JASON

Jason chastely kissed Laurie's lips while she slept and closed their bedroom door with a quiet click. He quickly padded down the stairs and heard Lottie humming in the kitchen as he left the saloon.

First things first. Joshua and Jeremy had given him their brief accounts with men hovering around his elbows the night before, Lottie and the girls interjecting now and then. It was chaotic, but he had clearly understood the key points. He wanted to hear from Aaron what he saw while Joshua was dangling from the saloon. After that, he planned to wake Laurie and talk to her about what she had endured. His wife was right when she said they had a lot to discuss, but he wasn't sure just how much she was ready to divulge. No, it was best to hear the account from Aaron first, that way he'd know what question to ask Laurie later. It would save her a lot of pain, and him a lot of frustration.

Finding Aaron's home empty, Jason made his way to the mill. At a glance, he could see the office was just as deserted. He turned to leave when he heard shouts down by the water. Following the noise, he found Aaron holding the left side of his chest, yelling at Harv, his right-hand man who was naked from the waist up and hip-deep in water.

"What's going on, Aaron?" Jason asked, Harv's position startling him.

"Waterwheel is stuck," said Aaron, and he shifted his attention back to Harv. "I mean it. Whatever that is down there has got to come up."

Harv stopped wiggling the water out of his ear with his finger and shrugged. "I know, Mr. Stempel, but it's stuck real good. I need another fella down there. Maybe two."

"I'll go," a stout man said, pulling a wool cap off his bald head. "I ain't afraid o' water."

"All right. Both of you get the job done but don't be heroes. Take your time to do it right, but do it quickly. Otherwise, you'll have to come out, warm yourselves, and go back in. That water's cold."

"No kidding," Harv grumbled and slipped underneath the surface with the other man when Aaron sent him a scathing look.

"It seems to pour when it rains, doesn't it, Aaron?"

Aaron motioned for Jason to follow him and started walking toward his office. "Yeah, seems that way. What can I do for you?"

"When I got back last night, Jeremy and Josh told me I owe you a thank you for saving my brother's life."

"Yeah. Kinda thought Laurie might say something about that."

"Uh, well, we got a little sidetracked you might say." Jason tried to keep a straight face but felt the side of his mouth lift for a fraction of a second.

Aaron's eyebrow came up, and Jason shrugged. Aaron shook his head and began chuckling. "You devil, you."

"Yes, well, newlyweds and all." He tossed his hands up, at a loss for how else to say it.

Aaron laughed, his shoulders shaking. "Newlyweds. You know, I've gotten so used to Laurie being a part of your life sometimes I forget. Tell me... it was the ribbon, right? I told her it was a stroke of genius."

Jason nodded without really answering, having known the ribbing was inevitable. "What can I say?" When Aaron started laughing again, Jason shook his head. "Anyway, she's sleeping just now—"

"Wore the poor woman out, eh?" Aaron started laughing again, holding his side.

Jason gave him a withering look and continued, "And I wanted to ask you about it first."

"Why?"

"Because Laurie's been through a lot, and I figured if I could save her a few questions, all the better."

"Yeah. Actually, I agree with you a hundred percent. She's been through some pretty tough stuff."

"I'm glad we share the same opinion," Jason said with a touch of amusement in his voice.

Aaron glanced at him and chuckled. He pulled out his keys and said while entering the mill's office, "Well, not much to tell." He motioned for Jason to take a seat and winced as he sat behind his desk. He shoved a stack of papers to the side. "Biddie and I were out for an after-dinner walk. You know, nothing fancy," he added, with a meaningful glance at him, and Jason pressed his lips together, determined to keep the peace. "Just a little walk. Well anyway, we had just come from the hill beyond the bride's dormitory when we saw a couple of men shouting. We ran to the saloon and saw Josh wrestling with this, this lunatic in a mask that's apparently got a grip like Hercules. It was like watching one of those sideshows at the circus where they challenge your buddy to wrestle their strong man for money."

"I see."

