Voracious - Alice Henderson [91]
Giving the dark mass a wide berth, she continued along the road, breathing in the fresh scent of pine. Above her the sky shone a brilliant, deep azure, with a few puffy cumulus clouds drifting near the horizon. One was so tall it contained the unrealized potential for a thunderhead. Its upper layers caught the gleaming intensity of the sun, and its billowing ivory masses stood stark against the blue of the sky.
She turned down the little road labeled Park Residences. Ahead she could see Steve’s cabin. She looked at her watch: 3:30 p.m. The windows were all shut, a strange thing on a hot day like this one. She didn’t see a window air conditioner.
She walked up the narrow dirt path to his doorstep and rapped on the door. An osprey cried out overhead, and she followed the sound to see the brown and white bird sweeping across the sky, probably heading toward the lake to hunt.
Returning her attention to the door, she knocked again. Not a sound came from within. He wasn’t home. Turning on the doorstep, she wondered where he might be. Maybe he wasn’t on duty today. Maybe he’d gone down to Missoula to visit his sister as he’d intended to do before.
She strolled around the cluster of ranger residences, hoping to run into someone who might know where he was. She didn’t feel right about knocking on doors. She wasn’t even supposed to be there, since they were private residences. Steve’s reaction when she’d first knocked on his door convinced her that annoying people frequently ignored the signs that said Private Residence. It was highly likely Steve didn’t know anything more than she did, anyway. Since he wasn’t the creature’s target and wasn’t currently in the way, she guessed he was safe for now. And would stay safer if she just stayed away.
She wondered how long Stefan would take to heal and how soon it would be before it chose another victim, if it hadn’t already. She strolled briskly back toward Noah’s cabin, her mind racing and anger swelling with each passing moment of uncertainty. Why hadn’t it killed her when it had the chance? Had it truly changed its mind, or was this just part of the chase?
She cursed aloud. Inaction wasn’t the answer. She had to convince Noah to get up, to find another way to kill the creature.
When she got back to the cabin, she unlocked the door quietly in case Noah was finally asleep. He definitely needed it after his sleepless night, and she wanted him fresh to think of new ways to tackle Stefan.
Quietly she shut the door and crept across the main room to the bedroom doorway. But when she peered inside, surprise hit her. He was gone.
The sandwich and soda sat untouched on the bedside table, where she’d laid it. She searched for a note on the bedside table and bed, then returned to the main room and searched the table and chairs. No note. Nor had there been one on the door.
Maybe he’d only stepped out for a moment. But her gut told her a different story altogether. It coiled and provided images of Noah distraught, maybe even crazy with hopelessness. What would he do in that state of mind? He’d go after the creature in a blind rage. Maybe right now he was lurching up the gravel road in his Jeep, burning to kill Stefan, even if it meant sacrificing his own life in the process.
He’d confront Stefan back at his rented cabin, which is likely where he’d gone to heal. If Noah had gone up there, he wouldn’t have left her a note, wouldn’t have wanted her to follow. Trouble was, if he did confront Stefan unarmed, he most certainly would end up dead before he succeeded.
Quickly she rushed to the back bedroom window and looked out. His Jeep was gone. She bit her lip.
Damn.
It was suicide.
And maybe suicide was exactly what he wanted.
MADELINE jumped in her VW Rabbit and started up the engine. The strong smell of the fire still filled the confines of the cab. Backing quickly out of the pine needle-strewn parking space, she pulled onto the main