Angels Fall

his voice. "Let's leave it at that."
    "All right. If I'm reading you correctly, you're thinking, or at least considering, that these things happening to Reece are being done by someone who wants to hurt her." With a thoughtful frown Doc picked up his milk. "The only individual who could, as far as we know, be motivated to hurt her would be the man she claims to have seen strangle the woman she claims to have seen."
    "Did see."
    "I agree, but it's still unproven." With that same frown in his eyes, Doc drank. "But if she did, and if you're right… Have you gone to the sheriff with this?"
    "Rick's just going to conclude she's a nutcase. Whatever credibility she has about what she witnessed will go right down the tubes."
    "Without all the facts, he can't do his job."
    "For now, I can look out for her. He can concentrate on finding out who was dumped in Moose Ponds, and who was killed by the Snake. I told you this in confidence."
    "All right, all right." Doc held up a hand for peace. "Don't upset your digestion. I went by the sheriff's office, had Denny show me the pictures."
    "And?"
    "I can only go by the description Reece gave me, and the sketch she approved. I can't be sure one way 
    or the other. Is it possible it's the woman she saw. It is."
    "What about the time lag? It's been weeks since Reece saw it happen."
    "That troubled me, as I imagine it troubled the authorities. There were ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. She may very well have been held all this time. But it doesn't explain to me, and this is very troubling, why there was no sign these people were there, where Reece saw them. Why did this man throttle a woman violently enough for Reece to believe she was dead, then take that woman away, erasing his trail so that Rick, a man who knows tracking, found nothing?"
    "Because he saw her."
    "Saw her?'
    "Maybe not enough to recognize her, but he saw someone up on the ridge. Or he saw the things she left up there when she ran back and found me. He knew someone saw what went on."
    "Is that possible?" Doc asked. "From that distance?"
    "Reece had field glasses. Who's to say he didn't? That after he killed the woman, he scoped out the area. just another way of covering tracks, isn't it?"
    "I can't argue. But it's a lot of supposition, Brody."
    "Suppose this. Whether or not this body they found is the same woman, the man Reece saw had to know someone witnessed what happened there. There's just no reason to erase the tracks otherwise. Take the body, sure. Can't leave it there where a floater or paddler, a hiker may spot it. Take it away, wait for dark, bury it or dispose of it by other means. But cover all tracks? Not unless he knew he'd been seen."
    "Yes, of course," Doc agreed. "And if he knew he'd been seen, he'd only have to wait a short time, keep his ear to the ground, to find out who."
    "And since, someone's been screwing with her, trying to make her think she's losing her grip. I'm not going to let them get away with it."
    "I'd like to talk with her some more. I made a point of telling Mac this morning that I wasn't a shrink. But I do have some training, some experience."
    "That'd be up to her."
    Doc nodded. "'A lot of this is. That's a lot of weight for someone with her background to carry. She trusts you?"
    "Yeah, she does."
    "Weight for you, too. Tell her we spoke," Doc decided after a moment. "Don't breach the trust. But I'd like you to keep me in the loop. How's the sandwich?"
    "It's pretty good. But you're no cordon bleu chef."

    HE WENT B AC K to the river. There was no sign of what had happened there, and he was sure of that. He'd been careful. He was a careful man.
    It should never haw happened, of course. Would never have happened if he'd had a choice. Everything that he'd done since was because she'd  left  him no choice.
    He could still hear her voice if he let himself. Screaming at him, threatening him.  Threatening him , as it she'd had the right.
    Her death had been her own doing. He understood that, and felt no guilt over it. Others wouldn't understand, so he did what needed to be done to protect himselt.
    None of that would have been necessary if it hadn't been for the caprice of time and place. How could he have known someone would be on the trail, would have looked in that direction at that time, with field glasses? Even a careful man couldn't anticipate every quirk of fate. Reece Gilmore.
    She should have been easy to handle, too. So easy to discredit, even to herself. But she