Buch lesen: «A Night Without End»

Chapter One

Fifteen months later

The herd of elk spooked, taking off on a mad run, and, on the alert, Sean McCabe instantly froze. He read danger in the Alaskan bush easily, rapidly and expertly. While many Alaskans were at home in the woods, his senses were more acute than most, and years in these mountains had endowed him with almost a sixth sense. His ears picked up not just normal animal activity—but the lack of noise. An arctic warbler in the willow thicket had ceased to sing.

Sean did not move, all senses keenly focused. The abnormal stillness spoke to him. In the bush, game could be frightened by an angered grizzly, an approaching storm, a forest fire or an imminent earthquake. But he didn’t see any bear signs, didn’t smell smoke, and though he expected snow within hours, the sky remained blue and clear. Still, his neck prickled with an acute perception of danger and he shifted his stance with vigilant caution.

Well aware wildlife could sense vibrations in the ground long before people felt an earthquake, Sean dumped his heavy backpack of supplies and sprinted toward the Dog Mush Mine. If a tremor were to hit, he might have only moments to warn Jackson, who was most likely prospecting deep in the cave and unaware of the unusual stillness on the mountain.

A Sitka black-tailed deer bolted past Sean into a stand of white spruce and disappeared behind a hummock. A woodchuck dived for its burrow while a snowshoe hare bounded through the gooseberry bushes. Forcing his feet faster along the steep, well-trod trail, he redoubled his effort to reach his partner. And friend.

Jackson was family, the father he’d never had. Twenty years ago when Sean had been a lost and lonely eight-year-old brat, he’d run away from the very thought of a foster home, and the old prospector had taken him in. At first he’d been afraid of the miner, but he soon learned Jackson’s gruff exterior hid a heart of melted gold nuggets. He’d taken in a hungry and defiant boy, fed him and educated him, given him the tools to make a living.

An eagle wheeled in the sky with a cacophony of cries. With a primal caution, Sean rounded the last bend in the trail, his boots pounding the hard-packed dirt. A bone-chilling gust pummeled him, but as he dashed into the mine past Jackson’s bivouac site, the sheer rock pinnacle cut the wind. An eerie stillness made the hairs on the back of Sean’s hands stand on end.

“Jackson! Get out! You hear me, there’s an—”

Sean skidded to a halt. In the dim light of the mine, two bodies lay in the dirt. He had no trouble spotting Jackson’s yellow Arctic parka.

“Jackson? You okay?”

Heart jackhammering, Sean reached out and touched the old prospector’s neck, searching for a pulse. His body still warm, Jackson didn’t let out so much as a moan. Sean couldn’t find any reassuring evidence of a heartbeat.

No!

He leaned over Jackson, desperate for a sign that he still lived, straining for the slightest whisper of a breath.

He didn’t move. He didn’t breathe.

Gently Sean turned the man over. Blood drenched the yellow jacket, soaked into the dirt. And now he knew what had spooked the game.

Death.

No! Not Jackson. Not the man who meant the world to him. It couldn’t be true.

A gaping wound and fresh blood on Jackson’s chest indicated that the old prospector had been stabbed just minutes ago. Sean’s vision clouded with a red rage. Spinning on his heel, he slammed his fist into the wall, welcoming the pain in his knuckles, wishing it took his mind off the agony of his loss.

Sean barely glanced at the second body. That Jackson had killed his attacker didn’t satisfy him.

Jackson was the only father Sean had ever known. Unrelated by blood yet bonded by their love of this wild land, the willful boy and the crotchety old prospector had made a family. And now he was gone.

Murdered.

Murdered in the mine he loved.

Jackson’s open eyes were frozen in surprise, horror and pain. The look of a man betrayed.

Sean ached to take out his grief and frustration with his fists. Instead, he ruthlessly quashed his anger, sank onto the floor and cradled his adoptive father’s head on his lap. Rocking, Sean smoothed back Jackson’s hair, gently closed his eyes.

He couldn’t be dead.

But Sean couldn’t deny the truth of the cooling body in his arms.

“I’m sorry, old man. I should have been here sooner. I should have been here when you needed me most.” His eyes filled with tears. He could say no more. Just sat in the cold, rocking Jackson, feeling his warmth slip away and his body grow cold.

Finally, Sean stood on legs grown numb and floated a blanket over the body. Authorities needed to be notified. He pushed his choking grief deep inside and reached for the walkie-talkie clipped onto his belt.

He pressed the talk button, cleared his throat to make the words come out. “Sean to base.”

“Marvin here,” answered the radio operator.

