Death Cache (9 page)

Tern didn’t read any further, and handed it to Nadia. Why hadn’t he confided in her? This explained so much of why he refused to commit to her. She stood and walked over to him, her hand resting on his forearm. “This is the why?”

He nodded and lightly cupped her cheek. “I couldn’t put another person I loved in harm’s way.”

“You could have told me. I would have understood.”

“You would have talked me into marrying you.”

She gave him a sad smile. “Probably.”

“Which is why I couldn’t risk it.” He cupped her face and kissed her cheek. “Better have a seat, love. There are more punches to come.”

She returned to her seat, catching Gage’s narrowed stare.

“Anyone want to volunteer to go next?” Mac asked. There was a lot of squirming, except for Gage who sat like a stone, hands clasped loosely between his knees, while he stared into the flames.

“Make no mistake, we’ll be diving deep into these.” Mac waved the evidence in his hand. “For whatever reason, they have something to do with why we are all here.”

“I’ll go,” Nadia said. “If it’s what I think it is, Tern is already aware of it.” She held out her hand and took the article from Mac. A quick glance had her rolling her lips as though fighting back tears. She lowered her head and began to speak in words barely above a whisper. “I was babysitting. Sometime during the evening my sister fell between her mattress and the frame of her bunk bed. I never heard her as she was strangled.” Nadia swallowed and cleared her throat. “She died. I was fourteen. She was only three.”

Tern put a comforting arm around her. Nadia leaned heavily against her as though the telling had taken whatever spunk she had left.

“This is ridiculous, Mac,” Tern said. “What is any of this going to accomplish?”

“Until we can figure something else out, it will relax the person who brought us together into thinking we’re complying,” Mac said. “Besides, I prefer knowing what the guy has on all of us. Knowledge is power.”

“This is a bunch of shit,” Robert said, tossing a stick into the fire. “There is nothing that has been revealed that helps us figure out anything. What does your wife’s death have to do with this? Nadia’s little sister? It’s all fucking bullshit.”

“It speaks to character,” Mac said. “We’re made up of our experiences. They are the fires that forge who we are. What are you made of, Robert? Or should we call you Wyatt?” Mac stood impassable, his thick muscled arms crossed over his chest, the stern, tightness of his face speaking louder than words. The warrior was in charge, and Robert must have recognized that there was no way out of this particular game.

Robert’s skin blanched. “Fine. Let me see that.” He took the offered printed page, glanced at it. His shoulders dropping. “I was seventeen. It was fifteen years ago. Road conditions were bad, ice fog was thick. I never saw the other car.”

“What happened?” Tern asked when he paused long enough to make her think he wasn’t going to finish.

“We’d been drinking, okay. We were fucking teenagers. I was driving. I was the only one who survived. The others were killed.”

“How many others?” Nadia asked.

“I did the time, okay. Plead guilty to vehicular homicide.”

“Finish it, Robert,” Mac said.

“Three, okay. My girlfriend, my best friend, and his date. It was prom. We’d decided to double.”

“Any reason for anyone to still want justice?” Mac asked. “Family members of the ones killed?”

“It happened in Minnesota. As soon as I got out of juvie, I changed my name and headed north. As far as I know, nobody has a clue I’m here.”

“Someone does,” Mac said. “Pass the picture around.”

Reluctantly, Robert did.

The picture accompanying the articled showed a hunk of twisted metal wrapped around a tree with the headline,
Drunken Teen Slays Friends.
Tern’s stomach sickened as she passed the newspaper clipping back to Robert. He stared at the paper before crumpling it in his hand. “Who the fuck is doing this?” His voice broke. He stood and stomped a few steps away, giving the group his back.

Silence settled over the camp until Lucky spoke, his tone subdued, “I killed my best friend too.”

