. and the way he’d made her feel, feelings she didn’t dare dwell on too specifically. Him and his wild clothes and haunted eyes, the man who lived alone in the woods, and had looked around at the town like he’d never seen civilization before.
No, it was impossible really. The more she thought about it, the crazier it seemed. That man had nothing to do with her or her parents. She was grasping at straws. Her memory was faulty, full of holes and—
Three hearts entwined . . .
She sucked in a breath and dropped all but one photo, bringing it closer to see the locket hanging at the base of her mother’s throat.
Three hearts entwined in the middle.
It looked exactly like the one Lucas had been wearing.
**********
Dusk was already falling by the time Harper pulled herself together, showered, and threw on clothes. She’d skipped the cucumbers and the concealer, more pressing things on her mind than her dark, overtired eyes.
She pulled on her winter gear, including her waterproof snow boots. She might have to hike a bit in the snow, and she wanted to be prepared. Large flakes were falling steadily by the time she pulled off onto the road leading to Isaac Driscoll’s empty cabin. Isaac Driscoll’s empty, blood-stained cabin, Harper reminded herself. A shiver moved through her, and for the first time since she’d spotted the necklace in the photo of her dead mother, she second-guessed her decision to drive out there and confront Lucas.
She glanced at the shotgun in the backseat behind her, the weapon she carried when she took hunters out in the wild and what she’d placed in her truck before leaving. Instead of bringing her comfort, it only brought further uncertainty.
This is crazy. Temporary insanity.
She knew how to hunt and was a good shot, but she’d never been especially keen to do it. It always left her feeling kind of . . . sad. Her heart always ached when she saw the dead animal she’d killed staring unseeing at her with big, startled eyes. She never told anyone that—the quality wasn’t exactly a selling point for people looking for a competent guide to take them on their wilderness expeditions, but . . . she could admit it to herself.
The land south of Driscoll’s cabin was mostly flat, and she turned her truck in the direction of the three peaked mountains, the four-wheel drive making it easy to roll over the snow-covered ground. She drove around trees, her tires bumping over rocks and small hills that leveled out again.
How far had he said he lived from Driscoll? Ten thousand something steps? She removed her phone from her pocket, but there was no service. Darn. Agent Gallagher had been able to pull up an email though, and Dwayne had mentioned that Driscoll made a 9-1-1 call. Reception was probably spotty as it often was in the wilderness. She was pretty sure there was an old logging road with a dead end somewhere in the direction she was traveling. That open area where the trees had been removed might provide some service. But for now, Google wouldn’t be any help.
She thought she remembered that it took the average person about fifteen minutes to walk a mile. How many steps would you walk in fifteen minutes? About . . . two thousand? Maybe? If so, that meant . . . Lucas lived approximately five miles from Driscoll.
If her math was right, which was iffy at best. Also, she was headed from Driscoll’s toward the peaked mountains Lucas had mentioned to Dwayne, but there was no telling if his house was mostly a straight shot, or if he’d turned in a different direction at some point. She might drive her truck right into a lake.
I should turn back.
This was totally stupid anyway. Irrational, actually. It was just . . . it was just that she’d spent so many lonely years looking for her parents. She’d gone out over and over, day after day, from the break of dawn until night fell, and never come back with a thing. And then that necklace. And she had to know. Right then.
I can’t wait another second.
Her breath hitched when she spotted smoke rising into the deepening night sky, her heart lurching. She pressed her foot to the accelerator and the truck jerked forward, snow being sprayed to either side. It’s his cabin, she thought, her nerves zinging. It has to be.
Anticipation trumped her caution, and she pressed on the accelerator, driving through