Margin of Error (Fog Lake Suspense Book 2) Read online

  Margin of Error

  Fog Lake Suspense, Book 2

  Christy Barritt

  Copyright © 2019 by Christy Barritt

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Complete Book List

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Epilogue

  Also by Christy Barritt:

  If you enjoyed this book, you also might enjoy:

  The Squeaky Clean Mysteries:

  Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries:

  The Worst Detective Ever:

  About the Author

  Complete Book List

  Squeaky Clean Mysteries:

  #1 Hazardous Duty

  #2 Suspicious Minds

  #2.5 It Came Upon a Midnight Crime (novella)

  #3 Organized Grime

  #4 Dirty Deeds

  #5 The Scum of All Fears

  #6 To Love, Honor and Perish

  #7 Mucky Streak

  #8 Foul Play

  #9 Broom & Gloom

  #10 Dust and Obey

  #11 Thrill Squeaker

  #11.5 Swept Away (novella)

  #12 Cunning Attractions

  #13 Cold Case: Clean Getaway

  #14 Cold Case: Clean Sweep

  While You Were Sweeping, A Riley Thomas Spinoff

  The Sierra Files:

  #1 Pounced

  #2 Hunted

  #3 Pranced

  #4 Rattled

  #5 Caged (coming soon)

  The Gabby St. Claire Diaries (a Tween Mystery series):

  The Curtain Call Caper

  The Disappearing Dog Dilemma

  The Bungled Bike Burglaries

  The Worst Detective Ever

  #1 Ready to Fumble

  #2 Reign of Error

  #3 Safety in Blunders

  #4 Join the Flub

  #5 Blooper Freak

  #6 Flaw Abiding Citizen

  #7 Gaffe Out Loud

  #8 Joke and Dagger (coming soon)

  Raven Remington

  Relentless 1

  Relentless 2 (coming soon)

  Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries:

  #1 Random Acts of Murder

  #2 Random Acts of Deceit

  #2.5 Random Acts of Scrooge

  #3 Random Acts of Malice

  #4 Random Acts of Greed

  #5 Random Acts of Fraud

  #6 Random Acts of Outrage

  #7 Random Acts of Iniquity (coming soon)

  Lantern Beach Mysteries

  #1 Hidden Currents

  #2 Flood Watch

  #3 Storm Surge

  #4 Dangerous Waters

  #5 Perilous Riptide

  #6 Deadly Undertow

  Lantern Beach Romantic Suspense

  Tides of Deception

  Shadow of Intrigue

  Storm of Doubt

  Lantern Beach P.D.

  On the Lookout

  Attempt to Locate

  First Degree Murder

  Dead on Arrival

  Plan of Action

  Carolina Moon Series

  Home Before Dark

  Gone By Dark

  Wait Until Dark

  Light the Dark

  Taken By Dark

  Suburban Sleuth Mysteries:

  Death of the Couch Potato’s Wife

  Fog Lake Suspense:

  Edge of Peril

  Margin of Error

  Cape Thomas Series:

  Dubiosity

  Disillusioned

  Distorted

  Standalone Romantic Mystery:

  The Good Girl

  Suspense:

  Imperfect

  The Wrecking

  Standalone Romantic-Suspense:

  Keeping Guard

  The Last Target

  Race Against Time

  Ricochet

  Key Witness

  Lifeline

  High-Stakes Holiday Reunion

  Desperate Measures

  Hidden Agenda

  Mountain Hideaway

  Dark Harbor

  Shadow of Suspicion

  The Baby Assignment

  The Cradle Conspiracy (coming soon)

  Nonfiction:

  Characters in the Kitchen

  Changed: True Stories of Finding God through Christian Music (out of print)

  The Novel in Me: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing and Publishing a Novel (out of print)

  1

  Hunger and anger battled inside him like two storm fronts colliding. A violent friction clashed in his very soul.

  A low growl formed in his chest. No one else heard it. But he felt it rumble inside him, stirring up emotions best left dormant.

  Two men sat perched on a fallen tree. Beer cans surrounded them. Joints dangled from their mouths. Lewd jokes passed between them.

  His hands fisted. They had no respect. He was so tired of people not caring. Of people acting like they owned the world.

  They didn’t.

  Men like these didn’t deserve this mountain. They didn’t understand the land.

  Most of all, they didn’t belong here in his territory.

  The growl inside him grew louder, harder to ignore.