"Yeah. Anyway, Laurie screamed like one of those banshees Clancey's always yammering about. Must've startled him because Joshua didn't clear the banister. By that time people were running and shouting and... well, Biddie and I were watching from below, holding our breath and praying one of your men would reach them in time. They almost made it too. Honestly. Jason, Laurie tried. She hung onto him as best she could and I yelled for them to hold on, that help was coming, and the guy ran off. I think he hurt her before he left, too."

"I'll have to ask her about that."

"Hmm. That's about the time when Joshua fell. I tried to catch him, but, well," he finished with an embarrassed chuckle. "I think all I did was break his fall."

"Aaron," Jason said, still amazed by the thought. "That was heroic. I can't thank you enough."

"Your brother and I will heal," said Aaron as he waved the compliment off. "It's your wife I'm concerned about. I'm afraid she's traumatized." He gave Jason an apologetic smile.

"I wouldn't doubt it. You never saw who it was?"

"Nah. Wore that blasted mask the whole time. Although it looked a little off," he added, making a circular motion around his face.

Jason sighed, leaned back in his chair, and chewed on his bottom lip. "Aaron, I don't think Josh was supposed to survive that attack."

"Mmm—yeah. Well, the knife and all. Tell you what, if he'd cleared the banister, there's a good chance he would have broken his neck."

"I can't help but think it's the first time a man's been attacked."

Aaron frowned. "Well, it was my understanding he attacked Laurie first and Joshua interrupted him."

"Oh, I didn't realize." Jason took a moment to collect his thoughts. "I talked to the doctor who treated Laurie in the past. She saw a gold mask on a man in San Francisco wearing robes, just like our peeping Tom, but people thought she was imagining things. I can't blame them. I mean, who goes around with a mask, wearing black robes like that if they aren't on a stage?"

Aaron grunted his assent.

"And there were two deaths: they say someone threw a woman from a balcony, and another woman died in a fire the same night. Two women, both connected to Laurie. This man was causing her trouble in her life before she ever came here, Aaron. They said Laurie must have caused the fire by accident, and although they're sure the one girl's death had nothing to do with Laurie, they still sent her to an asy—ah, to a place to be watched over. Only I don't think the fire she was in was an accident at all, and not by her hand. I think either she found the bodies and got blamed for their deaths, or she saw it all happen and still got blamed."

"Huh. Well, Joshua's accident was no accident, I can tell you that. And it sure wasn't Laurie's fault."

"Exactly. And that's the concern, Aaron. This man has followed her here and... well, how many people will be harmed before he's caught? And what does that exactly mean for the people of Seattle? I know we have to protect the town, but this is her home now. I can't hurt her chances of having a happy life here. That's not fair to her. She didn't ask for any of this. I'm just not sure what to do." There was a pause while they both sat in quiet contemplation.

Aaron cleared his throat. "How is Laurie? Really, I mean?"

"Huh? Oh, Aaron, I wasn't kidding. I made a big fuss at her and then..."

"Nocturnal activities ensued," Aaron filled in for him, his voice thoughtful.

"Aaron, you might tease me for obvious reasons, but I feel this time you're trying to tell me something."

"I just... it was strange, you know. A woman going through all that, right on the coattails of her home being burned to the ground... You'd think she'd be more hysterical, or at least shocked. At least shed some tears. Biddie was beside herself and she wasn't even involved."

Jason thought back to what the doctor said about Laurie being in hysterics. "Maybe she's learned to hide it from other people," Jason said cautiously. "She has a lot of reasons to not trust people. I'm trying to change that."

Aaron's eyes narrowed, followed by the lifting of his eyebrows while he wordlessly conceded to Jason's opinion with a nod. He got up and poured two cups of coffee. Jason waited patiently while his friend set a steaming cup in front of him, and when Aaron remained quiet, sighed.

"All right, out with it."

"I'm just thinking. She was calm, Jason. Calm. It was like we had just been to afternoon tea the day before. But when the doctor wanted to look at her, you know," he said, pointing to his chest.

"Yes, I saw it," said Jason, catching the reference.