“I’m at the Dog Mush. Jackson’s dead.”

“Come again. Did you say dead?”

“Murdered.” The word tasted bitter in Sean’s mouth.

“I’m sorry. Real sorry. I liked that old man.”

Jackson and Marvin had played poker every Friday night for years. Was Sean imagining the voice choked with tears coming over the radio or did they have poor reception?

“Any sign of who killed him?”

“Looks like Jackson took out the other guy before he died. Send up a couple of men with sleds for the bodies.”

“Roger that. Anything else?”

“Notify the authorities in Fairbanks.”

“Will do. Base out.”

Sean’s attention turned from Jackson to the smaller man who lay unmoving on his back in the dirt, the bloody knife still in his hand. Who was he? He faced away from Sean and a hood partially covered his face, and Sean didn’t recognize the pea-green jacket or the barely broken-in boots. Perhaps his pockets held identification.

Sean knelt beside the murderer, wishing he was still alive—so he could slam a fist into his face, close his hands around his throat and kill him again. If his thoughts were vicious and primitive, at least they were honest. He’d spent eight years in the civilized east, learning that an Italian suit and tie could hide men as vicious and deadly as grizzlies. He preferred the uncrowded mountains, the unpolluted air and the sweat equity of his rough-hewn log cabin to the greedy and callous life in the big cities.

He liked to think of these mountains as pristine and uncontaminated by humanity’s cruelties, a place where man could coexist with nature, not destroy it. Now murder had come to his own neck of the woods, staining the land with a good man’s blood.

And he could do no more than take Jackson’s murderer to the authorities. While leaving the killer’s body on the mountain for carrion to feed on held a certain appeal, Sean knew the police would need to identify the attacker. But with snow coming, it might be days before anyone in an official capacity could reach the town. Once the weather socked in the remote mountain town of Kesky, the only transportation in or out was by dogsled.

Before he changed his mind and left the body to rot, Sean snaked out his hand toward the murderer’s front pocket. What he’d assumed was a corpse snapped to a sitting position, yelled and swiped the knife at his gut.

Sean cursed and with a hunter’s reflexes jerked aside, tumbling away from the weapon. While shock and grief had dulled Sean’s senses, Jackson’s murderer must have been gathering strength and waiting for the opportunity to attack. Sean had broken up enough fights among the miners to know this man was skilled in how to wield a knife or he would stab the weapon—not slice it. Off balance, Sean took a moment longer than he would have liked to recover and scramble upright.

Prepared and agile but unsteady on his feet, his opponent stood and shifted the knife to his right hand. In the dim light, the bloody weapon appeared almost black. The sneaky little bastard was threatening him with the same weapon he had used to murder Jackson.

Relishing his jacked-up senses, Sean felt his adrenaline pump. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, grasping for the attacker’s wrist, grappling for control of the weapon. One quick twist of the captured wrist and the murderer dropped the knife to the dirt and would have spun away if not for Sean’s tight grip.

With his free hand, the man reached into the pea-green jacket, no doubt intent on retrieving another weapon. Like hell would Sean allow that sneaky maneuver. He twisted the surprisingly delicate wrist harder, drawing a grunt of distress.

And received a sharp kick to his shin, an elbow jammed into the ribs. Sean ignored the biting pain. With grim determination, he hung on, using his superior strength and weight to wrestle the other man to the ground.

Together, they toppled, Sean landing on top of a wiry body, straining to escape. He estimated his opponent at five foot nine to five foot ten, no match for his conditioned six foot four. Still the shorter man struggled.

The jacket’s hood fell back and sunny-gold hair spilled across the dirt. What the hell? His hot blood chilled. Sean flipped his opponent over and stared into the face of a woman with eyes as fierce and wary as a cornered fox.

Jackson’s murderer was a woman?

The astonishing revelation of her gender caused him to loosen his grip. That’s all she needed to take advantage. Strong, determined and clearly capable, she rolled away and kicked his feet out from under him. He fell hard, but not without grasping a handful of golden hair, trapping her beside him.

Panting furiously, she looked mad enough to spit bullets, confused enough to make a foolish mistake. She inched her hand inside her jacket.

“Don’t even think it.” He clamped his free hand over her wrist, imprisoning her.

She narrowed eyes that surged with green anger, bewilderment and a hint of fear. Now that he held her trapped, he expected her to plead, cry or beg forgiveness.

Instead she threatened him. “Assaulting a police officer is a federal offense.”

“And what’s murder?” he countered, not buying her claim of being an officer of the law for a millisecond.

