Buried Mountain Secrets

THREE

The combination of anticipation and restlessness made Maya antsy. Her body fairly vibrated. Maybe from the residual adrenaline of being attacked twice or from the memory of Alex’s arms around her as they made their way down the mountain trail. Whatever the case, she hated being left behind, not knowing what was going on while Alex searched for her brother.

The handsome deputy had radioed in that he’d found Brady and that her brother was injured. But how bad? Injured enough that the EMTs left her in the care of Deputy Kaitlyn Lanz as they hurried up the Aspen Creek Trail with a gurney and their equipment.

A sick feeling in the pit of Maya’s stomach made the worry that much worse. Had Brady broken something? Was he conscious? Terrified?

Dr. Brown had said Brady was progressing admirably, but she feared that today would blast all their hard work to smithereens. She’d been told that one day Brady would be able to live on his own. She knew his independence was possible, yet the thought filled her with anxiety. There were others with Down syndrome who made lives for themselves apart from their caretakers. But Brady wasn’t ready for a life without her. If nothing else, today proved it.

This was her fault. Her heart sank.

She should never have let him go looking for the treasure. She was such a bad parent.

A soft scoff escaped. She wasn’t a parent; she was his sister, but the only maternal figure he’d known for the last ten years. A deep ache throbbed in her heart. She missed their parents so much. It wasn’t fair they’d been taken from them.

The sheriff walked over to her side. “Miss Gallo, how are you doing?”

She reined in her tumultuous thoughts and said, “I’ll do better once I’m able to talk to my brother and make sure he’s okay.”

The sheriff nodded. “I understand. It’s hard when we have someone we love in jeopardy. But you also had your fair share of danger today,” he replied. “Can you tell me about the attacks?”

Was he just trying to distract her? She kept her gaze on the trailhead. Where were they?

“There’s not much to tell,” she said. “The first one happened while I was going up to Aspen Creek Trail, calling for my brother. I noticed the edge of his backpack sticking out from under some bushes.” Her breath hitched, remembering the terror of finding the bag but not Brady. “A few moments later, somebody tackled me from behind.”

“You managed to escape.” There was admiration in the older man’s voice. “Good for you.”

If her friend Leslie hadn’t taught her some self-defense moves, Maya wouldn’t have known what to do. “I ran deeper into the forest and hid until he was gone. That’s really all there is to tell you.”

He searched her face as if he was trying to see into her memory because apparently her words just weren’t getting the job done for him. “Alex said you didn’t get a look at his face, only his eyes?”

“That’s right. He had on a dark hoodie and a mask that had no mouth covering his face.”

“Were his eyes bloodshot? Any indication he was on drugs?”

She arched an eyebrow. “I was a little too busy trying to get away from him to really notice much else. I just remember a very cold expression in his eyes. He cursed a lot.”

“Do you think you’d recognize his voice?”

“I don’t know. He was mumbling so probably not.”

“And the man who knocked you off Truman? Could that have been the same man?”

“I would assume so, unless there are two maniacs running around attacking people.” She shrugged and then regretted the movement. “It happened so fast. I am just thankful Alex was with me.”

“Can you think of a reason why you would be targeted?” the sheriff asked.

A wave of fear crashed over her. “No. I have no idea why someone would want to hurt me.”

Movement at the trailhead drew her gaze. Her heart fluttered with renewed anxiety.

“Here they come,” Kaitlyn said.

Despite the pain in her shoulder, Maya forced herself to a sitting position. Though the paramedics had said her shoulder didn’t appear broken, she would need an X-ray to confirm. It did hurt but not as bad as her heart for her brother.

Finally, she saw Brady lying on the gurney the two paramedics wheeled as best they could over the rough terrain. The panic in her chest eased.

Her gaze zeroed in on Alex, walking a few feet behind Brady. So handsome. So protective. She sent up a quick thank-You to God for sending Alex.

Then she noticed Alex and Deputy Fredrick were ushering five people out of the forest. Who were these people? Had they hurt her brother?

She tried to get off the gurney, but Kaitlyn stopped her with a hand on her good shoulder.

“Stay put,” she said. “They’ll bring him to you. Don’t worry.”

“Kait, this is just torture. I need to be with my brother.”

“Patience,” Kaitlyn murmured.

Maya stifled a snort. Patience wasn’t always an easy virtue.

As soon as Brady was close, she reached out and grasped his hand. “I thank God you’re okay. I was so worried.” Terrified was more like it.

He hung his head in apparent abjection. “I’m sorry, Maya. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

She squeezed his hand. “What happened?”

“I—I fell.” He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I don’t remember how. I just went tumbling and landed by the creek. I tried to get up but my ankle hurt.”

