Fogbound: A Lin Hanna Mystery (35 page)

“We’ll see,” Sue
responded, “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

The doctor’s
visit took a bit longer than they’d anticipated.
 
After examining Lin’s foot and
pronouncing it much better, he’d insisted that she stop by the imaging center
for another x-ray before he’d decide about taking her off the crutches.

“Go by there
and tell them to send the image directly to me, as soon as it’s read.” He
instructed.
 
“Then come back here
and I’ll make a decision.”

Lin felt
frustrated by all the delay, but she wanted to get back to her job as soon as
possible so she realized she had to comply.
 
Finally, after more than an hour at the
imaging center, she and Sue were once again seated in the doctor’s private
office waiting for him to look at the x-rays and make a decision.

“Good news,” he
smiled as he came in the door. “ The pictures confirm the earlier determination
that no bones were cracked, and it appears that the joint is properly
aligned.
 
I don’t think there are
any torn ligaments—they’re just stretched.
 
I’m going to put you in a boot.
 
You should be able to put weight on your
foot and walk without the crutches, but, I must warn you, this does not mean
you should walk long distances or be on your feet all day.
 
You can go to your volunteer job for
half days, so long as you elevate your foot as much as possible during your off
hours.
 
If you start experiencing a
lot of swelling again, it may mean you’re back on the crutches.”

Lin was excited
as they left the office, and she was able to walk on her own back to the car.

“Are you sure
you don’t want to go home for the rest of today?” Sue asked. “I can talk to Pat
this afternoon and work out a schedule for you.”

“No,” Lin
insisted, “I want to go back.
 
It
will only be for the afternoon and I can work out my own schedule of half-days.
 
Wednesday is July 4
^th
and I know this will be a busy week.
 
I’m sorry I can’t schedule full days. I’ll have to coordinate with your
hours; he still didn’t release me to drive—even though it’s my left foot
and…”

“… with good
reason,” Sue insisted. “That boot is too large and awkward.
 
You might get your foot hung up around
the pedals and have an accident—maybe later when your ankle can just be
taped…”

“I know,” Lin
shook her head, “that should happen in a couple of weeks I hope.”

“It’s about
noon,” Sue responded, “Let’s grab some lunch before we go out.”
 
She was ready for work herself and Lin
had worn her volunteer clothes also, hoping for a positive outcome from the
visit.

They drove
downtown and decided to lunch at Our Daily Bread, where they’d eaten their
first weekend in Boone.
 
It was
already crowded, but they managed to find an empty booth toward the back.

When they’d
placed their orders, Lin turned to her friend. “I’m looking forward to
examining Bryan’s papers.
 
Hopefully, he kept copies of some reports, but, even if he didn’t, he
might’ve made notes about his findings and the information he was going to put
in the official documents.
 
This may
be a real key to this mystery.”

“Yes,” Sue
responded, “it may prove to be very helpful.
 
I also hope we can see Mark Scott this
afternoon; maybe we can learn about what happened with Luke Taylor.
 
I feel sure he’s been arrested by now.”

Lin nodded in
agreement.
 
She was still seriously
worried about Luke.
  
Somehow,
she just couldn’t shake the feeling that he was not the principal villain in
this drama.
 
She could still see him
standing there with his shotgun just watching them leave and not even
threatening to shoot again.
 
After
missing on the first effort, he’d passed up a golden opportunity.

After enjoying
a really delicious lunch of soup and sandwiches, they left downtown and headed
toward the Parkway.
 
The clouds that
had been gathering during the morning were beginning to darken the skies,
threatening rain to come. Lin shook her head as she looked out the car window.

“Yesterday was
so nice, now it looks as if the rains are returning.
 
I just hope we don’t get that awful fog
and mist,” she complained.

“Oh, that’s
just the mountains for you,” Sue seemed reconciled to the changes in the
weather. “It just comes and goes—nothing you can do about it.
 
I think the foggy days can be rather
cozy and nice…”

“Yeah, maybe if
you’re snuggled up at home with a good book, but it’s no fun to be out in that
stuff,” Lin replied.

Sue nodded, “I
always say no point in worrying about the weather—you certainly can’t
control it.”

They arrived at
Moses Cone just as the first few sprinkles fell.
 
Sue helped Lin negotiate the stairs
leading down to the craft house as she was still getting used to the boot.
 
Pat was pleasantly surprised to see them
both walk in.

“I thought
you’d be out for several more days,” she told Lin, “and I was afraid Sue might
be late today—knowing how easy it is to get tied up with doctors.”

“Well, it did
take all morning,” Lin replied, “but he said I could come back for half days at
this point, and I was so tired of staying in; I was more than ready.
 
I can’t do a lot of walking
though—no hiking, I’m afraid.
 
I can help out here though.
 
I thought maybe you and I could work out a schedule for me that matches
Sue’s.
 
I can’t drive yet.”

“Not a
problem,” Pat said. “Sue is mostly on half days anyway and we can adjust as we
need to.
 
I’m just glad you’re
back.
 
Let’s go into my office and
we can work on the calendar.
 
Sue,
maybe you can cover the bookstore while we do that.”

They’d just
finished working out a schedule for the two of them for the next two weeks,
when Sue appeared at the office door.

“Clint, the man
in charge of the stables, is out front.
 
He has a problem and needs to talk to you,” she reported.
 
Pat hurried from the office and Sue and
Lin followed.

Apparently, a
group of visitors who had been riding out on the carriage roads of the estate
that morning had not returned at the appointed time.

“They were due
back more than an hour ago,” Clint reported, “and now this weather is really
getting worse.
 