  As he blended with the shadows, his fingers dug into the tree in front of him. Each scratch of his skin against the rough wood sent a shiver of delight through him and made him feel more alive.

  Do it, an internal voice told him.

  Another voice reminded him that this wasn’t right. Told him he should leave and let law enforcement take care of these hoodlums.

  But he couldn’t. He was fully committed right now. He had a mission, a purpose.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The woodsy scent of the trees filled his nostrils. Barren branches clacked against each other above him. The cold wind slapped his face. Each refueled him and confirmed the task before him.

  He would do whatever it took to protect this land.

  He’d been watching these two for the past hour, and they had no idea.

  They thought they were alone out there. Hiking. Camping. Being men.

  These boys would soon find out that there was nothing manly about them.

  Soon, they’d be reduced to the beg
innings of dust. They’d go back to where they came from. Back to the dirt.

  And no one would care.

  A smile stretched across his face at the thought, and he salivated for the moment he could send his message loud and clear. It had been too long since he’d stood up for what he believed.

  Now was the time. He’d lain dormant, but he was like a bear coming out of hibernation.

  One man tossed an empty beer can into the brush.

  His hands fisted with anger.

  The boys had no respect. For people. For this sacred place.

  At the thought, his anger burned as red hot as the summer sun.

  And suddenly he could wait no longer.

  Extending his claws, he flew from his hiding spot like a cougar pouncing on its prey. He was out for blood, and he would get what he wanted. He pitied anyone who tried to stop him.

  2

  Brynlee Parker’s muscles ached. Her lungs squeezed. Her skin felt numb with cold.

  Why had she ever thought this hike was a good idea? She was only an hour in and already felt winded, tired, and miserable.

  The man at the camping store had been right. This was no hike for beginners. Her whole life people had told her she couldn’t. Now she was telling herself she could.

  She paused on the trail long enough to sag against a chilly boulder and catch her breath. A cold breeze swept around her, reminding her that she should have trained more.

  I’m doing this for you, Dad.

  This hike was his dream, his wish. Brynlee had to see this through in honor of his memory.

  That was the only reason she’d come here to Fog Lake, Tennessee. This location was beautiful. More than beautiful. The town was tucked away into the mountains, not far from the tourist hub known as Gatlinburg. Though Brynlee had just begun to explore the area, something magical seemed to tinge the air.

  This journey up the mountainside would be a catharsis. It would be healing. A time to find herself.

  She’d waited for too long to take the leap.

  Maybe, in the process, her dad’s family would finally accept her, and Brynlee would have the support system she’d always longed for.

  Voices caught her ear. She glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the sound came from. Through the trees below, she spotted two hikers perched on a fallen log. They appeared to have ventured off the trail and set up camp near the creek below.

  She narrowed her eyes as recognition filled her.

  Those two.

  Brynlee had stopped by the trailhead last evening just as they had been setting out. The two college boys had crudely asked her to join them.

  She’d refused.

  They’d been pushy, and their breath reeked of alcohol. It wouldn’t surprise her if their backpacks were mostly full of beer. Their reasons for coming up this mountain weren’t the same as Brynlee’s. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

  Before the men could take it any further, she’d climbed in her SUV and gotten far away.

  Brynlee stared down at them now and shook her head. The two sat shooting the breeze. Parts of their conversation drifted up to her, confirming they were jerks. Bona fide jerks.

  She’d been around plenty of guys like them in her twenty-eight years.

  Based on their spilled backpacks and the strewn trash around them, they’d made themselves a little too comfortable. Some people came here to enjoy nature. Others came for the privacy nature afforded—privacy to do things like getting high. One of her interior design clients had spent time hiking the Appalachian Trail and had told her stories.

  Brynlee needed to keep moving. The last thing she wanted was for them to see an opportunity that she didn’t desire. She’d dealt with enough situations like that growing up.

  While her mom had been singing on grimy stages at rinky-dink bars, Brynlee had been left to fend for herself. And too many drunk men had seen opportunities, especially as Brynlee had grown older.

  Brynlee dragged in a few more ragged breaths. She just needed a couple more minutes of rest before she continued hiking. She could do this. She would do this.

  There was only one way to get to the top of this mountain, and that was on foot.

  She let her backpack slide from her shoulders to the ground.

  Nothing had prepared her for this hike. For the thin, cold air. The uphill climb. The narrow path riddled with rocks and roots.

