Out of the Depths (13 page)

“Right,” the older man said. “The Good Book’s full of teachin’ like that.” He cackled. “’Course, it’s also possible He was usin’
you
to take care of our girl.”

Trudy Lynn let centrifugal force slue her against Cody as the truck rounded a corner, then stayed close to him by choice. “I have to agree,” she said, nodding. “If you hadn’t pulled me out of the river when you did, I wouldn’t have been alive to swing a paddle.”

She saw his eyes close briefly before he sighed and said, “I know.”

There was so much poignancy and heartfelt relief in his voice she almost wept.

“I may have seen the man before,” Trudy Lynn told the sheriff a little later, “but I can’t place him. The important thing is, I found Jim’s canoe.”

“So you say. Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“You saw the name and number on it, then?”

“Well, no, but…” She looked to Cody for moral support. There was rancor and disbelief in the way he was staring at the lawman.

“If Ms. Brown says she found one of her canoes, she found one. Period,” Cody said firmly. “What’re you going to do about it?”

The portly sheriff shrugged. “Tonight? Nothing. Buford swears that boat is his and he caught you two trespassing. They’re keepin’ him in the hospital at least till tomorrow. For observation, they said. That’s some knot on the head you gave him. You’ll be lucky if Buford don’t press charges.”

“Press charges for self-defense?” Cody was scowling.

“Your word against his. He is the one landed in the emergency room.”

“For good reason,” Cody argued.

“Maybe. No sense gettin’ carried away. A little neighborly kindness might settle the whole thing.”

Cody got to his feet. “We’ll see what the state police have to say about that.” He looked to Trudy Lynn. “Come on. Let’s go before I say something I’ll be sorry for.”

“Good luck,” the sheriff drawled. “Those state boys packed up their trucks and lit out while you two were beatin’ up poor ol’ Buford. I reckon they’re all the way to Little Rock by now.”

“Then we’ll phone their office in the morning,” Trudy Lynn said. Head high, spine stiff, she led the way out of the building. Once she and Cody were back on the street, however, she began to show fatigue and disillusionment.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Fine.” She gave him a wry smile. “No, not fine. Did he just call me a liar?”

“Not exactly. But it did sound like he thinks you’re a hysterical female who was imagining things.”

“That’s almost as bad.”

“
I
believe you.”

“I know you do. Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

Trudy Lynn saw him start to reach for her hand, then stop himself. Little wonder. She’d probably scared him to death when she’d kissed him. What had come over her? She wasn’t the kind to pass out affection carelessly so why in the world had she given in to such an irrational urge? The man must think the worst of her.

Well, why shouldn’t he?
she countered.
I certainly think it
.

Try as she might, Trudy Lynn couldn’t come up with an acceptable rationale for the unusual way she had behaved. Thankfulness didn’t cover it. Neither did being free from danger. She’d been beholden to others in the past and hadn’t felt the need to throw herself into their arms as a result. What was it about Cody Keringhoven that brought out the wild side of her?

Perhaps
wild
wasn’t the right term. She hadn’t felt out of control. On the contrary, she’d sensed a strength of purpose, a need to reveal her emotions and see what Cody’s response might be. Now that she’d seen his reaction, however, she was beginning to wish she’d kept her distance.

She sighed. “Well, what now? I suppose we should let Will take us back to camp.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.” Cody used the cane
as he walked beside her toward the waiting truck. “We’re both dead tired. And we need a phone.”

“To call Little Rock?”

“Yes. Are you up to it or shall I do it for you?”

“Whatever.” Trudy Lynn shrugged. “I’m too tired and sore to care.” She paused, her hand on the door handle of the pickup. “Shame on me. Here I am, complaining over little aches and pains like a sissy when it’s you I should be thinking of. How’s your leg?”

“Forget it. It’s okay.” Cody reached to open the door for her.

“No, it’s not okay.”

“Yes, it is.” He swung the door back and gestured as Will started the motor. “In you go.”

“But you’re limping.”

“I always do,” Cody said solemnly. “That’s never going to change.”

“Like the color of your eyes. They’ll always be blue.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Giving him a satisfied smile she scooted to the center of the bench seat to make room. “Blue eyes are part of how you’re made. You’re used to them because you’ve always had them but there’s really no difference between that and your limp. It just
is
. Like being tall or short, blond or brunette—you get the idea.”

