* * *
Gavin spent all morning heading for where Lee was taking her group, hoping he could rest a little during the day, then conduct surveillance that night.
When he arrived at the location on the itinerary, the group wasn’t there. He backtracked to where they’d camped last night, thinking maybe they hadn’t left, but they weren’t there either. Hell. Had they gotten lost? Or did they decide to change their plans for fear someone was out to kill one of them? Great. Just great.
He ate beef jerky, potato chips, and a chocolate chip granola bar, not wanting to take the time to cook a meal. He sniffed around the area, in case they’d made portage across the land here, but they hadn’t. They had to have left the area by canoe. Gavin headed out again, listening for any talking, the sound of water lapping at the canoes, or paddles dipping into the water. Nothing but the singing of birds in the trees on the island and his own paddling as he searched the river in front of him. Four canoes would be easy to spot. A red, two yellow, and one orange.
He didn’t have any luck all day. Early that evening, he saw a lone yellow canoe, just one man paddling. He was wearing camouflaged clothes, which made Gavin think the guy might be the one he’d seen earlier.
Gavin paddled hard after him, trying to catch up, despite how tired he was, both from the long hours of paddling and from the lack of sleep. Maybe the guy had seen the group canoeing somewhere else earlier.
“Hey, excuse me,” Gavin called out, afraid he’d never catch up to the man and figuring he’d be better off hailing him and trying to stop him that way.
The guy quit paddling and turned to see him. He wore a beard and a billed hat that shaded his eyes.
“Hi. I’m looking for a group of canoeists. Six of them. I met them last night, and I hope they are all right. None of them are experienced.” Not that Gavin really knew if they were or weren’t experienced paddlers.
“Are you supposed to be their guide?” the guy asked, sounding sarcastic, as if Gavin had lost them.
Gavin didn’t like the dark-haired and bearded man at once. There was something familiar about him. His voice. Something about his posture. And the canoe, a Golden rental. Gavin was certain it was the same canoe that had been parked on the beach across from where he and Amelia had stayed the first night.
Wait! Asher Michaels? Mindy’s husband? Hell. Gavin couldn’t believe it when he realized who the man was. Between the beard, his longer hair, and the shaded bill on his cap, he looked very different from when Gavin had helped the police take him into custody in Alaska.
Gavin wondered if Asher was still involved in a pet theft ring or what he was into now. Attempting to murder his wife for the insurance money?
“Fancy meeting you here. Are you looking for your Samoyeds out here this time?” Asher asked with a sneer.
The guy could very well be armed, like the last time Gavin had questioned him. “What are the chances of running into you out here?” If Asher pulled a gun on him, Gavin wouldn’t hesitate to shoot back.
“Are you out here all alone?” The easy manner in which Asher talked made Gavin feel Asher believed he had the situation well in hand. He didn’t know Gavin was a former cop or that he had a license to carry a gun and a permit to bring it with him into the Boundary Waters.
If Asher had anything to do with Amelia’s plane going down, he could very well have been the one to get rid of their raft. Conrad had given his wife their itinerary, and Mindy could have done the same with her husband. Maybe Asher had hung around to see her perish in the crash.
What if the party truly did fear for their lives and had decided to go somewhere else? Someplace not listed on their itinerary. Maybe they were even headed to the next closest pickup point, which they weren’t scheduled to reach for several more days. Paddling there would take them two days though.
“Looking for your wife?” Gavin asked. Why else would Asher be out here? He hadn’t come with the company. If he had been involved in the plane crash, he could still be trying to get rid of his wife. Accidentally, of course, so he could get the insurance payout. There were so many in the party that Gavin couldn’t see how Asher could do it without getting caught. Killing all of them would be too risky. Not if he was trying to do this sneakily so he’d get the money.
