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Dangerous Ground

By Gayla K. Hiss

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KATE PHILLIPS CAREFULLY NAVIGATED HER MIATA through the torrential downpour as she approached Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It had been a long, difficult drive from Nashville in the storm. What was she thinking, coming here on a night like this? If not for the mysterious business card with the newspaper clipping about the investigation into her uncle’s recent death, she’d be safe at home right now.

She didn’t even know her uncle. Had never met him. But a month ago, out of the blue, he sent her a letter to apologize for not being there when she’d needed him. He said he wanted to make it up to her. She’d never replied. Why should she? The man hadn’t shown one iota of concern for her or her mother—not even when her mother passed away fourteen years ago. Then suddenly he has a change of heart?

Still, Owen Bentley was her mother’s only brother and the last link to her mother’s family. That alone had persuaded Kate to come in search of answers about his death, and make the impromptu trip that Sunday afternoon. Mack, her supervisor with the Marshals Service, had been urging her to take time off anyway. When she’d called him at home yesterday, right after she’d discovered the business card and clipping in her mail, he approved her two-week vacation request over the phone. But with church, packing, and making last-minute arrangements, she’d left later today than she had wanted. Now it was after dark and the storm had become more threatening.

She peered ahead into the gloom, not wanting to miss her turn. Lightning flashed, exposing a hooded man in the road. Images of his bandaged face and hand and his wild eyes instantly burned into Kate’s memory like a scene from a horror movie. She jerked the steering wheel to avoid him and lost control. Her car skidded across the wet pavement, careening down a slope toward the woods. A large tree loomed ahead but she was going too fast to stop. Turning the steering wheel and stomping the brakes, she made a frantic attempt to avert disaster. The crash of metal and glass was the last thing she heard before the airbag punched her in the face and chest.

The tapping of rain roused her to her senses. Where was she? The collision had scrambled her brain. She raised her head and pushed the deployed airbag away. Battered and sore, she gingerly touched her face, tracing the liquid on her cheek—was it blood?

After flipping on the dome light, she touched her cheek again. Moisture, not blood—Whew! Kate glimpsed something big and dark to her right. Turning to see, she gasped at the massive tree occupying the space next to her. The sudden need for air compelled her to touch the button on her left. The window wouldn’t open. She tried the door. Jammed. Lord, if this is a nightmare, please wake me up.

A bright beam appeared in the distance—a man holding a flashlight. When he reached her car, he shouted through the glass. “Are you okay?”
She nodded.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, then disappeared.

Alone in her confusion, Kate relied on her instincts. Shifting toward her door, she attempted to shove it open, but the ache in her left shoulder forced her to stop.

The light returned. When she saw the man carrying a crowbar, she exhaled with relief.

“I’ll pry it open,” he shouted.
While he inserted the crowbar into the crack and pressed against it, using his body for leverage, she pushed from inside. The door gave way, and Kate lurched to the left. Her seatbelt prevented her from falling out, but aggravated her shoulder injury.

Slowly, she righted herself and spotted the man bent over, fumbling through the wet autumn leaves. She stared at him as she massaged the top of her left arm. “What are you doing?”

“I dropped my flashlight.” He scooped it up and wiped his muddy palm on his soaked jeans as he came toward her, illuminating the car.

“How far away is the Cades Cove Campground?” she asked.

“Camping tonight, in this rain?” He frowned at the dark, stormy sky. “You’d be better off staying at the motel in Tyler’s Glen. It’s only four miles from here.”

He reached for her hand, and she jerked away.

“It’s all right.” His voice was calm and reassuring. “I’m an EMT. I only want to check your pulse.”

“Oh.” Allowing him to proceed, she watched with a wary eye as he placed two fingers on her wrist, not sure if she should thank him or draw her gun from her backpack—where was her backpack anyway? She turned stiffly and looked over her shoulder. It lay pressed between the tree and the console.

“Your pulse is fine.” When he’d released her hand, he pointed to the passenger side of her Miata. “I wish I could say the same for your car. You’re lucky to be alive.”

Reaching for her pack, she groaned in pain.

