Face Off (The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #3)

Once he was finished in the bathroom, he dragged his tired and hurting ass out to the kitchen, where he popped some ibuprofen and sat down to have a bowl of cereal. He didn’t think he’d ever been in such a black mood. He should take off and disappear; that would be the wisest move. But he wasn’t about to give up. He was finished letting Evelyn believe she’d escaped him—and letting Amarok believe he could protect her.

He turned to look at the clock. He didn’t have to be at Hanover House until ten tonight.

Hoping to distract himself until the pain eased and he could sleep again, he went into the living room and turned on the TV, watched an episode of Forensic Files and managed to doze off.

When he woke up, the news was on. He listened for a while, grew bored with the politics and other bullshit and closed his eyes in an attempt to get some more rest. But then he heard a snippet that made him sit bolt upright.

A newscaster was saying that two bodies had been discovered in the woods northwest of Anchorage. He saw the TV cut to an “on the scene” reporter and watched as the cameraman filming that reporter panned wide.

Shit. Although the reporter said the police hadn’t yet identified the bodies, Jasper knew they soon would.

*

Other than getting a new short and sassy haircut and possibly losing a few pounds—not that she’d ever been heavy—Brianne hadn’t changed in the past two years. Her best features were still her flawless skin and her large, dark eyes. Evelyn was relieved when she and Amarok, who’d slept while she drove, arrived at the airport in time to pick up her sister without making her wait.

A wave of homesickness and guilt for not returning to Boston to visit her folks washed over Evelyn as they embraced. “How was your flight?”

“Long.” Brianne smiled, but her smile seemed forced. Although Evelyn noticed, she didn’t mention it. She and her sister would have several days together, plenty of time to talk once they’d settled into their old relationship. Brianne had spoken to Amarok occasionally on the phone, but this was the first time they’d met in person. Evelyn preferred to focus on that. “This is Amarok,” she said. “I’m so excited that I finally have the chance to introduce you.”

“This is the wolf, huh?” she said as Amarok offered his hand.

Evelyn was so preoccupied with everything that had been going on, she didn’t immediately realize her sister was referring to the meaning of Amarok’s nickname. It took a second to make the connection, even though it should’ve been obvious, so then she laughed. “Yes.”

Brianne made a show of looking him over. “Well, I can see why you might not care to return to Boston.”

While she said that as a joke, one that would tease her and flatter Amarok, who winked at her, Evelyn detected a note of bitterness in her sister’s voice. Brianne didn’t think it was fair that Evelyn was here, chasing her dream and living with such an attractive man, while she was at home, the only one close enough to offer any real support to their parents. And Evelyn couldn’t entirely blame her.

Although that inference hit a sensitive spot, Evelyn kept her pleasant expression firmly in place. “The weather’s getting worse as the day wears on,” she said. “We’d better grab your luggage and head back. Otherwise, we could be cut off.”

Brianne’s eyes widened. “From Hilltop?”

“Of course.”

“How often does that happen?”

Amarok answered, “Fairly often during the winter. But the closure never lasts long. We’re used to a lot of snow here in Alaska.”

“Didn’t you tell me a large number of your COs live in Anchorage?” she asked. “What happens if they can’t get to work?”

“A certain number of COs remain on call during the winter months. If we’re expecting bad weather, we’ll have a relief crew stay in a dorm-like situation, in case they’re needed.”

“How often have you had to do that?”

Evelyn slipped her arm through Brianne’s and guided her out as Amarok brought the luggage. “Only in rare instances.”

They’d reached the parking lot and Amarok was loading Brianne’s bags when Brianne’s phone went off.

“That’s probably Mom, checking to make sure you’ve arrived safely,” Evelyn said as her sister got out her phone, but she could tell by the look on Brianne’s face that Brianne didn’t recognize the number.

“No, it’s a nine-oh-seven area code.…”

“That’s from here in Alaska,” Evelyn said, and Amarok chimed in.

“Answer it!”

She didn’t have time to question him without missing the call and he was adamant, so she pressed the Talk button and said hello. A second later, she handed the phone to Amarok. “It’s for you.”

Evelyn frowned at the man she loved. “You gave someone Brianne’s number?”

“Sorry, I should’ve mentioned it. I didn’t want to be out of reach for too long,” he explained, and put the phone to his ear. “No kidding? When?” His eyebrows knitted as he spoke to whoever it was, probably Phil. “Okay, we were just about to head back. We’ll go to the coroner’s instead. Get hold of Leland Yerbowitz and send him to meet us. If it’s her, he should be able to make the identification.”

Evelyn could hardly wait until he got off the phone. “They’ve found Sierra?”

“They’ve found two bodies, both of them female. I don’t know that one is Sierra, but…”

Evelyn clutched her purse tightly. “But…”

“They’re both the right age, both white. And one has a chunk missing from her scalp.”

Brianne scowled as she touched Amarok’s arm. “Wait, the woman who’s gone missing—the one you told me about on the phone—has been murdered? And someone else was killed, as well?”

“Looks that way.” He handed the phone back.

Brianne shifted her attention to Evelyn. “Don’t you ever get sick of … of evil and death?”

“Of course I do,” Evelyn replied. “What do you think I’m doing up here?”

“Whatever you’re doing doesn’t seem to be working,” she grumbled.

Before Evelyn could respond, Amarok held up the keys he’d taken from her so he could load Brianne’s bags. “I’ll drive.”

As they climbed in, Evelyn told herself not to respond to Brianne’s remark. Her family didn’t understand what was at stake—that someone had to fight back. Society would never get ahead of the psychopathy problem otherwise.

The radio came on the second Amarok started the engine. Evelyn let music fill the silence for a minute or two. Then she asked, “How’re Mom and Dad?”

“Worried about you,” Brianne said. “But they’ve spent most of your life being worried about you, so I guess nothing’s really changed.”

There was that note of bitterness again. The news they’d just received about those bodies hadn’t put Brianne in a better mood—and of course it wouldn’t.

Hoping to distract her with a more personal conversation, Evelyn turned so she could see her sister. “And Jeff?”

Brianne shifted her gaze. “I don’t want to talk about him right now.”

Amarok took Evelyn’s hand as they turned out of the airport. She recalled that he’d guessed something was up with Brianne’s love life; this seemed to confirm it.

“Is everything okay, Bri?” Evelyn asked.

Brianne stared out the window. “Everything’s fine with me. You’re the one who has another psycho on the loose.”

Evelyn drew a deep breath. She wasn’t sure having Brianne in town was going to make her life any easier, but she understood why Amarok had wanted her to come. “It might not be another psycho,” she admitted. “It might be the one I’ve been waiting for ever since he kidnapped me the first time.”

Brianne returned her full attention to Evelyn. “You think Jasper’s here?”

“I do. We both do.”

“Why?”

“Because two women have been murdered.”

“But how could he hide out in such a small place? You’d recognize him right away, wouldn’t you?”

“I’d like to think so. But it’s been more than twenty years. Who knows how he’s changed.”

“Do you have any evidence that it’s Jasper?”

“Nothing solid, but someone tried to kill Amarok last night at the cabin where Sierra Yerbowitz was abducted,” Evelyn said, and told her about the incident.

“You shot him?” Brianne asked Amarok when Evelyn was done. “He’s wounded?”

“He was bleeding when he left,” Amarok replied.