“There’s no comparison.” Cody climbed in and slammed the door.

“Sure there is. You’ve been so busy thinking about what’s wrong or different, you’ve lost sight of the stuff that’s wonderful.”

“Wonderful?” He tapped the tip of the cane on his shoe. “You call this wonderful? Humph. I sure don’t.”

“Maybe that’s because you’ve forgotten who made you in the first place. Or who kept you out of the accident that killed your mother. Or who guided your sister to look for her birth family and reunited all of you. Or who put you in the right place at the right time to come to my rescue.”

“You mean God.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, I do. Think about it. Every time you complain you dishonor your creator. You’re as worthwhile in God’s eyes as you were before. It’s time you recognized your value as a human being and started thanking Him for sparing your life instead of griping about a little limp.”

Cody stared at her. “Are you through?”

“Yes.” She pulled a face and bowed her head rather than continue to make eye contact with him. “I guess so. I can’t think of anything else to say.”

Will guffawed when Cody said, “Now that I
am
thankful for.”

C
ody hadn’t dozed off till nearly dawn. As long as his brain was racing, there was no way he could unwind enough to sleep.

He’d spoken to a dispatcher at the Arkansas State Police headquarters as soon as he and the others had gotten back to camp. The men who had been looking into Jim’s disappearance had other duties. It seemed that Jim was no longer considered a high priority according to the local sheriff.

Cody couldn’t blame them for pulling out; he just wished their orders had come through a day or two later. He flexed his knee. It hurt. That figured. The big surprise was how little its condition had changed. In spite of all the stress of the fight and subsequent short hike to the landing, he didn’t feel any worse than before.

“Trudy Lynn would call that a blessing,” he muttered. Well, maybe she was right. Maybe it was. At least he was still on his feet and hadn’t had to go back to using crutches. That meant their next move wasn’t as limited as he’d originally thought.

During the night, he’d decided they should revisit the scene of the attack as soon as possible. They needed to act before good old Buford was discharged from the hospital. Once the man was back on the street there was no telling how fast he’d be able to dispose of the canoe and any other evidence tying Jim to his property—including the young man’s dead body.

Cody was about to ask for a ride up the hill to the camp store when he heard the ATV stop outside. Sailor was panting, wagging and eagerly looking at the closed door.

To Cody’s delight his caller was Trudy Lynn instead of Will. “Hi! I was about to call you. I had an idea.”

“Me, too.”

She bent to greet Sailor with open arms and was almost bowled over by his exuberance. Ruffling his silky ears she smiled at Cody. “I found out more about Buford. Will says the guy owns hundreds of acres of forest land that he’s never done anything with. Everybody assumed he was saving it for hunting, especially after he painted the perimeter trees with that lavender-colored paint they use for posting, and stuck up No Hunting signs on every corner. Most of the land is inaccessible except by water, which is why the ambulance had so much trouble finding their way.”

“I wonder how the sheriff managed.”

“He’s an old-timer. Been here all his life. Will says Buford and the sheriff used to go fishing and hunting together when they were young. I imagine that’s how he learned his way around.”

“Interesting.”

“I thought so.” Trudy Lynn straightened. “I’m not saying the sheriff is crooked or anything. I doubt he is. But in view of that personal connection I think it might be wise to try to locate Jim’s canoe again. Maybe take a few pictures. Our new buddy is still in the hospital. I checked. I’m heading downriver right now. Want to come along?”

Cody chuckled softly. “Gladly. They say great minds think alike. That’s exactly what I was about to suggest.”

“You’re not going to beg off this time?”

“Not a chance, lady.” Coming down the steps with the help of the hand-carved cane, he paused. “If I thought I could find that canoe by myself I’d leave you behind. Since that’s probably impossible, I’m going to stick to you like glue. Buford may have friends we don’t know about. I’m not letting you go out there alone.”

“You think I can’t take care of myself?”

“I know you can’t. Remember?”

“How could I forget? You keep reminding me.”

“I’ll stop mentioning it as soon as you quit acting like you still think you’re invincible,” Cody said soberly. “I used to believe I was the best, that the Tuolumne couldn’t touch me because I knew it so well. I was wrong. I was no more in charge in that situation than you are in this one.”