“Looks like a bad sprain,” the female EMT, Gabby, said. “But like with you, we won’t know if anything is broken until an X-ray is taken. We’ve stabilized his ankle, though.”

Jake spoke up. “We’re taking you both to the hospital.”

Maya winced. She hated hospitals. They brought back memories of the night her parents crashed their car coming down from Eagle Crest Mountain. The smells, the sounds... They tormented her for years afterward.

Alex stepped close and she met his gaze, grateful for his steady presence. “Thank you, Alex, I really appreciate all you’ve done for us.”

“Just doing my job,” he said, though she could see he was pleased by her appreciation, which did funny things to her insides. “I’ll come check on you and Brady at the hospital.”

She didn’t want to admit how much she liked that idea. She felt safe with him around. “What about my Jeep?”

“Why don’t you give me your keys and I’ll bring it to you?” he said, holding out his hand.

“That would be great.” She dug her car keys from the pocket of her jacket and handed them over to him. “Again, thank you.”

He gave her a smile that made her heart flutter in a way that left her a bit tongue-tied.

“Honestly, it was my pleasure.” He cleared his throat and then turned to nod to the paramedics. “Let’s get them to the hospital.”

As Maya and Brady were loaded into the ambulance bay, she held Brady’s hand but her gaze stayed on Alex as he moved over to the group of people that had come down the trail with him.

He’d not only rescued her and then protected her, he’d also brought her brother back to her. Alex was a really good man. Her parents would have liked him.

Too bad she wasn’t looking for a really good man in her life. Or any man for that matter. She had more than enough to deal with as it was with Brady and the store. Putting herself out there for more heartache wasn’t an option.

* * *

Alex looked at the group around him. Since he didn’t have grounds to detain them, the most he could hope for was their willing cooperation. “Okay, people. Deputy Chase Fredrick and Deputy Daniel Rawlings—” he gestured to the two deputies “—will take your information. Are you all staying here in town?”

“Yes, sir. The Bristle Hotel,” the man named Greg offered.

Good. He’d know where to find them if it turned out the deceased had met with foul play. Alex searched each face, wondering if one of these people was a murderer and/or Maya’s assailant. He wasn’t ready to reveal more until the area where the deceased man had been found could be processed in the daylight.

Leaving Chase and Daniel in charge of the five hikers, Alex informed his boss of the plan to question the hikers once he had some more information.

Sheriff Ryder nodded his approval. “You’re doing well, son.”

The praise was nice to hear, even if it made him uncomfortable. He’d never received much encouragement from his own father. Which reminded him, Dad was waiting at home with dinner. He unclipped his cell phone from his utility belt and called his father to let him know he had a few more errands to run before he would make it home. He could hear the disappointment in his father’s voice. It couldn’t be helped. Alex’s priority was the job.

“Kaitlyn,” he called to the other deputy, who was now talking with Leslie Quinn and Riley and Trevor Howard.

Kaitlyn extracted herself and hurried over. “What’s up?”

“Would you be willing to take my truck and Truman over to the sheriff’s parking lot? I need to take Maya’s car to her at the hospital and drive her and Brady home.”

“Sure, no problem. But I can just take Truman home with me. I can put him in one of our empty stalls.”

Kaitlyn owned a large stable where several members of the mounted patrol boarded their horses. “That would be awesome. So much better than him being cooped up in the trailer any longer than necessary.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Also, I don’t think Maya and Brady should be alone tonight. Would you be willing to stay with them?” He’d do it but wasn’t sure how that would go over. Better to have the female deputy stand guard over the Gallos.

“Good idea. I’ll pack a bag and head over after I get the horses rubbed down and fed.”

“Thanks, Kaitlyn.” He handed her his keys and headed for Maya’s Jeep. When he opened the door, the scent of cinnamon teased his senses. He smiled as he climbed into the driver’s seat. Maya liked Red Hots. He’d seen boxes of them behind the counter at the store. She was like that spicy candy. Bold, yet not abrasive. Sweet, but not a pushover. She didn’t tolerate guff from anybody and yet she was kind to everyone, if a bit standoffish.

He started up the Jeep and drove to the hospital. Bristle Township, Colorado, was barely considered a town. More of a hamlet or a village with less than a thousand full-time residents. He could walk from one end of Main Street to the other in a matter of minutes. The “downtown area” consisted of two rows of two-story buildings that housed a variety of shops, restaurants and businesses with the Community Christian Church a focal point at the north end.

The county stretched for miles but the town itself was quaint, rustic even, in some ways. That was what had drawn him to apply for the position of deputy for Bristle County to begin with when he’d left Denver. He’d wanted a simpler life in a place where he could belong.

And he would do anything to protect its citizens.

