“That would be good,” she said absently, as it all seemed so irrelevant when another man had lost his life.

  “If we don’t find Vick’s camping location soon, you’ll have to make the arrest in the morning,” he said. “I’ll need to be here to deal with the feds. As much as I always wish I could be, I can’t be in two places at one time.”

  “No worries. I can handle it.” She filled her tone with a bravado she didn’t feel.

  “Can I get your contact info, Sheriff?” Dr. Meadows asked.

  “Let me take care of this, and then we’ll plan the morning takedown.” Russ strode back to the ME, his steps filled with energy. Learning the truth brought him relief. She got that, but a sense of sadness clung to her and wouldn’t let go.

  Her phone rang. Finn. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone. Not even him. She’d been keeping him updated, but he’d been his usual antsy self and chomping at the bit to be allowed onsite. So she answered.

  “We just identified the body as Gates,” she said. “So Vick is now wanted for murder.”

  Silence was the response. Not expected.

  “Did you hear me?” she asked.

  “I did, and you’re still planning to go to the caves in the morning with Russ?”

  “Not with Russ. I’ll go alone. He has to be here for when the ATF arrives.”

  “No!” Finn’s voice erupted over the phone.

  Russ turned to stare at her. He’d heard Finn’s outburst all the way across the yard.

  “Sorry, but no.” He’d lowered his voice. “I can’t allow that. Put me on speaker so I can talk to Russ too.”

  She didn’t want to comply, but Finn would just hang up and call Russ, and she wanted to be part of the conversation. She motioned for Russ to join her. “It’s Finn. He wants to talk to you, so I’ll put him on speaker.”

  “Let’s move further away for more privacy.” He led the way to the back fence.

  They were not only far enough away for the sound not to travel, but deep shadows of the night clung to them. She didn’t like it. Not one bit. Felt eerie and uncomfortable as if Vick were watching them. He could be, she supposed, but doubted it as he didn’t seem to think anyone would come for him and hadn’t hidden his tracks at all.

  “Go ahead, Finn,” Russ said.

  “You can’t let Ryleigh go to the caves alone,” he stated.

  Russ cocked his head. “I’ll be needed elsewhere.”

  “I won’t let Ryleigh go alone.” His adamant tone would give even the strongest of men a pause. “And before you suggest some green-behind-the-ears deputy accompany her, that doesn’t work for me. If you don’t go with her, then I will.”

  Russ frowned. “I can’t have a civilian in on the arrest for when Vick goes to trial.”

  Finn didn’t speak right away, and Ryleigh could easily imagine he was looking for the words that would get him his way.

  “I’m going no matter what,” he finally said. “So deputize me too if you want things to be by the book.”

  Shadows darkened Russ’s face, but Ryleigh could imagine his frustrated expression.

  “You don’t have any law enforcement experience,” he stated plainly.

  “I’ll let Ryleigh take the lead,” Finn said. “And I’ll just be backup in case she needs me.”

  “I don’t know.” Russ sounded like he was wavering.

  Ryleigh would love to have Finn as backup, and she could help get Russ to side his way. “Finn does have experience where it counts. Apprehending very bad guys. If Vick gets violent, Finn would be great backup. Better than a young deputy for sure.”

  “Fine,” Russ snapped. “The visitor center opens at eight-thirty tomorrow. Meet me at my office at six so I can swear you in and still give enough time for the two of you to get there before opening.”

  “Will do, and just so you know.” Finn paused for a long moment. “There’s no way I’ll face a murder suspect without a weapon. I’ll be carrying whether you like it or not.”

  24

  With the arrest warrant for Vick in her pocket, Ryleigh looked around the chilly Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve visitor’s center. She and Finn were waiting for the ranger in charge to join them. And because she was outside Russ’s county, they also waited for a deputy of the jurisdictional county to join as well. He’d been delayed by an accident on the way. She could still talk to Vick, but she had no authority to arrest him in this county. Hopefully, the deputy would arrive in time for that.

