The Hunter: Will You Be Next?: Steele Resolve, #1

By Stephanie Colbert

An isolated mountain town. A deranged killer. A woman who refuses to be his prey…

Amanda Steele just wants to be left alone. Still grieving after the death of her husband, she has retreated to a peaceful mountain cabin, where she lives a quiet life with her loyal German shepherd. But in a town full of hunters, Amanda's land attracts a small army of poachers. And her anti-hunting views have made her plenty of enemies…

Then The Hunter makes his first kill.

When Amanda and the town sheriff track a poacher through the dark forest surrounding her cabin, they are horrified to discover a grisly corpse hanging from a tree. The dead woman has been skinned and gutted, like a hunter's trophy. The state police send Detective Gabe Bradford to investigate…

A chilling new hunt has begun.

As the body count begins to rise, Amanda and Gabe quickly discover they are on their own. Cut off from the outside world in a town paralyzed by fear, they can only trust each other. But when another mutilated body turns up on Amanda's property, they realize the terror is even closer than they thought. Can they work together to unravel the identity of this shadowy killer?

Or will the screams of his prey echo through the dark trees?

Fans of Darcy Coates, Amy Cross, and Joe R. Lansdale will love this chilling tale of psychological horror. The Hunter hits the mark for heart-stopping, pulse-pounding terror… Read it today.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stephanie Colbert
• Release date: Nov 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386297437

Book preview

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you, to my family for all their support and love without which I would never be able to fulfill my dream, for writing is a joy and passion. I will forever be grateful for the words of encouragement from my dear friend Anna Lyslet, and for the way she has broadened my horizons. A special thanks to Bronagh Donnelly and Michael McShane for their invaluable assistance. And to my two rescue dogs, who keep me company when I write.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..........................................III

PROLOGUE ..............................................................VI

CHAPTER ONE

The Beginning of the Dead

CHAPTER TWO

Is He, or Isn’t He?

CHAPTER THREE

Fade to Black

CHAPTER FOUR

Blood and Thunder

CHAPTER FIVE

Goodbye

CHAPTER SIX

Patience

CHAPTER SEVEN

Hanging Around for You

CHAPTER EIGHT

Will Power

CHAPTER NINE

The Lewd, the Bad and the Beautiful

CHAPTER TEN

Surprise!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Who’s Stubborn?

CHAPTER TWELVE

Food for Thought

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Rocky Road

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Hunts Up?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

For the Love of Gabe

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

The girl gasped for air and tried to stifle it, but a sob of deep, tormented despair escaped from her lips. Don’t! Her legs ached from running, but she couldn’t stop. At first, adrenaline had burned hot as it coursed through her veins, allowing her to run faster than she ever thought she could. Now, she was paying the price because she suffered from fatigue so great her body begged her to stop, but her tortured mind wasn’t ready to give up—yet. At first, she had thought to hide but somehow knew that, no matter how great the hiding place, it would never be good enough. Her mind could come up with no other plans, so she did the only thing she could do—run. But, somehow, he had stayed behind her, no matter how fast she ran. Oh, dear God! I don’t want to die! she gasped, although her words were futile since there was no who could help her that could hear their sound.

She turned to look again, and he was close enough behind her that she could see that he was smiling. She felt trapped in a horrific nightmare from which she couldn’t wake up.

It had been a mistake to look back. As she turned her head to face forward again, she realized that, but it was too late. The ground was rocky, and she tripped. Desperate, she tried to regain her balance she so put her arms out, and they flailed about. But she found herself face down in the snow, and her right leg caused her to cringe in pain from where she had hit it on the rock. But she had to get up. Somehow, she managed, but she cried out in anguish when she tried to run. Then she felt a hand grab her from behind.

No!

CHAPTER ONE

The Beginning of the Dead

A

manda Steele drove up in her 2005 Jeep and parked in front of the small wooden building, bordered by Boot Hill Hunting Supplies, on the left, and Grapevine Grocery, on the right. The town, Boot Hill, Colorado, population 1236, was a speck on the map on Pikes Peak Highway, which ran high up into the Rocky Mountains.

The building in front of Amanda was notable because of the large metal sign that read: Sheriff’s Office. A place Amanda knew well. As she strode towards the entrance with clenched fists and her body tense, she thought about how futile her visits had been. It didn’t help when she opened the door and went in that she caught a glimpse of the Sheriff ducking into his office.

He’s not in, Amanda.

Mary, don’t cover for him; I just saw him going into hiding. Amanda’s shook her head in disbelief. Sheriff come out here right now! Amanda, although diminutive in size, and barely one-hundred pounds, made an imposing figure. With her long, blond hair and bright blue eyes, she somehow managed to look as though she could tackle a bear and win. A talent that might come in handy if she ever ran into one.

It took a minute before the Sheriff responded, then he nonchalantly stepped out into the central part of the building. But by the way his hands trembled, his casual manner was a façade.

Good morning, Amanda. The Sheriff was a large man, with a head full of gray hair and a protruding stomach. Amanda had been told that he had been the only one on the ballot since old man Simpson died. But that never stopped him from campaigning like it was a close race. Amanda shook her head thinking about it and how much the town needed a decent Sheriff.

Don’t good morning me! I know your avoiding me means Mary gave you my message.

But Amanda, I—

Zip it, Mary. What do you have to say for yourself, Sheriff?