He shined the flashlight toward her. “Don’t worry about your stuff right now. Look at me.”

She squinted into the light.

“Your pupils aren’t dilated. That’s a good sign.”

“But now I’m blind,” she replied in a dry tone.

“Only temporarily.”

She released her seatbelt and started to get out.

“Whoa.” The man held up his hand, blocking her path. “Sit still for a minute while I call for a paramedic.”

As he made the call, Kate turned and yanked her backpack free. She set it on her lap and opened a pocket to feel inside. Her gun was still there. She retrieved her phone and waited until he’d finished talking to the dispatcher. “What did they say?”

He slipped his cellphone in his pocket. “Unfortunately, all the paramedics are out on other calls. It’s a busy night with the storm. We’re under a tornado watch too. It could be at least an hour before an ambulance arrives.”

“I can’t wait that long.” Lifting her pack, she struggled to her feet, but the sharp pain in her shoulder seized her.

His brows pinched together as he gently coaxed her back to her seat. “Hey, now, take it easy. Where’s the pain coming from?”

Setting her pack on the console, she considered his question, then touched her left shoulder. “Right here.” Next, she pointed to her collar bone. “And here . . . It’s a little sensitive around my eyes and nose too.”

He carefully examined her face, shoulder, and clavicle area. “Nothing feels broken. You’re probably bruised from the impact of the seatbelt and airbag. Are you experiencing any numbness in your feet or hands, or any neck or back pain?”

His close attention spurred her heart to racing. She was glad he’d already checked her pulse. “No, mostly my shoulder.”

“That’s good. However, I’d still like you to wait for the paramedics.”

“Thanks, but it’s already dark, and I need to pitch my tent. Once I’m at the campground, I’ll be fine.” She used her phone to find her destination on a map.

A gust of wind whistled in the trees as the rain morphed into sleet-like pellets.

When she glanced up, the lines deepened on the man’s forehead. “I can give you a lift,” he said, “provided you agree to see a doctor in the morning.”
He seemed exceptionally accommodating, but she didn’t want to take any chances with a stranger. Her job as a deputy marshal, in addition to having lived on the streets, had taught her to be extra cautious around people she didn’t know. “Look, I appreciate your help, but I don’t even know your name. I’ll call for a park ranger or someone from the sheriff’s department to take me.”

“With this storm, they’ll all be busy with emergencies. It could be hours before someone comes.” He retrieved his wallet from his back pocket, then shined the light on his EMT identification card so she could see. “My name is David Jennings. I’m a volunteer firefighter. Sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier.” Raindrops dribbled down his forehead into his eyes, making him grimace. “Now let’s get out of here before the storm gets worse.”

Lightning pierced the sky, followed by a loud boom. The noise triggered a flashback of the car accident. Kate shuddered at the memory.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He spoke in a soft Southern accent. “You know what they say about lightning—it never strikes the same place twice.”

“Then this should be the safest place on earth.”

A lightning bolt struck a tree nearby, sending sparks flying in the air. Kate winced as the deafening roar of thunder pounded her ears.

David stared at the tree in amazement. “Then again, I never believed that old saying.” He focused on her again. “Are you able to walk?”

“Yes.” She rose to her feet, defying her shoulder pain and eager to get out of the weather.

“My truck is at the top of the embankment. Let’s go.”

She went with him and climbed the slippery slope as rain mixed with hail pummeled the ground. When she stumbled, he placed his arm around her and protectively ushered her toward the road.

She yelled over the wind and rain. “I’m fine. I don’t need any help.”

“We’re under a tornado watch. We don’t have time to argue.”

The hail morphed into chunks that clattered as it hit the earth.

Kate quickly capitulated and let him assist her as they climbed the rest of the way. Wet and cold from the storm, she grudgingly appreciated the warmth and strength of his body next to hers, which calmed her and made her feel safer.

When they’d reached his pickup, he released her so he could open the passenger door. Then he helped her step onto the running board. Once she was seated inside, he handed her his keys. “Start the engine and warm it up while I go get your things.”

After he’d disappeared in the storm, she stuck the key in the ignition and started it. As soon as she’d flipped on the headlights and heater, she realized he’d put complete trust in her, a total stranger, with his truck. She could easily climb over the console and drive away. But how would she get her luggage and gear?

