Alaskan Wilderness Murder, page 7
“I had an abusive boyfriend,” she finally admitted. “He beat me on a regular basis, and he was an expert at making sure the marks weren’t visible.” She grimaced. “Even so, we were together a long time and were about to get married.” She sighed and fiddled with a string that was hanging from her cuff. “I guess Garcia’s murder has brought back some of those old feelings and fears. The relationship ended several years ago, and it probably shouldn’t still bother me, but I just can’t help it. It makes me nervous if someone moves too quickly around me. I guess I’m just a bit jumpy.”
Josiah slowly and deliberately moved back even further. She appreciated his thoughtfulness.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He tilted his head. “Where is he now?”
“Prison,” Zoey said bluntly. “Tax evasion. His arrest actually saved me. I didn’t have the strength to pull away from him until that happened.”
“You’re stronger than you think,” Josiah opined.
Zoey shrugged. “I am now. I wasn’t then. I’ve grown up a lot and found myself here in Alaska. I guess that’s one reason why I was so concerned about losing my job. I can’t really imagine starting over somewhere else. I’ve finally found the peace and happiness I was searching for, here on this river.” She met his eyes again. “Even though I admit that right now I’m a bit jumpy.”
Josiah nodded slowly, his expression considering. “I would never hurt you, Zoey. Never. That’s just not in my DNA.”
She could see the truth of that statement mirrored in his eyes. “I get that,” she said softly. “And I believe you. I just can’t help my reaction.”
He considered her words for a moment. “Okay. Let’s make a deal. I’ll do my best to move slowly around you and give you the space you need, if you’ll be sure to tell me when I’m making you uncomfortable.” He drew his lips into a thin line. “I have to admit, I’m not always that conscientious about what others are feeling. The army trained me to complete the mission first and worry about everything else later. I may not know that something I’m doing is bothering you unless you tell me.”
Zoey smiled. She was glad he was willing to help her and be understanding, especially when the hang-ups were hers and hers alone. He was scoring big points in the “friends” department. “That works for me. Deal.”
She suddenly felt awkward and needed to escape from this trip down memory lane. She didn’t like talking about her past, and embarrassment heated her face. “Time to start dinner. I’ll see you later.” She stood up and walked toward the river and could feel Josiah’s eyes following her. What was he thinking? Had it been wrong for her to admit her problem to her boss?
She tried to push her worries away as she started working with the two campers who were scheduled to make the group’s dinner. Everyone on the team rotated assignments, and each took a turn preparing the meal and cleaning up afterward. Because she wanted to keep an eye on him, she pulled Webster in to help as well. The other two were a little standoffish at first, but soon she had the small group working together with a playful banter that helped them get past the awkwardness.
No one had managed to catch a fish, so tonight they were having vegan burritos, and most of the work included chopping vegetables. She found the ingredients in the food bins and went to work. Every few minutes, she glanced over at Josiah, but he was still sitting on the rock, whittling by himself. At times, she saw him verify Webster’s safety with his eyes and then return to his wood carving. He reminded her of a sleeping bear. Although he was at rest, she had no doubt he could be up and dangerous in seconds. After all, he was a trained warrior. Even so, the thought actually helped calm her raging emotions. He had said he would never hurt her, and she believed him. In fact, after their short conversation, she actually was starting to feel safe around him. Was that a mistake? Could she trust him?
The meal was uneventful, and Zoey was pleased that the group as a whole had chosen to ignore Webster, rather than continuing their persecution of the man. After cleaning up, most of the group wandered around the campground in pairs or small groups, talking or taking short hikes around the area. It didn’t get dark until around 10:00 p.m., but the day had been a long one, and everyone eventually wandered back and headed to their own tents, including Webster. Zoey could see the distress in his eyes, but at least no one else had threatened him or tried to harm him. She could tell Josiah was still keeping watch, and the two of them waited by the fire until everyone was accounted for and in their own tents. Then they each retired to their own tents, leaving the fire burning for warmth and to keep predators at bay.
Zoey had trouble falling asleep, and her mind wandered as she lay in her sleeping bag, looking at the top of her tent but not really seeing it. An hour passed, then another. She was relieved that Josiah had assured her that her job was safe. That had been an unexpected blessing. But she was discomfited about her responses to him in general. One minute she was attracted to him, the next she was terrified of him and the power he exuded. He was a big man, at least six foot one, with broad shoulders and a lean, sleek physique. He had also been a strong military officer who had fought back from a debilitating injury and won the ability to walk again. She’d never had that sort of injury, but she did have some idea of how hard it must have been for him to recover and fight to regain his physical abilities that the mortar had stolen from him. She also couldn’t deny that he was doing a good job and she was appreciating his presence. He had even probably saved her life that first day when she had been drowning in the bay.
She thought through their various interactions. His physical strength was only part of the package he brought to the mix. He had threatened her leadership but then acquiesced and allowed her to lead. And he had patiently accepted her odd behavior when he’d brushed the bug away and given her the space she’d needed to recover and be able to continue. Maybe he had a softer side that contained some flexibility, despite his imposing presence.
