Fatal Descent Read online

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  Fatal Descent © 2013 Beth Groundwater

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Midnight Ink, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First e-book edition © 2013

  E-book ISBN: 978-0-7387-3524-5

  Book design by Donna Burch

  Cover art : Aurora Open/The Agency Collection/PunchStock

  The Rio Santo Domingo: Michael & Jennifer Lewis/

  National Geographic/PunchStock

  Cover design by Lisa Novak

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  dedication

  To river guides everywhere, a hardy breed

  who labor long hours with little pay

  to provide river runners with a safe

  and fun experience.

  one

  We are now ready to start on our way down the Great

  Unknown. … The men talk as cheerfully as ever;

  but to me the cheer is somber and the jests are ghastly.

  —john wesley powell

  “I could kill him.”

  With hands on her hips, Mandy Tanner surveyed the pile of gear heaped in the back room of the outfitter’s building. The rafts, oars and paddles, sleeping bags, mats, and tents were all there, as were the kitchen supplies, water jugs, coolers, portable toilet, first-aid kit, handheld radio transceiver, and myriad other supplies needed for a multi-day rafting trip. But Gonzo, one of the guides and their provisioner, had forgotten to bring some vital equipment—camping lanterns to light their campsites in the evenings.

  Mandy swallowed to tamp down the frustration threatening to clog her throat. That meant the only light they would have at night would be thin beams cast by flashlights or headlamps. Could they make do? No, dammit. They had to have at least two lanterns, and preferably a third for backup.

  Mandy’s fiancé and business partner, Rob Juarez, gave a shrug. “Gonzo will find some.”

  How could Rob be so nonchalant? She gazed at his infuriatingly calm and handsome face. “The clients will start arriving any minute, and I was counting on Gonzo’s jokes to put everyone in a good mood. He’s supposed to be here to meet and greet them instead of running around Moab trying to beg lanterns off another outfitter. With so many outfitters closed for the season, it’ll be tough finding them.”

  Contrary to her better judgment, Mandy and Rob had assigned Gonzo Gordon, their best rafting guide, to provision this expedition, their first outside of Colorado. She would have preferred to let Gonzo learn the ropes on a local trip that was less complicated. But Rob had suggested it to show their support of and trust in Gonzo, who was making good progress in his alcohol rehabilitation program. And Gonzo had assured her—multiple times—that he could handle being the “Quartermaster,” as he had dubbed himself.

  “‘No problemo’, he kept telling me,” Mandy said as she stared at the equipment pile, “and now look where we are.”

  Rob put a firm hand on each of her shoulders and turned her to face him. His puppy-dog brown eyes crinkled with worry as his gaze searched her face. “Yes. Look where we are. We are in Moab, Utah, ready to embark on our first combo rafting and climbing trip. We have twelve paying clients and all the gear we need except for two lousy lanterns.” He cocked his head. “You don’t usually get this stressed out by trip snafus. What’s got mi querida wound up so tight?”

  While he waited for an explanation, he massaged her tight shoulders, easing the tension out of them. “Take a deep breath.”

  Mandy did, inhaling Rob’s familiar aroma of leather, soap, and the grassy outdoors, and blew the breath out slowly. This was no way to start out. She needed to be relaxed and cheerful for the clients to make sure they felt excited and confident about taking the five-day, hundred-mile trip down the Colorado River. They would travel along the placid waters of Meander Canyon, the whitewater rapids of Cataract Canyon, and a finger of Lake Powell that had flooded lower Cataract Canyon before they took out at Hite Marina. She couldn’t let her own worries cloud the clients’ perceptions of the upcoming adventure.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s not Gonzo’s fault. It’s mine for not going over the manifest with him. I’ve been too distracted to manage the setup for this trip as well as I should have.”

  “This is the way it’s going to be as our business grows, Mandy,” Rob responded with frustrating reasonableness. “You’ll have to trust our employees to do their jobs. You can’t do everything. And what’s been distracting you?” He grinned lasciviously. “The handsome hunk you’re going to marry in a few months?”

  Mandy finally smiled. She playfully slapped the standing waves tattoo on one of his muscular biceps. “Sure, I can’t keep my hands off your bodacious bod.”

  Rob turned his face to show her his profile. “More like bashed-up bod.”

  She traced a gentle finger down his crooked nose, accidentally broken by one of his best friends when Rob tried to break up a fist fight between fishermen. “The bashes just make you look more hot, my macho mountain man. No, the problem is the handsome hunk’s mother, who has to talk to me every single bleeding day about the wedding plans.”

  “Ah-ha.” He gave a knowing nod of his square bronzed chin. “The truth comes out.”

  Mandy’s parents had been killed in a car accident the summer before her senior year of high school. So after Rob’s mother finished gushing over the news of their engagement, she offered to help Mandy plan the wedding.