Robert slowly swiveled around and stared at Lucky as he continued. “We were climbing the north face of Monte Blanc. Wicked granite walls.” He paused, breathing deep as though gaining courage to continue. “The rigging broke. I’d checked all the gear the night before. Everything seemed fine. But…it didn’t matter in the end. Hansen was dead.”

“This is ridiculous,” Tern said. “These incidents are all tragic accidents.”

“Maybe if I had double, triple checked the gear, I could have saved him. It was my responsibility. It was my gear. I’d talked him into the climb. He wasn’t as experienced as I was. He trusted me, and it got him killed.”

“That’s enough.” Tern jumped to her feet. “Accidents happen.”

“Mine was no accident,” Gage said, a finality in his voice.

Tern slowly sank back onto the stump, her heart thudding in her chest. She didn’t want to hear this. Didn’t want to know what Gage had hidden from her. This whole game, the big reveal, had been building to what Gage had kept from her.

“I killed my brother-in-law,” he said. “And if I could, I’d kill him again.”

C
HAPTER
E
IGHT

“Want to know where I went six months ago?” Gage asked, almost daring Tern to ask. “Jail, on murder charges.”

Silence cut the group. It was like someone had pushed the mute button on the remote. Even the chickadees, high up in the birch branches, ceased their chirping. Either that or Tern’s hearing refused to take in the conviction of his words.

He couldn’t have killed someone.

The man she’d loved wasn’t a murderer. Besides, if he had killed this brother-in-law, he’d be in prison, not free and here with them now. There had to be more to the story. It was a struggle, but Tern found her voice. “Tell us.”

Gage arrowed in on her, the fire in his eyes making her uncomfortable. She wanted to look away but couldn’t.

He started to speak, fast, as though regurgitating what happened. “My brother-in-law beat the shit out of my sister. Apparently, he’d been doing it for years, but no one informed me until she was hospitalized. They didn’t know if she was going to live through it. Mitch had beaten her within an inch of her life. Broken ribs, collapsed lung, left her blind in one eye, and caused her to miscarry her pregnancy of five months. Jury’s still out on whether she’ll be able to have any more kids. She refused to press charges, said she’d fallen down the stairs. Something had to be done. So I flew back home to New Mexico and confronted Mitch, told him to leave. He wasn’t going to be within a hundred feet of my sister ever again. We got into it. He pulled a knife and I killed him.”

Tern’s heart clenched at the pain and powerless rage in Gage’s voice. “Why didn’t you call me?” she asked.

“I couldn’t call you from jail. Tern, I
never
wanted you to know what I had done.”

Silence once again smothered like a blanket over the group. What did she say to that? She wanted more information, like how was he released? Was there a trial still pending? Would she lose him again, this time for life as he served out a murder sentence?

“Okay, time to move on.”

Wait? She wasn’t ready to move on. She couldn’t process everything that Gage had said.

Mac continued, “We know what this psycho is using against us. Does anyone have anything else to add?” Everyone looked at each other but didn’t say anything. “From what I can tell this whole thing has been orchestrated around Tern. So, Tern, what’s your verdict?”

“None of this means anything,” she said. “
None
of it changes how I feel. I still care for everyone the same.” Why hadn’t Gage trusted in her?

Gage lifted his head, his eyes focused on her.

“I knew about Nadia’s past and I’m not naive enough to assume that all of you are perfect. I don’t understand what was to gain by this exercise.”

“Probably trying to pit us against each other,” Robert said, calmer now. “We just found out that we’re stuck with a bunch of people capable of murder.” He nodded at Gage.

“Given the right motivation, everyone is capable of killing someone,” Gage said.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a breather,” Nadia said. Tern silently agreed.

“I could use a drink,” Lucky said attempting to joke until he caught the look in Robert’s eyes. “Sorry, bad taste.”

“I suggest we figure a way to get out of here,” Robert said. “I’m not going to be used like a pawn in some psychotic fuck’s game.”

“This was supposed to be fun,” Lucky said. “I’m not enjoying myself at all. Anyone else?”

