Cold Pursuit

Eight

When she was twelve, Jo had fantasized that Black Falls Lodge was straight out of The Sound of Music and one day she might meet her own Captain Von Trapp there. Then Elijah told her The Sound of Music gave him dry heaves, which ended that bit of fun.

The Von Trapp family had settled in Stowe, farther to the north, and started a resort that was still one of the most beautiful and popular in Vermont. Black Falls Lodge wasn’t as big an operation, but its location along an open ridge, with stunning views of the endless mountains, was nothing short of breathtaking-enough, Jo thought, to get Elijah’s kiss out of her mind. On the drive up to the lodge, she’d decided it’d been inevitable. Now that it was out of the way, she could concentrate on other things.

Like what was going on with the Camerons.

She parked next to Elijah’s truck and soaked in the scenery as she got out of her car. The air was colder, the breeze stiffer. She crossed the parking lot on the edge of a wide meadow that, in spring and summer, would be afire with wildflowers. Evergreens and rust-colored oak leaves provided color in the otherwise bare, gray landscape.

A corner of the lake was visible down in the hollow below.

Her red-tailed hawk was patrolling the graying sky.

It was the slow season-even the mountain bikers weren’t out. The leaf peepers had gone home, and the cross-country skiers and snowshoers hadn’t arrived yet. Snow was in the forecast, but it was still early for winter recreation.

The lodge would do a good business over Thanksgiving, but it was quiet now. The property consisted of the original rustic-style lodge, a new recreational building with an indoor pool, racquetball court and health club, a half-dozen separate cottages and a shop that sold and rented bicycles, cross-country skis, snowshoes, canoes and kayaks-never mind that the lodge wasn’t on a lake or river frontage.

Jo followed a stone walk to the back of the lodge and stepped up onto a terrace, its tables and chairs unoccupied on the chilly November afternoon. Drew Cameron had pulled together parcels of land to reclaim Cameron Mountain and get Black Falls Lodge started, but what it was today was A.J.’s doing-his hard work, and his dream, now shared by his wife, Lauren, who, according to Beth, had talked A.J. into agreeing to build a top-notch spa on the premises.

A.J. came out onto the terrace from the French doors that led into the lodge’s main dining room. His hair was a shade darker than Elijah’s, and he was a little shorter-but he had the Cameron blue eyes. They all did, including Rose.

“It’s been a long time, Jo,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “How are you?”

She was immediately suspicious. “Did Elijah tell you to stall me?”

He grinned at her. “You two. Nothing ever changes.” He nodded toward the doors. “Come inside.”

Jo didn’t budge. “What’s he up to, A.J.?”

“It’s cold out here, and I’m not wearing a coat. You’re used to Washington temperatures.” He motioned for her to go in ahead of him. “Let’s go inside and talk in front of the fire.”

Definitely he was stalling, but Jo acquiesced and went ahead of him into the dining room. It, too, was unoccupied. A.J. led her down the hall to the lobby, where, indeed, a fire crackled in the massive stone fireplace. The furnishings were sturdy, done in mountain colors-dark green, burgundy, brown. A huge stuffed moose-fake, not real-stood in a corner.

Jo welcomed the warmth of the fire, but she remained on her feet. She hadn’t run into A.J. since learning his father had left her the lakefront property. If he was bitter about his father’s will, he didn’t let it show as he reached for a black-iron poker. “I heard you were in town,” he said.

“I figured you had. That’s Elijah’s truck I’m parked next to, isn’t it?”

“You know it is.”

“He’s here, then.”

It wasn’t a question, but A.J. shrugged. “Looks that way.”

She recognized the flicker of stubbornness in his eyes. When Camerons didn’t want to talk, they didn’t. They were independent, tight-knit and honest, but that didn’t mean they played by the rules.

“Okay. So is he in here somewhere? Is he preparing another wilderness-skills class? Hiking? Teaching your little ones to light fires with their fingernails? What?”

A.J. seemed to realize she was being only half sarcastic. The other half was totally serious. He pulled back the screen on the fire. “You got yourself into a mess in Washington. I hope you’re not here looking for ways to restore your reputation.”

“I’m not worried about my reputation. Where’s Elijah?”

“You were always relentless, Jo. I actually liked that about you-”

“But it’s bugging you right now, isn’t it?”

He gave her a grudging smile. “It’s not helping. Elijah didn’t take to teaching, by the way. One class was enough for him.” The fire made A.J.’s eyes seem darker. “I heard about Alex Bruni. That’s a hard one, Jo. Lauren and I enjoyed having him here. We weren’t friends, but he loved being in Black Falls. I hate the thought that someone could have killed him.”