“I know.” Trudy Lynn reached to gently pat his cheek. “The difference is, I don’t see my life as a series of random events. I may not have control in the way you meant but I trust God to bring me through. Somehow.” She began to smile crookedly. “That said, I’d still swing an oar again if I felt I had to.”

He stood, gazed into her eyes for a long moment, then nodded. “Good. Let me shut Sailor in the cabin and I’ll be ready. The sooner we get going, the sooner we’ll have the proof we need.”

“Did you bring a camera?” Cody asked as they floated with the current, rowing mostly to guide their canoe into the deepest parts of the channel.

“In my jacket pocket.” Trudy Lynn’s nerves were definitely on edge. “We’re getting close.”

“Which side?”

“The left,” she said. “I think it was…There! Over there. See it?”

“No.” He shaded his eyes and squinted. “Where?”

“That way.” She pointed. “A spot of red. In the bushes. It’s only visible for a second in passing. I can’t believe I saw it the first time.”

“Neither can I.” Cody worked with her as she expertly maneuvered their craft out of the main channel and into quieter water.

“This is it. The place I went ashore!” She vaulted over the side into hip-deep water and started to tow the canoe toward the bank.

“Slow down. Take your time. If the evidence is still there you don’t have to strain.”

“I want to! Don’t you see? This vindicates me. I’m not imagining things and I’m not hysterical. The sheriff will have to believe me now. You’ll see the canoe for yourself. And we’ll have pictures, too.”

“Okay.” Cody nodded reluctantly. “Hold this thing
steady while I get out, will you? I don’t mind wet feet but I’d prefer to keep my clothes relatively dry. This time.”

“I thought you weren’t going to remind me anymore.”

“Wrong.” Cody swung his good leg out of the canoe first. “I said I’d stop when you began to act sensibly.” One eyebrow arched as a lopsided smirk lifted the corners of his mouth. “That hasn’t happened yet.”

“It has so.” Tugging the canoe up on the sandy bank, Trudy Lynn secured it to a hickory sapling with the mooring rope. “There. See? Safe and sensible. Can I take my life jacket off now or do I have to keep it on to satisfy your overblown ideas of proper precautions?”

“You can take it off,” Cody said dryly. “Just don’t go charging back into the water without it.”

She saluted with mock sincerity. “Yes, sir, captain, sir. Whatever you say.” Clearly, her companion was not amused. Well, too bad. She’d suffered enough. Having one less unknown to cope with was going to be a real relief. And maybe, just maybe, something in or near the canoe would lead them to clues about Jim’s whereabouts.

“It’s this way,” she said, taking the lead. “Watch yourself. Some of those sticker vines are killers. I must have tripped a dozen times when I was here before.”

“Is that where you got all those scratches?”

“Most of them. It’s not usually a good idea to go into a thicket, especially not once the creepy-crawlies come out for the summer. Hopefully, we’re early enough in the season to miss most of them.”

“Hopefully.”

Cody was keeping pace. Good. She didn’t want to
overtax him but she didn’t want to have to slow down, either. The sooner they got the canoe uncovered and proved to themselves it truly was Jim’s, the sooner she’d be rid of the churning feeling in her stomach and the throbbing in her temples.

Trudy pushed aside a clump of young cedars. “Here!” she shouted over her shoulder. “It’s right here, like I said.”

“Wait!”

She paused. “What for?”

“Suppose it’s booby-trapped?”

“It can’t be. I was already here once. Remember?”

“Yes.” He stepped up beside her and spoke quietly. “But that was yesterday. Something could have changed since then. And I’d keep my voice down if I were you. Sound carries well out here. No telling who might overhear us.”

“Buford’s in the hospital.”

“Who says he was out here alone?”

“Nobody else chased me.”

“Which only means they didn’t see you, not that they weren’t here.”

“Are you always this cynical?”

“I am when it’s the wisest course to follow,” Cody answered. “You’re the kind of person who’d stand there and stare at the sky, looking for a flight of mallards, if somebody yelled,
duck
. I’d assume the worst and hit the dirt. If that’s being cynical then I’m guilty as charged.”

“I’d never thought of it quite that way.”

“Well, try, at least while we’re out here. Now start taking pictures. I’ll stand guard.”

“Okay. You’re the boss. Whatever you say.” She smiled. “There, does that make you happy?”