He parked the Jeep in the designated spot for the sheriff. Inside the hospital, he stopped by the front desk to let them know not to tow the Jeep, then he was given directions to Maya and Brady’s whereabouts. He entered the emergency room to find the siblings on side-by-side gurneys with a doctor and nurse hovering over them. Maya’s eyes widened when she saw him, and the small smile of welcome she gave him sent his pulse skittering.

Brady was more exuberant in his greeting. “Deputy Alex!” He waved. “Come over here and see what they’re doing to me.”

His injured ankle had been wrapped and placed in a walking boot.

“That is some fancy footwear there, Brady.”

“They shod my foot. Like a horse,” Brady said with a grin.

Turning to the doctor, Alex asked, “How are these two doing? Will they be released tonight?”

After looking to Maya for permission to share details and receiving an affirmative, the doctor said, “X-rays show no fractures for either of them. Brady will have to wear the boot for a week and follow up with his primary doctor. Maya’s shoulder will be sore for a while. I prescribed some PT. We will have to wait until the swelling goes down before we can do an MRI to see if there are any tears.”

Alex was glad to hear no bones had been broken. The worry that had been churning in his gut lessened.

“As to your other question, yes, they are good to go,” the doctor finished.

“They have both had pain medication.” The nurse handed him a small bag and a large one. “There’s more here. And here are their personal items.”

Alex glanced inside the large bag to see Brady’s backpack, shoe and Maya’s jacket.

The doctor turned to Maya. “Don’t let the pain get out of control, for either you or Brady. Stay on schedule at least for the first twenty-four hours.”

“Yes, sir,” she said.

“Your chariot awaits,” Alex said.

Two nurses appeared with wheelchairs.

“I get to ride a wheelchair,” Brady said, pumping his fist in the air.

Alex was glad to see Brady taking this all in stride. Alex still needed to question the boy to find out if he’d seen the deceased man and he had some questions about the Good Samaritan hikers. But that would have to wait.

After getting Maya and Brady into the Jeep, Alex drove them to their house, a cute little bungalow on a residential street behind the Community Christian Church.

He helped Maya out to the car. “You sure you can walk?”

She slanted him a chiding glance. “I hurt my shoulder.” She gestured to the sling encasing her right arm. “Not my legs.”

“Just checking.” He kind of wished she’d said she wanted him to pick her up again. He had liked holding her far more than he should have and the memory of her in his arms would stay with him for a long time.

However, Brady needed help so Alex scooped the boy up into his arms, carried him inside the house and placed him on the couch in the living room. Alex stepped back and looked around, liking the cozy feel of the Gallo home with its leather couches, bright throw pillows, a warm colorful woolen floor rug covering cherry hardwood floors and a gas fireplace below a flat-screen television.

One wall held bookshelves and framed photographs. His gaze snagged on a picture of the Gallo family when Maya and Brady were younger. His heart ached for the siblings’ loss.

The yellow-and-red-striped flag of Spain hung proudly on another wall. Off center in the wide yellow stripe was the decorative coat of arms, which reminded him of learning in grade school about Columbus and the New World.

“Alex, Alex!” Brady exclaimed. “Come sit with me.” He grabbed the remote. “It’s time for my show.”

“Can you hold off for a moment?” Alex asked. “I need to ask you some questions.”

Brady blinked at him. “Questions?”

“About what happened on the trail.”

“I already told you.” Brady aimed the remote at the television and turned on the device. An announcer’s voice filled the house as contestants ran through obstacle courses.

Maya touched Alex’s sleeve to get his attention. She gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen. Like the living room, the eating area was cozy and the counter and appliances clean.

Once they were out of earshot of Brady, Maya said, “I tried to get him to tell me what happened on the trail. But he clammed up and wouldn’t look me in the eye. I’ve never seen him do that before. Usually he’s so willing and eager to tell me every little detail of everything he does. This is unlike him. Something definitely happened, but for some reason he doesn’t want to talk about it.”

Alex wondered if the teen would open up if Maya weren’t around. Maybe Brady was afraid he’d get in trouble with his sister. Alex would try again to talk to Brady alone. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay. Other than the shoulder.” She turned away to busy herself making coffee with one hand. It shook and sent coffee grinds skittering across the counter. She was trying to appear strong and in control, but she’d suffered trauma out on the trail, too.

Unable to stop himself, he grasped her hand. “Coffee is not what either of us need right now.”

She stilled. He expected her to move away, but she didn’t. “Right. Caffeine probably isn’t a good idea.”

He gave her hand a squeeze, then released her. “How are you going to get Brady to his room?”

She frowned. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Kaitlyn will be here soon to stay with you.”

Worry lit her eyes. “Do you think I’m in danger?”

