Chapter 49

Cold wind moved the trees and a swirl of fall leaves danced across the blacktop. Nerves shredded, Piper pushed on, her hands bunched into fists in her pockets and eyes moving from side to side searching for a stick or something she could use as a weapon. In that moment a wave of panic hit her, as she recalled Zac mentioning that the Casanova Killer resembled Carter. Had it been a joke? She’d only heard a snatch of the conversation as Zac and Rowley walked past the counter earlier in the day. Carter had been at the office and appeared to be his normal self, surely if the killer looked like him, someone would have mentioned it to her? Maybe not. Rio never discussed his work with her, but she’d overheard a conversation about the victims being found in their homes and not out in the forest. She increased her pace and could hardly hear the footsteps behind her for her heavy breathing. What if it is the killer?

She’d listened without too much interest when Zac had lectured her and Cade about the dangers in Black Rock Falls and what to do in a variety of situations. Being followed in the dark wasn’t one of them but she remembered him telling her the first thing to do if being followed is to hide. She drifted from the blacktop as if oblivious to the footsteps and into the shadows of the trees lining Stanton. Tripping over dead vegetation, she stumbled between the rough trunks and crouched down. Pulling up her hood and unbuttoning her coat to shield the light from her phone, she called Rio. “Zac, I’m walking home and I believe someone is following me. He looks like Carter.”

“Where are you?”Rio’s calming voice soothed her nerves.

Piper kept her voice to a whisper. “I’m hiding in the forest. Close to the bend on Stanton before the house. I can’t run that far. It’s pointless calling Cade—his truck is in pieces—and Mrs. Jacobs won’t be home for ages. She’s at the quilting club.”

“He’ll be able to see your phone. Keep in the forest, but once you disconnect move your position. We’ll be coming in Kane’s truck. We’ll go past you, and then once we’ve hit the bend, we’ll drop out and come back.” Rio was informing Jenna, and footsteps thundered over the tiled floor. “We’re on our way. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Keep moving toward the house when you can. If not, hole up somewhere dark. Don’t come out when you see us. Just whisper. We’ll hear you.” A car door slammed shut and an engine roared into life. “Disconnect now and move.”

Terrified, Piper pushed her phone into her pocket and, keeping low to the ground, crawled along an animal track between the trees. The pine needles lay thick over the ground and stuck painfully into the palms of her hands. Pinecones bruised her shins but she kept moving. Where could she hide? She scanned the darkness, finding nothing, but recalled seeing dense vegetation toward the edge of the road. It would give her cover. Trying to be as quiet as possible, she turned and headed in that direction and snuck under a bush. Panting, she searched all around for the man. From here, she could make out the blacktop but any vehicle that came by would likely pick her up in the headlights. Maybe if she pulled her hood over her face, she’d blend into the shadows.

The tap, tap, tap of footsteps sounded loud over the beating of her heart, and then the shadows moved and the cowboy emerged from the night. His head swung back and forth as he searched for her. Piper held her breath as he walked straight toward her, passing close by before heading back toward town. Was he leaving? No, he was retracing his steps to discover where she’d left the highway.

The light of his phone almost blinded her, as he moved it back and forth staring at the ground for her footprints. She ducked down and covered her face and then pushed her knuckles into her mouth to stop the sound of her heavy breathing. The lights of a vehicle coming fast lit up the highway and the man vanished into the forest. One thing she did recognize was the sound of Kane’s truck, affectionately known as the Beast. It roared past and she had the sudden impulse to jump out and wave her arms at it. She swallowed hard. At the speed he was moving, she’d be dead and likely kill everyone in the vehicle. Trembling, she hunkered down and waited. Moving now would give away her hiding place. All she could do was wait and hope he didn’t find her.