  A female ranger in uniform with a Smokey Bear type hat passed them as she gave two families a tour of the center. It didn’t surprise Ryleigh that so many people were already there. With such rainy winters, Oregonians flocked to state and national parks in the summer to get their fill of sunshine.

  A male who appeared to be in his fifties came out from a door in the back and strolled their way. He wore gray-green pants and a lighter gray short-sleeved shirt with a nametag and badge pinned to his chest. He had on a similar hat to the other ranger and greeted them with a smile. “Ranger Otis. How can I help?”

  “I’m Deputy Steele.” She smiled to relax any concerns he might have about law enforcement asking questions and held out the temporary shield provided by Russ. “And this is my associate, Finn Durham. We’re looking for one of your rangers, Barney Vick.”

  “Barney?” His eyebrows shot up. “He do something wrong?”

  “We just have some urgent questions for him.”

  “He’s guiding a tour right now.” Otis looked at his watch. “He would’ve left about ten minutes ago and won’t be back for nearly ninety minutes.”

  “Already?” she asked. “You just opened.”

  “The demand has been great this year, so we’re scheduling a tour before opening each day. You’ll have to wait until he gets back.”

  Russ couldn’t wait for his answers. Not with the feds arriving on his doorstep any minute. “Any way we can catch up to Mr. Vick, and you can take over the tour so we can talk to him?”

  Otis tilted his head. “We might be able to catch him. But we’ll have to hurry.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  He ran his gaze over them. “The cave is a constant forty-four degrees. I hope you brought jackets.”

  “They’re in the truck,” Finn said.

  “Go ahead and get them quickly while I grab mine and tell my ranger that I’m going into the cave.”

  “Be right back.” Finn fled the room and down the outside stairs toward the parking lot.

  Otis strode over to the other ranger.

  She and Finn had reviewed an online video giving them an introduction to the caves and had prepared accordingly, including wearing boots. What they hadn’t prepared for was the deputy to be late. Still, Russ was waiting for news of Vick’s arrest, and she had to proceed, a deputy with them or not.

  She stepped over to a placard and read more about the history of the caves until Finn and Otis both joined her again. Finn wore his jacket and helped her into hers.

  “Let’s move,” Otis said. “We’ll have to go at a fast pace, but you both look in good shape and should be able to keep up.”

  He led them down to the entrance, over metal grates, and into the cave’s yawning mouth. They had to duck just to get inside the space lined with large rock walls, and they made their way down narrow pathways and up a set of stone stairs.

  Otis looked back but kept moving. “There are more than five hundred steps on our tour. Be prepared to duck too as some ceilings are only forty-five inches high.”

  Ryleigh wished she were taking this tour as a visitor instead of a law enforcement officer looking for a suspect. What was she saying? She wished she wasn’t going into a cave at all. In such a confined space, if Vick knew they were looking at him for the bombings and was prepared to do battle, things could turn ugly fast.

  Otis paused and looked over his shoulder. “This is where people often find out they’re claustrophobic. You both good with the small space?”

  “I’m fine,” Ryleigh said, though she felt the walls closing in on her, she wouldn’t give in to her irrational fear.

  Finn gave a sharp nod. Not a surprise. She couldn’t begin to imagine all the tight spots he’d found himself in as a SEAL.

  “Then we’ll pick up the speed,” Otis said. “We’re headed uphill all the way through the mountain, so let me know if you get out of breath and need to rest.”

  Even if she were breathing hard, Ryleigh would never let a man who was twice her age know it. She doubted Finn would either, but then she doubted this little hike would faze him at all.

  They marched on and worked their way through narrow spaces. Under overhanging rocks and up steep wooden stairs before she heard a male voice leading the tour.

  “They’re just ahead,” Otis called over his shoulder. “Go ahead and wait at the back of the group when we reach them. I’ll take over and move the group on. Can you please wait to question Barney until we’re out of earshot? Don’t want to upset our tour members.”

