“My wife. She thinks food cures pain. Maybe she is right.” George grinned and dropped onto the worn sofa. “You find that den?”
“No. I was heading out to look again.”
“I was going to call you. My sons say they saw a mother cougar and four kittens yesterday up on Eagle Rock.”
Kade had started to sit, but he sprang upright at the news. “Where?”
“The rock wall overlooking the river.”
Kade knew it well. “I’ll head out there now. Thanks, George!” He headed for the door.
“Call if you find it!”
“I will.” Kade ran back to his truck and drove south to the Kitchigami wilderness area. The parking lot was deserted. He parked, grabbed his camera, then started for the summit. The climb wouldn’t be nearly as arduous as the last one. His breath fogged out of his mouth, and he trod the path as fast as he dared. The snow crunched under his boots. Fifteen minutes later he stood atop Eagle Rock and stared down at the frozen river.
The rocks hid a small cave mouth along the ledge six feet down. He suspected he might find the den there. His gaze swept the area and latched on to spoor by a pine tree. Big cat prints surrounded it. He touched one with his gloved hand, then rose and trailed the spoor to the edge of the cliff face. Peering over the side, he saw tracks on the ledge below. They disappeared into the cave.
The cougar’s lair. He didn’t dare jump down and enter. If kittens were inside, the mama cougar would be spitting and snarling. He wasn’t sure how to get the pictures he needed. He could settle in and wait, but the cougar would smell him and keep her babies hidden. His gaze raked the area. The tree. His camera took timed shots. He could wedge it in the tree and set it up for periodic exposures. Tomorrow he might have pictures that would prove the kittens existed.
Only one more day of work this week. Lauri rubbed gritty eyes. After shutting off her computer, she thrust her arms into her coat, grabbed her purse, and paused outside Mrs. Saunders’s door. She knocked.
“Come in.”
Lauri poked her head inside. “I’m going now, Mrs. Saunders. Anything I can do for you before I leave?”
The woman’s reddened eyes stared back. She bit her lip. “You want to have dinner with me tonight, Ms. Matthews? My husband is gone, and I . . . I’d rather not be alone. If you’ve got plans, that’s fine.”
“Sure, Mrs. Saunders. I can have dinner.” Wes wasn’t coming over tonight. “I need to stop by my home after class and let my dog out first. Is that okay?”
“Just bring him with you. Here’s my address.” She slid a card across the desk to Lauri.
“You mean we’re eating at your house?”
“Yes, I didn’t make that clear, did I? My cook is excellent.” Mrs. Saunders rose. “About six?”
“Okay.” Lauri backed out the door and ran for her car. An invitation to the boss’s house! What a coup. Curiosity gnawed at her though. The woman’s distressed state worsened every day. Maybe she’d open up tonight.
After her afternoon classes, Lauri ran by her apartment and grabbed Zorro, who was excited to be getting out. The heater in her old car didn’t work well, and Lauri shuddered with the cold as she drove along the icy streets of Houghton. When she reached the Saunders residence, she gasped. Lights spilled from windows that rose nearly two stories high. The place had to be ten thousand square feet.
She took Zorro up the heated walkway and pressed the doorbell. The shivers she had were from excitement, not the cold. “Be a gentleman,” she told her dog.
A woman answered the door. Her glance went to the dog, but she said nothing about Lauri bringing him along. “Mrs. Saunders is expecting you. This way, please.”
She led Lauri along a marble hallway. Art lined the walls. Lauri guessed the passage to be ten feet wide. Her boots left wet marks on the pristine floors, but there was nothing she could do about it. As she neared the dining room, the aroma of the food made her mouth water. Some kind of beef, maybe? She hadn’t eaten lunch, and her tummy had been complaining for the past two hours.
The woman stopped in front of the arched opening into the dining room. Lauri peeked in at the gleaming dishes and tableware. A huge centerpiece of fresh flowers graced the table. But Mrs. Saunders wasn’t in the room.