  “At first I was really glad to have her help, because I know a lot more about planning a rafting trip,” Mandy swept an arm toward the pile of supplies, “than a wedding. But, sheesh, all the details are driving me crazy. The colors, the cake, the bridesmaid dresses and gifts, the meanings of the damn flowers—”

  Rob stopped her with a kiss, which deepened into a long, savoring smooch that warmed her to her toes. She couldn’t help but respond in kind. Finally he pulled back but kept his arms around her, his hands caressing her back. “Mama is so excited. She hasn’t planned a wedding before.”

  “But your sister was married.” Before divorcing her abusive husband.

  “I must’ve never told you that they eloped,�
�� Rob said with a frown. “They robbed Mama of what she views as a mother’s God-given right. She sees our wedding as a way to make up for that.”

  “I guess that explains some of her mania …”

  “And Catholic Hispanic mamas live for weddings,” Rob added with a laugh. “Mama’s the star of her neighborhood in Pueblo. The other ladies gather around her every Sunday after church to hear about the plans. She’s in the spotlight and loving every minute.”

  Mandy tilted her head and grinned playfully. “Maybe we should elope!”

  “No way, José. And don’t ever joke about that to Mama. She’d have a heart attack.” His brow furrowed. “You know she’s going to be a big part of our lives after we’re married. Are you going to be able to get along with her?”

  “I’m sure it’s just the wedding that’s making us both crazy now. I think your mom’s great, Rob, and she’s been wonderful, really, about welcoming me into the family. We won’t have any issues after we’re married.” At least, Mandy hoped so.

  She had a thought, and with a laugh, changed the subject. “I wonder how she’s getting along with Lucky right now.” Rob’s mom had volunteered to let Mandy’s golden retriever stay with her during the trip. “He’s a good dog, but he can be rambunctious.”

  Rob smiled. “She loves dogs. You may have a problem making her give up Lucky when we get back.”

  Kendra Lee, their second-best rafting guide, walked into the room. She stopped and put a hand on a jutted-out hip. Her eyes twinkled and a broad grin split her beautiful ebony face. “The first clients have arrived. Can you keep your hands off each other long enough to check them in?”

  Rob released Mandy and yanked her blond ponytail. “Got your happy face on?”

  Mandy flashed him a bright, perky smile. “Yes, now that I’ve realized your mom won’t be able to reach me for five whole days. In a way I’m glad there’s no cell phone service on the river and we can only radio out from a few locations. I’m sure your mom doesn’t like it, but I’m really looking forward to a break in wedding planning.”

  Rob glanced at the radio transceivers. “Since the radio is really just for emergencies, hopefully we won’t have to make any calls on it.”

  _____

  Mandy stepped into the front room of the building with Rob, leaving Kendra in the back room to deal with packing the food. They were borrowing the building of a Moab-based outfitter that had closed up shop in the middle of September. Mandy and Rob’s own business, RM Outdoor Adventures, was based in Salida, Colorado. The RM stood for both Rocky Mountains and Rob and Mandy. Along with renting the other outfitter’s building to check in clients and gear, they were able to run their trip under the other company’s Utah rafting license because they had hired their expert climbing guide to come along.

  Like most of those who worked in the adventure travel field, Mandy and Rob juggled multiple jobs. Besides their joint business, Mandy worked as a seasonal river ranger on the Arkansas River in the summer and as a ski patroller at Monarch Mountain in the winter. Rob stitched together a patchwork of construction and carpentry jobs during the off-seasons. And, he was extending their outfitting business into the shoulder spring and fall seasons by adding fly-fishing, horseback riding, and other trips that were not dependent on Colorado’s summer snow melt that kept its whitewater rivers gushing.

  This climbing and rafting trip was one of those experiments. It was taking place during early October when most of the outfitters had already shuttered their doors. Mandy flashed Rob a crossed-fingers-for-good-luck sign behind her back as the two of them stepped up to the counter. Hopefully the experiment would work.

  Two women stood at the other side of the counter. They both had tightly curled hair, though the younger one’s was a lighter brown and longer than the older one’s. Their similar heart-shaped faces and features showed they were related. Probably mother and daughter, Mandy surmised. The mother’s leathery skin and smattering of wrinkles and sun spots indicated she was a middle-aged outdoorswoman. In marked contrast with her daughter’s loose T-shirt, the mother wore a V-necked stretch top that clung to her curves and showed some cleavage.

  “Hello, ladies.” Rob held out a hand. “I presume you’re here for our Cataract Canyon rafting and climbing trip.”

  The older woman shook his hand and eyed him up and down. “I must say I’m looking forward to the scenery.” She shot an amused grin at her daughter, who rolled her eyes.

  Rob just smiled and said, “I’m Rob Juarez and this is my partner and fiancée, Mandy Tanner. We’ll be your lead guides on the trip.”