"There's another thing that wasn't an accident. In fact, the doctor said her attack seemed to be personal. I suppose that's true if he followed her here," Aaron added thoughtfully and quickly refocused. "Anyway, your wife about fell over herself escaping the doctor. Like it was him that had caused all the problems. She barely let him look at her before she took off, and when we saw her again, well, she was serving cake and coffee, like she'd been out for a stroll. It was strange."

"You said that."

"Yeah? Well, you don't act surprised."

Jason took a long sip of his coffee. Black. He wrinkled his nose and put the cup down. "I'm not. I've seen her behave that way before."

"You have?"

"Well, nothing that drastic, but on a smaller scale, yes. I talked with a friend of hers in San Francisco."

"Oh? What did he say?"

"She," he said, and Aaron's mouth made a silent 'o' in response, "said Laurie's seen a lot of things a lady should be sheltered from. Her first husband abused her, Aaron, and then she lived through the war. Now I want you to think of Greg O'Toole."

"The blacksmith? What's he got to do with anything?"

"You know those waking dreams he has when he thinks he's still in the war?"

"Sure. The last time I took my horse to get her shoe replaced he about took my head off. He scared Annabelle so bad she nearly trampled me. You don't think Laurie imagined her attacker? That was no waking dream that did those things to her and Joshua."

"No. I'm saying, sometimes when horrific things happen to people, it does something to their minds. For Laurie, she's been through so much pain and suffering, it's become as commonplace as, well, an afternoon tea. I noticed she has a hard time enjoying herself when things are calm. But occasionally, I catch a glimmer of who she really is. Takes my breath away."

Aaron hung his head, and when looked up, it surprised Jason to see sadness mixed with concern plastered across his features. "I like her. She's a good person."

"I do too."

"No. No, you're in love with her. There's a difference."

Jason's mouth quirked up on one side. "So there is."

"Just do yourselves a favor, will ya?"

"What's that?"

"Talk to her. Take her for walks, bring her flowers, do all that romantic stuff you did for courting."

"Aaron, love advice?"

"No. It's just in talking to her... well, I got the feeling she has a lot of regrets. And..." He paused, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "She doesn't seem to apply the same rules to you she applies to other men."

"I don't follow you."

"Oh, it's like I said. Men can't really approach her. Like last night? She was holding her breath while I straightened her ribbon, and it wasn't because it was intimate," he hastily added, and when Jason didn't answer, he picked up a pencil and began fidgeting with it. "It was more like... more like she was afraid of me. I went to dry her eyes, and you'd have thought I had a gun in my hand. You know, nothing too personal, and she wasn't having anything to do with it, just like the doctor. Now, tell me that's normal."

"No Aaron, it's not."

"But already you knew that about her."

"I had to earn her trust."

"That's what I mean. I overheard her admit to the doctor her first husband hurt her."

Jason hesitated but murmured his agreement.

"I'm not trying to stick my nose into anything," Aaron continued. "But as a friend, I'm telling you that woman needs a heavy dose of, oh, I don't know. Goodness, I guess."

Jason solemnly nodded.

"I'm sorry if I'm overstepping, Jason. I just felt like you should know."

"I understand. Thank you, Aaron."

Aaron glanced at him a little sheepishly. "My pleasure."

"Now, I had another reason to come over here. The matter of that oversized bill."

"Oh," Aaron said, his demeanor changing to one of glee. "That's a subject I've been looking forward to."

The two men finished their transaction and after a quick shake of hands, Aaron left to check on the progress of his mill workers, and Jason headed back to the saloon. He was almost there when a low whistle caught his attention, the same tune as the night he had caught someone outside his bedroom window. He veered off the trail toward the mountain and shortly ran across a few of his men walking into town.

"Hello, Sully," said Jason with feigned cheerfulness. "Did any of you hear someone whistling just now?"

"No, sir," said Will Sullivan after looking at the others shake their heads. He was the dark-haired, Jewish logger Jason had matched two years prior with Rachel Miller, one of the Seattle Brides. "Just saw McAllister still looking for Eli."

"Eli? Is he missing?"

Sully exchanged a glance with his pals and shrugged. "He went missing after the fire. McAllister thinks he started the fire in your cabin by accident and took off. Makes sense. Eli was supposed to be watching it, but no one's seen him since it burnt down."