Could they be friends? Could they work together? It was hard for her to trust any man, especially one who was so strong and commanding. Yet she couldn’t deny she was tempted to try. He seemed like someone dependable—someone honorable.
Zoey was so absorbed in her musings that, at first, she didn’t hear the slight scraping sound from outside. Then a twig snapped, breaking the silence and capturing her attention. She froze, focusing on the noises outside her thin tent walls. She could hear the water rolling in the river nearby and tumbling over the rocks, but now she heard something new, as if a person or animal was walking around the camp. She’d had a bear invade their campground before and had a can of bear spray ready. She reached for it and silently wrapped her hand around the small metal can.
Rocks clinked and shifted. Someone was approaching her tent from behind, and she could make out the sound of their shoes as they walked upon the sandy gravel. Friend or foe? Animal or human? It sure didn’t sound like a bear. Then she saw a human silhouette across the top of her tent as the person passed, and she knew for a fact that this was no animal approaching. The person was also carrying some sort of homemade torch, and flames sent shadows scurrying across the tent fabric.
She slowly unzipped her tent, as silently as possible, then pulled herself up to a crouching position at the entrance as the form continued on its trek. Her heart was rapidly beating against her chest, and icy fear swept over her from head to toe. Who was walking around the camp at this time of night, and why were they using a torch instead of a flashlight? Was it the murderer? They had searched through everyone’s belongings thoroughly before leaving the base camp, and she knew that no one had a gun on this trip. Even so, there were a lot of other ways to kill a person, and even the rocks from the soil around them could be used as a murder weapon if a person was angry enough to use one.
She tried to steady her breathing as she heard the perpetrator take another step. The offender now seemed closer to Josiah’s tent, which was on the other side of Webster’s. She wondered fleetingly if either of the two men were awake and heard the person approaching. She glanced at her watch, hit the small light and noticed that it was after midnight. She couldn’t count on either of them being awake at this hour.
The perpetrator took another step. Then another.
Suddenly, she made a decision. She wasn’t going to be a victim any longer. She was going to fight back and do everything she could to stop whoever was out there before he or she committed another crime and hurt someone else. She mustered her strength, took a deep breath and then surged out of her tent, her flashlight in one hand and the can of bear spray in the other.
“What’s going on out here?” she yelled as she emerged, shining her light all around the area. She caught the silhouette of a person standing behind Josiah’s tent and pointed her flashlight at the person’s face. She smelled a stench that made her nose wrinkle. Was that lighter fluid? The man appeared to stumble, and suddenly, with a whoosh sound, Josiah’s tent unexpectedly went up in flames.
“Josiah! Your tent is on fire. Josiah!” She immediately closed the distance between her tent and the one that was engulfed in a huge conflagration and cried out in anguish. Was Josiah still inside the tent, about to burn to death?
Lucas Phillips took a step back, his expression obviously surprised at having been caught roaming around the campground. He quickly took off his jacket as Zoey approached and made a show of trying to put out the fire by hitting at the tent with his coat. “Oh no! Help me get the fire out!”
Josiah suddenly appeared from the darkness, and Zoey instantly felt a wave of relief sweep over her. She didn’t know why Josiah hadn’t been in his tent when the fire had started, but she said a quick prayer of thanks nonetheless. Josiah moved quickly to join Lucas and Zoey as they tried to keep the fire from spreading. Josiah and Lucas beat at the flames with their coats, while Zoey scooped up sand with a bowl she found nearby and threw it on the blaze. Other campers came out of their tents, saw the commotion and disappeared, then reappeared with water in various containers that they threw at the fire. Between their combined efforts, the flames were soon extinguished, leaving a charred mess of burned fabric and bits of the metal frame where Josiah’s tent had been only moments earlier. The smell of scorched material filled the air, leaving an acrid scent that permeated the entire campground.
Once the flames were out, Josiah approached Lucas and challenged him, their chests only inches apart. Josiah’s tone was caustic and rough. “What were you trying to do, burn me alive?”
“I was just out stretching my legs!” Lucas said defensively. “I’m not used to being in a kayak all day. I couldn’t sleep and needed to walk around a bit. I didn’t mean to catch your tent on fire. When Zoey called out to me, I dropped the torch I was carrying. I didn’t mean any harm, I promise!”
“Oh really?” Zoey said, unable to keep the disbelief from her voice. She glanced around, searching for an accelerant. “Is that why I saw you reaching the torch toward his tent? And what was that smell? Gasoline? Lighter fluid? These tents are chemically treated to resist fire, but you put something on the fabric to make it burn.” She took a step closer to him. “You set Josiah’s tent on fire to kill him! You’re the murderer! And here you were, leading the charge to convict Webster yesterday when it was you all along!”
“I didn’t mean to hurt Josiah. This was an accident. I swear!” Lucas yelled back, his tone defensive. “And I didn’t kill Garcia. I barely knew the man. Webster is the killer, not me.”
“That’s not true,” Patricia said softly.
Zoey shone her light around the campground and saw several of the other campers who had been drawn out of their tents because of the fracas.
