The Hunt by Allison Brennan Read Free Book Online Page B

north ridge, above Mossy Creek. Even he doesn’t know exactly where it is, just that it’s there and we’d know it if we saw it. We looked all last summer and couldn’t find it. And since it’s been raining all week, this was the first good day to look for it.”
    Quinn remembered Gray. How could he forget the time he spent at the Gallatin Lodge when he was investigating Sharon Lewis’s murder? Or the weekends he came to visit Miranda on personal time?
    Shaking his head, he pushed Miranda from his mind. It was harder now that she’d crept in, unbidden, but he had to focus on his job.
    His job was to stop the Butcher.
    Nick said, “You didn’t get to Mossy Creek.”
    Ryan shook his head. “The horses started acting a little spooked, and then we heard a large animal. We steered them into a clearing and saw a brown bear sniffing at something. I fired my rifle to scare him away. Then we saw her.”
    Ryan and Timmy had stayed in the area while Sean—the oldest of the three at twelve—took the old logging trail back to the main road and rode his horse three miles to the nearest phone.
    “Did you touch the body?”
    They all shook their heads vigorously. “I went close,” Ryan said. “A couple feet away. It didn’t seem real, you know? Until, well, until I saw it was that girl who’s missing. That’s when Sean went to get help. But I didn’t want to leave her there, you know? The bear could come back and, well, I just didn’t want to leave.” He looked down at his hands clasped tightly in front of him.
    Quinn reached over and squeezed Ryan’s shoulder until the boy looked him in the eye. “You did the right thing.”
    He stood and his joints popped from squatting so long, reminding him that he’d be forty this fall. “Thank you, Judge,” Quinn said as he turned to face Richard Parker.
    An impeccably dressed blonde with vivid green eyes stood next to Parker with a blank expression. Parker’s wife? Quinn was surprised he hadn’t heard her approach.
    “Mrs. Parker?” he asked, hand extended.
    She took his hand, her grip surprisingly strong for someone who looked so fragile. Her fingers were icy cold, though the day had warmed considerably since he’d viewed the victim earlier this morning. “Delilah Parker.” Her voice was smooth and cool.
    “Special Agent Peterson, ma’am.”
    “I’ve made lemonade and banana bread in the kitchen, if you would care for some.”
    Quinn was about to decline when Nick said, “Thank you, Mrs. Parker. We are much obliged at your hospitality.”
    She beamed at Nick. “Excuse me, I’ll ready a tray.” She hurried off.
    Quinn dragged his heels as they followed Judge Parker to the house. “We need to get back to the ridge.”
    “Some things you don’t do. Refusing food from Mrs. Parker is one of them.”
    “Playing politics,” Quinn mumbled sarcastically.
    “Ten minutes will save me months of headache. Believe me. I declined the first time, too.” Nick rolled his eyes.
    Quinn wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Parker family. Though the judge joined them in the dining room, Quinn noticed he and his wife didn’t speak much to each other.
    Mrs. Parker’s impromptu get-together was surprisingly elaborate. She served the lemonade in crystal and the banana bread with fresh whipped cream on white bone china. Quinn felt uncomfortable with the formality, but Nick seemed to accept it with ease. When Quinn complimented her on a beautiful home, she beamed. The Stepford Wife of
Montana
, he thought, hiding a grin.
    Nick was true to his word. Ten minutes later they were on their way, headed back to the stable to collect samples from the horses’ hooves before leaving.
    “What’s with Parker’s wife?” Quinn asked as he shut the passenger door of Nick’s truck. “A little formal for a morning snack, wouldn’t you say?”
    Nick shrugged as he started the ignition and drove down the long, winding road leading from the Parkers’ ranch to the main highway. “She