Free (1995) The Oath by Frank Peretti

generalities: about Evelyn’s health, her two boys, Samuel and Travis, her mother, Audrey, the care she’d received, and anything else that came to mind that would not be difficult. Steve was encouraged. Evelyn was making perfect sense, speaking coherently. She was on her way back.
    “So,” said Tracy, her tone and pacing signaling the approach of a tough subject, “Mrs. Benson, how comfortable would you be, talking about what happened on Wells Peak? We still have to finish our investigation. You do understand, don’t you?”
    “Sure.”
    Tracy looked toward Steve. “I’m glad Steve can be here. He’s been working at his end, and the sheriff’s department has been doing what it can, but without a witness, it’s been tough.”
    Evelyn was apologetic. “Officer—uh—”
    “Just call me Tracy.”
    “Okay. Tracy. I have to tell you, I don’t remember very much.”
    “Well,” Tracy said, trying not to be pushy, “just start at the beginning and see how you do.”
    Evelyn’s face was troubled. She was struggling to remember but also feeling pain at every recollection. “I remember Cliff went down to put away our leftovers. We’d cooked up a meal for the evening, and—um”
    “What did you have?” Steve asked, hoping to jog her memory.
    “Let’s see.” Evelyn thought for a moment, then said, “Vegetable soup and some crackers.”
    “Nothing meaty? Spicy? You know, something that would give off a strong smell?”
    She shook her head. “No, we try not to eat that kind of stuff if there might be bears around. Besides, if I eat rich food after hiking I want to throw up.”
    Steve nodded, pleased and amused. “So, okay, then what?”
    “He went down the hill to where he had the food stored, and it was dark by then, so I couldn’t see him very well.”
    By now Tracy was discreetly scribbling notes. “About what time was that?”
    “I guess between nine and ten.”
    “Do you always eat that late at night?”
    Evelyn answered, “No. We’d been doing a lot of hiking and took a long time to pick out a campsite. Then we figured we’d better get the tent up first, and by that time the sun was going down. Then Cliff wanted to rig up the food cache down in the trees while we still had some light. It all took time.”
    “So anyway,” said Steve, “you ended up eating late.”
    Evelyn nodded. “And cleaning up late.”
    “So then Cliff went down to stow the leftovers,” Tracy prompted.
    “And . . .” Evelyn fumbled. “I—I just remember him going down the hill in the dark, and I couldn’t see him, just his flashlight sometimes . . .” She stopped. She looked at them, and they looked back at her. Silence.
    Tracy prompted, “He’d gone down the hill with his flashlight.”
    Evelyn just shook her head. “And then I woke up in the hospital.”
    Steve was disappointed—downright frustrated, actually—but tried not to show it. He looked as casually as he could at Tracy. She seemed strangely detached as she studied her notes.
    Her next question had a lighter tone. “So . . . Cliff was a photographer!”
    “Uh-huh. Mainly he did wildlife photography.”
    Tracy looked at Steve. “So this outdoors stuff must run in the family.”
    Steve smiled. He welcomed the lighter topic. “Pretty much.”
    Tracy turned back to Evelyn. “So, was that why you were up there on Wells Peak? Was he taking pictures up there?”
    “No. We just wanted to get away together.”
    “Mmm. Just get some time away, huh?”
    “Yes. He’d been working a lot of hours, and we needed some time alone. We’ve been out hunting in Hyde Valley before. We really like the Wells Peak area, so that’s where we went this time.”
    “I understand your husband had been working in Hyde Valley for a few months; is that right?”
    “That’s right.”
    Hmm, Steve thought, impressed. Tracy has been doing her homework.
    “Doing a photo shoot up and down the valley,” Tracy continued.
    Evelyn nodded. “He was doing local sportsman