Jason shifted his weight onto his other foot, his hands on his hips. "Well, where was McAllister headed?"

"Don't know. Flume's busted again, so while half the crew's fixin' things there, the other half is laid off."

Jason's lips thinned. "Thank you, Sully. Uh, mind if I walk with you to the saloon?"

Sully grinned at him and gestured to the other men who had remained silent. "Well, we weren't headed there, but we'll walk part of the way with ya."

"Oh?"

"You ain't the only one looking for a moment to spend time with his family."

Jason grinned. Maybe he was becoming paranoid, and he didn't need to be out chasing ghosts, distracted from what he had planned with Laurie. Not with the sun shining. After all, anyone could have been whistling that song. "Well, I'm sure Rachel will appreciate your help around the house," he said mischievously. "She'll get more done with you around to hold Tommy."

All the loggers laughed at that, and Sully chuckled good-naturedly. "It's what I live for, to make Rachel's life easier." With laughter, they all headed back down the trail, Jason enjoying the old feeling of camaraderie with his men.

He waved goodbye when he entered the saloon a few minutes later. A few regulars were soaking the last of their eggs up with their toast, and Jason's mouth watered. Deciding to grab Laurie before attending breakfast, he quickly made his way up the stairs to his room. He found her still sound asleep, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

He didn't want to wake her. She was an artist's inspiration, sleeping on her stomach, more beautiful than any nude he'd enjoyed looking at in the saloons from Seattle to San Francisco with honey blonde hair, disheveled from the lack of a sleeping cap, reminding him of strands of sunbeams behind a tree; long eyelashes framing her shut eyes; her lips slightly parted, petals of soft pink against her creamy skin; and the smoothness of the curve in her back disappearing under the covers. She was mesmerizing. Holding himself in check, he tried to rouse her, but she only snuggled deeper into the pillows, peeking over her bare shoulder for seconds before she closed her eyes again.

"I'm so tired," she mumbled.

Jason felt himself react to her voice, visions of the night still fresh in his mind, especially the few moments she had surprised him by taking control. He'd almost told her he loved her, the words on the tip of his tongue when he tucked a gold strand of hair behind her ear. It had hung over him, and the gentle back-and-forth sway of her hair had tickled his nose. Their eyes had connected, and the declaration was there, ready to burst out of his chest—but before he found his voice he'd lost it within a shaky breath. Right then she had leaned forward, their bodies moving together, and kissed him. That kiss...

He was going to have to tell her. Soon.

Laurie had already drifted off again, and he felt tempted to leave her there. It would be easier than taking her with him to evaluate their cabin that afternoon. Coward, he scolded himself. They were going to have to get this over with, whether now or later. With a snort, he walked to the window and threw open the curtains. He saw her cringe without opening her eyes.

"All right, Mrs. Bolt. Get up, or I'm dragging your beautiful naked buttocks out from under those covers."

She wrinkled her nose at him and said with her eyes still shut, "You are a beastly man."

Jason dove at her still form and pulled at the covers, finding she had a firm grip on them from underneath. He gritted his teeth and yanked. She screeched when the cool air hit her and giggled at losing the tug-of-war.

"Okay, okay. I'm up. I'll get your breakfast, you brute." She stood up, gloriously naked, and walked by him just shy of brushing up against his body. As she picked up her discarded underclothes from the night before she said, "After last night, I thought you'd sleep in this morning. Or maybe pay me another visit?"

"Hmm," he responded, watching her hips sway and finding it somewhat difficult to keep his face stern. "Someone around here has to do some work."

"Do we? Do we, really?"

She shimmied her chemise over her upper body and made a show of pulling a stocking over one foot. "Beautiful," he said, not bothering to hide his appreciation.

"Thank you." She lazily pulled her other stocking on.

He looked away, becoming adept at making the bed. "And yes, we really have work to do. We need to check on the cabin. I'll have Lottie pack a picnic basket for us, that way we can have that talk you mentioned last night." The playful smile faded from her mouth, and he was sorry for it. To lighten her mood, he said, "Besides, I haven't had my coffee yet. Breakfast is on the horizon."

