Preview

Chapter 1

There were only a few people left on the trail as Nancy jogged slowly along the path – so slowly that a hiker easily kept pace with her on the five-mile loop. She was sure the person was judging her dismal running and jiggling body. She breathed hard and finally slowed to a walk instead of trying to keep up the charade. The hiker passed on her left.

“Nothing wrong with walking,” he said. “Burns almost as many calories.”

“Yeah,” she huffed. “Right.” The thin, male hiker forged ahead with his expensive specialty walking sticks. Nancy rolled her eyes then checked her watch. She had been at it for twenty minutes and was exhausted. She checked behind her to see how far back the mile marker was. Another hiker was there, in no hurry to overtake the panting jogger. All the same, she stopped walking and put her foot up on a rock, feigning a need to tie her shoe to let him pass.

As the man passed, he looked at Nancy in her sweatpants and hoodie. She thought she heard a derisive noise escape his stubbly face. He wore a tee shirt and jeans with cowboy boots – not very good hiking gear, in Nancy’s opinion.  

She looked up at the sky. It was early – only three-thirty in the afternoon – but the days were getting shorter and the mountain that rose up in the west produced early sunsets in the lower lands at the base. Daylight was quickly fading in the county park.

Rather than completing the five-mile loop, Nancy turned around and started back to the parking lot. As her breathing returned to normal and her body began to cool, she felt a chill in the breeze that she hadn’t noticed before when the wind was at her back. Now that it hit her in the face, she zipped her jacket all the way to her neck and put her hands in her pockets. Next time, I’ll have to leave work earlier, she told herself, though she was pretty sure there wouldn’t be a next time.

Running was hard for a person carrying thirty pounds more than her ideal weight. Her recent physical led her doctor to recommend joining a gym but jogging in the wooded park was free and the air smelled better. Her co-worker had recommended the popular trail and there were several joggers on the same path when Nancy started out. Now, though, they had run far ahead and were probably already around the lake and back to their cars in the parking lot.

No new runners came up the trail. They know what time it gets dark here, I guess. She walked on, tripping over a tree root she didn’t see sticking out of the ground. She was surprised how quickly darkness descended with the trees overhead blocking the little amount of light coming from above. With her phone’s flashlight, she continued her trek back the way she had come, wishing she had a scarf to keep her neck warm.

The afternoon was quiet. The nocturnal predators were not yet out and about and the diurnal animals had already retreated to their safe havens for the night. Nancy marveled at the serenity of the wooded park.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She pulled the hood of her jacket over her head. But it wasn’t the cold that triggered the autonomic response. Her ears picked up footsteps behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. Twenty yards back, the booted hiker walked the same direction as Nancy. A flash of fear triggered an adrenaline spike, which, after a moment’s consideration, she dismissed, assuming the man, like her, was caught off guard by the early sunset and the chill. He wore short sleeves, after all.

“Hey!” the man called. “Hey, wait up.” Nancy turned around. He approached her. “You have a light. Can we share? I didn’t bring anything.”

“Uh, yeah. I guess so.” Nancy started walking again, shining her phone’s meager light on the path ahead. The man walked on her right and she saw that he sported a large tattoo over the entire length his left forearm. It brought back a memory of her mother commenting on a vagrant’s armful of tattoos. “You can’t trust someone who defiles their body like that,” her mother had said. As a child, Nancy had adopted her mom’s prejudice, but since then she had noticed that almost everyone she knew had some kind of tattoo somewhere on their body, and she had since jettisoned her mother’s outdated belief.

Why did this man bring her mother’s words back to mind? He just needed the light. Nancy overruled her anxiety with reason: random attacks by strangers were rare things that happened to someone else. It didn’t occur to her that she was someone else to someone else.

“You live near here?” the man asked.

“Yeah. Willow.”

“Ever been to Seattle?”

“Sure. Plenty of times.”

“Seattle’s a dangerous place, if you ask me,” he commented.

“I didn’t think so,” Nancy replied.

“Well, maybe you never walked alone at night in Seattle. It’s dangerous.”

Nancy glanced sideways at the man. She got a weird feeling about him that had nothing to do with his tattoo. She put a little distance between him and her and picked up the pace. He fell behind for an instant, then caught up.

“Walking alone anywhere at night is dangerous, don’t you think?” he asked.

A shiver went down Nancy’s spine. Her mind raced, searching for a way to ditch the unwanted tagalong. She pretended that her phone had vibrated. “Oh, I have a call. Go on ahead. The parking lot’s not too far.” She stopped and the man stopped with her.