  While Mandy shook the women’s hands, she thought, thank goodness he likes using that word fiancée so much. She bet Rob couldn’t wait until they were married and he started calling her his wife. Her independent streak had not quite reconciled itself to that term, but she had to admit that she liked the idea of staking her own claim on Rob by calling him her husband.

  The women introduced themselves as Elsa Norton, the mother, and Tina Norton, the daughter. Mandy remembered that Tina, a college junior majoring in elementary education at the University of Wyoming, had booked the trip. She had been a little worried about missing classes for it.

  “I remember taking your call,” Mandy said to Tina. “Were your professors okay with you taking this trip?”

  Tina nodded. “It worked out great. I’m only missing three classes and a lab, and I can make up the lab after I get back on Friday.”

  “As a professor at the university myself,” Elsa added, “I was ready to jump in and make some calls for Tina if I had to. Missing one or two classes is nothing compared to the experiences this trip will allow her to share with her future students.”

  Rob cocked his head as he slid release forms into two clipboards. “What do you teach?”

  “Geology,” Elsa replied.

  “You’ll find gobs of cool formations in the Canyonlands.” Mandy checked the trip roster. “We have three of you signed up. Where’s—?”

  “Three?” Elsa raised an eyebrow at Tina.

  Tina fidgeted, glanced at the wall clock, then back at her mother. “I told you I wanted this to be a family trip, since I’ll be busy student-teaching soon and I don’t know when we’ll have the time later on.”

  “Family? Who else did you invite? Your cousin Kathy?”

  “No.” Tina rubbed her hands on her jeans, took a deep breath, and faced her mother. “Dad.”

  Elsa’s eyes bugged out. “Your father? You invited Paul on this trip? When were you going to tell me?”

  Mandy turned to Rob, and a meaningful glance flashed between them. Trouble.

  Tina’s chin quivered. “I kept trying to bring it up, but I could never find the right time. I figured it would all work out once he appeared.” She burrowed her head into her shoulders like a frightened turtle.

  Elsa finally seemed to realize that Rob and Mandy were watching the argument. She turned to them. “Tina’s father and I have been divorced for a year. For good reason.” She glared at Tina. “How could you do this to me? To him? Do you know how miserable the two of us will be?”

  Mandy nudged Rob and pointed at the trip roster, which also listed tent assignments. They had allocated two 4-man tents and five 2-man tents to the trip, thinking the two families would occupy the larger tents. The Nortons were one of those families.

  A man walked into the room. He was of medium height and medium build, with graying, mousy-brown hair and bifocal glasses. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the lack of sunshine. Mandy was struck with the thought that mousy was an appropriate description for the whole man—his nondescript clothing, pallid skin, withdrawn demeanor, and thin-fingered hands all fit. All he lacked were twitching long whiskers on his clean-shaven cheeks.

  Then a smile lit up his face. “Tina!” He held out his arms.

  “Dad!” Tina ran into his embrace.

  Elsa
Norton crossed her arms, murder in her gaze.

  Paul Norton glanced at his ex-wife, then at Tina. “When did you tell her I was coming?”

  Tina cringed. “Just now.”

  “Cripes.” Paul looked up at the ceiling, then squared his shoulders and walked toward the counter, Tina tucked under one arm. He stopped in front of Elsa. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew and were okay with this.”

  “No, I’m not okay with this,” Elsa said between clenched teeth. “But I can’t back out now. I’ve already taken the leave and arranged for a sub. And I’m sure these good people aren’t going to give me a refund at this late date.” She swept a hand in Mandy’s and Rob’s direction.

  Paul touched her shoulder, but when she flinched, he quickly removed his hand. “For Tina’s sake, we can make this work. We’ve already done enough arguing for a lifetime. Let’s just try to have a fun vacation.”

  Elsa glanced at Tina, who looked hopefully from her father to her mother. Elsa exhaled, unclenched her arms, and held up her hands. “For Tina’s sake, I’ll try to be civil, but I’m not sharing a raft with you—or a tent either.” She raised an eyebrow at Mandy.

  Mandy took her cue. “It’s no problem. We’ll put you and your daughter in a 2-man tent and Mister Norton in another 2-man tent.” How she was going to reshuffle the other tent assignments, she had no idea.

  Elsa nodded. “Good.”

  “It’s probably best for me to be in my own tent, anyway,” Paul said, “because I snore like the dickens.”

  “Does he!” Elsa covered her ears with her hands. “I had to wear earplugs to bed when we were married.”

  Paul’s assumption he could have a tent to himself was a leap. The trip instructions had explicitly said that all tents would be shared because of the tight space on the rafts. But Mandy decided to wait until she had juggled tent assignments before she said anything to him. Maybe she really could put him by himself and spare some other guy a bunch of sleepless nights.

  Paul sniffed. “The snoring’s probably related to my allergies. So I should pitch my tent away from the others each night.”