She sobered and moved a little faster. "Oh, I'm sorry. I suppose I should do that first thing." After pulling on her drawers she picked up her corset and began fitting it around her already slender form, suddenly serious.

So much lace.

He joined her at the mirror and chuckled. "I'm only kidding. I had a cup earlier." He tugged on the laces and saw her flinch in the mirror. "Oh, well, I've been getting my own coffee for years, darling. It's really no big—"

"No, it's not that," she said, staring down at the top of her breasts. "They're a bit sore this morning." Her eyes met his in the mirror. Jason started and then looked out the window with a flush creeping up his neck.

"That's what I thought. Try to be a bit gentler next time," she said her voice with delicious laughter in it. She faced him and said suggestively as she touched his face, "Like last night?"

He took her small hands in his and in a voice that stayed low in his throat he answered, "I'll try to remember." He kissed her palm and released it. She giggled and with another wiggled adjustment to her corset, went back to watching him in the mirror while wrapping the laces around her waist to tie in place.

"I'm glad we can have a conversation like that," she continued.

"You are?"

"Mmm-hmm. I mean, it's a little embarrassing," she said with a shy grin. Jason responded with a reassuring smile. "But still. It says something about where we are in our relationship, don't you think?"

He should tell her. Right now. Just tell her, you jackass. Women want to hear it. Say it.

There was a knock at the door, and she glanced at him staring at her. "Jason?"

"Oh. Got it."

He shut the bedroom door behind him and ambled across the parlor. He opened the door and found Lottie outside with a tray balanced on her hip, beaming up at him in a mock attempt to hide a knowing look.

"Lottie."

"Bacon and eggs, four slices of toasted bread and coffee with cream, no sugar."

"Oh, you didn't have to—"

"Yes, I did. You two lovebirds were up so late last night I bet you thought the roosters were singing you to sleep. There was no way that woman was going to get up this morning."

Jason couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, his cheeks rounding out. "Oh, Lottie, I'm sorry. I'm afraid we were rude."

Lottie scoffed and handed the tray to him. "Honey, I don't care if you do it for seven days and seven nights in a row. Just let me know when you take a break so I can get Clancey and some of the boys up here to move the bed to another wall. A lady has to get her beauty sleep."

Jason cleared his throat. "Ah, well, I'm taking Laurie up to the cabin today to see what we can use when we rebuild. How would that do?"

"Fabulous." She started to leave, pausing in the doorway. "Jason?"

"Yes?"

She put her hand on his arm and spoke warmly. "All joking aside, I'm glad you're back."

"Me too. Uh, by the way, how's Josh this morning?"

"Jeremy and Swede helped him back to the cabin. He said he could heal just as easily at home."

"Oh. Because..."

"Because a couple of newlyweds were busy last night."

"Ah." He closed the door and set the tray on the table just as Laurie came out, fully dressed in a fluffy ensemble of peach and white with her hair brushed and braided down one side, a peach ribbon tied at the end. "You look stunning."

"Thank you. Oh, look, Jason! Coffee!" She picked up a coffee cup and handed it to him, grinning. "Magic!"

Talk to her. Take her for walks, bring her flowers, do all that romantic stuff you did for courting. That woman needs a heavy dose of goodness. Well, what was the rush after all? And that talk would go easier when both of them had full stomachs. He wore a wide grin and set the coffee down before he moved her chair for her.

"So it is."

LAURIE

"You're quiet."

They were walking hand in hand, the blue sky turning dark, almost purple, the air heavy with an approaching storm. The bees buzzing around the wilting wildflowers in the tall grass lulled Laurie's senses to feel slow, and a little lethargic. Jason had insisted she go with him, but Laurie didn't care to see the burned cabin. She hadn't been back since the fire and didn't see the need to be there now.