“I didn’t—”

“Lady, I walked into this cave and found you next to Jackson.” He fought down the urge to shake her until the lies from her chapped lips ceased. Although she was strong for a female, her neck looked fragile, easy for him to snap. Fighting his own grief, anger and lust for revenge, he sought to tamp down his wildly surging emotions.

“That doesn’t mean I killed him.”

“The murder weapon was in your hand.”

“Which hand?”

“The left.”

She glanced at the blood-smeared cuff of her left sleeve. “I’m right-handed.”

She sounded indignant at his accusation, but then what could he expect from a killer? He shrugged away his doubts. “The way you wield that knife, you’re probably ambidextrous. No doubt you’d have liked to kill me, too.”

Her voice was calm and even, as if accustomed to dealing with tough situations. “I wasn’t trying to kill you.”

“Really?” He didn’t believe her story, not with the evidence right before his eyes.

“I came to and sat up. I didn’t even know the knife was in my hand. Then you attacked.” She stared at him as if she thought he was the one who was confused.

But he wouldn’t be taken in so easily by her innocent demeanor. That’s probably how she’d killed Jackson. He frowned and raised his voice. “You expect me to believe your flimsy explanation?”

At his harsh accusation, her entire body shuddered and slumped. Her eyes rolled to the top of her sockets.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

He wanted answers. And she’d either fainted on him or she was an excellent actress. Either way, Sean wasn’t taking any chances. Without relinquishing his grip on her wrist, he perused Jackson’s supplies.

A rabbit snare caught his eye. Perfect. Within moments he’d firmly tied the woman’s hands behind her back. He supposed she wouldn’t like her helpless position much once she came to and discovered that he’d trussed her like a goose—but she should have considered the consequences before she’d killed Jackson. Out here, men took care of their own.

Unwilling to risk any further unpleasant surprises, Sean unzipped her jacket and started to relieve her of the gun she’d reached for. He noted her curves with mechanical efficiency. What a waste. Unconscious, her features relaxed into an attractiveness he might have found appealing if they’d met under other circumstances.

She had unusually symmetrical features, wide-set eyes, angled cheekbones and lightly tanned skin framed by that lion’s mane of golden hair. No wonder she’d taken poor Jackson by surprise. But Sean wouldn’t let that angelic face fool him. His only interest in her womanly curves was to discover where she’d hidden the weapon she’d been so obviously reaching for.

He unzipped her jacket, parted the flap. Beneath her arm, she wore a shoulder harness with a sheathed gun clearly visible. He reached out to take the weapon.

She came to with a groan. Startled, he jerked his hand back, grazing her breast.

She stared at him accusingly—as if he were doing something wrong. “What are you…?”

He watched her arms strain as she discovered her tied wrists, noted the slight widening of her eyes that betrayed a hint of fear. He opened her jacket wider.

She flinched. “Don’t!”

He could have reassured her. But a murderer didn’t deserve courtesy. “I’m taking your gun—before you shoot me.”

Her brows furrowed and a shadow hovered in her sea-green eyes. “Why would I want to shoot you?”

She spoke with such conviction he almost believed in her innocence. But he’d already seen her weapon. And she wouldn’t distract him with clever questions. Reminding himself she was his prisoner, slowly and deliberately, he reached for her weapon. With her hands tied behind her, pulling her arms tight, her gun lay wedged between her arm and her breast. He slid his fingers over the handle of her gun, watching her stiffen as the back of his thumb touched the curve of her breast. He’d sensed how much she’d detested the brush of his fingers. Tough. Letting her keep the weapon wasn’t an option. But he wouldn’t take advantage of her helplessness, either. He would honor Jackson by respecting what the old miner had taught him, and that homespun knowledge included acting the gentleman. He drew the gun out firmly, knowing she thought the worst of him, uncaring whether she believed he was about to harm her.

She’d taken his only family. She deserved to pay.

After checking her weapon to ensure the safety was on, he stuffed the gun into his jacket pocket. She watched him warily, only her ragged breathing revealing her fear. Starting beneath her arms, he patted her down, noting her lean waist, slender hips and long legs with trim ankles tucked into high-topped boots. By her clenched jaws, he surmised she was gritting her teeth, but she didn’t utter a protest—not that it would have stopped him from searching for identification or another weapon.

He half expected her to attempt to kick him and remained alert. But although he could feel anger radiating off her, she remained stiff, unmoving.

When he reached her ankles, she rolled to her side. “Satisfied?”

Her question annoyed him. Who did she think she was to utter challenges? She could damn well answer his questions. He rocked back on his heels and stared at her. “Why did you kill Jackson?”