Asher pulled onto the shore, unloaded his bags, and carried them and the canoe into the woods. He was traveling a lot lighter than Gavin was. Though enjoying the trip was Gavin’s cover. Moving quickly without being seen was most likely Asher’s mission. So he probably assumed he’d have to get rid of his witness too.
Gavin had two choices: follow Asher into the woods and risk being ambushed, or continue to paddle and see if he could locate the party on one of the islands nearby. He suspected Asher didn’t know where they were any more than he did. Asher wasn’t a wolf. He must have known where they’d be initially. Had he lost them? Maybe he wasn’t much of an outdoorsman or tracker.
Had Asher already known that Gavin was the one flying in at the last minute? The only way to know that was to have seen him at the hangar or for Gavin’s client to have shared the information with him. Gavin couldn’t imagine why Eleanor Dylan would do that, if she even knew the man. But then he recalled how insistent she was that he was the one taking this job, not any of his fellow PIs.
Gavin paddled far enough from the shore to ensure his safety in case Asher was planning to shoot him from the woods. Without any further contact with Asher, Gavin traveled for about an hour downriver, thinking he should call Slade to see if he had the number for Lee, when he smelled smoke drifting on the breeze. He continued to catch whiffs of it and followed it the best he could. Then he finally saw a couple of canoes sitting on a beach. He made his way toward the shore, deciding that if it was the company’s group, he’d join them, telling them he’d protect them if they were in danger. He had to tell them that Asher was in the area and see Mindy’s reaction. Did she know already? Or was she completely clueless?
He would suggest returning home, if they hadn’t planned to do so.
As he drew closer, Gavin saw Theodore coming to move one of the canoes. He stopped and stared in Gavin’s direction. Gavin waved to let him know it was just him. Theodore quickly waved back. Gavin hoped Asher wouldn’t discover where Mindy and her party were if he was up to foul play. If Asher had crossed the island to the next waterway, he wouldn’t be able to see them, and he’d be too far away to smell their campfire. If he’d been waiting to ambush Gavin, he might have returned to the river and attempted to follow him. That was the problem with open water if someone was trying to be sneaky. It would have been difficult for Asher to come after Gavin without him noticing.
“Hey,” Theodore called out, all smiles, looking eager to see him. “We didn’t expect to see you again. Where’s Amelia?”
“Her dad needed her to fly the other plane, to help out with some flights.”
“Bummer. The two of you seemed to really hit it off.”
“Yeah. She said if she could, she’d return.” Though Gavin was rethinking that idea now that Asher was here. He didn’t want her in the crosshairs. He reached the shore, and Theodore steadied the canoe while Gavin climbed out. “Where is everyone?”
“Gathering firewood for the meal and for tonight. We caught some fish! Sunfish. A whole stringer of them.” Theodore looked so proud of their accomplishment.
“First time fishing?”
“Yeah, lucky, I guess. So where are you headed now?”
“If Lee and the rest of you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here with your group. Safety in numbers. Specifically, I can protect your backs.” At least he hoped he could. With this many people, it could be difficult.
“What makes you think we need protecting?” Lee asked, coming out of the woods carrying a couple of small logs for the campfire.
“I just saw Mindy’s husband, Asher, paddling not far from here. Why would he be h
ere unless he wants to cause problems for her or the group?”
“What?” Mindy said, bringing a bunch of kindling. “He can’t be.”
“Did you give him your itinerary? Where you’re going to be every step of the way?”
“No. Not that he couldn’t have accessed my email and seen what Lee had sent to me.”
“Well, I saw him, so he’s definitely here. And he knows I am too. I’m sure his canoe is the one I saw the first day Amelia and I were out here. Unless you have another explanation for why he’s here, I’d say he’s up to no good.”
Mindy’s eyes were round. Orwell must have heard, and he looked pale.
Conrad joined the others and said, “I told you we should pack up, call for pickup early, and leave.”