The housekeeper, or whatever she was, appeared to notice at the same time. “She was here a moment ago. Please be seated, and she’ll be right back, I’m sure.” The woman walked on down the hall and passed through a door at the end.
Lauri didn’t want to make the mistake of taking Mrs. Saunders’s seat, so she stood in the doorway feeling awkward. Zorro sat at her feet, then lay down. She glanced around the room, noticing more beautiful art on the walls.
“Stay,” she told Zorro. She wandered the room, examining the paintings more closely. Several were Picasso paintings. They appeared to be the real deal, not reprints. Must be a lot of money in accounting. Or maybe it was her husband’s money.
Restless when Mrs. Saunders didn’t appear after several minutes, Lauri moved back into the hall to look at the paintings there. Each one led her farther away from the dining room. When she decided to go back, she realized she’d taken several turns. Striking off in the direction she thought she’d come, she hurried toward what she thought was the dining room but found a library instead.
She needed Zorro to find her way back. Trying again to retrace her steps, she heard the murmur of voices. Maybe one belonged to Mrs. Saunders, though she had said her husband would be gone, and Lauri distinctly heard a male voice.
She moved in the direction of the sound. The door stood open a crack, and she could see into a living room or sitting room of some kind with sleek leather furniture and glass-topped tables. Very modern and expensive. But the voices, not the room, riveted Lauri’s attention.
Mrs. Saunders’s voice rose in a wail. “You killed her?”
“Your husband has to know we mean business. He’s got two days or Alexa is next. You’d better convince him.”
“I’ve tried.” Mrs. Saunders’s voice was choked. “Please don’t hurt her.”
Steps sounded on the floor. Lauri started to back up, but the door swung open before she could react, and she saw the man she’d delivered the briefcase to at the library. Mr. Jones.
“I thought someone was here.” Mr. Jones grabbed her arm and jerked her inside the room. He shoved her onto the sofa beside Mrs. Saunders.
“What did you hear?”
“No-nothing,” Lauri stammered. “I got turned around when I was looking at the pictures, and I was trying to find the dining room again.” The derision on his face told her he didn’t buy her excuses.
Mrs. Saunders rose and pulled Lauri to her feet. “Down the hallway and turn left,” she said. When the man started to grab Lauri’s arm again, her boss stepped between them. “This is between us, not her. You touch her and I’ll call the police.”
The man rolled his eyes then went toward the door. “She’d better be telling the truth.” With the warning, he exited.
Tears welled in Lauri’s eyes, but she wasn’t sure why. He hadn’t hurt her, but he’d scared her. And murder. Mrs. Saunders said he murdered someone. “Who is that guy?” she whispered.
Mrs. Saunders sank back onto the sofa and put her head in her hands. “A very bad man, Lauri. You didn’t hear anything, did you?”
“No,” she said. The lie didn’t sit well on her conscience, but the terror welling in her chest kept her from admitting the truth. “What does he want?”
“Nothing for you to be concerned about. Maybe you’d better go home, Lauri. I’m not very good company.”
Who should she tell about this? Kade? Mason? Or should she just keep her mouth shut and hope to fly under that guy’s radar? She said her good-byes, grabbed Zorro, and headed straight for Wes’s mobile home. Darkness shrouded the yard, but she knew where the tools were and avoided falling over them on her way to the steps to the trailer. The light was still on in the living room, so she knew he was up. Not bot
hering to knock, she opened the door and stepped inside with Zorro on her heels.
Wes lay stretched out on the sofa. He sat up when Lauri came in. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.
Lauri sat on his lap and told him what had happened. “I’m scared,” she said. “He murdered someone.”
“What’s his name?” Wes asked.
Lauri shuddered, and Zorro whined and put his cold nose against her cheek. “Bill Jones, but that’s got to be fake.”
His jaw jutted. “No one messes with my girl.”
“Am I your girl? Did you break it off with Maura?”
“Tomorrow,” he promised. “But you know what—we might be able to exploit this thing.”
“What do you mean?”
