Read Online Hard Truth- Pigeon 13 by Nevada Barr - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nevada Barr
Tags: Fiction, General, detective, Suspense, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Mystery, Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths, Fiction - Mystery, Large Type Books, Mystery & Detective - General, Colorado, General & Literary Fiction, Pigeon; Anna (Fictitious character), Women park rangers, Fiction & related items, Rocky Mountain National Park (Colo.)
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eyes and mind were fixed on the fourth member of the party, a young man, early twenties at a guess, with unruly dark hair and the intense burning eyes of a zealot, a lunatic or an artist. He was an unquestionably attractive man-or at least the kind Anna had found irre-sistible in her youth. His body was lean and strong-looking and passion radiated from him like heat from pavement in August.
Before Lorraine put a name to him, Anna knew he had to be Robert Proffit, the youth group leader who had taken the girls into the wilder-ness, the one who had eschewed prayer to search tirelessly. The one Beth and Alexis had said the still missing Candace had stayed with.
Anna realized she'd not imparted this crucial bit of information to the chief ranger. Now it would have to wait. Lorraine was saying, "I know the girls will want to see you. Anna, could you show Mrs. Dwayne where Beth's room is?"
Lorraine would go with Alexis' mom and dad. All bases covered. Except Anna couldn't leave. The young Proffit was moving, ready to fol-low the families into the ward.
"I'll stay here with Mr. Proffit," she said. "For this first visit it might be best to keep it to immediate family."
This assumption of authority was out of line. Lorraine bristled a little, like a dog that senses its territory is being invaded. Anna looked her plea as best she could and was relieved to see trust counter the anger in Lorraine's face.
"You're right. Mr. Proffit, stay with Ranger Pigeon. Mr. and Mrs. Shep-pard, Mrs. Dwayne-" Before she could finish, the doors to the outside slid open again and a man and a female ranger came in at a jog trot. The man's hair was wet, plastered to his head, Levi's and T-shirt were drenched as if he'd been caught in the rain and hadn't had time to change.
The woman Anna recognized. Her name was Rita Perry, her call num-ber was 202. She was one of Anna's seasonal law enforcement rangers and a park paramedic. Rita was a striking woman, close to six feet tall, with a handsome face, lustrous brown hair and a jaw that spoke of strength and determination. Or stubbornness.
Not slowing, the man ran up to the gathering, talking as he came.
"They were found? The girls? I heard it on the radio. My god, this is great. Are they both okay? Where are they?"
Anna had no idea who he was, and for a moment it looked as if Lorraine didn't either. Then the chief ranger's face cleared. "This is Ray-mond Bleeker," she said. "Ray's the backcountry ranger at Fern Lake. He put in more hours on the search than anyone in the park. Ray, these are the girls' folks."
Ray, then, was also one of Anna's seasonal rangers. The name rang a Dell but she'd not yet had time to get into the backcountry.
"Did you bring Ray?" Anna asked Rita, just a question to settle the two of them down.
"Yeah. He radioed from the trailhead across from Sprague. He'd heard the girls had been found and he hiked out." As if Anna might censure Ray for leaving Fern Lake without a ranger for the night, Rita added, "We all got pretty invested in these girls."
Anna had already chosen to let the matter slide. If Raymond Bleeker cared enough to hike an hour and a half in the dark and the rain, more Dower to him. He could hike back up to Fern come morning.
"That's fine," Anna said.
"I need to see my daughter now." Mrs. Dwayne cut off further pleasantries.
"Of course," Lorraine said. Then: "Ray, why don't you take Mrs. Dwayne to Beth's room? It's two-oh-six. Rita, stay with Anna and Mr. Proffit." Ray was an NFS law enforcement ranger. Green as he might or might
not be, Anna was glad he'd shown up. She hoped he was observant.
Proffit watched them go, a look of intense something on his face: longing hope, love. Anna couldn't tell. With burning young men who had fiery responses to everything from a sunset to a Middle Eastern war, it was nearly impossible to sort and prioritize. If he noted the inherent unfairness of Lorraine and Ray going where he was denied access, he wasn't saying
Before Lorraine put a name to him, Anna knew he had to be Robert Proffit, the youth group leader who had taken the girls into the wilder-ness, the one who had eschewed prayer to search tirelessly. The one Beth and Alexis had said the still missing Candace had stayed with.
Anna realized she'd not imparted this crucial bit of information to the chief ranger. Now it would have to wait. Lorraine was saying, "I know the girls will want to see you. Anna, could you show Mrs. Dwayne where Beth's room is?"
Lorraine would go with Alexis' mom and dad. All bases covered. Except Anna couldn't leave. The young Proffit was moving, ready to fol-low the families into the ward.
"I'll stay here with Mr. Proffit," she said. "For this first visit it might be best to keep it to immediate family."
This assumption of authority was out of line. Lorraine bristled a little, like a dog that senses its territory is being invaded. Anna looked her plea as best she could and was relieved to see trust counter the anger in Lorraine's face.
"You're right. Mr. Proffit, stay with Ranger Pigeon. Mr. and Mrs. Shep-pard, Mrs. Dwayne-" Before she could finish, the doors to the outside slid open again and a man and a female ranger came in at a jog trot. The man's hair was wet, plastered to his head, Levi's and T-shirt were drenched as if he'd been caught in the rain and hadn't had time to change.
The woman Anna recognized. Her name was Rita Perry, her call num-ber was 202. She was one of Anna's seasonal law enforcement rangers and a park paramedic. Rita was a striking woman, close to six feet tall, with a handsome face, lustrous brown hair and a jaw that spoke of strength and determination. Or stubbornness.
Not slowing, the man ran up to the gathering, talking as he came.
"They were found? The girls? I heard it on the radio. My god, this is great. Are they both okay? Where are they?"
Anna had no idea who he was, and for a moment it looked as if Lorraine didn't either. Then the chief ranger's face cleared. "This is Ray-mond Bleeker," she said. "Ray's the backcountry ranger at Fern Lake. He put in more hours on the search than anyone in the park. Ray, these are the girls' folks."
Ray, then, was also one of Anna's seasonal rangers. The name rang a Dell but she'd not yet had time to get into the backcountry.
"Did you bring Ray?" Anna asked Rita, just a question to settle the two of them down.
"Yeah. He radioed from the trailhead across from Sprague. He'd heard the girls had been found and he hiked out." As if Anna might censure Ray for leaving Fern Lake without a ranger for the night, Rita added, "We all got pretty invested in these girls."
Anna had already chosen to let the matter slide. If Raymond Bleeker cared enough to hike an hour and a half in the dark and the rain, more Dower to him. He could hike back up to Fern come morning.
"That's fine," Anna said.
"I need to see my daughter now." Mrs. Dwayne cut off further pleasantries.
"Of course," Lorraine said. Then: "Ray, why don't you take Mrs. Dwayne to Beth's room? It's two-oh-six. Rita, stay with Anna and Mr. Proffit." Ray was an NFS law enforcement ranger. Green as he might or might
not be, Anna was glad he'd shown up. She hoped he was observant.
Proffit watched them go, a look of intense something on his face: longing hope, love. Anna couldn't tell. With burning young men who had fiery responses to everything from a sunset to a Middle Eastern war, it was nearly impossible to sort and prioritize. If he noted the inherent unfairness of Lorraine and Ray going where he was denied access, he wasn't saying
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