Army Ranger Redemption Read Free

here? More bear traps?”
    Jim shifted his gaze to Scarlett’s face. She hadn’t told him about any shots being fired out here or any bear traps. That’s all he needed for his other leg—a bear trap.
    “Cody, you remember Jim Kennedy, don’t you?” She swept her arm in his direction.
    With his left hand, Jim shook Cody Unger’s hand. Must be Deputy Cody Unger now. He’d been the high school quarterback and an all-around good guy. Jim hadn’t known him well—different circles.
    “Kennedy.” Unger nodded. “Did you find him?”
    “Scarlett did.” Jim held up his right palm. “But I checked him out. He has a wound to the chest and lost a lot of blood. This way.”
    As Jim led the way with his flashlight, Scarlett asked Unger, “Where’s Sheriff Musgrove?”
    “I called him. He’s not feeling well, told me to handle it.”
    Jim stopped and pointed to the arm flung out on the trail. “That’s him. The rest of his body is beneath those bushes. I don’t know how he got there, but both Scarlett and I heard a scream or a cry earlier. Must’ve been him.”
    “I have a couple of other deputies en route. They can canvass this area.” Unger squatted down next to the body and pushed the bushes away from it while shining his flashlight on the man’s face. “Doesn’t look familiar. Let’s get out of the way and let the EMTs do their thing.”
    The EMTs squeezed past them as Jim and Scarlett followed Unger back to the access road.
    “Do you mind if we talk inside your cabin, Scarlett?”
    “I was hoping you’d ask.” She sniffled. “It’s cold out here.”
    They ran into the other two deputies in front of Scarlett’s cabin and Unger instructed them to look for evidence in the area and to check for the man’s ID.
    Once inside the cabin, Unger pulled a kit out of the black bag slung across his body. “I’m going to scrape some of that blood from your hand and get it on a slide. Then you can wash it off.”
    Jim held out his hand, palm up, and Unger ran a stick over his skin to collect a sampling of the blood. He transferred it to a slide, sealed another slide on top of the first one and dropped it into a plastic bag. “You can clean up now. Thanks for preserving the evidence.”
    Scarlett tapped his arm. “Bathroom’s the first door on your right.”
    The art gallery spilled over to the bathroom with a border of flowers and cupids painted on the wallpaper and a mirror that looked fit for a wood sprite, with carved leaves and flowers curling around its edges.
    Jim soaped up his hand and removed the blood. He didn’t want to mess up any of Scarlett’s artfully placed towels with residual blood, so he plucked a couple of tissues from the box and wiped off his hands just in case. He dropped them in the toilet and flushed.
    He hunched forward, studying his reflection in the mirror, and grimaced. How the hell had he gotten mixed up with a dead body his first week back in Timberline? Not exactly the way to keep a low profile.
    When he returned to the front room, he interrupted Scarlett reenacting the moment when the man grabbed her ankle.
    “So, I kicked out, fell on the ground and screamed, just not sure of the order of those actions.”
    Unger turned to him, his notebook in hand. “That’s when you returned? When you heard Scarlett scream?”
    “I ran back, she pointed out the body and I felt his pulse and his chest.” He wiped his damp hand on his jeans. “That’s how I got his blood on me. I felt for a pulse first and listened for his breath, too. He was dead.”
    “You ever had any CPR training, Kennedy?” Unger tapped his pencil against his pad.
    “Six years as an army ranger sniper. I know the signs of a dead body when I see ’em, and I know when it’s too late to render aid.”
    As he held Unger’s gaze, he heard Scarlett’s sharp intake of breath.
    A slow smile spread across Unger’s face. “I guess you know what you’re doing. Did either of you recognize him?”
    “I didn’t get