Her gun! It was still in her backpack. She had to get it.
David returned with his hands full. He opened the door to the driver’s seat, and she twisted around, inciting her shoulder ache. “Where’s my backpack?”

“Right here.” When he lifted it so she could see, she snatched it from his hands. “You’re welcome.” Light sarcasm laced his voice.

While he stowed her camping gear and small luggage in the rear seat of his extended cab, Kate set her pack in her lap. She confirmed her personal Glock was still inside, along with her wallet and the mysterious business card and newspaper clipping that had led her there.

Having loaded all of her things, David climbed into the driver’s seat.
When he called to cancel the paramedics, Kate touched the gun in her backpack and scanned the dark forest bordering the road—the part she could see in the beam of the headlights. The hail and lightning had subsided, but a steady downpour continued to tap the windshield as a country song played on the radio, filling the awkward silence while they waited for the foggy windows to clear.

She studied the man from the shadows. He appeared about her age—in his late twenties, maybe a little older. His dark dripping hair curled at the ends around his handsome face, reminding her of a boy who had been playing too long in the sprinklers. His rain-soaked T-shirt and jeans, however, revealed broad shoulders, strong muscles and a lean physique.
He sneezed.

“Bless you.” She hoped he wasn’t catching a cold. Guilt needled her for being harsh with him earlier. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I was ordering you around, especially after everything you’ve done for me.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up. “It’s understandable considering what you’ve been through tonight.” Reaching for the door handle, he glanced her way. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

“Wait! Where are you going?” Still shaken from the accident, she didn’t want to be alone. But he had already left.

Within a minute, he’d returned. “Here.” He handed her a wool blanket and a bottle of water as he got in. “You’re shivering.”

A sigh escaped her lips as she took the items. “Thanks.” She tugged the blanket around her shoulders and drew it close. “What about you? You must be freezing in those wet clothes.”

He shrugged it off. “I’m okay.”

“Where did you get the water and the blanket?”

“I carry an emergency kit in the bed of my truck.”

She smiled, impressed. “You must have been a Boy Scout.”

“Eagle.”

“For real?”

“Scout’s honor.” He gave her the three-finger scout salute. After a moment, he cast her a sideways look. “Now that the worst of the storm has passed, when are you going to tell me how your Miata got wrapped around a tree in the Smoky Mountains?”

She rubbed her temple, recalling the disturbing details. “A hooded man crossed the road right in front of me, and I swerved to avoid him.”

David frowned with a slight headshake. “Not the best night for a walk in the park. At least you didn’t hit him.”

“No, I’m thankful for that, but it was so strange.”

“What?”

“How he came out of nowhere, and he had a bandage on the right side of his face. His hand was wrapped too.”

David’s eyes sparked with interest. “Sounds like a zombie. What else do you remember about him?”

“That’s it, really, except for his terrified expression when he saw my car headed toward him.” She sighed deeply. “I shouldn’t have come here. If I had stayed home, my car wouldn’t be wrecked.”

“Look, I know you have reservations at the campground, but I think you’ll regret not staying in a warm, dry motel tonight.”

She knew he was right. After everything that had happened, the last thing she felt like doing was pitching a tent in the rain. “Is the motel in Tyler’s Glen nice?”

“It’s nothing fancy, but it is clean.”

“Works for me. As long as it has a hot shower and a warm bed, I’ll be happy.” She was already looking forward to it.

“So you’re from Nashville?”

His casual remark caught her off guard, and she clenched the gun in her backpack. “How did you know that?”

“I saw your license plate when I went to get your luggage. It said Davidson County.”

“Oh.” She relaxed her grip on her Glock and watched the lightning show in the clouds overhead, not inclined to talk about herself or why she’d come.

Having checked his mirrors, David put the truck in gear and made a U-turn on the highway. “Maybe it’s none of my business, but what’s a girl from Nashville—driving a red convertible—doing way out here on a night like this?”

She pretended to be indignant. “You have something against red convertibles?”