She wanted to continue to bask in the feelings that had risen to the surface. What they shared the night before and that morning had been tender, passionate, and fun. He made her forget all the darkness that seemed to fight for center stage in her life. Because of him, she found her spirits flying somewhere past clouds, music filling her soul with rapturous songs of praises to God. She teased him, and he liked it. He teased her, and there was no malice in it. They laughed together and their touches felt light with meaningful, wordless exchanges filling their day. It was a girlhood dream come true and visiting the burnt cabin did nothing to continue the mood.

"I'm just thinking," she said when he gave her a curious look. "I'm happy, but I know we have a lot to talk about."

"Oh. I suppose it's probably better to get that conversation over with, don't you?"

She nodded, slowly coming to a stop. They had rounded the bend in the small road and now the charred remains of their home stared back at them. The fireplace still stood, blackened with soot but intact, while the kitchen was non-existent.

"Looks like we could reuse the fireplace," he said, nervously looking at her, and then he chuckled, not exactly sounding cheerful. "I guess all my battening down the hatches, as Clancey would say, wasn't all that helpful."

She could hear worry in his voice. She let go of his hand to itch her shoulder and searched her mind for something encouraging to say. "Well, it kept me safe for the first while, and that's something. I think that over there used to be the cabinet. It's practically all gone."

He gave a plaintive nod and straightened as Jeremy, and Swede tramped through the grass to meet them. "Jeremy, Swede. We were just taking inventory of the damage."

The brothers and their foreman talked logistics with one another, and Laurie absently pulled seeds from a tall piece of grass as she walked toward the house. While the kitchen had been demolished, and the big room blackened almost beyond recognition, there was still a great deal left of the bedroom. Three walls and a partial stood intact, and the door held fast in place by one hinge, most of the room still roofed. She wrinkled her nose at the acrid smell of smoke hanging around the area, like the curtain of smoke that clung to the walls of the saloon.

"Laurie, don't get too close. We don't know how stable that part is," Jason called to her. She nodded with a smile and wave. With a frown, he continued his conversation with the men.

Now that she was looking at it, the burned cabin held a certain morbid fascination for her, like the thrill she got when she was a girl looking at a body before they closed the casket at a wake. The memories she and Jason had made in their cabin were forever etched in her mind, but no matter what else they built, no matter what parts they would reuse, it would never be the same. It wouldn't be their first home. It would always be the home they built after the fire. Their cabin, their home, had died.

She skirted around the structure and peeked in the window. It looked like her vanity hadn't been lost. A little smoke damage, but it was still wholly intact. The wardrobe fared just as well, although the clothes inside were surely destroyed. Her eyes traveled down when a breeze ruffled the lace on her dress. She pushed a tendril of hair out of her face when a putrid smell hit her nostrils. She coughed and retched.

"Laurie?!"

She tried to answer but the breeze unmercifully carried another wave of stench. She staggered forward into the surrounding grass, dry heaving, and tripped into the cavity of a corpse's chest.

"Laurie!"

She couldn't answer. She was standing, staring into the face of a dead man, paralyzed. Her mind couldn't register what she was looking at. Maggots climbed over what was left of a man's face, the jaw a gaping yawn with black ooze marring the reddened skin. She took in a deep breath to scream and filled her nostrils with the offensive odor. She gagged again, cutting her voice into short sputters.

"Laurie, answer me, blast it!"

Jason sounded closer, and Laurie whimpered, stumbling forward and falling on her hands and knees to get away from the horror she faced. She could hear her husband swearing as he stomped on the ground and she sobbed in a breath, dry-heaved again, and felt something brush her foot. She kicked, and the smell billowed up. Still gagging, she managed to take in a small amount of air and screamed. Suddenly the horror of it took over the smell, and she kicked and screamed, and kicked some more.

"Laurie!"

Jason, Jeremy, and Swede came crashing past the house. She saw Jason and sobbed before turning to the side to heave again. Jason grabbed her hand and pulled her up, crushing her against his body.

"By gum, that's Eli," said Swede, staring at the corpse's skull.

Jeremy gagged and held his hand over his nose. "Yeah, guess we know what happened to him."

Laurie whimpered, and Jason whispered in her ear while rocking her, "It's okay, he can't hurt you. He can't—"

"The smell, Jason. I can't stand the—" She turned her head away from him, and this time vomited part of her breakfast. Jeremy looked at her with a touch of fear, while Swede's gaze took on something more empathetic.

