Read Online Bear Bait (9781101611548) by Pamela Beason - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Pamela Beason
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pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. By the time Greg turned around, Chase was reaching for his flannel shirt, which dangled from the back of the solitary chair.
“How’s your mother?” she asked Greg.
He swiveled to face her again. “Back to her usual critical self, in spite of the heart attack. I couldn’t wait to get back here, out of range.”
Chase fired an imaginary pistol at the back of Greg’s head. Three shots.
Sam laughed aloud. Greg, assuming her response was due to his wit, chuckled along with her.
While Chase jammed sleeping bags and pillows into stuff sacks, she made a pot of coffee over the small propanetwo-burner stove. The three of them drank it and chewed granola bars as Sam told Greg about the fire.
“I wish that’d happened on my watch,” he said wistfully.
Sam rolled her eyes at Chase.
“You may still get your chance,” Chase said. “People that get a kick out of starting fires usually do it more than once.”
“I heard about that poor trail worker,” he said. “What happened there?”
“Nobody knows yet,” Sam told him. “So keep an eye out for anything suspicious going on.”
She described her fears about Raider and the illegal hunter. Greg promised to keep a lookout for bears as well as fires, and listen for gunshots. “Call me if you even suspect hunters might be crawling through the woods,” she told him.
He looked happy to have a mission. “You got it.”
Chase frowned. “And then you’ll both call the rangers, right?”
Ignoring his tone, she followed him to the door. “Happy rhymes,” she said over her shoulder.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Greg blurted out. “You’re supposed to check in at headquarters. The main HQ, not the district building.”
“Now? I’m supposed to drive all the way to Port Angeles?” Seemed like she’d been at the hospital there only hours ago. “Why didn’t they call me?” She pulled her radio from its holder on her belt. The power light didn’t show even the faintest glimmer of life. “Well, crap.”
Chase peered over her shoulder. “Looks more like a dead battery to me.”
Not checking her radio: another demerit on her record. Good thing there hadn’t been another fire last night. She’d find her spare battery as soon as they got down to the truck. “Do me a favor, Greg?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t report in for twenty minutes, and…you never saw my friend.”
“Perez? Never heard of him.” He gave them a two-fingered salute.
As they neared town, Chase’s cell phone trilled from his shirt pocket. After answering and listening for a moment, he sighed heavily, then said, “On my way,” before clicking the phone closed.
She was about to ask him if it was the bank robbers when he turned to her, one eyebrow raised, and asked, “Happy rhymes?”
“He won some sort of grant,” she told him. “He’s a poet.”
“Aha. That’s how he stands it up there by himself.”
Chase didn’t appreciate the solitude of the fire tower? A spark of anxiety flared in her gut. “That boring, huh?”
“Not for a short time. And that sunset was certainly worth a verse or two.”
Well, at least he’d enjoyed that. She focused on the road ahead, trying not to think about what he would say if it had rained last night.
His hand crept onto her khaki-covered thigh, his fingers hot. “And then there was your body—”
“Don’t start that again,” she groaned. “Not now.”
She stopped at Mack’s apartment building in Forks, where Chase had left his car.
He kissed her gently as they said good-bye in the parking lot. “Be careful out there in the woods. Call me if there’s any more trouble. Watch out for vampires.”
She laughed.
“And come see me in Salt Lake, okay, Summer?” He pressed her more tightly to him. “Make it soon.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “As soon as I can. After my contract is up here.” Pressing her ear to his chest over his heart, she murmured, “I want to see
“How’s your mother?” she asked Greg.
He swiveled to face her again. “Back to her usual critical self, in spite of the heart attack. I couldn’t wait to get back here, out of range.”
Chase fired an imaginary pistol at the back of Greg’s head. Three shots.
Sam laughed aloud. Greg, assuming her response was due to his wit, chuckled along with her.
While Chase jammed sleeping bags and pillows into stuff sacks, she made a pot of coffee over the small propanetwo-burner stove. The three of them drank it and chewed granola bars as Sam told Greg about the fire.
“I wish that’d happened on my watch,” he said wistfully.
Sam rolled her eyes at Chase.
“You may still get your chance,” Chase said. “People that get a kick out of starting fires usually do it more than once.”
“I heard about that poor trail worker,” he said. “What happened there?”
“Nobody knows yet,” Sam told him. “So keep an eye out for anything suspicious going on.”
She described her fears about Raider and the illegal hunter. Greg promised to keep a lookout for bears as well as fires, and listen for gunshots. “Call me if you even suspect hunters might be crawling through the woods,” she told him.
He looked happy to have a mission. “You got it.”
Chase frowned. “And then you’ll both call the rangers, right?”
Ignoring his tone, she followed him to the door. “Happy rhymes,” she said over her shoulder.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Greg blurted out. “You’re supposed to check in at headquarters. The main HQ, not the district building.”
“Now? I’m supposed to drive all the way to Port Angeles?” Seemed like she’d been at the hospital there only hours ago. “Why didn’t they call me?” She pulled her radio from its holder on her belt. The power light didn’t show even the faintest glimmer of life. “Well, crap.”
Chase peered over her shoulder. “Looks more like a dead battery to me.”
Not checking her radio: another demerit on her record. Good thing there hadn’t been another fire last night. She’d find her spare battery as soon as they got down to the truck. “Do me a favor, Greg?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t report in for twenty minutes, and…you never saw my friend.”
“Perez? Never heard of him.” He gave them a two-fingered salute.
As they neared town, Chase’s cell phone trilled from his shirt pocket. After answering and listening for a moment, he sighed heavily, then said, “On my way,” before clicking the phone closed.
She was about to ask him if it was the bank robbers when he turned to her, one eyebrow raised, and asked, “Happy rhymes?”
“He won some sort of grant,” she told him. “He’s a poet.”
“Aha. That’s how he stands it up there by himself.”
Chase didn’t appreciate the solitude of the fire tower? A spark of anxiety flared in her gut. “That boring, huh?”
“Not for a short time. And that sunset was certainly worth a verse or two.”
Well, at least he’d enjoyed that. She focused on the road ahead, trying not to think about what he would say if it had rained last night.
His hand crept onto her khaki-covered thigh, his fingers hot. “And then there was your body—”
“Don’t start that again,” she groaned. “Not now.”
She stopped at Mack’s apartment building in Forks, where Chase had left his car.
He kissed her gently as they said good-bye in the parking lot. “Be careful out there in the woods. Call me if there’s any more trouble. Watch out for vampires.”
She laughed.
“And come see me in Salt Lake, okay, Summer?” He pressed her more tightly to him. “Make it soon.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “As soon as I can. After my contract is up here.” Pressing her ear to his chest over his heart, she murmured, “I want to see
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