On the screen, Sam races to Gwen, helps her to her feet, then all the women hike up the hill. Outside their cabin, a blob waits at their front door with his head tilted toward our drone.
The urge for revenge has never hit me stronger. Bear, who has been silent this whole time, senses my unease, whines, and scratches at the door.
No longer able to wait, I stand, grab a headset, then pause when Slate says, “You won’t have a chance. They know we saw them kill a woman.”
“Any way he’ll mistake our drone for one of his?” My hand grips my weapon, fingers itching for a fight.
Slate shakes his head, no. “I’m not sure he has any UAVs, and even if he does, how can we be sure they are surveilling the area? Whatever the case, he’ll soon know someone has eyes on him.”
My thoughts buzz. “Hold on, perhapswe could use that fact to our advantage.”
“Or not.” Hands grabs his weapon. “I’m going. Who’s with me?”
Slate reaches out his arm and holds him back. “And do what? Say we witnessed a murder and want our women out?”
His acerbic tone surprises me. The Patten man is usually the most level-headed of all of us.
“Woof.” Thinking we’re going outside, my dog wags his tail, which gives me an idea. “What if we send in Bear? He won’t let any harm come to them. At least he would give them time to run into the woods.”
“They’ll never allow him through the perimeter. They’ll shoot him on sight.” Wheels joins me at the door.
Catching Bear’s gaze, I command, “Verletzt handeln.”
Acting injured, my canine’s ears droop. He holds one leg in the air while he limps on the other three. His pathetic whine could win him an Academy Award.
The others must agree with my plan because they grab their gear before racing down the stairs. Soon, we join Jack in the forest, where he updates us on the ladies’ status.
“The man at the door has left them alone… for now.” He squats by the chain-link fence, pulls up on the bottom of his cut, and creates a triangle-shaped opening suitable for the dog.
Bear pants and paws the ground. When his eyes lift to mine, I repeat the earlier command and add, “FindeGwen.”
Performing flawlessly, he limps toward the cabin. After an armed guard intercepts him, the canine flops onto his side.
“Hey, boy, what happened?” The young guy in camos leans over to pat my friend. He searches for injuries while the actor continues to cry.
“You seem okay.” When the teen offers a Slim Jim, my brilliant pet scarfs it down.
The treat finished, Bear rolls to his feet and is escorted further inside the perimeter. Once his paws hit the trail, he catches a whiff of Gwen’s scent. As the man raises his rifle, the animal bolts to the cabin door, where he is let in.
Chapter 11
“The Lord God had created all animals and had chosen out the wolf to be his dog.” — Jacob Grimm
Gwen
“Woof!” Once I’m certain of the dog’s identity, I shoo him inside, then hug him tight. Tension drains from my upper body, knowing my husband is near.
I’ve barely caught my breath when Sam screams from the bathroom, “Holy shit, that’s a camera in the ceiling. Everyone, check your rooms! And to whoever is watching, fuck you. We’re leaving.”
We all clamor to her side. By the time I arrive, she’s climbing off the counter with a tiny electronic device in her hand. She pushes a button on her keychain flashlight, waves it around the lavatory, and does the same in the living area. When it buzzes near a lamp, she unscrews the bulb. Sure enough, there's another bug under it.
After Sam hands it off, Rose opens the door, finds a rock, and smashes it. We repeat the process until we destroy every bit of hardware.
No longer worried someone listens in, I wait for the rest of the women to sit, then ask, “I thought we were going to keep an anonymous profile. Care to explain?”
I posed the question to the private investigator, but Blake answers first. She folds her hands in her lap, looking much like a shrink about to start group therapy. “If not before we arrived, certainly by now, Dr. Lewis’ analysts have done their research.They've learned who we are and probably suspect we discovered the dead body. They can’t let us go.”
Energized, I jump up and raise my hand. “I’ll create an escape plan. Does anyone have a pen?” Not having anything to write on, I peel off a few sheets of paper towels.
