Deep in the Alaskan Woods

by Karen Harper

“For the baby?” Mary asked as they turned away. “My stomach doesn’t even hurt right now, but who were those loud people?”

  So much, Alex thought, for Mary taking over the store at the lodge, at least right now. And so much for her own low profile through this tragedy. Those invaders knew her name. They might now have her face. And they would certainly put Falls Lake on the media map.

  23

  Whether she closed her eyes or opened them, pulsating puddles of magenta and chartreuse remained from the attack of bright lights. So had she seen Mary’s bear claw necklace, or imagined it? She tried to blink the spots away as Brent Bayer hurried toward them inside the compound.

  “I wish I could padlock the back entry,” Quinn was saying, “but the troopers were still outside. At least it sounds like the protests have stopped.”

  “What’s all that noise?” Brent demanded, catching up to them and blocking their path. “What in hell is going on out there?”

  Quinn said, “It was an attack of reporters who went around the compound in the dark and ambushed us.”

  “Why were you two out, anyway? Not the time or place for a romantic lovers’ stroll, is it?”

  They walked around the man. Alex still couldn’t see well but she could sense that Quinn was about to explode. He no longer sounded stunned but furious. She wondered if he was thinking that Brent might have set this up, but there was no way he could have known they would go outside then. Quinn had told her earlier that Brent was pushing to include segments on the Falls Lake ‘ghost’ and lost village.

  Brent came right behind them into the house and the living room. “I’ve been talking to Geoff for an hour, making other calls, trying to explain. Tell me what’s happening, so I can call him back and fill him in on the latest.”

  “And will you call anyone else?” Quinn challenged. “I’m just hoping you don’t want publicity for the show so much you’ll go out there to give interviews. There’s an Anchorage TV station reporter, so maybe they spread the word to their affiliates. Brent, there are even idiots out there from the Real Ghosts cable show and some tabloid called Secrets. Or maybe the media in LA got here this fast, if Val’s death was announced there. But I think word spread just a little too fast, and I hope not by someone here.”

  “You better not mean me. I’m a lawyer, damn it, not a publicist! But that was his wife Sam hustled past me, right? She kept flitting here and there earlier today, and I never got a chance to meet her or pin her down.”

  “She walks in her sleep and went out into the woods. We went after her,” Quinn said.

  “In the dead of night? You’re all crazy! And I heard she’s pregnant. With Val’s death and all, she could really get hurt out there.”

  “So could we all. The troopers heard the ruckus and came out. If we hadn’t located Mary right away, I would have asked them to help find her.”

  Finally, Alex’s eyes were clearing. What if this lawyer, who’d been on the phone with Geoff—and could they trust Geoff completely?—had earlier phoned contacts in the media to get publicity for filming the Q-Man series? As Quinn had suggested, it was amazing how quickly those people must have flown into Anchorage and driven here, found this compound and gone out around it to the back door if someone hadn’t tipped them off and given them directions.

  When Brent stomped off to call Geoff again, Alex whispered, “You may be right not to trust him. Maybe he’s like a—a Trojan horse.”

  He put his arm around her shoulders and heaved a huge sigh. “You and your animals. But yeah, my thoughts exactly. I’m trusting no one but Sam and you right now. Glad you’re on my side, because I’m starting to wonder who else is.”

  “What about Geoff?”

  “He’s on my side, at least the show’s side. He’s got too much invested here, as does Brent, so I shouldn’t have lost it with him.”

  “Also, sorry to say this, but are you sure Josh is on board? I think he’s bitter toward Sam, maybe you, too.”

  “It’s bad enough to think Mary harmed Val, but I can’t stand to suspect the others, either. I saw Mary had her bear claw necklace on again. The timing’s terrible, but I’m going to ask her to let me have it so forensics can eliminate that its claws were the ones that scratched Val. She may refuse to part with it, but—like I said—I can’t stand for her to think I suspect her. Alex, I’m scared my tried and true team might disintegrate. I think the troopers are looking at Ryker, got a fast search warrant for his place in town.”