What do I have to say? The same thing I do every time you come in here bossing everyone around. ‘There’s nothing I can do.’ You know there are only two of us, and we can’t go to your property every time a hunter sets foot on it. Especially since just about everyone in town is a hunter, and your place is a prime hunting ground. The Sheriff had started his speech in a normal tone but had gotten himself so worked up that, by the time he finished, he was out of breath. Partly because he was yelling, but mostly because he hadn’t paused to inhale, leaving his words sounding like one long sentence.

Does that mean you’re coming out to take a look, Sheriff? Amanda stood there staring at him, one-foot tapping on the wooden floor. She didn’t plan on leaving until she got what she came for.

Damn it! Let me get my hat and coat, and I’ll meet you there. But his words didn’t elicit the response he must have expected, because Amanda continued to stand there staring at him, still tapping her foot, and the longer she stared, the more nervous he acted.

What? he asked, then tried inconspicuously to check his fly. When he was sure that wasn’t the problem he repeated himself, but this time with feigned self-confidence.

What? Why are you standing there staring at me?

Because I’m waiting so I can follow you. I don’t want you getting lost again. Amanda did not attempt to hide her sarcasm. In fact, she clearly emphasized it.

I said I was coming. Can’t you hang on a minute? He seemed resigned to the fact that he had no choice. His jacket, mud boots, and hat were by the front door, so Amanda gracefully moved out of his way, leaving him just enough room to squeeze by. He got ready in a hurry and then looked at Amanda. Well?

~***~

Amanda followed the Sheriff’s all-wheel drive marked Chevrolet SUV. Judging by the appearance of the vehicle, people that didn’t know better might think that Boot Hill had top-notch law enforcement. But then they had never met the Sheriff. They stayed on the two-lane highway for eight miles until they reached the dirt road that marked the beginning of Amanda’s property. Both vehicles headed down the snow-covered road—a generous term, considering it was little more than a path worn bare by the vehicles that had come and gone over the years. After traveling two miles, they reached Amanda’s log cabin.

Amanda parked her Jeep on what passed as a driveway and then got out and met the Sheriff at his SUV. Because of his size, he didn’t move very quickly, so Amanda had to wait for him. When he was finally ready, she told him, Follow me, Sheriff. It came out as more of a command than a request.

The Sheriff mumbled something under his breath but walked behind Amanda as she led him through the snow to the tracks. The air was crisp and clean and was so cold they could see their breath.

Amanda walked to the left side of the road that served as her driveway.

There they are. Amanda pointed to an area in the snow which clearly showed a man’s boot prints heading away from her cabin. It always made her angry to see that someone had been trespassing. More so that he had been bold enough to come right up to her house.

Jesus Christ, Amanda. The tracks are leading away from the house. He must’ve taken one look at the scrawny wildlife around here and left.

Like hell they’re scrawny. My land is first-rate, and there’s plenty for the animals to get fat on. Then she realized the Sheriff had probably said it to get a rise out of her, and she had taken the bait. He was proving to be more annoying than usual. Which you know, or you wouldn’t have called it ‘prime hunting ground.’ Now, can we at least follow them and see where they go?

What’s the point? The Sheriff let out an exasperated sigh.

You know as well as I do that it’s against the law to poach and it’s supposed to be a priority. So why don’t you do your job. Amanda took off following the tracks with the Sheriff reluctantly in tow. They entered a group of Limber Pines and Amanda enjoyed their delightful, sweet, sharp, refreshing fragrance. She kept tracking until, suddenly, there were two sets of prints, and one was a lot smaller. It looked like there had been a struggle.

I’ll be damned. Judging by the marks it looks like someone is dragging her through the snow, the Sheriff said more to himself than to Amanda. They followed another twenty feet, and then Amanda came to a stop so abruptly the Sheriff almost ran into her. She had smelled the blood before she saw it. The sweet, sickly smell was especially noticeable in the clean mountain air.

What’d you... I’ll be damned. His face expressed his shock.

They had come to a spot where the snow was greatly disturbed and, by the amount of blood evident, something bad had taken place. Amanda skirted the area and saw that only the man’s tracks continued. But there was no body.

What the hell is this, Amanda? The Sheriff was looking at her like it was her fault.

Don’t look at me, Sheriff. I had no idea about this I went into town. Besides, isn’t it your job to investigate these kinds of things?

Damn you, Amanda. He hesitated and then stood there staring at the area. Well, it looks like a fresh kill. They both looked around until Amanda spotted a pile of snow that seemed out of place.

Surely that mound is too small to hide a body, Sheriff.

It looks like it, but I suppose you want me to find out, he said, flustered.

He looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

Amanda just stared at him. Then she noticed three coyotes less than one hundred-feet away. With their keen senses, they would have smelled the blood a long way off. She decided not to tell the Sheriff.

The Sheriff walked to the mound and discovered that the heat of what had been buried melted the snow. Amanda walked over to see what was causing him to stare. It the entrails of God knows what. But the Sheriff just stood there continuing to stare.

Why are you so squeamish? What’s wrong with you?

It took a minute before the Sheriff responded, and, when he did, his voice quivered. Because I don’t think they belong to an animal.

Oh, hell, was all Amanda could think to say.

~***~

We might as well keep going. If there’s a body somewhere, we need to find it before the animals do.

Let me go back into town and get Pete. The Sheriff started to turn around when the sound of Amanda’s voice stopped him.

The hell you are. You’re not getting off that easy. Amanda’s tone showed she meant business and the Sheriff turned and faced her.

Damn it, Amanda there are only two of us. If I get Pete—

"There’ll still be only two because you’ll find an excuse to stay and send Pete out on his own. It’s not going to hurt to take a look around. That