thing down. His own water bottle was still stowed in the raft, probably almost to the Snake River by now. She tossed him a plastic-wrapped sandwich. “Sorry. I made them this time. Not Bobby.”

He didn’t care. Though the amount of mustard she’d used on the roast beef sandwich should be illegal. “How can you like both bland scones and hot and spicy mustard? My sinuses are clear now.”

She barked a laugh as she finished her sandwich as if it were plain toast. “That’s why. Best springtime congestion cure there is, in my opinion. Let me know if you need any wasabi almonds.” She wandered into the trees. The thick layer of brown leaves and rotted wood seemed to indicate they’d been the only ones to visit the area since the mudslide had produced the extra rapids.

He didn’t stop to look at the spot he knew Tommy had been shot. As soon as his active law contract with the sheriff had been in effect when he’d accepted the enforcement ranger position, he’d requested Tommy’s file. He’d poured over the photos so often, it felt surreal to be in the place they’d been taken.

He glanced down at his indestructible watch, glad it seemed to have lived up to promises. While he had confidence that Carl would keep Bobby safe, Nora had a point. It did seem as if someone was picking them off one by one. Hopefully, Bobby was safe since Henry had unexpectedly invited him. “Who could have had access to both your boat and Perry’s ahead of time? Perry brought his own boat from his field office.”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure. I had set up my boat before I went in the office to make our lunches and chat with Bobby. It probably sat out there for a good hour unattended, but I don’t know about Perry’s raft. It’d be pretty risky to sabotage his own boat, but if he was confident about his skills in the water…”

“He’d still have someone with him.” Henry clicked the timer feature on his watch. “Let’s take ten minutes then try whatever your idea is to catch up with Carl and Bobby.” Even as he said it, he fought to ignore the sudden tightness in the back of his neck and shoulders. He really didn’t want to get back on the water. “It’s time to think like a guide. What places would a guide notice that an FBI agent wouldn’t?”

Nora turned to him, an eyebrow raised. “Do you miss being a guide at all?”

He scoffed and shook his head. The best thing about being a guide was meeting you. He came to a sudden halt at the surprising thought.

Nora had already looked away, though. “I thought so, but was just curious.” She reached up to examine some areas in the rocks.

“Watch out for black widows. This is the time of year.”

She grabbed a stick and poked several locations in the rocks just above her head. Henry went in the opposite direction to all the spots in the trees that Tommy might have stashed a bag like Dexter had. His wrist vibrated with his ten-minute alarm after what seemed like mere moments. He’d made it as far as the rock face that blocked them from the rest of the world. He looked up to find Nora.

Her face looked crestfallen. “I’m sorry, Henry. This is all my fault. It was my idea to come here, and it’s been a waste.” She took a few steps toward him.

“We knew it was a long shot.” He moved to cross the divide between them.

Rocks fell from above their heads, bouncing until they rested at Henry’s feet. Nora had jumped back, her hand on her chest. They both looked at each other before shielding their eyes and squinting up to see what had caused the disturbance. In between the fir trees, so tall the tops weren’t visible, and the rock wall, the faces of mountain goats looked down at them, on a perch at least twenty feet above their heads.

“I can’t even see where they can stand,” Nora exclaimed in a hushed voice. “That’s a sheer vertical drop.”

Henry simply allowed himself the pleasure of watching for a moment as the goats moved higher. “That’s because they can find the tiniest rocky crags that are imperceptible to us. Their hooves spread apart, incredibly flexible, with little stabilizers on each one. And in the middle of each hoof, the leathery pads work like suction pads on the rocks. It’s amazing all the built-in safety gear they have for their habitat. God’s design always impresses me.”

“When we were little, my sister used to think the mountain goats were actually unicorns. The way they could jump and look like they were flying from rock to rock.”

And just like that, the mention of her sister, reminded him of drugs and the stakes they were dealing with. He wasn’t there to spend time with Nora. He turned to look at the scene of the crime once more. “I’d always imagined if I were in charge of the case, we’d have found the killer by now. And instead, he’s been here all along and has killed another guide.”

“We don’t know that. We only know that the cases are connected. If it is the same killer, then we could rule out Zach as a suspect for good. He wasn’t around here back then.”

Henry trudged forward without commenting. If he looked at the case with fresh eyes, who’d been around at the time of Tommy’s murder that would have the means and opportunity to shoot Dexter? “Come on,” he finally said. “We need to go if we’re