Pete Henderson, who caught his look. “Cap—is that what they call you?”
“Cap’ll do.”
“Nice to meet you. Which team you want to go with?”
“I want the waterfall,” he answered.
“Who was that guy?” Sing asked.
Cap shrugged, impatient. “One of the hunters. Some thrill seeker, if you ask me.”
Reed had yanked off his dirty clothes and pulled a fresh shirt and jeans from his backpack—and then put on the dirty jeans with the clean shirt. He took off the shirt. No, it was the clean one. He put it back on and tried to take off the pants—he forgot he’d put on his boots. He unlaced them and pulled them off. Now, where were the clean pants? He’d thrown them into the pile of dirty clothes. He fished them out and put them on. Now if he could find his belt—
There was a knock at the door. “Reed?” It was Sheriff Mills.
“Yeah, come in.”
Mills stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind him. “How you doing?”
Reed didn’t answer because he didn’t want to lie. He only hurried to pull on a boot as he sat in one of the room’s two chairs.
Mills grabbed the other chair and set it down directly opposite Reed, almost in his way as he tried to pull on the other boot. “I said, how you doing?”
It felt like an interrogation. Mills pressed into Reed’s space big time, and Reed didn’t like it. He met Mills’s gaze deliberately, angrily. “With all due respect, sir, that’s a stupid question.”
“I need a firm answer, Reed—”
“Are we heading out?”
“—or you don’t go.”
“Arrest me!” Reed said.
Mills whacked Reed on the side of the head. Reed froze in disbelief, staring into the eyes of his superior officer, who still held that hand close to his face, forbidding Reed’s eyes to stray.
“You can thank me later,” said Mills. “In the meantime, you’d better listen. There are more than a dozen trained volunteers out there who just might be risking their lives on your behalf, so before I let you out that door, you’d better decide what role you’re playing. We need men on this job, not victims. Not basket cases. If you need time to work this through and pull yourself together, I’ll grant you that, no questions, no shame, but I need to know.”
Reed gave some thought to his attitude and tried to ease down. “Sure didn’t turn out right.”
Mills was listening.
“It was supposed to be good for her, supposed to get her out of the house, get her out where she could just, just live a little without having to talk to anybody. Out in those woods, there aren’t any social rules, you know? No expectations.” He looked Mills squarely in the eye. “She would have aced it. She would have done great. I knew she had it in her. I don’t think people give her credit.”
Mills nodded. “She would have aced it. You’re right.”
Reed’s eyes teared up again. He looked away to clear them, to clear his mind. “I just didn’t want her to be afraid anymore.”
“Reed, look at me.”
Reed met his eyes. The gaze coming from under that hat brim was kind but would not be trifled with.
“You and Beck signed up for a challenge. Well, now you’ve got one, only there’s no teacher and there’s no pretend, no trial run. There’s just a truckload of real trouble, and Beck doesn’t need you fumbling around and getting in the way because you’re wallowing in what should have been. She needs you to get your mind cleared up and on the problem. She needs you to do your job. We all do.” He rose and went for the door. “We’re pulling out of here in about five minutes. Let me know what you decide.”
Mills stepped out onto the porch, caught a breath, then signaled for Sing’s attention. She joined him near the main door.
“Don’t imagine you have any of your gear with you?” he asked.
“I was on vacation!”
“Got your camera, though.”
“Yes. And my notepad. I was supposed to be taking survival training this week.”
“I want you to come along
“Cap’ll do.”
“Nice to meet you. Which team you want to go with?”
“I want the waterfall,” he answered.
“Who was that guy?” Sing asked.
Cap shrugged, impatient. “One of the hunters. Some thrill seeker, if you ask me.”
Reed had yanked off his dirty clothes and pulled a fresh shirt and jeans from his backpack—and then put on the dirty jeans with the clean shirt. He took off the shirt. No, it was the clean one. He put it back on and tried to take off the pants—he forgot he’d put on his boots. He unlaced them and pulled them off. Now, where were the clean pants? He’d thrown them into the pile of dirty clothes. He fished them out and put them on. Now if he could find his belt—
There was a knock at the door. “Reed?” It was Sheriff Mills.
“Yeah, come in.”
Mills stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind him. “How you doing?”
Reed didn’t answer because he didn’t want to lie. He only hurried to pull on a boot as he sat in one of the room’s two chairs.
Mills grabbed the other chair and set it down directly opposite Reed, almost in his way as he tried to pull on the other boot. “I said, how you doing?”
It felt like an interrogation. Mills pressed into Reed’s space big time, and Reed didn’t like it. He met Mills’s gaze deliberately, angrily. “With all due respect, sir, that’s a stupid question.”
“I need a firm answer, Reed—”
“Are we heading out?”
“—or you don’t go.”
“Arrest me!” Reed said.
Mills whacked Reed on the side of the head. Reed froze in disbelief, staring into the eyes of his superior officer, who still held that hand close to his face, forbidding Reed’s eyes to stray.
“You can thank me later,” said Mills. “In the meantime, you’d better listen. There are more than a dozen trained volunteers out there who just might be risking their lives on your behalf, so before I let you out that door, you’d better decide what role you’re playing. We need men on this job, not victims. Not basket cases. If you need time to work this through and pull yourself together, I’ll grant you that, no questions, no shame, but I need to know.”
Reed gave some thought to his attitude and tried to ease down. “Sure didn’t turn out right.”
Mills was listening.
“It was supposed to be good for her, supposed to get her out of the house, get her out where she could just, just live a little without having to talk to anybody. Out in those woods, there aren’t any social rules, you know? No expectations.” He looked Mills squarely in the eye. “She would have aced it. She would have done great. I knew she had it in her. I don’t think people give her credit.”
Mills nodded. “She would have aced it. You’re right.”
Reed’s eyes teared up again. He looked away to clear them, to clear his mind. “I just didn’t want her to be afraid anymore.”
“Reed, look at me.”
Reed met his eyes. The gaze coming from under that hat brim was kind but would not be trifled with.
“You and Beck signed up for a challenge. Well, now you’ve got one, only there’s no teacher and there’s no pretend, no trial run. There’s just a truckload of real trouble, and Beck doesn’t need you fumbling around and getting in the way because you’re wallowing in what should have been. She needs you to get your mind cleared up and on the problem. She needs you to do your job. We all do.” He rose and went for the door. “We’re pulling out of here in about five minutes. Let me know what you decide.”
Mills stepped out onto the porch, caught a breath, then signaled for Sing’s attention. She joined him near the main door.
“Don’t imagine you have any of your gear with you?” he asked.
“I was on vacation!”
“Got your camera, though.”
“Yes. And my notepad. I was supposed to be taking survival training this week.”
“I want you to come along
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