“I won’t be chased off by whoever did that to the plane,” Lee said. “If I tucked tail and ran every time I had trouble, I’d never have made a success of the company. If Gavin Summerfield wants to offer his protection—and I assume he’s armed and dangerous—then I’ll hire his services. If anyone feels uncomfortable staying here, you’re free to leave.”
Gavin couldn’t tell them he was already hired to watch Conrad. So that he didn’t blow his fellow tourist cover, he agreed. He definitely didn’t agree with anyone leaving on their own.
“We’ll have someone on watch all night long. After that long trip back with Amelia in the middle of the night and paddling out here, I need to get some sleep or I won’t be able to function,” he said.
“I’ll help you set up your tent,” Conrad offered.
Gavin never got close to the people he put under surveillance, afraid it would affect his objectivity, but he had to make an exception in this case. These people’s lives were more important than proving a man’s infidelity. “Thanks.” Gavin was surprised when Conrad set up the tent between his own and the women’s while Gavin and Theodore were hauling his gear there.
Gavin rolled out his sleeping bag, and after removing his boots and socks, he climbed into it. He listened as everyone began working on cooking the fish. He was so tired that he’d barely closed his eyes when he smelled Amelia’s scent all over the sleeping bag and imagined her in his arms as he fell asleep.
When he got up, they offered him dinner, and he enjoyed the sunfish they’d cooked in foil with potatoes, carrots, and peppers.
“You’re a private eye, aren’t you?” Lee asked. Before Gavin could come up with another story or repeat how he was out there on a canoe trip, she said, “So who are you investigating on this trip?”
Gavin wanted to protect the group, but he didn’t believe telling them why he was here would make any difference. Unless he discovered Conrad’s wife had anything to do with the plane crash. For now, he had no intention of revealing her part in him being here.
But it didn’t matter if he told them what his true occupation was. “Yeah, I’m a local private investigator. I was a Seattle cop before that. I came to enjoy some paddling. That was before the plane took a dive. And since your group, or someone in your group, could be the reason for that, it puts me in the middle. Not to mention that I’ve offered my services to the Whites to try to help shed some light on this.”
Lee nodded. Gavin wasn’t sure she believed him. It didn’t matter. Everything he’d said was true, even the part about paddling in the area for enjoyment, because he had thought to enjoy the scenery while he was on the job. He hadn’t expected to be with Amelia.
“He had to have been here just for the fun of it,” Theodore said. “Why else would he have taken the downed pilot with him and be spending time with her?”
“The storm?” Lee asked.
The woman was shrewd, but she was the CEO of a successful greeting-card and gift company, so Gavin understood how she would be. “True. I couldn’t drop Amelia off at the pickup site or even get ahold of anyone to take her out of here, because we’d lost my sat phone and our cell phones couldn’t get any reception.”
“A new love?” Mindy asked, sounding sarcastic. “Wait, you were the one who came to our house and helped arrest Asher. Amelia lived a couple of houses down from us. Did you know her then?”
“I met her there. I never expected her to be flying planes out here or that I’d end up on the same plane with her for this trip.”
“My…my husband didn’t hire you to check on me, did he?” Mindy asked, looking horrified.
Gavin snorted. “Hardly. If you recall, when I asked him about the whereabouts of a couple of Samoyeds that were stolen from a woman and her daughters in Seattle, he tried to shoot me. Then I helped to take him into custody and testified against him. So no, he didn’t hire me to check up on you.”
Mindy looked relieved.
“But he’s here anyway, and unless he said something to you about it, I don’t think that bodes well, do you?”
She shrugged, but Gavin could tell she was bothered by the notion. “He doesn’t tell me what he’s going to do half the time. I guess he figured if I was going to be on a trip out here, he’d check it out.”
“Does he do a lot of canoeing?”
“No. I don’t think he’s ever been in one before.”
“You don’t think he’s here to spy on you? To see if you’re having an affair?” Gavin asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think he’s armed and dangerous?” Lee asked.