  “We can do that,” Finn said.

  Ryleigh stuck close to Otis but stopped behind the last of the visitors, who were looking at Otis with open suspicion. He whispered something to Vick, whose eyes widened. Otis turned to the group and told them of his tour takeover. She vaguely listened as he described some of the rock formations, but she used the time to study Vick.

  He was about six feet tall, and his uniform stretched tight against a muscular physique. He had on a hat matching the other rangers, but it sat high atop his head that was shaped like a Mr. Potato Head toy. Long black bangs stuck out under his hat and above his large nose. A narrow chin made his face even longer. He might be buff as if he worked out, which the gym equipment in his garage would confirm, but he had an oddball appearance, as if his features weren’t put together in the right places.

  Otis gave them a nod and led the group up a flight of stairs while Vick remained standing to the side of the narrow passage.

  When the last guest reached the top stair and disappeared around a corner, she approached Vick and introduced herself and Finn.

  He blinked rapidly at them. “What in the world could you want with me?”

  “It’s about the bombs at Shadow Lake Logging,” she said, not beating around the bush when time was of the essence.

  “What about them?” He started to put his hands into his pockets.

  “Hands where I can see them,” Ryleigh said, and he stopped. “We would like to talk to you about your part in building them.”

  “Me?” His squeaky voice rose up and echoed. “You have the wrong person.”

  “Then explain the bomb schematics we found in your house and the materials in your shed.” Finn stepped closer, Vick shrinking away from his threatening look.

  Ryleigh wished Finn hadn’t moved, but he’d let his impatience get to him.

  Vick clenched and unclenched his jaw. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Finn moved even closer, his hands raised.

  Ryleigh stepped in front of him before his threatening behavior gave the guy a heart attack. “It’s just a matter of time for our forensics experts to match your prints to the ones recovered at the bomb sites. And in Uri Gates’s vehicle.”

  “Uri who?” His surprise seemed legit, but he couldn’t be surprised when the man was six feet under behind his shed.

  “You’re testing our patience,” Finn said. “The man you killed and buried behind your shed.”

  She fired a snarky smile at Vick. “Oh, yeah, I should’ve mentioned we found his body.”

  Vick’s face paled in the dim light, as white as the marble rock behind him. He cast his gaze around, as if wondering if he could run and get away from them. He shoved a hand in his pocket and pulled it out before they could react.

  His fingers cupped a grenade. He jerked out the pin with his left hand.

  What in the world?

  He sneered at them and waved the grenade like a man who’d lost his mind. “You don’t want me to let go of the handle in a cave holding that lovely group of visitors.”

  No. This couldn’t be happening.

  She swallowed and let the grenade register in her brain. She glanced at Finn.

  He was assessing their options, and his tight jaw said he didn’t like them.

  She looked at Vick again. “You can use the grenade to force your way out of here, but we have a deputy waiting for you outside.” Ryleigh could only hope the local deputy had arrived by now.

  “I’m not going to prison,” Vick said, his voice high and tight. “I didn’t mean to kill Gates, and I won’t go to prison for something that’s all that stupid Tobias Hogan’s fault.”

  He confessed. He really confessed. Unbelievable.

  And he was talking. That was good. They were in a hostage situation now, and one of the first skills in hostage negotiations was to get the hostage taker talking and keep them talking. If he incriminated himself even more along the way, all the better.

  “I’ve had some problems with Tobias too.” She fibbed to gain his trust. “What did he do that has you so upset?”

  “Upset?” Vick’s voice rose. “He killed my dad. You don’t just get upset with that. You get mad.” He waved the grenade. ”You get even.”

  “Well, of course you do,” she said, trying to keep her voice stable, which was nearly impossible with a crazed man waving a grenade in her face when the walls of the cave seemed to be closing in all around them. She worked hard to look empathetic too. “How did he kill your dad?”

  “Prostate cancer.”