His eyes shone as he leaned forward and grasped her hand. “You heard incriminating evidence, Lauri! He might cough up enough money for me to start my own outfitting business. He’s not going to want you to tell what you know.”
“He might kill me if he knows what I overheard! Or don’t you care about that?”
“Kill you. Listen to yourself. You’re so melodramatic. He’s not going to kill you, especially if he knows I know too. He can’t go around killing everyone.”
Suddenly cold, Lauri clasped her arms around herself. “You don’t know this guy.”
“No, but I’m going to find out.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean if I watch your boss long enough, he’s bound to show up. And I can get his plate number and track him down.”
“Don’t do anything,” she begged. “I’m scared, Wes. Please listen to me.”
But his gaze was distracted and she knew he didn’t hear a word she said. She was going to have to talk to Kade.
16
IF SHE HEARD JENNA GIGGLE ONE MORE TIME AT KADE ’ S jokes, Bree was going to dump this colander of spaghetti on her head. Didn’t Jenna realize how inappropriate it was to flirt with a married man? Or maybe she flirted with everyone.
Bree put the food on the table. “Dinner,” she called. The least Jenna could do was help around the house. She hadn’t lifted a finger since she moved in. She left her bed unmade and dirty towels on the bathroom floor. Maybe she was used to a maid, but Bree wasn’t about to pick up after her.
Her gaze went to the window. Darkness fell early this time of year. Was that man out there watching? If only she knew who he was. Her suspicions had to be wrong. She’d seen Rob’s remains. Still, who would want to confuse and taunt her—and why?
After dinner, Bree waited until Jenna went to bed to talk to Kade about her. The fire threw shadows around the living room, and the cinnamon scent from the candle soothed her ire.
Kade dropped beside her on the sofa and hugged her. “You were quiet through dinner. Everything okay?”
Bree’s first reaction was to stiffen, but she reminded herself Jenna’s behavior wasn’t his fault. She was the one who had invited Jenna to stay. “It’s Jenna,” she said. “It’s driving me crazy the way she flirts with you. She’s been here over a week now.”
“I haven’t been flirting with her!”
“I didn’t say you were, but I’d like to see you discourage her a little.”
He pulled her tighter. “I’ve never seen you jealous.”
She struggled against his grip. “I’m not jealous! It’s just not appropriate.” He laughed, and she wanted to punch him. “It’s not funny, Kade.”
“Your green eyes are throwing sparks,” he said, his voice teasing. “She’s just a kid.”
“She’s only a few years younger than me.”
“Well, she acts like a kid. I’ve just been trying to make her feel at home.”
“She’s quite enough at home,” she muttered. “I want her to leave.” She should be ashamed of herself, but there was enough going on without the constant annoyance of Jenna.
“We can’t just kick her out,” he said, his smile fading.
She rubbed her head. “I know. I keep thinking she’ll get tired of small-town life and leave, but she does seem to love her brother. I’m not sure she’ll go anywhere until Victor is released.”
“You look at the sudokus any more?”
“I’ve been checking on all nine-digit numbers I can find for any connection to Pia or Florence. I’m about halfway through the list. There are so many. How about your search for the mountain lion?”
His smile vanished. “I’ll check my camera tomorrow. Maybe I’ll have some shots.”
“Why are you so uptight about all this? I’ve never seen you so desperate.”
His lips flattened. “Lots of stuff going on at work. Finding the cougar will . . . will help.”
“Help what?”
He shrugged, and she knew he wasn’t going to answer that. The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.” She rose and went to the door, where she found Lauri on the steps with the snow swirling around her. She pulled her inside, then noticed the younger girl’s pallor. “What’s wrong?”
“Where’s my brother? I need to talk to him. Alone.”
“In the living room.” Bree stood aside as Lauri brushed past. Her sister-in-law could be almost snippy at times, and Bree didn’t understand what set her off. Lauri wasn’t telling either.