  “I knew they’d asked for one. I’ll try to wait until tomorrow for more agonizing and theorizing since we do need some sleep.”

  He tugged her down onto the couch that faced the empty fireplace. “I need you, Alex, your sharp brain—the rest of you, too.”

  She could tell he forced the smile he gave her. She leaned her head on his shoulder. She was absolutely drained, could have gone to sleep right here and now.

  They were silent for a few minutes, then he whispered, “When we get rid of Brent tomorrow, despite having to cover for Sam with the class, I’ll find some time for us to be together—just us. Better get to bed now and try to sleep for a couple hours. I’ve scheduled a hike for the class tomorrow after breakfast, and I’ll have to do it without Sam and Mary, since he’ll be taking her to a doctor, probably in Anchorage.”

  “I can help serve breakfast, then go with you, not that I’d know what I’m doing in that big kitchen or on the hike. I’ll just tell any of the students who are curious that I can’t say anything about finding Val.”

  “Your pitching in would help Josh and me. He’ll be here first thing in the morning, then go out with us on the hike. We’ll steer clear of the murder site, head the opposite way. But whether I’m near or not, whatever happens on the hike, you be careful.”

  * * *

  Alex jolted awake when someone knocked on her—that is, Quinn’s—bedroom door. She heard Spenser jump from his bed on the floor and run to the door with a single bark. The strange surroundings swam in shades of gray.

  The bedside digital clock read five a.m. She’d slept about four hours and felt as if her limbs were lead.

  “You up?” Quinn called through the door.

  “I am now.”

  “Bathroom’s all yours. Brent’s out in front waiting for his Uber ride to Anchorage.”

  The horrors of an endless yesterday flooded back. Val dead, Mary a mess and a murderer on the loose. The media had swarmed in and could still be nearby. And she was in Quinn’s compound, in his house, his room, his bed.

  “If you want me to take Spenser out,” he called through the door, “hand me his leash.”

  She got up, turned on the bedside light. Yes, his leash was where she’d left it. She snapped it on Spenser’s collar, then opened the door for him to go out. No way did she want Quinn to see her like this so she didn’t even poke her head around.

  “I’ll walk him, bring him back to you at the dining hall.”

  Once she was sure Quinn was not in the hall, she padded into the bathroom. The window was cracked for fresh air, but the place smelled of men’s aftershave. Was that Brent’s or Quinn’s? She had a great pine-scented, light green lotion with aloe and avocado she’d planned to give Quinn. Luckily, that was one of the few products she’d brought to the compound. That reminded her she had online orders to fill. She hoped her supplier sent her order to Suze soon.

  She tried not to glance in the mirror, but she did. And remembered then. She’d been dreaming about looking for Allie in the forest so the killer would not get her. But she found her dead, lying all cut up by a stream, and when she glimpsed her own face in the water, she saw that she was her sister’s killer.

  But then she’d heard Allie crying from the darkness of the woods. “I’m a ghost. I’m with you. I love you but will haunt you...”

  “No!” Alex cried, and braced herself, stiff-armed on the basin, shaking her head, se
eing Allie again in the mirror. “I didn’t kill you, I didn’t hurt you. I love you.”

  Reality crashed back in. That was her own tearful face and disheveled hair in the mirror. And yet, in good times and bad, she still felt she was living with and for her twin sister. Yes, even here in the dark of morning near the depths of Falls Lake.

  * * *

  Alex did not expect Josh to be in anything resembling a good mood, but she had to admit he was a good worker. He nodded and even said, “Thanks,” when she rushed to the kitchen at the dining hall and volunteered to help. Perhaps Quinn had already told him what had happened because he didn’t seem surprised she was here.

  “I’m flipping pancakes,” he told her the obvious as he scooped some up to add to short stacks in a covered warming pan. “No sausage patties today. Hard to make those without Mary’s help. Put a banana on each tray, then go out and pour more coffee when they run out of it. Mary did all that.”

