Mountain Peril. Sandra Robbins

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      “Humph!” The snort reflected the disgust on Jack Denton’s face. “That’s all the questions I have at this time. I’ll be talking to you later, though.”

      Flynn glanced from one to another before he whirled and stormed toward the door. When he’d left, Danielle turned back to the detective. “I want to apologize for Flynn’s behavior.”

      Detective Denton closed his notebook and smiled. “I’m used to it. That’s one of the hazards of police work.”

      Danielle walked around her desk and stuck out her hand. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention.” He grasped her hand, and his touch warmed her cool skin. She pulled away and flexed her fingers. “What will you do next?”

      He glanced at his watch. “I’ll talk to the district attorney. See if we have legal grounds for making Carter take the site down.”

      “Will you do that today?”

      “I don’t know. I’m expected in court to testify in a case. I have no idea how long I’ll be there, but I’ll get back in touch as soon as I know anything.”

      “Thank you. Do you think you can charge him with anything?”

      He shrugged. “I doubt it. He really hasn’t broken any laws. I suppose his dad could say he was just exercising his right to free speech.”

      She clenched her fists. “Well, his right to free speech has brought back one of the most horrible times in my life.”

      He said nothing for a moment, and she saw a flicker of sympathy in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Dr. Tyler. We’ll do everything we can to get this matter resolved.”

      “I appreciate that.”

      As he walked out the door, Danielle thought about the surprising turn her morning had taken. As much as she had tried, for the past ten years, she hadn’t been able to put Jennifer’s death from her mind, and now it had returned to haunt her even more.

      She crossed her arms and hugged herself. Jennifer’s murder made no sense when it happened, and ten years later it still didn’t. The police had never found any motive for the murder, and they had eventually abandoned it to the cold-case files.

      Maybe Flynn’s Web site would provide a reason for them to study the murder again. Detective Denton hadn’t given any indication the department was willing to reopen the investigation, but something about his demeanor gave her the idea he was a dogged investigator. Maybe he would be the person who would finally shed some light on the nightmare she’d lived with for ten years.

      Danielle walked to the door, stepped into the hallway and gazed at the retreating figure of Jack Denton. Just before he reached the foyer, he turned his head and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes widened as if surprised to see her standing there. For a moment their gazes locked before he turned away and disappeared through the front door.

      There was something about the handsome detective that intrigued her. Perhaps it was that momentary flash of sympathy for her feelings she saw in his eyes. Then again, she might be imagining his concern. After all, he knew nothing about her or the devastating events in her life that started with the discovery of Jennifer’s body on the mountain trail.

      Days went by when she wouldn’t think about what had happened. Then something would remind her. Old wounds would be laid bare, and those things best forgotten would resurface. All she could do was pray that she would survive again as she had done so many times before.

      Jack Denton climbed into his car and sat there taking in the Webster University campus. The stately, brick buildings surrounded by manicured lawns and ringed by the Appalachians in the background provided a picture of wealth, affluence and privilege, not anything like the small state college he’d attended.

      He stared at the Administration Building, which he’d just left. The structure was really a mansion that sat in the middle of a bustling campus. The information he’d read said it had been home to generations of the Webster family before Thaddeus Webster, at the end of World War I, established a university on the property. Today the mansion housed staff offices and classrooms.

      The more modern buildings that bordered a rectangular grassy area across the back of the campus looked slightly out of place in the shadow of the main house. He’d read that the newest structure, the Nathan Webster Pavilion for concerts and recitals, had been completed a year before.

      Students hurried from one building to another on their way to class. He thought of Danielle Tyler and wondered why she’d returned to work at Webster after going through the trauma of her roommate’s death.

      Her sea-green eyes had held a sparkle until she saw the site, and he’d been disappointed to see it disappear. He could smell the perfume she wore, and the familiar scent reminded him of another woman from what seemed like another lifetime ago. He grunted in disgust, turned the ignition and punched the play button on the car’s CD player.

      The music of Jade Dragon, the hottest rock band in history, filled the interior. They’d been his favorite band since his teenage years. Whenever the past threatened to intrude, he could always depend on them to distract his thoughts.

      For some reason it didn’t seem to work today. Jack sighed and glanced toward the building. In another time of his life, he would have made it his business to find out all he could about the woman with the tantalizing eyes. That person had vanished, though, and had left a shell of a man who was incapable of caring for anyone. There was no time to think about a woman he’d probably never see again. He had a job to do.

      He had come to Webster Falls hoping he could find peace in the small mountain community. Instead, he’d encountered a town with an unsolved murder and a Web site depicting a gruesome reenactment of that crime. It was enough to raise the concern of any law enforcement officer.

      Was there some evil force that resided in the mountains around Webster Falls? If so, perhaps there were other secrets waiting to be discovered.

      TWO

      The sun was beginning its descent into the west when Jack walked out of the courthouse. The trial had taken up most of the day. He’d have to talk to the district attorney tomorrow before he went back to see Flynn Carter.

      The name of the Webster student brought to mind the woman he’d met earlier in the day. Throughout the day, he’d thought about her from time to time. He gritted his teeth and shook his head. It was ridiculous to dwell on a fleeting encounter. For all he knew she had a husband and children at home.

      The idea of home with its frozen meals waiting to be defrosted and the makeshift dinner table in front of the television filled him with sadness. He hated the thought of going to the small apartment tonight and repeating his routine. A stop at the Mountain Mug, home of the best cup of coffee in Webster Falls, could delay that for a little while.

      Fifteen minutes later, he stepped up to the counter at the Mountain Mug and ordered a large cup of the dark Colombian coffee he’d come to enjoy. He glanced around the crowded room for an empty table. Most of them were taken by young people engrossed in their computers.

      His traveling gaze came to an abrupt stop at the sight of Danielle Tyler, wearing jeans and a Webster sweatshirt, seated toward the back of the room. Her dark hair, pulled up in a ponytail, revealed the earphones of an iPod strapped to her arm. From time СКАЧАТЬ