the Bureau. If the headaches persisted like this, there was no way she could remain on active duty or carry a gun. She winced and turned on the cold water. The sound of rushing water was soothing, a happy sound, bringing with it a quick flash of memory: her father and her standing at the edge of a river, his arms around her, guiding her fishing rod as she cast.
A little water splashed on her face, mouthwash rinsed and spit, and the nausea was still under control, so she swallowed a few Toradol. They would give her an ulcer, burn a hole in her stomach eventually if she didn't take them with food, but the thought of anything to eat made her break out in a cold sweat.
She focused on the Hopewell case again before the nausea had a chance to grow. One thing was for sure, whoever wanted Diamontes erased from the known record had money. Lots of it. Because the only person with access to the files and the security clearance necessary to make them vanish was Jack Logan.
And Jack Logan worshiped two things and two things only: money and power.
Her fingers were still shaking, felt numb as she stripped free of her sweat-soaked clothes. She held onto the sink for balance, kicking off her leather flats and struggling out of her khaki slacks, sleeveless cotton sweater and underwear. Barefoot and naked, she crossed the hall into her bedroom and fell into her bed, pulling the covers tight over her, blocking out the world.
Sarah Durandt, her face filled with pain and yearning, was the last thing Caitlyn saw before she finally escaped into sleep.
CHAPTER 11
Wednesday June 19, 2007: Snakehead Mountain
JD was hot, sweaty and totally starving by the time they reached the look out spot at the top of the Lower Falls. The flat viewing area was empty of any cars, all the day-tourists long gone. They were missing the best part, JD thought. Being here, the earth beneath his feet trembling from the force of the water roaring below him, the sun setting over the mountains beside them, streaking the sky red and gold, and best of all, a beautiful girl at his side.
Julia set up the tripod for her father's high-powered digital camera while he used his inexpensive hand-held video camera to film her. As she unfolded a towel and set out napkins, he unpacked the food, sneaking a chicken leg to munch on.
"Where was the last sighting?" she asked.
He wiped his greasy fingers on his jeans and unfolded his map. They'd tried to record every sighting of the mysterious lights over the past month, and now that school was out, they finally had the chance to record the phenomena firsthand. "My dad saw them last night. At the dam and along the east side of the reservoir. Said he saw them at 9:45 and again about a hour later."
"And two nights before was when Mrs. Patterson saw them along the ridgeline, just below here."
"Right. And we have that bus of church kids from Merrill who e-mailed me that they saw some around the Devil's Elbow as well, beside the Upper Falls, but no one can give me any specifics, so I'm not sure if we should count those."
He looked up from his spot on the ground. God, he loved the way she pursed her lips together, a small dimple digging into her chin when she really thought hard about something. Julia was the only person who took his project seriously. Even his dad, who had actually seen the lights, didn't think they were worth his spending his summer trying to investigate them, much less create a documentary out of the mysterious phenomenon.
Julia sat cross-legged in front of him. How the heck did she do that? One second she was standing, then the next she seemed to float through space, her legs effortlessly folding beneath her. Her knee brushed his as she leaned across him for a piece of chicken. She tore into it, her teeth bared, totally unladylike and absolutely mesmerizing.
"I think," she said, swiping her mouth with a napkin, "we should try to get one of those timers or motion sensors. We can't keep spending all our time
A little water splashed on her face, mouthwash rinsed and spit, and the nausea was still under control, so she swallowed a few Toradol. They would give her an ulcer, burn a hole in her stomach eventually if she didn't take them with food, but the thought of anything to eat made her break out in a cold sweat.
She focused on the Hopewell case again before the nausea had a chance to grow. One thing was for sure, whoever wanted Diamontes erased from the known record had money. Lots of it. Because the only person with access to the files and the security clearance necessary to make them vanish was Jack Logan.
And Jack Logan worshiped two things and two things only: money and power.
Her fingers were still shaking, felt numb as she stripped free of her sweat-soaked clothes. She held onto the sink for balance, kicking off her leather flats and struggling out of her khaki slacks, sleeveless cotton sweater and underwear. Barefoot and naked, she crossed the hall into her bedroom and fell into her bed, pulling the covers tight over her, blocking out the world.
Sarah Durandt, her face filled with pain and yearning, was the last thing Caitlyn saw before she finally escaped into sleep.
CHAPTER 11
Wednesday June 19, 2007: Snakehead Mountain
JD was hot, sweaty and totally starving by the time they reached the look out spot at the top of the Lower Falls. The flat viewing area was empty of any cars, all the day-tourists long gone. They were missing the best part, JD thought. Being here, the earth beneath his feet trembling from the force of the water roaring below him, the sun setting over the mountains beside them, streaking the sky red and gold, and best of all, a beautiful girl at his side.
Julia set up the tripod for her father's high-powered digital camera while he used his inexpensive hand-held video camera to film her. As she unfolded a towel and set out napkins, he unpacked the food, sneaking a chicken leg to munch on.
"Where was the last sighting?" she asked.
He wiped his greasy fingers on his jeans and unfolded his map. They'd tried to record every sighting of the mysterious lights over the past month, and now that school was out, they finally had the chance to record the phenomena firsthand. "My dad saw them last night. At the dam and along the east side of the reservoir. Said he saw them at 9:45 and again about a hour later."
"And two nights before was when Mrs. Patterson saw them along the ridgeline, just below here."
"Right. And we have that bus of church kids from Merrill who e-mailed me that they saw some around the Devil's Elbow as well, beside the Upper Falls, but no one can give me any specifics, so I'm not sure if we should count those."
He looked up from his spot on the ground. God, he loved the way she pursed her lips together, a small dimple digging into her chin when she really thought hard about something. Julia was the only person who took his project seriously. Even his dad, who had actually seen the lights, didn't think they were worth his spending his summer trying to investigate them, much less create a documentary out of the mysterious phenomenon.
Julia sat cross-legged in front of him. How the heck did she do that? One second she was standing, then the next she seemed to float through space, her legs effortlessly folding beneath her. Her knee brushed his as she leaned across him for a piece of chicken. She tore into it, her teeth bared, totally unladylike and absolutely mesmerizing.
"I think," she said, swiping her mouth with a napkin, "we should try to get one of those timers or motion sensors. We can't keep spending all our time
Similar Books
