She felt it too; he was sure of it. They’d talked about some future plans—kayaking on the first day the temperature hit eighty-five degrees. Sharing a lobster and blueberry beer at Stewman’s. He grinned as he remembered the look on her facewhen he said it was a crunchy beer, with blueberries floating on top.
But she had grown quiet as they started up Precipice Trail. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ve got your back.” That might’ve been the wrong thing to say.
She gave him a scowl. “Iama ranger.”
And then they reached the first iron rung of the trail, and that’s when everything changed. “These ladders wouldn’t have been here in the 1850s,” she said, her tone skeptical. “I’m not sure we’re on the right track for this clue.”
By we, she meant him. Chase paused, glancing at her over his shoulder. “Yeah, but the trail would’ve been known. Just like Beehive. People around here knew these paths.”
“Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Don’t think about the rungs. They don’t matter. The trail’s been here. Locals would’ve used it, would’ve known where to stash something. The gold is up here. I just know it is.”
She was quiet as she climbed the rungs behind him, but her silence felt heavy—more than just the weight of the climb. It felt like doubt.
Chase tried to tamp down the frustration that flashed in him. He reminded himself that this was a very challenging hike—basically vertical. Of course it would be natural to feel anxious about reaching the top. They continued upward, and with each step, the air grew thinner, the rocks more jagged.
He tried to distract her, to sound more encouraging. “You won’t believe the views, Scout. They’re worth the effort.” He pressed on, feeling more determined than ever.
But she grew slower and even quieter. He would’ve thought she’d be in great shape for this hike, but she took a lot of breaks. Alot.He was trying to be patient, but the higher he went, the more exhilarated he felt by the climb, by the rush of what lay ahead.
As they made their way along a narrow ledge with a sharp drop to the side, Scout insisted on stopping. “Let’s take a breather. I need some water.”
Chase wasn’t thrilled about the slowdown, but he didn’t argue. They found an area to sit down and pull out their water bottles. Her eyes stayed closed as she drank, and he was just about to ask why when his phone buzzed in his pocket, startling them both.
She opened her eyes, amazed. “You have service up here?”
“Apparently so.” A small surge of adrenaline shot through him when he read the text from Frankie:
We’ve got it. Theenvelope. So what about my reward?
He read it again, just to make sure. “Frankie thinks he’s found the envelope.” He rose to his feet. “We’ve got to get to town. Right now.”
“Leave?” Scout gave him a sharp look, shaking her head. “We’re halfway up, Chase. Let’s finish what we started.”
But his newspaper instincts had kicked in, his heart pounding. “I can’t wait, Scout. I need that envelope. I have to get it to the office right away. We need pictures of ... all of it. The confession, the clues, the newspaper clipping. That envelope is what’s going to take this story to a national level.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What about the gold? An hour ago, you were positive it was up here.”
Chase hesitated, his mind racing. His thoughts were jumbled, but there was no denying the pull of the envelope, the need to be the one to break the story. “Look, that gold has been there for nearly two hundred years. Another day won’t matter.”
“Chase,” Scout said, her voice dead serious, “you promised Ranger Rivers that you’d hold off printing anythin’ until the story was nailed down.”
“I have held off! You can’t be so literal, Scout. The hunt has turned up plenty of gold. That’s the main thing.”
“If that story runs, and people know there’s gold hidden here, the park will be turned into a zoo.”
“That could be a good thing. Think of the exposure this will bring to the park. Everyone will come, hoping to find gold.” He hooked his water bottle to his backpack. “Come on. Let’s go.”
She gave him a long, measured look, like she was trying to decide something. “I’m not leaving without looking for that gold.”
“But I can’t leave you up here alone.”
She tapped her ranger hat. “I know how to handle myself in the wilderness.”
Okay, there was that. But he’d often heard her use the term “gentleman,” and he didn’t feel like much of one by leaving her alone on a mountain. Clearly, she wasn’t going to budge. “Look, I’m going to descend and get that envelope from Frankie. Then I’ll come back and find you. I know this trail. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Call Ranger Rivers. He should be told about the envelope.”