I’m afraid someone
may be hurt, or they may be lost somewhere.
 
The cell phone signals are spotty at
best out there so…”

Pat stepped in,
“Someone needs to go check on them.”

“Yes,” Clint
continued, “and I have the vet coming in about twenty minutes to check on that
sick mare—I have to stay here, at least for now.”

“Then I’ll get
ready,” Pat said.

Sue spoke up,
“Let me go.
 
You forget I’m a
western girl, I’ve been riding all my life and those horses know these
roads.
 
If you give me the map and
tell me where they were heading I should have no trouble finding them.
 
Pat should stay here.
 
With this weather and this being a
holiday week, there’s going to be loads of visitors here this
afternoon—looking for something to do indoors.”

After making
sure that Sue was truly comfortable doing this, Pat agreed. “Clint, you get her
some rain gear to wear.
 
Sue, take
your phone.
 
The service will be in
and out, but maybe you can find a spot to call from if someone out there needs
help.
 
It’s possible they just got
turned around or took a wrong turn and wound up on a longer route.
 
We’ll watch for them to come back here.”

Clint looked at
his watch, “It’s almost two o’clock now.
 
Sue, if you haven’t found them by three, just head on back here and
we’ll call for rescue—they may even be back before then.”
 
Sue headed off with Clint in the
direction of the stables.

***

Half an hour
later, Sue was astride a gentle well-behaved mare heading across Cone Park on
the carriage road that led from the stables under the Parkway toward the open
fields and forested areas of the estate.
 
Clint had equipped her with a poncho against the rain and she carried a
map that showed all the roads and trails designated as open to riders.
 
He basically outlined for her the
general direction the group had headed and the most likely routes they would’ve
chosen.
 
The rain was steady, making
it difficult to actually read the map, but she did her best.

As she passed
the Cone gravesite and reached an area of relatively dense woods, she paused
under a tree and studied the map for a few minutes.
 
Thus far she’d seen no sign of the group
of riders, nor had she encountered any walkers—surely this group would be
heading back to the stables since the weather was growing worse.
 
Of course, there was always the
possibility someone had been injured and needed help.
 
She studied the overall map for a few
moments and then folded it up and tucked it in the pocket of her poncho.
 
Slowly, she and the faithful mare made
their way forward.
 
The road
narrowed a bit here, passing between thick stands of pines on either side.

The steady rain
had eased a bit, becoming a pervasive mist; the temperature was dropping
somewhat and it was becoming quite foggy.
 
Sue could only see a few feet down the road and not really past the
first lines of trees on either side.
 
She paused to listen for the sound of other riders but heard
nothing.
 
The road curved and
dropped down into a small cove where the fog became even more dense.

I’m feeling
hemmed in, Sue thought.
 
I really
can’t see where I’m going.
 
Spotting
a huge boulder under some thick pine boughs, she decided to rest for a moment
and try to determine exactly where she was on her map.
 
Dismounting, she tethered her horse to a
tree limb and sat down on the boulder, spreading the damp map across her knees.

She was tracing
where she’d been and contemplating the areas ahead trying to decide where to go
next when her horse began to shuffle nervously, shaking her head and
whinnying.
 
Sue reached for the
reins to calm the animal. “It’s OK,” she murmured, “I’m here.”
 
Perhaps the mare had heard a small
animal or a deer moving in the forest.
 
Sue listened carefully but heard nothing but drops of moisture falling from
the trees.
 
She turned back to fold
the map.
 
Might as well get
going.
 
It’s only going to get
wetter she thought.

As she stood up
to release her horse, she thought she sensed nearby movement—not a sound,
just a feeling.
  
Suddenly, a
strong arm grabbed her from behind, wrapping around her neck in a chokehold.
 
She tried to cry out, but no sound
emerged.
 
Something hard crashed
into the right side of her head and she momentarily saw stars.
 
Then there was only darkness.

***

Lin manned the
desk in the bookstore and found it quite busy.
 
Her prediction that the inclement
weather would produce more visitors for them proved accurate.
 
The bookstore and the craft galleries
were packed with visitors.
 
There
were long lines of folks waiting to check out at both desks.
 
When things finally let up a bit and Lin
had time to take a short break, she was surprised to discover that it was well
after three already.

She went back
to the office area to sit for a few minutes with her foot propped up.
 
At first she was alone, but soon Pat
came by. “How’s your ankle holding up—do I need to relieve you out
there?”

“No, I’m fine,”
things slowed down just a bit and one of the local volunteers had come in, so I
just decided to take a short rest break.
 
I’ll be fine,” Lin insisted, “any sign of the lost riders yet?”
 
She knew Sue was still out there.

“Not yet,” Pat
replied, “as she sat down to join Lin.
 
She glanced at her watch, “If Sue hasn’t already located our lost
visitors, she should be heading back this way.
 
I just hope no one’s been hurt.”

Just then there
was a brief commotion in the hallway.
 
One of the local volunteers stuck her head in the room, “A group of
riders just passed by heading for the stables.
 
I think they must be the group you’re looking
for.”

“And Sue should
be with them,” Lin was relieved and glad that Sue would soon be out of this
soupy weather.
 
She rose to return
to her post.
 
Pat grabbed her hat
and left immediately to check on the wayward ones.
 
She headed out toward the stables.

About half an
hour later, Lin observed Pat returning to the mansion.
 
There was no one in line at the moment,
so she went to the door to see what the news was.

Pat was
grim-faced.
 
She removed her
dripping hat and jacket and indicated that Lin should follow her into the
office.