His heart-stopping smile revealed straight, white teeth. An amused gleam twinkled in his eyes. “No, but I do wonder how you packed so much into such a tiny car.”

“It wasn’t easy,” she replied with a slight grin. “What about you? When you’re not rescuing city girls out in the boonies, what do you do?”

“I’m in agriculture,” he replied with a business-like flair.

“As in farming? Isn’t that the main business around here?”

“Farming and funerals, unless you work at the new chemical plant—but we have a world-class farmer’s market and a couple of RV parks. Plus, you can’t beat the scenery.”

His reply amused her.

“The lady can smile.”

“My teeth are the only part of me that doesn’t hurt.”

He reached across to open the glove compartment and took out a small bottle. “Here.”

She squinted at the label on the over-the-counter painkillers. “You are an Eagle Scout, aren’t you?”

“You didn’t believe me?”

She swallowed a couple of pills and chased them with a sip of water. “I do now.” After setting the water bottle and pills in the console between them, she turned in his direction. “Seriously, I appreciate that you stopped to help me. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t.”

His eyes shifted in her direction. “I never could resist a red Miata convertible in distress. Hopefully, you’ll be able to enjoy the rest of your camping trip.”

Until the mystery behind her uncle’s death was solved, it would be hard for her to enjoy a vacation anywhere.

They passed a reduced speed limit sign. The next one read Welcome to Tyler’s Glen, Population 2047. A couple of minutes later, David turned onto what she assumed, in the dark and pouring rain, was Main Street. She caught sight of a sign that confirmed it and remembered the Main Street address on the business card. Maybe David could help answer a few of her nagging questions without her having to divulge too much about herself and the reason she’d come. “So this is Tyler’s Glen . . . I just read an article about a man dying in a house fire here recently.”

Shadows obscured David’s features as he glanced in her direction. “It was a propane tank explosion.”

“That’s horrible. Did you know him?”

He blew out a long breath. “Owen Bentley. He lived down the road from me.”

Interesting. David and Owen were neighbors. She turned her attention to the road when David slowed the truck. They were approaching a large neon sign with the words Tyler’s Glen Motor Inn in bright, garish letters.

“Here we are.” He drove into the parking lot and passed the long, one-story building with a string of efficiency units, stopping in front of the office.
Kate looked at the nearly full parking lot. “I sure hope they still have vacancies. It is tourist season in the Smokies.”

David turned off the engine. “This isn’t exactly the Opryland Hotel, and it’s a Sunday night. You should be able to find a room. If not, Gina at the front desk will refer you to the bed and breakfast in town. It’s only a block away. I can wait and take you there, if you’d like.”

She smiled, appreciating his offer. “You’ve done more than enough for me tonight. I can take it from here.”

When he got out, Kate set the blanket aside and zipped the pocket of her backpack.

He opened the door to the backseat and reached for her belongings, peering at her over the console. “By the way, the local sheriff’s department has a website with a number you can call to report the accident.”

“Thanks.” She turned to her door and studied the dark sky and falling rain through her window as she prepared to make a dash for the motel.

“Hold on,” he said. “Don’t forget the water and ibuprofen. You’re going to need them in the morning.”

She stowed the items in her backpack before she jumped out in the rain.
He joined her under the awning outside the motel office, hauling her bags and camping gear. “You should stop by Doc Granger’s first thing tomorrow and get checked out.”

“Is he on Main Street too?”

“No, he needed a larger building and moved to First.”

She grinned. “So there is another business in town besides farming, funerals, and chemicals.”

“I’m not sure a growing medical clinic is anything to brag about.” A touch of irony resonated in his voice. “You know, I’d feel better if you’d let me take you to the doctor’s house tonight to be on the safe side.”

After everything he’d done, she didn’t want to impose again. He must have better things to do than chauffer her around town. Besides, other than being bruised and sore, she felt fine. “I’m all right. All I need is a nice hot shower and a good night’s sleep.” The light from the motel office revealed his masculine feature and the hint of disappointment flickering in his clear blue eyes. “Hey, if not for you, I’d probably be wandering around in the pouring rain like that guy I almost hit.”

“At least you had a car.”