“Possibly. Orwell, you’re separated from your wife. Would she have any reason to pay to have the plane crash?” Gavin asked. He might as well question everyone about it.
Orwell stared into the campfire. Finally, he let out his breath. “She said she’d make me pay for my transgressions. When she learned I was having affairs, she was furious. Of course, I thought she meant making me pay for child support and alimony.”
“Affairs?” Mindy asked, clearly surprised and angry she wasn’t the only one he had been seeing.
“She kicked me out of the house. We’ve been having a legal battle over the finances. We’ve had insurance policies from the beginning, when we were married twelve years ago.”
“Double indemnity?” Gavin asked.
“Yeah. That way, if anything happened to me, she and the kids would be provided for.”
Gavin figured now was the time to flat-out question Conrad, in the guise of trying to solve this mystery. “What about you, Conrad?”
“Life insurance policies? Sure. Affairs? No.”
“How are things between you and your wife?” Gavin really preferred asking in private, but he was afraid that if he suggested having private talks with each of them, everyone would clam up.
Eleanor had said she and Conrad hadn’t been intimate in a while. Was it just because they’d been too busy? Too tired? Not enough romance to make it happen? What if Eleanor was the one who was having an affair, and she was projecting on her husband? In her mind, if she was doing it, then he must be too. Why try to kill him? Insurance? Or the prenup clause?
Conrad glanced at Lee. “We’re good.”
Either Conrad was in denial that he and his wife were having trouble, or he just didn’t want to discuss it with Gavin.
“Anybody else have any personal reasons that might make someone want you dead?” Gavin asked.
“No. I still say it could have to do with the fired pilot and the flight company’s competitors, and nothing to do with any of us,” Lee said.
“I agree,” Gavin said. “I think it’s very likely that the pilot messed with the plane, but did he act solely out of revenge, or did someone pay him to do it?”
“We were the first group flown out that day,” Lee said. “We needed to get an early start if we were going to make it to our first campsite later that day. I’m the only one who is an experienced paddler. Though Conrad and Theodore are getting much better.”
Gavin wondered if she always took them on trips where she was good at what she d
id. He imagined so. That way, she’d always appear to have the upper hand in a situation.
“One other thing did occur to me. If it was for revenge or the competition’s plan, making the plane crash when it carried more passengers would have more impact. Make for a bigger news splash. Which might have also been the reason we were targeted and not someone else. Which meant it had nothing to do with any of us,” Lee said.
Theodore cleared his throat. “Do you think we’re in danger by being here?”
Lee said, “Okay, I first thought I wasn’t going to be pushed to leave because of some maniac’s actions that didn’t have anything to do with us. But it bothers me that you’ve seen Mindy’s husband out here. And that he’s been involved in illegal business before. Since that’s the case, I want us to head to the next pickup point. It’ll take us two days to go forward. I’ll call for an early pickup.”
“Or return the way you came. It would be a shorter distance, but your pickup could conflict with someone else’s. Well, either way, you’ll be leaving early,” Gavin said. “Another option would be to paddle out of here, and I could have my agency come pick us up in Ely. No flying then.”
Everyone looked torn about what to do.
“What would you do?” Theodore asked Gavin.
“I suggest leaving. Mostly because trying to protect a group of people out in the wilderness is difficult to do. And trying to get help is problematic, if something bad goes down. I think it would be best if we let investigators determine what happened without putting anyone at further risk.”
“But if this has to do with an insurance policy—particularly with a double indemnity clause—wouldn’t it be less likely that he or she would continue to pursue this? The plane ‘accident’ was one thing. If a person in our group were to die after that, wouldn’t it be seen as murder?” Orwell asked.
“I would think so. What if the intended victim does die accidentally? I don’t think it’s a good idea to risk it. Returning to where you were dropped off is a day and a half’s journey.” Less, but they’d need more breaks than he did. “It’s up to all of you, but I would return there.”