Sandra Robbins - Mountain Peril

Her eyebrows arched at the formal tone of his voice. “I’m fine, Detective Denton.” She turned back to Jeff. “Have you met with Flynn?”

Jeff nodded. “I’m afraid we got nowhere with him. He insists he hasn’t broken any laws, and he refuses to take down the site. He said if we try to force him from school, his father will take us to court.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

Nathan Webster’s shoulders drooped, and Danielle noticed how tired his eyes appeared this morning. Although in his mid-forties, Danielle had always considered Nathan to be the most handsome man on campus with his brooding good looks and dark complexion.

Nathan glanced from Jeff to Danielle. “If it comes to that, we’ll have to let our lawyers handle it. Maybe we should leave it alone for a few days and see if Flynn comes to his senses.”

Jack tapped his index finger on the notebook in his lap. “I really doubt he’ll do that, but I could be wrong. If he doesn’t, maybe the police department can contact the service provider and see if they would ban the site. Of course, Carter might just go to another one.”

Jeff’s brow wrinkled as he stood and stuck out his hand. “Well, whatever happens, we appreciate your help, Detective.”

Jack gripped the hand and nodded to Jeff. He pushed up from his chair and shook Nathan’s hand. “I’ll be in touch.”

Danielle rose and smiled at Jeff. “Thanks for letting me know what happened. Now I’ll get back to work if you don’t need me for anything else.”

She turned and hurried toward the door, but she could sense Jack was right behind. In the hallway she slowed her gait, and he fell into step beside her. He leaned close, and their arms brushed. “It’s good to see you again. I enjoyed our time together last night.” His soft voice held a hint of reluctance.

“I did, too.” They stopped at her office. She opened the door and turned to him. “Maybe we can do it again sometime.”

He swallowed. “I’d like that. How about tonight?”

Her forehead wrinkled. “You want me to meet you for coffee tonight?”

He stuck his hand in his pocket and jingled some coins. “Sorry. You can’t read my mind. I meant dinner. How about having dinner with me?”

Danielle smiled. “I’d like that. What time will you pick me up?”

“How about seven o’clock?”

“That will be fine. I live at 295 Pikeville Road. Do you know that area?”

He nodded. “I do. I’ll see you then.”

Without saying another word, he whirled and hurried down the hall. She watched him go for the second time in two days. He hadn’t seemed enthused about asking her out. In fact he’d mumbled so that one would have thought he was being forced to offer the invitation. Jack Denton perplexed her, but she had always been good at solving puzzles, and she intended to find out what made this man tick.

The flame from the flickering candle in the middle of the table cast a honey-colored glow on Danielle’s skin. Jack studied her over the rim of his coffee cup as she put the last bite of linguini in her mouth.

When he’d left the Mountain Mug last night, he’d promised himself he would stay away from Danielle Tyler. That idea vanished the minute she walked into Jeff Newman’s office earlier in the day. Jack couldn’t believe it when he heard himself asking her to dinner, and yet it seemed the natural thing to say.

He had to admit it—Danielle Tyler fascinated him. It wasn’t just the fact that she was smart and beautiful. There was something more he still couldn’t understand. Perhaps it was the fact that she’d had two tragic losses in her life.

She finished chewing, wiped her mouth with her napkin and smiled. “That was delicious. Thank you for bringing me here tonight.”

He glanced at the customers in his favorite Italian restaurant. Soft accordion music drifted across the dining room filled with linen-draped tables. He pushed his plate back and leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “I should be thanking you. You saved me from a lonely frozen dinner in front of the TV.”

She laughed. “Then I’m glad I accepted your invitation.”

“Would you like a refill?” The waitress stood beside their table with a silver coffeepot.

Jack nodded, and she poured the steaming liquid into their cups. When she’d walked away, Jack directed his attention back to Danielle. “I know you went to school at Webster, but what made you end up working there?”

Danielle sighed and traced the rim of her cup with her finger. “When I graduated, I couldn’t get away from this place fast enough. Everywhere I looked I was reminded of Jennifer and what had happened. But I still had good friends here. Nathan had been a fan of my parents, and he took a special interest in me while I was in school. Jeff took over as president my senior year, and I worked in his office some. So they both knew me well. They were very supportive after Jennifer’s death.”

“I’m sure it was good to have someone to lean on during that time.”

“Oh, yes, and even afterward. They kept in touch with me when I went to graduate school because I had received the Webster Scholarship for Graduate Study.”

Jack frowned. “What’s that?”

“Nathan’s grandfather established a scholarship for the graduating senior with the highest grade-point average to attend the graduate institution of his or her choice with all expenses paid.”

“And you won?”

Sadness flickered in Danielle’s eyes. “Actually Jennifer should have been the winner. After her death, I was next in line. At first I refused to accept, but Nathan and Jeff told me I was being foolish. They said Jennifer would have wanted me to have it. I’ve always felt guilty because I benefited from her death.”

Jack’s heart constricted. Before he realized what he was doing, he reached across the table and wrapped his fingers around Danielle’s. “They were right to make you take the scholarship.”

Tears glimmered in her eyes. “Do you really think so?”

“Of course. I’m sure your friend would have been happy for you.”

She smiled and squeezed his hand. “As I mentioned, Jeff and Nathan kept in touch with me while I was getting my master’s degree and then my doctorate. In fact they both visited me several times. When they heard about my fiancé’s death, they began to hint at my returning to Webster to work. At first I didn’t want to do that, but they finally wore me down. So I came back.”

“I’m glad you did,” Jack whispered. “I might never have met you otherwise.”

Danielle glanced down at their intertwined fingers. The ringing of her cell phone interrupted her response. She fished it out of her bag and frowned at the caller ID. “I don’t recognize this number.” She flipped it open. “Hello.”

She listened for a few moments before she glanced at Jack. “It’s Flynn Carter. He says Tricia was supposed to meet him two hours ago to drive to Asheville for dinner, but he can’t find her. He says he lost his cell phone this afternoon and he’s calling from his roommate’s phone.”

Jack’s eyebrows arched. “Ask him when he last saw Tricia.”

Danielle relayed the question and then looked at Jack. “He says he saw her at lunch in the cafeteria, then he spent the afternoon in the library. He thinks he lost his phone there. But he’s worried because he’s called her cell phone for hours, and she hasn’t answered.” Danielle’s eyes grew wide. “What did you say?” she squealed.

Fear flowed across her face. Jack grabbed her arm. “What is it?”

Danielle’s lips trembled. “He says there’s a message on the Web site that scares him.”

“What does it say?”

“It says, Do you want an encore? Then watch it at Laurel Falls,” Danielle whispered.