The Hike
by
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Prologue Portland, OR One week ago. The pudgy older man slipped the thick white envelope across the table in the dimly lit tavern. “You don’t need to count it,” he said as sweat beaded his brow. “It’s all there: seventy-five hundred in small, unmarked bills. As we agreed, you get half now and the rest later, after the job is done.” The Ferret grabbed the envelope greedily, slapped it against the palm of his hand, then opened it, peered inside, and fanned the bills with his nicotine-stained fingertips. His shifty brown eyes widened as he licked his lips. His fingers trembled slightly as he closed the envelope and stuck it in his coat pocket. “So, it’s all set?” The Ferret asked. “They’re taking off Friday and heading up to the mountains for the hike, like they planned?” “Yes,” the other man answered. “They should be at the trailhead around eight in the morning.” He slid a map of the Bull of the Woods Wilderness Area across the table. “My friends and I will be taking off from the airport about that time. We’ll be back Sunday night. You still have the disposable cell? I’ll get in touch with you early next week. Don’t call me under any circumstances. After the dust settles, I’ll call you and we’ll meet at a different place. You’ll get the rest of your money then.” “So, you just want your wife killed? I could throw in a freebie if you want.” The Ferret was thinking of the four other women going on the hike. He knew all of them, didn’t like any of them, his own wife included. “Listen up, just my wife, you understand me?” Pudgy fingers slapped the table. The man leaned across the table and whispered, “Just my wife, nobody else; that’s all I’m paying you for. Don’t use a gun and don’t do anything stupid. Push her over the edge; make it look like an accident; don’t go getting creative on me.” He was referring to the other women. The Ferret nodded his head and said, “Okay, I got it.” But by the time his boss found out about what had happened up on that mountain, the Ferret would be long gone after having done what he had been hired to do, and then some.
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About the Book
Five women set off into the Willamette National Forest in the Oregon Cascades, primed for a hiking trip filled with relaxation and breathtaking scenery. Lexi Reynolds, a happily married real estate mogul in the mood to celebrate, heads the show. With Lexi is her sister, Leni, from New York; her secretary, Susie, who’s about to get married; a friend, Sally, who hopes to clear her head in the mountain air; and Carol Lyn, who doesn’t want to be there at all. Lexi has no idea that earlier in the week her husband hired someone to kill her. In a dark bar, Bart Reynolds made a plan with the odious Freddie “The Ferret” Feretsky. Bart wants his wife dead by the time he’s back from an innocent trip to Vegas, but he pays the Ferret to knock off Lexi—no one else. Bart has no idea that he’s hired a monster that will stop at nothing to fulfill a constant lust for human blood. What began as a peaceful romp through the quiet wilderness is about to turn into a fight to survive for five women who never saw it coming. The Ferret is on their trail, but he may have gotten in over his head. If they survive, this hike may take them all into the mouth of madness.
About the Author
Gwendolyn Robertson enjoys hiking, art, photography, and travel. Her first novel, Catcall, was published in 2009. She divides her time between Annapolis, Maryland, and the Oregon coast and is currently working on her third novel.