“Who’s Jackson?” she countered with what appeared to be genuine puzzlement.

Sean resisted slamming his fist into her face. It wasn’t in him to hurt a woman—no matter what she’d done. However, he had no intention of revealing that fact. He might extract more answers if she feared him. “Come on, lady. I don’t have time to play twenty questions.” He jerked her to her feet.

A moan broke from her tightly compressed lips and she slumped and would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her. For her thin frame, she was surprisingly heavy. Remembering her strength, he realized she must be lean muscle.

Frowning, he eased her down onto Jackson’s bedroll. “You hurt?”

She didn’t answer but curled her legs under her and tried to scoot away from him like a wounded animal in a trap.

He pressed a firm hand to her shoulder. “Hold still, lady, before you do more damage.”

“The name’s Carlie. Carlie Myer.”

Bill’s wife? Stunned, Sean rocked back on his heels, suspicious as hell. She couldn’t be Carlie Myer, could she? Two years ago, Bill had been one of Sean’s best friends. They’d hunted and fished together, and Bill even owned a two percent share in the mine. Sean had been sorry when Bill had left Alaska and gone to Florida but was happy for his friend when he’d married a beautiful blond cop named Carlie and settled down.

Last year, Bill’s death had hit him hard. He’d even written the widow a letter of condolence, but until today, Sean had never set eyes on Bill’s wife.

And now both Jackson and Bill were dead.

Last time Sean had flown into town, he’d picked up a surprising message from his friend’s widow. She’d wanted to visit him, so Sean had laid in supplies. Two weeks ago, he’d been expecting Carlie Myer’s visit. In all the scenarios he’d played over in his mind about why she’d wanted to see him, he’d never imagined her turning up alone at the Dog Mush. He’d expected her to come to Alaska to check out her inherited investment in the mine. When she hadn’t shown up in Fairbanks on the prearranged date, he’d figured she’d changed her mind and stayed in Florida.

Now she’d arrived, literally out of nowhere. And finding her way into his neck of the mountains wasn’t easy, especially for a woman born and bred in Florida’s Suncoast. Perhaps she wasn’t alone? Maybe an accomplice had run off into the woods and left her for dead. Warily he looked over his shoulder, but he spied nothing amiss.

Once more he reminded himself that if she was Carlie Myer, she was a cop and sworn to uphold the law. Bill had been a straight arrow, unlikely to hook up with a cold-blooded killer. Bill might have judged her incorrectly, but his friend had been keenly perceptive about people’s characters. And just knowing this woman had been married to his friend made Sean question his previous conclusion that she was a murderer. Still, he’d found her with the knife in her hand.

She’s your best friend’s widow.

Yet minutes ago he’d been so sure she’d killed Jackson. He’d seen Jackson’s blood on her left sleeve, the knife clenched in her fingers. The hard-packed floor of the mine gave him no sign that anyone else had or had not been here.

But she’d said she was right-handed.

So why was the blood on her left sleeve?

She’s a cop.

Had she really tried to swipe him with the knife? Or had she sat up groggy the way she’d claimed, and before she’d gotten her bearings, he’d attacked? Sean was no longer certain. The facts didn’t add up.

“How did you get here?” he asked. “Why did you kill the old prospector?”

Carlie didn’t answer. Once again she’d slipped into unconsciousness. Had she been hurt in the fight with Jackson? Sean’s suspicions might be diminishing but they didn’t vanish. Two of his friends had encountered this woman—and both of them were dead. Still, he’d been so ready to blame her for Jackson’s death, he hadn’t checked to see if anyone else was near.

Perhaps both she and Jackson had been attacked. If she hadn’t killed Jackson, then the person who had could be after her, too. The killer could be outside on the mountain, getting away even now.

Sean knelt beside her and covered her with a spare blanket. When she moaned and turned her head to the side, he spied blood and a nugget-sized bump three inches above the base of her neck, and he winced. So that’s why she’d passed out. Had she sustained the injury while fighting Jackson? Or had someone else hit her? Either way, she probably had a concussion and shouldn’t be left to sleep. He shook her shoulder, trying to wake her up. Not even one long eyelash fluttered. But the bleeding had almost stopped.

As he stood, his hand brushed a piece of plastic that must have slipped from her pocket during their struggle. Curious, he read the name on the driver’s license. Carlie Myer. Bill’s wife—no, widow, he corrected. Absently, he slipped her license into his pocket, pleased he’d confirmed her identity, but found it odd she carried no purse or backpack.