“Ecstatic.” He was already scanning the surrounding woods. “Where were you when Buford jumped you?”

“Ten or fifteen yards to your left.” Trudy Lynn pointed. “He came from up there on that little bluff. The one with the poison ivy all over it.”

The expression on Cody’s face when his head snapped around was priceless. She giggled. “Just kidding.”

He looked as though he was tempted to chastise her again. Instead, he mellowed. “All right. I’ll cool it, too. Just take your pictures so we can get out of here. This place gives me the creeps.”

Trudy Lynn silently shared his unsettling observation. There was a threatening feel to this place. It wasn’t merely because she’d found the missing canoe or because she’d been accosted nearby. It was more. There was a sense of unnamed dread in the still, humid air, an aura of menace she couldn’t ignore or explain away.

At first, she’d assumed her imagination was simply working overtime. Since Cody had had the same reaction, however, she was beginning to take her inner warnings a lot more seriously.

Her skin crawled. The fine hair on the back of her neck prickled. Cody was right. The sooner they got out of there, the better.

Trudy Lynn snapped a final picture. “Okay. That’s enough. Let’s go.”

When she turned, she found Cody three-quarters of
the way up the hill she’d teased him about. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Seeing what’s up here.” He paused to glance down at her. “I was curious.”

“You shouldn’t be doing that. Not with your sore knee.”

“It’s permanently attached to the rest of me. I couldn’t leave it behind if I wanted to. I can make it. You coming?”

“No. I don’t need to see any more. Neither do you.”

“I’ll be down in a sec. I’m almost to the top.”

“Cody…”

“Nag, nag, nag. Has anybody ever told you that you talk too much?”

“Yes. You have. Often.”

“That’s because you do it so regularly.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, mister.” She shivered. “I keep feeling like we’re being watched.”

“Maybe we are. Or were. That’s one of the things I aim to find out.”

She gave a nervous giggle. “You
aim
to? You’ve only been in Arkansas a couple of weeks and you’re already starting to pick up native speech patterns. Next, you’ll be saying you’re
fixin
’ to do something.”

“I am. I’m fixin’ to get to the top of this hill and have a look around as soon as you quit harassing me.”

“Oh, for…” Trudy Lynn bit back the rest. “Go ahead. Wreck your leg if that’s what you want. I’ll be waiting in the canoe.”

She saw Cody’s shoulders shake with silent laughter as he resumed his climb. In seconds, he’d crested the rise and disappeared from sight.

Trudy Lynn’s patience quickly wore thin. “Cody? You still there? What do you see?”

There was no answer. The forest was deathly silent, save for the hushed gurgle of the Spring River. Trudy Lynn had never felt more alone, not even when she’d been fleeing in fear for her life.

She cupped her hands around her mouth, set aside caution and called, “Cody! Answer me.”

There was no reply. No sound to indicate he was even there, let alone confirm that he was all right.

Heart racing, Trudy Lynn visualized horrible catastrophes. Her breath shuddered, faltered, then resumed with urgency. Anxiety had placed a pillow of worry over her face and it was smothering her.

How could Cody do this to her? Didn’t he know how frantic she’d be? Didn’t he care?

Of course he cared. He’d proved that over and over. He wouldn’t hide, not even to play a joke on her. Doing such a thing would be cruel and he was anything but that.

So where was he? Should she try to follow him or was it silly to fret? If he got the mistaken idea she thought he wasn’t capable enough to make the climb by himself it would hurt his feelings. On the other hand, suppose he did need help and she wasn’t there to offer it? Then what?

Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth she prayed simply,
Father! Help!

No polished, perfect-sounding prayer had ever given her quicker peace. Taking a deep breath she began to regain a semblance of self-control. Everything would be
fine. Cody had probably stepped away from the edge and hadn’t heard her calling him, that was all. She’d go back to the canoe and wait, as promised. As soon as he was satisfied there was nothing sinister lurking at the top of the hill, he’d return. He was a big, strong guy. He didn’t need her, or anybody else, to prop him up.

Speaking of propping
, she thought, nearing the beached canoe,
he left the cane behind
. Maybe she should take it to him. That sounded like a plausible excuse, assuming she actually ended up needing to explain her actions. Then again, what was wrong with taking his advice and exercising a little patience?