  “Yes, okay.”

  “Juice, butter and syrup are already on the tables, but when they come up to the window here, use that spatula to give them three-four pancakes on a plate.”

  “Will do.”

  “It was good you went out after Mary, too,” he said, still turning pancakes. “She’s been through a lot, takes things hard.”

  “I understand. I was glad to help and I want to support her.”

  “Good to have another woman around here. For a while.”

  That surprised her. It was almost a virtual hug from this brusque man, but he’d also indicated she would not be here long.

  She went to work. Time blurred as she darted back and forth from the counter to the serving window. The two troopers on-site—their faces and personalities seemed to blend into one, unlike with Kurtz and Henson’s—showed up in line for food, then disappeared with their trays to eat outside or watch for more unwanted visitors or just to avoid answering questions. She did the same with the students, telling them she couldn’t say anything about yesterday because of the ongoing investigation.

  “You should eat some yourself,” Josh said when the line disappeared.

  “I will. Have you seen Quinn?”

  “He ate first. Had your dog with him, gave him some water and hamburger meat. Said you’re going out with us this morning. Then he went to call ‘Boss Geoff’ in New York.”

  She ate, sitting on a stool at the counter next to Josh, then they cleaned up together. The kitchen clock said it was 7:45.

  Quinn showed up, carrying Spenser, though he was still on his leash. “Brent’s headed for the airport,” he said, leaning in the now-empty serving window. Spenser barked a greeting to her but seemed content where he was.

  Quinn went on. “If we only needed a watchdog for the trek today, this guy would be it, but everyone is following clues I’ve set up, and Spenser tends to prefer rabbit hunting. Will he be okay, staying in my bedroom today? Then, poor guy, he’ll have to switch places again when you take the guest room.”

  “I think he’s getting used to surprises,” she said, wondering if Quinn was saying all that for Josh’s benefit—or hers. So far, in the midst of mayhem and murder, Quinn had been the perfect host, but their mutual attraction was a problem—another sort of danger, wasn’t it?

  “He’ll be fine there,” she continued. “It’s important Sam and Mary get to a doctor, so Sam should just head out with her as soon as he gets an appointment.”

  “Actually, Sam plans to head into Anchorage right away, phone for an appointment there, go to a walk-in clinic or ER facility if he has to. I told him to say it’s an emergency. She didn’t want to let me borrow her necklace while she was gone, but I convinced her it was to clear her of any later suspicion. Sam sided with me, so she agreed. I’ll let the troopers or the forensic team take it for analysis, but it’s in my office right now.”

  Josh put in, “With her and Sam, the baby now, too, three lives are at stake, if she’s going off the deep end. Sure hope she doesn’t kind of blank out when she’s tired or stressed, then not recall what happened.”

  “Sam has never said so, and I haven’t seen it,” Quinn said. “Nor are Sam and I worried about the necklace being examined. Mary would never hurt anyone.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ll be back soon,” Josh said, heading for the door. “Gonna hit the john in the men’s bunkhouse before we head out.”

  In the awkward silence when he left, Alex said, “I’ll take Spenser to your house before everyone comes back for the hike.”

  Quinn handed a contented Spenser to her, and their hands touched.

  “I appreciate your help with him, Quinn.”

  “It’s taken me too many years to get another dog. Talk about following clues on a trail, I should have wised up a long time ago about what I really needed, which way to go in my life, not ignoring and even running away from certain things.”

  She wasn’t sure she followed all that but she nodded. When their eyes met and held, she felt the impact of this man. As always.

  “We’re both running on fumes after yesterday,” he said. “Tonight, maybe more bed time.”

  Before she could respond, Trooper Kurtz’s boots sounded across the wooden floor. She wondered if they’d had a restful night at the lodge or if it was full of media already—or were the reporters just living out of their cars?

  He greeted them, then said, “Some of the lodge guests—reporters—say there was a problem last night with a woman named Mary sleepwalking out in the woods. Then they say you two appeared but wouldn’t answer their questions.”

