Read Online High Country- Pigeon 12 by Nevada Barr - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nevada Barr
Tags: Fiction, Suspense, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Mystery, Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths
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Nicky's room for a reason. They'd known where it was and that the three women would be out that night. That spoke of a connection inside the dormitory.
"Do you think these men might have had something to do with the girl-this Cricket's-collapse? Poisoned her to guarantee you'd all be out?"
Anna thought of that. It might work for Nicky and Cricket-Nicky's poisoning not taking-but it didn't account for her.
"I think it's linked to the disappearance," Anna said. "These guys were searching for something specific-something they didn't find. Something one of them at least thought worth snapping a young woman's neck for. Maybe Cricket or Nicky possesses this desirable object. We'll have to talk to Cricket when we get a chance. Nicky seemed genuinely baffled."
"Maybe it's about you," Lorraine said. "If so, we'd better pull you out of this job." The chief ranger looked genuinely concerned for Anna's safety and Anna was flattered. "These guys are not your average dog-off-leash, campfire-out-of-bounds park criminals. If you're right and it is connected with the four missing persons it could get ugly. Uglier." Lorraine licked a drip of coffee off the side of her mug with an amazingly pointed tongue.
A dog, an unimpressive heap of breeds with warm and soulful eyes, pushed its head into Anna's hand and she scratched its ears as much for her comfort as for the dog's. "Wendy," the chief ranger said fondly. "She's a keen judge of character, a kind of doggie sixth sense that helps her nose out people who are likely to drop food. She especially loves children."
For the briefest of moments, Wendy's soft ears put her in mind of her dog, Taco, the cozy kitchen reminding her of home and, so, of Paul, with whom she would soon share a life. Anna considered pretending she believed the night searchers were about her, about her undercover identity. Just for a second she indulged in a fantasy of going home.
"It's not about me," she said before fantasy could mature into temptation. "At first I thought maybe that was, it coming so soon on the heels of a visit I made to those bozos in Dixon's tent cabin. I'll check it out but I'm sure it wasn't them. At least I'm pretty sure it wasn't." Anna explained her logic of following Nicky's nose in the matter.
"They didn't smell right," she concluded.
Lorraine smiled at the literal application of the old law enforcement saw but otherwise seemed to accept Anna's reasoning.
She went on: "If it wasn't me and-I know we've got to check this out-it wasn't Nicky or Cricket who inspired our visitors, then it had to be Trish. Something she'd cached. According to Nicky, the man searching said he'd found, 'nothing' and the man holding Nicky down said, 'He should have figured that.'
"I know there's a slew of reasons for that remark, but the obvious one is Trish Spencer. She's gone missing. I've taken her place in not only the Ahwahnee dining room but in the dorm. It makes sense that the 'he' who directed this search should have realized Trish's stuff would have been packed up and moved."
"Ah," Lorraine said, and: "Let me get dressed."
Alone with Wendy, Anna wondered what "Ah" meant. "Ah yes, you clever thing," or "Ah, so, you're in therapy for this?"
Lorraine emerged looking official: Rapunzel hair in a tasteful knot at the nape of her neck, Scooby-Doo pajamas replaced with the green and gray. "I'd give you a lift but I expect folks are stirring by now. When it looks like a good time, drop by the medical clinic. I'll leave the key to the old fire cache. For lack of a better place, Ms. Spencer's stuff was stored there. We couldn't track down her parents. None of the people at the Ahwahnee seemed to even know if they were living or dead. Nobody else appeared asking after Trish or her things. I'll see if we can turn anything up on two city men entering or staying in the park last night."
Anna left first, feeling pleased and reassured. Despite the silly
"Do you think these men might have had something to do with the girl-this Cricket's-collapse? Poisoned her to guarantee you'd all be out?"
Anna thought of that. It might work for Nicky and Cricket-Nicky's poisoning not taking-but it didn't account for her.
"I think it's linked to the disappearance," Anna said. "These guys were searching for something specific-something they didn't find. Something one of them at least thought worth snapping a young woman's neck for. Maybe Cricket or Nicky possesses this desirable object. We'll have to talk to Cricket when we get a chance. Nicky seemed genuinely baffled."
"Maybe it's about you," Lorraine said. "If so, we'd better pull you out of this job." The chief ranger looked genuinely concerned for Anna's safety and Anna was flattered. "These guys are not your average dog-off-leash, campfire-out-of-bounds park criminals. If you're right and it is connected with the four missing persons it could get ugly. Uglier." Lorraine licked a drip of coffee off the side of her mug with an amazingly pointed tongue.
A dog, an unimpressive heap of breeds with warm and soulful eyes, pushed its head into Anna's hand and she scratched its ears as much for her comfort as for the dog's. "Wendy," the chief ranger said fondly. "She's a keen judge of character, a kind of doggie sixth sense that helps her nose out people who are likely to drop food. She especially loves children."
For the briefest of moments, Wendy's soft ears put her in mind of her dog, Taco, the cozy kitchen reminding her of home and, so, of Paul, with whom she would soon share a life. Anna considered pretending she believed the night searchers were about her, about her undercover identity. Just for a second she indulged in a fantasy of going home.
"It's not about me," she said before fantasy could mature into temptation. "At first I thought maybe that was, it coming so soon on the heels of a visit I made to those bozos in Dixon's tent cabin. I'll check it out but I'm sure it wasn't them. At least I'm pretty sure it wasn't." Anna explained her logic of following Nicky's nose in the matter.
"They didn't smell right," she concluded.
Lorraine smiled at the literal application of the old law enforcement saw but otherwise seemed to accept Anna's reasoning.
She went on: "If it wasn't me and-I know we've got to check this out-it wasn't Nicky or Cricket who inspired our visitors, then it had to be Trish. Something she'd cached. According to Nicky, the man searching said he'd found, 'nothing' and the man holding Nicky down said, 'He should have figured that.'
"I know there's a slew of reasons for that remark, but the obvious one is Trish Spencer. She's gone missing. I've taken her place in not only the Ahwahnee dining room but in the dorm. It makes sense that the 'he' who directed this search should have realized Trish's stuff would have been packed up and moved."
"Ah," Lorraine said, and: "Let me get dressed."
Alone with Wendy, Anna wondered what "Ah" meant. "Ah yes, you clever thing," or "Ah, so, you're in therapy for this?"
Lorraine emerged looking official: Rapunzel hair in a tasteful knot at the nape of her neck, Scooby-Doo pajamas replaced with the green and gray. "I'd give you a lift but I expect folks are stirring by now. When it looks like a good time, drop by the medical clinic. I'll leave the key to the old fire cache. For lack of a better place, Ms. Spencer's stuff was stored there. We couldn't track down her parents. None of the people at the Ahwahnee seemed to even know if they were living or dead. Nobody else appeared asking after Trish or her things. I'll see if we can turn anything up on two city men entering or staying in the park last night."
Anna left first, feeling pleased and reassured. Despite the silly
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