area?” Nathan asked Autumn.
He had been working the case since Colleen had been killed and he’d found locals to be the most helpful. He wasn’t the outdoors type, and this investigation required a lot of time on the trail. If Autumn could fill in the knowledge he was missing, Nathan would find the killer that much faster.
Autumn shifted in her seat, pushing her dark hair over her shoulders. “I’ve lived here all my life. I know the trail and the plants and animals, at least in this immediate area.”
It was what he’d hoped to hear. “I’d like to hire you to help me.”
Autumn inclined her head. “To help you how, exactly? My brush with his victim is as close as I plan to come to a killer.”
Nathan leaned forward. “I need to know more about the trail in this area. I can tell you about the places where he strikes and you can tell me if anything near the Trail’s Edge fits the description.”
Autumn shook her head, her hair falling around her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you. I understand this is difficult for you.” She touched her fingertips to her chest, momentarily distracting him and drawing his attention. “It’s too dangerous for me to be involved.”
Returning his gaze to her face, he tried to hide the eagerness in his voice. “Please, Autumn. My family is counting on me. I will protect you and keep you safe. I will stay until we know the killer has moved on.” He had given his mother his word. He had promised her that Colleen would have justice. He couldn’t go home until he had seen his promise through.
Autumn searched his eyes. She was considering it. Weighing her options. The Huntsman was a dangerous man, and he was looking to add more victims to his list.
Nathan played his trump card. “Ford suspects your brother and I know how Ford operates. He wants someone to pin this on. Do you want that person to be your brother?”
Autumn leaned back in her chair and her eyes went wide. “My brother did not do this. I don’t care what the sheriff said or what Ford thinks.”
Though Nathan wasn’t ready to say her brother was innocent, he wasn’t jumping to the conclusion he was guilty, either. Nathan wasn’t looking for a patsy. “Then work with me to prove it.”
Autumn appeared dumbstruck for a moment. “I could show you a few places around here that are popular.”
Relief rushed over him. “Thank you, Autumn. You’re doing a brave thing.”
Autumn set her elbows on the table and rubbed her forehead.
The urge to comfort her struck him and Nathan laid his hand over hers. Unexpected heat flared at the contact. Her eyes flew to his and he held her gaze for a long, loaded moment. He had noticed how beautiful she was. It wasn’t relevant to the case, except that he’d need to remind himself to keep every interaction professional. He wasn’t opposed to breaking the rules, but only when it benefited the investigation. A flirtation or an affair with Autumn Reed would be a distraction.
Nathan withdrew his hands before he was tempted to stroke her hand or her wrist with his thumbs. “I know you’re worried about your brother. He’ll be fine. The FBI has undercover agents spreading the word to hikers.”
Autumn tucked her hands against her body. “My brother is impulsive at times. He doesn’t always stay on the trail. He might not know how dangerous it is. The best I can hope is that Blaine won’t cross paths with the killer.”
What could he say to make her feel better? The odds were small of meeting the Huntsman, but as evident by his victims, not impossible. “The trail is hundreds of miles long. The chances of this man finding your brother are slim. Males have not been his target.”
“A man? Are you sure the Huntsman is a man?” Autumn asked.
His work in psychological forensics told him they were dealing with a man, possibly ex-military, with a love of guns and an obsession with nature. “I can’t say for sure until we find him, or her, but I have a basic profile. A man, mid to late fifties, may have had a regular job in society at one time, but now he keeps to himself. People who know him would describe him as a loner.”
Autumn stood and walked to the stove. She set a teakettle on it and turned on the burner. “I don’t want to be forced from my home, but I don’t want to be foolish, either. Do you think it’s safe to stay here? I might be able to stay with a friend in town for a few nights.”
If she was away from the trail, she would be out of the killer’s reach. Based on what he knew, the killer didn’t leave the general vicinity of the Appalachian Trail. He was probably more comfortable where he had places to hide. “It’s your decision if you want to leave.” Nathan didn’t want her to feel unsafe in her home, as if she had to run and hide.
Autumn took a deep breath and seemed to consider that. “How often does a serial killer break pattern?”
Nathan hedged. He hadn’t expected the killer to leave a body this far from the trail in a nondiscreet location. “The Trail’s Edge is the first campground where a body has been found.”
Autumn shuddered. “In other words, he’s broken his pattern or there isn’t a pattern.”
Both were possibilities. “Right.”
Autumn swallowed hard. “I won’t let him chase me away from my home. I won’t go running scared. If he comes here, I’ll be ready for him.”
* * *
Autumn hated leaving the Trail’s Edge. Even when she had errands, she made them quick. In the past decade, she could count on one hand the number of times she had spent the night away from her home. The slim possibility that the killer would return to his crime scene while the FBI was circling seemed too remote a reason for relocating, something that would put her even more off balance.
Her world had been flipped upside down by the killer. She’d lost reservations. Parents who’d enrolled their children in her after-school nature program had pulled them out. She lived with the constant fear of Blaine being in danger.
Her kettle of hot water whistled and she pulled out two mismatched mugs, one with a picture of a bear stamped across the front and the other with the Trail’s Edge logo. Hot chocolate. Hot chocolate would calm her. “Can I get you a mug?” she asked and held up the box of hot chocolate.
“Thank you. That would be great.”
Autumn fixed the two drinks and handed one to Nathan. She stirred her mug and then lifted it to her lips to take a sip.
Nathan did the same with the cup she’d made him. “Thanks for the hot chocolate. What would you say to allowing me to return the favor? I can take you into town for dinner.”
Autumn almost spilled her mug. His question was a jolt to her system. Was Nathan asking her out? His interest was in tracking a killer. Was his request in that vein?
Nathan flashed a smile at her, one that reached to the corners of his eyes. It made his entire face change. The intensity disappeared, the harshness erased. He seemed more approachable and laid-back. She pressed her hands to her mug, keeping herself from reaching out and touching his jawline. Running her thumb over his lips to see if they felt as soft as they looked. Pressing her lips to his to taste him. Pushing her body up against