“What do you mean?” Mia said, taking a step toward Patricia. “My husband wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose. If he says it was an accident, then it was an accident. Be careful who you accuse,” she spat.
“Maybe,” Patricia hedged, “but Lucas knew Marty Garcia was embezzling funds. I know he contacted the board and reported what he found.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Jessie said quickly. “The board never took any action against Mr. Garcia.”
“Sounds like motive to me,” Nolan McAdams said with a tone of sarcasm tinting his voice. Up until now, he’d been one of the quieter campers who had pretty much stayed in the background, but now his eyes glowed with anger. “They wouldn’t do anything about the embezzlement, so Lucas must have decided to take the matter into his own hands.” He took a few steps toward him. “Is that why you killed Garcia? To pay him back for destroying Western?”
Zoey took a step forward, her light still focused on Lucas. “Maybe revenge was a motive for killing Mr. Garcia, but why would you hurt Josiah? He’s not involved with Western’s internal problems. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I wasn’t trying to hurt Josiah,” Lucas said stiffly. “I was out. Stretching. My. Legs. I said that already. I got a little lost when I was out walking around and was just trying to find my tent. Then I tripped and dropped the torch.” Lucas stood up straighter, daring any of the campers to disagree with him.
* * *
Josiah didn’t believe the man’s claims, but no immediate motive jumped to mind either. Zoey had a point. Why would Lucas want to hurt him? Regardless of the answer, there wasn’t much he could do about it at this point anyway. They had a new suspect, but it was the middle of the night, law enforcement was miles away and there was still no proof. He sure was glad he’d had to go to the bathroom, or he could have been severely injured in the fire.
He glanced over at Zoey, who looked even more stressed than she had earlier this evening when they had been talking. He knew she preferred to lead, but this attack had been directed at him, and in his mind, it was his problem to address. He hoped he didn’t step on her toes when he took charge of this particular situation.
“Everyone, go back to your tents. You, too, Lucas. I’ll stand guard for the rest of the evening and make sure everyone stays safe.”
Lucas looked relieved, and Patricia raised her eyebrows as if she was about to argue, but Zoey spoke up from behind him. “Good night, everyone. Get some rest. We have a lot of paddling to do tomorrow.”
The group slowly dispersed, and Josiah felt a wave of relief sweep over him. He would have defended himself, if necessary, but he didn’t want to cause any more strife within the group, and without proof of some sort, there really wasn’t much more he could do about the fire. No real harm had been done, and thankfully, his military days had taught him how to survive with very little sleep. In his mind, it was worth losing a few hours of shut-eye to ensure everyone’s safety and make sure nothing else happened during the night.
He made his way over to the campfire, stoked it and made himself comfortable leaning against a nearby rock as the others disappeared back into their tents. He could survive without a sleeping bag and the extra set of clothes that had been in his tent, and thankfully, his backpack was still sitting by the campfire where he had left it earlier in the evening.
Josiah was pleasantly surprised when Zoey came over and joined him a few minutes later, even though she left quite a distance between them. She shrugged when he raised an eyebrow.
“I can’t sleep,” she said softly. “Not after you could have died or been seriously injured. I know he put something on your tent to make it go up in flames like that. He can claim it was an accident all day long, but that’s not what I saw. That fire was deliberately set.”
“We just can’t prove it,” Josiah said. “I feel like we can’t trust a single one of them. I guess we’ll both be watching our backs until we get these people down the river and back to civilization.”
Zoey shifted. “Do you know anything about Western? It sounds like the store is in big financial trouble, and I just wonder if the problems it’s having are related to what’s going on during this trip.”
Josiah jabbed at one of the burning logs. “I’m still trying to get familiar with all of my dad’s assets that I inherited on his death, but I can tell you this—even though he used to own a significant portion of their stock, he sold all of his interests in Western a few months ago. I have no idea why, but with all of this talk about embezzlement, I’m not too surprised. If he got a whiff that something improper was going on, I’m sure he would have sold out and focused on his other projects. He had a low tolerance for failure.”
Zoey seemed to digest this. “I don’t think I ever mentioned how sorry I am about your father’s death. When I first started at Tikaani, he let me work in the office to get my feet wet, and then he gradually gave me more and more responsibility. Before I knew it, he had me leading expeditions. I couldn’t have done that when I first moved to Alaska, because I was still reeling from everything that happened with my ex-boyfriend. But as I regained my confidence, your dad really encouraged me to get out there and challenge myself. I’ll never forget how much he helped me. He was really patient and encouraging.”
Josiah was quiet for a moment, thinking of his father. He could see him working with Zoey and helping her recover from the abuse she had endured. Chase Quinn had a habit of challenging people to be the best they could possibly be. At times, Josiah had chafed against the high expectations, but he couldn’t argue with the results. He had been a success in the military largely because of his father’s training and upbringing.
“I owe a large part of who I am to my dad. But I have to admit, sometimes it’s hard to live up to the expectations he set for me. I was his only child, and he was determined to see me succeed in every endeavor. He left huge shoes to fill, and I hope I’m up to the task.”