  And again—this was the easy part.

  She pulled out her water bottle and took a long sip.

  Five minutes. That’s all the time you’ve got, and then you start again.

  Parkers don’t give up.

  Brynlee’s mom had unsuccessfully followed her dreams until the day she died. Brynlee pushed aside the fact that nearly every day of her childhood, she had resented the fact her mom had pursued such hopeless dreams.

  Maybe giving up was a good idea sometimes.

  She glanced down at the two other hikers again. She sat in a shadowed area, so the two men probably had no idea she was here. As they laughed raucously at another perverse joke, it only confirmed her initial thought. Jerks.

  Just like most of the men who’d ever been in her life.

  She couldn’t sit here and listen to them anymore. She needed to keep moving.

  Brynlee started to stand. But, as she did, a new sound cut through the air.

  A sickening roar.

  Her muscles lurched.

  Screams echoed over the mountain.

  Yells.

  Shouts of terror.

  Slowly, she pivoted toward the men.

  Her eyes widened in horror when she saw a beast emerge from the woods. His claws sliced into one man’s neck. Blood spurted. The man fell to the ground.

  The other man stumbled back, trying to get away. But the beast lunged toward him, capturing him.

  Brynlee’s eyes remained locked on the nightmare in front of her.

  The beast—that was all she knew to call whatever that thing was—demolished the other man, leaving him like a limp, bleeding ragdoll on the forest floor.

  She swallowed a scream.

  What in the world was happening . . . ?

  Leave, Brynlee. Leave. Before it sees you.

  An internal nudging finally took root in her head.

  Why was she just sitting here? She needed to go. Now.

  As a surge of adrenaline rushed through her, she jumped to her feet.

  Her shoe hit a pebble.

  She held her breath as the stone tumbled down the mountainside.

  Toward the scene below.

  The beast looked up at her, its eyes savage and hungry.

  Fear exploded inside her.

  Brynlee took off in a run, knowing if the beast caught her, she’d face a certain—and painful—death.

  “And then Danny Axon threw up all over her. I mean, all over her. His date was horrified—as was everyone else in Hanky’s. Who am I kidding? Everyone else was laughing hysterically. The man deserves a good dose of humility!”

  Boone Wilder listened as Chigger Wati continued on, his chubby face animated with every new detail. It wasn’t that Boone didn’t care about his employee’s story. His mind was just in a different place right now.

  March 26 was always a difficult day. At least, it had been for the past five years. Add to that the fact that the future of Falling Timbers Camping and General Store was on the rocks, and he was in a rotten mood. He had employees who depended on him. What would he do if this place was shut down?

  Boone uncrossed his arms and grabbed a dart. Aiming carefully, he drew his arm back and launched.

  It hit the bullseye.

  “So, how about that woman who came in here earlier?” Chigger said, undeterred by Boone’s lack of response just moments earlier. The man’s nickname wasn’t an accident. No, Chigger had a tendency to get under people’s skin and irritate them to no end. But his deep, infectious laugh made up for his otherwise grating lack of social awareness.

  “Which woman?” Boone ask
ed, throwing another dart.

  “The one who asked if we had any organic snacks for the trail or if we had any tips for hiking to Dead Man’s Bluff.”

  Boone remembered the customer well. In fact, he’d been thinking about her since she left. It was hard to forget the woman—and not just because she was beautiful. She also seemed stubborn and hardheaded.

  “You mean Ms. LL Bean?” Boone asked.

  Chigger laughed. “She’s the one. Not your typical hiker.”

  “Not at all.” The woman had looked like she’d gone on a shopping spree at an expensive clothing outfitter just so she could look good in her puffy vest, jeans, and expensive boots as she posed for social media photos. “Hope she’s doing okay out there.”

  Boone had tried to tell the woman that going alone was a bad idea. She had the wrong gear. Horrible hiking boots. No clue how to get help if she hurt herself while alone on the trail. There was hardly any cell phone reception up that way.

  He threw another dart, a little harder than he should have.

  That woman wouldn’t make it three miles.

  “I don’t know what some people are thinking.” Chigger leaned with his elbows on the wooden counter near the register. “But it’s a free world, so people can make their own choices—stupid or not.”

  That might be true, but Boone couldn’t help but think he should have tried harder to stop the woman. Or told her he could act as a guide on her trip. But she’d been determined to go today, and Boone couldn’t just drop everything he was doing and leave. She should have planned better.