Gunfire. Four shots. There was no mistaking the sound.
Bond dove off the jogging path and belly crawled to hide in the mountain forest’s undergrowth. The leaves had begun to turn fall colors on some trees and drop, but the firs and pines here were thick and green. He lay flat with his ball cap bill pulled low to hide the reflection of his skin until he heard a car peel out and its motor grow fainter and fainter until it disappeared.
Realizing he hadn’t been the target, he duck walked out of the trees and scanned the lake and shore. A fully clothed man lay in the sand near the lake’s edge, curled in fetal position with his back to Bond. Footprints across the tan sand indicated he’d been running to escape his attacker or attackers.
With no vehicles or people in sight, Bond took off runnin