He wasn’t sure what to think. “I’d rather be overly cautious and not risk your safety.”

Her gaze softened to tenderness and he clenched his gut. “That’s very thoughtful of you. You’re a thoughtful man.”

Her compliment arrowed straight through him. He wasn’t used to things like that being said to him. “Thanks.” For a moment, he held her gaze, then he cleared his throat. “What can I do to help until Kaitlyn arrives?”

“If you could carry Brady to his bed that would be great,” she said. “You must be beat, as well.”

He was weary, but he wouldn’t let that keep him from helping Maya and Brady. “I’ll rest once I’m sure you’re settled for the night.”

She inclined her head. “I’d appreciate that.”

They went into the living room. Brady had fallen asleep on the couch.

“Let’s not move him.” Maya turned off the television. “There’s a blanket in the trunk in the corner.”

Alex retrieved the blanket, a fuzzy version of the Spanish flag, and spread it over Brady.

An awkward silence filled the space between them as they moved back into the kitchen.

“I take it your family has ties to Spain.” As far as small talk went, it seemed like a safe subject.

“Yes. On both sides. My father’s parents moved to the United States before my father was born. Then Dad met my mom at the University of Michigan when she was there with a study-abroad program.”

“So you have relatives still in Spain?”

She nodded. “Cousins. They live in Málaga. I visited when I was a kid. Someday I’d like to go back.”

“How did your parents end up here?” He sat on the stool.

A smile played at her pretty mouth, drawing his attention. “Dad had an interview in LA so they decided to take a road trip. He was offered the job but they weren’t sure about living in Southern California. On their way back to Michigan, they stopped here and fell in love with the town and the people.”

“It’s a great place to live.” He was thankful he’d taken the job with the sheriff’s department.

“That’s what they thought. They were staying at the Bristle Hotel and heard that people had to drive to Denver or Boulder for their hardware and feed supplies.”

“Ah. They decided to fill that need.”

“Yes.” Her gaze was curious. “What about you? Do you know your heritage?”

“No. My mother was adopted by a single woman who died long before I was born. My dad’s family lived in Alabama, but he left home at eighteen and never went back.”

“You’ve never met your grandparents?”

He shook his head. “I tried looking them up when I was a teen, but I couldn’t find the right Trevinos. No one seemed to know my dad. And he wouldn’t talk about them. I decided it didn’t matter.”

A soft knock sounded at the front door. Alex peered through the peephole. Kaitlyn. He opened the door and held a finger to his lips while pointing to Brady on the couch.

Kaitlyn nodded. She held a duffel bag in her hand. “Where shall I put my things?” she whispered.

“The den.” Maya pointed to a room off the living room. “There’s a bathroom at the end of the hall.”

Kaitlyn walked away, leaving Alex to say good-night.

“I’ll come back in the morning and check on you,” he told her. “Maybe by then Brady will be ready to talk.”

Maya opened the door and smiled at him. “I’d like that. He seems to respond well to you. Good night, Alex, and again, thank you.”

It occurred to Alex he had no way to get home. “Do you mind if I use your vehicle? Kaitlyn took my truck and Truman to her place.” He still had her keys in his pocket.

“Of course you can.” She gave him a generous smile that made him want to linger. He’d always thought she was pretty and nice but he’d never considered...

How was it that he was seeing Maya in a whole new way?

He better get his head on straight. She was a victim of a crime. She might be a damsel in distress today, but soon life would go back to the way things had always been between them. Polite acquaintances.

The thought left him cold.

* * *

Maya leaned against the closed door. It had been strange yet thrilling to have Alex in her house. His concern and care were apparent and appreciated. Had it only been this morning she’d been embarrassed because she’d thought he would think she was flirting with him through the window of the store?

So much had happened since then. And despite the terror and the trauma of the day, she had to admit she was glad to have someone like Alex watching over them.

Brady’s soft snores assured her he was still sleeping.

After Kaitlyn secured the house, making sure every door and window was locked tight, she retired to the sofa bed in the den.

Instead of going upstairs to her room, Maya grabbed another blanket from the trunk and settled herself in the recliner next to the couch. She wanted to be close in case Brady awakened. He’d be scared and in need of her.

She leaned back against the worn fabric, convinced she could still smell her father’s aftershave clinging to the material. That was ridiculous, of course, but it offered her comfort at the end of a horrifying day.

She was just dozing off when a noise at the back door sent the fine hairs on her arms standing at attention.

Holding very still, she listened, trying to discern the sound over Brady’s snoring.

Kaitlyn ran out of the den with her weapon in hand and waved Maya behind her.

Maya’s heart jolted. There was definitely something or someone trying to get in through the kitchen door.

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