Daniel glanced over his shoulder as she approached, and Annie offered him a timid smile, but he quickly turned away. Behind him was the toppled cedar, resting peacefully in the midst of the havoc it had wrought.
What must it have been like, hearing it fall in the pitch black of night? The deafening crash that undoubtedly shook the whole clearing.
“Is that yourbed?” Jake pointed into the heart of the tree where a mattress was ensnared in the boughs, sheets torn and tangled in the spindly branches.
“Yep.” Daniel kicked at a splintered board near his foot. “I’m just lucky I was outside when it happened.”
“Luck’s one word for it.” Jake hopped down onto a bowed section of the wall and crouched to stare into the branches. “What on earth were you doing out there in the middle of the night?”
“Just happened to be awake.”
Jake turned to Daniel, arching an eyebrow.
“What?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, come on,” Jake scoffed. “You gotta admit there was at least a little divine intervention.”
Daniel heaved a frustrated sigh and shook his head, but behind Annie, Walt spoke up softly. “God works in mysterious ways, son.”
Annie bit back a smile. Jake taught the boys’ Sunday-school class at the church, and Walt was a deacon. Daniel was outnumbered here.
“Well”—Jake rubbed his palms together—“let’s get to work.”
For the better part of two hours, there was little talking as the chain saws buzzed, drowning out the chance for conversation. The going was slow as they shaved off the outer branches and carried them to the burn barrel to be consumed by the fire, but they worked steadily, and after a while the bare cedar trunk emerged.
As morning passed into afternoon, Annie stayed keenly aware of Daniel—of his movements, his proximity to her, and the rhythm of his body as he worked, but not once did he glance in her direction, and when he spoke at all, it was only to Jake or Walt.
“Let’s take a breather, kids,” Walt suggested as they carried the last of the boughs to the heap beside the steel drum. He took a seat on the pile of limbs and pulled a cigar from his shirt pocket. As he smoked, with Jake chatting away beside him, Annie took a long drink from her water bottle, her eyes fixed on Daniel, who was leaning against the felled trunk with the chain saw at his feet.
As though he felt her gaze, he glanced up for an instant, then looked away. Perplexed, Annie frowned and set her water bottle back on the ground.
Maybe he was waiting for her to break the ice. Well, she could do that. Though she’d promised herself things would go no further that night on the lake, there was no reason why they couldn’t be friends. There was no reason for awkwardness between them.
Annie swiped a sweaty lock of hair away from her eyes and made her way toward him, but as soon as Daniel saw her coming, he stood and walked toward the lake, leaving her standing alone in the rubble behind the boathouse.
Annie blinked after him, speechless.
So, she hadn’t been imagining it. He was avoiding her.
Jake walked up behind her, whistling, and came to a stop, leaning in close enough that their heads touched.
“I almost forgot,” he said in a low voice, “I’ve got an update. Austin Smith called down from Landers. Apparently, a girl named Hannah Schroeder went missing up there. She left last Friday with her boyfriend and they came down to hike the mountain over the weekend. Her parents expected not to be able to contact her for a few days, but when she didn’t make it back by Wednesday, they reported it.”
Annie nodded along, but her eyes were on Daniel as he crouched beside the lake and splashed his face with water. “Did Austin give you a description of her?”
“Yeah, and it fit our Jane Doe to a T. We should have dental records back soon anyhow, but her parents are coming down in the morning to see if they can identify her.”
Annie nodded. On one hand, it was sobering news, but on the other, at least it took some of the pressure off Jake’s shoulders. “I guess that’s good, right?”
“It is.” Jake nodded. “If her parents give a positive ID, then the investigation moves up to Landers for the time being. Her boyfriend lives up there and he’s the obvious place to start, but of course it’s bad news for her parents. I can’t even imagine what they must be feeling right now.”
Annie nodded. It was a terrible, unthinkable brand of grief, and her mind wouldn’t go there.
“I’m guessing you still want to keep it quiet for now?”
Jake shrugged. “I don’t see any reason the rest of the town has to know, unless the boyfriend’s ruled out and we have to start considering other suspects.”
Jake turned, his gaze settling on Daniel for a few moments, and Annie turned, too, watching as Daniel shook sparkling droplets of water from his hair. As he swiveled away from the lake, he caught her eye and glanced between her and Jake.
