“Salem’s an expert at steering.” Melvin rubbed his chin. “Which got me tothinking.”
“Thinkingwhat?”
Melvin leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Leslie thought she might have beensuicidal.”
Leslie was one of the mental health experts who traveled around the basecamps.
“Why would she think that?” Grady wouldn’t have pegged Salem as suicidal. That woman always looked like a fat cat with a canary in hermouth.
“You’ve heard the rumors.” Melvin licked his lips, his eyes flickering over the landscape. “She’d been running around like crazy, trying to pinpoint the father of her baby. What she didn’t know was that Paul was going topropose.”
“She did know,” Grady said. “I told her right before shejumped.”
“Oh, well, then, that changes the whole situation,” Melvin said, shaking his head slowly. “But knowing Salem, even if Paul stepped up, she would have still gotten her claws into whoever the baby’s father turned out to be. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Leslie thought Salem exhibited signs of being a psychopath. I should have taken her off the team when she started makingthreats.”
“I’ve got to get going.” A wave of sadness pressed down on Grady’s chest, making it hard for him to catch his breath. “There’s a reason for the no fraternizing rule, not that anyone paid any attention toit.”
“Join us for dinner,” Melvin said again, although not as emphatically asbefore.
“Thanks, but not tonight.” Grady bade Melvin goodbye and headed in the opposite direction. Whether Salem was a psychopath or not, somebody out there was wreaking havoc with fire season. It could be Paul, most likely, or someone who had a crush on Salem, or maybe even one of the men she slept with who was jealous of theothers.
Grady left Salem’s strange monument behind and headed toward an area that had been upwind from their jumpsite.
The fire had consumed the entire ridge, but parts of the valley had been spared complete destruction because of a creek running through it. It had been hard work pumping water, but they had saved the few farms and ranchesdownstream.
What if Salem had landed there, instead of where they thought? It had been hard to see through the smoke. Hard to pinpoint anylandmarks.
Taking long strides, he hiked down the ridge toward the valley, keeping his eyes open for a metallic glint that was out of place. Her bones, if any, would have been scattered by wildlife by now, and finding clasps or buckles now that the area was covered by grass would be almostimpossible.
He might never know exactly what happened to her, and her lies had already cost him the two most important people in his life: Linx andJessie.
EspeciallyLinx.
That woman might have a hot temper, but she was good inside. In contrast, Salem was sweet and sugary on the outside but poison lurked in herheart.
There was no contest between Salem andLinx.
Linx had been betrayed, and her prickliness enabled Salem to pull the wool over both of theireyes.
Anyhow, Salem was dead, and he had to make it right with Linx—no matter how much it would hurt or costhim.
Hugging Linx was like hugging a cactus, but at the same time, he couldn’t think of a pain more worthhaving.
She’d been forced into making a decision based on the information she had. She’ also been a casualty of Salem’s deviousness—betrayed by the very friend she thought had cared forher.
If he lost Linx now, it would give Salem thevictory.
* * *
HavingGrady’s phone was like a persistent itch Linx wanted to scratch. She didn’t want to snoop, but she couldn’t help wondering about all the women he’d have in his contactlist.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t take a peek since his phone waslocked.
About the only thing she could do was receive calls and glance at the first line of text messages, because the phone didn’t require unlocking to pick up acall.
His family called and called and called. Cait, Jenna, Connor, Larry, Dale, Brian, Mom, Dad, Melisa, Rob, Nadine, as well as phone numbers without a contactname.
Linx didn’t pick up any of the calls. After all, what could she say? That she’d stolen Grady’s phone? Maybe this was what Salem had done. She’d gotten ahold of Grady’s phone, unlocked it, and used it to intercept his messages. It wouldn’t have been difficult, if Grady had ditched his phone before goingoverseas.