  Finn stared at the guy. “You know that Tobias didn’t give your dad prostate cancer.”

  “He did too.” Vick raised his chin. “Recent studies prove it.”

  “I’m afraid you’ll have to explain that to me.” Ryleigh understood, but she wanted to get his confession. “Because I really want to understand your situation so we can work out a solution.”

  He gave a firm nod.

  Good. He was buying into her concern. “It’s no secret that men who work as loggers have a higher rate of prostate cancer.”

  It’d been a secret to her until she’d read that article in his office, but she wouldn’t interrupt him to tell him that.

  “Even if that’s true,” Finn said, taking on the role of bad cop in this questioning, which allowed her to keep working on gaining the grenade-wielder’s trust. “Your dad chose to work for Tobias.”

  “True. Yeah. Sure. But the old guy could’ve upgraded his equipment sooner so Dad wouldn’t have had to manually fell trees so often.” He relaxed his arms, a good sign that talking might be helping. “If he’d bought a motorized logger to fell a lot of the trees, Dad would’ve only had to do the difficult ones that the machine couldn’t reach.”

  “I heard Tobias say a good quality machine, even a used one, could cost more than a hundred grand,” Finn said. “He would’ve had to lay off a lot of the loggers to afford that. Plus, the machine would put men out of work, and then your dad might not have had a job at all.”

  “But he would still be alive.” Vick glared at Finn.

  “Maybe,” Ryleigh said. “You can’t know that for sure.”

  “What about your dad?” Finn asked. “Did he blame Tobias?”

  “Nah. He said Tobias was a great guy and boss, and Dad’s cancer was just the luck of the draw.” Vick shook his head. “He was brainwashed by the old guy, but I didn’t fall for it. The old dude could’ve acknowledged it was a possibility when I went to see him, but he didn’t care.”

  Similar to Tobias’s account, but she suspected the mill owner had been far more sympathetic than Vick was letting on. “Why wait until now to do something?”

  “It was those eco-nuts.” He smirked. “Their threats gave me the chance to act and put the blame on them.”

  “How did you know about the threats?” she asked.

  “Please.” He rolled his eyes. “Shadow Lake is such a small town you pretty much know what everyone had for lunch before the day is out. Once I heard that Sovereign Earth was suspected, I did some research and learned one of the members had plans for a photoelectric cell bomb. Figured it was so unique it would point right to them.”

  And it had. For a few days.

  One thing was for sure. This guy was good at research if he discovered that fact. But then he probably spent a lot of time digging into conspiracy theories and had mad search skills.

  “I can see you have what you think is justification for the bomb, but why did you kill Uri Gates?” she asked, as they had only been able to speculate on what had happened.

  “Didn’t want to.” His lips dipped in a frown. “After I planted the bomb, I was taking off down the logging road and he showed up right before it went off. He was going to try to stop it. I couldn’t let him do that. And I didn’t want him to get blown up either. He could’ve died, like that eco-guy. I didn’t even know he was there until after you all found him.”

  Interesting. Ryleigh assumed he hit Gates outside of the crime scene perimeter or the Veritas team would’ve found blood.

  “You set the bomb,” Finn said. “Gates showed up, and at some time the victim had also arrived to disarm it without you knowing about it.”

  “That’s right. I was heading down the logging road and Gates pulls up in his flashy green Jeep. He starts to question me, and I learn he’s a supervisor at the mill. Then he wants to know who I am.” Vick let out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t want him to stop the bomb, so I clocked him with a thick branch that was on the ground nearby. Only meant to knock him out. You know, so I could get away. Guess I hit him too hard, and he died. Loaded him in his Jeep and took off to think.”

  “Where did you get the explosives?”

  “Stole them from a guy employed by a construction company that I worked at in college. They had the worst security and he took his share of the explosives to use in projects on his farm. I knew where he kept the stash.”

  “And you wrote dates on them to make them look like they were stolen from Shadow Lake Logging,” Finn said.