“I’m sorry, A.J.”

“I haven’t seen Nora Asher, if that’s why you’re here.”

“What about Devin Shay?”

A short pause. “He’s not here.”

“What does he do for you? Sweep floors and that sort of thing, or does he get out on the mountain, work on trails-what?”

“Maintenance.” A.J. obviously didn’t like being asked questions. Jo was undeterred. “As in digging holes and moving big rocks, or something he could turn into a career?”

“That’s between Devin and me.”

None of her business, in other words.

He lifted a burning log with his poker, the fire popping, re-kindled flames rising up. “You should relax, Jo.” He pulled the poker from the fire and set the screen back in place. “Sit here by the fire. Find a good book to read. Have you had lunch? There’s apple pie in the dining room. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen. As you can see, we don’t have a crowd.”

The Whittakers had invited her to lunch, but she wasn’t hungry. She reined in her impatience, reminding herself that, for all intents and purposes, she was the outsider here. “What’s going on, A.J.?”

“Nothing that involves Ambassador Bruni’s death or concerns the Secret Service.”

“That you know of,” she said.

He didn’t respond. If any Cameron had reason to resent her, it was A.J., who was responsible for keeping the lodge competitive, an attractive option to visitors to Vermont. Direct access to the lake would help. She hadn’t gotten so far as to think about selling or leasing her property, let alone broaching the subject with him.

“Is there anything I should know about your father’s death?” she asked bluntly.

A.J. gave her a steady look. “It was a tragedy.”

“I know that, A.J.”

“Do you, Jo?” He turned back to the fire, staring at the hot, glowing coals. “You must have wished him a rough passing.”

“No. Not ever. Even at my most brokenhearted and angriest, I understood that he did what any father who cared about a son like Elijah would have done-at least any father with guts.”

“He cared about you, too,” A.J. said quietly.

She nodded. “Yes, I know that now. I didn’t at the time. Elijah did well in the army, despite the hardships he faced. And things worked out for me. I’m happy.”

“Are you?” A.J. gave her a brief glance, then looked back at the fire. “Elijah always wanted to come back to Vermont. Assuming he lived. Not you. You wanted out of Black Falls, Jo, and you got out.”

“You make living here sound like a prison sentence.”

“Isn’t that what you thought?”

“For five minutes at seventeen, maybe. Not anymore.”

“Elijah didn’t want to hem you in.”

“Hem me in? A.J., it’s been fifteen years. Elijah and I went our separate ways a long time ago.”

A.J. moved back from the fire. “I think he always envisioned you being here when he got home. One way or the other.”

“That’s romantic B.S., and you know it.”

He grinned. “You’re tough as nails.”

But she felt Elijah’s mouth on hers, saw the spark of desire in his eyes…a kind of soul-deep longing that she knew was mostly her imagination at work. She warned herself against reading too much-anything-into an impulsive kiss.

She stiffened, refocused on why she’d come up to the lodge. “Why is Elijah looking for Devin?”

“Okay, I give up,” A.J. said, not particularly harshly. “Elijah’s on the falls trail. Go ahead. Try to catch up with him if you want.”

“You figure you’ve bought him enough time.”

“No, Jo.” He gave her a small grin. “I figure Elijah can handle you.”

“Before I leave here today, A.J., you and your brother are going to level with me about what’s going on.”

“Don’t get lost.”

Jo left through the front entrance. The wind went right through her fleece jacket, and she almost reconsidered the pie, the book and the fire. Hunching her shoulders against the cold, she walked over to the edge of the road. The lodge trails were part of a network of recreational trails on state, federal and private land. Nora Asher could go for miles-days-if she wanted to. She’d started out a few hours ago. Who knew where she could be now?

Cameron Mountain rose up above the open fields across the quiet road. Jo hadn’t spent much time up here in recent years-and she’d repressed a lot of memories, since most of them involved Elijah.

She heard laughter behind her and turned, seeing Lauren, A.J.’s wife of five years, who was businesslike but not as flinty as her husband, and their four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter. The little ones were running in circles on the grass, the wind catching the ends of their blond hair, their cheeks rosy red as they squealed in delight.

They made an abrupt ninety-degree turn and bolted back toward the lodge. In an instant, Jo saw why, as A.J. walked out and scooped up his children.

She felt a tug of emotion she didn’t expect.

“I wake up on cold mornings and see the grandchildren you and Elijah should have had…”

Jo got out of there, quickly crossing the road, making her way onto a beaten-down grass path that would take her through the field and out to the falls trail. She wasn’t equipped for a full-fledged hike in the mountains, but she’d do her best to pick up Elijah’s trail.