“I saw you out in the lot with them, before they came in to book their room. They were really upset last night. I stopped by to make sure they had some food and water, and … Well, you don’t often see a grown man cry.”
Amarok hated to throw the whole town into a panic. They’d assume that Hanover House was once again to blame, and that wouldn’t do Evelyn any favors. The murder of Sandy Ledstetter eight months ago had not been forgotten and wouldn’t be for some time. There’d been other tragedies, but Sandy was the only one the community claimed as its own, and Evelyn had felt the strain on her relationships here ever since.
Amarok wanted Evelyn to be comfortable so she’d stay, but he had to talk to people, needed the extra eyes and ears. He couldn’t keep the news that a young woman had gone missing to himself. Maybe someone had seen something and mention of the missing girl would bring that person forward. That was largely how police work progressed in Alaska—by informants.
“We’ve got a problem,” he admitted.
“I gathered that much. Please tell me it’s not another murder.”
“I don’t know. Leland, the man who was probably crying last night, can’t find his sister. He left her at a cabin while he went hunting with his friends. When they returned, she was gone.”
Margaret’s eyes widened. “What could’ve happened to her?”
“Hard to say. With the storm, I couldn’t really look for her.”
“So what brings you here?”
He took a sheet of paper from his pocket. “Do you recognize either of these faces?”
She frowned as she studied the pictures he’d pulled off Facebook. “No.”
“What about their names? Allen Call or Ward Brothers? Has anyone by either name checked in over the past week?”
“I don’t think so, and I’m sure I’d remember. Until last night, business was slow. But just to be safe…” She quickly scanned her logbook, only to shake her head a few seconds later. “Nope. No one registered by either name.”
Shit. “I knew it couldn’t be that easy.” He sighed. “Can you make me a copy of your logbook? I need to see everyone who’s rented a room in the past two weeks.”
“Of course. I’ll do that right now. But who are the men you were asking about?”
“Romantic interests of the girl who’s gone missing.”
“You don’t think … I mean, I hate to suggest it, but…”
“It wasn’t her brother. He and his friends were together all day and their story’s consistent.”
“I wasn’t going to say that. I was thinking about Hanover House. Have you checked to make sure all those psychos are still locked up?”
He scowled at her. “Don’t even go there,” he said, and left the office to walk down and knock on Leland’s door.
Peter opened the door and blinked at the weak sunlight that somehow managed to pierce through the clouds. “I’m so glad to see you. Have you found her?”
“No. And I have to ask…”
“Is that the sergeant?” A shirtless Leland jumped out of bed and grabbed the door, inserting himself between Amarok and his friend. “What have you learned?”
Amarok felt terrible—for him and his buddies. He hadn’t been able to let Leland take any of the luggage, had insisted he leave the scene exactly as it was. Assuming they’d swung by Quigley’s to pick up a toothbrush and a few other toiletries, they had only what they’d purchased and the clothes they’d been wearing to hunt. “I heard that her fiancé didn’t treat her right,” he said. “Did you know about that?”
Leland frowned as he raked a hand through his hair, which was sticking up all over the place—further evidence that he’d had a terrible night. “No. What do you mean? I like Allen. He’s cool.”
“Apparently, he wasn’t always so cool to your sister.”
He gaped at Amarok. “Who told you that?”
“The women who work with her at the salon.”
“He might have a bit of a temper. He’s no pushover. But Allen would never do this.”
“Are you sure?”
He opened his mouth as though he was about to confirm it; then he shook his head. “No. Right now, I’m not sure of anything. All I know is that she’s gone and I have to get her back. I’ve promised my parents and everyone else back home that…” His words drifted off.
That it wasn’t as dire here as it seemed. Amarok could guess how the rest of the sentence was supposed to go. “I understand.”
Leland peered up at the sky. “The storm seems to have cleared.”
“For the time being.”
“That’s good enough for me. I’ll get dressed and go back up to the cabin to look for her.”
Amarok caught his arm before he could so much as take a step. “I’m afraid I have to ask you to stay away from the cabin. Maybe you were too upset to notice, but I put my own locks on it. You can’t get in, and I’ve notified the rental company, who’s contacting the owners. If there’s anything of evidentiary value up there, I don’t want it ruined.”
“You’re saying it’s a crime scene.…”
Amarok cringed inside. Damn it. Here he was again. “Yeah. For the next few days at least.”
“So what are we supposed to do?” He gestured at his friends. “Just sit on our asses and wait for you?”
“I’m afraid that’s all you can do,” he said.
8
“Can you believe it?” After speaking with Tex and confirming that Andy Smith had indeed torn up the picture of Bobby Knox’s grandmother—for no particular reason that Tex could surmise—Evelyn had called Amarok and was lucky enough to catch him at his trooper post.
“Tex saw the whole thing?” Amarok asked. “Confirmed there was no inciting event?”
“Yes! Tex told me he was floored. He tried to stop Andy, but it was too late. And then, when Tex got mad about what Andy had done instead of being amused by it, Andy seemed irritated. Said something like, ‘What’s your problem? It’s only a damn picture!’”
“Surely he had to understand it was more than a ‘damn’ picture to Bobby Knox.”
“He didn’t seem to care! That’s what bothered Tex. He said he couldn’t believe Andy could be such a jerk.”
“Are you going to talk to Andy about it?”
“I can’t decide. Tex turned him in, so Warden Ferris has been dealing with the situation. Maybe I should leave it there.”
When Amarok didn’t respond right away, she knew something had stolen his attention. “Amarok?”
“Sorry. Just saw something on my desk.”
“Something about the investigation?”
“No, I guess Samantha came by while I was out.”
“Again?” Samantha had been trying to get back with Amarok ever since she’d returned to town. And someone—Evelyn could only guess it was Samantha—had been leaving hateful notes on her car, telling her she wasn’t wanted, to go home to Boston and never come back, that sort of thing. Evelyn had found two so far, one when she came out of the Moosehead and one when she came out of her and Amarok’s house to go to work one day a couple of weeks ago.
“Apparently,” Amarok said.
“What’d she leave you?”
“A note.”
“And? What does it say?”
“Nothing much.”
“Read it to me.”
“‘Sad I missed you. Made your favorite brownies. Wink. Will try to drop them off later.’”
She hadn’t left them because he wasn’t there; she wanted to see him. “What does she think she’s doing?” Evelyn asked. “She knows you’re with me!”