  Alex remembered that she’d meant to call Meg and Suze, explain more to them. She should even call her parents, but she didn’t want to alarm them again.

  Kurtz went on. “It would have served them right if they’d stumbled on a bear or fallen down that stony ridge toward the stream. But Mary Spruce and her husband are not at their house to give her side of that.”

  Alex sensed that Quinn didn’t know what to say, so she told Kurtz, “She does occasionally sleepwalk. The fact that she’s pregnant made Sam decide they should seek medical attention so it doesn’t happen again. They’ve probably headed for Anchorage already to find a doctor.”

  “I see,” Kurtz said, frowning. “Don’t want her out in the forest now. It’s too dangerous. That murder was in broad daylight with a lot of people nearby, but at night... Well, I regret to inform you, Quinn, that we’re taking your cameraman into Anchorage for questioning over the death of Valerie Chambers. We searched his hotel room as soon as we got the subpoena. As far as we can tell, he had some bear claws he’s been collecting—and they are missing—so forensics and the medical examiner’s office will not be able to check if they’re a match to the scratches on the victim. He tells us he doesn’t know where they are,” he added, frowning. “And they weren’t on or near the body.”

  “Bear claws look the same even close up but have distinctive striations and shapes, like teeth, so if you find them, you’ll get a match—and hopefully not to Ryker’s possessions,” Quinn said. “Speaking of which, I have Mary Spruce’s antique bear claw necklace. She agreed to have it looked at—in good faith since we all know she frequently wears it. I have it in my office and can have you sign for it—very valuable, to her at least.”

  “Yeah, her coming forward with that’s a good sign. By the way, we were impressed right away you said a bear did not kill the victim.”

  “I didn’t tell you this before, but a bear killed my father and my pet dog when I was young. I saw the result then, have been studying maulings off and on since.”

  “Oh, sorry,” Kurtz said, removing his hat.

  “I was nearby when it happened. I found the bodies shortly after. My father was still barely alive. As a kid, I didn’t know what to do. Stayed with them, sobbing, screaming. Finally, people came looking for us. I only survived because I had run off a ways and wasn’t there when it happened.”r />
  “That’s really tough. Very belated condolences,” Kurtz said. “And I hope you can find someone else to film your TV show at least today while we have Ryker. He’s waiting with Hanson in the cage of our vehicle, cooperating. I’ve seen your show, liked it, especially since we’d worked with you before. And may again,” he said, clearing his throat, obviously moved and embarrassed. “You never know.”

  You never do know, Alex thought as she stood there with Spenser in her arms. She was amazed Quinn had blurted out all those details, that emotion he must have been holding in after seeing Val’s corpse.

  Kurtz said, “We’ll be back, maybe when the autopsy’s issued. And to bring Ryker back, unless something comes up there. Ms. Collister,” he said, turning toward her, “we understand from talking to your cousins at the lodge that you will be here at this compound out of the reach of the reporters for a while.”

  “Yes, that’s right. Unless they storm the area again.”

  “Not sure how long this will be a safe haven for you, as we may have to take down the tape and recall the troopers in the near future, as soon as forensics clears and releases the scene. They’re on their way—should be here soon.”

  “I understand,” she said.

  And she understood that, as secure from outsiders as she had felt here, the entire outside area was no longer safe. Even more frightening, she did not even feel safe from herself, the way, in the midst of danger and terror, she was falling in love with Quinn.

  24

  The students were getting restless in the dining hall, waiting for the hike to start. Alex was worried about Quinn’s not coming back yet, but she kept telling herself he must be answering Trooper Kurtz’s questions about the bear claw necklace Mary was handing over.

  Josh was on edge, too. “He’s never late,” he muttered. “Wish Sam was here. And Mary would know what to do.”

  “I’m going to run back to his house to see if he’s okay. How about you mingle, ask them questions about what signs they’re going to be looking for?”