Silent Fall

streets had made trying to survive only that much more difficult.
    She moved away from the window and sat down on the bed, staring at the phone. She couldn’t shake the desire to call Dylan and find out if he was all right. She hadn’t seen him since she’d left him at the bar with that woman. She’d looked for him several times during the reception, especially when Jake and Sarah had wanted to say good-bye to him, but he’d been nowhere in sight. Jake had joked that his brother had probably gotten lucky. And she’d figured he was right. But now she wondered.... Dylan and Jake were so tight, as close as brothers could be. Would Dylan have really taken off with a woman at his brother’s wedding? It seemed unlikely.
    Giving in to impulse, she picked up the phone and dialed the hotel operator, asking for his room. The phone rang and rang, finally giving way to voice mail. She hung up, her hand shaking. He might just be a heavy sleeper. Or he could be spending the night with that woman.
    Catherine crawled under the covers and pulled the blankets up to her chin. She stared at the clock, watching each minute tick away. She wanted to sleep, but she knew she couldn’t, not until the sun came up and her fears went back into hiding.

Chapter Two

    Dylan stirred, feeling something sharp stabbing the middle of his back. His head felt thick, a dull pain reverberating from the front of his skull down to his neck and shoulders. His lids were heavy, and it took him a second to get his eyes open, another minute to realize he was lying flat on his back on the ground. He reached under his body and yanked out a pinecone, the source of his discomfort.
    The sun was just beginning to rise over the tall trees that surrounded him, the air still chilled with the icy cold of dawn. A few wispy clouds hung in the otherwise blue sky. It was morning, he realized, feeling half-witted. What the hell had happened? Why was he on the ground in the woods? Had he gotten drunk and passed out? He struggled to sit up.
    There was dirt on his pants and on the sleeves of his charcoal gray suit. A cut on the top of his hand had swelled up, his skin now puffy and red. A glance at his watch told him it was seven fifteen in the morning. And the last thing he remembered was... what?
    He drew in a deep breath and ordered himself to think. The view reminded him that he was in Lake Tahoe and that Jake had just gotten married. Dylan had been at the wedding reception, sitting at the bar. He’d spoken to Catherine, and then Erica had arrived. She’d wanted to talk to him. She’d given him champagne. They’d taken a walk -- a long walk.
    His pulse began to race as he jerked to his feet, suddenly feeling vulnerable. He looked around him, but he could see nothing but trees and the downward-sloping hillside that led to the edge of a cliff -- a sheer drop to the lake below. Erica had brought him to this spot. She’d said something about having no choice, but the rest of her words were a blur. He remembered feeling sick, too weary to walk, as if he’d been drugged. That had to be what had happened. Erica must have put something in his champagne. But why would she do that?
    He checked his pockets. His wallet was intact, along with a couple hundred dollars. She hadn’t taken his money or his watch, and he had nothing else of value on him -- unless she’d wanted something from his room. He patted down his pockets again, realizing he didn’t have his car keys. Had he left them in the room? And speaking of his room, where was his room key? He’d brought his laptop with him to do some work. Some of his files and notes from the Ravino case were on it. Had Erica wanted some piece of information?
    Was that why she’d drugged him and lured him out to the woods, so she could get into his room?
    A stirring nearby made him turn his head. Was the rustle of leaves and branches the work of squirrels or birds, or was someone watching him? Was it Erica? Was she about to put another part of her plan into action? He needed to return to the lodge, but he was disoriented, so he took a minute to figure out which direction to go. Stumbling on the dirt and rocks, he made his way slowly through the trees, eventually finding a trail.
    It took him a while to reach the lodge. He hadn’t realized how far they’d walked the night before. Erica had obviously wanted to get him far enough away from the property so that no one