“I can wait.”

“It’s my husband. Can I have a little privacy?”

“Oh.”

“He went back to the car for his jacket. He’s probably coming up the trail looking for me right now.” The man eyed Nancy, then walked on without her. She watched until he was out of sight.

There was no call. There was no husband. She hoped her lie was enough to deter the man. She listened. His footsteps faded into the distance. Only then did she resume her course toward her car, stopping every few minutes to make sure she was not catching up to him.

You’re a lunatic! she told herself for imagining the worst. He was weird, but he’s gone now. She walked as fast as she dared on the uneven trail. Where is that damn parking lot? she wondered. She was sure she must’ve gone nearly a mile by now. Her light shone on a little marker at the side of the path. “Carter Lake Loop trailhead .7 mi.” Nancy slumped but kept walking.

She wondered if the hiker with the two unnecessary carbon-fiber walking sticks had turned back or gone all the way around the loop. She hadn’t seen anyone since him – except for the cowboy-booted man. For a moment, she felt bad that she had made him walk on ahead without a light, but he must not have had any trouble because she never caught up to him.

A crow cried out suddenly, startling Nancy with its loud caw. “Oh, god!” she sighed. “Stupid bird. You scared me.”

“Walking alone at night is scary,” a voice said malevolently from the brush. Nancy spun around and held the light up. The man’s tattooed arm came up to shield his eyes. Nancy took off. His footsteps followed. A quick look back triggered a new shot of adrenaline: the man was keeping pace with her.

Fight or flight.

She didn’t actually ponder which to do. Her instincts told her to run, and this time she didn’t ignore the warning. With the man gaining on her, she ran as fast as her legs could go.

Desperation set it, dashing all hope that she would get away from the man who chased her. A thought flashed through her mind unexpectedly: how is he running so fast in jeans and cowboy boots? But the truth was, her running was distressingly slow. His heavy footsteps pounded close behind.

Her light flashed forward with each swing of her arm. It shone on a pair of tree trunks just ahead of her. She barely had time to adjust her trajectory and run between them. But her hood must’ve snagged on a branch because she was pulled to a stop by her jacket.

Heavy panting on her neck told her it wasn’t a branch that had caught her. She screamed for help. Where was that hiker? Might he be close enough to hear her plea? There had to be someone else in the park!

“Shut up, bitch,” the man snarled.

Nancy quickly unzipped the jacket and extracted herself from it, dropping her phone as her hand pulled the sleeve inside-out.

She resumed her flight.

He came after her again.

The moment before he tackled her to the ground, she managed one last scream – only to have it muffled by the dirt as her face hit the ground hard.

Chapter 2

Julia checked the time. It was three-thirty on Friday afternoon; Paul would be leaving for work soon. She sent a text message to him as she took a mental break from her work.

Julia: Can you bring something from the restaurant for our hike tomorrow?

Julia waited a couple of minutes for a reply.

Paul: Cooke’s specialty good enough?

Julia: No cilantro, please.

Paul: My recipe’s perfect, but for you, I’ll omit the cilantro.

Julia: You’re the best.

Paul: You’re right.

Julia: Lol. Executive-chef-ego’s showing again.

Paul: You’re one to talk, Doctor Brand.

Julia laughed. When they had first met at a company dinner catered by Paul’s restaurant, she introduced herself as Doctor Brand, having recently acquired the title and being extremely proud of it.

“You got a first name?” Paul had asked.

“Julia. I’m a neuroscientist here. And you?”

“Chef Cooke,” Paul replied, flaunting his own title in jest.

“Oh. Chef cook,” she said pointing to Paul’s chest. “Doctor research,” she added, pointing to herself. “Chef have name?”

Paul chuckled. “Not bad, Doctor Brand. I’m Paul Cooke.”

“And you’re the chef.”

“At your service,” Paul said with a grin and a small bow.

“These appetizers are delicious.”

“My humble heart is gladdened to know that you find my world-class croquettes palatable.” Paul bowed again.

Julia laughed. “How long have you been a chef?”

“About ten years since I graduated from culinary school. How long have you worked here?”

“I started last August. Moved here from Los Angeles.”

“Wow. Culture shock.”

“Yes, I guess you’re right. But I like Willow,” Julia said. “And one doesn’t pass up the chance to work for a company like Incranium, no matter where it’s located.”

“Some kind of important company?” Paul asked.

“Oh yeah. They’re on the cutting edge of brain research.”

“I, too, am on the cutting edge of brains.” Paul mimicked slicing a piece of meat.