"Jason, you should take her away from here."

Laurie looked up in time to see Jason throw Swede an exasperated look before he snapped, "Thank you, Swede."

He picked her up in a swoop and stomped toward the front of the house, a frown chiseled on his face. Laurie barely registered thunder rumbling across the darkening sky. The jarring movements did nothing for the nausea, and she held her breath to keep from vomiting on him.

"How's that? Better?"

"I still smell it," she said, shaking her head woefully after breathing in.

He glanced down and grimaced. "Well, there's some of him on your shoe."

Laurie's head came up so fast she hit his chin, and with nostrils flaring, began kicking her legs.

"No, don't... Laurie, just—" He set her down, hard.

"Get it off," she sobbed, feeling the hysterics rise in her chest. "Get it off me!"

"I'm trying!" he bellowed, kneeling in front of her and trying to grasp the lacing on her flailing shoe. "Be still, woman!"

"Ye gods, Jason, what the devil!" said Aaron, pulling his galloping horse up short as he rounded the bend in the road, two men riding by his side. "What's all this noise about?"

Another wave of nausea hit Laurie, and she leaned over and lost more of her stomach's contents.

Aaron's mouth twisted in distaste. "Oh."

Jason finally wrenched the shoe off her foot and threw it a few yards away. "Better?" he asked her.

She leaned back and breathed. Finding the smell considerably muted she nodded and shuddered before answering. "Better."

"You're a sight," Jason told her, grabbing a handkerchief from his pocket and dried her watering eyes.

Her stomach hurt, and her chest was heaving with gasping breaths.

"I'm sorry, darling. You shouldn't have seen that. If you'd just stayed put..."

"I didn't go inside," she whispered. "I—I did what you said. I've seen bodies before, but never like that."

"Well, that one's been there awhile. In the weather."

"Bodies? What the blazes are you two talking about?" asked Aaron.

Jason sat back and looked up at his friend and colleague. "Eli Johnson. Laurie stumbled across his corpse by the cabin."

Aaron swore and exchanged a glance with the men he brought with him.

Jason frowned and slowly stood. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Looking for you. I didn't realize you brought Laurie with you or I'd have waited..."

"Why?"

"Well, I didn't think you'd want me to tell you what we fished out under the mill in front of her, but after what she just went through, it may not matter."

Another clap of thunder sounded, followed by waves of booms. Another wave of nausea surged through her body, and Laurie closed her eyes, concentrating to keep from heaving again. Why wouldn't her stomach cooperate? She felt like she'd been sick for a month of Sundays.

"Well, what is it?" Jason asked.

She opened her eyes again. He was standing with his hands on his hips, looking more concerned than upset. Aaron was glancing back and forth between her and Jason, nervously fidgeting with the reins in his hand.

"All right. We found a suitcase stuffed with women's clothing and a few other things all wadded up in a couple of sacks that had some rocks in it like someone had tried to make them disappear. Guess they didn't know about the heavy current. I mean, it might take some time for it to be pushed downstream, but it'll do the job."

Jason's gaze flitted to Laurie and then back to Aaron, a frown on his lips. "Why would someone do that?"

"Well, Jason, if someone wanted people to think a woman had left town to, well, say elope, it'd be a pretty good way to do it, don't you think?"

"Elope? You mean—"

A chill swept over Laurie's body.

Aaron held out the necklace Jason had bought Hannah, speaking when Jason took it from him. "Yeah. I don't think Hannah's out living high with some poor sap. One of the brides identified this as something you gave her."

"I did," said Jason, looking at Laurie. "It caused most of the problems between her and my wife."

Aaron sighed. "I was hoping they were wrong. You know, after the past few weeks, I'd say the Muse Killer hit Seattle, and we didn't even know it. I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be Laurie's man with the mask."

Laurie met Jason's eyes and saw the stricken look in them. Tiny sprinkles of raindrops pelted them from above. She fell forward, the palms of her hands on the ground, and vomited once again.