“True, though I’m glad I didn’t have to sleep in it tonight.” She extended her hand to him in gratitude. “Goodnight, David. And thanks again for everything.”

He received her handshake with a humble smile. “Take care of yourself, and stay out of trouble, okay?”

#

After the young woman entered the motel office, David waited outside long enough to make sure Gina had a room for her. He didn’t want her to walk to the B&B in the rain. Through the large lobby window, he could see the attractive blonde with shoulder-length hair checking in. He’d been so consumed with helping her, he hadn’t thought to ask for her name and number. Now he wished he had.

She saw him and waved, giving him a nod to confirm she had a room.
Satisfied, David returned to his truck. The temperature had dropped, making it feel colder than normal for mid-October, especially since he was completely soaked.

Or maybe it was her mention of Owen’s death that had triggered his sudden chill. With Owen gone, he wondered what would happen to his property. Guilt pricked him for thinking such thoughts. He remembered that Owen had started coming to church recently and even tried to talk to him a few times in passing, but after the way the old man had tricked his father, David couldn’t bring himself to trust him.

By the time David pulled out of the motel parking lot, the rain had slacked off. Stopping at an intersection, he recalled the woman’s description of the man she’d almost hit. He sounded more phantom than human, except for the bandages. Somewhere out there was an injured man who was lucky to be alive.

#

Kate emerged from the small bathroom dressed in her pajamas, feeling refreshed after her long, hot shower. The mirror over the sink had revealed bruises forming on her face, shoulder, and chest. Fighting exhaustion and pain, she sat on the bed and carefully reclined until she rested against the sheets.

It was good she had called the sheriff’s office and her insurance company immediately after she’d checked in, before it got any later. The sheriff’s deputy she’d spoken to had given her the number of a local car mechanic who worked long hours in town. She had called him next and asked him to tow her car to his shop. Her Miata was probably totaled, but she’d see what the mechanic had to say in the morning.

It had been one of the worst nights of her life, and yet she felt thankful to be alive—and grateful for David’s help.

As she rested on the bed, relishing the comfort of being warm and dry again, she hoped David was faring as well right now. Her Good Samaritan had been a real godsend, getting her out of that jam. When she first saw the blinding beam of his flashlight, she wondered if she had died and gone to heaven. His wet, wavy locks and tall, strong build gave the striking man an almost angelic appearance.

She smiled, picturing him standing outside the motel office with his riveting blue eyes glittering under the awning. He might have an angelic side, but the warmth in his lingering gaze as he had said goodbye was more like flesh and blood.

Reaching for her phone on the nightstand, she groaned from her aching muscles. She opened a photo of a smiling, middle-aged couple, and caressed the screen with her finger. Seeing Jim and Rose Tucker brought back happy memories of the times they’d shared together, and also a painful sense of loss.

Jim, her father figure and a deputy marshal like herself, had been killed four years earlier in the line of duty, and Jim’s wife, Rose, had recently died from cancer. Though Kate was an adolescent when they took her in fourteen years ago, she thought of them as her parents.

With Rose and Jim gone, Chase and Jenny Matthews were her closest family now, though they weren’t related by blood. Once her mentor with the U.S. Marshals Service, Chase had always been like a big brother to her. Now he and Jenny lived in Washington State, where he worked for a county sheriff’s department. Kate couldn’t have made it this far without Chase and Jenny’s love and support. They had encouraged her to come and stay with them after Rose’s funeral, but with Jenny now expecting her first baby, Kate didn’t want to intrude.

She missed them terribly. She hadn’t felt this lonely since she was a teen, living on the streets. The pain from her grief and sorrow hurt more than her bruises. Lord, if I have any family left, she prayed, help me to find them. She kept her head bowed for another moment until a sense of peace washed over her.

Releasing a heavy sigh, she set her phone on the nightstand by her bed and grabbed her wallet next to it. She removed the business card that had led her to Tyler’s Glen. After re-reading Lester Crane’s name and law office address on the front, she turned it over to see again the anonymous printed note glued to the back — Contact Lester Crane in Tyler’s Glen, TN. Tell him your mother was Owen Bentley’s sister.

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