“Gross. You don’t really serve brains, do you?”

“You’d be surprised what people will eat,” he said with a smile. Julia nearly gagged. Paul chuckled. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to gross you out. I don’t really cook brains. That’s more of a South East Asia thing.”

“Oooo-kay, thanks for the info.”

Paul changed the subject. “Do you like to hike, Julia?”

“Sure. Haven’t had much time to explore the area, though.”

“Maybe I can show you some of the nicer trails.”

Julia wavered. Paul lost his smile. Then he nodded, saying, “That was stupid of me. First dates should be in public places. You don’t know me from Adam.”

“That’s very enlightened of you,” Julia replied with half a smile. “Most men wouldn’t think of my point of view. Thank you.”

“Well, since I suck at planning first dates, apparently, may I just ask you out and you choose the activity?”

Julia smiled sincerely. “I’d like that. How about the Mustangs’ baseball game on Saturday?”

“What time is it?”

“Starts at eleven. Montclaire stadium.”

“The university team. Okay. Are they any good?”

Julia shrugged. “No idea. I just heard a colleague talking about it this afternoon.”

“Well, I suppose that’s a sufficiently public place to get acquainted. Good idea.”

“Meet me there at ten-thirty?” Julia smiled demurely at him. She held a glass of wine in one hand, while the other casually swept her hair from the front of one shoulder to the back.

“I’ll be there,” Paul answered, his eyes lingering on her face a moment longer. “Excuse me, Julia. I have to get back to work. Got underlings to whip and brains to chop.”

Julia laughed. “See you Saturday, Chef.” He tore his eyes away from hers and went to inspect the shrimp.

Now, as Julia and Paul texted each other, they were in a comfortable relationship of four months. They chatted daily by phone and had deep conversations late into Monday nights – his only night off from the restaurant. Paul’s apartment in Bellview was fifteen miles from Willow, so on those late Monday nights, he usually stayed over and went home in the morning when Julia went to work. The drive was not that long, really, but it was a convenient excuse to spend the night with his girlfriend. She didn’t have any friends in the area, and Paul had become the closest person in her life. He was everything she could want in a boyfriend, except the working hours.

Saturday morning, Paul came to Julia’s apartment with hiking boots and a picnic lunch.

“Hi!” Julia said as she opened her door and welcomed Paul with a hug and a kiss. “I missed you this week.”

He set his pack down and wrapped his arms around her. Clean-shaven, as always, he nuzzled her neck as his held her. “We don’t have to go hiking,” he hinted.

Julia laughed. “No, we don’t, but we should. I sit in my office forty hours a week. I need exercise and fresh air.”

“We can exercise here…” His passionate kiss nearly crumbled her resolve.

“You’re hella-sexy, Paul, but let’s go hiking. First.”

“So, there’s hope.”

“Depends how good the food is,” she teased. Paul spanked her playfully, then released her so they could go.

They hiked a path around Lake Carter, a five-mile loop through forested shoreline. The trail was well-used, cleared of almost all debris and plant life while the ground on the left and right of the path was lush with ferns that grew abundantly beneath the tall pine and redwood trees. Half-way around the lake, they stopped at a spot on the bank to enjoy their picnic lunch.

His stomach filled, Paul lay himself on the ground and put his head in Julia’s lap. She ran her fingers through his hair.

“When’d you get home last night?” she asked quietly.

“About one.” She looked out over the lake as she continued to relax him with her fingers. “That’s real nice,” he mumbled.

“Pretty day.” A gentle zephyr rippled the water in a consistent pattern across the entire surface of the lake until a pair of geese glided over, coming to a less-than-graceful stop. The undulating rings that emanated from their splashy landing faded and blended into the general flow of the breeze-swept lake. Julia took in a deep breath of clean, cold air and slowly let it out again.

Amid the singing of birds above, the scampering of squirrels below, and the lapping of the lake on the shore, Julia was surrounded by nature’s soundtrack. But the cracking of twigs and dried leaves in the forest behind her was a different sort of ruckus. Julia turned to see what was there; a woman emerged from the brush.

At first, all Julia noticed was her hair: a disheveled mess. As she crawled on her hands and knees, Julia could see that her shirt was torn and bloody, and she wore nothing else to cover her shivering body. The wretched creature moaned as she crawled until she looked up and saw the couple at the edge of the lake. Startled, she gasped and backed up.

“Oh my gosh. Are you all right?” Julia asked the stranger.