Bree went to check on her son. He was sleeping with Samson on the foot of the bed. The dog didn’t move as she stood watching in the doorway, but if she’d been an intruder, he would have been a mass of bristly hair and teeth. She backed out of the room and stopped by the master bedroom, where she peeked in on Olivia. The baby didn’t stir, but she’d be awake in another hour for a feeding.
Bree went down the hall to the office and turned on the computer. She called up the browser and began to search for missing children again. A news article from Minnesota caught her eye. “Adoptive Parents Blow Whistle,” it read. She clicked the link and began to skim the article. They’d requested a blue-eyed boy and paid a premium of a hundred thousand dollars. After a diagnosis of autism, they tried to find out more about their son and eventually discovered he’d been stolen from a Native American single mother. The father was Caucasian. The police was investigating the possibility of a baby ring.
All the incidences of missing babies in this area were connected to single moms like Ellie Bristol, Bree realized. And maybe of mixed race. Was someone taking them and selling them? Maybe whoever it was justified their actions based on some self-righteous morality or even bigotry.
She’d have to talk to Mason about it. Rising from the computer, she went down the steps. No voices emerged from the living room, and she found Kade alone. “Lauri gone already?”
“Yeah.”
“What did she want?”
He rubbed the top of his head. “She said she overheard some guy threatening her boss. It had to do with blackmail and murder evidently. She wanted to know what to do and I told her to talk to Mason. She wasn’t ready to do that yet.” He made a face. “I love the girl, but it’s always something with her.” He pulled Bree down on his lap and nuzzled her neck.
Bree tried to snuggle against him, but a stray thought nearly had her bolting from his embrace. If Rob was alive, what would that mean to her marriage?
Quinn paced until Rosen’s knock came on the cabin door. He threw it open. “Took you long enough.”
“What’re you so riled about?” Rosen asked. He walked to the living room, where he dropped into a chair.
“I’m tired of this whole thing. I can’t trust either of you, and I want it to be over so I can get out of this backwater.” He’d finally gotten hold of his partner but the conversation met the usual impasses over Florence’s death. At this point, he knew the partnership wouldn’t survive much longer, so he didn’t spare any regrets over it.
“We’ve got several, um, problems to wrap up. You were supposed to get rid of the boy days ago. Is that something I’m going to have to do for you?”
“He’s a nonissue. So’s Victor. Neither one of them is talking.”
“You don’t know t
hat.”
“Jenna is inside the Matthews house. She hears everything. The kid doesn’t know what he saw. And Victor won’t even talk to her.”
Rosen’s lips thinned. “If one of them fingers me, we’re all on the hook. I’m not walking away and worrying when the cops are going to knock on my door. If you don’t handle this, I will.”
“You’ll do what you’re told!” Even as Quinn issued the order, he saw the veiled contempt in the other man’s eyes. Rosen thought him too weak to do what had to be done.
“The boss has other plans,” Rosen said.
“We’re partners. I have just as much control over this situation as he does.” But Quinn didn’t, and they both knew it.
Quinn tamped down the growing panic in his chest. He couldn’t be sure Rosen wouldn’t move on his own. The danger surrounding Davy was growing.
Friday morning Lauri stood in an alley doorway out of the wind and stamped her feet to keep them warm. Her car had refused to start this morning, and Wes should be along any minute to run her to work.
She spied his old pickup careening around the corner. Moving out of the shielded cubbyhole, she nearly staggered when the wind struck her back. She hurried toward his vehicle and was about to slide inside when a white Mercedes slid to a stop at the curb. The window ran down without a sound, and Mr. Jones looked her over with an expressionless face.
“Get in,” he said.
She heard a click and the door locks sprang up. She stood glancing from Wes’s front passenger seat to the back door of the other car. Wes shut off the engine of his truck and leaped out. He joined her beside the Mercedes.
“You okay, Lauri?” he asked.
“It’s him,” she whispered. “Mr. Jones.” She took a step away from the truck. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to you. Not him, just you.” He indicated with a jerk of his thumb that he wanted her in the passenger seat.
Wes put his hands on his hips. “She doesn’t go without me.” He climbed into the backseat before the man could say anything.
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