There were a few grunts of agreement.

“We need to hike out of here tomorrow morning, first light,” Lucky said. “The Yukon River is below us. There is bound to be traffic this time of year. Fishing, tourists, supplies headed up river. We hike down, walk along the bank until we run into someone. Chances are we might get some cell service.”

“Except our cell phones were taken, remember?” Nadia reminded. “I think we should stay put. The plane is going to be here in a few days—”

“We can’t be sure of that,” Lucky said.

“Who’s to say if we leave, we won’t run into more problems?” Nadia pointed out.

“We’re sitting ducks here,” he returned.

“With water and food—”

“We’re almost out of food,” Lucky said.

“Enough,” Mac interrupted. “Let’s put it to a vote. All in favor of hiking out of here come morning raise their hand.”

One by one everyone’s hand rose except Nadia’s.

“I have a real bad feeling about this,” Nadia whispered, wrapping her arms around her as though in a hug.

“Majority rules,” Mac said. “We hike out of here in the morning. Until then, I suggest we hunt up some food.” He regarded Robert. “Rob, from what I’ve heard, you know your way around a bird hunt. Care to come along?”

“What the hell.” Robert grabbed his rifle and followed Mac.

“I’ll gather some more water,” Gage said, heading toward the lake after a quick stop for the bucket they’d found yesterday in one of the cabins.

Good, that would keep them all out of Tern’s hair for a bit so she could think.

“I’m going to lie back down,” Nadia said, holding her head. “I’ve got a killer headache.”

“Want some company?” Lucky asked with concern in his voice.

“No.” Nadia wobbled to her feet. Tern rushed to help along with Lucky, but Nadia pulled her arm from his grasp.

“Nadia, I’m really sorry,” Lucky said, the need to help warred in his expression.

“Lucky, let her be for now.” Tern shared a look with him. He nodded, and turned his attention to building up the fire.

Tern and Nadia didn’t speak until they were inside their cabin. Tern helped her lay down on the cot. “You were a little rough on him, weren’t you?”

“He left me for dead, Tern.”

“He left to get help.” Tern sat on the edge of her bunk. “I can understand how you are hurt and angry, but he did the right thing. Can’t you tell how upset and worried about you he is?”

Something passed over Nadia’s expression, but she put up a hand to cover her eyes. “Tern, I’m sorry. I’m not handling this well. I know he’s worried, I just hurt too bad to care about what he is going through. Do you mind? I just want to rest?”

“Sure, hon.” Tern stood and patted Nadia’s shoulder. “You’re right. Rest, I’ll talk to Lucky.”

“Thanks.” Nadia sighed and shut her eyes in obvious relief.

Tern headed back to the campfire to find Lucky gone and Gage returning with a bucket of water.

“Have you seen Lucky?” she asked him.

“I passed him on the way up here. He said something about picking wildflowers by the lake.” Gage set down the bucket, whipping his hands on his jeans, and seemed like he needed to find something else to do. He glanced around the campsite. “Where’s Nadia?”

“Lying down.”

He swallowed, and she recognized the hunger in his gaze. Oh, no. She didn’t know if she was ready to revisit their earlier stupidity or what she’d learned afterward.

“Tern—”

“I’ve got things I need to gather for dinner.” She swiveled and started walking toward the cover of the trees. Gage followed her. She swiveled on her heel. “What are you doing?”

“Going with you,” Gage said. “It’s not a good idea for you to be alone.”

“I have a gun with me. I don’t need you.” A flicker of pain crossed his face, but it was gone so fast she thought she’d imagined it.

“Whether you need me or not, you’ve got me.”

For how long? He’d left her before. Granted, he was in jail. Oh God. Jail.

“We need to talk. I understand that you don’t want to right now. I never wanted you to find out what happened, why I’d left.”

But he was okay with letting her think he didn’t care enough about her to call, trusting her to be there for him?