Paul opened his eyes and lifted his head. When he saw the cold, frightened woman on the ground, he got to his feet immediately. The stranger screamed and backed away. Paul backed off, holding up his hands. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Julia got up and took off her jacket. She approached the woman slowly and crouched down next to her. “Here, let me put this on you, okay?”

The woman sat up on her knees and allowed Julia to put the jacket on her shoulders. She grabbed the edges and pulled them together in front of her chest, her teeth chattering and her body shivering uncontrollably. “Julie, tie this around her waist,” Paul said, taking off his fleece jacket and tossing it to her.

“What happened?” Julia asked as she struggled to get the woman covered. The stranger didn’t answer; she started to cry. “Oh my gosh.” Julia rubbed her back, trying to create heat. She looked at Paul and Paul met her gaze. He shook his head sadly, then grabbed his canteen.

“You need some water, ma’am?” he asked gently, approaching slowly. He held out the bottle and kept his distance as much as possible. “We have food, too. Do you need something to eat?”

The traumatized woman looked at him but didn’t scream. She reached out for the bottle and took it, drinking thirstily from the flask. She was bruised and cut; dried blood smeared all down her legs. Her face, too, was battered, the wounds clotted over with dirt and blood. One eye was completely red where it should have been white, and the skin around it badly bruised. “We should get you to a hospital. Can we do that?” Julia asked.

She didn’t speak, but when Julia stood, she also stood, shaking and shivering. Paul hastily packed up their things into his pack and went to Julia’s side. “She can’t walk all the way back on her bare feet.”

Paul looked around for a solution. “I can try to carry her, I guess.”

“For two and a half miles? That’s a long way.”

“If she’d climb on my back, that would be easier.”

“I don’t know if she would.” Julia turned back to the woman. “Would you like Paul to carry you on his back?” The woman shrank away from him. “How about my back?” The woman shook her head, no. “You don’t have shoes,” Julia pointed out. She still answered in the negative.

“How about this? We’ll take off our socks and you can wear both pairs. That’ll give you some protection. Okay?”

The woman hesitantly agreed. Paul and Julia dropped to the ground and took off their boots and socks. Julia steadied the woman while Paul put, first, Julia’s socks on her feet, then his own over them. The woman whimpered while Paul attended to her, but when he backed away, she settled down.

They started along the path, Julia holding onto the stranger with an arm around her waist. Paul put his arm around Julia as they slowly walked, supporting her as she supported the woman.

Paul and Julia drove to the nearest hospital. Paul pulled up right to the emergency door and ran ahead to get help. Julia stayed in the back seat with the woman who was finally warm in the heated car. She stared at the back of the seat in front of her, not speaking a word to Julia. Orderlies came out to the car with a gurney. Paul opened the door and Julia coaxed the woman out. The woman would not get near the rolling bed as long as men were near it. Paul asked if there were any females who could help. The orderlies went inside and two female nurses emerged in their place.

One went directly to the victim and spoke gently to her. “I’m Jean. What’s your name, dear?”

The woman looked at the kindly nurse. She struggled to speak without crying. “N-n-nancy.”

“Very good, Nancy. We’re going to take care of you. I promise, no one here is going to hurt you. You have a lot of scrapes and bruises. We need to take you inside the hospital. Can you climb up on this gurney, please?”

Nancy nodded her head but her feet didn’t move.

“Come on, Nancy,” Julia said. “I know you’re tired. It’ll feel good to lie down, right?” Nancy locked eyes with Julia. “Yes, I’ll stay with you, okay? My name’s Julia. This is Paul. Everyone here will be good to you. No one’s gonna hurt you.” Nancy sat on the gurney and let Julia guide her down. The nurse, Jean, picked up her feet and lifted them onto the bed. The other nurse covered Nancy with a sheet.

With Julia holding one hand and Jean holding the other, Paul and the second nurse wheeled the gurney inside.

Hours later, Julia and Paul left the hospital. Nancy was asleep – sedated – and watched over by the staff who, unfortunately, had plenty of experience with rape cases. “I have to get to work,” Paul said. “I’ll take you home.”

Julia nodded.

Outside her apartment building, Julia hugged Paul long and hard. “I know, babe. It’s awful. But you were awesome. Really great. You did a good thing for her.”

“You too,” she answered softly. “I love you, Paul.”

“I love you, too, Jule. Go inside now, take a hot shower, and watch a movie or something. I’ll be back tomorrow morning, okay?”

“Okay,” Julia agreed. She let go of him and tried to smile. “Have a good night at work.” He smiled at her attempt to be normal. “See you tomorrow.” He kissed her and watched her until she was safely in her apartment, then got back in his car and went to work in Bellview.