gun or crossbow, he ran up the path he’d come down. He needed to talk to Char.
* * *
Matt saw Char pulling into her driveway ahead of him. He honked once and parked behind her.
“What?” she said as she got out. “Are you okay?”
“I went to see the Fencers. I’m probably going to hire Joe to take Woody’s place, as if anyone could. You— Have you been crying?”
“Happy tears. Tess just told me she and Gabe are going to have a baby.”
“That’s great. But listen, after I talked to Joe, I went down to the river—creek—near his house.”
“I used to know that area well. I can’t tell you how many frogs we caught. Dad taught us to fish there, though I haven’t done it since.”
He took her arm and steered her away from the cabin, back into the area where they’d seen the deer Wednesday evening. “What?” she asked again.
“I spotted a hunting stand attached to a tree there with a seat and bar to steady a rifle or crossbow. High up, so—”
“I get it. We should have thought of that, looked up into the trees, not just down for footprints. So we’re going to look now? It makes sense that, since this is a hunting cabin, there could be something like that nearby—or more than one.”
“Which someone could use to watch your place.”
“But why? Some voyeur, Peeping Tom out here in the cold dead of night? I close all my curtains at night, so you can’t think—”
They both saw it at the same time, a metal ladder attached to a tree, with not only a seat above, but a kind of camouflaged tent around it, gray-brown so it blended with the tree trunk.
“The arrow could have been shot into your door from there,” Matt said. “Here, don’t want to have these drop out.” He handed over his keys and wallet. Reaching for the lower rung about three feet off the ground, he climbed up.
“Be careful.”
“That’s our motto lately, partner. I just want to check the trajectory, see if there’s anything left up here.”
She craned her neck to see while he stuck his head into the small canvas cover, then lifted a side flap to get better light inside.
“Anything?”
“Not that I can see, but the view of your door and most of that side of the cabin is clear from here. There’s a wadded-up package of—of, get this—Red Man Chewing Tobacco.”
“It should change its name to American Indian or Native American.”
“Char, let’s take up that cause later, okay?” he said as he carefully came back down with it.
“You know,” Matt went on. “Maybe Gabe can at least get prints off this—if he eliminates mine—or even DNA.” He took his keys and wallet back, then carefully nestled the wadded tobacco package next to the low step by her back door. “Let’s look around more.”
“I can call Mrs. Richards to ask if her husband used chewing tobacco or put up that tree stand.”
“That would eliminate him, but who knows who else could have used it, besides our crossbow shooter.”
They hurt their necks looking up, turning this way and that around trees until Char spotted another tree stand, perched almost on the edge of the ridge high above Lake Azure. “Bingo!” she called to him, and he hurried over. “Are you going up again? Or I can this time.”
“Can-do Char. I’ll go.” He handed her his keys and wallet again and climbed up. This one didn’t have a canopy. “Nothing but a great view—not of your cabin this time but the other direction, clear to the lodge below. I wonder how close that would all seem with high-powered binocs. Coming down.”
Again, she handed him his things, and they started along what seemed to be a path back toward the cabin. “Oh, I see a raccoon!” she cried and jumped behind him.
“Or maybe not so can-do Char,” he said, trying to lighten their mutual mood. “No, it’s...” He approached the fur in the leaves and squatted to study it.
“Is it dead?”
“No, it’s—it’s a coonskin cap,” he said, his voice breaking as he picked it
* * *
Matt saw Char pulling into her driveway ahead of him. He honked once and parked behind her.
“What?” she said as she got out. “Are you okay?”
“I went to see the Fencers. I’m probably going to hire Joe to take Woody’s place, as if anyone could. You— Have you been crying?”
“Happy tears. Tess just told me she and Gabe are going to have a baby.”
“That’s great. But listen, after I talked to Joe, I went down to the river—creek—near his house.”
“I used to know that area well. I can’t tell you how many frogs we caught. Dad taught us to fish there, though I haven’t done it since.”
He took her arm and steered her away from the cabin, back into the area where they’d seen the deer Wednesday evening. “What?” she asked again.
“I spotted a hunting stand attached to a tree there with a seat and bar to steady a rifle or crossbow. High up, so—”
“I get it. We should have thought of that, looked up into the trees, not just down for footprints. So we’re going to look now? It makes sense that, since this is a hunting cabin, there could be something like that nearby—or more than one.”
“Which someone could use to watch your place.”
“But why? Some voyeur, Peeping Tom out here in the cold dead of night? I close all my curtains at night, so you can’t think—”
They both saw it at the same time, a metal ladder attached to a tree, with not only a seat above, but a kind of camouflaged tent around it, gray-brown so it blended with the tree trunk.
“The arrow could have been shot into your door from there,” Matt said. “Here, don’t want to have these drop out.” He handed over his keys and wallet. Reaching for the lower rung about three feet off the ground, he climbed up.
“Be careful.”
“That’s our motto lately, partner. I just want to check the trajectory, see if there’s anything left up here.”
She craned her neck to see while he stuck his head into the small canvas cover, then lifted a side flap to get better light inside.
“Anything?”
“Not that I can see, but the view of your door and most of that side of the cabin is clear from here. There’s a wadded-up package of—of, get this—Red Man Chewing Tobacco.”
“It should change its name to American Indian or Native American.”
“Char, let’s take up that cause later, okay?” he said as he carefully came back down with it.
“You know,” Matt went on. “Maybe Gabe can at least get prints off this—if he eliminates mine—or even DNA.” He took his keys and wallet back, then carefully nestled the wadded tobacco package next to the low step by her back door. “Let’s look around more.”
“I can call Mrs. Richards to ask if her husband used chewing tobacco or put up that tree stand.”
“That would eliminate him, but who knows who else could have used it, besides our crossbow shooter.”
They hurt their necks looking up, turning this way and that around trees until Char spotted another tree stand, perched almost on the edge of the ridge high above Lake Azure. “Bingo!” she called to him, and he hurried over. “Are you going up again? Or I can this time.”
“Can-do Char. I’ll go.” He handed her his keys and wallet again and climbed up. This one didn’t have a canopy. “Nothing but a great view—not of your cabin this time but the other direction, clear to the lodge below. I wonder how close that would all seem with high-powered binocs. Coming down.”
Again, she handed him his things, and they started along what seemed to be a path back toward the cabin. “Oh, I see a raccoon!” she cried and jumped behind him.
“Or maybe not so can-do Char,” he said, trying to lighten their mutual mood. “No, it’s...” He approached the fur in the leaves and squatted to study it.
“Is it dead?”
“No, it’s—it’s a coonskin cap,” he said, his voice breaking as he picked it
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